May 2022

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W H AT ’ S I N S I D E

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

MONTHLY COLUMNS Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

FREE WHEELIN’ ........................................ 3 WHATCHATHINKIN’ ................................... 4 ON THE MARK .......................................... 5 BACKLASH ............................................... 6 THOUGHT FROM THE ROAD ..................... 8 INDUSTRY INFOBITES............................... 9 BIG CITY GETAWAY................................. 12 GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN......... 14 WE’RE OUTTA HERE ............................... 16

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Publishers

Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil

Contributors

Dan Bisbee, Mark Byers, Stephanie Feld, Lance Lamberton, Kristin Von Donop, Dr. Seymour O’Life

Editorial Office BACKROADS, POB 620 Augusta, NJ 07822

MYSTERIOUS AMERICA .......................... 18 INSIDE SCOOP ....................................... 20

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

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online

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SOUTHBOUND SOJOURN ....................... 25

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OFF MY BUCKET LIST............................. 38

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FEATURES NETTESHEIM BMW MUSEUM .................. 22

ROCK-NOTCH-LOBSTER ........................ 44

PRODUCT REVIEWS FIX-N-ZIP ................................................ 11 KERSHAW FEDERALIST .......................... 36 iXS SPORTS CARBON JACKET................ 36 SARGENT WSP SADDLE.......................... 37

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BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACKROADS™, Inc. 2022. 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 • MAY 2022

FR E E W H E EL I N’ BRIAN RATHJEN

GOOD SOIL I recently read a piece by guitar guru Jonathon Boyd who asked…

“Do you know why pros are able to learn so quickly and make playing guitar look so easy?”

When I ask most players this question, they assume it has something to do with “natural talent”. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Just read any of their stories and you’ll see that professional and upcoming musicians are constantly in an environment around other musicians — almost forcing them to grow.

Whether that’s getting tips from better players backstage, hearing the secrets of an old pro at a club, or even being shown exactly what to do during a jam session.

Just like a plant in the right soil…A player in this type of environment can grow so fast that his guitar-playing skills shoot through the roof.

Where it looks, to outsiders, as if it happened by magic, then they all call it ‘natural talent’.”

As a guitar player and a motorcycle rider who is constantly trying to get a bit better, these words made me stop and think. Do both of my guilty pleasures and passions work the same way? It did not take me long to conclude they do.

There is a great quote about practicing and maintaining skill in musicianship. It has been attributed to either Jascha or Isaac Stern - both in-

Page 3 credible violinists - as well as trumpeter Louie “Sachmo” Armstrong. It goes something like this…

If I don’t practice one day, I know it; in a week, my wife knows it; and in a month of days, the audience knows it.

A little historic sidenote on all three of these amazing musicians – they all grew up in Jewish households - yes, even Louie Armstrong.

The pedigree of these actual words is not as important as what they say.

We all need to practice - all the time - to stay sharp.

It’s easy to pick up a guitar on any day and string a few songs together. I do this every day. But, riding a bike daily can be iffy, especially if you have four seasons to deal with.

When any musician begins, they will probably warm up a bit - and sometimes get into the groove better on some days than others. I know I certainly do.

The same goes with riding.

When anyone starts a ride both they and their motorcycle need to get warm, get up to speed, and hopefully a happy groove.

MotoGP races always have a warm-up lap – so should we.

In January we had a warm and balmy day of about 40 degrees – the roads were clear and I started my Kawasaki, but by the time I had gotten all my gear on the cooling fan had already gone on.

The bike was warm, but I was not, nor were my tires. And, although I felt like I could pick up this ride where I left the last one off, my brain and about 20 Reg and Gigi Pridmore’s (a set from each year I have studied under them) leaned over my shoulder and reminded me my tires were cold – very cold.

Continued on page 6

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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W H AT C H AT HI NK I N ’ SHIRA KAMIL

CAN YOU TAKE ON THE RIDE? Brian’s column last month elicited a handful of responses, some of which you’ll read in this issue. When he wrote it, he asked my opinion and I, being the equal partner of the opposite sex, said that it was his right to opine as he would but should know the reactions he would probably get.

After getting these rebuffs, I went back and re-read his words. In the past, I have written about ‘women’s only’ events and how some female riders look to separate themselves, whether it be in a learning situation, rally or just to ride, and have come upon the same rebuttal. I did not see anything in Brian’s writing that would bring about such words as ‘privileged white male’ or ‘hissy fit’.

We recently returned from a tour in Ecuador with Ecuador Freedom Bike. We have been with them twice before, the last, in 2018, with a group of 10 friends and Backroads peeps. We anticipated this tour to be just as excellent and a great escape from the last two years, as well as a break from the northeast winter. Court and

Sylvain, the principals, brought us on a great adventure which showed those who had not been to Ecuador before the diversity of this beautiful country. It also put us on some challenging roads which for which some of us were not totally prepared.

Why do I bring this up after speaking about Brian’s last column, you ask?

Because there was one rider who took on whatever was thrown at us, not only as a challenge but because it ‘had to be done.’

Janet Mueller, a rather petite but athletic woman who I have known for many, many years, has a ‘take on the world’ attitude. She seems to look at things with wonder and, for the most part, finds the good in most situations. I would certainly categorize her as a type A personality, as she is motivated and, as she puts it, somewhat competitive.

Janet has been riding motorcycles since 1979, with a short break during her stint with the Army. She started on an old enduro, which she got street legal, and from there it was no looking back. When we met her she was on a Kawasaki Concours, quite the bike for a woman her size but she rode the wheels off it.

During our Ecuador trip, Janet was on a BMW 310 and she handled that dominantly. She and her husband Glenn have been riding off-road for quite some time and have taken a number of training courses in all genres for cross-training purposes: MSF, trials in Tennessee, enduro in the Pine Barrens and New England, several track days at various locations, the BMW Performance Center 2-day off-road ADV class, flat track in Delaware, and many adventure training classes around the country.

I asked Janet if she had done any women-only events and she said she had. The track days she did in Laconia and Millville, as she stated, were always half the price of coed, so it only made sense. She did a women’s only tour last year – a 10-day training tour with Pat Jacques of SheAdv – which was the best of the Colorado BDR. In her words, ”What impressed me most about the tour was the training combined with the touring. The tour started out with a one-day training class at an off-road location and then during each day of the tour, the trainer would go over any difficult obstacles and over lunch discuss the riding and give feedback. The only difference I found with touring with women only was the women’s lack of inhibitions and spontaneous silliness and a sense of freedom without judgment from more experienced/opinionated people (such as men).”

I have to say that I am in awe of Janet, her riding and her take-charge attitude. While I was floundering and developing my fear rather than control of the situation, she was tackling the cobblestones, gravel, mud and whatever else was put in her path with, yes, a smile in her helmet. What does this have to do with women’s only events and the separation it may cause? Janet’s push to learn as much as she can about the sport and lifestyle that she loves looks beyond gender so that she can be the best she can be no matter where or with whom she is training.

Discussions circulated amongst the women riders of the Ecuador trip after we got back to the States. It was mutually agreed that we all would benefit from training for dirt riding. Coincidentally, Bob’s BMW in Maryland was having a Women’s Only Training but, unfortunately, they did not get enough women signed up to hold the event. We are looking at DC Dirt Camp, also in Maryland, for the near future mixed gender, I believe.

For over 26 years Backroads has been holding rallies, bringing women and men, and some children at times, together to some wonderful places and riding.

We do these, at no charge, to promote motorcycle touring and for riders to meet other like-minded riders. No gender specific, just a fun time for all.

Come join us, let’s all ride together. ,

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

O N T H E M AR K MARK BYERS

RIDING A UNICORN… Dangerous Dan called the other day. Regular readers will know that DD is a superb rider and the moniker only refers to his hazard to my bank account, because he’s always finding super motorcycles on which I end up spending money. This call was no different: after the normal pleasantries and back-and-forth about riding next weekend, the call turned to cool bikes. Dan had been talking to a locally-famous collector who keeps a small stable of awesome street machines in the recreation room of his house and said collector made a passing mention of selling his mint-condition 2006 Triumph Daytona.

The alarm klaxons sounded “Battle Stations!” in the few remaining restraint neurons of my feeble brain. This is the same collector who pulled a sheet from atop a 2000 BMW M-series Roadster to reveal what became my wife’s birthday present.

His taste in motorcycles is equally superb and eclectic, from BMWs to Ducatis to Triumphs. In this case, he mentioned he’d possibly like to part with a red 2006 Triumph Daytona 675. When DD said that, my skull nearly exploded from the noise of the klaxons sounding and my inner voice screaming “DIVE! DIVE! DIVE! Rig for financial depth charges! Make ready for rationalization! Rig for silly running!”

For those of you who don’t know, in 2006 the Triumph Daytona 675 burst on the motorcycle world like a vacuum bomb of middleweight su-

Page 5 persport excellence from the Hinckley factory. Journalists ran out of thesaurus entries for “superb” in their madness for what at the time was named “Bike of the Year.” To this day, they speak of the inaugural entry into Triumph’s middleweight triple-cylinder sportbike foray with a reverence reserved for classic iron. Triumph’s product-development boss Ross Clifford said of the bike at the time, “…the Daytona 675 is the epitome of everything Triumph stands for; when we do something, we’re going to do it in a distinctly Triumph way.”

The 2006 Daytona 675 was a game-changer.

So today, finding an inside-the-home-kept, barely-ridden, red Daytona 675 is like finding a unicorn. I am gleefully familiar with the 675 genre, as I have a later model Street Triple 675R - essentially a naked Daytona 675 - and it has a more snappy power delivery than the 1050 Speed Triple. When I rode the naked 675 on the track at VIR, I was always conscious of not snapping the throttle open so as not to make my best impression of Marc Marquez doing a stratospheric Flying Wallenda highside. Adding a full fairing and sportier riding position to the equation only makes the saliva gush from my mouth with more Pavlovian anticipation.

Here’s the problem: I believe in riding motorcycles, not ensconcing them in basement aquariums. And when you ride a motorcycle, especially on the track in the way that such a machine was meant to be ridden, you run a risk: the risk that you’ll make a mistake, lowside into a turn, or take flight in an aforementioned highside, turning the bike into just another parting-out exercise on Ebay. To do that with something as beautiful as a red, firstyear Daytona 675 is the equivalent of killing a unicorn.

To quote a Harry Potter tome: ““…it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn,” said Firenze. ”Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to Continued on Page 6

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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BACKLASH

Letters to the Editor

Friends Seeing Friends

Speaking of Andy Goldfine…

Hi Joe, Don’t know if this email address still works, but it was very nice to photo in the latest issue of Backroads yesterday. Big surprise! This made my day.

You look pretty good for a retired guy.

Hope you and your family are well and that our paths will cross in person somewhere this summer. I miss ya.

Sincerely, Andy Goldfine

Shira: I was just re-reading your review of the Aerostich Cousin Jeremy gear in the February Backroads edition. You mentioned that the suit was probably named after one of Andy Goldfine’s cousins.

As a long-time Iron Butt Assoc member I have always enjoyed writings and in-person story telling of Bob Higdon. Back in 2014 Bob wrote an article entitled ‘The Hook’ in the Iron Butt Magazine. Higdon tells about the Aerostich 30th anniversary celebration, where Andy Goldfine invited friends, family, and fans to Duluth. (I had attended the 20th and 25th Very Boring Rally but had to miss the 30th). (next page)

FREE WHEELIN’

that have a fine and professional way of thinking about riding.

You might think you are riding with a group that has been riding motorcycles for decades – but, just maybe, they have been doing the same thing and riding... well, not as well as they could or should, for all those decades.

Just sayin’.

It’s okay not to be Marc Marquez of Pedro Acosta (Hell, he’s just 17…)

– just be yourself, and embrace, look and learn from the time you have riding with other riders that are just “that” much better and skilled than you.

You’re riding in good soil and that’s good for the riding soul! ,

Continued from Page 3

Yes, Sir and Ma’am… noted.

This leads me to Jon Boyd’s opening paragraph.

It is a good idea to sometimes ride with riders better than you.

Each year we do CLASS, a riding school that will raise your riding bar and expand your envelope of comfort as well.

Over the last few seasons, we have had dozens of Backroads readers and I do not believe one has ridden away without pocketed some new bit of knowledge or not raised their level of skill.

On occasion, with day-to-day rides, it is good to find yourself with riders ON THE MARK Continued from Page 5 gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something so pure and defenceless to save yourself and you will have but a half life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.”

That’s the way I’d feel about turning a 2006 Daytona into a yard sale (or having some distracted commuter do it for me). On the other hand, to keep it on life support in a garage, shed, or other gilded cage would dishonor its soul as a beautiful road-going work of art, for only in the riding

thereof is the art of the motorcycle truly realized.

So here I sit, deep in the throes of dichotomous discussion in my soul: do I or don’t I, to be or not to be? And all that rot. I’m not even sure he’s serious about selling, but am I serious about buying? Will I or will I not? A session with Mr. Pridmore at VIR beckons and certainly a unicorn’s presence would be more than welcome in that crowd at that venue. It’s a conundrum through which I will struggle mightily with the wailing klaxons in the background. ,

BACKROADS • MAY 2022 Included in the rally package was a list of things to see in the area, notably the boyhood home of Bobby Zimmerman at 519 N. 3rd Ave E. Higdon rode over to take a look. At this moment a story was born and Higdon compared Bobby Zimmerman (later Bob Dylan) to Andy Goldfine and their vastly different backgrounds, particularly with respect to motorcycles. Before publishing this article Higdon sent a copy off to Andy for ‘fact checking’. Andy wrote back that he and Dylan are first cousins once removed. He further said that duplex where the Zimmermans lived was owned by Andy’s grandparents. Well, this blew Higdon’s article right out of the water.

Small world, huh?

Stuart Ostroff - Richmond, VA

Ride Like a Girl Hey brother, Just wanted to say I loved that Free Wheelin’ column about women riders. Great article!!! Kill the Division!!!!!!!! I have my own stories but they’re not fit for print. Lmao-Alan Dear Editor, You had to go and do it! poke that hornet nest. I have a bottle of really ‘hot’ hot sauce called “A Women Scorned.” May as well drink it straight out of the bottle.

Just thinking out in print.

Cheers Gery Hello Backroads Thank you for the stickers that you sent. The little gestures of kindness that we are all capable of, yet do not exhibit often enough, give me hope that the doom and gloom of the 24-hour news cycle is not true human nature. Fellow riders have consistently shown that kindness, and you are a stellar example of that bond we all feel towards other members of the clan.

I hope that we get to meet in person one day.

Safe travels.

Best, Andrew Backroads: First of all, absolutely LOVE the magazine! We have traveled to several places that were mentioned or written about. And restaurants. Can’t forget the food!

So my question: on page 20 of the March 2022 edition (Road Work by Michael ONeill), where is that beautiful curvy road located? I have seen it in several articles. I just want to ride it back and forth for a while.

Thanks and keep up the great work.

Randal Whitehead Hi Randal, The curvy road in question is a stretch of NY Route 97 just outside of Port Jervis, NY. It is known locally as “Hawk’s Nest”. It runs alongside the Delaware River dividing New York and Pennsylvania. Riding it “back and forth for a while” is the only way to enjoy this road, Randal as the spectacular pictured stretch is sadly only about 2 miles long.

The curvy road on page 19 is on The Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia, in my opinion one of the world’s greatest motorcycle roads!

All the best, Guys...

Michael ONeill Brian, A few years ago, I thought I read in either your monthly magazine or in your weekly Report, of a link to a list of yours and others, favorite Roads to Ride. Within this link you could click on the route

Page 7 you were interested in, and download it into your GPS. I can’t seem to find this information anymore and I was wondering if it has been removed, or never existed and I am having some sort of brain fog from this very strong ice tea I have been drinking all afternoon? Thanks for setting me straight.

Bruce D. Stephens Bruce (and others who have asked the same question), When we redid our website we did not transfer, as there are many that are no longer there or need updating. We have plans to fix that as soon as we can.

Sorry for the inconvenience-hope to have that back up as soon as possible. ,

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THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD IN RESPONSE TO APRIL FREE WHEELIN’ RIDE LIKE A GIRL Brian - loved your “Ride Like a Girl” article in April Backroads.

I have held the same viewpoint as you for decades. Years ago I wrote a similar column for American Iron Magazine. I was really pissed that women were crying out for “ladies only” track days so they could become better riders, but without any men around. My fury stemmed from two issues.

1. After hundreds of years of striving to be regarded as “equals” by men, it makes women look weak to ask to be set apart from the general population of riders, and I think that’s a huge step backwards.

2. Riding motorcycles is mostly done on the street, in real world traffic.

People can be mean and uncaring out there. Whatcha gonna do, dress up all in pink and write “please be nice, I’m just a girl” on your back? Doesn’t work. You want to learn to ride, then get out there with everybody else.

About a year ago my thoughts changed a bit. I wanted to take a firearm intro class, because guns have always scared the crap out of me. (Best way to get over your fear is to face it, right?) But I was so skittish about just walking into a gun store. One of my female friends told me that she was taking a class with a ladies’ shooting club. I signed up online, went to the class (two, actually) and had a wonderful time. I realized that I was guilty of what I had accused female riders of, but now I understand their viewpoint much better.

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

Stephanie Feld and Kristin Van Von Donop Mostly, I think the expectation of women has changed drastically in the last twenty years or so. Men used to expect us to be soft and frilly and incompetent. It was totally okay to look at a dangerous object like a motorcycle or a gun, bat your eyelashes and exclaim “Oh, my, won’t some handsome man come and teach little old me how to do this?” These days, I think we’re expected to be like Wonder Woman or Lara Croft; sexy, gorgeous and devastatingly talented. But no matter what you want to learn to do, it takes a lot of work and study to get to that devastatingly talented level. So it was really great to learn the basics about safely handling a gun with a bunch of other ladies. We all crowded around, asked all the dumb questions we wanted, laughed a lot, and decided that this was something we’d like to do some more. With our ladies’ group, but also with the guys.

We were ready to join the world. It was a good way to get into a sport that really scared me.

On another branch of this subject, I’ve been riding and working in the motorcycle industry for more than 40 years now. There aren’t many men who dis me these days, but in the last few years I did encounter two instances of the cold shoulder turned toward women. My husband Tod used to attend Laconia Bike Week with a group of about 40 guys he knew from a friend’s motorcycle shop in Queens. It was strictly a “no girls allowed” weekend, and I had no problem with that. One year I rode up alone on the last day of their outing to meet Tod. The guys went out for dinner as they always do, and I amused myself at the motel. I later heard that there were distinct rumbles of “what’s that chick doing here?” Tod explained that we would be staying for a few more days for a vacation of our own. Our friend Bobby (who organized the ride) told the grumblers that, when they could prove they had ridden a thousand miles in a day, they could complain about my presence, which took care of that.

The second instance was just weird. Two years ago I took an adventure riding class down in Maryland.

There were eight of us, and I was the only woman.

I’m used to that. But I got this, well, passive-aggressive bad vibe from the guy running the class. I had loaded my bike into Tod’s van and drove down (figuring if I broke the bike or got hurt it would save a lot of time and effort.) I found the campground, checked in, and started unloading my stuff. Suddenly I heard a bunch of bikes, and everybody left. They had gone off to get dinner and just left me there. The rest of that outing followed similar lines. So I guess there are still la few jerks out there who have problems with women who ride. ~ Stephanie Feld When the issue of Backroads arrives at my house, I open it immediately. Imagine my delight to see a photo of my bike’s windshield with its “I Ride Like a Girl” sticker. You can get one from RideLikeAGirlRacing.com. They create clothing to “encourage female riders of all ages to express and celebrate their individuality, their strength and their passion for two wheels!!”

Regarding your inquiry, my advice is to take a marketplace perspective: women’s only motorcycle clubs and events exist because that is what women want. If there was no value, they wouldn’t exist. No demand and they would disappear.

I enjoy the camaraderie of men and women motorcyclists. Women’s only spaces offer a different experience. Not better, not worse, just different. The reasons are varied. For some it is safety, for others it is encouragement or support. For me it is fun.

I bought my first bike when I was living in Columbia County, NY. I worked with a guy who encouraged me to get a used 1982 Suzuki 450 GS. I rode Continued on Next Page

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

INDUSTRY INFOBITES CAN-AM MOTORCYCLES RETURN Historic Canadian company Can-Am has announced it is returning to the two-wheel motorcycle market with a fresh range of electric on and offroad motorcycles.

A bold change of direction for the firm owned by Bombardier Recreational Products - ahead of its 50th anniversary, Can-Am is best known for its ultrasuccessful dirt bike offerings of the 1970s and 80s that won numerous Motocross titles across North America.

Founded in 1971 by Bombardier - bestknown in a wider sense THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD with another guy I worked with. I’ll never forget the day I crossed the Hudson River to get coffee in Woodstock.

During those early years I also joined Women on Wheels. I valued reading how women riders got started and about their adventures. My first long distance trip was to an event at WoW member’s house in Vermont. I am not a camper and arranged to stay in her house. I wouldn’t have done that with a guy I never met. I felt safe showing up to the event and staying there.

Page 9

News from the Inside for its aviation and commercial jet business - Can-Am was wound down again by 1987 as the company focused on ATVs, snowmobiles and vehicles for military use, though it kept its hand in the motorcycle industry of sorts with the launch of the three-wheeled Spyder and Ryker roadster.

Now Can-Am is making a surprise comeback as a fully-fledged motorcycle manufacturer specializing in electric power, confirming its intentions with a short clip that shows four new models, one dirt bike and three smaller models.

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY FOUNDATION ELECTS BOARD OFFICERS AND WELCOMES TWO NEW TRUSTEES The Motorcycle Safety Foundation elected board officers. Croft Long of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. was re-elected chairman; Jason Tolleson of Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Inc. was elected vice-chairman; and Chase Rastegar of Suzuki Motor USA, LLC was elected secretary/ treasurer.

“As riding increases in popularity, our work with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has never been more important,” Long said. “The MSF strives to help every motorcycle rider realize their full potential and ride Continue on Next Page I also read about Benka Pulko from Women on Wheels, the Slovenian Guinness World Record holder for longest solo motorcycle ride. I was a newbie and contacted her. We’ve ridden together and stayed in touch since. It mattered to me that she was the first woman to ride a motorcycle through Saudi Arabia. She was pushing the boundaries.

When I started riding less than 10% of motorcyclists were women. A 2018 survey by the Motorcycle Industry Council reveals 20% of motorcycle riders are women. It still is a male dominated sport.

I’m curious, why does it bother you that women want to be with, learn from, and ride with other women? ~ Kristin Von Donop ,

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

Page 10 INDUSTRY INFOBITES their best. I look forward to continuing to work with staff and trustees to elevate the practice and awareness of motorcycle safety in order to save lives.”

The MSF Baord also welcomed two new trustees. Ryan Stiles of Indian Motorcycle and Polaris Inc. was appointed to fill the seat vacated by longtime trustee, Paul Vitrano. Brandon Wilson of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Robert Heilbron earlier this year.

45 YEARS OF VINTAGE The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club is celebrating its 45th Anniversary this year. Founded in 1977, VJMC is the premier North American Club dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of vintage Japanese motorcycles (20 years old or older) and the promotion of the sport of motorcycling. The VJMC hallmark is “participation at all levels and to have fun” – for all motorcycle enthusiasts young and old.

This year’s National Rally will take place in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, June 23rd - 26th.

Pre-registration is required for all attendees.

Membership is $35 per year and includes a full-color 64+ page magazine printed six times per year, rides, rallies and shows at local, regional, and national events. The VJMC has over 3,300 members and is a totally volunteer-based, nonprofit Club.

Tom Kolenko, President of VJMC: “This club has been successful for 45 years because it brings people and vintage Japanese bikes together for fun, friendship, and new riding experiences. We have a great vintage community that celebrates the past while riding into the future.”

For more information visit www.vjmc.org or call (763) 420-7829.

RHODE ISLAND PROPOSES TAX CUT FOR MOTORCYCLE RIDERS Rhode Island has just had a 2022 budget proposal that could potentially provide a “sales tax exemption for the trade-in value of motorcycles.”

Governor Daniel McKee‘s proposed 2022 budget, H 7123, includes motorcycle tax cuts used strictly for pleasure purposes; (67) Trade-in value of motorcycles.

“From the sale and from the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of so much of the purchase price paid for a new or used motorcycle as is allocated for a trade-in allowance on the motorcycle of the buyer given in trade to the seller, or of the proceeds applicable only to the motorcycle as are received from the manufacturer of motorcycles for the repurchase of the motorcycle whether the repurchase was voluntary or not towards the purchase of a new or used motorcycle by the buyer.”

Gov. McKee‘s proposed tax break would only apply to the trade-in value of a bike, or reselling bikes in general, and could be a great way to get new riders on R.I. roads.

HONDA UNVEILS TWELVE NEW AND UPDATE MACHINES A recent new-and returning-model announcement from Honda is a reminder of the remarkable array of two-wheel products the company produces. Covered in the reveal are no fewer than 12 models from five different categories including sport, miniMOTO, dual sport, scooter and trials – not to mention the side-by-side models that were unveiled separately today.

Headlining the announcement is the legendary CBR1000RRR Fireblade SP, which in 2022 adopts important new performance upgrades to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Fireblade’s original Next Page

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Page 11

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In fact, we have had FixnZip repairs of some of our jackets for years. They keep working so why mess with it.

The Fixnzip was created to be the easiest and most effective zipper pull replacement on the market. With a sturdy construction complete with nickel plating, the Fixnzip will stand the test of time, no matter the situation. These easy replacement zippers can be used to easily repair anything from your tank bags to your riding gear itself. They also are compatible with both metal and plastic zippers, making the Fixnzip the only zipper slider replacement you’ll ever need! Check out the zipper slider sizing and coloring options and get your zipper repair kit today!

You can find FixnZip from various sources and in various sizes for around $10 or so – these are well worth keeping with you on every ride. www.fixnzip.com INDUSTRY INFOBITES introduction in Europe (followed a year later in the U.S.). Returning for 2022 are the CBR650R sport bike and CB650R naked bike, both of which come standard with ABS. On the miniMOTO front, the 2023 edition of the popular Grom is back, as is the 2022 edition of the retro Trail 125. The PCX also returns for 2022, continuing as the benchmark model among scooters, and joined by the 2023 Ruckus. Three dual-sport machines were also announced – the incredibly popular CRF300L; its adventure-focused sibling, the CRF300L Rally; and the classic XR650L, the latter in a new

color. In addition, a pair of upgraded Montesa Cota trials machines – the choice of FIM Trials World Champion Toni Bou – are offered to U.S. customers for the new model year.

“We recognize that motorcycling comes in many forms, a fact that is reflected in today’s announcement,” said Brandon Wilson, American Honda Manager of Sports & Experiential. “The models included are each unique, but they share a commitment to delivering the enjoyment of two-wheel recreation. We’re proud of the disparate nature of the motorcycling community, and we’re happy to serve all of its members in 2022 and beyond.”

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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BIG CITY GETAWAY

daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind

VIRGINIA AIR & SPACE SCIENCE CENTER

600 SETTLERS LANDING RD., HAMPTON, VA 23669 757-727-0900 • VASC.ORG Along the banks of the Hampton River, in the southeastern part of Virginia, you will find a most remarkable museum.

We rolled into town, and Shira had booked us a room at The Landing Hotel, more or less, right down the block with a neighbor of an excellent brewpub – Bull Island - and with restaurants abounding.

Looking out from our window facing the museum we knew that this was going to be special.

The Virginia Air & Space Science Center is celebrating more than 25 years of educational excellence as the official visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center.

Located in Hampton, Virginia, the birthplace of America’s space program, the Virginia Air & Space Science Center features interactive aviation exhibits spanning 100 years of flight, from the beginnings of manned flight to where we are today, bringing it all to its visitors in a succinct and informative manner, with more than 30 historic aircraft, a hands-on space exploration gallery, unique space flight artifacts, and more! The Center is home to the Apollo 12 Command Module and the Orion PA-1 Test Vehicle… and that is just the beginning.

The Center’s aircraft depict a number of aviation firsts and milestones.

Our room at The Landing faced both the pier with its many private craft and the center itself – ships of a more altitudinal nature - and, even at night when closed, the Virginia Air & Space Science Center is a showpiece and sight to behold with its giant windows allowing a peek inside at some of those magnificent flying machines illuminated from inside.

The museum opened at 10 am – and we were already at the door.

As we strolled into the large, open, and airy building we were taken with the wonderfully displayed models of aircraft through time that dominated the very beginning of the museum’s lower level.

The Great Masking had brought back the model maker in us and Backroads Central has a plethora of military aircraft – albeit mostly small Snap-Tite models, as 8+ years is a skill level we are comfortable with! The reproductions here were beautiful and so well crafted.

Opposite these were a couple of jet aircraft engines and we wondered how big a diversion we would need to create to snag the Pratt & Whitney F119 F-22 engine and shoehorn it into our Dodge Durango, as we all need 35,000 lbs. of thrust, right?

Across from the F-22 engine was a Pershing Missile and above that, a plethora of some of the greatest aircraft ever flown. Bell P-39Q Airacobra, Convair F-106B Delta Dart, F-18, F-16, F4 Phantom, F104 Starfighter, and a replica of the Wright Flyer and even a humble Piper J-3 Cub – the peoples plane!

We were like kids in a toy store – a very serious and adult toy store.

Much as I am bamboozled by military aircraft it

BACKROADS • MAY 2022 was the spacecraft on view here at the Virginia Air & Space Science Center that were truly amazing. Gemini and Mercury craft and more…But, one, in particular, grabbed our attention.

On November 14, 1969, Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean were launched atop a Saturn 5 rocket heading to Luna. Things did not start well as shortly after being launched on a rainy day at Kennedy Space Center, Apollo 12 was twice struck by lightning just a minute after launch, causing instrumentation problems but little damage. Switching to the auxiliary power supply resolved the data relay problem, saving the mission.

There was also the Rum Incident – but I will let you all search that one out.

Here at the museum, you can see the Apollo 12 Command Module. When I approached a young woman stated, “Wow, it looks like hell.” I said, “Your right, as it has flown right through it.”

The command module pierced the Earth’s atmosphere traveling at 36,237 feet per second and became engulfed in a fireball burning at 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It looks it! Simply amazing to get that close to such an important historical spacecraft.

There are plenty of hands-on displays, including flight simulators – I may have not stuck the landing of my plane but Shira crashed the Space Shuttle. You can

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spend hours here and that is before you take in one of the many films they show during the day on the IMAX screen… one of the largest in the state.

Of course, they have a gift shop – what museum does not – but this one has some very interesting and desirable chachkas for sure.

We found the Virginia Air & Space Science Center to be a great combination of educating, interesting, amazing, and, most of all, fun.

We think a return visit will be in order. ,

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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Thisilldous Eatery presents

GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN

tasty places to take your bike

COCOON COFFEE HOUSE

8 SILK MILL DRIVE, HAWLEY, PA 18428 570-2266130 • HAWLEYSILKMILL.COM/COCOON-COFFEE-HOUSE/ A bit back we featured a very snazzy and picturesque hotel called Ledges in Hawley, Pennsylvania.

Come morning we uncharacterizable got a later start than usual – mainly waiting for the Indian Summer sun to do its job and bring us from the 30s to the mid-40s mercury-wise.

Next to the old glass factory, that is now Ledges, we took a tour of the old silk mill which is part historic and part commercial – but in a good way with a few very interesting shops mixed with the history of the mill than has a most unique honor.

Built in 1880 and operated as a Silk Mill until 1956, the recently appointed National Register of Historic Places Hawley Silk Mill is, to this day, the largest laid bluestone building in the world.

We went to call bull shit on this but… maybe not?

The term “bluestone” is derived from a deep-blue-colored sandstone first found in Ulster County, New York.

It can, however, appear in many other hues, mostly shades of grays and browns. Bluestone quarrying is of particular value to the economy of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.

Recently refurbished as an education center and office space, the mill has a rich history as an economic and historic resource to the Northeastern Pennsylvania Region.

Nestled in front of the massive structure sat an adorable little building that once sheltered the cocoons that supplied the silk. Today, it is the home of the coffee house, which proudly carries on the legacy in its name.

It is called Cocoon and we want you to think of Cocoon as more a funky historic stop that also has some great food. Cocoon has both.

While there certainly take a tour of the mill and stroll down to Ledges to see the hotel and, especially the magnificent waterfalls.

Now, as Americans, we are all versed in how real silk is made, right?

Exactly. It has to do with worms… tiny, itsy bitsy (tinier than our Marilyn) worms!

Silk fibers are produced by silkworms when they spin themselves into a cocoon on their journey to becoming a silk moth. These ultra-soft fibers are harvested from the cocoon in their raw state by being

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Page 15 to be found as well. Real history, that happened right here.

Silkworms might not seem too important to you, but considering how much this mill and the glass factory down the hill affected this part of Pennsylvania’s history and growth – it is important.

Silly Silk Worm Factoid: It can take up to 5,000 cocoons to make one pound of silk and raw silk once arrived in the USA in bales of two hundred pounds each.

boiled in hot water (still containing the silkworms) and stirred until the cocoons unravel. Ouch.

Silly Silk Worm Factoid: One silk cocoon can contain a thread of raw silk up to 3,000 feet.

Despite it ‘wormicide’ past, today Cocoon is a really neat eatery to seek out while riding around this part of the scenic Delaware River.

This morning the most important part of Cocoon’s name was the coffee part… and they came through very nicely indeed.

The décor was easy and if you really looked there was plenty of history

It was breakfast time and some breakfast wraps certainly filled the bill this day. But Cocoon has much more … the Breakfast Burrito has egg, roasted peppers. onions, spinach, cheddar cheese, salsa, and then… your choice of meat. Bacon & Avocado Toast… so popular though Shira and I differ on the importance of this. It does have bacon so there is that.

But at Cocoon you have choices... in bread alone, they offer – sourdough, honey wheat, birdseed (?) and good ol’ English Muffin.

If you get there around lunchtime you are in for a treat as well.

Buns Island Chicken: mozzarella, pesto, tomato drizzled with balsamic vinegar on a ciabatta roll. We were there late enough in the morning that one patron ordered the veggie Falafel Pita – roasted peppers, onions, carrots, spinach, and a very creamy vegan spread.

Cannolis and pastries also lined the shelves and were a bit more than enticing.

In the morning or afternoon, Cocoon has you covered.

There are few stops on the Great All American Run that combine a great atmosphere and slightly different history with a great staff and solid food.

Put the Cocoon on your list of places to tag this season – with all that it offers and that is around it – you will not be disappointed. ,

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WE’RE OUTTA HERE

a weekend destinationkeeping you on the backroads

INN AT MOUNTAIN LAKE

115 HOTEL CIRCLE, PEMBROKE, VA 24136 540-6267121 • WWW.MTNLAKELODGE.COM “Nobody puts Baby in a corner…”

I swear if one more person said that to me during our Spring Break last year I’d hit them with a watermelon with my spaghetti arms.

Yes, the Inn at Mountain Lake gained a lot of fame for being the actual location where they filmed the ‘80s hit film Dirty Dancing.

What, you didn’t see it? Me neither. Still haven’t. And for those of you who have never seen it, this is in a nutshell. Between the dance moves, great ‘80s ‘soundtrack, and forbidden love story, Dirty Dancing is one of the most beloved romantic movies of all time. The film chronicles the romance between daddy’s girl, Frances “Baby” Houseman, played by Jennifer Grey (before the career-ending rhinoplasty), and bad boy dance instructor, Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), and the summer they spent at Kellerman’s Family Resort in the Catskills, New York.

But filming in the Catskills was never going to happen, so this stunning resort atop one of just two natural lakes in Virginia would work just fine.

The rest is movie and resort history.

We found the Inn at Mountain Lake by chance a few years back while riding with our friends Helene and Kate. Spying the stunning sandstone Inn we made a quick u-turn and took Sunday brunch before continuing to our next overnight. We made a huge mental note to return and in May of

last year, we did just that, with about 80 friends.

But there is a real history of this region and a bit of Mysterious America too. The first European to lay eyes on the lake was Christopher Gist in 1751 surveying for the Ohio Land Surveying Company and the original name for Mountain Lake was Salt Pond. Settlers used to “salt” their cattle in the basin of the lake, and the mountain is still known as Salt Pond Mountain.

The original Lodge dates back to 1851; by 1857 Salt Pond was operated as a pleasure resort by the new owner, General Herman Haupt of Pennsylvania, who renamed it Mountain Lake. At that time stagecoach travelers were the primary customers of Mountain Lake and the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad built nearby in the 1850’s attracted visitors to Mountain Lake.

During the years following WWI and before the Great Depression, Mountain Lake was known for music, dancing, and entertainment. From 1922 to 1925, an all-female orchestra played in the ballroom.

Guests rode up the mountain each season in the “Buzz Wagon”.

Mountain Lake Camp for Girls, operating from 1928 to the late 1930s, offered young women swim lessons, diving, boating, horseback riding, cooking, and crafts.

In 1936, the large, native sandstone Lodge that stands today was built.

As we said, in 1986 Dirty Dancing was filmed at Mountain Lake, where the hotel served as the backdrop for the “Real Kellerman’s Resort.”

But here is where the mystery starts…

In September 2008, as the lake level dropped to unprecedented levels, the remains of Samuel Ira Felder was discovered in the bottom of the lake by guests.

The record tells that in 1921 Mr. Felder fell overboard while fishing one evening on the lake with friends. His body never resurfaced, creating an unsolved mystery for many decades.

Today, the second of only two natural lakes is more

BACKROADS • MAY 2022 a puddly swamp than a lake. (The other is Lake Drummond in the Great Dismal Swamp) The famed lake from Dirty Dancing is not really there anymore. This lake is fickle and the lake’s water level first dropped in 1999 but came back in 2003. In 2006, it dropped again and by 2008, it went completely dry. It has to do with the geology at the bottom. The lake was formed by a landslide thousands of years ago and this occasionally shifts and the waters rise and fall depending on the sediment at the bottom.

When we were there it was a sad sight, but the lodge was magnificent.

Right, we are here to talk about the Inn at Mountain Lake.

The heart and soul of Mountain Lake Lodge is the stately Main Stone Lodge. This is the central gathering place for the resort, and where we’d find our Backroads Rally alumni gathering each night after exploring the awesome roads that are stitched

through the surrounding mountains.

The bar and bartenders were attentive and quick and the dining room did a stellar job at handling our very large group.

In one room a great stone hearth sits – and it was pointed out that the long crack running down it was caused by a small earthquake – the same one that started the lake to begin draining.

Easy chairs on the enclosed lobby porch had many sitting with adult beverages and catching up with friends they only see at Backroads Rallies and taking sweeping scenic beauty of the mountain and the invisible lake.

The guest rooms in the Main Stone Lodge were very comfortable and offered king, queen, or twin beds and private bathrooms. To ensure a fully unplugged and relaxing experience for every guest in the Main Stone Lodge, these rooms and suites do not have televisions, but they do have wi-fi. The Chestnut Lodge, newly renovated, features 16 king or double queen beds. There are other cabins surrounding the main lodge, with different bedding configurations, including Virginia better known as ‘Baby’s Cabin.’ There are two outdoor pools open during the swimming season and many other activities to enjoy should you take a day off the motorcycle to relax.

Page 17 Around the grounds, you will find many markers and locations from Dirty Dancing and one touching memorial to Patrick Swayze who died from pancreatic cancer in 2009 at the age of 57.

The Inn at Mountain Lake is a true escape and hideaway.

The paved road leading to it from the south is a rider’s delight. The mountain road coming in from the north is a real SOB – but challenging and will give you bragging rights that night – especially if you do it two-up on a BMW 1200RT. We know some call it brave others foolish.

However, you arrive we promise you will love the Inn at Mountain Lake. We sure did and there will certainly be a return rally in the future. ,

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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Morton’s BMW Motorcycles presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s

MYSTERIOUS AMERICA

THE ETERNAL FLAME OF THE CHEROKEE RED CLAY STATE PARK, CLEVELAND, TN

They took the whole Cherokee nation Put us on this reservation Took away our ways of life The tomahawk and the bow and knife Took away our native tongue And taught their English to our young The Raiders Many of us have heard the sad story of the Trail of Tears, but, for those who have not, let me tell you the story.

In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, which required the various Indian tribes in today’s southeastern United States to give up their lands in exchange for federal territory which was located west of the Mississippi River. Most Indians fiercely resisted this policy, but as the 1830s wore on, most of the major tribes – the Choctaws, Muscogee Creeks, Seminoles, and Chickasaws – agreed to be relocated to Indian Territory (in present-day Oklahoma). The Cherokee were forced to move because a small, rump faction of the tribe signed the Treaty of New Echota in late 1835, a treaty that the U.S. Senate ratified in May 1836. This action – the treaty signing and its subsequent Senate approval – tore the Cherokee into two implacable factions: a minority of those who were allied with the “treaty party,” and the vast majority that bitterly opposed the treaty signing. In May 1838,

the Cherokee removal process began. U.S. Army troops, along with various state militia, moved into the tribe’s homelands and forcibly evicted more than 16,000 Cherokee Indian people from their homelands in Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia. They were first sent to so-called “roundup camps,” and soon afterward to one of three emigration camps. Once there, the U.S. Army gave orders to move the Cherokee west. In June 1838, three detachments left southeastern Tennessee and were sent to Indian Territory by water. Difficulties with those moves, however, led to negotiations between Principal Chief John Ross and U.S. Army General Winfield Scott, and later that summer, Scott issued an order stating that Ross would be in charge of all future detachment movements. Ross, honoring that pledge, orchestrated the migration of fourteen detachments, most of which traveled over existing roads, between August and December 1838.

The impact of the resulting Cherokee “Trail of Tears” was devastating. More than a thousand Cherokee – particularly the old, the young, and the infirm – died during their trip west, hundreds more deserted from the detachments, and an unknown number – perhaps several thousand – perished from the consequences of the forced migration. The tragic relocation was completed by the end of March 1839, and resettlement of tribal members in Oklahoma began soon afterward. The Cherokee, in the years that followed, struggled to reassert themselves in the new,

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

unfamiliar land. Today, they are a proud, independent tribe, and its members recognize that despite the adversity they have endured, they are resilient and invest in their future.

Today you will find a small hillside park in southeastern Tennessee called Red Clay and in it something strange and a bit wonderous.

“Red Clay was called Ela-wodi-yi, which translates into Red Earth Place,” says Erin Medley, park manager. “Many general council meetings were held here over the years with 3,000 to 4,000 Cherokee in attendance. This location had become the new capital in exile for the Cherokee people.”

Red Clay served as the last eastern council grounds of the Cherokee Nation from 1832-1837. Before 1832, the Cherokee capital was located at New Echota until the state of Georgia removed the Cherokee Nation’s political sovereignty and ceased Cherokee meetings. At the Red Clay Council Grounds (NR listed 1972), a proposed treaty with the United States in October 1835 was unanimously rejected by the Cherokee. Chief John Ross led the movement for the Cherokee to remain in the eastern lands and refused their removal to Oklaho-

Page 19 ma. Red Clay State Historical Park is a certified interpretive site on the Trail of Tears.

The park features replicas of a Cherokee farmhouse, cabins, and council house as well as an interpretive center with exhibits and artifacts. Blue Hole Spring, a sapphire-blue spring, produces over 400,000 gallons of water each day.

But, most importantly, you will find the Eternal Flame of the Cherokee Nation. The sacred fire was a flame that was kept continuously burning in the council house of each village, and was used to light all household fire. On October 1, 1838, minus the few hundred members of the Ridge-Watie Treaty party that had already departed for Indian Territory, the Cherokee council met at Red Clay for one final time before the Trail of Tears begun.

While most of the Cherokee Nation was forcibly removed to what is now Oklahoma, a few hundred Cherokee managed to avoid the dragnets of the federal and state forces and flee into the wilderness, eventually forming the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. In 1951, members of the Eastern Band decided to retrace the Trail of Tears, eventually returning from Oklahoma with a flame (in a bucket filled with charcoal) taken from the new Sacred Flame.

In 1984, the first joint secession of the Oklahoma and Eastern bands of the Cherokee in 146 years was held at Red Clay, where this eternal flame was created, using the same fire as the 1951 flame.

It still burns today and while it does the Cherokee Nation still stands tall and proud and the flame surely is a part of Mysterious American history.

O’Life Out! ,

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MOO COW ICE CREAM

541 OCEAN BLVD, ST SIMONS ISLAND GA 31522 912-638-1350 • moocowssi.com • OPEN YEAR ROUND The winter doldrums were setting in and a road trip was necessary to wipe them away. So, like the Beverly Hillbillies, we loaded up the truck and drove to Georgia – St. Simons Island to be specific.

It was a restful removal from the northern climes and, while we had hoped to be greeted with warmth and sunshine, we only got sunshine. It was actually warmer at Backroads Central than along the coast of Georgia. Oh well, the best laid plans, as they say.

We ate, we touristed and we strolled the historic sights. During our strolling, we kept passing a wonderful little ice cream shop, which seemed to always be closed. I pushed my nose against the window (wiping the smudge afterwards) to see if anyone was really inside but, alas, not a sole in sight.

On our last day in St. Simons, on our way back from visiting Jekyll Island, we made one more attempt and, voile, the doors were open and the ice cream was being scooped.

I had already studied the menu and the notes for ordering (think Soup Nazi but without the yelling or banning) and, with sheckles in hand, entered to get my St. Simon’s treat.

Moo Cow Ice Cream opened its doors in 2011, with chef/owner making artisanal ice cream at his restaurant in Brunswick, GA and serving it up to their loyal and returning customers in St. Simons. Their digs are unique, housed in a vintage 1950s repurposed gas station just a few steps from the main village area. The scooping space is whimsically colorful, with room next door and outside for seating to enjoy your dairy delights.

Sally Hardman bought the shop the following year and Jody, the general manager, has been there ever since. She was there solo during our visit and was more than happy to let me sample some of their unusual flavors before making my decision. They have

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

24 flavors, which they rotate and this day there were too many to try. I was intrigued by the Almond Honey Lavender and Red Sangria, both very tasty.

What I settled on was a scoop of Georgia Peach and Almond Honey Lavender, a great combination and very complimentary. Brian went for the Banana Puddin’ and Vanilla, also great. Some of their other unusual creations include Candied Bacon, Caramel

By The Sea, Avocado, Gorgonzola, Jonah’s Krispy Kreme, CoCo Vino, and Chocolate Diablo. Jody says their best selling flavors are Sea Turtle, Nolan’s Choc ‘n Choc and Honey Lavender.

You can have your ice cream in a single, double cup or cake, waffle or sugar cone or by the pint, as well as floats and sundaes. There are a variety of gourmet pops and take-home items should you be staying close by with a freezer available. They even cater to your four-legged friends with Doggie Nice Cream!

Jody, originally a metro Atlanta native, now calls Saint Simons Island her home. She is the chief ice cream chef, creating hand-churned ice creams such as Jonah’s Krispy Kreme and Honeymoon Sweet. She also helps run the social media page. As an amateur feature

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photographer, Jody enjoys taking photographs of the happy customers enjoying Moo Cow’s delicious ice cream and incorporating them into the social media page.

After talking with Jody, we spent some time sitting outside, enjoying our ice cream and people watching.

Next door to Moo Cow’s is a nice Mexican restaurant should you want to have a bite before dessert.

St Simons Island is a lovely escape from the northern cold or a great stop should you be heading south to Bike Week. Not only can you get some super ice cream, there is enough history in the area to keep you busy for many days, which means even more ice cream.

Enjoy and we’ll see you on the road. ,

Do you have a favorite ice cream spot? Let me know: shira@backroadsusa.com

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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Bonus

BIG CITY GETAWAY

A Very Special Museum Destination

PETER NETTESHEIM’S BMW MUSEUM

Somewhere on the north shore of Long Island There are places that almost become legend. No, they do become the thing of legend.

For so many years I had heard about a gentleman named Peter Nettesheim who had the greatest collection of BMW machines on the planet.

On occasion I have briefly met Peter, but last fall in Colorado, while having lunch at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, I had at least a few minutes to talk with Peter about his collection.

Now, let me be clear…. I was absolutely clueless at what this “Collections” was – other than what I have heard. Really, really excellent – beyond anything I could dream of. Hell, I can dream of a lot.

I sheepishly asked if Shira and I could visit someday.

Peter beamed a huge smile and said absolutely yes.

A few weeks later there was an invite from BMW to spend an afternoon at Peter Nettesheim’s BMW Museum – somewhere on the north shore of Long Island.

For the first time I did not bitch about driving through the Bronx and onto Long Island and right on time, on a brilliant and warm fall morning, we pulled up to Peter’s home, somewhere on the north shore of Long Island.

We write this as this is a private home, and although this collection is probably the best of the planet, it is still Peter’s home. So, at the end of this short missive we’ll give you information on how you and your riding group might see how amazing this is.

When having lunch with Peter in Colorado he told me he “always” has a few restorations in progress… for as long as he can remember.

When we rolled up, there were already a number of the press and BMW there – the grounds were spotless, but after an early morning mimosa we got to look around, the best being Peter himself giving us the tour.

Outside there were a number of BMWs as well as the new R 18, but

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

Page 23 what caught our eye was Reg Pridmore’s #163 Butler & Smith machine.

We have met so many people in this industry – but Reg & Gigi Pridmore have a special place here at Backroads Central and to see this very machine in front of us was simply amazing.

But, then we went inside.

Over 12,500 square feet – three stories in all – it has its own bar, and motorcycle after motorcycle. After the Guggenheim this was the greatest show of machines I have ever seen. BUT – this is Peter’s home and is done in the most impeccable and beautiful way.

We do not have enough paper to tell you just how much Peter has exhibited held here. It would fill the rest of the magazine.

Holy moly! I went home and polished my Hot Wheel collection. I know… sad.

Our heads were swinging back and forth. At one point Peter put Shira in an Isetta and had her fire it up. How incredible?

From the oldest BMW – a 1923 R 32 – to the newest – a 2022 R 18, Peter fills in the gap with displays of BMW of every model and more relics and collectibles than we’ve ever seen.

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BACKROADS • MAY 2022

And, it is not just the BMW machines, but all the other memorabilia Mr. Nettersheim has brought together to make this, seriously, the greatest private collection on the planet, the universe and reality as we know it.

One would think that this collection could only be done by one with only a single purpose – collecting – but Peter has done it while working a full-time job as owner of a Freightliner dealership. This hobby, no, passion has amassed these motorcycles which are all registered, tagged and running; a fact shown by his kick-starting many throughout the tour.

He does all his restorations and maintenance, as well as riding them.

The Nettesheim Museum is a private museum. It is not open to the public. It is his home. Peter makes an effort to be available to individuals and groups on a pre-arranged basis for viewing based upon his availability. If you have something interesting BMW-related for his museum, make sure to contact him at BMWmuseum@hotmail.com He is always interested to hear from others that have a passion for the brand.

If you have a serious group looking for the most amazing day – then reach out to Peter. He is one of us…. But with a lot of cool stuff! ,

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So, tonight after sundown I’m gonna pack my case Without a word, without a sound disappear without a trace Ohh oh, I’m going southbound, ohh oh, I’m going southbound Thin Lizzy

T

he groundhog. They are basically marmots (genus: marmota monax) though in some places they are referred to as woodchucks (especially in Canada where woodchucks really do chuck wood) but, for the most part, here in the northeast, we call them groundhogs.

As Bill Murray and all of us know the groundhog has been bestowed with certain supernatural powers and the mid-winter ritual of yanking a sleepy rodent out of its den to terrify it with news cameras and men dressed like it was 150 years ago is an amusing American tradition.

But it didn’t start here rather in Europe with the Germans – who always were starting something.

Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting an animal—the hedgehog—as a means of predicting the weather. Once they came to America, German settlers in Pennsylvania continued the tradition, although they switched from hedgehogs to groundhogs, which were plentiful in the Keystone State.

On February 2, 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist, is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, it gets scared and runs back into its burrow, predicting six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring.

This year Punxsutawney Phil called for 6 more weeks of winter – which didn’t surprise us as it was just February 2 – but a week or so later we felt it was time to escape for a week or so. Head south and see what we could find along the backroads below the line that Mason & Dixon drew 235 years ago.

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Page 26 Regardless of what the PA rodent called for, this particular week was going to be almost balmy in New Jersey with temperatures in the low 50s – to the south, it would only be warmer.

For a few minutes, we debated on taking the bikes south, but that one F-word kept coming back…February.

Who knew what we’d deal with when we were heading home?

So, Dodge Durango, it was. This also allowed for us to bring a bit more along for the ride – including my 30-year old Guild guitar.

We made short work along the interstate south, stopping now and again for coffee or food and seeing that some states take great pride in welcoming visitors and travelers passing through.

We are backroads riders for sure, but the wealth of

information and the lowdown on various things to do and sights to see that you can find in a well-done Welcoming Center is a boon for sure.

Virginia’s and North Carolina’s were really superb and it was at the North Carolina Center that we learned about the WhirlyGigs of Wilson.

We had made a stop at our cousins Maureen and John who live in Clayton, North Carolina. When traveling it is always a good thing to drop in on loved ones and spend some time – that is how the memories that you will talk about years from now come about. They also said that heading to Wilson was very much worth it.

So, in the morning, we drove east to the town of Wilson.

The town seems to be in the middle of a rebirth of sorts – great murals and large postergraphs adorn the sides of many older buildings and in the middle of town, you will find the Vollis Simpson Whirlygig Park.

This place is amazing, with its gigantic, whimsical, colorful, and very kinetic sculptures. You can spend a bit of time here studying each Whirlygig – and we did. There is a visitor’s information center across the street which gives good background on the sculptures and the man who created them, as well as selling some trinkets to take home.

The town of Wilson holds a Whirlygig Festival each year and the weekend of November 5- 6 will be a bright and spinning time in this town.

Heading out of Wilson I spotted a small concrete dinosaur in front of a small round stone house. It piqued our curiosity so we swung around, found a parking spot, and walked onto the property. This was the Oliver Nestus Freeman Round House and African-American Museum.

Opened in 2001, The museum has served to preserve, promote and present African-American history, art and culture to all citizens of Wilson and the region to increase the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of cultural traditions and African-American contributions to society.

We found it a fascinating place and Dorothy, who greeted us warmly as we strolled through the door, graciously showed us around, pointing out artifacts and history that might have gone over our heads without her.

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

With both these interesting, historical, and fun places Wilson, North Carolina is certainly worth the visit.

We stuck to the backroads these days and, once again on an O’Life Mission, we plotted a route to the small town of Goldsboro.

Why, do you ask? Well…

In 1961, a B-52 bomber flying out of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (no relation to the good Doctor) near Goldsboro came apart in the sky, and the two-armed Mark-39 nuclear bombs it was carrying fell into a farming community northeast of the base. One hit the ground at 700+ mph, burying itself so deeply into a tobacco field that some of its parts

were never found. The other floated down on a parachute, planting its nose in the ground beside a tree.

The parachute bomb came startlingly close to detonating. A secret government document said three of its four safety mechanisms failed, and only a simple electrical switch prevented a catastrophe. It was 260 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima and could have instantly killed thousands of people. The radioactive fallout could have endangered millions more as far north as New York City.

Today, if you blink, you could easily ride by the historical marker telling about an almost forgotten and nearly devastating piece of America’s history.

Page 27 Continuing on we drove to Fayetteville, North Carolina, home of Fort Bragg and the Airborne & Special Operations Museum.

We found a quick lunch in the historic district and then headed to the museum.

Established in August 2000, the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum is a first-class institution that efficiently and effectively captures, preserves, exhibits, and presents the material culture and heritage of the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Forces from 1940 and into the future. The Museum celebrates over 80 years of Army Airborne and Special Operations history and honors our nation’s Soldiers – past, present, and future.

The museum was outstanding, as were the great art pieces that you will find as you walk up to the building. Plan on spending a few hours here as the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum deserves as much time as you can muster.

We wanted to get down into South Carolina that evening so we jumped

Page 28 back onto the interstate and pulled the trigger south. Sunset over Lake Marion, the largest lake in the state and named after Revolutionary hero General Francis Marion – the man they called The Swamp Fox - was beyond stunning and needs a brand-new adjective to truly describe it.

Sliding back onto the tiny rural roads we once again went in search of a bit of Mysterious America – this time in the tiny burg of Bowman, looking for the UFO Welcome Center.

Oh, don’t get all that excited. If “They” ever really got here and went to the UFO Welcome Center, they would probably leave quickly and talk

BACKROADS • MAY 2022 quietly to themselves about how bad the Earthling have it and maybe they should have left some money or something.

With nobody there to stop me, and as I am a strong believer in “That it is better to beg forgiveness than ask permission,” I said to Shira let’s go check it out.

Shira said something like… “Nooo, maybe I’ll just stay out here and watch your six.”

It was more than bizarre and I left a Backroads sticker atop the highest point of the hodgepodge Flying Saucer – perhaps the aliens ride bikes?

We drove into Savannah, along miles of straight roads ringed with miles of wetlands with thousands of swamp laurel, cottonwood trees, and stunted ferns leading us east.

Surely a different world from the mountains to the west.

In the city we met up with friends and fellow riders Helene and Laura who had rented a house near the historic center of the Hostess City.

We took a superb lunch with them along Forsyth Park, catching up with what we all have been doing during the winter and all of us looking forward to this season and the Backroads Spring Break.

We were going to make quick time to St. Simons Island, our most southerly point in this journey, but before that let’s talk…Taco Bell.

There are some 7,200 Taco Bells worldwide, and the California-based company, that started in 1961, had a very unique sign and logo for the first ten years – not at all like the familiar logo we know today. In Savannah, at a typical American corner full of various fast-food restaurants, you will find one of the very first signs for Taco Bell.

Ahh, the exciting world of moto-journalism.

By late afternoon we pulled up to the lighthouse at St. Simons and the aptly named Inn at St. Simons Lighthouse just across the street from it.

St. Simons is a barrier island off the Georgia coast. It’s known for its salt marshes and sandy stretches like East Beach, and the entire region is filled with impressive and ancient oak trees, almost all adorned with wisps of hanging Spanish moss.

These gnarly, thick trees are more than impressive and in 1794 John Barry, the United States first Commodore of the Navy, came here and chose these trees for the timber to build the USS Constitution – “Old Ironsides.”

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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A museum traces the history of St. Simons Lighthouse, rebuilt in 1872 after it was destroyed in the Civil War. Anglers fish off nearby St. Simons Pier, which offers views of Jekyll Island and migrating whales. North, boats travel to Little St. Simons Island, home to birds like spoonbills and gannets.

For us it was one of the islands off Georgia we had not explored and thus our escape week south and our exploring the hidden jewels along the way.

That evening we strolled the park, along the lighthouse and then spent some time on the pier, hanging with a

very friendly and intrepid pelican that is called “The Mayor” as he has been a fixture of the St. Simons pier for more than a decade. Sunset was superb and St. Simons has a plethora of restaurants and watering holes – we had had a few good days to explore them and the surrounding region.

We were up and out early and headed to the far side of the island to Fort Frederica.

Fort Frederica National Monument preserves the archaeological remnants of a fort and town built by James Oglethorpe between 1736 and 1748 to protect the southern boundary of the British colony of Georgia from Spanish raids. About 630 British troops were stationed at the fort, as well as an ever-growing fledgling town.

The island of St. Simons and the fort were just above what was optimistically called the Debated Lands and just north of the lands that Spain claimed to be theirs.

This friction zone was much in dispute and Spanish forces from Florida and Cuba landed on St. Simons Island looking to take it for Spain.

Oglethorpe’s defense, bolstered by Scottish Highlanders from the town of Darien to the north led to the battle at “Bloody Marsh”. Despite the name, casualties were light and the Spanish continued their campaign on St. Simons. Clever deception on Oglethorpe’s part convinced the Spanish to retreat from Georgia seven days later.

This British victory not only confirmed that Georgia was British territo-

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ry but also signaled the end for Frederica. When peace was declared, Frederica’s Garrison (the original 42nd Regiment of Foot) was disbanded, and eventually, the town fell into decline. Today the archeological remains of colonial Frederica are protected by the National Park Service.

The site is a fascinating journey to one of the most important battles in North American history and one that is, sadly, known by few.

Just a few miles south of St. Simons is the city of Brunswick.

It’s known for its Victorian-era Old Town Historic District and the huge, centuries-old Lover’s Oak tree. Its causeways link the city to the four barrier islands of the Golden Isles and to the famed Jekyll Island to the south.

George Washington proclaimed Brunswick as one of the five original ports of entry for the colonies in 1789. Following the Civil War, the wealth of naval stores and timber created a building boom.

For decades life was quiet, peaceful, and happy along the Golden islands of Georgia but World War II broke the tranquility of the region. With the war came a call for workers. And they came, both male and female, to build and launch over 99 Liberty ships from the J.A. Jones Shipyard in a two-year effort from 1943 to 1945, including seven in one month. These ships were an integral part of the American war effort.

BACKROADS • MAY 2022 After the war, the importance of her harbor and port continued.

Today the city of Brunswick continues its long history as a seafaring city. Shrimp boats from up and down the coast came to call; today container ships arrive regularly at the deep-water terminals at Mayor’s Point, Colonel’s Island and Marine Point to unload or take on cargo. To watch two huge containers ships pause as they pass each other off St. Simons is a treat.

Except on September 8th of 2019 when a 650 feet long cargo ship called the Golden Ray floundered and capsized in the middle of St. Simons Channel.

The ship had 4,100 cars and trucks in its hold.

It took two years and 3 million collective man-hours to remove the ship. It was the largest maritime wreck removal in United States history. We drove around the small island city stopping to see the Brunswick Stew Pot – now semi-legendary as the first pot used in the “Battle of the Stews” when two towns, Brunswick, Georgia and Brunswick, Virginia, both laid claim to this style of stew – which throws corn, butter beans or lima beans, and tomatoes into the pot.

It was Valentine’s Day and we made a ‘must’ stop at the Lover’s Oak - a magnificent tree that, with its 13-foot circumference and 10 main limbs, you can believe this oak tree is nearly 1,000 years old.

Sticking with the oaken theme of the region we stopped into a stellar barbeque called The Twin Oaks. It was full of locals – and that is always a solidly good sign. The place came through with incredible food and a very friendly and up staff!

After lunch, we vectored to Jekyll Island.

This island has long been home to the incredibly wealthy of America and it was here that Senator Nelson Aldrich of Rhode Island convened a secret meeting in 1910 to discuss banking reform. A very secret and, some say, illegal meeting.

This gathering of these wealthiest of the

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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wealthy led to the Aldrich Plan, which became the forerunner of the Federal Reserve System.

The first transcontinental telephone call on January 15, 1915, connected club member and AT&T president Theodore Vail on Jekyll Island with President Wilson in Washington, Alexander Graham Bell in New York, and his assistant, Thomas Watson, in San Francisco.

Today the island is still a slightly upscale getaway but is home to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. We have been here before and the center is Georgia’s only sea turtle education and rehabilitation facility. The Center offers the public a chance to learn about sea turtles and see rehabilitation in action with a host of interactive exhibits and experiences. As much and as beautiful as this island is – it is the Sea turtle Center that, for us, is its shining jewel.

It was getting late in the afternoon by now so we motored back to St. Simons, did a little shopping, and then went down to the pier.

I had brought my Guild guitar, so a little strumming and hummin’ was a great way to end the day, catch the sunset and entertain a few passersby.

We took dinner at The Porch with some seriously spicy Nashville-Style Hot Chicken and then a few games of pool upstairs at a place called Rafters.

I got up a bit before dawn and quietly slid out the room and strolled down to the channel to watch the sunrise – which it did with a brilliantly orange gusto.

Shira had gone in search of St. Simons Tree Spirits. In the 1980s, artist Keith Jennings decided to make his mark on St. Simons Island, carving about 20 faces from the island’s famous oak trees.

Each unique face is hand-carved, taking the artist between two and four days to complete. In more recent years, Jennings has brought his son Devon to the Island to collaborate on the newest Tree Spirits. It’s not surprising that they each have a unique personality and look!

Returning to the town center, we walked back to Mallory Street and breakfast at Palmers Café – which offered some breakfast choices you might not see in the northeast. Surf’d Squared poached eggs atop a crab cake and grits and the Chix Pot Pie omelet created with Cheddar Cheese and the good stuff a chicken pot pie is made of.

Full to dinner.

Our first stop this day was the War World II Homefront Museum, located in the old Coast Station building. The eastern coast of the United States was on the frontline when it came to German U-Boat attacks and the Georgian coastline was ground zero for a good deal of this, in both defense and offense as thousands of Freedom Ships were built and launched from Brunswick’s huge shipbuilding facilities. A fact that we did not know until this day was that as horrific as Pearl Harbor was – more US lives were lost along the east coast of the nation, due to U-Boat attacks than on December 7th.

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BACKROADS • MAY 2022 This museum is a must-see if you are riding in this part of the Peach Tree State.

Back in the historic part of town, we trudged the 129 steps to the top of the lighthouse – haunted lighthouse we might add - and then headed north to the small city of Darien near the mouth of the Altamaha River.

We never, ever, pass up a decent UFO, Bigfoot, or monster legend!

Here it is that a hissing sea monster resides. Called Altamaha-ha, for the river, or “Altie” for short, the legend predates British-English colonization and is said to have originated with the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe.

There is a life-sized Altie at the Darien Visitor center – so it must be true and we’ll never let science, fact, fuzzy imagery, or lack of any real evidence get in the way of a good yarn.

Driving along the river we came upon the remnants of an old rice plantation – a good look at history, right along Route 17.

Back in St. Simon Shira made her required stop at the local ice cream joint – Moo-Cow (this month’s Inside Scoop), which had some very nice ice cream, and that night, after a great Argentinian meal, we hit Rafters for ‘Round Two’ of the Georgia Pool Challenge and then pack everything up as the next day we’d start heading back north.

We headed back to Savannah and to the Prohibition Museum – the only museum in the nation that tells the story of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. How it came about, how life was and how, like many Americans today, the freedom-loving public got around it.

A fascinating place and we learned far more than we thought we would.

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

Wayne Wheeler was the Anthony Fauci of his day.

Of course, Shira had an Inside Scoop Stop – Leopold’s – one of the most famous ice cream parlors in the nation. It was a delicious finish to our Savannah afternoon.

The morning found us making time north and east along the Tar Heel State backroads that crossed over the many rivers and streams that wind their way to the Atlantic.

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In the town of New Bern, named by the founder Swiss Baron Christoph DeGraffenried in 1710 for his home town of Bern, Switzerland, we made our first stop.

The town, snuggled in between the Nuese and the Trent rivers, was a superb place to stop and explore and made even better by the vintage F-11 Navy Blue Angel jet parked along the river as you ride into the town. But we had a mission as we needed to stop by Bradham’s.

Once a pharmacy, it is now famous for one particular concoction that they created called Brad’s Drink back then. This is where Pepsi got its humble beginnings.

We had lunch on the pier overlooking the Neuse and then fired the Durango back up and headed north and east, making a quick detour to an old Navy Airship Hanger outside Elizabethtown, along the Pasquotank River.

The Weeksville Hanger is over 20-stories huge and a thousand feet in length, and when it opened in 1942, this massive structure had room for 12 Navy K-class blimps, each an average of 250-feet long and approximately 50 feet in diameter. It is still in use and is just one of a few left in the nation.

We crossed into Virginia and drove through the Great Dismal Swamp, which is stunning and anything but.

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Ever vigilant the redhead had yet another ice cream stop to make. But this was not really about ice cream but what deliciously holds it – the cone. You see the inventor of the ice cream cone, Abe Doumar and now his family, have been creating cones for more than a century – we stopped at Doumar’s Cones & BBQ to see the very first waffle cone maker and taste a bit of history.

We called it a night along the Hampton River – coincidentally right next door to the Virginia Air and Space Science Center. How about that?

The Center featured some excellent spacecraft and aircraft including a number of NASA capsules including the Command Module of Apollo 12. F-16, F-18, F-84, and a rare Hawker Siddeley XV-6A Kestrel - the world’s first operational vertical take-off and landing jet fighter.

There are a great number of interactive displays sprinkled through the well-designed building along the edge of the Hampton River.

BACKROADS • MAY 2022 By early afternoon we scooted across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel – 17 and a half miles across the bottom of the bay to the southern end of the Delmarva Peninsula.

Although we did not see it, we know there is a real monster of sorts on this long crossing - Chessie. Okay, not a huge biological cryptid, but rather one of tunnelboring and mechanical heritage.

Chessie is a tunnel boring machine from Germany that has been boring a new mile-long tunnel along the southbound bridge. Its name, chosen by an online contest, was submitted by Grace Bentley of Nandua Middle School in Onley on the Eastern Shore. Chessie is a long-fabled sea monster said to live in the Chesapeake Bay. The legend stretches back more than 80 years with “sightings.” The monster was described as a long, snake-like creature that rolled through the waves. Now it is digging at a snail-like rate of two inches an hour.

The mile-long tunnel project started in 2017 should be complete in 2024.

We have spent a great deal of time along the Delmarva and stopping in at Stingrays for coffee – we felt like we were now in our own ballpark.

By night time we were rolling up the driveway – with a Dominick’s pizza (thin crust, half sausage, half pepperoni, and mushrooms all around- thank you).

Spenser T. Cat was a ball of confusion. Both pissed at our week-long disappearance and joy at our sudden return home.

A week. Just a week. It seems like we packed a lot into just seven good days.

It just shows you that traveling and exploring, whether on motorcycle or winter-forced automobiles, still can be wondrous and excellent escapes and will etch great memories to remember and share.

See you on the road! ~ Brian Rathjen ,

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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MUSEUM DESTINATIONS

BARBER MUSEUM’S NEW ADVANCED DESIGN CENTER Traditional museums only peer backward in time, but the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is looking boldly into the future with the debut of its cutting-edge Advanced Design Center.

George Barber created the stunning Barber Motorsports Park complex in Birmingham, Alabama, around the world’s biggest and best motorcycle museum. Echoes of the past will resound at the museum’s new Advanced Design Center, a state-of-art facility built to inspire new generations of creative thinkers.

The intention of the Barber Advanced Design Center (BADC) is to encourage and explore design via the latest computer-aided design (CAD) as well as old-school clay modeling, with the capacity to turn concepts into product reality.

“The Advanced Design Center was created to open the door to thinking,” Mr. Barber stated about his latest vision. “We need people to think beyond what’s happening today and see how we can improve on it, and not just motorcycle design.”

The new 11,000 square-foot facility is a high-tech workspace for Industrial Design exploration located on the top floor of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Inside are workstations, 3-D scanners, and 3-D printers that have dramatically streamlined design processes. These tools not only speed up design work, they also allow high-

ly accurate reverse engineering of vintage components.

Words can’t adequately convey the scope of Mr. Barber’s latest vision, so we invite you to take a look at the video below, introduced by globally recognized journalist Neale Bayly from inside the fabulous museum. Then the video is passed over to the BADC’s designer, Brian Case, known in motorcycle circles as the designer of the exceptional Motus MST V-4.

Follow along as Case demonstrates the capabilities of the BADC and provides insight into how advanced design techniques have created the actual facility itself. You’ll also get a glimpse into development of the center’s radical and exotic Mono Project that will formally be introduced in the coming months. www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7dSdlmfdBw To keep track of the latest developments at the BADC, please subscribe to our social media channels: Facebook: Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum Instagram: @barbermuseum Twitter: @BarberMuseum

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BACKROADS • MAY 2022

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS AND REVIEWS

THE FEDERALIST FROM KERSHAW Kershaw pays tribute to the American spirit with the USA-made Federalist non-locking slipjoint. The double-detent system holds the blade in place while closed, and the half-stop offers controlled opening and closing action. Its green, canvas micarta handle feels satisfying in the hand and is extremely durable during the lifetime of the knife. This eye-catching aesthetic makes it feel right at home in the outdoors or as an everyday carry. CPM-154 blade steel holds an impressive edge, and the full flat grind, ultra-slicey blade glides through work tasks with ease. Finishing touches such as a lanyard hole, glass-filled nylon backspacer, and a custom pivot that forms a shield detail complete the distinctly American Kershaw Federalist.

The Federalist sells for $169 from finer knife shops or log onto kershaw.kaiusa.com for more information. ,

SPORTS JACKET CARBON-ST BY IXS The Sports Jacket Carbon-ST by iXS will give you a powerful look. As already stated in the name, the jacket has integral carbon. With its sporty cut, the exquisite design and the many functional details, it’s ready to face every challenge. Especially developed for the exertions of sport touring, the jacket feels comfortable in every weather. The solto-TEX membrane with its water barrier is one hundred percent water and wind resistant, while having high breathability at the same time. The removable thermal lining also expands its range of use on cold days. When it’s hot and optimal air circulation is needed, the Carbon-ST has two ventilation openings on the side and two in the back. The resistant 600D Polyoxford outer shell ensures a high level of abrasion resistance and is extremely comfortable to wear. Width adjustment on the upper arms, elbows, cuffs and in the jacket hem give the wearer individual options

for making adjustments. The accordion stretch inserts at the side provide additional comfort, an optimal fit and freedom of movement. The special cuff closures, which make it easier to put your gloves on, and a soft-shell collar to protect against chafing are additional features so it is even more comfortable. When you are travelling, the two outer and three inner pockets give the jacket lots of space for your valuables and other items. The iXS Carbon-ST jacket is type-approved in accordance with EN17092-3:202 (AA). Protection is one of the core competences of iXS. The shoulder and height-adjustable elbow protectors, the all-round connecting zip and the reflective inserts are therefore part of the high-quality standards. In addition, the jacket has seam protection on the sleeves to protect the seam connection against abrasion – a new, important iXS quality feature in case you have a fall. $289 at iXS dealers or log onto ixs.com for more information. ,

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

SARGENT SEATS WORLD SPORT PERFORMANCE SEATS I admit it. I am a snob when it comes to one three-letter word - Ass. If you’re like most English learners, you’ve probably heard the word Ass used very frequently in English-speaking songs, movies, and TV series.

In addition to its most common use (butt), you’ve probably even heard the curse word A-hole, or seen people use LMAO (Laughing My Ass Off) in internet chat.

But did you know that ASS has a multitude of distinct uses that mean completely different things? Although you should be very careful with all uses of this word, did you know that the use of this word is often not bad, but in fact, it is often neutral or positive?

But I am only here to talk about one thing…

My ass.

Yes, oh for sure I am considered an ass… mostly by women and the occasional man who isn’t thinking correctly. But for years I have been following the lead of a million Pakistani cab drivers and using a beaded buffer between my ass and God. But there are some products that rise above the rest.

So, when the opportunity came to test a new Sargent Seat, I was faithfully confident I would still be happy… or, at least my ass would be.

Let us start from the beginning.

Sargent has a massive website that allows you to custom create your new seat to your specifications, colors, and comfort.

I chose the World Sport Performance PLUS. This special edition series of motorcycle seats were said to be as comfortable as Sargent’s standard seats, but feature extra-tough materials, extra-tough construction, and a bold, rugged look.

Page 37 I liked it.

With their new DTX seating area material and special side grip zones, these seats make an excellent choice for on- or off-road use. DTX offers a strong, yet comfortable seating surface with just the right amount of traction, while the special GRIPZONE side panels offer extra gripping power during braking or off-road maneuvers. And to top it off, Sargent has constructed these seats with beautiful, extra-tough double stitching for a seat built to last.

That may seem like lip-service, but I have had and seen seats self-destruct. This will not happen here. Sargent seems to be the pinnacle of this part of the after-market.

Still, ordering off the web always brings concern, yet this time unfounded as the seat, both rider and passenger saddles looked awesome. The piping was spot on what I had pictured, but it was about to get much better.

Over the decades I have tested, ridden, and reviewed many “Custom” seats, saddles and places to put my overly exaggerated butt.

No seat, not even the best stock seat. went on as easily, as brilliantly, and smoothly as this seat from Sargent.

For me, as I always seem to struggle with the simplest of things, this was beyond awesome.

Good on you Michelle!

But, this was the other thing.

Not that I needed a “Heated Seat”, but eh, – the option was there.

Easy enough to install, and the heat, when full-on was VERY warm – so in my mind comfort and heat, especially in the chilly northeast is a good thing.

Sargent Seats offer options for so many machines – and know that things of this nature are not inexpensive, but this is money so well worth it.

Log onto www.sargentcycle.com to find the best thing for your ass since your perfectly broken-in Levi jeans. ,

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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ROAD TRIP

OFF MY BUCKET LIST words + images: Lance Lamberton

I don’t remember exactly when I got the notion to take my 2009 Harley Road King Classic cross country, but once the idea finally took hold, there was no denying it. I also felt such a mega journey would be a nice book end to the one I took in 1974 from New York to Alaska after I had just graduated college.

So, on July 15, 2021, I started the first leg of my trip from Atlanta to Chattanooga, TN. Given the heat and humidity of the ride (after all, this is the southeast in the middle of July) I was glad it was a short one. The goal for the next day was to go hang gliding. Basically, what this entails is being towed up to an altitude of 3,000 feet by an ultra-light, then released to float gently down to earth. It also requires doing so in tandem with an

experienced guide. To do otherwise would be suicide. Regardless, it was exhilarating and can’t wait to go again.

The rest of the day I headed north through Tennessee into Kentucky on my way to Louisville to stay with my two brothers-in-law. Fortunately, I had enough time to check out the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, which is where the iconic sportscars are made.

The following morning, I headed west towards Peoria, IL where I stayed at the home of a friend. In the interest of economy, and to achieve my goal of reconnecting with friends and family at every opportunity, I planned my trip to be a “house guest” every chance I could. The course I charted was through southern Indiana starting off on 150 West from Louisville until it split off onto Indiana State 56 where it went through bucolic countryside including a fair number of twist and turns where suggested speeds ranged from 15 to 30 mph. When I got to the Illinois border, I deferred to my GPS which took me on some really obscure back roads until it finally linked up to I-74 where it was then a straight shot to Peoria. It was a long day in the saddle, covering 406 miles, so I experienced my first of what would soon to be many days of physical exhaustion.

The next day I headed towards Omaha, NE to stay and visit with my cousin Trish. My goal was to traverse the southern portion of Iowa along US route 34 to avoid going interstate wherever possible. But the decades old map I was using was not working for me and I found myself constantly lost and having to back track, so that what I hoped would be “the scenic

BACKROADS • MAY 2022 route” turned into the scenic nightmare. Finally, I turned myself over to the GPS, which of course quickly took me to the interstate. Thus, in what normally should have got me to my cousin’s house around 7:30 pm, ended up being 10:30 instead. Not fun.

At this point I was really beat, so I welcomed the chance to just chill for a couple of days before continuing my trek. Eventually however, the call of the road would beckon. And besides, I was too far gone to turn back now.

Next stop was Valentine, in northwest Nebraska. The contrast in topography between Omaha and Valentine is quite stark, gradually changing from rich lush farmland, to gently rolling hills and open grassland. There was no mistaking it now. I was not in Georgia anymore.

The following day I set my destination to Rapid City, South Dakota, to attend Freedomfest, the largest annual gathering of libertarians in the world. Along the way I stopped to see the Badlands, the first of what would be many visits to national parks in the west. It is a place of eerie and majestic beauty, with landscapes that give you the feeling you might be on the moon. Photos do not do it justice. It is a place to see for yourself firsthand.

Page 39 It was then on to Rapid City, where after spending a few days at Freedomfest, I set my sights for Devil’s Tower in the very northeastern corner of Wyoming. My curiosity to see it was peaked decades ago when I saw the movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It stands out in stark contrast to the land around it and can be seen from miles around. The Tower soars over 800 feet from its considerable base. It is easy to see why Spielberg choose it as the site for his movie’s climax.

After leaving the Tower I took state route 50 to 387 and booked a room in Riverton, which is roughly in the geographical center of Wyoming. The next day I headed west to check out the Grand Teton’s and there encountered my first major disappointment of the trip. It wasn’t that the Tetons aren’t amazing, rising up thousands of feet from a flat plain. But the extensive forest fires throughout the West during this year enveloped the mountains with a thick and heavy haze, such that I could only barely make out the outline of the range. No decent photo op there. As a consolation prize, I did run into a large herd of Bison along the side of the road.

From there it was north to Yellowstone via route 89 along Yellowstone

Page 40 Lake and then east on US 16 to Cody WY. Here I encountered some beautiful and rugged mountain scenery, albeit somewhat marred by limited visibility due to the forest fires. The road also consisted of many long, sweeping curves well suited for cruiser bikes like mine.

From Cody I went north on WY 120 with the intent of heading towards Great Falls, MT to hook up for a family reunion.

Since I was running ahead of schedule I decided to take a meandering route over roads that I had never been and ended up on some really spectacular and challenging topography. From 120 I took a left hand turn onto MT 308 West at the tiny burg of Belfry. From there I took US 212 South, which to my utter surprise took me up and over Beartooth Pass at 10,940 feet. As you can expect, the road was replete with switchbacks and sheer drops of thousands of feet on both sides.

With my fear of heights, I white knuckled it the whole way through and said more than one little prayer. The road eventually took me back to Yellowstone where I entered the park at Silver Gate.

I then headed west to the Mammoth Hot Springs portion of the park and then back north again on US 89 to Livingston. I attempted to rent a room there but experienced something which may be a consequence of pent-up demand due to the pandemic, i.e., there were no vacancies anywhere to be found. At that point I was too exhausted to keep on trucking to Great Falls, so I took a detour to Bozeman and found a room for the astronomical price of $280 a night. I was not happy, but it’s amazing how much I was willing to spend when deep-down exhaustion sets in.

After a good night’s sleep, I spent part of the day exploring Bozeman, a stereotypical example of what easterners would expect from the “wild

BACKROADS • MAY 2022 west.” As a college town, it has more microbreweries per capita than anything I’ve ever seen, hence the nick name: “Boozeman.” By noon I headed north to Great Falls to hook up with my son and his wife, my cousin and his wife, and to see my last surviving aunt. In fact, the genesis of the idea of doing this trip this year was for this purpose, in that my mother was the daughter of two homesteaders who first broke the sod of western Montana in 1915. Thus, part of the trip’s purpose was to pay homage to the home that my mother was born in in 1924, and which is still standing today.

From Great Falls, we headed to the homestead via US 87 to MT 223. Located a few miles south of US route 2, between the tiny towns of Joplin and Inverness, it is a place of stark and lonely beauty, where the area’s population has actually declined over the past few decades due to the increased mechanization of farming. From there I took US 2 West around Glacier National Park, then soldiered on to Spokane, WA for what was up to then the longest and hottest day of the trip, where I put on 548 miles. Thanks to the day’s 100+ temps, I achieved a new milestone in my quest to achieve total exhaustion. I hoped that that would be as bad as it would get. I would be wrong.

Next stop was Seattle where I stayed for a few days with my friend Joe and his family. I welcomed the R&R, but after a three-day rest, it was on to Portland to hang with my sister and her family. Then it was on to Mt. Hood to stay a night with Cousin Mary, where she owns and runs a bistro called The White Elephant, and where from her kitchen window you can see the unobstructed view of the vast and imposing Mt. Hood.

From “the Hood” I then headed south on US 26 and west on OR 242/126

BACKROADS • MAY 2022 to Eugene. There I experienced the worst of the forest fires. My eyes were constantly burning, and the temps were in excess of 100 degrees. However, relief was soon to come once I reached the coastal range and then latched onto US Rte. 101 along the Oregon coast at Florence, where the temps dropped to the cool and comfortable seventies.

My next major destination point was LA to see my son’s new home which he bought with his wife in the heart of the city. After staying at a campground, without a tent, on the Oregon/California border, I headed south and got as far as Santa Rosa, about 50 miles north of San Francisco. I awoke to a sunny and warm day but that was soon to change the closer I got to the Golden Gate Bridge, where I had to stop and put on a wind breaker for the first time since leaving Georgia. It was that cold. But the Bridge itself was a magnificent sight, shrouded as it was in its trademark fog.

Following 101, I went straight through the city and then struggled through several miles of heavy traffic until I reached Monterey. There I exited 101 to take state rte.1 to San Luis Obispo, where Rte.1 then reconnected with 101. That section of road is probably one the most breathtakingly beautiful anywhere in the World. Blessed by the cooling sea breezes along the Coast, I was treated to vast ocean vistas hundreds of feet down on my right and then sheer rugged mountains towering over me on my left. Building this road was a marvel of engineering genius. I kept saying to myself, “How were they able to cut away a strip of land from these sheer cliffs to build a road like this?”

Alas! All good things must come to an end, and by the time I reached the famous home of Randolph Hearst at San Simeon, the terrain flattened out, but still remained a beautiful ride. Soon thereafter it got dark, so I rode as fast as I dared from San Luis Obispo to LA, arriving in the early evening. Since the temps were cool and mild the whole day, I was no worse for wear, and had enough energy to stay up late and visit.

In contemplating the way back home, I had concerns about crossing the Mojave Desert in the daytime. I have a heart condition called cardio my-

Page 41 opathy, so I wasn’t sure how well my ticker would hold up against riding for hours in temperatures that often exceeded 110. My solution was to take a long nap in the early evening, and then head east across the desert starting out at 11:30 pm. The plan worked like a charm, cruising as I did through Las Vegas just before dawn.

My destination was a town called Kanab, Utah where I advance booked a room at a charming little place called the Canyons Boutique. The plan was to use this location as my base to explore both the Mt. Zion and Bryce Canyon Parks. Since my room wasn’t ready for occupancy when I arrived, I took off to see Zion. Unlike most parks, where you are at high elevations looking down, Zion is located in a valley, with majestic mountains towering over you. The top attraction is the river walk, where visitors take a shuttle to the beginning of a mile-long trail to the Virgin River, which is then forded at several points till you reach a narrow canyon, with walls towering hundreds of feet above you, and where if the sun hits it just right, creates a wild kaleidoscope of color against the water and rock of the narrow canyon.

Unfortunately, I could not enjoy this beautiful sight in person, as my heart condition got the best of me, so while I reached the river and forded it a couple of times (and thoroughly soaked my bike boots in the process), I simply couldn’t go on, and had to slowly struggle back to the shuttle.

People saw my plight and offered me food and water on more than one occasion. When the returning shuttle finally appeared in my sight, it was the most welcome one of the day, despite being in one of the most beautiful parks in the nation. The road in and out of the park is a blast, with many turns having suggested posted speeds of 15, 20 and 25 mph.

The next day I set aside to explore Bryce Canyon. I guess the best way to describe Bryce is to compare it to the Grand Canyon. While not nearly so big and vast, it shares the same feature of a river eroding its way through thousands of feet of sedimentary rock and creating some of the most bizarre and striking natural sculptures I have ever seen, through a panoply of rich and varied earth tones and colors. The top of Bryce climbs to 9,110 feet, with numerous spots along the way to stop and take in the views from

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many different elevations. It was like nothing I had ever seen. If I was a Mormon, I would swear that God gave us Utah as a reward for our devotion and sacrifice. It’s that beautiful.

After two nights in Kanab, I decided to ride north on US 89 to I-70 East to Moab, a town which appears to exist for the sole purpose of providing services to outdoor recreationists. The following morning, I took on two parks, the first being the Arches, and then the Canyonlands. The Arches are famous for the huge natural arches formed over eons of time. However, to see them in person required more walking than my heart could handle, so I had to pass on that, but still there was much in the way of great natural beauty to see from the seat of my bike.

My next stop, the Canyonlands, has a special feature all bikers should be made aware of. There is a stretch of road in the park with recommended speeds of 25 mph, but since there is nothing to obscure my view, I could see the road snake along for turn after turn after turn, which emboldened me to go way above the suggested speed since I could see well in advance any traffic coming the opposite way. It’s a thrill, and I highly recommend it. The scenic beauty of the park itself was on a par with Bryce, which means it was really incredible.

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Upon leaving Canyonlands I headed south on 191 to 163 in hopes of seeing The Valley of the Gods, the dramatic backdrop of so many westerns.

But to do so required taking a dirt road, and my bike, fully loaded, was not well suited for it. Besides, I was alone, had no water with me, it was getting dark, and I had spotty cell phone coverage, so I decided to take a pass. I also wanted to go to the nearby Natural Bridges National Monument, but the road to it off of 191 was closed.

Around sunset I was in Arizona and took 191 south all the way to I-40 east and then checked into a motel in Gallup, N.M. around 10 pm. The following day was a long, hot and dry one. I set my sights for Amarillo but had to stop often to hydrate. There was not much to see from the interstate other than lots of windfarms. While the Texas panhandle leading into Amarillo is as flat as a pancake, I was impressed at how rich and vibrant the agriculture is, both with respect to crops and livestock.

The following day I rode from Amarillo to Dallas, TX where I then stayed with my stepson, Paul. I was on the road for 10 hours, and from a physical standpoint it turned out to be far and away the most demanding day of the trip. By the time I reached Dallas I was so exhausted I literally couldn’t walk, talk or even hear. To give an idea on how dehydrated I was, I counted waking up eight times that night to go through five bottles of cold water.

BACKROADS • MAY 2022 The next day was spent mostly hanging out at the community pool, but given how hot Dallas is in late August, the water was almost too warm to be refreshing. I lived the whole decade of the nineties in Dallas, and while I have many fond memories, the summers are not one of them.

At this point I was trying to decide the best way to get back home and given that Hurricane Ida was soon to make landfall in Louisiana, I thought I better get going while the getting was good. To avoid getting trapped in that maelstrom, I headed out the next day for Jackson, MS, where the weather report said it was “only” going to get up to 92.

I arrived in Jackson around eight, and had difficulty finding a room, which I suspect might have been related to Ida. Nonetheless, I did finally find something. The next morning, I got an early start to avoid Ida, and beat her out without encountering any rain. It was a boring anticlimactic ride from Jackson to my home just outside Atlanta, but after six weeks on the road I was anxious to sleep in my own bed and give my body time to recuperate. It was a great adventure, covering 22 states and almost 10,000 miles, and I’m glad to say that I was able to do it given my age and heart condition. Going forward any future motorcycle adventures will be much shorter, but I will always fondly remember this trip as being “the big one.” , Lance Lamberton is the former deputy director of the White House Office of Policy Information under President Reagan, and who worked as a communications professional for a number of fortune 500 companies that included Exxon and Lockheed Martin, among others. A biker since 1968, he is now retired and lives with his wife in Austell, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta.

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BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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DAY TRIPPING

US 302: ROCK - NOTCH - LOBSTER words + images: Dan Bisbee

US Route 302 stretches between Montpelier, Vermont and Portland, Maine, winding its way through 171 miles of northern New England. In terms of being the most direct route between Vermont’s capitol and Maine’s largest city, it doesn’t even crack the top three and that’s just one of the reasons it’s a great motorcycle road.

Any good ride should begin with breakfast and the Wayside Restaurant in Montpelier is as good a place as any. They’ve been serving up great chow here for over 100 years and the parking lot always seems packed. But the service is prompt and my breakfast arrives quickly. Properly nourished and caffeinated, it’s time to hit the road.

Many granite monuments adorn downtown Barre including the world’s largest zipper.

Nearby is a granite easy chair. Both ends of Main Street have statues, one honoring those killed in wars, the other dedicated to the many Italian immigrants who carved the stone.

I leave Barre on 302 climbing over Orange Heights before twisting, turning and diving down

ROCK New Hampshire may be called the Granite State but Barre, Vermont is the Granite City. The Rock of Ages quarry is one of the world’s largest granite quarries and stone from here is used all over the world. I pull in to the Vermont Granite Museum for a self-guided tour. The real beauty of the stone is exposed by the gifted stone cutters and some of their work is on display here. Housed in one of the many “stone sheds” around town, the museum includes tools of the trade as well as examples of granite artistry. Up the road, the Hope cemetery could be called a sculpture garden for all the intricately carved headstones.

through Groton and across the Connecticut River into New Hampshire.

Here, 302 meanders along the Wild Ammonoosuc River to Bath where I stop at The Brick Store. It claims to be the oldest continuously operated General Store in the country. They smoke their own cheese and the smo-

BACKROADS • MAY 2022 kiness permeates the inside. The sandwiches from the deli are outstanding but I’m still stuffed from breakfast. After sampling some cheese, I head to the front porch with a drink.

A Harley parked in front catches my eye: It looked like someone had gone crazy on it with a Be-Dazzler. On the back fender, between the 14 taillights, was airbrushed “300,000 Miles 8-31-15”. It belonged to the old guy sitting on the porch chatting with his friends. I ask about the bike and learn that it is a 1999 Harley that he bought new. I went to ask more questions but when I turned around, he was gone. With that kind of mileage, I should have expected that.

From here, 302 flows curves past farmland along the river to Littleton. Signs on Main Street indicate that this is the “Glad Town.” 100 years ago author Elanor H. Porter lived in town and wrote a series of books about a young girl named Pollyanna who could always find the good side of a situation. The books became known as the “Glad Books.” Pollyanna has been made into several movies and now, the Pollyanna Principle is a condition where people tend to remember the good things more than the bad things.

A vibrant Main Street thrives, coexisting with the big box stores by the highway and I was glad I stopped.

302 runs in tandem with the Interstate for a few miles before heading east. In Bethlehem I did a double take at the 9-foot tall Megatron standing in front of Indian Brook Trading Company. It was next to a moose, a unicorn and two motorcycles, all made from what appeared to be scrap metal. It turns out that they are made from scrapped motor scooters in southeast Asia. Sadly, Megatron wouldn’t fit on my bike. (I recently passed back through town to find Megatron and the store were gone.)

East of Bethlehem, I pass the Mount Washington Hotel, one of the few remaining Grand Hotels in New Hampshire. It was built in 1902 for well-todo folks to escape the heat of the cities to the south.

In 1944 it hosted the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference. Also known as the Bretton Woods Agreement, it set up rules to regulate the In-

Page 45 ternational Monetary Fund (IMF) after World War II. Today it’s part of the Omni Hotels family and retains its “Grand Hotel” stature.

NOTCH A few miles past the Mount Washington Hotel I reach Crawford Notch.

The narrow notch between Mount Willard and Bugle Cliffs was blasted to make room for the road and the railroad tracks. The Appalachian Trail crosses here as well. Hikers bicyclists and tourists swarm this area so it’s best to back off on the throttle a bit.

Passing between the notch walls, the bottom drops out and the road free-falls, twisting and tumbling along with the waterfalls, switching one way then back.

It’s a wild ride but it’s over quickly and the road settles into a more sedate pace as it reaches the Willey Slide House.

The Willey Slide house is a beauti-

BACKROADS • MAY 2022

Page 46 ful place with a sad backstory. The Willey family settled here in 1825 and, during a heavy summer storm on August 28, 1826, a landslide rumbled down the mountain.

They abandoned their house, running for safety. Tragically, they didn’t make it. Even more heartbreaking, a rock outcropping immediately behind their house diverted the landslide leaving the building virtually intact. The site became a tourist destination as people came to see the untouched house. There is a restaurant and a gift shop at the site today and, while the house is long gone, the cellar hole is still apparent.

From here, 302 meanders along the Saco River past Attitash Ski Area and Bartlett to North Conway in the heart of the White Mountains. Its hotels, shops, and outlet center cater to tourists who jam up traffic through the center of town. Fortunately, there is a way around most of it and I take a right on West Side Road and then detour up a short twisty road to the top of Cathedral Ledge. There is a great view over the valley. To the south is Whitehorse Ledge (namesake of the former Whitehorse Gear) and, to the east, North Conway and the valley roll out.

Back down on the valley floor, West Side Road turns into River Road and connects back with 302. A zig and a zag put me on North South Road which blissfully bypasses North Conway’s congestion before reconnecting with 302 just before the Maine state line.

LOBSTER If I’m riding in Maine, lobster is on the menu. First though, I stop at the Jockey Cap General Store for a refreshment. Behind the store is a rock formation that, before the trees grew up around its base, resembled a jockey’s cap. It’s a short 10-minute scramble to the top and the 360-degree view is even better than Cathedral Ledge. At the peak is the Admiral Peary monument named for local resident and arctic explorer Admiral Robert Peary.

The monument is a panoramic landscape compass and the names of the surrounding hills are depicted in a ring around the top. Sighting across, I can find the names of the nearby mountains.

From the Jockey Cap, 302 ducks through the trees to Bridgton where I find the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity. Porter is known mostly as an early American Painter specializing in wall stencils but he was also referred to as “The American da Vinci.” After visiting the mu-

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seum, I have to agree. He was an itinerant painter in the 1820s. Traveling with a camera obscura, he would quickly and accurately paint a person’s portrait.

He was an inventor on par with Thomas Edison and had many patents. An electrified version of his liquids pump is still used for blood transfusions today. He did lack Edison’s business sense. He sold a patent for a repeating revolver to Samuel Colt for $100.00 in 1836 – the same year that he started Colt Firearms. His “aerial locomotive” would have whisked people from New York to San Francisco in 3 days in 1849.

Alas, his first full scale attempt was destroyed by a storm and funding

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never came through. He also founded Scientific American magazine in 1845, selling it 10 months later.

In his spare time, he managed to father 16 children.

Leaving Bridgton, I could sense a change. The mountains were behind me and the landscape began feeling coastal. Passing a sign advertising lobster meant I was close. Before Portland though, is Sebago Lake and I lurch through traffic passing a seemingly endless loop of fast food, mini-marts and gas stations.

As I roll into Portland 302 fades away, becoming Forest Avenue with no announcement. Then, on my left: Paellas Seafood. A small place with picnic tables out front, nestled between a fish market and an autobody. I see the lobster macaroni & cheese bites and I know I’m in the right place.

They are exquisite. And worth every mile. ,

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BACKROADS • MAY 2022

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The Law Office of Paul Gargiulo, P.C. presents

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

YOUR OTHER SENSES

SMELL, TASTE, TOUCH… AND THAT OTHER ONE For the last few months we have been discussing the Human Senses and how they affect us as riders; sometimes to our benefit and other times to our detriment.

Smell

Our sense of smell is called the process of olfaction.

Olfaction is the sensation of smell that results from the detection of odorous substances aerosolized in the environment. Along with vision, taste, hearing, and balance, olfaction is a special sense.

Humans are able to detect odors through the components of the olfactory system.

I think that smell is one of the least thought of and yet one of the most remarkable of the senses.

Have you ever had an aroma pass your way and have it bring back a long-forgotten memory?

Many studies have found a connection between odors and powerful memories and scientists believe that smell and memory are so closely linked because the anatomy of the brain allows olfactory signals get to the limbic system very quickly. Experts say the memories associated with smells tend to be older and thought about less often, meaning the recollection is very vivid when it happens.

We have all had this happen to us at one point or another.

But when riding our nose knows! You are aware of the dead skunk on the road a ½ mile before it comes into view. The smell of manure after it is spread on the farm fields greets us each spring as we ride the tiny backroads where our office is located.

When Shira was coming down with COVID in May of 2020, I was put on red alert when the aroma of the recently shat spread farm we were passing was undetectable to her, while over-powering to me. Like many things, you might not ever think of your sense of smell until it’s gone. It was months till she got her nose back.

Your olfactory sense can alert you to dangers while riding too. Who has not had a whiff of diesel and then spotted the greasy streak left by a poorly maintained truck. Sense of smell saving the day.

Although we may not have as great a sense of smell as other creatures, we still have a decent thing going here – so think about it and pay attention when something evil smelling drifts your way.

Taste

These two senses are very closely related and in fact, flavor is mostly related to smell. This is why, when someone has nasal obstruction from the common cold, they often experience a dramatically altered sense of flavor.

Like smell, taste also has a medical name – Gustation.

Since they are so loosely related there is not much to say about taste and riding.

Well, except if you follow a Great All American Diner Run to someplace special – using all six senses to arrive happy with the ride and hungry like a bear in spring. Then taste is most definitely a part of motorcycle riding!

Touch

Now here is a sense that is incredibly important to we riders.

A subset of the sensory nervous system, which also represents visual, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory stimuli. The somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch, as well as temperature, body position, and pain.

Touch plays a far more important role in our daily riding than you have probably realized.

In discussions with other, and far more talented and experienced riders than ourselves, about the most important part of a motorcycle a number of subjects were touched. Tires, brakes, suspension all were brought up and all of them will circle around like a White House Press Secretary to what we are talking about now – touch.

Many riders simply go out and ride. They really are unaware or simply don’t care about their tires. We all know proper inflation is important – but even with this there are many schools of thought on what proper is.

I set pressure for the occasion.

For me, less is more – as in more traction, grip and, most important, feel or touch.

Different tires will give your touch different feedback. Softer compounds versus harder make a huge difference in what your touch feels.

The same goes with the brakes. Different pads, levers and machines themselves offer you touch and feel of the brakes on different levels.

Suspension was our all-around choice for most important for the entire feel of a motorcycle.

When you swap out from stock or tired suspension to something new, modern and well thought out, and you have it correctly set-up, you will be amazed at how well your machine suddenly handles, reacts and feels to the touch.

That feeling is through the three points that your body is in contact with your machine. Your fingers gently on the grips, your butt comfortable sitting on the saddle and your feet on the pegs are all pouring “Touch Info” into your brain. It is good to be aware of this and use it to your advantage.

Just don’t get on your bike and ride off without a thought.

Think about your touch and feel and your ride will be that much better for it.

Next month – your sixth sense. ,