June 6, 2011

Oddities of PA & The Nation's Capitol

First Stop in today is a little place called Intercourse PA.

After traveling through some farming communities I arrive.

 Being a sucker for roadside oddities, I had to snap a picture of the sign.

Right next to sign, in an odd juxtaposition was a large group of Amish girls, playing volleyball!

Heading deeper into Intercourse, I surprised by how much the Amish community was commercialized. Everywhere I went I saw signs proclaiming "Visitors Welcome" or "Buggy Rides!"


After Intercourse I decide to continue my food explorations by heading to the Chocolate Capitol of the USA, Hershey PA.

Chocolate World was a huge tourist trap but I nabbed a free Animatronic history ride of the Chocolate factor that evoked memories of those love boat rides.

The Singing cows were the best part

Having had my fill of roadside attractions for the day, I head into D.C. to meet up with Victoria and Brian, a couple of awesome people that I met while Serving in NCCC.

Craving Some variety in my diet, they recommend Ethiopian food, which I quickly agree to.

The Meal is served communally with everybody sharing one large dish. The food is eaten without utensils and using only hands and bread upon which it is served Injera Bread.

Injera Bread can only be described as a soft, Spongy sour dough flavored bread which was quite tasty despite my initial misgivings.

After grabbing a few beers at a local bar, we grab some much needed shut eye.

June 5, 2011

The Garden State

After Checking out the Big apple I head to it's close neighbor, New Jersey.

Heading over the George Washington Bridge, I immediantly start hitting the infamous tolls of New Jersey.

Other Interesting features of New Jersey Include:

• The amount of roadkill
• The # of powerlines
• The amount of Bikers on the road.

I stop in west orange to meet up with a old freind and fellow convention attendee, Melissa.

We also get a great (Though slightly Hazy) View of NYC over the river.

Gotta come back on a clear day!

I decide to stick to state highways to try to avoid some of the tolls in the area.

I finally arrive in May's Landing just in time for the local fire house BBQ!!

A Real Feast on my trip!

After the BBQ, my friend, drives me down to Ocean City for an Authentic Boardwalk experince and to try some of that world Famous Saltwater taffy that I keep hearing about.

The Board Walk

The Taffy was great, with a multitude of flavors, and the boardwalk was lively and entertaining.

Every one on this trip has been so nice to me, housing me and feeding me on my travels. I hope to one day return the favor!

June 4, 2011

NYC

First full day out in the big apple! My friend Kristen has to work, so she drops me and her friend kevin off in the city to do some exploration.



Kevin






Kevin was an excellent tour guide whose tales of his traveling misadventures and his strong Irish accent  kept me well entertained all day.








Trying to conserve some money, we check out many of the free sights, such as Central park, Times square and of course the local break-dancing troupe.

Central Park



The Infamous Naked Cowboy





The Giant Piano of  FAO Schwatz

After a long day of being very touristy, we stop for some drinks, with friends and reminice about the good old AmeriCorps days...

June 03, 2011

Bish-Bash Falls

First stop today is Bish Bash Falls state park  in the far southwestern corner of Massachusetts.



 The legend behind Bish-Bash falls in an interesting one:

There was a beautiful young indian woman named Bish-Bash That was accused of adultry, her sentance was to be strapped to a canoe and sent over the falls.

Before her execution was carried out though, the rays of the sun formed a halo around her and butterflies came from the woods to fly around her head.

The canoe crashed oiver the falls, and though the canoe was recovered, no body was ever found.

Bish-Bash left a daughter - White Swan, who liked to stare into the Falls. one day, she plunged in and no body was ever found...

New York City

Coming down from the state, I arrive in a different kind of wildneress... New York City!

Though I had Been in the city a few times before, after being on the road for three days straight, experiencing the sights and sounds of the city, awakened an excitment that I hadn't felt before. I was really doing this trip!

I meet up with one of my closer AmeriCorps friends out on Long Island, and she and her family were incredibly nice to me and showed me an amazing time. I sleep on a bed for the first time on my trip tonight!

June 2, 2011

Burlington

The First people that I visited on the trip were a couple of old high School friends, Logan and Lindsay.

I was pretty tired from the early mornings and long rides of the previous two days, so after grabbing some Tai food, Exploring the waterfront, and trying some of Logans TBA (Twice Brewed Ale) home brew (Highly recomonded!), I was ready to crash for the night.

The next day started with an early morning drizzle, and a cold chill in  the air that I hadn't yet expienced even up on the mountains of Maine and New Hampshire, so I was happy to put my newly acquired rain jacket to the test.

The ride down to Rhinebeck was smooth, however, I became quite familar with the smells of southern vermont. lets just say that I was strongly reminded of the landfills that I had spent time in during my term in AmeriCorps.

Rhinebeck NY

Around 2 P.M. I arrive in Rhinebeck N.Y. to see the smiling face of Mystique, one of many AmeriCorps friends that I plan to visit on this trip.





Mystique is a free spirt from Bakersfield CA, who reciently moved out to NY, to work at Omega, a holistic wellness center. The people on the campus were incredibly friendly and hospitiable, and I recived a couple blessings and shared in the Omega experience.

Omega is also home to the "Grandmother Tree" a giant Tree filled with with Prayers and gifts from the people of Omega








I camped for the night right next to the lake and woke up early with the birds.

June 01, 2011

The Nation's First Sunrise

 Cadillac Mt, on Mt. Desert Isle, has the unique position of being the largest mountian on the eastern seaboard. As such, for much of the year, Arcadia National park is one of the first places that the sun ray's touches the United States.

Not one to miss such an opportunity, I find myself waking up at four thirty in the morning in order to see the event. Now the campsite that i had chosen from the night before was a slightly illegal spot to camp. On this trip though I am enacting the freedom to roam law (where as long as nobody says anything you can go there)


Hiding from the early morning rush to the top of the mountian I pack up and join the sunrise gawkers.

After absorbing enough early morning rays to feel rejuvenated, I head down the mountain on my way to New Hampshire and Vermont.

Odd Weather

Taking Rt. 2 across Maine and New Hampshire, I find myself in the majestic White Mts of New Hampshire.

Riding through these mountains is mostly smooth sailing, but with some ominous looking clouds in the sky, I push it to try to beat the rain.

Then, out of seemingly nowhere, I hear a crack of thunder  and hail starts beating down with a "ker-plunk" upon my helmet.


The hail quickly turns to rain as I rush to put on my rain covers and my rain pants.

As the rain beats down I feel impenetrable with my jacket and rain pants, but then with a sinking feeling I realize that my arms are slowly getting wet. I guess my "water resistant" jacket is not as "Water Proof" as I would have liked it to be.

Thinking fast I grab a flimsy plastic poncho from my tank bag and through it over my jacket and ride off with the ends of it trailing behind me like an American flag or the cans on the end of a wedding limo.

Luckily, the storm quickly passes and I slowly begin to dry off.

 On the advice of my my friend I take a quick stop at the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory just outside of Burlington.

For three dollars I got a tour of the factory and even a free serving sized sample at the end! My reward for braving the storm!

 

Not long after I arrive in Burlington, "hippiester" (1/2 hippie, 1/2 hipster) central of Vermont

May 31, 2011 - Day one a bumpy road

Day 1:
First stop is Fairfield MA, where is something cool I've been meaning to check out for a while now.

As often is the case with these types of adventures, I had trouble sleeping the night before. At 5:30 my alarm goes off, and I hop on my seemingly overpacked bike. i shake over the nervousness and with a blessing from my mother, i head of my journey!

I decide to stick to some familar routes and take the interstates up to the North Shore.  Stopping off in Fairfield I arrive at the location I'm looking for.

Kallenburg quarry


I happen to have an affection for any and all things abandoned, something about the history and the feel of the place just makes me want to explore and find every nook and cranny.

This quarry however had an extra something special that i had heard about from a while back.

Who had made this art piece of such proportions, and why it was created so far into the woods will seemingly remain unknown. only the words of the maker remain to shine any light on the mystery.

Rough first day

On my way up to New Hampshire, my bike cover, that trusting in the power of the bungee cord gods, I had strapped to my bike went flying out over the interstate and out of my life.

looks like I'm not following my budget today.

In town to pick up a replacement, the electricity to my bike just dies, no lights, no horns, nothing.

With the help from the shop mechanic, I learn some more about my bikes electrical system, and figure out the bad screw connection.

In a way this was a good thing, because while diagnosing the problem, we learn that the regulator on the bike may be malfunctioning. I'm gonna keep an eye on it and bike it to a Suzuki shop if it causes problems.

Acadia

Back on the road, I eventually hit the Maine coast, evidenced by the drop in temperature, the slightly salty taste of the air and the abundance of "Maine-ly" crab shacks.

after what seems like a extra long ride, I arrive at mount desert island and Acadia national park. following the signs, i ride up to the peak of Cadillac mt. just in time to see the sunset.

Finding a secluded part of the mountain I camp for the night....