Motorcycle TourM

agazine

Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

AUGUST 2012Volume 18 No. 8

Backroads Spring Break 2012Let the Fun Begin

A Righteous Ride to PA Grand Canyon

The Shores of Gitche Gumee

Shira’s Ice Cream Ride

…and all our great monthly columns

http://www.trebourmotorcycles.com

http://www.progressive.com

Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil ~ PublishersContributors: Jeff Bahr, Mark Byers, Victor Cruz, Kenneth Dahse,

Bill Heald, Larry King, Mike Stackhouse, Dr. Seymour O’Life

BACKROADS • POB 317, Branchville NJ 07826Phone 973.948.4176 • Fax 973.948.0823 • email editor@backroadsusa.com • web www.backroadsusa.com

For Advertising Sales Information: 973-948-4176BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACKROADS™, Inc. 2012. All rights reserved. BACKROADS™ may not be reproduced in any manner without specific writtenconsent from the publisher. BACKROADS™ welcomes and encourages submissions (text and photos) and suggestions. Include phone number with submissions. BACKROADS™ willonly return material with enclosed sufficient postage. The written articles and opinions printed in BACKROADS™ are not necessarily those of the publisher and should not be con-sidered an endorsement. The Rip & Rides® published are ridden on the sole responsibilty of the rider. BACKROADS™ is not responsible for the conditions of the public roadwaystraversed. Please respect the environment, read your owner’s manual and wear proper protective gear and helmet. Ride within your limits, not over them.

Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

MONTHLY COLUMNSFREE WHEELIN’.................................................................................4

WHATCHATHINKIN’..........................................................................6

ON THE MARK ..................................................................................8

POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE .................................................9

THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD ...................................................10

BACKLASH .......................................................................................12

INDUSTRY INFOBITES...................................................................14

GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN.........................................18

WE’RE OUTTA HERE .....................................................................20

BIG CITY GETAWAY .......................................................................22

MYSTERIOUS AMERICA...............................................................25

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE .......................................................34

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR ..............................................49

MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE...................................................53

FEATURESBACKROADS’ SPRING BREAK 2012..........................................27

RIGHTEOUS RIDE TO PA’S GRAND CANYON ........................37

AMERICADE 30TH ANNIVERSARY WRAP UP......................40

THE SHORES OF GITCHE GUMEE..............................................41

SHORT JAUNT TO CALIFORNIA ................................................45

IN FINE SPIRITS: VIRGINIA DISTILLERIES ...............................60

SHIRA’S SUMMERTIME ICE CREAM RUN..............................63

PRODUCT REVIEWSSUZUKI V-STROM 1000 UPGRADES.......................................17

SOL HYBRID 3 SURVIVAL KIT ....................................................48

SENA BLUETOOTH HEASET AND INTERCOM.......................50

NOLAN’S B4 COMMUNICATION SYSTEM .............................59

W H A T ’ S I N S I D E

http://www.olympiamotosports.com

The AmericAde curse?

I try not to be a superstitious man, but when bad things happen repeatedlyaround the same time of the year or in and around the same event a number ofyears I get to thinking that something might just not be kosher.

That something is rotten in Denmark – or in this case the Americade Rallyin Lake George, New York.

Now before I go any further let me do a little disclaimer here, and publicly state that I love this rally andhave had a great time every year I have been there and that is something like 22 years.

Still, I am starting to worry that I may just be “cursed” if that is possible.Things have happened to our machines up there that never seem to happen anywhere else.I ride over 20,000 miles a year easy, but that one week, of the 52, that we are in Lake George well, it seems,

anything can and will happen.I think it all started back when I was riding my Kawasaki Concours. We had rented a pontoon boat and had

spent the afternoon cruising the beautiful lake and, when I returned, I was told that another rider’s bike hadtoppled into mine knocking it to the ground and busting the plastics tabs and mounts to the Connie’s amplefairing and cracking the fairing as well.

Although it was a problem we got it all fixed with some well-placed plastic glue and even better the fellowwho did the original toppling has become a great friend and Kenny is to this day.

Lemonade out of lemons.But, this trend continued as the years went by.Some of you might remember that my “farkled” out BMW GS had a little wiring fire up at Americade and

earned the name “Sparky” – that one was immortalized by moto-journalist Fred Rau in his book the TouringBible and in MCN. This fire left me stranded for a few hours till I could rewire the burned spots and patch upthe harness well enough to ride home.

Just a few years later this same bike suffered catastrophic cam chain failure at Americade and died a smoky,loud and clattering death on Route 9.

That same weekend, while riding two-up back home on Shira’s ever-dependable Honda 919, we lost therear wheel bearing.

Stuck on the side of the road we were eventually rescued by my friend Kenny – yes, that same Kenny thatknocked over my Concours all those years back.

Like I said lemonade.With a new R1200 GS under my butt I attended an-

other Americade without incident. Curse? Ha!But, I laugh too soon.As we left for Americade last year we had a frame

issue that had to be addressed. The problem gotresolved but at this point I was really beginningto think that maybe there was some credence tothis Americade curse.

Let’s jump forward to this year’s Americade.Riding around the Adirondacks this year I

was making a pass on some slower ridersand I could feel the clutch slipping just atad.

Damn. Changing the clutch is a priceyendeavor with BMW R-bikes; so I thoughtto take it easy on the bike till Americadeand a little ride we had planned for after therally was done.

At this point the bike had just turned 35,000 miles on the 36,000-mile warranty. Just a few days after therally I could feel something happening in the rear and, killing the engine and rolling silently with the clutchin, it was very apparent that the rear drive bearings had failed – a warranty issue with 35,720 on the clock.

I parked the bike and called Lester at Frank’s BMW in Essex Junction, Vermont.Lester didn’t know me from Adam, but he was familiar with Backroads and he was kind enough to drive

80 some miles in the dark to pick up the GS, and the 80 miles back as well.Looking on the internet I saw a number of postings saying that when other rear drives had failed many

thought, at first, it was the clutch. Well, if the rear drive was my only issue and it was covered (barely) bywarrant then hooray for me!

The next day we arrived at Frank’s BMW only to find that they had already swapped the drive with an olderone and asked if we could do a little Vermont touring for a few days and then return when the “new” reardrive came in and they would swap it once again and I would be good to go – under warranty. That soundedlike a plan but first Lester was going to take the GS for a test ride to make sure all was well.

When he returned he rode straight into his shop; never a good sign.Lester had good and bad news. The drive was fine, the clutch was toast.It was going to cost a bundle to replace the clutch, as it was not under my warranty.

(Continued on Page 11)

F R E E W H E E L I N ’

BRIAN RATHJEN

Page 4 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

http://www.can-am.brp.com

WhAT To do WiTh The kiddies

It’s the middle of summer. The kids aredone with school. Some may have the optionof heading to camp, thus leaving the adultssome ‘alone time’ and a chance to explore on the motorcycles. But not allparents are that lucky. When the kids are home, there is still a yearning toget out on the road on two-wheels. You’ve done all the theme and water parksto death and camping is so 10-minutes ago. What to do, what to do…

BAseBAll – The All-AmericAn sporT

Yes, we are going to start with a trip to Citifield, the home of our belovedMetropolitans. What could be better than a day at the ball field, completewith hot dogs, peanuts and, if you’re really lucky, a win by the Mets. Yes,this one may be a pricey one, but aren’t the kids worth it.

In all honesty, heading to aminor league game is muchmore fun. The players havemore heart and soul (they arelooking for that major leaguecontract), it’s a more relaxedatmosphere and you’ll getout of there with the shirtstill on your back.

There’s a bunch of minorleague parks in our area de-pending on what directionyou’d like to take. Keepingwith the blue and orange

theme, you can head to Brooklyn’s KeySpan Park and take in a Cyclonegame then head over to the home of the real Cyclone for some roller coaster

thrills. More of a pinstripe person? (we won’t hold it against you) Then you’llhave to point the bike to Staten Island for the Staten Island Yankees at Rich-mond County Bank Park. Rather stay away from the heat of the city? Howabout a trip to New Jersey for the Trenton Thunder or Lakewood BlueClaws.

Would you like a more educational baseball experience? There’s the YogiBerra Museum and Learning Center at Montclair State University in LittleFalls, NJ. Here you’ll learn all about one of the most beloved sports figuresof all times, as well as the most quoted.

Perhaps a little longer journey? Cooperstown’s National Baseball Hall ofFame and Museum will keep you and the kiddies busy for at least a day, butI’m sure a weekend would be more like it. Speaking of a nice overnight des-tination, there’s also the Little League Baseball Museum in Williamsport,PA. Now, THAT’S a great riding destination as well as a cool baseball expe-rience.

Okay, enough about baseball.

iT’s hoT; cAn We go sWimming?

Get the kids, and yourself, out of the house for exercise and some freshair. Stop at your favorite deli, pack a lunch and some cold drinks, and take aride to any number of state parks that have some great swimming spots.There’s New Jersey’s WawayandaState Park, Lake Marcia at HighPoint State Park, Shepherd Lake atRingwood State Park and TurtleBeach at Delaware Water GapState Park, all with some nicehikes to a cool swimming hole.Heading to New York? Thesemight require a little more effort toreach the ultimate goal of a cooldip, but they are all great destina-tions: Fahnestock State Park, Catskill Park and Mohonk Preserve. Maybeyou’re planning on a return visit to one particular swimming hole? TheQuarry Swim Club has been cooling folks off since 1928 in Hopewell, NJ.

(Continued on Page 11)

W H A T C H A T H I N K I N ’

SHIRA KAMIL

Page 6 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

http://www.motorcycledryer.com

The geAr

I’m a gear dude. It doesn’t matter whether it’s shooting or cycling, I wantthe gear. An old girlfriend once called me “queer for the gear.” I have moremotorcycle boots than I have dress shoes. I’ve learned, through painful ex-perience, that failure to have the right gear or trying to use equipment in waysfor which it was not designed is a bad idea. On the other hand, having theright gear is like having the right tool: it makeslife so much easier.

In motorcycling, the right gear can make thedifference between comfort and agony. I remem-ber a ride to Lake Placid wherein Betsy and I gotcaught in a summer storm. We soon learned thatour ill-matched jacket and pants directed the rainright down the back of our butts and thence into our boots. Here’s a tip:Gore-tex keeps water in just as well as it keeps it out. Fortunately, the hotelin Plattsburg had a dryer. Since then, we’ve gotten jackets that keep our buttsdry when the sky’s wet.

The right gear is more than a comfort, however, it’s life. I’ve been fortu-nate to go without serious mishaps, but in the ones I’ve had, my gear hasbeen my best friend. An entanglement with the rear quarter of a car back inought-one left me with a bent subframe on the SV, but merely a bruised hipon my body. I got up and rode the bike home.

I was riding offroad and caught a handlebar on a small pine while negoti-ating a tight trail. The resulting ejection from the bike tossed me flat on myback at the bottom of a ravine. The breath went out of me in a whoosh andI remember whacking the back of my helmet on the ground. I’ve alwaysworn helmets, but I’d just started wearing a chest/back protector and I re-member thinking how glad I was to have done so.

It hasn’t always been so: in my youth, a pair of jeans, t-shirt, a helmet, andsome garden gloves would suffice for a dual-sport outing. I was fortunate,however, in that my get-offs were low-speed affairs and, other than some

scratches and bruises, I came away from my youth largely unscathed. I hadto start racing bicycles to do serious damage: I broke two bones in one crash,along with a helmet. In fact, I’ve broken three bicycle helmets in crashesand I can attest to their effectiveness in keeping your cranium coddled.

Over the years, my experience has left me with the indelible perceptionthat All The Gear, All The Time (ATGATT) is a great adage. I feel naked ifI ride without all my security “blankies” around me: helmet, gloves, pants,boots, and jacket. True to form, I’ve got multiple examples of each depend-ing upon the ride, offroad or on. Fate doesn’t take a vacation, so you neverknow when she’ll put you on the ground.

One of my inspirations is the Brittany Morrow story previously publishedin Backroads and documented on her web site,www.rockthegear.org. I want to take every youngman in a t-shirt and trainers with a tank-top-clad girl-friend in flip-flops on the back of his sportbike andhave them read her story. If the part about skin graftsand “wound vacuums” and having road rash scrubbedunder “conscious sedation” doesn’t impress, then

Darwin deserves them.I’m serious about gear: yesterday, when I had to take an MSF Experienced

Rider Course refresher to maintain my ability to ride on a military base, Iwore boots, pants, an armored leather jacket, full gloves, and a full-face hel-met. That’s not so unusual for such a course, right? Not until you considerthat yesterday broke a DC record for heat and the air temp in the shade was106 deg, with a range temp of 116 deg. It was so hot that one of the instruc-tors, clad in jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt, said “You GOTTA be burning upin that.”

It was an interesting statement from an instructor. I was not, however,burning up. In fact, I was better off than some of the students, one of whomwe nearly lost to heat exhaustion. I was hydrating constantly with Gatoradeand water I’d brought. I was also dressed in moisture-wicking undergarmentsand had one of those evaporative gel neck-coolers that I’d soak in the coolerbetween exercises. For the entirety of the course and for the two-hour ridehome afterward, I wouldn’t call myself comfortable, but I was alert. Beingqueer for the gear has its advantages.

O N T H E M A R K

MARK BYERS

Page 8 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

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The ruBBer meeTs The mAchine

Have you noticed how fast things arechanging in terms of how we build stuff? Ihave found this trend inescapable. This alter-ing of what were once traditional manufac-turing methods encompasses just about every aspect of a product’s creation,too. I’m not just talking about how much our domestic production has beenmoved to places in the world where workers are paid much less compared toU.S. workers, either. In this case, I’m focusing more on how the relentlessmarch of technology and automation is changing how just about everythingwe depend on is cobbled together. In some cases, formerly labor-intensiveassembly and crafting jobs that were the work of experienced artisans arebeing taken over by increasingly sophisticated robots, much the same waythis kind of obsolescence has been going on since man starting makingthings. There’s an old Woody Allen monologue where he talks about his fa-ther becoming technologically unemployed, as they replaced him with agadget “about this big,” he says, showing a small device that would fit inyour fingers, “that does everything my father does only it does it much better.The depressing thing is,” Woody concludes, “my mother ran out and boughtone.”

It’s an old joke (and a sad one) but it is as relevant asever. I mention it because something I came across re-cently surprised me, in terms of yet another job formerlyefficient when done by hand is apparently feeling thepressure of automation as well, after over a century ofrelying on skilled humans. First, though, some history.Back in the 90’s I toured Dunlop’s tire factory in Buf-falo, New York, which was a fascinating experience es-pecially since I got to focus on the motorcycle side ofthis substantial operation. I was introduced to the entireprocess, from when the rubber arrives from forests inplaces like South America (occasionally bringing verybizarre spider with them, or so a worker told me) to thepacking of a broad variety of finished, freshly-cookedtires for shipment. I followed much of the process of anumber of motorcycle tires (in one case it was a tire that“sported” a compound ideal for the AMA’s H-D Sport-ster racing series), and got to watch as technicians dur-ing a critical stage of assembly hand-build tires. Thiswas a complex process, as each tire has a number ofbelts and core elements that have to be laid down per-fectly in the right order with great precision. Watchingthe talented Dunlop worker build a tire gave me a wholenew appreciation for the time and care involved, withwhat is such a critical component to both our enjoymentand the safety of our rides. It came to my attentionshortly after that trip that overall, the vast majority oftires (from little economy car hoops to tractor-trailertires) are made largely by hand as well. Wild, eh? Ithelps show why a high-quality tire, from the meticulousassembly to the advanced high-tech materials used, isan expensive thing to manufacture.

So imagine my surprise, then, when I was recentlytalking with an auto tire vendor for a Scandinavian con-cern and he told me the company’s new Russian tireplant was the most automated in the world, largelychanging the way that tires are made (and the size of theworkforce that makes it happen). He mentioned the fac-tory was run by an amazingly small number of employ-ees considering the volume of tires they produce. I’vealways felt that as complex as auto and truck tires arein this day and age, motorcycle tires are still far morecomplicated because of their very nature. Their con-struction has to allow for all the crazy things our tireshave to do every time we roll out of the driveway, like

lean over, steer, experience a tremendous amount of engine torque on a reallysmall contact patch, and provide substantial adhesion over that contact patchover a broad range of temperatures and conditions. The resulting precisionrequired in assembling a tire that can handle all this has meant humans haveand accuracy has apparently been prohibitive and ultimately less than satis-factory. At this point I should clear up an important point: a lot of tire pro-duction IS highly automated, at least it was when I was watching the processtake place. But the real nuts and bolts of putting the glorious hoop togetherhas been performed by people with the help of a machine that helps facilitatethe process. Given what’s happening in tire production (the Russian facilityI mentioned is no doubt the way things are going), will we see motorcycletire production lose some human influence as well? If so, what does thismean? Obviously more jobs will be lost; this time in a satellite portion of themotorcycle industry. Or, will the production techniques involving carbon-based life forms will continue into the foreseeable future due to the special-ized nature of motorcycle tires? Will more automation change pricing at allat the consumer end? Will more robots mean a different type of constructiontechnique, and ultimately a tire that feels or performs differently?

I am investigating as we speak, looking into Dunlop circa 2012 as I’veseen what they were all about a few years ago. They still state, “To this day,[Dunlop] is the only manufacturer to build motorcycle tires in the USA.”Hopefully this still involves a lot of our Buffalo buddies, who have beenbuilding so many superb tires for so many rides for so long. I’ll share whatI discover next month.

P O S T C A R D SF R O M T H E H E D G E

BILL HEALD

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 9

Long Island Yamaha67 North Broadway • Route 107 • Hicksville, NY

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noT my FAulT

A few falls ago, I was headed home after a nice ridewhen I decided to take a short cut. It was a nice backway home and there was seldom any traffic. I ended upon a long straight where I could see what looked like acar across the road in the distance. As I got closer andcould see smoke coming from the front of the car andthen noticed the front end was damaged. As I slowed, Icould see a gentleman slumped over the steering wheeland could see a damaged car behind it. I’d come onto ahead on collision.

As I dismounted to see if I could help, there was a guyon the side of the road checking a girl in what was leftof a Honda Civic. Boom boxes were blaring from thedead car loud enough to make any attempt to hear ifthings were shorting out impossible, I did hear the cryinggirl in the driver’s seat say she was pregnant. The oldfellow she hit, was still slumped behind the wheel butstarting to come to.

After things were stabilized, the cell phones started tocome out. I heard the young lady telling someone on theother end, “The car is a wreck and “It Wasn’t My Fault”.The gentleman on the side of the road was telling the onlookers the Civic“must have been going like hell” and that it was “a good thing I stepped outof the way when I did”. The old guy in the Ford was being loaded on thegurney but aside from being dazed, seemed ok. The police were taking state-ments as I directed traffic and through the statements, I read between thelines and figured out how things came undone.

Gentleman “A” as we’ll call him, had been working on his lot and his carwas parked on the shoulder. It was in the road a little but there is usually littletraffic there so he probably didn’t feel it needed to be further off the road.The older gent in the Ford (Gentleman “B”) was on his way home as he’s

probably done a million times before. The young girlin the Civic (“C”) was making a quick trip into town.

As everyone approached, “A”, instead of waiting for“B” to pass, opened his car door to get in. This caused“B” to swerve into the other lane, as he’s probablydone a million times on that road, at which point he hit“C”. At no time did I hear anyone take any blame forthe crash. “A” was pretty cocky and laying it all on“C” because “she must have been going too fast andnot paying attention”. (She was the youngest personinvolved)

My take? “A” should have waited for the car to passto open the door. (Maybe even park his car totally offthe road) “B” should have been slowing down andlooking ahead to make sure the road was clear beforetaking to the other lane. “C” should have been able tosee the situation unfolding (it was on a straight afterall) and backed down. I’m guessing between thebooming and possibly a cell phone (it was retrievedoff the floor) there was some distracted driving goingon. The only good thing was, it was a Civic and not amotorcyclist.

What does this have to do with motorcycles Mike?Simply that the “Not My Fault” line has echoed through the years when Iworked at motorcycle shops. Of all the wrecks I’ve heard the stories from, ifyou read between the lines, it WAs someone’s fault. However, it’s usuallynot the one being blamed. (This is painfully true with incidents I’ve been in-volved in…) Does Crap Occur? Once in a while it does. Otherwise, usuallyit’s a matter of poor decision-making.

Working in shops, I heard all the lines about the drivers being blind, deafand dumb as well as “the truck just pulled out in front of me!” However, con-tinued listening usually pointed out some flaws in the rider’s judgment orskill level. Either they were going too fast, not paying attention or any num-

Page 10 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

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THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD Mike Stackhouse

ber of other things that can make the difference between riding away andbeing hauled away.

When I was a department manager at a ski area, I attended quite a fewsafety seminars. Worker Comp injuries were on the rise and we were told todocument “close calls”. What that meant was, if someone almost got cut, ifsomeone almost fell, if someone almost had something dropped on them, logit and report it. From there, not only was there discussion about what mighthave happened, but how to make things safer in the workplace as well.

If you’ve ever had a close call on a motorcycle, you can bet your last dollaryou should be sitting down and doing the same. Step back out of the moment,once you’ve calmed down, and REALLY look at what you were doing lead-ing up to the incident. Did you see it coming? Did you react correctly? Whatcould you have done differently? Continue questioning yourself until you’vebroken down every little piece. If you do not analyze a close call, the nexttime the same thing happens, you may not be so lucky.

I recall, when I first started riding, I thought everyone in a car was out tokill me. They were ALL a##holes. It wasn’t that I came up on their blindside. It wasn’t because I was going a little too fast. It wasn’t because I wasn’tcompetent braking hard. It, in other words, wasn’t MY fault. I was lucky.The early tangles I had allowed me to walk away and contemplate that,hmmm, maybe I was at fault a bit. As my lessons continued, a funny thinghappened. I had fewer and fewer close calls. Did the drivers get better andsee me all the time? Ah, that would be a no. What happened was, I got betterat seeing THE SITUATION before it unfolded. Where I once had a close callevery time I rode, I now see something only rarely. One can go through lifeblaming someone else and always wondering why badthings happen to him or her. Or, one can accept thatthings happen and take measures to make sure whenthings DO happen, it affects them as little as possible.Could it be someone else’s fault? Sure. But I wouldn’tbet MY life on it.

Free Wheelin’ (Continued from Page 4)

But, Lester had a thought – I could trade in my 2009 GS and for a bit moreof a bundle I could ride away with a brand new 2012 R1200GS Rallye Edi-tion. Double Over Head Cams, 110 horses, Magma Red frame – Alpine whitewith red and blues rally livery!

Very snazzy. I was parked in Nobrainerville.Deal done and a nice ride home with a new steed. Curse indeed. If I was

cursed then how come it all ended up so well?Only time will tell.The day after we returned I heard Shira laughing as she was opening that

day’s mail. My new registration had just come in for the 2009 GS – all $70dollars worth, just hours after I had been to motor vehicles to register the newRally Edition GS.

Damn…. Curses!

WhATchAThinkin’ (Continued from Page 6)

Here you have to buy a season pass, but you can get an8-visit one for $116 for adults and $92 for the kids (6-12), which might just fit the bill.

everyThing’s coming up roses

Perhaps you have some potential horticulturalist inyour midst. There are a number of great gardens, botan-ical and otherwise, in our general vicinity. The DinosaurState Park and Arboretum in Rocky Hill, CT containsone of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America.August 18 will be the 46th anniversary of the discoveryof the tracks at Dinosaur State Park with all kinds of funactivities. The Arboretum has over 250 varieties, mostof which represent what was around during the days ofthe dinosaurs. The New York Botanical Garden, in ‘DaBronx’ will keep the leaf-peepers and flower-fanciersoccupied for a full day. If not, you can always head overto the Bronx Zoo, which will certainly take up the restof the day. If you’d like to take more of a road trip foryour greenery, point your wheels toward Maryland,Monkton to be specific, and the Ladew Topiary Gar-dens. Said to be the largest topiary gardens in the US,Harvey Ladew, a self-taught gardener, created 15 the-matic ‘garden rooms’ on 22 acres of his 250-acre Mary-land property including over 100 topiaries. I’m sure thekids will be amazed at what someone can do with a scis-sor and some hedges.

This should keep you on the road with the kids for therest of the summer. Hopefully they’ll have enjoyed thetime spent on the bike as much as the places you’vetaken them and that this will develop their love for traveland motorcycles.

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BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 11

dinosaur state park, 400 West st, rocky hill, cT

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new york Botanical garden

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AMA Thoughts

Brian,In reference to your Free Wheelin’ article about AMA events, I am with

you on your opinion. Perhaps Mr. Dingman is too busy counting (and spend-ing) the incredible bonus that he was awarded, to be bothered with somethingas trivial as listening to his members.

Since I live five minutes from AMA headquarters I get lots of feedbackfrom both members and employees. From what I hear things are not goodthere. Mr. Dingman fired a lot of longtime, good people. And many of myfriends are voting with their wallets, meaning dropping memberships. It’s avery sad time indeed for an organization that we, as motorcyclist, should sup-port, and likewise they should be able to provide a return on our member-ship.

In that regard I would question the compensation to Mr. Dingman of$200,000.00 a year, plus his bonus of $50,000.00. You need to ask yourselfif the man is doing enough for you as a member, to be worth a quarter mil. ayear.

As a Life Member (52 years) I haven’t paid dues for many years, but wouldbe glad to if they had something to offer. Have you looked at their magazinelately ? Each issue gets smaller, it contains NOTHING.

Enough of my venting. I’m going to nominate Backroads for a Pulitzer,

that’s how good you guys are!Keep up the good work, and give my best to Shira.A Long-Time AMA Member and Avid Backroads Reader

Just hopped off the old GS after a trip to Ithaca. Had a second to get thisblurb off to you. Yeah, the new GS is Sweet, no doubt :)

Finally got to read the June issue, as things are busy. You’ve got a gripewith the AMA. I’m thinking Vintage Days might have slipped your

mind. Old bikes, granted, but all the racing and fleamarket you can handle and some pretty good seminars,too. No extra $ to get into the pits, either! That’s myfavorite part as I can wander in the pits as much as Iwant. Too cool.

Now for my gripe with the AMA. I think it stinks thatthey dumped the Field Rep program and now put in noappearances at the IMS or Americade, forexample. Yeah, some old sour puss was manning a Dist.3 tent at Americade. I said hi to him and he managedto grunt a little. Fantastic representation, no? Remindsme of our esteemed government. Give them $ and theyassure us that they are working for the common goodof us all.

The Best of Luck to you and the Members of theBackroads Family!

Sindee

Brian and Shira,Tomorrow I’m going to go eat at Cook’s Corner and

I’m bringing my July issue of Backroads with me. Youwrite great.

Jay RubinRoads Scholar

Oh irony....

On my way to work today, in the traffic moving ratherwell, I was in the left lane. About two car lengths infront to my right (middle lane) I saw a cargo van with anice sticker on the back. I rode in that position maybefor 10 minutes. When the car in front of me moved for-ward I did as well. I was going to wave or nod my headto the driver because of the sticker....But when I was byhis rear wheel, without the turn signal the van justmoved into my lane - INTO ME !

Luckily the driver heard my horn and jumped back tothe middle lane.... I moved forward to see the driver andshook my head and gestured in disbelieve.

I could see him mouth “I’m so sorry”...or at leastthat’s what I imagined.

I kept going but couldn’t stop thinking about thesticker on the back of that van....

“START SEEING MOTORCYCLES” ........Cheers,Peter

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Page 12 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

Got something

to say? We’d

love to hear it.

Letters may be

edited, never

censored, to fit.

Mail:

BACKROADSPO Box 317

Branchville NJ 07826

Email:

editor@backroadsusa.com

Fax: (973) 948-0823

BACKLASH Letters to the Editor

A comment from the Backroads Website…

Hi Brian,I read your entry about the trip you and Shira took to Vermont. The loss of

our fellow riders is soberly and duly noted. It was well written in a style thatput me closer your miracle and made me think about all of mine. Reviewingmy providence is not always a comfortable thing to do, but I should gratefullydo so more often to sharpen my skills and focus. That providence in thoseuncontrolled moments reveals more about how I see the world around meand less about how they see me. When I am on a bike, I believe I am invisibleto most. I am still learning that I am invincible to none.

Thank you for sharing more of the latter with me.Ride safe,Bikermike

Shira & Brian,I hope all is well.Wish I knew when you were romping in my backyard. I enjoyed your ar-

ticle as it touched on several things from my past life in NY. I resided in thetown of Carmel (actually hamlet of Mahopac) for 20+ years. (I happen to beworking on a historical ride based in that area) Rte. 301 was part of my “gottaget a quick ride in” loop. Been to the Monastery too. My wife’s family isfrom Yorktown Heights and still goes to the old Yorktown Church.

Steve Smith

Feedback on ‘Gone to Oregon’

Glenn writes, ‘From Hood River east to the Dalles along the gorge . . . andtake the Historic Columbia River Highway (Federal Rt. 30, AKA The LincolnHighway, that spans our nation from Astoria on the Oregon coast to AtlanticCity).’

In reading this article it reads like Glenn is saying the Lincoln Highwayruns from Atlantic City to Astoria, which I believe is incorrect. I believe ac-cording to all I’ve seen in print that this national highway runs from TimesSquare in NYC to San Francisco, CA. Maybe Glenn’s Route 30, which por-tions might contain the Lincoln Highway, does run from New Jersey west-

ward to Oregon. This I am not sure about. Just my thought from upstate NY.Larry WalleyAlbany, NY

Larry,

We believe you are right on this. Great story though.

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 13

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DUAL SPORT ADVENTURESBROUGHT TO YOU BY GSMMOTORENT

In their fourth year of operation, GSMmotoRent,based in Townsend, TN, was established to providedual sport motorcycle rentals to the adventure seek-ing rider. Along with their fleet of bikes including,Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, BMW and Triumph,ranging in size from 200cc to 1200cc, there is some-thing for everyone. They also have extensive knowledge of the local areasthey serve to provide a memorable dual sport adventure. With many selfguided routes and maps to choose from, there is always somewhere new toexplore, and if you don’t want to go it alone, guides are also available. Dueto the winter weather in the Smoky Mountains and the many road closures,they migrate to Terlingua, TX, just outside Big Bend National Park for thewinter months and set up shop there.

Open Mid-March through Mid-November in Townsend, TN, just outsidethe Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this location offers easy access

to several forest service and fire roads, also beingclose to the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, BlueRidge Parkway and many other popular roads formotorcycle enthusiasts. West Texas was chosen fortheir winter location because of the excellentweather, variety of terrain.... including easy to ex-pert, and the colorful history of the Big Bendarea......making this a great place to ride dual sportbikes. Available January through mid March.

As a family run business, owners Dan and Debbie Dickie, both avid riders,want to make it easy for the rider that wants to give dual sport riding a try,as well as provide more technical routes and equipment for the more expe-rienced off road rider. They’ll prove you can have twice as much fun on adual sport.

For more information and to see some videos of the area’s riding, checkout their website, www.gsmmotorent.com., or give them a call at 865-448-6090.

AMA’S “MY HALL OF FAME PROJECT”The American Motorcyclist Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame has in-

troduced a new way for individuals and companies to help promote and pro-tect motorcycling’s heritage: My Hall of Fame.

“The idea is simple,” said AMA Director of Operations and Hall of FamerJack Penton. “For a small donation, your photo can hang on the wall of theAMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame museum entrance foyer during the campaignyear. The image you put in that space can be a photo of you, your family,your friends, your bike, your company logo — anything appropriate for pub-lic display.

“The Penton family has already jumped on board with our support, andI’m looking forward to seeing others back the Hall of Fame’s mission in thisvery visible way,” Penton added.

A 3-inch-square photo will be placed on the wall for a $20 donation, whilean $80 donation includes a 6-inch-square photo and a $180 donation secures

Page 14 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

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To hang with the legends and support the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame,just visit MotorcycleMuseum.org > Get Involved > My Hall of Fame.

A GREENER WAY TO LEARN TO RIDE

Zero Motorcycles, the global leader in the electric motorcycle industry,today announced the company’s popular urban motorcycle, the Zero XU,meets the strict criteria of the MSF and is currently being utilized in the or-ganization’s motorcycle training programs. Zero becomes the first electricmotorcycle manufacturer in the United States to provide consumers with anew and unique learning experience at MSF courses. By eliminating shifting,

heat, exhaust, clutches andnoise, riders find them-selves immersed in the sin-gle task of improving theiractual riding skills.

“The Zero XU success-fully completed a pilotprogram on two trainingcourses in Washingtonstate and Florida. Studentsand instructors alike foundthe motorcycle to behighly responsive and han-dle nicely,” said MarkCummings, fleet manager– North America, ZeroMotorcycles. “The XU al-lows students to enhance

their skills and concentrate on the fundamentals of riding, while still experi-encing the look and feel of a traditional motorcycle. Course operators alsolove that there is very little upkeep in terms of maintenance and, of course,no fuel to add or other fluids that can run the risk of spillage.”

The Zero XU reduces the total cost of ownership for any school by elimi-nating all routine powertrain maintenance and the need for refueling. Themotorcycle can be plugged into any standard outlet and, if needed, can be‘quick’ charged with an optional accessory. The Zero XU power pack isquickly swappable, can be easily removed for off-site charging and the costof recharging is often around one penny per mile. With a majority of trainingsessions being held in small closed-course areas, the absence of exhaust andnoise eliminates several training concerns and opens up new training venuepossibilities.

“What a fantastic training tool! The Zero XU blends a lightweight motor-cycle feel and posture with an electric motor to ‘twist-n-go.’ The suspension,gearing, braking and overall performance would be very favorable as a train-ing cycle. These bikes should prove to be an ideal bridge of motorcycling,environmentally friendly green vehicles and the social scooter scene. Whata fantastic ride,” said Kyle McCarty, RiderCoach, trainer/chief instructor,Motorcycle Safety Technical Specialist, Department of Licensing inOlympia, Wash.

(Continued on next page)

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 15

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as well as ensure a person is aware of the risks and requirements for being a good,

safe and responsible rider.

For riders who already have basic skills. Similar to the BRC, the Basic Rider-Course 2 is done on your own motorcycle at higher speeds. Informal classroom

component to discuss safety concepts based on past riding experiences and current

knowledge. For a BRC2 minus the license waiver component (no classroom activities

and no knowledge or skill test), there is a skills practice offering.

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MOTO RENTALS IN VERMONT NOW AVAILABLE

MotoVermont offers late model Touring, Sport andDual- purpose motorcycles for rent to travelers andlocals alike. Expert route guidance, outlined maps,GPS guided tours, helmets and all the gear one wouldneed for their motorcycle adventure is also available.

MotoVermont is the creation of avid motorcyclistand general Vermont enthusiast, Eric Milano. Mi-lano’s many miles exploring Vermont, the Adiron-dacks, New England and beyond atop his motorbikehave given him a vast knowledge of the best motor-cycling roads in our region. Milano came up with theconcept of MotoVermont soon after his son was bornin 2008 in an attempt to quench his insatiable appetitefor motorcycle travel while also being home mostnights with his family.

MotoVermont is the only full-service motorcyclerental outfit in New England. For more info please

contact: Eric Milano @ MotoVermont, 1891 Williston Rd Suite #5, SouthBurlington, VT. 05403 • 802-860-6686 • motovermont.com

2013 VERY BORING RALLY 3Mark your calendar, tie a string around your finger and start planning a

ride to scenic Northern Minnesota. The Very Boring Rally 3 will be August23-25, 2013, at Aerostich World Headquarters and the nearby Spirit MountainResort in Duluth, Minnesota. Attend the 30th anniversary celebration revelryand join with the usual assortment of happy-campers, malcontents, curmud-geons and dorks. Good-times, both planned and impromptu, will be had byall who attend...with a few top-secret surprises in the works, too! There willbe on-site camping, celebrated national entertainment, great food (BBQ din-ner), an on-site National Championship Observed Trials, guided area ridingtours, games, and lots of prizes and awards - for motorcycle poetry readings,the oldest/youngest/farthest distance riders, and much more. Even an awardfor the sorriest bike ridden to the party, and one for the most worn-out Aeros-tich suit. Come celebrate 30 years of Aerostich nonsense and Riderwearhouse

catalog mischief. Advance ticket sales, camping and hotel reservation infor-mation, and much more info is online at www.boringrally.com.

CHAMPION INVESTMENTS, INC. ASSUMESOPERATION OF LEHMAN TRIKES, USA

Champion Trikes, via its sister company Champion Investments, Inc., aSouth Dakota Corporation, announced the resumption of Lehman Trikes,USA operations. Lehman Trikes USA, considered one of the trike industry’sforemost leaders and well known for its high quality and reliable products,had suspended its operations in early March of this year, while in search ofa qualified investor.

Craig L. Arrojo, CEO, of Champion Investments Inc. and Champion Trikesstated, “We are extremely proud and excited to announce the acquisition ofLehman Trikes into the Champion family of motorcycle related companies.They are an exceptional organization, firmly grounded in high quality prod-ucts and exceptional customer service.”

NO MOTORCYCLE LICENSE? NO PROBLEM!EagleRider, the world’s largest motorcycle rental and tour company has

recently unveiled its Pillion Rides & Day Tours program today for travelersand adventure enthusiasts who want to experience riding a motorcycle with-out the requirement of a license. With packages starting at $359 per person,riders will be teamed up with a certified EagleRider Tour Guide to roar downthe open road to breathtaking destinations along the Florida Coast for an ad-venture of a lifetime.

The Pillion (Passenger) Rides & Day Tours are offered in half-day or full-day escapes which include a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Certified Mo-torcycle Driver, Motorcycle Driver’s EagleRider Serviced Rental Bike, Fueland Oil, Rental Helmet and Jacket, Rider Orientation & Motorcycle Famil-iarization, Discounted Activities during Tour, Lunch, and an EagleRider Sou-venir T-shirt and Photo. Riders may choose from Harley Davidson, BMW,Honda or Triumph models. All EagleRider bikes are meticulously inspectedand serviced for the safety of all riders.

For more information, visit www.EagleRider.com, or call within the USA,(888) 557-3541.

Page 16 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

RIDE LIKE A PRO NJJerry ‘Motorman’ Palladino’s Training Classes

Being Held in New Jersey‘NEVER FEAR making a U-turn or dropping your 800lb. motorcycle again’

• Male-Female-Big-Small: It doesn’t matter

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• Our instructors - all active or retired motor officers - will show you how to use themotor cop riding techniques to better control and handle your motorcycle

Check our website for available dates

www.RideLikeAProNJ.comPre-registration is recommended as classes fill quickly.

Gift certificates available • Course Fee is $150.00

One of the most popular machines with the ADV and ADV wannabe crowd is Suzuki’s V-Strom 1000. This machine is anall-around winner combining a great riding position, superb comfort and a smooth and powerful engine.

It has it all… well almost.This is where the crew at Givi USA and Tour & Ride come in.Taking a bike like the V-Strom and making it more of a long distance tourer is relatively easy with just a few accessories

from Givi and Tour & Ride.First thing we wanted to address was the heavy buffeting that the stock windscreen allows.

GIVI’S AIRFLOW WINDSCREEN

We ordered Givi Airflow screen which is a specific sliding wind-screen for Suzuki DL650/DL1000 V-Strom (2004 to2009), its clear polycarbonate is totally transparent and has little distortion and it comes with an easy to use mounting kit.

The Airflow is a two-part shield that allows the top screen to be slid up or down depending upon conditions. On the V-Strom it can be raised to a maximum height 65 cm with 12 cm of extension and has a width of 44 cm.

That is a substantial amount of extra protection from the elements and is extremely easy to use with a flick of two pressurelocks the top screen can be raised or lowered.

Installation was fairly easy and once installed the Suzuki was a far better beast on day trips and long distance touring.The Airflow windshield sells for $250 and can be found at www.giviusa.com.

KAPPA GARDA LUGGAGE:The second thing we needed to address was some serious luggage.Tour & Ride has just released their new Kappa Garda Bags designed for adventure-touring machines.Available in two versions, side bags and top case,

with a capacities 33 LT for the side cases and 46 LT forthe top case the new Kappa Garda bags are the best so-lution for the bikes looking for tough, durable and wa-terproof luggage.

They look great too! The Garda bags come in a flatblack with silver center panel.

Although created for adventure machines these bagsare attractive enough for many other machines too.They use standard Givi mounts, so if you already haveGivi bags you can switch in minutes.

List price for the side cases is $279 each (you needtwo) and $299 for the top case.

The Kappa Garda luggage is available exclusivelyfrom Tour and Ride Inc and can be purchased from theirwebsite www.tourandride.com.

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 17

PROJECT BIKE • SUZUKI V-STROM 1000 UPGRADE

rosemAry’s TexAs TAco

2588 ROUTE 22, PATTERSON NY845-878-9665 • N41°28.990’ W073° 34.526

Oh boy, do we have something a bit special and way different on this

month’s stop on the Great All American Diner Run!

You know how we always say there is a formula for a great GAADR? Good

roads, fine location, fun food… well, this time let’s follow our own Doctor

Seymour O’Life as he brings us to a New York state eatery that looks like it

dropped out of Mysterious America.

One of my favorite routes is 22 that heads up north not far from the borderwith Connecticut. Along the way you will run through the small town of Pat-terson. It is here that you will find the funky and fantabulous Rosemary’sTexas Taco. When I first ran into this place I thought maybe it was some sortof antique or auction place, but then I spotted the sign for Rosemary’s TexasTaco on the right as I shot by.

I like Texas, and I love Tex-Mex foods so Imade a quick u-turn and headed back to Rose-mary’s.

Pulling into the lot I was quick to notice thewavy color flooring that the bike was rolling overwith its ochre, blues and greens.

Scattered about the garden entrance were allsorts of things. Old push cars, children’s motor-cycle, trains and tricycles. A lone mannequin satin something that might have wanted to be a sub-marine at one point.

Bold colors and odd objects ran the modest out-door seating area and the steps leading to therestaurant promised even more strangeness inside.

I am Doctor Seymour O’Life purveyor of theodd, strange and peculiar. I have eaten in many anunusual place around this planet, but Rosemary’seven had my jaw hitting the floor. If the outsidegarden promised - the inside delivered.

The first thing I spotted was a “No Pictures”sign. Well, that is always promising in itself.

The second thing I spied was, well, the layout ofRosemary’s itself.

It was like Backroads’ own Monkey With A GunBar had been bombarded by Gamma Radiation andhad gone all Hulky! It is wild. So much …STUFF!

Posters, jets, starships, models, toys, paintings,Elvis bust, game trophies, gold lame curtains andChico the Parrot – this one’s alive and very talkative.Hint - do not say hello as Chico will not surrender onthis and will drive you batty. He also bites.

There must be at least 10,000 things, gadgets, stat-ues, gizmos, doo-dads and whatchamacailits hanging,standing and embodying Rosemary’s Texas Taco allsqueezed into a tiny warren of rooms that couldn’tpossibly hold everything that you are seeing.

It’s like the Tardis of taco joints.But, wait… there’s more!There is the grand lady herself, Rosemary Jamison.Rosemary has her roots in, as you might have

guessed, Texas. She moseyed on up to the Big Appleback in 1968 and opened up a pushcart taco stand.

She then immigrated to Brooklyn where she ran her own restaurant and thensoon found her home outside Patterson, New York and she has stayed andflourished. Rosemary is a feisty gal, with an adorable Texas accent that hasn’tleft even with all the years up here with them Yankees.

Not many women you meet these days sport such an eclectic look withpurple hair, wild blue and purple eye shadow, and tight Danskin outfit. Shelooks part punk rocker, part circus star and a little super hero thrown in toboot. She also is as sweet as they come and loves to tell you about TexasTaco and how she came to be a fixture in this part of New York State.

Her menu is simple - tacos, crisp or soft, filled with beans or beef, cheese,onions, lettuce and hot sauce. Burritos, also with beans or beef. A crispy corntortilla tostada. She also serves up chili Texas-style and a Fiesta Pup; whichis her version of a hot dog with the works.

Her prices are fair and the food good, but what you will remember the mostis the décor, which will bring you up or make you wonder – but, you will bemoved. It is impossible not to be.

I think Rosemary’s Texas Taco is the most unique eatery that Backroads

Page 18 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

O’TOOLE’S HARLEY-DAVIDSON®

4 Sullivan St. • Wurtsboro, NY • 845-888-2426 • www.OToolesHD.com

Sales • Service • Parts • AccessoriesConvenient location for the entire New York metro area

New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Nassau + Suffolk Counties in New York

O’Toole’s Harley-Davidson Presents

GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN tasty places to take your bike

has ever visited and I hope you follow my wake and take it all in as well.There are few individualistic places like Rosemary’s Texas Taco anymore in this country and I say

viva Texas and viva Rosemary!O’Life out!

Rip & Ride on page 52

you can download the 115-mile one-way route here:

www.sendspace.com/file/icsdwr

When downloading from Sendspace, click on the BLUE DOWNLOAD BOX

ONLY. GPS and printed routes may vary slightly.

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 19

AndreA hoTel

89 ATlAnTic Ave, WesTerly, ri 02891

888-318-5707 • WWW.AndreAhoTel.com

In September of the year 1938 everything changed for New England, andespecially Rhode Island.

The New England Hurricane of 1938 was the first major hurricane to strikeNew England since 1869. The storm formed near the coast of Africa in Sep-tember of the 1938 Atlantic hurricane season, becoming a Category 5 hurri-cane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale before making landfall as aCategory 3 hurricane on Long Island on September 21. The hurricane wasestimated to have killed between 682 and 800 people, damaged or destroyedover 57,000 homes, and caused property losses estimated at $306 million($41.1 billion in 2012 dollars). Even as late as 1951, damaged trees and build-ings were still seen in the affected areas. To date it remains the most powerful,costliest and deadliest hurricane in recent New England history, eclipsed inlandfall intensity perhaps only by the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635.

Thankfully some good things survived, if just barely.We were up in Rhode Island visiting our friends at Twisted Throttle, a must

see destination all by itself, and that evening we were meandering downalong the coast, looking for something special when we ran into the Andrea.

It took all of about 2 seconds to decide we had found a place for the night…maybe a few days, as we love the ocean. Who doesn’t?

The Andrea has a great feel to it with its wide Oceanside patio, ample barand clean and comfortable rooms.

Many people ask, “How old is the Andrea?” This is a question we maynever know the answer to since there are no town records that exist. We thinkthat the building was probably built between 1870 and 1902.

We do know that a local family purchased the property in the early 1900’sto operate a bed and breakfast called the Andrea Tea Room. During that time,the seaside communities of Pleasant View, (now Misquamicut), Watch Hilland Weekapaug flourished as tourists from Connecticut, Massachusetts andNew York came to enjoy the lazy days of summer.

The 1938 hurricane passed directly over Misquamicut. All that remainedof the 400 buildings along the Misquamicut coastline were the battered rem-nants of the Pleasant View Hotel, the Andrea Tea Room, the Wigwam andthe Atlantic Beach Casino.

The rebuild of the region was massive. In 1946, the Andrea Tea Room wassold to Ralph Colucci Sr. The Colucci family, now in their third generationof management, has been welcoming visitors to Misquamicut Beach for over50 years.

Page 20 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

Rip & Ride®ANDREA HOTEL

89 ATLANTIC AVE, WESTERLY, RI 02891888-318-5707 • WWW.ANDREAHOTEL.COM

FROM MYSTIC CTPICK UP ROUTE 1RIGHT AT RTE. 1ABECOMES SHORE ROAD

RIGHT AT CRANDALL AVE.LEFT AT ATLANTIC AVE.ANDREA HOTEL ON LEFT

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WE’RE OUT TA HERE a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads

You will find a bust of Ralph at the front desk.Taking a room at the Andrea gives you parking and access to the beach, so

get there early and make a day of it, or better yet, take a few days and exploreRhode island.

In addition to having the beach right at your doorstep the area itself is funto explore with its “cottages, mansions and wonderful scenery.

In the nearby town of Westerly, where 100 souls were lost the night of thehurricane, you will find a little bit of ‘Mysterious America’ at the oldest flyinghorse carousel in America, made in 1876. The twenty horses are not attached

to the floor but instead are suspended from a centerframe, swinging out or flying when in motion.About every other horse is hand carved wood andis embellished with real tails and manes, leathersaddles and agate eyes. This is the only flying horsecarousel surviving in the country.

Back at the Andrea be sure to enjoy dinner. Wealways expect good, but at the Andrea we got su-perb. We both started with Andrea’s ‘award-win-ning clam chowder’ and to follow Shira chose theMussels Zuppa, which was on the spicy side but de-licious and I indulged in the Shrimp and Lobster,which was done to perfection. Both our meals were

way beyond what we expected and their chefs deserve a round of applause.In addition, their wine list was decent as were the prices.

Rates vary depending on season. As you would guess, from Memorial Daythrough Labor Day, they get the typical beach prices but come before or afterand you can grab a room starting at $100/night. The Andrea has weekly spe-cials and if you are looking for a great beach getaway you can find it alongthe Rhode Island coast at the Andrea and while there be sure to stop byTwisted Throttle in nearby Exeter.

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 21

sTockTon FArmer’s mArkeT

19 Bridge sTreeT , sTockTon nJ

609-610-3532 • sTockTonFArmmArkeT.com

During the dark days of winter many of us long for those great weekendrides, running along curvaceous roads, along deep forests, fast rivers andbountiful farms. One thing that we have always enjoyed is to stop by localfarmer’s stands and markets that are so abundant in the region.

Picking up dinner to be cooked later that night always make the ride and,especially the end of the day, that much more special, don’t you think?

The western edge of our state of New Jersey is simply the ideal place tofind all of these things. Here where the Delaware flows towards the Atlantictucked in between the rolling highlands and the city of Philadelphia you willfind plenty on both sides of the river.

While whiling away a warm Sunday thisspring we found ourselves down along the Jer-sey side of the river, exploring some of the littlebackroads that feed down to the river. . Lam-bertville, Frenchtown and the small town ofStockton all were visited, but it was in Stocktonthat we found a delicious little farmer’s marketand dinner for later that night.

We’re always fond of simply bumping intothings so we were tickled when we stopped inStockton for a cup of coffee and walked intothe Farmer’s Market there.

Sure, they had the coffee, but it would takeus about a half an hour to finally get to it.

The Stockton Market is certainly not thelargest we have seen – hard to compete withLancaster, Pennsylvania – but they had a well-rounded and diverse number of tables with all

sorts of things delicious.We found some delectable fresh bread from Bobolink Dairy, who

used to be in our neck of the woods but moved to Milford, NJ a coupleof years ago.

There was a wonderful assortment of fresh mushrooms from Mush-rooms Etc. There are also some things you wouldn’t find elsewherelike the bottle of unfiltered olive oil from Tunisia sold by Mediter-ranean Delicacies - so good – and the wide selections of local artisanalcheeses that seem to be at every turn.

Fresh vegetables abounded and the arugula and basil had a mar-

Page 22 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

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velous aroma wafting up to us.One table that caught our eye was Sweet Fusion. Here was a blending of

numerous cultures and two personalities. This is the dream-child of Chef Roman David Chrucky and Chef Helen

Huang, two seasoned veteran New York and San Francisco pastry & savorychefs looking to break notions and create something fantastic and new to thesavory & sweet world. Their pot pies looked incredible - beef with red wine,thyme and blue cheese, lime chicken with Black Forest ham, roasted red pep-per and sharp cheddar cheese, braised pork with apple bacon & cheddar, andlobster bisque pie for starters. Yummy!

If you are a lover of teas then the table from Urbane Teas will rock yourworlds, they had a huge selection of teas I had never heard of from the farreaches of the planet.

There was some great and very fresh looking seafood to be found as wellas many tables full of interesting arts, crafts and trinkets for sale as well.

We finally got our coffee - remember our coffee - and went in a hard searchfor that night’s repast. Decisions, decisions…

We finally settled on some thick pork chops, some fresh vegetables andsome pastries for later that night watching SPEED.

The chops came frozen and by the time we got home they had thawed

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 23

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Celebrating 30 Years and Counting!

enough for the grill.By later that evening with the sun setting over

the Kittatinny peaks we were sitting down to afine and delicious home cooked meal.

The day was a success. The ride superb, theroads phenomenal, the discoveries interestingand the Stockton Farmers Market was icing onthe cake and made a great end of the day mealpossible.

The market is open year round on Friday from3-7, Saturday from 9-4, and Sunday from 10-4.

We did say we explored some new roads sofollow along and we’ll give you a ride worth tak-ing; but what you do with what you bring homefrom the Stockton Farmers Market is all up toyou.

Bon Appétit.

you can download the 95-mile one-way route here:

www.sendspace.com/file/t19xu7

When downloading from Sendspace,

click on the BLUE DOWNLOAD BOX ONLY.

GPS and printed routes may vary slightly.

Rip & Ride® • STOCKTON FARMER’S MARKET19 BRIDGE STREET , STOCKTON NJ

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THIS RIDE STARTS IN HOPE, NJ • EXIT 12 OFF I-80

CR 519 SOUTH PAST RED WOLFE INN

LEFT AT RIDGE ROAD

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RIGHT AT CR 635STRAIGHT AT CR 625RIGHT AT CR 513RIGHT AT CR 519LEFT AT RUMMEL ROAD

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IMMEDIATE LEFT AT CHURCH ROAD

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NORTH ON RIVER ROAD

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RIGHT AT MT. JOY RD.LEFT AT ALFALFA HILL RD.LEFT AT CHURCH RD.RIGHT AT CRABAPPLE HILL RD.LEFT AT CR 627LEFT AT BRIDGE ST.RIGHT AT CR 519 SOUTH

LEFT AT CR 513RIGHT AT PITTSTOWN RD. CR 615LEFT ON CR 12 IMMEDIATE RIGHT ON WHISKEY LN.LEFT LOCKTOWN RD.IMMEDIATE RIGHT AT FERRY RD.RIGHT AT CR 523 TO STOCKTON

LEFT ON RTE. 29RIGHT ONTO BRIDGE ST AND FARMER’S MARKET ON RIGHT

Page 24 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

BuchAnAn’s pyrAmid

oFF highWAy 16, cove gAp, pennsylvAniA

These days a lot is being made up about the president of these UnitedStates, who he is, and what he is made of.

I often wonder if, in the past, politics were just as brutal and as fast as theyare in these iPad, cell phone, internet, 24 hour news channel days.

These days Obama has been called the first “gay” president for comingout (sorry) for gay marriage; a good call, in my opinion, but maybe four yearstoo late.

But he was not the first gay-friendlypresident. Nope that might fall to thebachelor president James Buchanan –America’s 15th president.

President James Buchanan was born on April 23, 1791 near the village ofCove Gap. He was born in a log cabin on property owned by his father. Thecomplex was known as Stony Batter, named for the family home in Donegal,Ireland. At the time of Buchanan’s birth the Cove Gap area was on the edgeof the American frontier. Today it is a quite isolated area, but when PresidentBuchanan was born it was a center of frontier commerce.

Buchanan (often called Buck-anan by his contemporaries) was a popularand experienced state politician and a successful attorney before his presi-dency. He represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representativesand later the Senate, and served as Minister to Russia under President AndrewJackson. He was also Secretary of State under President James K. Polk. Afterhe turned down an offer for an appointment to the Supreme Court, PresidentFranklin Pierce appointed him Minister to the United Kingdom, in which ca-pacity he helped draft the controversial Ostend Manifesto.

Buchanan was nominated in the 1856 election. Throughout most ofFranklin Pierce’s term he was stationed in London as a Minister to the Courtof St. James’s and therefore was not caught up in the crossfire of sectionalpolitics that dominated the country. Buchanan was viewed by many as a com-promise between the two sides of the slavery question. His subsequent elec-tion victory took place in a three-man race with John C. Frémont and MillardFillmore. As President, he was often called a “doughface”, a Northerner withSouthern sympathies, who battled with Stephen A. Douglas for the controlof the Democratic Party. Buchanan’s efforts to maintain peace between theNorth and the South alienated both sides, and the Southern states declaredtheir secession in the prologue to the American Civil War.

Buchanan was the last president born in the 18th century.As the only “bachelor president”, many historians have speculated about

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 25

Morton’s BMW Motorcycles Presents

Dr. Seymour O’Life’s MYSTERIOUS AMERICA

the 15th president’s sexual orientation. This speculation doesn’t just stemfrom the fact that Buchanan never married, but rather from his close friend-

ship with Alabama Senator (and later Vice-President) Rufus King and theopenly affectionate correspondence that the two men carried on. Buchananwas openly teased both in and out of earshot about his relationship with King,and he made some very curious statements about that relationship. Coinci-dentally, King was the only bachelor Vice-President.

While in Washington, Buchanan’s “room mate” was Senator Rufus King.The two men were virtually inseparable and were rumored to be lovers

While in office his niece, for whom he was guardian, Harriet Lane John-ston served as his First Lady. After his death she led the effort to create a me-morial to her uncle. She made several efforts to purchase his birthplace, StonyBatter, but was ultimately unsuccessful. Upon her death, in 1895, the respon-sibility for building the monument was transferred to a lawyer from Balti-more, Lawrason Riggs and a banker from Washington, D.C., E. FrancisRiggs. After years of trying to purchase Stony Batter, the Riggs’ were finallysuccessful in 1907. The monument in the shape of a pyramid was built ofnative stone. Wyatt and Nolting, an architectural firm from Baltimore, de-signed the memorial. The pyramid is 38 feet square and 31 feet high. It ismade of 50 short tons of American Gray Granite and 250 tons of mortar andnative stones. Construction of the pyramid began in October 1907 with awork force of 20 men. They built a small railroad to haul the heavy materialsfrom the mountainside to the construction site. The work force grew to 35men and the monument was completed by late winter with a surroundingiron railing. The Pennsylvania General Assembly of 1911 accepted the mon-ument from the trust of Harriet Lane Johnston and Buchanan’s BirthplaceState Park was formally established.

These days the Buchanan’s Pyramid sits amongstsome of the most peaceful woods in Pennsylvania andis an excellent stop while riding this Mysterious Amer-ica.

O’Life Out!

you can download the 90-mile one-way

route here:

www.sendspace.com/file/26ep24

When downloading from Sendspace,

click on the BLUE DOWNLOAD BOX ONLY.

138 Orange Ave (Rt. 202)Suffern, NY 10901845-357-1190

www.locomotionpowersports.com

Page 26 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

And it appears to be a long time,Yes, a long, long, long, long time before the dawn

David Crosby

Did you ever get a song in your head for no real reason and then it hits youjust maybe why this particular tuneage has crept into your mind?

I was really looking forward to this, in a big way. The days before we wereto leave on this year’s Backroads’ Spring Break Rally saw the northeast getpummeled by storms, as if on schedule for a Backroads rally, but it lookedas if Lady Luck might go our way this time and we’d get some clearing bythat Wednesday.

We have been holding Backroads events for nearly 15 years and we havegotten somewhat use to them, both storms and rallies, and all that goes on

with both. But, this one we were really looking forward to. It was probablythe last three months of forced semi-retirement weighing in on our, or at leastmy, mind.

So, we were packed and ready to go two days previous and up at dawnthat day readying and going over the bikes one final time before blasting off.

The official start of the rally would be that Thursday in Luray, Virginia atthe historic Mimsylm Inn, but Shira and I had decided a few months backthat, if I rode down to the rally, we’d break it up over two days; as we werenot sure how well my leg and ankle would be in late May.

It proved to be amusing.We chose the town of Shippensburg, in Pennsylvania, as our first overnight

and then made mention of it to some of the folks we knew would be ridingdown to Luray.

We quickly had a small army converging on the college town that Wednes-day.

The rains that had hung around till early that morning cleared out beauti-fully and we met a few friends at the Columbia, New Jersey Truck Stop andthen vectored off into the Keystone state along some familiar roads we are,well familiar with.

Heading up and around Jim Thorpe and then down through the burningtown of Centralia we scooted. Turns out this is the fiftieth anniversary of thefires smoldering under Centralia. Outside of the town of Shamokin we pickedup Route 125, which is a “smoking” road indeed, with a superb combination

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of elevation changes and curves.The four of us eventually met up with the Susquehanna River and we

headed south to Millersburg for lunch and then continued on those pristinefarm roads west of the river into Shippensburg.

By nightfall the outdoor patio was packed with riders all getting a full day’sstart on the Spring Break Rally as we dined al fresco under a clear and warmsky.

The following day Ihad laid out a routethat would bring uswest and south to-wards Virginia.

The maven of mys-terious, O’Life, hadrequested I stop by alittle place calledCove Gap. It was herethat our 15th presi-dent James Buchananwas born. Today youwill not find his cabin

but a large pyramid built by his niece after hisdeath; certainly a bit of Mysterious Americato be found in Cove Gap.

Following south we ran into a detour andrerouted along a tiny piece of pavement calledHollow Road. Hollow Road was anything butas it was full of two-wheeled soul for sure.

Soon we blazed through Maryland and intoWest “By God” Virginia, where we stoppedfor a barbeque lunch at a little place I knowcalled the Earth Dog Café, where everythingis soooo good, made from scratch and youwould expect Guy Fieri to be loitering about.

Our last stretch to Luray was thebest of the day and who rode alongthis route and did not love ZeppRoad?

We stopped for the appropriatephoto at Back Road and then contin-ued on through the Shenandoah Val-ley along Camp Roosevelt Road,which runs through the George Wash-ington Forest right into the town ofLuray.

Approaching the long drive thatruns up to the Mimslyn with its hugeporch and stately columns I could seea number of motorcycles had already

arrived and we rolled in just about the time the “Great One” Mark Byers andhis lovely wife Betsy (she of greatest hugs) arrived.

By that evening the Inn was full, as were a few other hotels nearby.This might have been our biggest rally to date, with riders coming from

Tennessee and our fiends Bruce and Gail riding down from the 51st state ofCanada.

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Page 28 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

At many of these functions a bit of Tomfoolery occurs. Usually innocent,childish and benign, it is all part of the fun. But… really, guys?

This time I was the victim as I came to my bike finding my Backroadsstickers, that adorn my saddlebags, covered over by stickers that claimedBackroads was the “Proud Sponsor of the New York Yankees.”

Yeah, like that’ll ever happen in this lifetime. Let’s Go Mets! Stickers re-moved and tossed. Children, what to do with them?

Shira and I had set up anumber of routes and sug-gestions for folks to rideand that next day we choseto do a little lunch routewith a touch of moonshineadded in for flavor. Alongfor our ride were ourfriends Mikey B., columnistJeff Kurtzman and Mike“It’s all Good” Mosca.

Shira had planned thisroute and, as usual, she had

us getting a little gravel with our travels, as she has a thing for tiny little cowpaths and trails.

Our stop at the Stillhouse Distillery at Belmont Farms was more than in-teresting and quite entertaining. It had been featured on the History Channeldoing a show on moonshine. Chuck Miller, the owner,gave us an informative and very funny tour.

I’ll never look at “shine” the same way again.No, we did not taste – the aroma was enough!We scooted back towards the mountains and stopped

to have lunch at a very Rider-Friendly place called theGriffin Tavern in Flint Hill, Virginia.

We liked this place too; so much so that they are newmembers of the Backroads Moto-Inn Program.

Cresting the mountains that make up Skyline Driveand Thornton Gap along Route 211 is always a treat, es-pecially when we had little traffic to negotiate and allwas so right with the world.

While we were out gallivanting to the east, the rest ofour rally-goers were dispersed around all points on themap, with many making a run into West Virginia andthe famed Seneca Rocks region; a place Backroads hasvisited many times. Others seemed to find a little water

crossing for entertainment andit seems our youngest mem-ber, Eric Barasch, was findingsome interesting signage.

This evening we hadplanned a buffet barbeque forthose who wanted to mingleand we had well over 100 rid-ers join us for that.

After dinner Shira and Ithanked all who came and thenannounced where and whenour next rally, the Fall Fiesta,would be held.

I heard later on that we soldout our first block of rooms atThe Arts Hotel, in Lancaster,Pennsylvania in less than anhour after the announcement.

We’re beginning to think thefolks that come on our Backroads Rallies are enjoying them.

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 29

Later that evening we were entertained with a tick-ling of the ivory by our resident pianist extraordinaireGlenn Baldwin and harp player Roy Kosefsky. Sorrythey shut you down, boys, they don’t know what theywere missing.

The spectacular weather continued on Saturday, atrend that has been happening lately on our rallies andone we truly appreciate.

Once again riders took off to various places, muse-ums, restaurants or just out on the hundreds of milesof great backroads riding this part of the United Stateshas to offer.

Shira and I ended up on our own this day and rodenorth along the Skyline Drive, which was surprisinglyempty for a Saturday morning.

Along the way we ran into Walt and Rob, from Ten-nessee, who had come from the opposite directionrunning across a large bear along the way.

You never know what you will see crossing theroads here in Virginia.

In Front Royal we gassed up and then headed west,scooting along any road that caught our fancy, andfinding that required gravel road in the process.

We even found an old fighter jet sitting alongsidethe road.

We vectored south back through the Washingtonforest and then headed to New Market,Virginia and the famed SouthernKitchen for a lunch of fried chicken liv-ers and bird. We ran into Gina and Kate,who had the same culinary idea. It does-n’t get much more southern that thisplace.

Returning back to the Mimslym a bitearly I squeezed in a massage (a littlepresent to myself) and Shira found herbook and chair by the pool. Others gotback early as well and went spelunkingat Luray Caverns.

Following a Backroads’ traditionmany of us took in the Preakness Raceat the bar and what a race it was - withKentucky Derby winner “I’ll Have An-other” winning the 137th PreaknessStakes literally by a nose!

This was our last night together as a

Page 30 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

group and the festivities went on for a great while with every-thing being almost perfect except that the wait staff was a bitoverwhelmed and what should have been a great Last Supper,turned into a great wait instead for many. Good thing Mark andBetsy brought in that large supply of Route 11 Potato Chips foreverybody.

We apologize for that. But, hey it least the sun shined for theentire event.

Sunday morning found many up and gone early, with the re-sponsibilities of “real life” beckoning so many homeward waytoo soon.

Hugs and handshakes and promises of getting together soonwere made and we hope that all happens.

What we did know for sure was the 14th annual Backroads Spring Break went off virtually without a hitch.The weather, which has often been our nemesis, was totally on our side and neither Shira nor I can remember

such perfect riding weather at any of our more than thirty past events or rallies.We would like to thank everyone that attended and we hope that you kids will return in the Fall for the Fiesta

in Lancaster. If you have never attended one of our Backroads Rallies, well…. consider this your invitation.There is a reason so many come back again and again. Isn’t it about time you found out why?

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 31

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Cover Up and Stay Cool and Safe

Once the warmer weather started to roll around we couldn’t help but noticethat the same thing began to happen that happens each and every summer.The riders that we would pass on the road began to shed their winter skins,in this case leather and cordura, and started riding around with little or noreal protection from all the nasty things out and about in the real world thatare just waiting to give them grief.

When we head out to or drop by any biker-friendly sort of bike gatheringthere are hundreds of riders celebrating their rugged individualism by wearthe same sorry excuse for riding gear. Typically you’ll see jeans, boots, teeshirts and vests…ohh, and ½ helmets with the extra layer of protective stick-ers on them.

Unlike what some of these stickers say – W.R.D.G.A.F. – “we really dogive a frack” – that is why we write these articles to you kids each monthand slowly some of you are getting it and have invested in better riding gear.

Let’s talk first about the number #1 complaint and the supposed reason (atleast in some minds) as to why some riders wear what typically gets wornduring the warmer season.

THE HEATHere in the northeast the heat and humidity can quickly take a toll on any-

one not prepared for it.Hyperthermia is a killer and basically it is when the body’s temperature

elevates highly due to failed thermoregulation. Hyperthermia occurs whenthe body produces or absorbs more heat than it can dissipate. When the ele-vated body temperatures are sufficiently high, hyperthermia is a medicalemergency and requires immediate treatment to prevent disability or death.

When you choose to ride with just a tee shirt and vest on you risk far morethan just the loss of your skin if you encounter a gravity storm or Toyotadriven by some texting 18 year old. Just riding around like that during a hotsummer day will cause all sorts of mayhem with your body.

Let’s look at some ofthe ways and reasons rid-ing with just the “tee shirtand black leather vestlook” will screw you up.

The most obvious issunburn. I remember see-ing one guy in the south-ern Californian desertrefuse to ride before heput on protection.

No, not a jacket – sun-screen! Well, he had thathalf right.

Riding around for hoursat a time you could easilyend up with some serioussunburn and all that goeswith it, for the immediateand long-term future.

Did somebody saymelanoma, carcinoma,not to mention those un-sightly age spots?

Another danger in riding without proper gear is dehydration.You might think you are looking and riding cooler this way, but the truth

is your body’s precious moisture is quickly being wicked away.According to the experts at Arthur Guyton’s Textbook of Medical Physi-

ology it states that “the total amount of water in a man of average weight 70kilograms (150 pounds) is approximately 40 liters (10.5 gallons), averaging57 percent of his total body weight.”

Page 34 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

Welcome to the Jungle - The Art of Learning to Ride SkillfullyA column dedicated to your riding survival

That means that we are more than half water and when that % starts todrop we become effected in a big way. In the heat the more water we losethe hotter we become, and the hotter we become the more water we lose.

It is a no-win situation, especially if you are on two wheels.Simply by wearing a light and vented jacket and gloves you can save your-

self all sorts of grief, not to mention having a more pleasurable ride that day.There are a number of manufacturers that offer superb vented gear. Let’s

take a look at some offered by Olympia. Yes, they do advertise with us butwe have been using their gear long before that. Their gear works, is verycomfortable and stylish to boot! These folks have all sorts of mesh and ventedgear and all with the benefits of protective armor at body strike points. Youcan see what we are talking about at olympiamotosports.com. Other manu-

facturers offer much the same. With gear like this you get a ton of air movingaround you while riding, yet your precious water is not wicked away by windand sun.

Take a walk around the apparel section of any good dealership or shop andyou certainly will find something that fits your style and taste.

The venting with modern helmet technology is light years beyond what itonce was, but we can go into helmets another time.

The bottom line here is that riding around the jungle with hardly anythingon is plenty foolish. Don’t fall into riding with less than good gear, even ifyou look like the odd one in the group.

You are doing the right thing for yourself and family and eventually youmight find others in your group wearing better and smarter gear too.

Hydrate or Die

By now we all must know that hydration is key.Riding during the hot summer months puts an incredible drain on your

body and replenishing precious fluids is the only way to keep your body inbalance and your mind sharp.

Sport drinks and bottled vitamin waters all can help, but the truth is nothingreplaces good old H2O – water.

For years now we at Backroads have been riding with hydration packs onour backs or tucked away in the tank bags. There are distinct advantages ofcarrying water with you; here are a few:

convenience: No slowing down or stopping to reach for a bottle. Simplyreach up, grasp the tube, slide it into your mouth and bite down on the valveand take a sip of cooling water. Hydration is a speedy, almost effortlesstask—just grab, gulp and go. Although, we do recommend on hot days youfirst blow the warmer water from the tube back into the reservoir and thentake a sip of the far cooler water from the bladder.

efficiency and performance: Since water intake is simpler with a hydra-tion pack, you tend to drink more often, and a well-hydrated rider is a farsharper rider.

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 35

cool factor: You can mock your bottle-slurping companions for being theantiquated, time-squandering knuckle-draggers that they are. Just be preparedfor some squirtage when you do.

Although CamelBaks hydration packs are becoming so well known thatalmost all such packs are generally called CamelBaks, like most brands oftissues are commonly called Kleenex, there are a wide variety of styles andproducts to be found. Almost all work in the same way, utilizing a flexiblebladder, of one or a few liters (quarts) capacity, with a means (usually ascrewtop) of filling and then reliably sealing it, a light hose to convey thebeverage to the user’s mouth, and a bite valve for starting and stopping theflow through the hose with minimum effort.

The advantages of wearing and using a hydration system, especially in thesummer, are obvious, and some newer models are becoming motorcycle spe-cific, with reflective piping, large carrying capacity and light armor, such asKlim’s Fuel Pak and CamelBak’s “The Don” which can carry a full face hel-met off the bike. We also have found a European company called Gulpz that

has a great hi-vizlime pack with aunique cooling fab-ric to keep both youand the water coolduring the day’sride. Expect a re-view on that in anupcoming issue.

The ability toreach up and grabthe tube and take along cooling sip ofwater while ridingin the heat beatsstopping and reach-ing for a water bot-tle any day. And, thetruth is, if you areusing an old fashionbottle of water, youwill more thanlikely wait till youor your groupsstops for gas or torest to take a drink

than if you have a sip ready and waiting at all times.Just this alone will encourage you to take in more water than you might

normally drink during a hot day’s ride.This is a very good thing. You will never drink too much and your mind

will be clearer and sharper, your reaction time far greater and the possibilityof hyperthermia or heat stroke greatly diminished.

As we said there are a number of hydration systems available today andwith a little searching at some local shops, sporting stores or the internet youwill find the one that is perfect for you.

Cool? You bet!

Page 36 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

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Although some might say that Pennsylvania referring to its Pine CreekGorge as the “Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania” is hyperbole; nevertheless,this impressive area is truly grand. Surrounded by 165,000 acres of the TiogaState Forest, this forty-seven mile gorge has a maximum depth of 1450 feetat its southern end.

At Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks the depth is more than800 feet. In 1968 the National Park Service proclaimed a 12-mile section asa Natural National Landmark. These two state parks offer a great motorcy-cling destination with spectacular, scenic overlooks and a fantastic round tripride rumbling along country roads, over mountains, through farmland, andsmall towns.

Some riders may be temptedto blast their way out and backin a two day weekend ride, butI prefer a more leisurely paceand made it a two night, threeday tour. Longer is even better,but a three day trip from Jer-sey is minimum in my book.That allows plenty of time toexplore side roads and stop atany interesting sites I seealong the way and in “CanyonCountry” as well.

I began my Canyon trip inRingwood sailing north onGreenwood Lake Turnpikewhich hugs the shoreline ofthe shimmering blue waters ofthe Wanaque and MonksvilleReservoirs. I rode across itsmassive dam and then re-turned taking in the lush forestand lake views that sur-rounded me. There is a park-ing lot and a walkway as well.From the dam, I rolled north toGreenwood Lake and thenonto Warwick, New York rid-ing the heaving and serpentine

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Route 1A/1 toward Port Jervis. Rolling righteously through the expansive and aromatic black dirt farmland

of Pine Island is a sensory delight of tangy fresh air, flowers, and onions. Ilove the smell of onions percolating in mother earth; it reminds me of beinga teenager and savoring the sizzling sausage sandwiches sold on the SeasidePark boardwalk.

Just before reaching Port Jervis, I heard the siren’s call from super slabRoute 84 beckoning me to give my Kawasaki Nomad freedom to release amighty roar of raw power. And thus I did, blasting along this beautiful high-

way to Scranton; I connected with Route 81 North to Clarks Summit. Fromthere, I cruised country Route 6 west towards the cascading “Canyon Lands.”

Route 6 is mostly two lanes as it serpentines its way west through thenorthern hinterlands of Pennsylvania. Paralleling the Susquehanna River formiles, it passes through one small town with 19th century architecture afteranother. Climbing out of the village of Wyalusing, I stopped at the WyalusingRocks overlook. At 500 feet above the river with a panoramic vista, the over-look was used for hundreds of years by American Indians as a signaling point.

Dismounting my Nomad, I stood on the cliffs surveying the river valley,farms, and mountains that spread out before my eyes like a vast rolling inlandsea. I felt like a Greek God gazing down from Mount Olympus upon all theland that was mine. A short hop down the road is the Marie Antoinette Look-out. From here you can observe the site where French refugees built a colonyin the 1700s.

After I finished savoring the views, I continued west with the warm Penn-sylvania air caressing my face and whispering sweet sonnets in my ears.Stopping briefly in Luther Mills, I asked a local farmer for directions toKnapp’s Covered Bridge. “Son, just follow the signs,” he said, pointing toone that clearly indicated the turnoff. I thanked him but felt like a total un-observant ass. Riding the rounded highlands of Pennsylvania on a packeddirt road through farmland made me feel like a lone horseman in the 19thcentury. Parking at the bridge, I listened silently to the singing stream andsmelled the superfluously scented farm air.

Returning to Route 6, I continued ever westward towards “Canyon Coun-try” passing through Mansfield and onto Wellsboro, gateway to the Canyon.

Sections of this picturesque town look more NewEngland than central Pennsylvania, and that’s becauseit was originally settled by New Englanders who recre-ated their architectural style here.

I had a humongous and delicious piece of juicy,homemade blueberry pie at the Wellsboro Diner, a rail-road car style diner that dominated the landscape until

Page 38 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

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the 1950s. From the late ‘50s on these diners started to perish en mass underthe onslaught of the fast-food mania that swept across America like a plagueof locust.

After finishing my pie, I headed for the Coach Stop Inn in Ansonia: myhome for the next two nights. The original inn was built in 1832 and has seenservice as an inn, tavern, post office, store and haven for runaway slaves.Beside the rooms in the historic inn, there are recently built motel units aswell. Although my motel room was decent; the bar, restaurant, and pool arecurrently closed. Because of that, I would suggest alternative accommoda-tions.

The next morning, the inn and its environs were shrouded in a ghostly mistas blinding as a Cape Cod fog rolling in off the ocean. This delayed my ex-plorations a few hours. But, once the sun devoured the mist and a blue skyglided across the horizon, I fired up my Nomad and headed for Leonard Har-rison State Park. The roads leading to both parks are lined with farms andforests.

Pine Creek created this impressive gorge by carving its way through theAllegheny Plateau for thousands of years. Pine Creek Canyon is no matchfor the real Grand Canyon, but it is an impressive sight and definitely de-serves its moniker as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.

Rumbling into Leonard Harrison State Park on the east rim, I noticed ithad a Visiting Center, modern camping facilities, picnicking, and a gift shop.Colton Point State Park is more rustic but both state parks offer short trailsleading to several impressive overlooks. I explored some of the trails in eachpark. Breathing in the rich pine scented oxygen firedpower into my legs and psychic energy into my brain,making the views even more incredible. The AmericanIndians named the canyon Teeahdotton, or River ofPines. Mother Nature’s handiwork could clearly beseen and heard as the sounds of the rapids of Pine Creekcrawled up the lush green of the canyon walls. Outfittersrent boats for river trips through the canyon and bikes(pedal power) to ride the path that parallels the river.

I spent a good part of the day enjoying the beautifuland peaceful bounty of both parks. When I felt hungergnawing at my belly, I decided to explore some of thecountryside by meandering through the surroundingfarmland back to Wellsboro for a late luncht.

Over lunch, I perused my map spotting a town namedGermania. The route looked interesting, so I decided tovisit. Named for its German immigrants, this jewel ofwestern Pennsylvania consisted of a few houses, a gen-eral store, a church, and a dilapidated bar/inn thatlooked like something out of old Deadwood.

Fatigue and fleeing daylight didn’t allow me time toexplore all the great roads around Germania or through

Tioga State Forest. Unfortunately, that would have to wait until my next trip. Instead, I cruised cautiously (the ever present deer) back to the inn for a

good night’s rest. In the morning, I plotted out my return route deciding tobypass most of Route 6 and instead, swoop like a soaring hawk deeper intothe PA hinterlands. Mounting my Nomad, I headed east into the fierce fieryrays of the rising sun taking Route 6 to Wellsboro and then Route 287 Southto 414 East. A motorcycling Nirvana of virtually empty roads, lush farmlandand forest, and quaint country towns greeted me mile after mile on my returntrip. Continuing east to Route 154 South, I connected with Route 87 East.World’s End State Park is nearby which offers an impressive view of theLoyalsock Creek Gorge.

Reconnecting with Route 6 near Tunkannock, I was in the last stage of myreturn journey. And what a superb journey it had been. I had motorcycled ongreat roads, seen miles and miles of luscious countryside and gazed uponone of the premiere natural wonders in the east. My trip to Pennsylvania’sGrand Canyon Country was definitely one righteous ride that I couldn’t waitto do again.

Resources:

www.visittiogapa.com

coach stop inn • 4655 rte. 6, Wellsboro, pA

570-724-5361 • www.thecoachstopinn.com

sherwood motel • 2 main st, Wellsboro, pA • 570-724-3424

www.sherwoodmotel.org (Backroads moto-inn member)

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 39

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The week-long (June 4-9) 30th celebration of the Americade motorcyclerally brought tens of thousands of motorcyclists to the upstate NY village ofLake George. Lake George, known to tourists for its Adirondack beauty andpristine lake, attracted motorcyclists who wanted to attend the multi-brandmotorcycle rally known for its wide array of activities for motorcyclists, bothon and off the bikes, as well as explore the region’s many winding roads.

Lake George Mayor Bob Blais commented, “Each year our communityeagerly awaits the arrival of thousands of motorcyclists ready to experienceour hospitality and beautiful surroundings.” Local hotels, campgrounds, andrestaurants welcomed motorcyclists to their community. Michael Spillmanof the Lake George’s Holiday Inn Resort says, “ Americade is always our fa-vorite week of the year. The people who come are always great; we’re sopleased to welcome them each year.”

Americade 30 appears to have attracted more major motorcycle manufac-turers than any other U.S. event in 2012. “Americade attendees typicallyown more bikes and are invested in motorcycling more than the average rider,and we’re fortunate to have very strong support from the motorcycle indus-try,” said Americade’s GM, Christian Dutcher. Represented this year wereHonda, Harley-Davidson, BMW, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Victory, Star, Ducati,Motus, Kymco, Spyder, Motor Trike, Thoroughbred, Roadsmith Trikes, In-dian, Hannigan and Lehman Trikes.

Bill Savino, American Honda’s Motorcycle Press Manager, remarked onthe busy week, “We always have a tremendous turnout for demo rides atAmericade—it’s one of the best rallies to attend, and most importantly, theattendance seems to be as strong as ever. A diverse group of riders got to tryout a full complement of our Honda bikes—everything from the CBR250Rto the newest Gold Wing. We have been with Americade since the beginningand have seen the rally grow and change from a touring rally to a rally that

embraces all styles of riding.”One indoor and one outdoor tradeshow, known col-

lectively as Tour Expo, attracted 250 vendors who inturn attracted many thousands of enthusiastic shop-pers. All signs indicate that the economy continues toimprove with most vendors reporting high sales volumecompared to other rallies.

Kelly Appleton of GearUp Helmets credited Ameri-cade’s multi-brand appeal—”from a vendor perspective,we can tell you that Americade is one of the top motor-cycle rallies in the US and THE TOP of all touring ral-lies in US. Unlike most rallies that are cruiser oriented,Americade is a rally attended by cruiser, tour bike, trike,sport bike, and adventure bike riders. Americade is atrue rally experience for all who attend. When our cus-tomers ask what’s the best rally we go to, we always sayAmericade and tell them that if we weren’t vendors, itwould be the rally we would attend as riders everyyear.”

Americade incorporates the region’s beauty and en-ergy into over 70 activities during the event with guidedand unguided “MiniTours,” boat cruises, zip-liningthrough the treetops, and white-water rafting. Many ofAmericade’s attendees who were exposed to the Adiron-dacks for the first time through Americade, have re-turned with their families throughout the year to enjoythe area.

The benefit to the area extends to many local chari-ties, as well. This year’s rally wrapped up with a draw-ing benefitting the Lake George Rotary Club. Thewinner was an Americade regular, L J Bolling ofPhiladelphia, PA, who bought multiple tickets to in-crease his odds. He was delighted to get a phone callgiving him the enviable choice of a Honda Gold Wing,a Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic Electra Glide OR$20,000 in CASH!

Event Founder Bill Dutcher commented, “With thirtyyears of history now behind us, the future of Americadelooks very strong, and that bodes well for all — rally-goers and the Lake George region. In this part of theworld, motorcyclists are appreciated for all they bring—enthusiasm, families, friendship, and yes, their busi-ness.”

Americade is always held the first full week inJune. For 2013, the dates are June 4-8. For details, goto www.americade.com

Page 40 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

AMERICADE 2012 WRAP-UPAMERICADE MOTORCYCLISTS INUNDATE LAKE GEORGE, NY, FOR THE 30TH TIME

Lake Superior is the largest and deepest of the great lakes. Lake Superior also offers the ridersome of the best scenery and two lane roads in North America. The deep blue water andragged shoreline will live in the memory of any rider who rides the Lake Superior Circle Tour.Riding from our homes in Ohio the Mackinac Bridge comes into view and everyone in thegroup knows the ride is really just beginning. After crossing the bridge we turn off the inter-state on Highway 123, the highway to paradise – Paradise, Michigan that is. Paradise sits onthe shore of White Fish Bay. Paradise is not much of a town with 4 or 5 motels and theYukon Inn.

Our group of 4 rolled into town at about 7 PM and checked in to Curley’s Motel. Curley’s is a great mom and pop motel with the front facingHighway 123 and the back on the shore of White Fish Bay. After we checked in we headed to a Paradise landmark, the Yukon Inn bar and restaurant.The beer is cold and the sandwich menu has something for everyone. I decided on the Yukon burger, a meal in itself. The next day we would beoff to White Fish Point and the Great Lakes Ship Wreck Museum. After visiting the museum we would reverse course to Highway 123 and startwest. As I fell asleep the Gordon Lightfoot song “The Wreck of theEdmund Fitzgerald” kept going through my mind.

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 41

The Shores of Gitche GumeeLake Superior Circle Tour

Larry King

After a good night’s sleep andbreakfast at the Yukon Inn we were off

to Great Lakes Ship Wreck Museum at White Fish Point just 11 miles north.The lighthouse and coast guard station are all part of the museum. The mu-seum contains many artifacts from shipwrecks of days past. After a coupleof hours at the museum we headed south to Highway 123 again and headedwest to Tahquamenon Falls State Park. There are a number of waterfallsalong the route around Lake Superior with Tahquamenon Falls being thelargest in Michigan. After we all took time to view the falls we headed westto Highway 28 and then north on Highway 77 to the little lakeshore town ofGrand Maris on the shore of Lake Superior. After a short break we wouldride Highway H-58 along Lake Superior through Picture Rocks NationalLake Shore. What a great two-lane road offering lots of sweepers and greatscenery.

Our first stop would be at Sable Falls. Itwas just a short walk to the falls wherethere are steps leading to the bottom of thefalls. After a few pictures it was on to theLog Slide. The Log Slide is a steep sandycliff dropping 500 feet to the lake. The Log

Slide was used in the 1800’s by loggers to get their logs to the water and floatthem to the lumber mill. A few miles down the road is the Miners Castle turnoff. Miners Castle is a rock formation along the shore with an emerald greenbay surrounding it on 3 sides. You can also get a good view of Grand Islandfrom the overlook. After leaving Miners Castle we had planned on riding toCopper Harbor for the night, but the skies were getting darker with lightingin the distance. By the time we got to Marquette it was time to stop and waitout the storm. Not a problem, I thought, since thunderstorms blow throughquickly. On this day I guess the thunder gods were angry. After 3 hours thesky finally cleared, but we had to go to plan B since 2 in the group had to behome on schedule. Copper Harbor would have to wait for another day. Wespent the night in Ironwood at Davey’s Motel. The owner is a rider and theprice was right.

Page 42 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

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Above: Outside the Yukon Inn, Paradise, MI and a diving suit in theexhibit at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.

Right: Author at High Falls, Qahquamenon Falls, Gooseberry Falls,Miners Castle, and the Makinac Bridge.

The next morning the skies were clear and we all looked forward to a greatday of riding. After a great breakfast at Mikes Restaurant we headed west onHighway 28 across northern Wisconsin to Duluth, MN where we would turnnorth on Highway 61 along the western shore of Lake Superior offering ourgroup lots of scenery along the way. Just a few miles north of Duluth isGooseberry Falls State Park. After walking to both the upper and lower fallsit was a short ride to Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. If you ride the circletour there are a number of lighthouses and waterfalls along the way, but ifyou plan to stop at all of them plan on extra days. We continued north toGrand Maris (not to be confused with Grand Maris, MI)and had lunch. When we got to Grand Maris there was

a street carnival going on withmost streets blocked off so wedecided to gas up and head forThunder Bay, ON.

We crossed the border with-out any problems and headedfor Thunder Bay. I wanted tovisit Fort William HistoricalPark and Kakabeka Falls. Ohdid I say there are lots of water-falls along the circle tour. Ap-proaching Thunder Bay theskies darkened with the windpicking up. It was not long untilthe rain was coming down hor-izontal so we had to hunkerdown at a local gas station. By

the time the storms moved on it was getting late so it was on to Nipigon onTrans-Canada Highway 17. Nipigon is a small town with a few mom andpop motels and truck stop. Our motel was nothing to write home about, butit was clean and within walking distance of the truck stop for dinner. FromNipigon we planned to ride to Sault St Marie and then on to St Ignace, MIproviding the weather cooperated. The next morning the sun was shiningwith clear skies. After an early breakfast we were back on Trans-CanadaHighway 17.

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 43

Trans-Canada Highway 17 is onegreat road with rolling hills, sweep-ing turns and some really greatviews of the lake. If I had to choose

only one part of this ride this would be it. We found very little traffic withpassing lanes every few miles just in case you get stuck behind a heavy truckand a number of pull offs with views of the lake and yes there are waterfallsas well. I just sat back on my Ultra Classic and took in the view mile aftermile. It just does not get any better than this. We stopped just outside TerraceBay at Aguasabon Gorge and Falls since it was next to the highway. Since itwas August there was not much water running over the falls, but the gorgeleading to the lake was impressive to say the least. The plan was to havelunch in Marathon, but everyone was enjoying the ride so much all voted topress on to Wawa. As we approached Wawa a large statue of a snow goosecame into view on the left. The locals call this statue the Wawa mascot. Thereis a nice visitor’s center next to the statue offering the opportunity to checkout what local attractions are available. One mile from the visitor’s centersis the turn off to High Falls of the Magpie River. It is one and a half miles tothe falls via a dirt road. The road was in good shape, but could be a problemif wet. At this point we all agreed we would make no more stops until wecrossed into the USA.

The ride from Wawa to Sault St Marie was every bit as impressive as the

ride from Nipigon. Just a damn good road. Arriving in Sault StMarie we made our way to the international bridge where wefound traffic backed up almost the length of the bridge. I guesswe were back in the real world. We sat on the bridge for aboutan hour just inching along every few minutes. We would shutthe bikes off until traffic moved. Once we were on the downside of the bridge we would just coast as traffic moved. Theone good thing about being stopped on the bridge was the viewof the Soo Locks and the ships passing through the locks. Wefinally cleared customs and headed for St Ignace for the night.We pulled into the Sunset Motel for the night. The owners Jimand Annette Durm greeted us as we arrived. I have stayed herein the past and knew Jim and Annette catered to riders not tomention the rooms although small are nice. Next door is Timmy

Lees Pub, which I highly recommend. I always have the perch dinner, butthey do have a full menu to choose from if perch is not your thing.

After a good dinner it was off to bed and the ride home the next morning.We did the circle tour in 4 days, but I would recommend an extra day or twofor those who want to stop at all the waterfalls and lighthouses. If you havenever taken the boat trip to Mackinaw Island you may want to add it to youritinerary. Lake Superior offers some of the best scenery anywhere withsmooth well-maintained two lane roads and little traffic. Enjoy the ride.

Resources:

www.lakesuperiorcircletour.info

www.gowaterfalling.com

www.lighthousefriends.com

curley’s paradise motel, paradise, mi • 906 492-3445

davey’s motel, ironwood, mi • www.daveysmotel.com

sunset motel, st ignace, mi • 906 643-8377

Page 44 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

Victor Cruz

Cuyamaca larkspur, Tecate cypress, spreading navarretia, thorn-mint, but-ton-celery, chuparosa, ocotillo. It would take a lot of study for a non-local toname these San Diego county plants on sight. As riders, we all love nature,yet knowing what is what increases the appreciation ten-fold, I trust.

Pictures and words are a poor substitute for the real thing. How to capturethe scale of California’s largest state park, the Anza-Borrego, in a tiny cameraeye? How to describe the grandeur, the solitude, the vastness, the dry heat,the scrub cacti, the tight sweepers and elbow jarring twists?

In June the temps in Julian when the sun goes down is in the cool 50s.During the day, 70s. Elevation changes can fluctuate the temps by 30 degrees.Clear blue cloudless desert sky every day. An arid climate that receives sixto eight inches of rain annually. It is perfect motorcycle country if you avoidAnza-Borrego, which you must not.

I found myself on business in San Diego and I figured why not rent a bikeand head for the eastern mountains. Don Picker has a few new R1200Rs torent via California Motorcycle Rental. He stores them not far from the airport,

within walking distanceof Good Nite Inn ($70)on Greenwood street. Ihad a smooth and flaw-less rental exchangewith this company andthey even offered totake me to the airport.

I had read ClementSalvadori’s chapter onthe roads in eastern SanDiego county in hisbook Motorcycle Jour-

neys Through Califor-

nia now in its second

edition. He recommends making the small town of Julian, only 60 miles eastof San Diego, home base from which to make day loops. The town is calledApple Pie City by locals and is especially busy with tourists during Octoberapple picking season. It’s hard to imagine quaint Julian could ever be busy.There is one intersection with stop signs and no traffic light. Easily the bestplace to sleep and eat richly is at Orchard Hill Inn ($200).

In October 2003, alost hunter in the Cleve-land National Forestnear Ramona shot off aflare gun that caused aweek-long cedar firethat burned 272,000acres and devoured1400 homes, taking 11lives. Strangely, it wasthe same number killedin the 1956 wildfire thatstruck the same area.You can still see its ef-fects today but what isamazing is how resilientnature can be when called to action. Charred and bone white skeletal treesstill exist, but the greenery is reclaiming the land. People too are resourcefuland most everybody stayed on to rebuild their homes. You can see why. SanDiego county is a stunning place with lakes, canyons, rolling hills of blondvalley needlegrass and a spectacular nearby desert. Warm weather 10 monthsof the year. Dusting of snow during winter.

And best of all, technical riding roads. I have ridden in the Pyrenees ofSpain and France, the Swiss Alps and Tuscany. Eastern San Diego ranks upthere with the world’s most celebrated riding. You see things here foundnowhere else. Desert mountain roads that climb through a sleeve of bouldersthen fall away to reveal a frying pan of flatness the size of one million foot-

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 45

ROAD TRIP A SHORT CALIFORNIA JAUNT

ball fields layered in stone and life-threatening heat. A kind of heat that makesan hour ride feel like you’ve done four. I’m referring specifically to S2, astretch of road from Julian to Ocotillo that is 60 miles long and about as wide.

Like a fool, I did S2 on the first day of summer. The bike’s clock read12:00. There was no shadow cast about me. The sun was inches from myhelmet. It was 110 degrees F and this is when you start thinking about gasconsumption, tire pressure and water supply. I could hear my wife yelling“It’s so hot! It’s so hot!” through my ear plugs, although my wife was 3,000miles away in Boston. To lift your visor up gave your face a blast of furnaceheat. It was actually cooler to keep the visor down and your clothes on. Itook off one glove to better operate the camera. It stayed off for about a mile.The heat was too intense for skin. About every mile or so there is an emer-

gency telephone, but no gas or services. Aqua Caliente (“hot water”) is inthe middle of it. I rode by a community center with a basketball court, a smallbuilding and a parking lot. Nobody there. That was it for Aqua Caliente. Youare tempted to ride faster than 70 but something tells you to stay cautious.Yesterday the R1200R refused to start until it cooled off. So there was nostopping here.

Sweeney Pass comes up, as do other sudden bends. Park signs pop up in-frequently. Canyon Sin Nombre (“without name”) was a marker. It didn’tmake any sense, but man has shown a need to fill the void with somethingother than himself. So he names a small area and erects a signpost. Abouttwo cars passed by including the law. For once I was happy to see them. Afteran hour you really start wanting to escape the heat. There’s no telling if high-way 94 held more of the same in store from Jacumba, where you are brushing

Page 46 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

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the Mexican border, all the way to Jamul. And, judging by the landscape, itlooked all desert all the time.

S2 terminates at I-8 and fortunately, starts to rise and immediately cooloff. You get off at In Ko Pah Road on Old Highway 80to visit the old stone tower erected there and you pay$2.50 to view the Salton Sea way off in the incompre-hensible distance.

My only worry was running out of gas. The BMWR1200 rental came without its onboard computer op-tion, so it had no active fuel gauge. It was difficult totell just how much drinking was going on, given theconditions: extreme dry heat, mountain climbing, brak-ing for bunny rabbits, and the absence of shady restingplaces. I was imagining that my gas was being swal-lowed whole even while the bike was standing parkedstill. You would ride 70 on wide open sweepers thencome up suddenly against a yellow sign warning of a20 mph curve. East of Julian, Mount Palomar has a 280-degree diminishing radius among other like-mindedcurvatures. West on Lyons Valley the road decides tonarrow down unexpectedly into a grove of trees. Gasstations are few and far between. The ones you do findare non-brands, the ones that don’t insert plastic at thepump and have names like “La Chica Gasolina.”

Highway 94 is the southernmost roadway in America.A forgiving place with plenty of cypress trees and a wel-come break from S2. Heading east and before you getto Dulzura, where you can indulge in a $1.25 grilledsteak taco with guacamole, your body will need hydra-tion and the inviting shade at the Potrero Store is theonly choice but do not stop here to eat because the dogsare too well fed. After Potrero the solitude and calm of94 ends, giving way to noisy 16-wheelers pulling empty

trailers into Mexico and downshifting on grades cut into coves on the moun-tain sides. The contrast is stunning.

Needing gas I got off track on Otay Lakes Road to Chula Vista and hit intoanother stark contrast when the pristine, though bald, hill country runs intoa Disney-like planned community where the regulated retail stores resemblethe houses and lamp posts mimic mail box posts. After the open treeless land-scape, to ride into the city of Chula Vista is to feel your heart sink. It’s a reliefto get out, and for the boys on sport bikes dying to ride away fast as possible,a fatal mistake. I came across a bike accident scene after EMS had arrived.

The R1200R is the perfect gentleman’s motorcycle. Perfect ergos that leaveyour hands on the bars with no need for a rest. A relaxed sit-up position. Wellpositioned levers allow you to cover the brake. The bars are wide like a GSbut set in much closer, relaxing your shoulders. Light weight makes handlingeasy. It takes a lot of extreme leaning to drag the foot pegs. A lowered exhaustallows for full size hardcases and the stock seat is plenty of comfy for all-day riding.

With country this pretty you find yourself doing a lot of stopping and start-ing for picture-taking. Evidently the R1200R wasn’t happy about that. It com-plained by refusing to start until the starter had time to cool off. Of course Ididn’t know what was happening. I was stranded miles from any town withno cell reception. I tried push starting it by rolling down a long hill, almostdropping the bike when it skidded to fishtail. Nice locals gave me water anda phone to use. We talked about the big fire that had destroyed their homeand melted their house trailer flat. After 30 minutes rest the bike started up

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 47

fine. I believe this is something engineered by BMW to protect the bikeagainst yourself. (Ironically, the stall happened on Engineers Road.) Samestory happened with my trying to start a R12 GS in near-freezing temps. Withthe oil viscosity so thin, the twin refuses to start. Press the button and no at-tempt is made to turn it over. My dealer told me that the bike was protectingitself from burning out its starter. For cold weather operation, they advisechanging to a lighter weight oil. When Don Picker of California MotorcycleRental had my bike inspected afterwards they found absolutely nothingwrong with the starter.

Don travels extensively and has gone 24 times to Europe, logging 82,000miles there. He once owned 30 BMWs for rental in six cities nationwide. Asof this writing he had whittled his fleet to eight bikes in one city. Fortunately,plans are underway to offer a lot more bike rentals when the local San DiegoBMW dealer receives its permit to open up a new expanded facility. Whenthat happens, you’ll have no excuse to take you and your buddies on an ad-venture to this beautiful part of the country. www.calif-motorcyclerental.com/

Page 48 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

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EVERY MONTH - WEATHER PERMITTINGEvery Sunday • Eastern Suffolk ABATE Breakfast Run. Crossroads Diner - Calverton NY.10:30am. Eat and Ride After • 631-369-2221

Every Sunday • Biker Breakfast at Tramontin Harley-Davidson, Exit 12 I-80, Hope, NJ(GPS: 485 Hope-Blairstown Rd, Rte. 521) 9-11am • www.tramontinhd.com

First Sunday of the month • Layton Meet at the Layton Deli, corner of Dingmans/Be-vans Rd, CR 560, Layton, NJ. Meet around 8am – breakfast available. Join others for aride or head out on your own

Every Tuesday • The Ear - Spring St, NYC. Come meet some fellow riders and do somebenchracing or whatever. 8pm-ish

Every Wednesday • Chelseas Restaurant/Pub, 1051 Rte. 22 East, Lebanon, NJ 6-9pm,weather permitting all summer • www.chelseasrestaurantpub.com

Second Wednesday • Harley-Davidson of Long Branch Bike Night at McGillicuddy’s TapHouse, 601 Main, Loch Arbour, NJ • 6-9pm. • www.hdlongbranch.com • Live musicand prizes

Every Thursday • Bike Night at the Chatterbox Drive-In, Rtes. 15/206, Augusta, NJ.Tire kicking, good food and friends • www.chatterboxdrivein.com

Every Saturday • Stop by the dealership at 9am for coffee and bagels. Ride departs at10am. Return to the dealership for FREE food and music. Proper attire MUST be worn!No shorts or sneakers. • Bergen Harley-Davidson/BMW Motorcycle, 124 Essex St,Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.bergenbmwmotorcycles.com

AUGUST1 • Liberty Harley-Davidson Dog Days of Summer Bike Night. 6-9pm. 12 W. Milton Ave,Rahway, NJ • 732-381-2400 • www.libertyharley.com

4 • Glenn Curtiss Museum Motorcycle Days. 9-5. 18419 SR54, Hammondsport, NY• 607-569-2160 • www.glenncurtissmuseum.org

9-12 • COG Dog Days Down & Dirty UnRally. Marlinton Motor Inn, Marlinton, WV. Escapethe Dog Days of summer in the West Virginia Mountains. For complete details see web-site: www.cog-online.org or call Jason at 814-535-8669

11 • Bergen County H-D/BMW Sellers Assist Tent Event. See page 37 for full details. •124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • bergenharleydavidson.com

10-12 • 35th Annual Daniel Boone Rally sponsored by Carolinas BMW MOA. Boone, NCcampgrounds. $40 rally fee includes camping and donuts/coffee both days, BBQ Satur-day, rally pin, 5 door prize tix and many extras • www.carolinasbmwmoa.org

15 • Liberty Harley-Davidson Dog Days of Summer Bike Night. 6-9pm. 12 W. Milton Ave,Rahway, NJ • 732-381-2400 • www.libertyharley.com

16 • Bergen County BMW Ride1Eat. BMW Riders Only Event. Meet at dealer 6:30pm;depart 7pm. • 124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • bergenbmwmo-torcycles.com

18 • Liberty Harley-Davidson Blood Drive. Noon-4pm. 12 W. Milton Ave, Rahway, NJ •732-381-2400 • www.libertyharley.com

19 • Blue Knights NJVIII Law Ride benefti ride for MADD. TWO REGISTRATION SITE: Hi-bernia Diner, 9 Green Pond Rd, Rockaway, NJ and Autoland, 170 Route 22 East, Spring-field, NJ. Sign in: 9am; Ride leaves 10:30. $10/bike. Escorted ride.

22 • Liberty Harley-Davidson Garage Party. 12 W. Milton Ave, Rahway, NJ • 732-381-2400 • www.libertyharley.com

24 • Meet at the Ace - a Summer Shakedown 2012 Vintage Motorcycle and Scooter Fes-tival. America’s Car Museum, Haub Family Show Field, 2702 East D Street, Tacoma, WA.Museum exhibits, concours awards, people’s choice awards, swap meet, motorcycle-themed movies, beer garden, food vendors, live music and much more. For full detailsplease visit www.lemaymuseum.org or call 312-951-8981

25 • Liberty Harley-Davidson Service Seminar. 12 W. Milton Ave, Rahway, NJ • 732-381-2400 • www.libertyharley.com

26-29 • BACKROADS SUMMER SQUEEZE Once again we will call the Gray Ghost inWest Dover, VT home for three nights while riding the enticing Vermont, New Hampshireand Adirondack roads. Book today as rooms will go quickly. www.GrayGhostInn.com orcall Carina at 800-745-3615.

28• FW Speer Yamaha Foggy Mountain Reliability Run. This is a Timed Road Run (not arace of speed or police-escorted, follow the leader ride). You MUST be able to read aroute sheet (English only), keep time and operate your motorcycle ALL at the same time.Sign up: 9:30am FW Speer Yamaha, 7 Main Ave, Passaic, NJ. For more informationplease call the shop at 973-778-6256

30-Sept. 3 • Killington Classic run by the folks from Americade. Killington, VT. 5 FantasticDays of Fun! For full details please visit www.KillingtonClassic.com

SEPTEMBER13-16 • 15th Catskill Mountain Thunder. Weekend filled with stunt shows, vendorexpo, bike build off, bike show with cash prizes, pig roast, fireworks, free demo rides,live music throughout the weekend and so much more. For full details please visit thewebsite: www.catskillmountainthunder.com or call 518-634-2541 • 348 Sunside Rd,East Durham, NY.

13-16 • Empire State Motomarathon. It’s about riding as many twisties as possible, overfour full days. Routes are kept secret until the night before each event. Through a seriesof self-recorded checkpoints, riders verify completion at the end of each day’s ride. $50registration. Sign in: Sept. 12 @ 8pm. Quality Inn, 849 Rte. 52, Fishkill, NY • 845-897-9300. Get more info here: www.motomarathon.com

16 • Lost Wheels MC 37th Annual Poker Run. Sign in/Endsite: Canopus Lake Beach @Fahnestock State Park, 1498 Rte. 301, Carmel, NY 9-11:30am. $25/non-AMA; $23/AMA;$10/under 15. Lost Wheels Poker Run promises to be the best ‘End-Of-Summer’ run inthe Hudson Valley. Every year a different route that never disappoints. Music, vendors,50/50, door prizes, ride-in bike show, games and awards. NEW this year - food by AdamsFairacre Farms. All Bikes Welcome! www.lostwheels.com •845-591-9374

16 • Dangerous Curvz Ride to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer. Start/End: TramontinHarley-Davidson, Hope, NJ. Sign in: 9:30am • Ride: 11am. $20/rider; $15/passenger tobenefit National Ovarian Cancer Coalition North Jersey Chapter. 60-mile group ride thruWarren/Sussex Ctys. All bikes welcome • www.dangerouscurvz.com

16 • Sussex County Fairgrounds Champion of the Grill Competition BBQ & Blues. Grillingcompetition, vendors, free Blues concert, Classic car and motorcycle show. FREE. Back-roads magazine will be judging the motorcycle show. 973-579-1811 • www.sussex-countychamber.org

23 • Hudson Valley Harley Riders Charity Ride to Benefit Gabrielle DiCarlo. Sign in: TheDog House, 17N Middletown Rd, Nanuet, NY 9-11am. $25/rider;$15/pass. Pre-reg.$30/rider; $15/pass. day of event. AMA Discount. Includes coffee, donuts, bagels and$10 coupon for the Dog House anytime. DJ, door prizes, 50/50 and raffle at endsite. •www.hudsonvalleyharleyriders.com

27-30 • Backroads Fall Fiesta 2012 • Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This time we’ll be stayingdowntown at the Lancaster Arts Hotel, right in the center of great dining and cultural do-ings, but easy access to the beautiful country roads in that area. • www.lancaster-artshotel.com • 866-720-2787 - ask for the Backroads Fall Fiesta group.

29 • 9am-4pm • Celebrate Oktoberfest at Bob’s BMW. This annual, family-fun event isa great way to spend the day. Ride to Bob’s early for fresh coffee and donuts and stayfor an authentic German lunch! Kick tires with fellow enthusiasts and shop great specials.Details of the day are in the works. Check back for updates at bobsbmw.com

OCTOBER21 • American Spirit MC 16th Annual Tombstone Tour to benefit the Hicksville Post ofthe Veterans of Foreign Wars. Sign in: 9-10am, VFW, 320 South Broadway, Hicksville,NY. $20/rider; $10/pass. Food, music, prizes. • ww.americanspiritmcinc.com • 516-644-1106

25-28 • COG Fall Foliage Rally, Matamoras, PA. A convenient base will be chosen. Samplerides and group dinner on Saturday evening. Rally fee required. Contace Dave at 484-553-1665 fo details or visit www.cog-online.org.

NOVEMBER3 • 6-10pm • Bob's BMW 30th Year Anniversary Celebration. Tickets will be availablemonths in advance. Expect a private, catered evening among fellow friends with lots ofsurprises, amazing giveaways, first heard announcements from Bob, plus an official trib-ute to Bob’s BMW! Visit www.BobsBMW for details.

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 49

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR What’s Happening

Jeff Bahr

If you haven’t used a wireless motorcycle communica-tions system, or are tethered to an old tried-and-truewired unit that works well enough, but is a genuinehassle to hook into, you will undoubtedly be fasci-nated by the latest crop of bike-to-bike/bike-to-pas-senger intercoms currently taking our sport bystorm. Bluetooth technology has turned these for-mer upstarts into genuine contenders in the ever-competitive moto-com sphere, and the SenaSMH10 is at the very forefront of the movement.

For a list price of $219 per unit (or $399 for aDualPack), riders can talk to other motorcyclistsor a passenger, listen to MP3 music, place and an-swer phone calls, or monitor the audio from a radardetector. The best part? After the unit is installed, there are nowires to fool around with. And since the SMH10 is installedon a helmet, as opposed to being hard-wired to a motorcycle,it can be used with as many different machines as oneowns rents or borrows. Let’s check it out.

InstallationInstallation of the SMH10 is straightforward in a

full-face, open face or modular helmet and shouldtake less than 30 minutes to accomplish. After at-taching the mounting plate to the helmet’s shell,it’s a simple matter of sliding in the unit, tuckingspeaker wires into the headliner and positioning thespeakers in each ear well (using supplied Velcrostrips). The boom microphone simply bends under the helmet. All firmwareupdates are accomplished via a USB port. A wire is included for this purpose.

Controls Thankfully, there are only two controls on the SMH10; a small rubber-

covered switch located on the end of the unit and a large jog wheel/push switch combo located at its center. This clever wheel is

what sets the SMH10 apart from its competitors. I was ableto operate the unit in every mode while wearing ridicu-

lously bulky winter riding gloves. Nearly all of theSMH10’s functions are accessed via this jog wheel. Theside switch is used predominantly to answer and termi-

nate phone calls.

PairingThe SMH10 can be used wirelessly with Bluetooth-en-

abled cell phones, GPS units, and music players. Non-Blue-tooth devices plug into the unit via a miniature (3.5 mm)

input jack. Pairing of my Android phone was accomplishedin a matter of seconds by pressing the jog wheel and side

switch simultaneously for two seconds (to turn the unit on) andthen pressing the jog wheel for five seconds after that.

Microphone The SMH10 uses a directional boom microphone that ex-

tends from the unit itself. In practice, it’s unobtrusive andeffective. I received positive audio reviews while usingthe telephone and intercom functions and the micro-phone picked up minimal wind noise from my HJCISMAX modular helmet, even at speed.

Sound quality This is where the Sena really shines. While not quite au-

diophile quality, the speakers in the SMH10 deliver surpris-ingly clean sound. Music comes across free of the “tinny”

quality often heard in similarly sized speakers, and voice trans-mission is well-defined. A heavier-than-usual magnet structure is likely re-sponsible for this. Speaker placement is critical. The SMH10’s speakersdeliver a more robust sound when installed farther away from the ear sincethe open air space acts as a baffle that effectively amplifies the sound.

Page 50 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

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Bike-to-Bike Speaking to other riders is the crux test for

any motorcycle communicator, so I adjustedmy expectations accordingly. At first I wasdisappointed by the lack of volume reachingmy ears whenever my friend spoke to me,until I realized that the volume control onthe SMH10 operates independently for eachmode. After correcting my error, I foundthat not only was the volume sufficient athighway speeds (during voice communica-tions) I actually had to turn it down. Rangewas an honest 1/3 mile (the manufacturerclaims 900 meters or roughly 3/5-mileunder optimum conditions), give or take.After that, the transmission would drop offentirely. If the user is listening to musicwhen a message comes in, the sound isoverridden by the transmission. The SMH10can link a total of four riders at one time.

Rider-to-passengerI didn’t have an opportunity to test this

function with a passenger, but in an im-promptu helmet-to-helmet chat staged out-doors, voice transmission came throughloud and clear – just as it had when talkingbike-to-bike.

The Juice The SMH10 comes equipped with a DC

cigarette lighter charger and an AC wallunit. The DC charger can be used to chargeand operate the SMH10 simultaneouslywhile riding. Battery life is surprisinglylong. I operated the SMH10 (in the MP3

music mode) without a hiccup for 7 hourswhile en route from New Jersey to Virginia.The manufacturer claims 12 hours, althoughthis number will depend on which mode isbeing used since each places a different cur-rent demand on the battery. A full charge re-quired roughly three hours.

The TakeawayI have ridden for a number of years without

a communications system, even though Ihave used and enjoyed such components inthe past. Chalk that up to the hassle of in-stalling hard-wired units on my motorcycle.Since I currently own three machines, eventhe best tethered device would leave two mo-torcycles without communications, or gougea deep hole in my wallet if I decided to equipall three for sound.

For that reason, portable communicationunits that attach to the helmet (like theSMH10) can’t be beat. Overall MP3 volumewill not approach rock concert levels (set atmaximum volume at highway speeds, youcan expect a sound level that’s listenable butnot loud). Nevertheless, the SMH10 makes aworthy companion for the long haul, espe-cially when your riding chum or pillion matefeels an overwhelming need to converse(“I’m hungry! Can we rest for awhile? Natureis calling!”). It is at this time that you willlook toward the heavens and scratch yourhead in awe. Technology, lo and behold, canindeed be our servant. For me, the SMH10 isa fine un-tethered friend.

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 51

Page 52 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

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Page 54 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

M O T O R C Y C L E M A R K E T P L A C E ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

Hudson Valley’s

Number One Riding

Barbeque Restaurant

Located on Picturesque Route 9W

minutes from Perkins Drive

and Harriman State Park

just south of historic West Point

1076 Route 9W North

Fort Montgomery, NY

845-446-0912

www.barnstormerbbq.com

Celebrate the Holidays withsome awesome barbeque!

If you go home hungryit’s your own fault

Paul Haas • Owner-Chef

123 Bantam Lake Rd.Route 209 • Bantam, CT(Next to Bantam Cinema)

860-567-YUMY (9869)www.WoodsPitBBQ.com

Open Lunch & DinnerTuesday - Sunday(Closed Mondays)

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BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 55

M O T O R C Y C L E M A R K E T P L A C E ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

320 Front Street, Belvidere, NJ • 908-475-2274 • www.thisilldous.com

Open Daily for Breakfast and Beyond • 7am to 4pm • Sunday 7am to 1pm

Try our Full Throttle Breakfast Special every Saturday + Sunday

Worth the ride from anywhere!

Join Us for 1st Friday Celebration

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from 6 to 9pm

Live Music • Dinner Specials

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The Runway Cafeat the Blairstown Airport36 Lambert Road • Blairstown, NJ

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RoadsDestination

908.362.9170

Tues. thru Sat. 11am-10pmSunday: Breakfast 9am-Noon

Lunch and Dinner served until 9pm

The RivertonTravel along the scenic

backroads of the Delaware river.Meet the Markopoulos family

and taste chef George’sGreek American cooking.Best bar menu, lunch or dinner.

Fresh poppers, perogies, calamari, clamsand crispy wings with 8 different sauces.

John, Christina, chef George and Eoanna welcome you and your friends.

The Riverton Hotel and RestaurantAt Belvidere-Riverton Free Bridge, Riverton, PA

610-498-4241 • www.rivertonhotel.com

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Route 20, Bouckville, NY • 315-893-1810 • www.yeoldelandmark.com

Ye Olde Landmark Tavern5 Spacious Roomsstarting at $90.00

Tavern andDining Room Menu

Serving Hours:Mon-Thurs: 5-9pmFri-Sat: 5-9:30pm

Sunday: 1-8pm

Seasonal April ~ December

Member ofFeatured in ‘We’re Outta Here’ Sept. 2011In the heart of great riding • Between Syracuse and Utica

Cooperstown • Finger Lakes • State Forests

SERVING BREAKFAST & LUNCH • TUES.-SUN. 7AM~3PM

OPEN FOR DINNER • THURSDAY - SATURDAY 5~9PM

Daily specialty items including burgers, homemade soup & pastries

Route 739 ~ just south of Milford Rd ~ Dingmans Ferry, PA

570.828.1920 • www.forkliftcafe.com

The Charlesworth Hotelis New Jersey’s REAL backroads’ hideaway

Romantic Dining

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Home of the BEST sunset on the Jersey Shore

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Excellent Ride Destination

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Located in Arden, only 15 minutes fromPhilippi, on the beautiful Tygart Riverin West Virginia, our bed & breakfast isthe perfect place to call home whileexploring the Mountain state.

Rates from $70 - $90 per night

866.909.4262www.AngelBandFarm.com

Box 696 • North River Road • Philippi, WV 26416

Page 56 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

M O T O R C Y C L E M A R K E T P L A C E ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

Sussex Hills Ltd.

973-875-2048946 Rte. 23 SouthSussex NJ 074613 miles north of Sussex Borough

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BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 57

M O T O R C Y C L E M A R K E T P L A C E ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

‘50s-Style Drive-In RestaurantFull and Varied Menu

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Located at Ross’ Corners • 1 Route 15 • Augusta NJ • 973-300-2300

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Page 58 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

M O T O R C Y C L E M A R K E T P L A C E ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

HUNTER’S LODGE“The Real Taste of America”

Open 7 Days for Lunch & Dinner

64 Route 446 • Delaware, NJ

908-475-0060 • www.hunterslodge.net

Kitchen Open 11am-10pmBar Open Late

Happy Hour: Mon-Fri 5-7pm

Tues. Italian NightAll You Can Eat Pasta $5.50

Wednesday • Wing Night50¢ Wings and

$1 Pabst Blue Ribbon Cans

Thursday • Ladies Night$2 House Drinks 4pm-close

For The Ladies

As the new Nolan N-104 hits the shelves at dealer-ships around the country, Nolan introduces theirnew B4, a BlueTooth communication kit spe-cific to the N-104.

Nolan was the first helmet company to in-troduce BlueTooth communications sys-tems and this last offering shows theirdedication to good design, performance andgreat sound.

While all the previous generations of Ncomwere based on a headset and a separate BlueToothmodule located on the left side of the helmet, theB4 comes as a single kit that fits perfectly into theN-104, which is designed to receive it without anymodifications.

The installation takes just a few minutes, thanksto the new configuration: the electronics andthe slimmer battery fit like a cartridge behindthe lower trim in the back of the helmet. Thekeypad mounts on the left side and is easy tooperate with gloved fingers thanks to its raisedrubber buttons.

Features include rider to passenger communication via Blue-Tooth as well as bike to bike communication between two

BlueTooth B4 systems up to a distance of a half-mile. Anew function permits users to communicate with 4 ad-

ditional riders equipped with their own B4, oneat a time. Also along for the ride is FM Radiowith RDS function (to stay tuned to the sameradio station for the entire ride), with 6 pre-set-tings for your favorite radio stations. Other de-vices can be connected to the B4: Musicplayers and other devices using a standardheadphone jack can be connected via a wireand other BlueTooth enabled devices such as acell-phone and a GPS can be paired through the

BlueTooth connection. Firmware updates aswell as presetting of the radio stations, volume

controls, etc. can be done by connecting the B4 toa computer via the USB cable (included) with theNcom Wizard program.

The B4 is compatible with all previous generations ofNcom BlueTooth and lists for $369.95

For more information log onto www.nolan-usa.com

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 59

Ride Ireland!Ancient culture, mysterious andenchanting landscapes, roadscreated by a motorcycling god,stunning rugged coastline

and renowned Irish hospitality.

Check out our website:

www.celticrider.ie

NOLAN’S NEW B4 COMMUNICATION • THE NEXT GENERATION IN BLUETOOTH

“Your story had me a little confused.Maybe it was the bourbon.”

Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca

Judging by the bar tabs from the BackroadsSpring Break, our readers appreciate top-shelfspirits as much as riding motorcycles on ser-pentine roads. Consequently, Luray, Virginiawas a perfect launch pad from which to visit acouple microdistilleries, the higher-proof alter-natives to the ever-increasing number of micro-breweries. Taking craft-brewing to the nextlevel, these master distillers are turning out someof the best-tasting spirits available today. At onetime, tracking down one of them might have costyou a behind full of buckshot, but today it merelyrequires a ride down excellent Virginia roads (plusa little cash).

BELMONT FARM DISTILLERYJust outside the strategic Civil War town of

Culpeper, Virginia is a 195-acre farm that sup-plies the grain for Master Distiller Chuck Miller’s“Stillhouse Moonshine,” a legal version of the prod-uct Chuck’s grandfather used to produce illicitlyand deliver in his Hudson automobile. The 80proof, clear, corn liquor is distilled in a 1933-vin-tage copper pot still using local limestone water thatin Chuck’s words, “Is so pure, I wouldn’t drink it.”

The jug alone is beautiful, with a raised howlingwolf logo and, if you get the gift box, a proclama-tion that “Prohibition is Over.” That statement isn’twithout real meaning, because while they sold tothe Virginia state liquor stores for 22 years, Chucksays it took 18 years to get the permits to sell it di-

rectly from the farm. They claim to be the onlylegal producers of moonshine in the country.

When we arrived, we were greeted by afriendly Labrador and then by Chuck, clad ina flannel shirt and an enormous straw hat. He’sno stranger to visitors or media, as the distilleryhas been featured on the History, Discovery,and National Geographic Channels as well as

other media outlets and Chuck has a well-devel-oped patter designed to educate and entertain si-multaneously. He’s quick to point out thatVirginia author Patricia Cornwell visited in herhelicopter and mentioned his brew in a couple ofher books.

The distillery tour was worth the time withChuck himself as our guide. While moonshine istheir signature product, they also make a bour-bon-like whiskey named “Kopper Kettle.” Draw-ing on one of his grandfather’s recipes, Chucktakes the clear liquor and adds oak and applewood chips, letting them hang in a cheesecloth

VirginiaDistilleriesMark Byers

Page 60 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

In Fine Spirits:

bag until the brew takes on a distinctivecolor, flavor, and aroma. When heopened the container to let us smell it,Chuck mused, “I like my own cookin’!”The brown spirit is further aged twoyears in oak barrels before bottling invintage machines, the filler from 1945and the capper from 1933.

Despite the rural location, vintageequipment, and homespun atmosphere,the web site for Stillhouse Moonshinelists celebrity chef Adam Perry Lang as“co-founder” (in 2010). The web pres-ence and memorabilia suggest a level ofsophistication in marketing that is be-yond “good ole boy” norms and I suspectMr. Lang had a part in helping to bringthis microdistillery to prominence.There is no doubt in my mind, however,that distiller Chuck Miller was doing thisa long time prior, is the real deal, and thathis homespun charm is genuine and theoperation he runs with his wife Jeannetteand two helpers is truly an Americanoriginal. I don’t begrudge him the suc-cess.

With whiskey, the proof is in thedrinking. Pesky regulations did not per-mit onsite tastings, so I had to wait untilI got home to finish my “research.” Iwas not disappointed. The 80-proofStillhouse Moonshine was very smoothfor a clear brew and, although I person-ally might not drink it neat, you may. Ithink it definitely would make a greatplatform for a cocktail (the web site has

some recipes). If you’re a little more adventurous, they offer a 100 proofbrew called “Virginia Lightning” that Chuck says, “Is closer to what theseVirginia boys like to drink.” The Kopper Kettle apple/oak whiskey, on theother hand, is excellent and kept me mellow throughout this article. I likethe aroma as much as the taste.

Belmont Farm Distillery is located at 13490 Cedar Run Road, Culpeper,Virginia and is open for tours 1 April through 20 December (except holidays)from 10AM to 5PM. The sign on Route 522 South of Culpeper is a littlenondescript, so be alert. The driveway is hardpacked gravel, but was noproblem for our motorcycles. Ride the web to www.virginiawhiskey.com orwww.virginiamoonshine.com for more. On the way out, I asked Chuck ifbusiness was good. His reply was, “When times are good, people buywhiskey and when times are bad, people buy whiskey.” Well said.

COPPER FOX DISTILLERYJust over the mountain from Luray,

at the foot of the outstanding, twistyRoute 211 is Sperryville, Virginia, thehome of Master Distiller Rick Was-mund’s Copper Fox Distillery. WhileRick doesn’t have the family historyof illegal distillation of his Virginiacompetitor, he definitely has a passionfor the process and his own ideasabout what makes a great single maltwhiskey. Instead of corn, for example,Wasmund makes his brew from six-row barley, organically grown on afarm near Reedville in the “NorthernNeck” of Virginia.

And taste the barley you can in his“Wasmund’s Rappahannock Pot-

Stilled Single Malt Whisky.” One sip and you confirm that Rick studied thedistiller’s art during an internship at the Bowmore Distillery in Islay, Scot-land, although his twist on the theme is that he smokes his malted barley with

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 61

apple and cherry wood chips (allegedly held in his mother’s old cast ironskillet) rather than with peat. To me, the fruitwood smoke results in asweeter, mellower taste than found in single-malt Scotch whiskies. He alsouses wood chips in the barrels to further flavor the brew.

Wasmund’s is definitely a family operation, from the toys scattered aroundthe stillhouse outside the retail shop, to the resident dog and cat, to the factthat the tour was conducted by his mother, jokingly called “MOM” or “Mas-ter Of Malt.” We got to see the entire operation, from the freshly-spreadbarley on the malting floor (which we were encouraged to handle) to the dry-ing kiln (where we were encouraged to grab a handful to eat). It was certainly

the most hands-on tour of a spirit-production facility I’ve ever had, includingthose I toured in Scotland.

Wasmund also makes a Rye Whisky [whiskey and whisky are both correct– Wasmund uses the latter] and both barley and rye clear spirits (the unaged,colorless basis for the two whiskies they sell). The clear spirits allow themto do something extremely unique, which is to sell a home barreling kit thatallows you to age and flavor your own single malt whiskey or rye to taste!They sell oak, pre-charred barrels in two- and three-liter sizes along with theclear spirits to fill them. Follow their instructions for seasoning the barrel(to reduce the loss to evaporation or the “angel’s share”) and in six months

to as many years as you can stand to wait, you’ll haveyour own, custom-made whiskey.

My friend Larry bought a two-liter barrel kit and byChristmas, should be able to tap the first dram of his“Segeleon’s Single Malt.” Rick was very willing tohave a long conversation with us about how to get thecherry flavor accents Larry desired. He also made surewe knew where to purchase the clear spirits locally, be-cause the barrels can be reused and it’s actually the sec-ond or third batch that is reportedly the best. Rick evensuggested other flavoring ideas, like the addition ofvanilla bean.

I’m not a rye-drinker (yet), so I’ll leave that re-search to the reader, but the 96-proof Single-MaltWhisky is excellent. Like a good Scotch, a whiskeyglass and just a wee bit of water will help release theesters for maximum enjoyment (but it’s just fine from aregular glass). Because of the barley drying/smokingprocess, there’s a definite smokiness to the taste. Acigar aficionado may find it a fine complement to theright smoke.

Copper Fox Distillery is located at 9 River Lane,Sperryville, Virginia and is open Monday through Sat-urday from 10AM to 6PM, although tour times are lim-ited except Friday and Saturday, when they happen onthe hour. They’re down a side road with some otherbusinesses, so don’t expect them to be right on the maindrag. The road and parking lot are gravel, but no issuefor motorcycles. They’re on the web at www.copper-fox.biz and the phone is 540-987-8554.

Our first priority is providingquality service at competitiveprices beyond our customer’sexpectations. Whether youare looking to buy, needservice or accessories, youwill find what you need atFranks Motorcycle Sales.

A classic motorcycledeserves classic service.

FRANK’S MOTORCYCLE SALES & SERVICERoute 15 • Essex Center, Vermont802-878-3930 • www.franksmotorcyclesales.com

Page 62 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

manning’s Farm dairy and ice cream

rr#1 manning road, dalton, pA

570-563-1702 • www.manningfarm.com

Summertime and the living iseasy. Great weather, perfect

riding days and the obliga-tory ice cream stop. Thismonth I’m sending you to areally special place. Notonly will you have theBEST chocolate ice cream,you’ll have a great ridethere and back.

First, a little information.Manning’s is a working dairy

farm. The Manning family takesvery good care of the Holsteins

who give up their milk for ourcreamy enjoyment. They do not re-

ceive any growth hormones. Instead,they are made as comfortable as pos-

sible, with mattresses to lay on, sprin-klers and fans for hot weather and

regular veterinary visits. From the start,they are fed a very healthy diet of specialgrains and grasses, 95% of which are

grown on the farm, with soybeansbeing the number one ingredient.When you arrive at the farm store,

you’ll see four large blue silos.These house the grains, corn and soy.

They also make for a great photo op.All bottling and processing of the raw milk is done right here on the farm.

Manning Farm Dairy is the only dairy in all of Lackawanna County to ex-clusively use its own milk in all of its dairy products. Also, they do it the old

school way, vat pasteurization, allow-ing for the true taste of the milk tocome through. While most large milkprocessors use the quick high tempera-ture pasteurization, Mannings choosesto take the time to produce the best pos-sible milk, thus the best possible icecream. The cows are milked twice aday, with milk and ice cream delivereddaily to their stores. Can’t get anyfresher than that. From cow to cone,that’s the ticket.

We’ll start this ride from Jumbolandon Route 206 in Branchville, NJ. Youcan grab a bite to eat but don’t fill upas you’ll want to sample as many of thefifty flavors offered up when you get to

Mannings. Get your dollar readyto cross the Dingman’s Ferrybridge, of the few privatelyowned bridges in the US. You’llmeander on some quiet Pennsyl-vania roadways, some in bettershape than others, on your way toLake Wallenpaupack. It’s a prettylake, but summertime does bringa bit of congestion, so keep yourcool and you’ll soon be on yourway to more isolated tarmac. Asa matter of fact, you might evenfind yourself on a little hard-packed dirt, being as this is thecountry and all. You see somelarge windmills in the distance

BACKROADS • AUGUST 2012 Page 63

On the square in Schaefferstown,where history, good times and

great food come together.

101 N. Market StSchaefferstown, PA

717-949-2122FranklinHouseTavern.com

Dine in HistoryCirca 1746

Lunch and dinnerspecials daily

The perfect stop on the perfect ride.

Dine inside or on the balcony.

Group seating available.

Featured in theGreat All American

Diner Run

Moto-Inn Member

Shira’s

Summertime

Ice Cream

Ride

outside of Waymart, bringing power to the people.Very soon you’ll come upon more inhabited areas, as well as signs for I-

81. Right past this you’ll take a left turn onto Manning Road, bringing youto your little piece of ice cream heaven. The last bits of roadway are, IMHO,the best of the day, and you might just want to enjoy them a few times backand forth just for kicks.

You’ll find Manning Farm Dairy on the left side, with their picnic tablesacross the street to enjoy your tasty treat. When we wandered in, we beat thecrowd and had time to peruse the lengthy flavor list. There were some cre-ative names such as Barnyard Gravy, Charlie Brown and Snoopy, whichbegged for description, and the old time favorites suchas chocolate and vanilla and many in between. I settledfor a tasting of the Charlie Brown – chocolate ice creamwith brownies mixed in – and Pralines and Caramel –pretty self-explanatory. We settled onto our picnic benchto enjoy. Sitting next to us were some folks from Mary-land and Virginia. We asked if they had been here beforeand they said yes. Their family was from these parts andthey could not come visiting without a stop at Manningsfor ice cream. Pretty high praise, I’d say.

The Pralines and Caramel was as creamy as anythingI’ve ever tasted, but the chocolate ice cream was The

BesT ice creAm i’ve ever TAsTed. I guessthe Manning family’s Cow to Cone idea is paying off.The smoothness and richness of the flavor was beyondand the fact that we were sitting across from the farmthat gave it birth was a bonus. There is nothing betterthan some ice cream, a sunny day and fresh air before,or after, a great ride. Sure, you might get a wafting of‘au de bovine’ but that’s all part of the experience.

Once you’ve had your fill of ice cream, you can make the return trip toJumboland or figure out your own way home if you’d like more time to playin the country.

Manning’s Farm Dairy is open all year, from 10am to 9pm (winter hoursmay vary-call ahead). Bring cash, as they don’t take any plastic. In additionto their original farm store, they have four others; Clark Summit, Dunmoreand two near Scranton. You can find their locations and phone numbers onthe Manning website: www.manningfarm.com.

download 160-mile r/T gps file here: www.sendspace.com/file/i8f0h8

When downloading from SendSpace, click on BLUE DOWNLOAD BOX.

Page 64 AUGUST 2012 • BACKROADS

SUMMER

SQUEEZE290 Route 100, West Dover, VT

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Backroads Fall Fiesta • September 27 - 30, 2012Join Team Backroads as we head back to the Amish country and the spectacular Lancaster Arts Hotel.

We’ll combine some of the prettiest roads in Pennsylvania with one of the most progressive cities in the

United States. Lancaster offers historic sites and attractions as well as varied restaurants.

Tour the Harley-Davidson factory on Friday and enjoy the Mayor’s Charity Ride Saturday,

with a route especially created by Lancaster’s own Mayor, Rick Gray.

This event will sell out quickly. As usual, we have a limited number of rooms available so BOOK TODAY.

www.lancasterartshotel.com • 866-720-2787

Please ask for the Backroads Fall Fiesta when booking. Standard rooms from $135 per night.

There are many other lodging option in Lancaster if the Arts Hotel is full.

http://www.jmcorp.com

http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com