BIG

Everything about yesterday was BIG...
Big storms
Big skies
Big fields
Big windmill farms
Big breakfast
Big cans of beer (Larry's contribution)
Big distances

We had a quick and early start to our trip yesterday heading out at 7:30 a.m.  We stopped for breakfast in Knoxville at a fabulous little place called the Knoxville Bar and Grill.  Now I know a couple of you will probably say what the heck are they doing stopping at a Bar first thing in the morning.  We have found some of the best breakfast places at Bar and Grills and most are not even really bars at all. Serving home cooked fresh food, these places serve the best hash browns and omelettes.  We also had a fresh homemade biscuit which I have to say was one of the lightest biscuits I have ever eaten. Along side the bar and grill was an info center that was an old gas station in its' previous life.  Lots and lots of Americana when you travel the old highways through some of these small communities...they really are lovely and the people you meet are equally as lovely.

Breakfast in Knoxville!

We did a mix of secondary highways and Interstate yesterday and the scenery did not change much. Lots of cornfields, but as Larry says.."nothing corny about this trip".  There is another crop that is planted, however we haven't been able to figure out what they are yet.  We passed some of those fields and in the sun their leaves were emerald green and with the wind blowing on the fields, it had almost a plush or velvet look to them.  So soft you almost want to run over and jump in, but something tells me the landing wouldn't be as soft as anticipated!  We saw a crop duster plane buzzing over the fields which was pretty cool to actually see.  Man those things drop in and out of the sky pretty fast.

As we travel over most of the secondary highways we see a tremendous amount of windmill farms...way too many windmills to count (like we do at home) and they stretch for miles in all directions.  We stopped at a gas station late yesterday and a bunch of transport trucks with windmill parts pulled in....the trailers so low they were scraping the ground...the parts themselves are huge so I can only guess that these farms are actually miles away even though they seem so much closer...
that being said, you can see for miles in these parts...or as one fellow said, you can see your dog run away for days.

The benefit of being able to see for miles is also being able to see any coming storms.  We did a great job avoiding all of the big weather that people kept telling us was coming.  This includes the nice lady at McDonald's in Mason City who felt compelled to warn us to be careful as they were calling for heavy thunderstorms which also bring Tornados, and that they had actually seen some funnel clouds "just the other day".....thank you lady...see you later!  Apparently tornados are actually common events in these parts...even though we are north of Kansas (no Dorothy I am not in Kansas). At the stop in Algona where we saw the windmill parts, a nice corn farmer (not a corny joke) told us about a tornado that came through in 1979 and took out an entire motel which once stood in the parking lot we were standing in...OK..nice chatting and on we go!  We did get a little rain after leaving Mason City however it was a welcome relief from the humidity...the temps didn't get much higher than 27 but the humidity was a bit heavy.

So we travelled 711 kms yesterday, hoping to make it to Sioux Falls.  We ended up in Okoboji for the night which is next to Spirit Lake.  Beautiful area and it looks very much like a destination location for anyone in the surrounding areas.

We called ahead and are getting oil changes in our bikes this afternoon at the local Yamaha dealer. They were awesome enough to fit us in.  We won't make Mount Rushmore today but will definitely be there tomorrow and hope to also get Deadwood and Sturgis in as well.  This will be a welcome change to our schedule as most of our trip has been more about riding and not necessarily the tourist stuff thus the lack of photos.  Even though we are enjoying every minute of the scenery and ride I am looking forward to some of the different sight-seeing elements over the next few days.

One thing we did note about our ride so far is that it is not the Tail of the Dragon that we did in 2011. There we did 319 turns in 11 miles....so far we have been lucky to get 11 turns in 319 miles (or more).

Hopefully we will have more photos for you tomorrow...last night was a late day which is why blog posting wasn't done until this morning...that coupled with the two Mike's Hard Lemonade after a long day of riding...your welcome!

Stay tuned!

Old Shell Station

It's a small, small world.....

We are constantly reminded just how small our world really is.....

Finding a Tim Horton's in Findlay, Ohio.....
Finding out a close friend lived in Ohio, not far from where we stayed, and still has friends there....
Getting ready to message a friend in Chicago to tell him we will be close by only to find out he is visiting New Brunswick....

The funniest one though was a conversation we were having as we rode the long route heading West.  We were passing cornfields and crossing state lines, when I happened to ask Larry if he had been through these states on his bike trips in a previous life (BC - Before Cindy).....At the time we had just crossed from Ohio through to Indiana and anticipated crossing into Illinois before days' ends....Larry indicated that he had been through these states but couldn't quite remember which route they had taken.  He then reminded me of a story he often told about camping behind this house with a lot of old vehicles in the back...it was a campground with a small store out front.  It was a story that always freaked him out as he said the old fellow who owned the place came out in the middle of the night with a shovel and bucket and did some "digging"...of course anyone who knows Larry also knows that sometimes speaking truth and "tooth" are two different things...but he did say he didn't sleep well and did keep his buck knife under his pillow...Not two minutes later I hear "Oh my God...that's the place!"...as we passed along route 224, just as we crossed into Indiana, there stood a house with a lot of old vehicles and an old store in the front.....I think I saw an old man in the back, digging.....

Our trip so far.....

• We have travelled 2,725 kms.
• We have ridden through 10 States so far - Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
• We have experienced all kinds of weather - heat, rain, thunder & lightening, and fog.
• The mid west is definitely flat and full of corn.
• Having been stopped on the Interstate in high heat, I now have a new respect for my Ontario brethren who have to use the Don Valley Parking Lot.
• As we rode through Troy, we wondered if Helen really did live there...
• The smaller communities are beautiful and the people are just as beautiful.

We didn't stop much today, but when we did we took a couple of pictures....mostly because it was just nice...One of the stops was a nice little family park...

Clowning around!

Shade for the horses!

Another stop we found the very first drive through for Coffee and Tea....at a grain elevator!

An actual drive thru for Coffee on 24W!

Quite the back drop!

We are looking to get an early start tomorrow.  Looks like there may be more interstate in the plans!

Heading West Young Man!

Finally done with the interstates....

This morning was a little slower getting going....we are just starting to get our groove on the road and now with the worst of the heat behind us (for now), we decided this would be an easy ride day.....it turned out to be easier than we thought.

We started on the I80 in a bit of rain and rode on to the I76 and I71.  We finally found Hwy 224 W and the day just got better from there...the ride through Akron, OH was the last bit of heavy interstate we encountered and happy to have that behind us for now.

The temperatures today really cooperated which also made for a much better ride....a nice 24C was a welcome reprieve from yesterdays heat.  Although we had a bit of rain, it still made for an enjoyable ride.

On the 224 we left all the traffic behind.  The clouds however continued to chase us...we did our best to dodge them as we were actually running through mostly farm country...not many stops or places to take cover...fortunately when we could no longer dodge the clouds, we came upon a BP gas station just as it started to rain,...we took cover under the canopy to put on our rain gear just as the skies opened up and the thunder and lightning show started.  One poor couple from nearby Findlay were not quite get as lucky...the rolled in not long after us coming off route 6, soaked to the bone.  As we got ready to leave the rain was slowing...we had another hours ride to Findlay where we would stop for the night.

Hwy 224 - Farm Country in Ohio

We got a room at the Hampton Inn (I am kinda liking the life of a Princess lol), showered up and headed to the Beer Barrel for supper.

On the table

On the menu

The Beer Barrel....unique place...they have their own app that you can order ahead and then pick up in a drive-thru...they have a huge menu....they have a ton of craft beer...they have great staff!...we each tried a beer flight (tasting of 6 different craft beer).....good thing we always walk to where we are eating!

We shared half a rack and then did half of the track!

.....and at the end of the evening, we plan our route for the next day........

Until tomorrow...when the adventure continues....

















The sunset as we walked back, seems to indicate a promising day tomorrow.  One thing for sure is that we weren't as tired at the end of today as we have been the last two.  As beautiful and as nice as the Interstate is, it still requires a great deal of engagement of all your senses to navigate, especially in heavy traffic.  The back roads are definitely a lot more fun and relaxing, even in the rain.

Where is Waldo...or the Johnsons...

Ready to roll on the next big adventure

We have covered a great deal of ground since we left on Wednesday afternoon....our first leg of the trip got us to Bangor, a little late in the evening but a least a good start to our trip.

We left at a good hour the next morning so we could hit the I95 and cover some ground.  We covered 4 interstates yesterday, two of them smooth sailing and the other two not so much...road construction on the I90 and an accident on the I84 meant we sat in the sun in stop and crawl traffic....and when I say sat, I mean baked....the temps ran between 30 and 35 C as we ran the bikes...stopping in the middle of heavy transport traffic in 40C temps is kind of like sitting in an Easy Bake Oven. By the time we reached Danbury, CT last night, we didn't even care that the Super 8 wasn't all that Super!  It didn't really matter as we were so tired and drained that a shower, a salad at McDonalds (closest place to eat) and a bed were all we needed.

This morning we were up early and on the road by 8:30.  We had a much better day with only one construction stop on the I84.  It wasn't as hot this morning.  Actually when we left it was raining but we drove out of it.  The temperatures were a lot cooler for a while.  We made frequent stops to drink water and have a snack, gas up and just simply take a bum break.  We rode 3 states today, CT, NY and PA.  We almost made it to Ohio today.  If it hadn't been for yesterday and today's stops on the interstates, we most definitely would have made it.  We did make one Love Stop!




So far we have almost 1700 km behind us....and only 4000 more to go!  We hope to be west of Cleveland tomorrow.

Tonight we found a nice spot in Dubois, PA.  Nice little town and the mall next to where we are staying has a wine shop from a winery only 45 minutes north of here...tonight we enjoy a little Autumn Leaves by The Winery at Wilcox....they use concord grapes....almost like drinking grape juice!

BIG Firsts and Bigger Moments

Sorry to miss a day of blog....Sunday was one of those "lazy" days...not that we spent our time laying around, but it was just a hodgepodge of things......LJ and I got up early and got dressed for our Sunday run....just a little excited to run in Central Park after our visit there the other day...we carefully mapped out our route before we left....and that was quickly changed as soon as we arrived to find 10,000 runners were in the park too, running a half marathon! It was a little crowded but the upside was that if we had to cross their path we just "jumped in" until we had to "jump out"....loads of fun!

We so loved the "Literary Way" when we visited the other day that we wanted to go back and visit with Natchie again (the artist we bought from).

How do we look? Like movie stars? Hard not to feel that way...this is one of the most photographed areas of NY and has appeared in many many movies! Running here was a ton of fun!

 

When we got back we went for a little walk...found The Cobert Report main entrance, Radio City..which by the way we can see from our apartment at night...Rockerfeller Center, again only blocks away...5th Avenue is...well very expensive...St. Patrick's Cathedral which is right in the middle of 5th is spectacular in its' architecture.

We finished up the evening with a great supper at another fabulous Italian Restaurant, just around the corner.....and of course some great wine...

Today was a lot more adventuresome.....we were headed for Ground Zero, the 911 Memorial Museum and a first subway trip for Yvette! She was excited to try this method of transportation!

We exited the subway station at the World Trade Center stop....end of the rail line....as we came up from the station the streets are way more crowded and construction is still very much under way...the new tower looms...One World Trade Center "Freedom Tower"...we have seen the documentaries before we arrived in NY, showing the construction of this tower..it is as amazing standing before it as one could imagine...the construction continues to complete the tower as well as the Transportation Center which also looks like it will be an amazing structure!

 

We ventured to the reflecting pools in Memorial Park, built on the footprints of the North Tower and the South Tower. Strangely even though I never knew any of those who perished on September 11, I felt as though I recognized some of the names that are memorialized on the ledge of the pools...even when we got to the museum, those same names showed up again and again....it may be that I had read their story of how they came to be there, or heard their family's story of surviving after 911.....it doesn't really matter why or how...this event did not just touch those who perished, those who survived or their families...it touched us all as we watched, as we listened and as the days, months and years unfolded..I remember that morning..where I was standing, I remember watching, and I remember saying.."this is no accident and this will not be something that will be over for a very very long time".. I don't think I understood the enormity of those words even as I spoke them....

 

 

 

 

 

As we moved through the exhibit, some of which you were allowed to photograph and another section that you weren't, something struck me.....very little was said about the perpetrators of this disaster..and rightly so for they are undeserving of any memorial. There is mention of them and how they came to be there, and their names...but just a very small corner....and as we passed this small plaque showing their names and which flights they had commandeered, the question could be heard more than once..."why would they even put that in here"....I asked they same question and then I realized...these were only a few men...a few villains and while the impact of their actions were hugely devastating on a nation and on the world, what really came to light here are the heros..those that showed up on that day, those who didn't leave, those who decided this plane is not going to be used as a weapon of destruction, those who helped with the recovery process, and those who continue the mission to keep their memories alive.....there are more heros in this world, than there are villains.

 

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Everything is BIG in.......

You know how they say everything is big in Texas.....well I can't imagine how anything could be bigger than this city...it is bigger than life, it is bold and it is beautiful.....

Yesterday we decided a stroll in Central Park would be a good way to relax, given our big day when we arrived....a stroll...yes a stroll....and while you might think a stroll through the park for the day might get that one checked off your list, we had a check of a different kind...a reality check....

We had a beautiful day, a very relaxing walk....we got to see a ton of things, experience sites you see in the movies, a dedication to John and the place he made his home. We rode the carousel, and we bought art...original art from a wonderful artist Nadia....she is actually a singer/songwriter who's music inspires her art....she attaches the lyrics of the song that inspires her art to the back along with a code for a free download.....you should check her out at http://www.natchieart.com and if you check her Instagram link on her web page, you will see what we bought!

In front of Trump Tower across Columbus Cirle gate to the Park

Here are a few more sites from our walk in the Park!

Tavern on the Green

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tavern on the Green looked pretty swanky and doormen were pretty too lol!

The carousel was a lot of fun and really old...beautiful!

The Band

The Dakota, where John Lennon lived, loved and ultimately met his misfortune....

The Dakota is actually on West Central Park which overlooks Central Park and more specifically Strawberry Fields, a portion of the Park that is dedicated to John Lennon's memory and legacy.

Other high-lights include....

Bethesda Fountain and Terrace overlooking The Lake (and yes that is the name of the lake)!

The Friends Fountain.....it's real name is Cherry Hill!

There was a wedding happening here!

There was plenty more pics and memories here.......as well as the reality check.........we only explored less than a quarter of the entire park! The apple isn't the only thing BIG in this city!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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..the BIG Apple

I always said that this blog was intended for our motorcycle trips so that our friends and family could follow us (or for some, track us, if the truth be told). It also a great way to look back at all the little details or dates that you may forget or can't quite remember.

New York will be the exception...maybe not the only one as we all know you have to be open to change in your lifetime otherwise you are stuck doing the same things over and over....how I came to considering NY as being the exception is that it is simply too BIG an experience to limit it to small paragraphs or lines, or a photo here or there......I knew the trip would be epic, although I had no idea that even the first day would be so far beyond my expectations that I would even make documenting this trip, an exception.

Less than 24 hours in the city, arriving on 3 hours sleep we manage to survive in the "City that never sleeps" by doing almost exactly that.....

First lets talk about the cab ride to where we will be staying....it wasn't even rush hour but a rush it was....we see Manhatten as we start to approach the Hudson River....we can see the new "Tower" and the Statue of Liberty as close as I have ever seen her yet...we are miles away and she looks magnificent and tall and I can only imagine how tall and magnificent she is up close....through the Holland Tunnel, with it's fully tiled walls and ceilings, and not large tiles either...they must have cleaned out someone's stock to match them all....the tile is also used creatively to show the border between New Jersey and New York , nicely designed tiles spelled out like street signage....we come out of the tunnel and proceed to drive along the Hudson to our destination as we are only a few blocks from the Hudson and in fact can see the pier and river from where we are staying....we drive past the "Intrepid", one of the places we want to visit (will save most of this experience for another post)...it is MASSIVE sitting in the water and if you will indulge me a bit, was like looking up at a Giants ass from our little van. When we get down there I will take a pic...you will understand why I described it as so....

We arrive...we are greeted by Vaj, our host...a young man who, along with his wife and son, love this city and simply go out of their way to make your stay a warm and welcoming one as their guests...they are truly a wonderful representation of the people we have met in this city so far. We have only had to ask for one thing and it was in our condo when we returned from lunch, along with an extra juice bottle...we were greeted with chocolates and wonderful bottle of wine when we arrived as well as a complete orientation from the window of our 25th floor condo of what direction the grocery store, wine store, restaurants and French bakery were located, a book of reference to great restaurants near by, direction of Central Park, Madison Square Garden and Broadway is but a few blocks away...and it is only noon...and we have just arrived....and as Vaj said, and what we truly agree with, is that the view from where we are staying, never gets old..simply breathtaking.....

We set out to grab some lunch..we don't have to go far as there is a great little Italian place right on the corner of 10th and 52nd..in fact steps away from where we are staying....we decide on a few appetizers so we won't be too full so "we will take the special (pruciutto, tomato and mozzarella) a salad and a crab cake". OMG....I rolled out of there...the pruciutto was so thin and tender, the mozzarella, fresh and homemade, the salad simply thinly sliced pear, more pruciutto and arugula tossed with balsamic....and a little more wine...felt like nap time when I was done but we are off to the grocery and wine store...whenever you picture little NY grocery stores, yup that's exactly what it is..lol...fabulous!...and they have everything!

Back to the homestead, unpack the groceries, have a little vino and then we are off to find Madison Square Gardens for the Billy Joel concert....a little stroll through Times Square (again, nothing little about that).

Across from MSG is a little restaurant boasting the best cheesecake in the world. I am still stuffed from lunch and can't bring myself to order anything except an Italian coffee...steamed milk, sambucca and cinnamon make this coffee outstanding! We finish up here and head across the street to MSG to queue up for the concert...and they really do have the best and the BIGGEST cheesecake in the world!

So, if the day hasn't already been BIG enough, enter Madison Square Garden....epic, beautiful, huge, historic...even the ceiling entertains you! Our seats are more than comfortable, the facility is clean and feels brand new despite the fact it has been here for years. Billy Joel first played here in 1978, and as one of the vendors told me, has sold out every concert he has ever played at this venue..in fact he has a contract to play here once a month, every month this year...we of course are here for number 10...another sold out packed house....this is Billy Joel's town and anyone who doesn't know that, learns it very quickly...the anticipation for what we know is going to be a fabulous concert, mixed with being up for over 16 hours and only 3 hours of sleep the night before, having eaten so much food, having drunk a little wine, is starting to take its' toll on all of us...we all waiver between yawning and rubbing our watery eyes and excitedly talking about what we have done so far and what is yet to come...it is a mixed bag of tricks.....the opening act is good, a young piano player, who used to pretend he was Billy Joel in his room as a kid...his style more like a great mix of Jerry Lee Lewis and the Beatles.....then a quick change on the stage and out comes the guy we were all waiting for.....now this, this deserves it's own paragraph...so give me a moment here to reflect and switch gears....

Billy Joel concert

This was quite simply the best concert I have yet seen...and we are all in agreement on that one....and two people amongst us have seen some pretty epic concerts in some really great venues... What made this the best ever...well Billy did....as I said before...this is his town, these are his brothers and sisters, these are his fans....I will tell you what made this so great for me......

• He calls the Gardens home and introduces himself as the "house" band!
• His piano is on a rotating platform so he changes his view every second song!
• Twice, he gives the audience a choice between two songs to play...the crowd has no trouble making their choices and letting him know which will be played tonight
• Most times he starts out playing some obscure tune or cover and then all of a sudden it morphs into a Billy Joel classic
• The light show is spectacular and well balanced with the simplicity of the stage set up...you can see every member of the band and Billy sits out in the middle of all this, on his turntable
• People are singing along and it sounds incredible. The sound is so fabulous in this venue, you can hear him clearly and you can hear everyone else as well,,,it is not intrusive or annoying, it is exhilarating
• He plays New York State of Mind....(which by the way we also heard in the cab on the way from the airport)....I am there....
• And then comes Piano Man...don't ask me why, but this always brings tears to my eyes. It is a sad song, it is a beautiful song and it is the one that everyone sang the loudest, the strongest and sang every word...it was a moment!
• He stops to talk about how playing at MSG makes him feel..so important, like Mussalini..lol..and then he gets in his car for the drive home and he is just like any other smuck on the highway....
• And then he introduces us to someone from his road crew who is going to sing a little "inspirational song, reverent, and spiritual", I believe is how he described it....he asks that we indulge and be open to this man's appearance and that if we really don't like him we can boo this guys ass right off the stage....Billy leaves his piano and picks up his guitar.....all of a sudden, out comes this roadie in shorts, work boots and black t-shirt....yup looks like a roadie....and does the best cover of AC/DC's Highway to Hell! The Roadies' name is Chainsaw and that is exactly what his voice sounds like.....OMG it was unbelievable...He even uses a fire extinguisher to make fog when the guitar solo was happening....lol
• Encore with three unbelievable classics and so much more, like jokes about Madonna and Elton...

...and no, Howard Stern and Elton John didn't show up, but Billy Joel certainly did....after all, this is HIS town.

Good night New York!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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