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On June 30, 1996, four COG members and four guests departed from Westborough, MA towards Orange Airport for the 20th Annual Antique Engine show.
In Attendance were George Fitch, Dom Cassone, Bob Watkins, Dom's friends VH and John, myself and two of my friends Steve (with copilot K) and Nancy.
The assortment of bikes ran the gambit of motorcycle styles and preferences. The clear bias was towards the Concours, with 3 of us riding identically looking Wineberry machines (it's a good thing I know my license plate number or else...), a Duc, a Harley, a UJM Honda, a VFR, and a ZX-6.
Before departing, George graciously volunteered to ride Sweeper of the group. I might add that he did an excellent job of letting me know that everything and everyone was doing fine after every turn.
The ride was not fast paced by any sense of the imagination, nor was the mileage record breaking. We did manage to find roads that had very few cars on them, which made for a much more relaxing ride and allowed us to flex the throttle occasionally.
From Westborough, we took some local back roads to get to the center of Northborough, MA. From there, we made our way over to Route 70. On Route 70, we headed north, circling the eastern side of Wachusett Reservoir (some great views on our left). Near Clinton, MA, Route 62 merged with 70 and we stayed on 62, heading west through the towns of Sterling (home of Mary Had a Little Lamb), Lancaster, and Princeton.
In Princeton, we abandoned Route 62 to avoid what I would call the worst paved road in the U.S.: The section of Route 62 between Princeton and Hubbardston, MA. Instead, we took some local roads to Route 68, went north on 68 and reconnected with Route 62 west of Hubbardston. From there we continued on 62 West through Barre, MA and connected with Route 122 North.
About 60 miles into the ride, we stopped for a rest at a neat little Country Store that Steve knew about just off of Route 122. If you happen to be in the area of Petersham, MA, I highly recommend this place. In addition to having the sundry goods that you'd expect to find, there is also a sit-down, family-style restaurant in the back with home cooked food and pastries. The owner is a former rider himself and really enjoys it when groups of bikes stop in.
It was in Petersham that I realized that there must be some awe-inducing aura about COG members because the four non-COGgers decided to split off from the group, each one heading in their own preferred direction. The rest of us continued on as a group to Orange Airport where we spent almost 2.5 hours ogling at all the antique steam engines, farm equipment, and various 3+ wheeled vehicles. The biggest laugh of the day was the guy on a mini tractor, pulling wheelies throughout the entire Tractor Parade. This year was the biggest show that I've ever been to and it certainly didn't disappoint me.
All in all, this was my first COG related ride and I hope to do many more in the future.
Thanks to all those that joined in and special thanks to George Fitch for
the extra goodies that he handed out prior to our departure.
derek@tecogen.com '95 Concours (Yet to be ID'd)
DoD #1359 COG #2103 Smart Routes #772 MH#9 Mule #1
PADI NRA LF-FL AAAAA (American Association Against Acronym Abuse)
Born to be Wild. Sentenced to Sedation.
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Last updated 4 Jul. 96