Thursday, August 9, 2007

Day 3


Day 3
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
I took old Highway 5 most of the way along Lake Erie and then connected with Highway 20 into Cleveland. It was another slow riding day and it took about seven hours to get there.

Day 3


Day 3
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
Day 3 was Niagara Falls to Cleveland. It is a 215 mile trip. I started the day at 7:00. I was able to sleep for about seven hours. Breaking down the site and loading the bike takes 30 minutes.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Day 2


Day 2
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
I stayed at the Niagara Falls Campground and Lodging. It is the closest campsite to the Falls, but it was still a nearly 30 minute drive from the Falls. I got a tent plot. The grounds were mostly filled with huge campers and customized buses. I noticed a bus from Wisconsin, but didn't see anyone around to talk to. Generally, people stay at these campsites for a month or longer and then go out on day trips so the site looks full, but hardly anyone was around. The showers at this place were like a hotel bathroom. Very clean and private. It was a quiet night and I actually got some sleep despite the hard ground I was sleeping on. I had some time in the evening to begin reading the book I brought. I planned to finish it by the end of the trip, but only got about a third of the way through it. The book is Roadshow: A Concert Tour by Motorcycle by Neil Peart. I woke-up the next morning feeling well rested. It takes about 30 minutes to load all the gear on the bike. I started to fall into a routine on day 2. Get up, break down, load up, and get going.

Day 2


Day 2
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
Day 2 was Cooperstown to Niagara Falls. It was a 240 trip, but it took me almost eight hours to get there. I took a lot of back roads and found a few twisties to test out the maneuverability of the beemer. The bike performed very well. The bike is generally comfortable, but I need to adjust the knee pads (or my posture). My left knee digs into the pad a little too hard. Anyway, I went into Canada to check out the view and it was unbelievable. I only stopped for a short while in Canada and didn't get very many pictures. This photo was from the American side. There is a nice park on Goat Island and this is the view. The park is surprisingly quiet. Most tourists were over on the Canada side. Incidentally, you don't need a passport to go into Canada. You just need a valid driver's license.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Day 1


Day 1
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
This is in front of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I got there around 5:00 and there were not many people around. I was able to get through the whole museum in about an hour and a half. I made the first of many tshirt purchases here and also bought a vintage 1975 Boston Red Sox Cooperstown Edition baseball hat.

Day 1


Day 1
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
After riding the interstate most of the way I finally realized it wasn't going to rain so I turned off and did the last 15 miles to Cooperstown on a county road. I passed a few of these little towns.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Day 1


Day 1
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
This is one of my favorite pictures of the whole trip. I only wish I could have gotten more of the lake in it. The campsite for the first night was isolated from everyone else and it started out being extremely quiet. I was still on a high from riding all day and seeing the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier that I didn't get tired until about midnight. I started to fall asleep and that is when the ducks started in with the noise. It was an unbelievable and odd cranking noise. Someone told me the next day that it was ducks snoring. I called BS on that, but that is what the man said. So the ducks snored until about 5 a.m. and then the rooster started going at it. I really didn't sleep at all that night, but again I was just psyched to be underway and got going by 7 the next morning.

Day 1


Day 1
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
I did get lost a little in New York on my way to Cooperstown, but I pulled over and it only ended-up being a 15 mile mistake. I was really pumped at this point to be underway.

Day 1


Day 1
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
I started off on June 28th and I was fully convinced it was going to rain and it never did. I even altered my route to Cooperstown to get there faster than I had originally planned. In hindsight I really didn't need to do any of that. Riding in the rain isn't so bad.

Pre-Flight Check


Pre-Flight Check
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
The night before I left to go on the trip I loaded the luggage and gear on the bike. Everyone had me convinced it was going to rain the next day. It really did look like a bad storm was coming, but it never happened. I got the bike loaded and got the plastic wrapped around my camping and sleeping gear with some bungie cords and a cargo net bungie strap. I was looking all over for one of those cargo nets and finally found one at a discount dollar store in Bellingham Square in Chelsea. I couldn't believe they were there. I bought four of them for about four dollars. They are not the highest quality, but they get the job done and everything was secure.

The Pick-Up


The Pick-Up
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
I purchased this 2004 BMW R1150RT (unseen) in December 2006 and it had about 1000 miles on it. I researched bikes for a long time before I decided I was going to get an RT. It is a great bike. In April 2007, I got a one way flight down to D.C. to pick it up from the seller who lived in Great Falls VA. I rode it back to Boston. I did two four-hour legs on the return trip. I spent the night in New Jersey and then came back to Boston. I stopped in Providence and had lunch with a couple friends. It was a nice smooth ride with no issues or problems along the way.

Day 10


Day 10
Originally uploaded by wallace_french
Day 10 started out good enough. I got a good sleep despite being located by the front entrance and breakfast area of the motel. I got up around 8 and called Dad at 8:30 to let him know to meet me at the motel for our ride out to Wisconsin Point. Grabbed a quick bowl of cereal, checked-out, loaded the beemer, and put on sun block. Dad got there around 9 and we were off. I could tell it was going to be a really hot day. It ended-up getting up to 100 degrees today. Dad and I took a ride out to Wisconsin Point, snapped some photos, and took off. It was kind of like that scene in the movie Vacation when they go to the Grand Canyon and Chevy Chase needs to get the hell out of there so he kind of looks around real quick and says "ok let's go." I wanted to hit the road anyway so we took off. Dad broke off and went home then I headed to I35 South. I stopped right outside Duluth around 10:30 and got some breakfast at a McDonalds where I was able to get a signal and loaded some photos as well. Took off from there and got in the fast lane down I35 and didn't stop until I got back to mom's around 1:00. We relaxed for a bit and then went to Kelsey's softball game in Eagle Falls. My allergies were kicking my ass so we left the game a little early and got a quick bite to eat. Got home and relaxed and watched the Shooter. Decent movie. Now I'm blogging and about to read a chapter of Roadshow and go to bed. Later.