Last Ride

Woke up with the compelling feeling that it was time to go home. Mixed feelings because I had contemplated that this might be my last ride. Getting older and it just might be the time to hang up my boots and quit while I'm ahead. Some sadness, but it was a great ride through some of the best roads throughout New England ... with the best riding friends ever, Joe and Paul. If you're going to quit riding ... you might as well go out on top. I'm thinking ... do it right and finish it off with style!




The morning was indeed beautiful!!! Rolling hills and crisp, clear weather ... Joe took the lead as he was approaching 100,000 miles. Appropriately he hit 100,000 miles in a curve ... somewhere in the West Virginia mountains on a curve! We stopped and marked the spot, took some photos and reminiced about what a great journey it had been.







We traveled some great motorcycle roads!!! Many of the roads I remember from past CBX rallies in Marlinton ... 28S, 39, and that narrow and twisty connecting road down to Clifton Forge. One last run on 43 over to Bedford ... a final "iced mocha" and snack at McDonalds ... and a run down 220 in the cooling weather of the evening.














The sun was setting in Winston-Salem and soon we were home. Thanks Joe and Paul for all the great memories ... it was a great ride!!!

Hey ya'll watch this ... !!!

Grand Canyon of PA

What a day!!! The heat finally blew out with the rain last night. We must be livin' right. No more haze ... just crystal blue sky and perfect temperatures. Left Elmira just following the GPS. It took us over some great roads into Pennsylavania and on to the Grand Canyon (of PA of course)! It was a narrow and twisty road up to a ridge overlooking the canyon. Talked with some Harley guys from NJ about the best motorcycle roads in the area. Eventually we decided to just follow the route we had planned on the GPS.

Paul and I had been on these roads on our Nova Scotia trip, so we knew they were good. 141 was a great motorcycle road ... particularly when we got to route 44. There we met a local Harley rider who obviously knew every curve, all we had to do was follow. He tried hard but couldn't lose us. When we got to Renovo we stopped for gas. My GPS stopped working and Joe "if its in front of me I'm passing it" Busby, took the lead. When we came up on a Corvette I knew they had no chance ... Joe blew them away on the twisty stuff. We had the best riding day yet ... twisty roads, low traffic volume, and perfect weather.

The day ended in Grantsville. Clem and I used to come to the Amish restaurant here when we were in graduate school at WVU. Joe, Paul, and I had a great dinner and talked about the great roads we traveled today. Joe is 50 miles short of 100,000 miles on his Honda ... looking forward to accomplishing that milestone tomorrow!

New Tires

We left Utica amid cooler weather. Wore the Aerostich today as we rolled through southern New York state. A beautiful agricultural area ... wheat and corn fields and dairy cows. The roads were great too, rolling hills and gentle sweepers. The towns we went through were interesting ... downtowns with numerous shops and beautiful old buildings. Saw an Amish farmer with plow horses out in the field ... we were riding in a postcard!

Stopped for lunch in Corpening and noticed that Paul's tires were almost gone ... better search for new ones. We spent the rest of the afternoon at CNY Motorsports getting tires. We looked at several bikes and eventually decided on matching Gold Wings!

When we returned to the road we headed to Ithaca and on to Elmira. Stopped for the night with black skies overhead. Got into the hotel just before the big rain drops hit. Looks like pizza delivery for dinner! Life is good on the road ...

Adirondaks

We left the hotel in search of the ferry across Lake Champlain. Got there just in time to ride on and the ferry left immediately! Wow ... this day is getting off to a great start! They had some plastic chairs on board and we had the best seats in the house ... right up front with a cool breeze right off the lake. Life is good ... Talked with a couple of college students leading a group of high school kids on a bicycle ride from New York City to Montreal.

Getting off the ferry we immediately missed the lake breeze ... it was another day in the heat. Rode without the riding suit today (very Harley-like) ... I may become a Harley rider yet!

Went through Lake Placid and had lunch a our new favorite lunch stop in the heat ... McDonalds. We can fill our Camelbacks there with ice and it's always cool inside.

Traveled through Saranac Lake and incredible beauty ... deep lakes amid the majestic beauty of the mountains, that's the adirondaks. The roads were among the best we've encountered on this trip ... great scenery, low traffic volume, and enough curves to make it interesting. Just remember to slow for the towns. We repeated the drill many times 55, 45, 35 ... 25 and crawl through town. We knew the local police would be collecting revenue so we were careful ... saw a few flashing blue lights and stopped cars and bikes ... fortunately it wasn't us!

Spent the night in Utica, NY. Found a street party ... Saranack Thursday Nights! Wow, how cool is that? A great band and met a lot of local people having fun ... all in all another great day!!!

Joe's a 49er!

We left Wiers Beach this morning wth high hopes to ride the best that New England has to offer ... the Kanc!!! The Kancamangas Highway has a great reputation and we were looking forward to the ride. Of course it was hot ... and did I mention the heat? It was hot!!! But there was some great scenery ... however with the traffic I can't rate itmore than 2 Harleys :^) We did however find a good road off the Kanc ... the Bear Notch Road. Low traffic volume, good elevation change, and moderately twisty. All in all one of the best roads so far ...

Joe had one state remaining to have ridden in 49 ... when we crossed into Vermont we celebrated right there by the side of the road!

We were headed for Burlington to spend the night. The good news is that the Ben and Jerry's factory is on the way! We had fun choosing between Cerry Garcia, Chunky Monkey, and the new flavor Phish! Ben and Jerry's is a great story ... who would have thought that you could get rich making ice cream? Why didn't I think of that?

In Burlington we checked in the Comfort Inn and went straight to the pool ... it was extra refreshing since we were extra hot. After the pool we rode into town in search of dinner. Since it was so hot ... Paul and I decided to not put on our riding clothes and helmets. It's a calculated risk we were willing to take in the heat. We were feeling pretty good until I noticed that everyone we saw on a motorcycle was wearing a helmet! At the next red light we discussed our dilema and it was about that time that we also noticed the flashing blue light ... we were had! Fortunately the cop was nice about it and reminded us that Vermont does indeed have a helmet law! Joe rescued us and went back to the hotel and retrieve our helmets so we could ride home. Thanks Joe!

Dinner was at the American Flatbread Company ... wood-fired pizza! Doesn't get any better than that!

Childhood Memories

Paul and Dick returned to places that they visited during their childhood ... and that was a long time ago!!!

Bar Harbor to Wiers Beach via the Rangely Lakes—a long and hot day. Left Bar Harbor in comfortable temperatures, but the heat soon crept in. Had fun on the dirt road diversions that were a part of the construction zones along the way … sort of reminded us of the Alaska trip!

Went through the little town of Weld. Dick used to go there with his father and fish for trout. I have many good memories of driving to Maine with our family in the 51 DeSoto. We stopped by the lake and took a photo. Thanks Dad for teaching me to fish ... !!!

The Rangely Lakes were beautiful! We were following a road recommented on motorcycle roads.com. The scenery was spectacular but the road surface was frost heaved and cracked with pot holes that limited our speed. Saw moose signs ... but unfortunately no mooses! Too hot ...

We eventually found a road that made it all worthwhile. 113 along the Maine/New Hampshire border was narrow, twisty, and car-less! 35 miles through a cool tunnel of green foliage.

Wiers Beach was our destination for the day. Paul used to come here in the summers with his grandparents. We found the cabin and took a photo! Wiers Beach is the site of a major motorcycle rally on beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee. Thousands of bikers were here just two weeks ago … fortunately we missed it!

Acadia National Park

Had an easy day today. Slept late and went to the local breakfast place for blueberry pancakes! Sat at the counter and watched the cook work the grill ... he was fast and good!

After breakfast we headed for Acadia. Went to Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Cadilac Mountain.

Joe and Paul also went to the far end of cove. Dick went to town and had a Clam Roll, Sweet Potato Fries in the pier. A gentle ocean breeze and a spectacular view completed a most memorable day!

Bah Habah

Started the day with cinamon rolls at the Holiday Inn Express ... a great start! After breakfast, LL Bean was the first item on our list, and they had some great stuff at great prices ... Joe and Paul got stuff but I figured the best way to save money is not to spend any ...

After LL Bean we headed to Bar Harbor. Traffic was light and we successfully avoided speeding tickets in the numerous 25 mph towns. When we arrived, Paul had to have lobster ... he was a happy man when we found an all you can eat lobster pound! Eight or so lobsters later ... we were the last customers to leave and the place was getting ready to close! The moral of the story is ... don't advertise an all you can eat lobster dinner when Paul is anywhere around!

After dinner we walked down to the waterfront to enjoy the fireworks with several thousand of our closest friends. The fireworks at Bar Harbor were great ... long and loud and spectacular!!! Hope you all had a great 4th too!!!

49 States

We got a great start this morning ... fresh frut at the fitness center and coffee from the in-room maker. After a killer shower from the drencher shower head in the Marriott, we were prepared for whatever the new day might bring! The great weather has continued, there's little traffic, and we were in Mystic for lunch in no time at all. Mystic is a postcard beautiful town and worthy of much more time than we gave it!



After lunch it was on to Newport. Rhode Island is the 49th state I've ridden in. We celebrated with a Mocha Frappe at Mc Donalds! Newport is extraordinary but very touristy and the traffic was impossible on the 4th of July holiday. The visitor cnter parking lot had a sign reading "no motorcycles allowed." And the only other parking we could find was $20! What's up with that? Not particularly welcoming ... We eventually gave up trying to see the"Belvidere Mansions" and decided to head for Maine.



Our final destination for the day was Freeport Maine. Of course we celebrated with our standard dinner. Many memories to relive and lies to be told. Joe has one more state to complete his 49 and then we will celebrate again! Paul, Joe, and I have ridden in most states together ... great friends. Our first trip was California in 2002. Paul said "I want to do that." Only problem was he didn't have a bike ... he bought one so he could go ... Thanks Paul! Joe's bike was old ... he bought a new bike so he could go. Now that bike will turn 100,000 miles on this trip! Wow, that's a lot of miles ... Thanks Joe! Good friends and so many outragious stories ... remember when?




And our new best friend Stephanie who has taken good care of us at the Holiday Inn Express .... celebrate every chance you get!!!

The Flat Tire Day

After a fantastic breakfast of Norwegian waffles at David and Inger’s we headed out to do battle with urban traffic around New York City.

After successfully negotiating the maze of roads leading to the George Washington Bridge we encountered slow moving traffic on 95 in Connecticut. Then just as the traffic seems to be improving I check my rear view … where’s Joe and Paul? I slow but they are nowhere to be found. I pull into a welcome center and call. Joe has a flat! Since the wheel has a tube, it can’t be plugged. Joe has to call the Honda Riders Club to get towed. We make the most of it and have fun at the Honda dealer while Joe picks out his next bike.

Since the traffic is still stalled on 95, we decide to go to the Marriott and enjoy the pool and fitness center. Stamford, CT is a great town! Dinner at PF Chang’s and a walk through the entertainment district completes the evening.

Now its morning … looking out the window of the Marriott I can see that it’s a beautiful day! It was a good decision to stay here and let the traffic clear. Looking forward to the new day … life is good here on the road.

Messrs Suzuki and Kawasaki meet Messrs Harley and Davidson

Well ... the weather on day one was great but day two was extra superb!!! One of those days with low humidity and just enough sun. Clear blue skies with fluffy clouds and a so clear that you can "see forever" kind of day.

Reluctantly we left the comforts of the Hampton Inn with it's hot tub and pool for the adventure of the open road. We were on our way to tour the Harley Davidson plant. Up through the rolling fields of Gettysburg and over to York and the Amish country beyond Lancaster.

The Harley plant tour was going great until Paul mentioned that "you can buy a better bike but you can't pay more." Fortunately they didnt remove us from the premises! We had great fun trying on Harley garb and sitting on the bikes. Paul decided that he wants the "Fat Boy." Dick wants the Screaming Eagle convertible. No doubt the Christine and Clem will want to suprise their husbands on their upcoming anniversaries ...

Dick had fun trying on Harley garb and wondering ..."is it me?"

The best part was the conversation with a couple of Harley guys. The noticed our Iron Butt license plates and mentioned that they had done an iron butt too (100 miles in 24 hours or less). We swapped lies and then they told the truth ... during their iron butt trip several of the Harley's broke down and they had to make repairs along the way. Their bike died as soon as the 100 miles was complete. It only cost $1500 to put the bike back in working order. Any way it was fun doing the Harley thing ... and then we traveled to NJ to stay with David and Inger. Awonderful meal of stroganoff was waiting for us a good time was had by all. Life is good on Day Two!!! Joe will arrive soon and we will head out in the morning for parts unknown!