​SMOG WEEKEND

Dracula At Bannerman Castle

September 19-20, 2026

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​Fellow Rogues and Scoundrels:

 

Want to get out more this year? Do you have an appetite for exploring great roads and new destinations with your motorcycle and friends, but never seem to find the time or opportunity?

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Summer Motorcycle Overnight Getaway (SMOG) Weekends are the solution!  Each monthly trip has a unique destination and a related theme.  We depart Gaby’s Café (gabyscafe941nj.com) in Frenchtown, NJ on Saturday mornings, travel great roads with uncommon objectives to unusual destinations, enjoy exceptional company at dinner on Saturday evenings, and then wander home on Sundays.

 

The SMOG Weekend of September 19-20 will take us to see a production of Dracula at the Bannerman Castle located on an island in the Hudson River near Beacon, NY.  Are you familiar with the story of a solicitor sent to the eerie Castle Dracula to deliver legal documents and discovers, to his horror, that the Castle's overlord is an undead creature of the night?  Then you will thoroughly enjoy Bannerman Castle's production of Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker (that is the full title), which has been nominated for six 2025 Broadway World Awards (voting closed on December 31st and the winners will be announced shortly).

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Bannerman Castle was built about 125 years ago on an island in the Hudson River in the style of a Scottish castle to serve as a military surplus and arsenal warehouse.  It has an amazingly colorful past and now plays host to numerous regional educational, cultural, culinary, historical, and recreational initiatives.  Visit the informative webpage (click here) which provides insights regarding the Castle's history and current activities. 

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Here is a general description of the plans for this weekend.  Details will be finalized and this webpage will be updated as the date draws nearer, when tickets for Dracula go on sale, et cetera.

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• We will navigate the backroads of New Jersey and New York to Beacon, NY and arrive our hotel mid-afternoon;

 

• We will partake in a late afternoon dinner somewhere near the Hudson River waterfront;

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• Once darkness is upon us, we will board the Estuary Steward, the official tour boat of Bannerman Island which will swiftly transport us there; and then

 

• We will experience Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker in the spooky and spectacular setting of Bannerman Castle.

 

However, the real reason we will be going there are the roads that will be taking us there.  Similar to the roads selected for our other weekend adventures, the ones throughout the Hudson River Valley region are a motorcycle magic carpet ride consisting of smooth ribbons of pavement with sweeping turns through rolling countryside and sleepy little towns that time has forgotten.  They will take you from warm summer sunlight to cool forest shadows and provide occasional twists and turns that will delight and challenge both you and your machine.  These roads are the reason motorcycles were invented and why you have one.

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Be prepared for a prompt "kickstands up" departure at 9:00AM on Saturday morning at Gaby’s Café (gabyscafe941nj.com) in Frenchtown, NJ.  The ride to Beacon, NY will be a pleasant excursion totaling approximately 125 miles on the backroads of New Jersey and New York.  (Route details will be provided to participants as the date draws nearer.)  Naturally, we will stop for a light lunch along the way and have the opportunity to relax at the hotel before dinner. 

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If you are flying solo and want to share a room on Saturday night, let me know and I will put you in touch with other solo riders.

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"How do I participate in this experience?" you ask.  Here are the three simple steps:

 

• Advise me that you will be joining us (just send me an email at the address appearing below);

 

• Make your hotel reservation when such details become available (remember to select the refundable option if you are sensitive to the whims of the weather gods); and

 

• Arrive at Gaby’s Café (gabyscafe941nj.com) in Frenchtown, NJ that Saturday morning with a full tank of gas and, as previously indicated, be prepared for a prompt "kickstands up" departure at 8:00AM (one hour earlier than usual due to the distance we are travelling).

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Is there a rain date?  Think positively.  However, we do occasionally reschedule our adventures when we encounter tempests, typhoons, cataclysmic seismic events, and other Armageddon-type inconveniences.  However, since you will have purchased tickets in advance for the performance of Dracula, we will not admonish you for adjusting your means of transportation if the weather prognostication for the weekend is disagreeable.

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If you plan to join us or have any questions, email me at WanderlustRidersNJ@gmail.com.  (Be sure to include the "NJ".)

 

Fred Larcombe

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