EMO's Diary

Jul

2014

National Parks Tour Chapter 16 June 18 - 30

By nl7501

We arrived in Bangor on Wednesday June 18 expecting a few showers by the late afternoon. What we hadn’t planned on was the rain overnight AND the next morning. We don’t really mind riding in the rain but I think I mentioned this before- why do it if you don’t have to?! Considering we did not have to be at the ferry till 5:00 pm on the 20th, we opted for another night in Bangor. We stayed at the Holiday Inn close to the Bangor Airport and just off I-95 for the one night but at over $150 a night, we moved just down the road to the Econolodge for a cheaper room (a lot cheaper) and the room was just about as nice. The Odlin Road area is really convenient if you are visiting Bangor or passing through. We ate at the Ground Round restaurant within walking distance and I must say it was pretty good. From here it is an easy 90 miles to New Brunswick via ME 9. When I used to travel this route (and I have quite often), it was a great place to start a new day since Bangor to Baltimore was just about 700 or so miles. This made it two full days from the Newfoundland ferry in North Sydney, Nova Scotia (Bangor being halfway time-wise). Since the new highway in New Brunswick from St. Stephen to Moncton and further on into Nova Scotia via the Trans-Canada, the drive is getting easier all the time.

Thursday June 19 was worth the wait! We hit the road in the bright sunshine and headed further east along ME 9 towards Calais, ME and our crossing into Canada at St Stephen, New Brunswick (NB). We got to the border early and since New Brunswick is on Atlantic Time, we lost another hour. Our first stop was US Customs to pick-up the export documents I sent them a few weeks before. It was an easy process and we looped back around the border crossing complex and stopped at Canadian Customs to import the 1600. I’ve done this before and it can be easy, or it can be hard. All depends on who you get to do the paperwork. I was lucky this time! The Customs Officer was very helpful and made the process pretty painless. I had what I needed (be prepared and follow all the instructions on the internet for BOTH countries) and we were on our way pretty quickly. The border and custom’s facilities for Canada and the US at Calais/St Stephen are brand new facilities and MUCH easier than it used to be when the same crossing was just a really old and small bridge crossing the St Croix River. Customs were in small and antiquated facilities (at least in the US). Our goal for the day was only to get to Fundy National Park, about 50 miles from Moncton (or about 200 more miles from the border) and right on the Bay of Fundy. Since you never know how long the border crossing will take when importing a vehicle, we didn’t plan a really big day.

Our camp at Fundy National Park was pretty good except the biting flies were out in force. We found ourselves “bugged” quite a bit so we took off on the bike for a little sightseeing. The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world and surge over 40 feet twice a day. That’s VERTICAL feet. It is pretty cool to see boats sitting on dry land tied to the dock and a few hours later, floating in the water in the same place! It really is amazing and something everyone should see. The water in the bay seemingly vanishes (and for the most part, does) and leaves the bottom clear, albeit muddy, to walk out on. We didn’t go for the mud walk but snooped around the visitor’s center and hit the post office to take care of some business. For a chance to see the tides really at work and experience a truly picturesque place, stop by Hopewell Rocks not too far west of Fundy National Park. We’ve been there a few times too. However, our choice was Alma, NB which is a quaint little town and is the hub for the park. Lots of good seafood restaurants are in town and for our visit, the lobsters were in! Soon though, we got chased back to our camp with the threat of some showers that really didn’t show up till much later. Having just about the whole campground to ourselves was a treat (with the exception of the flies….).

We got up early again (still) and found that during the night we had rain showers so most everything left out got wet. In the morning however, we could see some blue sky and that encouraged us since we had about 350 miles to go to the ferry. I decided to check my emails and that’s when the bad news struck- the RIV (Registrar of Imported Vehicles) sent me a message stating that I needed to prove the BMW was not the subject of any recalls and if so, that they had been fixed. Failure to do so means taking the bike out of Canada and not being able to register it where we live. I thought that was all taken care of at the border! I gave all those documents (that Mike at BMW of Las Vegas prepared) to the Customs guy. Not so, it’s not up to him apparently. It was decision time. I’ve been down this road before and it can be really tricky. FYI- US bikes are NOT in the BMW database in Canada so the dealer can not access your bike’s history. I find that all so strange since BMW bikes are found all over the world! The only thing they can do is order a letter from BMW of Canada stating that your recalls are clear. That letter costs $500 plus tax ($65) and can only be had through a dealer. Oh, and it takes about two weeks to get. Hum, good thing Atlantic Motorsports is in Moncton (on our way) AND I know where they are plus, they’ve ‘saved’ me before! We packed fast and headed to see them. Once you cross the border, the clock starts running (you have 30 days) and for us it was even shorter since we were going to be sailing back from Newfoundland in only a week.

After visiting Shawn at Atlantic Motorsports and talking through the situation (I’ve had to do this once before with him about a 2000 R1100RT I had), we decided that we would not spend the money and take our chances with the documents we had. I figured the border agent did not send anything to the RIV and I found out eventually that I was right. We got to Moncton around 9:00 am and had plenty of time to get to the ferry so we just headed off and were chased the whole day by rain clouds. We only got slightly wet on our way to North Sydney, Nova Scotia.

I have driven across Newfoundland quite a few times. The 600 miles from the ferry landing in Port aux Basques to St. John’s is no longer fun to drive. Most folks don’t realize just how big the island of Newfoundland is. Consequently, we cherish the North Sydney to Argentia ferry now even though it is longer (16 hours vs. 6 hours) but lands you in Newfoundland within 1 ½ hours’ drive to St. John’s. We arrived about 3 hours before sailing time (be sure to do that) and loading began shortly thereafter. We always get a cabin and make the most of our ‘cruise’ across the Cabot Strait. After tying our GTL down for the crossing, we settled into our cabin after a few beers and dinner at the buffet. The crossing was pretty good (smooth) and as we peeked out of our cabin window in the morning, we could see our arrival at Argentia (an American naval base during WWII) was socked in with clouds. We suited up and took our time getting off the ferry but were home in short order. Nice.

On Monday, June 23 we stopped by the BMW dealer in St John’s (Avalon Motorrad) to inquire about that expensive letter again just in case what I was about to send the RIV would not do the trick. To make a long story short, between help from Mike at BMW of Las Vegas again and the printout from the database in the US I brought with me, I received a confirmation back from the RIV within a few hours that all was fine and I could get the bike inspected, titled and licensed in Newfoundland. What a weight taken off! By Tuesday afternoon, we were completely clear of all that and to ‘celebrate’ we took a ride out to Cape Spear (the eastern-most point in North America) to see the two pretty big icebergs at the entrance to St. John’s harbor and the other four floating around in the ocean just offshore! The northern and eastern coasts of Newfoundland are some of the only places you can see icebergs (and it being relatively easy to get to). It is hard to believe but icebergs make the climate much cooler. You’d be surprised. It was only 55 degrees out at the cape and the wind was up quite a bit! This part of the world is considered iceberg alley and remember- it was only 400 miles southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland that the Titanic struck one in April 1912.

We already had our reservation for Saturday, June 28 to sail back from Argentia on the same schedule (5:00 pm sailing, arriving North Sydney, NS around 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning). In between our coming to Newfoundland and our departure, we visited family and friends and took it easy. It was a nice visit, albeit cool, but we were anxious to get back to our ‘exploring’. Our departure from Argentia was uneventful though we met a nice couple from Germany who had rented an RV in Halifax and were spending 3 weeks in Atlantic Canada. He was happy to see we owned a BMW! The crossing was as smooth as they come in the North Atlantic and we arrived late in North Sydney at about 10:30 in the morning. No worries, it was a beautiful sunny and warm day, just what we needed! We headed straight away to Louisbourg National Historical Site in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, a short 50 miles.

Louisbourg is the site of a French fort from the 1700’s when the French ruled this part of Canada and one of the best preserved colonial forts in North America. The park offers a shuttle bus to the fort itself and you can walk around the grounds and take in some of the exhibits of what life was like back then. Rein actors can show you metal working, leather crafting, bread making and a whole host of other activities that kept the fort and its personnel running. You can have lunch at the restaurant and enjoy typical fare from the period. Cannons are fired periodically and personnel throughout the fort help you understand what life was like. Be sure that when you approach the guard at the entrance to the fort you tell him you’re French!

We left Louisbourg and continued east to take in another park and one of the best east coast motorcycle roads. We’ve driven the Cape Breton road a few times before. It was great to arrive at Cape Breton Highlands National Park in plenty of time to get settled into our campsite at Ingonish Beach and take a walk down to the beach. Although the campsite was a little buggy, we didn’t have many other neighbors of the two legged variety. Cape Breton Highlands NP has some pretty spectacular scenery as you drive around the Cape on the (part) park road and (part) Provincial road. Not only is the scenery from your bike great but the park has plenty of trails that lead inland as well as ones that cover the coastal areas. We gained access to the highlands via the Englishtown Ferry that takes all of about 5 minutes to make its crossing. Just off the Trans Canada Highway, the ferry saves quite a bit of driving if you are headed east from Sydney, NS. We only stayed in the park one night and by Sunday, June 29th, we were headed to Baddeck, NS, the birthplace of British (at the time) aviation. On the way we got to see a bull moose along the road and experience a piece of road much worse than the road we negotiated in Maine. It was relatively short but the road from Tarbotvale through the St Ann’s region and onto the Trans Canada again is pretty bad. Try to avoid this stretch if you can or drive REAL slow like we did!

We got to Baddeck early and our stop was the Alexander Graham Bell National Historical Site. Bell was the inventor of the telephone, among other things. The visitor’s center was laid out pretty nice with the majority of the exhibits dedicated to Bell and the rest to the aviation history of the area, of which Bell was also a contributor. Pretty cool stuff. As for the aviation part, the Silver Dart was the first British flying machine and it was on the (frozen) Bras d’Or Lake at Baddeck, that it took flight. Also in the museum are early hydrofoil and other aviation related devices. It was a really interesting place to visit. We’d been by here quite a few times since one of our favorite restaurants is in Baddeck, the Bell Buoy, and we always stop there to and from the ferry. As this trip has come to be, this time, we took the time to visit a spot we’ve passed numerous times. We’re happy to have made the stop THIS time! However, we didn’t stay too long since we knew we wanted to get to Prince Edward Island relatively early since we had never been there before and didn’t know what to expect.

We cut off the Trans Canada at New Glasgow, NS and headed north to the ferry at Caribou. We arrived just as they were loading the ferry for the short 75 minute ferry cruise across the Northumberland Strait. We were pleasantly surprised that there is no charge for either the ferry or the drive across the Confederation Bridge into Prince Edward Island. The only charge is when you leave by either route. Before we knew it, we were at the Wood Islands ferry terminal and we continued on the Trans Canada towards Charlottetown, PEI. Prince Edward Island is really not that big. About 300 kilometers (180 miles) from stem to stern and a beam of roughly 50-75 (30-50 miles) kilometers (that’s length and width for you non-nautical types), it is really easy to get around! We decided to stay at the Lord Selkirk Provincial Park, only about 35 miles from The Capital of Charlottetown. This was a nice park right on the water. Attached are a 9-hole golf course and a pool. It really was appealing at first and then we found the menace lying in the grass- mosquitoes, plenty of mosquitoes! We heard that they have gotten really bad since the bat population got a disease that has reduced their number. Probably White Nose like in the States. Anyway, if not for the onshore sea breeze, it would have been intolerable. We set up camp and enjoyed the afternoon by the ocean and the evening sunset. It was a great way to finish up our June travels.

June by the numbers went like this: total miles traveled were 3,490 (not counting the 350 R/T miles on the boat) for about 22 days of driving. We spent about 18 days lounging around in Baltimore and St John’s. That’s an average of 158 miles a day, about the same as May. Since January 1 at the onset of our National Parks Tour, we have clocked 19,226 miles. We are feeling like the GTL is part of us, and we part of it now! We visited 34 new national sites (both US and Canada) for a total of 160 so far. We also logged 8 new states (including 4 Canadian Provinces) for a total of 28. We’re qualified!

Our gas mileage remains pretty good at 40.5 mpg overall according to the onboard computer. As for gas cost, in June we spent $377 in gas, slightly more than May. However, once we were in Canada the cost shot up to around $1.47 per liter or about $5.88 a gallon for midgrade (supreme was always higher than $1.52 or so a liter). We tried to limit our speed to 100 kph to stretch the gas as best we could. So, if you hate paying the $3.50 or so in the US, stop complaining! I have! It was somewhat shocking to put over $33 of gas in the bike.

It was be good to get back to traveling again. Motorcycling, but travel in general really clears your head. It also gave us a chance to visit Prince Edward Island and see some pretty nice countryside there. Even though we had been to a number of the spots before, getting back out there gave us the chance to see other special places. We’re already in July continuing to visit new places that hold secrets yet to be discovered by us. We’ll be back soon with our next installment of our National Parks Tour! Stay tuned! Greg & Cynthia.

Jun

2014

National Parks Tour Chapter 15 June 14 - 17

By nl7501

Our mid-June travels certainly started off on a good foot! We left Baltimore on 6/14, a bright sunny Saturday morning and headed up I-95 to our first stop in New Jersey. Fortunately for us, we were able to avoid the New Jersey Turnpike and if you have ever driven on it, you know what I mean! Since we stayed on I-95, we passed by Philadelphia and exited north onto NY 31 then US 202 north to I-287. It was a nice, easy drive since it was still pretty early on a Sunday. A short 212 miles got us to Morristown, NJ to visit a very important Revolutionary War site there. Since Washington’s Headquarters is right off I-287, we decided to start there to get the scoop on the events that happened in Morristown (the second time) at the end of November 1779. Since the British needed to be ‘watched’ while they occupied New York, Morristown once again fit the bill for winter quarters as they had after coming off victories at Trenton and Princeton in 1776 and 1777. Unbeknownst to them, it was to be the hardest, most brutal winter in recorded history there. Over 20 snowstorms blasted the hills that winter and only upon the arrival of the Marquis de Lafayette did the Continentals finally get the good news that France had declared war on Great Britain. We had a great visit to the site and were anxious to visit the other two sites (Jockey Hollow and New Jersey Encampment Sites) but lacked the time to spend there.

We didn’t have far to go to get to our next stop at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange, NJ. Real easy to get to, the site is right off I-280. I always thought looking at the map and it reflecting the denseness of the population around there that it would be hard to get around but not so! Even pulling the trailer it wasn’t hard to get to these places, at least not just then…. Thomas Edison NHP is the site of Edison’s laboratory complex. It includes the main laboratory, chemistry and metallurgical laboratory and a place called Black Maria. Black Maria is a house that spins on a turntable so that optimum light can be focused on the filming activities that took place there. Pretty ingenious! No need to wait till tomorrow for the sun to come back around, just rotate the house! Edison was quite a fellow, earning 1,093 patents in his lifetime. I encourage anyone who finds themselves in the area to go there. These old lab buildings are filled with the most interesting things that Edison and his employees worked on. It was fascinating and hard to believe that one man could possess such insights and invention. He knew that for every question, there was an answer and he never stopped experimenting till he had the answer!

We wanted to stop at Paterson, NJ to see the Passaic Falls National Historical Site but my GPS failed me again! I missed the turn-off and since traffic in this area was getting a little hairy, we decided to pass it up. The one thing I did not count on is that sometimes a GPS can take you into some pretty rough neighborhoods and you’re there before you know it. That’s what happened to us. The roads were bad, the houses were bad and the folks hanging out looked like they could be bad, and that all happened in about 3 minutes. We ‘got away’ and made it onto I-287 north again, headed for the NY State Line!

Instead of taking the New York State Thruway, we opted for the parallel, NY 17 to take us to our camp at Beaver Pond State Park. Part of the larger Harriman State Park, our camp was pretty nice and not too crowded. After all, it was Father’s Day Weekend and there were plenty of kids enjoying a camping weekend with dad and mom. It was nice to see. It was pretty windy and temps went down considerably when the sun hid behind the clouds so we turned in early when the mosquitoes arrived for supper.

We were up early on Sunday June 15 to continue our trek up the Hudson Valley with a reasonably quick trip to Hyde Park, NY and the location of three National sites. If you have never been up the Hudson Valley, you owe it to yourself to take any one of the “9s” (explanation later) and enjoy the ride! We began by intersecting US 9 just above Poughkeepsie, NY. We arrived at the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historical Site early and took in the film. Not what you would call a Roosevelt fan, I was impressed by the accomplishments Eleanor made throughout her life. The National Historical Site is the only home Mrs. Roosevelt owned. Called the Val-Kill Cottage, the grounds surrounding the home are really nice. The park service has done a great job preserving the home and grounds just as Franklin and Eleanor would have enjoyed them in their day. I encourage anyone not familiar with Eleanor Roosevelt’s accomplishments to spend a little time investigating them and like us, become enthralled with the things she championed and sought to make right.

Two miles away was the ancestral home of Franklin Roosevelt and today also the site of his Presidential Library. Since Roosevelt was elected to four terms of presidential office, there is a lot of moving displays and memorabilia there. I thought the most moving was his handwritten draft of the address to congress on December 8, 1941. It must have been SOME time back then! I can hardly imagine the mood. Even if you aren’t a fan, it was well worth the effort to visit and explore the life of a president, who by most accounts, did much for America before the war in the darkest of economic times to the darkest times in world conflict. It was a great time and we really enjoyed ourselves.

By then, it was still only about 11:00 Monday morning and we only had a few miles up US 9 to get to our next visit, the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historical Site. A fine example of the Gilded Age in Architecture, The mansion is small at 30,000 square feet compared to the Biltmore in Asheville that is about 160,000 of home. I guess everyone knows about the Vanderbilt’s. One of the richest families in American history, the Vanderbilt who had this home built started out rather underprivileged with a ‘punishment’ inheritance of only $10 million dollars since he (Frederick) opted to marry a woman 12 years his senior which dad Cornelius disapproved. The tour of the mansion was free and well worth the adventure. It is hard to imagine such wealth and living as they did then. The house is beautiful inside and has a commanding and gracious view up and down the Hudson River. Great place for a picnic and the grounds are open daily if that’s your pleasure.

We got back on US 9 but I think it was US 9N, but I am not sure. Seems that route 9 in these parts comes in G’s, H’s W’s and a few others if I recall correctly, all north-south routes! Take any one of these and you will be rewarded with some pretty awesome motorcycling roads as well as some pretty inspiring scenery! Ours led us to the Martin Van Buren National Historical Site. Now you may be thinking, what’s up with Van Buren?! Well, I didn’t know much either but for starters he was the first president (8th) that could claim US citizenship by birth. All previous presidents were born under the British flag. Located in the village of Kinderhook, NY, the estate lies along one of the few sections of the original Post Road that ran from Manhattan to the state capital in Albany. Martin was pretty smart. Lots of folks travelled that road and would always stop to pay their respects to one of the founders of the Democratic Party, Andrew Jackson’s top advisor (as well as his Vice President), NY State Senator, US Senator from NY, probate judge and, oh, Eighth President of the United States. You never know what you’ll learn on these visits! We didn’t tour Van Buren home, seems we were all ‘home toured out’ by this point. So we continued on up the valley on US 4 to Saratoga National Historical Park. Along the way we passed through Waterford NY, the beginning of the Erie Canal and close to where the Champlain Canal connects to the Hudson River. We got our stamp for the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. What a trip THAT would be! Canoeing the Erie Canal! We stopped to see Lock #2 on the canal before heading off to Saratoga.

Saratoga National Historical Park marks the spot were General Burgoyne surrendered to General Howe (of the Continental Army) and sparked renewed enthusiasm for the independence movement. The highlands overlooking the Hudson River makes a nicely situated bottleneck for any army marching south along the Hudson. Unfortunately for Burgoyne, his march from Montreal to capture the Hudson Valley and cut the colonies in two for the British failed to materialize upon his defeat. Thought by many to be the turning point of the war, it is easy to see from the visitor’s center the importance of this area and the river itself. There is a nine mile driving tour of the battlefield and you can access via your cell phone, information at various points along the way, something too difficult for us wearing helmet and all…. Once again, the roads, the countryside and people in this part of New York are wonderful. We did not see too many other motorcyclists these past few days but it certainly couldn’t be because the area doesn’t have much to offer! I can see just from this part of the Hudson Valley it is deserving of a week’s vacation, maybe longer…and we haven’t gotten to the Adirondacks proper yet.

We camped at a really nice state park called Moreau Lake State Park, just outside Glens Falls, NY. We had just about the whole loop A to ourselves since the weekenders had all left. Nice showers, clean washrooms are always welcome when you’ve been travelling for some time. Even though we were camped at a lake, the mosquitoes weren’t too bad. Our morning of Monday, June 16 was another fine morning with the exception of our failing air mattress. Seems those ‘Made in China’ $17 air mattresses can’t be relied on for much more than a month. The Coleman one we had lasted a long time before springing a leak. There’s little (except rain in the morning) that can dampen your camping enthusiasm quiet like waking up lying on the hard ground!

We started early cause the air mattress gods willed it as such so we headed north some more through Lake George and up US 9N again towards Lake Ticonderoga. The drive up US 9N is great! Most of the way it hugs Lake George offering some pretty spectacular views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Even though it is ‘touristy’, it’s a great drive. Famous for its pencils (not really) Fort Ticonderoga is the site of a Revolutionary War battle the colonies lost just before the victory at Saratoga. We got there so early, they weren’t open yet. We hung around the ferry dock at the lake’s edge (you can ferry across Lake Ticonderoga) and talked to a fellow that was working there about our travels, the trailer and how it is to pull it and how trying some drivers on the road can be. He even had a few trips to Newfoundland while he worked delivering trailers (campers)! Soon we realized when we went back to the fort that we really didn’t want to spend almost $40 to tour the place. I guess we really are overdosed on forts as I suspected earlier in the trip. Once the decision was made, we took NY 22 south (another great ride) to US 4 east towards Rutland, VT.

The good thing about travelling east to west or visa versa in Vermont and New Hampshire is that the states are narrow so travel is short as opposed to the long north-south way. It was a quick ride to our next stop at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, the only park in Vermont. I never heard of it before we visited and had no idea what it was about. Silly me, it has a rich history worth repeating here. After another snafu with the GPS and we being determined to find this place in Woodstock, VT (About a mile long that is), I did the unthinkable and stopped to ask directions from a fellow walking down the street. He couldn’t have been more helpful in pointing out I was right next to the place a few minutes before! Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP was owned by these three seemingly unconnected people throughout its history. The connection?- all were conservationists beginning with Marsh who built the home and adjoining farm buildings around the 1820’s. A self described conservationist, Marsh was alarmed at the level of destruction happening in Vermont as a result of logging. He even penned the first book on conservation titled, “Man and Nature” in 1864. Marsh sold the property to Frederick Billings (of Billing MT fame) who was alarmed at what he witnessed in California during the gold rush. Consequently, Billings built up the farm by planting native trees and advancing the science of farming by hiring a professional farmer to oversee his holdings. At his death, hi granddaughter married Laurance Rockefeller, another conservationist who preserved the farm and its surrounding property and donated it to us via the National Parks Service to be preserved and tell all of us the history of conservation through this one homestead. Pretty remarkable. Oh, and is this part of Vermont nice!! They don’t call it The Green Mountain State for nothing!

Next on our list was the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Site in Cornish, NH, also the only site in New Hampshire. Saint-Gaudens is considered the Sculptor of the American Renaissance. Best known for the $20 gold piece minted between 1907 and 1933, he also did notable works such as the Shaw Memorial in Boston (a Tribute to the Massachusetts 54th Regiment of African American Volunteers during the Civil War, numerous cameos and medals, the Farragut Memorial in New York and the monument to General Sherman with the winged Victory leading the way are but a few of his superb works. The National Historical Site houses many of his works that are casting of the originals and you can tour the studio, his house and the gardens. A very peaceful place and no doubt a place of inspiration for him at the time, you can also enjoy the same almost overwhelming serenity of this mountain top retreat. Try to find your way there at some point. You’ll see what we mean!

It was then off to our camp in the White Mountain National Forest. The drive there was almost a disaster! Take heed! NH 118 from Orange to North Woodstock is the worst road I have travelled, maybe ever. It was about 100 miles of broken, rough road with pavement separating in long fissures. If I were a New Hampshire resident I would be ashamed of this road. I mean, why not spread a little tar once in a while to keep the road from opening up to resemble something like the Grand Canyon? Roads like this just wear you out. Even though it was twisty with nice elevation changes and the like, we crept along at about 40-45 and that was pushing it! Once out onto NH 112 and into the White Mountains, it was a pleasure and seeing our camp ground at Long Lost was a welcome sight.

We didn’t stop to get a new mattress till it failed once again the morning of Tuesday June 17. It got on the Walmart list then! I gladly marched down to the campground dumpster at about 6:30 in the morning and placed it where it was longing to go. We got out on the Kancamagus Highway (NH 112) and headed east towards Bangor, ME. This drive is a really pleasant one that winds through the White Mountains, so named for the abundant birch trees. We saw a lot of motorcyclist coming in the day before but not many this day.
After entering Maine at Fryeburg, we took a fairly convoluted route to Bangor. First we headed east on ME 117 then north on US 4 out of Turner. Once in Farmington, we drove straight east on US 2 then ME 100 to I-95 north just south of Bangor. It was a great riding day with plenty of sun, not too hot and roads worth the visit on!

We are off and into Canada tomorrow, crossing at Calais, ME. We’ll be back next week with our next installment of our National Parks Tour! Stay tuned! Greg & Cynthia.

Jun

2014

National Parks Tour Chapter 13 June 1 - 13

By nl7501

We had a really nice camp site at the My Old Kentucky Home State Park our last night in May. Even though it was close to a road, the traffic didn’t seem to bother us. That evening, Cynthia and I were writing a bit and making a few calls when it dawned on me just how enslaved we are to electronic gadgets. Here it was a beautiful evening and normally people would be sitting around a camp fire shooting the breeze as were a number of campers. Well, here we were sitting around a power pole with all our electronic do-dads plugged in. I think it would have made a great cartoon depicting families camping in a “before and after” the dawn of the electronic age.

We got our usual early start Sunday, June 1 with a quick shopping trip to the local Walmart to pick up supplies. We were headed east once again and we decided to take some more secondary roads to enjoy the drive. We exited Bardstown on US 150 and held onto that road all the way to Mount Vernon at the intersection of I-75. What a nice road US 150 is. It was all of 120 miles or so and it went fast. Not because we were going fast but because there is so much to look at and with light traffic, the miles went by before we knew it. This was definitely horse country and it was farm after farm we passed by. We got on I-75 south for a small piece and exited onto another beautiful road, US 25E heading south. This road took us to our next stop at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park encompasses the actual Cumberland Gap through the Appalachian Mountains, one of the few “gaps” in that chain. This and the local surrounds were a major early American route used by pioneers to settle the Kentucky Bluegrass region and Ohio Valley before the advent of trains and canals. It marked spot for the very first great wave of western migration. Used by bison and Native Americans for longer than anyone knows, it was Daniel Boone who, with 30 men, marked out the Wilderness Trail from Long Island (not THAT one) on the Holston River (Kingsport TN) through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky. We travelled almost the exact route through the gap except modern technology has provided us with a tunnel through the lowest mountain next to the gap itself. For a better view of all this, we opted to ride up to the Pinnacle Overlook. Be forewarned though, the road is narrow and has almost 180 degree turns that are STEEP! It was first gear action on a couple of them but even though we were pulling a trailer, I would think most all bikes would be in first gear too. The sign did say, “No trailers allowed” but I figured they meant THOSE trailers! We were rewarded with a great view of three states (Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia) that come together just across the Gap at Tristate Peak State Park. If you want to, you can trace the original Wilderness Road by taking US 58 off of US 25E towards Bristol. Another part travels through Middleboro, KY. The whole area is really nice and we had a wonderful day to explore there.

We decided that since the Great Smoky Mountains NP was only about 100 miles away, we’d go back there like we planned. That’s what we tried to do anyway. I never really liked entering the park from the north, through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge, and now I know why- the traffic was horrible! The short 30 or so miles from I-40 to the park entrance took about an hour and an untold number of traffic lights which I mostly got red. The road is lined with Dollywood-like amusements, hotels, eateries and a whole host of establishments designed to take your money. We got into the park with intentions of camping on the opposite side at Longmont again but once we crossed Newfound Gap, it was clear (not the right word) that we weren’t going THAT way! The skies were terribly ominous for as far as we could see! We decided that was a bad idea and facing the struggle yet again, we made our way back out of the park on US 441 and TN 66 to I-40 and the relative freedom from traffic. The park will definitely have to wait. We stopped briefly for supper since it was getting late and we thought we’d put on a few miles to lessen our burden on Monday when we head into Baltimore. Cranking open the throttle to a full 80+ mph, we put in at Wytheville, VA, after a 475 mile day, leaving about 300 miles for Monday.

It was a beautiful day for driving on Monday. We left at 7:30 and were in Baltimore by 1:00. We did about 300 miles. A few more than I estimated. It may be because we took a slightly longer route so we could stop at Manassas National Battlefield Park in Manassas, VA. This park is the site of the opening battle (after the bombardment of Fort Sumter) of the Civil War (July 21, 1861) and a subsequent battle on August 9, 1862. Both battles were Union defeats. The park is nice but is surrounded by development. That’s just the way it is around the ‘burbs of Washington, DC. We did a quick ride about and left for Baltimore shortly after. While in the visitor’s center, it became apparent to us that we have been to just about all the major battlefields of the Civil War except two- Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas and Walnut Creek, Kansas. We will be visiting these after our return from Newfoundland. It has been quite an accomplishment since they are so spread out and take a commitment to visit them all. But, that’s what we’re doing!

It was good to be back at my mother’s. We can always relax and regroup. We spent the first four days doing just that. Well, we were doing some planning too. We figured it would be a good time, since the weather was so nice, that we would visit Philadelphia and Washington, DC as day trips. Since the “City of Brotherly Love” is only 90 miles away and DC is about 50. We stashed the trailer away in the garage down the street again, did some shopping, sprayed the tent again with silicone and did a general round-up of the things in the trailer to be sure we had everything we needed for when we head to Newfoundland. In addition, we organized all the export documents once I got them from Mike at BMW of Las Vegas. We’re now ready for that leg later in the week.

We hit the road as early as we could on Saturday, June 7 and with easy access to the Baltimore Beltway and I-95, we were on our way to Philadelphia quickly. Interstate 95 can seem like a race track sometimes and Saturday was no exception. Some cars doing 90 mph and others doing 55 (the limit in some places). All that variation causes accidents just like the one right out of the toll booth in Delaware. It must have happened a few moments in front of us (but I didn’t see it happen). Although a small car didn’t look like it hit anything, it was upside down in the left lane. Lots of cars were pulling over to help as we approached and I made a wide berth to miss any debris that might be in the roadway. I can’t explain that one but I will tell you that texting while driving HAS to stop. We’ve seen SO much distracted driving its terrible. We can always tell when it is going on and we make sure we stay as far away from them as possible!

We were in Philadelphia in about 1 ½ hours and the good thing about visiting Philly is that the historical spots are mostly right off I-95 because the downtown is right on the Delaware River. We easily found a parking spot on the street (that’s an upside of riding a motorcycle) one block from Independence Hall. I recommend first stopping at the visitor’s center because, for one thing, you’ll need a ticket to get into Independence Hall (it is free, as is all the other popular sites) and you can get oriented to what’s around. We weren’t able to wait for the next available tour so that’s why I am recommending visiting the center first. Tickets go fast. Fortunately, the Liberty Bell doe not require a ticket, only a wait in line that wasn’t too bad. We had a few places on our agenda so we got the stamps from the visitor’s center and headed to the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial after Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.

Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial is the home of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Revolutionary War hero and brilliant military engineer who designed successful fortifications for us during the American Revolution. By 1783, Kosciuszko was appointed Brigadier General and was awarded the Cincinnati Order Medal by General George Washington. Washington also presented Kosciuszko with two pistols and a sword as gifts for his outstanding service to America. He even has a town in Mississippi named after him right along the Natchez Trace Parkway (though not spelled exactly the same)!

After exploring the history around Kosciuszko, we decided to check out the Edgar Allan Poe National Historical Site. Though Edgar spent a fair amount of time in Baltimore, and is buried there, Philadelphia has the National Historical Site. I think most of us have read some of his work and if you haven’t, you are really missing out. Though most of his work is well over a hundred years old, it has a timelessness that only great works can possess.

We got quite a few stamps in Philadelphia (9) but wanted to move on to Valley Forge National Park. We plan to visit Philly again but spend much more time since the city is rich in history. Maybe on our way back from Newfoundland we’ll do that. It is an easy drive to Valley Forge from downtown (about 30 miles). We’ve found that one of the benefits of exploring Revolutionary and Civil War sites is that in those days, the significant things that happened, aren’t really that far apart by today’s standards. We arrived in Valley Forge at about 1:00 pm with plenty of time left in the day. Hopefully everyone reading this is aware of Valley Forge and the brutal winter that Washington spent there with the Continental Army. What you might not know if you haven’t been is just how big an area the National Park encompasses. In addition to its size, the park has an abundance of trails for biking, hiking and exploring. There is also a bike rental service in the parking lot for those that want to exit the car and take in some fresh air! Even though there were no battles fought there, Valley Forge is a great place to visit and take the time to imagine for yourself the hardship these soldiers must have endured in order to secure our freedom.

Off to another early American historical site, we drove further west to Hopewell Furnace National Historical Site, not too far from Lancaster, PA. Situated not far from Elverson, PA, Hopewell Furnace is a well preserved example of a colonial period foundry that are so prevalent in this area of Pennsylvania because of its rich mineral resource. Built in 1771, Hopewell Furnace and others like it were producing one seventh of the world’s iron at the onset of the Revolutionary War. As you might imagine, these foundries also played a crucial role in supplying our new nation’s army. The film on how to make charcoal, molds for castings, pouring the molds, the whole process, was fascinating! We had a pretty nice visit to Hopewell Furnace and were surprised at just how significant this industry was in the late 1700’s. Even though it is a little out of the way, we highly recommend a visit. You can’t find this sort of stuff just anywhere!

We spied a community cookout a few miles before we got to Hopewell so we decided to head back there for a late lunch/early dinner. It turned out to be a blast! The whole community of Elverson puts on a blues cookout. There were at least five blues bands slated to play, lots of BBQ and my personal favorite, pulled pork sandwiches! Beer was on tap, though we couldn’t enjoy any of it, and folks from all around brought their tents, chairs and coolers to enjoy an afternoon of blues and food at Wyndsor Farm. We have found during this trip that to ‘dig into’ the local flair can produce some pretty awesome experiences and this was no different. We stayed a few hours then decided it was time to head back to Baltimore on some very rural roads. These took us through Lancaster County, famous for their Amish and Mennonite communities. If you haven’t been, be sure to keep an eye on the roads for cow and horse droppings because they are quite slippery! We felt we were back down south when we crossed over the Susquehanna River and south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Washington, DC is at least a two week vacation in and of itself. Seeing all the historical sites and museums and all the other things it has to offer was just not in the cards for us this trip. So we planned to visit four or so sites that were all related- Ford’s Theatre, Fort Stevens, Fort Washington and Lincoln’s Cottage at Soldiers Home.

Sunday, June 8 brought another great day and we started early again since we had tour tickets for Ford’s Theatre at 9:00. We had no trouble finding parking on 10th Street NW since it was so early. It was free too! Since we arrived so early, we had a long wait till the first tour began. The museum was really good with lots of Lincoln displays and after we spent about 45 minutes in there, we went into the theatre to hear the story of that fateful night told by the Park Ranger with some theatre history thrown in. Ford’s Theatre today is not the original. Sold to the military soon after Lincoln’s assassination, it served as a warehouse and an office space. Not until the 1950’s was it restored to its original configuration. Today, it is a working theatre. The box where Lincoln was shot is draped in the American flag. We found it to be a moving experience nonetheless. Across the street is the Petersen House where Lincoln died at 7:22 am April 15, 1865. You can tour this building also.

We left there and headed a few miles north in DC to Lincoln’s Cottage at Soldiers Home. Lincoln spent a lot of time living at this cottage at Soldiers Home during the Civil War. The site is a National Historical Site but the cottage is a National Trust property. We didn’t take the (expensive) tour of the cottage ($15 per person) but looked around the home quietly since there was a wedding going on while we were there. It would be a good idea to look it up on the internet if you are interested in this piece of history.

Close to Soldiers Home is the re-constructed Fort Stevens. This is the site of the fort that was attacked by Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early with 14,000 troops. Though repulsed, it did send a scare into the residents of the Capital. On July 12, 1864, President Lincoln visited the fort while it was under attack and barely escaped a sharpshooter’s bullet. I think this may have been the only time a sitting president has been fired upon by an enemy force and consequently Lincoln being the only president to have been so. Fort Stevens is only part of a vast fort network built during the Civil War. A total of 68 forts, 93 gun batteries, 20 miles of rifle pits and 32 miles of military roads around the capital were built under the supervision of Major General John Barnard, a respected expert on the construction of coastal forts. Not all forts today are accessible but it was pretty cool to see the map of these forts and place them in present day. Little known is the fact that only one fort protected our Capital in 1861 and that was Fort Washington.

That was our next stop, Fort Washington National Park. Started in 1808 as Fort Warburton, it is situated across from and slightly upriver on the Potomac from Mount Vernon. Fort Washington has a commanding view of the Potomac River. The fort’s construction was primarily finished under Lt. Col. Walker Armistead in 1824. However, by the 1840’s, it underwent yet another remodeling. For a time it was the only defensive fort protecting Washington so at the onset of hostilities in 1861, the orders were given to Major Barnard to construct an additional 68 forts. We were really surprised at how few people were visiting the park, and it was Sunday! Maybe not a lot of folks know about it. It is a great place to visit and the views are hard to beat! Easy to get to, it is just a few miles off I-95 just into Maryland off the Woodrow Wilson Bridge from Alexandria, VA. Take the Indian Head Highway south.

While we were there we learned about Piscataway Park, property purchased by the National Park Service to protect the view across river from Mount Vernon. In addition to this area, we saw Fort Foote, another fort upriver towards Washington providing additional protection. We were also surprised to find out that a lot of the eastern shore (Maryland side) of this part of the Potomac River is so much protected parkland, even though some property is privately owned. It is nice to know that the sprawl from Washington will not adversely affect the view that even George Washington would recognize if he were alive today. All these places are worth a visit and we think it is great that they remain as they were in what we might call, their heyday.

It was a pretty easy Sunday. We did about 150 miles and were back by 1:00 or so. Looking back, maybe a more extensive search for the old forts would have been fun but you must be careful in some places in DC. You might find yourself in a not so great neighborhood before you know it. Besides, the traffic can be intimidating if you are not accustomed to it or have not experienced it. While driving in New York Avenue, I remembered those days of working in Georgetown and it taking about 1 ½ hours to go 24 or so miles to work. It was ALWAYS an adventure! Back on I-95 to get home, we hit one of those ‘phantom backups’ as I like to call them. Once the traffic breaks free, you wonder what caused it because you don’t see anything. I can’t explain them! Anyway, it wasn’t too warm so the slow-down wasn’t too hateful!

We took a break from June 8-13, gearing up for our next leg of the trip. Our plan is to head north into New Jersey and then continue up the Hudson River Valley. Lots of Revolutionary War sites up that way! Then we think it’ll be over into Vermont and New Hampshire, entering Maine about mid-state. We hope to do some coastal Maine travel and cross into New Brunswick at Calais, ME.

We hope you stay with us as our adventure leaves the country to Canada and some parts not usually explored by us Americans (especially Newfoundland!) Stay tuned for the next installment of our National Parks Tour! Greg & Cynthia.

EMO's Diary

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