Trip to Maine

Aug 20, 2014

I realize I didn’t get this trip blogged on here, was looking for it and found it was in my journal.  I am going to try to cut and paste it onto here.

Dru, Susan, and I meet in Sunbury and took off about 9:15 and traveled, with only stopping at gas stations and snacking, rather then stopping for lunch.  We got about 8 miles from Wellsboro and got hit by a down pour, we turned around and went in to a bar to dry off and suite up even though soaked already.  Thought about eating there but decide to get to the Canyon motel.
We get to 362 and Susan's bike stalls, thinking it was out of gas Dru takes off to Wellsboro and is back before dark with gas. But because we were starting and restarting the battery died.  Susan and I did get it going and moved further up the road.  But stopped on a curved hill.  I tryed to push her up and a guy stopped and pushed her the rest of the way,to a better stopping place.  Well we wait for a tow but no one came, so I walk up a hill to a house and this guy came turned the bike around and jump started it. We make it into town in the dark and fog, turn a corner and it dies again. The Police was right there and drove Susan to the motel, we arrived at 9:00pm.  For dinner we found a bar that feed us with the kitchen closing in 5 min from when we walked in. Wow what a day.

Aug. 21, 2014
Susan goes to check on her bike and it starts so she takes it to the shop, they replace the battery, once it got there from another town, easy fix, so we think. Dru and I go to see the Penn. grand canyon and then eat at a diner, cute little place in the middle of town while we wait on the fix.

 Susan didn't want to go in case they called about her bike.   We leave our motel at 12:45, planning on 168 miles til our next motel in Monticello, NY.  We stop in Towanda for lunch at 1:45, and then back on the bikes.  Get gas at rt. 92, it has ethanol in it, we go about 26 miles with 52 till Monticello and Susan's bike dies again.  It is now 4:30 (so it took 2.5 hrs to travel 116 miles on Rt 6) not the best rd to travel.
 Lots of trucks!  So here we are stuck on 374 near Lenoxville, and a guy Jeff stops and to help the very nice guy, he has two children Robert and his twin sister,     He works with the spark plugs and nothing happens in the meantime Susan calls AAA and they dispatch a tow truck.  3.5 hrs later we take off, Susan in the truck and Dru and I following.  Wow, what a rough ride.  Dark curvy roads, we see deer, lighting, and rain all close. Also at one point, there were two cars stopped and ppl on the side of the road, with another car coming to the other direction, they swerve to missed the ppl and almost hit me.  Oh my goodness, I thought I was going to cry, I couldn't stop I had to just pull it together and keep following the truck. The tow truck takes the bike to a Harley shop in Honesdale, Pa.
We get to our hotel by 9:00 pm again, which is not normal at all. Awesome place we are staying at Hotel Wayne.  Built-in 1837 cool old place.  The bike is sitting at Baer Harley, hopefully, they will get it fixed tomorrow.
I jump in the shower while the other two go get a beer. We then ate next door at Paulies Coneies. Wow, that was good! I had a coney with slaw, chili, and honey mustard.

August 22, 2014

I wake up early today looking for coffee, came downstairs and the guy on duty was not very friendly he says they don’t have coffee until 7 o’clock.  He unlocks the door to let me out and pointed me to a gas station. So I ask once I get my coffee can I come back and sit in the dining room and he says no I am cleaning it. I say ok I will sit on the porch. When I get back he is cleaning the porch, so I had upstairs to the second floor and find a little balcony. Which was great, I called Paul and we had a nice visit until we were interrupted by some guy that was kind of scary. I hang up with Paul this guy rambles a bit and then out of the blue he says, you want to have wild sex? I could not believe this I get up and leave what an idiot. I go back to the room Susan is up and trying to call Harley. Not much luck we do breakfast at a small café a couple blocks down the road. She calls again and talks with Paul he told her  he would get on it and call her when he’s done. Nothing, finally they start looking at the bike around noon time, so we decided to book another night. Dru And Susan go down to Baer’s while I stay here at the hotel to move our stuff to the new room once they cleaned it.  I get a car and the Harley place says there is nothing wrong with her bike. Dru and Susan decide to head towards Rustys Honda shop and sure enough, it dies about a mile down the road. Rustys comes and picks up her bike. I go down and eat some lunch, lobster bisque with an order of broccoli. I get a call from the girls inviting me to join them for lunch upstairs at Rusty’s.  I stay back and rest.  

They got back around 4 PM so we take up to visit New Jersey taking route six and then turned onto 209, we take Dingmans bridge at the border of New Jersey. We stopped and got for dinner at a place called A&G Tavern, a great little place! I got Stromboli and brought her back to the hotel for breakfast. We got back after dark around 8:00.

Hotel Wayne in Honesdale, PA was a great place to stay. Old and charming.

August 23, 2014
We leave hotel Wayne around 8 o’clock heading north on route 191. We drive straight to Woodstock and stop and look at took pictures, Wish we would have gone into the museum but felt we had to keep moving. Made it to Shelborne Falls to see the bridge of flowers, beautiful! Rt. 2  was a great road, but we came to a hairpin curve with a lookout and Dru pulled in at an angle where she dropped her bike. A guy on a Harley came to help and pick it up, nice guy he also got Susan‘s position to the right.  Stopped in Keene, New Hampshire to try to find the hotel but all we could find was north in Bellows Falls in at Nash St., Rodeway Inn motel.

We rode to the restaurant named Joy I bought tie scallops and shrimp very disappointed in the taste $19. You just expect more when you pay more.

August 24, 2014

We head out around 8 o’clock and travel straight to Cape Elizabeth hoping to see Dru‘s lighthouse I think she has a picture of it. When we get there it is packed we could only park in a private drive near gravel we took turns viewing the ocean. We head over to a state park but didn’t want to pay to go in so we head into Portland. Cool town, hard to find parking, we ate at a place called Porhole.  Susan and I shared the lobster special buy one get one free.  It was so good,  this was a first for me.  We sat  outside on the peir as we ate.

We had for the Motel, I forget the name and where it was. Was a nice place but the Toilet wouldn’t flush. We go to the beach and they sit, WhileI look for coffee and make family phone calls. I also walked down a peer full of shops was entertaining. We eat at a Mexican place with live music back to the hotel to do laundry, I finally had a great sleep.

August 25, 2014
We leave around 8 o’clock headed for Stowe, VT. We get to the hotel of the Von Trapp family around 2:00.  We eat lunch out side and walk around the museum a bit.  Head for Ben and Jerry’s for ice cream and the go theough the gift shop.  Take rt 100, one of my favorite roads( Paul and I did it when we were there) and stopped at the water falls.  We make it to our last booked Comfort Inn in Rutland NY.   No dinner tonight due to ice cream.

August 26, 2014

We hit the road around 830, leaving Rutland Vermont to seem to take longer than we all expected should’ve been around 308 miles but ended up much more. Which seems to be the story of my life with motorcycle mapping. We stopped for lunch at a little town at a pizza shop and this is where I talked with Katie. Katie had her baby, was a great homebirth but Little Oak Rueben is going to have struggles in life. They are in the hospital with him being tested for downs syndrome. Lord, I pray you will be with them all. I am feeling very guilty that I didn’t go to that birth.

We get to our hotel, Country Inn, Mt Morris, best yet, and before six, earliest arrival also. Walk next-door for dinner I had chicken marsala very good but the chicken was tough.

August 27, 2014

We head for home, I was a bit emotional with the news from Katie I didn’t finish writing about our trip.  I believe when we left we drove through Letchworth State Park which the entrance was right across from the Inn.  

I am so excited!!

So I have discovered Easy Blog app.  For many motorcycle trips I have tried to enter a blog post with my phone or even my iPad and had such a hard time.  

I could not enter my info, I had to wait til I was home from my trips and enter it all using my desk computer.  I did not record any of my trips in 2018 because of the time it took once I was home.  I felt like there should be an app for this.  Well here it is, wonder how long it’s been around.   So happy to be able to record my travels on here.  

Last year was a busy year so only did one motorcycle trip and that was to Johnson City TN for the WOW ride in.

I did go out west 3 time in the camper van (White Fur).  We had two reunions we were in charge of, so was a crazy busy summer.  I hope to do more short Moto trips and camping trips this year.  Such a great way to remember these good times.

To Delaware and Back

6/27/17 So we meet at Delaware around 6:45 Susan lead most of this day.  It mapped out to be 381 miles but we ended up at 450.  I am having a hard time figuring out how the change.  The ride went off the mapped out route quite a few times.  I believe the worst was around Cadiz.  we got onto 151 and then the GPS wanting to get us back to the waypoint tried to take us on gravel roads, which was Mt. Moriah Rd.  Then it tried another and another finally we got onto Bloomingdale-Smithfield Chanel.  This added 20 miles.   We then went through Steubenville and over the bridge.  Once we were over the bridge the GPS wanted us to go back (assuming it wanted to hit a waypoint)  so we turned and went over a grated metal bridge ( Market Street Bridge)  that was very scary because of it grabbing the wheels.  Once we went that way the GPS seemed to say to go back, so we did a loop and back over the grated bridge.  We stopped for lunch to relax and figure out why was were so off.   Was a great place called the Station

Tappen Lake

Grill in Wellsburg, WV.  We then figured to get back on track it was 27 to 844, this takes us into Washington, PA where we connected to 136.  In Monongahela, we missed our turn over a bridge on 136 so we had to do a turn around.  We were on the till we came to 31 and the eventually 30.

  

Classic American Diner in Breezewood, PA                   
  As we got closer to Caledonia State Park I started worrying about bears  The woods seemed so dense and thick.  They assured us the office that they had no problems with bears.  We did hear raccoon though.                      

     

6/28/17  We woke up very cold, the temp was 49   After packing up and heading out we decided to check our tires.  As Susan was down at the front tired she notices a leak, which was coolant.  So we head back into Chambersburg to a Honda shop.  We find a nice Resturant for breakfast ( which had only been open for 3 days), Chriss.  Then headed over to the cycle shop.  So as they fixed her bike we headed out to find some coffee, duh we went the wrong way so we shopped at a dollar store.

They also added coolant to my bike.  

We headed to Gettysburg and enjoyed our time there driving around.  

 We went to the museum to watch a video about Gettysburg and the cost was more than we wanted to pay.    So we head into town for lunch found a nice little place called Pings Cafe

 We did another duh here, we drove around the large roundabout and finally found a parking place and the sign said Parking except between 2-6.  So it was 1:15, we hurried in and ordered quick.  The sushi and salad were great, we paid early and at 2 minutes till I rush out to make sure no one was going to tow our bikes.  Oh my, I ask a resident if she knew why we couldn't park there at 2 and she said you can, looking at the sign she pointed out that is was A.M.,  wow how did we miss that.

So we take off and I am leading this time and get to Lums Pond State Park around  6;00.  George upgrades us (at no extra cost) so we can have electric to charge our phones and scalas.   Thanks, Goerge.

                                                             

  This was the only sign we could find to show the state of Delaware.

We set up and then head out for supper for crab legs.  We ate at the Tap Room in Chesapeake City

Great food!!

We rode around the beautiful, historical, little town.  Got a picture of the sunset behind the bridge.  Which we rode over to get there and back.  Once back took showers and went to bed.

6/29/17  Great sleep, was nicer temp this morning.  We do Mcd's for breakfast and gas up and head west and south.  The heat was out today but all went well we had great back roads and saw many beautiful homesteads.  I was senjoying the country so much I thought wouldn't it be great if we could find a restaurant for lunch out in the country.  Well sure enough up pops this little place in a tiny town of Lovettsville, VA,    Andys.  We both had Ruebens with no bread.  so good.  

Somehow I thought I was following the GPS but we drove over to Harpers Ferry which I had way pointed not to go that way.  Not sure why that happened.  I had chosen to go through a town called Hillsboro because we have on in OH but when I look on the map it is marked as a road is out.  That is right where my waypoint was.  Maybe the GPS figured that out.  Well we made it to Keyser WV and booked our room at the Microtel.  Went to a mexican restaurant that was not the best.    The next morning we headed out around 8.30 am.  Rt 50 is a really fun road to do, very shaded and sweeping curves.

 Sights along the way.  We hit a bit of rain and it looked pretty bad ahead so we gear up.  Stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere.  A Very pleasant man talked about how he raised his girls to be independent.

  Lunch was at a Dairy Queen in Ellenboro, WV.   I think it was the first time anyone asked for a sandwich without bread.  I had pulled pork and side salad, Susan had

ice cream.

We rode together until Circleville, she went north on 23 and I continued on 56.  I got home around 4:30.    Fun Trip!

Our trip to Little Switzerland 2017

May 3

We (Susan, Dru, Donna & I) meet up at the Speedway in South Bloomfield on rt. 23 at 10:00.  Was so cold out, about 45 if I am remembering right.  We head out going south on 23 with Susan leading. 

After our first stop for gas and a visit with a truck driver, I suggest we find some back roads because of boredom on 23.  So we put Donna in the lead since her GPS has the capability to follow curvy motorcycle roads.  

Which was great she lead us through some nice road which helped us to go around Ashland, KY, We  were looking for someplace to eat and so she found a bakery on her GPS,(wasn't on mine).  She decided to follow that route and we ended up doing a half paved half gravel tiny road, Up hill and down.

We were laughing and scared at the same time.  As soon as we came to a stop sign Susan rolled up and told her we wanted to head back to 23.  We didn't know she was going for a bakery thought it was her GPS picking out motorcycle roads.  Donna was not able to connect her Scala with our for some reason so that is why we had no idea why she was taking us on this awful road.  

  We ended up eating at the Wendy's that my parents always go to on their way down to their house in the mountains.  

Soon after that 23 becomes much more fun to ride, nice big sweeping curves.  By the end of the day, I did 323 miles.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Norton, VA. We parked our bikes under the awning in front of the smoking bench, got settled in and went to  Mi Finca Mexican for supper.    

Rosemarie joined us around 8:00 that evening.  Dru ended up moving hers and my bikes due to a grumpy smoker that gave them a hard time.  

May 4

I lead this day, we did 127 miles, we left at 8:30 so we would miss the rain that was going to hit Little Switzerland at 11:00.We got into a very scary windy patch along hwy 107 and 226.  Many limbs and leaves down on the road and blowing like crazy.  The route we took wasn't the best, I just let the GPS pick the way - 23, 58, 224, 36, 107, 226 also a section called 226A was a short cut it looks like and then back onto 226 and later, onto the Parkway.  We got in around 11;30 it started raining bad at 12:30.

Here is the gas station called North Roan Shell Food Mart, it had beer taps.  On the corner of 36 and 19W.

This how it looked around there when the fog came in.  

We had lunch and then supper on our own there at the Little Switzerland Resturant.  Registration was not until 5:00 so we just hung around and visited the shops down the road and found a wonderful dinner that we did lunch at for the next two days.  Played dominoes that night was fun.

May 5

Woke to a cold and foggy morning.  Had breakfast with the MM and then a talk or two.  

After lunch  Susan, Donna and I went on a ride up the Parkway.  

Was a nice ride, funny thing that happened was Susan was leading and we passed a waterfall,  Susan and I missed it but Donna was able to stop and get a picture.  Susan and I went up to the next Overlook to turn around and as we were turning I said:  " good time to practice our slow turnarounds"  I look up and Susan somehow had gotten the frame of her bike stuck up on the curb/ sidewalk and the back tire was spinning.  It scared the crap our of me I dismounted as fast as I could.  She was gunning it for some reason and eventually, it came off.  We checked it out and only scraps on the bottom of the frame so we head on back to meet Donna at the waterfall.  Well, we took so long Donna thought we weren't coming back so she passed us, and then waited until we checked out the waterfall and headed back to her.   Took a little break to tell what happened.  Susan did really well, it didn't seem to upset her nerves at all.,  

Back at Moxie we had our free drinks and cheese and heard of what others in our group had done that day.  

May 6

Was a bummer we didn't go out and ride this day at all because of expecting rain all day.  It was cold but the rain was on and off till around 5:00 then a downpour.  Here this was International Ride day.  We sat around putting puzzles together and playing Yahtzee.

Dinner was really good and then speakers until 10:00

Starting at the left Tina, Gerry, Rosemarie, Dru, Margaret, Susan, me, Pam and Donna.  Nice bunch of ladies.  

May 7

So we had breakfast and then got ready and headed out.  With the plans to do The Snake we thought we should head out early.  When doing the back roads you just don't know how long it will take.  Rosemarie chose to ride on her own straight to our hotel so she left later and heard all the speakers.  

Being Sunday morning the Mast store in, Valle Crucis NC,  was closed but we got a picture of our stop.  

The Snake was great, a lot of sweeping and tight twisties.  

We stopped at Castlewood for lunch and great little place.  We all loved it, everyone was so friendly. 

We made it to Prestonsburg KY., in good time we landed around 4:30.  Rosemarie makes it in soon after and we ordered pizza and had a good relaxing time visiting.  Also talking about our ride the next day.  

May 8

We took off around 9:30, again Rosemarie wanted to wait till warmer weather so she chose to ride on her own.  She is a good rider and she has a lot of experience riding on her own.  I always feel bad when that happens but we are all strong women and we know we can ride alone.  We rode 23 to Louisa and then Dru broke off so she could get home sooner.  Donna, Susan and I decided to do the back roads. 

We did the 152 great motorcycle road took it into Huntington.  We ate lunch there close to the Marshall University at Sabatino's Sandwich Kitchen.  Then crossed the river and took 775 to 141 which were also great riding roads.  Went on up to Rio Grand and Susan took 35 to 23 home but Donna and I continued on back roads.  160 was a great road took it close to McCarther and then 93 up to 56 and took that to 38 for me and Donna to 42 on home.  

What a trip I hope I will always remember the good times and great friendships.  We really had no bad times even with the rain and cold.  Thanks to everyone for the pictures.  I forgot my camera so got the shots off of FB.