July 2019

W H A T ’ S MO NT HLY C O L U M NS

I N S I D E 20 Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

FREE WHEELIN’ ..................................................3 WHATCHATHINKIN’ ...........................................4 POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE.......................5

Publishers

Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil

Contributors

Mark Byers, Bill Heald, Michael Nemlich, Dr. Seymour O’Life

ON THE MARK ....................................................6 BACKLASH..........................................................8 INDUSTRY INFOBITES.......................................9

Editorial Office BACKROADS, POB 620 Augusta, NJ 07822

MYSTERIOUS AMERICA..................................12 GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN ..............14 BIG CITY GETAWAY .........................................16

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WE’RE OUTTA HERE ........................................18 WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE ............................30 INSIDE SCOOP .................................................27 BONUS INSIDE SCOOP ..............................46 UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR ...................48

FE AT U RE S FROM WOODSTOCK TO THE MOON..............20 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF MOTOGP .................34 NJ LIGHTHOUSE CHALLENGE.......................37 IMTBIKE’S SCOTT MORENO ..........................41

PR O DU C T R E V IE W S SARGENT BMW R1200GS SADDLE...............31 CORBIN EXPANDED GOLD WING DOORS ....32

34 37

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BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACKROADS™, Inc. 2019. 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.

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

FREE WHEELIN’ BRIAN RATHJeN

Freeriding I spent a great deal of time this past winter reading up on a variety of topics and one book that stood out was The Rise of Superman. It had nothing to do with Kryptonian DNA, but rather it dealt with ‘flow’ and how this state of mind can affect us and how to perform day to day.

It was a very interesting book and I found a new paradigm of how the mind can operate and excel with the right conditions.

Along the pages author Stephen Kotler brought up ‘Freeriding’ – coined by skier Shane McConkey in the ‘90s as freeskiing and since then the prefix ‘free” has made the rounds and has been adopted by many other, more adventurous, sports.

With freeriding snowboarders, and others that have adopted the term, are out simply doing what they do… and excelling at it in a remarkable way.

No competition, no accolades (other than maybe some friends), no monetary rewards. Just performing as best and as creatively as they can with no pressure other than their own true desire to improve, excel and push their own personal boundaries.

As I had hoped when I first listened to a seminar by Kotler and then bought Rise of Superman, the possibilities of flow, the zone, satori - whatever you would like to call it - seem boundless and the examples given were remarkable in many ways.

Page 3 But, I was particularly heartened to see that many of the points made were things that have been talked about and professed by many others and there was much that I thought I already used daily.

Well, I at least hoped so.

The thought of freeriding and the art of riding motorcycles with skill came into the conversation while discussing the upcoming CLASS days at Virginia International Raceway this September.

We are holding our Fall Fiesta Rally immediately following Reg’s school and we put out the invitation to all to join us there for two days of track time that we promised would change your riding in so many positive ways.

A good many of you saw the value of investing in yourself over a new hot accessory or chunk of chrome – so we now have a nice cadre’ of riders going to Virginia.

One friend who has a lot of drag racing experience but no road course time was concerned that he would be put into an advanced group.

I assured him he would not. He then asked what group we rode with while at CLASS. I told him, although we have jumped to the other, faster Group A, that each time we have made this move in the past we were both reminded that a few in this group were there solely for the track time; as evident by the track-only machines and aggressive riding style.

Shira and I, on the other hand, have a completely different agenda for going to CLASS and having to be, even slightly, concerned about far faster riders blowing by us knocks us off that line of thought – pushs us off our flow. And, every time that happens, it takes us laps to get back in the groove if we can at all.

In Group B, although going far faster than we ever ride on the street, Shira and I can settle into a nice quick pace and work on what we have come to VIR for… to get smoother, more precise in our lines, and improve both our riding skills and confidence.

This is not a competition or race in any way. Just the opposite.

Occasionally things might get a bit driven but in a light-hearted manner.

For the most part, it is freeriding or, in this case, freetracking at its best.

This applies to our street riding as well. If I could do an afternoon with Continued on Page 4

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

WHATCHATHINKIN’ SHIRA KAMIL

Mark that date As you’ll see throughout these pages, 2019 holds some significant anniversary dates. In addition to the ones we’ve mentions here – Apollo 11, Woodstock and MotoGP – there are things to celebrate, or not depending on your bent, since the calendar turned its pages in January. From US history to pop culture, let’s take a look at what was happening back in our youth.

On January 16, 1919, the U.S. ratified the 18th Amendment, better known as Prohibition. This didn’t stop folks from drinking alcohol but, instead, lead to the creation of criminal gangs that regulated and distributed illegal alcohol in the newly formed speakeasy bars. To follow this up, we bid a happy 20th to Tony and the guys of the Sopranos – Bada bing and, 85 years ago, said goodbye to the duo of Bonnie and Clyde.

June 6 was the 75th anniversary of the landing on Normandy Beach. My visit to this site a few years back was a somber, yet uplifting, one, made more special by the company of Paul and Connie Zannini. June 4 was also the

100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote.

Closer to my hometown, July 11 will be the 115th year after the duel of Burr and Hamilton, which took place in what is now Weehawken, NJ overlooking the Hudson River.

Looking back at the big and little screens, pop culture has a lot of candles to light in 2019. In November of 1969, children saw their first Muppet on Sesame Street and the question remains unanswered – were Burt and Ernie from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ the inspiration for Burt and Ernie on Sesame Street? December 1989, the word ‘Doh!’ was uttered for the first time, bringing Homer, Bart and crew into our homes and has been the longest running American sitcom ever.

The hippies at Woodstock weren’t the only ones getting high in August – 1939 saw Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion taking a poppy nap outside of the Emerald City and a few months later Scarlett O’Hara was pulling down the curtains to make her party dress. Also putting 50 candles on the cake are Ratso Rizzo and Joe Buck of Midnight Cowboy, the foursome of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, the only appearance of George Lazenby as 007 in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and, as Bill mentions in his column, Easy Rider.

Spin up the turntable and pay tribute to these 50 year old albums that you probably bought several times over in every digital format: Led Zeppelin I, The Who’s Tommy, The Beatles Abbey Road and Bowie’s Space Oddity (coincidence with the Apollo moon landing?)

Perhaps one of the most iconic and important motorcycles to be rolled out in 1969 was Honda’s CB750, perhaps the first superbike. With its disc brake, electric start and a five-speed box with left-side shift, it did some major damage to the once-great British motorcycle industry. It also raised the head of the folks at Kawasaki, who answered the challenge with their Z1. It was a great time for powerful motorcycles.

These are just a very few special anniversaries to be marked and noted with this passing year. I’m sure that each one of you has your own special memory and way you will commemorate the important dates, events, music and entertainment that has touched your life. For me, I’d like to raise a glass and make a toast to Brian (and me, I suppose), as this is the 275th issue of Backroads that you hold in your hands. The first issue was passed out at the 1995 Ramapo 500 – a slim 16-page black and white newspaper that we slaved over, worried to death that it would never see the light of day. From that day forward Brian and I did our best to bring you a plethora of interesting destination, incredible road trips and a touch of the weird and wacky, thanks to Dr. O’Life. We hope you’ve enjoyed what we’ve done, and will continue to do, as long as you are willing to pick up a printed page and read along. Yes, we’ve moved to the 21st century and have gone digital, but Backroads is, and always will be, a print magazine because, as we say here at Backroads Central, it’s easier to bring a magazine to the ‘reading room’ than a laptop.

Free Wheelin’

Continued from Page 3

Reg every week I would – as all riding skills are perishable and need to be practiced on a continuous basis. So, I try to take time during each ride to really think about my lines, my lane placement, my entry braking, and entry and exit velocity in and out of turns.

If I can slip into the flow or reach Japanese satori, all the better.

When all fades away and it seems to be just me, the bike and the road – well, life is better than good.

It is outstanding.

Street riding and motorcycle touring shouldn’t be a struggle or competition with others, rather an ongoing quest to be the best you can be and the only real opponent is yourself.

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

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side theaters), was a very avant-garde movie called Easy Rider. This was a unique movie that managed to capture so much of the culture of the times and damned if motorcycles weren’t the vehicles to take them through their BILL HeALD trippy adventures. I find this classic to be truly significant because it covered so much ground, and it ends with the kind of unexpected gritty, jarring realinconsistent evolution ism that eventually found its way into many films of the era.

Of course the ultimate vehicle of this period was a crude, pregnant spider “I am surprised how little improveof a thing; an awkward tin box of odd-fitting parts that was called a Lunar ment there has been in human evolution. Oh, there has been techniExcursion Module (LEM). It went by a more patriotic and aesthetically pleascal advancement, but, how little man himself has changed.” ing name, the Eagle, and it was this specialized device of the NASA workKhan Noonien Singh shops that carried two men from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon and This is one of my favorite quotes, and I think I’ve cited it in many of these back. To this day, it’s one of the most endearing of human accomplishments columns, emails, check notes, correspondence to bill collectors, etc. because and Apollo 11 was the first of many lunar missions that brought a dozen huI think it’s important. I love it because it seems to manifest itself in one form mans to the lunar surface where they strolled, examined, played golf, and or another nearly every day. As we’re recognizing a number of very important (this being an American thing) drove cars around and ultimately left 200 tons 50th anniversaries this year it is a time to celof garbage and waste on the once pristine satellite. ebrate and reflect, and (in the case of cynical years later, we still have a problem cleaning 50 o these sound like the ravings of types like myself) ponder the darker aspects up after ourselves, and it’s gotten to the point that just another old dude with a curof the passage of time and man’s role in it. it well may do us all in. The journeys to the moon rent bout of really bad Arthritis in and back were the work of countless extraordiAs a fancier of the two-wheeled transport, a machine that seems to me like a companion nary minds of every race, creed and persuasion his knees? I certainly hope so. that escorts me from one point in history to imaginable, and yet half a century later we are the next, I look upon events like the first moon landing and Woodstock and still dealing with issues of race, creed and persuasion. There’s more computtry to remember (with the dim memory of one who was a young child when ing power in the phone you carry than the machines that summited the moon, these things took place) what the world was like at the time and how these yet we still haven’t figured out what to do with our trash a half a century amazing bits of history have steered us to the present day. Motorcycles were later. the same back then in terms of the freedom, fun, efficiency and unique satKhan was on to something, you see. isfaction they deliver when going from point A to point B, just like they do And what of our humble companions, the motorcycle? Over the last 50 today. Oh, there has been technical advancement, but how little the motoryears, they have changed with the technology to become safer and more recycle itself has changed. Now where did I hear that? liable. We have antilock brakes, exemplary tires, flawless fuel injection, and It sounds vaguely familiar. . . all kinds of subtle advancements in safety yet many still think it’s OK to ride Interestingly, those quoted words from the Star Trek episode Space Seed without a helmet. With fossil fuels finally getting recognized as the environfound their way onto TV screens around the world roughly 50 years ago as mental virus they are, electric bikes are here as well proving that these mawell. Also appearing 50 years ago, on a different kind of screen (the kind inContinued on Page 7

POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

ON THE MARK MARK BYeRS

ignorance Recently, there were several motorcycle accidents in my area, some of them fatal. Based on news reports, some were the result of the motorcycle pilots doing questionable things and others were the result of drivers doing questionable things. A couple of the causes were inexplicable and perhaps the result of animals who didn’t have the good grace to hang around the scene to make statements - we may never know.

There are people, however, who know. In fact, they know and see everything. If you have ever read the “comments” section below an article on your local news’ Internet page, you will recognize these omniscient beings as regular posters. No matter the subject, they have a ready judgment and a large bag of comments with which to back up their verdicts, whether factual or not. Their pronouncements range from the merely ignorant to the outright cruel. If you ever want to experience the extreme nadir – the absolute bottom of the barrel – of humanity, you don’t need to go any farther than the comments section.

Motorcycles are a favorite whipping boy of theirs and they apparently possess a vast knowledge of motorcycle physics and rider behavioral psychology that allows them to pronounce judgment on every accident. If a sportbike is involved, whether the rider came to grief from a u-turning truck (as one did recently) or not, the verdict is quickly and inevitably given as “those guys are always going too fast and they deserve to die and all sportbikes should

be banned.” There will be several personal observations of past sportbike transgressions given as support, whether they match the circumstances of the crash or not, and smug sycophants will chime in with “Amen, brothers” and similar shows of support.

One could simply ignore them, and I largely do, but there is a sad and scary fact about people with nothing better to do than sit around all day making ignorant comments on news articles: they vote and they serve on juries. The fact is, if you ride a sportbike and have an accident, whether you go to criminal or civil court, you will have the odds stacked against you thanks to a jury populated by people who think you deserve to die because of your choice of transportation. At the polls, you’ll fare no better, because every soccer mom in creation has been scared by some ass on a sportbike or had her ears assailed by a loud pipe.

Logic and fact will have nothing to do with it.

It doesn’t stop with sportbikes: all motorcyclists are apt to be victims of a completely biased view of them by any jury or voting block. Studies have shown that damages awarded in civil cases, even when the motorcyclist was not at fault, are significantly reduced compared to those for automobile drivers. The prevailing attitude among non-riders is that you chose to do something “dangerous” and even though it wasn’t your fault that you were hurt, you deserve a certain amount of pain for your choice.

Ask any non-rider and they will have a “horror story” to tell about an incident that makes them believe that motorcycles are the Safety Antichrist.

There’s no sense fighting them: commenting on the commenters is like wrestling the proverbial pig – it does no good, it gets you muddy, it wastes your time, and the pig likes the attention. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the comments section of the paper or your Homeowner’s Association FaceBook page, the emotion-driven shouters will bury you in a blizzard of electronic snow so deep that the most factual snow shovel will be useless. It’s frustrating as hell, but it’s true.

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

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The one bright spot of which I know in this situation is the advent of cameras: whether helmet-worn or handlebar-mounted, a good camera that records your surroundings and actions can be of significant help if you need to support your case in court against the tide of motorcycle naysayers (assuming you’re behaving). On the other hand, be prepared to present your case against a public who has been fed a constant stream of YouTube videos of motorcyclists being jackasses, wheelying down interstates, standing on their seats, blocking traffic, running from cops, and so forth. And as for bias, be prepared for the presence of a camera on your helmet or your bike to be a source of bias on the part of a cop who probably believes you’re making a YouTube video yourself. There’s plenty of ignorance to go around.

Postcards FroM the hedge

Continued from Page 5

chines can roll with the times, no problem. In America, society still doesn’t have a real grasp on the potential the motorcycle has for normal transportation, but that should not be surprising as this country doesn’t seem to understand mass transit either. No matter what technology is available, it seems man finds a way to move backwards and thanks to all the distracted drivers, motorcyclists face a more dangerous environment on the road than ever before. The machines have become more advanced, but how little traffic itself has changed.

Do these sound like the ravings of just another old dude with a current bout of really bad Arthritis in his knees? I certainly hope so. But hey, when you observe the passing of very significant events this year there’s a lot to think about, because the night is dark and full of terrors. You really are in danger of repeating the past if you don’t learn from it, but at the same time great moments in the past teach us what is possible; what problems can be solved, what challenges can be overcome. Some of mankind’s best qualities always find a way to shine through, even when the species’ less desirable traits are likewise able to find ways to express themselves in the present. The fact that how little man himself has changed is a sad irony, but it is also a sign of hope in a weird way. The trick is building on the good stuff, and finding a way to, finally, deal with the garbage.

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

BACKLASH Another One In The Books…

We may not have followed the BR routes and stops, but we had a great time, and it is always super to spend some down time with other riders as well. Thank you to the planners, and a big thank you to Lisa for the special

Letters to the Editor Hi Brian and Shira, Thanks for a wonderful Spring Break weekend. I think we maybe had an hour of light drizzle for this trip, which was amazing (and unusual). The huge highlight (aside from being with a great group of people) was the AmishView Inn. Keene and I thought the place was fantastic. We’ll likely go back there again ourselves. Thanks again, and see you both soon! lisa and keene B&S, If I didn’t say it before, thank you both for all the hard work you put into this (Spring Break). It was great and the roads were better!

MB Brian n Shira, Had great time on the Spring Break, well done! Thanks. roy k

surprise waiting for us when we all arrived at the AmishView! Looking forward to seeing you all again. robert laFord

Backroads, Thanks for organizing another great trip Beth vanBladel Thanks again for the ride, the company and the seat! I’m still on a high from the trip. Jeff Backroads, We just arrived home from our motorcycle trip to Pennsylvania and Maryland. Seven out of seven days with only about 5 minutes of rain the whole time!

Thanks to Brian and Shira for arranging such great weather for their 2019 Spring Break. It was a lot of fun and good to see everyone again.

Bruce & gail Brown Hey Backrads Thank you for including The Forklift Cafe in your AMAZING travels!! Know we are always here and love to have riders stop by!

Safe Travels! lori ann rosencrance hines For those of us that live vicariously through the "Dynamic Duo" most of the year, the spring get together is always an amazing way to jump into the riding season.

I'm always smiling when we pull in for the first night and so many familiar faces appear and it only gets better from there. Thank you Brian for your help and patience with the GPS impaired. I would like to give a shout out to Ron, Woody the Wabbit and the crew at Track and Trail in PA for hooking me up with new rubber. Looking forward to seeing all of you again asap. ron & gina Folks, I have placed an order for a set of MirrorLoks for my 2018 BMW S1000XR. I also need a set of MirrorLoks

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

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I ND U ST RY INFOBITES

News from the Inside

BMW R18 CONCEPT It looks like BMW has taken notice of our friends at NMOTO. Retro bikes are hot these days, so it is time to see what a 1960’s bike would look like in the 21st century. That is why BMW Motorrad has unveiled the concept R18.

The setting was at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

This massive 1.8L boxer engine is an air-cooled two-cylinder fed by Solex carburetors. Essentially identical to the ones found in the BMW 2002, they

are rugged designs from the past. They are bolted to an engine and transmission that were bead-blasted and hand polished. To give it a naked look, the chrome driveshaft has no covers.

If you want features, look somewhere else. The R18 has a starter and lights, that’s it. Riding on 21″ front and 18″ rear wheels, the boxer engine keeps the center of gravity lower than any other big cruiser. It might look like a hardtail, but the cantilever rear suspension is hidden under the seat. Dr. Markus Schramm, the head of BMW Motorrad, said “With this dream bike, BMW Motorrad presents its own version of an emotional and authentic offer for the large cruiser segment.”

MOTORCYCLISTS AND AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES MUST SHARE THE ROAD To help ensure that two-wheelers remain a regular part of the traffic mix, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute will share valuable data from motorcyclist behavior studies with autonomous vehicle developers. Sharing the data will help ensure that motorcyclists are included in AV research programs and will help preserve on-highway motorcycling.

Data from the MSF 100 Motorcyclists Naturalistic Study will be available for my 2019 KTM 690 SMC R, but it does not list this model on your website, so I am writing to you to find out the correct size.

I saw the write up of your product in Backroads Magazine. I get my copies of Backroads Magazine every month at Standard Cycle Company in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey.

This looks like a great product. I am taking a 3,000 mile trip and will enjoy locking up my belongings. The mirrors are not very good on my KTM and tour product will improve them. Brilliant idea!

I also need a 1” Ram ball mount that you make for my handlebar clamp on the KTM as well and need to know what size that is also.

Thank you, Walter kudron Having a tidy up at work and found these classic old mags. FREE2WHEEL was the brainchild of Tom Van Beveren and his wife Ann and was a freebie which came out monthly in the Southern California region.

A great read and valuable source of local information.

They even ran some tours to NZ (Ann is a kiwi) hence our connection.

There were a few of these magazines such as Friction Zone and City Bike which have gone by the by.

Makes you appreciate the hard work and personal sacrifice that went into the production of them. Take a bow, Brian and Shira, who keep Backroads zooming along.

Well I’ve got some reading for the winter tea breaks coming up...reviews of the Honda Rune and exploring the byways of SoCal. John raines • te Waipounamu Motorcycle tours Shira & BrianCongratulations on making it to 25 years of Backroads. Thank you both for keeping two of our favorite things going strong - motorcycles and travel magazines! Your dedication and hardwork producing the pages of Backroads are remarkable!

My wife and I produced a Pennsylvania magazine for 6-7 years so we have tasted publishing and you folks have set a very high standard.

Happy & Safe Trails.... rob and darlene roth • Berks county, Pa

NEW YORK MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT VICTIMS The Law Office of Paul G. Gargiulo, P.C. 199 Main St. • Ste. 901 • White Plains, NY 10601

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Page 10 to any AV-related company, from vehicle manufacturers to tech companies, through VTTI. In exchange for providing access to the MSF 100, VTTI will ensure that the MSF can use the datasets from AV-related research for its own analysis and published works.

“Autonomous vehicle development is a fact of life, and while the timeline and practical application is unclear, what is clear is that on-highway motorcycles must be included and motorcyclists’ rights must be ensured,” MSF President Tim Buche said. “Developers are testing autonomous vehicles on our roads now, without fully understanding the characteristics of motorcycle riders. The more they understand motorcycles in the traffic mix, the safer, better integrated, and more enjoyable roads can be for all users.”

“By providing data from the MSF 100 study, the largest and most robust of its kind, we are helping to ensure that motorcyclists are included in conversations about autonomous vehicles and traffic planning,” Buche said.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON GOING IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION? Legendary American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson has been struggling as of late, and efforts to expand the brand’s appeal both home and abroad are well underway to staunch losses and solidify the company’s future. Here in the US, that means taking a chance on new products in new segments like the forthcoming Livewire all-electric cruiser. In other emerging markets, that likely means a low-cost, high-volume sub-500cc model. That’s according to reports out of Asia, including Outlook India and Zigwheels.

Shockingly, the new bike, which is expected to go on sale in 2020, could be as inexpensive as $4,000 in Asian markets like India. However, it’s highly unlikely Harley-Davidson would bring such a bike to

JULY 2019 • BACKROADS North America. In the States, the company’s least expensive offering is the Street 500, which starts at $6,899 (before options and delivery fees). The lion’s share of H-D’s bikes are substantially more expensive.

ALLEGHENY NATIONAL FOREST VISITORS BUREAU’S ROAD TRIP BROCHURE We love it when a region truly reaches out to riders like us, and the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau has done just that.

This is a fantastic region of Pennsylvania.

Each road leads to natural beauty with countless roads that twist and turn through the beautiful Allegheny National Forest Region of northwestern Pennsylvania offering scenic stretches of winding two-lane roads, challenging terrain, and spectacular scenery. This brochure features seven road trip adventures for single and multi-day rides. From spring to fall this area is a goldmine for riders looking to take to the road and escape technology.

In early June, the pink blossoms of the mountain laurel start blooming. Fall foliage in the Forest offers a spectacular range of colors – blazing orange, brilliant yellows, rich golds, and ruby reds. Prime fall color is usually the first two weeks of October. In summer, the Forest is lush, cool, and every shade of green imaginable.

You can e-mail info@visitANF.com to request the Motorcycle Road Trip Brochure, or you can download online from visitanf.com under See & Do menu.

U.S. CONGRESSMAN VISITS SUZUKI HEADQUARTERS United States Congressman Gil Cisneros, representing California’s 39th

BACKROADS • JULY 2019 Congressional District, visited Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.’s headquarters in Brea, to tour the facility and learn more about Suzuki’s business and industry. Congressman Cisneros was joined by Deputy District Director Martin Medrano, and Field Representative Chris Wade.

“Companies like Suzuki Motor of America Inc. are the engines of growth and socioeconomic advancement in our district. It was wonderful meeting with Suzuki America’s leadership and the many employees,” said Rep. Cisneros. “The 39th District’s highways of commerce and highly skilled workforce make it an ideal place for companies like Suzuki to grow their business while investing in their employees. I’m proud that Suzuki America chose to be headquartered in Brea and is a key part of our local economy.”

During the visit, Congressman Cisneros met with Suzuki’s senior executive staff to discuss topics of importance to the powersports industry. Among other things, the group discussed the ongoing international trade dispute, land access issues, and ensuring California remains business-friendly. Kerry Graeber, Vice President of Motorcycle/ATV Sales and Marketing encouraged Congressman Cisneros to join the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus to broaden his awareness and influence on matters that surround motorcycles.

“It was a pleasure to meet with Congressman Cisneros,” stated Graeber.

“He was genuinely interested in our industry and we sincerely appreciated the opportunity to sit with him and explain Suzuki’s business.”

Though Congressman Cisneros is not currently a motorcyclist, Graeber joked that he would be happy to teach both Cisneros and his wife how to ride a motorcycle!

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

Morton’s BMW Motorcycles Presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s MYSTERI OU S AMERIC A the heat in our oWn Backyards Some like it hot, but you can’t tell how hot ‘til you try Some like it hot, so let’s turn up the heat ‘til we fry Robert Palmer It was the late 1940s and a Catholic Church in Middlesex, New Jersey, Our Lady of Mount Virgin, needed some fill for the yard of its new rectory.

A local driver was hauling dirt from a now-defunct local weapons plant used back in the war. Surely no one would miss a few loads – especially going to help the local church.

Some 30 years later someone did - The Department of Energy. They came in, fenced off the church’s Rectory and took the lawn away – the entire lawn.

The Middlesex plant where the fill had originally come from had been used to process uranium ore for the Manhattan Engineering Project that created the first atomic bomb.

The dirt, lawn and probably some of the parishioners, were hot with radioactivity.

Ooops!

In the 1980s, 35 years after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the government finally began to clean up the bomb’s birthplaces. It turned out there were tons and tons of hot material spread out around some 30 World War II-era atomic research sites in 13 states, some right here in the Backroads’ region.

According to information uncovered by investigative reporters N.S. Happy and Pepe LeMonkeh, “The radioactive trail starts at the Bayonne, N.J., docks where uranium ore was unloaded and leads to a Staten Island, N.Y., warehouse where ore was stored.”

Have you ever crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridges, at the bottom of the New Jersey Turnpike? Well, not a mile or so away you will find the old

DuPont Deepwater Works. They, too, developed uranium, among a laundry list of other really bad stuff.

How bad? So bad that the town is suing DuPont for a billion dollars plus.

Some of the radiation at these sites may seem small when first observed, as they are measured in microcuries and picocuries - just millionths and trillionths of the material is actually radioactive.

But, even at these minute readings, the radioactivity can build up to dangerous levels. At one basement of a building, erected atop one of the Manhattan Project sites, the radioactive radon gas accumulated to radiation levels higher than in a uranium mine.

This happened in Grand Junction, Colorado where a housing development was built on fill from an abandoned uranium-processing plant. Fear of this radiation caused the government to launch a massive project to dig up thousands of tons of spent uranium ore that was used to fill in around the base-

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BACKROADS • JULY 2019 ments of 750 homes and a school.

All of this cleanup costs millions of dollars.

Outside Pittsburg, it was, and is, much worse.

The Standard Chemical Company operated a radium refining mill from 1911 to 1922 in Canonsburg, PA. From 1930 to 1942, the company purified uranium ore. The Canonsburg plant produced more radium in a year than all of the rest of the radium plants in the world combined.

In 1921 Marie Curie visited the United States. She started her tour with a reception at the White House, where President Harding presented her with a gift of a gram of radium produced by the Standard Chemical Company. She was also given an honorary degree by the University of Pittsburgh. On May 27, 1921 Marie Curie visited the Standard Chemical Company works.

Page 13 From 1942 to 1957, Vitro Manufacturing Company refined uranium and other rare metals on-site. The government bought this uranium from Vitro and used it in the Manhattan Project. Waste from site operations accumulated during the site’s long history. Originally, the waste was left uncovered. It contaminated the group and caused cancer for most residents on a street down-wind of it. After the closure of Vitro, the site was used by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, and, later the site was then used by a pottery plant; to this day Canonsburg pottery can be identified by Geiger counter.

The Canonsburg mill site was designated in the 1978 Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act as eligible for federal funds for cleanup. It was the only uranium mill east of the Mississippi River to receive funds.

A recent article told of children and young adults contracting Ewing’s Sarcoma, a very rare form of cancer. Very rare. The random diagnosis of at least ten children with this extremely unusual form of cancer in one school district is statistically impossible. With 200 cases annually among 74 million children nationwide, the odds of contracting Ewing’s Sarcoma are approximately 1 in 370,000.

In in the Canon-McMillan school district… it is 1 in 530.

Right.

Other sites can be found in Towanda, New York, and Sellersville, Pennsylvania where the U.S. Gauge plant, which at one time manufactured airplane instrument dials coated with radium and worked on the Manhattan Project as well, had been using a local site as a dump for about 50 years.

From Staten Island to the Delaware Bay, From Lake Erie to Bucks County, PA, Mysterious America is all around us… and it is still very hot. ~ O’Life Out!

Page 14

JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

G REAT A LL AMERICA N DINE R RUN devil’s acres tavern 5691 EASTON RD, PLUMSTEADVILLE, PA 18902 215-766-1968 • www.theacrepa.com Every year, usually after the equinox, the season begins to wind up that big spring that will get sprung to start off the riding season.

This is compared to the end of the year that winds down, right?

When a warmish Sunday in mid-March presented itself, we began to formulate a little impromptu lunch run and got this fresh thought out on the Backroads Facebook page… to give riders plenty of short-notice invitation.

What’s in a name? Well, when Shira came across a place called the Devil’s Acre Tavern in the burg of Plumsteadville, PA – west of New Hope – we knew we’d have to give it a try.

We threw together a little ride south and into PA at Frenchtown, and then west towards the Devil’s Acre Tavern located on Route 611.

Right around one o’clock, we arrived as did about a dozen other riders. Some we knew and others we had the pleasure to meet for the first time.

When we heard the name Devil’s Acre Tavern, we pictured a far older building, for here, in this part of the state, old buildings abound.

But, the tavern was located in a fairly modern structure and made up for the lack of gravitas with a style all its own and some excellent food as well. We found out later the building is a beautiful, fully restored and renovated, roadside tavern from the past.

tasty places to take your bike

The hostess, Kim, set us up with a few tables and had to keep adding as others showed up for lunch and the Devil’s Acre did not disappoint.

For starters, they can bring a Kielbasa Dip, Fried Apple Fritters or Deviled Eggs to the table.

Heck, just go for the giant Soft Pretzel with cheese and smoked gouda wiz!

The rest of the menu had a solid collection of different foods, some with a German flair to them, especially with the dish names.

(You have to reach for this) The egg skillets had headings like The Hasselhoff (David is HUGE in Germany) with jumbo lump crab, scallion and chorizo; the Boris Becker: mushrooms, gruyere, and sautéed spinach; the Dita Von Teese (okay, this retro-hotty is really American) and that is gouda cheese, bacon with caramelized onions and the Frau Blucher: Kielbasa, cheddar and mushrooms. Why were we hearing horses neighing?

The Bennys were popular with our crowd this day with Shira going for the Spicy Benny, a combination of krainerwurst (spicy sausages similar to kielbasas), poached egg and a super habanero hollandaise that was tasty but not a killer. Another had the Crab Cake Benny topped with a more mild dill sauce – equally scrumptious.

One item that popped out at us, as you rarely see it outside western New York State, was the Beef on Weck. Never heard of it? Buffalo is not just famous for their wings.

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

Page 15 Beef on Weck is roast beef cooked au jus served on a Kummelweck roll with a side of horseradish. If it is not a real Kummelweck roll, topped with kosher salt and caraway seed, then it is not really a Beef on Weck.

This serving was spot on perfect.

Other items on the menu that came to our tables were the Lamb Burger, with tzatziki and olive salad, the Wurtwich, of which I had second thoughts, and a super Reuben that had some of the tastiest corned beef and DHA sauce that I have ever had.

The Devil’s Acre has become known for the wurst.

Seriously – their variety of sausage is worthy of a return visit soon all by itself. Kielbasa, Knockwurst, the aforementioned Krainerwurst, Weisswurst, and Bratwurst all can make your meal.

For you are riders who know restraint and are thinking healthy, the salads worked well too and Dr. John’s Spinach Salad made us feel just a little guilty.

That guilt was swept away by the side order of bacon. Yes, a side order of bacon. Yep! We were there on a Sunday during their brunch, but the rest of the menu has some interesting items that are well worth a return trip – especially the Crab & Kielbasa Mac & Cheese. Who doesn’t want that? How about Chicken Schnitzel and Buttermilk Biscuits with Chorizo Gravy? Nuff said.

For a last-minute discovery and quickly put together ride I think we all did pretty well. We had a chance to finally get the bikes out after a long winter, had a great ride, met up with old friends, and said hello to new ones and we all had a delicious lunch as well.

When it comes to riding with the Great All American Diner Run that is really what it’s all about.

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

Frontline Eurosports Presents

B IG CITY GETAWAY northeast classic car MuseuM 24 REXFORD ST., NORWICH, NY 13815 607-334-2886 • classiccarmuseum.org • OPEN DAILY 9AM - 5PM We seem to be on a roll with classic automobile museums. As true motorheads, we always appreciate the way vehicles have evolved and change in styling, size, efficiency, and flair.

Heading up through central NY State we made a point of passing through

the town of Norwich and stopping at the Northeast Classic Car Museum.

The Museum, started by George Staley, with a good part of the automobiles found in the museum part of his extensive collection. All of his cars have a story to tell, but none may be as interesting as his. George Staley helped prep one of the most important missions in history. When World War II began, Staley’s mechanical aptitude brought him into the service as an airplane engine technician. He eventually was sent to the Pacific theatre. Tinian.

To hear George tell the story… “Col. Tibbits was my boss and I made sure the Enola Gay was ready for the mission.” He said he and others knew something big was afoot but they were not sure what. The entire mission was

daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind shrouded in secrecy. He did know the Enola Gay had a bomb bay much bigger than the standard. Even with only Air Force men on the island, the plane was guarded both day and night by military police. “At night the bomb was dropped into the pit and we all knew this was the day,” said Staley. He had done a lot of work with photography and when he heard over the radio the bomb had been dropped, Staley went out and waited for the craft to return.

By now, he and the others had been briefed on what had taken place. As the plane taxied down the runway, Staley moved his jeep into position. The crew

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

Page 17

of the bomber, with Tibbits at the head, posed for pictures. The commanding officer came out and pinned the Distinguished Service Cross on Tibbits’ chest. Staley was certain he had the only color photos of that momentous occasion - truly amazing.

Amazing in another way is his museum.

The Northeast Classic Car Museum has five separate buildings that bring you through an amazing collection of automobiles from the past to the fairly modern era.

As you stroll through the museum’s first room you will find the Pre-War collection of vehicles including electric, steam and combustion engines. This

Chrysler offered an optional RCA Victrola, early infotainment.

historical display is educational and remarkable. Vehicles include Knox, Model T, Scripps Booth, Hupmobile, Duesenberg, Packard, and 1930 Henderson motorcycle to name a few.

Moving on you will come across Staley’s large collection of Franklins, made in NY with air-cooled engines.

The museum has the largest collection on display including the 3rd one ever built and the last.

As the Second World War ended car design and manufacturing exploded and the Northeast’s collection of Post-War, from the late ‘40s through the Continued on Page 45

Page 18

WE’RE OUTTA HER E the Bull & garland 760 MAIN ST, HOBART, NY 13788 607-538-3006 • www.bullandgarland.com There are some towns that you might fly right through if on the way to somewhere else and, at times, this could be your loss – especially when you realize that some of the besthidden gems lie just to your right or left as you are passing.

As riders are making their way through or exploring parts of New York State you might be tempted, as the day ends, to make your way to one of the larger cookie cutter motels along I-88. We are here to stop you.

Along Route 10, in the northern part of the Catskills, there is the hamlet of Hobart. Hobart has a book problem – but, a good one – as they have three great book stores offering true classics and books of historical nature.

They also have one of the most comfortable old-style, with a modern flair, inns in the region. The Bull & Garland - a local take on the traditional English Pub set in an 1830’s inn.

Like many inns around the nation, The Bull & Garland has an interesting

JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads backstory - the inn and restaurant something more spontaneous than deeply planned out.

In 2014 Melissa and Oliver Pycroft were looking to move to the region, as they had grown weary of city life. This would be a story you might have heard before - but this was a bit different as they had spent the last number of years in Paris, London, Budapest, Seville, and New York City before looking to the Catskills.

Oliver had years of experience in the pub and restaurant business in London and the couple had thoughts of opening something along this line.

They settled on an old stately place called the MacArthur House in the village of Hobart and began some extensive restorations.

What was once envisioned as a great pub morphed into a superb restaurant ...and very comfortable overnight lodging too.

We discovered the Bull & Garland while searching for something new, different and fun in this part of New York state. The Bull & Garland was all that and more.

We came north on a cold, clammy and yucky day (yucky is a scientific

term) in late March, and parking the bikes and walking up to the porch we thought maybe we had the wrong building, although the sign hanging out front clearly told us we were in the right place.

The very rustic exterior had us unprepared for the warmth and happy feeling we found once we opened the door and walked over the threshold.

To the right, the bar was already happening on this rainy Friday night and the hostess, looking at the two dripping water rats with helmets that just walked through her door, knew who we were and brought us up

BACKROADS • JULY 2019 the steep stairs and down the hall to our room.

Our digs for the night were spacious and relaxed and warm – as they anticipated our cold and chilly arrival on the motorcycles.

How excellent was that?!

A big comfy bed in the middle of a large Victorianstyle room with a mixture of old, new and odd appointments – all Melissa’s (The Garland?) doing.

The last time I found an alligator’s head in my room I was in the bayou of Louisiana.

This building has seen many a season and we know that some persnickety folk let things like slightly tilted flooring put them off.

We, on the other hand, embrace this and loved the original wide wood planking.

We loved the bathroom, especially the tiled shower obviously a bit more modern and slick than some of the rest of the room, and perfectly welcome after the long, cold and wet journey.

For us, overnight rooms should all have the Holy Trinity – great bed, ample room, and a good hot shower. Check, check and check!

After we settled, showered and snuggled we made our way downstairs to the bar that was an even mix of guests and friendly locals – all for which made excellent tavern talk.

There was a nice selection of craft brews as well as signature cocktails. So far we had been impressed with the easy and friendly feel of the place, but their bar was raised higher when we began to order Oliver’s (The Bull?) food.

We had started with a chicken liver pate with a port wine glaze at the bar.

Very nice and we then moved to a table where Shira ordered a double-cut pork chop, with an apple cider sauce and mashed potatoes and I went for Moroccan lamb shank with curried chickpeas and mint yogurt.

Since I always have buyer’s remorse I spied each and every plate that came by our table - and it all looked scrumptious.

But we were not disappointed as the pork chops went deep to center field and the Moroccan lamb shank was out of the park delicious - tender, flavorful and falling off the shank. I could eat this every week. Oliver changes the menu up seasonally, and you can whet your appetite with a quick peak online

Page 19

before you go.

The Bull & Garland has wi-fi downstairs, but not so much in the upstairs rooms and there are no televisions. This is also a bugaboo for some - but appreciated by us.

We also liked the old-style dial FM radio and music of the ‘80s made a great soundtrack through the rest of the evening.

The inn supplies a French-press coffee maker with all the fixins’, and very good coffee as well – something I have found that I cannot survive without.

All was silent as we packed up the bikes and quietly rode away, but the previous day’s ‘First Overnight’ of the year – soggy and frigid as it was was well worth it.

The Bull & Garland, with its four comfortable suites, each at $99/night, and the bar and Oliver’s restaurant right there, makes an excellent stop while traveling or even a better base of operations for a few couples or friends to explore this region of the Empire State. The Inn takes guests 7 days a week, while Oliver’s is open Thurs-Sat only.

Page 20

JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

Year 1969:

words + images: Brian Rathjen

Vietnam dominates the headlines, and as blacks were finally on the road to a fairer shake in the nation another group’s path to equality began with a riot in a bar in Greenwich Village.

Sadly, the last episode of Star Trek aired in June, but space was now firmly in so many minds, in part because for the future this show gave us.

I was 11.

My family spent a few weeks each summer up at Welcome Lake, Pennsylvania.

Not far from Narrowsburg, New York and an easy escape for blue-collar workers from Queens.

I recall my parents chatting up other parents at the mahogany bar in the White Owl Tavern about the ‘hippies’ that had taken over that farm in Bethel and that traffic, this mid-August week, was a bear.

, man a r fo step kind” l l g a e sm for man rmstron n o A t’s p Neil “Tha giant lea one “Can you dig that? The New York State Thruway is closed, man…”

Arlo Guthrie

“Back i sixty- n the summ nine, y er of eah” Bryan Adam s

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

Page 21

That farm belonged to the Yasgur family, and our friend and serious motorcyclist, Sam Yasgur.

400,000 people came to see the Woodstock Music Festival. They endured rain, mud, and although ex-

citing… it was not the most comfortable place to be. The atmosphere had a great percentage of cannabis, which made it more bearable I would think.

It has been said that it changed a generation and was a watershed moment in 60’s pop culture. Better late than never and, after all the trouble that percolated to the surface in this decade, it was decent to end on a high note. Okay, maybe that was a bad choice of words.

Wow, all those people… yup, yup, yup.

But it doesn’t hold a candle to 4 million.

Yes, 4,000,000.

That is the number of people who lined up for a parade, just a few days earlier, on August 13th. Not just any parade and, unlike the Woodstock event that this 11-year boy had no chance of attending, this one…

I was part of.

I recollect my grandmother and I walking the many blocks to the parkway, and then to make our way through the crowd to see three men.

Page 22 Collins, Aldrin, and Armstrong - the crew of Apollo 11.

I remember being so excited. These guys were heroes, larger than life, and although I love rock & roll, I do not have Hendrix’s footprint above my desk.

But, I have Buzz’s.

While the rain, mud, drugs, and music filled the air in Bethel, a few thousand miles to the south something terribly worse was happening in Mississippi and Louisiana as Hurricane Camille, a Cat 5 monster with winds over 200 mph, pummeled the coast and took 250 souls.

It seemed that 1969 was determined to make its mark in so many ways in American history.

JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

Present Day: So here we are a half century later and we have not been back to Luna in decades although Trump just said we’re going back to the moon (yes!) and, maybe it is because I am 61, but today’s music sucks.

We thought we would make a little road trip from Woodstock to the Moon and we invite you to come along.

Our ride begins up where the Yasgur family had their farm.

Sam told me (many times) how, during a Sunday evening meal, the quiet of the farm was shattered by a helicopter landing in the front yard. Max, Sam’s dad, strolled out to see what this was all about.

A few weeks later a deal was made, much to the dismay of other locals, to hold a music festival at the farm.

Please note: the town is Woodstock, New York: where Woodstock is; not where Woodstock was! That hip and bohemian town called Woodstock, New York is some 70 backroads miles north of Bethel and the festival. Yes, Woodstock, the town, is a neat place but survives and flourishes on invention, falsehood, and fibbery.

Today, in Bethel, exciting things have been happening for years now. Yasgur’s farm has long since past, as has Sam (miss you, my friend), and the location is now the home to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

In addition to a very nice 15,000 seat outdoor venue for concerts, it is also the home to the museum and that has an on-going presentation called “Woodstock and The Sixties.”

As the museum says, “The Museum embodies the key ideals of the era we interpret—peace, respect, cooperation, creativity, engagement, and a connection to the planet we live on and all the people who inhabit it.

BACKROADS • JULY 2019 In addition to preserving and interpreting an era, the Museum is actively involved in our community—through education, economic development, and historic preservation—to encourage social responsibility among our visitors and supporters and to advocate for issues that make Sullivan County, and the world at large, a better place. To borrow from 1960s ideology, everyone has the power to change the world.” We have been up to a number of concerts over the years since the arts center opened and have visited the museum a few times as well. The museum is well worth a stop by itself.

On the northwest corner of the grounds where Hurd Road meets West Shore Road, there is a monument to the original festival – a great camera spot for sure.

We were not there a few seconds when a fellow name Lenny Steinhardt appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

Lenny claimed he had been to the festival… and we believed him.

He had a story to tell and we were more than happy to listen.

Peace Lenny!

Since this day trip is about heading from Woodstock to the Moon we might want to have a bite to eat. We all travel best on a full stomach and, after the Woodstock experience, you might have the ‘munchies.’

On this day’s ride we thought we’d offer two options – this was #1.

There are a number of neat places to eat around here – The Dancing Cat Saloon in the evenings or the Woodstock Oasis but, for us, we want BBQ done right and there is none better in the region than Big Kev’s BBQ, right on Route 17B and Royce Road in Swan Lake. We have featured them in the past and Big Kev’s even made the Best of Backroads – which is no easy feat.

This is American food at its finest and, with that, let me segue into the second part of this trip.

Page 23

Some things just can’t be described. And stepping onto the moon was one of them. Who put their foot in the Missouri River first: Lewis or Clark? Who cares!

Buzz Aldrin Now fully fueled, we are ready for lift off as we vector off looking for a little bit of Apollo 11 right in our area.

This will mean a journey south and across the border with the Garden State as we go looking for the Buzz.

Edwin Eugen Aldrin Jr. was born January 20, 1930, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey (now part of Montclair), and graduated West Point Military Acad-

emy with a degree in mechanical engineering. He had his choice of military careers and he chose the United States Air Force, which had become a separate service in 1947 while Aldrin was still at West Point and did not yet have its own academy.

Buzz, as he was called, got his nickname from his younger sister who had a hard time saying brother and it kept coming out as ‘buzzer,’ The name stuck and Aldrin had it legally changed years later.

Buzz flew F-86 Sabre jets in the Korean War, flying 66 combat missions and shot down two Mig-15s. After the war, he continued his Air Force trajectory – all the while continuing his education.

When the manned space program began Aldrin applied for NASA, but was initially turned down, as they wanted ‘test pilots’, but soon the requirements were amended to a minimum of 1,000 flight hours.

Page 24 Aldrin had three times as much. He was accepted.

On completion of their initial astronaut training, each of the new astronauts was assigned a field of expertise for their specialization. In Aldrin’s case, this was mission planning, trajectory analysis, and flight plans.

He flew on Gemini 12 and space walked during this mission as well.

But, he is known for Apollo 11.

Year 1969: On July 19, 1969, the three men boarded the rocket, a 14-story tall Saturn V, the most powerful vehicle ever made and with an explosion of fire, smoke and rumble lifted the 6.5 million-pound rocket towards our moon. The Saturn V was truly remarkable in itself and quite the fuel guzzler as it burned more fuel in 1 second than Lindbergh used to cross the Atlantic!

Onboard Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin had to endure G-forces, imminent danger and cramped quarters, and although exciting…it was not the most comfortable place to be.

The atmosphere had a great percentage of oxygen; which made it more bearable I would think.

Apollo 11 was an amazing and most important accomplishment in this remarkable year. Even more important than what happened in Flushing that Autumn.

It has been said that it changed a generation and was a watershed moment in the history of mankind.

We agree … so, we went looking for ‘The Buzz.’

With the Gold Wing operating nominally, we headed south Our ride south would bring us out of the lower Catskills, along the ridge of the Shawangunks and

JULY 2019 • BACKROADS then over into New Jersey near High Point State Park - the highest point in the state.

But, following in Buzz’s ‘second man on the moon’ status we thought we’d make time for Option Two lunch-wise and grab some serious heroes at The Yellow Cottage on Route 206 north of Branchville, then make a U-turn and head north of Route 206 and make a right towards and up to the top of Sunrise Mountain – the second highest peak in New Jersey. Atop the mountain there is a most beautiful view of the region as well as a number of picnic tables.

The perfect place to fuel up before we moved on.

BACKROADS • JULY 2019 From there we meandered back down the one-way road and out of the park, rolling south and east, our trajectory had us eating up some faster miles on the big road and then firing a burn to bring us into orbit around the town of Montclair.

Remarkably the Honda Gold Wing has many times the computing power of the Columbia and Eagle and the onboard navigation system brought us right to the boyhood home of Buzz Aldrin - exactly when it said it would and not the four minutes early that Apollo 11 experienced.

The pretty white and green three-story home, soon to be a National Historic Landmark, is located on Princeton Place, right across from Anderson Park.

Inside there was a small brown terrier who had taken issue with us riding up to his castle on the Gold Wing, and repeatably told us just that for the entire time we were there.

We certainly did not want to bother the current owners but, when you buy the home of an American hero, well, you have to expect this sort of thing. Having a bronze plaque with the inscription stating this was the original home of “Montclair’s Man on the Moon” does not help matters much either.

Not far away, the local Mt. Hebron Middle School, that Aldrin attended, recently became the Buzz Aldrin Middle School. To have a school named after you is the highest honor and I would think his family is as proud of that as they are of his other adventures.

Right Mrs. G? You might think that this mission would be over, but you would be wrong.

Page 25 But, we could do one better than just Aldrin’s boyhood home and we needed an up-close reminder of exactly how important Apollo 11 was to us, the nation, and the world. And we could, as this spring saw the limited release of Apollo 11 – a documentary film on the entire mission.

The film contained never-before-seen footage and audio recordings of NASA’s most celebrated mission and brought you for the ride with Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin as they embarked on that historic trip to the moon.

The film was showing in just a very few theatres around the nation and the day we started this mission would be the last day that Apollo 11 would blast off on the silver screen – in Montclair, New Jersey – Buzz’s home town.

After a short stay, it was time to head home, and we fired up the thruster and soon began the circuitous route towards western New Jersey and Backroads Central – conveniently called Mission Control this day.

But co-pilot Shira Kamil had other plans.

You might think that this mission would be over, but you would be wrong… again.

You see, the ever-diligent Ms. Kamil had located a huge collection of frozen celestial bodies – much like comets, but far sweeter and more delicious.

A recalibration of the onboard nav was in order and soon we made a stop at Mark & Julie’s Homemade Ice Cream.

What, you expected a monumental scientific breakthrough?

For us, we could not ask for a more perfect way to splashdown at the end of this mission than this.

Page 26

JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

Present Day: In midstate New York, on the edge of a field, a place of tranquility, there is a 5.5 ton monument, made of concrete and iron that reads: “Peace & Music - This is the original site of the Woodstock Music and Arts festival Held on Aug. 15, 16,17 1969.”

Some 240,000 miles away, at a place called Tranquility, there is a monument made of aluminum and steel that reads:

“Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”

They both repeat just one word.

This last year of the 60s was an outstanding year of intrepid adventure, poignant change, extraordinary events. 1969 was simply amazing, almost a miracle… just ask any New York Mets fan.

1269 DOLSONTOWN RD MIDDLETOWN NY 10940

845-343-2552 • WWW.CYCLEMOTIONINC.COM Cycle Motion is your provider of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, and utility vehicles by Kawasaki, Suzuki, Polaris, Yamaha and Can-Am. With a large parts department, qualified service technicians and a full shop of parts and accessories, we're here to meet all your power sport needs.

For every rider - on or off road, whether they like doing it in the dirt, carving the twisties, or cruising the backroads, we have their weapon of choice.

RESOURCES: BETHEL WOODS CENTER FOR ARTS 200 HURD RD, BETHEL, NY 12720 WWW.BETHELWOODSCENTER.ORG BIG KEV’S BBQ 350 ROYCE RD, SWAN LAKE, NY 12783 845-798-7395 • WWW.BIGKEVSBBQ.COM YELLOW COTTAGE DELI/BAKERY 45 US-206, BRANCHVILLE, NJ 07826 973-948-5149 WWW.YELLOWCOTTAGEDELIANDBAKERY.COM BUZZ ALDRIN HOME 25 PRINCETON PLACE, MONTCLAIR, NJ MARK & JULIE’S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM 476 PLEASANT VALLEY WAY, WEST ORANGE, NJ 07052 973-731-6011

‘A half a million young people can get together and have three days of fun and music, and have nothing but fun and music, and I God bless you for it.’

Max Yasgur

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

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little red Barn ice creaM caFé 4610 lander rd, JeFFerson, Md 301-378-8100 • www.littleredbarnicecream.com seasonal hours, oPen all year We were headed to the Horizons Unlimited gathering in Appomattox, VA. We were taking our time getting there with a couple of overnights before and after. The Tuesday of our departure was a little delayed and as we were entering the town of Jefferson, MD, Brian announced over the Sena that he had seen a sign for ice cream. We had taken a pretty direct route so far and I was a bit long in the saddle, looking forward to shedding the riding gear as this spring day felt much more like mid-summer with the temperatures rising to 90 degrees. The idea of some ice cream was just about perfect. We did a quick u-turn and pulled in to the Little Red Barn.

Since 2013, Laura and Price Kaler have been satisfying folks with their hand dipped Hershey’s ice cream as well as soft serve from Shenandoah Family Farms in Hagerstown. They recently added some other local favorites – ice cream from South Mountain Creamery (a past Inside Scoop stop) and Catoctin Coffees roasted just across the bridge in Lovettsville, VA. As with so many spots in this part of the nation, the Little Red Barn building has a history. 100 years ago, right across the street, stood the schoolhouse, now a bank, and the schoolmaster kept her horse and buggy in the barn, which is now this very popular ice cream spot. As there were two 100-year-old buildings on the property, the Kalers did not want to erase history, so took the time to renovate the building. Not only did they utilize local businesses for this, but once the shop was up and running, it provided local teenagers with jobs, many of which was their first.

There is plenty of parking, with indoor and outdoor seating available. On any day you can find about 20 different Hershey flavors from Vanilla to Better Brownie Batter (Brownie Batter ice cream with rich fudge swirls and loads of bits of real brownies) and LlamaLious (green and yellow cake batter ice cream packed with purple sugar cookie chips and swirling ribbons of pinkish frosting !?). Hershey’s, with over 100 years experience in making ice cream, offers several levels, from lighter to premium to premium gold, and the Red Barn will do their best to satisfy your every taste bud. If they don’t have the flavor you want, they will try to get it for your next visit.

On the day we visited, there were a few which caught my eye – Peanut Butter Pretzel and Banana Pudding – but when I saw the South Mountain Creamery flavors, I was swayed. There was Lemon Meringue – always a treat on a steamy day – and Chocolate Chocolate Chip, but what in the world was Snallygaster? Not only an unusual name, but also the first few words would

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS draw anyone’s attention, particularly Dr. O’Life – The Monster of Middletown. After reading the ingredients: peanut butter ice cream with pretzel pieces, Reece’s cup and caramel swirl, it was a done deal. While I enjoyed my ice cream, Brian – always on the lookout for the mysterious for the good doctor – found out the back story and you can

The Boat House Restaurant Perfect in Any Season

read about it in an upcoming Mysterious America column.

If a good meal is needed before enjoying your ice cream, the Red Barn serves up a variety of sandwiches from a simple grilled cheese or PB&J to a more substantial Red Barn Reuben and a bowl of soup or chili. For those watching the calories to justify the ice cream (shame on you) there are salads. If you are early, they have a number of breakfast offerings while you enjoy their locally roasted coffee.

If you are traveling the area, whether it’s a meander or on the way to Harper’s Ferry or any one of the other historical sites in this part of the country, stop in to the Little Red Barn and enjoy their hospitality and delicious food and ice cream.

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July is National Ice Cream Month July is here and, with it, comes National Ice Cream Day – just a single celebration for all of National Ice Cream Month. All around the country you will find shoppes and fountains from the little Mom and Pops to the conglomerate of Dairy Queen handing out free cones, serving up specialty flavors and making the most of their very desired product – ice cream.

Mark your calendar for our National Ice Cream Day ride on Sundae, July 28. We’ll meet at 8:30 for breakfast at the newly reopened Allamuchy General Store. Not only do they serve a kickass meal, they also will scoop you some Das Creamery ice cream to start your day off right. From here we’ll take a scenic 75 mile ride to Yardley, PA to sample some special treats at the Yardley Ice House. And to finish off the day, we’ll meander some 60 miles back north to Port Murray, NJ and take in the sights and smells of the Orchard View Lavender Farm. Hopefully these early heavy rains haven’t taken the bloom off the flowers, but either way, the Farm is a lovely spot to soothe the soul.

Many states have developed their own Ice Cream Trails, particularly those that have an abundance of farms, particularly dairy farms. In the past I’ve taken you along Connecticut and Maryland’s ice cream trails. This year I’ve found that Pennsylvania has not one, but three separate ice cream trails (they have a bunch of dairy farms in that state). The Pennsylvania Departments of Agriculture and Community and Economic Development very kindly have put together three Passport booklets – Eastern, South Central and Western. Here’s the cool part – starting June 1, if you visit five stops on any of the trails you will receive a t-shirt. Should you hit up every stop on a trail, the deal is sweetened even more as you’ll receive the t-shirt AND an ice cream bowl.

In order to take advantage of the swag, you have to download an official passport. Then at each stop you’ll receive a stamp on your passport. The promotion runs through Sept.

2, so you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy these great ice cream joints as well as the great riding you’ll be doing to get to each.

There are quite a few on the Eastern PA Trail that have already been featured in this column: Klein Farms in Easton, Manning Farm in Dalton and the Lands at Hillside Farms in Shavertown. This past Spring Break saw many ralliers stop at the Penn State Creamery, which is on the Western Trail.

The South Central Trail, with the most stops, includes Fox Meadows in Ephrata, also a stop along a rally route and Way-Har Farms, this month’s ‘bonus’ double Scoop.

How much ice cream can you eat? Who knows, but it sure will be fun to connect the dots and give it a try. You can download your passports here: visitpa.com/2019-pursue-your-scoops-ice-cream-trail Happy Trails in Pursuing your Scoops!

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

The Law Office of Paul G. Gargiulo Presents

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

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD I was in the middle of a solo ride, along some gravel and woodsy backroads in the Adirondacks, when I realized I had to see a man about a horse.

While in silent contemplation during this meeting, I began to think about how many times I had had this discussion in the last few months with other guys and how we all consoled ourselves that it was just a symptom of being a ‘Man of a Certain Age.’ You see here how I craftily avoided offending anyone with mentions of bodily functions and upcoming senior citizenship.

It occurred to me that this was a middle ground of such. Not young turks anymore, but nowhere near time for assisted living either.

We guys are in the middle of the road, as it were.

It didn’t help that I was on a middle age bike, a 2003 Kawasaki KLR 650R. (Let’s not forget the “R” – not sure what that signifies, but it sure ain’t Racer) and that I was in the middle of a dual sport romp – a place somewhere between freshly paved macadam and Moab slick rock and that there was no one – no one at all around. So while discussing ponies I left the bike in the middle of the road, err trail to, umm… take care of business.

Out in the forest, in the middle of New York’s largest park, all was silent except for the business at hand and the annoying ring of my tinnitus. Wow, that is really loud when total silence prevails and there is nothing else intruding on that high pitch tone.

When the frack did that start?

But, then things did encroach on the perceived silence. A pair of squirrels were cavorting high above me. To my right, and not all that far off, a hoot of a small owl could be heard. I tried but could not find her. In the distance I could hear the rush of water and soon the approaching sound of more dual sport bikes coming up along the wide trail.

The three riders reached me as I was walking out of the woods. Both stopped and turned off their bikes.

“You okay,” they asked?

“Oh sure, you betcha,” I replied. “Middle age guy – had to release steam

from the radiator,” I said as I smiled and rolled my eyes.

We were all in the same ball park age-wise so there were just nods of affirmation and two of the guys snapped their bikes into gear, but then had to wait until the third pranced out of the forest about 2 minutes later.

The curse of middle age men.

If any of you have been to a beer festival, or Super Bowl Party, you will all be familiar with the phrase “Breaking the Seal.” Once you start – you’ll be at it a lot more than before. When you break the seal things begin to happen.

After that point water, or at a beer festival – beer, filters through your system so quickly it dehydrates you and water gets sucked into your bladder faster so you have to pee more. For some people – women too - once water starts leaving your body in this manner it inhibits a substance in the body called anti-diuretic hormone and increases urine production.

Once this happens you can count on stopping a bit more often. Prostate issues also will come into play here and is something every guy needs to stay on top of with regular check-ups.

I have a sticker on each of my motorcycles that says F—k Cancer. And, I mean it.

Note that coffee is just as bad as alcohol when it comes to peeing. That second cup at breakfast will have you telling your friend you need gas – when what you really need was a bathroom break.

If you have to pee, then do it. For guys it is easy – ladies, I know it is not, although I know one gal that seems to be able to take care of business faster than any man I know. Practice makes perfect… and fast.

Holding in large amounts of urine for an extended period of time also exposes your body to potentially harmful bacteria, which can increase your chances of getting a urinary tract infection (UTI) or bladder infection.

If you crash with a full bladder, well things could be very bad indeed. A full bladder is far more open to traumatic injury than an empty one.

Getting back to my ride in the Adirondacks. I surely like to ride with Shira and friends, but when I am by myself riding through such beautiful nature I can answer her call whenever I like.

I will just leave my bike in the middle of the road.

BACKROADS • JULY 2019 PRODUCT REVIEW

Page 31

SARGENT WORLD PERFORMANCE SEAT BMW R1200GS – IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT BEAST

When I picked up the BMW R1200GS - in that neat Rally blue colors – there was a comment that it was a beast.

Maybe so? But, not perfect.

When it comes to motorcycling, for most of us there are only a few important points of contact; two tires on the road, two hands on the bars, two feet on the pegs and one butt on a seat. It’s that last one that seems to get people talking when considering their riding comfort – not their butt, but the seat it perches upon.

There are no shortage of saddle makers standing ready to improve your riding experience and endless complaints when it comes to certain OEM seats. One such platform that garners its share of derision is affixed to the BMW R1200GS. When I first sat on it, I thought it was adequate but after about 70 miles I realized the seat was a bit too narrow for my maximus gluteus. While tolerable and designed with a narrow profile so the rider can easily get their legs straight down quickly, the support just wasn’t there for longer rides and the edges cut into the bottom of my thighs.

Enter Sargent Seats. With a company history dating back to 1935 they’ve stitched a seat or two. They offer a wide array of products that fit many manufacturer’s bikes. In this case, not only could we stick with the low style saddle that came stock from BMW but Sargent offers matching welt colors on their World Performance Plus line. Checking the drop down menu, we quickly found that the blue hue on the frame as well as the one found in the paint scheme on our 2018 GS Rallye Edition, were offered as accent choices and we clicked away. For those wanting toasted buns, a heated option is also available.

The unit arrived quickly and in perfect condition. The fit and finish were impeccable. There was no fiddling around with the seat and it clicked into place as well as the stock offering. The two-piece design in this case has storage areas under the seats and Sargent thoughtfully includes a small LED flashlight. The first thing one notices is just how nice that matching welt color looks on the bike. Next, there is a clear difference in width between the stock and Sargent product. It’s that little bit wider area on the latter that

provided much needed support on a recent 400-mile daylong ride.

I noticed when pressing down on the center of the seat that there was a channel running front to back akin to those found on some better bicycle saddles. This trench is there to provide some pressure point relief for the more delicate areas of the human anatomy. I hadn’t noticed any mention of this feature in the Sargent literature, but sure enough when I looked on their site again it appears the manufacturer has dubbed this passageway: Channel Zone Suspension Technology. Fancy name but it works.

So, the seat looks good, it’s loaded with features but how does it function on the road? Well, here’s where you will probably get as many opinions as the ubiquitous oil thread that’s found on so many motorsports-related forums.

I don’t want to probe too deeply into this but everyone’s butt is different.

Some have more padding, some less and some can handle anything - includ-

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

ing a good swift kick. In addition, it’s hard to judge a seat by a ride or two as they tend to break in. So, if you feel you need more support, look for a wider, firmer seat. If you like a softer option, speak with the manufacturer and see what they offer in terms of foam composition and even seat height. For me, the Sargent product hit the right spot. It was all day comfortable with little to no squirming about as the mileage piled up over a four day trip. The extra width supported my thighs albeit with a slight trade off of diminished PRODUCT REVIEW

reach from legs to ground which I soon got used to and compensated for. I love the appearance and the OEM seat has now taken up permanent residence on a shelf where it belongs and where it can no longer torture anyone else’s rear.

For a list price of $769.95 Sargent Seats have now made my GS the perfect beast.

Go to www.sargentcycle.com/seats-accessories/ and check out the various configurations and options. ~ Jeff Kurtzman

CORBIN EXPANDED CAPACITY GOLD WING SADDLEBAG DOORS

Easily add more than 10 liters of storage to your Gold Wing’s saddlebags with Corbin’s replacement doors.

These saddlebag doors blend in so well visually with the Gold Wing bodywork, they had to paint one a different color for the pics so you would notice it’s even there. Yet on each side, the door is nearly two inches wider than stock, which give an additional 5.4 liters of storage on each side.

In addition to the flawless design, the Corbin doors mount easily with no modification to the OEM bodywork. They function on your Gold Wing’s locking system and integrate with the existing bag stay and gas shock. Included is a set of hinges to make installation a snap. You will need to transfer the latching brackets from the OEM doors, which is done easily with common hand tools.

As you can see, it makes for a very nice look on the bike and actually makes the back of the bike appear more visually balanced with the Honda truck. The Corbin design team has added a little design element to keep things looking sharp. Naturally the doors are painted to match your OEM color for a totally integrated look.

Once installed, the Corbin wide doors operate just like the originals using the

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

integrated Honda keylock and push-button open. The interior wall of the Corbin doors seals up nicely to the factory weather stripping.

Comes color matched to your OEM paint: Candy Ardent Red, Matte Majestic Silver, Pearl White, Pearl Stallion Brown, Pearl Hawkseye Blue Expanded Capacity Doors, Gold Wing 1800, Painted MSRP $963 For more information or to order yours, contact: Corbin World Headquarters, 2360 Technology Parkway, Hollister, CA 95023 • 831-634-1100 • corbin.com

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

70th Anniversary of

Where it all began Agostini, Rossi, Lorenzo, Rainey, Stoner, Doohan, Hailwood, Surtees, Marquez Spencer and Roberts. If you are a fan of MotoGP then these names are familiar to you.

How about Harold Daniell? Oh, got you stumped here, right? He won the very first Grand Prix Motorcycle race held on June 17, 1949 on the Isle of Man. Last month saw the 70th anniversary of Grand Prix Racing, the previous day’s race held in Catalunya, Spain.

As time moves forward we see the championship torch change hands and, where we once thought it was all about Valentino Rossi, it now seems that Marc Marquez is the man to beat.

But let’s look at a timeline history of the world’s most exciting and oldest motorsport World Championship – Grand Prix de Motorcycle – first organized by the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme. Today we have three classes and a fourth coming with the advent of MotoE electric machines.

1949: When it first began, Grand Prix motorcycle racing had five separate categories: 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, 500cc, and 600cc sidecars.

Harold Daniell won the first 500cc trophy at the Isle of Man TT and Leslie Graham won the 500cc season with 30 points.

1957: Bob McIntyre wins the longest-ever Grand Prix race of 301.84 miles, held over 8 laps of the Isle of Man 1959: Honda enters the Isle of Man for the first time 1961: The first Grand Prix outside of europe is held in Argentina 1963: The Japanese Grand Prix is held – the first race in Asia 1964: The first Grand Prix Race is held in the United States at Daytona. There were races in the previous year, but this was the first official ‘Grand Prix’ won by Mike Hailwood. Daytona saw three Grand Prix races, but the United States race was dropped from the series in late 1966 and would not return for 23 years when it was held at Laguna Seca. WTF?

1949: Harold Daniell + Isle of Man

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BACKROADS • JULY 2019

1964: Hailwood at Daytona

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1966: Redman at Hockenheim

1966: Honda wins the constructors’ championship in all five solo classes. Jim Redman and Honda win their first race at Hockenheim, Germany. The first win ever for a Japanese company in the premier class.

1967: Final year of unrestricted numbers of cylinders and gears.

Honda withdraws in protest.

1968: Giacomo Agostini wins both 350 and 500cc championships.

1976: Barry Sheene

1968: Giacomo Agostini 1968: Giacomo Agostini

1973: Not one, but two riders, Jarno Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini are killed at the Italian round in Monza.

1976: Barry Sheene wins the first 500cc championship for Suzuki.

1978: Kenny Roberts (Yamaha) wins the 500cc class, the first American to do so.

1979: Last year of the 750cc class

1977: Barry Sheene + Kenny Roberts

1978: Kenny Roberts

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

1983: Freddie Spencer 1989: Wayne Rainey 1982: Last year of the 350cc class.

2000: Kenny Roberts Jr.

1983: Freddie Spenser (Honda) wins the 500cc class. Spencer and Kenny Roberts win all 500cc races for the season between them.

USA USA USA!

and either restart or resume on ‘wet’ tires. Now, when rain falls, a white flag is shown, indicating that riders can pit to swap the motorcycle on which they started the race for an identical one, as long as the tires are different (that is, intermediates or wets instead of slicks).

1985: Freddie Spencer wins both the 250cc and 500cc titles.

2005: Valentino Rossi wins his fifth consecutive MotoGP title.

1993: Three-time 500cc champion and then title-holder Wayne Rainey is paralyzed following a crash at Misano, Italy.

2006: Nicky Hayden wins the premier class championship at the final race in Valencia. The last American to do so.

1998: Mick Doohan wins his fifth consecutive 500cc title, all with Honda

2008: MotoGP runs its first night race in Qatar 2011: MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli is killed at Sepang

2000: Kenny Roberts Jr. (Suzuki) wins the 500cc class, he joins his father, Kenny Roberts Sr. to claim the championship, thus making them the only father-son to win the 500cc championship.

2013: Marc Marquez becomes the first rookie to win the championship in MotoGP’s current guise, and the youngest-ever premier class world champion.

2001: Valentino Rossi wins his first premier class title and becomes the final two-stroke champion in the premium series.

2019: The Motoe class is introduced using electric motorcycles. The paddock fire in March 2019 at Circuito de Jerez, Spain, took the initial May 19 race off the schedule.

2002: MotoGP replaces the 500cc class. Four-Strokes are re-introduced and get an increase to 990cc but two-strokes stay at 500cc.

2005: Flag to Flag rule for MotoGP was introduced. Previously, if a race started dry and rain fell, officials could red-flag (stop) the race

The series has been an interesting one since then. Rossi vs. Marquez, the Ducati disaster and so much more. We hope this look back at its history and changes has refreshed your memory, if you have followed the sport, or piqued your interest to start watching.

Marquez + Rossi

2001: Valentino Rossi 2005: Rossi + Hayden

2006: Hayden Wins

2013: Marquez Wins

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

With the multitude of anniversaries in this issue, here’s another fun one for you. In 2000 the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge was started to educate and help raise funds to preserve the lighthouses and life saving stations in the state. They’ll be celebrating 20 years of doing so in 2019.

Before these tall towers were built to guide fishermen and their boats into the harbor, large fires were created on platforms atop the highest hills surrounding the ports. These fires were beacons to mark the ports’ entrance rather than warning signals for upcoming danger.

One of the first lighthouses ever built was the Pharos of Alexandria, constructed by Egyptians in 285 B.C. It stood on an island just outside the entrance of Alexandria and towered 440 feet. Thought to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it stood tall for 1500 years until destroyed by an earthquake in 1303 A.D. Moving forward in time and closer to home, the first lighthouse in the United States was built in 1716 on Little Brewster Island off the coast of Boston. As of the 17th century, with sea travel in America expanding, these beacons could be found in every major coastal city. They were no longer just used for guidance but were essential for the safety of fishermen, their crews and any ships coming into ports. Over the next 50 years New Jersey’s coast became quite desirable and settlers were quickly building homes and small towns along the state’s 1,792 miles of shoreline and easy access to the waterways. What, you think Da Shore was always populated with carny rides, cotton candy and the cast of Jersey Shore?

Sandy Hook Light

As early as 1679 there was strong talk to build a watchtower at the tip of Sandy Hook. With a series of shipwrecks in 1761, these petitions were taken seriously and, over 80 years later, at the expense of hundreds of lives and thousands of pounds of material, construction began and in 1764 the Sandy Hook Lighthouse was finally complete, using copper lamps filled with whale

Page 37 oil, which burned longer and brighter, instead of fire.

Since that time, over 25 lighthouses have been built up and down the coast of New Jersey. Though most have been destroyed, demolished or closed, each played a significant part in the coastal history of the state. Today 11 lighthouses dot the shorelines, from Cape May to the Atlantic Highlands, you can see and visit them all, and that’s what the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge is all about.

Here’s the deal: Taking place the weekend of October 19-20 - there are 10 lighthouses, 3 Life Saving Stations and a museum. You choose where to start and the route you plan to get to all, or as many as you’d like to visit (you have plenty of time). At the first stop, pick up a souvenir penny booklet ($5.00). Each lighthouse will have a custom crushed penny to contribute to your booklet in commemoration of your support. At the end of the challenge, you should have a complete souvenir booklet for your accomplishment. Once you’ve visited them all and have a better knowledge of the living history of service and seafaring in our state, tell a volunteer at your final stop and you’ll be in the drawing for a prize worth $1,000. lhchallenge.nj.org • contact@lhchallengenj.org • 609-224-6068.

Here’s a little history of the lighthouses you’ll be visiting: You already know that Sandy Hook Light was the first. In fact, it was the only indicator that New Jersey was just a few hundred nautical miles away from the New York Harbor. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the shipping industry decided to build another, this one eight nautical miles south of Sandy Hook. In 1828, the Twin Rivers Lighthouse was completed. The Twin Rivers,

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

Navesink Twin Lights

in 1841, became the first lighthouse in the United States to have its light source switched from oil with the installation of the Fresnel lens. Another first came in 1862, with its complete makeover, which cost an estimated $74,000 (almost $1.6 million in today’s money). Still another milestone was in 1893, when it was the site of the first reading of the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1898 it became the first electrically powered lighthouse and in 1899, Guglielmo Marconi set up and tested his wireless telegraph there. You can say that the Twin Rivers Lights were the founding father of all modern beacons along coastal New Jersey and beyond.

Next up the timeline is the Tucker’s Island Light, built in 1848. It did not have the legacy of the first two lights and, in the late summer of 1859, its use was discontinued. Remaining uninhabited for 8 years, it re-emerged under the name Tucker’s Beach Lighthouse with a complete makeover. In 1871 it was repainted to be better seen (duh, isn’t that it’s only job?) Unfortunately, Mother Nature East Point Light was not kind and, over the next 80 years, a series of events unfolded that wiped out not only Tucker’s Beach Lighthouse, but the entire island completely. Today there is a recreation of Tucker’s Island Lighthouse.

The East Point Lighthouse was in use from

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1849 to 1941, when it was decommissioned. It fell into disrepair, deterioration and, in 1971, was set on fire and much of it was destroyed. There are still efforts being made for a full restoration, and it is open periodically, such as during the challenge.

The Absecon LightAbsecon Light house, put to use in 1857, was the child of Jonathan Pitney, known as the father of Atlantic City. Its claim to fame was its Fresnel lens, which was specifically made in Paris and could be seen 19.5 nautical miles out to sea, a huge feat for a beacon at that time. Helping send out Barnegat Light that beam was its massive size, towering 171 feet into the air and equipped with 228 spiral stairs that lead you to the top (bring some water when you climb this one). It was one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area, with over 10,000 people logged into the visitor’s book in 1912. It was decommissioned in 1932 and remained closed until Atlantic City took control, gave it a full restoration and today, again, it is still one of the most popular attractions in Atlantic City.

Barnegat Lighthouse, or Old Barney as the locals call it, was originally a 40foot structure which sailors and captains found both distracting and inadequate in the 1800s. Rebuilt as a larger and muchimproved lighthouse, standing 170 feet

BACKROADS • JULY 2019 tall, it featured a first-order Fresnel lens beaming 20 nautical miles off the coast. Old Barney was decommissioned in 1944 but still remains a landmark for locals and tourists and was reopened in 2009 on its 150th anniversary.

The lighthouse you Cape May Light see today at Cape May is the third structure built in that area. 1823 saw the first, which lasted for 20 years. 25 years later the second was built about 600 feet south of the original but was ordered shut down due to poor condition.

The third and final Cape May Lighthouse stand 157 feet tall and its firstorder Henry-Lepaute Fresnel lens was first lit on Halloween, 1859 and in 1946 was dismantled due to poor maintenance.

It was reopened in 1988 after restoration.

The Finn’s Point and Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouses are unlike any of the other lighthouses still standing today. Each of these structures is made completely out of wrought-iron, rather than brick or concrete, and lack separate housing for the keeper, which made them exceptionally more cost efficient. Finn’s Point was assembled in Buffalo, NY and arrived in Pennsville, NJ in 1876, being lit in 1877. It was active until March, 1950.

Tinicum Light sits on land that was once the capital of

Finn’s Point Light

Page 39 New Sweden in 1655. It was in use from 1880 to 1933 and is available to visit today.

The final beacon to be Sea Girt Light constructed on the Jersey Shore was the Sea Girt Lighthouse. Construction began in early 1896 and was completed in less than a year, making it the fastest lighthouse built in New Jersey. In 1921, it became the first lighthouse equipped with a radio fog signal making it easier and more accurate for captains to locate. It operated until 1955 when it became cost prohibitive and shipping lanes changes.

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

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Community members have come together over the years to create organizations to raise money to ensure New Jersey’s beacons stand tall for years to come. Onsite donations, entrance fees and such contribute to these funds. The New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge not only brings in much needed funds but helps keep the public educated in the history and importance of these silent watchers and treasured landmarks. While none of these lighthouses function today as they did in their heydays, the few left in the state represent a history, embody a way of living and symbolize 250 years of New Jersey’s coastal communities. Enjoy your travels along the Lighthouse Trail – they’ll leave a light on for you.

Come Ride the Dragon Deals Gap 318 Curves in 11 Miles

www.dealsgap.com 800.889.5550 17548 Tapoco Road, Robbinsville, NC 28771

Deals Gap Store Motel Bar and Grill

Absecon Lighthouse, 31 S. Rhode Island Ave, Atlantic City, NJ Cape May Lighthouse, 215 Light House Ave, Cape May, NJ east Point Lighthouse, 10 Lighthouse Rd, Heislerville, NJ Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse, 2nd St/Mantau Ave, Paulsboro, NJ Sandy Hook Lighthouse, 85 Mercer Rd, Highlands, NJ Sea Girt Lighthouse, 9 Ocean Ave, Sea Girt, NJ Twin Lights of Navesink, 2 Light House Rd, Highlands, NJ Barnegat Lighthouse, 208 Broadway, Barnegat, NJ Tuckerton Seaport/Baymen’s Museum, 120 W Main St, Tuckerton, NJ Finn’s Point Rear Range Light, Fort Mott/Lighthouse Rds, Pennsville, NJ

PLUS: Tatham Life Saving Station, 11617 2nd Ave, Stone Harbor, NJ US Life Saving Station 30, 801 e 4th St, Ocean City, NJ Barnegat Light Museum, 501 Central Ave, Barnegat Light, NJ

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

words: Michael Nemlich • images: IMTBIKE If you have attended a BMW rally or are a lover of world travel, you no doubt recognize the names IMTBIKE and, of course, Scott Moreno. A quick review of the IMTBIKE web site shows 20 different guided tours, 14 self-guided tours, the ability to do custom tours, and bike rentals. An American transplant, Scott now lives in Madrid, Spain where IMTBIKE is headquartered. As they started the same year as Backroads, we called Scott to ask him to reflect on the past 20+ years and how the business has changed.

MN: What was the first bike to take your heart?

Scott: Born in Flushing, Queens and growing up in the Bronx (New York City), I became fascinated with bikes despite the local riding conditions characterized by dense traffic and the lack of hills, twisties and sweepers. At the age of 10 we moved to New Jersey and I learned to ride on my neighbor’s Honda 70. My mom, like many moms, hated bikes and tried to discourage me but said if I can buy one with my own money to go ahead. Shortly thereafter we moved to a hilly part of northern New Jersey. I surprised her by saving $250 from my paper route and odd jobs.

When I was 12 I bought a Yamaha 60 and kept it in my parent’s garage, but my mom still hated it. The bike came complete with a Captain America Helmet like the one Peter Fonda wore in Easy Rider!

MN: Mom kept her word.

MN: You experienced good riding in upstate New York, New Jersey and New England. What led to riding in Spain?

Scott: I was working in finance in New York City when I was offered the opportunity to transfer to Madrid. I decided to go and took my ‘83 Honda V65 1100 with me. Every non-working opportunity I had I was on the bike exploring Portugal, Spain and most of Europe. As I rode through Spain I fell in love with the people, culture and geography. Unlike home, I could ride year round from the mountains to along the sea. I spent four months traveling the eastern European communist countries which was much different than touring them today.

MN: Solo riding is so Zen and cool. Why get into the tour business?

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

Join Us in 2019

Patagonia, Peru, Bolivia Argentina and more!

Visit our website for 2019 tour dates Ride through Bolivia, Peru and Argentina.

Visit the full range of our beautiful and enchanting places and see our lakes, other-worldly deserts, Independent touring or guided tours with multilingual guide, mechanic and support vehicle. 17 Years organizing tours and BMW rentals.

80 motorcycles in fleet.

World’s 2nd Largest BMW Travel Partner and Official BMW Dealer

the dramatic Andes, snow-covered volcanoes and, of course, the magic world of Patagonia.

email info@motoaventura.cl web www.motoaventura.cl

Scott: After my stay in Madrid I came back to the US to get my MBA in Arizona. I then went back to Madrid before being transferred to trade currencies in Dubai. After being there six months, I knew I wanted out of the finance business. I decided to follow my love of motorcycles and put together a business plan to start a tour company. It was logical to move back to Madrid since it was the ideal environment for riding. They say ignorance is bliss and they are right. If I knew then what I know now I would never have started the company. Starting a business in Spain 20 years ago, I had to learn as I went along. There was no established business category in Spain for a motorcycle tour company, so I wrote the book, as I spent many hours learning to navigate the Spanish government bureaucracy.

MN: What did your first tour look like?

Cascais - Portugal Tour

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Scott: Rather than doing a trip for friends, my first trip was a press tour through Central and Southern Spain, which is very special. It has all the diversity of riding anywhere in the United States but in a smaller geographic area. The free press I received in several motorcycle ma-gazines was better than spending money on advertising.

MN: How did you start off expand the business from these visible press junkets?

Scott: For the first several years I put together four tours: the Pyrenees, Central, and Southern Spain, and Portugal. As a one man show, I would do three tours a year. I worked on: the design of the routes, picking the hotels and restaurants, making the reservations, leading the tours, and doing everything needed to run a business - marketing, accounting and government paperwork (so much for using my Col du Tourmalet Perfect Pyrenees

BACKROADS • JULY 2019 recent MBA degree). All this was done out of my one-bedroom apartment in the center of Madrid.

MN:: What kind of bikes did you choose?

Scott:: I always thought that BMW was the premier touring motorcycle.

I started with eight bikes. Now it’s about 200. We currently rent nine types of BMWs from eight locations. We replace the bikes every 12-15 months so we can assure the riders of a virtually new bike.

MN: IMTBIKE is an Official Partner of BMW Motorrad. What does this mean?

Scott: As the motorcycling touring business grew, BMW Motorrad wanted to set standards for tour companies using its brand to help ensure a good customer experience. Several of our guides are graduates of the BMW International Tour Guide Academy. They serve as trainers to our other guides.

MN: Where do your customers typically reside?

Scott: They literally come from all over the world. At last count over 90 countries. Many come from the United States, Canada, Australia, New

Page 43 Consuegra Castles + Mountains Central Spain

Zealand, Israel and multiple countries in South America. Over 85% of our customers have taken multiple trips!

MN: How has the Company changed?

Scott: We have added more tours, both guided and self-guided, the ability to do custom tours, the bike rental and bike storage business. The 200 bikes that we rent are spread over 8 locations, we have 30 employees and offer over 30 different tours. We typically run 40 tours a year of all types. Several years ago we started offering self-guided tours. We take care of all the tour details: hotel reservations, tour handbook, Michelin maps, and a pre-loaded Garmin GPS. An IMTBIKE guide will meet you for a comprehensive tour briefing the day you arrive, and we are just a phone call away in case you have any questions. They have become very popular.

Many customers who visit Europe store a bike with us in one of our 8 facilities. They come over, tour and frequently drop the bike off in another city for their next trip.

MN: What’s different on an IMTBIKE tour?

Scott: We are driven by our passion for making sure that you enjoy your motorcycle vacation to the fullest and we strive for perfection in all details of our tours and rentals. We focus on hiring people that have a positive attitude in a family atmosphere. Our guides have the ability to make each guest

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS Exotic Thailand

comfortable on their own level. It is the Scott and his wife, Isabel combination of our passion for motorcycling and our desire for perfection that makes touring with IMTBIKE something extraordinary. We have exceptional guides, new motorcycles, top-notch hotels, professionally designed routes, comprehensive tour books and offer an overall motorcycle touring experience of the highest quality.

We stress the history and cultural aspects on the trip with many stops and sightseeing along the way. We work hard to limit tours to a maximum of 12 motorcycles.

All of our tours have 2 guides and a support vehicle. Tours last 9-17 days. Average cost depends on location and the number of days but is roughly $3,000 week, which includes bike, hotels, and all meals. Pretty much everything except for alcohol, gas and souvenirs.

MN: Do you have any time to still lead any tours?

Scott: My favorite part of the business is spending time with customers.

When I started, I led all the tours. It’s always a rewarding experience. That’s

no longer feasible, but I typically lead 3 or 4 trips a year.

MN: How do you see the tour business changing?

Scott: We have many repeat customers.

They often approach us on where they want to go next so we are constantly looking at and adding new tours. Based on customer interest we have added a tour of Thailand. More people are touring. There are more tour companies. We see people wanting to tour that have different interests and abilities. I’m keeping an eye on the progress of electric bikes. As their mileage improves they will be feasible for tours at some point. The fluctuation of currency exchange rates effects where people want to tour. With cheaper airfares, more people are leaving their bikes with us and flying over to tour. It costs roughly $70/month to store a bike versus $100/day to rent a bike.

If you’d like more information of IMTBIKE and their tours, please visit them @ IMTBike.com

BACKROADS • JULY 2019 northeast classic car MuseuM

Page 45 Continued from Page 17

1980’s, is a delight. If you like fins and chrome, this exhibit is for you! Cars like Desoto, Studebaker, Windsor, Nash, Crosley, and Hudson. Muscle Cars such as Super Bee & Road Runner to name a couple.

The Studebaker, with its tri-tone color scheme, and the Desoto with its fins, swivel bucket seats and pizzazz screamed of the booming American economy after the war.

The museum has a solid collection of WWI and WWII airplane engines as well as an impressive display of ‘Trucks at Work.’

The Cars Made... in New York State will surprise you as well.

In the center of one building, the good-sized gathering of motorcycles caught our eye and we spent a good long time taking in the varied and rare machines they had on display.

accommodations available six newly renovated rooms

One of the two guides, Stephen, had his own 1969 Honda CB750 on display and there were some other machines that quickly drew our attention such as the 1937 ‘Upside Down” Indian, the 1905 Excelsior and the 1951 BMW 350 Sidecar. One machine popped out at us and that was the 1968 Bridgestone 350 Racer. This was considered a very sophisticated machine back in the day, with a disc-valve induction parallel twin 2-stroke engine.

The same owner, Randy Gibbon, had a street version GTR as well.

As superb as these machines were Bridgestone ceased building motorcycles altogether to concentrate on the Bridgestone tires for which the Japanese company is still well known.

When was the last time you saw these machines?

PLENTY OF ROOM FOR GROUPS

Bar • lunch • dinner At the intersection of Great Homemade Meals and Beautiful Backroads

Breakfast Every Sunday 9am-1pm Tues 4-10pm • Wed-Sat 11am-10pm • Sun. 9am-9pm

RivertonHotelandRestaurant

the riverton hotel and restaurant At Belvidere-Riverton Free Bridge, Riverton, PA

610-498-4241 • www.rivertonhotel.com

The Northeast Classic Car Museum, like many others, rotates their displays. So, what you might find there could be different from what we found.

But, we know you will be impressed regardless.

While exploring central New York make it a point to drop in at the Northeast Classic Car Museum and take a good look at our automotive past.

Member of

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

Since it is National Ice Cream Month, we are going to give you a double scoop of ice cream runs in this issue. Ice Cream Cub Reporter Brian brings this one in while on assignment to cover Hermy’s BMW/Triumph Open House. Enjoy the ice cream and we’ll see you on the road!

Way-har FarMs 7701 Bernville rd, Bernville, Pa 19506 610-488-1281 • www.wayharfarms.com I am pretty good when it comes to missions. Give me a task and it’ll most likely get done. Immediately.

At the Spring Open House at Hermy’s Motorcycles in Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, they had a young gal scooping out some wonderfully creamy and delicious ice cream. I went basic V & C. Our resident Ice Cream Maven Shira was not with me this day, so I took a quick image and sent it to her via text message.

Her reply was quick… “Well, you are there… make it happen.”

Yes, ma’am. A mission… Oh, happy day!

Herm and I talked a bit about the ice cream and how the farm it comes from was not all that far off, just a bit west and a tad south of Port Clinton on the way to a small town called Bernville.

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Right on Route 183 – you can’t miss it.

I love the Gold Wing, but the GPS that Honda built into this machine has a bit to be desired.

Yikes… I found myself some ten miles north traveling the wrong way. Course corrected I made a mental note to start the Rip & Ride to Way-Har Farms from Hermy’s, a bit more fun and with destination assured.

Soon I rolled up to the long brick building that holds Way-Har’s Farm Store and I got to see the works.

As this month I am doing the leg work and typing for Shira I thought I would let you guys in on a little secret - Ice Cream comes from cows.

Yes…cows. Particularly big black & white Holsteins – America’s dairy cow.

While I was there I got to talk with owner Lolly Lesher and she told me about the history of the farm.

The Lesher family has lived in the Upper Tulpehocken township area for six generations. Their German descendants spoke fluent Penn- sylvania Dutch, worked the land and were members of the local church. In 1952, the Lesher family purchased the current farm. This original farm was 190 acres and as the years past, the family added additional acreage. In 1968, the herd of cows moved from an old German style bank barn to a modern 105 free-stall barn.

They know cows. In fact these cows have it better than most humans and even have their own nutritionist. The family grows all of the nutritional needs for the animals on the farm; growing corn, hay, wheat, rye, barley and alfalfa allows the cows to eat a special diet made just for them.

This is why I thought Way-Har Farm’s ice cream was creamy delicious.

They control the creating and making of their ice cream from the very beginning.

They have been breeding, raising and taking care of their own cows, on their own, for decades. The Way-Har cows are exceptional and have taken dozens of prizes at local and state farm shows over these many decades.

The Country Store opened back in 1970, selling farm fresh milk to locals and travelers passing through looking for a superior dairy product.

Ice Cream was a natural for the Lesher family and, as they say, “Ice Cream is their passion!”

Making ice cream at Way-Har is a labor of love. The Emory Thompson 40 Qt freezer operates year round and can hold a plethora of different flavors of Way-Har’s ice cream.

They have over 100 flavors that they have dreamed up and created and 50 “on tap” as it were at any given time.

Teaberry, orange pineapple, coconut, butter brickle and raspberry cheesecake can be found.

Creations such as Beauty Brook View, Raspberry

Truffle, and Suzanne's Delight are a few of their most recent delicacies.

And to think I went for vanilla and chocolate when at Hermy’s.

But why should they have all the fun?

If you have a strange craving for something different, or an idea for the next great all-American ice cream flavor, then Way-Har Farms might be able to help with their Designer Ice Cream Team. This is great for weddings, special events or fund raisers.

It isn’t just ice cream as they have their own in-store bakery making everything one could imagine - and everything is made fresh daily!

Pumpkin whoopee pies? Oh, yes.

If you need some lunch before your dessert they have a full deli as well and a comfortable place to sit down and enjoy your meal. But, let me tell you – ice cream

Page 47 should come first. If you don’t finish your sandwich it will probably make it home. Ice cream? Not so much.

For the kid in you, or just to sate an overactive sweet tooth, Way-Har has rows of novelty candies, licorices, gummies, jellies, chips, pretzels, Pennsylvania Dutch condiments and sides.

You’ll find creations by local artists - hand woven baskets, soy candles, plus other decorator items located throughout the store.

So, follow along this short, but fun ride from Hermy’s BMW & Triumph and I promise not to send you in the wrong direction, well not for long anyway.

Enjoy Way-Har Farms – I sure did.

You can download the GPX file (with and without waypoints) here: www.sendspace.com/filegroup/hPn%2BfFeoymxbtmeMyeBkeg

Route 739 • Dingmans Ferry, PA • 570.828.1920

BACKROADS • JULY 2019

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JULY 2019 • BACKROADS

UP C OM I N G E VE NT S CAL END AR

What’s Happening

EVERY MONTH - WEATHER PERMITTING

AUGUST 2019

every Tuesday • Two Wheeled Tuesday at Spiegel Restaurant • 26 1st Avenue, NYC. An eclectic gathering of motorcycles served with multi-cuisine meals. Kick some tires, have some couscous, enjoy the crowd • www.spiegelnyc.com • 212-228-2894

4 • Ride for Kids Hudson Valley. Sign-in: Motorcycepedia Museum, 250 Lake St, Newburgh, NY. Online Registration: $40/Day of event: $45. Help stop the deadliest disease facing our country’s children and you could win a new Honda motorcycle. For full details: rideforkids.org/hudsonvalley

every Thursday • Bike Night at JumboLand, Route 206, Branchville, NJ every Saturday thru October • Bergen County H-D Saddle Up Saturday. 9am for coffee and bagels. Ride departs 10am. Returns to dealership for free music and food. Proper attire MUST be worn! BCHD, 124 essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 Third Sunday thru August • Caffeine and Gasoline at Hudson Valley Motorcycles, 179 N. Highland Ave/Rte 9, Ossining, NY. Meet at 8 for coffee, tea and a light bite then head out for your ride • HVMotorcycles.com • 914-762-2772

11 • 6th Annual Rockaway Twp. UNICO Charity Motorcycle Run for the Kids to benefit St. Peter’s Orphanage, Denville, NJ. Sign in: Peterson Firld, Fleetwood Dr, Rockaway, NJ 8:30; KSU 10am • $25/rider-$15/pass. 60 mile escorted run thru scenic northwest NJ to Buffalo Wild Wings, Rockaway Mall. Incl. breakfast, kickstand plate, lunch, music, rale prizes and more • www.rtunico.org • 973-975-5554

20-21 • Rollin’ Fast hosts Indian Demo Truck. Must have valid MC license. First come, first ridden. More info on Facebook • 1221 Rte. 22 east, Lebanon, NJ • 908-236-9000 ext. 200 • www.rollinfast.com

11 • NJ Ride for the Cure - Prostate Cancer Moto-Fundraiser. endsite: Cross Country Motorsports, Route 27, Metuchen, NJ • Sponsored by NJ Shore BMW Riders, Skylands BMW Riders, BMW Club ot North Jersey and New Sweden BMW Riders. The event is a DIY Scaventer Hunt which will visit various historic NJ sites with documentation on your cell phone from Aug. 1-11. For more information and to register for the event visit NJrideforthecure.org

20-23 • Johnstown PA Thunder in the Valley Motorcycle Rally. All Bikes Welcome. www.visitjohnstownpa.com/thunder-valley

7-12 • DIRTY for GOOD Women’s Dual Sport Rider/Training Camp, Rocky Gap SP, Flintstone, MD • full details: womensmotorcyclistfoundation.org/events

23 • Motorcycle Scavenger Hunt sponsored by Bergen & Hudson Valley Harley-Davidson to benefit the 200 Club of Bergen Co. Two sign-in spots: Bergen Co. Harley, 124 essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ AND Hudson Valley Harley, 33 Route 304, Nanuet, NY • 910:15am • $20/rider - $10/passenger. Teams of 2-6 will get list of places + things to find. List is time stamped with 3 hours to take pictures of group in front of as many places/things on the list, each with points assigned. Points translate to tickets to redeem for prizes. Food + music at endsite: Hudson Valley Harley. For more info visit www.hdhudsonvalley.com or www.bergenharleydavidson.com.

15-18 • Touratech DirtDaze Rally, Suicide Six, Pomfret, VT. This will be THE ADV rally of the east Coast. Watch for details on their website: www.DirtDazeRally.com

JUNE 2019

23 • Rolling Thunder NYC 20th Salute to Veterans ‘Threes Are Wild’ Poker Run. Sign in: Putnam Cty Veterans Mem. Park, 225 Gipsy Trail Rd, Carmel, NY. 8-11am • $20/pp incl. coffee, rolls and donuts at start, scenic ride through Hudson Valley with historic military card stops along the way, lunch, games, prizes, vendors and live entertainment. endsite: Montgomery Veterans Mem. Park, 60 Bachelor St, Vilalge of Montgomery, NY. Lunch served at 1pm • 845-762-8719 • 845-249-3886

JULY 2019 3 • Backroads International Meals on Wheels - Yia Yia’s Greek Kitchen. See page 15.

13-14 • 43rd Annual Ramapo 500. 2 days (250 miles each day) incl. Sat. dinner, Sun. breakfast, camping, awards and prizes. endsite: Blackthorne Resort, east Durham, NY. On-site hotel accommodations available ($) and other lodging options within 10-mile radius • Full details www.ramapomc.org 22-26 • COG Keystone National Rally, Williamsport, PA. Rally HQ: Historic Gennetti Hotel• cogmc.com/national • 814-615-9138 26-28 • Kissell Motorsports Soggy Bottom MotoFest Adventure and Dual Sport Rally.

Port Matilda, PA. Registration fee incl. 5 catered meals, 4 rides with GPS routes, live music, beer and 2019 t-shirt. Attendees can expect 350 miles of mostly unpaved roads with spectacular views and optional hero sections. Lodging must be booked separately.

Info: www.eventbrite.com/soggy-bottom-motofest-2019-tickets

24 • Ride to Give to benefit Deerfield Valley Food Pantry. Sign in: 9am • Party: 1pm.

Two Rides: ADV - dirt roads - and street. ALL ARe WeLCOMe. Live music, raffles, games, vendors. Find Us on Facebook for event details or online @ valleyviewsaloon.com. Valley View Saloon, 131 Route 100, West Dover, VT.

SEPTEMBER 2019 4 • Ride for Kids Hudson Valley benefitting Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Online Reg: $40/Day-of Reg: $45. Sign-in/endsite: Motorcyclepedia Museum, 250 Lake St, Newburgh, NY. Full details: rideforkids.org/hudsonvalley 6-8 • BMW Motorcycle Owners of Vermont host 2019 Green Mountain Rally, Camp Thorpe, Goshen, VT. Registration incl. 4 home-cooked meals, self-guided tours, Gap and GS rides, live bluegrass music, door prizes and awards, camping with hot showers, and bonfire Sat. night. Full details: bmwmov.wildapricot.org 8 • 20th Anniversary Andiamo Run. Sign-in: 8-10am • KSU 10:20am sharp. Start/end: Andiamo Restaurant,23 Hardenburgh Ave, Haworth, NJ. Fully police-escorted 50-60 mile run through northeast NJ and southeast NY. After party at restaurant included food, live band and exhibition of police motorcycle skills. Info: 201-384-1551 • info@andiamorun.com 9-12 • Rolling Thru America Virginia. Limited to 100 guests • 518-798-7888 • Sign up at www.rollingthruamerica.com 14-18 • Women’s Training + Dual Sport Tour. Full details: MotoVermont.com 25-28 • Rolling Thru America Maine. Limited to 100 guests • 518-798-7888 • Sign up at www.rollingthruamerica.com 22 • Forever Friends Charity Bike Run event in loving memory of Mark Khoury and Jeremy Ramirez. Skylands Stadium, 94 Championship Dr, Augusta, NJ. Scenic Ride: 12:30-2pm. Full day event for all riders and non-riders: 10am-6pm. $25 donation/pp incl. breakfast, lunch, dessert, vendors. Tricky Tray, 50/50 and live music. For more info visit them online @ www.foreverfriendsmotorcycleawareness.org.

16-17 • CLASS at VIR, Alton, VA. For more details and to register, visit www.CLASSRIDES.com or call 805-933-9936. You must also book your lodging at VIR: 434-8227700 ext. 101 18-23 • Backroads Fall Fiesta. See next page or full details can be found on our Rally website: backroadsusa.com/rallies.html 28 • American Flat Track Races at the Meadowlands Mile. Check for details on the website: www.americanflattrack.com

Sept. 18 - 21 + Bonus Night Sept. 22

Yes, Virginia, There is a Backroads Fall Fiesta Rally It took us a while to get this one together but here it is - 4 days spent in Virginia with an extra stay thrown in at the end in Pennsylvania. It’s a mixture of lodging options with some great riding in between. All the booking details are below and we’ll fill in the blanks as we move closer.

Book EARLY so as not to be disappointed.

WED., SEPT. 18 COMFORT INN

THUR-FRI, SEPT. 19-20 BOLLING WILSON HOTEL

SATURDAY, SEPT. 21 BEST WESTERN

SUNDAY, SEPT. 22 FULTON STEAM BOAT

334 Caroline St, Orange, VA 540-672-3121 • $69 + tax

170 E. Main St, Wytheville, VA 276-223-2333 • $130+tax/night

109 Apple Tree Lane, Waynesboro, VA 540-942-1100 • $131+tax incl. b’fast

1 Hartman Bridge Rd, Ronks, PA 717-299-9999 • $100 + tax

Mention Backroads when calling

Book online • Mention Backroads if calling

Mention Backroads 1663 when calling

Mention Backroads to book Make your own way to Orange, VA to start your journey.

It’s a quaint little burg and the home of James Madison’s Montpelier. The Comfort Inn has an indoor pool and sets us up for great riding to our next two-night destination.

We’ll have a group bbq dinner at the hotel so once you’re parked you can relax and enjoy.

VERY LIMITED ROOM AVAILABILITY

Wytheville is a great base for us to explore the paved (and some not) roads in this part of Virginia.

There is something for everyone, from rolling country lanes to the technical twisty Claw of the Dragon.

After exploring, the Bolling Wilson Hotel makes a perfect spot to relax, with its rooftop terrace and very tasty restaurant downstairs.

For those joining us on Sunday, We’ll start heading north for our next we’ll make our way closer to home night’s stay. The beautiful roads through the George Washington with a stay outside of Lancaster, PA. and Jefferson National Forest along Perhaps a stop in Harpers Ferry the border of West Virginia make for a bit of history and lunch along for a pleasant day’s ride before the way. Or maybe a ride past parking in Waynesboro where we’ll Mt. Weather, one of Dr. O’Life’s find an indoor pool and some fine Mysterious stops. The Fulton Steam Virginia barbecue at the Boat makes a great last night on Fishin’ Pig right next door. our Fall Fiesta Rally.

DON’T MISS OUR SOIREE IN VIRGINIA • BOOK YOUR ROOMS TODAY!

If our block of rooms is full at the Bolling Wilson Hotel in Wytheville, there are alternate lodgings within two miles.