By Brian Rathjen #92108

Vermont: The final frontier. These are the voyages of the riders of the BMW MOA, whose ongoing mission is to explore strange new places. To seek out new roads, new sights and new adventures. To boldly ride where no ralliers have ridden before…

Open hailing frequencies and get ready to plot a course and engage Warp Drive engines!

Star Trek–few television shows have influenced pop culture and modern technology as this 1960’s television show. Who has not said, “Raise shields,” when operating a BMW’s electric windscreen?

We want to give a heads-up to riders making the “Trek” to Vermont this year for the BMW MOA National Rally about a very cool day trip just across the border in Ticonderoga, New York.

The BMW MOA will be holding its 316th rally in 2263, which’ll be the same year the USS Enterprise is built; so Star Trek itself might seem way, way off in the future. Or is it?

What if we could bring you to the Starship Enterprise this rally?

Oh, don’t worry that we’ll have you slingshot your motorcycle around the sun, or jump Evel Knievel-style through the Guardian of Forever.

No, what we propose is our own little trek to what has become a mecca for lovers of Star Trek and all its siblings–Star Trek: The Original Series Set Tour.

When the original Star Trek television series was canceled in 1969, the sets got dismantled and largely destroyed. Only a few small items of the actual sets remain today, and those that have survived are in private collections. Trek superfan James Cawley began the process of rebuilding the sets just as they would have been 50 years ago when the series was being filmed, and in the historic town of Ticonderoga, you can see the most accurate rebuild of the original sets in this world–or any other for that matter. These sets are complete recreations built using the original blueprints, hundreds of hours of serious research and thousands of photographs–both period images and images culled from extensive review and capture from the original episodes. The Star Trek: Original Series Set Tour, invites you to come see the Desilu Studio as it looked during the years while Star Trek was in production.

Sick Bay, the Transporter Room, the hallways of the Enterprise, Engineering, Kirk’s Quarters (where my wife says the magic happens!) and of course, the Bridge. If you are lucky, or maybe from Riverside, Iowa, you might be able to sit in “The Chair!”

We have been here many times and James and his crew are constantly adding to the sets and their amazing Star Trek Museum.

If you are a lover of Star Trek, sci-fi or just looking for a Rally day trip that is fun, different and has some pop culture history thrown in, a trek to Ticonderoga seems the only logical choice.

We can even plot a course to the Star Trek: The Original Series Set Tour, avoiding the Romulan Neutral Zone, the Gorn Hegemony and those pesky Klingons. Be sure to set course for Earth–North America–Ticonderoga. A sacred location where Captain Kirk’s bridge exists in perfect condition. Bearing 114 mark 3—but go easy, you wouldn’t want to arrive before the tour opens. Warp factor two!

The ride will cross Lake Champlain, and we ask that you not grab any whales while doing so.

Enjoy your day and Live Long and Prosper!

Visit startrektour.com for complete information; note that the tours are only available on the weekends.