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Down The Road I Go...

I rode around for a while trying to find a good spot for a picture but it was impossible to get away from traffic. I was almost crushed by a cab driver that felt that I would just HAVE to lose the merge despite 75% of my bike being out front of his bumper. As he came over at me I looked at him and he just stared at me as he continued to push me into the next lane. Luckily, the next lane had enough space to accept me. If I'd been wearing my MX boots, he'd need to replace his headlight.

Whaddya expect from a NYC hack? :hack:
You're a brave person for riding thru Manhattan. :hail:

Great pics. Your nieces and nephews are precious.
 
Which was where again? I know you've told me at least once already. Of course you recognized the ferry ride - but I goofed and left the tracker with the bikes down below deck. No signal got out as we crossed Would have been cool to see the blips continue up across the LI Sound.

If you traversed Long Island on the L.I.E., I grew up around exit 61.;-) The Lake Ronkonkoma area.

I'm not sure if you'd been out to the north fork of Long Island before, but it's big wine country now.:eat2:
 
I sent you a PM Becca. I didn't know that you were on the road though. Awesome trip. It was trips like these that burnt themselves into my memories.
 
I glad to see his auntie is at least providing him with wholesome reading material. :lol2:

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Day 8

I was almost crushed by a cab driver that felt that I would just HAVE to lose the merge despite 75% of my bike being out front of his bumper. As he came over at me I looked at him and he just stared at me as he continued to push me into the next lane. Luckily, the next lane had enough space to accept me. If I'd been wearing my MX boots, he'd need to replace his headlight.

Hahaha!
Hey pal, welcome to Noo Yawk!
:mrgreen:
 
Thanks guys and gals - if it wasn't for this being a "birthday ride" I'd have waited a few more weeks until things up north started to look more like spring than winter.

I was on the road going solo on this day last year as well. I think I might make it a tradition. Lots of things to look back on from the past year and things to ponder in my helmet about the future. It's a good day for a ride. :rider:

Oh, and another late start being lazy and getting caught up...
 
oh? do tell:trust:

Last year my bday fell on the tail end of CheapSTOC, which is why I broke from the group and did my own thing. No offense, I love riding with all of you, but solo is just a different experience.

...and one I'm starting to enjoy.
 
Day 10
May 5th

Leaving my family is always difficult, but this time I wasn't being driven back to the airport for a quick flight home. Home would be almost a week away - hopefully - and the journey would have a few milestones to write home about.

Gas prices on Long Island are the highest I've seen the entire trip. Is it something with NY taxes, or just greedy station owners that are trying to squeeze every penny out of the seemingly well-to-do suburban dwellers?

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I hopped on the Long Island Expressway and took the HOV lane until it ended, It didn't get me past traffic, but it kept a wider cushion between me and the crazy cagers.

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After leaving I495 on the east end, the landscape morphed into countryside - wineries and asparagus farms abound. I passed Pindar, a local wine producer that I know my sister has always liked, but there was no way I'd be able to carry a bottle the rest of the way without breaking or mutilating it.

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Land gave way to water, and soon it was on both sides of the rooadway as I headed all the way out to Orient Point.

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I arrived at the Cross Sound Ferry in time to buy my ticket, take a few pictures, then board for the hour plus ride up to New London, CT.

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Once parked, we were not permitted back down to the parking deck. I later thought that I should have brought the SPoT tracker upstairs with me to have the "blips" continue across the water. Oh well, next time.

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It was a beautiful day for a boat ride. The water was mostly calm, the birds were hovering overhead, and the sun warmed everything it touched.

I grabbed an egg sandwich and some apple juice from the on-board cafeteria, then settled wandered the ferry decks looking for interesting things to take pictures of.

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New London, CT

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Spank says he's got a cough now. I shouldn't have left him down there with all the cars and fumes.

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I wasn't able to get a picture of any "Welcome to Connecticut" signs because we crossed over the state line somewhere in the water. I did notice that CT smelled like cedar. Maybe that's just my imagination.

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Before too long I was crossing into Rhode Island.

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The "Ocean State" - ok, now I gotta pee.

The people in Rhode Island are rude, or at least the few that I met were. I stopped at a gas station to fill up and use the ladies room - but was told there wasn't one available to the public. Even for paying customers? "No restroom" was his repeated response.

Ok, so I went up the road to the next one and there was a sign on the door that there were no facilities. I don't see how the cashier puts up with that...

The third station didn't have a sign on the door and I spotted the powder room in the back. The door was open so I snuck in despite the "Employees Only" sign. Hey, it's not like I had to go through a stock room to get to it, but I reaaaaally had to go! I came back out, refreshed s ever, and proceeded to buy $5 worth of overpriced drinks and snacks as a sign of my appreciation. As I got to the counter, the woman behind it looked up at me, wwalked around the counter to the bathroom, and closed and locked the door from the outside. She came back up front and rung me up, told me to have a nice day (all the while giving me "the look") and I left.

Hey lady, would you rather I just drop trou behind your store?

Onward I go, past Purgatory

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Through Massachussets, which I didn't see a sign for, but it smelled like pine trees. Or maybe Pinesol. Is it state-wide spring cleaning day?

Into New Hampshire I go.

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Chugging along, I kept my GPS zoomed in so I would know when the crossing into Maine was coming up. I wanted to be ready! A I approached, I realized this would be another state border created by water. The bridge neared.

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Did you see that? I bet you didn't. It said State Line - Maine - Vacationland.

Here's a close-up:

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I was disappointed. I'd come all this way to get the sign and THAT was it?

I was (slightly) relieved when I got to the end of the bridge and found this, a larger sign welcoming me to the far northeast state. But there was also a small sign next to it that prevent a better picture.

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Living in New York for most of my formative years, I'd traveled repeatedly to Vermont and New Hampshire for family vacations, skiing, hiking, and general "get away from the city" vacations, but I'd never stepped foot in Maine until now. As minor an occurrence it is for most, it was a big deal for me. I was smiling from ear to ear, the sense of accomplishment was almost overwhelming. I'd done it. And the naysayers (you know who you are) can all kiss my big, tired, sore behind.

I found a gas station with decent food and beverage offerings to grab some dinner and make a plan for the night. My sister and I have a friend from college that lives somewhere in Vermont, so I called her to get his address and phone number. I left him a message and headed his way.

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I wasn't able to reach him but left a message with my ETA around dark:thirty. As I rode through southern New Hampshire, the setting sun was directly in my face and I put my sunglasses on under an already tinted visor.

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Both are polarized. Now I couldn't see the GPS screen. DOH!

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My shadow grew longer as it followed me west

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I stayed on Hwy 4 and Hwy 9, which were fun. I spotted a Moose crossing sign but didn't get the camera out in time - but moose this far south? Really?

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I found a small bridge traversing the creek/river I'd been following

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And had to be VERY careful riding on and parking in the thick layer of sand that had accumulated on the roadway over the winter.

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It sure is beautiful up here

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Vermont! I'd crossed over on another bridge, then caught the sign on the other side.

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I rode up the unpaved street and into his driveway, but Keith wasn't answering the phone or the door. I called my sister, the coordinator, to see if I was at the right house. Just as she reached for her cell phone to check his number two cars pulled into the driveway. Keith! ":long time no see!"

It had been years, literally. We determined the last time I saw him was at my sister's wedding back in 2001. Since then he'd moved up here to a small town just outside Brattleboro, VT and was working from home. Ah, the life.

I was afraid my last-minute overnight request might have been interfering with his plans, but he and his friend Bryan assured me they were just planning on hanging out for the night and that I was a welcome addition.

I guess they needed someone to beat at darts.

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I'm glad I could fill that void.

Our old friend George showed up and we talked for hours about the past - good times, bad times, strange times. We eventually made our way out back and built a fire in the pit.

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And as every proper Vermont homeowner should, Keith has a hot tub and coaxed us in. I made do with some Under Armour shorts and a shirt and relaxed away the miles. I must have been in there over an hour, my hands looked like prunes!

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New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine
406 miles
One HUGE milestone, and the turning point towards home again

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What beautiful pictures. It is nice to see that you have your birthday priorities in the right order! Happy Birthday! You go girl!!

Delores
 
Day 11
May 5th

Cinco de Mayo. Just another day, but this one started late. I woke up at the not-so-early hour of 9:30, but I stayed in bed listening to the sound of the birds chirping in the mountain air and the dog chasing the cat through the hallway. Keith's house is the perfect mountain retreat, and his offer to "stay a few days, the road can wait" was all too tempting.

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I caught up on some postings from the weekend and sorted out my pictures, then packed up the bike once again. I said goodbye to Abby with a game of catch in the yard, then thanked Keith for his hospitality. I tried to convince him to come down to Houston sometime, but I don't think he was going for it.

"Free pool tonight at the bar within walking distance!"

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He couldn't convince me to stay, but I can't blame him for trying. I was very tempted.

Down the road I go...

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Unfortunately he had some work to do and couldn't break away for lunch, but he had recommended the Vermont Country Deli just a few miles through town.

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Brattleboro, Vermont. A quaint little town that, according to Keith, has everything you'd want without the sprawl of an urban city.

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I had intended to get breakfast (despite it being well past noon) but the baked three cheese macaroni caught my eye. I got a half pound with a fresh baked roll and some coffee.

Hwy 9 was also highly recommended as a scenic alternative to the interstate system.

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I concur!

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100-mile lookout. The day was clear enough to see what this great Earth had to offer.

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Slowing down through each town that appeared, this caught my eye.

MOOOOOSE!

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And this had me thinking of my sister. (Hey Nicole, what do you have planned for June 7th?)

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Welcome (back) to New York! This time I was entering on land instead of by bridge/tunnel as I had down in the city.

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Spank agrees, this is a HUGE state that not may people realize stretches as far as it does. We'd be spending the rest of the day just getting across it.

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And cross it we did. With the sun shining, it was almost warm with my jacket liner in. I was able to ride with mesh pants without even a hint of a chill.

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Albany. New York's state capital. Like most states, the capital is not the primary city but houses the gub-ment entities and has its fair share of towering office buildings.

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I was on the New York Thruway, but I didn't want to be - so I wandered off. Another $1.20 toll (New England sure gets ya on toll roads and crossings) and I was free and wandering the Catskill region. Instead of following a set route, I turned off the GPS navigation setting and opted instead to follow the lines that looked twisty and went in a general southwesterly direction.

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Game Farm Road. It was shaded by the tree canopy and just what I was looking forward to.

Until this.

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So I backtracked and found some other squiggly lines, but this time I scooted the screen over a bit to make sure they went all the way through.

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Glamorous, ain't I? LOL

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Chasing the sun. I have a feeling I'll be doing this just about every afternoon until I get home.

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I made my way through Woodstock and wanted a picture of something cute and "hippy" with my bike, but it wasn't like I'd expected. It's turned into yuppy art studios and little sidewalk cafes. I'm sure everything is overpriced and the hippys of yester-year are baby boomers trying to squeeze every penny out of their 401k plans.

I decided Binghampton was as good a stopping point as any for the night, so I pointed the GPS to it and kept following the squiggles. I found Hwy 28, which has a 40+ mile stretch from Delhi to Deposit that I would LOVE to ride over and over again!

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The road twists and turns over water and between mountains as it makes its way through a valley. Curves are posted between 35 and 55 mph, and although the road surface leaves much to be desired, I found my groove and started to (finally) scrub off some of the rubber on the sides of my tires. It was invigorating! If it hadn't been so late in the day, I probably would have turned around and done the section again. The elevation was around me - but it went up, not down. The curves weren't tight enough to make me nervous, and there was very little traffic to deal with.

I was in heaven.

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After Deposit, I made my way via Hwy 17 into the sleepy college town of Binghampton. I hadn't expected to be in this area, so I had to stop at a gas station to load the GPS basemap. It's one of the few downsides to the Quest I have, but since I road trip with a computer it's not much of a problem, just an inconvenience.

The bugs made sure I'd need to pull over to change out my visor anyway.

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Vermont, New York
286 wonderfully lazy miles

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Awesome report so far. Looks like you'll have a bunch of crap weather to deal with for the next day or two or three. :storm: Good luck! :rider:
 
Very cool trip. How did you attach the ammo cans for panniers?
 
Awesome report so far. Looks like you'll have a bunch of crap weather to deal with for the next day or two or three. :storm: Good luck! :rider:

Wow.. no kidding. I just clicked on the national radar after reading your post and it looks like a whole bunch of green with a some spots of red and yellow. Well, at least Squeaker will get her gear washed for free again!:rider:
 
Wow.. no kidding. I just clicked on the national radar after reading your post and it looks like a whole bunch of green with a some spots of red and yellow. Well, at least Squeaker will get her gear washed for free again!:rider:

Yeah, tell me about it. I got an early start to try and make up some time today, but the weather is keeping the speed down and the frustration level up. I found a quiet little corner store for breakfast, so while I'm here I have to let some soapy water sit on my visor to try and make it not fog up as much.

At least it's not too cold.

Yet.
 
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