July 11, 2011 - Somehow, we managed a ferry crossing of Lake Champlain (Charlotte-Essex Township, NY). Looking back on my GPS route, I'm not sure why we ended up taking the ferry, since the original route had us traveling further south and then crossing a short bridge. Oh well, it was worth the price of admission and the extra time. 

July 12, 2011 - We spent some time on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (again) today, riding east on our way to Delaware. This short video reflects the Lehigh Tunnel you pass through in Eastern PA.

July 13, 2011 - Our last day of riding called for crossing the Chesapeake Bay via a bridge including two tunnels under the water in Virginia. This longer video reflects the entire trip across the bay. Yes, it takes about 20 minutes in good weather to cross. We were glad the wind wasn't howling and the rain falling. The heat was quite enough.

We don't usually partake in dessert, but boy did we last night! The picture below is of their Chicory Stout Bacon Chocolate Cheesecake. Yes, I said bacon and it was full of it. Wow, what a combo. This dessert is as unique as their beers and was well worth the $8 to try it.

Chicory Stout Bacon Chocolate Cheesecake

We didn't have time to get over to the actual brewery at Milton, DE. Maybe next time. If you're a fan of craft beer, then this is THE place to check out when in Rehoboth Beach. It was a great way to spend our last evening out on the road.

Now for today's trip... We tried to beat the heat by hitting the road around 6:40 this morning. The ride was pleasant until we hit the Virginia Beach area just across the Chesapeake Bay bridge. Then things started heating up and didn't quit. Road construction had traffic at a standstill in the Norfolk area, but we managed to improvise a new route and get around things without too much pain.

Grandpa's Kitchen in Littleton, NC was to be our lunch stop, but alas, grandpa wasn't there and the place was closed. No NC BBQ for us today.

So, we took a quick break to drink some water and stretch and hit the road again. We arrive in Raleigh just before 2PM with the temperature already near 103 degrees. It's good to be home.

We rode 364 miles just today, but in total we covered 2117 miles. Both of us feel like it, too. :-)

Watch for for me to post more pictures and possibly a video or two later. 

As mentioned, we've never been in Delaware, so we inserted another night into our trip to allow us to cross this one off the list. We arrived a little past noon and were able to check in early at the Hampton Inn (notice a trend here?). Back on the bike, we headed out for some seafood at The Big Fish Grill. Yummy fish and shrimp tacos were shared before we made a quick sightseeing jaunt around the beach area. Quick was the operative word, since we DON'T ride in shorts and t-shirts as previous pictures prove. It's quite warm here today.

We put just a short 230 miles on the bike today. Tomorrow, we'll ride south into Virginia, cross the Chesapeake Bay via bridge and tunnel and then cross back into North Carolina south and west of Norfolk. It promises to be a long day with the temperatures expected to be near 100 degrees in the Raleigh area just in time for our afternoon arrival.

Tonight, we'll take a cab to dinner at the Dogfish Head brew pub. These guys were the first to brew beer in Delaware and they do a mighty fine job of it. Maybe we'll even bump into Sam. Regardless, I need to be good or tomorrow will be an even longer ride.

Waiting for the 8AM ferry over to Essex Township, NY

20 minutes across the lake. Beats riding around.

The beautiful scenery along Lake Champlain soon gave way to mostly deserted two-lane roads through the Adirondacks of New York. I can imagine that Sunday traffic would be much different. We pretty much had the roads to ourselves all morning. One note: The winter really takes a toll on the asphalt and in places we were bouncing off the seat. Yikes. I was glad we were on a GS, but even it was complaining.

New York gave way to Pennsylvania and we were soon heading down the interstate again, bound for Hazleton. After 8.5 hours and (only) 403 miles on the clock, we arrived at the Hampton Inn.

Brian the bartender at the Top of the 80's restaurant took care of us once again. This hotel and the attached restaurant have to have one of the nicest views in all of Pennsylvania.

Tuesday, we're headed for Rehoboth Beach, DE. We've never ridden in Delaware, so it seemed like the thing to do. Besides, Rehoboth Beach is the home of Dogfish Head's brew pub. A taste (just a taste) of 120 Minute IPA will be calling my name.

 The Lake Champlain waterfront was right across the street from our hotel.We enjoyed the early morning sun at the pier watching some sweet boats come and go. The one above turned out to be from Oriental, NC. We didn't realize until it departed.

Someone was too relaxed, but she deserved it.

We had a great lunch at American Flatbread. This place has some awesome wood-fired pizzas and brews their own on site. We tried the Gruit Ale which replaces traditional hops with herbs. Very interesting - and recommended.

Lunch at American Flatbread - The weather was PERFECT!Yes, that's goat cheese!!

The afternoon sun was a bit warmer than the morning's. I managed to get a little sunburned - as usual. What I can't figure out is that my white legs never burn like my face. What's up with that?

After a bit of afternoon rest, we headed out again for dinner. We ate outdoors again, this time at Three Tomatoes Trattoria on Church St. Church street is closed to vehicular traffic and is several blocks long, featuring many street musicians, shops and of course restaurants. The night wasn't finished until we had some ice cream from Ben and Jerry's. No trip to Vermont is complete without that.

We're sorry to be leaving, but we start our trip back on Monday. We'll ride through the Adirondacks of New York before returning back into Pennsylvania for another night's stay in Hazleton. 

The rain overnight (Friday) cleared up the sky in the Montpelier area, but left thick clouds in the Stowe area to the north. Regardless, we rode Hwy. 108 through Smuggler's Notch. We stopped briefly at the entrance to the old toll road, thinking it would be a fun ride up over the mountain. But, NO motorcycles are allowed as the pavement ends 1/4 mile up the hill. What? I have a GS! I can make it! Oh well.

Our border crossing at Richford, VT was uneventful. The Canadian border guard seemed to take great interest in the fact that we had ridden all the way from North Carolina in two days and that we were JUST going for lunch in Cowansville. It must have been Elizabeth that made him suspicious.

Once across the border, we immediately jumped on scenic Vallee Missisquoi riding east. It was on this road that we found the St. Agnes winery and stopped briefly for pictures. It turned out to be a nice celebration place for the GS rolling over 87K miles. Sweet. As you can see in the pictures here the winery also has a small wedding chapel on the grounds.

The wedding chapel at St. Agnes winery near Sutton, QB

The actual winery building on the property

Nice winery, NICE house!

The roads I chose in Quebec for our little loop ride didn't disappoint. Our lunch at Opapios (the Patio Restaurant) in Cowansville was also very pleasant, but Burlington was calling us. Soon we were back at the US border (RTE 237) answering why we just wanted to ride for lunch in Canada. What?

Soon after, we were buzzing our way through Vermont farmland again. A parade of motorcycles out for a Saturday afternoon ride delayed us a bit on Hwy. 235 though. Wow, this is why other motorists don't respect motorcyclists. Either we're all riding too fast or we're riding too slow! These guys had me slowed down to a steady 43 mph. Just kill me. Yes, the bike cam captured the fun as I made my way around them in two double-yellow, but very safe passes.

Our route took us along the northern part of Lake Champlain. What a beautiful lake!

The view of Lake Champlain from Hwy. 2 looking eastWe checked into the Hilton around 1530, got cleaned up and headed out for some food and live music. Elizabeth's research showed that two horn bands were playing at Nectar's, so it was settled. We were staying out late to hear them! I'm writing this early Sunday morning, so the night wasn't TOO late. :-)

Sunday's a day of rest. The bike will likely remain parked today as we do some walking, shopping, eating and people-watching in downtown Burlington. The sun's out, so it promises to be a great day!

Tomorrow, we're headed back to Hazleton, PA.

Friday's ride consisted of leaving Hazleton just before 7AM and jumping back on I-81 heading north. In the Scranton area, we grabbed I-84 heading east and slabbed it to Newburgh, NY where we gladly exchanged the interstate for Hwy. 9 heading north along the western shore of the Hudson River.

We then crossed over the Hudson to Poughkeepsie, NY and continued north through the land of the Roosevelts and Vanderbilts. Charming small towns, one after another was nice - as long as the traffic kept moving. ;-)

At Rhinebeck, we made a short detour out into the country to find the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Too bad it was only Friday morning and we didn't have any extra time. This place is famous for its airshows featuring an amazing collection of early 1900 aircraft - some you wouldn't imagine could even fly. It was all quiet around the hangers, so we headed back to Hwy. 9 and continued our journey north.

A little while later, we hopped on I-90 to Albany, NY where I-787 north took us back to the much smaller and busier US Hwy. 4 running along the Hudson River again. We found a great lunch stop at Fort Edward. The Anvil Inn used to be an old blacksmith shop on the outer boundary of the fort.

Lunch stop: The Anvil Inn at Fort Edward, NY

Hwy. 4 took us over the border into Vermont where we picked up Hwy. 7 for a while, which moved at "reasonable" speeds. I got a friendly flash of the lights and a point of the finger from the local LEO once inside Vermont, so it must have been my lucky day. Slowing down a bit, we hopped on Hwy. 100 which when clear of BIG TRUCKS is a wonderful twisty highway. Winter takes its toll on the road surface, making a GS the perfect ride.

We arrived in Montpelier around 1600 and checked in once again at the Inn at Montpelier.

Our home away from home in Montpelier, VT

Dinner was at the New England Culinary Institute's restaurant a few blocks down from the inn. We enjoyed a selection of Tapas before relaxing a while on the front porch back at the inn before bedtime.

On Saturday, we're heading to north to Canada for "lunch" and then looping back to Burlington for a couple nights.

Thursday was a pretty good day of riding. It wasn't too hot, but I'm glad we hit the road at 0605 (earlier than we thought we would roll out of the driveway). We made our way up through Virginia in the morning stopping for lunch at Fredericksburg, MD. Soon after, we were in Pennsylvania and watching the rain clouds build.

Thinking, we should make a stop to put our liners in our jacket, I took an exit to find a gas station, only to learn that the overpass bridge leading to that gas station was under construction. Oh well. Back onto the freeway and into the rain - just for about 5 minutes. We motored on, drying out while certain Harley riders were stopped under bridges wondering how long the rain would last. Wear some helmets and real gear, folks!

We arrived at Hazleton, PA around 1600 - our stop for the night and checked into a familiar Hampton Inn. We had 482 miles on the clock, so we were ready for a break, nice dinner and some sleep. This place has an awesome view towards the west. It was quite cloudy with an approaching storm, but I could imagine some great sunset pictures here from time to time. Recommended, but make sure you get a room on the valley side of the building.

On Friday, we're off to Montpelier, VT and we're expecting to have to dodge (or not) some rain in Pennsylvania and New York.

After a great steak and a cold one (or two), I got a decent night's sleep. I arose early Sunday morning and hit the road around 0645. That allowed me to reach Raleigh right on schedule just before noon. It was good to visit my family and great to be home. Elizabeth was happy to see me too!

Mileage on this trip totaled over 2700 miles. I need to do a little research about the miles on my old R1100RT (the GS replaced it in 2002). With the 14K+ miles I had on that bike plus the nearly 86K miles on the GS now, I should be ready to turn in paperwork for my 100K award with the BMW MOA. Now, where to go next to start working on that 2nd 100K miles. :-)

Rita and I at lunch on Thursday

The riding weather was perfect, so after lunch I headed east again towards Texas. After a couple stops, I finally found a place that had some beer. Tyler (Smith County) is still somewhat dry (you can buy a drink in a restaurant or bar, but you can't buy any in stores). Keeping beer cold on a motorcycle is usually problematic, but not on the GS with the big metal Jesse panniers. I placed the beer in the right one and then covered it with two bags of ice. Although the ice had melted by the time I got to Tyler (about 30 more miles), the beer was still chilled. Sweet!

Jesse's make great beer coolers!

Rhonda just arrived at Mom and Dad's about 5 minutes before I got there. Yes, she too was surprised. What a perfect set of surprises this week!

Dinner on Thursday evening was at Wasabi in Tyler. Rhonda and I feasted on Sushi and Sashimi, while Mom and Dad stuck to food that was... cooked. Rita was missed, as she likes Sushi, too.

The feast!

Rhonda and DadMom and IA dare gone wrong. Yes, that's Wasabi!

I'm relaxing today (Friday) with Rhonda, Mom and Dad. I'm certainly glad for my time with Rita on Thursday, as she's not driving over until Saturday and I will be well on my way towards home before she arrives.

My plan is to hit the road no later than 0630 Saturday morning, burning ~700 miles before calling it a day. That should put me north of Atlanta if all goes well, making Sunday's ride a mere 400 miles or so. It's been a good visit. I'm certainly glad I got to see everyone. It will also be good to get home and see Elizabeth before she heads off on her visit to Wisconsin.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone! Be safe and watch for motorcycles out there. One of them will be me!