3rd Annual Christopher Hitchcock Memorial Ride
The 3rd Annual Christopher Hitchcock Memorial Ride
I purchased my new Fury last year in early June 2009. As a habit, I do not tend to hang out in biker bars and because of that fact I never knew that the Schedule of Events even existed. In July of 2009 my daughter asked me if I wanted to go on a run with her and a friend. The run that we were going on was the Chris Hitchcock Memorial Ride in August 2009. It was during this run that I started to think about the idea for a web site that covered motorcycling in the Adirondacks. At that point in time I was not sure what the site would be but it was obvious that there was a definite need for something that would host the Schedule of Events on-line. For that reason, the Chris Hitchcock Memorial Ride will always be special to me. Not only does it celebrate and memorialize Chris’s life but it also is in essence, the birth place of North Country Rider Magazine.
The origin point for this ride is at J & J’s Fox Lair Tavern in Bakers Mills / Dog Town NY. I wish more rides would utilize the Fox Lair. Ricci and Joe have established a facility that is tailored to biker events, are bikers themselves and insure that everyone feels welcome. The ride was a poker run format. All the riders left at the same time but the nice thing about a poker run format is the freedom to set your own pace, and stop when you want to. As I have stated many times before, I prefer this format as I believe it combines the best of both worlds. You can ride at the pace that is right for you but when the ride ends there are enough people to make the party interesting.
I rode with Sarge and his wife, Rob and John. The ride route took us east on Route 8 until we intersected with Route 9 at Loon Lake. We proceeded north on Route 9 until we intersected with Route 6. Route 6 south took us to Route 70 and a short hop on Route 42 took us to Port Henry. In Port Henry we took Route 9N south. We made a fuel stop in Ticonderoga and hit the nearby McDonalds for a quick snack. While we were at McDonalds we watched the rest of the run go by. From Ticonderoga we stayed on Route 9N until we hit Hague NY where we took Route 8 back to J & J’s Fox Lair Tavern.
The Comstock Pig Roasts were on hand to insure that the pig was roasted to perfection. The pig was on the spit before we left and the smell of roasting pig filled the air. I do not think any of us were not feeling a bit hungry when we left on the ride and maybe that is why some of us stopped for a quick snack at the McDonalds in Ticonderoga. As always, the Comstocks did an excellent job with the pig and the baked beans and cold salads that were on hand made the pig that much better. While we were waiting for the pig to be carved, two bikes pulled into the parking lot. Lazlo and Paul are two friends from Manchester NH and Boston MA respectively. Each year they take two weeks off and go on a motorcycle tour somewhere in the New England area. This year they chose the Adirondacks and had been touring in the Lake Placid / Old Forge area. They were traveling Route 8 on their way to Lake George and were surprised to find this tavern in the middle of nowhere with a large number of bikes parked out front. They decided to stop and see what was going on. They decided to partake in the pig roast and after we had completed our meal they asked us for some advice on roads to ride on in the Adirondacks. Paul produced a map that they had been using for their tour and when I looked at the map my statement to him was “Dude, 80% of the roads we ride on are not on the map”. Once again, the Christopher Hitchcock Memorial Ride has highlighted another need that we can fill. Over the winter we plan on creating a series of custom maps highlighting the tours and routes that we who live here use so often. This will enable us to make the magazine useful to an expanded audience beyond the footprint of our coverage area.
After everyone had eaten, the field events were held. The contests consisted of the hot dog contest, a water balloon toss and a bean bag toss. Mustard in the face and hair is always good for a chuckle. The required water balloon toss was next on the agenda and the balloons at this event seemed to be less durable than I had seen at other events which meant that more than one driver and rider got wet. The final event was the ball toss and as the light faded into darkness, so did the event.
This is an event that I look forward to and plan on attending each year that it is held. The funds from this event are used for scholarships that are given each year to students who are going to specialize in the fields of conservation and heavy equipment mechanics. It is always a fun trip, the food is always excellent and I love hanging out at J & J’s Fox Lair Tavern with my friends Ricci and Joe.
