Two rows of Alfa Romeos in the parking lot of the Wachusett Brewery, with Alfisti mingling before the start of our tour

well, a special "thank you" to all who attended the annual AONE Wachusett Mountain Run on Saturday, September 19th. I believe that the event was enjoyed by all. We again had an opportunity to visit two breweries and experience a great view of the Boston skyline from the top of Mount Wachusett — due north of Worcester!

There seemed to be a bit of a delay getting started due to an unforeseen detour that many of those coming from the east encountered. But I believe that everyone did finally manage to arrive at the Wachusett Brewery. There was also some concern about the brewery’s tour guide, who had called us to say that she was under the weather. But she arrived and, through it all, delivered an excellent tour that included a history of the brewery. We have been starting our Wachusett tour here for a number of years now and it is interesting to see how the brewery has continued to expand.

About fifteen Alfas arrived, as well as a couple of other lesser Italian marques. Once again, we were pleased to have someone who saw the Alfas parked stop at the brewery and come in to see what was happening. Deb Donovan spent some time talking with him and, before we knew it, Deb had him blowing off some previous commitment and going home to get his Alfa. In fact, John met us at the top of the mountain and finished the tour with us. That’s not the first time this has happened!

We even had a visit from a local police officer. We weren’t sure what he wanted at first, but it turned out that he just wanted to check out the cars (and especially Gino’s Magnum PI car).

We were a little late getting finished with the brewery tour, but we soon left on our trip to the mountaintop. To avoid a problem that occurred last year, we decided to tell everyone to make sure they didn’t turn into the first entrance to the park. Dan Donovan took the lead and I became the tail gunner. The group seemed to get split up and I had about six cars in front of me when we were approaching the turn onto Mile Hill Road. I had not thought about the first turn onto Mile Hill Road, where there is a big sign saying "Mount Wachusett Ski Area". All six of them assumed it was the first entrance and continued to miss the turn. I quickly had to try to chase them down. I guess we’ll have to try a different ploy next year!

Thankfully, they didn’t get too far and I was able to herd everyone back on track. When I reached the top, I was happy to count up the cars and see that everyone had made it. As usual, it was a little cool at the top but the view was great, being one of the clearest days I’ve seen at the top in a long time. I believe that everyone enjoyed the experience. After about twenty minutes at the mountaintop, I did my usual visual check of what I call the "chill factor". People were starting to look chilled, so Dan, Deb, and I suggested that we head out for the rest of the tour.

I really enjoyed being behind the group observing a train of Alfas, most of which had their tops down enjoying the fall-like temperatures. The only thing missing was the Autumn colors that we have seen on other occasions, but the air was crisp and clear.

Dan & Deb did an excellent job of keeping the group together by stopping and/or slowing down when necessary. We arrived at Petersham and it was quite a sight to see a very long string of Alfas parked along the Petersham Common. It was a great opportunity for some photos.

We also took a slight diversion to check out a route suggested by our member Garret Ahlstom. It was a great photo opportunity in front of an old stone school building that he attended in the 70s.

As it was getting close to 2 pm, everyone was beginning to get a bit hungry, so we decided to complete the remaining portion of the tour to the Gardner Ale House. Upon our arrival, the proprietors set aside a large area for us, where we completed the tour with a pleasant array of appetizers, food, and of course a wee bit of ale.

Thank you all for attending. Dan, Deb, and I were pleased to see everyone enjoy the day.

(Click on the thumbnails below for a larger view,
and then use the arrow buttons to navigate)