New England Trip 2015 Pt 7 Vermont to Niagara Falls, Canada

Leaving Wells, Maine we traveled across New Hampshire into Vermont and into upstate New York to go through Lake George. We wanted to see the location for the Americade Motorcycle Rally which usually takes place in early June every year. The ride across the Green Mountains in Vermont was beautiful.

After the ride through Lake George we went to Utica to spend the night. We did not stop in Lake George; we only wanted to see it since we plan to come back to Americade and we needed to get on to the hotel before dark.

The next day we were up early and rode to Lockport, NY to take a ride on the Erie Canal and go through the only double locks on the canal.

The double locks raise or lower boats 49 feet depending on which way they are going. Heading West our boat was raised; the return trip we were heading East and the boat was lowered. 

The locks do not have any pumping stations. All water flow is handled by gravity and a series of valves and gates. 

The canal was built 80 feet wide in its narrowest places. Our boat was 77 feet long and had a split paddle wheel which could be controlled independently for propulsion.  Our Captain took us to a place that was 80 feet wide and turned us around to head back,  He only had 3 feet of clearance so he had to be precise in his navigation. He did it flawlessly and never came close to hitting either side of the canal.

The Erie Canal allowed merchant traffic to make a trip from Buffalo, New York all the way to New Your City by way of the Hudson River where the canal ended.

You can see how big the gates are in the pictures above. It really is an amazing feat of engineering considering the era in which the canal was built.  I'm not sure if you can traverse the whole canal now because I am not sure the other locks are still operational. It would be interesting to make that trip if it is still navigable. Sure is a lot of history along the canal.

There were a lot of Canada Geese and Mallards that were nesting along the canal in Lockport. Most cities have pidgeons; Lockport has geese and ducks. Well at least in June when we were there.

We left Lockport for the short ride to Buffalo and the Rainbow Bridge to Canada.

There was a long line to get across the Rainbow Bridge into Canada and while we were stopped, we were bumped by the man in a van behind us. We were probably on the Canadian side and he had Ontario plates so I was glad that there was no actual damage. Just not paying attention.

We had a room at the Embassy Suites on the 22nd floor overlooking the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls too. Great view. We had a Prime Rib dinner in the hotel dining room on the 9th floor which also had a great view of the falls. The food was excellent and modestly priced.

Great views from our suite.

After dinner we went down to the Horseshoe falls and walked around taking pictures.

The Horn Blower was making its run up the river getting excursion takers all wet in the mist created by the falls.

At night the American Falls are lit up in colors but I could not get a decent picture of it.

The next day we started making our way back home. We went across Canada to get to the Flint, Michigan Port of Entry. We were advised by friends to avoid the Detroit entry point as it is always a long wait. Coming back into Flint was relatively quick. I don't think it took us an hour to get across.

Once back in the country we made our way to Eldorado, Kansas to see friends and then on back to Texas. It was a wonderful trip on the motorcycle and we sure had a lot of fun seeing a lot of this beautiful country. I could not possible post all of the pictures I took on this trip. You have only seen less than 1% in these posts I'm sure. 

Stay tuned for more adventures. We did a big West Coast trip in 2016 to complete our goal of riding our motorcycle in all 48 contiguous states.

New England Trip 2015 Pt 6 Maine

After our ride up the coast from Boston and Gloucester we made our way into Ogunquit, Maine. I took Billie to see a little Restaurant the I had visited on a birthday trip in 1999 called Huckleberry's. I had bragged about how good their clam chowder was and the bacon cheddar potato skins and the coffee. We only found an empty place by the water. It burned down the month before we got there. What timing.

This picture is from my 1999 visit. I think they are going to rebuild it so maybe I'll get a chance to take Billie there sometime in the future.

We continued on up the coast a little ways to Wells, Maine to our hotel, the Majestic Regency. It is the perfect motorcycle motor lodge for us. Park in front of your room. It was in the off season so we got fantastic rates. Their continental breakfast consisted of  wonderful fresh pastries from a local bakery along with cereal along with hard boiled eggs and yogurt.

We went to Mike's Clam Shack for dinner. Guess what I had? 

We stayed 2 nights in Wells and did a day of exploring the area. We went first to the Nubble Light house pictured below. This is one of the most photographed lighthouses in America. It was a cloudy day as you can see so the picture is not the best.

Then we rode up the coast to Kennebunkport and along the coast we happened into a vantage point to see George H. W. Bush's summer home and a memorial gift across the lagoon from the compound.

It is still a limited access place with Secret Service details on site.  Below is the Memorial.

We had lunch at Arundel Wharf in Kennebunkport with a great view of the harbor. I also found out that I do not like full-belly clams. Nasty creatures that do not taste anything like my favorite fried clam strips. 

We walked to dinner at another seafood restaurant called Spinnaker's Seafood in Wells that evening.

 After returning to our hotel we settled in for a good night's sleep before heading over to Vermont and upstate New York for the next leg of this adventure. Pt 7 coming...

New England Trip 2015 Pt 5 Hyannis Port to Plymouth

It was another pretty ride from Newport over to the Cape Cod area. We made Hyannis Port our base for day trips to Cape Cod and Plymouth for a Whale Watching tour. Province Town was not what I had expected but it was nice. The National Seashore was very pretty.

Made a trip to the harbor for some seafood. Yep you guessed it, I had some fried clams. Very good but not as good as Anthony's in Newport. We did a little stroll down the dock after dinner and I watched a fisherman preparing to unload his catch of the day, squid but the bushels!

He had container after container packed on ice and there was a truck waiting to take his load. He told me he had been out since 4:30 am and said he was getting to old for this. It is hard work and he didn't have a deck hand to help.

We rode out Cape Cod the next day and went through Province Town on the point. That was an experience. We also went to the National Seashore on the Atlantic side of the Cape. The beach is beautiful.

There are signs posted warning about Great White Sharks in the area due to the Grey Seal population. They are a favorite prey of the Great White sharks. Jaws came to mind when I saw it. Don't recall seeing anyone in the water. Go figure.

After the visit we found another seafood shack on the way back to the hotel. Imagine that.We had reservations in Plymouth the next day for a Whale watching tour. WOW is all I can say about it. Just WOW. Being this close to these magnificent creatures was awesome. Look at there pictures.

Yes, I was less than 10 feet from this whale when it came out from beneath our boat to catch a breath before going back under. It was something to see!

And then it was gone... but we saw a lot of whales that trip. Our guides knew the names of the Whales if they got to see their Flukes because they had named all of the whales that normally inhabit the area. Every Fluke is different like our fingerprints. The guides gave us a lot of information about whales and their habits. Worth every penny.

On our way back in the Captain slowed the boat and came to a halt to call our attention to this Grey Seal bobbing on the surface just looking around and watching us. I'm glad there were no hungry sharks beneath it. 

It was an exciting day. We saw a lot of whales in Hawaii on our first anniversary cruise but nothing this close. I had mentioned to Billie that I would like to do a Whale Watching tour if we ever got back. She surprised me with this tour when we were planning our trip. I was so excited to do this but it far exceeded my expectations. I'm married to the very best travel agent a man could ask for. 

Upon our arrival back to the dock, we took a stroll through the park and went to see Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II. 

There is also a Pilgrim Village in the area but again, time did not allow us to go and visit it. Just another reason to go back, right?

We had dinner back in Hyannis Port that evening and went back to the hotel very tired but so satisfied with the tour we had taken. I would do it again without hesitation.

The next day we were off with a ride through Boston and a ride down Constitution Avenue to see the Brownstones. We went up the coast with a detour out to Gloucester to Maine. We did not stop there just rode through and also went through Salem and by the Witch Museum but again, did not stop so we could make our hotel in Wells, Maine in time to check in. More to come in Pt 6. Stay tuned.

New England Trip 2015 Pt 4 Mystic River and Newport RI

From New Jersey we took the George Washington Bridge over to upper Manhattan on our way to Connecticut. Motorcycle riding is always a challenge in traffic but riding with a trailer in NYC is a real adventure. We made it out of the city and got on the expressway towards Rhode Island.
A pleasant side trip developed as we got off for a gas stop in Mystic River, Connecticut. Billie and I have a bit of an adventurous spirit in us so we did a little exploring in this little Seaport.

We went to this Seaport Museum but decided that there was not enough time to justify the $25 admission fee so I only took a few pictures at the entrance. It would probably be a nice place and worth the money if you had all day to spend and explore all the exhibits. So we got bac on the motorcycle and rode through the town and out around the coast and continued on to Newport, RI. I have always loved exploring ships and things historical. I find that sort of thing very fascinating.


I have often thought that I probably should have joined the Navy instead of the Air Force because of my love of ships but I also love airplanes and being from Norfolk, Virginia I had witnessed a lot of the things that our Sailors go through. Especially the separation from family while on those long cruises to see the world.  Being a newly married man after high school it was a no-brainer for me to take the route my brother had taken and join the Air Force.

On the trip around the coast we came upon this house built on this small island. Talk about a moat! I would love to have seen the infrastructure put in such as electric, water and sewer as this house was being built.  Looks like a nice place but wonder how it weathers the storms when the seas get angry.

We continued on to Newport, Rhode Island and the scenery along the way was absolutely beautiful. I wish I could post the pictures in my mind of all the great things we saw.
After checking into our hotel. We went exploring a little and went for dinner at a place called Anthony's Seafood Market which was recommended by our hotel. They not only sell seafood, they also cook and serve it there. Being in New England I had to have my favorite seafood dish, fried clam strips. Billie had Lobster. Both were amazing. Put this place on your must do list if you like seafood.
We had two nights in Newport and had planned to visit the mansions there on a self-guided tour. There are 5 mansions but we only managed to get to 3 of them. They were something to see. There was one, the Marble House I think, that was sold at auction some time back for $20,000 because the heirs did not want to maintain it any longer. What a steal.

You have to see these places to appreciate their beauty and historical significance. These were summer homes of the Wall Street Magnates of yesteryear.

These tours are highly recommended for their beauty and historical value.

The grounds are very well maintained and beautiful.

After our last tour we found our way back to Anthony's Seafood Market for another round of seafood. Just as good as the night before. The next day we were of to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, the home of John F. Kennedy. 

New England Trip 2015 Pt 3 NYC

Continuing from Philadelphia we rode up I-95 towards New York City.  Notice I said towards NYC. We had to get off the toll road for a pit stop and when we tried to re-enter the toll road we were caught in traffic and forced into a lane that took us across to Staten Island via a toll bridge. Imagine my surprise when they charged me $40 for the motorcycle because I had that little trailer attached. We had to go find an ATM on the island because we didn't have enough cash to get back across the bridge to continue to our hotel. We got the cash and were happy to find out that the cost to escape the island was included in the entry fee.
We actually stayed in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey and took a Metro bus into the city. We only had about 8 hours to see what we could in that short visit. We had a lot of ground to cover on this trip.
At the Metro Station we caught a subway downtown to the Ground Zero Memorial. There was a lot of construction still going on around the site and the Oculus had not opened yet.

It is very easy to get around in the City on the subway and mass transit. We have used it upon every visit since this one and had no problems getting from upper Manhattan to Tribeca and many places in between.

After a stop at Ground Zero we walked down to Battery Park and caught the Staten Island Ferry. It is a free ride for passengers and it takes you past Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty plus you get a great view of Manhattan from the Ferry.

After the ferry ride we rode the subway up to Little Italy and did a stroll through the neighborhood. We came across a very nice Italian Restaurant called DaNico and decided to have dinner.

The atmosphere was awesome. It looked just some place you may have seen in the movie the Godfather. The food and wine were really good. It was a very nice discovery and has been visited by many celebrities through the years including the ones caricatured in the picture. There were many pictures of them on the walls.

We went into a local deli to look at the fresh cheeses and meats that seem to be only available in the city.

Here are some of the meat products hanging around the Deli. There were racks of cheese and a counter that had multiple offerings of delightful looking dishes. Look at the sausage and olives and other things in the display case below. Are you hungry yet?

 We walked back through part of Chinatown to Tribeca and caught the subway up to Metro Central Station for our bus ride back to the hotel in NJ. The next morning we were off to Mystic River and Newport. (Pt 4)

New England Trip 2015 Pt 2 Richmond to Philly

In June we left the Richmond area of Virginia after our grandson's wedding and continued our trek northwards towards New England making our first stop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to visit Independence Park. We parked our bike in underground parking near the park and walked around downtown Philly.

The Liberty Bell

Independence Hall

First stop was the Liberty Bell. Yep, it's still cracked. Nearly lost my little pocket knife to a guard at security but fortunately I had cleared the small item with the supervisor before entering the scan area. After a short exchange, the supervisor convinced the guy that she had OKed the item since I declared it first.
We did not go into the Hall due to limited time and we really wanted to see the Reading Market. It is something to see. It covers an entire city block and has just about every kind of shop you can think of when it comes to eats.

Reading Market

We walked around this place for over an hour and probably still didn't see it all. Amazing. If I ever get back I'm going to try an original Philly Cheese-steak  sandwich. Would have spent more time there but we had to get on to our hotel for the night to get checked in and ready for our trip to NYC the next day. Need to go back to the city of Brotherly Love and spend more time exploring.

Reading Market

As you can see from these few pictures that there is more things to eat here than you can possibly sample in a day's visit. Not just food in the place but mostly food. There were some boutiques and flower shops as well. Quite an adventure there.

Reading Market