Return, Day 1 and 2

 I got an early start yesterday morning to try and beat the heat. Philadelphia was expecting 90 degrees with high humidity. I skirted the edge of the Poconos as I headed toward Allentown then thru the Delaware Water Gap park. When I got to the other side, in Milford, PA, the temperature and the traffic had increased considerably. When I turned north on 209 at least the traffic decreased.

  Just outside of the Catskill park I turned onto county road 3 and found some nice twisty bit of road. There were three full size harleys behind me and they seemed to have a tough time keeping up with me. Having the curves on gps in a heads up position really gives you confidence in what is coming up ahead.  They gave a honk and a wave as they turned north on 28 where I headed down t take a look at the Ashokan Resevior.  The Catskill park is beautiful and I had a good time trying to get lost. I found a seasonal only road, county road 16, that approached Platte Cove from the south east. It's a challenging climb up a ravine. Watch out going up that road, in some places its only 10 or 12 feet wide. I had planned to stay at the Woodland Valley campground outside of Phonecia, but it was only 2:30 and I was still wanting more so I made a push north to the Adirondack.

  Once out of the Catskill park I left almost all of the holiday traffic behind. I was getting very hungry and drooling every time I passed the smell of a backyard Memorial Day BBQ. I decided to stop at an Applebee's in Johnstown and get my own holiday burger.

  When I made it to the campground on the Sacandaga River the ranger station was empty but for a note to stop by the caretaker's site for any permits. They were having a campfire out back and told me to pick a site and they would register in the morning. They'd be open at eight. I picked a spot, set up the tent, snapped some pics of the river, and set the alarm for 5. So another early start, another beautiful day.

 

  The temps started out cool at 55 and didn't really start to rise until ten. The roads in the Adirondack are not as challenging as the roads I saw in West Virginia but the views were just as beautiful. I wound my way thru the park. I met a big turtle that refused to be saved from the road, he would crawl back onto the road each time I pushed him onto the shoulder. I gave up and let him take his chances basking in the sun on the asphalt.

I'm typing this up in a Starbucks in Plattsburgh. I think I'll check the map now, make some calls, and decide if I'm going to Vermont or skip it and try to find a hostel in Montreal.

Update from Philly

It's been a busy few days since I got here but today my sister has other obligations so I'm taking a few to update everyone on the progress so far.

On Monday morning I took the time to hike down to the falls at Blackwater Falls. It's such a beautiful spot but enough of a hike to start the day a little sweaty. I got the camera out and snapped a few pics then hit the road again.

I turned south thru Seneca Rocks headed toward highway 250 under a sunny sky with clouds gathering on the horizon. The roads for the rest of West Virginia were fast and winding with a little bit of a washboard ripple to the asphalt from the trucks. I climbed one mountain with a tanker truck behind me and when I saw the sign that said 10% grade next 3 miles it made me nervous to know he was somewhere back behind me. With the good weather, I had my gps out. It's a car gps so it sits in the glove box when it rains. It's a headache to enter routes into it but I love having it on a windy road to get a glimpse of what is coming around the next corner.

As soon as I crossed into Virginia the clouds rolled in. I suitied up and rode in the rain for the next few hours. I drive a lot more cautiously in the rain and with the reduced visibility I was pleased to find myself behind two dump trucks. It's great to have a pace car for the turns and twists of the mountain roads. I don't think I would have dared to go any faster than they were going.

The sky cleared by the time I made it to Staunton so I wandered to town to find some food. Shenandoah Pizza had a table outside and I had a great slice of pepperoni and a sandwich while watching people walk by. Staunton has a nicely preserved historic downtown.

The theme for the day is underestimating how long it takes to cover the miles in the mountains. I made it to the entrance of the Shenandoah park at around 4 in the afternoon. With 105 miles to cover and more than 4 hours until sunset, I thought I would have no trouble making it to the Big Meadows campground and have the tent set up before the sun set. I did make it, but there were a few complications. First, I had forgotten to get cash before going into the park and didn't have the $20 in cash for the late registration. Second, I saw the warning signs about bear country and the need for proper food storage. Something I hadn't considered when cramming clif bars in every available gap in the luggage.

The nearest exit from the park was another 10 miles or so down the road so I pushed thru. The original plan was to find my way to the town of Luray and an ATM then return to set up the tent by headlight again.

I spotted a bear crossing the road less than half a mile from the campground. Headed towards the campground.  Right then changed my plan to blow the budget one more time and find a dive hotel for the night.  On the way out of the park, I had to stop for deer in the road at least six times. I had to slow down for them at least another dozen times more. One of them didn't move even when I stopped five feet away from him. I yelled BOO and he got a little skittish  and I got spooked realizing I was out in the open near a very big wild animal. Luckily, he decided against confrontation.

I found a crappy hotel in the Luray valley for 50 bucks. It smelled of smoke and was a bit run down but it didn't hurt the budget much.

I got an early start on day five and headed back up into the park. The weather was great again and this time I made sure to put on plenty of sunscreen. I love that park and made a point of pulling off at every overlook.

I headed northeast to DC. I had plans of a photo op parked at the national mall with the Washington Monument as a backdrop. The heat, the crowds, and the construction dissuaded me from my plans and I continued on down highway 50. I snapped a few pics as I crossed the bridge over the Chesapeake Bay and headed north up the Delaware peninsula. The ride was fairly uneventful but very hot. Why, why, why did I leave my mesh jacket at home? I was prepared to ride all day in the rain at 50 degrees but hadn't considered that I would see the temp readout on my dash to creep up to 104 Fahrenheit.

Things turned a little bad when I took met rush hour traffic outside Wilmington and went a little worse after a wrong turn. Garmin was trying to direct me to highway 95 and I was determined to avoid it. To my misfortune every road I tried seemed to be creeping along at less than 5 mph. I probably could have gotten to my sister's apartment an hour earlier than I did If I had obeyed the gps and the rush hour traffic would probably have been going at speeds that I could manage. Oh well, I made it, tired and dehydrated, but I made it.

The first day was mostly recovery. We had a nice picnic at Valley Forge park and toured the grounds. Yesterday, we took the train into the city center and checked out the Philadelphia Art Museum. Very nice. We then took a walk into the local Chinatown for dinner, checked out a bakery and a gift shop.

Today I was on my own. I took the scooter into the city and visited the  Philly Vespa dealer. They had a lot of scooters in inventory and were pleasant to chat with. I had thought about getting an oil change and a new rear tire but I think that both can wait until Montreal.

With the holiday weekend, I don't have confidence in finding an available campsite Sunday night. I'll wait to leave on Monday morning.

After the rain ended, the weather was nearly perfect. My neck is a little redder. I should have stopped to reapply the sunscreen. 

I tried to make more stops today. With today's late start I realized that I won't make it to Philly tomorrow night. That will ease the pressure to put in large distance days. Maybe I'll roll a little further south and ride some of the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

On the west side of clarksburg I had been trying to keep near the speed limit of 65 but the scoot wasn't liking it at all.    When I pulled into West Union to get gas I saw the check engine light wink at me. I did a quick check of oil and coolant. Both looked good. I didn't hear any abnormal sounds or vibration so I decided to proceed. After that, I followed a personal speed limit of 60mph. The traffic was light and the cars and trucks had no problem getting around me. I didn't see the engine light come on again so I think were ok. 

I climbed a few mountains today. Those roads are fun. The locals drive so fast on these twisty roads. I thought I was going pretty quick for being on unfamiliar roads but there was a minivan on my tail all the way up and down the mountain. 

I'm staying in the Blackwater Falls campground. I love it. This is what I was hoping to see. Three deer passed within 100 yards of where I put up the tent. Time to study the map and plan for tomorrow. 

Right now I'm sitting down for dinner in Logan Ohio. When I started, i had intentions to avoid chain restaurants and seek out interesting places to eat. I'm tired and just want something familiar.

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Night 1

It's still warm and muggy as I sit in the tent. Put up by the light of an idling Vespa.

I didn't make it to the target campground. I was losing the light so I stopped at a gas station and asked an attendant for a suggestion. Bad idea it turned out. I'm camped in a field surrounded by monstrous RVs. So big that my camp neighbor has a goldwing for his "run around" vehicle.

The campers are noisy and I can still hear the highway. I just couldn't do any more miles today.

I'm somewhere in the area of Plymouth, Indiana. Around 300 miles today. I'll sit down with the laptop tomorrow to run some pics.

Day 1

Made it to the far side of Gary Indiana. I had a short visit with my brother. He had to leave for work soon after I arrived. It was nice to ride the scooter down Lakeshore Drive. The Chicago skyline on my right and Lake Michigan on the left. Still another hundred miles before I get to my intended campground. I needed a coke bad so I stopped at the arches.

It always seems to rain on me when I travel to Chicago. There on and off rain is done now and I'm resting, lying on my back, and soaking in the late afternoon sun. In the mcdonalds parking lot.

First gas stop in Cambridge WI. All is good. Ran into a little mist. Didn't even need the rain gear yet.

It's rainy and cool today. I'm happy that I got the windshield back on. The laminar lip seems to be doing a good job. The noise is reduced some and I have no pressure on my head or chest from the wind. I think that it will lead to rain being a bit more of a problem. The wind usually blows the raindrops off of the helmet shield and I can usually clear my vision by turning my head to one side then the other. Somewhat surprising to me is the water drops now being pushed down the shield as some of the air stream collapses down behind the windshield. There is still some noise of wind buffeting from turbulence. It sounds a little like a flag snapping in a strong wind. I'll be sure that I have a good supply of earplugs for the trip.

  Tonight I screwed in the last bit of trim around the fireplace. The flooring project is officially complete. The tools are put away. I'm done.
  Tonight I put the laminar lip airfoil on the windshield. It's supposed to help kick the air up over your head, reducing fatigue and noise. I always wear earplugs when I ride. The scooter isn't loud. Turbulent wind coming off of the top of the windshield can result in some very high decibel low frequency booming sounds in the helmet. Riding around town today with the windshield off reminded me of how much the wind can push on your chest at 60mph. The distance will go a lot easier without having to strain against the pressure.
  My gear is still in a whirlwind of chaos on my office floor. Tomorrow night after work I'm going to charge up the gadgets and start packing up. I know I'm over packing but can't seem to help myself.
  It looks like I'm going to have beautiful weather for my first day on the road. The forecast is for a high in the mid seventies with a 40% chance of rain.

  Clean bill of health for the scooter. Vespa Madison always treats me right. They almost always have an interesting story to share. Seven days to lift off. The anticipation is becoming a little more intense.
  I am getting very close to having the flooring project done. The laminate is down. I just need to get the baseboards reinstalled. I made a deal with A that it would be finished before I left.

  In my dotage, I seem to have developed some sort of spring allergies.This morning it lead to the dreaded full face helmet sneeze. A most unpleasant experience.
  I'm on day three with a loaner scooter as my baby gets a pre-flight check. There must be a desperate shortage in rubber belts as the one for my transmission seems to be surprisingly difficult to obtain. Or maybe they are a hand crafted specialty and there is a Juan Valdez type figure wandering the mountains scraping rubber from trees. Vulcanized over an open hearth as his sons smelt ore for the steel core. Then he straps his donkey to a cart loaded down with piles of black and stinky v-belts to the local farmers market where an Englishman in a starched white shirt and cravat buys up the local stock and loads it onto a rusty freighter headed to US ports.
  Well, however it gets here, that is one of the last steps towards being ready for the trip. I'm also testing the workflow of adding pictures along the way. In that spirit, here's one of the pictures that I took last Sunday before we left Door County. This is the boat launch on North Bay. A spot from which A and I did some open water kayaking a few years back as part of a sea kayak symposium. I enjoyed it immensely, but A had some problems with the wind. Her loaner kayak was not equipped with a skeg to help keep her on track.

Door County 5k

42.27 It's a new personal best for 5k. A year and a half ago I ran my first with no prep at all. I ran it in 48.00. I think I would have gone a lot faster today but I tore a calf muscle at the first corner. I walked for a while before being able to manage a limping jog. A and I took advantage of the post run massage tent and picked up a bag of ice at the medical station. We just finished some good burgers at the Wild Tomato.

  Back at work after a successful trip to the DMV. The road test went smoothly and I got marked down on only two points. I drove down Fair Oaks at 30mph instead of the posted 25mph and didn't spot it when he turned on his headlights. I was supposed to acknowledge the lights with a raised arm. The sun was bright so he didn't mark me down for it. The headset had lost its pad and my helmet pressed it painfully against my ear.
  I chatted with a guy riding a sparkling full dress Harley while we waited our turn for the road test. He's a painter from Milwaukee and it sounded like he owns the business or runs a crew doing commercial and renovation painting. He told me about a rally in New Hampshire (I think) that he and unspecified others are going to this June and we talked about my plans. It was a good way for the both of us to bleed off our nervousness over the test.
 While looking over my bike, the evaluator said something about 'The Who' and 'mods and rockers', some of those cultural references about Vespas that are a little before my time. I smiled, but was to preoccupied with the test to really engage about it.

Reviewing my packing lists over lunch. Headed over to the Vespa dealer next to schedule a pre trip service.

DMV

  I did have a motorcycle license once, issued in Utah. After moving to Madison, especially after the big expensive bike was repossessed, I didn't bother getting a Wisconsin license. When I bought the Vespa, I picked up a learners permit so the dealer would let me do some test drives. Out of laziness, I never took the driving test to get my motorcycle endorsement.
  I'm planning a return run thru Canada. I had better get my documents in order. This morning I stopped at the DMV to renew my learner permit. It's a necessary step before they let you make an appointment for the skills test. The office was nearly empty. It seems that online registrations have done wonders for getting rid of lines. The clerk, a sarcastic old man, teased me and threatened to make me take the written test. In Swahili. In the dark.
  I need to have my eye doctor write a note for me. After lasik, I don't need to have the corrective lens  restriction on my license. I was lucky, the skill test is scheduled in two days.

O, I signed us up for AAA. Roadside assistance for the scooter! I immediately ordered maps for every state / province I plan to ride through. That's a nice free service, maybe I need to browse some city guides too.

Test Pack #1

Last night I did my first test pack. I'm not sure if I can bring everything with me that I wanted. Should I pack the armored mesh pants or the kevlar cargo pants? Does the tent really need to be in the dry bag? Maybe I'll just wrap it in the ground tarp and strap it to the case.
I'm giving myself a crash course in digital photography to take advantage of the DSLR camera I picked up used. Let's see if I can make room for it all.