Recession? What recession? Beautiful weather, great riding, and an expanded TourExpo attracted near-record crowds to Americade this past June 2-7. Organizers estimated nearly 50,000 people attended the 26th annual event in Lake George, New York, which is geared toward touring riders, but attracts enthusiasts from all walks (rides?) of motorcycling.

Despite weaker than expected crowds at other rallies recently, Americade posted its strongest attendance figures in years. Hotels surrounding the bucolic mountain community were at or near capacity, while local businesses that count on this weeklong event to jumpstart their summer season reported record sales and capacity turnouts at events. While always drawn to the curvy mountain roads, water sports, and beautiful scenery that make Americade one of the most popular rallies in the country, one of the biggest draws for enthusiasts this year was the large consumer trade show TourExpo. Many aftermarket manufacturers and other vendors reported greater-than-expected sales.

But this rally is about the riders, and while the notorious heat and humidity rolled into lower Adirondack Park by the weekend, it didn’t stop thousands of them from snarling Lake Shore Drive, the main drag of Lake George Village, with sportbikes, cruisers, tourers, sidecar rigs, trailers, and more. The strip was so clogged with bikers by Saturday afternoon that many waited more than an hour in the hot sun just to navigate the one-mile stretch through town. The lemonade and bottled water vendors lapped up the profits, as did the local watering holes in town, such as King Neptune’s Pub, Duffy’s Tavern, and the Adirondack Pub & Brewery. Those with patios and outdoor decks were bursting at the seams, while other riders and revelers looking for a respite from the extreme heat packed into any place with air conditioning. And in spite of the “No Wading or Bathing” signs posted at the beach near Vendor Village, many attendees flouted the rules and jumped right in the cool, blue water anyway.

Another way attendees beat the heat was to park themselves in the air-conditioned meeting hall at Roaring Brook Ranch and take in some seminars. Talk about tires, garner some knowledge about GPS systems, or study up on your riding skills — there’s a topic for everyone. RoadBike’s tour story seminar was well-attended and we hope everyone picked up a few pointers on writing and shooting images of his next long trip. (If you missed it, you can find the handouts on our web site, www.RoadBikeMag.com, in the archives section under the editorial content dropdown menu.) Who knows, you may just see your name in the pages of RoadBike in the near future.

Americade 2008 was a great rally full of events and other stuff for the motorcyclist; next year’s rally is slated for June 1-6. A special thanks goes out to the Northern Lake George Resort in Silver Bay and The Hague Motel in the town of Hague for putting us up. And if you’re ever looking for a chill spot away from the madding crowds of Lake George Village, you could definitely do worse than the biker-friendly folks at Hague Firehouse Restaurant on State Route 8. RB