New England Sport Touring

Happiness is Waiting for You

OSJ — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 23:10:28 +0000

“Happiness is waiting for you.” This morning, while I listened to a lecture, that quote resonated with me, prompting a pause to reflect. Isn’t it a lovely notion, so simple and sincere? The difficulty many people overlook is the importance of slowing down and recognizing that true happiness is present, ready to be embraced and cherished. Recently, I enjoyed a ride on my Moto Guzzi V88 TT through Western Massachusetts, filled with moto tagging and adventure. The weather was perfect for riding, reminiscent of those ideal days we motorcyclists dream of during the harsh winter months when icy roads, plummeting temperatures, and our bikes in hibernation seem endless. Just as those cold winter days swiftly arrive, they eventually yield to delightful days like today, with temperatures in the low 70s, clear blue skies adorned with fluffy clouds, and winding, empty roads inviting us. Although I had a planned route with several stops, I intentionally took a few wrong turns to savor those “where does this road lead?” moments. Halfway through my ride, I remembered, “Oh yes, there’s a lovely waterfall up this road,” and “I think there’s a charming ice cream stand just around the corner.” In the quaint village of Blandford, MA, I discovered a small park featuring a gazebo and a well-maintained lawn, ideal for spreading out a blanket and enjoying a midday break. Just up the road in Worthington, there’s a delightful eatery called Liston’s Bar and Grill, a modern establishment that captures the essence of an old-fashioned dive bar. Their menu focuses on burgers, and they provide a pleasant outdoor seating area that welcomes visitors from various small towns in Western MA. While Massachusetts is known for its dense population, this particular region feels quite distinct. Western MA technically begins west of the Connecticut River, yet most residents of the state live within the 495 beltway, likely unaware of the existence of charming towns like Otis, Becket, Monterey, and Worthington, to name a few. If you’re a motorcyclist, you may be familiar with these towns and have enjoyed the peaceful back roads that wind through them. Countless unnamed roads bear titles like River, Old County, and Stage. Some of these bumpy paths have weeds sprouting through the cracks in the pavement, as they see little traffic. These are the kinds of roads that bring me joy. Why is that? Well, as the gentleman in the video mentioned, they are waiting for you. As my day came to an end and the sun entered what I affectionately call the Golden Hour, I found myself on a familiar road not far from home. Upper Church Street in Hardwick, MA, winds through beautiful stone walls and open fields. With a breathtaking view to the west, I was fortunate enough to witness something truly special and free: the setting sun! I pulled over to watch that magnificent orb dip below the tree line, casting enchanting shadows. Coincidentally, someone had traced the outline of a heart in the gravel where I parked. It served as a gentle reminder that love indeed makes life worth living. After 40 years of riding motorcycles throughout New England, I can genuinely say that these kinds of days bring me true happiness. I’m thankful that it waited for me!

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Find the Hidden Letter

OSJ — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 14:30:12 +0000

Here is a story for today… It goes something like this. F. Kafka a Austrian-Czech author that wrote some pretty bizarre stories in his short life (that ended in 1924) told a story about meeting a young girl in a park that was crying because she lost her doll. He tried to help the young girl find this doll and when he realized it was gone forever, he decided to write the young girl a letter from the doll. The letter explained that the doll had left to explore the world and would write to the young girl about her travels. Over the next few years Kafka would send the girl these letters the amazing travels. After some time, he purchased a new doll and gave it to the girl. She examined the new doll and asked why she had changed so much? She could tell it wasn’t the same as the one she lost. Along with this new doll was a final letter explaining that her travels had changed her, and the young girl took the new one in an showed her the same love that she had for the one she lost. Later in life, when the young girl was a grown woman, she examined the doll and noticed a letter hidden inside, it read… “Everything you love will probably be lost, but in the end, love will return in another way.” I would like to believe this story is true, but if you read a few stories written by Kafka you might think otherwise. However, the two messages in that story certainly are not founded in fantasy or fiction. I love the idea how travel changes us. It can be traveling across the country, world or even something a simple as finding a new path to explore close to home. We can also travel through the ones we love, watching and listening to their story’s. Photos and videos certain have changed the way we can do this, but sometimes nothing can be better than sitting down and reading the written word. As I prepare for a big trip that I have planned in the summer of 2025 I find myself reading stories of people travels along my planned route. Somehow, I find myself traveling right along with them. I know when I do finally get to ride my motorcycle to Alaska that it will change me. I am so ready for that change. However, even reading these stories of other people’s travels are changing me in a slight way I also have experienced lost love, and when you feel like you’ll never find it again then out of the blue, like barreling down a steep rocky hill, a little out of control love can come tumbling down upon you. Unexpected, but yet somehow it can help you understand that yes love will return to you. The travels that your life has carried you through in-between the lost and found certainly has changed who you were, and that’s okay. If you find yourself in a spot that you don’t have a love in your life, just make sure you keep yourself open to letting it in! The same can be said for finding a old motorcycle that you once loved. Back in the mid 80s my second motorcycle I ever had was this little Suzuki GS450S. That bike carried my first real girlfriend on the back. It taught me how to wheelie, and took me on my very first trip out of the state I grew up in. I also learned a very valuable lesson on that bike that could have not only changed my life but ended it. I was lucky that the alcohol I drank that night in June of 1985 only totaled the bike and not my life. Several broken bones and lots of road rash took the rest of the year to heal, and that poor Suzuki was trailered off to the junk yard. However, Like that young girl learned I also learned that love or (motorcycles) can come back to you. January of 1986, I purchased a RZ350 I no longer had that girl to ride on the back with me, but I perfected the wheelie on the RZ and that little two stroke motorcycle brought me to every state in New England and beyond! But that’s a story for another day! Just remember…travel will change you, let it.Love will find you, accept it.Buy that old motorcycle again, wheelie it! This past summer that little Suzuki came back into my life, I haven’t found that hidden letter in it yet, but I know its there!

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Postcards from my Past

OSJ — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:38:03 +0000

Postcards from my past Come on, come on take a little ride with meYou just might trip over some of your own memories, eventually? I had moved out of my parents’ house 2 days after HS graduation, my 1st place was this studio in Lowell, then I decided to move up in the world and got this 2-room place in the center of Fitchburg MA It was the summer of 1985. One night I discovered this little door in the ceiling of a closet in the bedroom. It contained drop downstairs to the roof. As far as I could tell it was the only access to the flat roof. The building is still there, it’s now part of the Fitchburg Art Museum, corner of Elm and Academy streets. Back in the 80s Elm Street in “the burg” was not the best place to live, my friends at the time nicknamed my place Nightmare on Elm. Across the street was the Post office and bank parking lot. That’s where I would park my 1960 Ford F100 Pick-up and my 1980 Suzuki GS450S. I couldn’t see the lot from the two windows I had but if I went up to the roof, I could see all around the building. I spent many nights up there. I don’t remember being worried that someone would steal my truck or bike, but I would often go up at night just to check out the lot, and then lay on a folding beach chair my mom gave me, many nights just lying there looking up at the stars enjoying the cool night air. That little twin cylinder Suzuki was my 2nd motorcycle, my 1st one that I purchased myself. Bike number one was given to me as payment for helping my brother-in-law work one summer. The Suzuki was black with gold mag wheel and a little bikini fairing over the headlight. Even though it was the same size as my 1st bike (450) it felt like a completely bike, my first introduction to a cafe racer style bike. I was 18-year-old, living on my own and riding my motorcycle as much as possible. I had a few buddies at the time that also rode, but they were also into playing golf and other activities. Slowly as the summer months went on I found myself riding more solo trips then with my buddies. Now keep in mind this was 1985, way before cell phones, gps devices and other gadgets that make exploring so much easier today. I had paper maps and motorcycle/travel magazines and books. I also had this strong desire to just get out and find places, it’s been something I’ve expressed in my stories in the past, its just who I am. I would load up my backpack with a bologna sandwich some Wachusett chips and a coke, strap it to the back seat and click that little black Suzuki in gear and go. It was a new way to discover and explore. I spent many days riding around central and Western MA finding roads like Mohawk Trail, Route 116 and even took that black and gold bike up Route 100 in Vermont. Then I would wander back to Fitchburg and sit up on the roof on Elm Street and fall asleep under the bright stars. It was such an amazing summer. Fast forward to this past weekend and the Old School is Cool 1st Sunday of the month ride to eat in West Boylston. Seeing some cool old bikes and chatting with riding buddies has become such a fun way to spend a few hours once a month. There was a 1991 CBR250RR there, a nice clean RZ350 and several Honda CB’s. Then I saw it, a postcard from my past! A 1980 GS450S, and S! You see the S version of Suzuki’s GS line was pretty rare, even back in 1980 it was rare. Most GS were the Standard L models. This one wasn’t the black model but that didn’t matter. Somehow, I didn’t see it pull in, so I wasn’t sure who rode it in. I found this table of gentlemen around my age and went up and said, “who’s on that GS450?” Probably a little too enthusiastically too, because the owner said, its mine and it’s for sale! Want to take it for a ride was his next comment! Talk about a time machine! You might be wondering, Jim did you buy from him? To be continued…..

The post Postcards from my Past first appeared on New England Sport Touring.

Rocket bike is all her own…

OSJ — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 11:55:51 +0000

Tank is full, switch is on Night is warm, cops are gone Rocket bike is all her own It’s called a hurricane She told me once it’s quite a ride It’s shaped so there’s this place inside Where if you’re moving you can hide Safe within the rain- David Wilcox The above lyrics are from a song that came out in the late 80s, a one hit wonder or something like that. Or most likely you’ve never heard this song, or the artist for that matter. Listening to that song over and over again for many years I can relate to much of what is said in this story. David was quoted once “This song is about addiction, and about how something which feels so good can do you damage.” Isn’t it funny how you can listen to a song and get a certain message out of it, but then later in life you hear from the artist and find out that a song was written with a completely different mindset then what you may have felt about the song? Or is that the whole point of music? It’s not necessarily the message that the artist intends to convey. Its more the message that you allow yourself to receive. When I first heard the line… “Rocket bike is all her own. It’s called a hurricane” I immediately thought of a beautiful 1987 red and white Honda Hurricane. Probably the 1st sport bike that when it came out I though, wow what an amazing machine. 600cc engine, Full body work, covering that new liquid cooled inline 4. Low clip-on handlebars just like the bikes racing on the tracks of Loudon NH. At the time Honda was famous for making V4 engines in their sport bikes, VF500s, VFR750s and VF1000R Interceptors were the sport bikes were what the Honda dealerships were selling up to that time the Hurricane was debuted. I remember the day I saw one in person, I was working in Weymouth Mass. It was a warm spring day in 1987, I went to a Honda dealer on my lunch break just to be able to see and touch this bike. I remember kneeling next to it, lightly running my hands along the long red strip painted down its side imagining the wind flowing past as this machine flew down the road. Noticing how the turn indicators were built into the side fairing, and the huge wrap around front fender. Such a beautiful machine to look at, it looks so fast just standing still in that showroom. I have this ability to transform myself back in time, almost like I can re-live certain moments or experiences that I have had. Usually, I can’t control when these types of events happen however when it does it will stop me no matter what I am doing, and I just go. So, when this song plays, I go back to this moment in 1987, and the song Instantly becomes a message about someone finding such solace in act of riding a motorcycle fast on a lonely back road. Even if that means risking her health, her life just to find that peace that we all seem to find while riding. She wants to run away But there’s nowhere that she can go Nowhere the pain won’t come again But she can hide Hide in the pouring rain She rides the eye of the hurricane While having my 1st cup of coffee this morning with some music playing in the background this song came on. Sitting on my couch in in West Boylston in 2023 I immediately was brought back to 1987 and to that moment. Now I never ended up buying one of those Honda Hurricanes, shortly after I visited that dealership, I found myself in a small dealership in Lunenburg MA called SKY Cycle. Picking up a brand new (left over 1986) Yamaha FZ600, in red, white and blue no less. However that’s for another tale, a different song. Right now, I’m riding that beautiful White and Red Honda Rocket bike is all her own It’s called a hurricane.

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1st Sunday of the Month, Two Wheels at the Reservoir

OSJ — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 13:08:23 +0000

My inspiration for the 1st Sunday of the Month RTE at the Reservoir was from some events I had attended in the past and something I had remembered from reading columns from one of my favorite moto journalists, Peter Egan From a very young age I had not only completely falling in love with riding my motorcycle I was also mildly obsessed with finding everything about them in print. Books and magazines could be found in every room in my house. At one time I had boxes in my garage with hundreds, maybe thousands of motorcycles magazines from the early 80s up to the early 2000s. From technical details of how motorcycles were manufactured to stories of travel both local and around the world I just couldn’t get enough and consumed everything I could read. One such publication had Peter Egan writing a monthly column called “Leanings” and each month it would be the very 1st thing I would read when that magazine was delivered. Mr. Egan had a way to pull you into his stories, so at times you could almost feel like you were with him sitting in his old barn up in Wisconsin drinking a glass of wine celebrating the purchase of another bike, or riding along the Pasific Coast Highway with him and his wife Barb. One other subject he would talk about time to time was the Slimy Crud gang and the monthly meetings they would have. And by meeting s they would go something like this, here let me quote Mr. Egan “IT STARTED FOUR YEARS AGO AS AN IDEA kicked around at one of our casual monthly Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang meetings. And by “casual” I mean these meetings are nothing more than a bunch of guys in leather jackets standing around in someone’s garage or driveway, alternately gazing at motorcycles and examining the labels of the beer bottles they’re holding” The few members of that group decided to start what they called the Slimey Crud Café Racer Run which was a loosely organized event where people showed up early one Sunday Morning at a location and stood around and chatted while checking out all the cool bikes. Then at a certain time they would all leave in separate groups and ride for a few hours only to meet up at another spot for some lunch. If you want to read the original article, he wrote about it you can find it here. Also, around that same time we had another gathering of bikes here in New England that would pull in large crowds of motorcyclist. Super Sunday at Marcus Dairy in Danbury CT. YouTube search MTV at Marcus Dairy and you will see a fun little video from the early 90s when the music television station visited Super Sunday. This event started in the late 70s and ran all thru the 80s, 90s and the very early 2000s until the little Dairy Restaurant closed its doors and was swallowed up by a shopping mall, once a awesome gathering of motorcycles now replaced with a Supercut’s, Panera Bread and a mattress store 🙁 I was lucky enough to attend one of the original Super Sundays on my 1986 Concours was back in 1990 after I had seen a Kawaski Ad in a magazine. I was amazed at the amount of people that showed up on that cool summer morning. Walking around the parking lot just checking out all the bikes was such a fun way to spend a few hours. No planned rides were going on, just show up park get a little bite to eat and enjoy the scene. Then many years later while on Facebook I came across another event that seemed interesting. Ephrata American Legion First Sunday Breakfast held each 1st Sunday from March to November in Central PA. The first time I attended this event back in 2012, and again several times in the following years I was amazed at the number of bikes that would show up in this huge parking lot in the middle of central PA. It reminded me of the old Super Sundays and the Slimey Crud Cafe Run events and I knew New England needed something like this! So, this is why in 2021 I decided to start what is known as “Two Wheels at the Reservoir, 1st Sunday of the Month RTE” My dream was to get a bunch of motorcycles in New England to gather around one Sunday a month, have some coffee, kick some tires and enjoy some beautiful New England Roads. Originally It was called Two Strokes at the reservoir, hoping to get a bunch of 70s and 80s sportbikes to show up, but quickly became known as just Two Wheels at the Reservoir. It’s not specific to any type of bike or manufacture all bikes and riders are welcome. Just be respectful and follow traffic laws so we can continue to keep this event happening. So, if you find yourself looking for a fun event on the 1st Sunday of each month, and you are local to Central Massachusetts then come on by to the Wachusett Reservoir in West Boylston at the northern Junction of rt 12 and 140 and have a cup of coffee while you check out some bikes!

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Pretend you’re good at it

OSJ — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 14:19:01 +0000

I read this quote once that I find myself coming back to every once and a while. It goes like this… After all the heartache and painStill be softStill be KindStill be HopefulStill be magicalStill be wholeStill be presentStill be honestStill be lovingStill be acceptingStill be you Such a wonderful sentiment and I used to worry about the fact that sometimes I really do need to go back and read this to remind myself that those are very important ideals to have and practice. Because it’s so easy to let the harshness of the world with the pain others have caused to change the way you feel and act. So many people walk around with this inside them and it can leak out in a very slow and hurtful way, and others have the inability to hold it in at all and it rushes out like a broken dam holding back this enormous amount of pressure. Yes, in the past I have been guilty of both of these things and it certainly is something I look back at with some shame and embarrassment. Then I taught myself how to pretend to be these things when I was suffering thru pain and heartaches, I didn’t want the outside world to know who I was at those moments. Then I realized I was adding this whole other level of guilt and shame because I had to fake something and pretend to be someone I truly wasn’t. I would pull back from the people in my life that cared about me. I would find myself sliding down into this dark hole of despair and loneliness. I wouldn’t ask for help, and if people reached out to me I would pretend everything was just fine. I got so good at it. However , doing so would give me the time to settle down, think about the pain and the person or situation that was putting me in this spot and work on myself. Usually sitting down with my computer(in the past was pencil and notepad) and writing these feelings down was a way to let all this hurt escape through my fingertips and transfer it to something outside of me, something I could go back and read on a screen. Doing so would release me from the pain. In a way seeing the pain from the outside in and looking at that person suffering as someone that needed some comfort. This was something that I became so good at, being able to take all that pain and make it into something that would protect the ones that I loved. I then realized that being able to “pretend you’re good at it” was such a wonderful trait to have and was the catalyst to my healing and truly being happy.

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Do you like Cheeseburgers??

OSJ — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 15:29:40 +0000

When you walk into this little restaurant and notice the murals on the walls, the old-fashioned booths and the counter stools you will be transported to your childhood. Well, that’s if you grew up back in the 70s or 80s and it seemed like every small town in America had a small little dairy bar like The Shady Glenn. Oh, and bring you wallet and leave your credit card at home because this is a Cash only establishment! Or it was the last time I was there; I hope they keep that tradition going! This one is located on a main road coming out of the town of Manchester CT right on Route 44. Shady Glen Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor is the official name and when a place has ” Ice Cream Parlor” in its name they you know it’s going to be a special and fun place to visit for eats! However, don’t come here just for the ice cream, there is something special on the menu that I have not found anywhere else before. It’s a cheeseburger! What, James almost every restaurant in America serves a cheeseburger how could this place be any different? Well have a look at how they do cheeseburgers! Yup, that is cheese that you see hanging outside of my bun, crispy delicious cheese! They do this unique procedure when they place the cheese on the burger, 4 slices of cheese cover the burger but also hang over the edges and sit on the grill and become this amazingly tasty and crispy goodness. You can order it with all the fixings that I usually get on my burgers, but when I come here, I get it plain just like you see above. Now the locals have a debate on how to eat this concoction, some say just grab it and go. The 1st few bites are just cheese, others say pull the bun back and fold in the crispy edges back onto the burger and place the bun back on and enjoy. I’ve done both and I’m not sure which is better, I think I should return soon and try this again! When you come here save a little room for dessert. Lots of Ice Cream flavors are offered and for a little extra special treat you can get a Sundae topped with Hot Fudge, Hot Carmel, Hot Blueberry, Hot Butterscotch as well as Cherrys, Pineapples and whipped cream. Sound good, doesn’t it? When are we going?

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Rest is not idleness…

OSJ — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 13:02:25 +0000

“and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” Or how about to gaze at your motorcycle while you lean up against a tree, letting the afternoon sun warm your soul? On this particular day I was reminded of the John Lubbock quote that you see at the beginning of this post. Now I don’t think Mr. Lubbock was considering laying in the town center of looking at a beautiful 2004 Red Ducati ST3 when he penned the book “The Use Of Life” However, one thing I love about finding quotes about life is applying them to motorcycle rides and adventures. Like he also said in a book he published (Peace and Happiness) in 1909.. “The whole value of solitude depends upon oneself; it may be a sanctuary or a prison, a haven of repose or a place of punishment, a heaven or a hell, as we ourselves make it.” Sitting at that spot on that day back in 2018, it was a late summer afternoon, one of those days I just needed to be away from home, work and everyday life. It was a little escape of reality to find some solitude. Most of my life I’ve always looked at solitude as my sanctuary never a prison. Riding my motorcycles most defiantly qualifies as a haven of repose for me. Sitting there on that day I thought how wonderful it would be to just take a little nap. I was reminded of a time back in the Late 80s working for a company and I was in my truck driving thru the center of this small New England town. I was going out to check on an employee who was working in this area. As I pulled up into the center of town, I noticed his truck parked on the side of the road and I could see my employee lying next to a tree on the town common. I walked up to him only to find the guy snoring loudly, fast asleep at 11am. Now I don’t remember if my company had policy on taking naps, but he explained to me he didn’t eat lunch, but instead took a 30 min nap every day. Now that I’m in my late 50s and someone that naps several times a week, I now realize this guy was a true champion! So, back to this day on the beautiful red Ducati. I leaned back against the tree, closed my eyes and dozed off a bit. It might have been only 15 minutes that I napped here but it was one of those memorable ones. When I opened my eyes, the Ducati was the 1st thing I saw, and brought a smile to my face. That L-twin from Bologna Italy, the red paint, the upswept Sil moto Pipes just a beautiful piece of machinery! thank you, Mr. Lubbock and Chris, (from 1988) you both reminded me that sitting here watching the clouds float by is by no means a waste of time!

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Dear Fellow Traveler

OSJ — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 00:01:50 +0000

Dear Fellow Traveler. Come along with me for a little ride. This particular trip is one that was planned for a few years but just couldn’t find the exact time to go. See this one was like many trips that I have taken in the past. Many times, while reading a travel guide, or watching a show on the discovery channel I would come across a unique place that I would immediately grab my map book, or in this case laptop and open google maps and search for the location and drop a pin on it. I will say google has certainly made this process so easy, which I’m not sure if it takes away from the adventure of it all? Back before our lives were so consumed with devices, I would have to use the old map books, actually go to the library or bookstore to try and find some information on places like this. Then usually over the winter months I would randomly pick up my map book and flip through the states looking at all these little marks with half legibly notes scribbled in the corners trying to explain to my future self of what is wait for me at these little random x’s on the map! So, this X was on my map for a few years. I had seen a photo from a Moto Blogger that I had been following for some time. Fuzzy Galore at Girlie Motorcycle & Road Trip Blog – Full tank. Wandering heart. (fuzzygalore.com) has a fabulous motorcycle page full of awesome photos and great stories of her travels around the country. Go read her posts or follow her on Instagram!One such photo stuck out on this day, and I know I just had to go see it. I asked my over worked buddy Tommy if he wanted to go for a ride. And to see if he wanted to come with me to find a sculpture that is located at a gas station in upstate NY. Some 200 miles away. Now I’ve done 400-mile days many times to find places like this, or to try a Hotdog shack in Vermont, or see a bridge in Maine so doing a 200-mile one way trip to see a sculpture was no big deal. However, after talking with Tommy and realizing it was his birthday weekend so why not make it a 2-night weekend trip on two wheels! I told him I will plan the route, find the lodging just meet me on the MA Pike Friday afternoon with an overnight bag packed! Usually, I don’t like traveling the highways on these trips, but there are times you just need them to either get around (thru) cities or major rivers. We used I90 aka The Pike to get out of central MA and cross the mighty CT river. Once we hit Western MA we jumped onto the back roads and worked our way south into the northwest corner of Connecticut. The bikes we chose for this adventure were going to be our road bikes. No ADV machines with knobby tires on this trip. Tommy had his new H2 Ninja, all supercharged up and I had my trusty 20 year-old Ducati ST3 Riding with Tommy is fun, usually he likes me to lead and set the pace, but on the odd occasion he would take over the point things would move quickly. At one point in the trip, I made a comment that if he led for this ride, we would either end up arrested or dead, more on that!!! We took the long way to Great Barrington MA and had a great meal at a local Mexican restaurant, with a little fried ice cream desert celebrating Tommys birthday. It was a great 1st day of riding! The next morning, we crossed into NY and had our 1st stop at the Milbrook Diner, then a stop for coffee and chat with other motorcycle people at Moto Coffee Machine in Hudson NY. A great place to check out if you are riding in that area. Heck, I’ve even hosted a breakfast Ride To Eat here once and people rode in from Central MA for a Sunday morning breakfast here. Once we crossed the 2nd Mighty River of this trip, the Hudson we started following some roads that were recommended to us from our friend Kasandra who lives out in this amazing area of really nice roads to ride. Most of these roads were unnumbered or 3-digit county roads. Those are the ones to ride in Dutchess, Albany and Greene County. Wow the roads out here are just absolute pleasure to ride a motorcycle on! After a day of blasting around upstate NY at some insane speeds, listening to the supercharger whistle as he would blow by me, and watching that H2 completely take off from me on the long stretches of empty roads was just too much fun! The old Italian girl was just no match for that green machine. However, the sound coming from the Sil Moto Pipes on the ST3 was enough to keep me smiling as we piled on the miles. We ended up in a small little town just north of the Catskills and invited Kasanda to join us for dinner to thank her for the awesome recommendations on these roads. It was a great steak dinner, and we shared a delicious dessert. Sunday morning arrived and it was time to start heading home, but 1st we needed to go to the spot this whole trip was about! A fun ride thru Catskill Park at some insane speeds (Tommy led most of this day) we found ourselves in the little town of Rocky Hill NY. Here at the off ramp to NY 17 you will find a cool sculpture by New York metal art sculptor Zac Max, aka Zac Shavrick. Now I don’t know if Fuzzy found this randomly or knew it was here, but I would never have known it existed if I wasn’t a fan of her writings and travel stories. These are the things that stir my soul, these are the things that I so look forward to when I think about riding my motorcycle. It’s not just the sculpture, which is truly unique, but it’s the discovery of these things, the planning out the travel to it and then actually getting on my bike and going to find it. I can’t fully explain it, however I know a lot of you out there that may be reading this get it. I know fuzzy does! Oh, and what did I tell you earlier about having Top Gun Tommy lead? Well on one open stretch of road in a unnamed town in Western MA we came up to a group of “Riders” in perfect riding formation. You know the type…lol.. they were certainly enjoying their ride at their pace (under speed limit by the way) As we approached them at a rapid rate Tommy said something like ” Im going for it” on the comms and then the green machine took off! Like the 2nd pilot in on blue angles, when the leader says lets go, ya go! Actually, this photo was taken after that pass, and was after passing a pickup truck at a slow speed. The local officer was very kind and let us off with a verbal warning, I hope she doesn’t read this story!

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Lodging for the Piccadilly Pineapple Adventure Trail

OSJ — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 13:26:35 +0000

Name Section Web Address Street Address Notes Notes Phone The Jenkins Inn 1 jenkinsinn.com 7 West St, Barre, MA 01005 Small little B&B in the middle of sec 1, close to few restaurants 1- mid route 978-355-6444 1896 House 2 1896 House | 910 Cold Spring Road, Williamstown, MA 01267 Nice hotel just off the route 2- end of section 413-458-1896 Bascom Lodge 2 Bascom Lodge – Restaurant in Adams, MA 3 Summit Road Adams MA Season Lodge at the top of Mt Greylock 2- end of section 413-743-1591 Berkshire Valley Inn 2 Berkshire Valley Inn: Your Cozy Stay Minutes from Jiminy Peak Ski Resort in Williamstown, MA 2541 Hancock Rd, Williamstown, MA 01267 Little motel slightly off route 2- end of section 413-675-5428 Dancing Bear B&B 2 Home – Blooming Inn Shelburne Falls (shelburnestays.com) 22 Mechanic St, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 Cute little B&B in a very nice little town, just about 1 hour into 2 2- mid route 860-778-4759 Hotel Downstreet 2 Hotel in North Adams MA | Hotel in the Berkshires (hoteldownstreet.com) 40 Main St, North Adams, MA 01247 Nice hotel in center of city with lots of restaurant options 2- end of section 413-663-6500 Red Roof PLUS+ South Deerfield 2 Cheap Hotel in Amherst – South Deerfield, MA 01373 | Red Roof 9 Greenfield Rd, South Deerfield, MA 01373 Chain hotel at end of Sec 2, Few restaurants within a few miles 2- end of section 413-634-4003 Goldenrod Country Inn 2 The Goldenrod Country Inn 144 Huntington Rd, Worthington, MA 01098 Beautiful country Inn with excelent restaurant. Right in the middle of section 2 2- mid route 413-238-0144 Cavalier Cottage B&B 3 Cavalier Cottage – Pet Friendly Lodging in Western MA 236 E Oxbow Rd, Charlemont, MA 01339 Nice Bed and Breakfast in the middle of section 3 3- mid route 413-625-2262 Country Inn Jiminy Peak 3 Home – Jiminy Peak 37 Corey Rd, Hancock, MA 01237 Resort with several restaurant – Just off route 2- end of section 413-738-5500 Latchis Hotel 3 Latchis Hotel 50 Main St, Brattleboro VT Slightly off route in middle of Sec 3 3- mid route 802-254-6300 Centennial House B&B 3 Centennial House Bed and Breakfast in Northfield, Massachusetts (the centennial house.com) 94 Main St, Northfield, MA 01360 Slightly off route near end of Section 3 3- end of Section 413-498-5921 French King Motel 3 French King Restaurant & Motel (frenchkingrestaurantandmotel.com) 129 French King Hwy, Erving, MA 01344 Motel and Restaurant combo on the start of sec 4 would make good end to sec 3 3- end of Section 413-423-3328 Green River Bridge Inn 3 Picturesque | Green River Bridge Inn 2435 Stage Rd, Guilford, VT 05301 Cute little B&B right in the middle of section 3 3- mid route 802-490-2632 Hampton Inn & Suites Greenfield 3 Hampton Inn and Suites Greenfield, MA Hotel (hilton.com) 184 Shelburne Rd, Greenfield, MA 01301 Chain hotel at end of sec 3, can also be used for end of sec 2 3- end of Section 413-773-0057 The Inn at Crumpin-Fox 3 The Inn at Crumpin-Fox: A New England Resort Destination | Bernardston, MA (crumpinfoxinn.com) 71 Northfield Rd, Bernardston, MA 01337 Nice Motel near the end of sec 3 3- end of Section 413-648-9131 Maple Terrace 3 Maple Terrace | Country Charm in Heart of Williamstown MA 555 Main St, Williamstown, MA 01267 Cute little motel owned by motorcyclist. Just off the end of Sec 3, lots of local restaurants to choose from 3- end of Section 413-458-9677 Tourist 3 TOURISTS Welcome 915 State Rd, North Adams, MA 01247 riverside retreat inspired by the classic American roadside motor lodge 3- end of Section 413-347-4995 Blue Vista Motor Lodge 3 Blue Vista Motor Lodge 229 Mohawk Trail, Florida, MA 01247 Cute motel with amazing views, just a few miles into Sec 4 , Restaurants several miles away 3- end of Section 413-664-0007 Chocksett Inn 1 or 4 Central Massachusetts Inn & Wedding Venue | Chocksett Inn 59 Laurelwood Rd, Sterling, MA 01564 Beautiful Inn with restaurant and several nearby restaurants 1- start of section 978-422-3355 Double Tree Leominster 1 or 4 Double Tree 99 Erdman Way, Leominster, MA 01453 Chain hotel at start of 1- End of 4 1- start of section 978-534-9000 Great Wolf Lodge and Waterpark 1 or 4 Indoor Water Park & Resort | Boston Resort | Great Wolf Lodge 150 Great Wolf Dr, Fitchburg, MA 01420 Chain hotel at start of 1- End of 4 1- start of section 866-678-9653 Colonial Hotel 1 or 4 Central MA Hotel & Wedding Venue | Colonial Hotel (colonial-hotel.com) 625 Betty Spring Rd, Gardner, MA 01440 Start of section 1 or end of 4. Possible place to leave trailer for whole trip 1- start of section 978-630-2500 Rodeway Inn Westminster 1 or 4 Rodeway Inn Westminster Westminster, Massachusetts, US – Reservations.com 183 Main St. Westminster MA Small little motel just off the highway 1- start of section 855-516-1090

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