Yankee Chapter Road Run
Lenox, Massachusetts, 2005
Detour? What Detour?
By Charlie Gallo

The groundwork had been laid. The routes were set, the dinners were planned and the tent and registration materials were all in place. Yankee Chapter had built it, would they come? The answer was a resounding yes!

Even before the start of the scheduled check in at the Econolodge in Lenox, Massachusetts, Road Run enthusiasts were gathering at the registration tent in the rear parking lot of the motel. As the day progressed, the tent became a gathering place where people picked up their registration packets and waited for the 3:00 p.m. check in-time for their rooms. A festive atmosphere prevailed.

On Monday morning, people came to the dining room for their continental breakfast. In addition to the standard fare of bagels, English muffins and cereal, they found a waffle machine. This was a big hit and on following mornings some participants supplemented their waffles with fresh fruit purchased from roadside stands during their ride.


Stephen Barber, son of Yankee Peggy Barber and the late Joe Barber, arrived at the Berkshire Mountains Road Run on Sunday. Stephen rode a 1957 Harley-Davidson Panhead that his father had ridden on the Yankee Twin State Road Run in 1992. It still bore the Road Run medallion.

Following breakfast everyone was enthusiastic about starting the run. Groups of riders headed out onto the scenic highways and byways. To our surprise, even though it was a weekday, the streets of Bennington, Vermont, were clogged. We were happy to arrive at the home of Hemmings Motor News. We toured Hemmings old fashioned filling station with its multitude of tin signs and memorabilia for sale. We then wandered through the display of over 25 antique and classic vehicles, which included a Benz three-wheeler reproduction as well as the Hemmings 1929 Ford Model A, popcorn truck. Some riders ate lunch at one of the many restaurants in Bennington, while others visited antique shops searching for treasures. The tour continued through the New England countryside back to Lenox.


A group of happy road run enthusiasts humor the photographer while touring a hanger at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

On Tuesday morning people again started out in small groups following the route sheets to our first stop. The Trinity Church, which is now the home of the Guthrie Center, is nestled in the small hamlet of Van Deusenville, Massachusetts, Arlo Guthrie’s Thanksgiving adventures of 1965 started here. They were immortalized in the song Alice’s Restaurant. The staff had prepared for our visit by setting out juices, soft drinks, pots of coffee and tables full of doughnuts. There must have been 20 dozen doughnuts of different varieties. I guess they know that bikers like to eat and we didn’t disappoint them. They also had a poster of Arlo riding his Triumph motorcycle, which everyone autographed for him, an interesting turnabout. After basking in the tranquility of this remarkable setting, we turned our attention back to the road. Our next stop was the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, where we toured the museum and storage hangers. This collection of historic aircraft, automobiles and motorcycles is spectacular. The hangers contain spare engines and planes hanging from the ceiling with restorations in progress. A number of people went for barnstorming rides in an open cockpit 1929 New Standard biplane. As people completed their tour, they continued on the route, eventually returning to Lenox. Dan and Carol Margolien, riding their 1963 Harley-Davidson, and I, riding Will Paley’s 1967 BMW R69S, got separated from the group. Following the route sheet, we turned onto Lenox Road and were soon greeted by signs that read, “Road Closed.” Being among those people who don’t believe everything we read, we continued on. We found a mound of torn up asphalt, piles of gravel, sand and a huge bulldozer across the road. What to do? We spotted a man walking past the bulldozer who assured us that we could get through. Following his advice, off we went across the loosely-packed sand, around the bulldozer and past the piles of gravel. When we came to pair of huge concrete barriers across the road, Dan didn’t even hesitate before riding around them on a narrow walking path at the edge of a woods. We had followed the route sheet to the letter and arrived back in Lenox in high spirits, bragging of our adventure to the less hardy souls who took the detour.


A group of riders when to ‘The Man of Kent’ pub for lunch after leaving Bennington, Vermont. The 18 varieties of European beers on tap as well as the huge assortment of bottled beers was impressive. It seems appropriate that the 1969 BSA Thunderbolt, ridden by Bruce Lauro would be parked out front.

Wednesday morning greeted us with some lingering mist, which caused many people to delay the start of their ride. I needed oil to ensure the sanctity of the crankcase of my JD for the ride home, so Sandy and I headed north to buy oil. There wasn’t any 50W available until we reached Pittsfield. Making our purchase, we headed back, thinking that we would be so late that there would be no one left to ride with. To our surprise, a small group had waited for us. Sandy, using her new route sheet holder, took the lead. We cruised along the twisty mountain roads until we reached our lunch stop, The Old Creamery Grocery and Deli in Cummington, Massachusetts. Paul Murray commented, “My, that was a rather spirited ride!” That became the catch phrase of the day.

After lunch we continued our ride through scenic Western Massachusetts. We arrived at the farm of Jim Hoellerich, who was an accomplished enduro rider in the 1970s. He has changed his barn into a museum featuring vintage trail bikes. Spread out over several rooms and two floors is a stunning tribute to trail riders. One wall is covered with events posters autographed by famous riders of the era. Trophies fill another complete wall. In the center of the room is a large group of Ossa motorcycles in perfect condition. There were cases filled with memorabilia and scrapbooks to peruse. It made me want to dust off my old dirt bike and hit the trails.

This is just one room of Jim Hoellerich’s museum. His trail bike memorabilia includes information on the 1973 ISDT which was held in the Berkshire Mountains.

Continuing our ride to Mount Greylock, we missed a turn and ended up in Vermont. When we pulled over, the driver of a white van, who we assumed was our chase truck driver, followed us. When we said that we missed the turn for Mount Greylock, he said, “Follow me.” Our group followed the white van to Mount Greylock. When we reached the summit, we discovered that the driver, Tom, was a Good Samaritan who was interested in our old iron, not one of our support staff! We thanked him profusely before walking to the summit to absorb the magnificent views. Our ride back to Lenox was smooth and uneventful.



Wednesday evening’s banquet gave everyone an opportunity to swap stories about their adventures along the road and enjoy the camaraderie of their friends, both old and new. After dinner, a brief awards presentation was held. There were numerous acknowledgments of hard luck. Chapter Director Will Paley commented that his electrical problems weren’t even in the running considering the misfortunes some people had suffered.

To brighten the mood, numerous door prizes were awarded. These included a beautiful Hologram of a motorcycle created in a block of Lucite by Peter Saris of Chatham, Massachusetts. Numerous books as well as some unique chain breakers were also presented. This concluded the organized festivities and everyone headed out to the registration tent where an impromptu party continued for quite some time.

On Thursday morning participants packed up, said farewell to their friends and headed for home.

Special thanks go to the unsung heroes of any road run. Those selfless individuals who give up a day of riding their motorcycle to man the chase truck and help their fellow riders. The Yankee Chapter thanks; Mitch & Betsy Epstein, Andy Bagas, Ken Hershfield and George Yarocki.