Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/703695
29 www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS nAugust 2016n by Shadow LACONIA, N.H., JUNE 11–19— The fi rst Laconia rally, an unoffi cial gathering of about 150 motorcyclists, took place in 1916. However, the Federation of American Motorcyclists, forerunner to today's American Motorcyclist Association, didn't sanc- tion the fi rst Gypsy Tour until the next year, 1917. Gypsy Tours were defi ned as overnight events at a defi ned loca- tion with organized road rides and other activities of interest to motorcy- clists. All of Laconia Motorcycle Week is sanctioned as an AMA National Gypsy Tour, and as those of us who have attended know, Laconia is con- sidered a motorcyclist's dream. There's a plethora of opportunities to ride the magnifi cent White Mountains and the scenic Lakes Region. And once the fi rst weekend's rain and chilly weather ended, the rest of the week was sunny and hot—perfect riding weather. Gypsy Tours take place most mornings during Motorcycle Week, with the fi rst Sunday of the rally see- ing about 50 riders line up at rally headquarters on Lakeside Avenue for a ride to New Hampshire Motor Speedway to watch the US Classic Racing Association vintage races and take some laps around the track. Money raised from the Gypsy Tour supports the new North East Motor Sports Museum, currently being built on NHMS grounds. Monday brought the 3rd annual Mae West Pet Run hosted by Sick Boy Motorcycles. The run was named after Mae West, a rescue cat that enjoyed many happy years with Laconia Motorcycle Week Executive Director Charlie St. Clair. Charlie, along with LMW Director Jennifer Anderson, joined us on the ride. The fully-es- corted ride left rally headquarters and proceeded to the New Hampshire Humane Society in Laconia where we got to see our $25 donations put to good use… and met a few cute pups as well. The ride ended at the Broken Spoke where Doug Asermely of Sick Boy Motorcycles gave away a number of cool prizes donated by some gener- ous sponsors. Afterwards we hung out and enjoyed some live music. Later I learned that about $10,000 was raised to benefi t the NHHS. The popularity of the Tuesday Gypsy Ride to Bentley's Saloon has remained sky-high ever since the fi rst one took place in 2010 when about 130 bikes showed up. The 75-mile ride to Arundel, Maine, is one of the best-attended of the week, not only for wonderful scenery along the way, but for all the food, drink and activities available at the destination. This was the second year of the Covered Bridges ride, which took place on Wednesday. Last year's ride, with over 200 participants, was a rousing success, so Dave and Debbie Conrad volunteered to once again lead a tour. This year, however, they set up an all-new route that took us north through the White Mountain Forest, riding through (and stop- ping at) several old wooden bridges along the way. We stopped to fuel our bikes and our bellies in Gorham, New Hampshire, and then continued north to and through another cov- ered bridge before dropping south and riding along the Vermont border, fi nally stopping at the quaint and quintessential New Hampshire town of Bath where another famous covered bridge awaited. There are actually three covered bridges in Bath but we chose the most popular one right in See "Gypsy Tours," page 30, column 1 MOTORCYCLE WEEK GYPSY TOURS In Laconia we ride Cruising New Hampshire's lakes and mountains Riders on the Mae West Pet Run made a stop at the New Hampshire Humane Society The Jackson Bridge spanning the Ellis River was built around 1876 (L.–r.) Laconia Motorcycle Week Executive Director Charlie St. Clair with Mae West Pet Run organizers Misty and Doug Asermely The fi rst three bridges at this site in Sandwich, New Hampshire, were washed away by fl oods, with the current Durgin Bridge being built in 1869 The Stark Bridge, originally constructed in 1862, was rebuilt several times, as were most other covered bridges in New Hampshire