2014 Motorcycle Trip - Part II

Days 4 and 5 - NY, PA, and NY

Day 4 - Oneonta, NY to Warren, PA (I-88, NY 17, PA 220, PA 6, PA 660, PA 362, PA 6)

Day 4 started with  breakfast at McDonalds in Oneonta, NY and a view of our maps.  The bikers we spoke to on the Lake Champlain Ferry recommended PA Route 6 and a visit to the Grand Canyon - Pennsylvania version.  We opted to take the I-88 past Binghamton, NY and head straight to the Pennsylvania state line.

Day 4 Routes

The ride from Oneonta, NY to Sayer, PA was typical highway riding, nothing overly exciting.  Once we hit PA Route 6, the ride became much better!  Route 6 is very scenic and a fun road to ride.  Our first destination of the day was Wellsboro, PA.  Once in Wellsboro, we jumped on to Route 660 and headed for Leonard Harrison State Park and the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, or least we thought we were!  I was in the lead and completely missed the turn off for the State Park and we ended up back on Route 6.  Rather than backtrack, we opted to go into Wellsboro and have a coffee break.

During our coffee break, we had a conversation with a local gentlemen and he explained where we had missed the turn off to the State Park.  He also recommended several other places for us to visit. After our coffee we jumped on the bikes and this time rode directly to Leonard Harrison State Park.

Leonard Harrison State Park

Pine Creek Gorge

Looking North at Pine Creek Gorge

Looking South at Pine Creek Gorge

Looking North at Pine Creek Gorge

I enjoyed the visit to Leonard Harrison State Park and would recommend it as a stopping point if you are in the area.  The ride to the park is full of twists and turns and when you leave, make sure you take Route 362, it is a lot of fun!

After the ride on Route 362, you end up back on Route 6.  We continued West across the state, riding through many small towns and rural countryside. After a stop for fuel in Kane, PA, we continued on our way towards Warren, PA.  We had to stop along the way and put on our rain gear as showers were in the forecast and there were a few raindrops falling.

On our approach to Warren, I checked my GPS for accommodations and we opted for the Holiday Inn.  Upon check in, we were made to feel welcome and we settled in rather quickly.  After a short rest, we made our way to the bar and had a great evening.  The bartender, who we will call "Stella", welcomed us immediately and insisted that we join her and several other patrons with a seat at the bar.  We obliged and ended up having a great meal, drinks and an evening of conversation with our new found friends!

Riding distance Day 4 - 500 km.  Hotel - Holiday Inn

Day 5 - Warren, PA to Auburn, NY (PA 6, PA 8, PA 89, PA 5, NY 5, NY 20)

Day 5 Routes

Day 5 started with rain in the forecast.  While loading our motorcycles, the skies opened up and it poured.  Since our motorcycles were parked under the canopy at the Holiday Inn, we opted for a later start.  While waiting, a young man came over to talk to us and told us about the local area.  He also spoke of his service in the US Military and his tours of duty in Iraq. It was a very interesting conversation to say the least.

Prior to the conversation with the young man, I had been on Twitter and posed a question to BK, one of my Twitter friends (she is originally from the Erie region of PA).  I asked her if she would recommend riding to Lake Erie and following Route 5 along the lake, she responded saying "yes! It's so beautiful this year along the lake. Too bad I'm not up there right now, I'd meet you".

The skies started to clear, so we jumped on our motorcycles and rode to Lake Erie via PA Routes 6, 8, 89 & 5.  We had our rain gear on as the roads were wet, but it did not rain on the ride to Lake Erie.  We were really surprised at the number of grapes being farmed in the area, made sense as we saw several vineyards along the route. Route 89 took us right to Lake Erie and we decided to take a break at Orchard Beach Park.

Orchard Park Beach at Lake Erie, PA

Luc taking advantage of the stop at Orchard Park Beach

After our break at Orchard Park Beach, we hit PA/NY Route 5 and rode along side of Lake Erie, thanks again for the recommendation BK, it is a great ride!  In Dunkirk, NY, the rain started so it was back to the rain gear for the next part of the journey.

We veered onto Route 20 which took us into Hamburg, NY.  Hamburg is on the outskirts of Buffalo and we noticed a significant increase in traffic. We stopped for a coffee at Tim Hortons and looked at the map again.  We decided that we would continue on Route 20 East as it was in our morning plan.

Once back on the road, we were pleasantly surprised to come across Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills!  We just had to stop!  The stadium was under going renovations so it was not possible to get into the stadium. Security at the stadium allowed us to take a few pictures albeit from a distance.

Ralph Simpson Stadium

Buffalo Bills Training Facility

For the next hour or so, we rode in heavy rain, fortunately for us, there was very little traffic along NY Route 20 East.  The ride takes you through farm country where corn seems to be the major crop.  Also along this route are the Finger Lakes, this is a beautiful region of central NY State.  We saw many large homes/estates and it appears that waterfront property is for people who have lots of money, very beautiful homes!

We stopped in Geneva, NY for a quick break and decided that we would ride as far as Auburn and look for accommodations.  A Holiday Inn was showing on my GPS and the two previous nights at Holiday Inns were great, so we set the Holiday Inn in Auburn as our destination.  Upon arrival at the Holiday Inn, we were greeted and given a discounted rate on a room.  The hotel clerk was also biker, so we struck up a conversation and he gave us coupons for a couple of free drinks at the bar.  After unloading our motorcycles and getting cleaned up, we went for dinner and drinks at the hotel bar.  We were both tired from the ride and we settled in for an early evening.

Riding Distance Day 5 - 425 Km. Hotel - Holiday Inn

Days 6 - 8 to follow.

2014 Motorcycle Trip - Part I

Days 1, 2, 3 - NB, ME, NH, VT & NY

I just arrived home from my 2014 motorcycle trip and like past years, it was an excellent ride!  This year took my friend Luc and I on a few familiar roads and many new roads and experiences.  Over eight days, we visited 5 states and logged 4000 km on our motorcycles!

Day 1 - Fredericton, NB to Gorham, NH. (NB Route 102, TC 2, I-95, ME/NH Route 2)

Our day 1 ride is one we have completed before and one we are very familiar with.  There was a bit of excitement along the ride, on NB Route 102, I hit a large bump and my GPS went flying out of it's holder.  Luc and I stopped and spent 30 minutes or so searching both sides of the road and no luck; we finally gave up and decided to continue on our journey, minus a lost GPS.  To my surprise, when I went back to get on my Street Glide, I found the GPS lodged between my rear cylinder of the motorcycle and the frame.  I reconnected and we were on our way!

I-95 Rest Stop

We made several stops along the way, including a visit to the Victory Motorcycle Dealer outside of Bangor, ME.  We had a great chat with a salesman who gave us a full tour of the Victory line of motorcycles. 

From there, it was a leisurely ride to Gorham, NH along ME/NH Route 2.  For most of the day, the weather was great with the exception of our arrival at Gorham.  We were hit with a rain shower, enough to get you damp, but not soaked!  We had a relaxing dinner and settled in early in preparation for day 2 ride. Total for distance for Day 1 - 550 kilometers. Hotel - Royalty Inn

Day 2 - Gorham, NH to Plattsburgh, NY (NH/VT Route 2, I-89, NY Routes 373, 9, 3, 86, 9N)

Day 2 started with rain showers and they continued off and on for a good part of the morning.  Our plan for the morning was relatively simple, ride to Burlington, Vermont and catch the ferry across Lake Champlain to New York State.  We followed Route 2 across New Hampshire and for most of Vermont.  We did catch the I-89 just outside Burlington to ensure that we would make the ferry on time.  The ride and the roads were good and the countryside was scenic.

We arrived in Burlington in plenty of time for the 12:10 ferry crossing,  Burlington is a beautiful city and we had some time to walk around and view a few sites.

Burlington, VT

After our short walk around the Burlington waterfront, it was time to load on the Lake Champlain Ferry for our sail to Port Kent, NY.  Prior to loading, we met up with another group of bikers and agreed to meet on the ferry to discuss routes for NY and PA.

Lake Champlain Ferry

The sail on the ferry was great and best of all, the one hour sail across Lake Champlain only costs $11.00!  On the boat, we caught up with the bikers we spoke to in the parking lot, dug out our maps and had a great conversation about routes to follow in the Adirondack Mountains and Pennsylvania.

Looking at NY State

Once we arrived on the New York side, we decided to ride into Plattsburgh and grab some lunch and plan our afternoon ride.  We decided on a loop that was suggested from our discussion on the ferry.  It was a two and a half hour loop through Saranac Lake and Lake Placid and back to Plattsburgh.

Saranac Lake - Lake Placid Loop

This was a very scenic ride through lake country and I would highly recommend it!  The only issue we ran into on this ride was in Lake Placid, it was the July 4th holiday and traffic was backed up and it was a very slow ride through town.  However, we did find a real treat, Route 86 outside of Lake Placid!  If you ever go to Lake Placid, this is a must ride road!  It follows a river/gorge area and is an absolute joy to ride, lots of twistys to crank the throttle on!

Back in Plattsburgh, we settled in at the Best Western as they are motorcycle friendly and offer a discount to HOG members.  We were thrilled to find they had a wash area for motorcycles, so we made a quick trip to pick up some car wash and cleaned all of the dirt and mud that had accumulated on the bikes from our ride through Vermont.  Overall, even with the early morning rain, it was a great day of riding!

Day 3 - Plattsburgh, NY to Oneonta, NY via the Adirondacks (NY Routes 9, 9N, 86, 28N, 28, 30, I-88)

My gear!

We decided on an early start for Day 3 and first on the agenda was a visit to the local Harley Davidson Dealer, I was looking for a set of stirrups for my boots/jeans and was able to purchase a pair.  We had an excellent conversation with one of the sales ladies and she suggested some routes for us to ride. 

We decided to return to Lake Placid and ride Route 86 again (that's how good it was)!  This time, we connected the GoPro camera to my Street Glide and shot a video of the ride (video to follow).  We couldn't get enough of this route!  Along Route 86, we stopped at Flume Trail and took the time to view some of the scenery.



The River & Mountain at Flume Trail

We stopped in Lake Placid and this time, it was great and different from the mayhem of traffic we experienced the previous day.  We parked our bikes along the main drag and found a small coffee shop that overlooked the lake.  The weather was perfect and I could have sat there all day!  We looked at our maps and planned the rest our ride through the Adirondacks.  Our ride didn't go exactly as planned as we missed a turn, but it was to our advantage as we got to ride through Adirondacks, lakes and lower in the state, some incredible farm country.  Best of all and for the most part, the roads were amazing!

The Route

At our last fuel stop, we decided that we would ride to Oneonta, NY.  We had stayed their last year and it would get us closer to our Pennsylvania destination.  We were fortunate to get the last room at the Holiday Inn as there was a baseball camp at Cooperstown and the hotel was at capacity. We were both tired after a great day of riding and opted for dinner at the hotel and a few games of pool in the bar!

Days 4 - 8 to follow!