The Return of RICONN!
by
Steven Rossi
If the above sounds like a sequel to a classic, mutant-dinosaur horror flick…it’s intentional. Because last year, this is how we described the then-new RICONN Tiddler Tour (TT). “Say hello to RICONN! No, it’s not the most recent epiphany of an extremist religious cult, nor is it a new-found foe of Godzilla’s that just crawled out from beneath a pile of long-forgotten rubble after a nuclear holocaust. It’s our latest and greatest TT!”
Now in its second iteration, we once again gathered at John and Tammy Harris’ house in Brooklyn, CT for our third TT of the season. This time it was Saturday, September 23, 2017…the day before the Annual IMOC Rally in Sturbridge. And no doubt, three’s the charm, for our year full of tiny, two-wheeled well-being!
If you’re not aware, our use of the term “TT” refers to Tiddler Tour. Modeled after a weekend Moto Giro, the TT is simply a single morning-afternoon ride…with no scoring, overnight stay or entry fee. Model year and displacement intentions (pre-1969, 305cc and below) are loosely the same as the Giro, though certainly not as earnestly enforced. The only overriding requirement is…to have fun!
Once again, RICONN followed my season-opening, “East-of-Eden” Tiddler Tour, which took place on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend in East Haddam, CT, along with the Fourth-of-July weekend extravaganza at the home of Doug and Amy Roper in Haddam, CT.
Heading out of Brooklyn, Connecticut on this super Saturday, we immediately made our way Northwest. Backroads across Canterbury, Scotland and Windham soon took us to some incredibly scenic vistas that spanned the expanse of Lebanon, which served as a base of operations during the American Revolution. It was so named from a Biblical reference, which referred to “the height of the land”.
From then on, we traversed what was all…virgin Tiddler territory! That’s the beauty of the RICONN (Rhode Island-Connecticut) TT. It’s in an area along the RI-CT border that many of us don’t normally get to enjoy…through such places as Mansfield, Eastford and Woodstock. Which were all new this year. And who better to guide us than long-standing Tiddler aficionado, John Harris!
If you’ve never taken part in a Tiddler Tour, a good way to gauge the tone of TT is by the names of some of the twisty two-lanes along the route. In the return of RICONN’s case, roads such as…Village Hill, Cherry Valley, Roses Bridge, Flanders River, Bedlam (?), Kennerson Reservoir, Natchaug State Forest, Ram Tail, Snake Meadow, Moosup Pond, etc.…will give you a good idea of what this ride was all about. To hill and dale, and beyond…sign me up. After 75 miles, it was time for lunch at Sweet Evelina’s on Rte. 169 in Woodstock, CT…which was delicious.
The afternoon, 50+ mile return ride meandered its way across the Rhode Island border, with still more idyllic country highways and byways to enjoy (so I’m told…because I had to head home and pack the truck/trailer for the following day’s IMOC Rally). Then it was back to John and Tammy’s for some cool drinks and the obligatory post-TT, B.S. session, aboard their back porch, two-runner, wicker rocking chairs.
For those of you who didn’t attend, you have no idea what you missed! We’re talkin’ Hall-of-Fame, twisty two-lanes, here. An unfortunate, calendar conflict with a Tannersville, Pennsylvania Moto Giro kept a number of the usual suspects away. Too bad.
As I concluded last time, RICONN is clearly a Tiddler Tour to ride on. Because…it’s right on! Thanks John…