with CCRyder

One of the coolest aspects of attending the Laconia Bike Week early is that you can park your bike in the lower party area right behind the 'Broken Spoke'. Later in the week this area is closed to bikes as it is needed for the patrons and games.

I never worry about my bike while on the road cause I never take my eyes off it! That, and because of the fact that I'm basically lazy I refuse to park my bike and walk at any bike rally. This habit of mine directly resulted in the incidents leading up to the following story.

My 'Beast of Burden' is a basic black 1999 FLHTC with over 100,000 miles and always in need of a wash, but she still draws her share of attention. Maybe because of the number of stickers over the windshield proudly proclaiming some of the exotic locations we have visited together and possibly because her overall appearance shows she is a well traveled Hog. I also get a few chuckles from some of my po' boy custom work, such as my 'Maxwell House' custom air cover.

In addition, I travel fully loaded and move around with the wind. Most mornings, I pack up my tent and load everything on the bike so I 'm always ready to roll. In fact, I've had guys ask me where my gear is after being used to always seeing my bike loaded down. Others have said that I carry so much shit that they were embarrassed riding next to me. Suffice it to say that I can easily be mistaken for a VW mini bus from the back.

Somehow I got into a conversation with a friendly bunch out of Mass. One noticed I had a small 'Fire Dept' sticker on the windshield and asked about it. I informed him that my brother was the Captain back home. That was the ice breaker and these guys were east to converse with. The apparent leader of the crew has his own shop in Methuen, Massachusetts called Master Cycles.

Chris was one of the most outspoken ones and the one to offer up the invite for the evening, but not without conferring with the others. After finding I was planning on heading to the Loudon speedway they offered me a spot at their cabin on the lake. I was sitting on the fence til the firefighter Dennis threw in a home cooked breakfast the next morn. My Dad always told me if someone offers you something... take it, and thank them very much.

The next morning I was to find that these guys were as slow as me. Pete even joked that guys coming in when they are heading out are always trying to tell them how their day went. Something he never wants to hear as he wants to experience everything himself. Today I have enough time to load my gear, and air out my sleeping bags that were slightly soaked from the downpour in Loudon two nights previous.

The Master Cycle boys had decided to visit a Wolf sanctuary today and invited me along. Sounded great to me... ride one American icon of freedom over some historical New England trails to view another icon, so appropriate.

Our route took us north on the #25 and Hwy #16 to Conway. Here we hit a local road east and hooked up with the #302 to Fryeburg in Maine. Then we joined the #113 which led us in and out between New Hampshire and Maine. The meandering rivers that cover the area supply many idyllic spots to stop and lounge on hot days.

This ride gave me lots of chances to get a picture of each of them as we cruised down the road. Most were posing big time, but I gave Ellen a bit of a scare when I pulled up beside her with the zoom lens jumping out at her.

The Loki Clan Wolf Refuge is located in Oxford County, Maine, but the only access is through New Hampshire. We traveled some beautiful roads before reaching a dirt goat path that we followed for another mile or so. Being the last in the group was beneficial now as I saw every spot they bottomed out and was able to avoid the worst. A Beemer would be more suited to this road but the Hogs made it without anyone dumping their ride.

The sanctuary is run by Fred Keating and his wife, Aimee. It turns out that Fred is an old motorcycle racer and got into wolves in the 1960's. The sanctuary is totally funded privately and with small grants. When they have a fencing party, he tells me they can raise a mile of fence in a day with the help of untold volunteers. Keep in mind that at least two feet is underground and eight feet above.

There is no well on site and currently they have to pump the water from a nearby stream and transport it with quads back to the enclosures. I can only imagine the time they must have in the winter, when there is 3-4 feet of snow down.

They have a total of fifty-three acres available but to date have only built thirteen habitants each an acre in size. This is home to 97 wolf-dogs today, some are totally dog-like and some have had most of the dog bred out. The wolf is a wary creature by nature and prefers to distance itself from all but its home pack. Great care must be taken when introducing a new member to any pack.

Fred gave us a tour of the place and enthusiastically told us the history of every animal we questioned him about. Animals have come to him from such remote places as Chicago, and Fifth Ave in central Manhattan, NY.

Dogs have had centuries of domestication and controlled breeding. Wolves see no reason to listen to man and have their own set of values and rules within the pack. One Alpha male per pack, and if an animal can not follow the rules they are banished or killed. Still, some people find it necessary to try and force our way of life on these beautiful independent and strong creatures.

All donations are tax deductible as the Refuge is registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. If you are able to donate to this most noble effort or would like more information please contact the Loki Clan Wolf Refuge Inc. at; P.O. Box 1186 Conway, N.H. 03818 Phone 603-694-2001 Email: lcwr@localnet.com www.angelfire.com/folk/lokician

After making our way back to asphalt, I followed along with the group returning to Laconia until we passed the Meredith H-D shop where I pulled off to check out what was happening. It turns out that the Master Cycle boys and I would cross paths most every day of the run. Guess it must be Karma that we've become friends and I've convinced them to make a northerly ride to Nova Scotia soon to tour the Cabot Trail.

My lid sticker of the month is "If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes"