Event Report

Rod Burdick’s Sprint Speciale in the foreground, at a sylvan riverside stop along the route

technically, it may not have been Indian Summer, but it was pretty durn nice! The fifth running of the AONE Indian Summer Sortie deployed on a bright, crisp Sunday, November 4th this year. And what a grand time was had!

It took us a few attempts to get this one off the ground. Originally scheduled for October 27th, a drizzly forecast for that Saturday caused us to slip it to the next day. But then the temps looked frigid, so we took a chance and moved it to the following Saturday, November 3rd. Things were looking good until the remnants of Hurricane Noel put a damper on it (D’OH!), but Sunday, the 4th, turned out to be perfect! He who waits!

Most of the Spiders arrived at the Fillin’ Station in South Deerfield with their tops up—understandable, since the temperature was struggling to make 50 degrees. But by the time we shoved off, most of the tops had been dropped—definitely the right move, since it turned out to be a glorious day! Event organizer Peter Walker had again laid out a terrific route for us. Some of us were familiar with parts of it from previous Sorties, but this year Peter actually took us up into Vermont to show us some new and different paths.

There’s nothing not to like about sports car driving out in this part of New England! The roads are nearly completely devoid of traffic; they’re constantly winding and twisting and changing elevation; they meander past fields, ponds, and rivers, through forests, farms, and villages. Peter led the pack and has a real knack for setting the perfect pace—quick enough to get your blood flowing but not so quick as to frighten. (However, a certain passenger was overheard to comment that we ought to rename it "The Indian Summer LeMans".) In any case, the universal grins on everyone’s faces when we pulled into the restaurant at the end of our romp attested to what fun everyone had!

This year, the Charlemont Inn had set up a table in a separate room to accommodate our group, which was a nice touch. The service was noticeably slower this year than last, but it gave is plenty of time to rehash the day’s adventures before heading off on our homeward journeys (having re-raised the Spider tops, in most cases). Everybody got home in time to watch the Patriots triumph in the heralded Battle of the Unbeatens (at least those who cared).

The Sortie isn’t the easiest event for people to get to, but it’s been growing steadily in each of its five years, from around ten Alfisti the first year to fifteen this time. The participants this year (in no particular order) were event organizer Peter Walker of Beverly, MA in his white ’77 Spider; Guilherme Bonatto of Peterborough, NH in his green ’92 164L; Rich Rumelt of Greenfield, MA in his burgundy ’79 Spider; John & Lauren DeWaele of Hope, RI in their green ’74 Spider; Jim Murphy of Northborough, MA in his gray ’71 Giulia Super; Rod Burdick of North Smithfield, RI in his red ’65 Giulia Sprint Speciale; Dan Nicholes of Worcester, MA in his red ’67 Duetto; John Paradiso of Northampton, MA in his red ’92 Spider; Tom Ducibella & Angela Nannini of Beverly, MA in their beige ’69 roundtail Spider; Tom Freiberger of Vernon, VT in his (supercharged) ’68 GT; Joe Fenstermaker, who was Alfaless since his Alfa is back in his home state of Washington but got to ride in several Alfas; Mike Hamm of Ware, MA in his beige ’87 Spider; and Dave Pratt of Dedham, MA in his red ’61 Giulietta.

It was great to see member Mike Hamm join us on our tour—we don’t recall seeing him on club events before. Mike made a fashionable entrance by meeting us en route ten minutes after we left the Fillin’ Station, traveling in the opposite direction. He made a U-turn and fell in with the fleeting pack for the rest of the trip. Welcome, Mike—hope you had a fun time and will join us often!

It was also great to see John and Lauren DeWaele come out again this year, considering that last year their fuel pump failure left them stranded, necessitating a ride for his Spider back to Rhode Island in Tom Letourneau’s trailer. Tom, by the way, couldn’t make the Sortie but reassured us that he, his truck, and his trailer would be standing by in case they were needed. This knowledge, of course, meant that nobody had anything go wrong!

And it was great to see all of our Alfa friends and their wonderful cars for what was likely to be our final on-the-road outing of the year. What an assortment—all the way from Giulietta Spider through Giulia Super, Giulia GT, Sprint Speciale, two roundtail Spiders, several kammtail Spiders, to a 164. Gotta love our diversity! (But where have all the Milanos gone?)

As if the day weren’t special enough, it also happened to be the day that our tour guide turned 50 years of age! Happy birthday, Peter, and thanks again for another extraordinary fling in the Berkshires!

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	Check ‘em out: A Giulia Super, two kammtail Spiders, a Sprint Speciale, a Giulia GT, a Giulietta, and a Duetto at the Fillin’ Station
	Tom Freiberger’s supercharged Sprint GT pulls in past the pumps
	A grinning Rich Rumelt arrives on the scene, topless since he lives just a few miles away
	Tom Ducibella’s roundtail and Dave Pratt’s Giulietta fill up at the Station
	Jim Murphy's Giulia Super helps frame this shot of the Fillin' Station Diner
	Scenic farms and empty roads were the norm for the majority of our route
	Jim’s Super guides Rod’s Sprint Speciale beneath a railroad bridge
	John Paradiso’s ‘92 Spider in the riverside grove
	Rod's Sprint Speciale, Dave's Giulietta Spider
	Rod's SS again wins the most-photographed award
	Dan Nicholes's Duetto, Jim Murphy's Super
	Hanging out at the riverside stop. Left photo: Jim Murphy, Dan Nicholes, Guilherme Bonatto. Right photo: Rich Rumelt, John Paradiso, Dave Pratt, Mike Hamm
	Guilherme caresses Jim Murphy’s Giulia Super
	Rounding a curve with farm buildings on both sides of the road
	We all paused at this intersection to let the caravan regroup after a long run
	Rod Burdick (L), Tom Freiberger
	Visible in this shot at the Charlemont Inn, from the left: Tom Freiberger, John Paradiso, Dave Pratt, Jim Murphy, Rod Burdick, and John DeWaele
	The beverage of choice (for some): The Charlemont Inn's own cream soda
	Time to leave the Charlemont Inn, and event organizer Peter Walker (a.k.a. the birthday boy) begins to lift his top for the trip home