tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post6591707791295048409..comments2023-12-11T03:32:58.722-05:00Comments on Twisted Roads By Jack Riepe: Sunday's Adventure To ScaleJack Riepehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-26854944643576881002009-12-02T18:09:32.376-05:002009-12-02T18:09:32.376-05:00Jack,
Just found your blog and really enjoy the s...Jack,<br /><br />Just found your blog and really enjoy the sarcastic babble. I've learned so much from you about life, motorcycles, and the wonders of the female anatomy...and I'm only through October. I notice that most of your trips keep you within 200 miles of home, is that a condition of parole?<br /><br />Keep 'em coming and stop in sometime at thunderroadlodge.blogspot.com. I'll try to keep up, but you're a handful.RoadTriphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03966107749652726082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-22177253544491868292009-11-10T08:05:17.666-05:002009-11-10T08:05:17.666-05:00Dear Rob H:
Your company would be welcome at any ...Dear Rob H:<br /><br />Your company would be welcome at any time. Did you ever go to joint on Rt. 3 in Clifton (NJ) called Rutt's Hutt. They have deep fried hot dogs and a bar straight out of the Great Depression. The place has been there since the 30's. <br /><br />I want to orgaanize a hot dog run up there. <br /><br />Fondest regards, <br />Jack • reep • ToadJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-81635244315943739882009-11-10T08:02:13.300-05:002009-11-10T08:02:13.300-05:00Dear Bobskoot:
While I have yet to ride over a re...Dear Bobskoot:<br /><br />While I have yet to ride over a really long bridge with a steel deck, say a mile in length or longer, I have discovered the short ones are really no problem, provided they are dry. The trick is to let that front wheel move around a bit, but not too much, and not to panic.<br /><br />Still, I find myself thinking about them.<br /><br />Fondest regards,<br />Jack • reep • ToadJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-9293878347653108462009-11-09T18:40:51.909-05:002009-11-09T18:40:51.909-05:00Jack,
Good ride you had. I'd like to join yo...Jack,<br /><br />Good ride you had. I'd like to join you someday in a NJ ride. I remember going through north Jersey as a kid on our way to my cousins in Bayonne (a city that makes Jersey City look good). We always held our noses when we passed the refineries; Ah memories of New Jersey.<br /><br />Rob HautRob Hauthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09455175493718463078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-75004393124888716332009-11-09T16:54:40.950-05:002009-11-09T16:54:40.950-05:00Jack "r":
We don't have grated brid...<b>Jack "r":</b><br /><br />We don't have grated bridge decks up here, but on those bridges in the Gorge <em>(Oregon/Washington)</em>, my bike got caught up in the death spiral and it was hard to control going forward in a straight line. I'm not looking forward to going over them again soon.<br /> <br />bob<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wetcoastscootin.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">bobskoot: wet coast scootin</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05258612401956399482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-40944666669392253232009-11-08T16:08:51.762-05:002009-11-08T16:08:51.762-05:00Dear Lance:
It was a fun ride... And what made i...Dear Lance: <br /><br />It was a fun ride... And what made it fun was seeing my mom, covering some distance, letting the horses run, and playing with my lights. I hope to get three more rides in this month, if I can get this preoblem with my arm straightened out.<br /><br />Thank you for reading and for writing in.<br /><br />Fondest regards, <br />Jack • reep • ToadJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-59318201202544475332009-11-08T13:51:35.466-05:002009-11-08T13:51:35.466-05:00Great post Jack. Sorry about your clutch and tick...Great post Jack. Sorry about your clutch and ticket booth problems. The Tear of Grief monument really impacted me - thanks for sharing this.Lancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02458096347718242672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-52945748832111998182009-11-08T13:26:41.686-05:002009-11-08T13:26:41.686-05:00Dear Dick:
I never let the nature of the crowed g...Dear Dick:<br /><br />I never let the nature of the crowed get me down.<br /><br />Jack • reep • Toad<br />Twisted RoadsJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-33806718218372793402009-11-08T10:14:01.154-05:002009-11-08T10:14:01.154-05:00Dear Matt:
See what you missed by not saying, &qu...Dear Matt:<br /><br />See what you missed by not saying, "Okay, Fatass, I'll meet you at noon instead of nine!"<br /><br />I have run into some problems this past week with my left arm, which is not working like it is supposed to. It went from fine, to zip, in which case I couldn't pick up a cup of coffee. <br /><br />But it seems to be getting better now. I am going to do this New York run in another few weeks.Maybe you'll be up fir that one.<br /><br />Fondest regards,<br />Jack • reep •ToadJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-75970933110409561882009-11-08T09:21:05.357-05:002009-11-08T09:21:05.357-05:00Dear RossK6;
Four or five years ago, I would have...Dear RossK6;<br /><br />Four or five years ago, I would have ridden miles out of my way to avoid a bridge with a steel-grate deck. Then I got to a pont where these were "okay" if they weren't too long and I could hit them straight on at about 50 miles per hour (on a dry day). <br /><br />The turning point came on a ride to the Jersey Shore with Al Luna and Mack Harrell. I got stuck at the gate of a draw bridge with a steel grate and had to go over it slowly when the gate was raised. <br /><br />Since then, I have never really given these a second thought. Provided the weather is dry. Yet the two bridges in this story are unusual for several reasons. Access to the first is screwy and outright dangerous. Traffic on the second is aggressive and six lanes wide, with vehicles scrambing to line up with exits that begin almost on the other side. <br /><br />There is another drawbridge with a steel grate deck on Rt. 3, about 8 miles from these, with approaches to Route 21 that were designed in 1932, when cars did 40 mph. Rt. 3 is now the most heavily traveled road in the state, with traffic hitting that bridge at 70 mph. <br /><br />They don't make it easy.<br /><br />Fondest regards,<br />Jack • reep • ToadJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-60169168291544890912009-11-07T20:23:25.114-05:002009-11-07T20:23:25.114-05:00Jack:
What a great adventure, riding in the fuckin...Jack:<br />What a great adventure, riding in the fucking dark on the fucking NJ turnpike with all the fucking drunks and fucking druggies headed home to catch a couple of hours of sleep before running off to work or to the fucking unemployment office in the morning. Glad you made it in one large piece.BMW-Dickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17923099195434220681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-57299678830133003022009-11-07T18:14:55.850-05:002009-11-07T18:14:55.850-05:00Jack, I'm not sure if I should be honored or ...Jack, I'm not sure if I should be honored or horrified to be mentioned in the blog. For one thing, I can no longer deny that I know you, nor can I deny that I enjoy riding with you. :)<br /><br />I can vouch for Jack's personal Mordor. I had a friend that moved to Jersey City several years ago and, oddly enough, lived a block or two from Jack's childhood home. It's everything Jack says it is, and more.MattPiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13478095197681336275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-86882565051570480432009-11-07T17:39:26.478-05:002009-11-07T17:39:26.478-05:00Thanks, Jack. Another entertaining read. I have to...Thanks, Jack. Another entertaining read. I have to say that whenever I have to ride on steel bridge decking, I too get a certain sense of apprehension...usually a general feeling of vacuum in my stomach that quickly sinks to my testicles...not good at all.RossK6https://www.blogger.com/profile/13375657551687611187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-80003791360008189942009-11-06T23:18:56.294-05:002009-11-06T23:18:56.294-05:00Dear Conch:
I gimped into my mother's place a...Dear Conch:<br /><br />I gimped into my mother's place and said, "Hi, Mama."<br /><br />Her response was, "Shut up. I rue the day I ever taught you to talk. How do you ride that motorcycle without getting it jammed up your ass?"<br /><br />We grew up tough.<br /><br />Bobskoot would go into shock after 10 miles on the New Jersey TurnPike. The ten miles I have in mind are from the Ridgefield Park interchange to 13A, just after Newark Airport. Mother Theresa did this same route in a limo, and spent the next two weeks kicking cats. <br /><br />Fondest regards,<br />Jack • reep • ToadJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-42735856632809316352009-11-06T20:59:03.751-05:002009-11-06T20:59:03.751-05:00I am astonished you have a mother who still agrees...I am astonished you have a mother who still agrees to have you visit.You make the New Jersey Turnpike sound fascinating, I will want to ride it with you (and bobskoot) in the spring. By the way Harriet Tampon invented the elevator commonly attributed to her husband Otis.Conchscooterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08016331487463993200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-12759918865710250102009-11-06T12:17:40.339-05:002009-11-06T12:17:40.339-05:00Dear Ihor:
The last time I visited the Polish Vet...Dear Ihor:<br /><br />The last time I visited the Polish Vet's monument was back in January, of 2008. I included it in the blog I wrote. A picture of the monument can be found in the the blog:<br />http://jackriepe.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-return-to-jersey-city-again.html<br /><br />Jersey City is a wonderful place... But it cetainly as the dog shit and broken glass capital of the world. And while some parts of it are gentrified, and others are capped with towering chrome and glass, its original Dickensian nature remains intact. <br /><br />My brother still lives there and he loves it. I used to think he was nuts. But he has a strong attachment to the 300 years of history that stain the place.<br /><br />Fondest regards,<br />Jasck • reep • ToadJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-32170766487989339212009-11-06T11:21:13.278-05:002009-11-06T11:21:13.278-05:00The total area of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic, ...The total area of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic, and Union counties is 741 square miles. LA is 470. If you subtract the water hazzards and the remaining verger and the 'idealized' portions, it's nearly a match in size. This should help paint a picture for the unfamiliar readers.Geographically speaking, Ihornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-54661522863612690922009-11-06T11:01:07.944-05:002009-11-06T11:01:07.944-05:00I'm on the outside in the fashion of a correct...I'm on the outside in the fashion of a corrections officer when it comes to Mordor, a reference which I have shared with many of my colleagues. I think that the WEB contains many photos of the Polish Vets' monument for any whose disbelief needs correcting. You could supply one when another tale of this region comes to mind and you force feed it to the readers of your excellent blog. Some of the loyal have been to these environs, but many are far removed and haven't a clue of the wonders that are contained in this most densely populated corner of the US.<br />COME VISIT EVERYONE, the more the merrier!! Meet with John and he'll be your Virgil. Dante would be sequel inspired or shown how amateurish his attempt was if he could come by.With a twinge of agony, Ihornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-89726589027756564642009-11-06T09:28:37.324-05:002009-11-06T09:28:37.324-05:00Dear Allen Madding:
The process for changing out ...Dear Allen Madding:<br /><br />The process for changing out a clutch cable on a BMW K75 takes about 25 minutes. The part is $21 and they have them in bushel baskets at nearly all BMW dealers.<br /><br />However, it wouldn't have made a difference to me if they were growing on trees. I didn't have a clue, and still don't, on how these suckers get installed. And there is some doubt in the riding circles I hang with that I will figure out how to mount the retaining pin in the caliper either. <br /><br />There is a lot of controversy over the "Tear of Grief" monument. There were questions regarding its design, its implemention, and even its placement (which is the apparent equivalent of an industrial landfill, in Bayone, NJ) It took me an hour to get directions to this place on the internet. <br /><br />Three miles away from this gift of the Russian people, is a gift of Polish War Vets... It is a statue of a Polish Cavalry officer with a Russian bayonette i his back. (I kid you not.) Hudson County, NJ is a strange place. And it's where I gre up.<br /><br />Fondest regards,<br />Jack • reep • ToadJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-73765996484533903172009-11-05T18:36:19.892-05:002009-11-05T18:36:19.892-05:00reep,
Glad you splained the tear thing. On first ...reep,<br /><br />Glad you splained the tear thing. On first blush, I thought it was a memorial to the guy who created the mercury switch widely used in thermostats.<br /><br />I too was on pins and needles regarding the clutch cable. "Will an adult male show up and change the cable for him?", "Will the cable break and his body be discovered deboweled in a rest stop?", "Will the engine have to be removed to replace a clutch cable on a BMW?" My mind was racing.<br /><br />I was greatly relieved to learn it was simply a missing link pin. I trust you know someone who can insert a new one into the hole and secure it when a replacement can be shipped over from Germany.<br /><br />Glad to know the airport search lights you mounted on the bike are coming in handy. I am giving the cage driver the benefit of the doubt for cutting you off so closely. I am guessing he didn't see you *cough* *cough*<br /><br />Glad you got home safely and gald you found an excuse to cop a feel of the significant other.<br /><br />-PeaceAllen Maddinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03975320122826127770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-50130885075421961332009-11-05T16:01:59.291-05:002009-11-05T16:01:59.291-05:00Dear Ihor:
It's hard for someone not from her...Dear Ihor:<br /><br />It's hard for someone not from here to understand what it means to cram 1,000,000 people into an area smaller than 5 square miles.., The kind of traffic this creates... Imagine the City of Key West with 1,000,000 people, require 30 different bus routes, 5 commuter train routes, a subway, and a trolley, surrounded by the wreckage of waterfront heavy industry -- including refineries. It is dificult t even conceive of the gaebage and human waste this generates. <br /><br />It's hard to conceive of Weehawken... Twelve blocks long, 5 blocks wide, and a population in excess of 14,000. Or Guttenburg, which is half that size and has 4,000 residents in one high-rise complex. <br /><br />We never the saw the downside, until we were on the outside looking in.<br /><br />Fondest regards,<br />Jack • reep • ToadJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-47543878138797692062009-11-05T15:25:06.499-05:002009-11-05T15:25:06.499-05:00John,no description or horrified criticism can mat...John,no description or horrified criticism can match or approach the realities that the region you traversed harbors. Both in depth and intensity, name any movie scene from LOTR, Terminator 4, Alien, The Matrix, The Road Warrior,...(stop me before the list overtops this blog's word capacity),nothing from any screen writer's or director's imagination can come close to depicting the soul crushing madness that confronts any visitor to or inhabitant of the place that shall remain nameless. The depiction of Mordor in the LOTR was insufficient and amaturish when compared with the real thing, Mordor is North Jersey Lite!! <br /><br />Anyone disagree? <br />I didn't think so. <br />Now I will howl in despair and rock myself until the images fade, then only to return with consciousness.Stabbing the All Seeing Eye, Ihornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-44379042370556161232009-11-05T14:57:11.157-05:002009-11-05T14:57:11.157-05:00Dear Picinisco:
It seems I've had one thing ...Dear Picinisco: <br /><br />It seems I've had one thing on my mind since I saw this monument. Then again, I saw a man in a boat last week, and had the same thing on my mind. The week before that, it was a taco. I think its just a case of life imitating desire. <br /><br />Thank you for reading my blog and for dropping by. What kind of bike do you ride? <br /><br />Fondest regards,<br />Jack • reep • ToadJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-36932497365688748162009-11-05T14:52:55.227-05:002009-11-05T14:52:55.227-05:00Dear SgSidekick (Tena):
Adventure is where you fi...Dear SgSidekick (Tena):<br /><br />Adventure is where you find it... The trick is to go out looking -- and to keep your eyes open. In my case, it seems to find me... Especially when I'm determined to mind my own business (which isn't often). <br /><br />Thank you for dropping by, and for commenting. It's like getting a birthday card but a lot more often. <br /><br />Fondest regards,<br />Jsck • reep • ToadJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-91369547811871542772009-11-05T13:58:31.924-05:002009-11-05T13:58:31.924-05:00Is it just me or is the Tears Of Grief thing kind ...Is it just me or is the Tears Of Grief thing kind of sexual looking.Piciniscohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08842829305009569603noreply@blogger.com