Polyestercade   by Mark Junkersfeld

As I bend over the crystal ball, the reflection shows a late 40s guy that feels like 20. Still riding a sport bike, not hardcore sport, but more sporty than touring. But haven't we all wondered where our two-wheeled paths will lead us, and, on what kind of bike? For 50,000 motorcyclists the path leads to Lake George, New York for the annual Americade Rally. While the general view from the Midwest sees New York as a teeming mass of humanity with stinking sewers and cab-clogged streets, 200 miles north of the City is beautiful Lake George. If Lake George were 200 miles north of the Twin Cities, it would be a cabin-jammed, fast food flaunting, tourist trap filled to capacity every weekend. Surprise! Lake George, NY is a sleepy town that's way cute. Not phony, touristy cute but real quaint like old East Coast towns that seem to have a maturity we haven't learned here. And, there is nothing around it! Nothing but the Adirondack Mountains with some of the most beautiful roads meandering through impossibly beautiful scenery. WARNING. Do not even attempt to ride a motorcycle here in the fall - the changing colors could be a dangerous distraction. Luckily the Americade folks choose early June to host their rally. It attracts the touring crowd almost exclusively. This makes sense because my best information says the rally used to be named Aspencade after a Goldwing model. They changed the name to Americade to welcome bikes of other manufacturers. But the Wings predominate. Old ones, brand new ones, naked ones and those dressed to the gills. Sure you see the occasional sportbike, and quite a few other touring rigs - but here the Wing is king. Having attended most of the major rallies, Americade is a study in silence. Wings glide by, the HD open pipe contingent stays away and by 10 o'clock at night, the majority of folks are bedded down. As my riding buddy, Sergeant Bob said, "These are the kind of women you could take home to your mother." To which I responded, "These are our mothers!" Most of the folks looked at me and thought 'young whipper snapper.' Let's just say if any Lake George restaurants had senior citizen discounts, they were doing a brisk business. With the 'more mature' riders at Americade come certain characteristics. Like 35 mph Wingers on a 55-mph highway. It was like herding elephants sometimes. And one of the highlights of the rally is the light parade. Now this isn't everyone driving around with their lights on. It's Wing Dingers who have attached so much neon to their machines that the electrical draw would strain a nuclear power plant. No wonder Yuasa had a "Free battery check" sign outside their tent. All the major manufacturers offer demo rides. The Honda fleet was Goldwings (obviously) and new VTXs. The line to sign-up was 300-feet long by 6:30 in the morning. BMW had a classy display of the big touring rigs and the billboard on the side of their trailer shows a two-up Beemer on the open road with the headline "We've been married for twenty years, and she's holding me tighter than ever." Nice. The most refreshing thing about Americade is there's no shame in what you ride. Little 450 Rebels mingle with Cavalcades, Maxims, Concours, Shadows, Voyagers and all the rest. My favorite T-shirt: "Don't let anyone tell you what to ride. Virago Owners Group." Is this where we are all headed? That Gold Wing rocker on the porch of life? I was contemplating this when I heard the distinctive sound of an inline four with aftermarket pipe - an unusual sound at Americade. I watched a mean black ZX 1200 pull up with carbon canister and a rider with all the right gear. A real rider. As he pulled off his helmet, the gray hair couldn't lie. He was at least 60 years old. Ahhh, there is hope. Once again, my thanks to the good folks at Victory Motorcycles for letting me file away some great motorcycling memories for my old age.   M.M.M.