The perfect location for the next sci-fi video game? Seaside Heights, NJ

With the late November weather cooperating, I woke up feeling somewhat obligated going for a BMW ride today.

Still jetlagged from just having returned from Berlin, it was easy to talk myself out of doing something more strenuous, like for example Mountain Biking or Kayaking. I am quite good at talking myself out of things, or at least waffling about it until it is too late to have a go, and while I can easily hesitate about a BMW ride in questionable weather condition, today the sun was shining, the leaves did not particularly seem slippery, and with Robyn still away in India and Nepal, the few hundred miles I need to put on the bike before the next service period tipped the scale. Besides I also wanted to test out my new Vstream replacement windshield on the highway.

The South Shore BMW rider group was doing a Polar Bear ride to Hopewell NJ today, but the meeting point takes me an hour to reach, and the ride would have taken all day… Besides I like riding by myself, I can stop to take pictures when I like, and ponder the smaller mysteries of the universe, such as the spontaneous materialization of extremely slow driving minivans, only during the sweepy best curvy segments of a route. I’m sure this only applies to Motorcycles, although I think cars are also affected, if the driver is running late.

So after planning a route to ride the sweepy route 527 west, before turning back east to Seaside Heights and a visit to Island Beach State Park, I set out around 10:30. I assumed entry to Island Beach would be free after labor day, the plan was to eat lunch there or in Asbury Park.

Baldrich the Beemer

I often marvel at the technology that allows me to take calls on my Zumo GPS (connected via bluetooth to my iPhone), but having somehow imagined suave on bike conversations, the actual subject matter of such on bike calls are pedestrian in nature and typically revolve around picking up milk, or doctor’s visits. Stopping to take a call from my Mother, I by chance discovered the Ocean County RC Modelers model airplane field. After a short and concise conversation I continued an hour later.

Seaside Heights is a summer town, by which I mean that in November, it is difficult to distinguish it from a post apocalyptic movie set. Stores, Delis, Gas Stations, entire Shopping Malls seem abandoned to such a degree that looting would appear pointless.

So imagine my surprise to discover that entry to Island Beach State Park still costs money! Apparently the reason is that, while Sandy Hook is operated by grumpy college students having to work during hot summer hours while their friends are having fun, Island Beach State Park is operated by the only current life forms in Seaside Heights, a cadre of endlessly cheerful and available retirees.



Thus, declining to pay the entry fee, and facing the questionable prospect of food discovered in the desolation of Seaside Heights or Lavalette, I decided to make a bee-line for home for a nice bowl of home-made mushroom bisque.

In short, a good time was had by all, and as usual I am posting the GPS data and ride pictures on EveryTrail

On a more practical note, I recently ordered a Ztechnik windscreen to replace the stock screen on the BMW R1200RT, and the design to reduce wind noise works marvelously. With the stock screen I was having problems with the wind activating the mike of my Autocom bike communication system, and so it was easy to tell that the new screen is a lot quieter, meaning I can listen to music, navigation and phone calls with reduced volume… Tested this in traffic at about 137kph during a few stretches of heading back home on the GSP. I can post comparison pictures of the V-Stream vs the stock BMW screen if anyone is interested.

[Via http://polymash.com]

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