World Canada Ontario Kingston

Jeff & Moe's North America Ride

Sunny across NY Jul 30, 2009

Wednesday 7/28 It’s sunny & wonderful in Bangor – we’re off westbound down route 2. This is the same road we used eastbound a week or so ago but this time we don’t have to ride in the rain suits, way better! Even the construction zones are less of a pain in the sun. We pass through St. Johnsbury, VT and continue on Rt2 to Montpelier, the state capital. I can just glimpse the gold dome as we ride past.

No stopping at this point for anything. The clouds have arrived – thick and black on the southwest horizon and the wind is howling. We hop on I-89N and hammer it the 38 miles to Burlington and a hotel. The storm is right on our butts. It takes us a few precious minutes to find the hotel “district”. We pull under the portico, get off the bikes, and the sky opens up. I check us in – man we’re lucky – I get the last room in the hotel, the one with the handicap bathroom. It’s raining so hard I have to put on my rain suit to park the bikes in the lot.

Thursday 7/29 Sunny day! We are going to take the ferry across Lake Champlain so we hustle down to the docks for the 10:30 boat. Can’t remember exactly – say $6.75 each, pretty cheap. Moe’s bike was lowered but Harley didn’t make a short side stand so Rose doesn’t “lean over” as far as a stock bike. A few minutes after we shove off, BOOM!! Rose falls over and just misses hitting the car “next door”. Scares the shit out of everybody. Really pisses off the cranky bastard in the car – he got out twice to inspect his car for damage. Rose has no damage either. I pull out a bike tow strap I have been carrying for years [never used] and tie Moe’s handle bar to my frame - solid as a rock but Moe stands next to Rose the rest of the crossing.

Excitement over, we land in New York and head out. STOP!! Wait for more construction. The rest of the day is just great riding. We cross in to Canada at Ogdensburg, NY bridge then get on Rt 401 [it’s like an interstate] for 70 miles. The speed limit is 100K [60mph] but everyone is going like a bat out of hell. Clark tells me later that right around 120 is when the cops begin to take interest.

We pull in to Clark & Bev’s house unaware of the 3 days of gourmet meals ahead of us.