Backroads February 2010

e
zin
a
g
Ma
r
u
o
eT
l
c
rcy
o
t
Mo
023FE11_C001_Transfer Template 1/2/11 5:18 PM Page 1
FEBRUARY
2011
Volume 17 No. 2
Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure
Yamaha Super Tenere
Rolling Thru Maine
Catalina Grand Prix
High Seas Rally
FEBRUARY 2011 • BACKROADS
Page 1
Motorcycle Fun
Without the Motorcycles
And, now for something completely different –
Monty Python
I was sitting upstairs in our very sweet two-room suite at a Radisson
on the east Floridian Space Coast. We had flown in earlier that day and
just downstairs and around the corner was one very serious party going
on.
Flying to destinations for motorcycle fun is not unusual for us, but
still I wondered why I was here and our bikes some 900 or so miles to
the north dozing in the barn instead of outside in the parking lot soaking
up the warm October Florida sunshine?
Our masthead says Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure. This would be
the Travel & Adventure part – with a small dose of motorcycles tossed
into the recipe.
BERGEN SPORT CYCLES
Cross Country Cycle
carries the full line of
Gerbing’s Heated Gear.
Est. 1968
Join us for our
Greatest Winter Sale
in Our
42 Year History!
Visit bergensportcycle.com/
our-greatest-winter-sale-is-on-now
30 US H’Way 46 East
Lodi, NJ 07644
973-478-7711
bergensportcycle.com
Ride More, Stress Less
Come in now
so you can keep
riding longer.
BACKROADS • FEBRUARY 2011
Page 2
Swapping our jeans for shorts, Shira and I meandered down towards the pool and to the growing party.
Around the well-done pool were the strategically placed bikes to be awarded as prizes at the
end of the cruise, the vendor table with all things
High Seas as well as raffle tickets and such and
several hundred revelers with more arriving by
the hour. The evening saw everyone having a
marvelous time, reconnecting with friends or
making new ones, and getting ready for the
week’s fun.
This was the opening salvo of the 2010 High
Seas Rally and the fun looked like it was just getting started for these folks.
Now, as our folks from Monty Python would say – this was something
completely different for us - a rally, but without any motorcycles or riding.
Just don’t seem natural, does it? At least, not for us.
Still many people will tell you that a big part of the riding culture is the
camaraderie and fun that you have when the ride is over and the bikes parked.
So it’s hard to argue with the idea of bringing 1,700 like-minded bikers together for a week of exploring and comradeship on the second largest cruise
ship on the planet.
The brain child of Debbie and Dean Anderson, the High Seas Rally was
created to bring the flavor and fun of the big rallies – Sturgis, Daytona and
Loudon onto ….well, the high seas! And, for eight years now, they have been
holding these floating parties in the Caribbean, the Mexican Riviera and even Alaska. Along the way they have
created the HSR Dialysis Fund, which provides dialysis
treatments for those who might not otherwise be able to
enjoy something as nice as a Caribbean cruise. A superb
thought.
Originally this event was called Hogs on the High
Seas; but realizing its a large two-wheeled world out
there they have thought to include and entice riders of
other makes and models to come along and be a pirate
for a week.
That being done Shira and I found ourselves boarding
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas and settling in
for a week of exploring – just without our motorcycles.
It promised to be fun.
eWWeee eWWeee BaBy!
Embarking on a ship the size of the Freedom of the
Seas is simply amazing. It seems more like a small town
than a big boat.
Pools everywhere, hot tubs cantilevered over the open
sea and a bar around every corner.
Entering the ship the folks from the High Seas Rally
set you up with a great embossed leather case full of all
sorts of goodies, including a personalized magnet for
your cabin door. Entering the cabin we were greeted
with a bottle of champagne, compliments of Dean and
Debbie, and a stunning view of the sea from the balcony.
This is a very nice ship.
Our departing time was late afternoon so in typical
‘Backroads’ style we went exploring our home for the
week, the Freedom of the Seas.
By chance this Sunday was also the day for the
annual Cocoa Beach Air Show and the United
States Air Force Thunderbirds put on one hell of
a show off the starboard deck. As many of you
know we are huge military jet fans and this display of air and speed was a wonderful omen.
This evening was also Halloween. The High
Seas Rally Costume Party was beyond, with many
imaginative costumes. I’m really not sure how
some of these folks got them on the ship at all, especially that three-headed monster. Backroads was
represented by Lois and Clark, as we are technically reporters, right? The party ran until early the next morning, with much
reveling in the night.
trying to reason
With hurricane season
Right before we left New Jersey, the Weather Channel started talking of a
tropical depression called Tomas. By the time we got south it had become a
stage 1 hurricane. Excellent!
But, as much as I felt the second biggest ship on the planet could easily
handle this Dean, Debbie and Royal Caribbean opted for Plan B.
We were to spend the first day on sea steaming towards Labadee, on the
5th Annual
Limited-Edition
Collectible
St. Patrick’s Day
T-Shirts
Visit our
website for our
upcoming events
and the
updated artwork
for our
St. Patrick’s Day
T-Shirt
Harley-Davidson
of Long Branch
671 Broadway
Long Branch, NJ
732-229-8518
www.HDLongBranch.com
®
FEBRUARY 2011 • BACKROADS
Page 3
Haitian coast, but with Tomas
quickly becoming a beast we
set sail for Cocoa Cay, a small
private island off the Bahamas.
With the morning bringing
perfect weather we were good
with that. After a quick breakfast we boarded the tender and
made our way to shore.
The small island is privately
owned by Royal Caribbean
and is basically a giant play-
ground for both young
and old. Plenty of shallow
ocean to play with in the
Bahamas and soon the island was swarming with
High Seas Ralliers.
Dean and Debbie, along
with hired gun comedian
Roy Reilly, set up the
World’s Largest T-Shirt Swap with nearly 800 riders playing the game and
swapping shirts from around the nation and the world. Fun stuff.
Afterward we headed to the beach and spent a few hours floating around
and becoming far too intimate with a few jellyfish.
After our picnic/barbeque lunch we shopped a bit and then, desperately
needing a motor/speed/velocity and power fix, signed on for a tour of the islands on Sea-Doo watercraft.
Along the way we got to see some interesting wildlife – the local iguana
named Louie, some great stingray and, along the shore of one of the islands,
dozens of monstrous starfish. The Bahamas, named so for the shallowness
of its waters, was home to a great drug trade in the ‘60 and ‘70s and on some
of these islands still sit the now empty homes of the drug lords of that wild
and crazy era. Our Sea-Doo guide gave us some quick tales of dropped cargo
and crashed planes to stir our imaginations.
Back on board the rally continued. But, what would a real rally be without
vendors? That afternoon the vendor area opened with a good number of quality merchandise on display and for sale. Our friends from Nolan helmets and
Condor bike stands were there as well as the artists Scott Jacobs and Marc
Lacourciere. Lehman trikes were not only there but donated a trike for the
cause as well. Rounding out the
offerings were Kuryakyn, Rivco,
Performance Machine, HeliBars
and some fine jewelers.
Sharing the vendor space was
the headquarters for the High Seas
Rally where you could purchase
your daily prize tickets as well as
Pirate Bingo cards and get any of
your questions answered. If you
are a first-timer, or Rally Virgin,
you’ll probably have a few.
The rest of the afternoon, before
dinner that evening, was spent exploring the promenade, which was
like a huge mall on the seas. The discovery of Vintages Wine Bar assured a huge
depletion of our cash, but what the hell.
Later that night Dean and Debbie held
their Rally Intro/Overview and Giveaway
at the theatre, which was a nightly event
and great crowd pleaser. Each night featured something different, from introducing the dialysis patients onboard to
honoring our veterans. Here we were told
about the history of the rally and the great
work that has been done with the HOHS
Dialysis Fund. Sitting in front of us was
NASCAR great Geoff Bodine who took a
shine to our favorite puppet Notso Happy. Folks departing the evening ceremonies had a full plate to look forward to during this floating rally.
cruisin’ the cariBBean
With the schedule slightly altered we spent that Tuesday at sea heading
south around Cuba and to the isle of Jamaica mon and Ocho Rios.
We had a free day at sea but that just let the High Seas Rally kick into high
gear with the Belly Smacker contest. Yes, kids, it is exactly that, and 10 brilliant contestants battled it out for the championship. Cycling through the
many rounds and accumulated bruises, the top belly-smacker was awarded
BACKROADS • FEBRUARY 2011
to Bob Gaglione.
That evening was formal night for the
rest of the ship, but for the High Seas Ralliers that just meant leather and there was
plenty of that this evening. If you happened to forget to bring your favorite
piece of leatherware, not to worry. Patty
the Leather Lady was doing her thing in
the vendor area and was happy to supply
you with just the right accoutrement.
Port o’ call ocho rios, JaMaica
Arriving in Ocho Rios the next morning we made our way to land. Some
cruised over to Dunns Falls and others to
the Jamaican Bobsled – but many just taxied around town and eventually ended up
at Jimmy Buffet’s Magarittaville.
As Parrotheads in
good standing we
floated in and once I
got a look at the waterslide that runs from
the roof through the
bar and into the deep
pool I was planted for
the afternoon.
This turned into one
serious party and Jimmy would have been proud. There
were prizes given, dances danced, and plenty of rum to
be had. As the saying goes, what happens in Jamaica stays
in Jamaica. And, as it turned out, some did stay in Jamaica, but none from the High Seas Rally group.
Page 4
Those who made their way back to the
ship earlier cheered on the folk who were
getting in just before the anchor was
weighed. There were a couple running up the
dock just in time. That feel good party atmosphere filtered its way back onto the ship
and by the time we took off for the next port
later that afternoon the boat was rockin’ and
rollin’.
As was now customary Shira and I wandered to the wine bar for a late afternoon
glass of scrumptious vino. This afternoon we
were pleased to
meet and talk with the Captain of the ship,
Manolis Kasselas, the world’s smallest Captain.
A gracious man, he invited us to tour the bridge
and we hoped that would be possible before the
cruise was over.
We enjoyed the Promenade and then it was
onto the Schooner Bar for the late
afternoon playing of Name that
Tune. We were getting progressively worse; that or the subjects
were drifting away from us. This
afternoon was themes from Chick
Flicks. Not my favorite and it
showed.
This evening’s activity was the
‘Treasured Chest’ contest. With the
best wenches heading up on stage, these fine lasses collected
their votes in the form of pirate loot, better known as cold, hard
cash. All money collected went directly to the HOHS Dialysis
Fund and the 10 most buxom beauties who be the winners split
some of their own booty from the vendors. This year’s winner
was Tina Young, and a fine looking wench she was.
RIDING FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC
MARK EVERY MILE WITH IN-LINE SIX PERFECTION
Introducing the K 1600 GTL, boasting
the lightest, most narrow and powerful
in-line six in any motorcycle, ever. Blow
by 18-wheelers through the plains,
or enjoy the massive torque you’ll get at
low rpms as you dominate passes in
the Rockies. With power, however, comes
control. Integral ABS, dynamic traction
control and ride-by-wire means you can
handle any surprises the journey throws
at you. Finally, in another motorcycling
first, turn night into day with adaptive
Xenon headlamps that follow the road
through every turn.
NOW T
AKING
ORDE
Check
RS.
o
u
t
the ne
at the
w K 16
New Y
0
ork Mo
torcyc 0s
le Sho
w.
K 16OO GTL.
UNSTOPPABLE TOUR.
MONTGOMERYVILLE CYCLE CENTER
2901 Bethlehem Pike, Hatfield, PA
215-712-7433 • www.montgomeryvillecc.com
Pre-production motorcycle shown; serial units will vary. See dealer for pricing and further details on standard technical attributes and options. © 2010 BMW Motorrad USA,
a division of BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name and logo are registered trademarks. Always ride safely and wear proper protective gear.
FEBRUARY 2011 • BACKROADS
Page 5
Actually acting slightly mature this evening we made it an early one. We
were steaming towards the Caymans and we had a date with some stingrays.
Port o’ call - georgetoWn, cayMan islands
This day we were up to see an awesome sunrise over the Caribbean. By
7:30 (early for island time) we had met our group for the day’s excursions.
There were a few things I wanted to do and see in the Caymans but the first
and most important to Shira and me was Stingray City.
This is an area of sea that naturally has hundreds of
stingrays and over the years they have become quite docile
and almost tame around humans.
This trip would be combined with some reef snorkeling so
we were excited to get off our huge boat and onto a much
smaller one for the short trip to Stingray City.
As I had heard they were indeed hundreds of these small
willowy sharks in the water. Getting into the calm and smooth
waters of the Stingray I instantly had one glide past by body,
When you need to ride into the sunset,
choose the bike that will
bring you there in comfort.
Two Jacks is now taking orders for the K 1600 GT and GTL.
See them at the NY Motorcycle Show.
K 16OO GTL.
UNSTOPPABLE TOUR.
1019 N. Washington St
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18705
570-824-2453 • www.twojacks.com
Pre-production motorcycle shown; serial units will vary. See dealer for pricing and further
details on standard technical attributes and options. © 2010 BMW Motorrad USA, a division
of BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name and logo are registered trademarks.
Always ride safely and wear proper protective gear.
its huge bat-like wings sliding
across my back. Surprisingly
soft, the Southern Atlantic
Stingray of the Cayman Islands
seemed almost prehistoric to
me. We got a chance to hold
them and feed them and even
get a Stingray massage and
kiss.
As I looked closely into one
of their eyes I wondered what it
could possibly be thinking of these creatures
that sail up each day to touch, hold and feed
them. His sharky eyes gave me no clue.
Both Shira and I agreed it was one of the
most remarkable things we have ever experienced.
Snorkeling as always was fun – a poor excuse to SCUBA in these waters, but time
would only allow for one or the other.
Back in town we strolled
around the port and found
lunch at Eden Rock, another
famous Cayman snorkeling
spot. Fresh fish, conch and
‘farm raised’ turtle, a big
business in the Caymans,
filled our needs this day and really hit the spot, especially
with local Caybrew beer.
From there it was onward for the obligatory stop at Buffet’s Margaritaville which, like the one in Jamaica, was a
raucous party central. It seemed that we had just missed the
wet t-shirt contest so we continued on and visited the famous
Elmslie Church, which was built by a ship builder some 160
years ago. A pretty chapel with vaulted ceilings of dark
BACKROADS • FEBRUARY 2011
wood, it gave us a chance to atone for the sins
we had boldly acquired during the High Seas
Rally with all these Milwaukee pirates and
such.
By the port itself we found the usual crafts
and trinkets shops. For the High Seas Rally
people there were two Harley shops so those
who needed a Cayman Harley shirt were not
disappointed.
By 3-ish most were back on the Freedom
of the Seas and being late afternoon we took
a stroll of the ship and made our way to the
nightly ‘Name that Tune’ – this night it was
Disco Songs of the ‘70s. Oy vey.
Up until then the Captain had done his best
to avoid Tomas, but to get where we needed
to go, the Mexican island of Cozumel, we had to skirt the edges of the hurricane that was taking its sweet time across the Caribbean.
Up on deck this evening was the Topless Man Contest, involving baby oil,
blindfolded female judges and, you guessed it, topless men. We’ll let your
imagination do its best here and just tell you that the winner, John Renfro,
along with the top two contestants, split $1,000 in prizes from the vendors.
During the nightly Giveaway Show the winds picked up mightily and just
taking a walk on the deck became an adventure all in itself. Even a ship the
size of Freedom of the Seas had a good roll to it this
evening.
Port o’call - cozuMel, Mexico
With Shira tightening her
grip on me we did our best
to avoid the many potholes
on the rough road to San
Gervasio. With each hit
Pepe would shudder and I
thought I might have seen a
part or two go bouncing
down the road behind us.
Still, as much as we were
enjoying the High Seas
Rally this is what we do best
– exploring and a few miles
down this road were the
famed Mayan ruins and for
us life doesn’t get much better. Well, maybe with a
more substantial machine - but, Pepe would do.
After the rough night sail to the coast of Mexico we
docked in Cozumel.
Departing the ship we
made our way through the
dozens of locals all wanting
to sell us something that
was “almost free today!”
The previous evening
Debbie and Dean had mentioned that a good plan was
to take a cab to the downtown section, strolling and
perusing the shops while
heading towards the dueling parties at Magaritaville
and Carlos & Charlie’s. Apparently, these two establishments put up a good
fight to win the title of best
party place in Cozumel, enticing the High Seas Ralliers
with prizes, t-shirts, drink specials and some nasty fun.
It was a good plan; but we had a better one. We hired
a decent sized Yamaha scooter – which we got to calling
Pepe ‘cause he wasn’t, and set off to explore the entire
island.
Page 6
As we said, our first stop was the Mayan ruins
(see sidebar) and we spent a few hours there exploring what was left on the island of this once
great civilization. Cutting across the island we
had to deal with some stiff breezes and I wished
we had some real riding gear. But, the scooter
idea was not planned for and in true ‘biker’
fashion we dropped ATGATT and took what
they had – which was a cheesy half helmet better suited for cheese dip than real head protection. If we would have known we
could have borrowed a couple of
helmets from our friends at
Nolan in the vendor area.
We cruised by the tequila museum and then onto the
Caribbean side of Cozumel. Here
things got really pretty. We found
a superb tiki bar called Mezcalitos, had a couple of cold cocacolas and then set out riding the
rest of the coast. Over one small
rise we spied a great little cove
FEBRUARY 2011 • BACKROADS
Page 7
with the bluest waters. Not
one to miss an opportunity
we parked Pepe and spent
some time on the rocks,
sand and water. Life was
very good in Cozumel this
day.
We wanted to get back
to town to see what party
was
more
raucous,
Jimmy’s place of Carlos &
Charlie’s. After spending
some time in both we have
to say that things seemed
to be getting out of hand at
C & C’s and when the
bathing suit tops started
coming off we knew who
had won this battle.
It was interesting to see
how some folks crawled,
stumbled and were carried
back on board that afternoon and the restaurant
seemed slightly subdued,
Moto Guzzi V7 Classic
even if it were Pirate
Night on board. There
were some mighty fine
looking wenches and
hooligans, with not a
one made to walk the
plank. At the Giveaway this evening the
rally call was ‘Arrrrgh,
Bingo’ as it was Pirate Bingo at its best.
With all hands in, six winners split
$15,570 plus vendor prizes and a whopping $15,570 went to the HOHS Dialysis
Fund.
sailing Back
One can get used to the easy life on a
cruise ship but that next day we spent at
sea heading back to Port Canaveral and
early the next day we would depart the
Freedom of the Seas one last time.
BRANCHVILLE
MOTORS
63 Ethan Allen Hwy • Ridgefied, CT
203.544.7900
www.Branchville.com
Triumph Daytona 675
Triumph Speed Triple
Winter will
be over soon.
Will you be
ready to ride?
Full selection of
Moto Guzzi and Triumph
motorcycles on the floor
and ready to roll.
Triumph Tiger 800
Spring will be here
before you know it!
Now is the time to come in
& let us get you on that
new ride you’ve been
dreaming about.
Did you know that we
service all makes and models
of motorcycles & ATVs?
Now is a good time to
do upgrades and get
your bike serviced & ready
for the riding season.
Contact our Service Mgr,
Adam, to schedule
your appt. today.
138 Orange Ave (Rt. 202) • Suffern, NY
845.357.1190
www.locomotionpowersports.com
Before calling it quits, the High Seas Rally had some
serious business left. That evening saw the Final Ceremonies with Grand Prize Giveaways including the stunning custom Harley won by Wendy Ellis and the
beautiful Lehman Trike. Nice prizes to ride away from
a rally like this. There were also cabin giveaways, the
Poker Walk winning hands and the Dialysis Fund Auction, which had some awesome items. One of the top
money-makers was an 8-person autographed NASCAR
banner donated by Happy’s friend Geoff Bodine. There
was some tough bidding which brought in over $40,000
for the Dialysis Fund. When all was totaled, $344,000
BACKROADS • FEBRUARY 2011
in cash and prizes was awarded to High Seas Rally crewmembers and
$182,969 was raised for HOHS Dialysis Fund. This put the High Seas Rally
total raised over the $1 million mark in just 12 cruises.
soMe Final thoughts
Looking back on the entire cruise we found the High Seas Rally to be tons
of fun. It’s held at a perfect time of the year. Just when things are cooling
down and getting cold in the northeast, the High Seas Rally is heating up in
the little latitudes.
Although we’ll always prefer actually riding motorcycles someplace interesting, this was a great, if different week for us, and we still got to explore
and experience a bounty of new things. The ports of call were well chosen
and with just a little effort you can easily turn a relaxing cruise into an exciting adventure. It’s even more fun if you have a group of friends to come
along like our buddies from Second Generation MC did.
If your idea of a great ride involves Sturgis, Daytona or Laconia then you
will probably fit right in here as the High Seas Rally embodies the spirit of
them all.
All the people on the
ship, even the ones not
on the rally, were fun,
funny and very friendly
and we can easily say
an awesome time
seemed to be had by all.
Well, maybe not the
few who missed the
boat in Jamaica – but
that’s another story.
The High Seas Rally
will set sail again next
year from October 30 to
November 6th, once
again cruising the western Caribbean. If the Caribbean isn’t your thing, there
is also an Alaskan cruise June 18-25, 2011. You can find out more information and pricing at www.highseasrally.com.
As they say “Thars a little pirate in every bikerrr!”
Page 8
san gervasio - cozuMel’s Mayan history
Not one to miss anything along the lines of ancient Mayan Ruins
while riding around the island of Cozumel, off the Mexican
coast, during the High Seas Rally we pointed “Pepe the
Scooter” towards the ruins at San Gervasio. The cruise was fun,
but it was time for some real backroads adventure!
Ancient pre-columbian ruins always fit the bill.
The Maya archeological site of San Gervasio has an unusually long history,
beginning sometime around 100 BC and continuing as late as the 16th century.
Located in the center of the largest island in the Mexican Caribbean, it
was still a functioning religious site at the time the Spaniards arrived in the
16th century. In the heart of the island, in a lush jungle populated with brilliantly colored iguanas and brilliant flowers and foliage, one can see why no
one ever wanted to abandon this beautiful place.
San Gervasio was a site dedicated to the Mayan goddess Ixchel, known
as “She of the Rainbows” the god of midwifery, fertility, medicine and weaving. We liked the weaving part. Many women from the mainland Mayan settlements made the pilgrimage here to Ixchel´s shrine at some point in their
lifetime. Think of it as Club Med or Hedonism for the Maya.
As one enters the site a graceful arch protects an altar on a sacbe (ancient
road) leading into the ceremonial center. Many statues to Ixchel were found
here and are still being discovered at the 40+ temples on the island. It is believed that a large ceramic image of Ixchel delivered oracles spoken by a
hidden priestess for pilgrims with questions.
Although the archaeological site at San Gervasio has not had a lot of
restoration, there are numerous structures and the beautiful natural setting
makes a visit there worthwhile. One of the most interesting buildings is the
Temple of the Hands. Inside, numerous small red handprints of unknown
significance are painted on the wall, leading more than one tourist to speculate that perhaps this was a day-care center for pilgrim moms!
The Mayan ruins at San Gervasio are a welcome retreat for those visiting
the busy island of Cozumel. Take time to enjoy the peaceful setting of this
fertile jungle shrine dedicated to the Maya goddess Ixchel.
Then swing around to the far side of the island, one of the most beautiful
beaches you’ll find anywhere.