Backroads April 2013

W H A T ’ S

I N S I D E FEAT URES

MON THLY COLUMN S FREE WHEELIN’.................................................................................4

THE RAGGED COAST ....................................................................26

WHATCHATHINKIN’..........................................................................5

THE WALLKILL: THE FORGOTTEN RIVER ...............................34

ON THE MARK ..................................................................................6

LOS PADRES ROADS IN SOCAL ..................................................44

POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE .................................................7

CRUISING ALASKA’S MARINE HIGHWAY SYSTEM .............58

THROTTLE BLIPS ..............................................................................8 THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD ...................................................10 BACKLASH........................................................................................11 INDUSTRY INFOBITES...................................................................13 BIG CITY GETAWAY........................................................................18

PRODUCT REVIEW S HELD STEVE CLASSIC GLOVES .................................................16 LIFEPROOF CASE FOR IPHONE..................................................42 NOLAN NCOM MULTI2 AND B1 SETS....................................43

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

OLYMPIA MOTO SPORTS HORIZON RAIN SUIT....................47

MYSTERIOUS AMERICA...............................................................22

HARLEY-DAVIDSON MILESTONE JACKET ..............................52

GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN.........................................24

OUTLETS TO GO .............................................................................52

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE .......................................................48

MOTO-D RACING BASE LAYER...................................................52

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR ..............................................50

2013 AEROSTICH CATALOG........................................................53

MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE...................................................55

RESQLINK PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON ............................63

Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil ~ Publishers Contributors: Ken Aiken, Jeff Bahr, Mark Byers, Victor Cruz, Bill Heald, Amanda Johnston, Michael Nemlich, Mike Stackhouse, Roy Stevenson, Dr. Seymour O’Life Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

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

For Advertising Sales Information: 973-948-4176 BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACKROADS™, Inc. 2013. All rights reserved. BACKROADS™ may not be reproduced in any manner without specific written consent from the publisher. BACKROADS™ welcomes and encourages submissions (text and photos) and suggestions. Include phone number with submissions. BACKROADS™ will only 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 considered 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 roadways traversed. Please respect the environment, read your owner’s manual and wear proper protective gear and helmet. Ride within your limits, not over them.

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 4

FREE WHEELIN’ BRIAN RATHJEN Girl’s Talk ThouGhTs on Women’s ridinG Gear Girls talk, and they wanna know how girls talk And they say it’s not allowed, girls talk And they think they know how girls talk If they say that it’s so Don’t they think that I’d now by now - Elvis Costello This is a topic of strong emotion when women riders get together. And, I always seem to get drawn into these tête-à-têtes.

For the umpteenth time I found myself in a discussion with a woman rider who made it known, in her mind, that there were few manufacturers making riding gear specifically for women and how unfair it was.

Well, I know that wasn’t true but at that very moment I couldn’t convince her of this fact; even though she seemed to be wearing some sort of femalesized riding gear herself, if you could call it that.

This is a subject that has been addressed for years and even more so these days as women riders continue to pour into the sport.

I am always looking at new riding gear and what is available out there, and I thought to myself that if I was looking for new riding gear, and by new I mean cutting edge, but thinking women specific, how easy would it be?

For all you women riders who feel there is little out there I have to tell you you’re just not looking hard enough.

One of the things I have noticed is many of these female riders and pas-

sengers, that feel left out, wear almost the same thing.

Black leather vests, chaps, tiny low boots, finger-less gloves – the basic American cruiser attire.

If that is what you feel constitutes “real” riding gear well turn the page.

The women I ride with understand what real gear is. They are not trying to look fashionable, just good and safe. But these days ladies can have it all.

And, what I was in search of was actual motorcycle riding apparel – gear that is functional and protective – a bit of styling would be nice too.

So I went searching from various companies and manufacturers that “I” would use for myself, only looking to see what they had for women.

I am persnickety when it comes to my gear – so I would be the same here.

I thought we’d start at the bottom – boots.

For sure finding well-fitting riding boots for smaller feet was an issue a decade or so ago, but not today.

I have been riding with Sidi boots for a number of seasons now and found them comfortable, waterproof and protective. A quick visit to the Sidi web site and I found that not only do most of their wide selection of boots come in women’s sizes too, they also have three separate boot specifically created for the ladies. Other manufacturers of real riding boots such as Tourmaster and Alpinestars also carry women’s sizes.

Moving up the body I went to look for jacket and pants.

This was easy, as Olympia has been making premium women’s gear for years. The venerable Aerostich Roadcrafter suit, considered one of the finest riding suits on the planet, now makes one and two-piece riding suits specifically tailored for females, cut with a smaller neck, narrower shoulders and waist and hips created just for women.

Okay boots…check. Riding suit…check.

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BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

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W H ATC H AT H I N K I N ’ SHIRA KAMIL hey i remember you…

At the time of this penning, March has entered like a lion in most parts of our area. Although the sun is peaking through the mostly cloudy skies outside, the all-knowing weather people have told us to ‘brace for impact’.

I see the from weather maps I check throughout the day that there is a big, ugly green-blue-pink mass swirling around, but I, ever the optimist, choose to believe it will move north and east (sorry Boston).

No matter; the driveway is clear, as of, and the temperatures are on the rise. Over the past several months I have made the occasional visits to the sequestered steeds in the barn. While I am not their primary caregiver, I do offer them words of consolation and encouragement that soon, very soon, we will be together again on some great adventure.

To play on the words of Harry Chapin from ‘The Mayor of Candor Lied’, “But time always passes after all, and as the summer follows spring so does the winter follow fall”, and circling around, spring surely follows winter. So here we sit, waiting on the change of the clocks, the lengthening of the days and the ever-present sound of our beloved two-wheels.

I know that we have been busy here plotting our excursions for the year.

While we did play hooky from our own rides and head to the great state of Texas for a jaunt on Victory’s fine machines, we have been chomping at the bit to be on the road with our own bikes underneath us. Quite often, with my birthday being in the middle of March, this will be my first ride of the year (unless the weather gods are kind to our part of the nation). While Brian can

always count on being on the road for his birthday in May, I look at it as the ultimate birthday present to have a few days of sun and warmth to carry me into another trip around the sun.

So far on the board, we have a weekend planned in April to join the folks from BMW MOA in Gettysburg, along with some other Backroads’ readers.

Our Backroads’ Spring Break Rally will take place in Cooperstown, NY on May 16-19 with lots of great rides planned, including a full complement from our monthly columns and a day at the track(s). Speaking of the track, we’ll be heading down to Virginia in May, as well, to hone our skills at VIR with the talented folks from CLASS. I certainly look forward to seeing Reg Pridmore again – been too long – and hope he’s still giving rides around the track; you can’t buy a thrill like that.

Come June, the pace picks up and we’ll be getting out and about more than spending time home with the cats. Lake George will, once again, become Backroads North for a short period as we attend Americade. Perhaps a side trip further north to take a peak into New Hampshire and the Northeast Kingdom before heading home to host our first outing of the Backroads 250+, held on Saturday, June 15. We’ve been looking forward to this ride and hope you have, too. While some may say, ‘250 miles? I do that before lunch,’ others will find this an all-day ride with lots of sites and terrific New Jersey roads. If you plan on joining us, please drop us an email so we can get a better idea of headcount (editor@backroadsusa.com).

Come July we’ll be heading west, and north, to Salem, Oregon and the BMW MOA International Rally. Not only will we be hitting some spots we haven’t been before, we’ll be doing so on some bikes we haven’t ridden before, at least not in this version – BMW’s R 1200 GS and 800 GT. Even though the 1200 GS has been written up in all the national magazines already, it hasn’t been given the Backroads’ Rippin’ Ride Road Test.

E N GO ING D I R

(Continued on Page 9)

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

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ON THE MARK MARK BYERS To The PoWer of one If you don’t know a British Yamaha FZ6 rider named Jon Strong, you should: Rupert Paul, of England’s “Bike” magazine, wants him knighted for service to the British motorcycling community.

To quote Rupert, from his column in the January 2013 issue of “Bike,” in addition to being a motorcyclist, “[Jon is] also a freelance strategy management consultant and law student equipped with the indignation of a badger and a mind like a steel trap.” If you’re still confused as to why you need to admire Jon, keep calm and read on.

Europe now has an unelected legislative body in Brussels, Belgium, called the “European Commission” (EC) that came with the advent of the “European Union.” If you want an analogy for the EC, think of the member countries as “states” and the EC as their “Senate.” There is one EC member per state (a total of 27), but members are bound to represent the interests of the EU as a whole rather than their home state. Think about it: an unelected body whose members represent the interests of the EU over their home state.

Only the EC can propose legislation.

It’s unsurprising, therefore, that rulemaking on the part of the EC is authoritarian at best. Nowhere is that more apparent than the EC’s ongoing at-

tempts to regulate motorcycles, and that is where Jon Strong arrives. Jon was asked by Britain’s Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) to look into proposed EC rules for motorcycles that were deeply troubling. Examples included an annual, German-style inspection and government “Type Approval” (TA) for all modifications (including replacement pipes and tires, altered gearing, reprogrammed engine chips, etc.). The stated purpose of the legislation is to make motorcycles safer.

Safety is a red herring, however, as Jon found that vehicle condition was a factor in only 0.7% of all motorcycle accidents. Further, Jon noted that better training for car drivers would be less costly and more effective in reducing accidents. Unsurprisingly, the only people who stood to benefit were some large testing companies who were avidly lobbying the EC so they could get the 60-80 Euro annual inspection fee for each bike. There are a litany of other regulations too numerous to mention here, but Jon laboriously and zealously waded through all of them and reported their impacts to the MAG. Regrettably, some of the TA rules are scheduled to take effect.

Knowing our demographic, I clearly hear a voice in my mind saying, in a strong New York accent, “What’s it to ya?” What it is to me is a chilling harbinger of things to come for motorcyclists in the US. At a minimum, we are already being affected by the cost of manufacturers in meeting tough Euro 4 emissions requirements. If you think BMW’s move to water-cooled boxers was marketing, think again: the accompanying complexity and cost were the only way to meet Euro 4 requirements with their iconic boxer engine. History has shown that it never takes long for bad ideas to make their way across the pond, and nowhere is that more prevalent than our increasing number of speed cameras, known in England by their maker’s moniker of “Gatso.”

Another common theme is “It’ll never happen here!” to which I reply with an epithet associated with bovine fecal material. I bet that a few years ago, you never imagined a major city was going to passionately curtail Pizza Hut from delivering 2-liter sodas with a pie or that foam food boxes would be banned. Motorcycle “safety checkpoints” are another existing red herring with miniscule impact on accident prevention, but major implications to our civil rights. You don’t have to be that old to remember US Government attempts, in consort with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, to ban certain types of motorcycles they deemed “unnecessary.” Some of you may be riding bikes that would have otherwise been on the IIHS “blacklist:” I’m pretty sure the BMW S1000RR would have qualified for the “bad bike” roster. In the eyes of the safetycrats, you don’t really NEED one.

What is truly amazing in the case of the EC is that a single, very determined man is the reason that motorcyclists from Great Britain and the European Continent are taking to the streets in protest rides, trying to stem the tide of bad regulation from an unelected body with responsibility only to itself. There’s a saying that goes “You better be interested in politics, for politics is interested in YOU.” Jon Strong’s zeal for reading thousands of pages of byzantine rule proposals resulted in a movement. It shows that one man can make a difference. Here’s to the power of one.

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BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

P O S TC A R D S FROM THE HEDGE BILL HEALD The lure of the sport Wing Life’s a funny old thing, especially when you hope something will happen, and then it doesn’t, and then you forget about it for years, and then it happens when you least expect it. I have a timely example of what I’m talking about, and it involves the release of a very interesting touring bike from Honda that, when I saw it for the first time recently, made me very nostalgic.

Imagine that: something brand-spanking new that’s not a retro styling exercise with modern underpinnings, but instead a completely contemporary ride that reminds me of the recent past. This probably sounds a bit odd, so allow me to ‘splain.

A few years ago, I did a story for a publication (who’s name escapes me) about a one-off Gold Wing built by a very talented custom bike guru. It was genuinely a truly striking thing to behold, and so well executed it made you wonder if this was a factory project. It was a black on black concept that took the GL1800 and stripped it down somewhat to make it lighter, and ultimately more of a stylish boulevard cruiser without excessively compromising its touring abilities. At the time Honda was very interested in the bike, and there was speculation as to if the company would make a production version of this very cool machine.

But, year after year went by and I largely forgot about it. Worse yet, as the economy augured in it seemed unlikely the bike would see the light of day again, much less roll out of a showroom near you.

Page 7 So it was a very pleasant surprise when Honda announced the F6B, their full production version of a very sharp, specialized GL1800 that is available in two colors (black and red) and is a very welcome sight that I thought I’d never see. I find this especially welcome in these times when sales in general are starting to rebound a bit, and just when you wondered if anything radical would enter the market. Of course, this is radical in a Honda sense for (like the Rune of a few years ago) the F6B is very functional and beautifully detailed, and assembled in typical Honda fashion with exemplary build quality.

The removal of the tail trunk and the “shorty” windscreen make the lines on the bike quite aggressive and appealing, and overall the ride is over 60 lbs. lighter than the regular GL. Lots of blacked-out detail work and other tweaks make this a very different motorcycle, and a really beautiful machine that of course is imbued with the excellent Gold Wing drivetrain, chassis and suspension (including a new rear shock that’s tuned for this lighter, quicker GL). If you’ve never ridden a Wing, you come away from your first ride marveling at how this massive creature evolves into a motorcycle after just a little while in the saddle. In time, you find yourself getting more happy with the throttle especially in the corners as this touring icon is very light on its feet, even fully loaded.

The F6B will undoubtedly be even more fun to ride, especially given the weight reduction.

And even though the tail trunk isn’t on board, it’s still ready to take you coast to coast with your partner (and the Deluxe version comes with a standard backrest). Naturally, there are a substantial number of accessories available, too, to further customize this custom. I’m really happy Honda has built this new bike, and what I’m hoping is if it sells well we’ll see this new genre of heavyweight Sport Tourers expand considerably because I think there’s a real desire for bikes like this. I especially like the fact that Honda has built this ride at the (Continued on Page 9)

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

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THROT TLE BLIPS JEFF BAHR ride your oWn ride I was on a group ride when I first heard it. “Ride your own ride” said the road captain to the riders before we set off. I was certain that the leader had misspoken - perhaps intending to say something like, “ride that bastard like you stole it!”

After all, our group was comprised of males in the 20- 40 age range. Telling testosterone-infused gents like these to ride their own ride is to imply that those who can’t aren’t real men. In other words it’s akin to throwing down the gauntlet.

Don’t believe me? In the cases that follow the well-intentioned “ride your own ride” directive was given in advance.

Do you think it worked?

Childish men who must be first I have witnessed this many times. In fact, I’m rather ashamed to admit, I’ve performed this immature maneuver myself.

In motorcycling the alpha male is the one who rides swifter than the rest.

In most any group there’s at least one aspiring alpha who fancies himself superior to this “top gun” and does his level best to prove it.

In my group the acknowledged speedster was older and balder. After riding with him a few times I realized that grandpa wasn’t that swift and decided to show him who was boss. As the road turned squiggly I stuck to him like white on rice – showing him my front wheel in most every turn. Later in the day he returned the favor when I had taken the lead. Two fools, right? But wait, there’s more.

Once, as we self-fashioned hotshots diced back and forth on our way to the WERA races at Pocono, two squids on GSXRs ducked beneath us in a tight, technical turn and made for the horizon – easy as pie. To add insult to injury one of them actually pulled a wheelie in triumph.

Some alpha males…

Men who listen but do not hear After each safety speech our road captain would ask if everyone understood what they had just been told. All heads nodded yes and we’d get rolling.

Almost invariably headaches would commence. These would generally occur at the first rest stop or at lunch when a newcomer would complain that a rider hadn’t “waited up” for him.

After carefully explaining AGAIN that we “ride our own ride” and wait for slower guys at each turn on our route sheets, the malcontent would mumble something like “what’s the big goddamn rush?” and sulk to himself while storming off.

You don’t have to be Professor O’Life to understand the dynamic at play here. Nothing wounds as easily as male pride. Just ask a woman. When these fellows realized that they had been outgunned they felt emasculated. Most would then take their toy (in this case their motorcycle) and go home never to return again.

Trashed bikes and thrashed egos In fairness some fellows would indeed ride their own ride. And whenever a woman joined our group she would follow the road captain’s instructions to the letter. But you know what they say about a few bad apples.

On one occasion a rider behind me suddenly vanished. We were rolling at a 7/10 pace that day but apparently for this rider that was 11/10. After waiting fruitlessly at a stop sign, I doubled back to find that the hapless man had overcooked a turn while riding well over his skill level. Luckily, he wasn’t seriously injured.

Another incident was more troubling. This time the fellow was riding a Ducati 996 in front of me and doing his damndest to stay with the bike just ahead. Despite his racy mount this man hadn’t a clue about corner entrances and exits and it showed. He went w-i-d-e in a turn just as a car was coming at us. After locking his front brakes his wheel tucked and he was tossed directly over the bars. Miraculously he missed the car but he did manage to break his wrist and his bike was all but trashed. Neither he nor the previous rider ever joined us again.

Ride your own ride? Where some “men” are concerned don’t waste your breath!

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013 free Wheelin’

Page 9 (Continued from Page 4)

Now let’s talk gloves. There are dozens of women’s gloves out there but let’s look at what I would look at and I have been wearing Held gloves for at least ten years. Their Steve Classic comes in women’s sizes and they offer superior comfort and protection.

Eska is a new entry to the United States and I know Shira, who has two different styles, loves her Butterfly and Murano sport touring gloves – both created and cut for women and both are cutting edge in design and style.

Gloves…check.

That leaves us with helmets. Suffice to say a helmet is a personal choice and there are many styles and manufacturers to choose from. Nolan, Shuberth, Arai, Shoei and yes, we are talking real helmets here, not some nondescript piece of plastic with a fake DOT sticker that was created just so you can ride by the police without being stopped.

So if you are a female rider or passenger and are serious about motorcycling you should be serious about your gear and there are a great number of manufacturers and suppliers that can provide quality riding gear for women regardless of size or body-type.

Will you look like a fashion model? No. What real rider does?

But, you will have comfortable, efficient and protective motorcycle gear that will last you many a season. It’s all out there, you just have to look.

WhaTchaThinkin’

(Continued from Page 5)

With the cooler temps coming in October, we’ll be taking that big jet plane to join Edelweiss on their Rome to Sicily tour, another part of this world we have yet to explore. If you’d like to join us, please take a look at the Edelweiss website and point your clicker on the October 9-19, 2013 tour. We’d love to have you along for the ride.

All these bands on our calendar leave plenty of room for other adventures to be added. I still have a need to visit Arkansas, and we have three states in the US of A that our two wheels have never touched – Nebraska, Iowa and North Dakota. We’ve joined with Team Strange and the AMA for their Smoke Chasing Grand Tour so I for see eating A LOT of barbecue between now and the end of November. I really do love those spontaneous trips, based on free time, good weather and no destination, which almost always end up with lots of fodder for these pages.

So, my two friends waiting patiently in the cold confines of the garage fear not, we will be reacquainted anon and head places far and wide.

PosTcards from The hedGe

(Continued from page 7)

same time they’re releasing a gaggle of new 500 Twins (the return of the CBs), as in some ways the market has been much warmer towards these entry-level-yet-fun-for-experienced-riders illustrated by the success for the CBR250R. But the company has also announced the 2014 CTX700 with a touring variant, so when you really look at the big picture Big Red has not been sleeping the last couple of years but hard at work developing a very intriguing stable of new street bikes (and I haven’t even touched on all of them).

Who knows what else they have up their sleeve? I had given up hope on the Sport Wing concept and now it’s here, and even sharper than I had hoped for. I take all this as a great sign for the industry as a whole, and especially for us as we’ll have some very tasty new kit to sample. The motorcycle industry has always been a bit better at keeping new projects under wraps (when they want to) compared with the auto industry, so it’s really tough to gaze into the crystal ball sometimes. One thing I do know for sure: good news is often hard to come by, but when it arrives it’s always a welcome guest even if it took a good long time to get here.

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APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

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TH OUGHTS FROM THE ROAD The arT of moTorcycle TumblinG It will happen at least once in your life. You will go into shock, and the blood will drain from your face, then rush back to your ears. Why your ears?

I’ve always wondered. All that does is make it difficult to hear – as if someone stuffed a ton of cotton balls in them.

I had one such experience in June of 2003. I was almost six months pregnant, and had spent the past few months riding on the back of my husband’s bike. This was unusual for me, since I had my own motorcycle, but I just did not think that a pregnant chick on a bike was very sexy.

For the first time, this day was the day I decided to stop riding altogether – at least until I was no longer pregnant. I waved to my husband, as he and his friend, John, took off into the mountains of North Carolina. I was envious.

About two hours later, there came a knock at my door. I opened it, and Cathy – John’s wife – stood there, wringing her hands.

“There’s been a motorcycle accident,” she said grimly. I do not know why, but my first thought was not about my husband.

“Is John okay?” I asked quickly. Cathy crooked her head, and looked at me strangely.

“It was Scott,” she answered. I stood there, and suddenly had the cottonballs-in-the-ears shock.

Wait, I thought. MY husband? He is an excellent rider!

I quickly got into her vehicle, and headed over to Asheville Trauma Center.

It was a good hour to an hour-and-a-half away, and we stopped to pick up John. Apparently, the two men had been riding up to the Blue Ridge Parkway on a back road.

John was following Scott, and turned a corner just as Scott got into the accident. In fact, all John saw was my husband doing somersaults in the air, as my husband’s motorcycle slid across the road in the opposite direction.

Since they were in the mountains, John’s cell phone had no signal, and – after checking on Scott – he raced down the road and found a house to use a landline. Scott had actually been awake to talk to John, and was bleeding from a cut above his eye.

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Amanda Johnston I never got the full story, until I reached the hospital and spoke to my husband. Apparently, John and Cathy were too worried to tell me the extent of his accident until I saw that my husband was okay. (They were afraid I’d drop the baby right there!)

Scott had to be airlifted by helicopter to the hospital, since he had no account of speaking with anyone until the paramedics were over him. The cut above his eye had bled so profusely, that even the professionals were not sure if he had a head injury or not. His right shoulder was dislocated, (which – upon overhearing a paramedic say that – Scott rotated his shoulder and popped it back in. Ow.) In addition, he had grass burns (not road rash – grass rash) on his arms.

At the hospital, Scott’s first words were, “Hi honey. I almost made you a widow today.”

Not the most suave thing for him to have said, but it was his attempt at humor, while giving me the news of how close he had come. He and I both had DOT approved helmets – a full-face, and a half helmet. He was wearing his half helmet. When he showed it to me, I finally realized just how lucky he was. The skull of the helmet was actually cracked!

Perhaps you should also know that my husband is 6’5”, and weighs about 350 pounds. If there was ever a man whose butt should not fly over his head, it is he! The fact that he had done several somersaults in the air, was morbidly entertaining to hear, actually. However, his account of how the accident occurred was a bit more bizarre.

Traveling a bit too fast for a sharp curve, Scott claims he felt his rear tire start to slide out from under him. His first thought was, I’m going down, so he attempted to compensate by pulling his leg up. In his mind, he figured the bike would go down, and he could ride it on its side, and not have his leg caught underneath it.

Just as he got a leg over, the rear tire caught, thereby sling shotting him forward. He slammed his face into the handlebars – knocking him out – and went for a rag-doll ride in the sky.

Many of our fellow riders hate the idea of helmets, and cannot stand North (Continued on Next Page)

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

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BACKLASH

Letters to the Editor

Dear Brian & Shira, During the NY Motorcycle show you were kind enough to spend time talking to my son about his time in Iraq and his education at the Culinary Institute of America. Below is one of the emails I received regarding the opening of the new restaurant Bocuse, which the three of you were discussing. I thought you may like to read it.

When Craig did his externship November of 2011 to April 2012, he worked at one of Daniel Boulud’s restaurants,Cafe Boulud in the City.

I have to thank you again, first for the free subscription you sent Craig while deployed in Iraq and now for the time you spent talking to him regarding his career choice. You were his highlight of the show.

It is always a pleasure to see you both and definitely a pleasure to read Backroads every month.

Don Daves Don, You are more than welcome. We are the ones who should thank Craig for putting his life in danger to keep us safe. We are thrilled that he is back safe and making such a terrific career choice. Both of us (Brian and Shira) love to cook and eat, which go hand in hand, and look forward to our visit to the CIA’s new restaurant – a nice birthday surprise for me (Shira) in March.

Brian, I share your frustration with, as you said, the friggin’ cash cow and our bureaurecrats. When I got my license in 1960, it cost $2.00 and the registration cost $1.50.

What a rip-off!! You hit the nail right on the head.

Les

Grounds For Sculpture Thanks to Backroads Motorcycle Touring Magazine for awarding Grounds For Sculpture FIRST PLACE for

2012 Big City Getaway’s (as published in your Feb. ‘13 issue)! We think you’re pretty cool too, and we look forward to seeing more motorcyclists and bike enthusiasts at the park!

Folks, We had such a great time at the Grounds we are featuring Rat’s Restaurant in this month’s Great All American Diner Run, although it is far from a diner.

See you in the Spring.

Hi Brian, I was upset to read of your recent health problems, and wanted you to know that Lisa and I are sending positive thoughts your way. I’ve known you and Shira for about fifteen years now, and if ever anyone deserved a break its you. You two are the quintessential bikers, always caught up in an adventure, and never too busy to stop and chat with friends you encounter along the way.

2012 sucked, didn’t it? Our home was flooded in Hurricane Sandy, and my three month old Spyder RT was lost to flood damage. Only the bike was covered by my insurance, but a new one is in the pipeline, and I hope to have it by March. Twenty years of diabetes and more bypasses in my chest than an electrical project on This Old House have caused me to trade two wheels for three, but the thrill remains.

THE 2013

Inspiring Touring Performance, Enviable Sporting Credentials

ThouGhTs from The road Carolina’s helmet law. In fact, every time we rode across state lines, we all had to pull over so many of them could remove their helmets. I would not even call what they wore actual helmets, anyway. Most were fiberglass shells that would crack if you dropped them too hard.

After Scott’s accident, I spent a good amount of time trying to convince my friends that they needed better helmets. It was like talking to a wall. Many had one thought in common . . .

“If they ever got into an accident bad enough to need a “brain bucket” to save them, then they would rather die in the crash – instead of being paralyzed for the rest of their lives.”

I did not change one mind that day, or any day I spoke of it. However, at least Scott, myself, John, and Cathy, all understand the necessity of having an actual DOT approved helmet.

I cringe now – living in Illinois where there is no helmet law. I do not expect every state to pass one, and I actually DO believe that a motorcyclist should have the right to choose whether or not to wear one. I just know that I will always wear one, and that goes double for my husband.

Scott never stopped riding – and I would not have let him if he tried to. I am a firm believer that if you fall – then try, try again. I ride as well, although I did take some time off when my son was born. If anything, I am a bit aggrieved that Scott never allowed me to take a picture of him after he was injured.

Not only did he NOT want to remember his accident, he also did not want much proof of it. He fixed his bike, his wounds healed, and he is still a rider. Oh, and he now only wears a full-face DOT approved helmet. What more can one ask for?

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APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 12 As for you, don’t even consider anything less than a full, complete and permanent recovery! You’ve been through a lot, but you have Shira and a thousand friends backing you up. It says something about your character that you always make time to stop and chat with us when we meet at Americade or the Motorcycle Show, and I’ve always looked forward to those random encounters. We need you riding and healthy to put the proper face on motorcycling.

Stay well, kiss Shira for me, and we’ll see you at Lake George!

Mike Simonetti Mike, So sorry to hear of the loss from Sandy – so many of our readers suffered because of this hurricane. We need never see anything like that again in this part of the country.

Thank you for the kind words and know that we always look forward to seeing you two at so many motorcycle events.

Dear Shira, Thank you for including my story about the “for women by women ride” at the July 2013 BMW MOA, in January’s issue; the ride was to introduce women new to dual sport riding to a little dirt.

In the editing process the people providing training was shortened to BMW Training. (Very understandable as the actual name is long!)

In the article, I only mentioned their name and did not go into the details of their support. But next to the article there were a number of training options listed, (great idea) but our generous sponsor was not one of them.

1269 DOLSONTOWN RD I would be neglectful to the BMW Performance Center-Motorcycle Riders Training, located in Greer SC, if MIDDLETOWN NY 10940 I did not mention them by name here and let folks know the extent of the support given. .

They were our sole supporter for the Women’s ride and training at the MOA Rally. They provided an instructor for two days to arrange the route and logistics needed before the training and provided three instructors for the actual training.

Since your readers most likely found the training options and contact information helpful, I will include the BMW Performance Center contact information here.

Call 888-345-4BMW (4269) or visit BMWUSA.com and hover over Explore BMW. Thanks for sharing so many adventures with us through your magazine!

Jeanae Washington

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BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

IND USTRY INFOBITES FIRST OF THREE TOURS OFFERED BY WOMEN RIDERS NOW, POWERED BY EAGLERIDER EagleRider, the leading motorcycle rental and tour company, is partnering with Women Riders Now, the leading online magazine for female motorcyclists, to offer a series of all-women motorcycle tours in 2013. “More women than ever before are taking vacations on their motorcycles,” said Genevieve Schmitt, founder and editor of Women Riders Now. “The time is right to offer female motorcyclists a touring experience emphasizing activities women prefer and at a pace most can appreciate.”

The Palm Springs Escape, the first of the three tours, is scheduled for May 2–6, 2013, and is now taking reservations.

The five-day tour experience, called the “AllWomen R, R and R Tour” (standing for “ride, relax and rejuvenate”), will use beautiful, balmy Palm Springs as its home base. The “R, R and R” experience includes three leisurely day rides through the mountains and deserts of Southern California on EagleRider rental motorcycles.

“This all-women motorcycle tour is based out of a spa hotel in downtown Palm Springs, so guests are within walking distance of world-class boutiques and spa treatments, something they can indulge in after each day’s ride,” said Schmitt. Daily rides include the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway, along with visits to Joshua Tree National Park, Anza-Borrego State Park, and the mountain towns of Julian and Idyllwild.

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Page 13

News from the Inside The ride will be led by senior EagleRider guide Laura “Lala” O’Brien, while the guest tour ambassador will be Laura Klock, land-speed record holder and Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Famer. Participants will also be able to attend optional morning exercise classes led by Genevieve, a certified pilates and yoga instructor, as well as motivational talks by Laura and Genevieve.

Two other EagleRider-powered Women Riders Now tours are scheduled for 2013. The Colorado Rocky Mountain Retreat will be held July 11–15, 2013, and the New England Fall Colors Getaway will take place on September 26–30, 2013. Each tour will be based out of a spa hotel and include day rides around the area.

Visit WomenRidersNow.com or EagleRider.com for more information and to make a reservation.

CONGRESSIONAL BILL WOULD STOP E15 FUEL SALES, REQUIRE RESEARCH A bill requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop the use of E15 fuel until the gasoline-ethanol blend is studied further has been introduced in Congress, the American Motorcyclist Association reports. U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) introduced the bill, H.R. 875, on Feb. 28.

The measure would repeal the EPA’s waiver decision approving the use of E15 and would bar the agency from granting further decisions on the use of the fuel until the EPA obtains an independent scientific analysis of the effects of the E15 blend. E15 is a gasoline formulation that contains up to 15 percent ethanol by volume, and the EPA hasn’t approved its use in motorcycles or all-terrain vehicles. The EPA has approved its use in 2001-and-new lightduty vehicles, which include cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty passenger vehicles. The AMA has repeatedly expressed concerns to government officials and federal lawmakers about possible damage to motorcycle and ATV engines caused by the inadvertent use of E15 when the new fuel becomes widely available. The AMA wants motorcycles and ATVs to be part of any scientific study into the effects of E15. Sensenbrenner said there have been several tests highlighting E15’s harmful effects on engines

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 14 “but they have all been dismissed by the EPA. “Therefore, we must force the EPA to stop the use of E15 fuel until the serious safety, durability, performance and environmental concerns have been addressed,” he said.

“Throughout the 112th Congress, I introduced several bills to address the risks associated with E15. And earlier this week, witnesses from AAA, the American Motorcyclist Association and the Coordinating Research Council all testified to the Science, Space and Technology Committee that more testing is needed. “We have a responsibility to ensure that Americans using gas-powered machinery — whether it be cars and boats or chainsaws and lawnmowers — are not put at risk due to faulty fuel that has not been adequately vetted,” Sensenbrenner said.

HUNGRY FOR A CURE? EAT AT HARDEE’S TO HELP KIDS WITH BRAIN TUMORS Hardee’s® restaurants in four states have kicked off a fundraising drive for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Ride for Kids. For a $1 donation to the PBTF, customers at participating stores will receive a customizable pinup to display in the store, as well as coupons for Hardee’s bestsellers such as biscuits, burgers and combos.

“The charity campaign will run for five weeks beginning this week and ending on April 8,” said Pate Fee, regional marketing manager for Hardee’s Food Systems. “Last year we raised over $101,000. This year our goal is to reach $175,000.”

Hardee’s started the promotion in 2010 in Tennessee, where customers have contributed more than $220,000 to date. This year 144 stores are participating in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee.

“We are grateful that Hardee’s is dedicated to helping us find a cure for one of the deadliest forms of childhood cancer,” said PBTF President and CEO Robin Boettcher. “Their support is giving hope to the 28,000 Americans living with the diagnosis of a pediatric brain tumor.”

MOTORCYCLEMADNESS 8 State Hwy 94 • Lafayette, NJ • 973-579-6088 • 877-252-9828

SMOKE CHASING GRAND TOUR 2013 Looking for more fun while riding this year? Join the AMA sanctioned Smoke Chasing Grand Tour 2013 (SCGT13) running from March 1st through November 30th 2013.

SCGT13 is a BBQ themed, self-paced grand tour designed to combine your love of great food and great riding. Since its inception more than 700 riders have joined, covering the spectrum of motorcycle brands and riding styles.

This is a truly open GT for all those who love to ride.

The event is rider-friendly and can be completed in a single state or province or can include every state in the United States and Province in Canada for those who enjoy long distance challenges.

The Grand Tour is extremely affordable at only $27 and features several prizes including free entry into rallies, cash, gas cards, a radar detection system in addition to the prizes customarily offered by the AMA (tires, gear etc).

This year they have changed the scoring format and added some new twists to keep the ride fresh. As always, it incorporates bonuses called “Side Dishes” which range from extremely challenging to the unusual and quirky.

There will be a Grand Champion named, based upon points earned that will have bragging rights, a fancy plaque and first choice of prizes.

To reduce some of the guilt that may come with all of the riding, eating, and fun associated with SCGT13, all event proceeds will be donated to the Eddie James Foundation for Children (Eddie’s Road). Eddie’s Road is dedicated to changing the lives of abused and neglected children and is operated entirely by unpaid volunteers.

So here’s your invitation to have fun and eat well. You can register and learn more at www.smokechasing.com. Registration is open through June.

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BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

AACA MUSEUM’S BRITISH INVASION The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum, of Hershey, Pennsylvania is proud to announce the exhibit, “Welcome Invasion: British Motorcycles in America, 1940-1980.” The exhibit will open Friday, March 15th and run through Thursday, October 17th, 2013.

North American motorcyclists, many having learned to ride on HarleyDavidsons and Indians, eagerly took to and purchased the comparatively light-weight, fine handling and powerful English brands. Racers in particular valued the compact size, technical innovations, and excellent power output of now-classic competition motorcycles by AJS, Triumph, BSA, Matchless, Norton, and Royal Enfield. The British marques were accepted as “real” motorcycles by American riders, and even today are respected by even the most ardent proponents of American motorcycles.

The exhibit, informally called “The British Invasion,” will present the British motorcycle as both aesthetic object and as material culture. British Invasion will also interpret British motorcycles through an investigation of: 1) Technical innovations 2) The positive response by American buyers and, 3) The eventual implosion of the British motorcycle industry in the 1970s.

To assist in placing the British motorcycle within its context, period dealer signs, movie and popular music posters, and quotes by motorcycle commentators will be displayed. Additionally, visitors can examine “The Literature” table, holding examples of some of the primary literary texts addressing motorcycle studies.

A selection of the show-winning motorcycles on display in the British Invasion are: 1948 Triumph Speed Twin with sidecar; 1956 Ariel Square Four; a hand-built 1970 Cheyney-BSA off-road racer; a very rare 1955 T100R factory racer; a bevy of pristine 1960s Triumph twins; and the signature British performance bikes of the 1970s, to include a 1971 BSA B50MX, 1974 Nor-

Page 15 ton Commando, 1974 Triumph Trident, and a custom 1974 Triumph/BSA Hurricane street-drag creation. Supporting the exhibit will be period motorcycle gear and collectibles.

Please join the AACA Museum in enjoying an exhibit of some of the most beautiful motorcycles in one of America’s premier motor museums!

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APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 16

PRODUCT REVIEW

STEVE CLASSIC GLOVES FROM HELD

When we say ATGATT – All The Gear All The Time – one of the basic items every rider needs to wear all the time is a good pair of gloves.

Think of it this way.

If you trip while strolling down the street you will instinctually throw your hands out to help break your fall. Your hands take the full force of the fall and it will not be fun. The same is true in any get-off on a bike, only add the speed and things get more painful exponentially.

There are many gloves on the market, some far better than others.

On the quality side of the glove world you will find the Held Company of Germany and one glove they manufacture and is very popular with the touring and sport-touring crowd is the Steve Classic.

Unlike many gloves that start to fall apart after one good season, we have had Held gloves last four times as long, showing the value in such high quality.

This three-season touring glove has been around for a long time now and over the years has gone through many revisions. Surprisingly the latest version is more a throw back to the original glove from Held. The Held Company even used the original patterns to make the new Steve Classic. This glove is very comfortable.

The new “old” gloves pre-formed, creasefree palm is made form a highly abrasion-resistant Kangaroo leather and the top is Pittards leather (Pittards is an English company that makes specialty water-resistant leather). Gone are the small metal buttons on the palms and in their place is the original design of reinforced leather. The back of hand & ball of thumb are protected with Suprotect, a shock-absorbing special foam and Superfabric reinforcement is used on the edge of hand. This material is 14 times

more abrasion resistant than conventional leather. The gloves secure with a Velcro adjustment at wrists & cuffs.

As with previous Steve Gloves you will find a handy “visor wipe” on the left glove index finger; we have used this feature far too often and it works well.

The quality of the craftsmanship that goes into these gloves is evident and one of the best things about the Steve Classic glove is that it is still made in Germany/Hungary.

The label will say made in Hungary, that because the major final sewing assembly is done in Hungary. Most of the import work is in Germany, leather selection, special leather pre-stretch is done by hand one hide at a time, all parts are die cut or stamped out, and after sewing the gloves are returned to Germany for quality control inspection and each glove is given a final forming on special hot iron hand forms.

You can see more of their production methods at: www.held.de/24-0-Produktion.html The Steve Classic Gloves are available in a wide variety of sizes from 6 through 12 and in short and long finger sizes – with such a large selection of sizes you can certainly find a Steve Classic Glove that fits…well, like a glove. The Steve Classic sells for $169.99 and can be found at Held dealers and on the web at www.heldusa.com.

With the change in seasons, it’s time to go through the gear closet and see what’s good and what needs updating. Same goes for the gear in the garage - check for varmint nests and/or damage, battery, tires and overall mechanical well-being.

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APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

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Hanover Powersports Presents

BIG CI T Y G ETAWAY aaca museum (anTique auTomobile club museum) 161 MUSEUM DRIVE, HERSHEY, PA 17033 717-566-7100 • WWW.AACAMUSEUM.ORG Usually when riders think of Hershey, Pennsylvania they immediately start smelling imaginary chocolate and they would be right, as this town is known as “The Sweetest Town on Earth.” But there is more than chocolate to draw one to Hershey, especially if you are a motorhead, like us.

During last season’s Fall Fiesta Rally one of our day trips was to the famed AACA Museum – the AAC standing for Antique Automobile Club.

A number of riders visited the AACA Museum over the weekend and this place is well worth the journey any time of year.

A trip to the Antique Auto Museum at Hershey is a journey of discovery and enjoyment for the whole family.

The Museum’s highly detailed dioramas present original and restored vintage vehicles in elaborate scenes that bring the history of the automobile to life. From a tiny machine shop in turn-of-the-century New York to the asphalt

daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind apron of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Museum’s Sea to Shining Sea exhibit invites the visitor to move through time and space on a tour from the automobile’s blacksmith shop beginnings to a time and place where the car was king.

The journey continues beyond the main exhibit — into a changing exhibit gallery designed to showcase short term displays that range from Model T’s to Muscle Cars.

Moving to the Lower Level reveals a new set of spaces to be explored, including Flo Fortnoy’s restored 1941 Valentine Diner (relocated from Wichita, Kansas). It’s a walk-in time capsule of a period when coffee cost a dime and the waitress placed an order for ham and eggs by calling to the cook for “pigs and chickens on a raft.”

Parked next to Flo’s are a dozen vehicles owned by the Museum of Bus Transportation — they’re the largest collection of historic buses under one roof in the United States. When viewed along with the 100 foot timeline mounted on the rear wall, they tell the story of an industry that carried four generations of Americans across town and across the country. Be sure to see the Lakeland Bus Lines bus from the movie “Forrest Gump” and the wicker-

Rip & Ride® • AACA MUSEUM (ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE CLUB MUSEUM) 161 MUSEUM DRIVE, HERSHEY, PA 17033 • 717-566-7100 • WWW.AACAMUSEUM.ORG

ROUTE 46 WEST IN NEW JERSEY CROSS BRIDGE TO RTE. 611 SOUTH RIGHT AT RTE. 512 MT. BETHEL HIGHWAY RIGHT AT NORTH BROADWAY – WIND GAP BEAR LEFT OLD PA 115 MT EATON RD. ALSO PA 345 LEFT AT FAULSTICK RD. PA 3002 RIGHT AT MOUNTAIN ROAD STRAIGHT AT UPPER SMITH GAP RD. PA 3002 BEAR LEFT LITTLE GAP ROAD STRAIGHT AT DELAWARE AVE. RAMP TO RTE. 248 SOUTH/EAST RIGHT AT RTE. 873 LEFT AT RTE. 309 RIGHT AT RTE. 143 KINGS HIGHWAY RIGHT AT RTE. 662 MOSELEM SPRINGS RD. LEFT ON MAIN ST. – SHOEMAKERSVILLE RIGHT AT SHOEY RD. RIGHT ON MAIN STREET

LEFT AT BERNVILLE / IRISH CREEK RDS. LEFT AT SHARTLESVILLE ROAD LEFT AT RTE. 183 RIGHT AT HEIDELBERG RD. RIGHT AT WEST PENN RD. LEFT AT NORTHVALE BLVD. LEFT AT WEST HIGH ST. RIGHT AT SOUTH 2ND ST. BEAR RIGHT AT RTE. 419 NEWMANSTOWN RD. RIGHT AT REISVILLE RD. LEFT AT RTE. 501 RIGHT AT RTE. 419 RIGHT AT RTE. 322 RIGHT AT COCOA LEFT AT CHOCOLATE AVE RIGHT AT RIDGE RD./ PARK BLVD. STRAIGHT AT HERSHEY RD. RTE 39 LEFT AT MUSEUM DRIVE TO AACA 210 Route 10 West, East Hanover, NJ

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BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

Page 19

seated 1927 Fageol Safety Coach.

The Lower Level also includes an ever changing variety of vehicles that are too interesting or unique to be kept in collection storage. You may find a bright red Lincoln ambulance, an early “funeral car” (hearse) built from a carriage body and an REO truck), or Larry Porter’s rare collection of Ford “alphabet cars” (Henry Ford’s early cars from Model A to Model T) or many other interesting vehicles.

While we visited they had two special exhibitions that were of particular interest to us; the first being a plethora of classic dirt bikes from the 60’s and 70’s called Dusty Jewels. Featuring machines from around the world “Dusty Jewels” explored the off-road aspect of the 1970s motorcycle boom in America, and particularly highlights the aesthetics of these bikes. Among the many exquisite machines on display were BSA, Rickman, and Sprite (England); Maico and DKW (Germany); Ossa, Montesa, and Bultaco (Spain); Puch (Austria); Harley-Davidson, Penton, Yankee, and Rupp (USA); CZ (Czechoslovakia); Yamaha (Japan); and Husqvarna and Monark (Sweden).

The exhibit featured examples of the most beau-

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tiful off-road motorcycles ever made, as well as commenting on the transformative events of the 1970s, both within motorcycling and in the culture at large.

If your personal motorcycle history goes

back to these days then you would have loved Dusty Jewels.

The other exhibit was “100 Years of Chevrolet.”

“See the USA in your Chevrolet” is the song

by Dinah Shore that many of us associate with the iconic Chevrolet brand. The AACA Museum brought back the memories with this great show.

More than 30 great cars, automobilia and fine art told the Chevrolet story from the past 100 years.

Yes, we have motorcycles, but we have a Suburban too and the very first Suburban – serial #1 was there to be seen – very nice!

The Antique Automobile Club Museum in Hershey is one of the best of its kind. Next time you have a sweet tooth for some really great cars and bikes take a ride down to central Pennsylvania and stop by, we guarantee a great afternoon.

AACA Museum is open daily from 9am-5pm (closed some holidays; please check) Admission: $10-adults/$7-children

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WE INVENTED SUPERSPORT TOURING. NOW WE’VE PERFECTED IT. Honda 2013 CB1100 Bike of the New Century.

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honda.com ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING. NEVER RIDE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL, AND NEVER USE THE STREET AS A RACETRACK. OBEY THE LAW AND READ THE OWNER’S MANUAL THOROUGHLY. For rider training information or to locate a rider training course near you, call the Motorcycle Safety Foundation at 800-446-9227. Gold Wing® is a registered trademark of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (03/13)

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www.HanoverPowersports.com OPEN MONDAYS: 9AM-5PM Dress properly for your ride with a helmet, eye protection, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, gloves and boots. Do not drink and ride. It is illegal and dangerous. Yamaha and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation encourage you to ride safely and respect the environment. For further information regarding the MSF course, please call 1-800-446-9227. Specifications subject to change without notice. Professional rider depicted on a closed course. ©2012 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. • yamaha-motor.com

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 20

Bergen County Harley-Davidson Presents

WE’R E OUTTA HE RE Mike Stackhouse

Train sTaTion inn 21 sTaTion drive • TaTamaGouche, nova scoTia 888-724-5233 • WWW.TrainsTaTion.ca raTes: $119.50-$189.5 cd/niGhT includes coffee/Tea/muffin/scone

a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads Our caboose that night was a newer unit that had an upper berth and a master bedroom. All the amenities were there and, although it didn’t have quite the character as the older wooden cabooses, it served as a perfect place to relax and unwind from the day’s travels.

Sometimes, in your travels, you happen across a place that just oozes cool.

The Train Station Inn in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia is one of those places.

(Tatamagouche is a native Mi’kmaq word meaning “meeting of waters”) The old brick train station just off the Sunrise Trail, Route 6, is cool enough but what really stands out is that owners, James and Shelley La Fresne, laid down tracks and placed cabooses on them, which serve as rooms. “I can sleep in a caboose?” You bet you can. And the cabooses are as different from each other as you and I. From Victorian decor wooden cabooses to more modern staterooms, all are very special and provide a wonderfully unique experience.

There’s a hiking or biking path, beside the row of cabooses, that runs the old railroad bed and it will take you on a lovely walk past the town of Tatamagouche and to the waterfront. (The shores of the Northumberland Straitwhich is the body of water between Nova Scotia and Price Edward Island) The dining car was closed by the time we signed in so I can’t speak for the food there. However, breakfasts in the old train station the following morning have been and continue to be wonderful.

My first experience with the Train Station Inn came back in 1998. While on a 2400-mile post graduation ride with my son, we stopped at the Amherst, Nova Scotia visitor center and checked into booking a room for the night. While thumbing through accommodations I came across the Inn. Although it was a little pricey for me at the time, with the exchange being fantastic, I figured what the heck and booked a caboose. It was one of the best choices I’ve ever made. My son Josh and I had a fantastic evening and I have since returned numerous times.

Since that trip, more cabooses have been brought in as well as boxcars, a dining car and an ex-government state car. Each improvement has made the Inn even cooler than the last visit. When I took the Girl with the Pretty Smile to Canada for the first time, I made sure the Train Station Inn was one of the evening stops.

Her squeal of delight, because she was going to be able to sleep in a caboose, was well worth anything they might have charged for the night.

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

Page 21 For more information you can visit www.trainstation.ca or call 1888-724-5233 (toll free) Be advised, you should book your room in advance. If ever there was a place to put on your “Bucket List”, this is one of them. Way cool, beautiful place, nice area, hiking, great people, you name it; the Train Station Inn has it in spades.

We were able to walk through the dining car and the state car after breakfast and we also got a chance to peek in the other cabooses as well. They were full of railroad memorabilia and even the old speedometers and brake pressure gauges were left intact and in place. The area is typical Eastern Canada with the roads leading to and from the inn being winding and scenic. The locals, as always, are delightful. I’ve returned to the Inn a number of times over the years and it’s never failed to be the perfect destination.

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 22

Morton’s BMW Motorcycles Presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s MYSTERIOUS

A MER IC A

barney smiTh’s ToileT seaT arT museum 239 ABISO AVE., SAN ANTONIO, TX • 210-824 7791 OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY – PLEASE CALL FIRST In the world of art there is so much to discover. Around the globe you will find fine examples of sculptures, portraits, paintings and a world full of different artistic flavors and styles - Early Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Post Impressionism, Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Op-Art, Pop Art, Minimalism, Photorealism, and others.

But you ain’t seen nothing till you visit Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Art Museum!

Located on a small residential street not far from downtown San Antonio and the famed Alamo you will find Mr. Barney Smith.

Barney, who is now in his 90s is a fine artist, one of those people who has that wonderful gift of deftly controlling the pen, pencil and brush; but it is his chosen medium that sets him apart from all other artists, and it is a canvas of sorts that we are all very, very familiar with - the toilet seat.

Yes, the toilet seat.

We stopped in to visit Barney and the Toilet Seat Museum while travelling around Texas – how could we not?

Barney, a life-long plumber, and a lifelong artist, originally began his odd artistic journey while hunting with his dad.

They had bagged a good size buck and after removing the antlers Barney needed something to properly mount them on and the lid of a nearby toilet seat seemed to be just perfect.

So lifelong journey began. These days a visit to the museum, a large converted garage located next to Mr. & Mrs. Smith’s home (they have been married for well around 70 years) is a real treat.

First off Barney himself is a real treat. A

total gentleman, Barney’s easy going way and down to earth style will quickly bring you into his world.

He is also quite the celebrity, being featured on The View with Barbara Walters and Montel Williams - clips of which he will happily show you.

The art itself is oddly delightful and different, much like the artist.

You might travel here to see the art, but you will remember Barney even more. A more honestly sweet man does not exist.

When we took in the place Barney proudly showed us his 1,035th creation and then we spent over an hour with him taking in all of the others. Yes, this is a quirky and odd collection, but when you accept the medium you will quickly see that with them Barney has captured a deep sense of Americana and a telling history - both of these United States and the world in general; as shown in the one lid that was dedicated to Holocaust victims and had a piece of barbed wire from Auschwitz.

Not all of Barney’s art is so sad, on the contrary all these lids are simply marvelous and whimsical. Let’s point out some examples, shall we.

There are lids for Pez, Puppets, wine drinking, dentistry, quilting, motorcycle riding (yes!), American Sign Language, all the branches of the military and many of the states. He has many historic moments captured on lids as well - the one for September 11th was especially touching.

But, Barney will and can make a piece of lid art out of anything or for any-

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

Page 23 body and he has done pieces for folks with newborns, the local Mayor and many such other requests. Barney told us that his wife had to hide her gallstones. After having them removed, she hid the jar somewhere within their home. She did this, Barney admits, because she knew that they’d end up on a toilet seat if he were ever to find them. She’s right – and he’ll probably never find the jar.

There is also one dedicated to the poem by Rudyard Kipling When Earth’s Last Picture is Painted which Barney recited to us from memory.

When Earth’s last picture is painted And the tubes are twisted and dried When the oldest colors have faded And the youngest critic has died We shall rest, and faith, we shall need it Lie down for an eon or two ‘Till the Master of all good workmen Shall put us to work anew Thank you Barney for reminding us that art is in the eye of the beholder.

The Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Art Museum is an absolute must see while riding in and around San Antonio Texas and truly a brilliant piece of this Mysterious America!

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 24

G RE AT ALL AMER IC AN D INE R R UN

tasty places to take your bike

raT’s resTauranT aT Grounds for sculPTure 16 FAIRGROUNDS ROAD , HAMILTON, NJ 08619 609-584-7800 • HTTP://WWW.GROUNDSFORSCULPTURE.ORG Lunch • Tuesday through Saturday • 11:30am - 3:30pm Dinner • Tuesday through Saturday • 5pm - 9pm Happy Hour • Tuesday through Friday • 4pm - 7pm Sunday Lunch and Brunch • 11am - 3pm A while back we had a little Mystery Run going.

Our Mystery Runs happen when one or the other of us (Brian & Shira) set up a ride, route and day for the other and not tell them where exactly they are going or what to expect when they get there.

In early August I set one of these up for Shira.

Being the Cooper Union alumni and resident artist the Grounds for Sculpture, in Hamilton, New Jersey sounded like the perfect place. For those of you who have followed our ride down to the GFS know that we had a seriously great day planned. stepped into a village reminiscent of French impressionist Claude Monet’s beloved town of Giverny. Overlooking Johnson’s sculptures inspired by Impressionists paintings, as well as the lily pond, a striking woman’s head and the bridge inspired by the works of Monet.

With such a nice day on hand we chose a table near the pond, with our new friends the ducks who have found humans are easy pickings for a crust of bread and a quick meal.

What I did not plan on was how wonderful Rat’s Restaurant, the Grounds exquisite eatery, would be.

We took lunch there the day we visited and the experience was nothing less than stunning, both visually and gastronomically.

As we had said the Grounds for Sculpture is a fantastic way to enjoy a great day’s ride, but finding the delicious Rat’s there too was icing on the cupcake!

Rat’s interior is tasteful and elegant and was conceived as part of sculptor Seward Johnson’s vision; it was designed to make diners feel they have

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

Page 25 Rat’s menu, keeping with the Francophile feel, is based on local foods, but done with a French flair.

Although Rat’s does serve dinner and Brunch, we were there for lunch so we’ll stick with that. You can find their entire menu on the Grounds for Sculpture web site.

and pasta), a good looking chicken schnitzel, a fish of the day, mussels and short ribs Riesling.

This is not your typical Great all American Diner Run – nope, it is definitely something far more special.

During the week we needed no reservations, but come dinner or on the weekend you and your riding buddies might want to call ahead to make sure you have a table and also that Rat’s is open to the public, as many private events happen there as well.

One does not have to pay the admission for the Grounds for Sculpture to dine at Rat’s, but after you dine if you wish to enter the Grounds, and we highly recommend that you do, you can pay your fee right across the pond and enjoy the rest of your day.

Enjoy this very special stop on the Great All American Diner Run! Download the one-way 100-mile ride starting in Augusta, NJ here: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/v4a82b

The appetizers start with a variety of offerings - traditional cheeses, poutine (think fries and brown gravy and cheese) smoked salmon and soups.

They had a nice selection of light sandwiches including roasted chicken baguette, burger au fromage (cheeseburger), le hot dog (um… Frankfurter); but this day Shira had the pulled pork sandwich and I chose the soft shell crab BLT that was different and delicious. On the larger end of things Rat’s serves up Linguine Vongole (clams

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 26

ThE RaggED CoaSt: Touring MiD-CoaSt-MainE

Ken Aiken It depends upon how you measure it: from Kittery to Eastport the coast of Maine is either 228 miles long or 3,478. I’d just pounded up the “New England Riviera” from Kittery to Portland in 98-degree heat and Sunday traffic. The first 67 miles of my journey was now behind me.

From Portland to Bar Harbor the topography of the land is one of deep, narrow inlets and long, thin peninsulas. I call it the Ragged Coast and someone once calculated that all the navies of the world could simultaneously anchor in its sheltered harbors and coves. Although it’s considered to be a coastal highway, U.S. Route 1 actually cuts across the top of these peninsulas touching the northern ends of bays and inlets while spanning rivers that feed into them.

Located where U.S. Route 1 crosses beneath I-295 (Latitude 43°48.491’ North, Longitude 70°09.844’ West) is Eartha, the largest rotating globe on . . .well, Earth.

Three stories high it’s encased in a glass atrium attached to the headquarters of DeLorme and the entrance to the Map Store.

However, this company doesn’t have a monopoly on maps and directional information: the Maine State Information Center is located almost directly across the road.

Freeport can be Hell for motorcyclists when forced to contend with confused motorists desperately seeking parking and pedestrians spilling over curbs like lemmings. This is home to L.L. Bean whose flagship store has no locks on their doors

since they’re open 24/7/365. If you need camping supplies or have room in your saddlebags for clothing deals this is the place to shop and some 3.5 million people a year do so.

In downtown Brunswick I turn onto Route 123

by Bowdoin College and ride down Harpswell Peninsula. Only the salt tang to the air provides a clue that I’m not riding through the rural interior of the state, even after turning onto Mountain Road—a misnomer—and crossing Ewing Narrows to reach Route 24. A short bridge puts me onto Orr’s Island where elevation changes provide a bit of excitement and some fine views.

The world’s only cribstone bridge takes me over Wills Gut and I pull into the Bailey Island Motel for the night. Cook’s Lobster House Restaurant is situated next to the fishing dock and the cedar-shingled restaurant in front of the motel is quite busy, but I go down to BIGS (Bailey Island General Store) where the owner makes me a BLT and I pick up a couple of bottles of Lobster Ale. The island is almost paradise, especially with a cold beer and magnificent sunset.

Monday morning has me riding north on Route 24 and back onto U.S. Route 1 east. My first destination is Bath, the City of Ships.

Located on the Kennebec River miles from the sea this city was famous for its shipyards during the Age of Sail. Bath Iron Works (BIW) herald the coming of

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013 iron ships and steam and acquired fame by producing more naval destroyers during WWII than all the shipyards of Japan combined. It still makes ships for the U.S. Navy, although now they are guided missile frigates. The Maine Maritime Museum is just down the street, the last surviving 19th century shipyard where wooden ships were constructed.

Exploring all the peninsulas of the MidCoast Region would take me a month of Sundays, so I must pick and chose. Route 27 takes me south to Boothbay Harbor.

Heeding local advice my plans change and instead of continuing to Newagen I follow Rt. 96 to Ocean Point. Shore Rd. turns out to be a narrow, unpainted, twisty strip of asphalt that offers ocean views so fine that people have simply set up folding chairs on the road so they can sit and admire it!

I’m delightfully “lost” before finding River Road. Despite its name this local highway runs through shaded forest along a ridge and never approaches the miles-long Damariscotta River estuary.

Briefly rejoining U.S. Rt. 1 to cross the river at Damariscotta I turn onto Routes 129/130 and once again ride south. Pemaquid Harbor was an early English fishing settlement and in 1622 the food they sent to Plymouth kept the Pilgrims alive during their second winter. There was a succession of forts built here between 1625 and 1730, but Fort William Henry is a reconstruction erected in 1908. On the point, the Pemaquid Light is readily accessible for a small fee ($5) and for a bit more a person can rent the light keeper’s house for a week. I turn onto Rt. 32 in New Harbor.

Shaw’s Fish & Lobster Wharf Restaurant doesn’t look terribly inviting, but it’s one of the best seafood restaurants on the coast.

Ignoring Friendship –the peninsula, not camaraderie—I continue to Thomaston and stop at the Maine Prison Showroom. I’m not shopping for a one-room condo, but checking out one of the most unique retail shops in New England. The wooden objects made by the inmates in the Prison Industries Program are almost famous.

Page 27 The turn onto Rt. 131 is marked by General Henry Knox’s gleaming white mansion—or at least the 1927 reconstruction of it. Reaching the end of the road in the fishing village of Port Clyde and checking out the Marshall Point Lighthouse I ride back up the peninsula to one of my favorite places: the Owls Head Transportation Museum.

The engine room, dominated by a giant Corliss steam engine, is impressive. Exact replicas of Sylvester Roper’s steam-powered motorcycle and an 1885 Benz lead to exotic originals like Andrew Ricker’s electric “Torpedo” racer, James Scripps-Booth’s

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 28 Bi-Autogo, a Stout Scarab, and an Eliot Cricket.

James Clark’s Ornithopter is another historic original that resides here. The best time to visit is during Labor Day weekend when thousands of riders arrive on motorcycles old and new.

There are 63 lighthouses in Maine, but only ten of them are accessible by motorcycle. The Owl’s Head Light was built in 1852 and the fourth-order Fresnel lens installed in 1856 is still in use, although it’s now illuminated by electricity instead of whale oil.

cycle parking, an information center, and a food shack that sells incredible French fries.

I met up with Jim LeClair and his wife Patti who own and operate the Mid-Coast Maine Tourist Center on Rt. 1 in Belfast. It was Jim who took on the responsibility of planning my itinerary and making lodging arrangements for this trip and I have much to thank him for.

I’ve waited for the rain to stop before leaving the Comfort Inn Ocean’s Edge. I expect to make fewer stops today, but the stunning Penobscot Narrows Bridge warrants a photo or two. This cradle-system bridge is 2,120 feet long and one of the suspension towers is the tallest public bridge observatory in the world.

The Maine Lighthouse Museum and the Farnsworth Art Museum in downtown Rockland will have to wait for another trip. Rockport and Camden harbors are the best places to see wooden sailing ships. There can be so many wooden sloops, schooners, and tall ships in these two harbors that photos look like they were taken in the 19th century. The later is almost unknown, yet is less than a block from U.S. Rt. 1 in downtown Camden and has public restrooms, motor-

Miles of rough, poorly patched pavement on Rt. 175 has slowed me down and I decide not to go to Castine, but continue directly to Deer Isle.

After crossing the Eggemoggin Reach onto Little Deer Isle and along the winding causeway to Deer Isle, I pull onto a sandy beach alongside the road. Did John Steinbeck stop at this very beach

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during his “Travels with Charley?” Although this is my first visit I’ve seen Deer Isle before: granite from its quarries was used to build the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Naval Academy, Manhattan Bridge, and President John F. Kennedy’s tomb. Route 15 ends at the wharf in Stonington, a quintessential Maine fishing village and tourist destination. There’s an opera house, small boutiques, and a couple of hotels along the narrow shore road that doubles as the transportation route for the daily catch and the local tourist promenade.

Riding across the Blue Hill Peninsula on Route 172 is anti-climatic.

Perhaps my expectations were too high or that I’ve ridden so many different parts of Maine that I’ve become jaded. It might simply be the record-breaking heat wave that has lasted for days is finally wearing me down. I’m actually relieved to reach Ellsworth, even though it’s only to head south on Route 3 to Mount Desert Island.

Page 29 Mount Desert Island is the sixth-largest island in the contiguous United States, but the short bridge from the mainland goes by almost unnoticed. Lodging options stretch from Ellsworth to Bar Harbor, but Jim has me booked at the Castlemaine Inn where I’m immediately made to feel right at home. The town of Bar Harbor is biker-friendly and has over 70 restaurants so making a choice proves to be difficult.

Acadia is one of the most popular national parks in the U.S. and I’m on the famous Park Loop Road by 6 AM. The early morning light is perfect, the pavement flawless, and the views sublime. I climb to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, the first place in the U.S. to see the sunrise and the highest point on the Atlantic seaboard. Needless to say, the view is exquisite.

Beyond the park I find myself on Sargent Drive along east shore of Somes Sound, the only fjord in the eastern U.S. Beautiful scenery just keeps unfolding as I enter the “West Side” and onto Route 102.

Stopping “only for a moment” at the Seal Cove Auto Museum I discover a treasure trove of motorcycles, especially a completely original 1906 Indian twin. With so many rare cars and motorcycles to admire it’s mid afternoon before I can extricate myself.

People are waiting their turn to have their photos taken in front of the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. Motorcycles from Michigan, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Vermont are in the parking lot and the ratio of cars to bikes is only 2:1.

There’s no doubt that Maine is one of the most popular motorcycle touring destinations in the eastern U.S. A big storm is moving in and it becomes a race to reach the Seawall Motel before it breaks. The end of the heat wave has arrived: the wind is cold, and the rain heavy. Portland

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 30 to Bar Harbor is only 162 miles, but my route covered over twice that distance and took two days.

Tomorrow I’ll head inland: my journey along the Ragged Coast has ended—for this year.

SOURCES EARTHA – DELORME 2 DELORME DR, YARMOUTH, ME WWW.DELORME.COM • 800-561-5105 MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM 243 WASHINGTON ST, BATH, ME WWW.MAINEMARITIMEMUSEUM.ORG • 207-443-1316 MAINE PRISON SHOWROOM 358 MAIN ST, THOMASTON, ME • 207-354-9237 OWLS HEAD TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM 117 MUSEUM ST, OWLS HEAD, ME WWW.OHTM.ORG • 207-594-4418 SEAL COVE AUTO MUSEUM 1414 TREMONT RD, MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, ME WWW.SEALCOVEAUTOMUSEUM.ORG • 207-244-9242 BAILEY ISLAND MOTEL ROUTE 24, BAILEY ISLAND, ME • WWW.BAILEYISLANDMOTEL.COM LONG. 69.9937 LAT. 43.7376 • 207-833-2886 CASTLEMAINE INN, BAR HARBOR, ME • 800-338-4563

WWW.CASTLEMAINEINN.COM

SEAWALL MOTEL – 566 SEAWALL RD, SOUTHWEST HARBOR, ME WWW.SEAWALLMOTEL.COM • 800-248-9250 SHAW’S RISH & LOBSTER WHARF 129 ROUTE 32, NEW HARBOR, ME • 207-677-2200

You can download Ken’s route in GPS form here: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/yc3zg1

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

Page 31

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USE THE STREET AS A RACETRACK. OBEY THE LAW AND READ THE OWNER’S MANUAL THOROUGHLY. For rider training information or to locate a rider training course near you, call the Motorcycle Safety Foundation at 800-446-9227. Gold Wing® is a registered trademark of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (01/13)

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APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

hen you think major rivers in the northeast a few come immediately to mind. The Hudson, Delaware and Connecticut are givens and not too many might know that the Susquehanna River, at 464 miles, the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, has a humble beginning at the southern end of Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York.

The Wallkill

The Forgotten River words and images: Brian Rathjen

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

Page 35

But, whether they run to the sea, or end somewhere else, most rivers in this part of the country have one thing in common. They run from the north to the south. But, there are a few exceptions.

In Vermont the Otter Creek meanders north, as does the Niagara River in western New York State; but there is another one, right in our own backyard, that also runs “backwards.”

The Wallkill.

We have run past this small river hundreds of times and I would bet you might have too; but, we thought this local oddity deserved a bit more of a look and what we found was greatly unexpected.

Before Europeans came the local native tribes called the river Twischsawkin – which means “the land where plums abound” - a nod to the abundant waterfowl, fruits, fish and clams found in the river and along its banks. The modern name was given by Dutch settlers who thought it reminiscent of the Wall River, found in the native Netherlands.

The Wallkill River, which is considered an estuary of the Hudson River has its start, of all places, at Lake Mohawk, in the upscale highland town of Sparta, New Jersey.

From there it runs in a general northerly direction through woods and dale, farms and valleys, along mountain ranges and small cities for some 90 miles and eventually finds the Hudson River all the way up in Kingston.

On a sunny Fall day we set off to find what the river and the roads that run along it would hold and

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 36 what we found was pieces of nature and history that you owe it to yourself to find as well.

The Wallkill first appears as just a smallish run-off from Lake Mohawk, the largest artificial lake in New Jersey.

Before the lake was created the river had its beginnings by the natural springs and valley streams that eventually created the lake back in the 1920’s. Finding the dam and spillway was easy and our day’s adventure began.

After a digital moment at the bottom of Lake Mohawk our ride brought us east towards the revolutionary mining town of Ogdensburg and our first stop on the road – the Sterling Hill Mine.

The Sterling Mine was named for William Alexander, Lord Sterling, who owned the property in the mid-1700s and searched for iron ore in the region.

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By the early 1800’s mining for iron and other ores became feasible and business boomed. Most of the ore mined here was zinc, willemite and franklinite, but they are just three of more than 360 ores found here, making this one of the most ore-rich regions on the planet.

The industrial complex that was once the old mine is now open to the public as the Sterling Hill Mining Museum and taking a tour of the mine itself is well worth it, but right now we had a river to follow.

Right across from the entrance to the mine you will find Cork Hill Road. Here is another great Wallkill oddity – The Backwards Tunnel. This could be one for Seymour O’Life, but we got here first. You might think this bridge, built in 1871 with its double arched tunnels, was named such as the backward flowing Wallkill runs beneath, but the truth is the locals gave it that name for the size of each of the double tunnels. The road passes through the smaller one, originally designed for one horse and buggy at a time, the larger tunnel allows the Wallkill to pass and is much larger to accommodate the occasional flooding that has happened here in the past and will happen again. This is also a prime fishing spot for the Wallkill, which is stocked with trout on a consistent basis.

Moving along down Cork Hill Road the Wallkill ran along our right side and then poured into Franklin Pond. At the bottom of the pond we stopped to take in the small waterfall, as the Wallkill cascades down the rocks and continues on its northward journey.

From here we found Route 23 and after a short ride north we made a right onto Scenic Lakes Road, which was not only very scenic but a blast to ride as well.

When we routed this day’s ride we basically followed along roads that ran

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013 alongside or as close to the Wallkill as we could. This eventually put us on County Road 565 and into the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge.

What we found was one of the real treasures on this old backward running river. We would run along the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge for a good part of the morning.

Encompassing 5,500 acres, the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge goes all the way into New York State.

Much of the Refuge is located on former farmland and is both protected and yet allows for all to enjoy this pristine and natural beauty.

Here you can go canoeing or kayaking on the river and they even offer free guided kayak trips in season.

Not too far from the canoe drop-off we found the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge Office. Built in a renovated farmhouse that is over 150 years old, the office has a great display of wildlife and the folks there will be more than happy to tell you about their important work and the history of the Wallkill River itself. Well worth the stop.

Our route then brought us along Lake Wallkill Road and the vista riding along this piece of pavement, with the fall colors peaking, was nothing less than breathtaking!

Doing our best to stay along the Wallkill we made a turn down to Bassett’s Bridge. Here the feds have created a long planked walkway that allows you to park your bikes and get an up close look at the river and the wetlands that have been a ‘truck stop’ for migratory birds for thousands of years.

Heading north we found Oil City Road, right at the border with New York.

Here there was another canoe drop-off point and just down the road Liberty Marsh, a great wetland and a favorite for birders from all around the region. Another landmark at this location is the Appalachian Trail, with nearly three miles of its long journey from Georgia to

Page 37 Maine running through the Refuge, the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge is the only such Refuge to have such an honor.

As we moved further north the easy-going beauty of this river settled in

Page 38

on us. You can see the history here especially when the river suddenly and unnaturally straightens out near the Black Dirt Region, near Pine Island.

In the 1600s the settlers named the bottomland of the river ‘The Drowned Lands.’ You might have seen the historic sign in Pine Island on Route 1.

They originally used the land and river the way they found it but by 1876 some farmers decided to straighten the river by building a canal, allowing the waters to drain and opening up what would be known as ‘Black Dirt,’

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some of the most fertile soil in North America.

Not all were keen on this idea and a small feud began between the local mill owners, who preferred the river the way it was and the farmers that wanted to alter it to create more land to farm.

The mill owners became known as ‘Beavers’ and the famers the ‘Muskrats.’ In 1826 a canal was finally put in place but the not so well known ‘Muskrat and Beavers War’ began and continued on and off till 1876 when it seemed to end in the farmers’ favor. Who would have known?

Just north of the Black Dirt region the Wallkill once again begins to do its snakey dance north and we did our best to follow the beat.

Heading towards the town named after the river - Wallkill - we rounded Echo Lake, a striking body of water with an equally striking roadway running along it.

As the road and river continued north we began to get a bit peckish. Montgomery is an excellent town if you’re looking for food, with a number of restaurants to be found Just north of here you will cross the Wallkill on the prettiest overpass on the entire river – the Walden’s Veterans Memorial Bridge. If you glance to the right you will also see the largest set of natural falls on the river.

The area around present-day Walden was purchased in 1736 by Alexander Kidd, and settlers of Scots-Irish, English and German descent started arriving not long afterwards. It was the first settlement west of the Wallkill River, known at the time as Kidd’s Town.

In the 1820s, a successful New York shipper named Jacob Walden convinced some of his business partners to finance the construction of wool mills on the river, attracted by the Great Falls as a source of power and the railroad connections at nearby Maybrook. He dammed the Wallkill above the falls, creating a power station that remains in use today, and his mill was a success.

Other wool-makers followed as the Industrial Revolution picked up steam and the growing population center became known instead as Walden’s Mills. Most of them failed a few decades later, but their influence was such that the village incorporated in 1855 as Walden.

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013 These days the falls and dam are controlled by a power company, which takes away a bit of the natural beauty but they are striking just the same.

Soon our route brought us into more familiar pavement as we were now paralleling the striking Shawangunk Mountains a few miles to the west and soon we picked up Route 44.

The Shawangunk Ridge is the northern end of a long ridge within the Appalachian Mountains that begins in Virginia, where it is called North Mountain, continues through Pennsylvania as Blue Mountain, becomes known as the Kittatinny Mountains after it crosses the Delaware Water Gap into New Jersey and becomes the Shawangunks at the New York state line. These mountains mark the western and northern edge of the Great Appalachian

Page 39 Valley. This day, alive with the colors of Fall the “Gunks” were nothing less than spectacular.

In the small town of Gardiner we found the Village Market & Café. A tiny place, part restaurant, part store it had exactly what we were looking for.

Good food, nice atmosphere and reasonable prices.

The Workin’ Manwich Sam-ich was perfect as was Shira’s ‘Yes Dear’ and the Mac & Cheese. A Great All American Diner Run establishment if we ever saw one.

Filled and fueled we tarried further northward, doing our best to follow the lazy Wallkill River along the old Albany Post Road.

Just north of New Paltz we swung west to find the Rondout Creek.

Rondout Creek is a 63 mile-long tributary of the Hudson River that rises on Rocky Mountain in the eastern Catskills, flows south into Rondout Reservoir, part of New York City’s water supply network, then into the valley between the Catskills and the Shawangunk Ridge, where it goes over the spectacular High Falls and finally out to the Hudson at Kingston, receiving along the way the Wallkill River.

We crossed the creek, whose name needs to be upgraded to river, at Rosendale. It was here in October of 1777 that General Clinton and his men forded the Rondout on their way to defend Kingston from British forces.

James Clinton, not to be confused with the British General Henry Clinton, was an American hero and during our Spring Break 2013 we will make sure to find the monument at the site of General Clinton’s dam at the source of the Susquehanna River on Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York.

Remember Otsego Lake from earlier in this story? You see how all our Backroads’ stories link together. It’s like having Kevin Bacon ride with us.

Up until now we had been riding simply spectacular roads and, if we do say so ourselves, this is one of the most interesting and stirring rides we have printed in a while. But, it got even better when we made the quick right after the Rondout and rode along its banks on Creek Lock Road.

When Shira calls out on the radio how much she loves a piece of pavement

Page 40 I take notice. Along this way we stopped at one pull-out, to take in the peaceful view. Pulling out the Nikon I noticed a rope swing hanging still over the water. A nearby tree had been outfitted with a small tree house from which to launch yourself holding onto the swing and high over the creek.

My inner kid longed to give it a try.

My 50-year old body and 50 degree temperatures made a better argument this day. How much fun this must be for a kid in July!

This simple day trip was revealing so much in history, the local people and Americana.

Now I want to be clear on this ride.

Although we will have the classic Rip & Ride following the story, we also have this available for download as a GPX file for Garmin GPSs. If you use the Garmin you will see on the display the Wallkill close by the entire ride, you will also see the Rondout and you will know when the two waterways join up

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS and then hold hands as they make their final seven mile journey to the Hudson River, only to then head south to the sea.

How frustrating to be a water molecule.

As we neared Kingston the countryside gave way to a more industrial flair. Boat builders and docks began to fill our vision and soon we pulled up to our next to last stop on this expedition – The Hudson River Maritime Museum. In this waterside museum you will learn everything about the

Hudson and the estuaries that flow into it, the ancient history of the land, its use in commerce past and present and where the future of the river is heading. The Hudson River Maritime Museum is well worth the stop; but we still had one more place to go and something to see to end this day’s river ride.

Just a bit further down the road past the museum you will find Kingston Point Park. If you park your bike behind the iron gates it is a very short walk to the river.

Yes, I know it looks like I rode my GS into the park, past terrified mothers, children and local gang members to get the digital moment but, be assured, I would never do such a thing as this picture was easily created in Photoshop. Park your bike and walk in… really.

(Insert snort and eye roll here…)

Over the small bridge you will find the end of three things - the railroad that runs along this part of the river, the famed Rondout Lighthouse, built back in 1915 and the final end to our friend for this ride – The Wallkill River.

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013 From its humble starts in Sparta, New Jersey it has flowed for nearly 90 miles. Along its way it has slowly and steadily dropped from 792 feet in altitude to just 10 when it pours into the Hudson. Along this way we have found many things - a gorgeous Wildlife Refuge that easily rivals my beloved Chincoteague, small towns, all with a deep and steadfast history in creating our nation, mountains and vistas that rival anything anywhere else in the country

Page 41 The Wallkill, the forgotten river, is waiting. Come along and follow our wake on this ride – we promise you, between the views, the wildlife, the history, the river and especially the ride…you will not be disappointed.

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KEEPING THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN LIFEPROOF CASE FOR YOUR IPHONE We think Tony Stark uses this iPhones are arguably the best smart phone yet created by man and they can do many things. They can be used to play music or Angry Birds. They can check the weather or take a picture. And, remarkably, they can even be used as a phone.

The one thing they cannot do well is swim.

We found this out the hard way last year when riding in the Catskill mountains. We had just finished lunch and had about 60 miles to go before reaching our hotel for the night. As we got ready to depart a nasty downpour came along and we had about 45 minutes of Biblicalesque thunderstorms, making the rest of the ride dark, interesting and more than a bit damp.

When we arrived at the hotel I found that my normally waterproof pocket, where I keep my iPhone, had been left unzipped and water had been channeled into it - basically submerging the phone.

I pulled the now dripping iPhone from the pocket and attempted virtual CPR. It was no use…

“Would you like to call it, Doctor?”

Water is to the iPhone, and all smart phones, as fire is to a scarecrow, or Mr. Hapy.

It was obvious we needed some better protection than the rubber case we were now using. So, we set out to do a comparison of the many cases out there.

Our criteria was simple; the case needed to be tough, durable and waterproof, but still had to be easy to use in a somewhat normal fashion.

Originally we hoped to showcase a number of different cases in this piece but the couple of cases that we did receive for testing all had a few things in common - they we rather large and clunky and worse they were not, regard-

less of claims, waterproof at all.

As testing time went by it was obvious there was only one clear winner and that was the LifeProof Case.

According to LifeProof CEO Gary Rayner the case cost $2 million to develop.

To test the LifeProof Case we went our go-to-guy, for this sort of product testing, Professor Lawrence Mosca from the Doolittle Institute who swore, after a battery of tests, that this was a “must have” if you have an iPhone.

According to the good professor the LifeProof Case is totally waterproof, shockproof, dirtproof, and snowproof, yet it’s slimmer than virtually all the other tough cases out there, with an integrated clear plastic shield that protects

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

Page 43

your screen while sealing your iPhone into the case.

This is exactly what we were looking for in iPhone protection.

We got our own LifeProof cases and after a bit of finagling our phones were securely ensconced in their new homes.

Think Tony Stark in the Mark 3 suit.

What we like the most about the LifeProof iPhone Case was that it added very little to the size and operation of the phone.

It is sleek and form fitting. In this case size does matter and that size is far smaller than any other “waterproof” case.

You can also charge your iPhone while in the case by flipping open the sealed port cover and all your ports and buttons are easily accessible as well.

The LifeProof Case, which lists for $80, is also one of the most expensive on the market (we did find it cheaper on Amazon) – but you get what you pay for and in this instance that means your iPhone will take drops, dirt and moisture in stride.

We still take care to protect our phones, but it is good to know they have all this 24/7 protection as well.

For us this is an investment well made.

Log onto www.lifeproof.com for more information. ~ Brian Rathjen

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met communication; each one can plug another BlueTooth® device in their helmet and/or plug accessories to their helmets. A set of two kits sells for $379.95 MSRP. The Multi2 Kit is a universal Ncom headset that will fit on any helmet that is not Ncom-ready, whether you have a Nolan or any other brand. It is compatible with all other Ncom products, making it a perfect match for a couple or friends who want to communicate but don’t wear the same helmet brand/style. It offers helmet to helmet BlueTooth® communication, as well as the ability to connect to a GPS and/or phone, and plug in additional devices. It is available as a single kit for $214.95 or a set of two kits for $369.95.

For more information visit Nolan at www.nolan-usa.com or call them at (866) 243-5638.

In 2006, Nolan took the riding industry and the electronics world by surprise by being the first company to introduce a BlueTooth® system to complement their line of touring helmets. At that time, nobody had any idea what BlueTooth® would do for helmet communications and it took a while for riders to understand and appreciate the wireless nature of the system. Today, being able to communicate while on your motorcycle has becoming an expected creature comfort for many riders.

The success of the Ncom system comes from the ability to install the headsets in minutes instead of the usual guesswork required by generic systems, as well as the perfect integration: no voluminous box on the side of Check out the full line of 2013 Triumph motorcycles including the helmet, no painfully bumpy speakers inside.

Tiger Explorer XC, Trophy, Over the last 7 years, the performance has increased to meet the demands of the technologically-inclined rid- Street Triple, and Daytona 675 ers: the bike-to-bike distances have grown longer, the features have become more numerous, included an FM radio, the ability to upgrade your system with your computer, the ability to connect many items and contact additional riders, etc.

On the other hand, it has become too complicated for the riders who just want basic communication with a

lower price point. So Nolan decided to go back to a simpler version of their system and introduced two new products to their line of communication systems. One designed for Nolan Ncom-ready helmets, and one for all the other helmets including other brands.

The NCOM B1 is the new entry-level Bluetooth communication system for Ncom-ready helmets. Two different kits fit into all the models of Nolan helmets that are Ncom-ready, without any modification to the helmet, for a very simple and fast installation by the dealer or the user.

The B1 can be used by single riders who want to connect to their phone, GPS or music via BlueTooth®, with the additional capability to plug another device to the headset. The complete kit sells for $229.95 MSRP. A couple riding on the same motorcycle or at close distance (max 150 ft) will use the B1 for helmet to hel-

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Los Padres Roads in SoCal Victor Cruz You’ve seen the TV commercials for Cadillac, Hyundai and Chevy, you know, the ones that show wildly empty roads undulating on top of mountain ridges that seem too good to be true. And if you’re from the east coast, these glorious roads make you wonder, “Where are these places, because I want to ride there!” A place where you don’t have to go to war with traffic.

California towns with names like Guadalupe, Santa Paula and Ojai (pronounced oh-hi), and roads with names like Stunt, Latigo, Arroyo Seco, Prefumo, Camino Cielo, Lockwood Valley, Cerro Noroeste… roads that have their own entries in Wikipedia.

These pavement princesses compare with the best Europe has to offer, without a pebble of doubt. Miles upon miles of technical challenges greet you all day long. A certain discipline at work on your brain’s natural tendency to stare in befuddlement at God’s creation: you have to stop yourself from looking at scenery that can drive you off course and down a steep cliff.

Too easily.

It happened to a Neil Reynolds.

Three days before we got to Los Angeles, Bill Peloquin, a rider who makes his home in Bakersfield, sent me a news clip about Neil Reynolds, an “experienced motorcyclist” who didn’t make it home that night. A helicopter rescue team found him pinned under his bike, luckily alive but unable to move after “nearly freezing to death” on highway 33 southbound to Ojai, veering off the road and “down a steep embankment approximately 50 feet.”

A road we were planning to take twice in both directions.

Knowing all this, it was a no-brainer to say “yes” to the option of buying rental insurance which we all did.

Eagle Rider rental near LAX is a well-appointed dealership with uniformed staff. At 9:00 a.m. the staffers were ready to serve. We were to log 260 miles on backroads and needed an early start. Nice too were the brand new Honda ST1300s they had waiting for us. We also rented two BMW’s, the hybrid R1200GS and a touring R1200RT, but the Hondas were cheaper to rent and renting bikes takes the biggest bite out of the budget at $125/day (in 2012 dollars).

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Coming into Malibu we turned right onto Latigo Canyon road. Like most of these canyon notches in Malibu, it twists and turns for miles up a mountain, pass multi-million dollar cottages overlooking the Pacific.

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

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We passed a pair of police cruisers facing in opposite directions, talking to each other. Other than that, we saw but maybe two other officers during our four days of riding mostly commercial-free areas.

In Ojai we stopped for grilled burgers with avocado at the Deer Lodge, a known biker hangout with little activity and slow service on a Thursday. Biker hangouts.

Every place has ‘em. Another hangout where we stopped was the Rock Store on Mulholland Drive, its parking lot filled with a mix of dual, sport, touring, and cruisers.

The Deer Lodge offers a perfect place for a break. That’s because highway 33 up Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest deserves a good rest before making it with the hope of avoiding the ill fate of the unlucky Neil Reynolds.

There are no services on it for 70 miles, depending on which you go.

Our tour might well have been called Los Padres, since the roads we took all fell within its expanse of some 1.75 million acres, stretching from Santa Barbara in the south to Monterey in the north, a mountainous unspoiled forest scrub. Highway 33 leaves Ojai and starts to climb 8,831 feet toward Mt. Pinos, the highest point in Los Padres. Roads were in great condition and a dream mix of end-to-end macaroni and open sweepers among pristine oak woodlands, grasslands, pinyon pine, chaparral and semi-desert. Our plans had called for doing Hwy 33 in both directions, but a major storm front brought snow to the higher elevations on that return leg. We averaged about 260 miles per day and with lunch stops and social breaks, the day was easily filled.

Pacific Coastal Highway 1 is on every rider’s bucket list,

or it should be. Taking it is usually a foggy encounter what with cold Pacific air colliding with warm mountain air and causing low visibility; even more so when you have inches of rain in the forecast. But like the scenery, the weather is eternally changing. One moment you can see miles up ahead, the next moment you can’t read your instrument panel.

Santa Maria likes to call itself the barbeque capital of the world, so naturally that was our first stay over. The next morning called for breakfast at Morro Bay to see the Rock, a 581-foot “volcanic plug” that looks like the peak of a mountain jutting out of the sea. Too bad it was shrouded in fog so thick that nary a shadow of it showed.

From there, our first stop on PCH 1 was Piedras Blancas to wonder at the elephant seals. You can park and marvel at these creatures up close in their native habitat only yards away. Males, known for their long noses, can reach 5,000 pounds in size.

But in March the females and adult males migrate to Alaska, leaving a few stray pups behind. The guys were disappointed about the absent bulls. “Where is the proboscis?!,” they cried. A volunteer guide is onsite and entrance is free.

From there, PCH 1 begins in earnest. There is gas in the hamlet of Gorda (Spanish for “fat woman”) and after that, no services for about 100 miles.

Nothing but mountain, ocean, road cut into the mountain, tall bridges, and sky. On this March day, the sky was in our face. Every once in a while the

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Page 46 fog would uncurtain itself revealing scenery so amazing that you are tempted to quit for the day, pull out a rocking chair and put down roots there for the rest of your life.

The best stretch of this part of PCH 1 ends at Nepenthe, a tony café restaurant/high-end souvenir shop in Big Sur with commanding views equal only to the deflation of your wallet.

That $9 slice of triple berry pie is worth the price of admission.

From here it’s a quick launch to Carmel Valley road, which starts busy with commercialism but then gradually tapers off to sporadic houses, then to nothing but tamper-proof pioneer views as it transitions to Arroyo Seco road. You can’t believe your good luck.

A highlight of the trip was Ft. Hunter Liggett, an army base, our cheap stay at $50 per private “cowboy” room in their Hacienda. Because it was St. Paddy’s Day weekend, we were treated to a free Irish dinner of meat pies and corned beef. The building was designed by the same architect who built Hearst Castle, home

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS of Sir William Randolph. He sold the 200,000 acre parcel to the feds and today it’s the largest US Army Reserve command post. It’s a self-contained community with a store, movie house, tiny post office, a highceiling dining room, a nice bar lounge, church and barracks.

You need to stop at a gate and show ID, registration and proof of insurance. Beers are $2.50 and there’s no sales tax. The worst of it was next morning’s heavy rain and 50-mph winds that forced us to find an alternative route out of the place, having to forgo Nacimiento Fergusson, the biggest charmer in the area that leads back to PCH 1. As designated tour leader I had to improvise a new route on this third day leg of the trip.

South of Creston (population: 94) is SR-229, a road that Bill Peloquin had mentioned as being one of his favorites.

To reach it we had to traverse some flat lands that should’ve been called “kite lands” because the wind was intense.

Moving through a canopy, SR-229 is a narrow corkscrew with white perimeter line paint. If this road existed near home, you would want to ride it every day.

Phil touted route 1 as a good alternative to get us near our destination of Ojai, a road that had moved inland from hits coastal hug, where the weather improved. It took us to Guadalupe, a Hispanic town of tightly clustered buildings surrounded by flat agricultural land and a good place to sit down for Chili Relleno, an egg-batter fried poblano pepper stuffed with cheese.

Then the real test of patience came when we climbed Camino Cielo in the hills above Santa Barbara. The hail came down and pelted us. Fog blocked visibility, and rocks the size of soccer balls littered the corners. We took the bikes down to about 10 mph. The temp gage on the Honda dropped to 37.

June 2 • Mechanicsville, VA July 21 • Utica, NY August 4 • Pittsburgh, PA August 4 • Central Valley, NY August 18 • New England September 15 • Philadelphia September 22 • Balt/Wash. DC

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

Page 47 My front wheel slipped first before I saw the thin cake of snowlike material covering the road. I decided to U-turn our party out of there.

Southern California could keep the average motorcyclist entertained for years. All told, when you add up hotel, airfare, bike rental and meals, the 4-day trip cost about $1800. Although the weather in Boston during that week in March was warmer and without hail storms, the guys said they would do it all over again.

Victor Cruz is Secretary of the Yankee Beemers and a regular contributor to Backroads, BMW ON, and Boxer Shorts.

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APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

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

Sunday Drivers - Part III When we last left this column we had just finished our second of three installments on how things go askew when riding, especially on beautiful Sundays when more riders and drivers our on the road.

Road Raging drivers, furious home owners and even rider’s not double checking before making a move all seem a tad more prevalent on Sundays.

The truth is that there are so many more, both bikes and cars, on the roads this day. Sometimes you can say the more the merrier, but when it comes to bad Sunday drivers and “I ride my bike on some Sundays” riders things can get ugly.

The same day as the High Point Incident we were roadside watching one or another of the many charitable events going by. Later on we spotted what looked to be just a bunch of friends out for a friendly Sunday jaunt amongst the hills and dales of northwest New Jersey and southern New York State.

Before I could even state the obvious my friend wondered out loud…

“Why do these guys (gals) ride so close to each other?”

That is the million dollar question and one of the reasons I will not ride in escorted runs. I would much rather make a donation and find out where the end site is and make my way there on my own or, if I can get the route sheet, take off ten minutes earlier than the group.

Years ago Shira and I were riding two-up on a New Year’s morning ride, which is a hard Sunday no matter what the day. In the middle of the escorted ride, a rider slid out and into a pole on a simple left turn. He went one way, okay, except for the broken clavicle; but his Harley slid across the road and with the group so tight I had no choice but to ride over his sliding machine.

I was appreciative of the clearance on a BMW R1150GS. This was the last time I rode in the middle of such a tight group, but every Sunday I see dozens of riders riding ridiculously close to each other.

Space cushioning will save your life!

This day we saw a number of groups riding together way too close to each other. If something happens anywhere in these groups more than one machine and rider will be involved.

It is great to go riding with friends, but be smart about it and give yourself some room. Motorcycling is one of the few activities that you can do with your friends yet still be alone with your thoughts, skill and ride.

Does a few seconds matter when you finally arrive at your destination?

I think not.

Most cruiser clubs ride at a moderate pace – sometimes painfully moderate – but, on the other hand, you have some sport bike riders who up the pace to “ludicrous” speeds.

That same Sunday I spent some time up on the Hawks Nest, on Route 97,

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

Page 49 precipice. Worse, on the back, in jeans and sweatshirt was a tiny girl.

One mistake, even by an oncoming rider as so many were going way over the yellow, would mean a catastrophe for all of us.

If you need to ride this fast or feel something to prove give Team Promotion or Tony’s Track Days a call and learn to do it correctly, professionally and safely. Don’t impress you friends or strangers with some bonehead moves.

Sometimes I think it is no wonder the rest of the world thinks we are the problem, not the reverse. Who are the real Sunday Drivers?

above Port Jervis high above the Delaware River.

The cruiser riders came by at a reasonable and enjoyable pace but some of the sport riders were moving at an insane pace.

I have nothing against riding fast, but c’mon be smart and pick your gofast places well. Here atop the Hawks Nest you have a solid cliff wall on one side and a fatal few hundred feet over a smallish stonewall on the other.

Not to mention along the apex of each curve there is a small pullout; usually full of other riders. One major mistake here and you will not only ruin your life, but a few other folks you don’t even know.

This day I saw one guy on a blue BMW K1200RS moving at a rapid pace.

He was totally in control, although he might want to shift into third occasionally. Still, a tad faster than needed for an enjoyable run through the Nest.

Right about then one guy, a really big guy, on a Yamaha sport bike came by at track speed. Serious track speed!

I was stunned at his assholeness doing this along such an unforgiving

Far left: Group riding at its worst. Too many wheels, not enough gear and large flags blocking visibility.

Top left: Sport bikes wait their turn for a run on the Hawks Nest.

Above: Kids, don’t try this at home or on tight public road.

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For riders who already have basic skills. Similar to the BRC, the Basic RiderCourse 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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APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

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UPCOM IN G EVENTS CAL ENDAR E V E RY M O N T H - W E AT H E R P E R M I T T I N G Every Tuesday • The Ear - Spring St, NYC. Come meet some fellow riders and do some benchracing or whatever. 8pm-ish Third Tuesday • April-September • Two Wheel Tuesday with Harley-Davidson of Long Branch Bike Night at MJs Grill, 3205 Route 66, Neptune, NJ • 6-9pm. • www.hdlongbranch.com • Live music and prizes Every Thursday • Bike Night at the Chatterbox Drive-In, Rtes. 15/206, Augusta, NJ. Tire kicking, good food and friends • www.chatterboxdrivein.com

MARCH 2013 28 • Motorcycle Mall Yamaha Hot Winter Nights Event • 5-8pm • 655 Washington Ave, Belleville, NJ • 973-751-4545 • www.motorcyclemall.com

What’s Happening 13 • Morton’s BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA • 9:00 am-4:00 pm • Spring Open House at Morton's BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA. See and ride the new models, from the scooters to the GS and the K 1600 series! Join hundreds of other enthusiasts for demo rides, door prizes, food, music, vendors (more vendors welcome!), and much more. Details at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540-891-9844.

20 • Bob’s BMW Garmin GPS Product Tutorial • 11am-Noon in the Parts Dept. Are you getting the most from your GPS? Our guest expert, the Garmin Rep, will be here to answer all your questions and more. RSVP: hanna.creekmore@bobsbmw.com • 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • 301-497-8949 20 • Liberty Harley-Davidson Service Seminar • 12 W Milton Ave, Rahway, NJ • 732-381-2400 • www.libertyharley.com

30 • Cycle Motion Yamaha Hot Winter Nights Event • 9a-4p • 1269 Dolsontown Rd, Middletown, NY • 845-343-2525 • www.cyclemotioninc.com

20 • Bergen County H-D/BMW Vendorpalooza • 10a-4p • All those great parts manufactureres in one place - at Bergen County HDBMW. Free BBQ, music, promos and giveaways • www.bergenbmwmotorcycles.com • www.bergnharleydavidson.com • 12 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930

30 Morton’s BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA • 4:00 pm • Ride To Eat with the Morton's crew! Meet us at 4:00 pm for a nice ride through the countryside to an interesting restaurant each month. Details at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540-891-9844

26 • Locomotion Powersports Spring Open House • 9a-4p • Food, music, giveaways and promos • 138 Orange Ave, Suffern, NY • 845-357-1190 • www.locomotionpowersports.com

15-10/17/13 • AACA Museum ‘The British Invasion’. Retrospective of classic British mtoorcycles from 1940-1970 • 161 Museum Dr, Hershey, PA • www.AACAMuseum.org • 717-566-7100

27 • Morton’s BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA • 4:00 pm • Ride To Eat with the Morton's crew! Meet us at 4:00 pm for a nice ride through the countryside to an interesting restaurant each month. Details at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540-891-9844.

APRIL 2013

27 • Open House at Bob’s BMW, 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • An Open House at Bob’s is always FUN! Motorcyclists of all types and stripes (that’s right, not just BMW riders) come from far and wide to help make the day memorable. Grab some delicious food served up by the Blue Knights while you catch up and exchange stories with lots of your fellow riders. The Major Brand factory reps never miss a Bob’s Open House, so why should you? They’ll be here eager to fill you in on the latest great gear and accessories.

And of course, you know you'll find SAVINGS — and SURPRISES too! More info: bobsbmw.com

4 • Morton’s BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA • 6:30-8:00 pm • FREE new owner seminar, Morton's BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA. If you've bought a BMW recently, join us as we show you how to check fluid levels and do other routine checks.

Pick up tips on making adjustments and setting the bike up to your needs. Info at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540-891-9844.

4 • Harley-Davidson of Long Branch Women’s Garage Party. Join the ladies and learn what’s new in Harley-Davidson and what fits your needs. Sign-in @ 6:30 - Party @ 7pm. RSVP please. 671 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ • 732-229-8518 • ww.HDLongBranch.com 10 • Liberty Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Boot Camp • 6pm • 12 W Milton Ave, Rahway, NJ • 732-381-2400 • www.libertyharley.com 11-14 • Montgomeryville Cycle Center Spring Kickoff Event • 2901 Bethlehem Pike, Hatsfield, PA • 215-712-7433 • www.montgomeryvillecc.com 13 • Liberty Harley-Davidson Blood Drive • 12 W Milton Ave, Rahway, NJ • 732381-2400 • www.libertyharley.com

28 • Motorcyclepedia Museum Season Kick-Off and Swap Meet • 250 Lake St, Newburgh, NY • 845-569-9065 • www.motorcyclepediamuseum.org • Clean out your closets and saddlebags and sell your stuff. Space is limited, call for table details.

NO DEALERS.

MAY 2013 2 • Can-Am Metuchen hosts the Spyder Demo Truck • Check out the 2013 Spyders, take one for a test ride and then take one home. Please check website for more information • www.CanAmMetuchen.com • 911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ • 732491-2900

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UPCOM IN G EVEN TS CALEN DAR 4 • Bergen County H-D/BMW International Female Ride Day Ride • Signin: 9-10am • Ride leave 10:30 sharp • Free BBQ and music at 12:30 • 12 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 9-12 • Buzzard Bottom 6 • Enjoy awesome raods and camaraderie at BB6, presented

by Buzzard Brent and Poverty Riders Int’l. High country MC Camp, Ferguson, NC, just 20 miles off the Blue Ridge Pkwy. Comfortable gathering for riders of all types, not a constructed rally. HCMC camping rates apply and meals will be available. For more information visit: www.highcountrymotorcyclecamp.com 16-19 • BACKROADS Spring Break 2013. Cooperstown, NY. This rally will feature a complete issue of Backroads’ columns in one weekend - Great All-American Diner Run, Big City Getaway, and, of course, Mysterious America. Our home base will be the Lake Front Motel, sitting right on Lake Otsego and walking distance from downtown Cooperstown. www.backroadsusa.com/rallies.html 16-19 • Concours Owners Group Northeast Spring Fling. Bedford, PA. For details please contact Jason 814-535-8669 • www.tinyurl.com/COGSpringFling2013 17-19 • Mothers for Daughters Weekend. Join hundreds of riders for a weekend of riding and fun in beautiful scenic Vermont and help raise money for breast and ovarian cancer research. See website for full details: www.mothersfordaughters.com 17-19 • Morton's BMW Spring Fling Rally, Natural Bridge, VA. Meet up with hundreds of riders -- all brands welcome -- for a weekend of riding, relaxing, and just hanging out. Dinners on Friday and Saturday evening, vendors, seminars, guided rides on- and off-pavement, door prizes, and much more. Details at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540891-9844.

18 • Twisted Throttle Open House • 570 Nooseneck Hill Rd/Rte. 3, Exeter, Rhode Island • 401-284-4200 • www.twistedthrottle.com

What’s Happening champion, will be there to provide advice. Lunch, snacks, beverages, on-site techs available for mechanical convenience and more included. To sign up or for more information please contact: hanna.creekmore@bobsbmw.com • 301-497-8949

JULY 2013 9 • Women’s Track Day - New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ • Sponsored

by Tony’s Track Days. Join Shira from Backroads Magazine and a host of other women and learn to be smooth on your motorcycle while perfecting your cornering skills. For more information please visit www.TonysTrackDays.com 19-20 • Crossroads Motorcycle Rally 2013, Farre’s Field, Waterbury, VT • www.crossroadsmotorcyclerally.com

AUGUST 2013 23-25 • Kingdom Thunder Rally, Burke, VT • www.kingdomthunder.org 25 • 1st Annual Poker Run to benefit the Harmony Lodge Foundation • Sign in: Harmony Lodge #8, 519 Rte. 206, Andover, NJ 9am-12Noon • Endsite: Franklin Fireman’s Pavilion, 137 Buckwheat Rd, Franklin, NJ. $20/pp incl. food and drink, top 3 poker hand prizes, 50/50, raffles, vendors, live music by Morning Door and more • For more info visit www.harmony8nj.com 29-Sept. 1 • Killington Classic Motorcycle Rally, Killington, VT • Rides, demos, vendors, contests, parade, music, dinners, fireworks and SO MUCH MORE! Registration opens May 15 - DON’T BE SHUT OUT OF YOUR FIRST CHOICES. 518-798-7888 • www.killingtonclassic.com

SEPTEMBER 2013

18 • Bob’s BMW Vintage and Classic Day • 9am-4pm • Show off your vintage and classic rides, kick tires, explore the Vintage BMW Museum at Bob’s the day before the British and European Bike Show in Clarksburg, MD. Arrive on Saturday before 11am for a Vintage and Classic Tech Session • 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • 301-497-8949

8 • 7th Annual Rice-O-Rama Vintage & Custom Japanese Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet • Singletary Rod and Gun Club, 300 Sutton Ave, Oxford, MA • 10am-5pm rain or shine. Bikes that you just don’t see anywhere else, from 2-strokes to turbos, singles to sixes, scramblers and scooters. Trophies in over 20 vintage and custom classes. Huge Swap Meet with tons of hard to find parts • 508-344-4202 • www.rice-o-rama.com

19 • Ride to British and European Classic MC Day, Clarksburg, MD • Meet Bob’s BMW Restoration Tech Dave Grunberger at the Double T Diner, Catonsville, MD - ride leaves at 9am sharp • 301-497-8949 • hanna.creekmore@bobsbmw.com

18-21 • New York Motomarathon • Hosted by the Celtic Motorcycle Club • Bronx-Lake George-Ongunquit, ME. For more information and specific hotel and date information, visit www.motomarathon.com or call Caty Metzger at 303-621-5356

19 • Ramapo MC Spring Poker Run • Sign in: Rhodes Tavern North, Route 17 N, Sloatsburg, NY 9-10am • This Poker Run is a very unique event, combining hand/eye coordination, marksmanship, intuition and just plain dumb luck, not to mention great roads.

For more information contact Dick Roberts • 201-767-3594

21 • Bob’s BMW Oktoberfest and Fall Open House • 9a-4p • Seasons change but there’s always fun at Bob’s BMW Oktoberfest and Open House. Food, vendors, product reps, door prizes and great one-day only specials • 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • 301-497-8949 • www.bobsbmw.com

19 • Bergen County H-D/BMW Freedom Ride XII • Sign In: Bergen Court House, Hackensack, NJ • Ride Leaves 11am SHARP • $25/rider • $15/passenger • To benefit FEAL GOOD FOUNDATION • Endsite: Overpeck Park, Ridgefield, NJ • For more information please call 201-843-6930 • www.bergenharleydavidson.com 19 • Father John J. Quinlan Memorial Bike Blessing • Sign in: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Andover, NJ • $20/pp includes all-you-can-eat brunch at the Lackawaxen House, Lackawaxen, PA. Escorted ride after procession past cemetary and Honor Guard to church for Bike Blessing • 908-343-7325 • blueknightsnj8@gmail.com 25 • Morton’s BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA • 4:00 pm • Ride To Eat with the Morton's crew! Meet us at 4:00 pm for a nice ride through the countryside to an interesting restaurant each month. Details at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540-891-9844.

26 • Vermont Thunder, Sharon, VT • www.VT-Thunder.org 30-31 • CLASS at Virginia International Raceway. Join Brian and Shira from Backroads Magazine for two days with Reg Pridmore and the crew from CLASS. Learn smoothness and cornering amongst friends. For more information visit www.CLASSrides.com

JUNE 2013 1-8 • Americade • www.americade.com • World’s largest motorcycle touring rally. Join with thousands of motorcyclist for a week of riding, fun, seminars and commaraderie.

1-9 • Warrensburg Bike Rally • 8am-6pm • Located on Schroon River Rd at the Warrensburg Fairgrounds. Free Admission and plenty of free parking. Vendors of all sorts including food and indoor restrooms • www.warrensburgbikerally.com • 518-791-8728 8 • Bob’s BMW Special Women’s Day Tech Seminar • 11am-Noon • The female riding community grows more and more every year so, in suport to all of the lady riders out there, join Bob’s BMW for a special women’s Tech Seminar and more surprises • 15 • BACKROADS 250+ • It’s a Jersey Thing. Have a great day riding 250+ miles ALL IN NEW JERSEY. Sign in: Chatterbox Drive-In, Augusta, NJ 8:30-9:30am • $10 charity donation. Printed and GPS routes available. Endsite: Sprinkle Shack, Sparta, NJ. For more information please call 973-948-4176.

8-16 • 90th Anniversay Laconia Bike Week • www.laconiamcweek.com • Join thousands of bikers for a week of music, parties and great events • RSVP: hanna.creekmore@bobsbmw.com • 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • 301-497-8949 17 • Ride to Work Day • www.RideToWork.org 20-23 • Thunder in the Valley Motorcycle Rally, Johnstown, PA • www.JohnstownThunder.com 23 • 5th Annual Baer’s MS Poker Run to benefit Multiple Sclerosis. Two sign in starts: Baer’s Sports Center, 330 Grandview Ave, Honesdale, PA or Harmony Lodge #8, 519 Rte. 206, Andover Twnshp, NJ. $20/pp incl. pin or patch, poker hand, raffles, 50/50, live music by Big Boss Sausage, vendors and more. Endsite: Airport Park, Matamoras, PA • 570-253-2000 • 570-686-2917 • 570-228-1896 • www.WRVR.net 24 • Bob’s BMW Track Day at Summit Point • Learn how to be the better rider you always wanted to be in a safe environment. Jeremy Cook, Bob’s BMW S1000RR racer and

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APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS NEW MILESTONE FUNCTIONAL JACKET FROM HARLEY-DAVIDSON Engineered with 11 zippered air vents and made from water-resistant 660 denier polyester, the new men’s Milestone Functional Jacket, starting at $195, from the Harley-Davidson MotorClothes line delivers superior climate-control for maximum riding comfort. The system includes two front vertical, two chest, two shoulder, two sleeve and three back exit vents. They’re matched by pre-curved sleeves, adjustable waist tabs and five zippered storage pockets for additional comfort and convenience. For added peace of mind it comes with body armor pockets at the elbows and shoulders and the optimal reflectivity of 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material. Available in S – 5XL and Tall sizes. The Milestone Functional Jacket is available now at most Harley-Davidson dealerships.

OUTLETS TO GO 3 LAPTOP: THE PERFECT TRAVEL COMPANION How many times have you arrived at your hotel and found that there weren’t enough power outlets for all your laptop, cell phone or other electronics? We know we have balanced an iPhone or two on a glass in a moist bathroom more than once. What we needed was a small power strip that would be tiny enough to take with us on the road. We finally found it.

Outlets to Go 3 Laptop easily fits in a small bag or laptop case and provides three outlets. Wherever you go, keep all your electronics powered up with Outlets to Go. With Outlets to Go 3 Laptop you’ve got the extra outlets you need when you’re traveling plus two rapid-charging high-power USB ports to charge your portable devices like cell phones, cameras, and more. For added convenience, the retractable plug folds up to make the OTG 3 Laptop easy to pack. Because it plugs directly into the wall, there’s no power cord and no tangled and cluttered cables to deal with.

Although it lists on their website, www.monstercable.com, for $29.99 we have found it for less than half on Amazon.

MOTO-D RACING HAS THE SUIT FOR YOU MOTO-D Racing’s Cold Weather Riding Base Layer is a great way to ride comfortably year round. The full-length soft shell technical garment is manufactured from a proprietary poly-spandex blend, which blocks wind and insulates warmth without bulk. With a fleecefeel brushed inner surface and a raised soft-stretch collar to protect your neck from rain, road debris and chafing near the helmet strap, the Fall/Cold Base Layer will keep your skin warm but never overheated or clammy. Available in 5 sizes from S to XXL, $79.99 with free shipping.

We received one for testing a couple of months ago. In a recent jaunt through Texas, where the

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BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

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mornings were frosty and the days warmer, the MOTO-D Base Layer worked well, offering a comfortable ride on both ends of the thermometer. Just like Goldilocks, not too hot and not too cold but just right. Look for a wear-tested update in an upcoming issue.

In addition to the Cold Weather Riding Base Layer, we received a pair of MOTO-D Racing’s Thermolite Traction Grip Socks. These are a perfect match for the Base Layer as they do not bind or pinch, keep your feet warm without clamminess and have a great traction bottom when walking without boots. They wash well and dry quickly.

Heading into the warmer weather, MOTO-D Racing also offers their one-piece Summer/All-Weather Undersuit. Made of comparable, soft and comfortable materials to keep your body temperature-controlled during your riding or track day, the Undersuit is available in 5 sizes from S to XXl and sells for $69.99 moTo-d racing • 646-820-7177 • www.motodracing.com

NEW 2013 AEROSTICH CATALOG Celebrating 30 years of providing riders with exceptional gear and equipment, the 2013 Aerostich Catalog is the biggest issue ever, with 270 all-new items and sixteen additional pages. The 262 page fullcolor catalog features Aerostich suits for everyday motorcycle transportation as well as touring, sport, and back-country riders. A six page fold-out cover is loaded with more rider supplied photos, opening to reveal a unique map presenting the numbers of ‘Rideable Days’ in over 100 cities around the USA (How many days do you want to ride?). Three all-new rider’s suits are also introduced; the Roadcrafter City, Tactical and Reverse Stitching models, each with significant upgrades, options and features making them even more useful tools for everyday riders. New colors are also introduced for Falstaff, Darien and Roadcrafter suits.

Along with the products, this catalog contains dozens of new customer-shared photos, sidebar articles, quotes, guides, non-commercial content and a few of the usual ‘Easter Eggs’ to keep things interesting.

Everything may also be browsed and searched at the www.aerostich.com website, for expanded product presentations, videos, animated ‘mix & match’ suit color selector, real-time comparisons, a digital selfsizing tool and secure online ordering. The informational entertaining print catalog is FREE! Get yours today by contacting the good-looking, hard-riding, humble, kind, courteous, and knowledgeable staff at Aerostich World Headquarters in Duluth, MN through our website, email: catalog@aerostich.com or call: 800-222-1994. Enjoy…and good riding!

BACKROADS gladly accepts press releases. Please send digitial info and high-resolution images via email to editor@backroadsusa.com.

Mailing address: P.O.B 317, Branchville, NJ 07826

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APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS

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THE WALLKILL TOUR Rip & Ride® 100 MILE ONE-WAY TRIP GPS DOWNLOAD HERE: WWW.SENDSPACE.COM/PRO/DL/9JLTED IF YOU’D LIKE TO MAKE THIS AN OVERNIGHT, THERE IS LODGING AVAILABLE IN KINGSTON, NY

START: LAKE MOHAWK • W. SHORE TRAIL LEFT ONTO CR 613/MOHAWK AVE LEFT ONTO CR 605/WOODPORT RD STRAIGHT ONTO MAIN ST RIGHT ONTO CR 517 LEFT ONTO BROOKS FLAT RD RIGHT ONTO PLANT ST STERLING HILL MINING MUSEUM RIGHT ONTO PASSAIC AVE LEFT ONTO CORK HILL RD BACKWARDS TUNNEL LEFT ONTO CR 631 AT THIS CORNER YOU CAN VIEW WATERFALL ON RIGHT RIGHT ONTO SCOTT RD LEFT ONTO ROUTE 23 NORTH RIGHT ONTO SCENIC LAKE RD RIGHT ONTO CR 565/GLENWOOD RD WALLKILL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE OFFICE ON LEFT LEFT ONTO CR 667/LAKE WALLKILL RD LEFT ONTO CR 665/BASSETTS BRIDGE RD LEFT AT T BASSETTS BRIDGE VIEWING CENTER AND WALKWAY RIGHT ONTO RTE. 284 RIGHT ONTO OIL CITY RD CROSS INTO NY STATE LIBERTY MARSH VIEWING AREA RIGHT ONTO STATE LINE RD LEFT ONTO CR 88/LIBERTY CORNERS RD LEFT ONTO CR 1 RIGHT ONTO CR 12 RIGHT ONTO RTE. 6 LEFT ONTO HARTLEY RD LEFT ONTO ECHO LAKE RD AT T RIGHT ONTO MCVEIGH RD RIGHT ONTO CR 50 RIGHT ONTO CR 67 RIGHT ONTO CR 83 LEFT ONTO HILL RD BEAR RIGHT ONTO LAGRANGE RD LEFT ONTO RTE. 207

BEAR LEFT ONTO RTE. 416 RIGHT ONTO RTE. 211 LEFT ONTO RTE. 17K IMMEDIATE RIGHT ONTO RIVER RD BEAR RIGHT ONTO CROSS ST POWER PLANT WATERFALL ON RIGHT RIGHT ONTO W MAIN ST CROSS BRIDGE BEAR LEFT ONTO RTE. 208 NORTH LEFT ONTO WALLKILL AVE/RIVER RD LEFT ONTO CR 19 STAY RIGHT ONTO CR 19/SAND HILL RD LEFT ONTO RTE. 44 VILLAGE MARKET CAFÉ ON LEFT ACROSS FROM POST OFFICE RIGHT ONTO CR 9 BEAR RIGHT ONTO ALBANY POST RD RIGHT ONTO RTE. 299 LEFT ONTO CR 7/SPRINGTOWN RD CROSS RONDOUT CREEK – HISTORIC MARKER ON RIGHT RIGHT ONTO RIVER RD LEFT ONTO RTE. 32/213 RIGHT ONTO CR 25/CREEK LOCKS RD – GREAT ROAD LEFT ONTO RTE. 213 RIGHT ONTO ABEEL ST RIGHT ONTO BROADWAY LEFT ONTO EAST STRAND ST HUDSON RIVER MARITIME MUSEUM ON RIGHT CONTINUE ON E STRAND INTO NORTH ST RIGHT ONTO DELAWARE AVE TO END PARK BIKE AND WALK INTO KINGSTON POINT PARK TO SEE LIGHTHOUSE

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

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Page 58

Cruising S.E. Alaska on the Alaska Marine Highway System: The “other” Alaska Cruise Line words Roy Stevenson • images Linda Popovich Mention to people that you’re going to Alaska and their immediate assumption is that you’re going on a cruise. This happened to me dozens of times before I left for my Alaskan Odyssey last summer. The conversations went something like this.

Me: “I’m going to visit Alaska.”

Other Person: Cool, you’re going on a cruise. That should be fun.”

Me: “No, I’m going on the Alaska Marine Highway.”

Other Person: “Oh, you’re riding up the Alaska Highway. That’ll be a long haul.”

Me: “No, I’m taking the ferries on the Alaska Marine Highway System.”

Other Person (with blank look): “Huh?” The fleet of long, comfortable state run ferries that ply the 3,500-mile long Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) provides a marvelous opportunity for the independent traveler to explore Alaska’s magnificent bounty of nature’s finest scenes: Mile upon mile of soaring snow capped mountains with enormous glass blue glaciers creeping down their canyons; mysterious mist shrouded islands with the occasional picture perfect white-painted lighthouse plunked squarely atop their craggy cliffs; peaceful coastal towns and villages alive with fishermen, hunters, and whoever else is bold enough to live in Alaska.

A never-ending 360-degree panorama of nature unfolds around you on the AMHS ferries as you cruise peacefully along at 16 knots. I had to keep remind-

ing myself of this incredible beauty so I wouldn’t become inured to it—that would be a crime. One night, standing alone on the deck, I saw a breathtaking sunset that I’ll never forget. It was just when the mountainsides had lost their color, changing to a shadowy deep black, and the far sky was afire with the orange and crimson last gasps of the sun’s descent. Later, I see a behemoth cruise ship pass by like a ghost in the night, lights shining brilliantly, an outdoor movie showing on the top deck.

The scenery, in fact, is so spectacular that the AMHS is the first water-based highway in the United States to be designated a National Scenic Byway.

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abundance of wildlife, all visible from the ferries: whales breaching from the sea like prehistoric monsters, eagles hovering majestically overhead, barking sea lions, basking seals, graceful sea otters, diving porpoises—and if you’re lucky, the occasional bear or moose wandering idly along the coastline.

The AMHS sea route serves 33 ports, starting from the lovely town of Bellingham, Washington, a few minutes south of the Canadian border, and 1.5 hours ride north of Seattle. The marine highway extends from the villages and cities in S.E. Alaska north to the Gulf of Alaska, Kodiak Island, the Kenai Peninsula, Prince William Sound, and the Aleutians.

Why such an extensive marine highway network? Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the United States combined. Half of its coastal cities are unreachable by conventional roads—hence the need for the eleven-ship AMHS fleet that regularly provides a lifeline of people and supplies to these small towns and cities.

The AMHS vessels are not cruise ships—nor do they pretend to be. Although the on board services are more basic than those of the behemoth cruise liners, from my recent journey around S.E. Alaska, they certainly lack

progressively bigger as the meal continues; or discussing when the next supply barge is due in.

In short, the AMHS is ideal for travelers wanting to experience the “real” Alaska by spending more time in her coastal towns and villages. And having experienced the “real” Alaska after visiting these fascinating little towns and meeting her genuinely friendly people for one month this past summer, this suddenly seems very important to me. Interestingly, a whopping 40% of cruise line passengers who visit Alaska will return, so intrigued are they by the brief glimpses they get of her real self.

The great beauty of the AMHS is that you can ride its ferries to any of its

no vital amenities. You can still travel in comfort, see the same sights and visit the same places as the cruise passengers, without the 6-hour “plunder and pillage” shore visit time limitations placed upon the cruise passengers. You won’t find a swimming pool, beauty salon, or casino on an AMHS vessel, but who cares?

Why have ordinary when you can have

extraordinary?

Cruise line passengers float away from each Alaskan town with heavy suitcases crammed with tacky souvenirs made in China, and much lighter wallets, while the AMHS traveler meets real Alaskans and walks away much enriched from the experience. The cruise line passenger sits down to an over-the-top, belt-loosening fivecourse meal every day, while the AMHS traveler shares breakfast in friendly local diners, listening to flannel shirted fishermen, hunters—even gold miners—boast about their catch, trophy buck, or strike, each getting

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Page 60 destination stops, get off the ferry, and stay in the town for as long as you like without being herded back to your cruise ship by loud, rude blasts on the ship’s horn.

The AMHS vessels and crews are infinitely more personal than cruise liners. I have had pleasant, unhurried conversations with the officers, crew, pursers, and galley staff on my AMHS excursions. One cook showed me how to make the perfect folding omelet.

Invited up on the bridge to meet the Captain and ship’s officers, I learned more about nautical navigation, depth soundings, and maritime law than I will ever be able to remember. The bridge is preternaturally quiet. I’m so glad the officers are cool and collected, because it must be a heavy responsibility, running these large ships that range from 181 to 418 feet long. I’m amazed at the extensive experience, education, and training of the ship’s officers and crew. The captains, especially, are an interesting lot. Some have done time in the Navy or on cruise liners; others have attended marine officer’s schools sprinkled around the country.

But they’re not stern and solemn all the time, either. On the Juneau-Pe-

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS tersburg leg of my AMHS odyssey we stop at the small Indian village of Kake, on Kupreanoff Island. The captain, Thomas Moore, a short, flint-eyed man with square shoulders and a ramrod straight back, watches the first officer carefully dock the boat. After the cars have exited the vehicle deck, he says, “Right, let’s go, follow me”. We descend down to the vehicle deck and jump into the AMHS van, used to transport disabled people to and from the dock.

After a few minutes’ drive through this tiny Tlingit Indian fishing and logging village, with the locals smiling and waving at us, we’re watching three lumbering brown grizzly bears catch spawning salmon in a swiftly flowing river. Captain Moore wears his love of Alaska and its inhabitants on his sleeve.

Next he drives me to the top of a scrub covered bluff, and we stand in front of the tallest totem pole in the world, towering 132-feet above us. We’re overlooking one of the most spectacular Alaskan scenes you can imagine: low growth Cedars and firs in the foreground, small islands in the mid distance, surrounded by a glistening, absolutely deep blue sea, and a long line of im-

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BACKROADS • APRIL 2013 mense snow capped peaks stretching across the horizon in the far distance.

Giggling like 12-year-old girls, we snap each other in front of the Totem and jump back in the van.

A few minutes later he snaps into his portable radio “Captain here, we’ll be on board in three, stand by”. As we enter the cavernous vehicle deck, the officers are standing tall, waiting for his instructions. “What are you waiting for”, he says, “Let’s get this show on the road”. Less than five minutes later we’re pulling out from Kake, carefully avoiding the small rocky islands that loom nearby. Later, to cap off a great day, I dine with the ship’s officers in their galley, reveling in the steward’s fussing over me.

What facilities can be expected on an AMHS ship? The forward semi circular, enclosed viewing deck is the most popular room, for its unfolding panorama of fjords and mountains. Upstairs though, is my favorite: the Recliner Lounge, with well-spaced reclining seats and quiet—no screaming kids here. On some trips, the rear lounge, with a semicircular view over the stern can be a very private place—one evening, I had the entire lounge to myself while writing my notes.

The Video Room is the ship’s theater, showing family friendly movies; also doubling as a sleeping room for the overnight haulers who don’t need a stateroom. Each ship has staterooms, or passenger cabins for those who prefer a good bed. Somewhat like stripped down hotel rooms with bunks; you can enjoy a good night’s rest in these cabins.

The AMHS ships, although varying in size and types of rooms, all have private little nooks and crannies where you can find privacy. I spent a few pleasant hours with an older couple of retirees from Colorado, working on a jigsaw puzzle and talking quietly in a small side annex.

But the accommodation I was most fascinated with was the Solarium on the rear of the top deck.

Covered over by an enclosed canopy except for the rear, and toasty warm from the overhead grid of heaters, the Solariums are a mix between a tent city and a beach community sleeping on plastic deck chairs.

Some passengers sleep sprawled out on deck chairs, bundled in sleeping bags or covered in piles of blankets, and the “campers” pitch their tents and live in them for the duration of the trip. Voila! Instant DIY staterooms! The tent ropes are taped to the ground with duct tape. This makes for a unique experience for the campers. Imagine looking out of your tent to see a spectacular moving Northwest panorama of forest, mountains, and glaciers unfolding before your eyes.

Other AMHS ship amenities include laundry facilities, showers and heads, gift shops crammed with interesting books and souvenirs, and a galley and restaurant. The food, to be honest, is not cruise ship gourmet, but I found it

Page 61 to be worthy of a good Seattle restaurant, so had no complaints at all with the food or service. The galley serves up enormous breakfast helpings of eggs, hash browns, thick toast, and whatever else the cook feels like tossing into the mix— enough for two people, at very reasonable prices.

What, then, is there to do aboard AMHS ferries? As little or as much as you want.

Explore the ship. Hear Forest Rangers give presentations on the attractions in the next town and Alaskan flora and fauna. Watch movies in the Video Room, snooze,

Page 62

read. Work on jigsaw puzzles. Discover Alaska’s fascinating history on the reader boards lining the ship’s hallways. Catch up on your computer work and emails. Decompress and relax.

Watch the view from the side or rear of the ship. It’s all good.

But to me, the most rewarding aspect of traveling on the AMHS was meeting the people on the boat, especially the locals. I treasure my memories of enjoyable conversations with a hard core fisherman who has braved heaving 40-foot ocean swells to catch King Crab, a native Indian who enthusiastically invited me to a large intertribal powwow next year, two dedicated young women on a several thousand mile bike trip across the U.S. to raise funds for a women’s shelter, and an ex-Navy SEAL, who regaled me with some rather hair-raising stories of his service in the Vietnam War over lunch.

Alas, describing the lovely little towns where the AMHS stops are beyond the purview of this story, but suffice it to say that each little town or city is very different from the last, making them all well worth visiting. Juneau,

APRIL 2013 • BACKROADS with its buildings set on old gold mine tailings and steep vertical backdrop of Douglas Fir-covered mountains contrasts superbly with the sleepy little town of Haines, that packs a surprising punch for its weight in tourist attractions and stunning natural beauty. Here you’ll see bears and eagles aplenty, rivers clogged with spawning salmon, kayakable lakes, cycling tours, gold panning, and as a bonus, the world’s only Hammer Museum.

A short, hour-long ferry ride across the fjord to the honkey-tonk gold mining town of Skagway, with cruise ships seemingly moored right at the end of main street, contrasts with the immaculately kept and thriving fishing town of Petersburg, where there were once more millionaires per capita than any other place in the U.S.A. (and even today, they’re doing just fine thank you).

Then there’s the grandfather of them all, Ketchikan, which seems to have elements of all of the above: massive cruise ships lined up along the dock disgorging thousands of obnoxious, pampered tourists, fishermen, a plethora of tourist attractions (over 250 different tours!), and excellent museums and visitors centers.

Perhaps I’ve been too hard on the cruise ships. Many tourists wouldn’t have it any other way than cruising in luxury. But for the independent traveler, the ultimate way to experience Alaska in her rugged glory is by hopping off at whim to explore the small towns. The AMHS offers an inexpensive, convenient, and relaxing way to get to Alaska’s main tourist attractions, and promises a depth of poignant experiences that will stay with you for life, for a fraction of the price. And you can even bring your own vehicle, motorcycles included.

For more information on the Marine Highway System please visit www.ferryalaska.com. You can find sailing schedule, rates and itinerary suggestions, as well as a sample week’s motorcycle tour: www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/sample_bel_ktn.shtml Roy Stevenson is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in Seattle, Washington. He’s had more than 600 articles published in 160 regional national, and international magazines, newspapers, in-flights and online travel magazines. To view more of Roy Stevenson’s travel articles go to www.Roy-Stevenson.com

BACKROADS • APRIL 2013

PRODUCT REVIEW

Page 63

RESQLINK- A PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON THAT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE

In the event of an emergency, a personal locator beacon is your last best chance for rescue.

Do you spend time on those backroads where there is no cell phone service? Do you travel alone and worry about getting help if you have an accident or are seriously injured?

A personal locator beacon (PLB) is a handheld device about the size of a cell phone only much thicker. When activated it sends out an emergency signal. Originally designed for boaters, hikers, climbers and skiers, PLB’s are a valuable accessory for every motorcyclist. The ResQLink uses three levels of integrated signal technology – GPS positioning using 66 channels; a powerful 406 MHz signal; and 121.5 MHz homing capability signal. The 406 MHz is an internationally recognized distress signal. The signal is monitored by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and (SARSAT) the Search and Rescue Satellite–Aided Tracking System. An activated emergency signal is relayed to the SARSAT system within minutes.

Your position guides rescuers to within 100 meters or less of your position. A bright LED strobe light helps to further identify your position.

Each ResQLink device is registered to the owner and has a distinctive code number. When activated, the uniquely coded distress signal is transmitted. The signal is picked up by orbiting satellites, transmitted to a ground station, and forwarded to Missions Control Center. Next the Rescue Coordination Center calls emergency contacts listed with the beacon and notifies local search and rescue. While the ResQLink works world-wide, the speed of the response time will vary depending on the country you are in.

ACR Electronics has been making emergency locator beacons for the marine and aircraft industry and the military for over fifty years. Their engineers are obsessed with manufacturing the highest quality products possible. All their products are proudly made in the USA.

The ResQLink measures 3.9” x 1.3” x 1.9” and weighs only 4.6 ounces. It will easily fit in a jacket or pants pocket. It’s waterproof and easy to activate. Unfold the antenna and press and hold the activation button for one second. Usually you would be conscious and manually activate the unit, although it does function automatically in the case of an accident, the way some automobile systems work. There is an additional button that can be used to test the unit. The lithium battery lasts for five years and the unit is guaranteed for five years. There is no annual fee! The company does offer a unique service, for a fee, that allows you to check in with friends and family while you are traveling. Beacons must be registered with NOAA which can be easily done on line, via mail, or fax.

There are significant differences between ResQLink which is a true PLB and other locator products in the marketplace. More power is better. Other devices use a 400 milliWatt transmitter while the ResQLink uses 5 Watts.

The 406 MHz frequency used by all ACR devices is a low frequency that that can penetrate buildings, and the environment, easier and was chosen for use as a dedicated frequency by the search and rescue community. Other devices use a 1.6 GHz frequency which is a non-dedicated frequency with less penetrating power. All PLB’s must be submitted to an independent testing lab that verifies the frequency, operating life, and testing in extreme temperatures and conditions as well as be approved by Cospas-Sarsat, USCG, and the FCC. PLB’s use two different satellite systems that cover every inch of the earth. Other systems have gaps in their coverage.

The ResQLink lists for $279.95 with rebates and incentives sometimes offered. Visit www.acrelectronics.com for more information. This latest generation of PLB is half the size and price of the previous model. ~ Michael Nemlich

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