Publishers Corner
Publishers Corner
We owe our reading audience a large apology for this season.
Life has been getting in the way of our ability to publish the magazine on a timely basis. As many of you are aware, we were late more than once publishing issues and we skipped the October issue all together. This summer has been a trying time for me personally and I needed to focus my time and effort on my job and my family.
Some readers have asked if we will be back next year and the answer to that is a resounding yes. The magazine may have a different format and the content may change but the one thing that the riders in the area depend on (The Schedule of Motorcycle Events) will not change. We will be back. We will be different but we will be back. I used to think of this as my magazine but over these last few months what I have come to realize is that this is your magazine and I am just fortunate enough to be allowed to publish it.
Over the course of this year we tried including video in the magazine. The response to that was less than overwhelming and we will revisit how much of a part video will play in the magazine next year. To build a 9 minute video requires about 20 hours of effort. That is way too much time to spend for a single article and there are some readers that prefer the pictures. Over the winter we will review how we will use video in the magazine but one thing you can count on is that next year each article will be accompanied by still pictures as we have done in the past.
In spite of the turmoil we had a great time this year. From Cambridge to Minerva and all points in between, we rode with old friends, made some new friends and enjoyed the countryside that we are so lucky to call home.
We need to thank our sponsors for the year. Sportline Power Products placed a season long ad in the banner section of each page. McDermott’s Harley Davidson was kind enough to sponsor the “Schedule of Motorcycle Events” page and The Longhorn Restaurant and Pub in Lake Luzerne placed an ad with us for 5 of the 7 months that we published this year. Without their support, we would not be able to keep the magazine up and running.
There will be some changes to the magazine next year. The theme of the magazine is “I have places to go, people to see and things to do”. In the first year about a third of our articles were on “Places to Go” and focused almost exclusively on local biker friendly bars and taverns. The other two thirds focused on the “Things to Do” or more realistically on “Things We Did”. This year the focus was almost exclusively on “Things We Did”. Next year we are going to actually focus on “Things To Do”. The most visited section of the magazine by far is the Schedule of Motorcycle Events. It is nice to ride, but it is nicer to ride when you have a defined destination. We are going to keep the Schedule of Events as is but we are also going to report on events that are happening in the Adirondacks that would make a great day trip. We will coordinate with the various Chambers of Commerce in the area and get a list of non-motorcycle events that we think would make a great day trip with friends or family. We are also going to include events that local establishments have. We all know that Sporty has something going on almost every weeekend as do other biker friendly bars in the area. By including these events we hope to provide even more information on how to enjoy the Adirondacks on your bike. We are hoping to entice the event organizers to write an article about their event so that we can publish the article a month before the event is scheduled to occur. We really have 2 viewing audiences. One is the riders who participate in the various events that are reflected in the Schedule of Events. The vast majority of those events allow alcohol to be consumed during the course of the event. The other group of readers are the riders who refuse to participate in events in which alcohol is allowed. We as a magazine have not been overly supportive of this segment of our readership and we are hoping that the new direction we are taking the magazine will support them to the same extent that we have supported the brotherhood clubs in the past.
We are going to cut back the number of issues that we publish. In our first year we published from April to October. The April issue that year was rather easy to publish since we focused on introducing the magazine. When we went to publish the April issue this year we discovered that there was not a whole lot to talk about. For that reason the first issue next year will be in May. As we hear of motorcycle events in the late winter and spring, we will send news letters to the membership to keep them advised of the events.
We wish to thank all of the riders in the area that make use of the magazine for their patronage. Our hit counts have increased over last year’s hit counts and our list of subscribers has also grown. There has been an increase in the attendance at all of the major charity rides this year and we would like to think that in some small way we had a part in that. If that is the case then the time and effort we put into the magazine has been worth it.
Karen and I would like to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season and we look forward to seeing you again next year.
Ed Frulla
Publisher
North Country Rider Magazine
Things We Did
Sporty's Essex County Toys For Tots Run 2011
This year I tried to attend runs and events that I had not attended in the past. One of the events that were high on my list of must attend events this year was Sporty’s Essex County Toys for Tots Run. There were many reasons for attending this run but the biggest reason was the recommendations I received from riders who had attended this run in the past. I kept hearing phrases like “always an excellent run”, “a small group of close friends” and “Sporty always puts on a great ride”.
The ride was scheduled for September 10, 2011 so on that day I mounted the bike and headed to Sporty’s Iron Duke Saloon in Minerva, NY. I arrived a little early so I slid down to the local market within sight of Sporty’s Iron Duke Saloon and grabbed a cup of coffee and a pastry. As I sat on the picnic table in front of store I had an opportunity to reflect on this riding season and this season was full of fond memories of past events. Eventually Sporty passed by and one by one the bikes began to arrive. Not the big on rush that some of Sporty’s events create but a trickle of bikes as time passed. After finishing my breakfast I mounted up and headed to Sporty’s Iron Duke Saloon. Upon arrival I was warmly greeted by Sporty who is always the consummate host whether you are just passing through or attending one of his rides.
The weather was favorable so most of those in attendance were out back on the patio. It was great to meet old friends and chat about bikes and family. It was not too long before Sporty announced that we were about to depart so the riders and passengers of about 25 bikes mounted up and headed out.
The first leg of the ride took us from Minerva to Flanagan’s in Schroon Lake via County Route 24A and Country Route 24. I love roads that are full of turns that you can carve through and this route was some of the best, if not the best riding that I had been on all year. It is rumored that this is a favorite route for the sport bike crowd and I could see why. We arrived at Flanagan’s, grabbed a cold beverage and headed out to the back deck. The deck overlooked a small babbling brook and we enjoyed each other’s company as we enjoyed the brook and the relaxing environment that it provided.
The command was given to mount up and we headed for The Baxter Mountain Tavern and Grill in Keene, NY. The Baxter Mountain House is a located on Route 9N almost on the top of Baxter Mountain. It is set with what else, an Adirondack motif and provided a refreshing stop. Some of us grabbed some lunch. As you attend these events you tend to see some of the same individuals over and over again. These breaks provide an opportunity to convert these strangers into friends and that was the case with this stop. While eating lunch I had the opportunity to make several new friends. As for lunch, the food was very good and the service was prompt and courteous.
Soon it was time to leave and we mounted up and headed back down the mountain to Elizabethtown where we had a fuel stop. From E-Town we headed down Route 9 and connected with County Highway 2b in North Hudson, NY. We travelled on County Highway 2b to Route 28N. This stretch of road between North Hudson and Route 28N provides some wonderful scenery and I recommend it to anyone planning a ride through the Adirondacks. The views of the mountains and valleys are nothing short of spectacular. We intersected with Route 28N and turned north heading towards our next stop which would be the Newcomb House in Newcomb, NY.
The Newcomb House is about as biker friendly as a bar can get. It seems that every ride that passes though the Newcomb area seems to stop at the Newcomb House. The Newcomb house is a bar like many other bars in the area but what sets it apart is their location and the effort that they put forth to make the bikers that stop there feel more than welcome. You actually feel like you are home.
We left the Newcomb House and proceeded South on Route 28N back to Sporty’s Iron Duke Saloon. At Sporty’s we grabbed some drinks and socialized. Sporty had been selling tickets to auction a classic Corvette that had been donated to benefit the Essex County Toys for Tots campaign. Since I was the only one in attendance that had not purchased a ticket, Sporty asked me to draw the winning ticket. After the festivities had died down, I mounted up and headed home.
This was an excellent run. It was a run attended by close friends for a very important cause. Through his efforts, Sporty has provided the Essex County Toys for Tots campaign the funding to provide toys and gifts to needy children in eleven schools in Essex County during the holiday season. When you talk to Sporty about the Toys for Tots campaign you can hear the passion in his voice for this effort. He does not do this for the honor or for business reasons. He does it because he believes that it is the right thing to do. Will I attend this event again? Yes I will. It is now permanently etched into our calendar of annual must attend events.
TFSneiders Corner
Winter Sleeping
Winter Sleeping
By TF Sneider
Its the autumn's last "Hurrah" outside,
The cold wind churns to curtail my ride.
The cool crisp day is shortened by shrouds
Of the upcoming winter’s cold gray clouds.
I curse at the thought of snow and sleet,
I know its our last ride along Main Street.
We’ll turn in the drive and open the garage
To park by the truck and can of garbage.
Remove my brain bucket, and uncovered my hands,
Lean back and admire the way she stands.
I give her a pat and smile rather forlorn
Remembering spring when we were reborn.
Reflecting on adventures in the summer sun,
From Boston’s coast to Lake Michigan,
From the Thousand Islands to the Penn State hills,
For hundreds of miles of twisting thrills.
You have flown uncomplaining carrying my loads
Soaring endless highways or down country roads
I weep ‘cause the summer has come to an end.
You’re a faithful companion and a well trusted friend.
Tomorrow I’ll give you a bath, then park you deep
In the garage where you will quietly sleep.
When you awake under spring’s warm sky.
I’ll fire you up…
…and away WE’LL FLY !
©copyright Timothy F. Sneider, 11-6-2010
