The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

The Berkshires

September 25th to October 6th

Ride Director: Tom Leever
Ride Co-Director: Julie Leever
Report by: Arleen Sakamoto

The Berkshires, nestled within the rolling hills of NW Connecticut, extending to western Massachusetts includes Mt Greylock, the highest point in the state.  The tri-state region of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York epitomized classic New England charm.  Several of the inns reflected the character of the Gilded Age of the late 18th to early 19th century.

Our first rather drizzly riding day, we arrived at the Blackberry River Inn, Norfolk, CT.  It was a stately home of the past.  Our group conveniently filled the adjacent Carriage House.  The next stopover was The Litchfield Inn, Litchfield, CT surrounded by the beauty of nature, is a crowning example of colonial architecture.  The Red Lion Inn, not to be mistaken with the hotel chain, is a historic two and a half century landmark in Stockbridge, MA.  Our bonded group filled one of their off site houses, having a common living/dining/meeting room and kitchen privileges.  We enjoyed a catered dinner together and a pizza night.

Characteristic of Leever trips is to look forward to several two-night stay overs during the tour.  There are suggested rides for the optional day and recommendations for other activities and places to eat.  Julie places reservations ahead of time (always anticipating) for small groups at popular restaurants so that no one misses out, but also so we do not descend upon any one place.

Lakeville, CT is cycling distance to New York’s Taconic State Park , via the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, where some of us visited the Copake Iron Works Historical Site.  It operated from 1848-1903 and is recognized as one of the most complete rural iron works in the Litchfield Iron District.

Stockbridge, MA, a Berkshire countryside destination offered something exciting to experience for everyone, depending if you are a lover of art, museums, shopping or delicious food.  Notable memory lane places included the art of Norman Rockwell housed in his own museum, the lunch counter of a former Rexall Drug Store (now a small market but still serving breakfast and lunch), and Arlo Guthrie’s famous Alice’s Restaurant (now Theresa’s Café).  Famous luminaries associated with the Berkshires, and in the area of Stockbridge include Nathaniel Hawthorne (“The Scarlett Letter,” “The House of Seven Gables”), Edith Wharton (“The House of Mirth”), Herman Melville (“Moby Dick”), and Daniel Chester French (the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln Memorial).

From Stockbridge to North Adams, again was a wet and cool day.  Some rain was in the forecast, making it difficult to plan a ten-mile ascent onto the summit of Mt Greylock at 3,491 feet.  Never mind the cold and wet, two rode and conquered.

There were eight mandatory cycling days, 3 somewhat rainy and 5 overcast days, which was fine for the climbs.  The roads were quiet, shoulders were often narrow if they existed at all, but thankfully the local drivers were obliging to cyclists.  On two occasions, we were detoured around washed out bridges.

We cycled through quaint hamlets and villages scattered throughout the hills.  As we meandered through the woods, maple trees gracefully canopy the roads.  Along the way we passed 200 year-old farmhouses of classic elegance, saltbox colonial homes, Dutch colonial homes and numerous antique shops.  The grass was very green, the leaves just starting to turn colors and still many flowers were blooming.

Julie and Tom Leever are legendary leaders.  They are to be commended for their planning and execution.  It was a great BAC group with a good mix of seasoned veterans and relative newcomers.  Combined, it was a priceless journey  of The Berkshires.