Three registered CX650 EuroSports (one black, one yellow, one white) would have made a memorable pic in the hills of Vermont. Maybe in 2017.

 

Yeah, Burlington is another world, large (for Vt, young and very multi-national). NY is like that to an extreme, The Adirondacks vs Manhattan or the Bronx.

Four of us will be hitting the road in a couple of hours, a few more after lunch. Looking forward to 4 days "up there". Use my cell number (in a previous post) to connect with us if you roll in during the riding day and we're not 'home".

 

I hope everyone up there has a wonderful time, the weather co-operates, and all the riders get home safe. Enjoy the great miles you'll be able to rack up.

 

Dave N, Steve N, (4:00 PM Sat) Kevin B, Bill S,(9:00 AM Sun) Artie C (Sat AM), Foglesville Joe (Sunday well pre-dawn) and Jim/NJ (Sun AM) are all known to have got home fine. Steve/PA departed in the "City of Bennington" with no complications (11:00 AM Sun). I got home Sunday evening after mowing the lawn, getting the '54 Ford tractor on tires and running, and tidying up the cabin. More to write later, had a great time, great folks, copious food, great weather, great rides, I could go on and on, and I will, later. Super rally, could be called the "Blue Eggs and Apple Cider Rally"!

 

https://photos.google.com/u/2/photo/AF1QipOFE5GTsjN-_ZcGil6Q4YzOfaxIewyrYnJ6PD26
I hope this works! Some photos.
You have to scroll right and left to see more photos. Have to figure how to caption. Great time! Thanks Rich for being the ultimate host. Polishing the bike in preparation for the 2017 rally!

 

Thursday early afternoon some of us started rolling in. After getting settled and relaxed, and before their bikes cooled off too much we went out to beat the local roads for near 50 miles, riding by the Tunbridge Worlds Fair (first day of four), Chelsea, Washington, Graniteville, some nice twistys, hills and sweepers and arrived back late in the afternoon to meet the new arrivals. Weather was warm and clear, perfect! By 8:30 PM there were 7 riders finished their dinner. Capt'n Morgan and Mr. Fireball had also joined the group. We went to bed later than we should have I'm sure. The plans for Friday were coffee at 6:30, brkfst at 7:00 and roaring engines at 8:30. We hit all marks on time Saturday morning, no summer vacation here, this is MC Boot Camp! By then it was obvious we were all going to get our money's worth. To be continued . . .

 

Artie on a Harley joined us for breakfast and Ernie then left on his GW1800 for Lake George. The 9 of us (7 on twisted twins as bro Steve was riding his ‘07 VFR 700) took off for Chelsea Mtn Rd (a local favorite), then out RT 113 to E. Corinth to the see the film location of BeetleJuice. After a pause there we headed for Groton State Forest and RT 232, another great mc road. After a bit it was lunch in Jeffersonville, where the first rally had started about 2000. Riding down RT108, Mountain Rd, led us past Mt Mansfield and Smugglers Notch, where the turns are, shall we say, rather tight. One of the few paved roads I know of that is closed in the winter. We dodged the worst of the tourist section of Stowe by detouring through Moscow and on to Ben & Jerrys for the 30 minute brainwashing that could be titled “Eat our ice cream, we’re saving the planet”. The “free” sample was good though, and the tour guide was a trials rider. To end the day a few headed to the cabin while the rest of us side stepped to Barre to ride through the Hope Cemetery for a look at the awesome carved granite markers. It was quite warm by then and getting through downtown Barre was hot. A stop in Williamstown for gas and ice cream (order anything bigger than a “small” and you will be the entertainment) and then a spirited run through Williamstown Gulf brought us back to the 2-1/2 mile gravel hill climb to the cabin. Each time the climb turned into more of a race for a few of us, grinning and sliding at up to 40 mph through the twisting dirt road. Following that it was an enjoyable Friday evening of cookout, comaraderei, beverages and the retelling of the 200 miles worth of stories we'd logged since breakfast. And to bed a little earlier as some had figured out by now that “coffee was at 6:30 and breakfast at 7:00, followed by departure for the days’ ride at 8:30 A.M.!” The stars and planets shone brightly as we slipped away . . .

 

Saturday we enjoyed coffee on the porch as the predawn ridge horizon lit up with various colors and hues. Another beautiful day was being created right before our eyes! Pancakes, sausage and eggs were consumed as if we hadn’t eaten since last night, and overeating was becoming a theme there, heh heh heh. Or a plan. By 8:30 seats had been dried of the dew and the engines were running. Today the Green Mtns beckoned, RT 14 S sweeping to Bethel, then over Bethel Mtn ( a thrilling ride for those of us focused more on our throttles and transmission than our brakes) and south on RT 100 to Mendon Gap at Pico and Killington ski areas. Over the mountains and then north up the west side seeking Rt 73 E over Brandon Gap for a return ride across the Greens and back down to scenic Rt 100 again. Riding the valley north we took a left on RT125 at Hancock to cross again westbound at Middlebury Gap. Down the other side we sought out RT 116 N to RT 17 for the mother of all New England mc rides, Appalachian Gap, known simply as “App Gap”. Stopping at the top we chatted with a group of BMW riders who seemed quite interested in the transverse twins. Down the eastern slope and jigging into the road to Sugarbush Ski Resort provided us with an “E ticket” ride back down to our old friend RT 100 S. In Warren we turned left to ride over Roxbury Mtn to Northfield, then down twisting turning RT 64 to Williamstown, where to our delight the ice cream shop still resided! Gassed up and ending our 200 mile jaunt with the even more spirited ride down RT 14 S through the Gulf and up the dirt hill climb East Hill RD that deposited us at the cabin’s giant cooler of ice and cool refreshment. It was early, but having not had a formal lunch, burgers went down easily at 4:00 and I set the chili pot to simmer for later J. Dave and Steve had to leave, and the three of us who were more restless took off for another short 40 mile or more jaunt through some rather fun roads, returning about dark for our chili dinner. Another evening of eating, drinking, lying and grinning over the great day of riding we had just enjoyed. Some prep work for departure the next day was done by those intending to leave earliest on Sunday. Most of us passed out even earlier Saturday night, good night accompanied by “coffee at 6:00, breakfast at 6:30, and then . . . whatever.

 

Sunday dawned cloudy and misty, it had showered a bit overnight too. Breakfast of eggs, sausage and toast fortified us for the goodbyes. The forecast said it was over and by noon it was sunny again. Joe was gone long before I got up at 5:30, Kevin and Bill headed out for CT about 9:00, Jim a bit later than that, and Steve in "The City of Bennington" upped (hydraulic) stakes and departed before noon, headed for Grand Isle I believe. "Sugarbush Bill" had left several cases of various sized bottles of maple syrup for us to peruse Saturday afternoon, so he came back Sunday morning to collect his pot of $$ and the remaining stock. He said thanks. Most everyone got their biennial maple syrup fix. His syrup had again for the third consecutive year taken 1st Prize at the Tunbridge Worlds Fair. We had a political discourse for a half hour and still parted friends! A comforting silence fell over the camp as I worked on the tractor (and got it running!) mowed the lawn and made the place presentable before locking up and heading home about 2:30 PM. We had had ten riders at the peak of the weekend, eight most of the time. My thanks to everyone, because everyone helped out and I even broke about even on food costs, again. To anyone who didn't come, you missed a good'un! See you in 2017!

 

Had a really good time, thanks to all who took part. I feel sorry for all you losers who missed this great weekend of riding and eating and friendship. Thanks to Rich for sharing his beautiful spot in the mountains. Thanks to tt650 for sharing his gl650i with me so I had a bike to ride. Thanks to every one of you guys who shared their weekend and their stories, and thanks to the weather which was fantastic!

 

Sounds like the Amish Rally was just a warm up for the main event!

 

Well, I think I've gotten most of the stuff put back away again.....This was truly a memorable rally. Good to see old friends again as well as a chance to meet the third member of the infamous Nichols clan. Superb weather, good rides, I believe that a good time was had by all. Truly one of the best rallies. Thanks Rich for putting on a classic once again. Thanks also to Sam, whose generosity made it possible to get the rat bike (Steve's ride) back on the road again.

For the most part, the rides were uneventful (aside from the fun of negotiating switchbacks and sweepers and enjoying the beautiful vistas from mountaintops) except for one event going through an unidentified town where all of a sudden 3 police cruisers with flashing lights and sirens going at full cry, seemingly out of nowhere, came upon us and then just as quickly disappeared into the future (quite unusual in that most Vermont towns don't have even one police car to their name). I am not sure if they were late for breakfast or just had a more significant event to attend. Anyway, everyone breathed a quick sigh of relief that no performance awards were being handed out and happily continued on their way.

The world famous floating bridge of Brookfield

 

I am still in Vermont, digging the Hero Islands on lake Champlain. Watching the leaves turning. This area is great with lots of hiking trails and scenic beaches.
Took a tour of the gaps in the corolla the other day, much different in a car but still fun.

 

Dave, Ernie and I were in Brookfield, VT for the foliage last weekend, toasted Gene with the masons jar of Georgia Moonshine Uncle Phil donated at PA in August for that purpose, but which had remained kinda unseen. And at the Vermont Rally, kind of feared I'm speculating. Actually I toasted Gene three times, I think, I kinda lost tract . . .
A little snow in the Brookfield forecast for Saturday night, we'll see.