As a voracious reader, I get a lot of odd magazines each month. Archaeology, Smithsonian, and some of the more mainstream - Car & Driver, Popular Mechanics, etc.
I recently received a sample copy of a British magazine called New Scientist. This mag contains pages of mini-articles, theories, facts, and tidbits. Under the column head ‘Mind’ was an article titled ‘How to Have a Good Day’. Who does not want to have a good day, right? I dove in. The article by Elizabeth Hlavinka talked about a study done by the University of British Columbia in Canada. Here a professor named Dunigan Folk and his colleagues wanted to distinguish what separates a good day from a bad one, or even an average one. The article touched on general socializing, and work hours – with 6 hours not affecting your day, but after that things get more crappy exponentially. They talked about commuting time. I remember Tony Robbins once saying that you want no more than a 20-minute commute. This article stated just 15 minutes. It went on to say that a longer commute was preferred during the covid epidemic, but afterward, it became a bit of a downer for the day. The road on which we live, in Sussex County, New Jersey is mostly lightly traveled for much of the day. But starting around 6:30 am, and for the next hour or so, there is a steady stream of commuters heading to work. This repeats later in the day when folks are heading home.
BRIAN RATHJEN
During riding season many of the cars are replaced by motorcycles. Who do you think is having a better day?
When we are not on the road our commute is a stroll downstairs to the War Room of Backroads Central. But I know when I steal a ride, even on a ‘Production Day’, my day is sooo much better.
We riders have a decided advantage over those commuting in cars, sports cars notwithstanding.
As the adage states; car drivers are watching a movie, motorcycle riders are starring in one. I know some riders who have to travel south from the northwest end of our state each weekday. The main road, Route 15, always gets jammed when passing through the towns heading to ‘Down Below’, (what we call anything south of Jefferson), but these riders all have their little backroad routes that they take to get to and from work… and, with enough speed, they easily can jump the latest sinkhole. Who says Jersey doesn’t have its natural wonders?
What is a wonder is why more riders do not use their bikes on a daily basis?
We are not the only one who think this; Andy Goldfine and Aerostich have been pushing a National Ride to Work Day for 33 years, and it all came about because of a tee shirt.
Ride to Work Day was inspired by the “Work to Ride – Ride to Work‘” tee shirt Aerostich was selling out of their much-missed catalog.
In 1992 these items inspired motorcycle magazine editor Fred Rau to write an editorial calling for a national ride to work day.
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Not tHat KiNdof ticK tocK
Thirty years is a long time. In some professions, 30 years is an entire career – time for the party, gold watch, and beachside margaritas. Or maybe it’s matching, white New Balance sneakers and Hawaiian shirts as you and the spouse enjoy the never-ending buffet on a cruise ship that holds the equivalent of a big crowd at Citifield. Then you find out the ship is a giant, floating petri dish, you just contracted the latest version of an intestinal plague, and your bowels are running like Usain Bolt. You arrive home to a stack of AARP mags and solicitations for Medicare supplements. But THIS is about 30 years of Backroads, as far from AARP as the distance to the Voyager probe.
My personal experience with Backroads goes back to “ought three,” when Betsy and I were on a motorcycle tour in Montana. We got picked up at the airport by a van and I vaguely remember a large, gregarious man with a very New York accent, talking animatedly. He might have handed out copies of a tabloid-sized, newsprint “magazine.” My experience with large, animated New Yorkers had not been satisfying up to that point, so I treaded cautiously. We had a great trip, except that the entire state of Montana was on fire, but after riding with the herd the first day, we told the guide “sayonara” and went rogue, as did everyone. We had to overnight in a motel in Kalispell that was
WAY sketchier than it should have been and I ended up at the bar with the New York guy, downing gin and tonics like I needed the quinine for my malaria. We talked about Backroads and it turned out he was WAY nicer than some of the other large, loud New Yorkers I had met. At the time, I was writing a bicycle club newsletter that a few people found amusing. And that’s when he invited me to submit something for publication (it must have been the gin). My first piece was called Stolen Rides and its publication made me feel like Ralphie in A Christmas Story when he still believes his “theme” is the golden ticket to the Red Ryder. I knew how to spell and stayed inside the word limits, so editing my stuff wasn’t too hard and they published more things (and I got to know the more diminutive, but no less dynamic, partner in Backroads).
In ’06, I got the email that literally changed my life: I was offered a regular, monthly column in what was a rapidly-growing and improving Backroads, now in glossy living color! Instead of a “vox clamantis in deserto,” I was given the gift of a voice that was definitely NOT in a desert – it was in an amazing, high-quality publication with a broad following. The other great thing I was learning about Backroads was that their rally peeps were really cool – an eclectic blend from all over the map, literally and figuratively. We now consider a lot of those people to be our family, something ELSE that is special about Backroads. I wouldn’t call us perfectly functional and definitely not dysfunctional, we’re…multifunctional! We’re there for each other and I dare you to find another publication that shares that kind of ethos among their creators and readers. We even have BERT, the Backroads Emergency Recovery Team! Next Page
free wHeeliN’
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The first annual Ride to Work Day event was proposed in Road Rider magazine (Motorcycle Consumer News) in the May 1992 issue.
This is an excerpt from that “Ride to Work” editorial:
“You may remember several months ago when Bob Carpenter, commenting in his ‘Two Up’ column, mentioned how neat he thought it would be if there was one day a year when everyone who owned a motorcycle used it to ride to work. That comment was prompted by a T-shirt produced by Aerostich RiderWear that simply said, ‘Work to Ride, Ride to Work.’ Everyone seemed to think that a national ‘Ride to Work’ day was one heck of a good idea.”
The first Ride to Work Day event date was July 22, 1992. For several years various motorcycle businesses informally promoted every third Wednesday in July as Ride to Work Day.
This tradition continues with the date of Ride to Work Day happening every second Tuesday in June. This year that is June the 10th
Even if you do not normally pull your motorcycle out each day to go to work – do so this June 10th. You might find, at the end of this day, you feel pretty good, things are a bit better, and you are having a very good day. Maybe you should Ride to Work more often. We do. ,
wHatcHatHiNKiN’
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overwhelms me. The changes that we’ve seen - in our industry, technology, the world – makes me shake my head.
Thinking back to doing the first Backroads layout, after office hours at Speed Sport, with cut and paste boards being shot onto film and brought to our local printer while today everything is digital – from the pictures taken, the stories written, the layout done and the files sent, through the internet (remember that coming into play in 1995?) to our not-so-local printer. Where Brian and I once picked up the magazines, packaged the ones to be mailed in USPS boxes and did the deliveries ourselves, each of us going in different directions to drop them at shops and restaurants, we now might not see the current issue before they arrive in the shops or your mailbox, and are
oN tHe MarK
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Backroads is a phenomenon. It’s lightning-in-a-bottle captured and lovingly held in a bell jar of a publication by two amazing people. I need to mention more than the big, gregarious guy, because the beating heart and soul of the party is his brilliant, beautiful, artistic, gourmet-chef partner whose layout and editing skills make Backroads a sexy beast of a magazine. If he’s the chemical reaction, she’s the catalyst (and vice versa). There are reasons other print publications have fallen by the wayside and Backroads hasn’t, but it comes down to two lovely people whose never-say-die determination and incredible relationships with their readers and advertisers keeps this magazine not only afloat, but thriving. I searched my mind for one word that would best define the Backroads ethos and I came up with “kindness.” Hell, even Spenser the cat is friendly.
Here’s to 30 years, the traditional “pearl anniversary.” This pearl is the monthly work of art Brian and Shira put together, plucked from a sea of choices. Here’s to the crazy, wonderful band of people who read and advertise and attend the rallies, the Backroads family. This anniversary is just as much yours as it is ours. Cheers! ,
already on to the next issue’s production.
Growing up, the path which I took had never entered my mind. While traveling and wanderlust were always in my heart, as was a certain artistic bent, putting these things together and adding into the mix doing it on two wheels has exceeded my wildest imagination. There are times that I have dreams where I’ll wake up – in my dream – with some former boss telling me to get back to work, stop goofing off and riding around the world on that motorcycle. Then I will wake up, look around, and realize that this is my life, and what a wonderful life it is and has been.
Thank you all for sharing this with us, I cherish every moment of these past 30 years. ,
BACKLASH
Brian and Shira,
I’m sitting in the Honda shop in Middletown NY waiting for my Gold Wing to be inspected and have it’s oil changed and on the table where I lighted is a copy of the latest edition of BACKROADS.
What an absolute delight to see what you’ve done with what started life as a humble club newsletter. CONGRATULATIONS!!!
I haven’t ridden much since my last trip down the Blue Ridge and into Georgia with a detour to enjoy Wheels Through Time for the first time! I’ve loved classical guitar for even longer than I’ve loved motorcycles and since my retirement from the insurance industry in 2018 I’ve pretty much substituted Classical Guitar for bikes.
I’m so delighted to see how you’ve both realized and are living your own dream. All the best to you and Shira for every success…and for every happiness in the coming years.
Warm regards,
Jeff Wilt
Good morning, We look forward to joining you again this summer. Our last adventure we did not figure out that the routes were available to download before the ride. We never were able to get the routes completely sorted out on the road and had to ad lib.
In an effort to get be better prepared for the upcoming ride, please forward
information, where to find the routes to be downloaded and other travel info you think will be helpful. We have taken care of our lodging.
Looking forward to seeing and riding with you and the crew again.
Lewis
Lewis,
Glad you’ll be joining us. You’ll find the route links in these pages and any updates we’ll post on our Backroads’ Events webpage as we get closer to the rally.
Good evening Shira,
This is Max Demsky; it was a pleasure to meet you at the Martin Moto show. I was the young gentleman introduced to you by Lucia, who (besides being so awesome to talk to!) was very enthusiastic about my interest in vintage motorcycles and my passion for restoring them! I love teaching what I’ve learned to my friends, showing them that it is possible to work on old machines, if you take the time to learn. If that sounds like something you look for in an article, let me know and I’d be happy to talk on the phone or help however I can!
Look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Max
Max,
It certainly was a pleasure and uplifting to speak with you about your passions and to see the beautiful work that you do. We think your story and ambitions would make for a good feature in our ‘Thoughts from the Road’ column. We look forward to following up and letting our readers learn more about you and your work.
I WANNA BEA KOWBOY, KOWBOY!
A new type of robot inspired by an animal has been unveiled by Kawasaki — and this time, it’s a horse.
Corleo, a hydrogen-powered robot with four legs designed to be ridden by humans, has been announced by Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki Heavy Industries at a showcase event ahead of the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025, which started April 13. However, the robot is still in its concept phase of development; a functioning prototype has not been made public.
This robot, unlike previous animal-shaped bots such as Boston Dynamics’ dog Spot, is designed for people to ride as the machinery uses artificial
intelligence (AI) and specially designed legs to navigate complex terrains.
A promotional video released by Kawasaki on April 3 shows Corleo clambering down rocky cliffs, weaving through an overgrown woodland, bounding across a snowy landscape and wading through a stream. This video is not real footage, however, as the robot has not yet been fully developed to the extent that you can ride it.
The robot has four legs, each of which can move independently. These legs are also equipped with inward-facing knees and rubber two-toed cloven hooves, similar to those of a goat or a deer. Company representatives hope that it can one day carry up to two people on its back through a wide range of environments.
DUCATIAND LAMBORGHINI TEAM UPAGAIN
This new episode features the highest performance models from the two brands: thePanigale V4 S, the latest generation Ducati Superbike, and the Lamborghini Revuelto, a new paradigm in the super sports car arena. Both models showcase the most refined, high-performance engines for their designs: the Ducati Desmosedici Stradale engine and the Lamborghini V12.
The inspiration behind the Panigale V4 is the Revuelto, Automobili Lamborghini’s first high-performance electrified vehicle (HPEV) hybrid super sports car. The powertrain puts out 1,015 horsepower, which combines the power of a new V12 internal combustion engine with three high-density electric motors and an innovative dual-clutch transverse gearbox. The Revuelto offers performance and driving excitement never seen before. In addition, the extensive use of car-
BacKlasH
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Have you guys ever been to Jades in Ogdensburg, if not you gotta try it, Excellent. Was out on a ride yesterday and stopped in, thought you guys would enjoy. Great reviews online and they are correct. Tty it.
Cheers and enjoy.
Ron from Stillwater
Ron,
Thanks so much for the suggestion, we will check it out. Look for it in a future GAADR.
Greetings and salutations, hoping all is well.
I have a question regarding a recommendation of a mechanic for my 1990 BMW K1. I contacted Cross County BMW on Rte. 17 but they no longer work on the old motorcycles. They suggested I call the Methuchen location but I haven’t yet and wanted to ask you guys. Sad because they have always serviced the bike. Anyway, I’m in West Milford and curious if you knew anyone in the area.
Thanks,
Jack Calderon
If anyone reading this has any thoughts or suggestions for Jack, please drop us an email and we’ll pass it along.
bon-fiber and other ultralight materials has resulted in the best weight-topower ratio in Lamborghini’s history: 1.75 kilograms/CV. This translates into a 0-to-62 mph acceleration in just 2.5 seconds and a maximum speed of over 220 mph.
Pricing in the U.S. for the Panigale V4 Lamborghini is $78,400 ($88,800 CAN) and $100,400 ($120,000 CAN) for the Panigale V4 Lamborghini Speciale Clienti. All clients in the U.S. and Canada who purchase the bike will also receive the limited-edition helmet, jacket and leather riding suit (and the awe of their fellow riders).
EDELWEISS BIKE TRAVEL TURNS 45
own motorcycle can optionally rent one with unlimited mileage and full insurance coverage. E-bikes will be available free of charge.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed Act 312 into law on March 18, establishing inherent risk for off-road motorcyclists and enhancing protections for event organizers throughout the state.
For 45 years, Edelweiss Bike Travel has been synonymous with unforgettable adventures on two wheels. What once started as a vision has grown into a globally recognized brand for exceptional motorcycle tours on the world’s most scenic roads. Over the years, we have explored breathtaking landscapes together with our guests and partners, experienced new cultures, and embraced the limitless freedom of riding. This anniversary is not just a milestone - it is also a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey. That is why we warmly invite our partners and fellow riders to celebrate this special occasion with us and reflect on 45 years of passion, adventure, and unique memories. Edelweiss Reunion & inauguration of the new headquarters will take place July 10-13, 2025 in Tyrol, Austria. This four-day event features a diverse program, including guided motorcycle tours, the inauguration of our new headquarters, and a festive gala. Participants will stay in a 4-star hotel, including breakfast and organized transfers. Those who do not bring their
“Act 312 will create a more sustainable liability landscape for event organizers throughout Arkansas, as it ensures a smoother legal process in the case of injury for all involved in off-road events in the state,” AMA Central States Representative Nick Sands said. “We’re encouraged to see this legislation pass in Arkansas, and hope to see similar laws continue to progress throughout the country.”
Inherent risk refers to the capacity for risk naturally associated with a process or activity without any risk reduction efforts. Inherent risk of an activity cannot be effectively eliminated or controlled and becomes important when assessing liability of voluntary participants.
With this law, the rider takes individual responsibility for their own safety and facility owners take responsibility for their own liability, so when an accident does occur, fault can be clearly identified. This law helps riders by requiring safe riding areas while also benefiting landowners and organizers because they have assurances that the rider enters their facility knowing they have a responsibility to ride within their skill and ability.
This law increases the likelihood that landowners and organizers will receive the necessary insurance protections needed to hold off-road motorcycle events, which is a win for all AMA members. The new law will also ensure safer facilities and events, as landowners must provide adequate safety measures, or they may be held liable for accidents that occur on their property.
Some television shows and movies seem to always be on somewhere, at any time, or any day – The Goonies, The Shawshank Redemption –Supernatural.
Now that is an awesome show. They have two hunky guys for the gals, and plenty of bad things that go bump in the night, ghosts, demons, and a 1967 Chevy Impala too - a whopping 327 episodes.
But in all the seasons Kripke & Company never hit a haunted Amusement Park. Oh, they had scary clowns - but I think the boys from Lawrence, Kansas might have missed this one; and this bit of Mysterious Amusement Park comes right out of Supernatural’s ‘The French Mistake’ episode. (Google - watch – you’ll thank O’Life later).
Almost every park like this has its Haunted House, but this park, along the Ohio River in southern West Virginia, maybe didn’t even have to build theirs – as the grounds were already haunted.
Camden Park is a 122-year-old amusement park in Huntington, WV, that started as a stop on the Camden Interstate Railway. A cozy and comfortable place, it has several vintage rides and a retro feel that families love for the nostalgia.
Camden Park officially opened in 1903 as a picnic and recreation area along the Camden Interstate Railway streetcar line. The rail line, owned and operated by Sen. Johnson Newlon Camden of Parkersburg,ran between Huntington and Ashland.
Camden got the idea that a picnic area would draw additional patronage to the rail line, and thus, Camden Park was born. By 1907, the park’s first real ride was installed, the now historic carousel, and by 1910, the number of rides had grown to seven, plus a community swimming pool. In 1958, the Big Dipper, one of the only wooden coasters left of its kind, was installed. Camden’s Big Dipper and Little Dipper are two of only three still in operation that were made by the National Amusement Devices, builder of over 400 coasters in North America. (the other is The Wildcat in Frontier City, Oklahoma)
These ran with no seat belts and manual brakes. Nice – did Traction Park have one of these? Camden was, and still is, West Virginia’s only amusement park – that is amazing all by itself. (Although we riders think the entire Mountain State is a serious roller coaster)
Everyone loved Camden. Okay, maybe not the spirits who roamed the region, long before West Virginia was even a state. No… they seem not to be amused at all.
For a park that looks to be a totally fun place during the day, when the sun begins to set the flavor of the park changes.
Visitors have reported encountering shadowy figures lurking among the rides and hearing disembodied voices calling out from the darkness. Despite its lively facade, Camden Park holds a dark secret that continues to intrigue paranormal investigators.
Many have claimed seeing an apparition of a knife-wielding Shawnee warrior chasing the apparition of another.
The Big Dipper also has had its share of reported phantasms; as a ghostly woman’s figure is often reported seated in the last car of the wooden coaster. The Haunted House (one of the few surviving original Pretzel Rides) has had umpteen stories of unexpected guests in the car, and reports of a few folks that went in, but never came out. What? Can that be true?
But why would this particular park garner such a reputation for the super-
natural? Like everything in this Mysterious America, there is a back story.
Located within the park property is an Adena Indian burial mound, which has never been excavated. The mound is the only one left of its kind in this part of the Ohio River and is the third largest in the state. I mentioned these lost mounds last month, and if you are not aware that North America was bustling for tens of thousands of years before Columbus didn’t find India, then you need to dive down this Rabbit Hole.
Because of the location of the park, atop a Shawnee Burial Mound, it is rumored to be haunted by Native American spirits. Rumored?
When riding in the region look for the giant clown pointing you into Camden’s parking lot, right off of Route 60, just 50 miles south of Point Pleasant – home of the Mothman. And, if you see two good looking hard cases, with a sweet black ‘67 Impala – tell Sam and Dean I said hello – and tell Sam not to think too much about the clown – he’s harmless. Maybe. O’Life Out!
Warren County Tourism presents BIG CITY GETAWAY
tHe ludiNGtoNs
The UnsUng heroic FamilyoFThe american revolUTion “Up, Up there, soldier. You’re needed, come! The British are marching!” and then the drum Of her horse’s feet as she rode apace To bring more men to the meeting place.”
Sybil Ludington’s Ride by Berton Braley
Many years back a friend and fellow rider, Steve Smith, told me of a great local story – almost a legend in parts of Connecticut and New York - of a young woman named Sybil Ludington and her family.
Steve penned a superb article about this young woman and told of an impressive statue that can be found along the banks of Lake Glenida in the center of Carmel, New York.
Although for some reason her name is spelled Sybil, in the history books back then it was spelled Sibbell. Why the change, is not known.
The giant bronze statue portrays, in a dramatic and animated equestrian way, this young woman’s midnight ride, on her steed Star, which equals or perhaps surpasses the renowned Ride of Paul Revere.
daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind
Sybil was just 16 at the time. But, there is more to the Ludington’s family story when it comes to American independence.
One evening, while heading to a concert at Daryl’s House, in Pawling, New York, we came across Ludington Road, and along this road a New York State Historical Marker that told of Ludington’s March. It was on this road, barely a wide trail back then, that in March of 1777 Henry Ludington led his men to Danbury to repel British raiders.
Seeing this one marker led me to believe there might be more to the story, and indeed there was.
Sibbell’s father, Henry Ludington was an American businessman who ran a grist mill and owned a substantial parcel of land in New York state. During his life, he fought in both the French & Indian War with the British and then against them during our revolution – commanding a volunteer regiment in the Battle of Ridgefield. From this, he was promoted to an aide-de-camp to General Washington, where he eventually began to gather parts of Washington’s intricate Spy Ring, According to accounts generally attributed to the Ludington family and first published more than 100 years later, on April 26, 1777, a messenger reached the Ludington house with news of Gov. William Tryon’s attack on Danbury, Connecticut, some 15 miles to the southeast, where the munitions and stores for the militia of the entire region were stored. Colonel Ludington began immediately to organize the local militia. Whether Sibbell volunteered or was directed by her father to bear the order for muster and to rouse the countryside is a matter of uncertainty. The classic account of the event, in an article written in 1907 by Ludington’s great-nephew Connecticut historian Louis S. Patrick, says her father “bade her to take a horse, ride for the men, and tell them to be at his house by daybreak.” In either case, through the night the 16-year-old girl rode her horse nearly 40 miles on unfamiliar roads around Putnam
County, spreading the alarm. She ranged south to Mahopac and north to Stormville before returning home.
Revere only covered 20 miles. Just sayin’.
Her ride turned the tide of the upcoming British military campaign and, in the end, Sibbell ‘s heroic efforts were greatly appreciated by her friends, neighbors, and even General Washington, who is reported to have personally delivered his thanks to the young teenager.
Looking back some 245 years, this simple act of gratitude, by the man who would be our first President, is beyond compare.
In October 1784 Sibbell married Edward Ogden, a lawyer, and she lived in Unadilla until her death.
A tad further on, another Historic Marker came into view. This one just before the Patterson Community Church. It read - Ludington Graves Burial Site of Revolutionary War Heroes, Col. Henry Ludington and His Daughter Sybil, Who Rode to Warn the Troops on 26 April, 1777.
If the one sign piqued our interest, this one stopped us cold. We were off the bikes and scouring the gravestones that surrounded the church looking for this small, but important piece of American history. On the far side, two men were busy working on a hot rod outside their home
– above their garage a sign read – “Dumb Questions Not Tolerated.” They both looked up from the open hood and I asked if they might be able to help me. They looked at each other and then to the sign and then to me. I asked anyway. Did they know where in the cemetery we could find the Ludingtons? Evidently, this was not a dumb question and they both were very happy that someone had actually stopped and was seeking out these American heroes.
They told us that visitors are rare, that the cemetery is often vandalized, and that they are constantly lifting up gravestones that had been knocked over in the night – mostly by teens doing the dumb things teens do. So sad. In a minute we were standing in front of the final resting place of the Ludingtons. Both Henry and Sibbell are interned here.
In the late afternoon, the dropping sun lit the grave markers in that wonderful and rich light. It seemed that someone must have been there recently as there were some fresh flags and silk flowers on the markers that were well kept.
We stayed for a few moments – both our minds thinking private thoughts and maybe a prayer or two, and then we said thank you and goodbye. Once again, we’ll say that our history is all around us. Slow down. Read those Historic Markers along the backroads. They were all put there for one reason or another and somebody thought a story should be told.
In the past we have brought you to some out-of-the-way places to make a stop on the Great All-American Diner Run; but perhaps that is all relative, right?
A superb restaurant in the Adirondacks might be a great and long ride for you or us, but for the readers in Lake George; well, right in their neighborhood.
This month the stop will be at a most excellent barbeque which is not all that far from Backroads Central – but we will make it an excellent ride for
tasty places to take your bike
those of you southern (like below I-78) readers.
We had spotted Smokin’ Mo’s a bit after it opened, and when doing some parking lot drills with our friend Rick last fall, we mentioned this new barbeque for lunch. There were nods of agreement all around.
Route 206, what we call The Mother Road of New Jersey, runs 130 miles from the northwest of the state towards the Pine Barrens. Here in the northwest, it passes through a few gaps in the Kittatinny Ridge, one being Culver’s Gap, where you will find the Appalachian Trail as well.
The Appalachian Trail has its beginnings in Georgia and, coincidentally, so does Smokin’ Mo’s BBQ. A native Jersey boy, Chip August found himself living in the Peach Tree State for a bit, and while there he got into smoking meats and then, over time, perfected his craft. Returning to the Garden State, Chip began running a Smokin’ Mo’s
food truck, which got rave reviews wherever it turned up. The opportunity came to open a brick and mortar shop with the location along the northern end of The Mother Road, with the Appalachian Trail almost hiking through the front door. They opened the doors in May of 2024. We rolled up and, for us (well, Brian), were greeted with something almost as appetizing as the incredible aroma that surrounds Smokin’ Mo’s – guitars scattered in the restaurant.
In our mind every biker-friendly restaurant or BBQ should have a house guitar. Here at Smokin’ Mo’s they have guitars, all in tune and all available, regardless of talent (Brian take note, PLEASE).
Life in minor chords aside, we had come for the food – Southern Barbeque in particular, cooked Low & Slow, and were not disappointed.
The menu read like a Cardiologist’s Good Bad Dream. Sandwiches of beef brisket and chicken. Sliders are made with your choice of pork, chicken, or brisket. Smash Burgers, BBQ Tacos, also with a choice of meat, and meats available by the pound; and what meats!
Beef brisket, chicken, pork, and the ribs (OMG!)…
Of course, for those of you who cannot make up your mind, you can just have Mo’s serve you up one of their smokin’ combination platters. They also have some superb sides to offer you.
If you get there early or are looking for a neat meet-up restaurant for you and your riding buddies, know that Smokin’ Mo’s has you covered with a great selection of breakfast meals. Biscuits & gravy, bacon, sausage, Taylor ham and egg sandwiches, French toast sticks – or just stick with beef brisket and eggs. It’ll all hold you ‘till way after your ride for the day is done and the bike back in the garage.
Superb baked beans, fries, potato salad, and Margie’s slaw which is outstanding. Smokin’ Mo’s also serves a Brunswick Stew- a wonderful tomato-based stew that both the states of Virginia and Georgia claim is their own. But we will go with Georgia on this day, as this place seems to have proven its gravitas when it comes to Southern Barbeque.
Smokin’ Mo’s is open Thursday and Friday, from 11 am to 7 pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 7 pm. There are covered picnic tables outside or you can take your meal to go and ride up Sunrise Mountain – there is a covered picnic area just a few steps from the parking area.
As promised, we’ll give you a nice 95-mile romp… this time starting at VanSant Airport. Enjoy!
Chester County, Pennsylvania was one of the three original counties created by William Penn in 1682, and it has been a county of great note in American history. During the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Brandywine was fought in the southeastern part of the county. The Battle of the Clouds and the Battle of Paoli both took place in the northeastern part of the county, along with George Washington’s encampment at Valley Forge. The first “Road to the West,” passed through the central part of Chester County, following the Great Valley westward; with some realignments, it became the Lincoln Highway and later U.S. Route 30. This road is still named Lancaster Avenue in most of the Chester County towns it runs through. The first railroad, which became the Pennsylvania Railroad, followed much the same route, and the Reading Railroad progressed up the Schuylkill River to Reading.
One particular town we have come to know fairly well is Kennett Square. The Mushroom Capital of the World. Yes – the world! This town supplies over 60% of the mushrooms available in the United States – and we love our mushrooms!
Right outside the town, you will find the magnificent Longwood Gardens, one of the great gardens of the world, featuring 1100 acres of meadows, gardens, and woodlands including a 4-acre Conservatory. There is also a strange history to be found in and about this region – ask Dr. O’Life. We now have family living here, including a new grandniece, so we thought it would be good to find a place for us for when “We’re Outta Here!”…Kennett Square-style.
Artelo was more than perfect for us. Wytheville VA Tourism presents
This hotel is part of what is called the Square Roots Collective – a group that’s committed to community development through social impact ventures, including local businesses, whose profits are reinvested into nonprofits in the local area. Artelo is certainly a part of this mission with wonderful art and a welcoming vibe to all who visit.
A few years back we had breakfast at a restaurant named Hank’s, which was next door to a large and long building was undergoing a renovation. We thought it would perhaps be a hotel. We were right.
Artelo is now open, and it has so much to offer, especially if you are a lover of art.
The hotel has fourteen non-smoking rooms all with their own unique feel. Indeed, they all have VERY comfortable queen or king-sized beds, with VERY nice Matouk bedding and soft, absorbent towels. The walk-in showers are all wide and easy –the perfect feel after a long day on the backroads. All the rooms have mini-fridges with a nice assortment of craft non-alcoholic beverages as well as a small glass bottle of cream, and Nespresso machines – a huge plus for us lovers of finer coffees – with real mugs; no
flimsy Styrofoam here. There are some tasty snacks should you find yourself peckish before bedtime. The rooms are all spacious, with plenty of spots to stow your gear or luggage off the bike. As riders, we truly appreciated the real steel hangers and enough space to hang two full Aerostich suits without worry that it would all come tumbling down.
There was a noise machine that we liked enough that we thought we’d get one for home.
With all the rooms facing a very large parking lot, you and your riding group need not worry about your motorcycles and, once parked, the town of Kennett Square with its many restaurants, shops, and hip flair is a very short stroll away.
But here is why Artelo is so neat, different and very, very cool: the rooms themselves.
Each of the fourteen rooms has original murals created by local artists with their own style, vision, and signature look. Although all these artists are fairly local, many seem to take their inspiration and bravura from their homelands or from their families’ places of origin. 1 Page 19
tHe dairy o
581 county road 62, WeSttoWn, ny 10098
845-355-cone • thedairyo.com • SeaSonal HourS – tHurS + Friday 4-9Pm • Sat + Sun 12-9Pm
It was a dark and stormy spring day, so what better way to brighten it up than to head out for some ice cream. I had heard from a little Robyn that there was a pretty neat shop not too far from Backroads Central, in the burg of Westtown, NY, so in between the Saturday Sprint at Jerez and the beginning of the Mets vs Nationals game, we took a spin just a bit north and east to sample the wares at the Dairy’O. It happened to be their opening day of the 2025 season, so upon entering the very brightly decorated parlor, we were greeted with a fresh smell and big smiles from Cindy Koller, the owner, and Mia, her scoop helper. While we looked over the offerings and snapped some pictures, we asked Cindy how she came to be on the corner of Route 284 and County Road 62.
Originally from Queens (which perked up Brian’s ears), she slowly migrated eastward, always staying on the New York side of the NY/NJ border –first in Sloatsburg and then here in Westtown. Her career kept her close to the sweet things in life, specifically buying candy for Macy’s, so she was quite familiar with what made people happy. When the opportunity came about to purchase the already popular Dairy’O ice cream shop, she did so and opened in March of 2020. Yup, that March.
But five years later, Cindy is going strong, opened seasonally from April to Labor Day, with a very loyal clientele. While we were there, a father with two little ones came to get their opening day ice cream. Cindy knew their orders before they even spoke. During our conversation, she told us of one gentleman who came in every six weeks and purchased six containers of red raspberry and another, a bus driver, who would stop on his way home to get ice cream for his wife. Just from the short time we were there, I could tell that Dairy’O was more than just a place to satisfy your sweet tooth, but had a great sense of community to it as well.
The shop itself is colorful, with that ice cream parlor feel, tables scattered, goodies displayed and cute decorations cleverly hung. Outside there are tables on the deck overlooking a lovely bucolic field on which to enjoy your ice cream while contemplating the day’s ride. There is a large parking lot so the whole crew can join you.
By this time, we had narrowed our selection to a three-scoop for each of us, with Brian filling his waffle cone with Coffee, French Coconut Custard and Cookies & Cream, topped with whipped cream, and my cup runneth over with German Chocolate Delight (chocolate, caramel, coconut), French Coconut Custard (so good we had it twice) and Lemon Crème Brulé Yogurt, topped with a beautifully sprinkled cake cone. I did have a small sample of Caramel Critter, Cindy’s favorite flavor, which is vanilla with caramel swirls and caramel smidgens – OMG, so good).
Dairy’O sources their homemade ice cream from Manning’s Dairy Farm in Dalton, PA, with over 35 rotating flavors. I had been there many moos ago and know that they make some of the best ice cream in the area. We asked Cindy if she had been out to the farm and, of course, she had but it was when she first opened and, during covid, they were not making deliveries so she made the drive. Yes, she agreed, a beautiful spot. In addition to the many dairy delights, they offer dairy, gluten and sugar free options along with Mercer’s Wine Ice Cream – Red Raspberry Chardonnay, Chocolate Cabernet and Cherry Merlot. You can have your flavors simply, in a cup or cone, or spruce them up with a wide variety of toppings such as PB Cups, Coconut or even a scoop of edible cookie dough. Go big with a sundae, shake, float or malt. Top them all off with whipped cream and a cherry and Bob’s your uncle.
No matter what day you visit, Dairy’O has something special, literally. Mondays are 2 for 1 scoops, Fridays are ‘Wine’ Down, with 2 scoops of wine ice cream for the price of one and Sunday – you guessed it – are Sundae Funday with the second sundae half off.
Speaking of sundaes, Cindy has thought up some good ones; Landfill – vanilla or chocolate soft serve with M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, Oreo Crumble, Peanut Butter Cups, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry (that should take care of those Route 80 sinkholes) and, for your pet companion, ‘Dog’ Lover Parfait with vanilla soft serve, Reese’s PB sauce and organic dog biscuit – Fido will want to come back often.
Dairy’O sits in a lovely riding area so the next time you have a hankering for some great ice cream, take a spin to the Pine Island area, right along the New Jersey Claim Line. I’ll interject a bit of history and you can look up the rest – The NY/NJ Line War was a series of skirmishes and raids that took place for over half a century between 1701 and 1765 at the disputed border between two American colonies, the Province of New York and the Province of New Jersey. ,
we’re outta Here
Continued from Page 17
One room is inspired by famed and strong women of color, and another painted with the history and legacy of the native Lenape people called Of Eleven. Room 5 is called Urban Wilderness, created by Joe “Busta” Bustamante, influenced by his Colombian roots.
According to Artelo’s website, our room - #12, is called Landscape Iteration: “Artist Chenlin Cai divides his time between Beijing and Philadelphia. His artwork is infused with the contrast between these two cultures and draws both from his classical training and his more innovative and contemporary painting techniques. In Landscape Iteration, Cai explores the concept of “reformation and reshape.” Inspired by the natural landscape, microscopic cellular structures morph into a macroscopic mountain range, echoing traditional Eastern Zen philosophy’s view of interconnectedness.” Being simple riders, we just thought Cai’s mountains looked fabulous, and we imagined there were surely great roads sprinkled throughout them, wherever they were.
Artelo is a wonderful and very artsy hotel and, with the great roads that surround and run through the Chester County and Brandywine region of the Keystone State, it is the perfect place to make a base camp for you and your riding companions. ,
Thirty Years The Road So Far…
Although we have been milking this for a year now, it is with our upcoming July edition that Backroads rides past the 30-year mark. We thought now would be a good time to look back over three decades of Backroads and highlight some of the more memorable events and changes that we now have in the mirror.
July 1995
Ramapo 500. This is where Backroads made its debut. Several bundles were brought to the Red Apple Rest, in Southfields, New York, the evening before and as the first riders showed up for the two-day 500 road tour, they were greeted by something new. A riding magazine aimed right at them. Backroads has always been about places to go and things to do. This humble newsprint publication would be the start of something big.
December 1995
Motorcycle Consumer News’ Fred Rau makes men tion of this new northeast riding publication in the December edition. The phones at Backroads ex plode. Thank you, Fred!
December 1996
Spot Color. For the first year of publication we were strictly black & white… then we jumped to spot color. Back then we made a big deal about it. It was. This issue also led off the front page with a Christmas story called Nick’s Tale. This piece, which has brought many to tears, is the only article that has been reprinted each of our three decades. You can find it in the December 2024 edition. We believe every word was channeled by something more powerful than us. We stand by that.
September 1997
Our first quote from a songwriter that would dominate our lead-off in so many stories - Jimmy Buffett’s Look describing our ‘First Look’ of the Alps! Through the years, lyric and quotes have become a thing with our travel pieces, and will continue to do so…“Cause the road goes on forever” - Greg Allman
Spring of 1999
Summer 1998
Backroads Rallies. Our first run at a Backroads rally brought a dozen riders up to the Finger Lakes. At the time we had no idea that we’d be holding rallies for the next quarter century. Tooting our own horn here – Backroads has held more riding events than any other publication in the nation, the Earth, and the Federation of Planets that we know of; and, that is a fact! Spring Breaks, Summer Squeezes, Fall Fiesta, Dinner Rides, Charity Rides, Ride Rides. Hell, we brought you to the Starship Enterprise! We went to count all of ‘em, but gave up.
Dr. Seymour O’Life gets Slapped by Feds. Who would have thunk that a small article penned by Mysterious America editor Dr. Seymour O’Life would attract Men in Black. But that is what happened when we printed a few back-toback stories about the Philadelphia Experiment and Montauk Project. “Cease and desist with this direction of investigation,” with a tinge of “or else” tossed into emails from an obscure fed address.
January 2000
The Best of Backroads led off the year and would continue to do so to this very day. A quick look back at the most interesting, enjoyable, and fun discoveries we came across the previous year. This would become one of the most popular issues each trip around the sun.
February 2000
Four color? We can do four-color?! Okay, we’re in. For us this was a big jump, and the ability to show real color images was good for us, our readers and especially our advertisers.
May 2002 • The FDNY Dream Bike.
Summer of 2000
After five years of gradual changes in printing technology and opportunity, Shira began to change things around with our layout – almost on a monthly basis, but in September of that year, Backroads printed its first full-bleed cover. The magazine’s look changed that month and never looked back. Though still newsprint. We had grown a bit taller this year.
September 11th, 2001
As we have grown, and over the years, we have always thought of Backroads as having stages. We go to print a month before you see the magazine. So, the first week of September in 2001 we were happily making a cover with our Fall Foliage slant for October – a BMW cutting through the Hawk’s Nest. The next issue – November was hurt-filled, angst-ridden, and f’n angry! ‘Starting Over’ was not just the title of this issue, but all our feelings as well. Like many, we felt the terror attacks personally - and to this day are deeply moved by what our friends Michael and Nuri Wernick went through, as did so many, many of you. For us there was the beginning – then 9-11 - and then Backroads aiming towards the light.
Friends
We need to write about you right now, as that last bit always twists us up. You have made this so much fun. We have met so many people, made so many friends, ridden so many miles, laughed our asses off… and generally tried to be both a joy and a pain in your ass at the same time. That is what friends are for. We have always tried to be accessible, open, and helpful. Sometimes we have been accused of TMI, but my friend Andy told me that is why Backroads is so different from any other motorcycle publication or website. We do not take ourselves too seriously- so why should you? Let’s have fun, see what is around the bend, and hug, laugh, and tell tall tales. Without you kids, none of this would have been worth it.
There had been several motorcycles created in memory of the firefighters lost in the September last, but we knew ours was a bit different, and firmly anchored to the firehouse on Great Jones Street. The rebuilt Honda CB 900K, done in the Great Jones and FDNY livery, was the culmination that started with our monthly columnist Jeff Kurtzman’s article “Of Missing Riders”, about a firefighter named Gerard Baptiste who perished that day, and an old Honda leaning against the wall in the back of the firehouse, and the dedication of dozens of people in and out of the motorcycle industry. Some 25 years later this machine can still be seen at the 9/11 Ground Zero Museum.
February 2005
Glossy Cover. For the last few years, we were in a groove – almost a formula - something which is easy to fall into and hard to really recognize, but then opportunity knocked and we published our first full-bleed glossy cover featuring a Harley-Davidson Tour in Alaska. It was a beautiful image and cover, if now worthless in the privy. This basic look has been with us since. No logo changes, ‘cause that just means we all would need new tee shirts. MotoGP should have asked first!
July 2005
10th Anniversary Road Tour - 10 States in 10 Days
In celebration of our 10th year publishing, we held a whopper of a road trip that went from Backroads Central to Maine, then west and south and finished in Smoke Hole, West Virginia. It was a huge success and changed the tone of some of our road tours to come.
June 2006
Newsprint is dead. No, it is not. But it was for us, as we went glossy cover-to-cover. Stock in Marcal, Charmin, and Scott shot through the roof. Though still only four-color on some pages, things were evolving. By this time Backroads, without doubt, was the largest and most read regional motorcycle magazine in the nation.
January 2007
The Best of Backroads adopts the four-cover look – featuring four of the covers from the previous year. This continues in one way or the other till today. Things were running swimmingly until 2008, and the Housing Bubble bursting and the most serious downturn since the Depression. In the last decade, so many big bike shops had opened, many owned by non-riders with big checkbooks looking to make them even bigger. That’s fine and American as apple pie. Many of them shuttered all around the same time. It was the Mom & Pop, and family-owned shops and dealerships, that were able to weather this storm. We kept on doing what we were doing best – riding and telling you some of the best restaurants, hotels, products, and especially Backroads.
NotSo Happy and Pepe the Monkey International Puppets of Mystery
A number of years back, a Happy puppet from Aerostich came to be in the possession of publisher Rathjen. Notso Happy became a regular tankbag vagabond, and Shira wanted a traveling buddy of her own. That is when Pepe (formally known as Pleplious) came into her life. Little did we know just how well the two puppets would get along… and how much mayhem these two little monsters would cause.
From the very beginning Happy and Pepe and company would disappear, invariably to get into some sort of ruckus. Their misadventures certainly caused collywobbles and flummoxed them to no end.
Still, they traveled everywhere with them, and then sometimes, they would take off on their own.
Free will, baby. Free will.
In early 2016 they were both lost in the Caribbean… eventually recovered – and returned to Backroads Central in a Fed-Ex box with tales of taking over island nations, subsequent removal from their dictatorship, being set adrift on a raft, and then rescued by a U.S. Navy Ohio Class Submarine.
For Rathjen, Kamil and Spenser, these two were a constant source of amusement with their shenanigans, ongoing personas and guises.
Happy once took over the Starship Enterprise – a show cut by NBC and never aired. Over the years they have been dentists and rock stars, they have sued MotoGP over each time the ‘Podium People’ said they were “Happy!” To list all they have gotten involved in would take a quire of paper as they certainly live a higgledy-piggledy life. Through it all these snollygosters have been our buddies. Most like them – some do not - and act like jackanapes, and have schadenfreuden thoughts about them. Hmmm, it’s their loss. For us we love their piffling nature, and though they are semi-retired, they do show up on rides now and then. If you see them say hello, but… don’t sign any papers and keep a close watch on your wallet, for they live to bumfuzzle you! O’Life Out!
January 2009
Welcome to the Jungle. After a very close call a few months earlier, it was obvious that every motorcycle incident has a story and every story has two or more sides.
The first Welcome to the Jungle article was called Getting Honest, which took a hard look at a near miss, what really happened, and what to avoid in the future. Jungle has become a staple of Backroads, and over the years we have had some amazing motorcycle safety journalists pen articles in this column including Ken Condon, Reg Pridmore, Ron Davis, and others.
We hope this column makes you think, prepare, and become better riders. We want you around.
2010
The Web Crawler. Although Backroads still is not considered web-based enough for some industry people – we were the first to go there, and in March of that year we began to post our entire issues online – to be read, cherished and exploited for free by all riders. To this day you can log on and get back issues of Backroads from our website. As Rick Beato would say…Check it out!
August 2012
We all Scream for Ice Cream! During this summer, Shira penned an article about an ice cream parlor in Dalton, Pennsylvania. It got a bunch of great feedback. Eventually, she was talked into writing more of these Shira’s Ice Cream Runs, and this eventually would become The Inside Scoop in June of 2016 – probably the most popular column we have – but don’t tell O’Life or Byers this.
Rip & Ride Route Sheets to GPS
November 2012
Throttle Blips. In late autumn our friend Jeff Bahr joined Back roads as a semi-regular monthly columnist. Jeff had a unique, and different way of looking at just about everything. He was perfect for this magazine and he and Dr. O’Life began their clandestine investigative group of The Tanked Bags.
June 2013
The Backroads 250 – A Jersey Thing
That June we held an event of which we were very proud. The Backroads 250 had a wonderful, and circuitous route that stayed within the state of New Jersey. It was a huge success, and we even received a letter from Governor Chris Christie, welcoming those who participated.
Our Rip & Ride Route Sheets (which was trademarked back then) had been a staple of every issue of Backroads from the start. Simple and easy, written direction to be ‘ripped’ from the magazine that would fit in a tank bag mapholder. They gave readers a chance to explore the backroads, without having to sweat the small details. They set Backroads apart from every other motorcycle publication.
But as GPS technology became better and better, we began to shift to .GPX files that could be downloaded and easily loaded to the reader/riders’ own GPS devices. Although some miss the old Rip & Rides, GPS technology allowed us to make routes that were far more fun, interesting, detailed and sometimes challenging.
February 2020
April 10th, 2014
Late this day we received word that Jeff Bahr, JB to those who knew him, our longtime friend and contributor to Backroads, was killed while on a ride in Pennsylvania. Struck by an 86-year-old man who drove straight out of a grocery parking lot, directly into Jeff’s path. It was instantaneous. So was the veil of grief here at Backroads, and with all his friends and fans of his Throttle Blips column. We wish we could say something pithy all these years later, but we cannot. Just writing this has made us miss him like it was yesterday and not a long decade since.
How you doin’ up there JB?
September 2014
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore. Up until this issue we had certain pages color, and the rest still living like Dorothy in Kansas, but our Spring edition of this year saw Backroads become full color through and through. That may not seem like a big thing now – but it certainly was then.
The Backroads’ Scholar Day at Motorcyclepedia Museum. We started this year with a hugely successful day at the museum in Newburg, New York. We had a day filled with motorcycles and dealers that had rolled bikes in the night before. We had a long schedule of seminars starting off with now president of the BDR Tim James, and continuing with superb talks and discussions with motorcycle aficionados like Don Gomo, Paul Donoghue, and Armen Armirian. We had a special Women’s Riding Discussion and much more. It was a hit. It was more than a hit. It was the single best day the museum had ever had, and the future looked so bright we had to buy more shades.
We had announced our Grand Tour, celebrating 25 years of riding the Backroads, with 14 days and 14 states to be visited. On a personal side, Shira and I were planning to head to Portugal to celebrate 30 years of marriage. This was going to be a great season! But then it wasn’t. covid
Although much had changed when the downturn of 2008 had occurred, those who loved motorcycles and riding them kept going down the road. Backroads rebounded over this last decade and, as Jimmy Buffett (our most quoted troubadour) would sing – Life was good on our boat. But then covid rolled in and took the wind out of all our sails.
What started as a few weeks quickly turned into a hot mess of months. At first, we tried to be Team Players, as we all did, and our May edition was a collage of friends that we had made during our quarter century of publishing. But as weeks turned into months… we became Free Agents. We took a stand. We lost friends literally and figuratively.
After we lost a mother and another family member, both alone when they passed because of the Lockdown, and Shira almost riding west herself – we did just that and rode two Hondas across the United States to see our son in San Diego. This infuriated some friends and readers.
Seeing how the winds of “power” were still blowing smoke, we decided to continue doing what we do best; and while others stayed parked, we continued holding rallies, and letting folks attending deal with the situation the way they wished. Three, to be specific – July in State College, PA, August saw the Adirondack Loop and September in Boothbay, Maine. All were greatly attended and very much appreciated.
Shira said from the beginning, “You do you, and I’ll do me.” Some did not like this attitude, but we really didn’t care. Still don’t. See ya! We were right in everything we did, and although we’d like to put covid, and how it was handled, behind us… we think, like 9/11, we should be reminded from time to time of how over-powering some of our leaders became, and how lemming-like so many normal folks became. Looking through the books we were shocked at how many issues we kept seeing masks.
Riding motorcycles was, and still is, an escape from the day-to-day. We kept on riding.
Today
Leaner & Meaner. Sadly, we seem to be the last regional motorcycle publication out there. So many of the “big” magazines have fallen into the web. We still think print is where it’s at – you must too –you’re reading this.
Backroads might be leaner nowadays, but still fun. Hey, tell your dealer to advertise dammit! (Sad sales pitch)
In ending this little (okay, not so little) soiree into the first 30 years of Backroads we want to say THANK YOU to all. You kept this “Little Mag That Could” chugging – in good times and bad. For the last five years, we have continued to be who we are… always. We’d like to end with a quote from President Teddy Roosevelt. “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
See ya on the road!
Although we all seemed to have a very late start on the riding season here in the northeast, spring did get sprung and here we are talking about our first Summer Solstice Rally.
On the Summer Solstice, Backroads Central will have approximately 15 hours and 5 minutes of daylight. This is the longest day of the year, with the sun rising around 5:26 am and setting around 8:31 pm. This is significantly longer than the shortest day at the Winter Solstice, which is around 9 hours and 15 minutes.
We want to celebrate and, in typical Backroads fashion, we are, with a multi-day Riding Rally that will see us have our first night in Pennsylvania, then down through the backroads of Virginia before heading back north.
For those paying attention you might have learned last month that Shira and I have stepped back from our suggested routes for this rally – and they are always simply suggestions – and letting those two miscreants Happy & Pepe create the routes for us.
We did not know how this would go, but we were pleasantly surprised when they left their routes and ideas on our desks.
So, we will let Notso Happy – ex-dictator, ne’er-do-well and non compos mentis tell us how Day One will go.
Day One:
Well, hello all and we like Mentos to you too.
We all love music… so I thought I would start our first day of the Summer Solstice Rally where so much great music got its start. Martin Guitars have been a part of the sound of some of the most iconic figures in music. Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Neil Young, John Lennon, Willie Nelson, Kurt Cobain, Eric Clapton, and John Mayer all play Martins.
I played a Martin when I toured with the Beatles! Rathjen has a lot of guitars, but not a Martin ‘cause he is a cheap Scotsman. Martin has been making superb guitars since 1833, and we will start this rally off with a private tour of the Martin Guitar Factory, in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
I will need a head count, so if you are coming with us for the tour email my underlings at editor@backroadsusa.com, and let them know.
After the Martin tour we will have a nice 170-mile romp, created by me – the World’s Greatest Navigator - through the PA countryside, with a stop for lunch at a quaint and truly classic little diner called Highspire, near the Susquehanna River, just north of Three Mile Island, ‘cause I love you all, and puppets are immune to Gamma Rays, but not vodka. We should land in Shippensburg by late afternoon for a night of hanging and bangi… Sorry - I was told I can’t say that. Okay, we’ll have a very fun night and come Friday I wanna wish you all good luck on Pepe’s route… ‘cause he is a freakin’ MONKEY. download .gpx: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/k7hrg4
Day Two:
Hello you adventurous and very trusting Backroads travelers! As my compadre so often likes to tell you, I am Pepe the MONKEY. While the little yellow man (and that is questionable) seems to believe he is God’s Gift to Guidance, he forgets that he is purely a made-up puppet, as there is no creature on this planet, or any other for that matter, that looks like him. I, on the other hand, am a monkey – an animal with brains and BOTH hands and feet – thus able to navigate a keyboard for route planning.
While I might not have any distractions or planned stops along my route, I do have freakin’ awesome roads. Well, they look freakin’ awesome on the maps and, from my past travels in this area, what could possibly go wrong cutting through George Washington National Forest. Along this southerly ride, I’ll point out a few eateries at various mileage for your sustenance and enjoyment.
At MM 64.2, riding into Hancock, Maryland, just before crossing the mighty Potomac River, there is a fantastic and quirky spot called BuddyLou’s, which opens at 11am. At the intersection of Routes 144 and 522, you’ll make a left and head about a quarter mile down. Just turn yourself
around to get back on the route.
Just a bit further on, on the outskirts of Berkeley Springs WV, is Hillbilly Heaven Bar & Grill – don’t let the name fool ya, this serves some fantastic food and it’s right on the route – MM 75.
If you are feeling like a bite a bit later, the Wardenville Garden Market –MM 140 – is just the ticket. Both the Market and Mack’s Bingo Kitchen Food Truck are part of Farms Work Wonders, an organization whose mission is to spark the interests and curiosities in Appalachian youth to inspire them to advance and expand their futures. Not only will you have a tasty meal but you’ll be helping a great cause.
Enjoy your 230 mile ride and we’ll see you at the Blackburn – our Solstice Stop on this Summer Soiree.
download .gpx: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/vhob3d
Free Day in Staunton:
Pepe, back again for your free day which, I hope, you’ll enjoy on my 235 mile loop around this fantabulous part of the country. I have curated some of the finest, twistiest, scenic pavement (fingers crossed), heading west through George Washington again then into the Monongahela and back east through GW and back to the Blackburn. About halfway through you’ll pass through Cass – with food and gas. Should you want to commune with those beings closest to the Happy people, at MM 130 make a left on Route 28 and visit Green Bank Observatory – 2.75 miles up the road. While there, you can poke around to find Camp Echo One, the secret facility from Captain America-Brave New World. If they question you, just tell ‘em Rathjen sent you.
If you are looking for something more upscale, you’ll pass through Warm Springs at MM 175. However you spend your day, remember it’s a great, long summer ride brought to you by one smart monkey. There are several watering holes and restaurants within walking distance from the Blackburn, one which might be a relative of our illustrious wordsmith Mark Byers – the Byers Street Bistro – as well as the Mill Street Grill, the Depot Grille and the iconic Wright’s Dairy-Rite just across the road - ice cream for everyone. download .gpx: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/1kt4ir
Day Four:
Hey I am back, and you guys probably are too. Okay, Pepe looks like he has done a great job for the last couple of days. (For a friggin’ monkey!) But now it is time for the World’s Greatest Navigator to bring us back to the Keystone State and the city of Lancaster.
Heading out of Staunton we will meander north and make a stop at Cyclopean Towers at Natural Chimneys Park. Here there are seven rock “chimneys,” formed by an ancient sea back when things were
ancient. It’s science and I don’t want you to have to think too much when riding the Greatest Navigator’s route. The largest Jousting Competition, which they have been holding here for decades, was just held here one week before. Lucky for them, ‘cause I was once a nationally ranked jouster, and some of the guys riding with us have been part of the Round Table for 50 years or so.
The rest of today’s 275-mile romp thataway will be stunnalicious, funalicious, and twistalicious. When we cross the Potomac at Point of Rocks , Maryland lunch can be found at either Big Belly’s or Aroma House (which is huge with my ghost friends) – the choice is yours. If we keep things a rollin, and askew the lollygaggin’, we should all roll into the Cork Hotel, in Lancaster, by early evening.
Their restaurant is closed that night (I know, right?!), but the Lancaster Brewery is right across the street… so we’ll see you there… drinks on Pepe.
download .gpx: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/hi2zfj
The Line of Bikes on a Lighted Stage Approached the Unreal
words + images: Dan
Down in his barn
My uncle preserved for me an old machine
For fifty-odd years
To keep it as new has been his dearest dream.
Red Barchetta – Neil Peart
Imagine a display of 1500 motorcycles ranging from 1898 to the present day. This display has no Do Not Touch signs or fuzzy velvet ropes to keep you away. Now imagine that all these motorcycles are for sale. You can find this at the Mecum Vintage & Antique Motorcycle Auction in Las Vegas.
A $200 bidder’s pass allows access to all the bikes. There’s a 1914 Indian Hedstrom Single Four-Valve Port Racer that uses universal joints instead of a throttle cable. Go ahead, twist the throttle, turn the bars, see how the linkage reacts. That 1948 Indian Big Base Scout? Crank the kickstarter to see if it has compression. You might want to bid on it. Just do it respectfully. After all it’s not yours… yet. With so many bikes up for sale it would be impossible to describe them all, so here are a few highlights from the 2025 show:
Prime Mover 2005 BMW R1200GS
This bike seemed a bit out of place until reading the information card. It belonged to Neil Peart, legendary drummer for the band Rush. He would bring it on tour and ride around the locale where they were playing. He
wrote several books about his motorcycling exploits –all worth reading. This bike sold on the final day of the auction. There was strong demand from internet bidders and the winning bid was $80,000.00, far in excess of the pre-auction estimate of $45,000 to $55,000.
The Big Money 1915 Cyclone & 1938 Crocker
There were two big stars of the show: a 1915 Cyclone Roadster, and a 1938 Crocker. The Cyclone was restored by noted restorer Stephen Wright. While the bike was only in production for three years, it was the most technically sophisticated bike of the time with its overhead valves driven by bevel gears. The V45 produced 45 horsepower – more than double that of the Ford Model T. Top speed was reportedly over 100 mph. This is one of five remaining Cyclones in racing con-
Bisbee
figuration. It sold for $1,320,000. That is the highest price ever paid for a single motorcycle at auction.
After it sold, I happened to be in the right place when they parked it with no guarding around it! I handed my phone to a perfect stranger for a photo. A few minutes later it was cordoned off from people like me.
The second big star of the show was a fully documented and restored 1938 Crocker Small Tank V-Twin. Al Crocker began his career at Indian Motorcycles. After going on his own, he began offering OHV kits for Indian’s Scout 101 engines and eventually developed his own engine and frame. At the time it was the fastest production motorcycle ever built. This one sold for $880,000.
Caress of Steel • 1915 Williams-Clady
The third star of the show was my personal favorite: a 1915 Williams-Clady. One of only four ever built, this is the only survivor. What makes it stand out is the three-cylinder radial engine inside the rear wheel. The engineering involved in this in 1915 is incredible and the bike sold for $170,500.
Vapor Trails
Kawasaki Two-Strokes
At last year’s auction, the Kawasaki two strokes from the early 1970s were selling for $30,000 to $50,000 and there were maybe 15. This year there were over 40 examples ranging from 350cc to 1015cc. The law of supply and demand played here and prices were down significantly with most bike selling it the $20,000 to $25,000 range.
The power produced by the 750 engine overpowered the chassis, suspension, and tires of the day, earning the bike the moniker “Widow Maker.” However, a crazy Englishman by the name of Allen Millyard grafted a fourth cylinder onto one (actually, two 500cc
engines), creating a 1000cc Two-Stroke. He also added a much needed second steering damper and upgraded rear shocks. It looked like it came from the factory like that and sold for $49,500.
Closer to the Heart • Triumph Four Cylinder
Triumph is well known for its parallel twin engine bikes and there were close to 100 at the auction. They were selling in the $8,000 to $10,000 range for the most part. However, some crazy customizer grafted two parallel twins together to create a 1500cc four-cylinder TriumphT120. Like the 1000cc Kawasaki, it looked like a factory-built machine.
Final price was $18,700.
Mystic Rhythms • A smattering of other bikes
I apparently like odd bikes. Sure, the Harleys and Indians made before 1920 are stunning machines, but there were 28 Harleys and 15 Indians at the auction and they all began to blur together after a while.
Here are some of the odd bikes at the auction
There were a few surprises at the auction. A 1986 Yamaha Radian sold for a head scratching $33,000. While the bike was complete and in excellent condition, this seemed like an extraordinarily high price. Meanwhile, a 2005 Triumph Rocket III sold for just $2475. There was a wreck of a Honda CR250 heaped on a pallet. Stunt rider Gary Wells attempted to jump the fountain in front of Caesar’s Palace in 1980. Much like Evel Knievel a decade earlier, he didn’t make the landing, crashing into a concrete wall at an estimated 85 mph (search Gary Wells on YouTube for the video.) This bike sold for $3300.
Last year, a stunning 1914 Henderson with an inline 4-cylinder engine sold for $148,500. The exact same bike was back this year and sold for $132,000.
Troy Bayliss was a World Superbike and MotoGP racer between 1997 and 2008. In the Imola WSBK race in 2001, he crashed is Ducati 748SP in the final race of the season after clinching the title. His crashed Ducati sold for $40,700.
A Harley Davidson VR1000 race bike sold at the 2024 auction for $129,250. For 2025, bidding on another VR1000 peaked at $85,000, not reaching the seller’s reserve price.
Fly By Night • Getting there and back
I attended the 2025 Mecum auction with my good friends and riding buddies Mick, Andrew, and Ken. We booked our trip through Jet Blue Vacations getting flights and a hotel for a reasonable price. I awoke at 1:00 AM to make it to Boston for our 6:00AM flight. Thanks to the three-hour time
difference, we arrived at our hotel in Las Vegas in time for breakfast. From there it was a quick walk down the hallway to the arena for the auction. The auction concluded Saturday afternoon and we took the redeye flight Saturday night, arriving back in Boston on Sunday morning.
Presto! – The South Point Resort Hotel and Casino
The Mecum Motorcycle Auction took place at the South Point Resort Hotel and Casino. It’s located just off Interstate 15, a short taxi ride from the airport. Once the doors to the casino close behind you, there is no reason to leave. We were first lured by the cacophony of thousands of slot machines, interspersed with roulette, poker, blackjack, sports betting, and other games of chance. The showroom lounge hosts a variety of musical acts – an Earth, Wind and Fire Tribute band played during our visit. Upstairs was a bowling alley (64 lanes!) and cinema (16 screens!). There was a spa somewhere too. In be-
tween was an array of restaurants from Asian seafood to Mexican as well as several steak houses, Shake Shack, and Starbucks. From our hotel room, we could see the Sphere and Vegas strip.
The auction was held in the arena. Used mostly for horse shows, it was polished clean for motorcycles. The stage gleamed, surrounded with lights and cameras. To the left was the pavilion where the bikes were staged (and polished) before being pushed on the stage. A “pusher” wheeled a bike up the ramp to the stage and wheeled it off after the gavel fell. Each bike received
about a minute in the spotlight and the process repeated for seven to eight hours for four days. The logistics to auction 400 bikes a day was amazing to watch. The doors opened at 8:00 each morning and we were able to wander amongst the bikes without a crowd. Even after the auction started, it didn’t seem crowded and we could walk around the bikes freely. One guy cornered me staring at a Yamaha RZV500 and began explaining a few things about it. At one time he worked for Toomey Racing, a manufacturer of high-performance expansion chambers for TwoStrokes and this bike had a set of them.
Roll the Bones
My friend Andrew won two auctions. The first was a 1983 Harley Davidson FXR Super Glide II. This was the final year of the Shovelhead engine. He had a plan and did his homework, knowing what it was, and how much he was willing to pay. His second bike was more of a whim: a 1947 Cleveland RoadMaster bicycle with a Whizzer conversion. His wife approved of that purchase. My
friend Mick bid on a few bikes too but he also had a plan and stopped at a certain amount. I bid on a couple of bikes too. One was a 1989 Honda CB1. It was a 400cc in-line liquid cooled four-cylinder bike with gear driven cams and a redline of 13,500 rpms. Alas, I dropped out at $3500 and it sold for $7700. A second bike failed to attract any bidders and I threw up my hand at $3000 and stopped at $4000. The Dale Walker Holeshot Performance Suzuki Bandit 1200sold for a paltry $5000. If I had won, there was a 15% buyer’s premium, sales tax and a shipping fee to the east coast, so it was probably for the best. I plan to go back again. Maybe I’ll have a plan. ,
www.mecum.com
www.southpointcasino.com
www.jetbluevacations.com
I a about hist y…
On April 27th, a calendar date you might expect some uplifting skies and temperatures, the day’s previous storms were being carried away by a solid bluster, whipping in from the northwest. What should have been in the 60s, barely touched 50, and everything was still cold and damp in the northern part of New Jersey we call home.
While it might have been easier to stay put, we had been waiting all winter for this, for us, a Rite of Spring, and it did not seem that long ago that our region was covered in ice. Taking a breath, I threw a couple of bundles of Backroads in the saddlebags, suited and zipped my gear on, and rolled out an hour after dawn; heating elements making a huge difference on the ride south.
The Gathering of the Nortons, held by the Delaware Valley Norton Riders, would be turning 30 years old this weekend. A great number of years, as we have told you ad nauseam in this issue.
For years The Gathering was held at Washington Crossing Historic Park, which was a very pretty locale for such an eclectic gathering. But the ‘Powers That Be ‘(you know how we love them), forced the Delaware Valley Norton kids to seek other options and the Performance Garage Club, a private car garage club, located on Route 12 just outside Frenchtown, New Jersey offered up their facility in 2023.
It was a completely different venue, but The Gathering of the Nortons was always about the motorcycles, the riders and the mutual love of motorcycles. In a way PGC added a different, and welcoming feel.
At Washington Crossing the soundtrack was a little Erik Satie, here in Frenchtown it was a little more Michel Legrand’s The Race, First Laps from the film LeMans. That worked for us.
Our ride would run through three counties in New Jersey, and when creating a .gpx, I looked back at a semi-quick route created in 2023, and then played Jazz with it; using Garmin’s BaseCamp’s ‘Arrow Tool’ to drag the old route to more interesting, tinier and less traveled roads.
As there would be no one else along for the ride, I wasn’t concerned about beat-up pavement, gravel, rabid dragons, and angry squirrels. It would also allow us to stop when we wanted along the way; and even when traversing semi-known roads in New Jersey, you can and will find those odd bits of knowledge and history.
My Sussex part of the ride down would scoot along the Skylands, and right through what is now becoming known as Bobcat Alley.
In 2014, The Nature Conservancy launched an ambitious initiative to build Bobcat Alley, a protected wildlife corridor that provides state-endangered bobcats and other wildlife space to move between the Kittatinny and Highlands ridges within New Jersey’s Appalachian Mountains. It allows the migration of one of America’s most common and beautiful felines. Although they are easy to identify with their short, bobbed tails, they are ambush hunters with keen senses of vision and hearing… and we rarely see them. But on occasion we do, and the quick glimpse would make for a very cool start to the ride. They can be up to 50 inches long, and weigh 30 plus pounds. Nice kitty.
Heading south, I cruised by Tranquility Farms – home of our Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day – every February. I tapped into Warren County, near the M&M Headquarters… love the big characters they have there – certainly some of America’s most iconic candy characters here.
Everyone has their favorite M&M – but not enough folks respect the yellow guy. Sure, he comes off a bit slow, and dumbable, but we like him all the same. But since we have begun rambling about M&Ms, we have a bit of Celebrity Trivia for you.
Many of us know the actor J. K. Simmons. Simmons has done a handful of Spider-Manmovies (J. Jonah Jameson), and a dozen seasons as a regular on TV shows like Oz and for Farmers Insurance, but did you know he credits his decades-long role as the Yellow M&M as being the gig that really changed his life? When talking about the roles that have shaped his career, the veteran actor said that it was working as the yellow M&M (alongside red M&M actor Billy West – Ren & Stimpy, Futurama) that allowed him the financial freedom to pursue better roles, say no to things, and spend more time with his family. I knew there was a reason we liked Yellow. I tried to follow down a bit along the Musconetcong River. This river starts in Lake Hopatcong and flows 45-miles to the Delaware River, and the name comes from the Lenape for “The Clear Stream.”
Much industry traveled and grew along this river, and remnants can be found all along the roads that mimic its flow – including the Lackawanna Railroad whose trestle still stands today like a silent stone sentinel over the small river.
The ride now slipped from Warren to Hunterdon County, and vectored through small, sometimes questionably paved, roads and through the many tight ravines that are sprinkled though this part of Jersey. Hunterdon lies between Highlands and the Piedmont of New Jersey, and its plateau lives around 800 feet in elevation. Along the edges, the ravines must have been hard to build roads, and some of these amazing homes on the route, but offer today’s riders some serious and
challenging miles.
I came around by Spruce Run, which is part of the Raritan River, and a big fishing spot here in the state with perch, bass, pike, and catfish. We’re not much of a fishermen, so were really surprised at how many fish were here. A quick blast over Interstate I-78 and southwest along a mix of county and tertiary roads brought us towards the Delaware River and onto Route 12, and the Gathering just east of Frenchtown.
Arriving earlier, I was surprised, and a bit worried that the iffy weather would be keeping riders away, as this part of the Hunterdon plateau is fairly flat and the winds seemed to be aiming for PGC parking lot with a vengeance. But come 10ish or so the bikes were pouring in, and the sun actually made a showing and, for a bit, the winds died down. The Road Gods are on our side.
The Delaware Valley Norton Riders had a table up, with tee shirts and coffee – they were kind enough to let me put that bundle of Backroads out for the taking to those interested, and it was interesting to see the machines that came to be seen. Most of
them rode to the show, and some towed in as needed. There seemed to be no one taking care of the parking, but the Nortons were all lined up in the center and machines of every type, make, description, and flavor were sprinkled in make-shift rows about…. more or less sticking with their own kind.
A pair of Kawasaki Triples, Three (count em) Triumph Hurricane X-75s, created by Craig Vetter back in the early 70s. A Walter Wolf Suzuki Gamma, next to a newer Triumph Thruxton. One old BMW that had not been washed since Reagan was president.
There were also one or two, very knowledgeable, riders there wearing old, I mean OLD, red Aerostich jackets… now faded to that well-known and legendary “pink.” To me, this softly and surely states that these guys are a riders, and truly one of us. Function over style.
I am here for the motorcycles, and you should be too.
Of course, there were those machines that were truly different. My friend Frankie’s Honda chopper – supercharged, as they should be. Klaus, the master of suspension, with his Krauser sidecar drew the most attention when he rolled in. As for four wheels, there were some great and interesting cars – one being an old Mustang that was really a Mazda Miata. Nice. Different.
There were a lot of old guys on old bikes… and being one of them I can say that. But we had some younger riders here at The Gathering as well, and our sport surely needs young blood to keep this all rolling.
The gal that did the cover story of our February edition – Rewilding - Masha Spai was in attendance, and it was great to meet her, and so was a young man named Max Demsky who is building some great and interesting machines these days. Most excellent to see these riders riding out on a questionable day to a great event that showcases our riding past – for they are our riding future.
See ya next year. ,
HI-VIZ CAMELBAK
I have been a big proponent of on-the-fly hydration. I know I drink more water on the road on my motorcycle than I do at my desk, with a 600-foot artesian well pumping out the best Skylands H2O in New Jersey.
Over the many seasons, I have gone through a number of CamelBaks. They are built well, but usually of a lighter rip-stop nylon, so two or three seasons is all I am going to get from them.
One issue I have had with CamelBaks is that, although they do make them in a wide variety of colors, unless you buy a bright color, they can get lost on your back.
My Aerostich Roadcrafter has a wide stripe of retro-reflective material across the back. Wearing a CamelBak negates this stripe, and at night it might as well not even be there.
It’s my choice... nighttime visibility or water on hand for the whole day. I always choose the water – but now I have a new CamelBak that handles this issue.
The Hi-Viz CamelBak.
When safety and visibility come first, the Hi-Viz is your answer. The HiViz includes all the trusted features you’ve come to expect from CamelBak
in two high-visibility colors to keep you safe on the road - bright lime or orange. The lime matches hi-viz riding gear fairly well, and the orange my semi-unique Roadcrafter suit. Unlike the lighter, more commonly used material, this is made with a durable 500 denier Cordura exterior construction and is fully insulated too.
Bright, strong and cool.
It has retro-reflective strips on the back and down the front arm straps as well. It is already bright, but super conspicuous when headlights strike it, and it is all about being seen.
The externally accessed 2.5L, 85oz Military Spec Crux Reservoir has double insulation, and delivers 25% more water per sip and the tear-away harness keeps you safe even in the most critical situations.
The reservoir stays in the CamelBak when you are filling it – so topping off is quick and easy, and the sip tube is insulated as well, so the water in the tube stays cooler in between sips. Brilliant.
It has just one small stash pocket (two would be better), but it does hold small items I might need in a hurry. The back is made with a wide-mesh material for breathability and comfort, and on the road, it feels no different than my old CamelBak, but the water does stay cooler for sure. Drink up my friends, drink up! You can find the Hi-Viz CamelBak online for $90.
~ Brian Rathjen
The Law Office of Paul Gargiulo, P.C. presents
Welcome to the Jungle - The Art of Learning to Ride Skillfully
You’re heading out for a ride, the yearly Gathering of the Nortons, and you thought you had plenty of time to set up your machine, your gear, and all the other little things that go along for the ride. You have your cell phone, new sunglasses, and wallet. All placed neatly on the tool caddy.
You think of yourself as methodical. A man with a plan, and semi-disciplined. Yet things begin to compress the closer the clock swings toward that predetermined launch time, in your mind. Then those hooligans in the left field bleachers start a hollerin’, and the unexpected begins to happen. You realize that it has been a few weeks since you last checked your tire pressure, and even longer for your riding partner’s bike - whose motorcycle upkeep has become a task you thought you had happily accepted. (As long as the gourmet meals kept coming). Launch may be in that, should be, pre-planned hold.
Your machine is good. Hers is not. You roll her bike back into the barn, and fire up the compressor - which will need a minute or so to get its mojo going… Right about then the home phone rings and you put down what you are doing and rush –like every drive to a hospital – to grab the phone in the kitchen.
Why we do this is beyond me, as we know it will be some Robo-Call.
Yes, we all yearn for a real human to be on the other side.
both can always be a little late. With the words a little late you try to remember if you took your amlodipine this morning.
Trying to follow her suggestion, you go to the tool caddy and then wonder who the hell put the torx sockets with the Allen?! Oh, that would have been you rushing around earlier that week trying to get something done between Double and Final Jeopardy.
Dude, take a breath.
Oh my God – it is a real person. Your buddy, who called on the old landline as he says you didn’t answer your cell – which you have on perpetual silence simply because you think we spend way too much time on these devilish creations. He wants you not to forget that tool you were going to lend him. Right. Gotcha.
You go outside, grab your phone and turn on the ringer, muttering little bad things about your friend, toss it onto a topcase on one of the bikes. You put the tool he needs in your tank bag – so you don’t forget it. You add the needed tire pressure to her bike, which was low a few pounds in the back. While on the center stand your hand instinctively slide over to check the chain slack… It is SLACK.
Oh, okay. Riding suits now come off, and tools come out. She goes in to fill up the CamelBaks, which you had neglected, and the cat slips through the door and disappears into a hidden Cat Dimension.
On the TV in your mind, Walter Cronkite has stopped talking about a preplanned hold and is now bringing up the phrase Launch Window. She hands you a glass of water and tells you not to get upset, and that you
All adjusted, ship shape, spick & span, and in fit trim.
You take a breath… again. She has corralled the cat and he is now looking sadly out the bedroom window at the humans abandoning him yet again for those noisy things. Uncle Walter is now smiling and telling millions that the glitch was fixed, and the launch countdown has restarted, and just a few extra degrees into Earth’s daily rotation you both clear the driveway pad, and begin the mission.
A few hours later you run into everyone at the yearly Gathering of the Nortons. Your tool-borrowing buddy comes up through the late morning sun’s glare and says he’s been looking for you. He asks if you didn’t turn on your phone. You look at him squinting, while at the same time patting your pockets to find your sunglasses. Yes, I turned on my phone. Yep.
He holds up his phone – it is dialing yours. You all stop. Listening intently. There is nothing to hear.
Back in the barn, on the topcase, there is a quiet buzzing and a lightly glowing screen, and across the barn, atop the tool caddy the sunglasses take it all in. Take a breath, dude. Take a breath. ,
