January 29, 2006

2006 BMW Motorcycle Owners' Association Heading to Vermont

Burlington Vermont will be the site of this Summer's BMW MOA (Motorcycle Owners' Association) Annual Rally. And I can't wait.

Being a native New Englander I've enjoyed many a fine Vermont back road in my time. A fellow rider from Maryland recently posted that he desired a recommended scenic route to Burlington. I sent him the following recommendation. It is a ride worthy of any wanderlust addict, whether one's travel of choice is by motorcar, bicycle, or (as I prefer) motorcycle.

We begin in the historic Berkshires of Massachusetts. We are now ready to head north into the Green Mountains of Vermont. The towns along the way are in themselves destinations of worth my friends: Towns like Bennington, Vermont, home to not only a fine and famous College (where my sister Betsy was the best and brightest of them all), but also the site of General John Stark's famous Battle of Bennington. It was in Bennington, in fact, that Stark hammered out the first New Hampshire license plate. It said "Live Free or Die." It still does to this day.

Here we go for an incredible cruise:

Once you get to the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, say around North Adams, MA, you have an unbelievable route up to Burlington via Scenic Route 100 to Readsboro, then Route 8 over the mountain to Searsburg (check out the huge wind turbines you ride past), then Route 9 to Wilmington, then back onto Scenic Route 100 all the way up through Killington and Stockbridge.(There are tons of great taverns for lunch near Killington).

Stay heading north on Route 100 until you reach the Town of Hancock, where you really want to turn left and enjoy the beauty of Scenic Route 125 over to Middlebury. You can then head north on Route 7 to Burlington.

And that is just one of dozens of awesome rides in Vermont. If you're coming to Vermont from New Hampshire or another eastern approach, you still want to get onto Route 100 as soon as you can. Great riding. God willin', I'll see you there.

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