Cx-ossRoadsEvent

Confessions Of An Americade VirginSunday dawned cloudy and damp as my partner,

Kerri, our friend Gina, and I set off on ourmaiden voyage to Americade. Everyone I

knew that had been to Americade told me how muchfun it was: the scenery, the great roads around thelake, the people, the vendors ... I had been lookingforward to this for a year, ever since 1 had to cancellast year's planned excursion due to a broken foot. Iwas warned that cloudy, rainy weather is the normfor Americade in June. It might say summer on thecalendar, but Mother Nature doesn't always agreewith the printed word. A little rain would not determe; after all, I'm a hardy New Englander! (Note toself, hardy New Englander attitude be dammed. Puton the rain gear the minute you see clouds.)

Getting ThereWe traveled from Massachusetts on Route 119 intoBrattleboro, Vermont, for lunch and then followedRoute 30 through Vermont, hooking onto Route 149into upstate New York. We wanted as much scenery aspossible on this ride, but the rain became steadier andthe desire for great photo ops diminished. Therewould be plenty of time for scenery later. We got intoLake George Village in the early evening and checkedout the surroundings and the bikes, which werealready amassing in great numbers. I was struck bythe variety. Gold Wings and Harley baggers, Hondaslike my own Shadow ACE, trikes, sportbikes, even avintage Matchless. There was no posturing here, nopretend outlaws or sportbike/craiser/bagger preju-dices, just a lot of cool people having a good time. Wehad dinner and headed back to our hotel, eagerlyanticipating a ride around the lake the following day.

Monday dawned cloudy and damp and cold.Attired in rain gear from the start this time, we set offup Route 9N through the Tongue Mountain Rangetowards Ticonderoga, a downhill slope with a series ofsharp S curves that left me momentarily frazzled.(Note to self II: Practice those rider safety course les-sons about low-speed cornering whenever possible!)As we turned onto Route 74, towards Schroon Lake,the skies became cloudier, and the wind picked up. I

was freezing. Then itdawned on me that 1had a ThermalCarewrap in my saddle-bag. These things aremeant for back pain,but they also make great body warmers for those of ustoo stubborn or stupid to buy heated vests. Back on theroad, warmer and happier, we headed onto Route 9 forthe trip back to Lake George Village, stopping alongthe way at a Ural dealership. By the time we reachedLake George the rain was coming down hard. I wasfine, but my boots were completely water-logged.(Note to self III: Water resistant and waterproof do notmean the same thing.)

A New Pair Of ShoesTuesday dawned cloudy but not damp. We headed tothe vendor area with me wearing sneakers that I wasnot comfortable riding in and which would bereplaced with proper riding boots as soon as possi-ble. Rows of tents bearing every motorcycle acces-sory available lay before us. You could even get yourbike painted, pinstriped, or turned into a trike.Normally I start salivating at these types of things,credit card at the ready, seeking out whateverchrome-plated dodad, helmet, or leather accessory Ican find; but this time I was focused solely on boots.I eventually found a pair of Tour Masters markedwaterproof. No need to tell me twice. They were onmy feet, and we were on our way.

We got back on the bikes and headed towardSaratoga Springs to see the motorcycle exhibit at theSaratoga Automobile Museum. We parked in anenclosed garage just as the thunderclaps and light-ning began and rain came down in buckets. Theexhibit was wonderful, with replicas of the CaptainAmerica chopper and Billy Bike from Easy Rider,one of Elvis Presley's Harleys, and my favorite, thelast bike owned by Dot Robinson, co-founder of theMotor Maids. It was a pink Harley bagger with"Dot" painted on the front fairing and "Earl," herhusband's name, emblazoned proudly on the sidecar.

Wednesday, our last day at Americade, dawnedsunny but chilly. We made another trip around thevillage to see more of the bikes and the wares beforewe headed home on another back-road trip, this timedown 149 to Route 22. Rain gear was unnecessary,but extra layers were a plus in the cold.

The trip home was spent in pleasant riding andcontemplation. Despite the weather, Americade was \worth it: great scenery, friendly people, and roadsmeant to be ridden. (Final note to self: Take more timeoff from work, bring extra rain gear, layer up, and getback to Americade next year!) — Lisa A. Dunn