Friday August 3rd

We got up really late then had coffee with the host.  Turns out we grew up in the same part of the country, talked about kids, work, good conversation about this that and the other.    Left really really late!  Like 10:15.  Good thing we racked up some miles yesterday ;-).

Starting perception for the day is that we will be doing a ride through 'corn country' that is to say it will be straight and boring.  As we break out of the Appalachian mountains it was certainly true that the roads tend to straighten out and the landscape opened up to farm country.  What was fun to discover was that while roads were not full of curves it wasn't as nearly as monotonous as expected.

Speaking of farming... The place right at the end of the AirB&B driveway had a type of silo that I don't think I've seen before, or if so I don't remember it.

The way of filling I am familiar with is to use a blower which sends the fodder up a pipe and drops it in the top.  The arrangement shown here seems to hint that there was a time in days gone by that filling was done with a rope and pulley like the old loose hay in the haymow?  Anyone out there have experience or stories that speak to this arrangement?

Just down the road we came to this big rig who missed the off ramp.  Wow, that must have been quite a ride.  Then a little later a train wreck!  A not so subtle reminder to double down on attentiveness for sure...

Tummies started rumbling at about Bucyrus.  While Brenda was searching for eats I messed around with the camera and selfie stick - it's really hard with no display to imagine the results!  It was kinda fun trying to come up with shots that might work and even funnier to see the goofy results.  After a bit it occurred to me that they could be upside down right?  Just flip them when editing.  Ah ha!  At the end of a couple of minutes there were a few stills worth keeping. How does the saying go: even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while?

Well, unfortunately we were just a little too early for the Bratwurst Festival :-/, so we went for brunch at the Amish Vault. Oh the best part, did some people watching :-).  One of the gals behind the counter was sooo overbearing; drove the other three a little bonkers.  They would try to do something and she would cut in and 'do it right'.  Predictably after a while they just stopped trying.  Then there was the gal who came in with her girl friends for coffee.  She had an 'own the place' aura; got up and greeted nearly everyone that came in, real social butterfly... obviously 'the mayor' ;-).  On the way out as I was  putting my helmet on there was this movement in the store window.... hey, a person in there?  A little too much reflection to be a great shot, but still kinda fun and I think you'll get the idea.

Playing with the camera

Amish Vault - have to wonder about the name?

Wait, are those legs?

 Next stop Michigan! Slight digression here... one of the goals for the trip was no (or as few) freeway miles as possible.  The first night we put on a few freeway miles.  We were late, darkness descended, and the rain began so the reason for keeping on the back-roads was gone.  We jumped on I-66/81 for the last little bit of the ride.  As we approached Toledo we had the feeling again, best to get around the city as quickly as possible so I-75/475 it was.  The a little more 'big' US Highway to Blissfield MI for lunch.  Hey, can you think of a better place to stop?

So... really good vegi chili, ok stir fry veggies, terrible rhubarb/apple pie (so disappointing, but I ate it anyway so as not be rude! ;-).  We parked and walked past such a mysterious stairwell - what do you suppose is up there?  Then a quick look back down the block as we stepped inside, the town has managed to keep the old look; wonderful really.

Oh the stories these walls could tell...

Classic Mid-Western Small Town Look

Next stop: Owosso for gas.  Filling up and the guy next to me looks over at the license plate and says "so are you really from Maryland?".  The body language and tones all said you rode that thing here? Are you nuts?  Answer: Yes...  "I have a Harley, but I would never do something like that."  How funny, right?  But I do get it, it's one thing to run out for an hour to tool around a bit - quite another to ride across 5 states.  We chatted a bit, and he said too bad you don't need a place to stay in the UP, have a (brother?) who owns a place an hour north of St Ignace, you could have stayed there.  Not sure what that really meant was he really serious, but hey - pretty cool right.
As we drove through town I noticed a sign pointing to 'Curwood Castle'.  Hummm. Drove by.  Thought about it. Curiosity building; what kind of castle exactly?  Is it for real?  U-Turn.  Great choice!  No kidding fairy tale castle, check it out...

I can see the princess looking out a tower window...

So it turns out this was the writing studio of James Curwood.  Outside is this statue of him, thought it interesting to see a boy on the banks of river not 20 yards away fishing :-).

As we were walking around the grounds a guy an arm in a sling says "great day to ride..."  Not sure exactly how to respond so I said yes, hey, you'll need to get that arm healed so you can go too. "Yeah, maybe in August (hint of sadness)."  I backed away from the conversation...  How come?  Hummmm, Didn't I just read a sign about this yesterday (L2-14: River View (click purple camera)) and rather than lean in I pulled away.  Do I need to adjust?

Shortly after the castle we had our last bout of Interstate riding to get through Saginaw.  We have driven I-75 many times and oh had I forgotten just how 'fast' it is.  So the rainy mountains in Virginia reminded us of the Taunus Mountains of Germany (hey, Rob Jackson are you out there?  You were right, we like West Virginia) and now I-75 sort of reminds us of the Autobahn.  All the lanes 85-90 mph and jammed; white knuckle driving at it's finest.  While 'like' Germany, it's all American in the vehicle mix.  F-350 Super Duties pulling Campers, pontoon boats and SUVs all flying north.  Menagerie?

Bike did really well BTW, appears it can hum along in tipple digits all day long just as smooth as silk.  Well, I presume it could... All told we did about 40 miles in Virginia, 60 miles moving across the border from Ohio to MI then another 40 or so to get past Saginaw.  These three bits remind me why we very deliberately chose not to ride this way...

Couldn't help but notice our shadow as the sun dropped down towards the western horizon.  Running on ahead, almost a race...

... and in fact, it beat us to the Rooster Inn. Day three mostly done, machine and travelers at rest.  Come sit and share a story?

Additional pictures, stories, and details available on this interactive map... Enjoy!

Thursday August 2nd

Morning started out with heavy low-lying clouds.  I overheard the host talking with her husband about 'calling for heavy rain all day', shoot!

We got down the road an hour or so before the rain started.  Climbing up that first ridge it was just overcast with a few drops, second a little more, third full on rain.  So reminded me of Germany... twisty roads in the mountains with the cloud just overhead, sometimes running through the clouds/fog.  Rain off and on, heavy at times.

Clouds above, fog in the river valley below

I debated new rain gear before the trip.  I had some, but the pants leak.  Reputable brand, look good, feel good - and no obvious signs of wear or problems, just don't work.  So I read review after review trying to figure out if that just the way it is or if new would actually keep me dry.  Brenda ordered hers and we got out one time with it - worked like a champ.  Unfortunately by then it was too late so I just had the jacket.  All that to say with the summer/mesh riding pants it worked out fine.  Wet, but not terribly uncomfortable.  A little cold.  The first trickle down ;-).  noooooooo, then a little more, then well ok, wet now back to riding.

Rounding a bend in a place called Cool Springs brings quite a surprise.  A gas station, no big deal.  General Store, less and less common but in these parts ok.  A tractor boneyard - ah, really?  Fabulous and sad at the same time.  With the overcast sky and the heavy shadows among the trees it felt somber.  These machines consigned to a slow wasting death in the elements on display for all to see...

Gassed up and ready to continue... what will we find next?  Lovely roads, decreasing clouds, and?  A covered bridge :-).  How long does it take to get from Maryland to Michigan on roads like this?  Seems the key to this mode of travel is a relaxed perception of time.  Perhaps something to think about there?  I know, it's not limitless, I don't have that much, on and on. Yet...

Well, time to stretch the legs.  Coffee?

So, what does this 'cover' tell you about the book?

Surprised at what's inside?

Intriguing

On the way to the coffee shop we were stopped by a passing train... We pulled off the road onto a dirt parking lot next to the tracks to get a better look as the crossing guard came down, it was fun to 'be a kid again' hearing that big diesel coming, crossing bells dinging - then it came into sight; and the engineer waved and we waved back, just like the old days.  Gave me an idea. Would people do the came to us?

The train went by, the guards came up, all the cars the lined up shuffled over the tracks and on their way.  We started the bike and nosed back onto the road.  Right after the tracks we took a left, just because, and there on the porch were two old timers.  I waved and guess what?  They waved back.  It works.  Offer a gesture of welcome and it returns.  Not always of course, but it sure was fun to do and have the intimidate positive response.  Not just once, later in the day we waved at folks sitting out front and got another wave back.  A reminder to practice civility.

Next big stop: Velvet Ice Cream

 We stopped and got some good healthy picnic food in town before stopping then pulled in right at closing time so... ran to see the museum quick, got a cone for desert then had dinner on one of the picnic tables.  So nice.

On to our stop for the night...  Have to say I really enjoy the Air B&B stops.  What a wonderful way to meet interesting folks and have a personal experience rather than just another room in some long hallway.

What will tomorrows journey bring???

Additional pictures, stories, and details on this interactive map. Enjoy!

Wednesday August 1st

Well, by the time we got packed and ready it was 7... not too bad, only 2 hours late ;-) Hot (88 deg) muggy day... First impressions? Can definitely feel the extra weight. It’s not awkward or unwieldy so much as 'just there'. I suppose that's kind of the definition of inertia?

I took a little video along the way, the clouds east were quite pretty; big billowing puffy white in the evening sun. As we headed west the thunderstorms (forecast was rain in Winchester at 8:00) were also so very pretty.

As we continued along it wasn't long before we drove under the clouds we were admiring earlier. It was fun to see the changes. Early they were heavy black and we could see the sun lighting up the edges, giving high lights. Later as the sun set and we were about to slide underneath it was just a pile of big black ominous storm clouds. Latter still little hints of red under the storm front way off in the west hinting that the rain would end and skies would clear...

While there wasn't a great deal of lightning, there was some. Here we caught a strike...

... which lite up the entire cloud.

Just before the rain began we looked to the right and it was obvious that it was pouring to the north. Deep blue/black streaking down from heavens to earth, God's brush strokes I suppose. The scene is too dark for a good capture, but added it here anyway to set the tone for the darkness that descended as we passed into the clouds. The hints of purple dance on the periphery amidst the black as you look at the photo.

We even imagined that it might pass by without us getting wet, but not quite :-) Although it really wasn't bad. We stopped at a gas station to put rain gear on, I just brought the jacket, and when we arrived in Winchester I wasn’t even wet - the jacket worked well and we were at speed so my lower half stayed mostly dry behind the fairing.

Air B&B host was wonderful, room very nice. About to go get a cup of coffee and breakfast then off we go!

--- September 2 wow, took way too long to come back to this, an entire month. Well at least I have a disclaimer in the blog subtitle :-(. ---

The name of the property on the Air B&B website is Beautiful Colonial House. Sure is...

Seems a shame not to sit on the porch and relax, but today is the big day. Plan is to load up the front end a bit with higher miles while we are fresh then take a more leisurely pace later. We'll see how that works!

Additional pictures, stories, and details in this interactive map. Enjoy!

+ GoPro

Added a GoPro to the camera line up, so experimenting a bit with how that works.  I posted the first three videos to YouTube, they are ok, it's a skill like any other I suppose.  First take-away is that video is so very large (and slow).  Eeek.  I spent these first sessions trying to sort out a workflow that makes sense.  First up: I am a bit of a packrat by nature so deleting things is always a little hard but.... in this case it will be required.  There is no way I am going to leave all useless video laying around.

Roads Less Traveled: Southern Maryland Countryside

Added a GoPro to our camera collection.... Mostly for riding, but  I suppose we may use it here and there for other things as well.  Here is the first try - enjoy a little stretch of country road in southern Maryland.

Roads Less Traveled: Sunset

Little baby clip of a sunset along our ride the other night complete with splattered bug on the camera lens :-). Funny how the power lines were tuned out in real life but are so extremely distracting in the recorded video.

Roads Less Traveled: The Cove on Cobb Island

Rode down to Cobb Island and found this gem.  Lovely day for a ride and handn't been down this way in years.  As we drove past it caught our eye so we decided to stop, how nice!  Got to meet the artist who decorated, how fun is that?  So, go and enjoy a visit too :-)

---

One thing I have learned - but not really learned, is that in order to capture those unique moments on the road you have to put the thing in place and turn it on all the time!  Duh.  So the 'not learned part' is that even though I know that I really don't do it all that much :-(,  There have been four times I wish I had taken my own advice so you could be seeing video rather than reading line after line....

... have you even noticed that things rarely happen in isolation?  That is to say it's not usually a single thing that triggers but multiple; all happening at just the 'right time'.  So it is with the first example showing why I should just leave the thing on.  We were following a particularly slow moving car and came to a point where we wanted to turn left - and so did he.  Aha,we could keep on the cut back into the road we really wanted to ride ahead of him.  So we pick up the pace a bit - just to make sure, and what is in the lane ahead on a sweeping left hander with thick woods on both sides (no viability until the last minute)?  A giant snapping turtle.  But wait, that's not really the funny part. It's the car blocking the on coming lane with three behind it, and... the guy trying to save our snappers life by shooing him off the road.  The expression on his face was priceless as he tried to evaluate his options.  Can you imagine the thoughts firing in his head?  Fast moving motor cycle, lost fingers from jaws in front of me, do I jump in the ditch, do I jump back to my car?  I wasn't actually going that fast so stopped and watched the rescue effort to completion.  But... no video, only a memory of a very funny situation and a few words here.

Quick ride this weekend... No pictures (sorry, not sorry ;-).  Don't have time to write now, I'll come back to it at some point.

Vacation Week...

Short little trip today... We missed a picture of the long horns, read up on Ice mountain, and have wanted to see Rio.

Long horns are, well, cows.  Pretty amazing though.  Do they appreciate the weapons at their disposal?

The first bit was repeat but all nice riding regardless.  We went ahead and stopped along the river to take a picture, as always it's so very hard to capture the beauty of a place...

Ice Mountain turned out to be a bust...  It will take a little more research or more time to explore before finding it.  To be continued.





Rio wasn't as remote and 'in the sticks' as expected.  Great fast paced mountain roads though :-)

Vacation Week...

Well, another ‘utilitarian’ ride ;-). I forgot my computer power cord and the closest place to pick one up seems to me Microcenter. Wow. Well, good excuse to discover some new road!

Not a great deal to say on this one. The ghost town of North River Mills and the lovely homestead along the way were the highlights. It’s sad to me that the little town is fading away. Curious that in the day it was along a ‘thoroughfare’ and now all of the major transportation routes have gone other ways. The little country roads in and out are charming to me, but I suspect most would find them too remote and inconvenient. I noticed a for sale sign on one of the properties, perhaps someone will find a way to create a retreat that will revitalize this bit of history and provide a sanctuary for those caught on the treadmill? It would seem fitting.