Home!

Our last night on the road was to be relaxing but the family in the room next to our's prevented that.

My back story from brief encounters with this family (fiction but probably not too far from the truth):

Apparently Cletus decided not to send in his trailer payment. So with that 'saved' money he took the family to a luxury hotel. His brother, Festus, decided to get in on the party and skipped his El Camino payment in order to show the Missus and kids a good time. So Cletus and his wife, Irma-Jean, and Festus and his wife, Ima-Jane (who was also Irma-Jean's sister) and all the youngin's checked into the same hotel we were in and were assigned a room next to ours.

The youngin's, who all called both men Uncle-Daddy, were a definite sight. Whether super skinny or chubby, each wore ill-fitting clothes - including little Cletus who proudly sported a mullet.

Cletus and Festus each wore NASCAR caps while their wives didn't understand the importance of proper underwear when in public places. In addition, both women insisted on baring their midriffs - complete with flab hanging over their belts. On a positive note, only Irma-Jean was tattooed.

In common areas of the hotel they were easy to spot. In the suite area of the hotel, they were easy to hear. It sounded like they were all in the room next door (maybe the trailer payment could only cover one room). Occasionally Cletus or Festus would yell at one of the kids with a compassionate "I'll whoop your a$$." And maybe that trailer didn't have doors because the kids seemed to be fascinated with the room door; the door slammed every few minutes!

We did complain to management. In the morning when we checked out we got sincere apologizes and a major discount on our stay.

Soon we were on the highway heading south. Traffic in Cincinnati was a nightmare but we eventually made it across the bridge and into Kentucky.

Nothing quite so wonderful as our country roads and the sight of our home.

Vegging at yet another motel for one more day

A vacation is to be enjoyed so David and I are making the most of this one. After a full hot breakfast, we went for a swim in our motel in Hudson before hitting the road. We made the decision not to push it today but just ride at a leisurely pace and enjoy the day.

We are staying just north of Cincinnati in a Drury Inn with an indoor/outdoor pool. A great feature at most Drurys is the evening food and drinks. With free soft drinks and a buffet type of finger foods, often the traveler can get by without having to go to a restaurant. Tonight's buffet featured hot dogs, chicken tenders, meatballs, baked potatoes, nachos, and veggies. We didn't need anything else. Tomorrow we will once again have a full hot breakfast and then head for home.

The above picture is of Caesars Creek State Park in Ohio.

Back in Ohio

There will be no picture accompanying this post because there was nothing to take a picture of.

David and I left Syracuse the same way we came in, via I-90. We took it to Buffalo and then on into and across Pennsylvania (fortunately just 45 miles on this route - lessening our exposure to PA drivers) and finally in to Ohio.

Just inside Ohio we stopped at the welcome center and picked up the coupon books for the state. We found a great Clarion Inn in Hudson - just north of Stow where our kids went to High School. We rode for about 350 miles today and although we probably could make it home tomorrow we might stretch this trip one more day and take our time. This motel is nice with a great pool and we are thinking a morning swim might be in order before heading out.

Heading for home

Since we had made the decision, along with Dale and Vicky, to only spend one night in Swanton, planning for leaving in the morning was a little simpler; we didn't have to coordinate timing for leaving together. Dale and Vicky were heading north into Canada and David and I were heading south and west.

Even with the non-planning both couples were ready to pull out early. David and I left the motel about 7 and had yet another quick breakfast at a McDonald's. In Swanton there just aren't many choices for dining. As we were heading across the bridges into New York, we saw Dale and Vicky a head of us but apparently they didn't have their CB radio on and didn't know we were that close!

After crossing into New York we picked up I-87 and took it to Albany where we picked up the New York Turnpike (I-90) and are stopped for the night at Syracuse.

Although the ride was uneventful as far as touristy stuff goes, the views today were great. I-87 runs through the edge of the Adirondack Mountains (see picture above of David cruising past some of the rock formations) and I-90 followed the Mohawk River for a while. Looking out over the hillsides at the farms and small villages was a treat to break up the monotony of the road.

Our ride today was about 340 miles. I'm not sure how many miles we will ride tomorrow but if we get tired, we will stop. We don't have a deadline to meet so we will take as many days to get home as it takes......

Got a great welcome to Vermont

We left North Conway, New Hampshire and made our way west. The scenery in this portion of New Hampshire was just as gorgeous as the area where we had stayed for the past three days. I enjoyed the ups and downs and the gentle sweeps but most of all the beautiful views around every curve.

Soon we were in Vermont. One of my Facebook/Examiner buddies lives in Burlington, Vermont. We have been corresponding for a while and although Gail and I had never met face-to-face, I felt like we were friends. Maybe she did also because she invited us to visit her.

Dale and Vicky were stopping by the Ben & Jerry's factory tour and David and I took advantage of that time to ride on into Burlington.

Gail's directions for finding her apartment were perfect. As I was turning off my motorcycle, I could hear "Patty! Patty!" Gail and her husband, Cor, were on the balcony giving us instructions on getting in the building. Once in their apartment, it was like we had been friends forever.

Gail had prepared a picnic lunch for us and she and Cor drove us down to a park on the shores of Lake Champlain for a lunch complete with views of the harbor and in the distance the Adirondack Mountains in New York. The picture above was taken at lunch. After lunch we got the grand tour of Burlington, complete with narrative from Gail and Cor.

Soon it was time to hit the road again and head to our motel for the evening. We are staying in Swanton, Vermont tonight. Dale and Vicky were already here by the time we checked in. The motel is small and nice with a pool but there is not much to do in Swanton. Dale and Vicky are heading into Canada tomorrow for a straight shot west to Michigan; David and I will cross into New York and make our way south and west back home.

We are a little over a 1,000 miles from home and I'm not really sure how long it will take to get back to Kentucky. Although there won't be much sightseeing, perhaps I can still find something to write about each day.

Finally got to ride some mountain roads

First I start with the sad news: Ted and Wanda left the trip early due to a family emergency. They pulled out of the parking lot of our hotel about the same time David and I and Dale and Vicky left for some mountain riding.

We started our day early because we wanted to be the first at Mount Washington today. After much debate regarding the pros and cons of riding our bikes or taking the guided tour, David and I finally decided to take the guided tour. While it would seem that we 'wimped' out, in truth, the biggest reason for the ride in the van is we both wanted to see all we could and take pictures all the way up and down the mountain. Dale called our room last night and said that he was still planning on riding his Gold Wing up but Vicky would ride the van with us.

We got to the ticket office before it opened and were first in line to buy our tickets and therefore guaranteed a seat on the first van to the summit. Our driver, Rik, was very knowledgeable about the area with insights and history regarding the geology, biology, and climate of Mount Washington. Not one question from any of the passengers went unanswered. I personally learned much and enjoyed the ride all the more because of what I learned.

The weather for the ride to the summit was perfect. All storms and rain from the previous couple of days was gone and we enjoyed bright blue skies. Many days at the summit visibility is less than 25 miles; today the visibility was at 110 miles. What that meant was the Atlantic Ocean was visible! Air temperature on the summit was 36 and wind speed was 45-56 m.p.h. Again, mild conditions compared to 'normal' at the top where winds are usually much higher, more in the 75-100 range. The highest winds recorded there reached 231 m.p.h. Even at the 45 we saw today, standing upright was difficult and the wind hurt bare skin.

Dale was already at the summit when we got there, Vicky breathed a sigh of relieve, and left before us for the decent. He was again waiting for us at the bottom. He had a good time riding the Auto Road but really didn't get to see the scenery we did. I'm still glad we did the van and perhaps some time in the future I will ride my bike up.

Our ride to Mount Washington was along US-16 which is also the main road through North Conway. The winds today whipped me back and forth in my lane on the way to the Auto Road. And since we were heading out early, the air temps were a bit nippy.

After the encounter with Mount Washington, we rode a little farther north and then west and finally south to Lincoln where we ate lunch and picked up the beginning of the Kancamagus Highway. We rode all 35 miles and back to Conway and by mid afternoon were back at the hotel where more swimming was in order while waiting for the laundry to finish.

Without trying to insult my friends from New England, I just want to say this about the Kanc - while the scenery was great, the road was not a challenge. Only one switchback and 7% grade for most of the way, it felt like most of the roads we ride every day. The pavement, however, was horrid. Dealing with the washboard surface of the road was more challenging than any of the curves.

Tomorrow we head to Vermont!

A day for sightseeing in New Hampshire

Weather was not looking so good today. David and I and Dale and Vicky rode out to McDonald's for a cheap breakfast. Ted and Wanda waited until they knew the Harley shop would be open here for a new tire for Ted's Road King.

After breakfast we went for a little ride north of here just to get a feel for the area and to see some mountains. However, not too long after we started out ride, it started to rain. It wasn't a heavy rain but with temperatures in the low 60s it wasn't a pleasant ride so we did a u-turn and headed back to town.

Near the village of Intervale, Dale and Vicky split off to do some shopping. David and I continued on through North Conway to do some of our own shopping - at the Harley store! They were having a 'buy 3 - get 1 free' t-shirt sale. We had to shop.

David and I then went back to our room to regroup and plan the afternoon. With the skies still dark and sprinkles of rain continuing, we opted for the Conway Scenic Railroad. The above picture of the Saco River was taken from the train. There were several options for tickets including lunch and dinner cruises, notch cruises, and short rides to Conway. We chose the North Conway to Bartlett ride which was about 2 hours long. While waiting for our train, we toured a model railroad club's display.

The train cruise was a great way to see the Mount Washington Valley on a day when riding a motorcycle would not have been fun. It also gave us a chance to take several pictures and learn some history of the area.

We are hoping for better weather tomorrow as that will be our opportunity to go to Mount Washington. The weather forecasts are calling for warmer weather from here on.