Heading Northeast

[ibike2havefun]

Day 1, 1920 hrs

It's been a good day. After a short round of golf with the neighbor and a brief flurry of household chores, it was time to load up and head out, which I did around 11:30. Being a short day (145 miles) that was okay.

I forgot to attend to two minor details before leaving: reset trip odometer B, and a pre-departure photo. Oh well.

Sticking exclusively to secondary roads enabled me to miss a bunch of traffic, enjoy shade-dappled country lanes, and generally relax. For the first ten miles it seemed Google was certain I needed block-by-block confirmations ("Stay straight here... and here... and *here* too") but it eventually quieted down and left me in peace.

Being a belt-and-suspenders sort, I printed the entire trip and have all 17 pages in my tank bag. Where there was disagreement between print and online I stayed with the print version and left it to Google to reroute and keep up. Almost three pages are now behind me.

I eventually left the familiar roads of Maryland in the rear view, and worked my way into the Amish country around Lancaster. There were many families in buggies headed various places, and several farmers working the land with horse or mule teams.

Two things prevented me from stopping for a photo. One was the weather forecast, which had mentioned afternoon thunderstorms along my route and at camp. I really wanted to make hay (or more accurately, miles) while the sun shone.

The other reason was respect and consideration for the people themselves. It isn't my intent to trivialize their chosen way of life by turning it into a tourist attraction. So you will just have to believe me when I tell you what I saw.

In fact, you are unlikely to see photos at all until I get home. My digi-cam and phone both produce images too large to upload here, so I have to get back to my computer to resize them before posting.

Home sweet home, be it ever so humble. This was before the rain threatened and I elected to spread the blue tarp over top of the rain fly.

Taking a page from the HPPants playbook, I stopped a few miles short of camp for groceries. Wally World sold me a thick cut New York Strip cut of Angus, which cooked up perfectly over a small campfire. It appears this fire ring and grate must be brand new- they were spotless. Were. Not so much any longer. How to properly break in a brand-new fire ring and grate:

As I was wandering around the site I discovered a well-camouflaged local denizen. In fact I spotted a couple of them, but only because they moved and drew my attention. Had they kept their nerve a bit longer they'd have gone unnoticed.

Tomorrow has no itinerary apart from morning coffee and breakfast of some sort. I may give Brutus the day off and go for a hike. Or I may lie in the tent listening to rain coming down, as Wunderground says there will be rain virtually all day, starting around 1 tonight.

Saw a funny mailbox, mounted about 15 feet in the air and labeled "Heavy snow".

 

[ibike2havefun]

Day 2, 0730 hrs

There is virtue in being aware of what is happening, or expected to happen, around you. On the plus side, looking at the weather forecast yesterday evening prompted me to decide that it would be a Good Idea if I spent the time to rig my blue tarp over top of The Rainmaker. (I dubbed this tent with that name on its maiden voyage, when it sheltered me through a deluge that had me looking to see whether Noah himself might be passing by and close enough to flag down for a lift.)

On the minus side, we had a couple light sprinkles overnight, but nothing of real substance, and a clear patch on the morning radar was enough to tempt me out to make coffee and breakfast. As I was finishing the tidying-up I noticed it was getting darker, so there was probably rain coming. Sure enough, moments later I could hear that telltale "ripping" sound as the leading edge of a torrent advanced, pouring for all it was worth on the canopy of overhead tree leaves. Another two minutes and I'd have had time to get everything secured and under cover but alas, those two minutes were denied.

Happily what I left out on the table is just cookware and utensils- nothing that can't take a good wetting. I am pleased to report that the blue tarp is doing exactly what I'd hoped it would. It's cozy and dry here inside The Rainmaker. And the rain is easing off, so I may be able to venture out soon to finish getting things squared away.

I can hear the neighbors-a collection of 25 or 30 people from five Indian families, in most of the nearby sites- chattering away under their large communal shelter so they seem at least partly undeterred by the weather. They've been here since Friday and plan to decamp today, so I expect a quiet evening.

Assuming there are more breaks later on, I may wander off for a hike. Or not, since the NWS just posted a flash flood alert for the area, lasting until noon. Glad I am not riding today.

[EDIT 6/4/2018]

It turned out that the rain forecast was entirely inaccurate. After the morning deluge passed, there wasn't any further rain but it stayed overcast all day. Around 9 I ventured out for a walk- it was too casual and modest to justify calling it a "hike"- and wandered over to the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. On my way, I noticed the lovely wild flowers next to the contact station for the campground.

I love irises.

Hopewell Furnace is a restored example of the iron-making facilities that dotted the PA countryside in the later 18th century. Hopewell itself was restored as a CCC project during the Depression and continues as a National Historic Site.

Approaching from the trail that runs through the woods, the first thing you encounter is the charcoal making area and the "collier's hut", where the person in charge of the charcoal making operation lived while tending to the process. Not exactly deluxe accommodations:

Next to the actual charcoal making area was the explanation of the process:

The rest of the site is a well-preserved and restored example of the iron-making and foundry process as it existed in those days.

It included the "cooling building", where charcoal cooled after being made:

and examples of the various wagons that hauled charcoal, iron ore, raw timber, and other materials to and from the site.

There was a brief period where they changed to an anthracite furnace but it lasted only a few years.

This is the main building with the smelter and foundry. The unpainted structure in the background houses the twin-cylinder bellows, powered by a water wheel. It made an enchanting, rhythmic groan as it operated, punctuated by the more rapid splash-splash-splash of the wheel.

Some of the employees were able to rent cottages on site, while others "commuted" from the surrounding area. The signs talk about the dirt, noise, smoke, and general hubbub that were part of the site when it was in full operation. The cottages themselves were spartan, to say the least.

Life was better, or at least more luxurious, if you happened to be the owner / ironmaster of the place:

After I wandered around for quite some time it was getting to be time to head back to camp for lunch and a nap.

After my nap and that strenuous morning I elected for an early camp dinner, which was as simple as could be:

I like this strategy: one pot, one plate, one utensil to clean. Simple, easy, and satisfying. Boil the washing up water while eating.

 

[ibike2havefun]

I live @70 miles from Rutland.

Shame on me for not thinking of this earlier. Come on over and join us for NESTOC, any or all of it. Based on my experience last year, it's a good group of people. If it weren't I'd not be making the trip this year.

Just checked my reservation and confirmed I have a double, so there's a guaranteed place to sleep if you want it.

 

[paulcb]

In fact, you are unlikely to see photos at all until I get home. My digi-cam and phone both produce images too large to upload here, so I have to get back to my computer to resize them before posting.

Use the Tapatalk app on your phone. Pics taken with your phone can be uploaded without resizing. App magic!

 

[ibike2havefun]

Use the Tapatalk app on your phone. Pics taken with your phone can be uploaded without resizing. App magic!

I tried Tapatalk once and found it not to my liking. But thanks for the idea. You'll just have to live with my amazing descriptive prose for a while longer.

 

[ibike2havefun]

If anyone is interested, my planned route is published on Spotwalla. I try to remember to start the Bubbler GPS app on my phone but am not always successful.

https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=18cbf5af230f2d489e

Stalk me if you like.

 

[ibike2havefun]

Day 3

Up about 5, hearing the splatter of water dripping from the trees overhead, but no rain. It takes about two hours of steady activity to break camp, including time to heat and eat breakfast and coffee. Knowing there were 8 to 9 hours of riding time I did not linger.

It was 57 and slightly misty all the way to Frenchtown NJ, where the aroma of coffee stopped me dead.

Frenchtown is busy trying to turn their town into a tourist destination. I wish them luck in the endeavor.

A local bank branch had a serious gnome fetish- they were all over the inside of the place.

After a quick stroll I donned an extra layer and headed on. My route cut through a corner of New York state (add another one to the map...) and by coincidence took me right past the Angry Orchard hard cider mill. Alas, they were closed. Even had it not been Memorial Day I'd probably not have stopped, because I have a firm "No alcohol while riding" policy for myself.

Arriving in Falls Village CT on schedule I stumbled across a great little cafe, The Toymaker. The sign said they'd barter food for motorcycle parts, but I am fresh out of parts for vintage British bikes or BMWs so it had to be cash.

The ambiance was a pleasant example of kitsch and eclecticism, saved from being overly cute by the theme of motorcycle-related items throughout the place.

After a tasty lunch it was onward toward my campsite in MA. Along the way I passed through Stockbridge MA of Alice's Restaurant fame, and also through Great Barrington- birthplace of W.E.B. DuBois. My chance encounters with history and fame continued in Adams, MA. whose town limits sign notes that the town was the birthplace of Susan B. Anthony.

A stop at Wally World in Adams netted dinner, breakfast, and spare tent pegs plus bungee cords, in case there is need to repeat the Blue Tarp Trick in the future.

It was a quiet night in a nearly empty campground, with the Cold River splashing 100 yards away to sing me to sleep. Tuesday will be an easy day, as I have all day to make a 3.5 hour ride.

 

[ibike2havefun]

I've started the Day 4 report four times and never finished it. I'm going to wait, now, until I get home to do the full write-up but a teaser includes beautiful scenery, fun (mostly empty) roads, and seven new states colored in on my Visited States signature map.

[EDIT 6/4- photos and story added]

Being in no hurry I deliberately broke camp late and very methodically. Instead of the two hour routine from the day before, it was a three and a half hour process. That included about a half hour of visiting with a woman who has been coming to the campground every year for about 30 or 35 years. It has reached the point that they know which specific campsite she prefers, and they hold it for her.

I finally hit the road around 9, and stopped almost immediately to look into a zipline canopy tour. Unfortunately they only run one a day and that wasn't until the afternoon, so I continued on. Another few miles down the road there are two "Scenic Massachusetts Byway" signs so I picked one of them and deviated from the plan. Why not?

It led me to the towns of Shelburne Falls and Buckland, MA, on opposite sides of a small river. In between them is the beautiful Bridge of Flowers:

They had lots of very colorful and attractive flora along the bridge.

And also a very interesting vine-turned-tree:

The waterfall was attractive, too.

And in town there were other curiosities to behold.

Then it was onward through the Massachusetts countryside.

I discovered at some point that the left low beam had burned out (again- this is the third or fourth time that's happened since I got the bike. It's time to look into replacing the headlight harness with a different one- something I am given to understand solves the problem permanently.)

Stopping at an auto parts store revealed they were fresh out of H4 bulbs but they pointed me in the direction of another store a few miles down the road- and right on my way- so it was all good. There was also a laundromat close by to the other store, and a diner right next door. Oh and a barber next to the laundromat. That was about the most productive two hour stop I've ever made, on any trip.

Entering New Hampshire I decided it was time to play with my camera, so I pulled it out and mounted it on the dash. I set it to shoot one frame every two minutes, for up to 60 frames. Here are a couple examples of what I assume are reasonably typical New Hampshire road scenes. Very pleasant riding!

Arriving in SE New Hampshire ahead of plan I went looking for a NH State liquor outlet, because I was planning to get together with another forum member for breakfast the next day and wanted to make the proper impression, with a suitable gift.

The other friend, at whose house I was staying, texted to say an early arrival was all right with them because they were ready for dinner. So I headed to their place, met the missus, and we all headed to a local eatery for dinner. It's run by a couple; he's Lebanese and she's Italian. They compromised on what sort of cuisine to offer, by serving both. And it was plenty tasty.

My hosts are regulars there, so there was a lot of visiting and exchange of family news with the owners. That's what I love about such places- the personal touch.

After dinner my buddy and I rode over to tour what little coastline NH has to offer. It was a pleasant way to finish up a great day.

 

[drtyrrel]

Shame on me for not thinking of this earlier. Come on over and join us for NESTOC, any or all of it. Based on my experience last year, it's a good group of people. If it weren't I'd not be making the trip this year.

Just checked my reservation and confirmed I have a double, so there's a guaranteed place to sleep if you want it.

Thanks for the offer but this time of the year I spend most of my days off coaching MSF classes. I don't get to take any trips until late September.

 

[paulcb]

Keith, if you get a chance, ask Alex about his high mileage ST1100. I talked to him at the IBR banquet this past summer and it was sidelined with a driveshaft problem. Curious if he's riding it again. I believe he has nearly 450k miles on it!

 

[ibike2havefun]

Keith, if you get a chance, ask Alex about his high mileage ST1100. I talked to him at the IBR banquet this past summer and it was sidelined with a driveshaft problem. Curious if he's riding it again. I believe he has nearly 450k miles on it!

Will do. He is on a Super Tenere this weekend, explaining "It was the bike I rode last and I didn't want to move all the stuff."

Having a great time so far, seeing the people I met last year and a boatload of new-to-me folks as well. Had to stop at the Honda dealer here in Rutland at the end of the ride, so another rider could have new pads installed in his rear brake. The ones he had were about paper thin, so it was time.

Lotsa pix so far; it will take a while to review, select, resize, and crop the keepers for posting.

 

[ibike2havefun]

Well I am home. Got here around 3:30, after leaving Rutland at 6. Ran into rain just after going through Harrisburg, and was wet the rest of the way. I have renewed respect for long distance riders; after the few hundred I managed today I am whacked.

Will sort through the photos and post the rest of my write up soon. But not tonight.

@paulcb : Alex still has his ST but shows little inclination to get it back into operable condition. He's gone FJR on us.

 

[ibike2havefun]

Day 5 was spent riding with my friend, from SE NH to Camden ME and then back across ME to North Conway NH where we spent the night. But before that we met another forum member for breakfast. We arrived late (sorry!) but enjoyed getting to know one another.

After breakfast we had to go back to my friend's place because he'd forgotten to apply the registration update sticker to his license tag, which had expired at the end of April. That ultimately led us to decide to slab it as far as Kittery ME, and then we hopped on Route 1 all the way to Camden. Like so many other oceanside strips, a huge amount of US 1 south of Portland is given over to tourist traps, restaurants, gas stations, amusement places, and all manner of souvenir and bric-a-brac vendors. Not very photogenic by my way of thinking, so there aren't any to share.

On arrival in Camden, we had a late lunch on the rooftop patio of a local deli. The view from there was classic Maine:

After lunch we headed for North Conway NH, where we had reservations at a classic 1960's-vintage motor lodge. The house itself dates to the 1880's but the motel court was built in 1964. It's neat and tidy and well-kept, currently run by a husband and wife team who are in a good line of business for their personalities.

I tried to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful, cool evening air but the mosquitoes ate me alive within two minutes, so it was inside for the evening. My friend went into his room when we were unloading and never re-emerged. I got a text "Gotta sleep now". and I understood perfectly.

 

[ibike2havefun]

Thursday was Day 6, and the day my friend and I planned to part ways. But first, we had a great breakfast and chatted up some locals, who had arrived in their one-owner 1965 Ford Galaxy convertible. Apart from a couple small nicks in the paint this thing was in fabulous condition.

After we finished breakfast, around the crack of 10:30, we headed for Warren Vermont via "The Kanc". It's as gorgeous as I'd been led to believe. Rather than attempt to describe it in words, I'll let a few photos do the work for me.

The rest of the trip to Warren was on equally pleasant, though not quiiiiiiite so scenic, back roads. Here's a couple examples.

We made it to Warren in time for another late lunch, then set off down VT 100. We stopped for a bit at Warren Falls, where my buddy described his experiences going there when in high school and pretty much every summer thereafter.

Finally, we reached the point where our paths diverged. He went east and I continued south into Rutland.

Arriving in the hotel parking lot, I was amused- but not surprised- to discover four NESTOCers already hanging out and enjoying some adult beverages in the parking lot. We did the obligatory chatter for a while, and I unloaded and checked in.

Over the next couple hours several more bikes rolled in, so that we had about 20 for dinner. That is evidently unprecedented turnout for NESTOC Thursday. We wandered across the highway and up the hill to a local tap room and restaurant, which obligingly stayed open for a full hour after published closing time rather than shoo us away while we chattered. It was a great day and a great start to the event.

 

[ibike2havefun]

Days 7 and 8 continued the fun, and the pleasure of making new friends as well as seeing past acquaintances again. On Friday a group of us rode a loop that took us back and forth across a ridge a couple of times, with some great vistas.

When we arrived back at the hotel we discovered a fresh contingent of Canadians had arrived, so it was drinks on the lawn as we got to know one another a bit more. My biggest regret- really, my ONLY regret- was that I didn't have more opportunity to get to know them.

We spent quite a bit of time just cruising the countryside both days.

Saturday's ride was dubbed the "Magical Mystery Tour" by the ride leader, since he had no preordained route and only the most general sense of which way we would head. It was my kind of ride- slow and with the added spice of occasional turn-arounds (or excursions onto unpaved roads) when things didn't work out as expected. The four of us thoroughly enjoyed those 100 miles, every bit as much as the high-mileage group enjoyed their 240 miles that day.

Dinner Friday and again Saturday was at the hotel- it was easier than trying to herd all the people to some other place. We had a great waitress, who was another example of someone who is in a profession exactly suited to their temperament and personality. And the Saturday dinner- all you care to eat prime rib- was absolutely marvelous. Sorry there aren't more pictures for this, but I had let the camera battery die and, frankly, I'm not one to shoot a lot of photos of people eating. Among other reasons is that they cannot capture the true essence of a group dinner, where individual clumps of people end up sharing stories with one another. In my clump were two sky divers. One was telling jump stories, while the other made suitable aircraft engine noises as a backdrop. It was entirely amusing- trust me.

Dawn of Day 9 arrived all too soon. But it was Sunday and time to head back home. The weather forecast was not encouraging, showing rain developing or already in progress at many points along my route. I elected to bag the all-secondary-roads route I'd planned, and instead beat feet down the NY Thruway starting in Troy. I did indulge my taste for back roads by riding through the Delaware Water Gap, but then it was back on the interstate nearly all the rest of the way home. (Counting US 15 between Harrisburg PA and I-270 in Frederick as interstate.)

The rain set in just after I'd cleared Harrisburg, but I had donned my rain gear already because I'd checked the forecast and radar at my lunch stop and could see the threat. So the last 75 miles got me well-watered but not wet inside the suit, though my boots eventually soaked through and of course the gardening gloves I'd put on in place of the elk skin ropers I usually wear were soaked.

All in all it was a fabulous trip and one I'd make again. And I can't say enough good things about New England in general and NESTOC in particular. The people were great, the scenery fabulous, the roads pleasant... woo hoo!

All told I think I did something around 1,600 - 1,800 miles in 9 days, though since I didn't think to check my odometer before leaving I may be a bit off. It doesn't matter- it was Big Fun, and THAT was the purpose.

Thanks for the virtual ride-along.

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

I’m reviving this because, yea. Great ride great write up. Thank you.

 

[ibike2havefun]

I’m reviving this because, yea. Great ride great write up. Thank you.

Thanks! I sure enjoyed that trip.

 

[peterz]

Keith. I saw this and thought Mrs. Fun cut you loose!

 

[ibike2havefun]

Keith. I saw this and thought Mrs. Fun cut you loose!

She did, but thankfully it was only for a week so I could go to NESTOC in Rutland, VT.

Dang that was a good trip.

 

[TipSTer]

I've started the Day 4 report four times and never finished it. I'm going to wait, now, until I get home to do the full write-up but a teaser includes beautiful scenery, fun (mostly empty) roads, and seven new states colored in on my Visited States signature map.

[EDIT 6/4- photos and story added]

Being in no hurry I deliberately broke camp late and very methodically. Instead of the two hour routine from the day before, it was a three and a half hour process. That included about a half hour of visiting with a woman who has been coming to the campground every year for about 30 or 35 years. It has reached the point that they know which specific campsite she prefers, and they hold it for her.

I finally hit the road around 9, and stopped almost immediately to look into a zipline canopy tour. Unfortunately they only run one a day and that wasn't until the afternoon, so I continued on. Another few miles down the road there are two "Scenic Massachusetts Byway" signs so I picked one of them and deviated from the plan. Why not?

It led me to the towns of Shelburne Falls and Buckland, MA, on opposite sides of a small river. In between them is the beautiful Bridge of Flowers:

They had lots of very colorful and attractive flora along the bridge.

And also a very interesting vine-turned-tree:

The waterfall was attractive, too.

And in town there were other curiosities to behold.

Then it was onward through the Massachusetts countryside.

I discovered at some point that the left low beam had burned out (again- this is the third or fourth time that's happened since I got the bike. It's time to look into replacing the headlight harness with a different one- something I am given to understand solves the problem permanently.)

Stopping at an auto parts store revealed they were fresh out of H4 bulbs but they pointed me in the direction of another store a few miles down the road- and right on my way- so it was all good. There was also a laundromat close by to the other store, and a diner right next door. Oh and a barber next to the laundromat. That was about the most productive two hour stop I've ever made, on any trip.

Entering New Hampshire I decided it was time to play with my camera, so I pulled it out and mounted it on the dash. I set it to shoot one frame every two minutes, for up to 60 frames. Here are a couple examples of what I assume are reasonably typical New Hampshire road scenes. Very pleasant riding!

Arriving in SE New Hampshire ahead of plan I went looking for a NH State liquor outlet, because I was planning to get together with another forum member for breakfast the next day and wanted to make the proper impression, with a suitable gift.

The other friend, at whose house I was staying, texted to say an early arrival was all right with them because they were ready for dinner. So I headed to their place, met the missus, and we all headed to a local eatery for dinner. It's run by a couple; he's Lebanese and she's Italian. They compromised on what sort of cuisine to offer, by serving both. And it was plenty tasty.

My hosts are regulars there, so there was a lot of visiting and exchange of family news with the owners. That's what I love about such places- the personal touch.

After dinner my buddy and I rode over to tour what little coastline NH has to offer. It was a pleasant way to finish up a great day.

I was there in 1999 great places in NH with my ST1300.