Saturday, October 3rd

Thirteen YEARS AGO, AONE RAN THE FIRST INDIAN SUMMER SORTIE. Event organizer Peter Walker will again be putting together a spirited fun frolic through the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts. This year, the outing will take place on Saturday, October 3 (the first rain date will be Sunday, the 4th, and the following Saturday, October 10, will be the backup rain day). This is a chance to see how western Mass. looks when the leaves are turning and starting to fall to the ground. Peter is promising us another interesting, scenic, traffic-free, twisty route through a very beautiful part of New England. Here's the plan:

Alfa Heaven

As usual, we're going to meet up at the Fillin' Station Diner in South Deerfield, the same place we've started our tours in the past. Plan to be there at 10:30AM (or before, if you would like to have breakfast there), because we're going to shove off promptly at 11:00, and finding us will be difficult after that. From there, we'll head out on our marvelous romp in the countryside. After perhaps a couple of hours of back-road bliss, we'll pause for lunch.

This year's route will end at the Golden Eagle restaurant, on route 2 in North Adams, Massachusetts, where we have lunched before. Afterward, we can head toward home, or Peter will be happy to suggest (and perhaps lead) some more after-lunch cruising.

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Since many of us travel a fairly long distance to and from the Sortie, participants might want to stay overnight in a nearby B&B or motel. So Peter and Meg have compiled a list of overnight accommodations in and around Ashfield, MA — scroll down to the bottom to take a look. Make sure to inquire about cancellation policies, since the date of the Sortie may shift depending on the weather. And be forewarned that many locations are already booked full!

The final call about the weather and whether to run on the 3rd or postpone will be posted by e-mail on the morning of Thursday, October 1st.

If you're coming on the tour, please contact Peter before Thursday evening, October 1st, at anderwalk@earthlink.net or 978-524-8102.

Everyone who's been on one of our Sorties knows what a great time it is, and what a great way to give your Alfa a good fling. (See last year's event.) Don't miss it!

See the event report

Directions to the Sortie Start
(See Map & Directions button above)

How to find the Fillin' Station: From any direction, take I-91 to Exit 24 for South Deerfield. Head south on US Route 5 (left at the end of the ramp if coming from the south, right if from the north). Look for a big DINER sign a short distance on the left.

Travel suggestion: If you're coming from the east, a more pleasant route than taking Route 2 to I-91and down I-91 to the Fillin' Station is as follows: Turn off of Route 2 onto Route 63 south, which comes a few miles after Route 2 goes through the center of Erving (where the speed limit goes down to 30 MPH). Almost immediately after the open stretch west of Erving with the 55 MPH limit and the climbing lane, there's a small sign on the left saying "To Route 63", and the name of the road (which forks off to the left) is Prospect St. Follow the signs to Route 63 and head south. At Montague, take Route 47 south. In Sunderland, turn right onto Route 116 west. At the intersection with Route 5/10, turn left and go about one half mile to the Fillin' Station (which will be on the left).

Beds and Breakfasts in Ashfield

Inn at Norton Hill
10 Norton Hill Road
Ashfield, Mass. 01330
413-628-4003
www.innatnortonhill.com
This B&B is in a historic house right in the center of the village. It has only a few rooms, but breakfast is served at Elmer's, the former old general store right next door, and where Meg and Peter (and anyone else staying in the area) will want to join you for their excellent brunch.

Bull Frog B&B
1629 Conway Road
Ashfield, Mass. 01330
413-628-4493
This B&B is right on fabled Mass. route 116, perhaps the best sports car road in the state. Those who have driven the Sortie before know what we mean.

Corner Porches
82 Baptist Corner Rd.
Ashfield, Mass. 01330
413-628-4592

Beds and Breakfasts in abutting villages

Restful Crow
6 Cross
Buckland, Mass. 01338
413-624-9507

Nestle Inn
PO Box 604
Conway, Mass. 01341
413-268-8414

Nearby Motels

Days Inn Greenfield
21 Colrain Rd
Greenfield, MA 01301 US
413-774-5578
Days Inn Greenfield website

Red Roof Inn
9 Greenfield Road
South Deerfield, Mass.
01373
413-605-7161
www.redroof.com
This motel is right next to the Yankee Candle factory store and less than a mile from the Fillin' Station and from the I-91 exit. It's about a 20-minute drive from Ashfield.