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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: adventurelounger on March 05, 2025, 04:00:57 PM

Title: Mille Miglia New England
Post by: adventurelounger on March 05, 2025, 04:00:57 PM
Greetings fellow Guzzisti,

Just finished a meandering ride report on a thousand-mile lap of New England I took at the end of last summer. It was my first post-retirement ride (I still feel weird saying that), and a nice leg-stretcher for my still-relatively-new V85 Guardia d’Onore.

(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motoland/n-r6dVZ/New-England-1000/i-kSzs94S/0/LdtSdjLCTTxCKsPDK5BHLS42wPVRQSHqLNzGLgfDV/XL/IMG_0668-XL.jpg)

If you’re curious, bored, interested in the V85, interested in New England, contemplative about retiring or retirement, or just a regular ol’ Guzzi fan, I think you might enjoy it. At least parts of it.

You can check it out on my motoblog here: https://longitudeandgratitude.blog/2025/03/05/mille-miglia-new-england/ (https://longitudeandgratitude.blog/2025/03/05/mille-miglia-new-england/)

(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motoland/n-r6dVZ/New-England-1000/i-crZpkkw/0/KQ4wTtWdnCLZfTbNbf7jJVcVcqdvbcGrKGnGb27sN/XL/Screenshot%202024-10-07%20at%207.35.45%E2%80%AFAM-XL.png)

It is not short, but then neither is 1,000 miles. Still, I hope you decide to come along for a ride!
Title: Re: Mille Miglia New England
Post by: Tkelly on March 06, 2025, 07:45:31 AM
A good start!
Title: Re: Mille Miglia New England
Post by: adventurelounger on March 06, 2025, 08:28:39 AM
Actually planning a CT ➡️ CA trip this summer. Slightly bigger loop!
Title: Re: Mille Miglia New England
Post by: Skysailor64 on March 06, 2025, 09:26:21 PM
Enjoyed the blog very much.  Getting inspired for the upcoming riding season here in New England.  Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: Mille Miglia New England
Post by: adventurelounger on March 08, 2025, 06:16:07 AM
Grazie mille, as they say! Thanks for taking the time to check it out!
Title: Re: Mille Miglia New England
Post by: kingoffleece on March 08, 2025, 07:34:14 AM
If you ever get the chance, study up on The Battle of Bennington, and then ride to the battlefield.  It's an UNBELIEVABLE experience.  For those who don't know, Bennington was the site of perhaps the most important event of the Revolution.  Noe, Saratoga is usually credited with that honor, but I say nay nay.  Saratoga does not happen without General Stark and the boys defeating the Red Coats several months prior to that battle.  Best thing: there are storyboards and dioramas at the site, nobody is ever there, and you can walk the EXACT paths, come over the same hills, position yourself at the exact spots where both the Americans and British took positions. Across the street you can stand EXACTLY where both forces were.  You can stand where history was made-no fence, no ranger, heck, no nobody!

If you go, study up!  Seriously.  I know of no other spot with so much history and ZERO fences to keep you out.  Every now and again on the weekend you may encounter a historian at the site just waiting for someone, anyone, to ask a few questions.  To walk up and over the hills, see the field and walk where the "rebels" beat up the Red Coats, hunker down where the Americans took a position behind a small bluff to defend against the Huns............... .....
Title: Re: Mille Miglia New England
Post by: Stretch on March 08, 2025, 08:39:21 AM
I've ridden many - but not all - of those roads.

Some really nice riding there!  :laugh:  :thumb:

The Bennington Battle Monument is worth a stop, too.
Big stone tower to commemorate the battle. The view from the
top is spectacular on a nice day - you can see parts of Massachusetts,
New York, New Hampshire and Vermont from the top.

Saratoga is 90 minutes(?) or so west.

Had Burgoyne been reinforced at Saratoga by the men and materiel
captured at Bennington, the course of our country's history might have
been very different.

                                            -Stretch
Title: Re: Mille Miglia New England
Post by: kingoffleece on March 08, 2025, 12:44:52 PM
Absolutely SPOT on.  We (the Americans) got very fortunate at Bennington.  Saratoga doesn't happen without the win most likely.
Title: Re: Mille Miglia New England
Post by: adventurelounger on March 10, 2025, 06:14:32 PM

(https://i.ibb.co/pjjFQXrv/IMG-4421.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pjjFQXrv)

(https://i.ibb.co/tTxDjpFt/IMG-4420.jpg) (https://ibb.co/tTxDjpFt)
Been there several times, but not on this exact trip!
Title: Re: Mille Miglia New England
Post by: adventurelounger on March 17, 2025, 07:55:58 AM
It’s finally thawing out here in New England…steady temps above 50, and this week hitting the 60s in southern CT. So thought I’d give this Ride Report a little bump for those who may have missed it. Will be firing up the GDO tomorrow for a Spring shake down ride…just not 1,000 miler!
Title: Re: Mille Miglia New England
Post by: italian twins on March 17, 2025, 08:26:00 AM
You rode right past my house. If anyone is riding in the mid Vermont area please give me a shout.