New Hampshire - Day 1

The hotel room Jen has is a 2-bedroom suite.  It is basically an apartment with plenty of room for all three of us although none of us plan on spending much time there.  With Jen working all day every day, we are on our own until after 6pm. It's in Gilford, not far from Laconia, yet far enough that the traffic shouldn't be too horrible.

We decided that we would not go to any of the rally events until tomorrow assuming that local people who were attending would be at work so it could possibly be less busy.  So we will explore the area like a tourist should. On our way out of town, we stopped at the Laconia Harley dealer and bought Jeff a souvenir t-shirt. Not surprisingly, the place was packed so we had to park in the overflow lot across the street from the dealer.  Busy or not, we are glad to have that checked off of our to-do list.

Laconia, NH Area

Gilford, Meredith, Franklin, Alton are all towns around Laconia. Then there's Lake Winnipesaukee, Lake Winnisquam, Paugus Bay and Opechee Bay.  The city is surrounded by water and is full of rolling hills as a result of the White Mountains.  It is pretty here and all the little towns are quaint and the buildings are aged but well kept.  It reminds me of our visits to Door County, Galena and Cedarburg.  In order to make the most of this trip, as always, a stop at a quilt shop was on the agenda.  Amazingly, Keepsake Quilting which is considered a quilter's mecca is located in Center Harbor, just 20 miles away.  KQ is a world renown catalog with a retail store as well.  This is where I like to spend my tourism money. Lucky for me, Jen has a suitcase that is only half-full and I can fill up the other half with my souvenirs so I bought a fat quarter sampler with 80 different fabrics! (as well as a few other things). Which is something I could never do if I had to take it back on the bike.

Keepsake Quilting Center Harbor, NH

After shopping we asked the sales clerks if they could recommend a place to get lunch.  They suggested we head to Canoe.  It was about a block and a half away so we chose to walk.  With close to 1,200 miles under our belts this trip, a walk would do us some good. The place was perfect.  We ordered a selection of white wines and enjoyed a fantastic variety of seafood dishes.  Jeff had a seafood chowder and I had a fish sandwich then we shared a dish of vanilla ice cream made by a local shop that used local, organic milk.  It was all delicious.  We enjoyed the walk back to the bike to work off some of the great lunch. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon riding to Portsmouth, NH.  It is a costal town where we assumed we could step into the Atlantic Ocean. We rode Highway 1 into town and took a turn on Market Street.  It was definitely a tourist spot loaded with restaurants and shops. As it turned out, the town is really located on the Piscataqua River which opens into the Atlantic Ocean.  From this vantage point, we could see the Naval Shipyard across the river and the Atlantic Ocean behind it, but we weren't going to get close enough to walk in the water.  

Naval Shipyard

We took a walk through the area. There was so much history here. We stumbled upon a building that was constructed in 1716. 

Before heading back towards Laconia, we thought we would stop and have a cocktail somewhere.  We walked into a brewpub appropriately named Portsmouth Brewery.  It was there that we talked with a local man who had a lot to say about the area.  We learned all about the Smuttynose Ale we were drinking as well as the city.  We got back on the bike to be back at the hotel just in time to meet up with Jen and her Harley co-workers for a really nice dinner at the Lyons Den in Golford. 

By the end of the evening, I felt like I had accomplished an entire vacation full of experiences. I left Jeff outside of the hotel where a bunch of Harley employees were enjoying old fashioneds.  He and Jen joined in and hung out quite late after I went to bed.

Road to Laconia - Day 2

 We got up feeling ready to get back on the road.  We were happy about having an iPass and were glad we could use it all along the way.  We went through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania and used it.  Sometimes we did have to stop because it wasn't working the automated system but the toll booth operators could still take the money out of the iPass account to pay the tolls.  It was much easier than digging coins out of my pocket every time we stopped.  

Holiday Inn Express - Erie, PA

We ate our 'complimentary' hotel breakfast, packed up the bike and got back on the road.  Our original plan was to stay overnight in Cleveland the first night, Syracuse the second night, then get to Laconia on day three. We were ahead of plans so I mentioned that maybe we should stop for another 3pm lunch like yesterday only this time, make it some fast food as to not waste time. 



After two gas stops in the state of New York, we realized how really big the state was.  It was beautiful, there were rolling hills filled with vineyards. The lush green was offset by the gorgeous blue sky.  As it got later in the day and was time to stop, we found ourselves sitting in a little Mexican restaurant in Liverpool, NY.  I don't know how it happened but I was pretty sure we were not going all the way to Laconia tonight. 

There was one more gas stop in New York before we found ourselves in Vermont.  It's amazing how the landscape has changed so much.  The rolling hills have now become full blown mountains and there's a lot of zigging and zagging to be done on these roads.  No wonder the speed limit is slower and there is no interstate here. But the state highways are nice enough for us.  We decided to continue on all the way to Laconia.  This meant skipping dinner and just riding through.  Little did we know that the rest of the trip to Laconia meant these winding, steep roads. Too bad it's too dark out to see the views by the time we get through New Hampshire.  One last gas stop and we are 25 miles from Jen's hotel.  It's too dark and we are too tired to care. 

We pull in around 10pm.
600 miles completed = 1150 miles in two days.

Road to Laconia - Day 1

We packed until the late hours last night and then unpacked all the things that were not necessary.  That always happens on a bike trip no matter how experienced we get.  We always want to take more than we can but in the end must scale back to just what we need.  Even that is a tall order.  Between the iPad, GPS, cell phones, camera and all the chargers that go along. we've packed an entire bag. Plus the new iPass can be thrown into the mix. Then there's the mandatory rain suits and helmets. Where will my shoes go?

The bike is ready and we are ready.  We head out later than anticipated but still early enough to get through Chicago without incident.  It's always good when the traffic keeps moving and amazingly enough, we don't have to stop until we get to the Indiana tollway.  The iPass is a blessing and I wonder how we've lived without it all this time.

Our first stop is in South Bend.  We got off the highway to get gas and some breakfast.  We were still feeling pretty fresh but hungry. We had breakfast at a little local place called Top Notch.  It was amazingly cheap. We both had a full breakfast and coffee and our bill was $10.59.  Since we were in the area, we decided to take a ride up the road to see Notre Dame. It's just a half-mile away and we are in no hurry. It's nice to vacation like this.

As we rode what turned out to be more like a mile, we were surprised by how poor the area looked.  That is, until we got to the campus.  The neighborhood seemed to turn from aging, closed up buildings with cracked sidewalks and roads to brand new beautiful brick ones with perfectly manicured lawns and roads.  It was such a striking contrast.  We rode around the campus until we came across the practice field, where there were football players walking from the field to their dorms right across the street. The football field had to be nearby so we pulled over and parked.  This is a walking campus and there is no room for vehicles and no roads, only sidewalks. 

We walked over to the football field to take photos of the statues out front when a greeter handed us a poster outlining the day's events.  We were welcome to go walk out onto the field.  There was a fantasy football game going on.  A bunch of very old (for football players, anyway) men were coming out of the locker room, some so out of shape I feared injury if they actually ran or took a hit out on that field.  So here we were, expecting to jump off the bike, take a few photos, and get right back on.  Instead we were standing on the grass where the Notre Dame football team played their games.  We chatted with a few people, particularly a man wearing a GB Packers sweatshirt.  He was a photographer who graciously offered to take our picture. We rarely have vacation photos taken together so this was a great opportunity. 

Notre Dame Football Field

After our photo op we got back on the bike feeling like we walked off breakfast and were ready to continue on.  Amazingly enough, we didn't stop again until we needed gas at 3pm. We went to the Panera across from the gas station to get off the bike, grab a salad and review our maps.  We were outside of Toledo thinking that we could press past our original plan of stopping for the night in Cleveland. We stopped at the local Harley dealer hoping to buy some patches for our jackets.  They didn't have any so I bought a shirt I didn't need and we headed out before rush hour got too bad.

We drove all the way through Cleveland and stopped for gas in Madison, OH.  We knew we could make it to Erie so we got out the GPS to route us to the best exit with many hotels.  We pulled into a Holiday Inn Express where we got the last room available. The town was crawling with kids and parents who where there for a soccer tournament. Luckily our room had a whirlpool tub in it so we didn't have to deal with kids in a public pool.  It would be much nicer to relax in a tub in our own room.  We unpacked the things we needed, and walked through the parking lot to the closest sports bar.  We both ordered a local ale and enjoyed some appetizers while we let the day fade away. 

550 miles completed.

Back in the Saddle Again

Things are starting to come together.  After a scare that resulted in a cardiac cath, Jeff gets a clean bill of health (as clean as it can be, all things considered).  We picked up an iPass and set it up and now we can seriously plan our vacation to Laconia.  Luckily, Baliee will be at the house for the ten days we are gone so I don't have to worry about feeding the cat or watering the garden.  She can take care of those little chores that cannot be neglected when we are gone. I am looking forward to a nice long trip on the bike, let's hope my back can handle it. I am crossing my fingers for good weather.

Grapefruits don't belong here

This morning I walked into the fitness center locker room and I could smell an unusual smell. Not a bad smell, just one that didn't belong in a locker room.  I expect to encounter sweaty, musky scents and floral soap scents but this one was different.  It was fresh and nice but unusual.  So I sniffed and sniffed until I got closer to the source and started opening lockers.  After three attempts, there it was - an orange mesh bag filled with grapefruits.  It was definitely a good scent but it belonged in the produce section of a grocery store, not in a locker room.

I walked out into the workout room with a funny look on my face.  My workout partner asked me what was up and I proceeded to explain the weird, nice smell in the locker.  I don't know if he believed me or not so I was tempted to ask him if he wanted to see for himself, but I refrained. I was worried that if they were still in there for a few more days, then the smell would change from nice to nasty.  Who would want to eat those in a locker room?  The thought was gross.

After work, Jeff and I went over to the Wicked Hop for a Bloody Mary, a beer chaser and a sandwich. After the cocktail and  beer, I proceeded to re-tell the grapefruit story while the bartender was listening. When I got to the part where my workout partner looked like he didn't believe me, the bartender adds..."you should have asked him if he wanted to come see your grapefruits!"  < insert belly-laugh here >

Funny how a story becomes hilarious with beer.

Chloe, the 'CopyCat'

Chloe is in this stage where she will mimic anything I do.  It sure is fun.  Today we were all lying on the floor giggling.  The cat had treats and she instantly was pretending to eat them too.  So I poured some of her yogurt puffs on the floor (thank goodness it was freshly scrubbed) where she copied Toby's moves as he ate his cat treats.  It was hilarious...and she knew she was funny.