From Indy Speedway to Louisville Kentukcky and Clarksville Tennessee

Monday morning I made my way to the Indy Speedway where for $25 I took a 1 1/2 hour guided ground tour that included a lap around the track (in a bus), a stop at the brick strip finish line, and visits to the media room, the race commentators booth, the victory podium, pit row and the museum. Our guide and the bus driver were both very knowledgeable and they kept up a most informative commentary and answered questions from the twenty or so in our group during the tour. Here are a few pictures from Indy starting with the museum which is in the infield, the winners podium (there was no milk for this first place finisher, nor a $2 million cheque), the car that Jacques Villeneuve drove at an average speed of 153.616 mph to win the 1995 Indy 500, and a view down the straightaway into turn 1.



After this great stop I headed to Louisville where I had reserved a room for Tuesday night. After a quick change of clythes I took a taxi to a place called Doc Crow's Southern Smmokehouse and Raw Bar where I had a half dozen oysters with a glass of California Sauvignon Blanc and a half rack of dry rubbed ribs while sitting at the bar where I met a lovely young couple who were out celebrating their ninth "together" anniversary. Seth and Tanya are a remarkable pair.  They left home at the ages of 17 and 18. At 19 she was the manager of a fast food joint working over 60 hours a week for poor pay and no benefits. They have travelled a fair bit in the U S but never to the East Coast. Having now tried oysters, and liked them, they will try to make it to New York to experience the Grand Central Station Oyster Bar, a place I recommended and which was supported by the guy on my right, a representative from Dell computers from upstate New York who now lives in Colorado. But before then Seth and Tanya will hold another yard sale to get rid of their earthly possessions, intall the futon that they've trimmed to fit in the back of their car, and head west. Their current employer, Hard Rock Café, has promised them jobs in San Diego where they will continue their benefits and get a nice increase in their hourly wage.  I wished them well. The meal and the company were great.

After dinner I walked to the riverside and around the downtown core. From what I saw it is a pretty city.

Today I rode from Louisville to Clarksville with a very brief stop at Fort Knox. The further south you get, the higher the corn. After Russellville where I stopped for lunch and had the fried chicken buffet at the Colonial Inn Restaurant thatwas jam-packed with people, I rode by some huge fields of corn and grain.

A few miles after I passed this field I went by another where the farm machinery was already bringing in the crop of grain. June 3 and already harvesting, isn't that early?

My favourite sign so far is the following one that I saw next to a secondary highway.

The message is plain, but short on specifics. I was expecting another one up the road that would clarify where the hell HELL might be but to no avail.  I'll keep watching and let you know if I see anything.

Notre Dame and Indianapolis

So when I pulled out of Machinaw City Friday morning the temperature was 19 degrees and the sky was slightly overcast, near perfect weather for a ride. As I headed south along US 31 which follows the east shore of Lake Michigan for a bit after Petrosky, the temperature dropped significantly.  At the point along the road closest to the lake the thermometer on my bike registered the "outside" temperature at 11 degrees.  For those who may have forgotten, the "outside" and "inside" temperature on a motorcycle are pretty much the same. Indeed one of the interesting aspects of riding a motorcycle, as I've noted in previous posts, is that, unlike in a car say, you experience the variations in temperature as you pass through them; one moment hot and humid, the next cold and crisp. It's neat, at least for a biker.

This picture is of part of the marina in Charlevoix, a lovely small city along US 31. As you can see the sky has nearly cleared by now and the temperature is continuing to climb. It reached 27 degrees by the time I arrived in South Bend after passing by thacres and acres of apple orchards that line both sides of the road for miles on end, quite an impressive sight with the early blooms on every tree.

Next stop, the Notre Dame University campus after having checked in and dropped my luggage at the Americas Best Value. The grounds and the buildings which I spent a number of hours visiting yesterday are impressive. Given that it's homecoming week I was not alone walking around the grounds and looking into buildings including the basilica, the arts gallery and the famous football stadium, the concourse of which was serving as the post marathon reception area Saturday.

Here are a few pictures from Notre Dame.

This is a painting in the art gallery of a famous July 2, 1863 scene at Gettysburg where FatherCorby, a  C.S.C order chaplain from Notre Dame University is giving a general absolution to the soldiers of the Irish Brigade who are about to go into battle. During the ensuing fight 27 were killed, 109 were wounded, and 62 went missing.

 All who follow college football will recognize the home of the Fighting Irish, a prominent feature of the Notre Dame landscape and the venue for many great victories.



The Basilica of the Sacred Heart which looks out onto one of the many green spaces of the campus is close to the main administration or gold domed building in the center of thhe campus and pictured next.



And now for some food news. Guided by the man at the desk of the hotel, not always a safe thing I hear you say, I went to an italien restaurant called Rocco's.  As it so happens Rocco's which is a family run institution and is South Bends first original pizza joint.  It was started as a 12 seat restaurant in 1951 and has since expanded to 200.  It is located very close to the university and as the many photos on its walls attest it has been dishing out pizza and pasta to Notre Dame students and others since then. The place was crowded and I can report that the large plate of spaghetti with olive oil and garlic heaped with sliced sauteed mushrooms was delicious.  The service was attentive, and the price very reasonable. Skipping ahead to last night's dinner, another italien experience at Buca de Beppe on Illinois Street in Indianapolis, I can say that the lemon chicken with capers and the side of spaghetti with a lovely fresh tomato sauce that I had there was lick-the-plate good. The two glasses of Clos du Bois Chardonnay probably added to the enjoyment of the meal that I took at the bar watching the tenders and waitresses and waiters rushing to serve customers who walked in continuously.

The short drive down US 31 from South Bend to Indianapolis under a blazing sun was uneventful. By the time I reached the La Quinta Inn and Suites on Washington Street the temperature had climbed to 34.5 and I was riding sans gloves and with my coat flapping in the breeze.  After changing into shorts and a clean shirt I left the motorcycle parked in a secure spot in the hotel lot and set out to explore the city on foot; more on this to follow in the next post.

2014 Edition of Retirement Rides

Hello everyone; another summer another motorcycle adventure.

After my trusty mechanic Jesse did a regular maintenance service and installed a new set of Michelins on my bike Wednesday morning, I said goodbey to Jane who had accompanied me to the shop, and started off on this years adventure which will take me to Fayetteville Arkansas via who knows where at this time.  Those of you who have been following my annual motorcycle trecks will remember Jim, a motorcyclist that I met, along with his friend Derrick, whilw we were waiting out a heavy rain under a highway overpass east of Rapid City. Jim, who is also retired and who had given me some brochures about motorcycle riding in his home state of Arkansas, followed up just before Christmas with another batch of similar themed material, and a repeat of his offer to act as my guide if I ever decided to head his way. Well, why not! And why not earlier than in years past, especially since Jane and I are off for a near month-long trip to Berlin later this summer.

So yesterday I rode as far as Sudbury where I stopped and watched the Habs crush the Rangers (GO HABS GO!) and today, under a bright blue sky I made my way to Sault Ste. Marie where I crossed into the United States of America. I rode over the Mackinaw Bridge that's constructed with a steel grating covered deck that no biker likes. After the gut clutching slow passage through which I remembered the advice to ride softly, loosen the clutch of death on the handlebars, and breathe (it's a long bridge), I arrived at the Thunderbird Inn in Mackinaw City. After I get out of my riding dudds I will go for a walk and find someplace to have dinner; inside, because the mosquitoes are vicious.

I'll keep you posted.

Another great trip ends

I'm back home!!!

I arrived yesterday at 4:25 after a 630 kilometre ride from Bradford Pennsylvania, a small city just south of the New York State border that's famous as the home of the Zippo lighter.

The day before I had ridden from Winchester Virginia; and for most of the afternoon it was in sometimes heavy rain. While my Michelin equipped BMW rides very well on wet surfaces, it's much more fun (and quicker) to ride on dry pavement.

The ride north yesterday was through some lovely countryside that my GPS chose for the most part.  At one point I passed through a large wind farm with  hundreds of towering wind turbines on either sides of the road.

The further north you go the more you see lakes and rivers; and they are blue, unlike the brown of those in the south. As the interstate highways are a way to cover a lot of distance quickly I followed I-90 and I-81 to the Thousand Islands Bridge. After having asked me how long I had been out of the country and expressing envy, the Canadian Border Services agent welcomed me back home. It was nice to be back, as it is each time I cross the border after a trip.

This year's trip was as enjoyable as the other three major road trips I've done in the past three years. The highlights are many; but the most memorable are the swing through Northern Ontario, which I had always wanted to do, and the sights around Rapid City which I've mentioned in earlier blog entries: Badlands, Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Crazy Horse. And then there's Sturgis, a small town I can't even imagine with 500,000  motorcycle enthusiasts in August each year. And what about 4 days in Nashville with Jane where we visited clubs, the Opry, Country Hall of Fame and other sights.  I must say that being based in one place and doing day trips out to sights is an interesting and somewhat less demanding way to tour that I like a lot.

The ride through the Smoky Mountains and along the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive were awesome. Having done the last two both ways, I think I preferred the south to north route.  I really enjoyed meeting and riding with Jim and Derrick in South Dakota.

There are no real negatives to speak about. Alright, there's the whole episode with Garmin, that I won't repeat here; the rain, of which there was more than I cared for at times; and the dearth of good meals, Nashville and Winchester excepted.

In conclusion, a great trip to add to the list. I've seen a lot of country, there were no nasty incidents, and my motorcycle performed beautifully.

And now, what you've all been waiting for, the numbers.

Total kilometres travelled: 9,365
Gas used: 445.9 litres  ($495.27)
Most kilometres on one day: 688 (July 2: Grand Rapids MN to Watertown SD)
Days away: 26
Days actually riding: 22
Different hotels/motels: 16
Provinces visited: 2
States visited: 14

I hope you enjoyed the reports.

Next year? Suggestions??

Smokey Mountains, Blue Rodge Parkway and Skyline Drive

I left Pigeon Forge early enough Friday morning and rode easrt through Great Smoky Mountain Park. I had my first formal encounter with the local constabulary after having been pulled over by a park ranger for driving beyond the 35 mph speed limit.  I hadn't noticed him directly behind me when I passed a slower car in front of me.  While he clocked me at 52 mph, since I had passed in a legal passing area and immediately reduced my speed to something closer to the speed limit, I was let off with a warning by the young officer who cautionned me that there were many collisions with bears in the park and that I should be very cautious.  I thanked him and continued my trip more mindful of how easy it is to go from the speed limit to much faster very quickly.


The Smoky Mountains:

The bottom of the west to east Smoky Mountain Parkway ends at the southern tip of the Blue Ridge Parkway which I turned onto. The Parkway is an amazing 469 miles that runs along the crests of the Southern Appalachians that links the Great Smoky Mountain national park at the southern end to the southern limit of the Shenanadoah National Park in Virginia. The scenery is breathtaking and those who laid out the route most assuredly were thinking of the generations of motorcycle riders who would be enchanted by the sweeps, curves, rises and dips in the road.  In addition to the landscapes on either side of the road, the parkway is often hedged by massive beds of yellow, red, pink, orange and blue wildflowers and massive rhododendron bushes that have been beatan back so that they don't completely choke off the roadway.

Because for reasons unknown the parkway was closed for a section north of Asheville, I detoured eastward a bit and ended up, after getting caught in a downpour, in Lenoir where I slept Friday evening. I'm afraid that dinner that evening at the Mayflower, a fish and seafood establishment accross the street from the Day's Inn was less than satisfying. Even the Chardonnay had a funny taste.

Saturday morning I rode from Lenoir through Blowing Rock to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and 437 kilometres later I was at a Howard Johnson in Lexington Virginia. The ride was nice, except for the heavy showers bit north of Buchanan which were so strong that I had to pull over under an overpass to let the worse go by.  I had a very nice Mexican dinner with a couple of beers in a new restaurant just accross the street from my hotel.

Today I completed the last section of the Blue Ridge Parkway and all of the Skyline Drive which is the road on the ridge that goes the lenght of the Shenandoah National Park. Again at the end of the afternoon dark clouds rolled in and it started to pour; so much so that I had to pull over and seek refuge under the overhang of an abandonned park cabin near one of the many overviews that you find all along the route.  Once the rain slowed down I was back on my bike and headed north. Then the sun came out and I was rewarded by the sight of brilliantly white clouds below me in green valleys on either side of the raod I was driving on.

The Blue Ridge mountains:

 And after the rain; looking down into the valley.

This evening I am in Winchester Virginia at the George Washington Hotel, an establishment I stayed at on my motorcycle trip last year.  And again like last year I had dinner on the outdoor patio at the Village Square Restaurant on Loudoun Street (like Ottawa's Sparks Street Mall but with people on it). And a fine, no better than that, an excellent meal. The daily special was a veal porterhouse grilled exactly medium rare with smooth mashed potatoes, tiny asparagus, and a perfect sauce of caramalized mushrooms and small dices of onion and carrots, garlic slivers in a herb scented veal jus reduction.

The glass of California Pinot Noir that I chose was a fine match for meal.  I enjoyed every bite.

Back on the road

Well, I'm back on thee road after ahving spent from Saturday to this morning in Nashville. 

Jane joined me on Sunday and together we did a bus tour of the sights, visited a number of sights including the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, where we saw an extremely well curated show of art deco influenced cars and motorcycles, the State Capital, the Bicentennial Park, and the Farmers Market.  We had drinks and listened to live bands at Legends, Tootsies, the Silver Dollar, and The Stage; had lunch and dinner while listening to live music at Margaritaville and BB King's respectively; and had beer and danced at the Crazy Horse. We had a nice but pricey steak dinner at Morton's, a great pulled pork plate lunch at Puckets, and a  good pasta dinner at Demo's, a family restaurant that specializes in great service, large portions and low prices.

And to cap it all we were able to get tickets to the Tuesday Night show at the Grand Ole Opry, a great experience.

We stayed at the Hilton Homewood Suites on Church Street and were very satisfied with the service which included a full buffet breakfast that changed from day to day that we took advantage of, and a free daily dinner offering with wine and beer which we did not.  I was able to park by motorcycle in an indoor lot a short walk from the hotel. Because of a small mixup with some laundry that I had brought to the desk Sunday afternoon that did not make it back to our room till Wednesday, we were not charged for either the laundry or the 4 days of parking.  Pretty sweet.  We totally enjoyed our four days in Nashville and will no doubt be back someday.

This morning Jane took a taxi to the airport and I headed east to the Appalachians. As I arrived at Pigeon Forge which is a little southeast of Knoxville the skies to the east were a threathening dark colour so I pulled into the parking lot of the Quality Inn here and took a room for the night. No sooner had I brought in my luggage that the skies openned up and the rain fell by the bucketful..

Tomorrow is another day.

Photos for last blog

The top two pictures are different views of the badlands.  the bottom one is a single flower poking out from the dry and otherwise barren soil.  Beauty in in beauty.

Today I rode south on the interstate to Topeka Kansas. And if you thought downtown Ottawa was desollate on a workday night, we've got nothing on the capital of the state of Kansas. At 8:00 pm the streets are empty as i walk to the cappital building that is being renovated.

There's a Kansas choir directors conference at the Ramada where I,m staying so I get to stand at the back of the room and listen to a  local men's group perform a few selections in front of a very knowledgeable crowd.  They are quite good and their efforts earn them a well desrved round of applause from the directors and other hangers on who have filled the hotel boardroom  The wings and beer in the bar are a nice treat after the concert and the walk.