SPEAKER_00 0:28

Hello, boys and girls, and welcome to the Motorcycle Man Podcast. I am Ted, your host, here in the V Twin Cafe in sunny downtown New Jersey, North Carolina thing. So you're listening to the Motorcycle Man podcast, and this is where, of course, we're in the V-Twin Cafe, where the coffee is questionable and the hosts are excitable, and the stories are always worth the ride, I suppose. Uh, today we've got a great special guest, this Christian Dutcher, the man behind America, Dirt Days, and Rolling Through America. Now, if you've never, ever been to Lake George in June, you already know Americade isn't just a rally. It's a full-blown celebration of motorcycling, community, and some of the best riding anywhere, especially the Northeast. We're going to dig into what's new for this year's rally, what riders can expect, and how these events keep evolving while staying true to the spirit that's made them legendary. And of course, we'll talk about rolling through America and the incredible tours they're putting together for riders who want curated adventure without the guesswork. So, grab your helmet, grab your coffee or your drink, and let's get rolling. But first, before we get into the show and into the interview, let's talk about our sponsors, Scorpion Helmets. They are offering high-quality, innovative motorcycle helmets and technical apparel at an incredible value. So to learn more, get on over to scorpionusa.com. And Wildass Seats. You can improve your comfort and ability to stay in the saddle longer with a cushion from Wild Dash Seats. So if you're tired of those painful pressure points and fatigue, get on over to wildass.com and get your cushion today. And Viking Bags, a world leader in motorcycle luggage and one of the fastest growing motorcycle companies in motorcycle parts. Luggage for whatever you ride, wherever you go, and whatever you need. Viking bags. And of course, as always, Tobacco Motorware. For the best in casual riding gear for men and women, there's only one place you should be going, and that is Tobacco Motorware. Visit them at tobacco motorware.com, and our listeners will get 10% off your order when you use the code MOTOMEN. Your safety is worth it. So get on over to Tobacco Motorware and get in Dave's pants. Alright, and we're back, and I've got Christian Dutcher of America Dirt Days and Rolling Through America here with me, uh, all the way from Vermont, you said.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Yep, the the almost snowy hills of northern Vermont.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

How you doing, Christian? Doing great. Oh my god, it's been years since we've talked. Years.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Yeah, it's our one every 10-year conversation.

SPEAKER_00 3:25

Yeah, I had you on in 2015 and 2016. And funny thing is, I haven't I I went I went to America in 2015 and 2016. I haven't been back since. And it's just and it's just because of time. I could go through the whole story of what's going on, but it's been very, very busy for me. But anyway, yeah, uh, probably my favorite rally. Oh, well, thank you very much. I've been to Sturgis twice. Uh, of course, I've been to uh Myrtle Beach Bike Week a few times, but yeah, definitely. I think it's my favorite, only because I really love the riding up there, and I think it's just a wonderful event. So uh for those out there who don't know who you are and what you do, why don't you tell us who you are, what you do, and maybe your motorcycle self?

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Sure. Uh well uh my name is Christian Dutcher. I run Americade, I run, which is a big touring, uh cruising, and also adventure uh rally, uh heavy on the touring and cruising. Uh in Lake Georgia, New York in the spring. I also run Dirt Days Adventure Bike Rally, which is probably the second largest adventure bike rally in the country in New Hampshire in August. And we also run multi-day, very high-end motorcycle tours in September called Rolling Throw America, where every year the destination is a different one, somewhere in the mid-Atlantic or Northeast uh US. So lots of and some other motorcycle things. And I've been riding my whole life. I grew up in a household with my dad that was a professional racer, and uh my earliest memories are being scared poopless on his gas tank holding onto the uh handlebar while he would do wheelies through the backyard.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Oh fun.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

So America now, America has been around for decades. Uh, what's new for this year's rally and what changes or additions are you most excited about for the attendees?

SPEAKER_01 5:12

Well, the biggest change, which is also the thing that I'm most excited about for the attendees, is we are uh doing something that I did once years ago and then wasn't allowed to do again. And now they're finally permitting us to do it to do it again, which is we're closing down a big section of what is effectively Main Street, Canada Street in Lake George, uh, and we're holding a big uh block party. So we'll have a big mobile thing. Big mobile stage at one end and uh stunt shows going on right on the street. Uh we'll have a police cone course competition. Really? Uh custom motorcycle show. Uh there's some interesting motorcycle art. Um yeah, lots of things going on, and it's all free. That's that's just a big free, fun, wow, motorcycle themed installation with lots of different entertainments.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

Yeah, because the both the both of the times that I was there, you guys didn't do that. You had just that one little strip along the front of the uh the lake that you had blocked off for all the bikes and everything. But yeah, that's really cool. Now, America is known for its massive vendor expo and the demo rides, of course. What can riders expect this year in terms of maybe new manufacturers, uh gear companies, and maybe maybe unique demos?

SPEAKER_01 6:26

So let me start with the demos. The demos we always unusually attract uh the most manufacturer demos of any event in the country. Unusually, because we're not the biggest event. We're big, but we're certainly not the biggest, but we always attract the most manufacturers. And while we don't have the final lineup this year, they they they're coming in slowly this year for everybody. Last year we had uh, I'm just gonna go off the top of my head, we had Honda, Triumph BMW, Yamaha, CF Moto, Indian, uh Rowaco Trikes, Can Am Trikes, uh Motoguzi, Piaggio, Vespa, Aprilia. Um it's a long list, and it's easy to forget some of them in there. Harley Davidson, obviously. Harley's got a huge footprint at the uh at the event. So yeah, lots of lots of factory demos. Uh, and our expo is the uh it continues to you know provide results to the vendors. So we have lots of uh uh uh vendors that come in and you can touch, feel, um have installed, you know. Our our tagline for the expo is the internet can't do this, so there's lots of stuff that you can see touch and have installed right there.

SPEAKER_00 7:32

I think the uh if if not the largest, certainly the second largest expo I've ever seen. You know, I'm naturally up at Sturgis, you know, uh they they have massive expos up there, but I gotta tell you, it's I I thought it was always one of the best uh expos because you guys have it, it's all it's all right there. It's like a big shopping mall for motorcycles.

SPEAKER_02 7:57

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:57

I thought it was fantastic. Uh and as far as it goes for the the bike demos, man, oh man, no other place has as many bike demos as you guys do.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

Yeah, yeah, that is a fact.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

Wow. Uh, with regard to the uh guided and unguided tours, which I have experience with, I thought they were fantastic. My favorite, and we'll we'll talk about that in a second, but uh what fresh routes have you gotten this year? Maybe some scenic loops, uh, maybe uh or themed rides that you've added this year. What makes them stand out?

SPEAKER_01 8:30

Well, what makes them stand out um is that we you know carefully designed them. So we sit there, you know, we know the region obviously very, very well. We are motorcyclists, so we know what makes for a good route, and we just carve out something that's special that people wouldn't be able to find on their own. So one of our new routes this year is the Amish route. So the Amish have are, I guess for the past number of like 20 years or so, they've been slowly getting displaced from Lancaster County PA and they're landing in other places in the northeast. And our region happens to be one of them, so it's a nice theme to a ride because the Amish are in farm country. So farm country rides are beautiful. Washington County, New York is a gorgeous place to ride. Yeah, and this this ride thematically throughout the day involves um seeing the Amish, and we have uh a stop at an Amish store, and we also have lunch at uh a farm that is typically not a lunch venue, but they sell high-end goods. So they will, and we've done this in the past where they set up uh fine dining tables in a barn and we eat in a barn and they make great food and it's a great experience. People love it.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Wow, that's that that's real. Uh of all those rides, do you have a favorite guided ride?

SPEAKER_01 9:50

I think the favorite guided ride has to be the covered bridge tour. So we have a cookie.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

That's our ride.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

Every ride that we run generally lasts for about three years, and then we uh mothball it for a while and then bring it back or create a new one. But the cover bridge tour is everlasting. It's it's uh it's been running straight now.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

I'll tell you what, that I went up there with my brothers uh in 2015 and 2016, and that was our favorite ride. That was a great one. That was a great, it's a nice long ride, too.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Yeah, it's a great, it's a nice long ride, and there are surprising high density of uh cover bridges in our area, and they all have a different flavor to them. And I you know, it's hard not to be a fan of a cover bridge, these old wooden structures that last today.

SPEAKER_00 10:37

Yeah, lunch was good too. Yeah, I remember. Yeah, I would love to. Uh now uh now you guys have a reputation of like being one of the most organized rallies in the country. Uh, what big kind of behind the scenes improvements and logistical upgrades uh have you made to keep things running smoothly over the years?

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Well, I'd say that is that that that is the at the center of what makes a good event, it is that naturally, just being being dialed in. And if anybody has ever held a party for you know 20 of their friends, they know what it's like and it's stressful. Well, imagine having thousands of people come in with you know many, many, many, many different things going on. Yeah, so it makes for a very stressful 10 months preceding the event. So for right now, I have a crew of people that I work with and we meet uh multiple times per week. We are constantly reviewing and building the schedule and dialing in the details. So, what does it require? It requires lots of attention to detail and um assembling this skeleton where you then add muscle and then you add skin and so forth. You know, you just build this animal so that uh it's a fully, fully uh realized thing by the time the event happens. And that's it's like it's like uh running a show, you know, that's showtime. The curtain goes up when people starting start to arrive, and we need to make sure that it's a good show.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

Yeah, man. I tell you what, it is organized, I'll tell you that. Uh as far speaking of but the entertainment, uh you guys have been doing the big stage shows, entertainment stuff uh from the very beginning, haven't you?

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Well, it's on and off. So we always provide entertainment. There's always a lot of musical uh live music involved in the event, whether it's on the boats or during our big Friday night closing celebration. But this year um we've uh dialed it up a notch. So we'll have this big mobile stage that I referenced earlier across the right across the top of Canada Street. It's gonna be this dominating fixture in town. It's gonna be pretty cool. Um, and we we for a few years we put on bigger bands, but I think we realize that that that's not really the essence of the event. The people the people come to America because uh it's it everything about it is enjoyable. You know, the rides are well curated, the meals are thought well thought out, um, the expo is very good. And when we started introducing the big stage, big bands, it um it kind of changed the flavor of the event a little bit, and we just thought, you know, that's not quite the direction that we want to go in. So we stopped doing that, but we still nonetheless have this block party, which still works, it's not as grand as what we were trying to do before, and I think it works better for everybody.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Now you still got the comedy show and boat cruises going on. Uh, and what other sort of signature events should uh attendees look forward to?

SPEAKER_01 13:25

Well, uh, I gotta say, the comedy show is not to be missed. So Alonzo uh Bowden is uh an avid motorcyclist. He's the real deal. He you know, he has a garage full of bikes and he sometimes rides from his uh West Coast uh home to America. And he is uh he's a Las Vegas uh comedian, he's got uh residency in Las Vegas, so he's quite successful and he's funny as hell. Uh he really he's very, very good. Yeah, um and that show regularly sells out. So I would say if somebody's coming to America and you like to laugh and you are a motorcyclist, it's one of those things you should absolutely not miss. Yeah, um, I mean, comedians are you know, comedians are fun, but to have a guy who really understands motorcycling and pokes fun at motorcyclists all night long is wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Of course. Um and then I'm sorry, Ted, I got the boat cruises going on, and what else you got going on?

SPEAKER_01 14:20

Well, let me just say one thing about the boat cruises. Lake George is regularly voted either one of or the prettiest lake in uh the U.S. It's a beautiful, beautiful lake, and the really the only way to get a good close look at it is when you're on one of the cruise ships. So um head out in a cruise ship and um see that. Uh, we also have we you know oddly, we haven't done a charity poker run in a while. Oh. And charity poker run is a is a thing that allows you to do something uh that's you know nice, it's a charitable, but charitable action, but it also forces us to create a short route. And our mini tours typically are uh all day affairs. You come back at 3, 3 30, something like that. And in designing a poker run, we said the sweet spot is about two, maybe two and a half hours of seat time, okay, all right, which is a much shorter run for us. And yeah, so we've created this route that um, even though all of the roads are familiar to me, I've never put it together as a singular route because I don't put together two-hour routes. However, we have richer, and I think people are gonna really enjoy it. Um, so it's free. They go off on this ride where they have five destinations uh along the stop, and then they get dealt with cars at the end and they'll win some sweet prizes. I think the grand prize, I think, is a Cardo um pack, uh, the two-pack. I forget the model, but it's you know, four or five hundred dollar system. So uh that's a nice thing that people will be able to pick up. So that's I'm looking forward to people's doing that and enjoying that and growing that because I'd like to see that come back in force. We it could be huge, and then we stopped doing it for some reason and now we're bringing it back.

SPEAKER_00 15:51

All right. Now you used to do uh one the two times that I was there, you had this daily giveaway uh to run it. You're still doing that, still do it.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Yeah, so as an attendee, you can win prizes all week long, yeah. And the week long prizes, they're good prizes, but they're not the biggies, but nonetheless, you can win prizes every day, and then uh on the opening celebration, which is Tuesday, and the closing celebration, which is Friday, and especially Friday, we give away lots of prizes. Yeah, historically we've given away a motorcycle and you know$10,000,$15,000,$20,000 worth of other stuff. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 16:27

Nice.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Uh as far as it goes to America now, you attract riders from all different walks of life, all different types of riders and all skill levels. What kind of programs or classes or experience are is uh are you offering this year to help riders improve their skills or something new?

SPEAKER_01 16:44

So we have a group called Ride Like a Pro. Okay. They are they're a training program that uh has uh locations uh throughout the country, and they provide lessons uh in town. We actually worked with the town of Lake George and secured one of their parking lots, and Ride Like a Pro team provides rider training on site there.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

Okay. Yeah. Oh, excellent. Uh let's talk about Lake George a little bit. Now, Lake George is a part of uh Merriade's identity, obviously. How does the rally continue to integrate with the town, the lake, and the surrounding Adirondack communities and overall?

SPEAKER_01 17:22

That's a great question. People often think that maybe there's friction between a big motorcycle event and the community, but Lake George um the community is very collaborative, they're very supportive of we and they regularly say that we are among their best, we being motorcyclists, are among the very best guests that they have throughout the year. So we we are polite, we tip well, we leave the hotel rooms in good condition. Um they they they they love a marricade, so they're very accommodating, and as communities go, they're really dialed into how to host a big event. So I can't say enough good things about them.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

Wow. Now, what do you have any idea what uh marricade attendance has been uh since I was there last? We're not gonna count 2020. We know that was not a good year. So, but how has the attendance been over the years?

SPEAKER_01 18:12

It's it's been good. Uh, you know, weather obviously plays a huge role.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

So we know.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

Yes. Um although I will say that uh uh as events go, motorcyclists are far more immune to the uh uh elements than some other fair weather group because we get on a bike, and you know, if you're riding 700 miles, you're prepared to ride through.

SPEAKER_00 18:34

Yeah, this is true.

SPEAKER_01 18:35

Um but nonetheless, the attendance has been solid. Uh and the last year we got hit with a bunch of rain, so that hurt us. Uh COVID was, you know, we didn't hold an event during uh uh that year, that was difficult. Um, and then uh in 2021 we held the event in September because we're still suffering from the effects of COVID restrictions. Yeah, um, and that was that was only so so. But generally the event is you know beloved and well attended. And I gotta say, I I I regularly am taken aback by what we hear from attendees about the event. So we we will get about one or two letters a year where somebody says something that's really profound. So like for example, this past summer summer, somebody sent us a letter that talked about how she's not a motorcyclist, she always wrote as a passenger. Her husband passed away, and she came up one last time to spread his ashes at America. Oh wow, you know, you gotta be doing something right if Wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:29

That's that's something. Oh man. Um, with regard to uh Lake George itself and and uh the outlying communities, uh how has uh well you're saying the attendance has been okay? When you guys moved it to September for that one year, did did you notice a drastic reduction in people attending?

SPEAKER_01 19:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, people are you know, people are two two two things. People have a habit, you know, their habit is to go to America in the spring, and when you break that habit, then you know it's very disruptive. And then also people are really motivated to celebrate and do something like rallies. Um I'm generalizing here, but generally earlier in their rider's riding season rather than later in the rising season. Yeah, so you know, you used to live up here, so you know what it's like. You go through a long winter and you're just dying to get on the bike when the snow melts. So um, you know, that helps America's uh you know, late spring, early summer uh timing rather than late fall.

SPEAKER_00 20:25

Right. Uh regarding like say somebody's going to attend America for the very first time, okay? Uh what type of lodging options are available for somebody who's coming here for the first time?

SPEAKER_01 20:39

Yeah, everything under the sun. So Lake George is a huge bedroom community, huge tourist community. So they hotels, motels, campgrounds, um, RV parks, uh, and all price points. And it's also a pretty consolidated area. So um what do I mean by that? I mean that it if you are not staying right in the heart of Lake George, yeah, um, there are plenty of places that are right outside of Lake George. I will give a small plug to our host property. Our host property is the Fort William Henry Hotel. It's a huge resort and it's a great place to stay. It's uh not only incredibly convenient for the event, but it's also quiet. Everybody thinks it's gonna be loud there, but it's not. It's a beautiful, beautiful place.

SPEAKER_00 21:16

I can remember me and my brothers sitting outside the hotel on their back lawn overlooking the lake. And even though there were we were surrounded by thousands of motorcycles, it was remarkably quiet.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

Yeah, it sits up on it's like this little plateau.

SPEAKER_00 21:31

Exactly. It was awesome. Um but regarding somebody who might be attending there for the first time, what are some of the must-do experiences that somebody should that you would recommend that they can capture the spirit of the rally?

SPEAKER_01 21:46

I would always recommend to somebody that they do whether they want to ride in a group or ride on self on a self guided tour, I always recommend that somebody do at least two different tours.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:56

With two full days worth of stuff. If you choose wisely, you'll see. Two very different landscapes because we go up into the Adirondacks, we go into Farnland, we can go over to the uh Vermont, uh Vermont's Green Mountains. Um, and then definitely go on a boat cruise. Um, I would take in, we have a number of uh seminars where people uh are giving presentations on how to be a better motorcyclist or travel, uh interesting travel logs. Um and enjoying Lake George, not as part of America, like park the bike, walk around town, enjoy the restaurants, it's got a great waterfront. Those are the things that are our must-dos. Obviously, do demo rides, obviously, go through the expo. Those are all big pieces, but um experiencing the Adirondags, and one of the things that's nice about America is you can it's a turnkey solution. We can do a lot of the thinking for you. So you just arrive, you've made your decisions already, and then just follow your itinerary and sit back and enjoy yourself. So we want people to take advantage of all the events and not have to worry about the the the details uh of them.

SPEAKER_00 22:56

Right now, with regard to signing up to attend the event, um it I I noticed that it was uh when I when I signed up, it was very easy and uh I'll even say extensive because you have all the opportunities right there at your fingertips to pick what it is you want to do while you're there.

SPEAKER_02 23:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:16

And that made check-in very easy because when you got there you'd given your name. Okay, so you're doing this and you get everything right there at check-in. Is there anything uh is there anything else that that somebody should know when they're attending about their signing up and check-in procedure that they should know to make things smoother?

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Uh make sure you bring a form of ID when you're going to the registration bag. That happens a fair amount. Make sure your passengers are with you. Uh no, I don't think so. I mean, I think that it's uh it's like any other trip. You know, they want to want to come in, settle in, grab your stuff, go to your hotel room, and then just kind of uh you know take a breath and enjoy the week.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

Yeah, man. That's great. Uh let's uh switch over to and talk about dirt days. Uh what's new for this year's adventure-focused rally and how are you expanding the off-road training, the guided rides and challenge courses. And tell us about the venue that you hold it in New Hampshire.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

Yep. So uh Dirt Days is an adventure bike rally. It's a rally that's really geared towards 650cc on up uh adventure bikes, bikes that uh generally are have some uh you don't have to be fully knobbed, but you know, tires that are suitable for going off-road, plated bikes, and it's almost like a mini Americade. Uh, it takes place at a big fairgrounds on the border of Vermont in New Hampshire at the North Haverall um fairgrounds.

SPEAKER_02 24:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 24:42

And it also has lots of demos, it has uh uh adventure-specific vendors, a lot of people camp on site, so you'll see hundreds of tents on site, you'll see a number of uh uh uh RVs on site. Uh the camp the the fairgrounds offers good camping, good RVs.

SPEAKER_00 24:59

Oh wow, okay.

SPEAKER_01 25:00

Um we have a giant obstacle course that we custom build for the event. So for people who ride the adventure bikes, it's like a playground. Oh wow ride in and ride up and over stuff and through stuff, and um, it's uh regardless of your skill level, there are different lines through the obstacle course that you take. We have guided and unguided rides going out, so this will be Dirt Days' 10th anniversary. So we have 10 for 10. So we have 10 guided rides for our 10th anniversary, which is a lot. Yeah, you know, have four guided rides running Thursday, Friday, Saturday is a lot.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

Well, we have 10 running every day, and these are off-road guided rides, correct?

SPEAKER_01 25:35

Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's necessary pavement, but there's you know, and you can pick your flavor. So we offer easy all the way up to difficult rides, yeah. Um, and those rides, just like the American rides, will get you back in mid-afternoon.

SPEAKER_02 25:47

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Um, they're entirely volunteer powered, so we have uh huge volunteers who are volunteering their time and sweat and sometimes blood and making the ride happen. Um, we have a lot of after hours silliness, so we have big bonfire, riding games, uh storytelling, uh live music. We also give away a bunch of prizes there. It's it's it's it's a good, it's a good event. People really, really like it.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

You guys don't make it up to Mount Washington, do you?

SPEAKER_01 26:16

So we sometimes run a an unguided ride to Mount Washington just because the occasional person does want to go over there.

SPEAKER_02 26:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:23

Um, but that's uh in order to be able to get there and back, you have to do a lot of pavement. It's a great ride, it's a beautiful ride to and from. Um, I mean, it's really a beautiful ride. Um and it's also hit or miss. Mount Washington so regularly closes down to most a bummer to me. I I don't want to go up when it's windy and stormy, but they I've gone, I've tried to go up twice, and each time they've they've said no motorcycles. So I've never I've actually never gone up.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

What's the peak? What's the what's the height of the peak of Mount Washington? Do we know that? Uh am I gonna have to look at the internet to find out? Just under 6,000 feet? Uh I'm you know what? I guess I mean just at Mount Washington, right? Uh Mount Washington is uh oh yeah, it's a 6,288 feet. It's the highest peak um east of the Mississippi River.

SPEAKER_01 27:19

Is that uh uh is that accurate? I thought the highest peak, oddly, was down near you.

SPEAKER_00 27:24

Uh you're thinking of uh Mount Mitchell. Mount Mitchell's the second. Mount Washington is an ultra-prominent mountain in the United States of New Hampshire. Uh, it's the highest peak in the northeastern United States at 6288.2 feet, and is the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River.

SPEAKER_02 27:39

How about that? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 27:40

Yeah, there you go. Now you know. All right. Uh getting back to our questions. Now, let's well, let's switch over. Well, well, let me ask you another question about uh dirt days. When did you move it to uh New Hampshire?

SPEAKER_01 27:56

Well, that uh is a question that I should have an answer for. Um I would say I'm gonna be pretty close if I'm not right. Uh I would say we held it at th for three years in parallel to Americaid, and then for one year in Vermont, and then we moved it to New Hampshire. Okay. So I think we've been there for six years if my math is correct.

SPEAKER_00 28:17

How's the how's the attendance been for that rally?

SPEAKER_01 28:20

Great. Uh so adventure, the biggest adventure rally in the country is about 1,500 people. We're right around a thousand people. Oh wow, okay.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

So you're right.

SPEAKER_01 28:28

And I'm I don't want to grow it anymore. You can oversaturate the trails, yeah. Uh cyclists, and we don't want to we don't want to do that. So we tend to limit what we sell prior to the event and it sells out.

SPEAKER_00 28:40

Right.

SPEAKER_01 28:40

Uh yeah. So it's yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:43

Um, now let's let's switch over again. Let's talk about rolling through America. Uh now that has been uh like a standout touring company now. Now, what tours are currently being uh offered and what makes each one unique and what can riders expect uh in terms of pacing, lodging, terrain, and maybe the overall experience.

SPEAKER_01 29:03

Okay, well, it's people love the rolling through America tours. If people want to ride on excellent paved guided rides and have a really dialed-in good tour, then uh rolling through America tours are definitely a great choice. Some people have said we are the best tour company out there. I don't know if that's true or not, but we're definitely in good company. Um, so what to expect? You arrive and you'll have a dinner with a group of people. Sometimes people arrive with friends, sometimes people arrive on their own.

SPEAKER_02 29:30

Right.

SPEAKER_01 29:30

And when they leave the tour four days later, they will absolutely have friends, and there's a very, very uh high likelihood that they'll return for another rolling through tour. It's it's a very good experience. We stay in cool, nice hotels. We eat at great, great, interesting places, and um and I'll and I'll give you an example in just a second. And um uh the the routes are extremely carefully um considered. So, for example, uh we did a tour in Maine. We so we do tours all over, but we did a tour in Maine a few years ago. We've done tours in Maine on and off, and we were able to put together two days worth of riding where we were on Route One an absolute minimum amount of time. Route one is that corridor that goes up through Maine, which is kind of a soulless highway. Sorry, Maine, but it's true. Uh, but the roads along the peninsulas, along the uh lighthouses, and up in the farmland be on the other side of Route One are beautiful. So we spent a lot of time up in Maine carving out these clever uh rides. Um we had a guy who was uh local to Maine, and he was very delighted with the routes that we put together. He was not familiar with some of the roads that we used. We ate at a place that uh no one was familiar with, where this is no joke, we ate on top of a mountaintop in this incredible restaurant. It was a private club that we were able to gain access to, and we were the last, this is no joke, we were the last uh group to have a lunch there before some Montana-based billionaire bought the ball bought the mountain as his private residence. Wow, why? Because we are on the top of a mountain looking out over Camden, Maine, uh, with this massive deck where the the in fact I would encourage people to go to uh rolling through Vermont, uh rollingthruamerica.com, T H R U.com. And if you look at our customer testimonials, they were filmed on the top uh uh of that mountain, and you'll see in the background this incredible view. So these are lunch destinations that nobody knew about, great routes, great hotel. So it's it's it's I highly recommend them.

SPEAKER_00 31:37

Now I did I did notice that uh this year it seems you're focusing on the finger lakes in New York.

SPEAKER_01 31:42

Yeah, yeah. So we've been to the finger lakes a few times. It's if there are a lot of oddly, there are a lot of people in the northeast who have never been to the finger lakes, and the finger lakes have a very unique, um, beautiful flavor about them. So they are rolling, they're truly rolling hills, very uh rural, lots of farmland. You'll see some Amish farms out there. Um, lots of lakes. The finger lakes, there there are a plenty. There are 11 of them or something. Um, we will ride through an area that as a native New Yorker I couldn't believe I didn't know about, which is Lechworth State Park. It looks kind of like the Grand Canyon. Oh, yeah. And it's in, yeah. If you Ted, if you've never seen it, you should look up, you don't have to do it now, but you should look up Lechworth State Park on the internet and you'll think to yourself, how the hell did I not know about this place?

SPEAKER_00 32:27

I'm gonna write that down, darn it.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

It's really cool. And we we eat at this old Victorian Inn right uh in the canyon with a massive waterfall right out in front of the inn.

SPEAKER_00 32:37

It's it's incredible, it's amazing. You know, and I tell you what, if uh if you've never ridden in upstate New York, uh I I have, and I can say this uh honestly from the heart, it's probably the best riding you will ever, ever do. The roads are fantastic roads, and even it not just the not just the larger, you know, two-lane roads, it's also the roads that lack that center line. That was my favorite. There are thousands and thousands of miles of these single-lane roads that go snake all over the place, and it's not flat. New York is not flat by any stretch of the imagination. Yeah. And if even if you enjoy uh dirt roads, there is there is an ample supply of dirt roads in upstate New York to keep anybody happy. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 33:36

Yeah, we were talking about dirt America earlier. Let me just throw this out briefly. That we also run adventure bike rides at America, and this year is going to be a bit of a breakout year for adventure rides at America. So it's not dirt days, it's not a it's not an adventure bike rally per se, but there is this big organization called the Backcountry Discovery Route. They are about to release a new route, the Adirondack BDR X. So it's an Adirondack, and they're going to release the movie and make the uh release the route for to the public at America. So they're coming in and a bunch of interpreted writers are gonna come in to witness uh to to watch the movie live. Ah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 34:14

I'm gonna have to talk to Tim James about that. Tim James is with BDR and he's been on the show several times. Yeah but yeah, the BDR. I tell you what, I'm looking forward to seeing that. That's for that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 34:26

I think Tim will be, I think Tim will be there. Um we have a campground that we rented so that uh adventure riders can camp and RV together. So yeah, it's gonna be a big ADV moment at America this year.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

Wow, that's awesome! Wow, that's great. I tell you what, I'm I'm looking forward to America uh happening this year. I would really, really love to make it this year if I could.

SPEAKER_01 34:47

If you come up, obviously reach out, let me know.

SPEAKER_00 34:49

Oh, yeah, absolutely. All right, time now for some rapid fire questions. Are you ready? I'm ready. Here we go. All right, number one. First motorcycle you ever rode.

SPEAKER_01 34:58

Uh a Boltaco um T-Rhone.

SPEAKER_00 35:02

Okay. Wow. Uh number two, favorite America memory.

SPEAKER_01 35:07

Actually, can I say one thing more thing about that first bike? Okay. The first bike I remember was a Boltaco Alpina, which had a very unique blue and silver and yellow um color scheme. And to me, it the gas tank was about three feet reaching above my head right now, but three feet above my head. That's how little I was. And it's this towering figure in my memory. So sorry.

SPEAKER_00 35:31

Wow, that's that's a good memory to have. All right, number two, favorite America memory.

SPEAKER_01 35:39

That's a tough one. Um, I don't have a singular memory. I have a series of memories, and they all go something like this. This past year, after the final um Friday night celebration, uh, we've given away all the prizes. Uh the event is largely over, so I'm sort of exhausted and stressed. And I ran into a couple who were speaking French, and they asked me a question in English, and I said, Where are you from? And they said, We're from France. And I said, Why are you here? And we said, We're here for America. And I thought, I can't believe that people are coming from and it happens, you know, from Europe to come attend the event. So things like that delight me. I do what a satisfying.

SPEAKER_00 36:15

What a satisfying experience that must be, right? To have somebody from wherever say that that's why they're there. That's amazing. Uh, number three, best Adirondack Road for clearing your head. Oof.

SPEAKER_01 36:28

Well, you know, in the in as far as being close to uh Marriacade, Tongue Mountain Road. Go up the west side of Lake George, Tongue Mountain Road goes up and over Tongue Mountain. That's a beautiful ride. Oh, dude. On the far side of it, there's a nice uh lookout. Um you go a little bit further, there's a nice ice cream place. It's that's a great ride. I suggest riding around Lake George is a great ride.

SPEAKER_00 36:48

Oh, yeah. I suggest if you're going to do that ride uh from experience, if you're gonna do it after four o'clock in the afternoon, go counter, go clockwise around the lake because otherwise you're gonna be driving that way and the sun will be in your eyes. You will not see where you're going. Uh number four, street, dirt, or touring. Pick one.

SPEAKER_01 37:13

Well, I'm gonna tip my hand and say that um I live in Vermont and the I've got three motorcycles in my garage, and all of them are, even though one of those, one of them has street tires, all of them are capable of riding in dirt. So I like to ride where other people don't, which is both pavement and dirt. And I like to I like not to be limited about where I go. I like I'm a very curious rider. I'm basically also known as a very nosy rider. So um I like it, I like an adventure bike because it'll take you anywhere.

SPEAKER_00 37:42

Yeah, yeah, that's true, too. That's very true. Uh, number five, most underrated part of America.

SPEAKER_01 37:49

Oh, that's a good one. Um well, I gotta say, boy, that's a that's a good one. I would I mean, the seminars are a wealth of information. Um yeah, I guess it would be that. I guess it would be the seminars. Because it's I mean, everything is so well used that it's hard to find something that is underutilized. Um I guess it would be that. Actually, here's another one. This sounds like I'm trying to sell something, but I'm really not. We sell a package called the VIP package. Yeah, yeah. And naturally it's the most expensive package, but it allows people to uh go into the VIP lounge. Uh and this is fairly new to us. We've only started doing this in the past couple of years, and basically it's a big super fancy RV that's been expanded outward, and it's got a cooler full of stuff, and it's air conditioned, and it's got snacks, there's like a fake fire going at the end. So I would say that could also be one too. That's one of those things that not a lot of people know about unless they've done it and they love it. So that could be one as well.

SPEAKER_00 38:48

Okay. Uh, number six, go-to rally food.

SPEAKER_01 38:54

Uh well, uh that question is depends on how you interpret it. But I would say if you're coming to America and you want to experience a couple of things, I would say I'm gonna tell you a few. One is uh in town Lake George, there's uh Capri Pizza. They make good old-fashioned, straight up New York style uh pizza. They do it well. Yeah, um, if you're looking for something off the beaten path, there's a place in Glens Falls called Poopies. Yes, you heard that right. And they make the best bacon cheeseburger around. It is a great place. It's kind of a wild place to go into. You'll you'll understand why not saying it uh when you go in there, but that's definitely a good place uh that people don't know about. Poopies in Glens Falls.

SPEAKER_00 39:34

Okay. Number seven, favorite stop on any rolling through America tour.

SPEAKER_01 39:41

Well, it would probably be that restaurant that became the billionaire's place, but second to that, um boy, so many. Oh my gosh. I'll tell you what, we did a rolling through tour up in Quebec. We stayed, the host hotel was the world's largest log structure. It's uh it's called the Montebello. You should look that up. It's an amazing log cabin hotel. Huge, huge, huge, huge. And um, I set up a stop because there were no other stops in this region. I needed a place to stop, and I contacted a farmer, he's an organic farmer. We pulled into his farm, the guy was super bright. He was a very entertaining guy to talk to. So he was very entertaining to the group, and he and his family made portier, which is a Quebec meat pie. So it's like a meat um ground meat and potato and seasoning thing that they bake in a um pie shell and served it to everybody. So there we are standing, no chairs, beautiful field, eating this stuff. It was great. That was a pretty cool stuff. And everybody, and this is the most important thing, everybody loved it. Everybody said it was the one of the highlights of the trip, which had a lot of highlights. I thought, okay, great, they got it, they really enjoyed it. So that was that was fun. But honestly, there's so many.

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Oh wow. Okay, all right. Uh, number eight, one piece of gear you never travel without.

SPEAKER_01 40:58

Um, that's a good one too. I would say one piece of gear that I well, I oh actually, you know what? I do have one piece of gear that I always have with me. I got a Tourmaster rain jacket 20 years ago that sits in my um uh side case, my heart case, and I that thing has bailed me out so many times, whether it's rain or I'm cold. Right. Um, and it's got one of the hoods that goes up underneath your helmet. So even if it's pouring down rain down the back of your neck and just sheds it, it works extremely well. And even though Tour Bastard currently isn't at American, which drives me crazy, um, I will give them that plug because it works really, really, really well.

SPEAKER_00 41:41

Oh, there you go. Uh, number nine, best time of day to ride in Lake George.

SPEAKER_01 41:49

Uh best time of day. Well, I would say, well, you know, naturally there's so many beautiful places to see a sunset, but you do have to be careful a deer as soon as the sun's good headlights and you're willing to ride a little bit slower after the sunsets, I would say 30 minutes prior to sunset. So you can find yourself a good spot to look at it.

SPEAKER_00 42:08

And unfortunately, most of your guided rides all start around 7:30 in the morning.

SPEAKER_01 42:12

That's right. Yeah, that is not the best time.

SPEAKER_00 42:15

That is not the best time. Um uh 10 number 10, yeah. Bucket list ride you haven't done yet.

SPEAKER_01 42:25

Boy, there I I I that that that list is long. So uh I've always wanted to ride through Romania. The Romanian roads are amazing, they're twisted, they are paved and unpaved, and the tourism is not that heavy, so that's definitely one of them.

SPEAKER_00 42:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:41

Um, what else? Gosh, uh, I think that's probably it. I mean, I'm I but I I dream all the time. I look at maps, I think, oh I want to go there, I want to go there, I want to go there.

SPEAKER_00 42:55

And the and the and the curse also to that is watching YouTube videos of people who are riding other places, then you gotta go, oh, I gotta go there, right?

SPEAKER_01 43:02

That's right. Yeah. There's a road in very northern Norway, too, that I'm sure you've seen this picture where the highways themselves hop over the island from Ireland. That's one of the things.

SPEAKER_00 43:12

I've seen that too. Uh with the okay, now so you're done. That's your that's your that's your that's all your uh your rapid fire questions. Um but yeah, a couple things about America that I can I would like to share is that uh I was uh my brothers and I were sitting in a restaurant uh the day we got to Lake George and it was pouring out, absolutely pouring out, coming down in buckets. We were soaked, drenched to the bone, and uh the waitress came over and we she she looked at us, she goes, Oh, it's raining, it must be Americaid.

SPEAKER_01 43:45

Okay, so hold on. So now I now you got me all worked up. So for years that was we went honestly, statistically, when you look at the weather records, there was no reason why America should have gotten rain as often as it did for about a 10 year period. And it just Drove me baddie. And so a few years ago, I changed the dates. I rolled it one week earlier.

SPEAKER_02 44:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:05

And we really did that so that we didn't bump up against Laconia as often as we were. And by God, we've had really good weather. This past year wasn't really good, but we've had a very good run of weather. And there should be no that should not happen. Again, specifically that should not happen, but it's worked out. So we've been we've been lucky recently.

SPEAKER_00 44:23

One of the things I I learned about being an upstate New York for 20 years is that there's there's five seasons, just not four. There's five. There's in between spring and summer, there's mud season. So that's that's where that's where the rain usually comes. So yeah. Um yeah, but uh Americaid for me is probably uh was my first rally I've ever attended, and probably, like I said, my favorite, my personal favorite rally.

SPEAKER_01 44:48

Thank you very much. That's kind of insane.

SPEAKER_00 44:50

All right, so uh how can people learn more about America, dirt days, and rolling through America?

SPEAKER_01 44:57

So go to the website. So America.com, uh dirt days rally.com. That's uh D-I-R-T-D-A-Z-E. Um and then rolling through is R-O-L-L-I-N-G-T-H-R-U-America dot com.

SPEAKER_00 45:12

Excellent. And uh yeah, so people should just get to that website, just sign up right now, right?

SPEAKER_01 45:19

I I think so, because things do sell out.

SPEAKER_00 45:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:21

So if you want your first choice, then that's the best way to do it.

SPEAKER_00 45:24

All right. Hey, Christian, thank you very much for being on the show. Greatly appreciate it. It's been way too long, and I do hope I get the chance to see you up at America.

SPEAKER_01 45:32

Very much my pleasure. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to talk about the events.

SPEAKER_00 45:36

All right, man. Take care. Don't go nowhere. I want to talk to you when we're done. All right. Thank you. All right, and that wraps up another episode of the Motorcycle Men Podcast. Huge thanks to Christian Dutcher for joining us and giving us a look behind the curtain at America, Dirt Days, and Rolling Through Thunder. And if thun if today's uh conversation got you itching for a rally, a ride, or a full-blown cross-country tour, check out the websites and start planning. Links are in the show notes and of course on the Motorcycle Med website. These events don't just bring riders together, they build memories, friendships, and miles of stories you'll be telling for years and years to come. Hey, don't forget to get on over to the Ride with Ted YouTube channel and check out many of the videos that I have there. And if you would, please also like and subscribe to the channel. That's wonderful help to the channel and of course to the podcast. Alright, you can get a copy of my book, The Road Most Traveled, now direct from me on the Motorcycleman website and save nearly$8. Of course, it is still available on Amazon and audible for the audiobook, but you can get it from me if you'd like, and I will even sign it for you if you like. Alright, boys and girls, thank you very much for listening to the show. This has been episode 466, and as always, thanks for hanging out with us. Ride safe, ride smart, and remember, we say stupid crap, so you don't have to ride safe.