| OK, so far my post-Iron Butt trip has taken me all the way to Pennsylvania. After my PA loop, I meandered north through New Jersey and New York before I cut over into Vermont. And like most people, I found Vermont to be absolutely gorgeous! |
| This was an evening stop in Lake Saint Catherine, Vermont. The riding was great, the roads were well maintained, and the constant rain kept everything nice and green. (Well, you can't win 'em all, so sometimes you just have to look on the bright side.) |
Camp at Lake Saint Catherine, Vermont
| Leaving Vermont, I headed back south across Massachusetts and through Connecticut. I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I enjoyed riding through Connecticut; the roads were exceedingly well maintained, and at every turn there was another beautiful back road beckoning to me. And for the first time on my trip, it seemed, there was no such thing as getting lost - just a consistently thrilling series of random turns and towns until eventually (sadly) I bumped into an interstate and moved on into Rhode Island, through Boston and on to New Hampshire. |
| Shortly after my return, I wrote a story about this trip for a "Great Rides" contest. The picture to the left is one of several that accompanied the story and assisted in netting me a second-place win. (I was actually really happy that I won second place; first prize was a dual sport adventure tour around Arizona, but I won about $1000 worth of riding gear that I still use nearly every day. I think I got the better end of that bargain!) |
Maine Coast
| You know how sometimes there are things that seem like a good idea when you first wake up, and then turn out to be completely goofy and ridiculous later after your brain kicks in? Well, I like to commemorate those moments and share them with the world at the expense of my dignity. (See, I don't just post pictures that embarrass my husband - I'm right there with him!) |
Good Morning Maine!
Camping on the Maine Coast
| After turning back to the north and riding through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, I finished my Eastward ride at the coast of Maine. The first thing I did, of course, was eat a big ol' lobster. Then I camped at the intersections of Highway 1 and 101 - the East Coast equivalent to my Pismo Beach home, also at Highways 1 and 101. |
| From there I made a slow coastal trek up to Bar Harbor, where I inquired about taking a ferry to Nova Scotia. Even though it was the off-season, the trip would still set me back $100 each way - $45 for me, $55 for my bike - and I would have to wait until the following day to catch the next boat. After some quick math, I calculated that they were off their gourds and decided to continue my trip sans ocean-crossing. Of course, the same trip today would cost me about $165 each way, so in retrospect maybe I should have seized the opportunity... In any event, that's a pretty hefty investment for a boat ride when I'm taking a trip for the joy of motorcycle riding! |
| Anyhow, the riding along the coast of Maine was so beautiful, I didn't feel like I had made much of a sacrifice. |
.
| Bar Harbor is a quaint little fishing town and a must-see stop if you find that your wardrobe is lacking in items that say "Maine" or display picture lobsters or lighthouses. Finding my supply of those items to be more than sufficient, I turned Northwest and headed into Quebec. |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |