Burlington, Plymouth Rock, Cape Cod
thru RI & CT to Newburg, NY
(Click on photos to see them full size)
On the morning of the first day I packed up my stuff for the first time, loaded up the bike and the trailer, had a short breakfast, and prepared to start the big trip. I had taken out the bike (sans trailer) for a short ride the day before, but not enough to really get the feel of the new, bigger, Goldwing. Nonetheless, I felt readyto go. I said "goodbye" to Michele and Ed and hit the road.
Suiting up
Inching out the driveway trying to feel the trailer.
And on the road to California!
The first few miles on this new bike were tenuous as I got the feel of the added weight and the trailer. Traffic through Boston was pretty good and after passing through one of the Big Dig tunnels (not the one that collapsed a few days later) I decided that 65 was as fast as this trailer setup should go. After more freeway riding later in the trip, however, I could no longer feel the trailer at all, and was able to stay with the traffic flow regardless of speed.
My plan was to meet the Atlantic Ocean on Cape Cod, but there was a strong possibility that there would be terrible traffic crossing the bridge onto the Cape. I didn't want to waste a lot of time in traffic, so I rode down to Plymouth to meet the Atlantic at Plymouth Rock, a suitable place to start the journey across America.
At Plymouth Rock
I parked in a loading zone just long enough to take a couple pictures, but the bike drew a lot of attention anyway. As one couple walked by, the husband dropped back a step so his wife couldn't see him and pumped his fist in the air in a gesture of encouragement and jealousy, then looked at his wife and shrugged in a gesture of hopelessness. This was the first of many, "I wish I could do that" encounters.
Coast Guard Beach near Nauset Lighthouse
Cape Cod
Official Start of Trip
Note license plate
Traffic at the Sagamore Bridge was light so I went on to Cape Cod. It is a beautiful area but I used more time than I thought I would. Many people were obviously off work this July 3 and the traffic was pretty slow in many places. Nauset Lighthouse was totally jammed up with traffic so I went down the road a bit to Coast Guard Beach to dismount and photograph the Atlantic.
I had no license plates for the bike and trailer, so I fabricated one for the trailer before I left home. This license drew a lot of attention during the beginning of the trip.
I left Cape Cod and headed west. My next stop was in Providence for some fuel and a Subway sandwich. From there through Connecticut to New York. Connecticut is one of the few states in the US with no helmet law, and most of the motorcyclists in this state rode with their hair flying in the wind.
My goal for the day was Beacon Inn, a spot I'd read a good review about online but was unable to get a reservation. My backup was a motel a little further down the road in Newburgh, NY. I rode into the quaint little town of Beacon, found the odd-looking little Inn and started to enter. I was stopped by a rather large drug-dealer type who asked me who I was looking for. I told him I wanted a room for the night. He exchanged glances with a similar-type guy standing next to him at the doorway and said, "Um, there are no rooms available", with another furtive glance toward his partner. I don't know what was really going on at the Inn, if these guys were drug dealers or pimps, but it was very clear that this old white guy did NOT belong here. I quietly rode out of town and got to Newburgh just as it got dark.
I had made a reservation at the Newburgh motel, and the clerk told me to be sure to bring a copy of the online coupon for the 15% discount. When I checked in the clerk told me it was invalid. Welcome to Noo Yawk.
Today I rode 432 miles, the most I've ever done on a bike. The best road of the day was Highway 34 between New Haven and Danbury. Beautiful!
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