By Dave Pratt
Photos by John DeWaele, Debby Slavitt, Fred Frey, and Peter Walker

IT WAS ONE TO REMEMBER!  It was the 10th anniversary running of the AONE Indian Summer Sortie. It was an exceptional turnout of 15 widely-assorted Alfas (and no lesser cars). It was a perfect mid-September tops-down driving day. It was lunch at a place with a fabulous view. It was the first time many of us had seen a 1995 Alfa Spider (916) in the flesh. It was an ascent up Mount Greylock with clear views into four states at the top. It was dozens of miles of spirited Alfa motoring. It was Meg Anderson’s birthday. It was simply a terrific event.

This year’s edition was a few weeks earlier than years in the past, since event organizers Peter Walker and Meg were heading off for three months in Texas two days later. As a consequence, most of the leaves were green, although there were scattered maples starting to strut their stuff. Since leaf-peeping season was a few weekends away, and since this was, after all, western Massachusetts, we pretty much had the roads to ourselves!

On the morning of Saturday, September 15th, we met at the Fillin’ Station Diner in South Deerfield, MA, the place where we usually swarm. Last year, we were surprised to discover that the Diner was closed due to a kitchen fire! But they were back in business, and most of us got a little breakfast and coffee to sustain us through the upcoming drive. At around 11:00, Peter called us together, handed out route directions, and gave us a rundown on where the drive would be going. We also went around the circle and introduced ourselves, since there were several new members in the crowd (always great to see!).

Then we were off on the romp! It was sunny with temps in the 70s and just a few random clouds, so all of the convertible tops were dropped — there wasn’t even a question. Peter and Meg were in the lead Spider and set the pace, since they’re very familiar with the area roads and know where the throttle can be depressed and where the brakes should be applied. So we were able to do some exhilarating driving, without worrying about the local milizia).

Like last year, our route took us up Mount Greylock, Massachusetts’s highest peak. Unlike last year, however, the skies were clear and the views were spectacular! We drove up one side and down the other, on a recently-paved road full of twists and turns and (of course) elevation change. It was chilly at the top, where we took in the views for 15 minutes or so, but we were well-prepared.

Peter and Meg always vary the route somewhat every year, which keeps everyone’s interest up. Overall, we did a little over 90 miles of Berkshire hills and valleys, with plenty of turns and bends, separated by the occasional straight stretch.

This year, our journey ended at the Golden Eagle restaurant in North Adams, where we’d lunched two years ago. (The lodge at the top of Greylock where we ate last year had a limited selection and the service was, uhhh, relaxed.) The Golden Eagle is perched on the outside of a hairpin turn on Route 2, on a steep slope halfway up a mountain, with expansive views of the valley below and mountains in the distance. This caused us to linger in the parking lot both before we went inside and after we came out. There were well over twenty of us and we were seated for lunch at a lonnnnnng table. As expected, the food was quite good and the service quite fast for a group our size.

After lunch and loitering in the parking lot for a while, most of our gang headed off in the directions from whence they came. But some stayed the night in the area, and we were treated to a wonderful dinner party that evening at Peter’s family’s charming old home in Ashfield. A local caterer provided excellent food, and there were plenty of libation and conviviality to go around. Meg even made some delicious appetizers (on her birthday!).

The members of the 10th anniversary Sortie comprised (in no particular order):

Peter Walker & Meg Anderson – White ’77 Spider
Dan & Deb Donovan – Metallic burgundy ’88 Spider
Richard Marker & Grant Smith – Red ’95 (916) Spider (!!!)
John & Lauren DeWaele – Verde Inglese ’74 Spider
Giorgio Kradjian – Red ’74 GTV
Fred Frey & Beverley Fisher – Dark blue ‘73 Giulia Super
Tom & Marilyn Freiberger – Red ’71 Montreal
Rich Rumelt – Maroon ’79 Spider
Steve Perry – Red ’78 Spider
Phil Bostwick – Dark blue ’72 GTV
Roger & Karen Carlson – Red ’74 Spider
Rich & Cindy Collins – Black ’86 Spider
Rob Rizzo – Red ’74 GTV
Dave & Vi Pratt – Pagoda Giallo ’74 Spider
Ken Shapiro – White ’73 Spider (A lurking local non-member — c’mon, ya bum, join the club!)

Our thanks again go to Peter and Meg for planning and running the Indian Summer Sortie, surely one of the most fun driving events our club does (and that’s saying a lot)!

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