tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722953876452152542024-03-04T23:37:48.045-08:00Finger Lakes and New England AdventureMalcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-20234743681091317602015-06-13T16:27:00.001-07:002015-06-13T16:30:14.673-07:00EndIn case you noticed, there were no posts for about a week. Since there has been only one person who inquired about the draught of posts, it is assumed that we had only one follower. Oh well...<div><br></div><div>We're home now; it's June 13. The trip lasted three days longer than planned. The cold wet weather, combined with staying in some places longer than anticipated, lengthened the trip.</div><div><br></div><div>Basically, we worked our way south through New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and home. Ironically, our last night on the road was in the same town as our first night, Frederick Maryland.</div><div><br></div><div>The final day on the road (today) was pretty tough. Traffic was stop and go from just south of DC to just south of Fredericksburg. That's about 38 miles of stop and go on a bike in full gear at a temperature right at 100 degrees. We sweated more than either of us had ever sweated.</div><div><br></div><div>But we made it home safely.</div><div><br></div><div>The trip was 24 days long and covered 4,370 miles. We spent at least one night in the states of Maryland, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and Connecticut. It was a great trip.</div><div><br></div><div>Janice did very well on the road. We encountered the full range of challenges of touring on a motorcycle, with the exception of a breakdown. We had hard rain, cold rain, fog, cold, extreme heat, and she weathered it like a seasoned rider. I'm proud of her; touring is not for the meek!</div><div><br></div><div>With this, the blog ends. New pics are posted below...</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kERrAmZcKNMSk9QRfgUBmy4sjLeWMK8-wtRdbyH8JmpaletUAgaFhRaz4hLFPEsz19P3WdSUhzNUlDnocEyONP8_QHHDlEr3g8dxZCMhuK9OEHSwcMlritpL0CpVq0_1g27ck8EF81Q/s640/blogger-image--539329320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kERrAmZcKNMSk9QRfgUBmy4sjLeWMK8-wtRdbyH8JmpaletUAgaFhRaz4hLFPEsz19P3WdSUhzNUlDnocEyONP8_QHHDlEr3g8dxZCMhuK9OEHSwcMlritpL0CpVq0_1g27ck8EF81Q/s640/blogger-image--539329320.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNJrN0sOvYPFbTpz3J8mRwEdRMioAGBwWXTnlmtxvahuvr7IJP6ikbFVND-6dqIrOM3-fC_iigMCfCUDitn3LP-eWPbRlqhjSclS2HRHtsUYaSfEViGTnCgxNOWrjFG2_6tWzPgkFqOM/s640/blogger-image-1030350019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNJrN0sOvYPFbTpz3J8mRwEdRMioAGBwWXTnlmtxvahuvr7IJP6ikbFVND-6dqIrOM3-fC_iigMCfCUDitn3LP-eWPbRlqhjSclS2HRHtsUYaSfEViGTnCgxNOWrjFG2_6tWzPgkFqOM/s640/blogger-image-1030350019.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lvkIUlucDPXavQ6K3CP-WaZL3zSwFxxgA3EMn6Kd5ZmADSYwd1ppIzZ1jmTpFjYECAosga_DjLjcPLS3WmilwPl0dbYcxgrxwoR_wRadjCkwfR8nDU-JOiGMUXKIX3OibAfMxb0_fRU/s640/blogger-image--927879692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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Both days were spent in and around Bar Harbor (Ba Ha Ba).<div><br></div><div>Friday's weather was overcast and cool to cold. Temps in the high 40s and low 50s made for an uncomfortable day.</div><div><br></div><div>We spent a good part of the day in Acadia National Park, just riding around and seeing the sights. We went to Sand Beach, which is a very rare sand beach in a small cove. The total length of the beach was about 200 yards, tiny by NC beach standards. The water was crystal clear and cold. The wind was blowing fairly hard, and the air temp was 52 degrees, so there was no one in the water. Actually all of the people on the beach were all bundled up. We were in our bumblebees!</div><div><br></div><div>The ride was good, with almost non-existent traffic.</div><div><br></div><div>When it got to dinnertime, we rode to a nearby town of Trenton. We had decided to eat lobster, a natural delicacy of Maine. Each of us had eaten lobster before, but it had been many years earlier. So it was time to experience it again at a place recommended by the locals.</div><div><br></div><div>We picked out ours, chose the side items, and found a table for the feast. In a bit, our number was called, so we picked up our meal. The restaurant offered to cracking ours, but Malcolm was stubborn and told them he could do it. Probably a mistake! We did manage to pull out all of the meat, but it was quite a struggle. But it was good. Certainly not something for every night, but good for a change. </div><div><br></div><div>Then back to the motel for the night.</div><div><br></div><div>Today brought bright sunlight and finally warmer temperatures. A beautiful day for a ride.</div><div><br></div><div>We spent most of the day riding in and around the park. Northeast Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Seal Harbor, Bass Harbor, Bass Lighthouse, Nelson and Eagle Lakes, and many roads in-between. A great day in a place we both love.</div><div><br></div><div>The last part of the ride was to the summit of Cadillac Mountain again. This time with good light and decent temperatures. We took the bumblebees off and went scampering on the rocks at the top. The views from all vantage points were breathtaking. It was fun to climb up and down the landscape like kids would do. </div><div><br></div><div>About an hour of playing on top, and we were ready to head into town for an adult drink and dinner.</div><div><br></div><div>Both were good. When we finished, we called it a day and headed to the motel for the night.</div><div><br></div><div>A great day enjoyed by both of us.</div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow we say bye to Bar Harbor and begin our trip back home. We know now that we're several days behind schedule, so we'll not be home on the 10th as originally planned. But we'll be there when we get there!</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDR8mudewR4E7q4XPAhLFF5LWx0YNBx4SPc311DRODkXYKPxvEpDYxJJ07maU2h7ym1AX_npXzoYPqqGvblghvtSuLXUkX61RnuhoMHOn7oJ5VTyhdleXKxxeQg5LtmcPX1Cgh6ljJlk/s640/blogger-image--1551666422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDR8mudewR4E7q4XPAhLFF5LWx0YNBx4SPc311DRODkXYKPxvEpDYxJJ07maU2h7ym1AX_npXzoYPqqGvblghvtSuLXUkX61RnuhoMHOn7oJ5VTyhdleXKxxeQg5LtmcPX1Cgh6ljJlk/s640/blogger-image--1551666422.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQ3Ecvuv3XuAeRPx7HP9h5KdiwVafkZDi1lGLxPyeYMFm6FBSVPpR_syHni2Q-F3eqzFGwA4rrLhI-L8qaebdRfFzHZCKjUht9j-O6MaujXX9M_z8atlGRGVN5jLw9xSVEZ-TupEYriY/s640/blogger-image--153747738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcddop-Q08NEBF-ckBRUqLyCDHAVn4A5cfdD-3GsZzg5jVjhVbZF0ztdq_Yq20QZT1MyscnmYryYEQI0ETDQDm3qNkmrUM7nx9g_N831KpJnOccw8HgvyS-KgAC79QlbV75ZzQmDe8xA4/s640/blogger-image--1512987473.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-65639034493533659852015-06-05T05:54:00.001-07:002015-06-05T07:10:00.564-07:00Day SixteenSunshine at last! It was so good to see that bright orb this morning. I know folks get weary of reading so much about weather conditions, but when you spend 8 hours out in the elements, weather conditions are a big part of the day's experience.<div><br></div><div>We got up, had breakfast at the restaurant across the parking lot, got packed and left a little after 11 am. Janice had read that there was a beach nearby that featured millions of small smooth stones of red, grey and green hue. Jasper Beach. So, we took off in search of Jasper Beach.</div><div><br></div><div>Hwy 192 went eastward down a broad peninsula to the beach. Riding along, we saw one single sign at a dirt road, but decided that there would be a "real" sign for the beach up the road. Wrong! Up the road was the end of the road. A U turn later, we were riding down the dirt road. It was short, and dead ended at the beach.</div><div><br></div><div>We walked out to the beach, and found that the descriptors were right--smooth rocks sized from about a half-inch to 4 inches or so went several hundred yards to our left and right. It looked like they washed onto the beach and piled up into several layers of different sizes. Pretty neat. Janice collected several and we were on our way.</div><div><br></div><div>Our next destination was Prospect Harbor. A friend's grandmother was instrumental in founding the library there, so we wanted to see it. Down a narrow, winding road along the shore, the village was right where the maps said it would be. We stopped at the post office to take a pic, also hoping someone would show up so we could ask for directions to the library.</div><div><br></div><div>Our hope was realized when a woman came out of the post office and walked towards her car. Janice spoke to her, and 10 minutes later, we were on our way to the library. Turns out that the lady volunteers there, so she knew a lot about its history. And she had lived in NC at one time.</div><div><br></div><div>A block down the street was the library. We stopped, took a few pics and rode on.</div><div><br></div><div>She had also mentioned that we should see a part of Acadia National Park that most visitors don't visit. It was along the way, so we did. And it was pretty magnificent. Along the water, there were several vistas that were just beautiful. The park is directly across the bay from Bar Harbor, and you could just see a few sights of the town. A good diversion to find this jewel!</div><div><br></div><div>On to Bar Harbor. We had reserved a room before leaving the previous hotel, so we rode to the motel and checked in.. An older, but very well-kept room awaited us. Another nice place for a couple of nights.</div><div><br></div><div>After resting and unpacking, we uncoupled the trailer and rode the mile to downtown Bar Harbor to get something to eat. We found a local restaurant, West Street Cafe and had what Janice said was the best fish she had ever eaten -- Haddock.</div><div><br></div><div>Finishing our meal, we decided to ride to the top of Cadillac Mountain for sunset. It's one of Malcolm's favorite destinations in the eastern states. At 1,500 feet on the summit, it's not a tall mountain, but there's no other place with as pretty a view as you get from there. An almost 360 degree panorama of green, wooded islands in the bay and ocean, with blue-green water, it's breathtakingly beautiful. It was cold on top, but the sunset was worth the cold. </div><div><br></div><div>When the sun dipped below the mountains to the west, we got on the bike and rode back to our room and called it a night.</div><div><br></div><div>It was an outstanding day.</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLb-vd7DecuROO33PLDSBRQvC1CjorbyhI-z5-Ag7xpLCF2wt7Oise81OO34aSaUNyOqEyMMUp4QXH06GwEZR00yr9IE07YQ82IAwoRtWP8edLkPfuBKnfryV_sO_r3Tfdlwlo0HDfls/s640/blogger-image--2127335571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLb-vd7DecuROO33PLDSBRQvC1CjorbyhI-z5-Ag7xpLCF2wt7Oise81OO34aSaUNyOqEyMMUp4QXH06GwEZR00yr9IE07YQ82IAwoRtWP8edLkPfuBKnfryV_sO_r3Tfdlwlo0HDfls/s640/blogger-image--2127335571.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnpeU-1H5YDym4eltHJ-7IVfCaqUlugXDzp-rLL4zDDRljFMRJBNuhk6GvJVQXa2kgylTA50RK36iOo0VbiZbbgvkXLfzovCyuh6OOVVs3kZ9bpA-KiKBWQpW9g9UyJhesy8t1Rs0E0A/s640/blogger-image--845751149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0M8ezh0uL14Sf9Xslq7jHsQhUO0H7mYSfG4u9bNc8xNR_UTZK-pRl9_YvqKoItrR4JQyU9NFMLeSOiZKX4qqKAd8DvmFlkdN6w72iZuOfLtYAOsemc83ohxtsIV6R4cmADVrmnsSg_4U/s640/blogger-image--1972777415.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-8211793005806576592015-06-04T04:48:00.001-07:002015-06-04T07:10:16.911-07:00Day FifteenWe woke up, looked out the front window, and no rain was falling. Everything was still wet, but the rain had stopped. It was cold, 40 degrees, but it was forecast to warm several degrees per hour. So, we knew we'd be able to leave.<div><br></div><div>Because it was so cool, and in an effort to let it warm up, we took lots of time with breakfast and packing. Around 11 am we left the motel.</div><div><br></div><div>So, why did we ride to Ft Kent? It is the start of the first US road in America. There's just something neat abut being in the place where all of the US highways began. The Interstate highways are great at moving a lot of traffic from point A to B, but they're so uninteresting. After a while, they blend into a collage of exits with the same gas stations and stores, making it difficult to remember where you stopped along the way. Makes for a bland, foggy trip.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, the US highways are memorable and move traffic along pretty well. And they go through interesting places. I can still remember parts of US 2 from Duluth, MN to Glacier National Park that Gary and I rode on our way to Alaska. It's my favorite long-distance road. </div><div><br></div><div>So, it's great to be at an important place for US 1. </div><div><br></div><div>So we left the hotel and made our first stop across the street, where we took pics of the monument erected to mark the beginning. Then, we headed south on the great highway.</div><div><br></div><div>About 10 miles out of town, Janice spotted a Moose! It was an adolescent Moose, trotting along the edge of the St John river that separates Canada and the USA. We pulled over to the shoulder of the road and kept pace with the Moose so we could get some pics. This went on for about a quarter of a mile before it jumped a guardrail on the other side of the road, crossed the road, and ran into the woods. Unfortunately, the camera malfunctioned and she got only one pic of the Moose. Damned electronics! But there is one pic to show the family.</div><div><br></div><div>Next stop was Madawaska, one of the "Four Corners" of the USA. It's a small town that comprises the Northeast-most point in the contiguous 48 states, and a favorite of long distance motorcycle riders. The town has built a very nice small Park to commemorate the place, and there are many pavers with names of riders who have ridden there. This was an unexpected treasure along the way.</div><div><br></div><div>The rest of the ride along the highway was filled with small towns or villages, each with unique elements and structures. Some were very nice with manicured lawns and beautiful landscaping, while others were in serious disrepair. Seeing such contrast makes you wonder why one community is so "up" and down the road in a few miles is another about to fall in.,,,</div><div><br></div><div>The road surface varied a lot from one area to another. Some areas had a very smooth,nice road surface, while in other areas the asphalt was crumbling and very uneven. We need to look the bike over today to see if anything vibrated off. The suspension got a good workout yesterday.</div><div><br></div><div>But the scenery was outstanding. The Road followed the St Johns river for many miles, and with the border between the two countries being the river, our best views were in Canada. The Vistas were so pretty. </div><div><br></div><div>And although still very cool, it was not as bad as yesterday. Overall, it was between 5 and 10 degrees warmer. AND NO RAIN! Janice got cold once or twice, but not like the day before. </div><div><br></div><div>About 6:30 we pulled into the motel parking lot in Machias, our destination for the day. It was like an oasis, with lots of cars and trucks in the parking lot and a large motel and restaurant. Along the way, we had passed many motels all very small with less than a dozen rooms, so seeing this one was quite a sight.</div><div><br></div><div>A delicious seafood dinner was the end of a good day on the road.<br><div><br></div><div><br></div></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHTrySwvP49DwsLr4Uum8oBynHVKAaMeMZPp_8fiKq9XB4mVqEYvJahs1Fjx-HQWUjL_pFuREC0ItDbUhkfVyMBq5NghjpVhJa-W-qQz4p0EHBD8SdPZfOkeO-SafgALXANsMXDWEdkQ/s640/blogger-image--1009077950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHTrySwvP49DwsLr4Uum8oBynHVKAaMeMZPp_8fiKq9XB4mVqEYvJahs1Fjx-HQWUjL_pFuREC0ItDbUhkfVyMBq5NghjpVhJa-W-qQz4p0EHBD8SdPZfOkeO-SafgALXANsMXDWEdkQ/s640/blogger-image--1009077950.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uCjP_A3h7eimJb8lCVkKVAPgLq4po6vlIXOXUQyby3-Xmye-VK6a6giMw7Ged8nBzDK4MWIj9AwFIfvfc5PKQLD5jHKlbdmGaM21eD6KUBaR0aeQTegZdNr6A4j5EhLVb_W2Riu2IeM/s640/blogger-image--1615212771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uCjP_A3h7eimJb8lCVkKVAPgLq4po6vlIXOXUQyby3-Xmye-VK6a6giMw7Ged8nBzDK4MWIj9AwFIfvfc5PKQLD5jHKlbdmGaM21eD6KUBaR0aeQTegZdNr6A4j5EhLVb_W2Riu2IeM/s640/blogger-image--1615212771.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpOBn1FbZEwxIwXY80FqVFLUhSJ1BgFvHlV3MUOhjPMxhYRN7D0jMHOAq5ZKf-1hdu5Gbn0J9AWs9XzaI8IBqz2z6OVHQiqK-AOUROn7AlEbYzOFY5I4llpODvLrEXzkpBs6vHynJtpI/s640/blogger-image-1191967469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpOBn1FbZEwxIwXY80FqVFLUhSJ1BgFvHlV3MUOhjPMxhYRN7D0jMHOAq5ZKf-1hdu5Gbn0J9AWs9XzaI8IBqz2z6OVHQiqK-AOUROn7AlEbYzOFY5I4llpODvLrEXzkpBs6vHynJtpI/s640/blogger-image-1191967469.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe5PTHwhgRlGezOmEyjAn2IpkJ5FCErhmh_IkpkEQ9uyhgIHH67ek21JIHgnmtSwo5Ydju4hfVrjifmZrQ5ufCC16tIcZKsidZC2NC5fCliyEsqWVTsdGoLNe8LygnL0q03xUWhbUbfc/s640/blogger-image--1297614376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe5PTHwhgRlGezOmEyjAn2IpkJ5FCErhmh_IkpkEQ9uyhgIHH67ek21JIHgnmtSwo5Ydju4hfVrjifmZrQ5ufCC16tIcZKsidZC2NC5fCliyEsqWVTsdGoLNe8LygnL0q03xUWhbUbfc/s640/blogger-image--1297614376.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPdUg7TikLOVurOImPeaIIfcEqlw6tqMh5qlJD9fwqHme-NIY-2fARDB2taDdBGWMPPikU3Ajch-x8O7UXpB6mQJxdk8gqJq7DHqAY19Ak7HMwHLl_vIQLAdkcwVo88xW9ZwjndonOuI/s640/blogger-image--2010352830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPdUg7TikLOVurOImPeaIIfcEqlw6tqMh5qlJD9fwqHme-NIY-2fARDB2taDdBGWMPPikU3Ajch-x8O7UXpB6mQJxdk8gqJq7DHqAY19Ak7HMwHLl_vIQLAdkcwVo88xW9ZwjndonOuI/s640/blogger-image--2010352830.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlimQTTUIiVVfiMZWgH0LT-At7UM-FfuRgS2vliAP6wt8dGmwILJ6LOOoAkJ9l6jbxSw1oGJItaNK71-1N9m791vlUnhZirejiwE-1UA2Z4FkLluXL1NDRsoQqwnrQ1lZcdddDVMRqL8/s640/blogger-image--1623292905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlimQTTUIiVVfiMZWgH0LT-At7UM-FfuRgS2vliAP6wt8dGmwILJ6LOOoAkJ9l6jbxSw1oGJItaNK71-1N9m791vlUnhZirejiwE-1UA2Z4FkLluXL1NDRsoQqwnrQ1lZcdddDVMRqL8/s640/blogger-image--1623292905.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-85804241301042813252015-06-02T18:58:00.001-07:002015-06-02T19:10:44.210-07:00Day FourteenGreetings from the northern terminus of US Highway 1. Ft Kent Maine is just about as far north as you can go in the contiguous USA, and that's where we are tonight. <div><br></div><div>Like the past few mornings, we woke to steady rain and COLDER temps. It was 42 degrees in Bangor when we left. We wanted to see two particular sights in Bangor: Paul Bunyan and the home of novelist Stephen King. So, we did. It wasn't easy with the weather conditions, but we got to both, and Janice managed to take pics. I don't know how she did it, but she's good!</div><div><br></div><div>Then, we turned north on I 95 and tried to make some miles. Did I say it was cold? It was below cold. The wind chill temp was 27 degrees, made colder with wet feet and hands. An utterly miserable day for a ride.</div><div><br></div><div>But what a ride it was, once we got off I 95 and on Maine 11. We both love roads like the 11. It's one of those roads that follow the lay of the land. Up, down, left, right, with high peaks and low valleys. In some places, the road was straight, and when on a peak, one could see for a couple of miles, with usually several smaller Hills and valleys as far as eye eye could see. Very sparsely populated, a house every several miles made it a place where vehicle breakdowns could be real trouble. But the BMW just purred along.</div><div><br></div><div>We stopped twice along the way to warm up. After a while we were able to climb back on the bike and move on.</div><div><br></div><div>According to locals and the news, the weather is much colder than usual. It should be around 70 daytime temps and around 40 at night. We planned for those temps, with a little extra (just in case), but we didn't have clothes for what we encountered. Janice wore a tank top, cuddleduds,long sleeved tee shirt, fleece jacket, bumblebee, and a Columbia jacket on her upper body. And froze. I wore a tee shirt, long sleeved tee shirt, fleece jacket, and my bumblebee and finally got cold. We stayed dry, except for feet and hands.</div><div><br></div><div>About 10 miles from our destination, there was road construction that resulted in several miles of gravel and mud. Fortunately, we didn't slip or have any problem, but it was a bit unnerving. The bike and trailer are trashed; looks like we were on the Alaskan Highway! Instead of black, both are now brown and yellow, along with the bottoms of our bumblebees. Ugh...</div><div><br></div><div>We got into Ft Kent around 5 pm, checked into the motel, and tried to warm up. Had dinner in the restaurant nearby and called it a night. </div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow, we plan to get on US 1 and ride south towards Bar Harbor.</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUsufW7q8kEUSoFwX6SKUJ33Z0nKkaKJsG99gzleUHkHXcbsKAMN4gZLP1_iEH-4ZYqfq__UhlVsAlfWrOpgyOuwTgccPmfSB2QSWfxpcoGjG818sHdGlCBMJ3hJZeFPmYh2ZYeCgwoQ/s640/blogger-image-1235909768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUsufW7q8kEUSoFwX6SKUJ33Z0nKkaKJsG99gzleUHkHXcbsKAMN4gZLP1_iEH-4ZYqfq__UhlVsAlfWrOpgyOuwTgccPmfSB2QSWfxpcoGjG818sHdGlCBMJ3hJZeFPmYh2ZYeCgwoQ/s640/blogger-image-1235909768.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQLDdPRpAU1bjbASCmYeZOro9blzcx8bbsL0l_N6s39VKW7hm42pXPxVwCa0p6_hLLLDNNrzpiBGg91P1Z-8ZJUJWXA6KaanvnNNOOKjTlVyGqwcnkIXbCTBwrCcgOsakd4Xu-bfCsD4/s640/blogger-image-2060627009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQLDdPRpAU1bjbASCmYeZOro9blzcx8bbsL0l_N6s39VKW7hm42pXPxVwCa0p6_hLLLDNNrzpiBGg91P1Z-8ZJUJWXA6KaanvnNNOOKjTlVyGqwcnkIXbCTBwrCcgOsakd4Xu-bfCsD4/s640/blogger-image-2060627009.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtv6zDQlSYJqxscmRkMVk7I9cnlFZP3FmLQO56QEpzS1zyMqf7LVntFjwTsLMfx6J7N_qnMrIM9zYH_SyUH6QfT45F8TsZ6ImA7O1g-kV1rmejSkrREVMZYzVOShTcou_hZGgL5xhjv3I/s640/blogger-image-565234055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtv6zDQlSYJqxscmRkMVk7I9cnlFZP3FmLQO56QEpzS1zyMqf7LVntFjwTsLMfx6J7N_qnMrIM9zYH_SyUH6QfT45F8TsZ6ImA7O1g-kV1rmejSkrREVMZYzVOShTcou_hZGgL5xhjv3I/s640/blogger-image-565234055.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-69569328852558907162015-06-01T16:10:00.001-07:002015-06-01T16:13:46.792-07:00Day ThirteenRain, rain go away...<div>come again another day!</div><div><br></div><div>That little rhyme is our mantra for today. We went to sleep last night thinking we'd head north this morning. However, Mother Nature had other thoughts. We woke up to rain and 39 degrees! And the forecast was more of the same all day.</div><div><br></div><div>So we talked it over and decided to stay put for the day. We had a reservation at a hotel in Caribou that had to be canceled, and had to tell the front desk that we wanted to stay over. Then back to bed for a nap.</div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow is supposed to be a smidgen better; a little warmer and maybe some breaks in the rain. But we've stayed cooped up long enough and are going to brave the Elements and move on. Not sure whether north or east, but we are leaving here.</div><div><br></div><div>So, it was a lazy day in the room. All the gear dried out and we got some much-needed rest. </div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKZaNvyB_i7PratgahAcdvauTL32nT3T08WUTslmuZgmdpRKwgBxrPX1snFVfz0hfH6gwa3AhK-MvqY4iWVwU16Bd-Tp_BAOY8Jl968PUVLhkV8X_L23C3hWpFzI4tN0rcd6OOezlBBE/s640/blogger-image-161566578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKZaNvyB_i7PratgahAcdvauTL32nT3T08WUTslmuZgmdpRKwgBxrPX1snFVfz0hfH6gwa3AhK-MvqY4iWVwU16Bd-Tp_BAOY8Jl968PUVLhkV8X_L23C3hWpFzI4tN0rcd6OOezlBBE/s640/blogger-image-161566578.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4CMrYq5ooCEeOWb_7JzZUDB9FAhTB9z_lMudr3rR-55mtgHnV2SRjuDFC4-FeaoWhlIkQCzA1n9lAdjAvkes0NvREGN5JqH7Nh9kFvKNe9OfsIng7iO_hlIDM-Q9JOlrVbas70fG53s/s640/blogger-image--829381138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4CMrYq5ooCEeOWb_7JzZUDB9FAhTB9z_lMudr3rR-55mtgHnV2SRjuDFC4-FeaoWhlIkQCzA1n9lAdjAvkes0NvREGN5JqH7Nh9kFvKNe9OfsIng7iO_hlIDM-Q9JOlrVbas70fG53s/s640/blogger-image--829381138.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGrTnW0CveROpohE-HkkYD3V9abyMJswPlJZP4zWEamtABNksjov9VkRtKlqGzWyxwDXxb6RactE7EMrmDIbAQ_clx0XijhHBbfd0E43bIaaOoYu6ODaFLVP4FkFlJ4-KqyRiTL5-JPQ/s640/blogger-image-1320128836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGrTnW0CveROpohE-HkkYD3V9abyMJswPlJZP4zWEamtABNksjov9VkRtKlqGzWyxwDXxb6RactE7EMrmDIbAQ_clx0XijhHBbfd0E43bIaaOoYu6ODaFLVP4FkFlJ4-KqyRiTL5-JPQ/s640/blogger-image-1320128836.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn8plpKy9tXUvp3F79je0s3JYAmlIyHIByqYPOrBTqM9fwcvADHs2lAc0o1AXV0IXrntpGsahg_eZtXLdvjt9LClnyxwDxHpAYBSoa5CPXZx5bKxQhmxM4z7Ew-BkWtB2j2RSGF-GadY/s640/blogger-image-1367316923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn8plpKy9tXUvp3F79je0s3JYAmlIyHIByqYPOrBTqM9fwcvADHs2lAc0o1AXV0IXrntpGsahg_eZtXLdvjt9LClnyxwDxHpAYBSoa5CPXZx5bKxQhmxM4z7Ew-BkWtB2j2RSGF-GadY/s640/blogger-image-1367316923.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysnu2NuPBQyhsV_wXUs1N7J_qfX11HSFxYBcejU3U3fvO-PsFMUNhSt-Q20mU6JtPqJXbUk6d4DknExtOF4mrcfZ5mZ3BNOEX42SHMH1U2bBQASVLpGk0HKZ5UREPBbOPuSQAHJELc2I/s640/blogger-image--1760086149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysnu2NuPBQyhsV_wXUs1N7J_qfX11HSFxYBcejU3U3fvO-PsFMUNhSt-Q20mU6JtPqJXbUk6d4DknExtOF4mrcfZ5mZ3BNOEX42SHMH1U2bBQASVLpGk0HKZ5UREPBbOPuSQAHJELc2I/s640/blogger-image--1760086149.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-6353554012541143022015-05-31T19:24:00.001-07:002015-05-31T19:24:57.696-07:00Day EightNo pics today unless I post some pics from earlier days.<div><br></div><div>Basically, today was spent riding from Watkins Glenn to Vermont. Only thing is, we didn't go to Vermont! We actually ended up in northwest Massachusetts for the night.</div><div><br></div><div>The day started out clear, then cloudy, then monsoon... We rode probably 2/3 of the way in heat and clouds. Muggy weather. But the scenery was beautiful. Lots of rolling hills and small mountains along the way. Many, many dairy farms spotting the landscape. Also, and this is just an observation over several days of riding--this part of the world is covered with ice cream parlors. In small villages and towns, but also in the middle of nowhere. We're not sure if they are so prevalent because of a surplus of milk from the dairy farms, or whether they become the social gathering place for the community in the afternoons. But they are plentiful up here.</div><div><br></div><div>The last third of the ride was in the rain. The line of thunderstorms caught up with us and stayed with us into the night. The rain was pretty steady, with it light sometimes, and sometimes hard with frogs dropping from the sky. Lots of lightening hitting around us. As I wrote in the first post, visibility was poor. But we didn't push it, we stayed focused on the road, and made it okay. I did get a little wet--one boot leaked, one sleeve got wet at the cuff, and my upper chest got damp. Janice stayed dry. Our hands and gloves were soaked, however.</div><div><br></div><div>We ended up in Massachusetts because we could find a place to stay there. A nondescript motel at a good rate, and we're in for the night. Overall, it was a good day, but the last two hours were very wet and challenging.</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KIO9AoCYaFHQzYvl7E0osZI-ECwoYGTG8Bk3BMfCipRVbgbWjIqsU_U5SGOV5NEP9JiDkXFeMN8Ji-X-zGds0OZVuxDlwQj4je8apiptZAUIvaVV4o6rvVFcoY7cNsj5X3LFlf0U9cY/s640/blogger-image-1184661621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KIO9AoCYaFHQzYvl7E0osZI-ECwoYGTG8Bk3BMfCipRVbgbWjIqsU_U5SGOV5NEP9JiDkXFeMN8Ji-X-zGds0OZVuxDlwQj4je8apiptZAUIvaVV4o6rvVFcoY7cNsj5X3LFlf0U9cY/s640/blogger-image-1184661621.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSP44Xfmm3DrENVC7nE9jQT7a4qLSjaRdTpA9roH-eEZj69TghIMoTTzaIS5TzHkGg8smx5bDkZLGGm8gTT-otTq-OJUHnSy8ygQ3gSpBCkEwsAPG2r4jOOBNp0KYv4r5yO6dZDuiZAPA/s640/blogger-image--1709532549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSP44Xfmm3DrENVC7nE9jQT7a4qLSjaRdTpA9roH-eEZj69TghIMoTTzaIS5TzHkGg8smx5bDkZLGGm8gTT-otTq-OJUHnSy8ygQ3gSpBCkEwsAPG2r4jOOBNp0KYv4r5yO6dZDuiZAPA/s640/blogger-image--1709532549.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeDMCXhDfWGE7E7TwUTfnsYcWN0iWaKbMHt8iiZzdoDq4rMRnJ1KMnFzTwrfYEQt-So7U7xtOkf2r76uPwLWM3AC-2j2t1cVnHSkbhcrWQgDsmnyZ6Fhg1fxVmA3q9fj7jQyeYOw8zx4/s640/blogger-image--186392956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeDMCXhDfWGE7E7TwUTfnsYcWN0iWaKbMHt8iiZzdoDq4rMRnJ1KMnFzTwrfYEQt-So7U7xtOkf2r76uPwLWM3AC-2j2t1cVnHSkbhcrWQgDsmnyZ6Fhg1fxVmA3q9fj7jQyeYOw8zx4/s640/blogger-image--186392956.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxjVDvHTahHwmphzOTax0BsdWZL9JY8IaCihyKL2i0xUmpo8A7VEP0X0fsTCWJUyw9KD22XZ1HupiGXqz2Cm0LKrklC5-scbVik0FUXLHQCxa46JZLB0bG_in_XIGqTsANnb_G44jbBw/s640/blogger-image--1999332907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxjVDvHTahHwmphzOTax0BsdWZL9JY8IaCihyKL2i0xUmpo8A7VEP0X0fsTCWJUyw9KD22XZ1HupiGXqz2Cm0LKrklC5-scbVik0FUXLHQCxa46JZLB0bG_in_XIGqTsANnb_G44jbBw/s640/blogger-image--1999332907.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-41466674068837096142015-05-31T16:10:00.001-07:002015-05-31T19:31:33.547-07:00Days Eleven and TwelveAnother twofer! And no pics of the two days to post. But we'll post a few pics from earlier days so there will be something pretty to look at besides these words.<div><br></div><div>On day eleven, we started out in Bellows Falls and rode north and east our destination for the day was Gorham, New Hampshire, near Mt Washington.</div><div><br></div><div>It was a beautiful day, with temperatures in the mid 80s and clear skies. The mountains were steeper than Vermont's, with patches of snow and ice visible in the tops of some mountains, and more granite showing on more mountains. Absolutely beautiful to ride along and see steep mountains on each side of the road. We really enjoyed the ride, so we stopped very little to take pics. Janice took some pics along the way with her camera,but we have no means to transfer those pics to the IPad for blogging. </div><div><br></div><div>We rode by Mt Washington on the way to Gorham, but since it was getting late in the day, and we were tired, we decided to ride to the top the next morning.</div><div><br></div><div>We picked a motel for the night and checked in. While the outside looked OK, we were delighted to see that the insides had been completely renovated and our room was very nice, well above average. And a bonus; there was a nice restaurant and lounge next door. So, we had a very pleasant experience in Gorham. Oh, and a second bonus, most of the rooms were occupied by motorcyclists, so we chatted with several couples.</div><div><br></div><div>About 10 pm, a weather alert came up on TV, and a few minutes later, the bottom fell out. Thunder and lightning came and moved on, followed by steady rain all night. The forerunner for today,</div><div><br></div><div>The morning started with the pitter-patter of rain on the roof. Ugh, rain. And the temperature dropped over 30 degrees from the day before. Cold and wet is not a good combination when on a motorcycle.</div><div><br></div><div>So, we debated just staying in bed all day and resting and napping versus taking advantage of the best of the next three days and moving forward. The forecast was for showers today (90%) and 100% rain the next two days. After a bit, the rain eased up and we decided to move on to Maine.</div><div><br></div><div>We packed quickly and took off in moderate rain and 52 degrees. Traffic was light, so we jumped on US 2 and headed east. A little over an hour later, we stopped in Mexico, Maine for brunch. It was good; we also warmed up while there, and Janice put on another layer of warmth to fend off the cold.</div><div><br></div><div>The rest of today's ride was more of the same-- rain and cold. Temps ranged from 49 to 56 degrees all day. And the rain never stopped.</div><div><br></div><div>Around 4 pm, we decided to quit for the day. Janice was a block of ice, and my hands and feet were getting soggy. We stopped for gas in Bangor, made a hotel reservation, and checked into a motel for the night.</div><div><br></div><div>All in all, it was not a horrible day, but it was wet and cold. Tomorrow, we plan to ride in the rain to Ft Kent, Maine, see what is there, jump on US 1 (this is the northern terminus for the road that ends in Key West, FL). Then turn southeast and ride to Caribou Maine for the night.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2AsDHegQHIhGdAX1Bjdy8qlK1pfICpi1ST41YdSODArK9iJLeLgGs3fixQe5j8W7aOUDBZond6E2jf8E6Jxxnv99es9Rhza1twcSkPHcFXT8KeVSkMVrgS6nw0C9SvTn9VpVVYUuRYQM/s640/blogger-image--1610619152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2AsDHegQHIhGdAX1Bjdy8qlK1pfICpi1ST41YdSODArK9iJLeLgGs3fixQe5j8W7aOUDBZond6E2jf8E6Jxxnv99es9Rhza1twcSkPHcFXT8KeVSkMVrgS6nw0C9SvTn9VpVVYUuRYQM/s640/blogger-image--1610619152.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLjQPjP4OZMmXSf7Dhi-6osGb0M1jXkK2hFfqK8uGObm23I_AZprROwXJ3HnXKuW832qfKjJNOHcQHhvliwe6iH3vnlJYuZb3hvqD3qCIbzvyJ4gpwspCbSLEUtNtMFiQvZng8qPc954/s640/blogger-image-483694948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLjQPjP4OZMmXSf7Dhi-6osGb0M1jXkK2hFfqK8uGObm23I_AZprROwXJ3HnXKuW832qfKjJNOHcQHhvliwe6iH3vnlJYuZb3hvqD3qCIbzvyJ4gpwspCbSLEUtNtMFiQvZng8qPc954/s640/blogger-image-483694948.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOZF5aDvnwFL858wLM4NqB9q7glwrbFndG6dFM1S68Z8ZNc-WDZOcnW7olK7JdcxLmRRaeg82I38LlssIj-QavnFUr7FC8_wFDD9HSD1_Salmdchl5weSkWYBO98gEU3l_AcxmKeJhik/s640/blogger-image-1511106896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOZF5aDvnwFL858wLM4NqB9q7glwrbFndG6dFM1S68Z8ZNc-WDZOcnW7olK7JdcxLmRRaeg82I38LlssIj-QavnFUr7FC8_wFDD9HSD1_Salmdchl5weSkWYBO98gEU3l_AcxmKeJhik/s640/blogger-image-1511106896.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPmykQKMf0zmKTjT03GRoD8ApUjJ6uOKybTvxNdveBGHloNaZ4PhZtLW7JB-ktFjPfX6alg0OVOjAxNQkbMrblKMAkUhWgiOOWjvHT10LVgpafGe4lYXvLAraCRYUzi0GBxsDgZ7pMOA/s640/blogger-image--394838708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPmykQKMf0zmKTjT03GRoD8ApUjJ6uOKybTvxNdveBGHloNaZ4PhZtLW7JB-ktFjPfX6alg0OVOjAxNQkbMrblKMAkUhWgiOOWjvHT10LVgpafGe4lYXvLAraCRYUzi0GBxsDgZ7pMOA/s640/blogger-image--394838708.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-65028112898769054532015-05-29T18:11:00.001-07:002015-05-29T18:11:19.675-07:00Day TenWe got out of the motel at a decent time this morning, but we still didn't make very many miles today. Instead of focusing on distance, we focused on covered bridges.<div><br></div><div>We made a list of bridges along the proposed route we wanted to travel, and that was a help. We found 9 bridges we wanted to visit. So, we went looking.</div><div><br></div><div>Out of the 9, we found 8! Not bad at all. Each one took some hunting, and of course, some time taking pics, so we made great progress on bridges, but little in distance. And we tire easily. Although it didn't get hot, we got hot, especially in places where traffic was slow. </div><div><br></div><div>Lunch was good in Brattleboro. We found a hole in the wall place where Malcolm had a "Hot Mess", which was a plate full of home fries, mushroom, cheese, onions, green pepper and eggs over light. Delicious!</div><div><br></div><div>We're not too concerned about the miles were making, but a little more concerned that we get tired so easily. Neither of us are sick, and everything is going well, but maybe the miles and disruption of normal routines makes a difference.</div><div><br></div><div>About 5 pm, we were bushed so we stopped for the day in Bellows Falls, Vermont.</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u_isw2wpd9yxvu3BzBypDmgmznRKlHjhyphenhyphenrPempiZGlhHwOXxa1KBy9nNymyQG9flq5wydNThnkDJ7TVAwyx5aSXVPJsfMoVfDiVTopPavb-4gX19L8eeQGEnPjdp3WDHJChokO8hV5U/s640/blogger-image-1266175164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u_isw2wpd9yxvu3BzBypDmgmznRKlHjhyphenhyphenrPempiZGlhHwOXxa1KBy9nNymyQG9flq5wydNThnkDJ7TVAwyx5aSXVPJsfMoVfDiVTopPavb-4gX19L8eeQGEnPjdp3WDHJChokO8hV5U/s640/blogger-image-1266175164.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcuoplfc9Nedpw3331r02RnkqPqv7tp2gzKTyxKtmAB8pXQRFW0Evap8v6JBbefNlEDNal5RvAOD_oOipzUtLrTHm18xsAloIhVW_uVEbf68kOENZ3Mdv4BeOF6hyPK59P0RYF5Uz-eI/s640/blogger-image--672595922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkcs3qB997bR4FhZ4rEBblo3VtnH59XfXKdGW4etYtj9EtFhCWcZY3lieJLmdn2aATBBpefXQNn0BVGFYmHmZupALG7VIyI8_jqBGZD92v-d_iLQAOL9P7JpYZnIBOFUt83hQNz_2XLg/s640/blogger-image--1770190587.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDHAoOtAqqUXw905oSsgGs3Y47is9ziyPvrdmw6UwK4-4uFnzXdkCClh25cmoQ03Gg6Qirlv9Kc0C9jeYF1aMwzChzRUM0XFYeOgN1dkatlI7CjZcyzfpBKSa-E56Dsv1k0mhTpt0JTM/s640/blogger-image--1517800651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDHAoOtAqqUXw905oSsgGs3Y47is9ziyPvrdmw6UwK4-4uFnzXdkCClh25cmoQ03Gg6Qirlv9Kc0C9jeYF1aMwzChzRUM0XFYeOgN1dkatlI7CjZcyzfpBKSa-E56Dsv1k0mhTpt0JTM/s640/blogger-image--1517800651.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-55371156574890664562015-05-28T18:51:00.001-07:002015-05-28T18:51:49.666-07:00Day NineToday was a day of visiting Bennington and riding. The day broke bright, with full sun when we woke up. But by the time we left the motel, there was mixed sun and clouds. Temp were moderate, around 70 degrees with 76 as the forecast highs.<div><br></div><div>Our plan was to ride into Bennington, VT, and take some pics of the painted Moose Gary and I saw 4 years ago when we were here. Then ride up Hwy 100 to the top of the state, then back down to our motel in Massachusetts for the night. We also wanted to see some covered bridges along the way.</div><div><br></div><div>Well, the best laid plans..... We did ride into Bennington, but alas, there were no Moose to see. They have been replaced by painted panthers!!! We could not find any of the Moose Gary and I saw. </div><div><br></div><div>It was lunchtime, so we found a good brew pub downtown and shared a plate of Nachos with chicken. The BEST Nachos we've ever eaten. And shared a glass of very good local beer. A good lunch. </div><div><br></div><div>Just as we finished eating, a cloud came up and a shower happened, just enough to wet the seats on the bike. We walked around downtown a little, and returned to the bike so we could ride Hwy 100.</div><div><br></div><div>Hwy 100 is one of the "must do" roads in Vermont. It runs north-south the length of the state, and has many curves and elevation changes along the way.</div><div><br></div><div>So, we started out, got behind traffic and putted along at 5 mph BELOW the speed limit. To our dismay, the top speed was 50 mph, with many villages dropping the limit to 40, then 30, and 20. So, we could not have any fun or make any distance. Oh yes, double yellow lines and no passing, so we were terribly disappointed. Each time a car ahead of us would turn, it was replaced by another.</div><div><br></div><div>About 20 miles up the road, a sign indicated road construction for the next 10 miles. Shortly thereafter, a sign said "Pavement Ends". Great, just what we wanted... And for the next 10 miles, we rode on dirt! At least it wasn't loose gravel, so we could manage about 25 mph.</div><div><br></div><div>Finally we got through the construction zone and we're able to ride a little more like we wanted to ride, about 5 to 8 mph above the speed limit. That was nice. </div><div><br></div><div>A few more miles down the road, we spotted a sign advertising fresh pies. So, we had to stop for some fresh coffee and something sweet. Yummy, it was good. The operator of the place rides motorcycles too, so we talked about trips and rides. It was a good stop.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the day was getting away from us, and we had ridden only about a fourth of Hwy 100. So, we rode another maybe 40 miles before we needed to turn back towards the motel. At that point we had ridden 100 miles for the day.</div><div><br></div><div>Heading south, we were on the lookout for real Moose, but didn't see any. Janice did spot one deer across the way. No Moose for us, it seems...</div><div><br></div><div>We also saw no covered bridges. So, we're going to head out tomorrow and find some bridges before we head into New Hampshire. Maybe we'll make better progress tomorrow...</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyM-iRE_WAo9g8Vi59HnLEcLOsaTdUMUg__0KiuFgE8ijmvZNESVz3mjTDMyPLkzt0Vf7oVOH-2rZ3fqWuuu7KkMTY5Y-IFlbzYaZsPr25pV8-FM-eDBbJkU89zPoZ_ddiWzbqdiqAH4/s640/blogger-image-1650058595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyM-iRE_WAo9g8Vi59HnLEcLOsaTdUMUg__0KiuFgE8ijmvZNESVz3mjTDMyPLkzt0Vf7oVOH-2rZ3fqWuuu7KkMTY5Y-IFlbzYaZsPr25pV8-FM-eDBbJkU89zPoZ_ddiWzbqdiqAH4/s640/blogger-image-1650058595.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Z_MOZ54UfkvA8ffXHLvuJ-90eje4viJTgcgd4noyTZUWlG8aNxKbhv0_43hss5n0m8KXavYFqFZVg8DZ6zICHv2mgYVkQquRuYrI1g1momNcrEisP7RsjhG6nQkW3nL9jzHcbqQPwwU/s640/blogger-image-1184410537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Z_MOZ54UfkvA8ffXHLvuJ-90eje4viJTgcgd4noyTZUWlG8aNxKbhv0_43hss5n0m8KXavYFqFZVg8DZ6zICHv2mgYVkQquRuYrI1g1momNcrEisP7RsjhG6nQkW3nL9jzHcbqQPwwU/s640/blogger-image-1184410537.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskOgj3KQeESOdQQfGD7fZNmzdwpyPnez0B5eEV234KVjpeUWASu5I4Fb021Z9C_EZYQp3bz1uIiF9d1ogGgece-_AcIZivX3t6d-9HBspaJ-Jup-9j5eVjVTn7zF0wZAJosRCLSUzRbQ/s640/blogger-image--1212141693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskOgj3KQeESOdQQfGD7fZNmzdwpyPnez0B5eEV234KVjpeUWASu5I4Fb021Z9C_EZYQp3bz1uIiF9d1ogGgece-_AcIZivX3t6d-9HBspaJ-Jup-9j5eVjVTn7zF0wZAJosRCLSUzRbQ/s640/blogger-image--1212141693.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcYqaV59skWDpTvh0oIwn6yAPuzvs0wwDHmR9uFLxTq5KCJ2mJBDv7Z7r4a7n0oVzM_gw-SoewbUPidcg25cro-5oT_L4TigVvUnx69Nt-BLx1E1usWuhyphenhyphenz3onagr-WvLYCeJH3k3eaqg/s640/blogger-image-593361852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcYqaV59skWDpTvh0oIwn6yAPuzvs0wwDHmR9uFLxTq5KCJ2mJBDv7Z7r4a7n0oVzM_gw-SoewbUPidcg25cro-5oT_L4TigVvUnx69Nt-BLx1E1usWuhyphenhyphenz3onagr-WvLYCeJH3k3eaqg/s640/blogger-image-593361852.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKBFS00kxKBqZo2nvZFkVQSfVGnQjLznn3cxCWanii6MuzhzXqnQc-uKWvZJlaJPS3N4JURAvMEYSbQLLI4gFLwLF0AYwB0-MG6Zpk0OoqcVy3Yg5yX9LoT-2qVDTeBMZLpZBRFuTU2M/s640/blogger-image-1219753907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKBFS00kxKBqZo2nvZFkVQSfVGnQjLznn3cxCWanii6MuzhzXqnQc-uKWvZJlaJPS3N4JURAvMEYSbQLLI4gFLwLF0AYwB0-MG6Zpk0OoqcVy3Yg5yX9LoT-2qVDTeBMZLpZBRFuTU2M/s640/blogger-image-1219753907.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-65705317322015235012015-05-26T19:17:00.001-07:002015-05-26T19:17:13.757-07:00Day SevenGosh, it doesn't seem possible that we've been on the road a week already. But today is the seventh day, so a week has passed. We've ridden just over 1,200 miles and had rain only part of one day. We experienced some fairly cool temperatures, but no cold temperatures. The bike and trailer have performed almost perfectly. The only blemish has been a high beam bulb blew out on the first day of the ride. I usually carry a spare, but the last ride we did encountered the same problem, and I forgot to replenish the spare with some bulbs I bought for the earlier BMW. These bikes love to snack on headlight bulbs. Otherwise, the bike and trailer have been perfect.<div><br></div><div>Having the trailer is great when touring. So nice to simply throw things into it and still have space to spare. But we are filling it up with things along the way. 3 bottles of wine today. A framed picture yesterday. I worry more about weight than volume. I don't want to overload the bike...</div><div><br></div><div>Today we rode up the eastern side of Lake Seneca, around to the town of Geneva, then east to Lake Cayuga, then south along the western edge of that lake back to Watkins Glenn. </div><div><br></div><div>Oh, I almost forgot-- the first stop was at Watkins Glenn International Speedway. The track is the grandfather of road racing tracks for motorcycles and sports cars. In fact, this week the Porche auto club is holding a rally or meet in the region, and Porches are commonplace here at the moment. </div><div><br></div><div>We were able to enter the Speedway and ride to the first grandstand and look around a bit. No one else was there, so we climbed the grandstand to see the view. Pretty good for a road course. We were able to see 4 grandstands, which is more than most road tracks. The track itself is narrower than I expected, especially with NASCAR using it once a year. It was neat to see a track I've heard of since a boy.</div><div><br></div><div>From there, we did the rest of the ride described above. We stopped at only one of the many, many Vineyards along the lakes. Since I had to handle the bike and don't need an accident or DUI, we did one wine tasting only. All six wines sampled were great. Very, very good. So good that we bought three bottles, one of which was another reisling ice wine (at half the price of the bottle bought in Canada).</div><div><br></div><div>The weather was mixed sun and clouds with temperatures in the mid 80s. Not HOT, but fairly warm in the bumblebees. The forecast was wrong; it called for rain, so the weather was good. One interesting observation. In Geneva, which is located at the northern end of Lake Seneca, we noted a distinct drop in temperatures along the way. It was cooler because the wind was blowing from the south, up the entire length of the lake. The evaporative cooling from the last effect was very evident.</div><div><br></div><div>It was yet another good day! </div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow, to Vermont</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnafIWkNXJukXI45bWDpKuCueh-7GYth6Ic5eP3BapAe2Mi1VqnmuEYTOJeVWl5JS_cM7eQTUA3Ll10samHypAa39BhzSg9dO2egJLs_HYh6rpUxCGO6rSdCtmLKG2cxqRXM8rIRbGsg/s640/blogger-image-403120651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnafIWkNXJukXI45bWDpKuCueh-7GYth6Ic5eP3BapAe2Mi1VqnmuEYTOJeVWl5JS_cM7eQTUA3Ll10samHypAa39BhzSg9dO2egJLs_HYh6rpUxCGO6rSdCtmLKG2cxqRXM8rIRbGsg/s640/blogger-image-403120651.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLm_MRwEApRKlZVzN-vrVU0F0tP8inq3v5evoyZMYyYPkalBaHS-XSaBmnsCLofmRGE023jm63Lsl9iTV7sWfYW7GK9wjaoFgZEae_HHu_Rsb80uvmj2jYlR27UciRKew9cthg4rD39I/s640/blogger-image-855694458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLm_MRwEApRKlZVzN-vrVU0F0tP8inq3v5evoyZMYyYPkalBaHS-XSaBmnsCLofmRGE023jm63Lsl9iTV7sWfYW7GK9wjaoFgZEae_HHu_Rsb80uvmj2jYlR27UciRKew9cthg4rD39I/s640/blogger-image-855694458.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b3HSMhyphenhyphenYMsZ4ifU5sdMY05kB8g9hKOlwEOHWDd1RbmSSdVfHXkuQNXHUcN-ECIcvsAvKEFrjiqhtc6HKQH7cjovZJFmqsUqzKv1oqYzL5h6LQMtGsxy7QBFATvgivYW5hydAyddX5V8/s640/blogger-image--292831513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b3HSMhyphenhyphenYMsZ4ifU5sdMY05kB8g9hKOlwEOHWDd1RbmSSdVfHXkuQNXHUcN-ECIcvsAvKEFrjiqhtc6HKQH7cjovZJFmqsUqzKv1oqYzL5h6LQMtGsxy7QBFATvgivYW5hydAyddX5V8/s640/blogger-image--292831513.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuxL8wOMKWtT8JR5GyzEfQLeVtMU27NjthH7oBVGjMjCws9oomMJG5goVs_E2Aya0aTDaoTIzXZj40Ahd_EB7tggvcxq-qkbPnt4TgybKe9XiRJ31IPg4YUz_UQpGY44FPSJ8x2PbYlM/s640/blogger-image--694823624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuxL8wOMKWtT8JR5GyzEfQLeVtMU27NjthH7oBVGjMjCws9oomMJG5goVs_E2Aya0aTDaoTIzXZj40Ahd_EB7tggvcxq-qkbPnt4TgybKe9XiRJ31IPg4YUz_UQpGY44FPSJ8x2PbYlM/s640/blogger-image--694823624.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtrQjOW4FB6bjGrEVdyn2CD5449YcR4y3UeqCvY1S43RqmVqep55EWZ-MhRQzdAgR-YcXeDjK60_fpcguGzQgF44PBwVvqDUFcyLS-0cv01TJd1YlsXtGVEWgBIbZM4gPOnEsPce-mo4/s640/blogger-image-976173831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtrQjOW4FB6bjGrEVdyn2CD5449YcR4y3UeqCvY1S43RqmVqep55EWZ-MhRQzdAgR-YcXeDjK60_fpcguGzQgF44PBwVvqDUFcyLS-0cv01TJd1YlsXtGVEWgBIbZM4gPOnEsPce-mo4/s640/blogger-image-976173831.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-48945738973632560512015-05-25T19:18:00.001-07:002015-05-25T19:26:04.336-07:00Day SixOur last morning in Canada 😧. We got up early, packed the bike and headed back to the good old USA!! The border crossing was no problem at all.<div><br></div><div>We had to stop in Grand Island to pick up the handgun. Along the way there, we spotted the Kelly Country Store to kill a little time. The store had a lot of old artifacts and stuff. Janice spotted a pretty picture, framed, with meaningful phrases at a very good price, so we bought it. Carrying it home in the trailer is a snap!<br><div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We headed Southeast to the New York Finger Lakes. The ride was nice. During the ride, we spotted several Amish carriages ambling down the road. Nice weather and beautiful countryside. Vineyards started appearing as we got closer to the Finger Lakes region. They seem to be everywhere. We rode along Seneca Lake, as the road followed the contours of the land, up and down until we reached Watkins Glenn at the southern end of the 38 mile long Lake.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Once in town, the first order of business was to find a place to stay. We saw several small mom and pop motels along the way into town, none with a "No Vacancy" sign, so we knew we could get a room for the night. But in town was one newish really nice hotel at the harbor, so we stopped there to check on price and availability. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Well, it certainly wasn't cheap, but it was very nice, so we decided to blow some more of the kids' inheritance and got a room for two nights! Terry cloth robes. Walk-in shower. Suite. Probably the best room we've ever stayed in in the USA. It's only money.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">After some rest, taking a shower and soaking some dirty clothes in the sink, we walked around the village a bit, and found a place for dinner. We watched the sun set over the lake and called it a night. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Another great day.</span></div></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpu34FV1wxYvjCKceT_Z_jYLOafWdODPoqWbv1X7PuOl3odnL0Si0gnnazGdrKOgV1KsCPPUSz5n6QguTPtiCV8JKnrND4YJr9SuQ3jIXhs03EDlKd0jHpDx8Nv1jE-MleuvDk-8YEK2s/s640/blogger-image-1345233369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpu34FV1wxYvjCKceT_Z_jYLOafWdODPoqWbv1X7PuOl3odnL0Si0gnnazGdrKOgV1KsCPPUSz5n6QguTPtiCV8JKnrND4YJr9SuQ3jIXhs03EDlKd0jHpDx8Nv1jE-MleuvDk-8YEK2s/s640/blogger-image-1345233369.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowENOngkqT2utXDOhO-Gx8F9j-7zY-RfZbxbpvCiuuyRaOnHPSLfD2dusSC0GbvYuaArQtnu8COmAbM4MBlTug68KImAeATJNFOFn26aYGV7kG0zeihu1Qx4tODhC91lj-MgUThydGq4/s640/blogger-image-1808608486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowENOngkqT2utXDOhO-Gx8F9j-7zY-RfZbxbpvCiuuyRaOnHPSLfD2dusSC0GbvYuaArQtnu8COmAbM4MBlTug68KImAeATJNFOFn26aYGV7kG0zeihu1Qx4tODhC91lj-MgUThydGq4/s640/blogger-image-1808608486.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYnkgW-0V8059odoxrJfwOdLHV5RFse8OzFpYDxyyVmIpCbieWxSTs67BmYyaKZh4gSNk3mT-4H5bk6ibxxImVqCqjkl39ImhFtCnuGSj9f6raybuZspAbcy8tzkfbayNLU5H2mL8j1s/s640/blogger-image-1736429004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYnkgW-0V8059odoxrJfwOdLHV5RFse8OzFpYDxyyVmIpCbieWxSTs67BmYyaKZh4gSNk3mT-4H5bk6ibxxImVqCqjkl39ImhFtCnuGSj9f6raybuZspAbcy8tzkfbayNLU5H2mL8j1s/s640/blogger-image-1736429004.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbFKIpy3W8iYlkDKJIjy9ytCI6R4YzB8dN3Etnqqcs_gvAvv5QddJ1zXY7mM3eI93ttLmxpsjmAxYS1_XGOo2Q_HG57Agp3b5Pzb5EI482FP-FxVP1U5GIU0GafJrQszr1PvYXImAgWM/s640/blogger-image-813378375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbFKIpy3W8iYlkDKJIjy9ytCI6R4YzB8dN3Etnqqcs_gvAvv5QddJ1zXY7mM3eI93ttLmxpsjmAxYS1_XGOo2Q_HG57Agp3b5Pzb5EI482FP-FxVP1U5GIU0GafJrQszr1PvYXImAgWM/s640/blogger-image-813378375.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQa66G1OP9Q04Xc5SLDjSJ5P_zUqmFuDHaJ-zVLwPm-M8IGcx9s2K6r4NvVOHyq1Hix5WtbarmkGb2xm_o63ygRGfxdyYW-dMPudm88G6PiWNh5QmfbbUwmx3cdOhfzZtMIlNxGKnVkU/s640/blogger-image-2108787381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQa66G1OP9Q04Xc5SLDjSJ5P_zUqmFuDHaJ-zVLwPm-M8IGcx9s2K6r4NvVOHyq1Hix5WtbarmkGb2xm_o63ygRGfxdyYW-dMPudm88G6PiWNh5QmfbbUwmx3cdOhfzZtMIlNxGKnVkU/s640/blogger-image-2108787381.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtBmdZKXvvLXnBX8CPQTnk63s7mG-NUV3Avvrv7Ylp1ISA9ZdzWiaLDTjJtAv-tlPniN0oTB0N01czBkQePsVu79504qdr4RkF7BmKAK6PZTKH0eBqu-ji-8fSmQISVPLvfNI9O2rNgk/s640/blogger-image--472172241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtBmdZKXvvLXnBX8CPQTnk63s7mG-NUV3Avvrv7Ylp1ISA9ZdzWiaLDTjJtAv-tlPniN0oTB0N01czBkQePsVu79504qdr4RkF7BmKAK6PZTKH0eBqu-ji-8fSmQISVPLvfNI9O2rNgk/s640/blogger-image--472172241.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-78826293705328955682015-05-25T14:33:00.001-07:002015-05-26T19:18:34.211-07:00Day FiveToday was an easy day. We slept in later than usual. Touring gets harder as you age. We both get more tired earlier in the day, and it takes longer to recover the following day. So we approached the day at a slower pace.<div><br></div><div>We walked back down the street to the pancake house and had a very good breakfast. The waitress, who was about our age, was very attentive, and mentioned that she had been to a South Carolina beach (Myrtle Beach) and a North Carolina beach, and liked ours better because it was less busy. </div><div><br></div><div>After breakfast, we decided to ride up to Niagara on the Lake, a region of many wineries and beautiful homes. Wow, it was a pretty place. Vineyards everywhere, 19 different wineries that we counted on a map. How do you choose only one? Too bad we didn't have a designated driver; my limit was met in one winery. They do the wine tasting differently in Canada--the law allows a tasting to be only one ounce. Most wines are $1 per ounce, but some are as much as $3 per ounce. A wine tasting can be expensive.</div><div><br></div><div>We tasted some ice wine, one with a label saying "Dan Aykroyd". The ice wines ( for those like us who don't know) are made from grapes left on the vines after the harvest. They dry and shrivel up, leaving the sugar in the husks. They are picked at night, when the temperature has been 13 to 15 degrees overnight for 3 nights (at least, that's what they told us), squeezed, and made into wine. Very sweet, but the bottle we bought was, by far, the best wine we've ever tasted. It's definitely for sipping and makes a great dessert! </div><div><br></div><div>Riding back to Niagara Falls, we decided to ride along the Niagara river to Lake Erie. We did, finding a beach where we could dip our feet into the water. We have now seen Lake Ontario and Lake Erie within a span of about 30 miles!</div><div><br></div><div>Back to the hotel, some rest, and then back out for dinner. Our meal, burgers and fries, eaten on the patio of Cocos, was very good. Then back to the hotel for the night. Another good day...</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKinRqoJcfQp30zvg9nAcYmQ1YkwTf9VN-zJnh2-rdxFph4A7LdRnDvsV_CRadfeJmNRAqQKsL4d9MWbi59HoPHJRx_sI1MMQWZQc72JZkZxawyB5DJYD8D_9n6Jo_OrVhctStY72Cosg/s640/blogger-image--258571619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKinRqoJcfQp30zvg9nAcYmQ1YkwTf9VN-zJnh2-rdxFph4A7LdRnDvsV_CRadfeJmNRAqQKsL4d9MWbi59HoPHJRx_sI1MMQWZQc72JZkZxawyB5DJYD8D_9n6Jo_OrVhctStY72Cosg/s640/blogger-image--258571619.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHUSO7vDOTVGAIvEvZh1ckylpM_AHGrsWgTBiGz5bCVEA9U3HheQN6Id2NKvsqH7sCH2SSNV-6eU60S8bhNkQlwF0XfnzZMMRpsVtGMg7wHQaGmfwiF-xJHby6v1aRspiFkGbtrV4jDY/s640/blogger-image--1220400115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHUSO7vDOTVGAIvEvZh1ckylpM_AHGrsWgTBiGz5bCVEA9U3HheQN6Id2NKvsqH7sCH2SSNV-6eU60S8bhNkQlwF0XfnzZMMRpsVtGMg7wHQaGmfwiF-xJHby6v1aRspiFkGbtrV4jDY/s640/blogger-image--1220400115.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoOOVGr9tmJB2QFl2hwEnwaEWV5b3Rv3q0183tRUIIXlLvHcNtV4Xb7_M_epi71iNZZWLVLDWAUxTf6e6TEiEe85VS7MTFICbRr2dbnRpuL4Cfxnrs7ZjgTpq9anM8HECWto2KFKnaEc/s640/blogger-image--1826228431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoOOVGr9tmJB2QFl2hwEnwaEWV5b3Rv3q0183tRUIIXlLvHcNtV4Xb7_M_epi71iNZZWLVLDWAUxTf6e6TEiEe85VS7MTFICbRr2dbnRpuL4Cfxnrs7ZjgTpq9anM8HECWto2KFKnaEc/s640/blogger-image--1826228431.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeExUlK6k4m2DT15ek0pAtiuIeGv8Ck-d2qUN4e8qpNEIn6RdhFCEuuRAdu2MfQ1f8B8Mzu2f_OWOaNV4JmyaT7HrB8a9XPoPgRilfXIdWWjgapmFh9uoZlr5XnaPsiNATivUPaJQnmPU/s640/blogger-image-1482646146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeExUlK6k4m2DT15ek0pAtiuIeGv8Ck-d2qUN4e8qpNEIn6RdhFCEuuRAdu2MfQ1f8B8Mzu2f_OWOaNV4JmyaT7HrB8a9XPoPgRilfXIdWWjgapmFh9uoZlr5XnaPsiNATivUPaJQnmPU/s640/blogger-image-1482646146.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm31FkU8rUDMi5oBxoiCpkYhTtMQ-SjLanKMfgfRB57Rx5tI2AAR3KFFv3wHJZiBj2T0MatqbHIGFywRuxLtfhuHYmIYeC9ZqD3gUz3S9io-1fg9FtWkOOPZK5y3hND2n8waWxUPdmEWI/s640/blogger-image--402931750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm31FkU8rUDMi5oBxoiCpkYhTtMQ-SjLanKMfgfRB57Rx5tI2AAR3KFFv3wHJZiBj2T0MatqbHIGFywRuxLtfhuHYmIYeC9ZqD3gUz3S9io-1fg9FtWkOOPZK5y3hND2n8waWxUPdmEWI/s640/blogger-image--402931750.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-72862089223126877662015-05-24T09:34:00.001-07:002015-05-24T09:34:46.686-07:00Day FourWhat a beautiful day spent in a beautiful place with a beautiful woman! Niagara Falls is an astounding place. From the city it self to the wonderful falls, it's truly one of the "must see" places in the world. We had strong sun and blue skies all day. There was also a strong breeze from the northwest, keeping temperatures cool, but not frigid.<div><br></div><div>We got up, got dressed, and walked down the street to a pancake house we'd spotted when riding to the hotel, only to be told at the entrance that their electricity was off and they weren't cooking. Darn! So, we went in the other direction in search of breakfast grub.</div><div><br></div><div>In a few blocks, we came up on a Tim Hortons restaurant. I had eaten at several in previous rides,so I knew it was okay. While we make it a practice to shun chain restaurants when touring, and Tim Hortons is a Canadian chain, we bent the rules and ate there (after all, it's a Canadian chain). And the rules are our rules, so we can interpret them as we want. Breakfast was good.</div><div><br></div><div>Then down the street to the falls themselves. </div><div><br></div><div>What a sight! Millions of gallons of blue-green water flowing over the falls every minute. It stuns the senses! At the American falls, the water crashes down onto huge rocks, splashing and roaring as it flows into the Niagara river. Off to the right, in a true horseshoe shape are the Horseshoe falls. God certainly knows how to make beautiful things!</div><div><br></div><div>We decided to buy passes that included 4 attractions: the Hornblower boat ride, the Walk on the Rapids, the Journey behind the falls, and the Niagara Fury show. 3 of the four included flimsy ponchos to keep you dry. So, we got wet three times; tennis shoes absorb water pretty well. But all were fun, and the walk along the rapids showed the power of the water moving along at 30 miles an hour. Awesome!</div><div><br></div><div>Nearing dark, we caught a bus to the Elements Restaurant, overlooking Horseshoe falls. We both enjoyed a drink and a good steak, while gazing out the windows at the falls. We also got a good Internet connection and downloaded email while waiting on darkness and the big lights shining on the falls. Just beautiful...</div><div><br></div><div>Oh, and dessert was a peach dreamsicle drink. Yummy!</div><div><br></div><div>From there, we walked along the falls, watching the lights dancing on the water, up the hill, down the street and to our hotel. a good ending for a good day.</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWlMsaFVf0XYYcSnd5esjRjv2eLXuwmE4AlNhCHgdyvlU2gIcP3LFvE37tSFo7jpj1JT9Pvpk1OuOHk6AsAiIBDDogUtDfDYPnz08sUxCW5LRZAxpEfr989cOceoCsJGW7WC2ZxS2d6c/s640/blogger-image-241849610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWlMsaFVf0XYYcSnd5esjRjv2eLXuwmE4AlNhCHgdyvlU2gIcP3LFvE37tSFo7jpj1JT9Pvpk1OuOHk6AsAiIBDDogUtDfDYPnz08sUxCW5LRZAxpEfr989cOceoCsJGW7WC2ZxS2d6c/s640/blogger-image-241849610.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYicpz8TNRA1nLsx5fIT1y4-rymRdp5wEkCbkeMad1_N97ZowfAICPnlegp1PKpCnHE2UNR7HydxoFl8K3P5tlQ1WXDsyxWSwGiEIhdt4PtiUJIX5mPSQ6MCu8O5MvRmXUUo6TNA4Hr58/s640/blogger-image--1150055276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYicpz8TNRA1nLsx5fIT1y4-rymRdp5wEkCbkeMad1_N97ZowfAICPnlegp1PKpCnHE2UNR7HydxoFl8K3P5tlQ1WXDsyxWSwGiEIhdt4PtiUJIX5mPSQ6MCu8O5MvRmXUUo6TNA4Hr58/s640/blogger-image--1150055276.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4685N_5Av43rRFUieKQ79hthQPzDvN1wsQhq-kB6ij5_VNfgW9uAmOFkOxhvQzNEnCmWDLsMM0EKsXwUd4_A4C4NFmlUVYOm00duSB30XI-gqDEBywLsT1atSWRGVdaSj2YO9dEwmFo/s640/blogger-image--529384109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4685N_5Av43rRFUieKQ79hthQPzDvN1wsQhq-kB6ij5_VNfgW9uAmOFkOxhvQzNEnCmWDLsMM0EKsXwUd4_A4C4NFmlUVYOm00duSB30XI-gqDEBywLsT1atSWRGVdaSj2YO9dEwmFo/s640/blogger-image--529384109.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFD5FSQ8JMrh4kCjJwrpy8AK8Qjv82x1W6hYR_axQra3RK-_kIvsy10Eu_h0p41vgoZpuB7TCzYpGF3cmMEM8KoRBgo6o7gQEKnhu-Myv9i4iT8Iyu4iqZsHbDAc0MDfi_RokqjKHJu0/s640/blogger-image-156997689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFD5FSQ8JMrh4kCjJwrpy8AK8Qjv82x1W6hYR_axQra3RK-_kIvsy10Eu_h0p41vgoZpuB7TCzYpGF3cmMEM8KoRBgo6o7gQEKnhu-Myv9i4iT8Iyu4iqZsHbDAc0MDfi_RokqjKHJu0/s640/blogger-image-156997689.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-52344619579141645362015-05-22T19:32:00.001-07:002015-05-24T09:32:26.288-07:00Days Two and ThreeIt's a bonus post, the first twofer of this blog! Seems that I'm always late it seems...<div><br></div><div>Yesterday, May 21 was a very different day. Waking to showers, we stayed in the house, drinking coffee and chatting with our hosts until lunchtime. They are both very interesting people and seem to have traveled everywhere.</div><div><br></div><div>The shower tapered off, so we donned our bumblebees and climbed on the bike, headed for Gettysburg. We wanted to see the battlefields where so many died all those years ago. The ride up to Gettysburg was about 45 minutes long, with a few sprinkles scattered along the way. It was chilly, with temperatures in the mid 50s.</div><div><br></div><div> At the welcome center, we bought tickets for a bus tour of the battleground, the museum, the movie, and the cyclorama. Unfortunately, time ran out before we could get into the museum. However, the bus tour was excellent. The tour guide knew his stuff, and made the narration interesting.</div><div><br></div><div>We watched the film about the war; in was informative and interesting.it helped us to see why the South could not prevail. Also made us sad to hear all the loss suffered.</div><div><br></div><div>The cyclorama was great, and very well done. The original mural is on display, depicting a snapshot in time of the battle at Gettysburg. It was very sobering and brought great sadness to both of us. A horrible war.</div><div><br></div><div>When we left the visitor's center, the rain had completely ended. But it was very overcast and cool. And we were hungry, so we left Gettysburg and headed out for food and back to the house. Riding along, we spotted the Shamrock Restaurant and stopped for dinner. A good choice; the food, service and ambiance were all very good. Then on to the house for the night.</div><div><br></div><div>Yesterday was a good, but long day. We woke up early, packed our mess on the bike, and left before our hosts were stirring. We left a thank you note to let them know that we had enjoyed our stay, but didn't want to wake them. Hopefully that was not too rude.</div><div><br></div><div>The ride to Niagara Falls was very picturesque. Riding state highways across Hill and dale in bright sunshine, it was close to perfect. Crisp, cool air, little to no traffic, hilly country with long sweepers, we both enjoyed the ride very much.</div><div><br></div><div>When I tour on the bike, I carry a small handgun for which I have a concealed carry permit. North Carolina has reciprocal agreements with many, but not all states. Even though I carry it in non-reciprocal states, I don't worry too much about doing that. However, Canada has a very strict prohibition on guns. Sneaking a gun into Canada, and getting caught can bring a 3 year jail sentence. So, we had a real problem--what do we do with the gun when we cross into Canada. We could get lucky and not be searched at the border. But having been searched in a previous crossing into Canada, and knowing the consequences, it wasn't worth the risk.</div><div><br></div><div>Then a thought hit me--friends who live in Grand Island, only a few miles from Niagara Falls. So, we made contact with them and dropped off the gun at their home, to be picked up the following Monday morning. Problem solved!</div><div><br></div><div>As it turned out, the border crossing was simple and non eventful. Short lines at the crossing, no searches, and then less than a mile to our hotel for three nights. A long, but good day.</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi571JxoX_S40uzTlSRrMm9cB1mawlHGX5Du8R069IrmPtIDGOXOHW6Hd2d_f5v8RS6ldwq8KwJ13PxIGioWOypOH-SNt3WaWY4VdV4vLMOsVJC3139rF8p_guEuRlj2SMlcthDhEwAOaU/s640/blogger-image--2141776887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi571JxoX_S40uzTlSRrMm9cB1mawlHGX5Du8R069IrmPtIDGOXOHW6Hd2d_f5v8RS6ldwq8KwJ13PxIGioWOypOH-SNt3WaWY4VdV4vLMOsVJC3139rF8p_guEuRlj2SMlcthDhEwAOaU/s640/blogger-image--2141776887.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0ANUoa19-8mJehP8Isah1v7fBn-joawxqvU0r8GN9iu9bUWoxxiOwgD7mrvokKABAtKVQ1XF_HvlfdkvhZPPDhWWlQBtVTJs5XoRbD48vuqTfOCfu2hLnwFipLkogN6pZr9YchRxC0w/s640/blogger-image-2128924325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0ANUoa19-8mJehP8Isah1v7fBn-joawxqvU0r8GN9iu9bUWoxxiOwgD7mrvokKABAtKVQ1XF_HvlfdkvhZPPDhWWlQBtVTJs5XoRbD48vuqTfOCfu2hLnwFipLkogN6pZr9YchRxC0w/s640/blogger-image-2128924325.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjvf0dhHsB_IqOHaHM1X3e1Bw6_1QJFzF6LNSehpAB0W-tBe8TSjCcrI4Gj1Orq55qZlWbOrWgUBidwBLpYYxr_t0D88pND53ROzSqqgz5_byQJLcao3Q9qHhRgK56pW3A7Vb-74wigk/s640/blogger-image-1343523691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjvf0dhHsB_IqOHaHM1X3e1Bw6_1QJFzF6LNSehpAB0W-tBe8TSjCcrI4Gj1Orq55qZlWbOrWgUBidwBLpYYxr_t0D88pND53ROzSqqgz5_byQJLcao3Q9qHhRgK56pW3A7Vb-74wigk/s640/blogger-image-1343523691.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi931MExYDtkFJsdipLHFgOdYViIM9066cD-WLhDLCWl4OKGrjcSIXmssJHl3yzGC2VY3CpgOBhxYDMIvabUPeXljoqfCdUYCMWaVnzSuv3D4LhbPFKfO5dOUDyAeRhIT9lZp2ZNT_3zPs/s640/blogger-image-2127789683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi931MExYDtkFJsdipLHFgOdYViIM9066cD-WLhDLCWl4OKGrjcSIXmssJHl3yzGC2VY3CpgOBhxYDMIvabUPeXljoqfCdUYCMWaVnzSuv3D4LhbPFKfO5dOUDyAeRhIT9lZp2ZNT_3zPs/s640/blogger-image-2127789683.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19CcWAWnb2pjtQ_oPy8ZIR5lY-7YJdcSHc3X_qHOF-FwxBarsrm7myDFb4Iz_vjytTkIw16F6yndfVpQEozDrW6faIjWntskFSWciyhhpyCdAkGgHnUO0ASc1Z8J3g8A3v3Plsp3Bi6g/s640/blogger-image--1468909625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19CcWAWnb2pjtQ_oPy8ZIR5lY-7YJdcSHc3X_qHOF-FwxBarsrm7myDFb4Iz_vjytTkIw16F6yndfVpQEozDrW6faIjWntskFSWciyhhpyCdAkGgHnUO0ASc1Z8J3g8A3v3Plsp3Bi6g/s640/blogger-image--1468909625.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrLuJ1kV5Pn60_Goj-OpCnoR-cdztZ1-dtB9CRW1EVNIlD6LjnF0ySuhfq-mWb5_5cKAOMp7OiYWAnN2mIFh8_RgCVZNzNTwBC2DSMuygrncZVcXa4JMEpLSlJiUwmUdhBjpU7AykWY0/s640/blogger-image-987586780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrLuJ1kV5Pn60_Goj-OpCnoR-cdztZ1-dtB9CRW1EVNIlD6LjnF0ySuhfq-mWb5_5cKAOMp7OiYWAnN2mIFh8_RgCVZNzNTwBC2DSMuygrncZVcXa4JMEpLSlJiUwmUdhBjpU7AykWY0/s640/blogger-image-987586780.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-35725796765272056852015-05-20T21:07:00.001-07:002015-05-21T19:50:57.587-07:00Day OneThe first day of the trip was a mix. Hot and cool. No traffic to miles-long traffic backup. Calm to irritated. But most of all, it was a good ride.<div><br></div><div>At 10am, we pulled out of the parking lot at the house. It was already pretty warm, so I was already drenched in sweat from loading the trailer and getting the trailer and bike hooked together. The trailer was more packed than I had hoped, but it wasn't completely overloaded.</div><div><br></div><div>Well, the first mishap was getting half lost in Durham. I had decided to take US 15 all the way to Frederick, MD so we could stay off the Interstate. My bad--I thought 15-501 stayed together for a while north of Durham. Well, it doesn't! About 5 miles north of Durham, I noticed that there was no sign of US 15, so we had to backtrack until we could get on US 15. It worked out OK..</div><div><br></div><div>The Hwy had very light traffic, and the scenery was green, so it was a nice ride. At Clarksville, VA, we stopped for lunch. We went to a place where I had eaten on an earlier ride. The food was good the first time, but this time that was not the case. I really like Italian food, and I was hungry, so we got the buffet because there was a pasta with lots of cheese and red sauce. Bad choice. It had absolutely no flavor. It looked like a baked Ziti, but tasted like mush. Ugh! I did eat two pieces of pizza that were OK, and the tomatoes on the salad bar were good. But otherwise, it was not good. My last time there...</div><div><br></div><div>The rest of the ride was nice until we hit Leesburg VA, where traffic stopped. After a while, we found that it was the old 2 into 1 lane trick, followed by another merging lane. That delayed our arrival to our Motorcycle Travel Network home in Frederick by about 45 minutes. If it had happened early in the ride, I'd have been a little irritated. But at the end of a long, hot day of riding, I was well beyond irritated. Again, my bad for letting it bother me so much.</div><div><br></div><div>The MTN home we are staying in is UNIQUE. We should have known when we saw the 8 foot tall rooster in the front yard that it was not an ordinary house. The second clue was the 6 foot diameter metal hornets nest hanging from a tree above the walkway to the house.</div><div><br></div><div>Eccentric is the best descriptor for the lady of the house! She's as nice as she can be, but her artwork is a real trip. Actually, after I had a chance to look around some and to talk with her, I came to really like and appreciate her handiwork. A lot of it is using broken glass and ceramic pieces to make a scene or just art on virtually any surface. Walls, mirrors, doors, fireplace mantle, medicine cabinet--whatever surface strikes her fancy. For instance, the backsplash above the kitchen sink and cabinets is broken pieces of mirrors, and it becomes a flower garden on the adjacent wall. I loved it! She's very talented.</div><div><br></div><div>The husband is a really neat guy. 72 years old, but looks and acts as if he's in his mid-50s. Rides a tricked up Gold Wing and 4 or 5 dirt bikes. Mostly rides the dirt bikes now since his wife does not ride anymore (health issues). Married for more than 50 years, they're a very neat couple and very interesting people. We're enjoying our stay with them very much. They also keep cups of frozen margaritas in the freezer and invites their guests to help themselves. We did!</div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow we'll do a day trip to Gettysburg to view the battleground.</div><div><br></div><div>Till next time...</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8jxuFbU6QkbvO_MeoNoqTD2uPhk3StyalL9BrEaQ99PG_YBWNNDqwjff5K-AhFnr511gQb4Rgi0m-Cn362Xj0_koknXXb30DXbv8n_Mg9eL0C1JefJA37QbwC9nwmXQ5WTC1nV7DoC4/s640/blogger-image-725657514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8jxuFbU6QkbvO_MeoNoqTD2uPhk3StyalL9BrEaQ99PG_YBWNNDqwjff5K-AhFnr511gQb4Rgi0m-Cn362Xj0_koknXXb30DXbv8n_Mg9eL0C1JefJA37QbwC9nwmXQ5WTC1nV7DoC4/s640/blogger-image-725657514.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PeoKegU48rZoFuRAFa6ep3aL8rTjSJv26SJMfnVWqVqoY4HDU44ABTAv9dYCEoGG4RvdEfhj8ccnrThIsgOAbUPl0gs2fgcFUF3tYOlnOil2ae7B5uFhjD9oy5poal5gBLL0C3xgPmM/s640/blogger-image-1884535579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PeoKegU48rZoFuRAFa6ep3aL8rTjSJv26SJMfnVWqVqoY4HDU44ABTAv9dYCEoGG4RvdEfhj8ccnrThIsgOAbUPl0gs2fgcFUF3tYOlnOil2ae7B5uFhjD9oy5poal5gBLL0C3xgPmM/s640/blogger-image-1884535579.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dk2MxAGV7F4NAmDVySNqq4Gf4zoaGrFZ-wOj3w-4ey_Vh1SBRAYeDG0ATAB1pmEDla3_QZI8RSk1B2wwv_5UkpVNETylFQcWMvnH2EtOEi0AZzbgEc86YRrsG8usgaGpJsTMKk4K72s/s640/blogger-image--121665940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dk2MxAGV7F4NAmDVySNqq4Gf4zoaGrFZ-wOj3w-4ey_Vh1SBRAYeDG0ATAB1pmEDla3_QZI8RSk1B2wwv_5UkpVNETylFQcWMvnH2EtOEi0AZzbgEc86YRrsG8usgaGpJsTMKk4K72s/s640/blogger-image--121665940.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172295387645215254.post-89581896360593049862015-05-15T12:33:00.001-07:002015-05-18T06:38:24.299-07:00PrologueAnother adventure is about to begin. Janice and I are donning our Roadcrafter riding suits (otherwise known as "bumblebees"), our helmets, riding gloves, and boots, jumping on the BMW with the trailer in tow, and heading out for adventures in the Northeast for three weeks! We head out on Wednesday, May 20 and plan to return home on or about June 10. <div><br></div><div>Our trip will include several stays at Motorcycle Travel Network (www.motorcycle-travel.net) homes (like Bed and Breakfast homes for motorcyclists). Those overnight stays are great because we are with like-minded friends--those who enjoy motorcycle riding and telling about those adventures. In many cases, the hosts go out to dinner with the guests, and a breakfast each morning is a part of the deal. A comfortable bed, usually a private bath, good conversation, and a good breakfast for only $15 per person per night. A great deal IMO.</div><div><br></div><div>The bike is ready; new tires, new high beam (lightbulb), fresh oil change, tires aired up, and even new handgrips on the bars. The trailer will be ready after the tires are aired up. So, the mechanicals are in order. </div><div><br></div><div>Packing lists have been drafted and nearly complete. Packing for three weeks is a challenge; doing it for a motorcycle ride is not so difficult. Sounds weird, but I've learned that you end up wearing the same clothes for more than a day. The bumblebees cover everything exposed to the outside, so unless it's hot and are sweating a lot, clothes don't get very dirty. May sound gross, but that's the way it is on the bike. It's a minimalistic existence while on the road, but a good one.</div><div><br></div><div>It's looking like the weather is cooperating, at least initially. While we can stay dry riding, I still prefer dry weather. The real challenge to riding in the rain is not what you'd think. It's not staying dry; the bumblebees do that quite well. And it's not traction; the tires have incredible grip in the rain. What is a challenge is vision--the ability to see. No windshield wipers. Mist from vehicles ahead is the worst. Actual rain will blow off the face shield pretty well, but Mist particles do a great job of coating the face shield very thoroughly and obscuring sight quite effectively. If there were a way to effectively clear the face shield in the rain, riding in wet weather would be okay. Oh, and there is another complicating factor if the temperatures are the least cool--condensation on the inside of the face shield. Between Mist on the outside and fog on the inside of the face shield, vision is not good in the rain.</div><div><br></div><div>I once rode from Pensacola, FL to home in a day. The first 500 miles were in the rain, ranging from a drizzle to an all-out downpour. Luckily it was in the spring, so it was not cold. It was a long and miserable day of riding, but I stayed warm and dry except for a spot about the size of a lemon on the bottom of my left sleeve that got wet. The bumblebee is good!</div><div><br></div><div>I guess I'll quit writing and post this initial entry. I'll try to find some appropriate pics to add to it when I find what I want. I'll try to post something every night, but I know from previous trips that we'll be too tired to write, or there will be a technical problem preventing a post.</div><div><br></div><div>But, please join us on this virtual adventure. As always, comments are welcome (if you can figure out how to do it). If you can't figure it out, an email is appreciated. Knowing that someone out there is reading and enjoying it is a great incentive for us to continue. FEEDBACK IS ENCOURAGED!!!</div><div><br></div><div>Until next time....</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSp9kidfw6lez78E_LcZnSFmKhnXyzwYhbq16AHyhyphenhyphen83oAyMve7rz8Kb-KtnBmu0gyqr7IwgExyihTKdgop-OLVY6eaRMiBPuq1NIWWOg2LjlIg9Mtt5yoB63C5xLLVd75Ul_H6nXYpQc/s640/blogger-image--1787567949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSp9kidfw6lez78E_LcZnSFmKhnXyzwYhbq16AHyhyphenhyphen83oAyMve7rz8Kb-KtnBmu0gyqr7IwgExyihTKdgop-OLVY6eaRMiBPuq1NIWWOg2LjlIg9Mtt5yoB63C5xLLVd75Ul_H6nXYpQc/s640/blogger-image--1787567949.jpg"></a></div>Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052821074340424232noreply@blogger.com1