Wild Hog’s trip 2025

This year we will ride for nine days. We are off to New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Lake Placid New York where the winter Olympics were held in 1932 and 1980. Over summer they dump the shaved ice outside from the ice rink shavings for the tourists in summer to make it look like snow. Lake placid is famous for the 1980 Olympic games where a Soviet Union “professional team”  was beaten for gold by amateur college kids from the USA.

This year we will have six riders. Three from Buffalo, two from Syracuse and one from Denver. Three of the original group have now retired. Two have sold their bikes and one young one had babies.

Wild Hog’s wives normally complain that we are away far too long at nine or ten days but my wife asked them to keep me away longer. We have had a few breakdowns over the years but we have never had an accident and never had the cops stop us for any reason.

This year the estimate ride will be about 1,994 miles or 3.209 kilometers. The boys from Buffalo will ride an extra 332 miles (534 kilometers) to meet us in Syracuse and on the return home. Our favorite long distant rider, Dudley, will ride from Denver and meet us in Syracuse. Dudley is know for a ride of over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) to get home in one go.

We aim to average 250 miles per day or 400 kilometers per day. Last year in 2024 we rode 3,234 miles (5,204 kilometers) down to Missouri and Arkansas  in the Ozarks and we rode in mostly 98 degrees (37 Celsius)  Sitting on a hot bike with the sun beating down was tough.

The group has been riding each year for seventeen years. This will be my fourteenth year as I missed the first two and missed two in the middle.

I have ridden over 34,000 miles (51,000 kilometers) with the group over the years and have been through 33 states. Many of them several times. Personally, I have now visited 48 of the 50 states in the U.S.A with North Dakota and Delaware to go. Delaware is easy but I don’t see me ever getting to North Dakota.

My 2009 Harley Road King Classic has now done 84,125 miles (135.386kilometers) and has never let me down. I had a noisy primary on the last trip but I had it serviced when I came home. Other guys in the group have had a blown engine, a faulty relay, wet weather issues, three batteries, a clutch linkage issue and even split boots.  I understand the group has hoped I might fail to start one time so they could pick on me for not having the most reliable bike.

Below is the standard countdown I send to my fellow Hogs on a regular basis. Pictured is the best looking bike in the pack as voted for many times.

The Hogs regularly share pictures, comments, cartoons and snide remarks via texts or emails during the year. Most of the time we comment on humorous incidents that happened on previous trips such as motor issues, flat tires, broken rear view mirrors, temper tantrums and spilt gasoline to name a few.  Sometimes they even bring up events such as dropped ribs that slipped but it was erroneously suggested it was caused by a temper tantrum when they were delivered raw.

Day 1 Saturday 1st August 2025

166 miles (266 Km) yesterday from home to Lake George in the Adirondacks. Normally the Syracuse riders head west on the first day and it is an early ride. This year we are heading East so the riders from Buffalo (near Niagra Falls) had a three hour ride to meet us. I was packed and ready to go early as always. Dinner was near the hotel at a rib place that seemed very popular. Lake George is a very popular spot because at 2,665 feet above sea level (812 m)  Downtown is a bit touristy, but the countryside is beautiful with great riding roads. As is tradition, we sat around drinking and talking about old trips and catching up to date on family news. Bobby as usual complained it was too cold but it was only two degrees colder than Syracuse. 

Day 2 Saturday 2nd August 2025

216 miles (348 K) from Lake George NY to Portsmouth NH. Great weather and a bit cooler through some high valleys. We rode through Vermont and it was so pretty with tons of trees and lakes. Dinner at Long Horn was nice and the boys sat around and drank bourbon. I tend to have one wine at dinner but nothing after. Last year I said I bought a bottle for the group and presented a mini bottle. This year I presented a big bottle to shut the guys up complaining I didn't contribute. My bike ran well as always.

Day 3 Sunday 3rd August 2025

224 Miles (360k) from Portsmouth NH to Bar Harbor Maine, Nice warm weather and beautiful countryside. The coast and lakes every. Except for one part of the road that was dirt during construction for a mile, the roads have been perfect with the speed limit at 50 mph (80kph) ) and 35 mph (56 kph) or 25 mph 40 kph) through the towns, Bar Harbor is a very popular tourist spot in summer, Lots of lobster restaurants or roadside take away.

One of my avid readers mentions to one of our group that my blog is a little self-centric. Here is the news from yesterday. Dillie broke a rubber band that held his pants down. Rage had a bird hit his bike with no evidence of feathers. Bobby lead the group once again in a very relaxed manner.

Day 4 Monday 4th August 2025

246 miles (396kilometers) Bar Harbor to Jackson NH. Perfect day for riding. About 72f (22.2c) A lot of minor roads meandering through local towns. No incidents, no birds and no rubber bands. We ended in the mountains. Dinner was at a very large restaurant near our hotel. It is miles from anywhere and it was packed with a forty minute wait for a table. Luckily we skipped the line by luck. After dinner some of the boys stayed around the pool smoking cigars and having a few drinks. Myself and a couple of others hit the hay around ten. I awoke early and caught up with the world news,

Day 5 Tuesday 5th August 2025

Just a 155 miles (250K) day as we rode to the top of Mount Washington at 6,288 feet (1917 meters)  The highest peak in North East USA, The road up was very narrow and 7.6 miles (12 K)

The photo is from the web as it was all fogged in and a strong breeze. It seemed very cold but I was told it was 52f (11c)  The road down was scary with no side rails. Mt Washington held the record for the windiest place on earth at 231 mph (372kph) in 1934. 

From the web. Narrow and foggy. No crash rails.

We also rode a lot of miles on local roads so the map below does not reflect our actual route. The scenery was amazing with lakes and mountains everywhere. Our fearless leader once again navigated like a trooper. Total safety. His navigation system on his bike is not the best so we often overshoot the hotel. A little frustrating for him. Not us. 

Bobby (his nickname to protect his identity) plans the trips, sets the route roughly and books all the hotels. Each morning he checks the weather and works out where we are going with the best roads. I ride the back to protect from pushy cars and merging traffic. An easy job as I just follow the bums in front of me.

Once a trip the nearest restaurant for dinner is too far so we ordered pizza and wings. Last night was pizza night.

Day 6 Wednesday 6th August 2025

161 miles (259 k)  Nice roads rolling through the mountains again with just a touch of rain near the end. Nice dinner twenty feet from the hotel. Most of us did washing after the last three hotels did not have facilities.

I forgot to write yesterday about a sherif we talked to. The GPS had us turn right onto a road that was newly built but ended going in the exact opposite direction we wanted. The sherif was parked on the side of the road looking for speeders. He told us to do a U turn across double yellow lines. We asked if we would get a ticket and he said he would let us off this time. In fact he gave us a sherif sticker if anyone law enforcement tried to interfere with us. (We have never had an issue in all our years.)

You all know that sometimes you do something really simple but dumb and you realize it later. I rarely do dumb stuff but I have to confess. I washed the liner of my helmet before I left home and I took great car to clip the inserts in the right way. The helmet was very tight and hurt me ears after a while. I thought the padding had just swollen. Riding down the road yesterday I suddenly realized I had swapped the ear pads so the ear recess was in the wrong place. I swapped them over and instant relief. What a dumb thing. Also an update on Dillie. I found two rubber bands so he can now strap his pants down. Rage did not hit another bird.

Day 7 Thursday 7th August 2025

229 miles (369 k) today. Greenfield Massachusetts to Lake Placid, New York. 

News to come - Mount Greylock - 3,489 feet. 1,063 m) (Highest point in Massachusetts. The road up was very nice compared to yesterday's road. 

We have been very lucky with the weather this trip. Not that hot and no rain except for yesterdays shower for ten minutes. Today we were hit by extremely strong wind followed by very heavy rain for fifteen minutes. I could hardly see the bikes in front. We slowed and put on our flashes and a car behind us put on their flashed and slowed to protect us.  Our fearless leader pulled over and only rode when safe. We arrived at the hotel reasonably wet. Lake Placid was mentioned in intro and is a special place, When my daughter-in-law to be arrived in the USA I drove her and my son to Lake Placid to watch her cousin compete is an ice dancing competition. (I think she won)

Mount Greylock. Stock photo because the fog blocked the view. War memorial tower was very impressive. The light at night can be seen for seventy miles (without fog)

 

Day 8 Friday 8th August 2025

Lake Placid. Today being the second last day of the trip it was decided to take it easy. Just 43 miles (63k) to Mount Whiteface and return. The road to the top was really easy compared to the last two mountains. We still had a speed limit of 25mph (40kph) but the road had few real tight turns. Mount Whiteface is just 4,867 feet high (1,483m) We parked our bikes at almost the top and then rode the passenger lift the final 264ft (80m) to the top of the mountain. You could climb to the top but it was rocky all the way. You could see a lot further today and the wind almost nil and not howling. The reason for the short day was because there was supposed to be rain in the afternoon. 3:30pm and it should start soon.

Two Harley repairs to confess to. Rage (his hog name). lost a bolt that held the rear of his seat down. He lost one last year as well. A bolt from a nearby store fixed the issue. My electrical outlet for my Garmin broke at the attachment bracket. A bit of Honda tape will hold it until it is replaced. The boys made me report it in my blog as using Honda tape is not a badge of honor. Honda tape got its name from repairing a rearview mirror on one Honda and plastic to old off water on anther Honda.

Day 9 Friday 9th August 2025

Lake Placid to home 215 miles (346 k)  Cool morning but as we rode home to the lowlands it became a lot hotter. This was a great trip. Just two bursts of rain and the rest of the trip was cool in the morning and perfect riding weather the rest of the day. Bobby did a fantastic job planning. Great roads, great meals and good company (Do not want any swollen heads. The trip does take a lot of planning and daily effort to find everything.

1,655 miles (2,663k) with the boys from Buffalo riding an extra 340 miles (547k) Average miles per day 184 (296k) I used 38.95 gallons (148 Liters) at an average cost of US$160.85. Average MPG 42.4  Average price per gallon US$4.16.

I have now ridden a total 84,125 miles (135,386 kilometers and undertaken 469 gas (petrol) fill ups.

It is amazing to me. We have never had an accident. Never really even came near. We have never been pulled over by the cops. 

We rode the Southern route 

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