October 2023

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W H AT ’ S I N S I D E

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

MONTHLY COLUMNS FREE WHEELIN’ ........................................ 3

Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

WHATCHATHINKIN’ ................................... 4

Publishers

Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil

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

Contributors

Mark Byers, Cary Dixon, Dr. Seymour O’Life

BACKLASH ............................................... 7

21

INDUSTRY INFOBITES............................... 8 GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN......... 10

Editorial Office BACKROADS, POB 620 Augusta, NJ 07822

BIG CITY GETAWAY................................. 12 WE’RE OUTTA HERE ............................... 14 MYSTERIOUS AMERICA .......................... 16 INSIDE SCOOP ....................................... 18 WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE .................... 40

FEATURES CHASING THE COLORS .......................... 21 BACKROADS SPRING BREAK 2023 ......... 26 MOTOAMERICA MINI CUP....................... 33

PRODUCT REVIEWS MOTOPUMP AIR SHOT 2.0 ...................... 20 PIRELLI SCORPION TRAIL II .................... 36 SBV TOOL KITS ...................................... 38

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973.948.4176

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BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACKROADS™, Inc. 2023. 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 • OCTOBER 2023

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FREE WHEELIN’ Elastic timE No such thing as tomorrow, only one, two, three, go Time - got the time tick-tick-tickin’ in my head Joe Jackson For many of us who are Sci-Fi, as well as motorcycle riding, aficionados we most likely have a grasp on the tenuous uasi-science of ime ravel. I ust recently read a ook called he Science of ime ravel . It really was more a out how hronological enturing has een portrayed in ooks and films over the years, than actual science centuries really. From essel s nno 60 Penned in 1 1 , to ip an inkle, .G. ells to more modern genres like erminator, ack to the Future, and of course, Star rek they did it est . ut, as of right now, we cannot travel ack in time ut, as of right now, we cannot travel ack in time. gg, frack Sorry. es, time is an interesting thing. e have all heard the phrase Make ime For according to the amridge Dictionary it means to make certain you have some time when you are not usy in order to do something you think you should do.

I think that we will always make time for the things we want to do, and not make time for things we have no desire, or feel put out a out. Many can make time to go for a ride, ut mowing the lawn Feh. For some a uick decision a out, let s say, a uickly thought-up Sunday ride, is impossi le cause they were not going to go

BRIAN RATHJEN regardless some feel for things like this they need days or weeks in advance. ut, if he eatles miraculously time-traveled and were playing along a great ackroads, with a killer pi a place, I dare say they all would e on their way.

So, it seems that time is may e more than speed and light and math I do not fathom it is a out perception.

In ohn irmingham s super alternative history series is of ime maon, uy, read he talks a out time ecoming e i le and elastic. hese are attle- ooks, so this warping of time really time perception - usually happens in the red mist of attle . hen shit happens so fast it seems like time slows down. his has happened to many of us when we overestimate some of instein s heories you know speed, weight, may e light. ell, let s throw in some ewton too - an o ect in motion remains in motion at a constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on y an un alanced force.

I hope that situations like those are few and far etween ut they have happened, and then it can happen again - and time does slow down. ut why “Time is elastic. It stretches to accommodate what we need or want to do with it.” - Laura Vanderkam euroscientists are constantly learning more a out how human eings perceive and react to the world around them.

During two-wheel incident accidents, these perceptions can have fatal conseuences. he split seconds etween seeing an o stacle and reacting to it can determine whether you go home with a story or not. ut what a out the perception of time he speed of time can sometimes depend on what you are doing, it can feel as if time Continued on Next Page

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

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WHATCHATHINKIN’ it’s Haunting timE

SHIRA KAMIL

his past week saw the rising of the lue Moon, thus named not for its hue ut its rarity. he occurrence of two full moons in one calendar month, which takes place a out every 2.5 years, rought the phrase, once in a lue moon a out. he hype for the ugust 202 lue Moon was un elieva le, with every media outlet rushing to have the est captured image of this heavenly light. ot to e outdone, rian and I

headed out with tripod and ikon in hand to find the perfect spot to view this phenomenon. rying to figure out e actly where it would rise, we kinda looked like the scarecrow in the i ard of O , with fingers pointing in opposite directions. ltimately, we were disappointed with the ha e taking away from the crispness.

Speaking of full moons, Octo er s unters Moon will make its appearance right around alloween, Octo er 2 to e e act. hat a great addition to

is passing slower or faster, even when the same amount of time has passed. e have all e perienced this phenomenon. emem er ack to your school days, when the oring classes seemed to pass the slowest On the other hand, fun classes seemed to go much more uickly, even though they were the same length as oring classes. euroscientists have conducted many different studies to e amine this phenomenon and have found two main causes of this change in the perception of time Increased attention to time appears to make it pass more slowly, and paying less attention to time passing seems to make it pass more uickly. hen your rain is aroused such as y the threat of a motorcycle accident , it egins increasing its rate of neural pulses to respond to the danger. he increase in rate causes your rain to count more time units , making it seem as though more time has passed. study pu lished in euroscience in 2011 called Psychological and eural Mechanisms of Su ective ime Dilation took a closer look at the specific rain structures that are activated when an oncoming threat causes the sensation of time slowing down. hile it was only the first study of an important issue, the researchers were a le to identify specific areas of the rain that are involved and the difference in time perception that occurs when a threat is oncoming versus when it is going away.

One possi le e planation may lie with a neurological or psychological a ility that our ancestors developed as an aid to survival. he a ility to slow

down our time perception increases our chances of surviving emergencies, ecause it gives us more time to respond to the situation, to prepare and position ourselves. In this sense, we could perhaps interpret the a ility as an evolutionary adaptation. nother possi ility is that the time-slowing effect is due to the increased num er of impressions and perceptions of our surroundings that our minds a sor during these moments.

So may e time does not slow down at the e act millisecond of an event, ut we remem er it as such.

May e, ut to anyone who has had one myself included , there seems no dou t that the time-stretching effect is happening in the present, rather than a elated effect of recollection.

May e it comes from our ancient ancestors ay ack in the day we had to e ready to defend ourselves at a moment s notice from several different threats, may e all at once. One possi le e planation for the way we perceive time when we are in a car accident may lie with a neurological or psychological a ility that our ancestors developed as an aid to survival. he a ility to slow down our time perception increases our chances of surviving emergencies. It gives us more time to respond to the situation and prepare and position ourselves.

In this sense, we could perhaps interpret the a ility as an evolutionary adaptation nd thus - time gets e i le in attle, and in a crash. ,

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023 the haunts and scares taking place this time of year. ast year, in my Inside Scoop column, I gave a it of history ehind our local alloween happenings in the tiny town of ranchville, . Going on its seventh year, the ranchville Scarecrows will start popping up towards the middle of the month and y Octo er 2 eanne and rad einke and crew will have a map to make the Scarecrow unt easier. 2022 saw over 250 creative and artistic pumpkin-headed scarecrows and scenes through ranchville, with private homes and usiness all taking part to decorate the street and town park.

It has een a hoot, each year, seeing what folks will think of and the lengths they go in the attempts at entertaining and, ultimately, top honors. It is well worth the ride, as in addition to the pumpkin show, there are a num er of good eateries from which to choose and, of course, I ll through in a ride which will ring you to some farm-fresh ice cream. s an aside, right up the road from downtown ranchville you ll find oliday ree Farm on ugusta ill oad. ot only will you get the most spectacular view of the changing colors from atop the hill, you ll find an e ually impressive display of alloween low up figures. e came upon this last year and were incredulous at the amount of work put in to this setup. lowns, om ies, unicorns and so many other creatures of the night, all standing tall to ring a good fright to those passing y.

I did a little research on some of the other haunts dotting the neigh orhoods in ew ersey. One of the top displays elong to the arota family in Fair awn, .

Sitting on the corner of 11th and enderson, Dave, ara and da take great pride in transforming their home into one of the creepiest sights I have seen in a long time. e hand- uilds most of his displays, taking great care in placement, lighting and effects. s Dave and ara say, eing children of the 19 0s and loving the show Stranger hings , we want to use alloween to show the love we have for the story, the characters, the monsters, the 0s nostalgia and the scenery .

If you are not familiar with the show, waiting on Season 5 to e released, the plot line of the first season revolves around ill yers no relation to you, Mark vanishing, a small town uncovering a mystery involving secret e periments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl. Su se uent seasons uild on that,

Page 5 and if you are a sci-fi fan, you should watch this. ith oth the oliday ree Farm and the arotas home, please e respectful of the neigh ors and take care when parking and walking a out. o round out the festivities and help out a family who, sel essly, help out so many others, enny s odega holds their runk or reat gathering at autilus parking lot, 190 alsey oad, ewton, right around alloween. Folks come with decorated vehicles and plenty of candy to hand out to the kiddos and adult kiddos in a safe and fun atmosphere. few years ack in a discussion with eather Davey, half of the mighty duo, she had mentioned that motorcycles couldn t really do this - hey, was that a challenge Dully noted, we spooked up our top cases, got our est alloween masks, and took a spot amongst the four-wheelers. I do elieve the kiddos liked our style. For 20, you get to en oy the costumes, get a little sugar rush, and most importantly, help enny s odega fill their shelves for folks who need it the most. ere s a little romp to ring you through some of the spookier spots during the unter Moon season while en oying the eerie, maca re and ghoulish sights to e seen. Should you see Icha od rane in your travels, ust give him a passing wave don t look ack. ,

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

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ON THE MARK a nEw guy! his past month, I had the chance to assist a guy, new to the life, who requested my help in getting a ike. e would e what we call a orn-again - a rider returning to the life after a lot of time off - e cept he was never a rider with which to start. In his late 0 s early 50 s with kids and a wife in the rear-view mirrors, he finally felt he had the freedom to try something he d always wanted to do ride a motorcycle. e wanted to use it for some inter-ur an commuting from his home to where he was teaching at the aval cademy. e hadn t spoken in a while, so I was surprised when the call came in and even more surprised when he sprang it on me that he wanted my advice on uying his first motorcycle.

My caution lights immediately came on, ecause I ve had a lot of people ask me for advice only as a means to get me to validate their preconceived notions. I recently heard them called y the pe orative term adviceholes and I really think that is apropos. hile this fellow did have an idea a out a machine he d seen, he really did want advice and when I steered him in a dif-

MARK BYERS ferent direction, he happily complied. oy, did he comply Suddenly, I m getting emails with links to dealers with appropriate machines for him he s ust over si feet and lanky, so we weren t going for the small-displacement sport ikes or low-height cruisers . e has a standard or small D uild, so we were looking at stuff like the ersys and -Strom, perhaps a few more s than your average new ie might ite off, ut he s not your average new ie. e t thing I know, he te ts in from the cheap seats with an une pected riumph iger Sport 660 a dealer close to his home is offering, a year-old demo with 260 miles, for a thousand off and free ags. e sent me a photo of this pretty lue rumpet riple and my response was to tell him that if he didn t go put down a deposit to hold it, I would, especially with the deal they were making. I also really liked some of the things the shop said - they weren t trying to farkle it eyond elief, ut they agreed with me that the com o of eing an D machine and him eing a new ie that some metal handguards were in order, plus they install attery tender leads as a matter of course. hey threw in the first service since it was a demo with miles on it already and some other stuff and my uddy was very pleased, as was I. he other way he surprised me was to tell me he signed up for an MSF class virtually the day we first talked and that he d e on a range ike the following weekend his guy doesn t mess around hen I told Dangerous Dan, who is uilt remarka ly the same way, he came up with a gift of a mesh acket that would serve nicely for an ugust range session. e had such confidence in his a ilities that he already ooked an appointment with the Motor ehicle folks the uesday following the class so he could claim his newly-minted moto license something I reminded him that, like pilots say, is a license to learn . e readily agreed. he first te t I got from him while he was at the class was, ritten test aced it. he ne t te t I got was, ow, this range stuff is fun I am having a great time nd, of course, the final te t, ced the riding test Gonna ring the new ike home ne t week I told you, he doesn t mess around. e did e press some reservations a out riding comfort after his range session, as they used low-slung cruisers, ut I reassured him that the ergos on his new machine would e ust grand. is te t from taking her home confirmed that to say he was ecstatic was putting it mildly. he most recent te t I got from him, sent on a eautiful, early-fall day, was iding around the aval cademy at lunchtime might get to e a ha it with me. Score Someday, when he has the right e perience, we will see this new ie at a ackroads event. hile he is enthralled y the e periences, he is approaching the new life with the good sense seemingly wired into a irginia ech Mechanical ngineer at irth. e ll have to get him fi ed with some proper oots and pants, plus may e a warmer and more waterproof acket, ut I think he s got the proper tools and attitude etween his ears to do well. elcome to the fold. ,

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

BACKLASH rian, here is the location of the lake shown on front cover of the Sept copy of ackroads. hanks, Dick Robert Dick, The September cover shot was taken at Gyp’s Tavern, which sits on Lake Kittatinny on Route 206 in Branchville, NJ. They are very rider-friendly, have great food and one of the most serene settings we can think of.

I rian Shira, ove ackroads in print and on wheels so when I got to elcome to the ungle I was like, wow they are taking us on new trips oved the article and as usual I got a good take away. hile riding atskill te. 2 I found myself chanting SD, SD, SD and had a new sort of hyper awareness. I figure that even a 10-15 second e tra awareness could translate into a split seconds action in my over the hill ody s response. So yeah, now I have a new awareness of SD and slowing everything down. nd at my age that makes for a great trip. ove the ackroads, Ann Lockyer oved the Final houghts on he ackroads eport from ugust 12. nd the piece a out Morse ode. hen I went into the S rmy in 1962 I volunteered for Special Forces, and they thought to make me a ommunications pert, using Morse ode -- useful ack 60 years ago. Standard army reuirement was, I think, seven words per minute wpm , while Special Forces re uired 1 wpm. aving no musical or mathematical skills, very useful when learning Morse, I couldn t even make the seven. nd got sent to Demolitions much more fun.

Clement

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Letters to the Editor Good morning, I, along with a friend, am ust home from four days of riding part of the ackroads Maga ine Grand Finale rally. e oined the ride ednesday afternoon at acapon State Park odge, and departed Saturday from ristol, . he hotel and route suggestions were eautiful - well done May I offer some helpful criticism During our four days and three nights, we met only two fellow rally riders. hile the rally is illed as unstructured and informal, I feel there was little or no opportunity for new riders to meet other participants. s far as we knew, there were no dinners, meet-ups, receptions, etc. Granted, I am not a gregarious person, ut I would have welcomed a it more structure - perhaps a scheduled shared meal or two his rally felt uite cli uish and unwelcoming to us.

Mark Cuppernull Mark, This is absolutely not the truth.

We have dozens, no HUNDREDS, of riders who have made lasting friendships.

If I remember correctly we met at Cacapon and you asked about where you could find others. I suggested the bar – which I believe was packed with folks.

I would not know as, when I met you, I was heading out to try to find one of our group who had crashed on a dirt road and needed help.

If I was not in that situation I would have happily brought you around for introductions.

Other “newbies” did come by, say hi and we had dinner with a few in Lynchburg.

We love new riders joining us…

That being said – it helps if you come up and say hi too.

We were sharing the Cacapon Park with thousands of archers – so singling out any one was near impossible.

Over the next few days Shira and I NEVER saw you again, and she asked Continued on Page 39

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

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INDUSTRY INFOBITES KawasaKi cElEbratEs 70 yEars In Septem er of 202 , awasaki Motors cele rated its 0th anniversary of making motorcycles, first making its forays into the motorcycle usiness in 195 . fter the end of orld ar II, awasaki produced motorcycle engines under the name of awasaki Machine orks. Since then, awasaki has continued to et the Good imes oll and has strived to share Fun to ide motorcycles with our customers around the world. oday, awasaki motorcycles are sold in more than 90 countries and regions. o commemorate awasaki Motorcycles 0-year anniversary, a special e hi ition will e held at awasaki S eritage all in Foothill anch, alifornia as well as awasaki Good imes orld in o e, apan starting in Septem er 202 . he display will focus on the history of

the motorcycle usiness in the .S. market, which marked a ma or turning point in awasaki s overseas strategy. It will e the first in a series of events to commemorate this special anniversary. orking toward upholding our mission statement of orking for the happiness and oy of all those whose lives awasaki touches, awasaki aims to keep moving forward and growing into the future.

In 19 , awasaki made a 20 million investment to uild a manufactur-

News from the Inside ing plant in incoln, e raska to e in-line with a coming shift to a oating e change rate in the .S. awasaki s incoln plant ecame the first plant uilt y any apanese auto or motorcycle manufacturer in the .S., and it remains awasaki s main plant to this day. It is where all awasaki et Ski personal watercrafts and side sides including the ery and M are still manufactured today. long with this year marking the 0th anniversary of awasaki Motorcycles, two other well-known rands in the .S. market the and et Ski rand will mark their 50-year anniversaries, while ne t year the mericanorn in a rand will mark its 0th anniversary.

bill bisH riP illiam . ill ish, age 65, of estlake, Ohio passed away with his loving wife y his side on Friday, ugust , 202 due to medical procedural complications. ill found his passion in legislation and politics affecting the industry, working to protect motorcycling and individual freedom through his paid positions and various volunteer organi ations. long with many others, his efforts helped grow a grassroots movement that changed a notorious federal law in four short years, which was unheard of. e helped make motorcyclists a political force to e reckoned with. ill s OM news ites were used often in ackroads and he will e missed.

bmw intElligEnt EmErgEncy call he e all system uses M

Motorrad onnected Services which can e

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Page 9 activated during new vehicle delivery to the customer. hen pressed, the SOS utton connects the rider to an agent who can e advised ver ally of the general situation, of the level of in ury, if one e ists and who can contact emergency services, if re uired. If a motorcycle falls or crash is detected, an e all is

automatically placed.

Intelligent mergency all is availa le as standard or as an option for the following models and series in the S and anada for model year 202 F 900 and optional 1600 standard , 1250 standard , 1 and ranscontinental standard , S 1000 standard , 0 standard . Intelligent mergency all adds a covered SOS utton, loudspeaker and microphone to the right-side handle ar controls.

amErican motorcyclist association adds to govErnmEnt rElations staff he merican Motorcyclist ssociation olstered its Government elations Department in uly with the additions of ashington epresentative ach Farmer and entral States epresentative ick Sands. he hiring of Farmer and Sands is another ma or step in the M s commitment to reshaping its Government elations Department, with the aim of protecting motorcyclists rights more effectively. he addition of ach and ick is a huge step in our drive to ad ust our government relations strategies in order to more effectively protect our mem ers, Government elations Director ick aris said. oth of them ring firsthand legislative e perience, as well as a love for motorcycles, that will only further the vision of our department and ensure the rights of motorcyclists are protected at all levels of government.

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

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Barnstormer BBQ presents

GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN

tasty places to take your bike

inHousE rEstaurant

606 county road 519, blairstown, nJ 07825 908-459-4185 • www.i nhou serest au rant andb ar.com e have long said that an e cellent stop on the ackroads of the Great ll merican Diner un needed some key ingredients. location. great staff.

Superior roads. D eally e cellent food. his month s venue has all that and more.

Inhouse is located right on ounty oad 519, in arren ounty, ew ersey, right alongside enny ump State Park. ounty oad 519, at nearly 90 miles in length and running from oute 29 on the Delaware iver and ending at the order with ew ork State, is the longest of all the Five Series oads in the Garden State. Despite its length, it is entirely a two-lane undivided road through rural surroundings on which one can travel for many miles without encountering a single traffic light. e like to call it the Mother oad. lthough In ouse s address says lairstown, it is far to the south of that town, and much closer to Frelinghuysen or ope and for those in a rush, right north of Interstate 0. his location has een one of those places it would e open for a it, then not. ike it was waiting for the right owners to come along we think they finally have when mily and dam ltimo purchased the place last year and set a out making the restaurant into what it always should have een a super , happy, and very avorful place.

It was ust a matter of time efore we rolled up to In ouse, and we have een ack several times since.

The restaurant itself is a wide and inviting place, with a huge ar and with most televisions tuned to some sort of moto event. Funny how we dislike s in restaurants, ut when Moto merica is on we are okay with it. Selective happiness, we guess. nd, we are selective a out a lot of things especially restaurants, so we are really happy to tell you a out Inouse.

In addition to the comforta le seating indoors, a fine day weather-wise egs you to take a ta le on the ig porch with the rout rook, running south from Glover s Pond gurgling eneath it, more than alluring. ust an odd note on this rook and Glover s Pond. his pond is created from a sink hole. cave, and underground spring that comes up and heads south. long the restaurant they have diverted some of the water to form a eautiful pond and pondside dining on a eautiful day cannot e eat. ut hey ackroads, enough already tell us a out the food.

Oh, sure, you etcha In ouse s plates are on the awesome side of super .

First off everything, even what you might consider standard, is anything ut at In ouse. he soups, French onion and what they call Get ell Soup, are hearty and delicious. Other appeti ers include cra cakes that are cast iron

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

seared signature ra akes served with remoulade sauce. hey have their own In ouse acon and a great Pulled Pork Smoked Gouda Mac n heese.

On the igger menu, you will find In ouse s Full ack of i s slowcooked a y ack ri s with signature ar ecue sauce served with asparagus and sweet potato mash. Or, may e it is a pasta day ell, one of us has fallen in love with In ouse s reamy Shrimp lfredo - Grilled shrimp and roasted asparagus resting on top of linguine coated with their garlic alfredo sauce. ou will also find Pistachio ncrusted Salmon roiled Salmon with olive oil finished with an encrusted pistachio reading served with asparagus and uinoa. Shira loves a great mushroom and here they offer a fantastic Stuffed Porta ella aps, aked and stuffed with their signature red pepper and onion cra filling served with toasted uinoa and asparagus.

Of course, you will find urgers and salads ut ama ing urgers and salads - one eing the Sicilian urrata Salad delicious and their carving oard serves up some serious sandwiches as well. In ouse i eye heese Steak, Pulled Pork, and a Grilled hicken acon anch, created with athe forementioned In ouse acon. ll of their servings are on the large side, so you will pro a ly o and stow away lunch in the saddle ags for the ride home.

If you are not finished yet really ell, you can finish yourself off with some of icky s Flourless hocolate ake, Straw erry Scone ake or

Page 11

arm hocolate hip ookie their take on Mom s classic fresh aked home-made chocolate chip cookies served with ice cream.

Okay, we re done. ou will truly en oy In ouse, and to make it even etter we are going to give you an e ually en oya le romp from own ountry ycle in Susse , efore sitting down for a great meal.

If you make the trip in Octo er, In ouse will e holding their 2nd nnual Fall arvest Fest on their ample lawn, with vendors, eer garden, food trucks, live music and tons of fun for all ages. ave fun and we will see you on the road.

Download .gp file here www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/i q fxdg

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

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Warren County NJ Tourism presents

BIG CITY GETAWAY wasHington’s rocKingHam

Where Washington said goodbye Seven years. Seven O G years. hat is how long it took our nation to ecome our nation and toss off the yoke of ngland and ing George. ut the war was not popular with many of the colonists. t no time did more than 5 percent of colonists support the war, and at least a third of colonists fought for the ritish. nlike the ivil ar, which pitted regions against each other, the ar of Independence pitted neigh or against neigh or. mericans were not only re elling against the mother country, they were fighting each other. higher percentage of the population died in the merican evolution than in any other war fought y mericans. s a result, more people who lived through the merican evolution knew someone who died or lost someone in the war, than in any war we have fought since.

daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind Many mericans switched allegiance and changed signs during the evolution depending on which side was winning.

For e ample, at one inn along a well-traveled road in ew ersey what is today oute 1 the innkeeper would send a servant out to look down the road every morning and throughout the day.

If an army was spotted, the servant was charged with identifying the colors and raising the corresponding ag to keep soldiers from urning down the inn. ut, with the help of Franklin and the French, the war came to an end at orktown. It was ust all the details that needed to e ironed out. s the evolutionary ar came to a close with the signing of the reaty of Paris in later 1 , General George ashington head uartered at the errien ome, known as ockingham, while ongress met in near y Princeton. ongress was in Princeton after hastily leaving Philadelphia when a threatened re ellion of ontinental rmy soldiers over unpaid salaries drove them from the city. hey wrote to ashington, urging him to come to ew ersey to e there and with them when the anticipated signing of the reaty of Paris would arrive . and also that they were ust a it in fear of the hundreds of unpaid soldiers that were ust a out done with them and were threatening violence against them. hey knew ashington would never allow this.

Newburgh Aug. 18th. 1783 ...I shall set off for Princeton tomorrow...I carry my baggage with me, it being the desire of Congress that I should remain till the arrival of the Definitive Treaty...which...is every day expected.

General George Washington to his nephew George Augustine Washington

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023 Five days later, on ugust 2 , his e cellency General ashington, and his entourage - including his wife Martha - arrived at ockingham. ou might think that the man who had ust won our own Seven- ear ar would have the ed arpet rolled out for him, his staff, and his men. ut General ashington ran into the same pro lems we do especially when trying to ook hotels for a ackroads ally. o room at the inn. Indeed, as ashington was on his way to Princeton, ongress looked for a suita le residence for him and his staff during his time there. lmost all the homes and inns in Princeton were filled ecause ongress was in town. hey finally located an empty home called ockingham ouse, a out 5 miles outside of town, owned y Margaret errien. er hus and, ohn, had died a few years earlier and left her the property, ut she was now living in Princeton and trying to sell the property.

She eagerly rented it to ongress. e wonder if it was cash up front ashington and Martha were comforta le at ockingham and when word of the reaty of Paris did reach merica it was here where General ashington wrote his famed Farewell ddress to the rmy on ovem er 2, 1 .

In this he e pressed his deep admiration and appreciation of the ontinental rmy, acknowledging their accomplishments and many hardships and, most importantly, turned aside from the great power he had een given as ommander in hief, allowing the newly minted nited States to develop as a democracy. his is worth seeking out on the we , and it will show ashington for who he was a man of morality, integrity, and honor. oday the uildings of ockingham can e found along aurel venue 51 , in Franklin ownship, ust outside of Princeton, ew ersey. ight along the Delaware and aritan anal.

The house was originally located on the hillside east of the Millstone iver at ocky ill, ut was moved and moved again as the uarry on ocky ill itself continued to e pand, and it is hard to miss the odd mi of merican history, rock uarry, and solar panels.

In truth, if it were not for two clear and forward-thinking women in 1 9 ate McFarlane and osephine Swan - ockingham might have een lost to history. hey egan the foundation that thought enough a out the past to save it for the future. e should have more of these women.

Still, even in its new location, the uildings are very impressive and are part of oth ew ersey and the .S. egisters of istoric Places. he oldest portion of the house was uilt as a tworoom, two-story salt o style house c. 1 10 a kitchen and additional rooms were added on in the early 1 60s, e panding with the errien family. he first reference to the house as ockingham does not appear until a 1

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newspaper advertisement to sell the house, a name given most likely in honor of the Mar uess of ockingham. he interiors of the uildings are in fine shape, ut we call them the way we see them and ew ersey est consider some tender loving care for the e teriors of these historic uildings. e found ockingham y doing what we tell riders all the time. Slow down a tad when passing a istorical Sign. very one of them is there for a reason, and sometimes you ust might discover a deep and truly historic place. ,

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

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Wytheville VA Tourism presents

WE’RE OUTTA HERE HorsEHEads, nEw yorK From the horse’s mouth?

Was this charming small town in New York really named after a bunch of skulls?

If you re interested in town name origins, then you know there are lots of towns out there with weird names. here is a town called Fine. town called utternuts. town called Deposit. ll with their own origin. ave you heard of orseheads, ew ork ou ll find it ust south of atkins Glen. his small town in south-central ew ork has a very strange and memora le name. ertainly, everyone who has ever passed through it has wondered a out it. orseheads s in, the heads of horses w. nd actually, its name origin is as sad as one might think. ead on to learn more. ack in 1 9, General George ashington ordered General ohn Sullivan and his men and their horse to march 50 miles north to ew ork to fight the Iro uois. he ourney was challenging and many of the horses suffered; the soldiers put many out of their misery in what is today known as orseheads. large num er of horses were killed. he e ecuted horses odies decomposed and later, the remaining Iro uois collected the leached skulls and arranged them along the trail to scare others. ow that you know the story of orseheads, you should stop in for a visit It s a very small town, ut it s also a very nice spot for a uiet, rural weekend getaway. Don t worry, the skulls are gone now, ut e careful you may e haunted y the spirit of a horse while you re in town. ut, hey, it is a nice ride into this part of the mpire State and there is plenty to see and do.

Interested in knowing more a out the fascinating local history isit orseheads istorical Society as it s where you can find lots of information a out the town s storied past. here are

a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads two areas of interest in this historical spot the immerman ouse and he Depot Museum. he first one is the home of the world-famous cartoonist, ugene im immerman, and e hi its some of his personal stuff as well as a huge collection of his works. he latter is a reconstruction of the original train depot that urned down in 1 6 and houses many artifacts and stories of the town.

If your head is in the clouds, not too far a ride away is he ational Soaring Museum also called SM. his is an aviation museum that preserves the history of motorless ight. It is only one of two such museums in the United States. here is a eritage angar and an archive area with a gift shop on site, and numerous gliders in the e hi ition from the 60s and 0s. ere you will also e a le to take a glider ride on arris ill. ou can ook your visit in advance if you are planning to go there with a group.

Staying with the altitude theme, check out he ings of agles Discovery enter which has four main sections of e hi itions. he first is Science on a Sphere which is a giant animated glo e with computers and stunning

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

pro ectors displaying visual animations from real planetary data. he glo e is designed such that you will feel as if it is suspended in space. he second section contains full-si e and scaled replicas of airplanes that are displayed in the aerospace collection. he third section in the ings of agles Discovery enter has a huge collection of aircraft on display. Some of the aircraft on display were used in military settings for training or com at purposes. Famous aircraft such as

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eronca Grasshopper , ell -1 uey , and Douglas 26 Invader can e found on display. he fourth section comprises of a museum that e hi its cultural, social, and technological significant events in the history of airplanes. t day s end and with ikes parked, it might e time for a rew. If you are a eer lover then you must visit he orseheads rewing, which hand-crafts the highest uality eer possi le. hey use the finest and freshest ingredients availa le. here are also performances y local artists and you can en oy those at no e tra cost. here are several chain hotels right along the main road, and ust 20 miles north the fantastic Seneca odge with one of our op 10 ars on the planet we kid you not. Oh yes . sk a out he Finger. hey have great rooms and ca ins at very reasona le prices. ide on ,

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

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Morton’s BMW Motorcycles presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s MYSTERIOUS AMERICA Pratt rocKs • PrattsvillE, nEw yorK the mount rushmore oF neW york?

his is a Mysterious merica that is a long time coming. e are not fans of four-letter words. ot the F word F k no e mean words like camp, fail or hike especially hike. ears ack my Mysterious merica u eporter e traordinaire eff ahr had told us a out these wild rock carvings atop a small mountain ust east of Prattsville, ew ork. Sitting at a out 1,500 feet and overlooking the now peaceful Schoharie reek along oute 2 he made mention, a few times, that it was an easy hike. ike there is that word again. ut they say fortune favors the rave so when I was doing a great few day s romp around the atskill Mountains with amil and ath en, we found ourselves at the Pratt ock turnoff.

I have een here several times, ut this day we had a few things working in the favor of us actually heading up the side of the mountain.

It was the first day of summer and the temperatures were more early May than the end of une. e also had a few hours to kill efore we ended our day s ride at the Diamond Mills otel in Saugerties.

So, channeling our inner ahr the three of us set off up the trail.

ew ork State and the atskills isitors ureau claim it is a great eginners trail. Sure right. hat S it is a ike with a capital ut a little ackground on Pratt ocks and the man who created them adok Pratt. he man for whom Prattsville is named was orn on Octo er 0th, 1 90 in Stephentown, ew ork. hen he was twelve his family moved into the mountains, to what is now called the town of ewett. s a child, he received limited schooling at the pu lic school and instead worked on his father s farm and tannery. In his father s yard, there were two limes and eight vats, and the ark was ground with a circular millstone y horsepower.

In 1 10, at age 20, Pratt ecame an apprentice to uther ayes, a saddler in Durham. Following his apprenticeship, he ecame a traveling saddler for a year, during which he saved 100. In 1 12, he returned to e ington where he continued his work as a saddler, working fourteen-hour days. In 1 1 , Pratt uilt a general store where he would arter with residents for goods, and would make periodic trips to ew ork to trade the goods.

In 1 1 he went into the tanning usiness with his rother and married a lass named eda Dickerman. ut fate would not look kindly on his love and life and eda died of tu erculosis ust 6 months later. ater on, he ecame a magistrate of his town and married his first wife s

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Page 17

sister sther. sther died less than a year later on pril 22, 1 2 , also of tuerculosis. In his life, he would marry five times, and all ut his last would die far efore their time, all of natural causes no ad ackstory here.

Some men might give up on dreams at this point, ut adock was not most men. ooking to move on with his life Pratt set out to uild the largest tannery in the nation as the land running along the Schoharie reek and the incredi le amount of hemlock trees were an important part of tanning in those days.

It was huge, and y far the largest ever uilt in orth merica. he tannery was 550 long, and wide. here were 50 vats, 6 heaters, 12 leaches, two ark mills driven y a great wheel, and three hide mills.

ock Park is typical of parks or pleasure grounds, which were esta lished throughout the country during the mid and late ineteenth century. he three of us eventually got up to a out 1,500 feet, and we came up right elow the famous carvings. giant horse and a emlock ree oth important parts of Pratt s life. n arm hammer- depicting hard work and a strong work ethic, Pratts s name and irthday. e were impressed y how well kept up these old carvings are.

Pratt was supposed to e uried in a tom carved into the stone, ut work was stopped after only a small recessed cham er was created ecause water leaked through the rock overhead, and e cavating the stone was providing to

out this time Pratt thought to create a depiction of the important things in his life. e looked to a at cliff face a ove the tannery. here are many stories a out who actually carved the stone, one favorite eing that a tramp called on Pratt and asked for half a dollar to help him on his ourney to his home on the other side of the udson iver. e was asked a out his usiness. e said he was a sculptor. Pratt asked if he could cut a profile on a rock. e said he could and Pratt set him at work on a ig rock on the spot where one road leads to indham and the other to e ington. he truth pro a ly is many local artists and sculptors did a little it of work on the cliff face over the years. Pratt ock Park was esta lished as a pu lic park in 1 with adock Pratt s donation of 20 acres of land. Pratt

e too difficult. he rock was originally a monument for Pratt s son, George Pratt, who was killed in the ivil ar. It is considered the first memorial for the ivil ar in the nation. oday the town has a museum, found in adock s home, dedicated to their town founder and his life ut check to see when they may e open, as they were closed the day we were there. he rock carvings are always there and it is free to park and hike up the side of the mountain to get an up-close look.

In truth, it is worth the effort to see this little piece of Mysterious merica.

O’Life Out! ,

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BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Fall in the Finger lakes - ride For ice cream tHE sPottEd ducK crEamEry

999 statE routE 54, PEnn yan, ny 14527 • 315-509-3939 • spot t eddu ck .com oPEn aPril - octobEr: tHurs-mon at noon-5 and 6-8:30 • closEd tuEs + wEd. Growing up on a farm can e a tough one as well as a wonderful learning e perience. Such was the case with Daniel and li a eth oover, who oth grew up on organic farms and are the founders of the Spotted Duck reamery in Penn an, , along eautiful Seneca ake. ocal and organic ingredients were so key to their fro en custard custard, not ice cream, as it has an egg ase, ut we ll get into that in a minute they actually permanently anned such nasty things as corn syrup and artificial avors. Sourcing their ingredients from local farms, as well as their own ack yard, the oovers developed a superior product with uni ue avors and a huge following. hat makes their homemade, hand-spun fro en custard different Duck eggs, of course. hen they first started working on recipes they tried duck instead of chicken eggs and, literally, lew people s minds and taste uds. heir ncona ducks, who live on the farm, supply them with rich eggs typically laying 210-2 0 year and happen to e a uality meat, having more avor than most Pekin ducks. he yolks are larger and creamier, giving Spotted Duck custard its signature taste and te ture. good amount of their ingredients - erries and fruit - are picked fresh on the farm and go from field to churn in a link of the eye. Milk, sugar and cream are also as fresh as can e, so you ll e licking 100 real fro en custard.

Started in 2009, the oovers decided to pass their a y along and in 2020 Sam Solomon, who had his wood-fired Pi a Posto food truck at Spotted Duck, was the recipient of this ice cream mecca. he oovers sold to Solomon ecause they knew he was as passionate as they were a out using only the est and most local ingredients for the product. nd the product is one that folks travel far and wide to ac uire. ith rotating avors that strive to capture the avors of the Finger akes with such things as lue erry Streusel, ava unction, Ginger read, Straw erry hu ar and Ditch Mint hip. heir fan favorite avors - eal ookies ream which they refer to as an inside-out ice cream sandwich, icked hocolate and mu racks can usually always e found in the scooping ay. arlier this year, Sam was honored with the est Ice ream in the ower States y ohen hompson, who did a -day trek with friends to find the est ice cream in as many states. his is no secret to the locals or the many people who have traveled to ring home their pints. If you have trou le deciding on any one avor, you can indulge in Spotted Duck s Flight of Ice ream. Pro lem solved.

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

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crooKEd laKE icE crEam comPany

35 sHEtHar st, HammondsPort, ny 14840 • 607-569-2751 • crook edlak ei cecream.com ravelling down the length of euka ake will ring you to the uaint village of ammondsport. uilt around a central s uare, ammondsport is dotted with shops and restaurants and, depending on the weekend, you may find some musicians in the andstand serenading the locals and tourists alike.

For more than 0 years, the rooked ake Ice ream o. has een satisfying the needs of the hungry and sugar-seeking in a family friendly classic diner-type esta lishment. Open from a-9p and serving reakfast and lunch, the rooked ake Ice ream o. is also a fountain for scooping some great ice cream. ou may e familiar with the village of ammondsport as it was the irth place of Glenn . urtiss and is the home of the Glenn . Museum. In 1902, at the age of 2 , urtiss egan producing his own motorcycles. ust one year later he

started his path to fame y setting a record speed of riding 6 mph for one consecutive mile. his was only the eginning, as on anuary 21, 1906, the feat which du ed him the fastest man on earth took place in Ormond each, Florida, where he rode his - motorcycle at a world record speed of 1 6. 6 mph - a record that remained untouched for almost 25 years. he mural adorning the wall of the rooked ake o. is an homage to this man and represents their drive and creativity to satisfy their customers while ringing them e cellent food and service and to teach others a out this ammondsport hero.

Some of the e cellent food you will find here include reakfasts of omelettes, pancakes and French toast, coffees made to your specifications, sandwiches from simple to the rooked ake lu , a variety of urgers and salads and, of course, the reason I was here - ice cream. rooked ake Ice ream scoops up ice cream from Dippity Do Dahs in orning, , as well as some larger rands in a variety of tasty avors such as maple walnut, s mores, and caramel latte. ou can get everything from a simple cone or cup to a sundae e travagan a, complete with whipped cream and a cherry on top. One of the newest cra es is ice cream nachos, so of course I had to give it a try. wo heaping scoops served in a waf e owl, topped with caramel, choco-

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Page 20 late, nuts, whipped cream and cherry, accompanies y waf e cone chips for scooping all this into your mouth. hanneling my inner 5-year-old, and getting almost as messy, I dug in and came up with a happy grin, smeared with chocolate and caramel sauce. decadent delight and worth every calorie. utumn is a marvelous time to visit the Finger akes, with all their wineries, apple picking and serene roads. If you have not visited the Glenn urtiss Museum, you are doing yourself a disservice and it should e rectified right away. I ll even give you a 100mile loop which will take you to oth the Spotted Duck and rooked ake for ice cream, as well as some of the nicer roads in the area. e stayed at the inehurst Inn a it dated ut friendly and clean and there are numerous other lodging options to e found. n oy this eautiful season, ride far and often and don t forget to stop for ice cream. ~ Shira Kamil Download .gp file here www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/4t lj 8w

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hile on the ackroads Grand Finale oad ally, we had one rider pick up a puncture in his rear tire. e were a le to plug it easily enough, and we did have a small, if very, very slow, pump to fill it ack up. hat this incident forced me to do was to look at what I carry with me while on tour, or a day ride for that matter. I did have a small pump with me ut when I turned it on eing attery powered I got nothing, nada, ilch. hat I needed was a solidly uilt and modern pump that would carry easily and pump up a tire with authority.

For this, we looked to o ander and MotoPumps. e recently did a write-up on o s GPS Mounts ut, as the name of the company implies, MotoPumps has een uilding e cellent porta le air pumps for a long time now. he MotoPumps ir Shot 2.0 is the ew ork State company s latest design on their already e cellent Moto pump. he ir Shot 2.0 has a reasona le power draw at .5 amps at ma pressure, e cellent performance, and most of all, relia ility. our tire repair kit has to work when you need it. Over the years, they have learned that lots of features and comple ity can multiply your points of failure. his in ator is ound the orld relia le. It even has a lanyard so you can hang it off a footpeg while it does its o .

he MotoPumps ir Shot 2.0 In ator is one of the smallest, lightest, full-performance 12v in ators on the market. Powered y your ike s 12v system, drawing a out .5 amps, it weighs ust over a pound and fits easily in the palm of your hand. he entire kit packs into the heavy-duty ordura ippered case 2 that has room to spare for a tire plugging kit and is s uishy enough to fit under many seats, and certainly a saddle ag. he pump will in ate a completely at motorcycle tire in under 5 minutes or air up a low tire in seconds. very MotoPump is acked y their Five ear imited arranty. he MotoPumps ir Shot 2.0 it provides the performance, ease of use, and relia ility demanded y avid moto tourists. It includes all necessary connectors, S , om o ig M plug, attery lips, attery erminal ings, 6 power cord, and an 1 air hose for ease of use. verything stores in an included heavy-duty case with a it of room to spare if you want to add a tire plugging kit.

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BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

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F

or so many years Backroads has tried not to look at October and the coming winter as the end of the season, but rather the Grand Finale – like an already energetic fireworks show that pulls out all the stops and paints the sky with colors, hues, and raucous explosions.

Nature does this every trip around the sun, and though we hope for a quick winter and a quicker return of spring – let’s go celebrate the fireworks that we’ll find along the backroads this October.

Let’s go chasing the colors.

Connecticut Colors Our first day loop will start and end at a super store that offers today s adventure riders, and so many others too, a plethora of e cellent aftermarket products to keep the ride going. From luggage to suspension, to riding gear and shelves of farkles - the ouratech Store in rookfield, onnecticut is a destination y itself and our oute will loop from and ack to the shop . his region of the utmeg State has some wonderful roads only made etter this time y the fiery leaves and foliage that run along the ackroads so we ll give you a super 95-mile route that will show off some of the great natural eauty to e found in this part of lower ew ngland and, eing a Semi- dventure ide, you et there will e a unch of gravelly miles mi ed in - ust for fun he ride will take off in a generally northeast vector and cross over the ousatonic iver. his river, which got its name from the Mohican tri e meaning eyond the Mountain Place - gets its start high up in the erkshires

and runs nearly 150 miles south to ong Island Sound. long the way, the river is most e cellent for fishing with trout, smallmouth ass, and pike in some of the marshier parts. e ll e past it uickly this day as we continue our loop which will egin to get a it dirty near ake aramuag State Park and then into and through the yantenock State Forest. eally stunning here and worth stopping if a hike is not a four-letter word to you. eading further north the ride will pop onto oute and ride y ent Falls State Park. his is surely worth the stop as this cascade drops some 250 feet down to oin the ousatonic.

If you are a it peckish, you can dou le ack south on oute to the town of ent, as they have several eateries there, or ust continue on this loop and make your lunch part of the adventure. ooping ack south we will seek out some more utmeg gravel and, eing it is Octo er, we ll ride through ransylvania. If you are in the mood to treat yourself, we ll stop at Ferris cres reamery efore making our way ack to ouratech. e hope you en oy the shop and the ride. oops like this always make for a great day s ride Download .gp here www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/hcel1i

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BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

New York State Saturation & Shades he ew ork State of Mind ide will start at Mavri Motorsports, in Middletown, ew ork, right off of Interstate , for those looking to ride every it of 100 plus miles hasing the olors un to an awesome restaurant called the Old Schoolhouse.

Mavri Motorsports has een friends with ackroads for a long while and it was a out time we started one of our Fall ide from this great shop. ell worth taking a long look around if you have never een to im s place.

The route will head out of Middletown and then north a it towards the Shawangunk Mountains, the northern end of one great ridge that stretches from the Hudson, across the Delaware, and into the ppalachians of Pennsylvania. he view from atop oute 52 is stupendous, and then we ll loop around the oundout eservoir. his ody of clear and pure drinking water is one of many feeding the ig pple and at the time of its construction in 195 , it was the largest reservoir in the ew ork ity water supply system. Over 250 residents in the localities of ureka, Montela, and ackawack were relocated as a result of the construction of the reservoir. Some of these families had lived in the valley for many generations. ut minent Domain took their homes and security away, leaving only memories and the occasional istoric Sign marking a spot where families were anished. oday the reservoir is fed y the ondout reek and the sopus reek, providing water to nine million people in the city.

From the ondout, we will make our way over the highest peaks in the atskills on Frost alley oad. eading west on oute 2 orth we will cross over another reservoir the Pepacton. his reservoir, uilt a few years after the oundout, is ew ork

ity s largest, and was created y uilding the dam, located at Downsville where we re going for lunch. It was finished in 195 , and the ooding was completed in 1955. he reservoir is a significant factor in the local economy of Downsville, ew ork, as thousands of tourists travel to Downsville each year to fish for trout. o motor oats are allowed on the reservoir which can hold 1 0.2 illion gallons of water. ntering the town of Downsville, you might wonder a out the odd name. he town was named for a man named el Downs, who had a tannery way ack in the day. ust down the road on the left, you will find the Old Schoolhouse. e have featured this restaurant many times and it has a most unusual feel to it. Super food, e cellent staff, and lots of mounted creatures of every si e, type, and genus some not even from this world. ulie and crew love riders and, if you want to make a weekend out of this the Old Schoolhouse has some e cellent rooms for the night as well. n oy the ride and say hi from us.

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Backroads Brilliance in the Jersey Skylands his will e a strictly ersey un and we ll start with reakfast at the lias ole estaurant, right on oute 2 , north of the town of Susse . fter having ancy crew getting you fueled and ready for a long day s ride we will spin up along igh Point State Park and a side trip to the view from the monument up top is well worth the effort. ommemorating veterans of all wars, the igh Point Monument dedication reads o he Glory and onor and ternal Memory of ew ersey s heroes y land, sea, and air, in all wars of our ountry.

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Page 23

he view from the highest point in ew ersey, at 1, 0 feet a ove sea level, is a spectacular panorama of three states ew ersey, ew ork, and Pennsylvania.

It seems to many these days, as we ride y igh Point, that it was always there. ut it is all ust one hundred years old, and like most things, there is a great ack story. igh Point State Park was a gift to the people of ew ersey from olonel nthony and Susie Dryden user. hey donated their 10,000-acre mountaintop estate in 192 for the creation of a new park so that everyone could en oy the scenic and recreational opportunities found at the highest elevation in ew ersey. Four years later the users proposed another gift. In a letter to Governor arry Moore in ovem er 192 , nthony user wrote, Mrs. user and I offer to give the construction of a monument at igh Point in tri ute to all citi ens of the State of ew ersey who have served or who shall serve in any war in either the land, sea, or air forces of this country. e feel that all such service is of a heroic character and that it is altogether fitting to place such a memorial on the highest promontory. heir offer to fund the construction of a monument to honor ew ersey s veterans was readily accepted, and construction egan in the summer of 192 . hink of this . One family gave all this to ew ersey. t night the shaft of the Monument is illuminated, as it first was in 19 0, and can e seen from up to 0 miles away. he user s legacy of philanthropy created the ew ersey s veterans memorial that over 90 years later, is still en oyed y thousands of visitors every year.

From here we ll ride towards the ew ork State ine, ut make a left onto love oad towards the end you will want to watch your pace and stay alert as the road gets a mind of its own. e ll hang a right on Deckertown oad and then left on iver and then cross oute 206 and onto Old Mine oad. es, it is om ed out so pick and choose your way around the potholes and stay on this road, which is considered the oldest in the nation, all the way to the alpack alley.

Page 24 This was another region that fell under Eminent Domain back in the 1950s after severe floods took some of the region, and during the planning stages of the Tock’s Island Dam Project that would have dammed the Delaware River. This project never saw the light of day and without it the Delaware River, all 282 miles of it, is the longest free-flowing river in the eastern United States.

As evil as the land grab was, this has the unforeseen benefit of letting us ride through the Walpack Valley with little more than the road drizzled through this way that looks like it did before the first European settlers arrived.

For those who do not mind some gravel, there is also the famed Buttermilk Falls – the highest falls in the state – but along the GPX route, you will see where to choose this.

Back on NPS 615 we’ll loop around and head toward Blairstown, but not for long as we’ll scoot onto some favorite backroads of ours (this IS our neighborhood) and the run along Shannon Road and down Millbrook is about as good as it gets. From here we ride through Stillwater, maybe stop for a coffee and ice cream at the Stillwater Café, and then double back on County Road 521 north, around Swartswood Lake – the state’s oldest park. Don’t expect jet skis or gas-powered motorboats to race across the 519-acre natural glacial lake as only electric motors are permitted. Instead, expect views of colorful sailboats, canoes, and kayaks on the still waters of Swartswood Lake.

Follow the route across Route 206 again and you’ll be on County Road 519 which’ll take you back through Branchville, and Beemerville, with Space Farms worth a stop for sure, and eventually back to Route 23, just south of your breakfast stop at the Elias Cole – that also has some serious pies which might be a worthy reward for a Chasing the Colors Ride well done.

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BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Pennsylvanian Palette Our last Chase will start from a local hangout, very familiar to many readers - Van Sant Airport - and will make its way north and west to another favorite stop for Backroads – Wanamaker’s General Store.

This 77-mile route loops up and around the Delaware River then cuts across the mountains and the long valleys that are part of that long mountain ridgeline that we talked about, far to the north on the New York part of this Chasing the Colors article way up in the edge of the Catskills.

Along this route, we’ll cross the Lehigh River, just south of Palmerton, and run along some lightly forested roads towards Kempton, Pennsylvania, and Wanamakers General

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Store. e were taken with anamakers the first time our friends, the infamous Southern ontingent, turned us onto it. his place is very special and it is hard to stop y for lunch and not uy something off one of the many shelves that the owner, yra endricks, keeps loaded with very cool items, and things of whimsy and fun. Shira keeps a particularly short leash on me here. ho doesn t need the igfoot toy very ody needs another.

Download .gpx here: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/xq z p78 n oy the ride, take in the colors, and make the est of it inter is coming. ,

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BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Page 26

SPRING BREAK 2023

As we are now rolling past the quarter-century mark of Backroads Rallies, we looked at a lot of options. Go north. Go west. Go south.

In our books, we think we are going to have a great time no matter what. We know we re going to find some great roads. Fairly sure we re going to have a decent place to lay our heads come the night.

And then there are all of you who come to our rallies time and again - for it is this gathering of riders near and far that makes a Backroads Rally successful and fun.

But, for 2023, we had something extra special happening as well – the BMW MO A National Rally that would be taking place this same week in Doswell, irginia. From the moment we heard the mid- tlantic location of the 202 BMW Rally we knew we’d be working around this huge event.

Although we have all sorts of machines and riders come along on our rallies – we do have a serious number of the German marque… Yet many of them have never attended a national rally. Add into that equation all the other machines that come on our humble events and we knew we’d have a bunch of riders who had never experienced a BMW National for themselves.

This was a great opportunity to turn them all onto something great.

To The Cork hoTel • lanCasTer, Pennsylvania Finally ack on the road To us, it seemed like a long, long time since we had had a Backroads event, and being this Spring Break Rally was to be held almost a month later than usual – w e were raring to go.

Our first night on the road would ring riders down along the tinier ackroads of the Keystone State. But, for some riders, this was just the end of the

first part as we had several ew ngland riders trek down and it is always great to see New Hampshire and plates with Vermont green along for the ride.

For us, it was a uick meet-up at the lairstown Diner, home of ason orhees and Friday the 1 th fame. From there we motored over the Delaware and the Water Gap, before heading west through the roads to the Lehigh River.

This rides deep into the Slate Belt and along the way we passed relics of the past; one being something we all take for granted. It was here in this town that a factory once was the first to make lack oards and school slates in the

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023 nation at one point making over one million lack oards y far more than any other town on the planet. ow you know.

Further on, our route egan to vector towards the south and we ran along twisty and tight roadways mimicking the ow of the streams, also heading south.

Soon the mish farmlands opened up and we were in some of the est riding in this part of the state.

In phrata, we stopped at Fo Meadow reamery for a much-needed sugar fi and we d e fools to ride past such great ice cream.

Late afternoon found us rolling into the ork Factory otel, in ancaster.

This is a hotel at which we have stayed in the past and, in truth, it was a cork factory that opened its doors ack in 1 5. he hotel is great, the ar fun, and the restaurant eyond e cellent.

It was wonderful to see so many faces we had missed since last year and some new ones as well.

Page 27 with the old still holding a good hand over the new merica of strip malls and chain stores. e crossed over the ay and made a re uired lunch stop at arris s ra ouse, at ent arrows. e have een here many times, and today would not disappoint. e got a great ta le outside on the second deck overlooking he ay.

Friday • lanCasTer, Pa To Colonial BeaCh, va e have long wanted to ring our rally to the hesapeake ay and the surrounding region, and the M ally allowed us to do ust that. he day started with a romp south through the lower part of Pennsylvania and then crossed the Mason Di on ine into Maryland. eading down along the western side of the Delmarva Peninsula the road ran along farmlands of wheat and soy and crossed the numerous small rivers that make up the Old ine State. ere old towns mi ed with modern merica,

ust a out everyone in our group found their way to arris and y the time we were done we had devoured do ens of oysters and um o cra s, so ig they seemed to e from the urassic era. ra s take time to en oy ut time was on our side this day and, although the route did get ogged down a it near nnapolis, it soon opened up again as we headed south then west and over the Potomac iver and into irginia

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Page 28 and our home ase for the ne t two nights the very hip and art deco iverview otel. his place has ecome a favorite of ours and elly and o aughn, the innkeepers, have a great place ust a lock from a each that seems to think it s located at the ottom of Florida and not northern irginia.

hat evening found some folks taking in the rts Festival and spreading out to a few of the restaurants that are sprinkled through olonial each.

Most found a happy ta le at the lack Pearl iki ar that had drinks owing and a rocking and for most of the night, and the local crowd was friendly and happy enough, even if the ar had one particular im- aming nointer. oe ool ocks he night seemed to e eternally young as the clock turned the page on the day, there were still a few along the patio chatting it up softly into the night. s we have said, our ackroads allies ring all sorts our way, and that night we had friends show up from Florida, and South arolina as well as some irginians who live ust down the road. ll was well on our oat.

BMW MOA National Rally at Doswell, Virginia ears ack it was simply called Meadows Sta les. here are around . million horses and, as of this writing, 59,526 registered horse farms in the nited States. ut there was only one Secretariat ever.

ow called Meadow vent Park, this sprawling 1-acre property is rich in history and was the very place thorough red racing legend Secretariat was orn in 19 0. hree years later he la ed his way into riple rown history. oday his irthplace is listed on the ational egister of istoric Places and the irginia andmarks egister.

For one week in une, it ecame ground ero for all things M Motorcycle. lthough we re not track kids, when it comes to the ponies we do love the riple rown and watch all three races. ast year we visited hurchill Downs, in entucky so spending time at this historic horse farm was a ig onus for oth Shira and me.

Good choice M Owners ssociation

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023 s we said earlier we planned our rally around their rally, and we think a good deal of the riders who were ourneying along with ackroads rode down to Doswell and took in the M MO ally.

In truth, we would have een at this rally from the second it opened till the ikes rode away on Sunday. ut the lure and chance of ringing so many newies to the rally was irresisti le. hus this Spring reak was structured around the 50th M ally.

Fifty is a long, long time and there are still a handful of riders that attended the very first and one rider, orm Phoeni , attending every one of them. ow that is ama ing

Page 29 I m a gadget, doo-hickey, whatchamacallit sort of guy so this was heaven to me. Shira held the wallet. ach night there were ands on the main stage and our friend es and th Grade School Girl Fight - started that all off est and ame ever .

Saturday Night the closing ceremonies saw thousands of dollars of pri es and giveaways to e had and, this is the important part of this rally the weather was perfect. true gift from the oad Gods to the good folks at the M MO for their 50th shindig. eading ack to olonial each, once again folks spread out for dinner, and Shira and I and new ackroads friends Isa ella and Patrick took a ta le at the south end of olonial each at the Dockside and then made it ack for the riverside fireworks that were part of the weekend s art festival or may e it was for us who really knows. ut, what I do know is it was one of the most impressive town fireworks we had ever seen and a great way to end our few days in this semi-tropical and cute town of olonial each. hank you iverview you were super .

sunday • Colonial BeaCh, va To GeTTysBurG, Pa e had two completely different attacks for this day s ride that would head from the mouth of the Potomac iver, where its 00 mile run ends in the lower hesapeake ay and our end near the hallowed grounds that saw the loodiest attle of the ivil ar, as well as the most healing speech ever given y a .S. President Gettys urg.

One plan had us cut through ashington D. ., a town with one of the highest crime rates in the nation, and I m ust talking apital ill.

For three days the rally had seminars on all sorts of su ects involved with motorcycles and riding, as well as day trip ideas for those who wanted to e plore this great riding region.

Many tour companies were there as well and they even had a movie each night Why We Ride and Long Way Down. here were tours of the farm s distillery and at the same time a Friends of ill meeting. veryone was covered here. ut we came for the vendors. he large e hi itor uilding held a plethora of vendors selling gear, helmets, doo-hickeys, tours, and things that you did not know you needed till you found it here.

Outdoors many of the things that you had ust ought could e installed and many a ike came out far more farkled than when they rode in.

It would pass the hite ouse, ashington Monument, and the incoln Memorial.

Or not. s no ody cept me wanted to do this. It ll e awesome.

Shira especially wanted nothing to do with D. . ike om Petty I won t ack down. o, I won t ack down you can tie me up to the gates of hell, ut sniff.

Okay, I acked down and followed along with Shira s route.

Shira, Shira, Shira every ody loves Shira. ou know I taught her how to use ase amp ust sayin .

In truth my girl did a stellar o of routing for this day with 1 5 miles of simply ama ing tarmac, with a few miles of gravel sprinkled in ust to give it the Shiraka Seal of pproval.

From the very start, this day ride ock olled

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BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Staying on the ackroads and dutifully avoiding larger pavement when possi le, Shira snaked us north and west far from D. . and its politicians. t one point we swung on a 16-mile loop around uantico. ou hear a out this ase constantly in various action spy thrillers and television shows. ow called Marine orps Installations ommand ational apital egion Marine orps ase uantico M I -M uantico is immense, covering some 59,000 acres, compared to the town of uantico which is only a out acres It serves as head uarters for many training institutions, including the Marine orps niversity, the F I cademy, and the D raining cademy. he uantico installation is also the location of the ational Museum of the Marine orps. here was even a television series called uantico for a short it. iding around in a clockwise fashion the Garmin GPS simply presented a gray area - and you knew to stay on the green side of the map.

his is the uintessential northern irginia town that screams high-end of society it is known as the ation s orse and unt apital for its fo hunting, steeplechases, and large estates. here were several great restaurants along the main road through town, and, ust past the halfway point in the day s so ourn, it was the perfect place to find lunch. unch of miles later we crossed the Potomac iver once again and rode into Maryland.

So far this day Shira s route seemed to e getting etter y the mile, ut when we vectored into Frederick Municipal Park, ust north of the town, things got even etter. he road looked to e recently paved and going over the mountain took skill and attention. ut this forest was something more

he route passed through ristoe Station and the attlefield that saw the onfederate General ee make his true last operational offensive against the orth.

Further on we crossed through Manassas here two ma or ivil ar attles were fought. iding through places like this is a hum ling and sometimes chilling e perience. t one point during the day, as all were passing along this route, many of our riders discovered Middle urg, irginia.

hen is a forest more than a forest hen it is managed specifically as the source of drinking water for an entire city. ence, Frederick Municipal Forest is more than a forest. It provides clean, fresh drinking water for the 0,000 people who live downstream. Do you need more of a reason to love it he well-maintained la yrinth of trails is a locally known secret to many hiking and mountain iking enthusiasts, and now we all know of the ridelicious paved road up and over this mountain.

From there the ackroads returned us to Pennsylvania and our home for

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

the last night of the ackroads Spring reak the isenhower otel. hile the hotel was amid growing pains, and there was a lot of confusion on where and when there would e a restaurant or ar ngie, who was running the show there, really stepped up to help make things right. ey, what is life if not an adventure For us, Shira and I rode into and around the attlefield which we highly recommend if you are in the Gettys urg region, and then we sat down at a local rewery for dinner. he hotel paid for ers for all those who wished to go to town. hose who stayed had a fun-filled evening at the ar restaurant, complete with ice cream sundaes to cap off the night.

Gettysburg back home For all ut a few minutes, earlier in this rally, we had perfect weather. ut, our region needed rain, and the oad Gods were going to provide this day. efore we headed up to our room, the thought was going around to leave early and get ahead of the heavy storm arreling in from the west. e were up at 5 5 and te ted several people that we d e leaving at 6 15. o ody came out so we got going.

Most would e following our wake over the ne t hour or so and most made it home dry and happy. Most. ut, that s okay we ain t sugar and we won t melt, will we oday was my turn to e Saint rendan and the ride stuck with smaller roads up and across the Sus uehanna iver and generally north and east.

e passed the ational Guard ase at Fort Indiantown Gap with it tanks, planes and hinook helicopters lined up for action. e usually have hinooks pass right over ackroads entral every now and again, their mighty twin rotors

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shaking our uilding as they do. It is always a show Good to know from where they are ying. e then rode over awk Mountain and took half an hour to check out their isitor enter which had a sad, ut wonderfully shown, story of the plight of our migratory hawks and how one woman made a difference in saving thousands of these magnificent predators. iding down off awk Mountain we ipped along some of P s est little paved ways until we popped out ust a mile south of anamakers General

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BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023 had een with us for the last five days, with everyone getting home safe and sound. e always like that. oth Shira and I really would like to thank all of you who came on this year s Spring reak, for it is you kids who make it all so much fun and the M MO ally ust added to the entire canvas with a great splash of lue and white. e are not sure when or if we ll e doing rallies along this line ut keep reading cause you will never know when the clarion call might go out to assem le at some hotel, on some mountain, in some state. e ust do not know where yet. , ~ Brian Rathjen

Store, in empton. yra and crew have een ig supporters of this maga ine for years and we always try to stop in when traveling through this region.

If you have never een to anamakers, make the effort. he food, the toys, the crafts, and the am iance is from a long time ago simple and simply delicious.

From the general store to home was 0 or so miles and as we rolled up ounty oad 521 into Susse ounty the clouds, that had een playing catch up, egan to gain ground. o sooner had we rolled the tired, dirty ut happy steeds into the arn than it egin to rain. iming is everything. s the day headed towards night, we received a lot of emails and te ts from folks and friends that

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

I think these days there is a common thread and discussion with most motorcyclists when more than a few of us gather, and that is age. According to most sources, the average age of today’s American rider is 50+.

It seems every time we see younger riders on the road a lot of us take note and silently thank the Road Gods that they are riding a motorcycle, and not on their Smart Phones calling an Uber.

It is no lost reality that the motorcyclist is an aging breed; so we must encourage the young ones to strap on a helmet and hop on board a bike. We all know that once they do, they will most likely become hooked on moto sports.

When we were at PittRace in August we spent almost as much time watching MotoAmerica’s MiniCup Series of races as we did the bigger classes.

The Mission Mini Cup by Motul Championship is the beginning of a jour-

Page 33 ney for aspiring motorcycle road racers. It is the first step in a process that could culminate in an FIM Superbike World Championship or MotoGP World Championship.

Developed specifically to introduce young people from the age of five to the sport of motorcycle road racing, Mini Cup races are held on kart tracks, and the majority of them take place during select MotoAmerica event weekends.

The racers compete for podium positions, season championships, and trophies just like the rest of the competitors in the MotoAmerica Championship.

What we saw on this day was some of the best competition of the weekend.

The youngest riders compete aboard mini-bikes that are equipped with road racing tires, making them compatible with asphalt road courses. These minibikes include 50cc, 110cc, and 125cc machines from manufacturers such as Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha.

From there, the Mini Cup riders step up to purpose-built mini-road racers from Ohvale, specifically, the Ohvale GP-0 160cc and GP-2 190cc machines.

How young do these young boys and girls start competing? The Stock 50 class has riders from 5 to 9 years old, the Stock 110 from 6 to 12, and the Stock 125 from ages 10 through 17!

For those riders who race in the GP-0 160 and GP-2 190 classes of the Mission Mini Cup by Motul Championship, they have the opportunity to also compete in an end-of-the-year world championship event called the “FIM MiniGP World Series Final.”

In 2022, the Mission Mini Cup by Motul Championship sent two riders— Nathan Gouker and Ryder Davis—to the FIM MiniGP World Series Final at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. That must be an amazing experience for these young riders.

Don’t for one moment think that these races are just some kids going around a track to simply have fun.

This is very serious racing here and the MotoAmerica Rule Book on MiniCup is a full 38 pages deep, basically following the Big Kid Rules on the main track; and all these young racers need an AMA or FIM Racing License. To obtain this they have to rack up some experience in their chosen class.

I don’t have one of these, but I think perhaps I could race the 125 Class… maybe; as the distance to the track looks to be a lot less painful.

Page 34

ruthfully, watching these kids they are far smoother, faster, and more confident than I could ever e. his year the Moto merica Mini up e panded to a si -round championship, with four of the si running in con unction with the Moto merica hampionship and its premier Medallia Super ike series. he Mini up series kicked off its season with a round at arolina Motorsports Park in ershaw, South arolina, in May, and finished up at the Moto merica season finale held at ew ersey Motorsports Park in Millville, ew ersey, in Septem er.

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

In etween they had rounds with Moto merica at ar er Motorsports Park in irmingham, la ama, oad merica in lkhart ake, isconsin, and Pitts urgh International ace, where we got to see these racer kids in person. e are very e cited a out e panding the Mini up Presented y Motul program for 202 , said Moto merica OO huck ksland. Our aim is to get more young racers involved in our sport. y adding more events and additional classes, our hope is to create more accessi ility for those that want to give road racing a shot. e look forward to the season and watching the progression of our future stars.

If you get the chance to see Moto merica s Mini up take it. For us, it was heartening to see such young ones with such raw talent.

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Page 35 Mini up is truly a family event, and the parents well, they are like any parent watching their children compete they are very, very serious and ust a it e cita le ut that is the way they should e. ike alentino ossi cheering on Marco e ecchi or his rother uca Marini it is always a family team. nd the racers Oh, dear Do you want to talk a out ace Face othing like a -year-old, all set to go F S , to wear the ye of the iger. ou go kids ~ Brian Rathjen

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Page 36

PRODUCT REVIEW

Pirelli ScorPion Trail ii • BeST of BoTh WorldS

he word Scorpion recalls immediately the range of Pirelli products intended for use in off-road competitions, not only in the two-wheel world ut also on four-wheels. he products in the Scorpion line are present in off-road car racing competitions, in the nduro and ross ountry ally orld hampionships, and in the Motocross orld hampionship, in which the range of off-road Pirelli tires has een the undisputed leader for over 0 years with 9 world titles gained. he enduro street market remains a segment where motorcyclists e pectations are always high and where motorcycle manufacturers continue to invest in launching new uprated products every year. ith so many riders opting for adventure ikes, over typical and more traditional sport-touring machines, there is a huge market for well-designed and usea le tires as well.

Pirelli offers the Scorpion rail II a tire that truly allows these machines to ride and handle what they were made for the well-paved ackoads, and for when those ackroads end ut the ne t town is still 20 miles ahead and over the mountain. he Scorpion rail IIs, which have een availa le for many years now, were specifically designed for what adventure touring motorcyclists should e looking for. he Pirelli Scorpion rail II tires feature an aggressive tread pattern uilt on Pirelli s years of tire innovations and it shows.

he innovative tread pattern of Scorpion rail II results from this famous off-road line enriched with the e perience gained y Pirelli with the development of ngel G , considered the reference tire for Pirelli s sport touring segment. he side grooves of the new Scorpion rail II have een designed to ensure optimal drainage in case of rain, while the layout and inary open shape of the central ones not only contri ute to the drainage of water ut also ensure etter traction, greater sta ility, and more regular wear. ll this design works ecause Pirelli s uses a compound created with a uni ue process of continuously mi ing polymers and resins with silica that chemically onds to car on lack for more consistent wear and performance. hen all is said and done, the tires offer outstanding sta ility on the ig roads and proved themselves to ring e cellent traction on dirt as well. est of oth worlds. fter thousands of miles, they have rought superior handling, comfort, and confidence-inspiring grip in all sorts of riding conditions.

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Page 37 combines the greatest features of a light enduro tire with those of an advanced sport touring tire. The side grooves have been designed to ensure optimal drainage of water, while the layout and shape of the central grooves not only contribute to the drainage of water but also ensure better traction, greater stability, and normal wear. The structure that lies beneath the Pirelli Scorpion Trail II Tires ensures high performance on winding roads and even loaded and two-up on a long interstate haul.

Designed for the most demanding riders, Pirelli was aiming for high mileage, consistency of performance for its entire tire life, and top-notch wet behavior.

They succeeded years ago… and this tire is still one of the best available.

The Scorpion Trail II was created for the latest generation adventure touring and enduro street motorcycles as the Ducati Multistrada, BMW R 1250 GS, Triumph Tiger, Kawasaki Versys, and Suzuki V-Strom models which are increasingly being purchased by riders strictly for use on the road but which, if necessary, may also face stretches of dirt and light off-road.

You can find out more about the Scorpion Trail II and other great Pirelli Tires on their website at www.pirelli.com.

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

Page 38

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

SBV Tool KiTS

ottom line up front, if any are hesitant a out purchasing S ools, don t e. he uality, functionality, multiple application of these kits is ama ing.

I ve een using a DI kit I assem led mostly from a local Freight store and ig o hardware suppliers and I ecame overly frustrated having to replace roken its, pieces, and parts over the years when working on my ike. his pro lem is no longer. In my uest for the most versatile, relia le, and complete kit while keeping the si e and weight down, I discovered S . I evaluated and compared S to Motohansa, ru ools, Stockton, ike Master, and Motion Pro. For the M 1250GS or any M for that matter , S earned my vote y a wide margin hey do make kits for many other ikes with specific applications to fit your needs. he closest competitor I found in comparison is the Motohansa kit, ut what stood out for me was the integration, e panda ility and overall function of the S kit, making it in my opinion, a etter overall value. nd with a lifetime warranty, I felt confident in my purchase. I opted to add the digital tor ue tool 52295 for 99 as well which re uires no special proprietary ratchet and covers a range from m to 20 m and comes in a nice, compact protective case. It even includes an adapter making it compati le with any 1 or drive reaker ar or ratchet to use it. It seems to e very accurate with far more range of tor ue, etter than my garage kept tool that has the clicker indicator and cannot handle the lower tor ue specs.

he S M kit 52502 includes two pieces, again making it highly versatile depending on user s desire, riding needs, and weight considerations. lthough some references re ect the weight at well over 6 l s., that s not what I found. hen placing oth pieces, loaded as received, on the scales in their respective pouches, it was a mere 5. l s. total. hat saved me 2.5 l s. less than my makeshift DI kit. dditionally, the dimensions were e ually impressive at 10.5 long and rolled down to 5 diameter again, this included oth pieces . S also included metal snaps to affi them if opting to carry them together with a ro ust 1.5 wide elcro strap to cinch it tight. here is some space within should you want to add other items.

S recently partnered with eemerShop, Inc. in Scotts alley, as the first .S. distri utor. his family-owned usiness is also another with whom I ll e doing future usiness highly responsive, great customer service hank you, ed Porter. www.b eemershop.com ~ Cary Dixon

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023 bacKlasH

Page 39 Continued from Page 7

a few times if I had seen anyone new – simply to have them join us at dinner.

As far as group dinners go – we have had many – BUT it always depends on the venue- neither of the first few places could handle this.

There are always friend who stick together, but NOT ONE of our rally riders are anything but friendly and open.

I do not want to sound snarky, but Shira and I can only try to get rides together – you have to take it from there.

I am sorry you were disappointed...and hope to see you at another event – we’d love to do some miles with you.

All the best!

Brian Rathjen rian and Shira, s a long time reader and su scri er, I ve tolerated some of your reader s comments, such as hose ikes, you know the kind , lack eather rowd , etc., etc. ecause my wife and I really en oy your maga ine. ith their noses so far up in the air, I hoped they kept um rellas as G to keep them from drowning in a rain storm.

I admire and support your ou do you and I ll do me attitude ut you seem to have strayed lately.

In the last several issues you seem to have ecome O D a out G , G , G . I agree that ip ops, shorts and a 00 helmet doesn t make sense ut, hey, ou do you and I ll do me. y looking at the age of your rally attendees, I would think they have a handle on what they want. t 0 years old, growing up in the motorcycle community with my wife riding over 0 years, we ve traveled this country e tensively ust fine without anyone telling us what to wear and when.

In your ugust hatchathinkin column, I think you took it a it over the edge. ou stated that you re pre udiced against non- G riders so I m led to elieve that you re pre udiced against us when we wear only oots, eans, t-shirts and helmets. o make you even more pre udiced , we re on

hose ikes, you know the kind and are part of the lack eather rowd .

I also sensed a it of immaturity y thinking no wave from Shira is going to make me lose any sleep. t my age, I can t afford to.

In closing, I wouldn t want to compromise your principles y renewing my su scription. Someone might see us reading your maga ine and, well, you know what happens - there goes the neigh orhood . ad for usiness. e ll miss your maga ine ut still wish you safe riding for many years to come. s a footnote, we ve seen you oth shoot pool at Gyp s and I think some G is definitely in order. ust sayin .

Sincerely, Warren Koenig - Andover Twp, NJ Good day Warren, First off thank you for the note. I cannot remember the last time I received a hand-written letter. Most excellent. To the point…

I agree with you.

In retrospect some of the comments were short-sighted and unnecessary.

So – from me to you- I’m sorry it was printed as such, and I apologize and am sorry you were offended.

That being said – real gear works. We can agree on that?

But… as Shira said during the pandemic, ‘You do you and I’ll do me’.

As far as waving…if I see a hand come up, and I can, I respond in kind.

Every time.

If you see us in Gyp’s say hello… beer on me. Some friendships start in strange ways. ~ Brian Perhaps my comment regarding waving was inconsiderate and I’m sure that there is no sleep lost by anyone over that. I have nothing against black leather, perfectly good riding gear, nor do I care what you ride, as long as you take your riding seriously and never think that you can’t learn more.

I am curious, however, about your comment on our pool playing. We NEVER claimed to be good, we’re just having fun. ~ Shira

THE TOURIST TRAPS ARE EMPTY, VACANCY ABOUNDS, ALMOST LIKE IT USED TO BE, BEFORE THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN. THAT’S WHEN IT ALWAYS HAPPENS, SAME TIME EVERY YEAR, I COME DOWN TO TALK TO ME, WHEN THE COAST IS CLEAR. ~ JIMMY BUFFETT LIVE LIFE LIKE A SONG • NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO RIDE

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2023

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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

lEt’s gEt you tHinKing… Part 1 The next few months of Welcome to the Jungle are mixed from several emails that were bandied back and forth about motorcycle safety, Situational Awareness, and the lack of SA being pushed strongly during motorcycle courses – be they in a parking lot, the street, or racetrack.

The three riders involved were David Hough well-known riding safety maven, Tim “Wedge” O’Toole, U.S. Fighter Pilot and your humble publisher, Brian Rathjen. Read on!

From David Hough: our guru comments from a few issues ack got me thinking. aving een involved in rider training, curriculum development, maga ine articles, etc. for decades, I ve finally come to reali e that managing the danger isn t so much a matter of eing skillful, ut of eing o servant.

In other words, the secret to managing danger is having good situational awareness. nd that s true whether it s motorcycling, law enforcement, warfare, or ying airplanes.

Of course, if your only tool is a hammer, everything egins to look like a nail. he ig Dog rider training folks, who were professional racers, see the pro lem as a failure to corner. nd, when a corner-trained rider then crashes into something, the track e pert doesn t know what to do. On the track, people aren t allowed to drive against traffic, make left turns, or suddenly stop on the freeway. heir answer is to hit the nail y teaching etter-stopping tactics, eh Or, may e we need to enhance our conspicuity. he more scientific answer lies in plain sight, ergo, in crashes the motorcycle is the striking vehicle a out 9 of the time. Of course, our iker egos resist the reality that we could e responsi le. It wasn t my fault. he stupid cage driver pulled right in front of me, so I hit him. hat e cuse may have a kernel of truth in it, ut the scenario of riding into a tree or power pole is harder to pass off. I was riding along minding my own usiness when this tree umped out in front of me, so I hit it.

Of course, managing the dangers in the traffic ungle saps a lot of energy.

I suspect that more than a few riders who give it up do so ecause they have learned so much a out the resident dangers that they can t ust ride along enoying the ree e anymore. Sometimes constantly scrutini ing the situation saps the fun out of riding. ven for those who can maintain a sustaina le level of situational awareness without getting fatigued, there are some interesting issues involving human ehavior. One is the way a homo sapiens fails to see something that s in plain sight, say a motorcycle in traffic. out 20 years ago, psych researchers discovered inattentional lindness. hat is if a person is not thinking a out attending to something, his or her rain can ust ignore the image. here s a famous video clip of an inattentional lindness e periment known as he Gorilla in our midst. Someone who has not seen this can fail to see a hairy gorilla wandering through the scene.

The issue here is that human eyes are not like cameras that record a nice upside-down clear image that can t e disputed. uman eyes merely pass along images to the rain, which in the interests of avoiding sensory overload ust filters out images calculated to e of no interest to the viewer . hus, a driver who has ust een hit y a motorcycle can say I didn t see the ike coming. hile mental issues should have o vious importance to a motorcyclist riding around in traffic, it s hard to teach to motorcyclists, new or veteran. he ottom line is that a out half of other drivers are lind to you, ut you can t tell their status ust y looking at the vehicle. ou can only make a point of not running into all other vehicles rocks, trees, poles, et al. or allowing them to run into you and there are several such mental conundrums.

I m not aware of any rider training courses that teach situational awareness.

Police and military com at training often teach S in simulated environments, teaching soldiers or cops to make split-second decisions a out what s a danger and what s not, and deciding whether to shoot or hold.

I ve long felt that the computer game industry is amiss in not developing motorcycling ungle games where a rider faces a succession of dangers, and learns split-second responses. I d think that I could uickly come up with scenes once the concept was introduced. I once captured a onda rep in an elevator at an SMS conference. I convinced him that a motorcycling S simulator would e not only useful ut profita le. e never reported ack to me, ut eventually, onda did come out with a stupid little sit-down thing. nd wouldn t you know It focused on control skills rather than situational dangers. ,