Cruising through fall: New Jersey motorcycle rider shares his stories from the road
To the biker, taking a ride is rarely about the destination. It's all about the journey.
And so it is for Kenneth W. Dahse, a New Jersey native who has been writing about motorcycles, riding and other travels for decades. He has a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT, a character in one of his recent stories for rider.com, where he shared his fall foliage trip on New Jersey's back roads.
"I basically enjoy riding back roads," he said. "I enjoy going at a cruising pace, so I can feel comfortable looking at the scenery as I’m rolling through it."
For this trip, he started in Hewitt, near his residence in Ringwood, heading south to pick up Route 23, connecting to Route 206 past Hamburg then Route 617 to 521. His destination: Blairstown Diner, famous for being in the original "Friday the 13th" slasher film.
"It’s one of my go-to places when I’m doing a day ride," he said. "I’ve been going there for years."
The trip back took him on Route 94. It was about 112 miles round trip.
"It's a lot of woodland, very colorful," he said. "A lot of people, when they think of New Jersey, they think of the 'Sopranos.'" The garbage dumps and urbanity in that show are balanced by the beautiful realities of the Garden State: mountains, forestry and farms.
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A former teacher and college instructor, he writes travel stories as a freelancer, switching back and forth from biker travels to motorhome trends. Several years back, he also authored a book, "RVing America's Back Roads: New York."
On the bike, he often rides with a club, the North Jersey Cruisers. They plan out longer trails at times, sometimes multi-night trips.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Jersey writer takes readers on motorcycle journey for fall foliage
