BACKROADS • JANUARY 2012 Hunter was holding their annual Octoberfest and there was the Color in the Catskills Motorcycle Rally too. We had mapped out most of the routes for this trip well before Hurricane Irene pillaged the northeast so this day we ran into many closed roads, which we again took any way. Needless to say we began to reroute along the way avoiding any rivers and streams when we could. Still there was plenty of sand and gravel this day. We stopped for lunch in Great Barrington and then looped west and over the Rip Van Winkle Bridge across the Hudson and into the Catskill. With all the moisture from the previous days the waterfalls on Route 23A were the most impressive we have ever seen them and we knew that we would have to spend some time rethinking our next day’s ride to the Cha Cha Hut Barbeque. We checked into the hotel and then scooted over to the rally to see what was going on and to visit the vendor area. The hotel had a decent bar and a great menu so we were set for the night, which was a good thing as we had even more Fall Fiesta Folks showing up for the last few days of the rally and the place did a brisk business that night; even if it took all night to really get dinner. As we mentioned we had a ride scheduled that Saturday to one of our favorite barbeques, the Cha Cha Hut in Andes, New York, but as bad as parts of Vermont and Massachusetts were the Catskills took a bigger hit from Irene and any roads by the creeks and streams might or might not be rideable. We found that our planned route was not going to happen so we made a large loop along roads that were still open to Andes. We had promised our riders only the best in barbeque this day and Frank and Cherie came through in a big way with their outstanding smoky delights, creative sauces and the best mac & cheese in the world. We even bought a few racks of ribs back for dinner later that night. We routed up by Grand Gorge and then through Prattsville. The scene in
Page 35 the town, or what was left of it, was beyond anything we had seen so far. The town was devastated when the local creek rose over 15 feet in under 12 hours and we heard, at one point, the rain spilling off the Catskills sent a volume of water that was greater than Niagara Falls through the town. A large white FEMA tent dominated a muddy lot and homes were crushed and mangled, torn off their foundations. American flags jutted from poles stuck in the mud; and the misery of this tragedy was enough to make you want to cry for these people. You barely heard about this from the big news networks, but I am sure there will be yet another sad story about Katrina next week. It is amazing how some news people decided what is worth reporting over and over again. Back at the Hunter Inn we parked the bikes for the day and meandered back to the Octoberfest and the Colors in the Catskills Rally. The beer was flowing and the oompah bands were blaring and even though it was a fairly crappy and wet day everybody seemed to be having a grand time; so we got in the spirit and danced polkas, sang unknown lyrics to obscure German drinking songs and generally had smiles all around. It was a fine end to a phenomenal week of riding with our friends new and old. Sunday saw most packing up and heading homeward and, right on cue, the sun came out allowing for this last day on the road to be as perfect as they come. Some have taken to calling it Backroads Weather. Heading south out of the Catskills I began to breathe a sigh of relief as the roads looked better and we were making quick time home, until we ran into the Delaware River just south of Port Jervis. We saw one last Road Closed warning. We ignored it, like the rest, and soon were back at Backroads Central where there was, thankfully, no sign closing our driveway. Another great rally in the books. We hope to see you in May in Luray, Virginia – trust us – we already are praying to the Weather Gods and Joe Bastardi.