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2 Women, 2 bikes, 17 States, 5 Provinces, 23 riding days, 11870 KM

As we wind down this short home town visit, we are sad to leave but looking forward to heading Cape Cod, Massachusetts. We need to send a big thanks to my parents for being great hosts!

This is where I grew up and our favorite breakfast spot to go to when in NY, Maureen's in Smithtown. The restaurant has a cow fetish and this is also my parents home away from home and the reason they do not understand why we subject ourselves to the elements on a motorcycle.


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My partner refers to where I grew up in Stony Brook, Long Island as a "Snow Globe Village" and I tend to agree with her. Located about an hour and a half from NY on the north shore of Long Island. Here is a pic of the local post office and on every hour the Bald Eagle flaps it's wings!

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THIS IS WHERE WE MAILED 16 POUNDS OF CLOTHING AND OTHER STUFF BACK HOME. WE OVER PACKED AND HAVE LEARNED A LESSON FOR NEXT TRIP!


My family is shy and did not want a lot of pics posted of them for fear of becoming too famous!
 
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Thanks for posting, Leslie. Very enjoyable. I can't imagine going through that heat.

Now, about Browning, Montana. This topic comes up here, from time to time.

Browning is in the middle of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and I have passed through it and stopped there many times. While I don't think it's dangerous to drive or ride through it, my practise is not to fuel up there, as I find the locals don't like seeing fancy German flashbikes at their pumps. I have been told by the locals that you have to be careful which bars you go into, but this is probably a non issue for most riders.

In any event, there is no reason to stop there, as there is lots of accomodation and fuel in the vicinity.

I once had a rear tire delaminate just north of Browning, and we could hear it going pap pap pap pap, with the window open. On the way through town, my wife said: "aren't you going to change that tire?", and I replied: "Not in Browning...." :D

But Highway 89 is one of the best routes around, so eventually you'll have to transit the place.

P.S. I love the Olds!
 
July 28th 2010 - Departure day from NY

Woke up to my motherÔÇÖs famous egg sandwich after a miserable nightÔÇÖs sleep because my parents like to keep their house with a/c on at 80 degrees. Just kidding mom & dad.

Got packed up and ready to go at about 0800 and headed east on Long Island in the very humid, crappy weather ÔÇ£quote CherylÔÇØ, to Orient Point. We caught the Cross Island Ferry to New London, CT.

The loading area for the ferry.


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Not our ferry but the fast passenger one to CT.

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About an hour and 20 minutes. We seem to be drawing a lot of attention from folks who think we are crazy once they find out where we are from and what we are doing. However, it worked to our advantage when an elderly ferry crew member thought our bikes were cool and let us off first.

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Crossing the Long Island Sound was smooth and peaceful and so many people having a need to chat with us about what we were doing, our bikes and again how crazy we were...

Once off the ferry we headed north to our destination of Middleboro, MA on Cape Cod. Rode through small towns in Connecticut, Rhode Island and then arrived on the Cape. Weather, which we are so over the humidity and heat was HUMID, HOT, a high of 93 Fahrenheit or 31.5 Celsius and Hazy of course. Made the short ride of 286 km minus the ferry seem long.
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Thanks for posting, Leslie. Very enjoyable. I can't imagine going through that heat.

Now, about Browning, Montana. This topic comes up here, from time to time.

Browning is in the middle of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and I have passed through it and stopped there many times. While I don't think it's dangerous to drive or ride through it, my practise is not to fuel up there, as I find the locals don't like seeing fancy German flashbikes at their pumps. I have been told by the locals that you have to be careful which bars you go into, but this is probably a non issue for most riders.

In any event, there is no reason to stop there, as there is lots of accomodation and fuel in the vicinity.

I once had a rear tire delaminate just north of Browning, and we could hear it going pap pap pap pap, with the window open. On the way through town, my wife said: "aren't you going to change that tire?", and I replied: "Not in Browning...":D

interesting...we heard worse stories but then again speculation....safe to say Browning is just not going to be on our GPS as a destination:dunno
 
July 28th 2010 con't

Once we set up our tent we headed off on my bike, to Plymouth, MA to see Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II. The Thermarest Pads we bought are so handy and worth every dime. They make even the most unforgiving surface tolerable....

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we got this whole tenting thing down to a science and it is a piece of cake to set up now.

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Cheryl in her LDComfort Underwear! LOVE THIS STUFF.....works great and never really begins to smell!

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Yep it is a rock all right and really small.

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Before we saw the rock a really nice couple let us park behind their car so we would not have to pay for parking. They were bikers in their day. Had a bite to eat at this little take out joint called Pebbles, took pics and headed back to camp.

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Got back to camp, I SKYPED with my parents for a little while as Cheryl wondered about and moved our bikes under some trees. Also, Cheryl made sure all of our gear would be safe and dry. Good chance of a thunderstorm passing through tonight. Oh yeah we got to test out our new Cardo G4 intercom set. Different than our Scala Q2 but work really well with the MP3 and once we got used to how to chat, need to wait when activated they were pretty clear. Love the stereo speakers.

Tomorrow we were off to Maine to see how far north we can get. Going to stop in for coffee with some old friends from my neighbourhood when growing up.
 
July 29th 2010

I know it sounds as though all we are doing is complaining about the weather but we have to be honest about the east coast humidity. Last night we slept in what we believe to be 90% humidity and 80 degrees. We both slept not a whole lot and had a long day ride. In any case it was fun to be back in a tent and out of the road. We left camp really early around 0630 to head towards Boston. We got to Boston right at rush hour and Cheryl did not feel like stopping. Needless to say bad timing on our part but we did get to see the skyline etc.

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Around this time we were starving and decided to eat at a Diner’s, Drive In’s and Dives. These restaurants are featured on the Food Network show and we downloaded many on to our GPS. Found a great little diner called The Little Depot Diner in Peabody, MA. Web site: www.thelittledepotdine.com .

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There we met the owner Judy Miles and her sister Terri and a man named Bill. Had a great breakfast, great conversations and in the end Bill bought us breakfast. Now that was what this is all about. Meeting interesting folks who are interested in what we are doing and generosity. Highly recommend this place and hope others will check them out. Thank you Judy, Terri and Bill.

After the diner we again headed north to Cape Porpoise Maine to visit an old neighbour I haven't seen in 19 years. Brief stay but it's about quality not quantity.



Back on the bikes in 90 degree + weather and humidity of course to try and get to Bar Harbour Maine but no go. We ran out of time and steam. Ended up in Boothbay and it is so quaint. Had lobster rolls at the Lobster Dock right on the water. Awesome and we got our lobster.

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YUMMY! warm with butter!

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Rode around the town on my bike and checked out the scene, bought beer, had ice cream and headed back to camp. The humidity is gone and it feels like we are going to even have to snuggle tonight as it is cooling down nicely. Beautiful camp ground, Shore Hills Campground.

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View from our site!

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Nice sunset and so cool out!


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without humidity makes for a great day of riding!


Hung out by the fire, drinking a beer or two and planning our route back west. We were thinking Bar Harbour is a must. 2 hours from here and then after that we will start our journey heading west.
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Video from Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park

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July 30th 2010

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Woke up to day 14 bright an early on the 30th after a good night sleep...finally! The weather is so much more tolerable and very pleasant. Packed up the tent and the gear as usual, Cheryl is so organized ...thank GOD! We are masters at unpacking, setting up and breaking down now. That is what this trip is also about, getting to know what works and what doesnÔÇÖt. We headed out for another Food Network restaurant for breakfast at the A1 Diner, 3 Bridge Street Gardiner, ME 04345 (207) 582-4804. Another small dive but great food!

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Cheryl's little mascot!

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Great Hash!

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Started to head north to Bar Harbour with our bellies full. Finding good food has not been too hard on this trip. As we were riding along on this beautiful morning I made a comment to Cheryl that she has been doing such a great job being creative with the GPS and about 5 minutes later...a ÔÇ£dead endÔÇØ sign appeared.

Not far out of Boothbay our GPS took us off road. We first thought it was going to be a short cut but then realized after we started down this ÔÇ£roadÔÇØ it would soon be a mistake. It was a really rough terrain ATV of some sort road. Turned out to be a really uneven, boulder ridden muddy single track road. My bike was smacking up against rocks and bottoming out. Needless to say I stopped and after an hour of Cheryl and me trying to turn our bikes around we got out and headed back to pavement. Cheryl said I wanted more off road. Well, she gave it to us. Unedited video!

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July 30th 2010 con't

After getting back on the right track we rode and saw some beautiful scenery on the way to Bar Harbour.


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Cheryl kept asking where the ocean was because we were not seeing it from the road. Another great weather wise day and we got to Bar Harbour early enough to go up Cadillac Mountain, drive the loop, walk around downtown Bar Harbour and have dinner.

Cadillac Mountain View

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Many BEERS on this trip!

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Very quaint town but both Cheryl and I are feeling a bit partial to our own west coast especially for fun riding. In any case, this has been an opportunity of a life time and to see the Atlantic shore New England style has been an awesome experience.

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July 30th 2010 con't

Got back to camp and roasted marshmallows and took a walk around the campground. Everyone has their dogs with them. That makes me miss ours but to tell you the truth, they are in such good hands with our house sitters, Taylor and Dave it is bearable. All tucked in around 2200 hrs and off to sleep we went.

Bar Harbor sunset

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July 31st 2010

Our day started once again really early. I woke up at 0540 and took a walk around camp and watched the sunrise.

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When I came back Cheryl had camp almost entirely broken down. We were packed up by 0700 this day and we headed it. Great night to sleep yet again, and a cool start to the day. Had a bite to eat, what I can say we need to eat, and headed towards New Hampshire.

The BITE to eat and for the life of us we can not remember the name of this in the middle of nowhere restaurant. Just remembered, this restaurant was called the HARDWOOD STEAK HOUSE. It was a newly looking log cabin building all by itself and the food was all massive and cheap!

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Leaving Maine was sad just because it meant we were really heading home. I think the both of us are truly appreciating what we are able to do and just enjoying being able to ride together like this. We work well as a team and we are so glad we got new intercoms because it just wouldn’t work without them. Cheryl is amazing with the GPS and today we were able to ride some beautiful back country roads and even got on some dirt. Our tires we happy.

Once we got into NH, I saw a sign for Mount Washington. Although we did not plan riding up this massive North East mountain we did. $28 for both bikes to ride up an 8 mile road to the summit of Mount Washington in the White Mountains. The road has 35% unpaved and no shoulders whatsoever. Tight for cars and challenging for bikers as we had to keep control at very slow speeds all the way up.

The valley was warm and clear and the summit was in the clouds and it was 40 degrees F. Not unusual for this mountain to be in the clouds. You can hike, take the train or drive up to the summit of Mt. Washington, 6,288-feet.

These mountains are near and dear to my heart. I worked for the Appalachian Mountain Club while in University in their Hut system. http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/whit...huts/index.cfm


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The Cog Railway is one of the world's great railway adventures. The track runs up a three mile-long trestle with a maximum gradient of over 37%, making it the second-steepest mountain climbing train in the world and the only one entirely built on a trestle.

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July 31st 2010 con't

Being back after so many years was so good. Just wish we had more time to explore the National Forest but at least we got on top of the world in the Northeast. This little detour put us behind schedule. We rode and rode but did not make it to Lake Placid as planned and our itinerary was changing day by day.

We ended up in Morrisville, VT at a motel.

Before turning in for the night I was starving as usual. So desperate I almost had Cheryl buy us food from a gas station where their burger meat was gray. After Cheryl pointed this out to me we walked out. Did not feel like we should kill ourselves with food poisoning. Some nice lady outside heard us trying to figure out where to get a meal in the middle of nowhere and she pointed us in the direction of the Mooselook Restaurant. BIG home cook meals and cheap! Nice dinner we both had and some very weird and interesting folks eating at this dive.

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Thought we would give ourselves a break but to be honest motels or hotels are not worth the money. We are showered again and getting ready to head out to Canada tomorrow.

Goal for the next day was to get to Ottawa so we both could see the capital of Canada and where the RCMP headquarters are located. Once again, great riding and I think today was the best as far as scenery and weather combined.
 
Dirt roads between NH and VT

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August 1st, 2010

We left Morrisville, VT early to head to Ottawa, Ontario to see Parliament Hill. Basically that is all we did all day was ride however, Cheryl made the GPS take us to some really cool "short cuts" via dirt country roads. Nothing too technical but fun nonetheless. The dirt roads would just pop up randomly and we took them...no issues with the quality of the roads like when the GPS took us to a dead end and a road we could not ride.

Just some poser pics!

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We stopped somewhere in New York soon after we crossed over from VT to NY and before we re-entered Canada. Yes, we are going up and down. In any case we stopped at a gas station and across the street was this church. Next to the church was a tree with 3 Peregrine Falcon fledglings. Because I am a raptor lover, this was wayyyyyyyyyyyyy cool to see. They were playing, preening and flying around. Just love their calls! Did not see the adults but the kids were good enough for me.

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After the church pit stop we headed to Ottawa. Ottawa is a beautiful city except around the Parliament Sussex Drive was not a paved road. All rock and dirt and dust. Seems weird they would tear up the road during the height of the tourist season. We did not see Stephen Harper but we did see where he hangs out and it was gorgeous. I pulled up right in front of the building in the sidewalk. Cheryl was like "NOOOOOO" there are RCMP all over. I said "YESSSSSS" I am getting a picture. There is no stopping in front and we did not want to park. We jumped the curb and put the kick stand down, got the pics and before anyone could say anything we were gone!

Here are two of my pics!

Notice the RCMP Cruiser!

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After this photo op we took off for Renfrew, Ontario. We had to go through Quebec and that was interesting as we both have never been there. We did not see anything really but was there long enough to know and see that English is nowhere. No English signs all French. People did speak English to us though. Short ride through this Province and we ended up in Renfrew at another KOA cabin. BBQ beans and chili in their cans and had dinner. Hung out for awhile and then off to sleep. Cheryl passed out and was snoring in a matter if minutes.

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Video - Take a little Tour of Ottawa!

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August 2nd, 2010 - RAINED OUT!

This was a day to make up time and ride 647 km to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The day started out really well for about 4 hours. The last 4 were miserable as it poured on us for hours. We were shy of our destination by 150 km and decided it was getting dangerous. We could not see because our shields were wet on the inside and we were getting wet.

Cheryl's low beam light bulb blew out (about 17000 km) the other day and riding in this heavy rain with just a high beam is not safe. Stopped at a motel and there is where our day ended. Better weather predicted tomorrow and it too will be a long riding day and back to the States.

Get the point about rain? We did stay dry and the gear did well!

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August 3rd, 2010

After being rained out on the 2nd, shortened our ride by 150 KM we called it quits and stayed in a motel outside Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in Blind River. Woke up to pouring rain but the radar showed it was a passing storm.

So, we had a late start but at least it was in a drizzle not buckets and rode to Michigamme, Michigan. Not too eventful of a day other then we decided to take the bikes off the pavement and do many kilometers off road on farm/country roads. That was fun in the drizzle and a great change of scenery. No traffic, no tar, no people just us. The ride was not technically challenging but nonetheless, good enough for us. However, when we do deviate like this it takes more time but well worth it. It also is physically challenging because of all the standing we have to do to keep the bikes balanced. Again, well worth the different way of getting to another destination.

Tried to add a song to my video but You Tube muted it!:banghead

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We crossed over to the States at the Bridge to the USA around Sault Ste. Marie. The line up was crazy long and it was hot. We took pics along the way as we slowly got to customs. Took about 1 ?¢ hours to get there. While waiting all the cars were obviously running their a/c and there was a ton of coolant on the bridge.

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Cheryl slipped on some and unfortunately laid her bike down on its side. No harm done to Cheryl or her bike. Just goes to show you how careful we must be at all times and even the slightest bit of grease, oil or coolant on the road could be such a hazard to a biker. We picked the bike up and off we went slowly to the border. With nothing to declare we were through in two seconds after waiting all that time.

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August 3rd, 2010 con't

The ride to Michigamme was simple and long but we got there in one piece. Had a few beers, cooked roast beef and cheese sandwiches on the fire, met a guy named Tom who was heading to Sturgis. Tom told us he was anti-technology and did not like all the gadgets we brought along. Cheryl and I politely listened but were like "whatever dude".

The owner of this campground rides bikes and is very biker friendly.

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August 5th 2010 - No real pics

Both is us got a decent sleep last night for the first time in awhile. I woke up early as usual and while hanging out around the cabin I watch rabbits running around and heard a juvenile Bald Eagle calling out. Along this trip I have also been able to see many of my favourite raptors. Ospreys, Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Hawks and a bunch of other birds. Raptors are my passion not CherylÔÇÖs but she does at times point them out if I havenÔÇÖt seen them first.
Started out around 0900 for a long straight ride on Highway 2. Nothing too exciting to report other than we had a lot of time to just ride and think. Saw some really beautiful sunflower fields but as Cheryl would say, ÔÇ£you could watch your dog run for daysÔÇØ in this part of the country. Had lunch in DevilÔÇÖs Lake, known to be the geographical center of North America in North Dakota. Who knew...but now we do.

Weather was very comfortable throughout the entire day. Low to mid 70ÔÇÖs and no humidity. What a difference when you are riding in nothing but sun. All I kept thinking about was how fast this trip has gone by and how I wish we had another month to head down to Colorado. I am feeling fortunate to have had this opportunity and the more people we talk to the more we are told how far we have gone in such a short period of time. At times it has felt like a marathon, but this trip was about reaching goals each day and being able to make it to Long Island and back.

Forgot to mention we had to buy Cheryl a new low beam bulb, H ÔÇô 7 55 watt bulb that we bought at Napa. We first stopped off at a Harley dealer in Marquette, Wisconsin and they pointed us to Napa. Nice guys at that Harley dealership. We bought an extra bulb as a backup. Now Cheryl is back up and running brightly.

Our Heidenau K60 tires still have plenty of tread on them to take us all the way. We have put about 12000 km on them. Our bikes other than being dirty from bug kill are doing great. Speaking of kill, I am so tired and saddened by all the raccoons, skunks and birds we see dead. The raccoons are almost always in pairs, like a male and female or a baby. Breaks my heart.

So, we are now hoping to start heading a bit northwest and would like to get to Banff by Saturday. It is about 13 hours from Minot. Coming into our final stretch and we will try to make the best of it. We are both not even close to being sick of riding or our bikes.
 
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