It was off to the east coast for three Michiganders and their motorcycles this past week.
Quite an adventure it was.
We ventured out on Friday and got through to Windsor pretty efficiently. Not too many people seem to be heading over there lately. Better for us I guess. We went by my old place in Kingsville for a visit down memory lane. The place still looks good. After a nice ride not too far from Lake Erie, we made it to St. Thomas before calling it a day. The initial mission was to make it to the motorcycle races near Oshawa on Saturday afternoon. We made it to the track with ample time to see the sights around the track (some nice sights and some crazy ones out there).
What
we experienced weather-wise at the track was wild. The race was delayed because rain was on the track on the south end but we were up on the north end with somewhat sunny skies. We didn't get a drop, until......the ride back to the hotel. We thought we dodged the rain but got soaked pretty well. We were not too far from the hotel and decided to ride it out rather than pull over and put our rain suits on. It was the sign of things to come.
Our mission on Sunday was to see Ottawa but woke Sunday morning with nothing but rain in the Oshawa area. We did see a gap in the rain towards the north (we became Weather Channel addicts by the time this trip was over) so we found some great back roads in going the roundabout way to Ottawa and stayed dry for the most part. We had lunch in a town called
Renfrew who were having their 150 year anniversary celebration while we were there. Charlie's Restaurant & Pub gave us the history lesson on the town. The town is known for having started the roots of professional hockey that lead to the NHL (I looked it up--legit facts). The attached auditorium picture is where they played hockey. The ride was great and we ended up in Ottawa with time to see the area. What a beautiful city that is. The parliment buildings are quite a sight to see and the city is pretty darn clean. After getting our Canadian Football League update at a tavern downtown (they love their
CFL over there), we had dinner at a place called the "Canal Ritz" which is right on the Rideau Canal that runs through the city. It was quite a setting there.
Monday's mission was to head to the Adirondacks and all the area has to offer. We headed back to the U.S. through Ogdensburg over the St. Lawrence River. There were maybe 10 cars in line for the customs check so it was pretty painless for everyone. We made it into the Adirondack Park under cloudy skies and came upon a pretty cool place, the Backwoods Inn (pictured brown place with the bikes in front). It looks like a shack from the outside but is quite nice inside. A whole lot of wood in there. The bartender had quite a few hunting and fishing stories that he was throwing out there. I think in some way he is related to Rob Schmitt. The area sounds like an outdoorsman's paradise.
While we were in there, the rain started up a bit. We headed out but had to stop for a few because it was coming down pretty good. We were intending to head over to the Saranac Lake and Lake Placid areas but the rain was hanging over there and our best chance for dry riding was to the south part of the park. It worked out for the best. The south part of the park was beautiful and the sun came out later in the afternoon. We ended up in Saratoga Springs that night. They love their horse racing there. We walked downtown that night and the place was hopping. It's a Monday and people were out and about. We had some cold beverages at a handful of the many (many) taverns in the area.
Tuesday started out with sunny skies with a great ride along gigantic Lake George. We went up to Fort Ticonderoga from there, a major cog in the Revolutionary War. I manage to get some history in these motorcycle trips every year. History seems more exciting in person rather than hearing a monotone teacher telling you about it. We were going to head to Middlebury, Vermont from there but while we were waiting for the ferry to take us over Lake Champlain, we saw some black clouds heading over to pretty much where we were going. Plan B was put into effect. That is the great thing about these trips, the flexibility. If it's crappy this way, we go that way. There are so many great riding roads out there that sometimes it's a blessing because you find a new road that is even better than Plan A. We stayed dry for most of the ride along the foot of the Green Mountains and eventually ended up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts within the Berkshire Hills that night under wet conditions. The rain moved out that night and we were ready for a nice, dry ride on Wednesday. At least that is what it looked like on the Weather Channel....
Wednesday was wet to say the least. We went through the Catskill Mountains but could only see a portion of them due to the fog (pictured). Just south of the Catskills we ran into Hurricane Dolly East. It rained so hard for so long it was incredible. We stopped at a gas station for shelter for about 30 minutes and it rained the entire time. It let up a bit so we made the choice to head west towards Binghamton. Well, the rain wasn't done yet. We managed to get dry once we were near Binghamton but took quite a shower in getting there. After a nice, dry evening ride in the northern part of Pennsylvania, we ended up in Mansfield for the night.
Thursday morning we saw a mountain goat while riding. He was just hanging there on the side of small cliff, chewing away at some grass. We had a great breakfast at a diner in Jersey Shore. This seventy-something (80?) lady comes out from the kitchen and starts talking motorcycles with the three of us. She said she used to have an Indian bike. I think she had a thing for Chuck. The sun was out for the afternoon ride and we stopped for a beverage at the Spruce Creek Tavern in Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania. The place is known for its french fries. The size of an order was the largest I've seen and of course you can add chilli/cheese, whatever to enhance your heartburn. There was a nice local flavor in the place. Some retirees hanging out, scarfing down french fries, and giving us directions to anywhere and everywhere, even if we didn't ask. We ended up for the night at Ryerson Station State Park. A nice park it was. There were only three other groups camping so we pretty much had our own area. The stars were out and we got a nice fire going for the last night of the trip.
Friday was the long ride home through southern Ohio. Us Michiganders love to rag on Ohio but I must say southeastern Ohio has some great cycle roads and scenery. I let the Chenevert's lead most of the time on the trip because they are pretty much born on motorcycles and hit those turns like it's nothing while I get a "wo, wo, wo" on some of those that sneak up on you.
All and all, a great trip it was. The back roads and small towns of America are a beautiful thing to experience on the motorcycle.
Trail Head
and if you are into badminton, you couldn't ask for better conditions. The ride at Highland Recreation Area was pretty dusty with quite a few tree roots grabbing my front tire. A fun ride it was, however.
and if you are into badminton, you couldn't ask for better conditions. The ride at Highland Recreation Area was pretty dusty with quite a few tree roots grabbing my front tire. A fun ride it was, however.
