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Motorcycle TourMagazine
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FREE WHEELIN’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
SHIRA’S SUMMERTIME ICE CREAM RIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
WHATCHATHINKIN’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
CAREFREE HIGHWAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
RIDING PENNSYLVANIA’S NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS. . . . . . . . . . . 42
ON THE MARK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
CLUB SPOTLIGHT - YANKEE BEEMERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
CLUB SPOTLIGHT - CHRISTIAN MOTORCYCLISTS ASSOC. . . . . . . 50
BACKLASH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
AMERICADE DAYTRIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
INDUSTRY INFOBITES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
SEEN ON THE ROAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
MYSTERIOUS AMERICA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
FIRST TIMER’S GUIDE TO RIDING IN MEXICO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
WE’RE OUTTA HERE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
PRODUCT REVIEWS
BIG CITY GETAWAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
BMW SPORT LEATHERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
BOOK REVIEW - HEAR MY ROAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil ~ Publishers
Contributors: Mark Byers, Kenneth W. Dahse, Bill Heald, Tim Kessel, Robert Laford, Roberto Mitchelli, Jeff Stein, Tim Wineland, Dr. Seymour O’Life Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure
BACKROADS • POB 317, Branchville NJ 07826 Phone 973.948.4176 • Fax 973.948.0823 • email editor@backroadsusa.com • web www.backroadsusa.com For Advertising Sales Information: 973-948-4176
BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACKROADS™, Inc. 2010. 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 • JUNE 2010
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Smokehole Blacksnake If a challenge is what you’re looking for, this is it. Leaving Elkins on Route 33 East, travel to Seneca Rocks. Catch Route 55 N to Cabins. There you will pickup the Blacksnake, Route CR 28/11 to Upper Tract. Take Route 220 S to Franklin, take 33 W back into Elkins.
Estimated Time: 3 hours, 16 mins Distance: 147.10 mi
We invite you to stay with us in Randolph County, West Virginia while enjoying the spectacular views and the best motorbike rides you'll ever experience.
In the Heart of West Virginia
The challenge ride begins in Elkins, head east on Rt 33 to Seneca Rocks. Stretch your legs a bit and enjoy the scenery of the rocks. From here, you will travel on Rt 55 N to the community of Cabins, here your journey begins. Take CR 28/11 for the Smokehole Blacksnake. At the end you head south on Rt 220 to Franklin. This is a community with a significant collection of the 19th century architecture. Take 33 E back into Elkins, making a memorable trip.
bpritt@randolphcountycvb.com Ph/Fx 304.636.2780 • 800.422.3304 1302 N. RANDOLPH AVE. ELKINS, WV 26241
Thousands of acres of outdoor playground, timeless mountain heritage and historic towns tucked snugly between majestic mountain landscapes that will relax and refresh your soul, your body and your mind.
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Lake & History
Tucker Run
Mountain & Valleys
If backroads and curves are your trip then this route will take you there. Leave Elkins on Route 33W to Buckhannon, while there stop by and see one of the last glassblowers. From Buckhannon take Rt. 20 S, here you will find the WV Wildlife Center. Native WV animals can be seen in their natural habitat here. Webster Springs will bring you back in time to the lumber years of old. Taking Rt. 15 back to Rt. 219 N will bring you back to Elkins. Alternate Routing: Take Rt. 33 W to Norton Exit, turn left onto CR 151 for .05 miles, turn left onto CR 53, continuing onto CR 37/8, thru Coalton to Cassity, stay on CR 35 toward Cassity, CR 35 becomes CR 34, CR 34 becomes CR 46, turning right to stay on CR 46 into Mill Creek bringing 250/219 N back to Elkins.
This route will wind in and out of Civil War History and beautiful lake country. Leaving Elkins, you will travel north west to Route 250 S to Philippi, noted for the first land battle, from there you will cross one of the largest covered bridges left in West Virginia. From Philippi you will travel Route 119 N to Grafton, home of the Mother’s Day Shire and Tygart Lake, a 1,740 acre recreation lake. You will pick-up Rt 50, heading East of Macomber. Route 72 S will bring you into Parsons.Your journey will end with Rt 219 South into Elkins. Alternate Routing: catch Route 92 South in Fellowsville passing by Teter Creek Lake, a small fishing lake. Then, take Route 250 South to Route 33 E back into Elkins.
Leaving Elkins, take Route 219 N through farm country to Parsons. Continuing on 219 North to the intersection of Route 50 E. This curvy road will pass through Maryland and back at Antioch. You will take Route 28 S to Seneca Rocks, bringing Route 33 W back into Elkins. Alternate Routing: Leave Elkins on Route 219 N to Thomas, pick-up Route 32 E passing by Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley to Harman. There you will bring Route 33 W back into Elkins.
Estimated Time: 3 hours, 18 mins Distance: 140.38 mi
Estimated Time: 2 hours, 23 mins Distance: 94.35 mi
Estimated Time: 3 hours, 48 mins Distance: 167.51 mi
Leaving Elkins on Rt 219 S, you will pass through time as you travel into the Civil War town of Beverly. Continuing further on 219 S, your journey will take you along the Tygart River valley and then up the spectacular Cheat Mountain. Continuing on Rt 219 S until you intersect with Rt 66 E. Here you can make a short detour and travel to the top of Snowshoe Mountain, where the view is breathtaking. Traveling on Rt 66 E, you will come into the town of Cass, here you will see one of the last coal operational scenic trains. From Cass, you will travel north on Rt 92. During the stretch, you will travel to Green Bank, the home of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Continuing on to the town of Bartow, where you will turn onto Rt 250 N, bringing you back into Elkins. Estimated Time: 1 hours, 58 mins Distance: 85.93 mi
Leaving Elkins heading west on Rt 33 you will come to the town of Buckhannon. Head south on Route 20. Make a stop at the WV Wildlife Center, a realistic and factual exhibit of the State’s wildlife. Continuing on Rt 20 S, a side trip for you might be Holly River State Park, the second largest park in the WV state park system.You will come to the community of Webster Springs, take a walk back in time to the lumber years. From there take Route 15 E to Valley Head. From there you will take Rt 219 N pass Kumbrabow State Forest, the state’s highest forest at 3,930 feet. Continuing on, Rt 219 N will bring you back into Elkins passing through the Civil War Historical town of Beverly.
Leaving Elkins traveling west of Route 33 W to Buckhannon taking 119 N toward the historic town of Philippi, don’t miss taking in the Civil War history of the covered bridge. Make a short stop at the Anna B. Jarvis house, used as General George B. McClellan headquarters. At Grafton you will pickup Rt. 50 E, here you can take a side trip to Tygart Lake State Park. Traveling on to Macomber you will head south on Rt 72 into Parsons, there take 219 S back into Elkins.
You will begin your run in Elkins, traveling north on Rt 219 towards Thomas. Take a side trip to Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley on Rt 32 E. Continuing on Rt 219 N you will come to Silver Lake, home of the World’s Smallest Church. Route 50 E will bring many curves and scenery as you wind your way to Antioch and head south of Rt 28 to Seneca Rocks. Take a minute to enjoy the spectacular view of this gracious rock. Taking Rt 33 W back into Elkins along scenic mountain roads will conclude your ride.
Leaving Elkins, traveling south on Rt 219 you will come to the Civil War Historical town of Beverly. Founded in 1790 as a Virginia Confederate community. Continuing on 219 S, you will pass by Kumbrabow State Forest, the state’s highest forest at 3,930 feet. Traveling on down to the community of Slaty Fork, you will turn onto Rt 66 E. Take a side trip to the top of Snowshoe Mountain, the view is spectacular. A short distance down Rt 66, you will find the small town of Cass, a small coal/timber town built around the railroad in 1902. Leaving Cass, turn north on Rt 28.
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FREE WHEELIN’ Brian Rathjen
SIGNS, SIGNS, EVERYWHERE SIGNS
We recently received a posting on Facebook asking to help support a boycott of a number of restaurants and busineses in the tiny town of Port Jefferson, out on the north fork of Long Island. It turns out, according the Facebook, that George Wallis says bikers are unsightly, should be illegal in Port Jeff, and that he has plenty of his own money and neither needs nor wants the money of anyone who rides a motorcycle, and many want to grant him his wish by boycotting the businesses he owns and he owns a number of them - The Steam Room, The Frigate, Fish & Co., The Martha Jefferson and Scotsman’s Collision in Mount Sinai. Mr. Wallis has even gone as far as to create a very official looking sign stating that any motorcyclists would be charged with trespassing if they bring their machine near his restaurants. Over the last few months there have been meetings and the town itself is distancing itself from Mr. Wallis and the Business Improvement District that started this entire mess back in March. We’ll see how this goes. I have seen this sort of thing before. A few years back we went to visit Chautauqua and the Institute named after it. The Chautauqua Institution was founded in 1874 by Lewis Miller, an Akron, OH, inventor and manufacturer; and John Heyl Vincent, a Methodist minister who later became a Bishop. The Institution, originally the Chautauqua Lake Sunday School Assembly, was founded as an educational experiment in out-of-school, vacation learning. It was successful and broadened almost immediately beyond courses for Sunday school teachers to include academic subjects, music, art and physical education.
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
Today it is a haven for intellectuals and progressive thinking folks from around the nation and the world. You would think that these folks - many of whom marched for civil rights back in the ‘60s, would be more understanding and tolerant of those different than them. And, when I say different, I mean us motorcyclists in particular. When we attempted to ride into the Institute we were flatly told by the woman at the window that there was no way we would be allowed in. Why? Well, because we were on motorcycles. Why? Well, it seems that this woman felt that motorcycles were too loud. I guess it didn’t matter to her that my BMW was running during this exchange and we were able to hold a conversation. Really, I think I am the absolute wrong person to complain to about loud bikes. Hell, Backroads is at the forefront on the noise problem. We bring this problem, and it is a serious problem, up more than any motorcycle publication on the planet. But, Ms. Hess couldn’t know this. I told her that both bikes were legally registered and I believed it wasn’t all that fair that cars could go where motorcycles could not. At that she called the police. Now there’s a good Progressive. I pushed my bike back to allow traffic to move on unimpeded and rode across the lot to park it off to the side. Evidently I crossed the Do Not Enter sign and was immediately set upon by another fellow standing by the gate. I later found he was “The Gate Keeper” and it was his job to make sure all who entered had paid mightily for the privilege. “You can’t park there,” he yelled. “Sure I can”, I told him, “I just did.” “Well, you have to ride around in the correct direction and then I’ll let you park!” Ride around and then park in the same spot? I thought the folks here had degrees, education and such. About that time the police showed up and politely explained that nobody (Continued on Page 8)
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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W H ATC H AT H I N K I N ’ SHIRA KAMIL 5 o’clock on the Friday of production for the next issue. For the most part, that means putting the ad counter away and pulling out the layout creation sheets. Taking a deep breath, I’ll head into the fun part of putting a magazine together. Some months it’s a breeze, others I’m jonesing for that martini and the hot tub to wash away the long, stressful day. This month, heading into the June issue which you’re holding in your hands, happened to be May 7, International Female Ride Day. Those of you who have been reading my scribbles for a while, know that I’m not all that fond of ‘women only’ events. That being said, I am a huge supporter of women riders. Whatever it takes to get more women on motorcycles is a good thing. From the moment I awoke that day I had one thought in my mind (after a cup of coffee). I was going to get out on my bike, even if it was just to head to the post office for an errand or two. Well, remember that opening paragraph about Fridays; this one seemed to be the martini one, and I never made it to my bike. Hearing my stomach rumble, I mentioned to Brian that sushi would be a good choice for dinner that night and would he mind getting some while I continued working. His answer to that was, ‘How about we both go, on the bikes.’ I knew there was a reason I keep him around. Pulling on the helmet and heading out of the driveway, I instantly felt relaxed and sensed the corners of my mouth turning up. We took the long way to Wok ‘N Sushi in Franklin and had a very satisfying, spicy meal. On the way home, also more circuitous than necessary, I started thinking of all the women who, hopefully, got on their bikes today for a ride. This spiralled into thinking about all the women I’ve met over the years and their participation with motorcycles. The experience and involvement certainly runs the gamut. There’s Gloria Tramontin Struck, an 84-year-old grandmother who lives to ride long-distance on her ‘04 Heritage Softail Classic. Her mother, CHICKS ON BIKES
Pierina, took over the reins of Lexington Cycle Shop in Clifton, NJ, which later was renamed Tramontin and would move to Hope, NJ, in 1973. Gloria was persuaded by her brother Bub to learn to ride at the age of 16 and has never looked back. She joined the Motor Maids in 1946 at the age of 21 and is one of the longest-standing members still riding. To read more about Gloria’s full life, visit here: www.thunderpress.net/MONTH_ARTICLEpdfs/2010/0410/GloriaTramonti/GloriaTramonti.shtml Continuing with impressive women who have made a mark in the motorcycle industry, you’ll find Jan Plessner. Jan began working with Kawasaki Motors Corp. in 1989. Heading up the PR department, Jan stops at nothing to promote ANY type of two-wheel activity that shows motorcycling in a good light to the public. She is an avid dirt rider and doesn’t do too badly on the asphalt either. Jan has a large passion for helping women get on their own bikes, whether it be dirt or street. Just recently, she helped to sponsor a 24hour Moto Marathon for the Cure to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer (Continued on Page 46)
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDG E BILL HEALD Wow, some wild things going on outside, eh? I don’t know about your house, but where we reside it seems that Mother Nature decided to just jump right over spring and go straight to summer. As a result, is seems the most glorious chunk of the riding season is already upon us (for the time being, anyway). This is obviously a great thing. It’s 85 degrees outside already? Let the games begin! However, there’s a dark side. It didn’t even occur to me there could be anything less than wonderful about this warmth and sunniness until I started looking at the big picture. And what I discovered while riding extensively during this early onset of hot weather was that this joyous warmth has also spawned a perfect storm of riding hazards. Usually, during this transitional time of year that is a lot cooler, there aren’t too many fair-weather riders on the road. These tend to be folks that don’t spend a hell of a lot of time in the saddle, have an aversion to proper riding gear, and (as is so often the case) are equally clueless when it comes to operating the motorcycle when situations vary from the typically optimal conditions found during a July weekend. For example, all the leftover sand from the winter’s snow clearing activities is usually pretty much gone by the time temperatures flirt with the 90s, but not now. Little beaches are present, and while the aging, rusty street cleaning contraptions in these parts have been trying to clean things up, there are still domestic Nefuds all over the place that can wreak havoc with traction. I mentioned rusty street sweepers, but it should be noted that there are also a lot of pretty rusty riders as well. This is a problem in and of itself, but when you combine the fact that a lot of auto operators aren’t used to seeing a plethora of bikes on the road this early (not that they ever see you anyway, of course), trouble ensues. When you combine this with the fact that the avoidance skills that every rider needs to have up to speed may still be hibernating, it’s a hazardous combination. When you roll out and everything is trying to tell you it’s August instead of May, some folks may start riding like they’ve been at it for months. Fact is, it’s definitely a new type of riding environment to think about. Of course, the real reason I write this piece is, sadly, not to discuss safety. No, I’m really talking about this unusually warm weather so I can bitch and moan about a menace I am just not really ready to deal with yet: insects. It has come to my attention that these wily, chitin-suited punks don’t give a flying rat’s ass what the calendar says. When it’s still fairly cool outside, this time of year can offer some of the best riding in terms of being able to see out of your freakin’ visor whenever you pass by a body of water. The winged insects, small and large, are still dormant for the most part and don’t feel the need to hurl themselves at you, your helmet, your apparel, your machine, your significant other and everything associated with your transit through the terrestrial universe. It’s just a bit early for me to have to deal with this goo, OK? There I was, scooting down one of my favorite curvy little roads that runs next to a river, and the vile aeronauts apparently decided to leave their post (hovering just over the surface of the water so the fish could dine on them) and they went all Kamikaze on my once clean visor. Whereas a few seconds before I was admiring the scenery and using all my visual faculties to conduct my ride safely down the road (surveying the scene for sand and texting idiots in cars), the next thing I knew I was examining an assortment of flattened bug carcasses literally in my face. I tried to wipe them away, and the scene changed to a smeared surrealist’s oil panting of a cow unboxing a new iPad. When I finally arrived at my destination, the once stunning front cowl of the Pearl White Aprilia I was riding was likewise transformed into a mess resembling a splatter painting at a county fair. Impressive, in its way, but still tacky. Look, I know this bug fetish and my concerns about hoards of unprepared riders storming the pavement are all part of riding in unusually early warm weather. But man, I just wasn’t ready for it yet. All I’m saying is, I just want a little more spring before my summer. Is that too much to ask? THE PERILS OF (EARLY) SUMMER
(Continued from Page 4)
really brings cars into the Chautauqua Institute, except to unload luggage. But, during the 9 weeks of programs that are held during the summer, motorcycles are not allowed at all, under any circumstances. His message was the same, but said in a far less combative way. We could park on the side of the building across the road and walk in, after paying some $80 in day fees. Not going to happen that day. Still we run into this sort of thing wherever we go. Just last month I spied a sign along East Shore Drive on Greenwood Lake at the New York / New Jersey border which that said “Loud Pipes? Have a Beer on us!” I don’t think they were being friendly, do you? FREE WHEELIN’
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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ON THE MARK MARK BYERS I come from Dirtsylvania. The first bike I rode had lights, signals, and a license plate, but also had knobby tires. So did the second and the third. I was four motorcycles into my career before I ever rode anything aimed solely at traversing the tarmac. Dual-sport bikes were the perfect complement to the country lanes and dirt roads of my home. Later, once I was officially allowed to ride on the road, my brother and I would set out from our driveway and surf the asphalt, but only until we found some dirt. Once our DOT knobbies tasted soil, the fun began. And what fun it was! One of our favorite tricks was to wait for a stream crossing, then accelerate past someone, roostering him with cold, muddy water. Anything would do even a puddle. One of our stop-sign tricks was to reach over and hit the kill switch of another’s bike, then roar off laughing as the victim unfolded his kick-starter and tried to bang his hot thumper to life. I can still tell you the trick for starting a flooded XL-600. Failure to follow the right procedure could leave you stranded (or grievously injured). If someone ran out of gas, you got him to a fuel stop by “footpegging” or putting your foot on his peg to push him along. With a dual-sport, it really didn’t matter if it was raining: by the time you got roostered a couple times fording streams or made your way through a few mountain mudholes, you looked like you’d ridden in a rainshower anyway. At some point, when the trails or bogs got really gnarly, I’d end up under the bike rather than on it, but it was always a laughing matter, not a crying one and the dirt dried and flaked off...of every place but my soul. Some days, the rain was a welcome respite from the heat. When lightning came, we headed for the nearest cover, riding out storms under any overhang of convenience. DIRTSYLVANIA
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I rode dual-sports for many years, but then I lost my way. In a moment of weakness, I traded by last multisurface mount for some bauble I wanted more. My next motorcycles were strictly road machines. Sometimes, my rusty but long-learned off-road abilities were exercised when I had to traverse a construction zone or detour, but I became a pavement cat, putting long miles in the saddle over various mixtures of bitumen and concrete. Don’t get me wrong: I have some great times on the road, but there’s dirt in my blood (possibly from having eaten a fair amount of it) and for years I missed it. I was like Dirtula, the undead, searching for native soil in which to sleep. Then one day, desire met determinism and a Suzuki DR-200 was placed in my path. It didn’t take much for the old longings to become the devil on my shoulder, whispering “You know you want it. You know you want to get dirty again, little boy.” I’ve never been that successful at staving off twowheeled temptation, so now the little blue, white, and yellow machine graces the crowded garage next to the big Bavarian girls. She’s not garage-bound, however. The little dual-sport has me reliving my youth in the way only a middle-aged man with a moto-jones can do. Last Friday night, Dangerous Dan called to say “the fellas will be here about ten tomorrow.” He didn’t need to use the adjectives “ride” or “dirt,” as we’re kindred spirits of a misspent motorcycling youth. No man’s mind works faster than when he’s figuring out how to rationalize the indulgence of a vice, and my chores were shelved faster than a rabbit reproduces. Come Saturday, the true beauty of a dual-sport was revealed: no ramp, no truck, no ties. I made my way to Dan’s, shed the mesh jacket and ice chest that accompanied me on the road, and I was ready for hot, dirty action. The little Suzuki is surprisingly capable, even in the hands of a man who has spent a fair amount of his life on the ground with an exhaust pipe branding his leg. We did the magical things that can only be done with two wheels and dirt - the things of my youth. The convenience store clerk was nonplussed as the magnificent seven on motos walked in for a Gatorade fix, covered in clay. I slept well that night, covered as I was in the soil from my native Dirtsylvania.
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD Half a score ago Diane and I were fixtures at anything Backroads. Then, the arrival of our twin charges took over our lives. Just before the turn of the century (I never thought I would be able to use that expression) in an article published in these hallowed pages I wrote of my Uncle Ralph. He was that relative you occasionally heard comments about at family gatherings. Taking off from NY on that “damn motorcycle” in the sixties he eventually landed in Los Angeles - never to return. I don’t know if it was a neighbor’s bike or the stories about this rebel but I credit Ralph in part for my wandering ways. It didn’t help that my mother went to visit him in the late 1970’s. She came back from LA with a picture of a bearded, laid back dude who was basking in the sunshine on a boat with his hot girlfriend. It looked like the life. And maybe it was the life. Ralph never married, he had a successful career and he never sold the 1967 R50 BMW that took him to La La Land in the first place. When I rode across the country in 1988 it was in Ralph’s house where I finally hung up my leathers for a few days. We got to know one another as we rode through the California hills. Over the course of the next decade he would land in New York City annually and take me out for a steak dinner. At the time the villainous lung cancer grabbed a hold of him he was talking about buying a small building in Manhattan and keeping a bike there so he could come into town more often and we could ride. I last saw him only days before the end and he lamented two things. He regretted not having a child - and he wanted to ride the R50 just one more time. I regret failing to tell him he did have one and leaving his California home that day and not looking back or calling again for a week as he commanded. After Ralph died they scattered his ashes over the Pacific. I assume some Humpback whale got some extra sprinkles on his krill that day. Then, the DECADES
Jeffrey Kurtzman
bike came back home to New York where it was first put into service in 1967. At the time, I wrote something to the effect that the soul of the rider still lives on in the motorcycle. That kept me from discarding some of the old worn parts on the machine. Knowing that Ralph had twisted that handgrip or fiddled with that carb screw it seemed wrong to toss them. Once I started the limited restoration I read as many articles as I could about people who had undertaken the same kind of project. One guy said it took him ten years to finish his bike. Ten years? I had the old girl apart and pieces sent all over the country for freshening three weeks after it rolled off the truck and into my garage. Surely, it would be assembled and I would be riding the classic before the world’s odometer clicked over to 2000? I am now 20 pounds heavier, almost 4000 days older and I could benefit from basking in an industrial drum of Grecian Formula for Men. Brian can drink more martinis then me in one sitting but it takes us both a little extra effort to throw a leg over a bike in the early morning. Ten years later that R50 was still not roadworthy. Each fall I said I would send the Beemer out to a pro to have it finished. Then, the winter would pass and the shops were too busy to get to a restoration project in the spring. Last September my 2001 K1200 imploded a tad on the Jersey Turnpike as I was coming home from my sole appearance at a Backroads tour in ages. I sat in the rain near Exit 7 and contemplated my fate. With my legs slung over the bars of the big bike, I thought about Ralph and the R50 as I have often done in the fall. I realized that he never cared much about material things nor did the appearance of the machine matter to him. Although dented, road worn and rusted, when I last saw him ride the R50 Ralph carried himself on it as if it were the latest sport bike. Me? I had built a gleaming shrine to the man but it didn’t bring him back. (Continued on Page 46)
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
Page 14
BACKLASH Passing of a Friend
F.W Speer Yamaha sadly announces the passing of Bouton, the shop kitty. She adopted us in the late ‘90s when she strolled into the back of the shop.
LETTERS
TO THE
EDITOR
about RIDING. It’s great to have a publication to “call our own”. Me thinks your influence has been felt from the inns, hotels, restaurants, pubs, shops and manufacturers you have featured over the years. How many people have not been hurt as a result of your writings on proper use of riding gear? Not to mention how many women ride based on following your example. Whether you realize it or not (you may not even like it!), you epitomize what it is to be a true ambassador of the sport. I suppose turning 50 is like half-time. Now go out and give ‘em hell for the second half! All the best! Tony Lisanti
State of the Union
Her duties were pest control, customer amusement and stress relief. Never raised a paw in anger and always showed her affection to the crew. She will be missed.
Errata on Shira?
Hey Backroads, Okay, you two, I’ve been pleased to see so little need for me to use that red editor’s pen over recent months. But the obvious error in Shira’s “Whatchathinkin” piece in the May issue is just too embarrassingly faulty to go unmentioned. I’m sure many other readers must have brought this to your attention already, Shira, but in case they’ve all been too diplomatic or whatever, I feel compelled to point it out so you can make a retraction and correction in the next issue. The typo appears in the first paragraph. The indication is that your age is 50. Just that one little numerical typo but what a laugh of derision it evokes. Either you take us all for fools or you wrote this on April 1st. Or it is simply another of the increasingly rare typos that occasionally creep into your fine magazine’s print. Whatever the reason, I think you should feel free to correct the error and, if not necessarily reveal your true age, at least confirm that it is well below that ridiculous number. Anyone who knows you realizes that you cannot possibly be a day over, oh, 40 at the very oldest. Hah, 50! What a laugh. You guys. Dave Allen - North of the Border
Brian & Shira, Couldn’t contain myself with your editorials this month. Brian you are 100% right about urging people to join the AMA. They are our last defense on the local, state & national level. In NY many years ago during the Mario Cuomo Administration, motorcyclists were asked if they would volunteer for a surcharge to be placed on their annual registrations. This extra revenue was to be used to fund off road trail network in NYS. They imposed the surcharge and then raided the fund. How exactly is that “taxation” with “representation”? This year our Motorcycle registrations increased from $14.50 to $42.50. The stickers are not platinum plated and there was no special paper used on the registration cards. In fact, they encourage online renewals for speed and efficiency - not many people involved thereby lowering the cost, right? I have yet to get my insurance renewal to see what new surcharges are imposed by the state on that. In any event- AMA membership, although not perfect, is our only voice. At least they do it professionally. Keep beating that drum. As for Shira’s column - As many people have influenced your personal and two-wheeled life, I think the reverse is true 100 fold. Your publication has reached out and given a voice to the Northeast rider. There is a connection to Backroads and to you two that makes our favorite sport that much better. I read many of the other monthly mag’s and have been doing so for over 30 years. I read them to learn about the bikes. I read Backroads to learn
Brian, I am beginning to think the Harley Davidson Corp. is slowly committing suicide. Could it be that after all these many years, they are forgetting what a motorcycle shop is supposed to be. It is definitely not a boutique. It is basically a place for motorcyclists. When was the last time you heard of a motorist coming back to chat with their salesman or just hang out. First, it was Prestige Harley Davidson. The dealership was not large enough! Let’s say, for instance, that it sold a dozen or so H-D’s a year. They pull the franchise and now they sell none. The latest casualty is Reggie Pink’s. It was a profit making H-D dealership for over 80 years. Granted, it was a small shop, but always busy. Harley forced Leslie into moving across the street to a 44,000 sq. ft. facility. Sure it was a really nice place but the overhead must have been tremendous. So after 80 something years, sadly another dealership bites the dust. To me it is a bit more personal, as I purchased my first H-D from Reggie Pink, himself, back in 1953, when Pink’s was still in the Bronx. It was a 1938, 74 cu., tank shifter. Yes Brian, I too owned a Harley once upon a time. I understand that things are rough out there, but I hate to see icons like Pink’s going down the drain in the guise of progress. Dick Roberts Road Capt Ramapo MC
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Gold Certified Professional rider depicted on a closed course. ATVs with engine sizes of 90cc or greater are recommended for use only by riders ages 16 years and older. Yamaha recommends that all ATV riders take an approved training course. For safety and training information, see your dealer or call the ATV Safety Institute at 1-800-887-2887. ATVs can be hazardous to operate. For your safety: Always avoid paved surfaces. Never ride on public roads. Always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing; never carry passengers; never engage in stunt riding; riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix; avoid excessive speed; and be particularly careful on difficult terrain. ©2009 Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. Cypress, CA 90630.
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
Page 15
Enjoying the Ride
Dear Editor, Just wanted to let you know my husband and I just did your chasing a sunny day trip from the January 2010 edition. What a great trip, we did over 200 miles from our home in Warwick, New York. I have only had my license since October of 2009, but have to tell you what a great time I had. The Columcille was amazing. There was plenty to see. The weather was perfect, our first hot day of the year. I think our favorite part of the trip was going to Wert’s Cafe. We brought along the copy of Backroads to show them the article, the main reason for our ride. Before you knew it the owner, his daughter, and son were all sitting down talking with us and reading the article, they were so happy about it. The place lives up to having the best burgers and onion rings. You could not have picked a better place to stop and eat, we will do this trip again. The owner Fred, who is the founder, was so happy that we drove that far for a burger, he gave us free t-shirts. I hope that more of your readers take the time to stop and see him and have a great burger. Thanks for the great tip ! Sharon & Ed Walsh
as usual through the day with a serious one during the final session. I intend to pass the article onto several different groups that run track days with hopes they become safer and hence more enjoyable. Thanks as usual, and as the kids say, you guys are the Bomb! CJ
The Spirit Lives Too
Hello Brian and Shira, Six copies of your May issue arrived today! I’m stoked to see that “Spirit Ride” was upgraded to a feature and the story ran in its entirety. The layout looks terrific. My friends have seen your magazine online and are equally impressed. Can’t wait to see their faces when I hand ‘em their print copies. My sincere thanks to you both—keep up the good work! Best wishes, Cameron Douglas
Liska Lives
Backroads, Glad to see you gave deserved credit to Danny Liska and his book, ‘Two Wheels to Adventure’. I have a nice autographed copy (since he basically sold these one by one, I suspect most all where autographed). I agree that it probably is the best adventure travel motorcycle book ever written. Both on the bike and off, he was bigger than life. I just Googled his name and got this, from the adventure rider site, so it may be possible now to get reprints. ‘Two Wheels to Adventure’ has been reissued by his wife Regina Liska. I have both editions and the printer in Colombia did a perfect job, you can’t tell the difference. She sells them on Ebay for $59 but you can also get her in Florida at: dajali2004@yahoo.com Bill Luring
Hey Bri, Hope you and Shira are doing well and enjoying the change of scenery and the Mets recent recovery from total embarrassment. The May issue is loaded with great articles. A couple of things you will be pleased to learn. I enjoyed your review of Danny Liska’s book “Two Wheels to Adventure” and went looking for copies. You’re right about the originals selling from $150 to $500. BUT, the good news is his second wife Regina has had the book reprinted and is selling it for an affordable $49.95 plus shipping. I already ordered a copy. Second, your article by Neale Bayly about Sport Bike Track Time is timely as I just came back from a track day down at NJMotor Sports Complex in Millville (A truly amazing facility). I was bonding with my new R1200GS, getting to know its limits....which are great. There were numerous accidents,
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JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
Page 16
INDUSTRY INFOBITES
NEWS
“Don’t Be That Guy... Drive Nice, Look Twice and See the Riders” Half of all motorcycle crashes involve a collision with another vehicle and the car driver is most often at fault. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation urges all drivers to give riders some space and to not “be that guy” that hits a motorcyclist. Killing or injuring a rider is something that you would have to live with for the rest of your life, and nobody needs that guilt. Remember, drive nice, look twice and see the riders. Start the conversation at forcardrivers.com. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation promotes safety through rider training and education, operator licensing tests and public information programs. The MSF works to create a safer riding environment and to offer training for all skill levels so riders can enjoy a lifetime of safe, responsible motorcycling. Visit msf-usa.org
MSF CAUTIONS CAR, TRUCK,
AND
BUS DRIVERS
FROM THE INSIDE
eating a sandwich or talking on a cellphone in a car, and not reckless, according to the Chicago Tribune.
TEN VICTORY RIDERS WILL TURN PASSION INTO PROSE PICTURES, SHOWCASING EXTRAORDINARY ROUTES
AND
Victory Motorcycles announced the 10 lucky riders selected from a field of more than 350 entries to take part in Victory’s True American Road Trip this summer. Spanning the entire country, Victory accepted entries during the past two months before deciding on the 10 that best showed each rider’s creativity and passion for a great motorcycle road trip. The 10 that were selected to take part in the True American Road Trip are: Allison Lins (Milltown, N.J.); Jayne Drinan (Gresham, Ore.); Dick Fox (Smithfield, Va.); Randy Stephenson (Southfield, Mich.); Shane Lautenslager (Tracy, Calif.); Kevin Fury (Westminster, Colo.); Matt Cole (Anacortes, Ore.); Don Williams (St. Cloud, Fla.); Brandon Carlson (Cottonwood Heights, Utah); Sydney Sheppard (Sacramento, Calif.).
WOMAN PAINTING FINGERNAILS WHILE DRIVING CONVICTED IN MOTORCYCLIST’S DEATH
A woman who was painting her fingernails while driving and smashed into motorcyclist Anita Zaffke, killing her, has been convicted of felony reckless homicide, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports. Lora Hunt, 49, reportedly showed no emotion when the jury read the verdict after deliberating a little more than three hours on May 6. The trial lasted two days. Hunt, a nurse, faces up to five years in prison when she is sentenced next month. Zaffke, 56, was killed when Hunt, who police said admitted she was painting her fingernails at the time of the crash, smashed into the back of Zaffke’s motorcycle at a stoplight in Lake Zurich, Ill., about 40 miles north of Chicago, on May 2, 2009. At the trial, Hunt testified she had stopped painting her nails before the fatal crash. Her defense lawyer argued Hunt’s actions were negligent, like
Get out of the City and head to the Country.
Country Rode Motowerks.
“The True American Road Trip is the physical manifestation of the unique relationship Victory Motorcycles shares with riders across the country,” said Josh Kurcinka, marketing manager for Victory Motorcycles. “Victory understands the power of a great ride on a great bike. This program allows us to help 10 people fuel their passion with the open road, and a chance to tell their story through the road trips they construct.” The 10 riders each will receive a complimentary lease for the remainder of 2010 for one of two new touring motorcycles, the Victory Cross Country(tm) or Victory Cross Roads(tm). Each rider will plan and execute monthly road trips in May, June, July and August documenting their expe-
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
rience through a variety of online channels, such as YouTube and Flickr. As each of the road trips are completed, photos, videos and text captured by the riders will be shared on www.TrueAmericanRoadTrip.com. Riders will highlight anything and everything from their trips to share with online audience, allowing anyone to experience the ride through a variety of media without actually having been there. In addition, visitors to the site will be able to view maps of the routes traveled for each road trip, allowing the trip to be recreated by anyone and, hopefully, inspiring riders to create their own. “There’s nothing better than experiencing unique things America has to offer on the back of an American-made bike,” said Kurcinka. “This summer, Victory will not only provide the opportunity for 10 riders to do exactly that, but offer the entire world the chance to follow along online, soaking up all the great sights and sounds this country has to offer from the comfort of their own home.” For more information, visit www.TrueAmericanRoadTrip.com.
MOTORCYCLING
DEATHS
Page 17
NEW MEXICO GOV. BILL RICHARDSON
CALLS ON
During a White House-sponsored conference on America’s Great Outdoors on April 16, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson called for measures that would lock-up more public lands, including the possibility of banning motorized recreation, the AMA reports. “While Richardson expresses the importance of recreation to his state in the form of tax receipts and jobs, his method of blocking motorized access to millions of acres of public lands has the potential to threaten the livelihood of many in the state he governs,” said AMA Vice President for Government Relations Ed Moreland. “AMA members need to express opposition to both the DOI plan for expanding the National Monument network, as well as any congressional action that would ban responsible motorized recreation on our public lands.” In his opening statement, Richardson urged the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) to move forward on its National Monument expansion plan. The AMA previously reported on an internal administration document that would set aside 13 million acres in 11 western states without any consideration in Congress. The action could prohibit off-highway riding in the affected areas. In a letter to Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar dated Feb. 18, 2010, the AMA addressed the concerns of its members and other user groups, stating its opposition to designating areas National Monuments without any public debate. The Interior Department responded to the AMA’s letter, claiming the (Continued on Page 55) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO BLOCK RIDING OPPORTUNITIES
A just-released report shows that motorcycling fatalities nationwide dropped by at least 10 percent in 2009, which is the first decline in 12 years, the AMA reports. Based on preliminary data, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), which represents the state highway safety offices nationwide, projects that motorcycling deaths declined from 5,290 in 2008 to 4,762 or fewer in 2009. The projection is based on data collected from the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report, released April 22, is based on a survey of GHSA members, who reported fatality numbers for their states. The GHSA notes that while data are still inc. preliminary, most states have final fatality counts for at least nine months of 2009, giving GHSA confidence to Luggage • Jackets • Pants • Boots • Rain Gear • Tools • Exhausts • Tires predict that the death count will be down by at least 10 Sprockets • Chains • Bar Risers • Brakes • Lines • Ramps • Lifts • OEM Parts percent for the year. The GHSA cautioned that the report only involves Sport ~ Touring ~ Cruiser one year, so it’s too soon to predict a steady decline. • Large Selection of Premium Helmets “We will need to see three to five years of decline before we are ready to say that a positive trend has • Tires - Mounted and Balanced developed,” said GHSA Chairman Vernon Betkey. • Track and Race Bike Set-Up In fact, the report points out that fatalities have sig• Great Service and Reasonable Prices nificantly decreased in the past but then rose again. For example, from 1980 to 1997 motorcycling fatalities Suspensions by CTR Suspension Technology dropped by almost 60 percent. But then fatalities increased steadily from 1997 through 2008. TRACK DAY HEADQUARTERS • NESBA Dealer 2,294 motorcyclists were killed in 1998, according 188 Halsey Road (Rte. 626) • Newton NJ 07860 • www.wforacing.net to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ph: 973-579-5103 • Email: wfomotosports@hotmail.com • Fax: 973-579-1806 which gathers its data from the same sources as the GHSA. That number increased steadily each year, reaching 5,290 in 2008. “The death of any motorcyclist is one too many, so this news that fatalities are down is encouraging,” said Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. “While we are pleased that the number of motorcycling fatalities dropped dramatically in 2009, we need to see that trend continue.” SALES • SERVICE The last major study into the causes of motorcycle 3-Rail Bike Trailers crashes was issued in January 1981. Called STRAPS • D RING “Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification Toy Hauler Trailers TIE DOWNS of Countermeasures Volume I: Technical Report,” the with or without study became known as the “Hurt Report” after lead TRUCK CAPS We are now a researcher Harry Hurt of the University of Southern Living Quarters ACCESSORIES California. Hurt was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2007 for his pioneering SOFT TOUCH Full Service and Parts Facility work. Cap Dealer WHEEL CHOCKS That study provided a wealth of data that has been used by organizations and individual motorcyclists to TRAILER HITCHES Large Selection of Open and Enclosed Trailers help keep riders safer on the road. But the traffic environment has changed enormously in the decades since, 1212 Route 23 North • Butler, NJ 07405 prompting the AMA to begin campaigning for a new study several years ago. DROPPED SHARPLY IN
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JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
Page 18
Morton’s BMW Motorcycles Presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s M Y S T E R I O U S THE GREAT DELAWARE FLOOD • AUGUST, 19 1955
For those of you who have ridden around the Delaware River you know it is one of the sweetest rides in the region - easy roads, nice views and enjoyable all along the New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania sides of the 360-mile long river. A few years back, in June of 2006, what has been called the Mid-Atlantic Flood occurred, with a heavy rain system stalled from Maryland to New York State. The results were devastating with hundreds of homes lost, people washed away and destruction in the millions.
AMERICA
Now this might seem like a very bad thing, but the summer of ‘55 was very dry up until then and local farmers and residents alike were happy to see all this rain. Connie continued on her way towards Canada and all would have been fine with the Delaware River Valley except hot on the heels of Connie came another lady - Diane - and she would deliver a fatal blow to this beautiful part of the United States. Smaller and more compact, Hurricane Diane was just barely that and when she made landfall she was merely a Tropical Depression but still packing winds of over 60 miles per hour. It was not the wind that would cause the destruction that was to follow but the history of Diane. She had been a slow moving hurricane and had spent a few weeks sluggishly making her trek west, all the time gathering incredible amounts of moisture along the way. By the time she crossed onto land and swung over the Poconos she was a beast ready to let loose. To make matters worse a low pressure system from Canada basically halted Diane in her tracks, on the east side of the mountains where the heavy rains ran quickly down the cliffs into creeks, streams and the river. The Delaware’s high cliffs caused the situation to become worse with what is called an ‘orographic enhancement’ - basically where the cool air heads back up the cliffs and into the clouds causing even more condensation and rain. They called it the Perfect Inland Storm.
A month later we rode up through most of the area on our way to a rally further north. Time and again we were pushed off our route due to detours, road closures and just the total mayhem that was along the river and streams. It was truly an eye-opening experience and to this day some of these roads are still closed - probably will be forever. As bad as this was, there was a flood far worse - in August of 1955. In the middle of that month the east coast of the United States was bashed by a fierce hurricane named Connie that came up the east coast and crossed into Delaware and Pennsylvania where it dumped inches of rain. Mount Pocono received nearly 10 inches in just a few days.
YOUNG RICHARD SCHEET HOLDS HIS BABY SISTER, PAT, ABOVE THE FLOODWATERS THAT INUNDATE LAMBERTVILLE, NEW JERSEY'S NORTH UNION STREET. HEATHER BUCHANAN COLLECTION
AERIAL VIEW OF THE REMNANTS OF CAMP DAVIS, SHOWING WHERE THE LECROPANE SISTERS AND A FRIEND WALKED OVER TO PINEBROOK BIBLE RETREAT JUST BEFORE THE FLOOD. SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE
It came down all day on August 18, and all this moisture had nowhere to go as Connie had dropped nearly a foot, just days before. Diane dropped an equal amount in one day! That summer hundreds of people were living along the river. Some year round residents, many others in camps and cabins, which were popular vacationing spots in those days. One creek, the Brodhead, which runs into the river near Shawnee (right next to I-80) rose nearly 30 feet in as many minutes. One church camp along the Brodhead was wiped from the Earth and bodies of the many victims were found days later in Belvidere. The heavy waters surged southward and the banks quickly overflowed as
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
Page 19
water rushed up to the cliffs and buildings that sat near the river’s edge. Route 611 was deep under the river as was Route 32, Route 29 and River Roads on both sides of the Delaware River. During the storm the last covered bridge spanning the river was swept away, but that was just one of many spans that would not survive. The Portland/Columbia Bridge fell into the raging waters and when it made its steely way down stream it took out the center span of the Free Bridge.
RECOVERY
VOLUNTEERS, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE
MONROE COUNTY
CORONER, USE MAKESHIFT GURNEYS TO MOVE BODIES OF FLOOD VICTIMS TO THE TRUCK THAT WAS SERVING AS A HEARSE. SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE
A FEW DAYS AFTER THE FLOOD, THE KOEHLER PROPERTY ON CANAL STREET IN RIEGELSVILLE IS THE SUBJECT OF MUCH ACTIVITY AS TRUCKS HAUL AWAY PILES OF DEBRIS THAT WAS LEFT BY FLOODWATERS. CHRIS KOEHLER WRISTEN COLLECTION
Many people were trapped on some of the islands in the river and the quickly rising and terribly violent waters made it near impossible to paddle across. Incredibly, all the water rushing into the Delaware actually caused a back up and the river began to flow in reverse. This calm hour allowed for many to escape a certain death. Military helicopters ran up and down the river, rescuing when they could, recovering when they had to. The aftermath and recovery of the Flood of 1955 was as remarkable as the event itself. Communities all along the river worked quickly to bring things
back to normal as quickly as possible. For many it would be months before life would be the same. Hundreds of Mennonites traveled from further in Pennsylvania to help rebuild, but that has always been their way. Bridges were reconstructed, some in less vulnerable locations, and slowly the Delaware River Valley returned to its normal peaceful and picturesque state. These days we ride along its shore and maybe stop at a riverside restaurant for breakfast or meander around one of the many neat towns found there without any real knowledge of how devastated the river had become in such a short time 55 years ago this August. Along Route 29 in Pennsylvania you’ll see a painted mark on the cliff - the high water mark from the flood. The same can be found on a small cabin in Carpentersville on the Jersey side. Enjoy the river, as you never know when Mother Nature, that fickle bitch, will go and crush her once again in this place we call Mysterious America. O’Life out!
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
Page 20
Bergen County Harley-Davidson Presents
W E ’ R E O U T TA H E R E
a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads
CLIFF PARK INN
Rip & Ride
155 CLIFF PARK ROAD , MILFORD, PA 18337 800-225-6535 • WWW.CLIFFPARKINN.COM ROOMS RANGE FROM $145 AND UP
Now here is a place that could easily find itself as a Great All American Diner Run, but being that each of the Cliff Park Inn’s fourteen rooms are as quaint, cozy and romantic as they get we thought it more comfortable here in We’re Outta Here. In truth we headed up to the Cliff Park for a Sunday Brunch this past winter on a beautiful and sunny, almost spring-like day. Over the years we have passed the high road that leads to the inn many times and it was just a matter of time before we took a ride up the hill to see what we would see.
The Inn had its start as a small cabin-style home more than a century and a half before and over time the place has been built around the original structure, where you can still sit by the original fireplace on a chilly evening. We have always loved old-style construction and materials and the old wide plank floors look rich with history. The Cliff Park inn is situated within the 70,000 acres that make up the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and this region is part of the National Wildlife Habitat Federation. The inn has a 9-hole golf course and a system of hiking trails make for a great way to explore all this natural beauty. The view from the top and Raymondskill Falls is outstanding. The Inn has a large porch and expansive lawn and sitting on one of the many rocking chairs after a delicious meal or great ride make perfect sense to us. There is an ample and well-stocked bar just inside waiting for your order; which makes this just about perfect. If you feel a bit achy after your day’s ride then you can book a massage at the Cliff Park Inn’s Spa - you can even do a couples massage to keep that romantic spirit flying high, right in your own room - the rooms by the way have been
CLIFF PARK INN DOWNLOAD
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GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE TO ROUTE 4 WEST ROUTE 208 NORTH EXIT SKYLINE DRIVE (BEGIN GPS ROUTE) AT T MAKE RIGHT CR 511 BEAR LEFT AT CR 696 BEAR LEFT UNION VALLEY ROAD CR 513 RIGHT AT RTE. 23 LEFT AT HOLLAND MOUNTAIN ROAD RIGHT AT RIDGE ROAD RIGHT AT EDISON ROAD LEFT AT CR 517 RIGHT AT RTE. 15 NORTH BEAR LEFT AT RTE. 94 SOUTH RIGHT AT SID TAYLOR ROAD RIGHT AT RTE. 206 LEFT AT CR 626 (FAIRLCLOUGH FUEL FIRST LEFT) STRAIGHT THROUGH CR 519 THROUGH DOUBLE BRIDGES LEFT AT T CR 626 LEFT AT CR 521 SOUTH RIGHT AT CR 659 SPRING VALLEY ROAD BEAR RIGHT ONTO CR 602 MILLBROOK ROAD BEAR RIGHT TOWARDS NPS 615 BEAR LEFT AT INTERSECTION TO WALPACK RD LEFT AT CR 650 CROSS DINGMANS BRIDGE ($1 TOLL) STRAIGHT AT SR 739 RIGHT AT RTE. 209 NORTH LEFT AT RAYMONDSKILL RIGHT AT SR 2001 MILFORD ROAD HARD RIGHT UP CLIFF PARK RD TO INN
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
recently remodeled and offer all the amenities you expect from a luxury inn. Top rooms feature sun porches, views, clawfoot bathtubs, and luxurious king beds. In fact the Cliff Park in was named in the Top Ten Most Romantic Inns in the nation - not too shabby! Downstairs you’ll find a Baby Grand piano for those of you who can tickle the ivory and attached to these rooms you find the restaurant, which brought us here in the first place. This day we stopped in for brunch. During the summer months they have unlimited buffet stations, but this day we went for their Hearty Breakfasts - which we found might not actually be good for the heart - okay by us. Shira chose the Belgian Waffle with Pecans and that came with a mountain of delicious whipped cream and real maple syrup but the Chef’s challah french toast with fresh berry compote and maple cream looked decadent as well. Being the carnivore that I am I ordered the Breakfast Skillet, which came in a small cast iron pan stuffed with two poached eggs baked into the center of breakfast potatoes, sautéed with sausage, onions & roasted peppers all topped with grated cheddar cheese. We added their applewood smoked bacon and venison sausage just to make sure we had a rounded meal to start the day. We have to believe that the Cliff Park’s dinner experience is equally as delicious and impressive as are all the dining rooms and the porch to choose from. After the excellent meal we strolled around the grounds until we felt at home, impressed at the number of rooms and the general layout of the place. Sitting on the porch we relaxed in the slightly warm winter sun. The grounds, as we have mentioned, are really beautiful and the Cliff Park Inn would make an excellent brunch or lunch stop for any hungry riding group scooting around the Poconos on a fine and warmer day. We highly recommend it. But, as good as the Cliff Park is let us give you an equally impressive ride there. Follow along with this month’s Rip & Ride or download the route for your Garmin GPS.
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JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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G R E AT A L L A M E R I C A N D I N E R R U N
tasty places to take your bike
BARBEQUE BLAST We have heard it said that there can never be too much barbeque. With that thought running around our helmets we decided to give you kids a number of great eateries of the smoky and flavorful barbeque persuasion. Four if you’re counting - five if you count the Smokehouse annex. It’s all good and this has been one of the more delicious assignments we have ridden across with Backroads. Of course to go with all these great barbeques we’ll also serve up some great Rip & Rides Route Sheets to get you there in a serious style. You can even download these to your Garmin GPS if you like. So strap on the helmets and bring some extra napkins we’re going looking for saucy goodness along the backroads.
HOG HEAVEN BBQ We have always been big fans of Harriman State Park. When Backroads was founded in Bergen county, New Jersey this park was our go-to spot for those late afternoon rides and escapes. The park has miles of scenic roads, beautiful lakes and some interesting hiking if that is what you are into. It was also a great ride to the Red Apple Rest, which was found on Route 17 for so many years. The Rest has been gone for years and we rarely find a reason to scoot around Route 17 in the Sloatsburg area. This has now changed. We took a day trip early this spring, hitting the Botanical Gardens of New Jersey and then spinning around into New York to ride through Harriman. Zipping along a small portion of Route 17 we saw a thatched tiki-style table and bright orange colors on a small building on the north side. The sign flashed by - Hog Heaven BBQ. The song says you can’t have too much barbeque. There was a very convenient u-turn on Route 17 and in seconds we pulled into the lot at Hog Heaven. Okay the KLR and Honda 919 were not quite the bikes we would have used for a photo-op, but they would have to do. We were here for the food and were not disappointed. Bart has had Hog Heaven open now for almost a year and the restaurant has quickly become a favorite for local riders. With a name like Hog Heaven you would think so. 110 ROUTE 17 NORTH, SLOATSBURG, NY • 845-753-5555 • WWW.HOGHEAVENBBQNY.COM
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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Rip & Ride® • HOG HEAVEN BBQ (60 MILE O/W ROUTE) 110 ROUTE 17 NORTH, SLOATSBURG, NY • 845-753-5555 •
WWW.HOGHEAVENBBQNY.COM
NORTH FROM STATE LINE LOOKOUT EXIT TO RTE. 9W NORTH LEFT AT CR 80 LAKE RD. RIGHT AT LITTLE TOR RD. STRAIGHT AT RTE. 33 CENTRAL HIGHWAY LEFT AT FILORS LANE STRAIGHT AT WILLOWS GROVE BEAR RIGHT AT GATE HILL RD. INTO PARK CR106/210 LEFT AT JOHNSTON RD
• GPS
ROUTE HERE: WWW.SENDSPACE.COM/FILE/IIQN0N
RIGHT AT LAKE WELSH PKWY. LEFT AT CEDAR POND RD. STRAIGHT AT TIORATI BROOK RD. 3/4 AROUND CIRCLE AND UP ARDEN VALLEY RD. LEFT AT RTE. 17 AT RTE. 17A LEFT TO RTE. 106 LAKE KANAWAUKE RD 1/4 WAY THROUGH CIRCLE TAKE SEVEN LAKES DRIVE LEFT TO RTE. 17SOUTH MAKE U-TURN ON LEFT RIGHT PAST HOG HEAVEN ENJOY THE FOOD!
The place had all you would expect from a good barbeque joint - the full platters come with two sides, but we all know it’s best to go for the combos - more delicious taste for the buck! At Hog Heaven you’ll fid St. Louis Style Pork Ribs, Smoked Brisket, Pulled Pork, a wonderful marinated chicken and our favorite - the Smoked BBQ Meatloaf. This you can order with cheese, onion and bacon - oh baby!
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JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
Page 24
WOOD’S PIT BBQ & MEXICAN CAFÉ 123 BANTAM LAKE RD (RT 209), BANTAM, CT 06750 860-567-YUMY (9869) WWW.WOODSPITBBQ.COM Steve Smith
Nestled in the northeast Connecticut hills of scenic and historic Litchfield County and located in the town of Bantam is Wood’s Pit BBQ restaurant. This is one of those places I wish I found myself and surprised I didn’t, as it has a very good reputation locally. My first experience at Wood’s was years ago while out on a ride with a long time friend and it has become a favorite stop along the way while riding some of our favorite local roads. Wood’s is open for lunch & dinner every day except Monday. The hours Sundays through Thursdays are 11:30 AM to 9:00 PM and Fridays & Saturdays, 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM. Wood’s is a real pit BBQ restaurant that also features Mexican cuisine. The culinary history of Wood’s is told on its take-out menu - is it fact or fiction? Who cares? Any story that begins with a motorcycle journey is worth reading, right? “It was 1981 when “Woodie” headed west... looking for more than just another job as a cook, which he had been doing for the past twelve years throughout New England. He left with a tent and sleeping bag on his motorcycle, and $300 dollars in his pocket, and settled in the Mojave Desert of Apache Junction, Arizona.” A few years later he returned to open the first Mexican restaurant in Litchfield County, CT. Ten years after that Woodie hit the road again. This time he cruised south of the border to the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida to learn the secret of authentic pit BBQ. There is a full service bar, but we prefer the soft drinks while out riding. One of our favorites at Wood’s is the teamonade, a delicious combination of iced tea and lemonade (Arnold Palmer for those in the know). They also have an authentic fountain service birch beer. Order up a pitcher for your riding posse while waiting for the vittles to be served up. The menu has the warning that this “is not a ‘fast food’ restaurant. Real BBQ takes time.” Luckily there are numerous appetizers to choose from including Saddle Bags which are small, triangular, crispy pockets packed with BBQ pork, and the Blazin’ Buffalo Shrimp. Our typical choice is usually one of the four kinds of wings: barbecue, honey barbecue, hot, and hot n’ honey. My personal favorite is the Honey BBQ wings that I find quite delectable and they do not leave my taste buds scorched and senseless when the rest of the meal arrives. Another of my Wood’s favorites is the fresh made onion rings. They are served single or double stack on a wooden slat on upright dowels. The Mexican platters offered are very good, but we come here for the BBQ. Wood’s cooks up some great green hickory smoked ribs. The rack of St. Louis style pork ribs was plentiful. I have not tried the beef ribs, but the menu says, “three or four Flintstone size beef back ribs.” The sauces provided are excellent, but you may find it does not need any extra. A popular platter, and the one I seem to get often, is the pulled pork sandwich basket with sweet potato fries. Getting to Wood’s is half the fun and a great way to work up an appetite. The Rip & Ride will take you through the relaxing and scenic Harriman State Park. Continuing on through the village of Cold Springs, NY where you can check out the many antique and boutique shops, before cutting across Putnam County, NY through Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park toward Putnam Lake. Entering Connecticut you will ride part of the shorelines of Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond as you head northeast toward Bantam Lake and Wood’s BBQ Pit.
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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Rip & Ride® • WOOD’S PIT BBQ & MEXICAN CAFÉ 123 BANTAM LAKE RD, BANTAM, CT 06750 • 860-567- 9869 •
WWW.WOODSPITBBQ.COM
• GPS
ROUTE HERE: WWW.SENDSPACE.COM/FILE/RRPG5Y
START BERGEN COUNTY H-D/BMW 124 ESSEX ST, ROCHELLE PARK, NJ TAKE I-80 WEST TO EXTI 60/ROUTE 20 NORTH LEFT ONTO 1ST AVE RIGHT ONTO LINCOLN AVE LEFT ONTO WAGARAW RD RIGHT ONTO GOFFLE RD LEFT ONTO REA AVE RIGHT ONTO N. HALEDON RIGHT ONTO HIGH MOUNTAIN RD RIGHT ONT EWING AVE LEFT ONTO FRANKLIN AVE LEFT ONTO SUMMIT AVE TAKE ROUTE 208 NORTH TO ROUTE 287 SOUTH EXIT 58 - RIGHT ONTO RTE 202/RAMAPO VALLEY RD TAKE ROUTE 17 NORTH/I-87 NORTH TO EXIT 15A RIGHT ONTO SEVEN LAKES PKWY NORTH
MERGE ONTO PALISADES PKWY US-6 EAST BEAR MOUNTAIN BRIDGE EAST LEFT AT BEAR MOUNTAIN BEACON HWY NY-9D RIGHT AT MAIN ST NY-301 RIGHT AT S GLENEIDA AVE NY-52 LEFT AT US-6 LEFT AT NY-312 LEFT AT NY-22 RIGHT AT DOANSBURG RD CR-65 TURN RIGHT AT FAIRFIELD DR (ENTERING CONNECTICUT)
RIDE
WOOD’S PIT BBQ & MEXICAN CAFÉ
THROUGH
HARRIMAN STATE PARK
LEFT
AT
BALL POND RD CT-39
RIGHT
AT
BARNES HILL RD CT-37
RIGHT
AT
KENT RD US-7
LEFT
AT
BRIDGE ST US-202
LEFT
AT
EAST ST US-202
RIGHT
AT
EAST
BANTAM LAKE RD CT-209 ON
LEFT
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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HUCKLEBERRY’S BBQ For those of you who remember the movie Tombstone you might remember Doc Holliday’s great quote, “I’m your huckleberry...” Kilmer meant, “I’m the man for the job.” In this scene Doc Holliday is the man for the job, but you’ll find him off to the side, off the Main Street. This installment of the BBQ Great All American Diner Run is much the same way - definitely the place to get the job done and you’ll find it off the main street. Some Greenwood Lake veterans might recognize the name of the owners of Huckleberry’s BBQ, Frank and Joyce Dieber. They ran Dieber’s Castle on the far side of Greenwood Lake for years. After a short break from the restaurant business they have returned with this fantastic and delicious hideaway in the town of Greenwood Lake itself. Opened last September Huckleberry’s has developed quite a following and with good cause. Although found on tiny Oak street their town sits amongst some of the best roads in Orange county. The building, which has seen a number of roles through the decades, has a great ambiance to it, from the dark wooden floors to the wide planked booth and large tables. Joyce has her music softly playing and the selection always seems to fit the mood of the restaurant. We took a mid-week ride up to the lake a while back joined by our riding friend Keith and Citi-Beemer member Ricky Johnson. Hump Day Dinner rides always seem perfect and the folks at Huckleberry’s BBQ did not disappoint. We started with their Grilled Wings, which we split down the middle - half with their signature BBQ Sauce and the other half Zesty Hot. Wing area always a good test of a BBQ’s worth and they certainly were finger-lickin’ good. Looking to try different things Keith went for the Roasted Chicken and Country Style Ribs. The portion was huge, but Keith was able to handle it and said it was more than excellent. Shira went for the Gumbo made with chicken, ham and smoked sausage, served over mashed potatoes. Wait, Gumbo? We thought this was just a BBQ joint. 7 OAK STREET, GREENWOOD LAKE, NY 10925 • 845- 477-4737 • WWW.HUCKLEBERRYSBBQ.COM
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We guess not; especially when Joyce put the Seafood Etoufee’ in front of me; this was followed by the best Chicken Fried Steak that I have seen in a long time. Deliciously spiced and served with a superior sausage and cracked pepper gravy. Mmmm, straight to the aorta! There were other items on the menu that piqued our interest - Huckleberry’s BBQ Stuffed Potatoes, the Beef Brisket and their salads looked great as well, especially the BBQ Topped Salad. They also have a few fish dishes including Broiled Catfish, Fried Shrimp and Fish & Chips. Huckelberry’s seems to be a well-rounded place. Every great BBQ has some serious side dishes and you will find a healthy list here as well. Signature Baked Beans, Huckleberry Slaw, Mac & Cheese and, what we really wanted, Baked Grits with Bacon and Cheese! On the weekend they also serve breakfast from 8am on with a wide variety of treats, including those awesome Baked Grits. Huckleberry’s, which is a very rider-friendly place, is open from 4 till 9pm on Wednesdays through Sunday. They are closed Monday and Tuesday.
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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Rip & Ride® • HUCKLEBERRY’S BBQ 7 OAK STREET, GREENWOOD LAKE, NY 1092 • 845-477-4737 • WWW.HUCKLEBERRYSBBQ.COM 45 MILE O/W FROM ROSS’ CORNERS, AUGUSTA, NJ • GPS ROUTE HERE: WWW.SENDSPACE.COM/FILE/JSSZRZ
START ROSS’ CORNERS, AUGUSTA, NJ NORTH ON ROUTE 206 RIGHT ONTO PLAINS ROAD LEFT ONTO DAVIS ROAD STRAIGHT ONTO PIDGEON HILL ROAD RIGHT ONTO BERRY ROAD RIGHT ONTO SHERMAN RIDGE ROAD LEFT ONTO LIBERTYVILLE ROAD RIGHT ONTO HICKORY ROAD LEFT ONTO SNOVER LANE RIGHT ONTO ROUTE 519/COLESVILLE LUSSCROFT RD RIGHT ONTO ROUTE 23 SOUTH LEFT ONTO GORGE ROAD RIGHT ONTO CR 651/UNIONVILLE RD IMMEDIATE RIGHT ONTO ROSE MORROW RD LEFT ONTO BEEMER RD LEFT ONTO SALLY HARDEN RD IMMEDIATE RIGHT ONTO WOLFPIT RD LEFT ONTO QUARRY RD
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RIGHT AT CR 36 RIGHT ONTO ROUTE 284 LEFT ONTO STATE LINE RD LEFT ONTO LIBERY CORNERS RD RIGHT ONTO NEWPORT BRIDGE RD RIGHT ONTO BLOOMS CORNERS RD RIGHT - STAY ON BLOOMS CORNERS RD LEFT ONTO ONDERDONK RD BEAR RIGHT ONTO COVERED BRIDGE RD RIGHT ONTO SANFORDVILLE RD LEFT ONTO ROUTE 94 RIGHT ONTO CR 21/WARWICK TPKE LEFT ONTO BLACK ROCK RD LEFT ONTO BRADY RD RIGHT ONTO CASCADE RD RIGHT ONTO ROUTE 17A KEEP RIGHT ONTO WINDERMERE RD RIGHT ONTO OAK STREET HUCKLEBERRY’S PARKING LOT ON LEFT
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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SMOKEHOUSE BBQ What another ride to another barbeque? Well, what can we say, we’ve got a theme and we’re running with it. This time around we’ll tell you about not one, but two barbeques - both called Smokehouse, because they’re owned by the same folks. During the winter we made it a point to stop by the Smokehouse BBQ just outside of Newton, New Jersey - not far at all from Backroads Central. Located right on Route 206 the place was once a Stewarts, but has been reborn as the Smokehouse. While there we found that the original Smokehouse could be found in Independence. Once the weather got warmer our redhead whipped up a serious, and when we say serious we mean it, ride to the first barbeque. Our ride started from Ross’ Corners, in Augusta, New Jersey where Rtes. 206 and 15 come together and then twisted and turned its way through the Skylands along roads that even New Jersey doesn’t remember they have. Shira’s plotting was spectacular - but we’ll get to the ride later. Let’s eat first! The Smokehouse has been serving up delicious eats for a long time and they have perfected their craft with some American standards and some items that are succulently different. Take their Angry Clams done in olive oil, bacon and hot peppers or their Smokehouse Skippers - potato skins topped with pulled pork and cheese. And, how many places will serve you up Cajun-style Crawfish? So you say you are a soup sort of rider? The Smokehouse has four different soups on the menu - Smokehouse Seafood Chowder, Texas Chili with Cheese, French onion and good ol’ fashioned Chicken noodle. Mmm, mmm good! Although we didn’t partake the Nachos looked awesome as did the Buffalo Wings that walked past our table. When we try a new barbeque stop, we usually go for the classics - Ribs and Chicken - that sort of eats. So I ordered a combo of the Smokehouse Famous Ribs and BBQ Smoked Chicken and Shira ordered the Famous Ribs and BBQ Shrimp. Both plates were served up very quickly by an ever-so-friendly waitress and we dug right in. Let’s see how many adjectives we can come up with - let’s do three, okay? Scrumptious, tasty and delightful! Yep, they work. As does everything we saw being served at the Smokehouse. The menu also includes a number of pizzas, Italian dishes, fish and some serious hot sandwiches as well. They have something for everyone in your riding group. Now, as we said they have an annex in Newton that has a slightly different menu, but the Smokehouse name clearly applies to the northern barbeque as it does to the one slightly south. You’ll find the northern Smokehouse at 515 US Route 206 North Just south of Newton itself. But, today’s Rip and Ride will be heading to the original Smokehouse in Independence. If you want you can download this route for your Garmin GPS, which we highly recommend you do if you can. If not pay attention to the Rip & Ride and don’t get into any of this over your head. 86 US HIGHWAY 46, INDEPENDENCE, NJ 07840 • 908-850-6677 • WWW.SMOKEHOUSEBBQNJ.COM
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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Rip & Ride® • SMOKEHOUSE BBQ 86 US HWY 46 EAST, INDEPENDENCE, NJ 07840 • 908-850-6677 • WWW.SMOKEHOUSEBBQNJ.COM GPS DOWNLOAD HERE: WWW.SENDSPACE.COM/FILE/FJNUQ2 • APPROX 45 INCREDIBLE MILES O/W
START AT ROSS’ CORNER -JUNCTION RTES. 206 & 15 HEAD SOUTH ON RTE. 206 RIGHT AT PRICE RD. (STATE TROOPER BARRACKS) LEFT AT AUGUSTA HILL RD. RIGHT AT CR 519 NORTH LEFT AT CR 627 LEFT AT CHURCH ST. BEAR RIGHT AT CR 626 LEFT AT PARSON RD. RIGHT AT JUNCTION RD. RIGHT AT CR 622 LEFT DOVE ISLAND RD. LEFT AT CR 619 RIGHT AT CR 612 LEFT AT CR 521 SOUTH RIGHT AT FAIRVIEW LAKE RD CR 617 LEFT AT OLD SCHOOL HOUSE RD. LEFT AT MILLBROOK / STILLWATER RD. RIGHT AT SUNSET LAKE RD. RIGHT ON SPRING VALLEY RD. CR 659
LEFT ON MILLBROOK RD. LEFT AT JONES LN. CROSS CR 521 STRAIGHT ON CHRISTMAN RD. LEFT AT RTE. 94 RIGHT AT KERRS CORNER RD. RIGHT AT LANNING RD. RIGHT AT CR 519 SOUTH LEFT AT STATE PARK RD. BEAR LEFT AT HELLER RD. RIGHT AT SOUTH TOWN RD. LEFT AT SHADES OF DEATH RD. RIGHT AT LONG BRIDGE RD. CR 615 RIGHT AT ALPHANO RD. CR 613 BEAR LEFT AT RYAN RD. BEAR LEFT AT PETERSBURG RD. RIGHT AT KETCHAM RD. LEFT AT RTE. 46 EAST SMOKEHOUSE DOWN ON LEFT
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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B I G C I T Y G E TA W AY
daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind
NEW JERSEY BOTANICAL GARDENS/SKYLANDS MANOR MORRIS ROAD, RINGWOOD, NJ • 973-962-9534 • WWW.NJBG.ORG FREE • OPEN 8AM-8PM YEAR-ROUND I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~Ruth Stout
We all agree that this past winter seemed to last a whole year. For all those who make the effort to ride every month of the year, this one was a real test of the nettle. Well, I think that we have moved past all that and, thankfully, have settled into a lovely spring. Unlike last year where we completely skipped that season, this April was absolutely glorious. Starting out with temperatures more akin to summer, and just the right amount of moisture to coax out the blooms, those of us in the northeast are surrounded by an abundance of colors.
Returning from our foray to California to greet the spring wildflowers, we headed out to find some in our backyard. With no destination, we found ourselves circling the reservoir of Wanaque. Riding through Ringwood, NJ, we saw a sign pointing towards the New Jersey Botanical Gardens and decided to pop our heads in for a quick look-see. The road leading into the gardens is a pleasure by itself. A bit on the rough side, it brings you through the still-wooded area of an otherwise built-up area. Riding into the entrance, you’re greeted by two stone eagles guarding their nest. With two ample parking lots, there is plenty of room for a lone rider or a group of flora-seekers. I’ve ridden past Skyland Manor hundreds of times and always thought that beautiful large building on Sloatsburg Rd. was the manor - NOT! The manor house, built in the 1920s and designed by John Russell Pope (designer of the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery of Art, to name a few)
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
is of Tudor architecture and constructed of native granite quarried from the eastern part of the property in Bergen County. When you enter the property, this impressive, imposing structure overwhelms. We made a stop at the visitor’s center once the carriage house -
picked up a bunch of literature including a self-guided tour map, and a very helpful groundskeeper gave us some tips for first time visitors. He said, ‘Just go on up to the house and act like you live there. Walk around and explore.’ Uh, can I make myself a cup of coffee and take a nap? Anyway, we did poke around (the outside - the inside was, apparently, not ours to explore but can be yours as its rooms are available for overnight stays) and found it to be a most lovely area. To the rear of the building you’ll find a terrace overlooking the cherry trees, which, in the middle of April, where in all their glory. Fountains and statues abound, as you make your way down Magnolia Walk - also in full bloom during our visit. Lilacs of all varieties perfumed the air and the apple trees offered beautiful shades of pinks. To name the multifarious gardens and flora would be tedious. Take my word that, if you’re a fan of the petalled, you’ll find something to your liking on these 96 acres. In addition, NJ Botanical Gardens offers free guided garden tours
Page 31
Sundays at 2pm May through October. They have historic tours of the manor house as well on select dates and a host of educational seminars and walks throughout the seasons. Fancy yourself some musical culture? Check out the summer concerts on Friday nights at 7pm - as they are billed ‘Almost free $3 donation’. Bring your Kermit chair or blanket and enjoy the summer evening and a mixed bag of music. Light refreshments are available or bring along a picnic. Speaking of picnics, this is an excellent idea for a day trip, so have a nice ride, stop along the way and pick up some munchies, stroll the grounds of the New Jersey Botanical Garden then sit back, relax, have a nosh, take a nap (remember the ‘treating it
like your own’ statement) and while away a warm summer’s day. You can find out all the particulars for the Botanical Garden and the other New Jersey gardens on these websites • www.njbg.org • www.gardenstategardens.org And here are two nice rides to get you there - one starts at the Delaware Water Gap (90 miles O/W) and one from Fort Lee Historical Park (60 miles O/W). Enjoy and remember to stop and smell the roses.
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JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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Welcome to the Jungle - The Art of Learning to Ride Skillfully A column dedicated to your riding survival Robert LaFord
What’s on your street?
I live about two miles off a main state-numbered route down a twisty rural road that is dotted with about a dozen homes and a couple of farms. During my days riding on this street I have come across (and avoided) children, pedestrians, joggers, construction workers, tractors, other riders and vehicles, ATVs, bicycles, cats, dogs, horses, cows, pigs, chickens, deer, turkeys, coyotes, ducks, beavers, turtles, squirrels, frogs, raccoons, skunks, porcupines, a bear, and even three moose having a conversation in the middle of the road. Then there are the inanimate objects like downed wires and trees, potholes, debris fallen from trucks and other vehicles, and the packages left by the larger animals who have visited the road. My point? If those obstacles and hazards that pose a risk to you as a rider are within a few yards of the safety of your own home, what could be waiting for you to encounter on the rest of your ride?
While operating any vehicle - but especially your motorcycle - you must be constantly “visually vigilant.” Recently I was stopped at a crosswalk allowing a pedestrian to pass when I watched the car approaching from the opposite direction. All I could see was the top of the driver’s head. His visual vigilance was with an electronic device in his hand. One of the joys of motorcycling is being part of the environment, but with that comes a supreme responsibility to ourselves, our co-riders, and others on the road, that we remain in-tune and focused on that environment. Keeping our observation skills sharp
will help us recognize those things that may present a danger to us - hopefully long before they directly cross our path. Keep your mind and your senses sharp by continually playing “what if” with yourself as you progress on your ride. What if that kid on a bike came out into the road? What if that car heading towards you turned across your path? What if that shadow in the road ahead was a pot hole or a group of wet leaves, or a frosty spot on the shaded road? Along with being visually vigilant, the second part of “what if” is your preparation and planned response to “it is a kid riding out into the road in front of me!” Recognizing the potential hazards that may affect the safety of your ride is only one piece of the puzzle. Many riders have “laid it down because I had no other choice” because they recognized a hazard heading for them but did not have a conscious course of action to take to avoid that approaching hazard. The acronym S.I.P.D.E. helps keep our observation keen for hazards around us as we ride. S.I.P.D.E. stands for Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, and Execute. SCAN. Our eyes should be constantly on the move. Scan the road ahead. Scan the areas adjacent to the road. Scan your mirrors to observe what is behind. Scan your peripheral vision to identify what may be in your blind spot. When scanning ahead we should be
looking where we will be in about ten seconds. At highway speeds that may be as much as a quarter of a mile down the road. In more rural settings, or in city traffic, that ten second look ahead is closer to a few blocks. By scanning ahead we are able to begin identifying those issues that may require a planned response by us in the next few seconds’ time. IDENTIFY. As we scan and see those items that we
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recognize as potential problems we consciously identify what they are. There is the kid on the skateboard, the car at the stop sign or at the end of the driveway, the bus picking up passengers, the change in the road’s surface. When issues are identified we can make educated guesses on what could happen if the potential hazard comes into play. PREDICT. How might that issue become a hazard to us on our motorcycle? That tree crew working on the edge of the road may drop some debris in our lane. That mail delivery vehicle that is stopped at the mail box may pull back into the travel lane. That large dog playing Frisbee in his yard may find you a more challenging target than a plastic wafer. If we can have some reasonable assumptions to “what could happen if” then we should also be able to begin planning alternative strategies to avoid those conflicts. DECIDE. What can be done? I can slow down, I can stop. I can swerve. I can change my lane position. I can use my horn. I can use other traffic to help buffer or block my position from a hazard. I can use my signals to warn other drivers of my intentions. By developing a mental list with several alternatives to what can be done if one of the hazards identified becomes a threat, I am prepared to make a proactive maneuver to protect myself and avoid the potential problem. Some of those proactive activities occur before you leave the driveway at home. Are all my lights functioning properly? Am I wearing riding gear that makes me more visible to other drivers? Our defenses as a rider can be passive, as in our gear and lighting, and it can be (and should be) active as we constantly evaluate the conditions, our positioning, and what opportunities exists to make us more available to the other drivers’ vision. EXECUTE. Whether the hazard directly enters your path or not, you can always choose to execute one of the actions that you developed throughout your S.I.P.D.E. review. Your lane positioning and speed can be altered as you approach the identified potential problem. This places you in a better position to respond more if needed before the crisis arises. You may think that by constantly reviewing the S.I.P.D.E. exercise that you will be continually making aggressive avoidance maneuvers; but on the contrary, by proactively evaluating your environment and identifying potential problems and potential solutions, you can actively place yourself in safer positions as you approach the issues and many will be non-issues as you pass. This form of visual awareness and situational evaluation helps to keep your skills sharp and keep you aware and focused on what is going on around you as you ride. Instead of “I had to lay it down” the voice in your head may say that “I knew he was going to turn left” and that few seconds of preparation made the interaction between the two vehicles a non-issue. Ride as if everyone is out to get you, because your powers of observation, control, and avoidance are what is going to help keep you safe and out of harm’s way. And it’s not paranoia - because they are out to get us!
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I scream, you scream...yeah, we all know that one. Must be the time of year for Shira’s Summer Ice Cream Ride! What says ‘bring on the summer’ more than a great ride which includes an ice cream stop. This season I’ll try to bring you some worthy dairy products as well as some smooth rides to bring you there. First up, a new/old kid on the block. Found on the spot that occupied Zinga’s Corn Patch for so many years, the Sprinkle Shack has had a complete makeover. Gone is the yellow building, replaced by a lovely log and stone façade. Picnic tables with rainbow umbrellas dot the outside, waiting for you to relax and enjoy your tasty treats. Speaking of tasty treats, Sprinkle Shack will not only raise your sugar level, but it can fill your belly as well. From 5am to the twilight hours, they have a menu to fit everyone’s wishes. You can have your typical breakfast sandwich, Jerseystyle, with Taylor ham, egg and cheese, burgers in several varieties such as Shack burgers, Jersey burgers or Specialty burgers in sizes from slider to 8 oz., what they dub as ‘real buffalo wings’ or a good ol’ fashioned hot dot, deep fried or grilled, complete with chili sauce, sauerkraut, onions, cheese and bacon. Remember not to fill up too much, as we’re here for a specific reason - ICE CREAM. You can go the traditional route with soft serve in any manner of sizes and shapes. Buy why limit yourself? Sprinkle Shack offers a wide variety of hard ice cream
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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flavors including, and certainly not limited to, cookies and cream (one of Brian’s favorites), chocolate OR vanilla peanut butter, coffee royal and the every present and asked for butter pecan. They say they’ll have a total of 48 flavors once they are fully up and running. I think my favorite thing at Sprinkle Shack, other than the pleasant location, is their abundance of shakers full of different colored sprinkles, free for North Carolina’s Premier the sprinkling. The artist in me had to Rental & Tours Company Motorcycle use them all, well at least all the really bright colors, and they looked stuNear Asheville, NC pendous on my Carmel Waffle Cone Minutes away from the ice cream. They tasted even better. Blue Ridge Parkway, If you are heading to Bike Night on Cherohala Skyway, Diamondback Thursdays at the Chatterbox Drive-In, and Deal’s Gap ‘The Dragon’ this is a perfect side trip to get your sugar rush before heading home. We rent Cruisers, Dual Sports and Sportbikes Located right on Route 15, the Sprinkle Shack has a convenient parking Guided and Self-Guided Tours lot for you and your friends to enjoy a warm summer’s night with a cold Free Pick-up from Asheville airport treat. Don’t forget to be creative with your sprinkles and we’ll see you next month for another installment of Shira’s Ice Cream Ride. Have fun, ride safely and always save room for dessert. with mention of Backroads Magazine Here’s your appetizer for ice cream - a delicious 80 mile run starting at www.carolinamotorcyclerentals.com the State Line Lookout in Alpine, NJ. info@carolinamotorcyclerentals.com GPS Download here: www.sendspace.com/file/wsiuae twitter.com/RENTMOTORCYCLES
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JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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With 2010 being the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway, we bring you an insightful and jocular piece from one of our frequent contributors, Tim Wineland ~
Carefree Highway Slipping away on the Blue Ridge Parkway Tim Wineland
“We had better design and build thoughtfully, sensitively, creatively, as we usher men and women into the presence of the natural gods.” Stanley William Abbott, architect of the BRP Day 1 - Balsam Mountain to Asheville I am sitting on the shoulders of a giant called Richland Balsam (mp 430), the highest point along the venerable Blue Ridge Parkway, surrounded by unparalleled mountain majesty - and an impenetrable wall of wet. No typical Temperate Zone rain, either; this is Equatorial liquid-air. Yet beneath my resilient rain gear, my spirits are warm and fuzzy, as I look forward to a fourday fling “up and down” the BRP. “Up”, as in heading north per my ragged Rand McNally; but “down” in the sense that my goal is the James River crossing near Lynchburg, Virginia, the lowest point of the Parkway. So, from my perspective - six-thousand nosebleeding feet above sea level - it’s all downhill from here. Like thousands of visitors each year, it’s the intervening miles meandering through two states, four National Forests, twenty-nine counties, and eighty-one thousand acres that I really came to cruise. Statistically, the BRP remains one of the most visited National Parks in the country. It generates over two billion dollars a year to the North Carolina and Virginia tourist industry without charging a penny for park passes or peddling pecan pies - which is what baffled me. Why would motorcyclists - or anyone, for that matter - drive for days crosscountry to arrive at a “parkway” where they could (“Wake up kids! looks like we’re here!”) drive some more? There must be more to the Parkway than what literally meets the eye; something below the surface, like a Great White Whale
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of Awareness. Something that, if you aren’t careful, could eat you alive - or give you the ride of your life. A deeper side of the BRP was soon evident as I breezed into an abyss beneath the Devil’s Courthouse (mp 422); an iconic outcropping where, as the Cherokee tell it, the Devil dwells within underground chambers determining the fate of miscreant souls. As the thrum of my engine resonated off the darkened walls around me, I briefly wondered if that dim light ahead was indeed daylight or a soul-fired furnace. Continuing north, I soon passed a pluton - which is much larger than a kidney stone but a lot less painful. Looking Glass Rock (mp 417), a geologic oddity known as a “pluton”, rears its balding head nearby providing a unique glimpse of the very bones of these ancient hills. I shortly arrived at the Mount Pisgah Inn (mp 407) where they were serving my favorite - Food with a View. Somehow, even on gloomy days, the fare just seems more satisfying when consumed from above. Continuing over the French Broad River, I exited into Asheville to seek out my old friend Tom. In addition to bumming bed & breakfast, I needed his advice: Where do I go from here? Sprinkled along the Parkway’s 469 official miles there are 168 bridges, 26 tunnels, and uncountable cling-to-the-precipice stretches of road. Add the extreme weather that tends to pummel these structures and you frequently get “closure” - and not the “as seen on Dr. Phil” kind, either. Because of its remoteness, closures on the Parkway can be serious business and more than a minor inconvenience. A year before, a landslide had closed - removed - a chunk of road across the face of Craggy Dome creating a ten mile gulf forbidden to all motorized traffic, hikers, bikers, gawkers, stalkers, and several forms of airborne bacteria. Tom, however - smirking ever so slightly - assured me that the road across Craggy was again open for business as usual.
Live Entertainment and DJ throughout the Summer Check our website for full schedule
Our Famous Lobster Bake Sunday, Aug. 15
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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Day 2 - Asheville to Linville Falls
The skies cleared as I scootered off at sunrise. The lofty peaks I was now climbing are the real Big Boys of Old Blue. Technically, the mountainous march of these behemoths start in northern Alabama and proceed into New England. Eons ago they even spanned what is now the North Atlantic before grinding to a halt in
northern Europe. Little wonder the early Swede and ScotchIrish immigrants settled in this region. ‘Twas like a wee bit o’ home here in the New World. The declining trees and temperature told me I was nearing the barren summit of Craggy Dome (mp 364). Rounding another sweeping turn, I was soon forced to an abrupt halt.
Here, sitting atop this pristine and ancient landscape at the top of the world was: a traffic light. It had taken the National Park Service a year and a half to reopen the rift; an amazing feat given the locational logistics. Before me lay a gravelled onelaner clinging precariously to the side of the bluff, and lacking any form of man-made power grid in these nether regions, traffic was being controlled by a solar powered traffic light. Waiting my turn and admiring the ingenuity, I asked a nearby worker what happens after the sun goes down. “It gets dark”, he said. And then he smirked. Mount Mitchell State Park (mp 355) is the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River, and if you don’t believe it you can ask the man who proved it: UNC Professor Elisha Mitchell. Be patient for an answer, however, as he is still a bit groggy from his fatal fall well over a century ago. But he is still there, conveniently entombed on top of his namesake and apparently still covered-up with work (pun intended). Seems the Professor was so adamant about his measurements that he confirmed the height at least thrice; the last time being...well, the last time - falling to his death at nearby Mitchell Falls (no pun intended).
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Day 3 - Linville Falls to Peaks of Otter I exited early from my camp at Linville Falls (mp 317) and... Warning! DO NOT LOOK AT BROWN MOUNTAIN! If you do, you risk becoming obsessed with the phenomenon known as the Brown Mountain Lights. You can’t help it. They’ve been witnessed for centuries by scores of sober people and even featured in an episode of the X-Files, so extra-terrestrials are probably involved. Mysterious, floating, orbs of light that hover around Brown Mountain at night. Any night I’m not there, that is, since I spent the better part of one staring into the dark like a dork for hours. Nothing, nada, zippo. I did hear a dog bark, though, which prompted me to switch on my flashlight. Which prompted all the other dorks waiting in the dark to start snapping pictures of me. I still see lights when I close my eyes - maybe not the Brown Mountain kind, but still, it’s something.
Victory and Victory Motorcycles are registered trademarks of Polaris Industries, Inc. Always wear a helmet, eye protection, and protective clothing and obey the speed limit. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
High Alpine Tour with Backroads and Edelweiss
July 17-24, 2011 • If Not Now - WHEN? Head off with Backroads’ publishers Brian & Shira for a tour of a lifetime as we join up with Edelweiss for their High Alpine Tour. Ride the roads you have dreamed of in the past - Paso Del Stelvio, the Grossglockner, the famed Dolomites. We’ll even have a day’s ride to Venice.
When: July 17 -24, 2011 Yes, 2011 – that gives you two years to get ready to come on Backroads most exciting event ever! There’s only room for so many, so make your plans now! Prices start at just $3360/rider and $2920/passenger. For more information email Brian: editor@backroadsusa.com or call us at 973-948-4176.
Ride the Alps, if not now, when?
The Linn Cove Viaduct (mp 304) is an engineered, award-winning work of art, perched upon a ragged flank of Grandfather Mountain, and for reasons unknown, never actually touches the ground. Engineers achieved this minimal eco-impact by incorporating imaginative design techniques with an amazing substance known as “cement”. This cement, however, was evidently imported from an alternate universe, as the entire entity appears to levitate above the landscape. The feeling one gets while riding northbound along the seemingly inadequate outside railing is also out of this world. Equally impressive is the HO scale diorama at the Visitor Center portraying the
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
sinewy edifice in mid-construction. Since it is illegal to park just anywhere on the Parkway, and walking on the Viaduct is verboten as well, a photochopped close-up of this model may be your best bet for a “proof” pic. Otherwise, you can venture down the hiking trail - however, be advised that this trail leads under the span so that we, the non-engineering neophites, can better appreciate cement. If you Google the word “tranquil” and ignore the links to the many pharmaceutical wonders drugs, you will no doubt find the Julian Price Memorial Park (mp 295). I strolled between idyllic picnic sites and watched a couple of Park employees unload a mower from its trailer. They, too, seemed reluctant to disturb the serenity, as they first took a quick coffee break beside the bubbling stream. I tried to imagine going to “work” on the Blue Ridge Parkway; I mean, where would I go on vacation? Detroit? Then, in Blowing Rock I nearly blew a fuse. Due to some on-going bridge repair, I was forced to exit the BRP and grimace my way through tourists and townsfolk alike. I was suddenly awash in traffic and the chaotic sensory input that came with it. Compared to the composure of the BRP, it was a blunt reminder of why I was on this quixotic quest. I eventually rejoined my beloved at Deep Gap, and was welcomed with an open road and sweet scenic names like The Lump and Jumpinoff Rock. Oh, be still my heart. There is an odd edifice atop Groundhog Mountain (mp 189). Not “alien crash site” odd, but more of the “what the heck...”
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variety. A solitary wooden tower stands guard over an expansive meadow and a display of wooden fences. Not a connoisseur of fine fencing myself, I sauntered along reading the informative signs explaining the how and why of each of these primitive necessities of early Americana. These simple structures lining the roadways and fields of the BRP give a rich, tactile sense of natural harmony - as if the Parkway wasn’t so much “made” by Man as it was grown by him. I was fairly excited to pull into my next stop since it is one of the most recognized landmarks this side of Oprah. Mabry Mill (mp 176) has become the quintessential emblem of the BRP in Virginia. Aside from making a charming picture, the restaurant there has also become a favored feeding hole for tourists and locals alike. Realizing the “green” spent here is what helps keep the BRP so green as well, I satiated my guilt by purchasing a robust refrigerator magnet - satisfied that somewhere, sometime, a pothole will be filled with my six dollars. “Not what you’d call much of a going concern now is it?” This line from the foul mule-skinner in Dances with Wolves popped into my head as I was told that the “exhibits” at Virginia’s Explore Park (mp 115) were closed. At some point in the past, a millionaire from Florida leased the land with the intent of “Disney-fying” the site and calling it “Blue Ridge America”, complete with a resort, a man-made lake, and a man-made gondola system to transport the myriad guests and their man-made money. For some reason, probably something to do with Bernie Madoff, none of this has yet come to pass. However, at the still functioning Explore Park Visitor Center was a twenty foot long, three-dimensional model displaying the Parkway in its entirety; accurate to every elevated detail as only modern GPS data can do. It was immediately obvious why this pesky ridge was such a barrier to early westward growth; and I reflected on how what was once a major obstacle to
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commerce was now a coveted National treasure and boon to local economies. When the idea of a free National Roadway was first considered in 1935, a congressman declared it “...the most ridiculous undertaking that has ever been presented to the Congress of the United States.” I couldn’t help but wonder if that congressman would rescind his remark today; especially in the light of such modern Congressional undertakings as “National Vinegar Awareness Month” (the month of May, in case you missed it). Day 4 - Peaks of Otter to the James River The Peaks of Otter Lodge (mp 86) is a serene retreat lounging in the shadow of three landmark peaks: Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Right-in-Tune Top (rim-shot). It’s a truly picturesque setting, with comfy accommodations and a restaurant nestled around placid Abbot Lake. One would be hard pressed to find a lovelier locale - or a colder night this side
of Planetoid Pluto. In a fit of self-flagellation, I decided to camp rather than risk the basic amenities of proper civilization. I therefore enjoyed a hearty meal of crunchy stew-sludge warmed over a meager flame that never quite reached armpit temperature. Later, secure in the fact that I had nothing to fear from the still hibernating bears, I lapsed into a fitful sleep cuddled beneath the partially frozen carcass of a wooly mammoth. You meet the nicest people on the Blue Ridge Parkway; some on twowheels, some on four, some on none at all. At Apple Orchard Mountain (mp
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77), the two-thousand-mile long Appalachian Trail paces the Parkway for a few brief but beautiful miles. Sprawled along the curb of the turnout were four young hikers; and I thought surely these inspirational youths would have some idea as to what brings people to these wild and wondrous places. Unfortunately, the most insighful response I got was, “My old man was gettin’ on my nerves. You gonna eat the rest of that Snickers?”
Ahead of them lay long, bug-intensive miles and foot blisters the size of soybeans. Below me awaited the James River and a cozy motel room, and according to my topo map, I would be descending thirty-three hundred feet in less than fifteen ear-popping miles. I therefore forfeited my goody bag - minus the Snickers - and aimed my bike downhill. I coasted into the James River Visitor Center (mp 65) with wide eyes and a wider smile; only to find it closed for renovation. Regardless, I was excited to have made it to my goal - fifty-four hundred feet lower than my Balsam Mountain beginning. I parked and strolled beside the historic James River and again pondered the Parkway.
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Blue Ridge Parkway Resources www.blueridgeparway.org This site will give you maps segmented by mile post guides, lodging, parkway highlights, NPS guidelines (you don’t want to get these folks angry), schedule of events and all you’ll need to have a wonderful trip down, or up, this majestic piece of asphalt.
Blueridgeparkway75.org Here you’ll get the year’s happenings for this milestone in the Blue Ridge Parkway’s life.
Somewhere out there on my “free ride” I began to realize the BRP is a contradiction of economic axioms. “You get what you pay for,” and “Nothing is for free,” did not apply to this exceptional thoroughfare. For the past few days everything I value as a two-wheeled traveler hadn’t cost me an involuntary cent. In short, I had taken a free ride, but wasn’t taken for one.
The scenery was definitely the thing - but not the only thing. I enjoyed the views because I had also enjoyed a refreshing feeling of security. With little traffic, no nasty intersections, and a leisurely forty-five miles-per-hour pace, I didn’t have a single close encounter of the scary kind. I’ve felt more at risk stepping into the shower. By feeling safe, I also experienced a serenity rarely enjoyed on other roads. I thought again of the myriad silent stretches of the National Roadway; the miles of wispy wooden fences and acres of ancient forests with no one to interrupt me but the guy in the helmet - and I rarely listen to him anyway. Finally, it occurred to me that for those of us who value the simple pleasures of scenery, safety, and serenity - the perfect three “S” road trip - the reason we continue to flock to this cost-free, Carefree Highway is also simple: we can’t afford not to.
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M
y riding buddy, Seldom Seen Shane and I took off on a cool but sunny fall day. We rolled peacefully over the serpentine backroads of rural western New Jersey heading towards the borderlands of Pennsylvania. With thoughts of a beautiful road trip dancing in our heads, and the sun caressing our smiling faces, the sweet smell of Jersey farmland floated into our nostrils. When we stopped for a break I said, quoting Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now, “I love the smell of (manure) in the morning; it reminds me of victory.” Seldom Seen Shane laughed and added, “It’s a victory over the 21st century and the technological warlords that try to enslave us.” Deep, Shane, really deep, I thought.
’s a i n a v nsyl ands n e P l Riding east High North Kenneth W. Dahse
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
Riders who explore Pennsylvania’s Northeast Highlands will not only be rewarded with great roads, scenic splendor, lush forests and farmland, but will also feel like they took a step back in time to the simplicity of the early 20th century. This is immediately apparent as you roll across the
Dingmans Bridge, the only privately owned toll bridge in the entire northeast, and the toll collector stands, sans a tollbooth collecting fees simultaneously from both those entering and departing the bridge. Once across the Delaware River, two impressive waterfall parks offer a glimpse into the rugged terrain of this area. The first, Raymondskill Falls, is north off Rte. 209. The second and more impressive falls is off Rte. 739 and is at Childs Recreation Site. Childs has several waterfalls and boardwalklined paths alongside the thundering and plunging falls. We stopped at Childs to stretch our legs taking in the primeval beauty. Then we remounted the bikes and rumbled onto SR 2004, riding alongside lakes, ponds, and through lush state forest land until connecting with Rte. 402, which led us north to the massive Lake Wallenpaupack in Hawley. The area was named by the Lenape Indians and means the Stream of Swift and Slow Water. The lake is 13.5 miles long, covers 5,700 acres, and has 52 miles of shoreline. Boat rentals and cruise rides
THE AUTHOR AT RAYMONDSKILL FALLS
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are available. We stopped and took a break by the dam enjoying the fleeing breeze floating off the flourishing lake. This area makes for a nice lunch stop. Several restaurants offer quality meals: Ehrhardt’s Waterfront Resort on Rte. 507 and Gresham’s Lakeview Motel and Chop House on Rte. 6. Both have indoor and outside dining areas overlooking the lake. Nevertheless, we chose the Settler’s Inn on Rte. 6 in downtown Hawley, whose main street looks like you just rode into a 1800s western town. The Inn serves food produced by local farmers and has classy turn of the century (19th) décor. After lunch, we saddled up and took Rte. 6 east back to Rte. 590 and turned right onto SR 3028. By taking this back country route, we bypassed the congestion surrounding Honesdale. Our bikes ate up the road while the countryside bathed us in its fall beauty. We stopped briefly at the Triple “W” Riding Stables, which allows you to exchange your steel steed for a flesh and blood one. Triple “W” has horseback rides over mountain trails and through meadows lasting from one to four hours. They also have stagecoach and
Page 44
wagon rides. Since the day was growing late, we skipped a trail ride this time, but promised ourselves we’d return to do so. SR 3028 rolls through forests, alongside lakes, and over farmland until it connects with Rte. 296 which took us to the town
of Waymart, where we stopped to feed our iron horses. Seldom Seen Shane pointed to the wind turbines on top of the mountain ridge. Although the turbines lessened the beauty of the mountain, nevertheless, they are an impressive sight and far less distracting and disturbing than a power plant’s smokestack belching out thick clouds of pollution would have been. From Waymart, we sailed north on Rte. 296 to Rte. 247 through farmland and forests and an occasional blip in the road that passed for a town. With the rolling hills and all the empty space, I felt like I was on, “Top of the world, Ma, top of the world!” (Jimmy Cagney, White Heat). It was an elevating experience. We flew by several more ponds and then connected with Rte. 370 and rumbled to the
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
Inn at Starlight Lake, our destination. The Inn is over 100 years old and is refreshingly non-modern. It’s a turn of the century Inn with clean, comfortable, but Spartan rooms. No room televisions, VCR/DVD, or phones here, but it is the perfect escape if you want to get away from all the pressures of modern life. The Inn overlooks a private lake, has a restaurant, hiking trails, boats, and a rustic setting. Bears often wander around at night. That evening, the rain came and stayed through most of the next day, cancelling our planned exploration. So we spent part of the day at the Inn playing ping pong. I soon discovered that my friend Seldom Seen Shane is a ping pong hustler who humiliated me game after game. Thank my lucky stars that the rain finally stopped, and we were able to fire up the bikes for a short ride. I am grateful that I got out of there still owning my Vulcan Nomad. As it is, I have to pay Shane’s motorcycle insurance for the next three years. After drying off the bikes, we rolled away from the Inn into the misty hills THE STARLIGHT INN’S PEACEFUL STARLIGHT LAKE.
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
and farmland taking Rte. 370 southwest. A slight mist coated our rain gear and embraced the trees and bushes; nevertheless, we felt great riding and the less than perfect weather conditions had a beauty all its own. At Rte. 171, we rumbled south and stopped at Arlo’s, a mud paved gas station with a small general store and bar. Even though they had a photo of Arlo Guthrie in the bar, it never dawned on us to ask if he owned the place. Could he? Anyway, that’s a question for the next trip. With the hour growing late and the clouds hanging ever heavier in the sky, we headed back to the Starlight hoping for the sun to shine its smiling face on us for the next day. Unfortunately, it was not be. It rained all night and continued through most of the misty morning. Fortunately, it ended near check out time but was replaced by a cold and cloudy wind blowing down from the north country. After checking out of our rooms, we packed our gear on the bikes and began the trek back through PA’s northeastern highlands. We rode east on Rte. 370 until we picked up Rte. 191. It snakes south alongside the Delaware River through forests with views of the mountains hugging the nearby river banks until reaching the small town of Equinunk, where it bares west and south through farmland. From there we sailed south enjoying views of the PA highlands. At the Rte. 191 and Rte. 371 intersection, we stopped at the Rileyville Country Market. Greg and Shelly Mihalik, a friendly duo, were celebrating their first year in business by giving customers free hotdogs and drinks. Their small market sells many interesting items including home baked pies and local crafts. Rte. 371 is one of the most impressive roads in all northeastern PA. Running east to west, it winds its way over rolling farmland and woodlands. Rte. 371 gives riders spectacular views of family farms and quintessential rural Pennsylvania. This road is so enjoyable to cruise that it can be a destination in and of itself. Riding from one end to the other and returning the same way will only enhance your appreciation of it. From Rileyville, we wheeled south to Honesdale, a much larger town than
Page 45
Hawley but with a similar 19th century feel. Baer’s Harley-Davidson calls Honesdale home, if you’re in the need for anything Harley-related. The ride from Honesdale to Hawley on Rte. 6 is a bit congested, but once Rte. 6 leaves Hawley, it’s a clear and mostly forested run to Milford— the end of our PA tour. We stopped for coffee at Milford to warm up before the last leg of the ride back to New Jersey. Even though we didn’t get to explore all the roads we wanted, it was a great motorcycling trip. The roads, towns, farms, lakes, and forest parkland we did see made it one special journey. As we mounted up with fine thoughts dancing in our heads, Shane said, “Don’t forget to own up to your ping pong losses and mail me my insurance money.” “Yeah, right, count on it,” I responded. And then we sailed across to New Jersey, riding high above the Delaware River on the Milford Bridge and returned to the 21st century. About the Author: Kenneth W. Dahse is a long time contributor to Backroads and lifetime motorcycle enthusiast. He has also published two books. His most recent work, The Hell Riders, is a rousing action-packed novel about personal redemption and loyalty. The novel can be ordered from any book store or online from Amazon.com. You can download a GPS 170-mile roundtrip route here:
www.sendspace.com/file/s6opdi Additional Information:
Ehrhardt’s Waterfront Resort www.ehrhardts.com • 800-678-5907
Gresham’s Lakeview Motel and Chop House www.greshams.net • 570-226-4621
Settler’s Inn • www.thesettlersinn.com • 800-833-8527 Triple “W” Riding Stables • triplew@ptd.net • 800-540-2620 The Inn at Starlight Lake www.innatstarlightlake.com • 800-248-2519
No matter where you go in this wide world, Triumph has a motorcycle for you. You can find your ride at Locomotion Powersports Home of Triumph of Rockland
138 Orange Ave (Rt. 202), Suffern, NY 10901
Home of Triumph of Rockland
845.357.1190 www.locomotionpowersports.com
Page 46
(Continued from Page 13)
Two flatbed truck rides later and I left the K1200 at my hero Mike Wernick’s motorcycle only parking garage in the East Village. I stepped into the family minivan and with a McArthuresque stand on the running board I vowed I would return. The K1200 wound up at Cliff’s in Connecticut where the cost of the repairs probably came close to exceeding the value of the machine; but I’m sentimental like that. When Brianna, the service manager at Cliff’s mentioned that their mechanic Phil Cheney had worked on R50s from the time they were considered cutting edge I knew the fates had interceded. For the first time in a decade my garage was empty of bikes as both of them wintered in the Connecticut shop. The clutch problem that had exhausted my patience was quickly remedied. Fluids were changed, tires were shod and a few nuts and bolts I left off (extra parts don’t you know) or that had disappeared over the years were paid for handsomely and replaced. While I was waiting for the bike I did some research and found out that it was built in Germany on February 5, 1966 and delivered to Barlett and Smith in New York City on February 25, THOUGHTS
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
1966. I have no idea when Ralph bought it but it was registered as a 1967. I do know how this fellow (who had been sleeping on the floors of friends apartments in New York City) felt when he tallied the money he made at a job he hated and he finally bought the machine that would carry him to freedom. I called the shop for an update on the patient today and Phil told me that before he replaced the front timing cover on the bike he wrote inside “For you Uncle Ralph”. I quickly hung up the phone. Then, I did something I haven’t done in ten years when thinking about my friend. I cried. Next, I did something else I have not done for the better part of this last decade. I pushed aside all the work on my desk on this warm almost spring day and I sat down to write. And I cried again. We all suffer the loss of loved ones and mine are no more important then yours. Still, while you may sympathize when my grandma dies it doesn’t grip you the way it does when the loss tears at your very own DNA. I will be on that R50 by the time this goes to press but I won’t be doing any crying. If I see Ralph again at the end of the road I plan on returning to him a well worn, well ridden bike. (Continued from Page 6)
awareness. A total of 75 new women riders signed up for the event. Five training schools were offered, with the four-hour introductory courses delivering the fundamental riding basics. Kawasaki provided the motorcycles, a stable of KLX140, 110 and 250S. The course was taken on dirt tracks adjoining the Kawasaki headquarters. You can read more on this here: www.kawasaki.com/racing_news/article.aspx?id=1354. Then there are women who just love to ride. One that comes to mind is Janet Muller. I’ve known Janet for quite a few years now and she never ceases to amaze me. When I first met her, back in the early years of Backroads, she was riding a Kawasaki Concours. Janet is a slight, but very powerful, lady and seeing her on that big, topheavy motorcycle was very impressive. She has since traded that in for a long list of other rides. No matter what she’s riding, on or off-road, she is so freakin’ exuberant that it’s contagious. Nothing is out of her grasp when it comes to two wheels and I wish I could tap into her positive attitude and perkiness sometimes. WHATCHATHINKIN’
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Last but not least are the hundreds or thousands of women who have just finished their BRC. Welcome to the wonderful world of motorcycling! Congratulations for taking the throttle in your own hands. The fun has just begun and I wish you long, safe and happy days in the saddle and a plethora of adventures to experience. To all you women, thank you for giving me something to write about this month and I hope you all had a great ride today - I know I did.
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
Page 47
CLUB SPOTLIGHT • YANKEE BEEMERS CELEBRATE 25 YEARS Springtime in New England, when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of... motorcycles. So do the fancies of older men, and women, and the more than 400 members of the Yankee Beemers, who celebrate, this spring, their 25th anniversary as a club, 25 years of riding BMW motorcycles through New England, across America, and over much of the globe. The Yankee Beemers did indeed come together as a motorcycle club 25 years ago, in 1985. Back then, about the time of the first MacIntosh computer (a product often compared to BMW motorcycles - highly designed, appearing somewhat exclusive in the face of competition from other more ubiquitous brands) a handful of New England BMW motorcycle enthusiasts met at a diner and said, essentially, “We like each other, we really respect these German machines, riding them is loads of fun, we’re good together for long distances...we should make this a club!” So they did. Now, 25 years later, 400 members strong, affiliated with the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, and other national and international clubs, Yankee Beemers are regularly crisscrossing continents on two wheels and reporting back... kind of a National Geographic on wheels. BMW is known by most people as, primarily, the maker of exquisitely engineered luxury cars, some of which go really fast. But as motorcyclists of all stripes are quick to point out, BMW is also the maker of exquisitely engineered touring motorcycles, some of which also go really fast. Those motorcycles have always had a reputation for being smooth, efficient, longlasting, well-engineered, quiet... “everything but ‘punctual!”, says David Robb, current Vice President of motorcycle design at BMW/Munich and himself an honorary lifetime member of the Yankee Beemers. A Yankee himself, born in Arlington, Massachusetts, Robb changed BMW’s reputation in the late 1990’s. They still build a great touring motorcycle (14 different models, in fact) but it’s not just about engineering anymore: now design and performance reign. Yankee Beemers, the folks who actually ride these motorcycles, are as the name implies, mostly your neighbors around New England. But the club boasts members not only in each of the New England states, but also in NY, PA, CA, Arizona, FLA, TN, the Carolinas, and a couple members in Europe. Jeff Stein
These are men and women from all walks of life: from teachers to nurses to policemen and small business owners, even a retiree or two; but their work on a daily basis, how they are categorized by what they do for a living... all that fades in the face of a single equalizing force: the skill with which each of them pilot a motorcycle. Typical was the late Dr. Fred Tausch a chemical engineer (PhD from MIT) and Yankee Beemer who bought a used BMW motorcycle, a model R60/5, in the early 1980’s and rode it 632,000 miles over the next 25 years commuting, to social events, cross country. And Tausch, who died (of natural causes) just a year ago, is not all that exotic as a BMW rider; quite a few of the Yankee Beemers use these machines as they were meant to be used: riding to and from work, riding to breakfast in far-off locales, as actual vehicles, toting up hundreds of thousands of miles on them. Although, let’s face it, destination is not as important to most of these folks as is the ride itself. Miles experienced on BMW motorcycles connect their riders with their surroundings in intensely personal ways. It’s that sensory stimuli, becoming “one with the environment” that led Fred Tausch to explore North America on his bike. It’s that extra-ordinary awareness that beckons many of the Yankee Beemers. Things come together at once on a motorcycle in a single, intense continuous flow. That’s how Yankee Beemers have been experiencing the world for 25 years. The Yankee Beemers club is totally non-commercial, with no official ties to BMW or its dealer network. There is no money to be made by being a member. But there are places to go and people to meet. People like Marina Cianferoni, BMW motorcyclist, author, and contributor to the International Journal of Motorcycle Studies. Cianferoni writes in a recent article in the club newsletter, the “Boxer Shorts”. “Like a painter,” she says, “I want to draw a line through the turns that becomes a thing of beauty. Then the satisfaction is enormous.” That’s all the reason you need. Next time you see someone on a BMW motorcycle, stopped in traffic, parked on the street, sitting in a coffee shop, wilderness camping, walk up to them and say hello. It’s likely to be a Yankee Beemer in this region of the country, celebrating 25 years of travel and camaraderie. But no matter who it is, he or she is going to be cheerful: they’re on a motorcycle! If you’d like to find out more on the Yankee Beemers, point your browser to www.yankeebeemers.org.
MOTORCYCLEMADNESS 8 State Hwy 94 • Lafayette, NJ • 973-579-6088 • 877-252-9828
New Jersey’s Largest Pre-Owned Bike Seller Over 100 Clean Street, Dirt and ATVs In Stock AT ALL TIMES
ES R ALL BIK O F ID A HP TOP CAS HUGE selection of Parts and Accessories for cruisers and sportbikes
SUSSEXMOTORSPORTS 446 Route 23 • Sussex, NJ • Located across from the A&P Shopping Plaza
973-875-3640 •
Open Tuesday thru Saturday
Visit us at www.sussexmotorsportsnj.com
600 Helmets In Stock: Icon, Shoei, Suomy, HJC, Scorpion and more HUGE selection of apparel: Mens and Womens - Street and Dirt First Gear, Rocket, RIver Road, Fox, Thor, Alpinestar and much more Professionally Trained Mechanics • Gold Wing Experts
WE BEAT ANY INTERNET DEAL Located 1/4 mile north of 206/94 intersection and 1 mile north of Newton Tues/Wed: 9-6 • Thurs: 10-8 • Fri: 10-6 • Sat: 9-4
Closed: Sunday and Monday
www.MadMotorcycle.com
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS THE BOYS
OF
FLUSHING
Mets Fan? We know we still are! If you are tired of the same old and slightly boring tee shirts then log onto the7line.com and check out their array of very, very cool Mets merchandise. We know we scored a few... hopefully the boys in Flushing can do the same.
GIVI MONOCHROME TECH TOPCASE
Now your aftermarket trunk doesn’t have to look like an after thought. With OEMS and aftermarket companies offering top trunk solutions for many motorcycle and scooter models they more often than not look like an after thought and to have a color matched trunk solution often costs so much more. The new GIVI monochrome Tech series is designed to offer the functionality and style of a large top trunk yet not detract from the look of your motorcycle or scooter. Supplied with smoked lenses, dark trim and no more bright red features the Tech series has produced a truly integrated top trunk solution. Both the V46 and E55 Monokey series cases are capable of taking two full face helmets and have the following accessories available, back rest, top rack, brake light and inner bag option. The V46NT retails for $273.00 and the E55NT version retails for $340.00, although GIVI only offers this monochrome design for these 2 models other Monokey and Monolock series cases may follow in the future.
SOFT, SUPPLE
AND
DRY - WHAT
YOU WANT YOUR SADDLE TO BE
For all of you who have made the investment in an aftermarket leather saddle for your ride you should be well aware that you need to upkeep the ass kissers every now and again and waterproofing them is a good thought as well. We have seen a number of products on the market, but Skidmore Bees Leather Cream & Wax Waterproofing seems to rise a bunch above the rest. The Leather Cream is really awesome and is simple in its application. Just apply with a soft cloth and give it a buffing. Leather saddles take a hard beating from the elements...sun, wind, dirt, and rain pound it every mile you are out on the road. You spend good money on your saddle, so protect the leather that lets you ride all day. Skidmore Leather Cream will clean your leather saddle and keep it supple in one step. Regular use will build a degree of waterproofing on the saddle. It is also excellent on boots, chaps, jackets, gloves and saddlebags. Good leather can get wet - just maintain it and it will last forever! The beeswax is excellent if you ride in really wet conditions, or it just seems that way. Made from almost pure beeswax, this product protects leather that really gets wet. It goes on easily, penetrating leather and leaving a waterproof seal on the surface. Combining both these products on your saddle will insure many season of riding pleasure. For more information and to purchase these and the other fine Skidmore products log onto www.skidmores.com.
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
Page 49
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS BLACK MAGIC
Hella, Inc., the North American aftermarket subsidiary of automotive lighting and electronics supplier Hella, has just introduced its new Hella 500 Black Magic Driving Lamp Kit. The new lamp, which is based on the performance proven Hella 500 series, incorporates Hella’s innovative use of “Black Optics Technology” to create a unique blackout look when turned off and a super bright, enhanced-focus, driving beam when turned on. The Hella 500 Black Magic incorporates an integral sport optic sight between the reflector and the lens. The grid’s reflection in the highly-polished metal reflector creates the unique, all-black look. It also eliminates any stray light while delivering an enhanced-focus driving beam. The Hella 500 Black Magic Driving Lamp is a standard size 6.9” round lamp, featuring a proven lightweight design, sturdy, shockproof housing, and a bonded water-resistant lens assembly with an aluminum vapor-coated reflector for maximum durability. Dimensions: 6.9” x 6.4” x 2.6”. The Hella 500 Black Magic kit includes: (2) Halogen driving beam lamps, a complete plug-and-play wiring harness, (2) protective stone shields, (2) H3 12V/55W Halogen Bulbs, 12V relay, mounting hardware, and step-by-step mounting instructions. For more information, visit www.hella.com.
MACHINEART MOTO MUDSLING
FOR
The stock set-up on BMW’s R1200GS does little to keep the rear portion of the bike free of mud and debris. The MudSling by Machineart Moto fits in between the shock and rear tire to deflect mud, water, and rocks away from the suspension and battery area to keep it cleaner. If a rider has invested in an expensive aftermarket shock or the ESA option, MudSling is its best protection. It mounts securely with two screws to the underside of the frame and zip ties to the side frame rails. Unlike the stock set-up, we have a set of Jesse Luggage on our long-term test bike and the original Mudsling would not clear the brackets. Machineart Moto has now introduced a variation of its successful MudSling rear fender for the BMW R1200GS that fits bikes equipped with Jesse Odyssey II aluminum bags. The MudSling 12J is shaped to fit around the robust Jesse mounting brackets and installation is just as straightforward as on bikes with standard BMW side cases. The Mudsling looks fantastic and we’re now confident that we have a good deal of protection from the elements where there was not much before. Moto products are sold through its online store www.machineartmoto.com
BMW R1200GS
COMFORT WHILE MOTORCYCLE CAMPING? YOU GOT IT.
Nomad Tent Company’s Ténéré Expedition Tent offers unique shelter to riders, bikes and gear in comfort, out of the elements and under one roof. The design of the tent provides a sheltered bay for your bike to hide it from prying eyes and provide riders with a workspace for tuneups. Two spacious vestibules and an inner tent offer enough headroom to stand up and comfortably change or store gear and sleep two campers on a footprint that accommodates a queen size airbed. No more cramped camping, with the Ténéré Expedition Tent you get comfort without compromise and the tent packs down to 8 inches by 21 inches and weighs just 13 pounds. The set up and take down of the Ténéré Expedition Tent offers a unique advantage. Once the outer sheet of the tent is set up over the bike, riders are instantly out of the sun, sand or rain for erecting the inner sleep tent. Upon departure pack the inner sleep tent and gear onto the bike in the comfort and shelter of the outer tent. Finally, roll up the outer tent and riders are set to go. The versatile design of the tent is equally functional and comfortable for use at bike rallies, for car camping and on bicycle camping trips. The tent sells for $399 and can be found at www.nomadtent.com.
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
Page 50
U PCOMING E VENTS RIDING FOR MAN’S BEST FRIEND (AND ALL THEIR FRIENDS, TOO)
Have fun as you join others being heroes by participating in a worthy 50 mile ride, on Sunday, June 27th, through scenic Warren County, NJ. This is the third annual I Bike for Animals Rally to raise awareness and funds for Warren County’s only no kill shelter, Common Sense for Animals in Broadway, NJ. The Common Sense Shelter provides medical care and adoptive services for animals that are rescued in seven municipalities, and has a special arrangement to rescue dogs, even pregnant dogs and puppies from kill shelters in North Carolina and Virginia. Last year there were 350 motorcycles with 750 people joining together at the Landslide Restaurant in Asbury, New Jersey to enjoy a celebration meal and share in the success of being a Common Sense Hero. Pre-registration is suggested by e-mailing John Miller at miller@commonsenseforanimals.org or for more information call 908-8593060. The cost is $25 per rider which includes FoodFest, Boomer’s BBQ, music, auciton and raffles. Pre-registeration before June 10th includes FreeT Shirt and Patch; pre-registeration before June 20th gets a Free patch. Registration starts at 9am at Warren County Tech, 1500 Rte. 57, Washington, NJ. The ride leaves at 11am and FoodFest begins at 1pm at the Landslide Saloon, 1090 Rte. 173, Pattenberg, NJ.
For over 25 years Circle Cycle has helped riders get and stay on the road Our variety of powersports products is second to none. Whether you’re riding offroad, backroads, or on the track, we’re here to get you where you need to go.
The Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA) is a non-profit, interdenominational organization, dedicated to reaching people for Christ in the highways and byways through motorcycling. As a Christian ministry, our vision is to “Change the world, one heart at a time”. To do this, we travel to motorcycling and non-motorcycling, secular and non-secular, events where we are available to help participate in the function, spread the Good News of the gospel, fellowship with other Christians, or simply attend and let our patches speak for themselves. There are nine CMA chapters in NJ and over 1,000 worldwide in 26 countries.
Throughout the year we attend biker blessings and offer to say a prayer to wanting motorcyclists for their safety on the road and for God’s protection in their lives. We make trips to churches, nursing homes, and V.A. hospitals to speak about the CMA, motorcycling, and everyday issues. We also attend secular events where we often are requested to assist in parking, registration and other administration activities. When our schedule permits, we have chapter rides for fellowship. CMA holds one fundraiser each year, the Run for the Son (RFTS) to benefit the CMA (40% ) and three other ministries at 20% each; they are Jesus Film Project, Missionary Ventures, and Open Doors. In 2008 CMA donated $806,841.65 to each of the three ministries as a result of this fundraiser. To gain more information about the CMA and to find a CMA Chapter near you, please logon to www.CMAUSA.org.
2010 RALLIES
Backroads 15th Anniversary Summer Sojourn • August 2-6 Fontana Village, Fontana Dam, NC
In northern New Jersey there isn’t a friendlier or more knowledgeable staff than ours. We’re happy to help you find the parts you’ve been looking for.
Online Shopping Available Check our catalog pages - if you don’t see what you want, give us a call or stop in - we’re always ready to help!
Circle Cycle. For the discriminating rider.
CIRCLE
CLUB SPOTLIGHT • CHRISTIAN MOTORCYCLISTS ASSOC.
570 Broad Avenue Ridgefield NJ
CYCLE 201-945-2200 web: www.circlecycle.net
www.fontanavillage.com • 828-498-2211 Rooms from $69/night + tax Ask for Backroads Rally when booking Like our 10th Anniversary, we’re doing something a bit different and bringing you to the infamous Dragon Deal’s Gap. For those who have never done it, it must be done. For those who have, enjoy the other great roads that abound in this area, where they actually name their twistilicious pavement.
Fall Fiesta September 26-29
Gray Ghost Inn • West Dover, VT www.grayghostinn.com • 800-745-3615
Same, Same, but Different.
How could we not make a trip to our favorite people in Vermont? Magnus and Carina will welcome us with open arms, as will the colorful roads of Vermont, New Hampshire and NY State.
DON’T DELAY - RESERVE TODAY - ROOMS GO FAST!
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
Page 51
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS UPGRADE YOUR SADDLE - FEEL
THE
DIFFERENCE
Last year we did an article on upgrading an older Honda Shadow. A number of items were added to turn this day-to-day ride into a long weekend tourer. One last thing was just added and has given the machine all day comfort - a replacement saddle from Mustang. Mustang’s Wide Touring Two-Piece Studded Seat has a front width of 18” and the passenger saddle is a full 13” wide. This offered far more room for both rider and pillion. The proprietary foam that Mustang uses put the stock saddle to shame. We have always wondered why manufacturers can make such great bikes, but never get the seats right? Thankfully folk like Mustang are here to help out. Installation was easy enough and the Mustang’s website has mounting instructions if you feel the need for a little help. We didn’t. We have logged a few long weekends on the refitted Shadow, with it about 3,000 miles, and must tell you the difference in the stock saddle and the Mustang Wide touring saddle is more than night and day... it is like a cold and wet, stormy night and a wonderful bright and warm spring-time morning. It’s that good. Mustang’s Wide Touring Two-Piece Studded Seat retails for $499 and can be purchased from Mustang dealers or at www.mustangseats.com.
NO, I’M
NOT A TIRE PROFESSIONAL, BUT
I
DID WATCH THE
BESTREST DVD
LAST NIGHT…
Tire changes and tire repairs... those words strike fear into the hearts of many riders, but it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s not alchemy or black magic or some mysterious skill reserved for professionals. And it’s certainly not rocket science. Even WE can do it and if WE can do it, YOU can too. Tire changes and repairs are actually pretty easy once you understand the basics and learn a few simple tricks. This DVD shows you easy step-by-step tire changing and tire repair procedures. After you’ve seen it done once, you’ll understand how easy it really is. With knowledge comes power the power to do it yourself. In about an hour you can change both tires in the comfort of your own garage, using a few simple tire tools available from BestRest. Compared to the price you’ll 125 State Route 181 • Lake Hopatcong NJ • 973-222-1128 pay at a tire shop, you can order a set of tires online and www.woodporthouse.com you’ll save enough money to pay for those BestRest tools. You’ll have the satisfaction of doing the job yourself and you’ll be ready for any tire emergency when you’re on the road or trail.
Oh Sullivan’s Woodport House
Every Thursday Night
Boat and Bike Night Special Prices on Food and Drinks Draft Beer • All New System
Entertainment with DJ Kathy Outside until 10pm (weather permitting)
Post your club events on our website • Just bring us a flyer
The DVD topics include: Using the CyclePump inflator BMW CANbus power constraints Using the EZAir tire gauge CyclePump and EZAir troubleshooting tips Using the TireIron BeadBrakR to break the bead Using tire irons to remove and install the tire Proper placement of tire lube (knowing where to lube is a BIG deal) And much more! Run time is approximately 2:45. Some of that time is spent showing you how to use our BestRest gear. But the rest of the time is spent demounting and remounting the tire on the rim, making repairs, and discussing tire issues. If you order this DVD at the same time you order a CyclePump, or a TireIron BeadBrakR, or a BeadSetR use Coupon Code “TireDVD”. Use the Code and you’ll get the DVD for half price. $20.00 from BestRest.com.
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
Page 53
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR E V E RY M O N T H - W E AT H E R P E R M I T T I N G Saturday • Bergen County H-D/BMW Saddle Up Saturdays and BBQ • 124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.bergenharleydavidson.com Second Sunday • Philadelphia Breakfast Ride. Meet at Silk City Diner - 5th/Spring Garden, Philadelphia PA - 8am • 215-922-2214 Every Sunday • Eastern Suffolk ABATE Breakfast Run. Crossroads Diner - Calverton NY. 10:30am. Eat and Ride After • 631-369-2221 First Sunday of the month • Layton Meet at the Layton Deli, corner of Dingmans/Bevans Rd, CR 560, Layton, NJ. Meet around 8am – breakfast available. Join others for a ride or head out on your own Every Tuesday • The Ear - Spring St, NYC. Come meet some fellow riders and do some benchracing or whatever. 8pm-ish Third Tuesday • 7:30pm ABATE of the Garden State, North Jersey chapter. Black River Barn, 1178 Rt. 10 West, Randolph, NJ. 7:30pm. New members and all mc brands welcome. Help fight for rights as a motorcyclist in NJ! Alex Martinez 973-390-1918
What’s Happenin’ St, Wurtsboro, NY • 845-888-2426 • www.otooleshd.com 23 • Heels on Wheels TV and Streetlight Mission benefit run of Women Riding for Women. Sign in: Watchung Reservation, NJ. 9:30-11am. $20/rider; $10/pass. Police escorted run to StreetLight Mission, Elizabeth, NJ for BBQ and live music • www.heelsonwheelstv.com 23 • Ramapo MC Scrabble Run. Sign in: Hog Heaven, Route 17N, Sloatsburg, NY 9am. $15/bike. Trophies for longest word, high score word and most ‘4 letter’ words. Ride the most scenic roads of Rockland/Orange counties • 201-767-3594 • www.ramapomc.org 23 • 9th Annual British & European Classic Motorcycle Day. 10am-6pm • $10. Butler’s Orchard, Germantown, MD. Concours, swap meet, door prizes, tech talks, trials demo • www.classicmotorcycleday.org 26 • Vito’s Full Moon Cruise. Call for details or send email address for notification • fwspeeryamaha@aol.com • 973-778-6256
JUNE 2010
First Wednesday of the Month • Bergen County H-D/BMW Hump Day MusicFest. Free concert from 6-9pm • 124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.bergenharleydavidson.com
4-6 • Crawfish Festival, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta, NJ. 3 day Louisiana and New Orleans style music, food and camping festival featuring such greats as Taj Mahal. Tix from $35 and up. For more info visit www.crawfishfest.com
Every Wednesday • Country Bike Night at the Airport Pub sponsored by the American Legion Riders Post 132, Franklin, NJ • 6pm - ? • CR 639, Sussex, NJ - next to the airport • 973-702-1215
6 • Benefit Poker Run for Dingman Delaware Little League. Sign in Side Street Tavern, Rte. 739, Dingmans Ferry, PA 9-11am with coffee, juice and danish. $25/hand. Cash prize for best and worst hands. Last card back @ Side Street Tavern - 2pm Party with live music by Fantasia Band followed by steak dinner. Helmets needed. For more info please call 570-296-5337
Every Wednesday • Bike Night at Tramontin Harley-Davidson, Exit 12 of I-80, Hope, NJ • 6-9pm • 908-459-4101 • www.tramontinhd.com Every Thursday • Bike Night at the Chatterbox Drive-in sponsored by Tramontin H-D and Rider Insurance. Corners of Rtes. 15 + 206, Augusta, NJ. Great food, outdoor seating, DJ spinning tunes • 973-300-2300 • www.chatterboxdrivein.com
6 • NYC HOG’s 17th Annual Bikers Against Breast Cancer Run. Sign in: 9:30-11:30am @ NYC H-D, 42-11 Northern Blvd, Queens, NY. $25/rider; $15/pass. Police escorted ride through NYC, good food,prizes, bike show w/awards, games and more • nyc.hog@gmail.com
Every Thursday • Red Knights XX PA at the Dairy Queen, Route 209, Marshall’s Creek, PA, exit 309 off Route 80 • 6-9:30pm, weather permitting
7 • Cliff’s Cycle Revolution hosts track day at Loudon, NH. For more details contact www.cliffscyclerevolution.com • 203-740-1279 • 485 Federal Rd, Brookfield, CT.
Every Thursday • Bike Night at The Old Schoolhouse Restaurant, Rte. 206, Downsville, NY • 607-363-7814
11-13 • Rhinebeck Grand National Super Meet. Antique motorcycles, parts and collectibles. Dutchess County Fairgrounds, 6550 Spring Brook Ave, Rhinebeck, NY. Gates open 8am; parking free; general admission $15/one day; $25/3 days. Antique MC Auction June 12 • 845-987-2405 • www.rhinebecknationalmeet.com
Every Thursday • Bike and Boat Nite at Woodport House/Sullivan’s Marina, 125 Route 181, Lake Hopatcong, NJ. 6-10 pm starting May 22. DJ, music, food and drink specials. Partial proceeds to benenfit ASPCA • www.woodporthouse.com Second/Fourth Thursday • 5-pm • Bike Night at Cliff’s Cycle Revolution, 485 Federal Rd, Brookfield, CT • 203-740-1279 • www.cliffscyclerevolution.com
MAY 2010 20-23 • COG Northeast ‘Spring Fling’ Rally. Somerset, PA. Sport-touring at its finest. For more information visit www.cog-online.org or contact Jaso at 814-535-8669 22 • O’Toole’s Harley-Davidson Open House • 4 Sullivan St, Wurtsboro, NY • 845-8882426 • www.otooleshd.com 22 • 3rd Annual Hope for Huntingtons Motorcycle Run to benefit NJ Chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. Sign in: Kosco HD, 1149 Rte. 23 South, Kinnelon, NJ. 9-11am. Pre-reg: $15/rider; $10/pass. Day of Event: $20/rider. • www.koscohd.com • 973-838-8800 22 • Cliff’s Cycle Revolution Open House. 10am-3pm. Fun, Food, Specials, Prizes, Vendors, Bike Show • www.cliffscyclerevolution.com • 203-740-1279 • 485 Federal Rd, Brookfield, CT. 22 • OCC Summer Kick Off Bike Show & Charity Ride • 14 Crossroads Court, Newburgh, NY • www.orangecountychoppers.com• 845-522-5222 22 • Bob’s BMW Vintage and Classic Day. 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • 800-2692627 • www.bobsbmw.com 22-23 • O’Toole’s H-D Open House. 9 to 4. Live music, food, prizes, raffles. 4 Sullivan
7-12 • Americade www.tourexpo.com
-
world’s
largest
touring
rally,
Lake
George,
NY
•
12-20 • 87th Annual Laconia Bike Week, Loudon, NH • www.laconiamcweek.com 12 • Gibby’s Run to benefit the David Gibson Memorial Scholarship fund. Scenic Poker Run thru Northern NJ with BBQ and rugby match to follow. $20/rider. Sign in: 10am, Rattlesnake Ranch Cafe, 559 East Main St, Denville, NJ. Endsite: Veteran’s Memorial Field, Denville, NJ. BBQ, 2 bands, rugby match, prizes and adult beverages • 973-2294134 • www.everythinggibby.com 13 • March of Dimes Bikers for Babies. Sign in: 45 Rt. 46 East, Pine Brook, NJ. 9-11am. $20/rider pre-reg; $25/day of event. Ride to: NJ State Fairgrounds, Augusta, NJ for food, entertainment and vendors • Carol Roberts • 973-882-0700 ext. 717 17 • Bob’s BMW Track Day at Summit Point. Reserve Early! 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • 800-269-2627 • www.bobsbmw.com 19 • OCC Summer Showdown Bike Show & Charity Poker Run • 14 Crossroads Court, Newburgh, NY • www.orangecountychoppers.com• 845-522-5222 24-27 • Thunder in the Valley, Johnstown, PA • www.johnstownthunder.com 26 • Bergen Sport Cycle Motorcycle Show. All years, makes and models welcome stock, custom, radical, whatever. Prizes awarded, refreshments and giveaways. Set up: 10-11:30am • Show: Noon-4pm. Pre-reg: $10; Day of show: $15 • 30 US Hwy 46 East, Lodi, NJ • www.bergensportcycle.com • 973-478-7711
Northeast Region Ride Events June 6
Atlanta, GA Cleveland OH Richmond, VA
July 18
Utica, NY
July 24
Marysville, OH
Aug. 1
Hudson Valley, NY
Aug. 8
Pittsburgh, PA
Aug. 15
New England
Aug. 29
Asheville, NC
Sept. 19
Philadelphia, PA
Sept. 26
Baltimore/Wash., DC
Oct. 17
Knoxville, TN
Nov. 7
Tampa Bay Area, FL
How to Raise funds Don’t be shy about collecting funds for the PBTF. Ask your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to pitch in! See if your HR dept. has a matching gift program.Set up a personal fundraising page online and let everyone know! For help with these suggestions, please visit rideforkids.org for more details. For more information on any of the rides, visit rideforkids.org Thanks for helping!
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR 26 • Vito’s Full Moon Cruise. Call for details or send email address for notification • fwspeeryamaha@aol.com • 973-778-6256 26 • Schoch’s Harley-Davidson hosts Cal Shoch Sr Memorial Ride. For more information please contact them at 570-992-7500 • www.harleyclothes.com 26 • Cliff’s Cycle Revolution hosts BMW Demo Truck. Demo rides and more. Check website for updates • www.cliffscyclerevolution.com • 203-740-1279 • 485 Federal Rd, Brookfield, CT. 26 • MC Poker Run to benefit Claws Cat Rescue and Adoption Shelter of Sussex. Sign in: Franklin American Legion, Rte. 23/Mitchell Ave, Franklin, NJ. 9-11am with coffee and donuts. $20/rider; $15/pass; $10/just food. Food served at Noon. Door prizes, 50/50, silent auction, best poker hand • 973-600-4629 • bikergary@aol.com 26 • Blue Knights VII Annual MC Run + Picnic. Sign in/Endsite: Salaam Shrine, Livingston, NJ. 9-10:30am. $20/rider; $10/pass. incl. continental breakfast, beverages, and full picnic menu. 50-mile police escorted run, Bike Show with trophies, entertainment by All-American DJ • 973-566-6010 • 973-951-5011 26 • 2nd Annual Poker Run to benefit the New Hampton Fire Dept., New Hampton, NY. Sign in: 9am with coffee/donuts. 60-mile Ride @ 10am. $20/rider; $25/two-up. Endsite: Firehouse with lunch, cash prizes, door prizes, 50/50 • tboroden@yahoo.com • www.newhamptonfd.com 27 • HHR/HOG Annual Ride for Hope Benefit Run for Danielle Szezorak Lazaro. Sign in: Baer Sport Center, 330 Grandview Ave/Rte. 6, Honesdale, PA. 9-11am. $20/pp. Endsite: Lake Genero Park with food/pig roast, live music, games, door prizes • www.baer-inc.com 27 • I Bike for Animals 3rd Annual Rally and FoodFest. Sign in: Warren Cty. Tech, 1500 Rte. 57, Washington, NJ @ 9am. $25/rider; $25/pass. Ride starts 11am, food @ 1pm @ Landslide Saloon, 1090 Rte. 173, Pattenberg, NJ. Scenic ride, music, auction and raffle to benefit Common Sense for Animals, Warren Cty’s only no-kill animal shelter Broadway, NJ • www.commonsenseforanimals.org • 908-859-3060
JULY 2010 9-11 • AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio • www.amavintagemotorcycledays.com 11 • Annual Woodstock Vintage Cycle Ride. Meet 11am @ Woodstock Lodge, Country Club Lane/Rte. 375, Woodstock, NY. 50 mile ride - NO CHARGE. Lunch at finish. All motorcycles welcome • 845-679-2051 • camping available 15-18 • BMW MOA International Rally, Deschutes Fair & Expo Center, Redmond, OR • www.bmwmoa.org/rally10 17-18 • Ramapo MC 34th Ramapo 500 Road Tour. Two-day 500 mile carefully chosen scenic, and occasionally challenging, secondary road tour. Sign in: 7-9am on July 17 –
What’s Happenin’ Veterans Memorial Assoc., 65 Lake Road East, Congers, NY. Pre-registered by June 30: $33; Day of event: $45. Includes self-guided tour directions, dinner Sat. night, free camping with swimming, entertainment, awards, prizes, breakfast Sunday and pin and patch. AMA Sanctioned. To download registration flyer and for more information please visit: www.ramapomc.org. 18 • 6th Annual Liberty Towers Benefit Run/Steak Bust. Sign in: 9-11am. VFW Post 5360, Mill St, Newton, NJ. AMA Sanctioned. $20/rider; $10/pass. Event pin, BBQ, raffle, prizes, vendors til 3pm • 973-383-5191 ext. 23 22-25 • MountainFest Motorcycle Rally, Morgantown, WV. 4-day pass includes access to all bands, attractions and entertainment. For details: www.wvmountainfest.com 23-25 • Carlisle Bike Fest is the Mid-Atlantic’s premier motorcycle event! Thousands of two-wheel fanatics will converge on the 102-acre Carlisle PA Fairgrounds for non-stop entertainment, an unbeatable motorcycle shopping experience, breathtaking and historic local rides, giveaways all weekend long and the chance to ride the latest models from manufacturers. The ride to the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds, located less than 200 miles from five metropolitan areas throughout the East Coast, is almost as much fun as the event itself. For more details: www.carsatcarlisle.com/ce/events/bikefest 23-25 • Empire BikeFest, Oswego Speedway, Oswego, NY. Taking place during Harborfest. For full details please visit www.empirebikefest.com 28 • Vito’s Full Moon Cruise. Call for details or send email address for notification • fwspeeryamaha@aol.com • 973-778-6256 31 • Bergen Sport Cycle Bikini Bike Wash/Raffle. Noon to 4pm. FREE - donations welcome • 30 US Hwy 46 East, Lodi, NJ • www.bergensportcycle.com • 973-478-7711
AUGUST 2010 13-15 • Ride the Roof of North America with the 21st gathering of the BIG DOGS. Ridgway, CO. Hobnob with Pikes Peak, Paris Dakar and Baja 1000 finishers, enjoy multimedia shows, devour famed Mike Landry Cajun Gumbo and 2” thick T-bone steaks. FOR EXPERIENCED OFF-ROAD ADVENTURE RIDERS ONLY! Hosted by BMW of Denver and Bob’s BMW. Limited entrant invitational. For more info • Clem Cykowski at 303755-6400 • bigdogbmw@yahoo.com • www.horizonsunlimited.com/bigdog 15 • Cedar Rapids Annual Legendary Lobster Bake. Rte. 97, Barryville, NJ. Advanced tickets only. Live outdoor entertainment all riverside • 845-557-6158 • www.cedarrapidsny.com 22 • 38th Foggy Mountain Reliability Run. Timed Road Run. Call or send email address for notification • fwspeeryamaha@aol.com • 973-778-6256
Rider Education Of New Jersey
22 • Joe Pitt Benefit Memorial Ride. Sign in: Dog House, 17 N . Midland Ave, Nanuet, NY 9-11am. $25 Pre-reg/$30 DOV.Scenic ride through Orange/Rockland Cty, NY with route sheets. Incl. food, refreshments, music, door prizes and more.
Inc.
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The Program with the Most Experience in Motorcycle Training in NJ
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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28 • 2nd Annual Schenectady Thunder ARTBIKE Festival. State St, downtown Schenectady, NY. 11am-6pm. 3 live bands, photo exhibit, food, vendors, more • 518464-8933 31-Sept. 3 • Curve Cowboy Reunion, Killington, VT. Gathering of K12LT, but open to all brands and models of motorcycle • www.curvecowboyreunion.com
SEPTEMBER 2010 9-12 • Killington Classic Motorcycle Rally. Town of Killington. Vermont’s Premier Motorcycle Rally. For more info: www.killingtonclassic.com 12 • Lost Wheels MC 35th Annual Poker Run. Sign in: Dutchess Stadium, Rt. 9D, Fishkill, NY. 9-11:30am. AMA: $23; non-AMA: $25; Under 15: $10. Endsite: Canopus Lake Beach Area, Fahnestock St. Park, Carmel, NY. Live entertainment by Guys Night Out, vendors, food, 50/50, door prizes, trophies, games, ride-in bike show. Awards for Best Rep Club, games, bike show and poker hands • www.lostwheels.com 12 • 2nd Annual Poker Lime Run to benefit Multiple Sclerosis. Sign in: Baer Sport Center, 330 Grandview Ave, Honesdale, PA or Masonic Harmony Lodge #8, 519 Rte. 206, Andover Twnshp, NJ. 9am-Noon. $20/pp. Scenic ride through the Delaware Valley/Kittatiny Range to Walpack Inn for a fantastic meal. Live music and prizes for top hands and best times • 570-253-2000 • 973-948-3890 12 • Larz Anderson Classic European Motorcycle Day, Brookline, MA 17-19 • 3rd Annual Boxer Shorts at Snow Farm Rally. Limited to 40 private double rooms, this spouse-friendly artist retreat center near the Berkshires at Snow Farm in Williamsburg, MA. Great roads and legalized off-roading in nearby October Mtn. State Forest. $140/pp includes full breakfast Sat/Sun and fancy dinner Sat. Pre-reg deadline Aug. 15. For more info and mailing address email vcruz@mediapr.net 17-19 • MotoGiro USA. Finger Lakes Region, NY. Headquarters TBD. For more info: Karl Smolenski and Alia Howard • ksmolenski@yahoo.com • www.motogiro-usa.com 19 • 3rd Annual Ride for the Pride Poker Run to benefit Belvidere Lions Club. Sign in: Tramontin H-D, Exit 12 I-80, Hope, NJ. 9:30-11am. $20/rider incl. picnic/bbq with live music at Hotel Belvidere, Belvidere, NJ. Unescorted 80-mile scenic ride through Sussex/Warren Ctys. Cash prizes, door prizes, 50/50 drawing • 908-475-3418 • www.belviderelionsclub.com 19 • 3rd Annual Pony Express MC Poker Run to benefit American Cancer Society. Sign in/endsite: My Place, 911 Little Britain Rd, New Windsor, NY. 9-11am. $20/rider; $35 two up. Food, door prizes, live music. Non-riders welcome at endsite at 1pm. $20/pp • www.ponyexpressmchv.net • PEMCHV@gmail.com • 845-361-4133 22 • Vito’s Full Moon Cruise. Call for details or send email address for notification • fwspeeryamaha@aol.com • 973-778-6256 25 • Cliff’s Cycle Revolution Vintage Days • www.cliffscyclerevolution.com • 203740-1279 • 485 Federal Rd, Brookfield, CT. 26 • AMT Children of Hope Mystery Tour. Sign in/Endsite: Cedar Creek Park, 3340 E. Merrick Rd, Seaford, NY @ 10:30am. $20/bike+rider; $15/passenger. Chicken Wing contest, food and music. Prize for best poker hand. For more info:516-781-3511 • www.amtchildrenofhope.com
OCTOBER 2010 24 • American Spirit MC Annual Tombstone Tour to benefit Hicksville Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Sign in: VFW Hall, 320 So. Broadway, Hicksville, NY – 9 to 10am. $20/rider; $10/pass. Food, music, prizes • www.americanspiritmcinc.com • 516-485-8270
(Continued from Page 17)
internal document was merely a “brainstorming session.” However, Richardson’s endorsement of the plan may give the concept further traction within the Administration. Additionally, the governor, who is nearing the end of his current term, expressed the need for Congress to develop another omnibus public lands bill. This would follow in the footsteps of the omnibus public lands bill that the President signed into law on March 30, 2009. That bill closed off more than 2 million acres to responsible motorized recreation with virtually no public input. AMA members and other concerned motorcyclists can contact their elected officials and ask them to oppose the DOI plan by going to AmericanMotorcyclist.com/legisltn/rapidresponse.asp and entering their zip code in the “Find your Officials” box. Additionally, a prewritten e-mail is available to send immediately by following the “Take Action” option. INDUSTRY INFOBITES
Motorcycle thefts in the US fell by 13% to 56,093 last year from 64,492 in 2008, the biggest drop since 2007 according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau in an April 13th statement. Honda was the most stolen brand accounting for 24% of the thefts, followed by Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Harley-Davidson, said the NICB citing National Crime Information Center data. The recession prompted lower bike sales and a decrease in production, pushing motorcycle thefts down for a third consecutive year. Sales of new bikes fell 43% in 2009 from the year-earlier period, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. Likewise, the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association reported a 47.4% decrease in motorcycle production last year. Recovery rates have declined along with thefts, with only 30% of the stolen bikes recovered in 2009, compared with 41% in 2006, NICB data show. The top five states for motorcycle theft were warm-weather ones: California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia, together accounting for 39% of the total. It should be no surprise that the summer months of July (6,319); August (6,079); and June (5,672) saw the most theft activity while the fewest thefts were recorded during the winter months of December (2,927); February (3,100); and January (3,570). The best way to prevent theft is to keep your motorcycle out of sight or covered up and secured to an immovable object with a good through-theframe lock in addition to the steering lock.
MOTORCYCLE THEFTS FALL
BACKROADS GLADLY ACCEPTS PRESS RELEASES. PLEASE SEND TEXT AND IMAGES VIA EMAIL TO EDITOR@BACKROADSUSA.COM
MOUNTAINS of WEST VIRGINIA Motorcycle-Oriented Lodging
et g d
n Fr ie
dly ~ In Town ~ Free Bre ak fa
st
Bu
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR
www.OLDCLARKINN.com Marlinton, WV 1-800-849-4184
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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Cakes by the Lake
Farm Folk Bed & Breakfast 2184 West Route 897, Denver, PA
The World’s Most Motorcycle-Friendly Bakery
717-629-0300
www.thefarmfolk.com
Hospitality is our Tradition 10%
Discount
when you arrive on two wheels
Nestled in the hills along Rte. 897, enjoy peaceful, relaxing accomodations while riding the rolling farmlands of Lancaster County, PA
Nestled in the heart of Warren County New Jersey surrounded by great roads and scenery Perfect for couples or small groups Comfortable accomodations and Comforting food
88 Windermere Ave, Greenwood Lake, NY 845-477-2080
Stop by for coffee and cake before or after your ride
CROSSROADS BED AND BREAKFAST Come stay and ride with us. Our location, at the intersection of Routes 7 and 17 in Central Vermont, offers an ideal place from which to explore the best roads in Vermont and New York.
802-453-5958 www.crossroadsbb.net
4571 Ethan Allen Pkwy Route 7 New Haven, VT
Featured in Best of Backroads 2009
313 Hope Johnsonburg Rd, Hope, NJ
908.459.4884 www.innatmillracepond.com
S
The Riverton
Travel along the scenic backroads of the Delaware river. Meet the Markopoulos family and taste chef George’s Greek American cooking. Best bar menu, lunch or dinner. Fresh poppers, perogies, calamari, clams and crispy wings with 8 different sauces.
Member of
At Belvidere-Riverton Free Bridge, Riverton, PA
610-498-4241 • www.rivertonhotel.com
YOU’RE
801 Main Street (Rte#71) Monmouth County Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ
Tues. thru Sat. 11am-10pm Sunday: Breakfast 9am-Noon Lunch and Dinner served until 9pm
The Riverton Hotel and Restaurant
IF
“Two Wheels or Four, Your Table is Ready”
Open for Casual Lunch and Dinner Tues. thru Sat. from 11am
John, Christina, chef George and Eoanna welcome you and your friends.
LIKE
chneider’s Restaurant
German-American Home Cooking
Member of
732-775-1265
www.SchneidersRestaurant.info
WHAT YOU SEE?
THINK THAT YOUR AD WOULD LOOK GOOD HERE? SO DO WE! GIVE US A CALL OR EMAIL AND WE’LL MAKE IT HAPPEN. 973-948-4176 • EDITOR@BACKROADSUSA.COM AN INN OR RESTAURANT OWNER AND WANT TO BECOME A MEMBER OF OUR MOTO-INN PROGRAM, PLEASE CONTACT
US.
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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…your personal heaven on earth!
Located in Arden, only 15 minutes from Philippi, on the beautiful Tygart River in West Virginia, our bed & breakfast is the perfect place to call home while exploring the Mountain state. Rates from $70 - $90 per night
866.909.4262 www.AngelBandFarm.com Box 696 • North River Road • Philippi, WV 26416
The Boat House Restaurant
lley’s Hudson Va ne Riding Number O t Restauran Barbeque W North 1076 Route 9 mery, NY Fort Montgo
oute 9W icturesque R P n o d te ca o L Perkins Drive minutes from State Park and Harriman t Point historic Wes just south of
845-446-0912 rmerbbq.com www.barnsto
Featured in July 2009 Great All American Diner Run
If you go home hungry it’s your own fault
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The Only Outdoor Lakeside Dining on Swartswood Lake
Serving Lunch and Dinner Tuesday thru Sunday 11am - 9pm Closed Mondays
1040 Cty Rd 521 • Swartswood, NJ 973-300-0016
www.theboathouserestaurantonline.com Ask about our Diners Club. Gift Cards available.
is New Jersey’s REAL backroads’ hideaway
‘50s-Style Drive-In Restaurant Full and Varied Menu Room for the Whole Gang IT MUST BE GETTING WARM BECAUSE…
BIKE NIGHT AT THE CHATTERBOX IS BACK! THURSDAY NIGHTS • GREAT FOOD • GOOD TIMES Located at Ross’ Corners • 1 Route 15 • Augusta NJ • 973-300-2300
www.chatterboxdrivein.com
320 Front Street Belvidere, NJ www.thisilldous.com • 908-475-2274 Member
Enjoy quaint Victorian Belvidere and scenic Warren County
Sharing your passion for good food since 1983 Breakfast • Lunch • Espresso Cafe Ice Cream and Dessert • Catering Off-Premise Worth the ride from anywhere!
The Charlesworth Hotel
Open Daily 7am to 4pm • Sunday 7am to 1pm Try our Full Throttle Breakfast Special every Saturday + Sunday Thisilldous is New Jersey’s best kept secret. Maybe the best luncheonette in the State • Star Ledger
antic Rom
ng Dini
THE Place to go when you REALLY want to Disappear
Featured in Jan. 2010 ‘We’re Outta Here’
Comfortable Rooms
Home of the BEST sunset on the Jersey Shore
New Jersey Avenue • Fortescue, NJ • 856-447-4928
Ride to Gunnar’s Landing ‘Cause there’s a Little Pirate in Every Rider!
Featured in Backroads’ April 2010 Great All American Diner Run
Superb Food Surrounded by Spectacular Roads
Wide Veranda Deck Overlooking the Pequest River Large Groups Happily Welcome!
487 US Hwy 46 • Belvidere NJ • 908-475-4900
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE Dual Sport Adventures Guided Instructional Tours
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in the Smoky Mountains www.GSMmotoRent.com Townsend, TN 865-448-6090 Plan your trip now for 2010
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Specializing in Motorcycle Repair, Parts & Supplies Cycle Tires Mounted & Balanced • Batteries & Hard Parts • Dynojet 250 Dyno available for testing
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946 Rte. 23 South Sussex NJ 07461
Since 1976
3 miles north of Sussex Borough
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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For anyone heading to the world’s largest motorcycle touring rally, Americade, in Lake George, NY the first week of June, here’s a suggestion for a nice day’s ride into neighboring Vermont. You’ll get three-in-one: a Great AllAmerican Diner Run, a Big City Getaway and a Mysterious America. Have a wonderful ride and have a great time in the Adirondacks. We’ll see you there! ties that you would never be able to come up with anywhere else. When we arrived we were told there would be a half hour’s wait for two tables to handle our crowd of 11, and the store was a perfect diversion. When our tables were called the menu was worth the wait. Great soups. A wonderful open-faced pot roast sandwich. Turkey and Vermont cheddar melt. And, a mac and cheese to die for complete with a slab of country ham. For two very loud tables it was very quiet when the vittles arrived on the scene. A true test of a ‘Good Eats’ place. It’s funny how you can ride by something for years and just never realize what you had just passed. Trust me, it will be hard to ride through Weston and not stop here each time we pass through, whether it be for the Vermont Country Store or the restaurant. You’ll find the Bryant House Restaurant & The Vermont Country Store right on Route 100 and this part of the road offers some of the best scenery in the state as well as being a real blast to ride. Perhaps if you’re heading to Lake George for Americade this summer, you can point your two wheels in the direction of Weston, VT and stop in to browse the store and stay for lunch, you will not be disappointed.
BRYANT HOUSE RESTAURANT & VERMONT COUNTRY STORE 657 MAIN STREET, WESTON, VT 802-824-3184 • WWW.VERMONTCOUNTRYSTORE.COM
When riding through Vermont it is not hard to find curious little stores full of all things Americana, not to mention great little restaurants that will fill you up when that be a needing. But in the tiny burg of Weston, right on famed Route 100, you can find both of these and so much more. At last year’s Summer Squeeze Shira, who scours restaurant magazines, cable TV and the internet for new and delicious places to bring you kids, found the Bryant House, in Weston, Vermont. The Bryant House is just a part of the bigger picture here and that picture is of a colossal Vermont Country Store that has just about a little of everything. In fact their tag line is ‘Purveyors of the Practical & Hard to Find.’ This I believe because when we stopped by that beautiful summer’s day everybody spent a great deal of time exploring the entire store, buying books, toys, hardware and other oddi-
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
DORSET MARBLE QUARRY OR THE OLDEST SWIMMING HOLE IN THE USA? ROUTE 30 JUST SOUTH OF DORSET, VERMONT Vermont just might be the Marble capital of the United States. So much great stone is quarried in this state, but it all started in the tiny village of Dorset. In fact the oldest marble quarry was started here back in 1785. Riding around this part of Vermont you will see marble used everywhere; from ordinary homes to grand monuments. In fact, at one time no less than a half dozen marble quarries could be found in and around Dorset alone.
The oldest can easily be found on Route 30 north of Manchester and just south of the village of Dorset. Officially called the Norcross-West Quarry it is the oldest in the United States. You can’t miss it as you ride by, with its large marble blocks strewn around its perimeter. Not far from it you’ll find the oldest marble house in the U.S. How do you think that came about? We visited the quarry earlier this year, still far too chilly for what it is used for these days, that being the prettiest, and oldest, swimming hole in the United States. Rolling up to the quarry there is a large Historical Marker: FIRST MARBLE QUARRY - Oldest Quarry in U.S. 1785 Here, near Mt. Aeolus, Isaac Underhill opened the first marble quarry in 1785. Dorset quarries were most active in early 1800’s when small slabs were used for hearths, doorsills, and headstones. With better transportation and saws, larger blocks were quarried.
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Yep, that ‘bout said it all, but it was the sheer beauty that really caught my eye. The dark green of the trees and foliage reflected in the water. The stark cut stones, just begging to be stretched out on a hot and sunny summer’s day. So that’s what this Big City Getaway is all about. “Goin’ swimmin’ down at the swimmin’ hole.”
On a hot day the quarry will have dozens of swimmers enjoying a little bit of nature. Walking around the quarry we spied a number of names carved into the rocks from years past. This place has been popular with the locals for more than 100 years. The Quarry lies along the route for the Bryant House Restaurant and Vermont Country Store. It’s at about mile 110 on the GPS route, just long enough after you’ve eaten to satisfy your mother’s warnings. Look for it on Route 30 North after you’ve passed through Manchester, VT but before you hit the village of Dorset, on your right. Here’s a 160 mile round trip from Lake George, NY to Weston, VT and back - enjoy. Download GPS route here: www.sendspace.com/file/mckuxp
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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START: MILLION DOLLAR BEACH, LAKE GEORGE, NY HEAD EAST LEFT ONTO RTE. 9L LEFT ONTO ROUTE 149 RIGHT ONTO MATTISON RD LEFT ONTO GREEN BARN RD RIGHT ONTO US 4 LEFT ONTO KINGSBURY RD RIGHT ONTO RTE. 149 RIGHT ONTO CR-43 LEFT ONTO RTE. 196 LEFT ONTO RTE. 40 RIGHT ONTO CR-30 LEFT ONTO BURCH RD LEFT ONTO BIG BURCH HILL RD LEFT ONTO CR-31 BEAR RIGHT ONTO CR-31 CROSS INTO VERMONT ONTO RTE. 153 LEFT ONTO RTE. 30 STRAIGHT/RIGHT ONTO E. WELLS RD RIGHT ONTO WELLS BROOK RD LEFT ONTO RTE. 133 RIGHT ONTO GULF RD BEAR RIGHT ONTO UPPER GULF RD RIGHT ONTO RTE. 140 LEFT - STAY ON RTE. 140
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
P RODUCT R EVIEW
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BMW SPORT LEATHER SUIT
The embroidered tags inside the jacket and pants of the BMW Sport Leather Suit read “BMW MotorradEngineered in Germany.” That’s a very telling proclamation regarding this form-fitting motorcycle suit. Ostensibly, the label is your assurance that no matter where this particular garment is manufactured, the design and development comes straight from BMW’s own design and engineering talent in Munich. And the word “engineered” is even more noteworthy given the high level of features and protection built into one of BMW’s newest bits of riding kit. BMW offers a wide array of rider apparel and is arguably the leading innovator when it comes to a broad range of gear to suit riders, whether their interests are primarily touring, adventure-touring or sport riding. The straight-forward leather riding suits of the past have given way to a modern generation of hightech, textile riding gear with abrasion-resistant ballistic materials, sophisticated impact-absorbing armor at the vulnerable points, built-in protection from rain and even materials that reflect much of the heat on a hot day. These suits offer a wide range of rider benefits in terms of comfort and protection, yet, there remains a certain mystique about a leather riding suit. Leather feels great, smells great and makes a rider feel, well-special. It’s a throwback to tradition, yet thoroughly modern in its interpretation. Even though a textile riding suit can provide excellent abrasion protection in the event of a spill, most sport riders feel that leather suits simply feel right and look right for the occasion. As a suit designed for sport riding, this jacket and pants combo is designed to be fairly form-fitting, particularly compared to a suit designed for touring riding. What may feel way too snug at first becomes more pliable and comfortable after a couple of days of wear. The jacket and pants zip together for maximum safety and can be purchased separately, in sizes ranging from 36 to 50 Regular and 40 to 46 Long. Thus, a rider who requires a slightly larger or smaller size for either jacket or pants can buy them separately and tailor the suit to his or her personal requirements. Matching boots and gloves are available to complete the overall outfit. The list of features “engineered” in this suit is impressive indeed. The Roberto Mitchelli
1.2mm nappa cowhide is treated with THL Cool technology, which helps reflect the heat of the sun on hot days. Perforations on the chest and back provide additional ventilation. Stretch panels are added in areas necessary to maintain an appropriate sport riding position on the motorcycle. Leather stretch panels are on the shoulders, seat and above the knees, while Kevlar stretch panels are found on the arms, back of the knees, calves and crotch. Even though the leather offers a high level of protection from abrasion, injuries can also be attributed to the impact associated with a fall. Thus, all key areas feature the appropriate type of impact protector. In addition to a full-length, removable back protector inside the jacket, the suit includes certified NP protectors sewn into the shoulder, elbow, hip, coccyx (tail bone), knee and collar bone areas. Further protection measures are fitted to key outer areas of the suit-stainless steel INOX sliders on the jacket’s shoulders and elbows and hard plastic sliders (or leather patches) on the knees. Less visible protection is provided by the use of Serafil safety yarn to stitch all seams in the suit. The final “cool” factor is not one of reflecting heat from the sun, but the utter coolness in the appearance of this suit. The overall black, white and blue color scheme reflect a BMW-ness even without the prominent raised BMW logo which adorns each arm of the jacket just below the shoulder. BMW owners are proud of their passion for the brand, so a garment that reflects that passion is just another reason to like this suit. Available at BMW Motorrad apparel dealers nationwide, the MSRP for each item is as follows - Sport Leather Jacket $929, Sport Leather Pants $699, Sport Boots $399, and Pro Sport 2 Gloves $135. All BMW rider apparel is covered by a 24 month warranty.
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JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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THE PLAN The adventure of any great road trip begins well before that first mile. All we knew was that we’d be riding a Kawasaki ZZR1200, a Kawasaki ZX9R, and a Honda VFR, and heading south of the border. Since we all live in different Arizona cities, my riding buddies and I carried on a monthlong email discussion of where in Mexico we wanted to ride. Our first decision was made when we settled on the Baja. There is a certain mystery to this 800-mile-long peninsula and none of us had been there. Next we embarked on ruminating about routes on the Baja. We had a window of 4 days and 3 nights, so traveling to the southern tip of the peninsula was out of the question. After countless email rejoinders, we settled on a 500-mile loop ride in the upper Baja which would include two border cities, two coastal cities, a ride through Mexico’s wine country, a visit to both coasts of the Baja, and a look at the Score Baja 250 race. Not a bad itinerary for a 4-day ride. Mexico Travel Tip #1: Don’t plan too ambitiously on your daily riding goals in Mexico. Check points and road conditions can seriously limit daily mileage.
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BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
THE PAPERWORK
None of us had ever ridden in Mexico before, so the planning involved more than just routes and hotels. Research indicated that we all needed either passports or passport cards. I opted for the full passport because of future international travel plans. Gregg decided on the cheaper and more limited passport card, and Mark already had a passport since he often works internationally.
Our research also indicated that in addition to passports, we would need Mexican insurance (which we bought online), our current motorcycle registration (which needs to be in the name of the rider), and of course, our American driver’s licenses. Mexico Travel Tip #2: Keep your paperwork in an easily accessible spot. You do not want to spend more time than absolutely necessary in border or military checkpoints.
THE BORDER CROSSING TO MEXICALI
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After the three amigos met at our pre-determined stateside location, we rode toward the border. Ultimately, all we needed to do was cross the border, and find our hotel in Mexicali, Mexico. I have ridden for 3 decades using a map folded in a tank-bag widow. Well, for this trip, I bought a GPS loaded with the most current Mexico road maps. What could go wrong...right? As it turns out - plenty. I carefully typed in the street in Mexicali where or first night’s hotel was located: Benito Juarez Boulevard. As we approached the Mexican border, the GPS guided our way to the international border crossing. The crossing seemed closer than it had looked on the map, but who were we to question Tom (and Tom)? The border crossing was remarkably easy. No document check, not even a full stop; we were basically waved on through. After a half hour in Mexico, it became more and more clear that we were not heading into Mexicali (which is a major border city). We all tried to keep the faith in the GPS as it guided us to our destination. Finally, the satellite guided tool gave me the checkered flag of our arrival at Benito Juarez. We sat on a dusty little Mexican intersection for a few puzzled minutes before a pack of Mexican school-girls raced over excitedly and asked (through sign language), if they could take our pictures. They did. They then indicated their desire to be photographed on our bikes. We agreed, since we were preoccupied looking at various maps to discover the error of our ways. After the girls climbed off our motorcycles, we tried our best to ask where the heck we were. They struggled to help us but there was a rigid communication barrier between us. They ran off as a pack as we studied our maps. Minutes later, the girls returned with their teacher. She knew some English and indicated we were in the town of Benito Juarez, not on Benito Juarez Blvd. in Mexicali. Mexicali was 20 miles west of our location. To make the rest of this long portion of the story short, we took the extended and scenic route to
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Mexicali. I tried my best to blame it on the GPS, but user error is the likely culprit here. After miles of fighting through the late afternoon traffic of Mexicali, we made it to our hotel. We were pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of the facilities and staff at the Hotel Lucerna. Mexicali is a large city of almost a million people. It is a modern, busy, and some say dangerous border city. Despite some trepidation, we walked streets of Mexicali at night to find a place to eat. We passed a Home Depot and an Applebee’s, on our way to finding a hole-in-the wall taco joint. It may have been pure hunger, but I have never had better fish tacos. The cook came to our table twice to make sure they were prepared to our satisfaction. Mexico Travel Tip #3: Tip the bellhops well at Mexican hotels to help ensure a little extra protection for your motorcycles. It worked well for us.
MEXICALI TO TECATE
The same bellhop that we tipped generously the night before to watch the motorcycles gave us clear and helpful directions on how to get to Tecate, which would be our halfway point and lunch stop on the way to Ensenada. He explained that there would be two points at which we would have to
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
make the decision on taking the “cuota” (toll) or the “libre” (free) road. He strongly recommended the toll roads for our safety. We made our way out of Mexicali, and headed west toward Tecate. This leg of the trip would be an 86 mile climb via some great sweeping corners. About halfway to Tecate, we approached the first of 5 military checkpoints we’d encounter on our 500-mile ride. When you first see a dozen Mexican soldiers in camouflaged fatigues, holding automatic weapons, it can be a bit disconcerting. However, we were waved through after declaring our destination. Soon after the checkpoint, we came to our first toll road. With our bellhop’s suggestion ringing in our ears, we paid the $2 per bike toll and enjoyed a truly beautiful mountain climb accented by sculpturesque rock formations. We hit another toll road station just before Tecate, paid a slightly higher toll, and rolled into the city of 60,000. Tecate has a much more traditional Mexican feel than Mexicali. We rode around the bustling streets looking for a street-side cantina for lunch. We found one, and I ate the best carne burrito I have ever had was it just hunger again? Mexico Travel Tip #4: Don’t travel with big American bills. Almost every business in Northern Baja takes US dollars, but not all can make change. A big roll of $1 bills will be your best friend at toll booths and gas stations.
TECATE TO ENSENADA
Heading south west from Tecate took us through the heart of the Mexican wine country. The “vino” road is a 72-mile stretch that allows you to bypass Tijuana completely and to see some unique Mexican terrain. The wine country road (Highway 3) is a twisty and visually interesting descent to the coastal city of Ensenada. Small vineyards and colorful wineries dot the landscape. Overall, this road is narrow but very well maintained.
On this stretch, we encountered another military checkpoint. The warning signs for these checkpoints are cartoonish paintings of soldiers holding stop flags. The reality of the soldiers is anything but cartoonish. At this check-point, the first soldier was hunkered
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down behind a sandbag barrier, his face covered with a black stocking mask. As intimidating as the scene was, we were waved through with no more questioning than the first checkpoint. We made our last short push to Ensenada.
loop. However, in the middle of the Baja, things changed. Potholes became the rule of the road. We found ourselves slaloming through miles and miles of the treacherous obstacles. Mexican potholes are not like American potholes. These are tire-popping, rim-bending sinkholes.
Mexico Travel Tip #5: Mexican roads have a unique system of painted stripes that warn of a sharp turn or a hidden intersection. The lines decrease spacing (creating a kind of visual urgency) as one gets closer to the concern.
We paid about $100 US dollars for a truly beautiful resort suite at the Coral Hotel and Marina just north of Ensenada. After a shower, we took a cab to Ensenada for dinner and to see the town. Ensenada is a common day stop for cruise ships. Our first stop was the oldest cantina in the city, Hussongs. The bar has been operating for over a century and is said to have been the birthplace of the margarita. When you walk the streets of Ensenada in the day, vendors will try to sell you anything and everything. My rough calculation is that while the sun is still up, 80% of what they are selling is legal and 20% is not. When the sun sets, those percentages reverse - so beware. Mexico Travel Tip #6: Carry your wallet in your front pocket in the Mexican cities, and don’t stray off the main drags at night.
ENSENADA TO SAN FELIPE
On day three of our loop, it was time to head across the Baja to the other coast on another portion of Highway 3. This road was a real mixed bag of pavement conditions - a virtual asphalt smorgasbord. The first stretch was a beautifully paved climb away from the Pacific Coast. This initial stage of highway was one of the best rides of our 500 mile
After our less than enjoyable Bode Miller imitations, we approached San Felipe and the blacktop became relatively consistent again. San Felipe was bustling with the race activity surrounding the Score Baja 250. The usually sleepy coastal village was packed. We snailed our way into town, parked the bikes, and walked among the vendors, race trucks, dirt bikes, and trophy girls. We were at the finish line of the 250 mile dirt road race, and saw many of the racers arrive dusty, tired, and elated. We stayed that night at a small coastal condo.
JUNE 2010 • BACKROADS
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Mexico Travel Tip #7: Roads that look paved on maps may not always be so. On our trip, large sections of roads were washed out or were under construction.
SAN FELIPE BACK TO THE US
All that was left for us on the last day of our trip, was to ride north on Highway 5 to the American border. This road has long, straight stretches and miles of salt flats. The last military check point that we encountered was the only one that made us open our luggage. At this check, a soldier, armed with an AK-47, was obsessed with my GPS. We tried semi-futilely to communicate. I was convinced that he was going to make my GPS his GPS. My paranoia was unfounded, he smiled and waved us through after his colleagues were satisfied that we were not drug-runners. I noted at the beginning that our passage into Mexico through the border was quick and painless. Obviously, going the other way is more complicated. As we approached the border, we were dismayed by the miles of cars that were stacked up waiting to be processed into the US. We took our place in the stagnant line and turned off the motorcycles. Shortly thereafter, a Mexican motorcycle cop approached and tried his best to communicate something to us. It didn’t work, and he rode off. A few minutes later, he pulled back up beside us, smiled and shook his head and turned on his lights. He waved for us to follow him. He escorted us to near
the front of the miles of cars, gestured and said “motorcycles OK to cut”. This saved us an incredible amount of wait time. We were more than thankful that this kind, uniformed soul had not given up on us. Mexico Travel Tip #8: Lane splitting is allowed for motorcycles at the Mexican border. When you get to the front of the line, be prepared to show your passport and remove your helmet.
MUSINGS
We have all heard the warnings about the dangers of traveling in Mexico. However, motorcyclists are by nature adventurers. Plan well, have your ducks in a row, and possess a little luck and your first ride in Mexico can be like ours - a true pleasure. Mexico Travel Tip #9: On our loop Mexican Pemex gas stations were never more than 200 miles apart (plan this aspect of your trip carefully). We all used the premium (91 octane) option. My big ZZR1200 ran fine on Mexican fuel; the higher-strung ZX9 ran a little ragged on the stuff.
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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B OOK R EVIEW
HEAR MY ROAR - WOMEN, MOTORCYCLES I can see the eyes rolling now. Why have Brian review a book about Women, Motorcycles and Mental Health when Shira is probably the better choice in addition to being a nicer person and great all around gal? That’s easy, as some of you might be aware of, well those of you who really know me, that since before Backroads I have been a huge supporter of women riding. Still, some of my recent words, deemed misogynistic by some, were really aimed at women riders who seem to thrive on the “Poor me, I’m just a girl so stop picking on me” mode. These ladies constantly walk around rallies and motorcycle events with the perpetual Chloe O’Brian pout - 24 fans know what I’m talking about. So here comes a book on my desk penned by Kathy Tolleson, the creator and owner of ROAR Motorcycles, a Daytona, Florida based motorcycle manufacturer that specializes in creating motorcycles specifically for women. I watched an interview with Kathy, on Heels on Wheels, and then with a cup of coffee in hand headed to a comfortable chair to spend an hour or so reading the short, but motivating book. Before we get into the gist of the book let’s get through some of the things that many Backroads readers know had my eyes rolling. First off Kathy is a cruiser sort of rider. To her louder pipes are better, although to her credit she agrees that obnoxious well, is obnoxious. I’ll always have a hard time with this. Also, her choice of riding gear, at least in some pictures, is a half helmet (plain useless) and a tee shirt with fingerless gloves. Yikes! Review by Brian Rathjen
AND
MENTAL HEALTH
BY
KATHY TOLLESON
But, and here is the big but. She goes out of her way in this book to not put down others’ choices. So neither will I. Okay, I did say those half helmets are useless...sorry, I slipped. But, all that stuff is hyperbole. It doesn’t matter in this situation. What does matter is that Kathy Tolleson has put together a great book: A book that is part motorcycle anecdotes and part Anthony Robbins workshop. Although aimed at women in particular there is plenty here for the more open-minded man to grasp as well. It has been a long time since I read with a highlighter in my hand, but in this short book Tolleson has a wonderful grasp of how we can all go about our lives in a more positive fashion and then, many times, she seamlessly turns these thoughts and applies them to riding and motorcycles. Her first chapter is about “Empowerment.” I have never heard this phrase used for men. To be honest, why can only women become “Empowered?” Tell a man he can do something he is not sure of, then let him actually do it and he too will feel those same emotions of success. I know in my own life I have run into walls only to go around, over and occasionally through to get where I needed to be. See I can be “empowered” too! Hear My Roar - Women, Motorcycles and Mental Health is a quick but enjoyable read, and I am pretty sure if you read it you will come away with at least one thing that can positively impact your life and your riding. This book reminds me of that old advertising tag line, “Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.” You can order yours from roarmotorcycles.com and while there check out their line-up of women-friendly machines.
BACKROADS • JUNE 2010
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Seen
on the Road
Ducati has a great new program for their Monster bikes where buyers can get any one of a number of paint schemes and styles to make their Ducati Monster stand out from the crowd. We found one rider who took matters into her own talented hands and created something very special.
At a recent Bike Night at the Chatterbox in Augusta, New Jersey Shira ran into Jody Whitsell and her Ducati Monster. Shira has been a Monster fan for years, but this particular machine really stood out - as its entire paint scheme was done by Sharpie Felt Pen. That’s right - Sharpie! Like the one in your pen drawer. In fact, by the Ducati logo she penned ‘Sharpie Edition Ducati’. Many folks ask if that’s an offering from Ducati - perhaps Ducati should take the hint. There is a lot happening on this fast canvas. Brian and Stewie, C3PO, Daffy Duck for Ducatis, even “Where’s Waldo.” We almost had him until a Debbie Downer pointed him out. Rats! Down the middle of the tank was a great road, one that you would love to ride. Speaking with Jody, she showed us her helmet and told us the road was inspired by our own Backroads logo - how cool is that? We are so flattered. This project was inspired when Jody was told it would take some time before her bike could be painted. With a talent like hers, she took pen in hand and had at it herself. 75 hours later, the impressive project was done and Jody had herself one unique Monster indeed. When asked if there was a plan, she said there was a blueprint of sorts, but many of the gaps were filled in with design. Like her Monster and helmet, she can customize your helmet, too. She simply asks for a list of your personal interests and your helmet and then goes to it. You’ll receive a finished work of art, clear coated and ready to wear. Oh yeah, there is a thing about money exchange. Jody and her Monster might just show up anywhere and if you do spot this bike at a ride, rally or bike night take some time and check it out. Try to find that Waldo guy. Jody has been a successful artist for years and she, when not “Sharpie-ing” bikes and helmets, specializes in Dogs. You can find out more about her and her incredible art at www.bigdawgzsquared.com.
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