Along The Road

NORFOLK, CT – When heading out with friends for a ride through the Litchfield Hills, I am always on the lookout for quality eating establishments, especially ones that are motorcyclist friendly. The Wood Creek Bar and Grill represents all of this and more. Owners Mike and Heidi Dinsmore started the …

About 100 miles north of New York City, Columbia County has long offered a great selection of fun riding roads and some interesting destinations. Among those destinations are three venues for modern outdoor sculpture – sometimes on a grand scale. The ambitious rider could visit each of these unique collections …

New England riders carry a great sense of pride in the region that we are fortunate enough to call home. Those of us from the southern New England regularly point our bikes north via those wonderfully windy ribbons of tar. As a resident of Litchfield County, CT, I regularly heed …

(Update: Big W’s closed its doors on May 16, 2021.) WINGDALE, NY – One of the pleasures of motorcycling is spotting a previously-unexplored road and, on a whim, taking it. Sometimes the result is a dead end. A more common outcome is discovering a route that becomes part of a …

WOODBRIDGE, CT – Being a gentile with an English heritage, I’ve been known to commit the inexcusable act of bringing a small jar of Hellmann’s mayonnaise (called Best Foods out west) with me when visiting a Jewish deli, so as to slather it on a corned beef on rye sandwich. …

AVERILL PARK, NY – Beer drinkers of a certain age will recall the days when Coors wasn’t a national brand, rather a regional favorite that was only sold west of the Mississippi River. It had to be “imported from Colorado” surreptitiously, which made Coors a

COLLINSVILLE, CT – The LaSalle Market and Deli in the village of Collinsville, CT is one of those places where if you’re in the neighborhood, you just have to

By Bud Wilkinson Humans are creatures of habit. We relish routine. While non-riders may believe DNA swabs of some motorcyclists may be necessary to accurately determine the species, many riders are humanly predictable. Given the choice between a known route and a less traveled road, they resolutely opt to remain …

COLCHESTER, CT – A great Mom & Pop-type road food location. Harry’s Place, 104 Broadway, has been around since 1920 and is very well known to locals and travelers heading to and from the casinos. The specialty of the house is

By Bud Wilkinson Route 154 is a winding state road that runs along the west side of the Connecticut River from Old Saybrook through Esssex and Deep River and north to Haddam and Higganum. “This is a nice cruising road,” said Janet Gessner, whose husband, Tim, rides a 2000 Harley-Davidson Sportster. …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com NEWBURGH, NY – The new motorcycle museum Motorcyclepedia opened this morning and it is quite spectacular – two floors and 85,000 square feet of floor space devoted to hundreds of motorcycles. There are familiar names like Harley-Davidson and forgotten ones like

SOUTHFIELD, MA – If delicious pastry attracts you, The Southfield Store on Route 272 will certainly hit the spot. With a counter covered with confections, it’s impossible to eat

COLD SPRING, NY – Built in 1884 as a passenger and freight terminal, the motorcycle-friendly Cold Spring Depot was an active station until 1954 and has been an eatery since 1972. In-between it was a car dealership and repair shop. If you dine outdoors on the patio, you can expect to …

POMFRET, CT – Opened in 1989 as a small eatery with a simple food menu and ice cream, “The Bean” has been expanding ever since. The menu is extensive – from eggs benedict for breakfast to

(Update: Big W’s closed its doors on May 16, 2021.) WINGDALE, NY – The next time you feel like “pigging out” while out on a ride, check out Big W’s Roadside Bar-B-Q, 1475 Route 22. The restaurant’s proprietor and namesake Warren Norstein has been in the ribs business since 2003. Back …