Blue Ridge and Beyond

Wednesday Sept 26, 2012

Last night wasn't that bad. The two pads helped and I'm relatively rested. Since the campground didn't have a shower, I didn't bother to take out my contacts and so far so good. My neighbors invited me over for coffee and I graciously accepted. It may not have been Starbucks, but it was mighty fine given the circumstances. Those were some very nice people indeed.

I'm anxious to make a few more miles than yesterday -- which was about 300 again. My plan is to navigate the rest of the BRP and head north on the interstate to Scranton, Pa. To do that, I'll take I-64 at Waynesboro, Va to I-81N. That will take me into Scranton. From there, I can head east to Connecticut and Rhode Island. There's nothing in particular I want to see in those two states, but I've never been there so I'll drop in just for bragging rights.

BRP Maintenance

BRP Toward the End

I didn't get any pictures for the most part on today's leg of the journey. It consisted mainly of I-81 to Scranton and I just didn't take time to snap any. The northern Virginia and Pennsylvania country side is most picturesque, but I was trying to make time.

While stopping for fuel in Northern Va, a woman asked me where I was going. When I informed her that my destination was Maine, she cautioned that I might want to reconsider given the weather forecasts. This was a new development from my original weather research, but I decided to sojourn on.

Once I got past Harrisburg, Pa, I could see the signs of previous rain. Maybe that woman was on to something. By the time I navigated the saturated mountainous roads into Scranton, I'm not that enthused about my prospects for a sunny autumn New England tour. We shall see.

I found a hotel and checked in. It wasn't actively raining when I checked in, so I headed to the local mall for a meal. When I returned, I parked my motorcycle under the cover at the check-in driveway at the suggestion of the desk clerk. That was nice of her. 

Thursday Sept 27, 2012

I am so thankful that the weather looks pretty good today. It does appear to be somewhat overcast and there are forecasts of some showers. From appearances though, it's not that bad.

I wasn't really sure that I had ever been to New Jersey, so I deviated just a bit from my I-84 route to enter the state. I took a detour at Milford, Pa into New Jersey along the river toward Port Jarvis, NY. It was slower than I wanted to go, but it was a nice ride and now I'm sure I've been to New Jersey. I once drove from Philly to Annapolis and possibly passed through NJ, but I didn't want to take any chances.

Ultimately, I got back on I-84 at Port Jarvis, NY and continued east to Connecticut. Once in Conn, I stopped at the welcome center which I must say was very nice.

Conn Welcome Center and Rest Stop

When I travel on my motorcycle, I like stopping at rest stops. Not only do they provide much needed facilities and an opportunity to rest, it's interesting in that each one is unique. I think they represent something about the state and it's people. It's just my opinion, but does a state really want people who travel within their boundaries to remember them by a porta-potty? Yikes, both rest stops I visited in Massachusetts had only porta-potties and no pic-nic tables. Hopefully I had the misfortune to stop at the anomalies, but for such a high tax burden as the people of that state have to endure, you would think they could get plumbing in their rest stops.

While at the Conn welcome center, I asked the young lady at the desk to recommend a "scenic" road into Rhode Island. She did and I took it. What I should have asked was for a scenic road with limited read lights. Dang! I can't remember the road, or I'm trying to forget, but it was nothing but 45MPH speed limits and red lights.

Ultimately, I made it to Providence and took I-95 into Boston. I had planned to start this at 2:00PM, but due to the "scenic" route I took, it was 4:00PM. If you've never tried to cross Boston on I-95 at 4:00PM on a week day, I suggest you not do it. I've lived the Atlanta traffic, but this was really bad. Out of despair, I exited into the downtown area and was rewarded with even slower traffic. Fortunately, the road I took was just a couple of miles from the USS Constitution and went directly to the site. Of course, those last couple of miles took more than a half hour to navigate.  Oh well, might as well enjoy the scenery.

Boston Rush Hour Traffic

The USS Constitution is essentially on a US naval base and as such, security is a concern. It's nothing like a working base with actual war ships, but it's still not open. I didn't know that when I just drove right into the facility. When I turned around, the guard at the gate was chasing me down. Fortunately, I had turned around quickly as I had intended to ask him where to park anyway. He was very nice and allowed me to park in the base on the side walk. Apparently this is against the rules, but I think the lateness of the day and lack of crowds in the facility might have benefited my case in this matter.

Unfortunately, the ship was closed and the museum was closing in 15 minutes. I made the most of the time and did a quick tour of the museum and snapped a few shots (what I could see) of the ship itself. Maybe next time I can actually take a tour.

The guard at the gate allowed me one more special privilege of getting a photo of my motorcycle with Boston and the Constitution in the background. As luck would have it, a passerby offered to snap a shot with me in the picture.

USS Constitution and Boston

Dry Docked Ship

Now all I have to do is get out of Boston and find a place to sleep for the night. Camping is out of the question due to logistics and time of day. Once on the road again, it's apparent that the traffic is only marginally lesser than before. I decide to stop and eat at the first opportunity and hopefully give the traffic time to clear. I see an exit with an IHOP and decide to stop. It' just dusk as I pull into the parking lot.

I'm in a blue-collar Boston neighborhood and I'm curious as to the disposition of the residents. For whatever reason, the "fighting Irish" imagery is etched in my mind. The restaurant is not very crowded and the people inside were very friendly. Wow, I've never heard such thick accents. It's difficult following what they say and I have to pay attention so as not to offend. Interestingly, one Hispanic young lady overhead my conversation with my server and discovered I was from Georgia. She informed me that she was once a resident of Buford, Ga which is about 10 miles from my home. It's a small world after all.

All in all, I had a good meal and got good advice on a hotel from one of the local patrons -- even though I didn't take it. My smart phone tells me there's a cheaper hotel in Hampton, NH, so I'm off in that direction with only 40 miles to navigate in the dark. Whoopi...

Regarding my comment about the rest stops in MA, I found the people that I talked to from that state to be most friendly and pleasant.

Soon enough, I make it to Hampton, NH and never do find the hotel referred by my "smart" phone. While circling, I see a mom-and-pop hotel and land for the evening. The price is right and it's just across the street from a nice sports pub.

I quickly dequip and head over to the pub to get some local flavor and perhaps suggestions for my route tomorrow. I do run into a couple of motorcycling enthusiasts who are full of good advice, so I take notes for the next day. Also while sitting there, a young man enters and tells the story of his sister traveling from Texas to NH having an automobile accident that evening -- in Georgia.

At this point I'm curious and find out that the poor girl is stuck at a Waffle House with no money or car. I speak to the young man and inquire as to exactly where in Georgia his sister might be; possibly I can help if it's close to my house. After much delay and failures of communication, we discover that his sister rolled her car on I-85 in Buford, Ga. Fortunately she is not injured and a waitress at the Waffle house extended an invitation to stay at her house for the evening.

That's two Buford stories in one day. The world gets even smaller.

It's been a long day and I'm ready to retire. Hopefully the weather will hold for tomorrow.