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

New England Trip 2015 Pt 1 Arkansas to Virginia

In May and June of 2015 we had an adventurous trip that started with a trip to Harrison, Arkansas for the GWRRA Arkansas District Rally. The first stop was Texarkana. It was a great time seeing many of our friends and enjoying the activities at the rally. We left Texarkana in the rain but were out of it in less than 100 miles. We had a great ride with plans of taking the famous Pig Trail (23) up towards Harrison. We did not know until we crossed I 40 on 23 that the road was closed due to a big mud slide and wash out on up the mountain so we had to detour over to Russellville and take Scenic 7 again. 

The Cliff House overlooking the Arkansas Grand Canyon

We had a great rally with the Arkansas members.

Mary Jo and Arlene were lit up for the bike light show too!

The theme was Mash. The whole rally was a lot of fun but the Theme Competition was a blast. The District Team went all out and Director Klinger took the prize. What a fun time.

They were great!

From there we took the Peal Ferry into Missouri and went to the Lake of the Ozarks for a couple of nights before heading on out to Indianapolis Indiana.

And a little relaxing when the bike is covered for the night. 

We took a nice ride in Missouri through the country the second day before heading out. to our stop in Indianapolis for a night and then on the Ohio to the Dayton area where I was stationed from 1970 until 1971. We toured the United States Air Force Museum. Here are a few of the hundreds of pictures I took inside. Awesome place that is on my list of re-does.

 

The famous "Black bird" SR 71 but known to us on Okinawa as the Habu or snake in Japanese. 

General Robin Olds

Triple Ace from WWII to Viet Nam.

 Then into West Virginia for 4 days of wonderful riding on some of the best motorcycle roads in the country. We like it so much that we came back in October with our daughter and son-in-law for another 4 days of riding.

State Capitol in Charleston

Kanawha Falls

Kanawha Falls

New River Gorge Bridge

On the Fayette Station Bridge

Cathedral Falls near Gauley

New River from Hawk's Nest overlook.

Hawk's Nest State Park 

Good pizza and beer!