Tom’s Ride to Aid Cancer Survivors

Chronicle of 2010 Tom’s Ride

Although we scaled down the 2010 Tom’s Ride to Aid Cancer Survivors (TRACS) this year, it was no less enjoyable than previous year’s trips.

Since we had only one day instead of the usual three, and we wanted to meet up with Tom’s daughter Sara, I chose Stockbridge, MA, as our destination. It was a little farther than I wanted to go, but it’s such a nice New England town that I knew everyone would love.

On this year’s Ride, I was joined by Laurie and her husband Dave, Laurie and Tom’s daughter Mariah, John and Jen Webster (dear friends of Tom and Laurie for many years), Dave’s friend Joe (not ot be confused with yours truly), my friend and coworker Don, and my girlfriend Kim (who took the group photo). Unfortunately, Tom’s Suzuki Bandit was running poorly (carburetion issues), so Kim and I took my Suzuki V-Strom.

As is customary, we left from the cemetery where Tom is buried. Almost immediately, I noticed a hawk flying along with us for a short distance. I think it was Tom joining us for the Ride. Because of the need to make good time, I planned a fairly direct route, though still avoiding highways, which is also customary. Heading west down Route 140 and past Bradley airport, we skirted around the southern tip of Barkhamsted Reservoir and up Route 8 into Colebrook, where we stopped at the West Branch Reservoir to enjoy the spectacular view. Though the water was rather low, it was still a beautiful sight with the mountains and white puffy clouds all around. From there, we headed northwest on less travelled country roads until we got to Route 7, which quickly brought us into Stockbridge.

Sara met us for lunch at Michael’s Restaurant shortly after we arrived. Michael’s make great food; I have it on good authority that their clam chowder is one of the best ever. During our meal, a kindly gentleman suggested we check out the Schantz Gallery around the corner, as it contained some marvelous glass artwork. That was an understatement! I wish I could have taken pictures to share with you, but suffice it to say the artwork was phenomenal, exquisite, amazing! Not to mention expensive! Well worth a visit if you're in town.

After lunch we poked around a few stores on Main Street. In the Country Store, Sara found a pot of...something, which had a label with the letters “tag” on it. Those are Tom’s intitials. No coincidences. Being the home of Norman Rockwell for many years, Stockbridge has managed to maintain its country charm, though weekends are quite crowded in the summer.

Back on the road, we headed east on Route 102 for a while, then headed into the back country of Massachusetts. The traffic was light, the weather was beautiful, the sky was dotted with clouds here and there; it was just a beautiful ride. Shortly before entering Westfield, we passed a barn with a giant letter “G” on the roof. Tom again. From Westfield, we headed south into Connecticut and back home.

Door to door, Kim and I rode 214 miles; a bit less for the rest of the group. Though the forecast called for scattered showers, we had nothing but beautiful weather for the entire Ride. Tom always looks out for us. :)

See more photos of our trip here.

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