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.