Jacksonville Florida

Today is an off day in the Tour de France. Lance Armstrong is in third place and the Alps are still ahead. He just may do it again. And so, I begin today’s post with a Happy Bastille Day to all!

Yesterday my friend Alex, his wife Isabelle and I headed to the beach to see the Space Shuttle launching. Below is me and Alex.

Alex and Isabelle. They have been most gracious during my stay. I’ve had a great time. Gracias!

While we were waiting, a man told us the launch had been cancelled. But I was glad to be at the beach. It’s not officially a coast to coast trip unless you go from one ocean to the other. Yes Pat, that’s the Atlantic.

There was a party atmosphere around town. And it’s not a party without dancing girls!

Followed by a colorful sunset.

After that we headed home. Isabelle is from Cuba and she had some excellent Cuban Rum which she shared. Yum! The following day Alex took me to a spot in St. Augustine where he catches crabs. Here is Alex tying the bait to a string.

I caught my first crab with a chicken leg and a string!

There was lots of wildlife in the area. This guy hung out throughout the day. We would swipe our nets across the water and knock small minnows to the beach. This bird would wait anxiously to eat ’em up!

There is a good reason this bird is hiding his face.

What an ugly mug.

Some dolphins did some fishing in the waters beyond us.

Pretty Bird. Birdie Num Num!

I spotted this sea turtle.

And then a tortoise on land.

And finally on the way home we stopped at the Spanish fortress in St. Augustine.

Mmmmmm! Alex steamed those crabs with seasoned water and some Old Bay. Delicious!

The seasoning of the Latin flavored newspaper place mats certainly added to the experience.

Blue Ridge to Jacksonville

Yesterday I traveled almost 500 miles on some tiny roads. I rode from 9am to 11pm. Long Day! I wanted to make it to Jacksonsville to see my oldest friend Alex. When I say oldest it’s not that Alex is old, it’s just that I have known him since I was 3 years old when my family moved from New Orleans to Maryland. He now lives in Florida. But first let’s back up a couple days.
I had a nice ride down the Blue Ridge Parkway. Combined with Skyline Drive it’s over 500 miles without a traffic signal and very little traffic as you glide along mountain tops. Awesome! This is Mabry Mill along the way.

Here is a typical view from an outlook along the Blue Ridge.

I saw this beautiful animal fly across the road ahead of me. I immediately pulled over and caught him up in the trees.

I stopped to camp just past Asheville NC.

At the campsite I posed with my old friend Smokey. I used to visit Smokey at the National Zoo when I was a kid.

The next morning it was time for the long haul to Florida. However, I was not taking the Interstate. I took Route 81 along the Savannah River. Along this route you pass many a forgotten old town. I stopped when I saw this curious little building.

I’ve seen little buildings like this out west, but didn’t expect it in South Carolina. It turns out it is an old bank. Check out the safe inside.

There were numerous old towns and abandoned buildings along the way.

I got to Georgia and along with the heat I started seeing the Spanish moss hanging from the trees.

It was so hot. I stopped at a Dairy Queen for an ice cream. As I was sitting there enjoying my cone a local feller came up to me and asked about the bike. He has an offroad bike and was thinking about getting a cruiser. I could tell he had more on his mind. He was filthy and he looked tired. Then he told me what his deal was. He was exhausted from having wrestled and killed two wild boar after trapping them. He told me about the box trap he made and how everyone told him he couldn’t do it. He called it his Elmer Fudd trap. He was convinced he could catch this boar. It had been snooping around the fence where he kept his domestic pigs. He was surprised however to find two boar in his trap. He strung them up by their necks and said they were amazingly calm when he took the razor to their throats.

I made a quick stop in Savannah. It was a crowded Saturday and I can’t just leave my bike and gear unattended to walk around so I rode around for a short while before flying down I95 to Jacksonville. It felt good to take the new ride over 100mph.

Now I am Florida. Stay tuned.

Headed South

So the journey began with a stop at Gettysburg. The site of the battlefield and Lincoln’s Address.

Gettysburg is an interesting place. It’s loaded with Old Timey characters who display stars and bars somewhere on their person or in the form a sticker on their vehicle. They have a twinkle in their eye and Dixie playing over and over in their heads as they reminisce of days gone by.

I didn’t spend too much time in Gettysburg as I was heading to see an old friend in Frederick MD. Meet my friend Dave from my college days.

We went out in Frederick and behaved much like we did 20 years ago.

And this cute little biker girl is Dave and Joi’s daughter, Noa.

Heading South I made a quick stop at Harpers Ferry. It has changed quite a bit since I last visited. Less access for those prone to mischief. When I was younger I climbed that cliff in the background and got a ticket for my efforts.

These days there is a fenced off path to walk across the old railroad bridge that crosses the river. No fun. In the tavern and throughout the town they have hired help to bring back the past.

Another big difference is an expectation that you should park 2 miles away and pay 6 bucks to take a shuttle bus to the town. I don’t think so. I just rode into town and found a spot.

I planned on seeing some evidence of dinosaurs having roamed the planet on the trip, but I thought I would have to wait until Texas. Not so. Here they were in Virginia.

I saw this little fella along Skyline Drive.

And here is an overlook.

Unfortunately as I approach the Blue Ridge Parkway today, the sky looks nothing like the photo above. It’s dark with patches of rain, but I must move on!

Cross Country 2009

I am leaving NYC today. Onward!

The Catskills

I had to put on 600 miles for my first maintenance check before my Cross Country trip. I decided to head up to the Catskill mountains. It’s a nice easy drive up the Palisades then Route 9W before turning West into the Mountains. I had a few sites I wanted to see up there. The first Being Opus 40.

Opus 40 is a magnificently landscaped property created by one man, Harvey Fite. It’s not easy to find, but well worth the visit. Being someone who enjoys carving a piece of stone I truly appreciated the work that went into this place.

When I finally found the place there was a sign at the front of the driveway which read CLOSED. Undeterred I continued down the dirt driveway. A wooly looking dude approached me and said I could check it out but there was a $10 admission fee. I already knew that, I was just happy they accepted it and didn’t send me on my way. Another guy came out to greet me. He was a biker and want to know more about the Bonneville. We talked for a while. He had a great story about being knocked off his Harley by a passing owl. Broke his sternum and send him flying backward. He still has a big lump on his chest from that bird. While he was dealing with the cops after the accident a guy from the EPA showed up and wanted to fine the guy for having killed a bird of prey. The cop took the EPA guy aside and asked him to let this one slide which he did. I mentioned my plan to go cross country. The Wooley guy said he has plans to ride a horse cross country. Hmmm. So after talking with these guys a while I checked out the site.

No one is really certain how Harvey got that monolith up there by himself. Some say he knew the secrets of the Ancient Egyptians.

All these stone meticulously cut and fitted is an extraordinary task for a team much less one man. Sadly in 1976 Harvey’s lawn mower got stuck in gear and hurled him off the ledge of his own creation killing him. The place remains open to the public and is maintained by members of his family.

After Opus 40 I stumbled upon this place where a guy makes sculptures and furniture out of car parts. 

Roswell or Bust!

And he had this cool green globe. His name is  Steve Heller.

And I just can’t resist a podium.

Below is me and Bonnie fully loaded. (OK, I am not loaded. That would be the next day at the Cheap Trick, Poison, Def Leppard show.) I got a new tank bag for the cross country trip. It’s a Bags Connection tank bag. Same brand as my rear bag which has held up well in extreme conditions. My old tank bag (pictured here) is just a bit too large. If I had to turn the handle bars all the way, either the horn or the ignition would be pressed. The horn is just annoying, but hitting the ignition switch while the bike is running is not good.

I found a nice campsite next to a rolling brook that made for a restful sleep. The next day I went to visit this old grain silo which has been converted into the world’s largest kaleidoscope. It’s really cool. I was the only one in there at the time. It was recommended that I lay on the floor instead of using the inclined seating they have inside. The kaleidoscope show take you through a trippy history of the United States put to a well timed soundtrack.

Here is piece of the show I grabbed from YouTube.

From the kaleidoscope I headed North toward Secret Cave. On the way I came across Pratt Rock. This guy Zadock Pratt hired a guy to carve into the side of this mountain.

You have to appreciate that old school graffiti. Those brothers had style.

And I guess the guy carved himself a niche to get out of the rain.

And here is my favorite sculpture in the side of the cliff.

The last scheduled stop on my trip was Secret Caverns. 

It’s not the most spectacular cave for Stalactites and such but at the end of the cave is a 100 foot waterfall. The waterfall however is nearly impossible to photograph because the warm water from above mixes with the 50 degree temperature below creating a steamy atmosphere. Cameras get foggy quickly.

From the cavern I headed home. Hit some ugly weather but endured. The only real issue came as it got dark. I had my half helmet and only dark goggles for eye protection. There were parts of Route 17 in NY that had no lines depicting the 3 lanes of traffic. Very scary! I will not make that mistake again.

Evolution of Man

The New Era

Here she is. I made the deal with Freehold Triumph in New Jersey.
The New Adventures of My Bonnie are coming soon.

The Bonneville Loop

It’s time to focus on a new era!

My beautiful Bonnie was declared TOTALED by my insurance company.

Here’s the story.

I rounded the corner of my block on the Friday afternoon which began the Memorial Day weekend and saw that my bike was not where I had parked it. It’s one of those moments where you know what you’re seeing but it just doesn’t register. I walked to the spot. Could it have been towed? You know it’s bad when you hope the answer is YES. I looked up at the parking sign. It’s a legal spot. That’s when reality slaps me HARD. My bike has been stolen.

I dial 911. They ask me to stay at the scene until the police get there. I start canvasing the area. I find an older gentleman having lunch in his car. He tells me he saw a guy sitting on the bike about 40 minutes ago. He doesn’t speak English well but I understood that he saw this young guy with a backward black baseball cap sitting on the bike. Eventually a police car pulled up. I tell them the deal and that I had a witness. They asked if I could get him. So I run down the block to get the man who had headed back to work by then. He came back to the police car and starts to get grilled by these cops. I felt bad for this guy. He wanted to help me and these cops were treating him like shit. They weren’t treating me much better. They ask where the bike was parked. I point to the spot. They look up at me from the car which they had no intention of leaving and tell me it’s not their jurisdiction. Then they drive off. Here’s the rub. My street is a dividing line for 2 police precincts. They play ping pong with crime on my street. This guy stole my bike less than an hour ago and the cops just split. They told me another car will be coming from the other precinct. I wait. I wait a while. I see a police van coming. I try to wave him down. His window is open. I yell “hey, can you help me.” He keeps driving. WTF!!!

I keep waiting. Finally another police car rounds the corner, but they are from the precinct which patrols the other side of the street again. They tell me to call 911 again. I do. I am told a car is on the way. AN HOUR LATER, I call again. They insist a car in en route. Finally a car shows up from the precinct with jurisdiction over the North side of the street. I tell them my bike has been stolen. “Are you sure you parked it there?” I am trying so hard to stay cool. “YES, I am sure!” Then this Korean guy walks up and starts telling the cops that he is locked out, and can they help him, and THEY ENGAGE HIM IN CONVERSATION. I am desperately trying not to flip out. But inside I am crying mad. Eventually the police tell this man who is locked out there is nothing they can do for him. I am beginning to believe that’s a standard answer for our boys in blue. The officer tells me I have to fill out some paper work. He says, “There is supposed to be 3 sheets. I can only find 2.” I say, “Is it possible that someone decided to save paper and make a two sided copy?” Oh yeah” he replies. I fill out all the forms and he tells me to call the precinct the next day to get a case # and speak to a detective assigned to the case. With every passing minute my despair and hopelessness grows.

It was a long, sad, lonely night. The next day I call the police precinct. I tell the officer on the phone my situation and ask for a case #. He immediately responds, “Call back Tuesday.” TUESDAY!!! I say, “But I was told to call today to get a case # for my insurance company.” He yells back, “You want me to make up a number or do you want to call back Tuesday?” Just stick a fucking knife in my heart why don’t you. (No, I did not say that). I get a call later that afternoon. “This is Detective Onthecase calling about case number 123.” HUH? I am thinking, is that the made up number or the number which won’t be available until Tuesday? He just wants to confirm the report and says he will canvas the area later that day. GREAT! The NYPD could not have been more unpleasant.

Sunday morning the phone rings. It is a detective in NEW JERSEY. My Bonnie has been recovered but it has been in an accident and they can’t tell me it’s condition. They can only tell me the name of the company that towed her and that an arrest has been made.

That Tuesday afternoon I went to New Jersey to have a look for myself.

I know, she doesn’t look that bad. But it doesn’t take much for an insurance company to declare a bike totaled. If you think about all the parts with labor, it adds up. Plus the insurance company figures in how much they can get back at auction. So it’s official. I need a new bike.

I love my Bonnie. It hurts to say goodbye. But I have big plans. I intend to embark on another 10,000+ mile trip this summer through some brutal terrain. Thinking about riding through the desert on a rebuilt bike does cause me to have some reservations. So in my heart and mind I know I have to let her go.

I looked at the new Bonnie. I hate the changes they have made to the exhaust and the wheels.

That’s not my Bonnie. I realize there are advantages to tubeless tires, but I never had a problem with my tubes. And that exhaust! It doesn’t signify the Bonneville the way the torpedo pipes did. Fortunately Triumph didn’t mess with the T100. So that’s my goal. Initially I was going to go with the black Bonnie, but after talking to the guys in Freehold today I think I am going to stick with green. I am ready to move on!

Now that’s a Bonneville! Just looking at her brings a long lost smile back to my face. Soon baby!

I’d like to say thank you to the Union New Jersey Police Department. They treated me with respect and were forthcoming in answering all my questions honestly. I went to Union, NJ to talk to the detective on the case. He gave me a copy of the police report. It turns out the guy who stole my bike had just gotten out of Riker’s Island the day before. When they arrested him in the hospital he was read his rights. He told the arresting officer that he had just gotten out of jail and needed a ride home, so he took the bike. I later looked the guy up on Facebook. There he was with a backward black baseball cap with both his middle fingers extended. Fuck you too brother and enjoy your second round in prison.

 

End of an Era

At 2 P.M. Friday afternoon my Bonnie was stolen. Needless to say, I am crushed. The day before, I got that helmet cam working and filmed my Bonnie’s last ride. I just can’t bring myself to post it right now. It was a ride through Times Square on (the now closed to traffic) Broadway. I found out yesterday, they found my bike in NJ. It has been in an accident. A great relief in one sense, but because of the holiday weekend, I can get no information on it’s condition other than it will need to be towed. I could write volumes about my interaction with the police here in NYC, but I want to move forward. Tomorrow I will get a release form from the NJ Police and see the condition of bike. Wish me luck folks. I’d like to keep the stories flowing. My summer plan should provide great entertainment if I can get her back on the rode in time. UGH!