What a ride today! We left Jacob Lake at 9:30am. We went through multiple mountain ranges. With a lot of twisties and great riding environment. A motorcycle riders dream ride. We drove the Sedona twisties and the Prescott twistees. Drove through Cliff dwellers AZ and saw the beauty of a canyon.

Day 9 - Rancho Grande, AZ to Palm Desert, CA  243 miles

Our day today was basically travel to California to the hotel that is closer to Joshua Tree National Park. We left at 11am and arrived at 3:42pm. Very nice ride all the way. It is nice to be back in warm temparatures. The high today was 82 degrees! Wow, what a blessing. After being in the cold for the last 4 days, it was nice to feel the warmth of the sun. We put away our cold gear and rode into the beautiful sun shiny day! Once we arrived in California the memory of how differently they drive in Cali was vivid. No patience and rushing to go nowhere. Very fast and aggressive driving. Welcome to California! Gas prices are over $5/gal for regular. Today Greg and I ate at Roc's Firehouse Grille. I had the Roc's Wedge (Romaine lettuce with bacon and some raspberry vinaigrette dressing...mmmm good! I also had  a small bowl of chili. All was good! Greg had Asian wings with carrots and jalepena peppers and he really enjoyed it. He also had the Crunchy salad. He loved it all!

We also met a wonderful wondering couple named John and Andrea. They love adventure! They were staying at the hotel and had their mountain bikes on the bike rack on the back of their SUV. One thing they love is food. Their recommendation to us is when we get to Pismo Beach - definitely go to Avila Barn for their pies. John stated that he went there and bought 1 pie and ate it, then returned and bought 10 more. Andrea laughed and confirmed that he did. Great couple! Happy adventuring to you both! Keep the adventure spirit - there is a lot to see!

I also called my friend Loretta to let her know that we had arrived in Cali and will be visiting with her shortly. Also called our cousin Lisa and let her know we were going to visit with her on Tuesday or Wednesday in Hawthorne. We will be going to Joshua Tree National Park tomorrow morning, Then start our journey on Pacific Coast Highway.

Day 10 - Joshua Tree National Park visit

We left the hotel this morning at 10am to go to Joshua Tree National Park. Unaware of what to expect, we decided we would journey throughout the park to see what was available. We found that this park is a hiker/camper dream park. There are so many trails and campsites throughout the park. It is not a small park either. We went from one entrance to the other which we're separated by approximately 40 miles. There was also many different geographical backdrops throughout the park. We went from many different size mountains to massive groupings of boulders and rocks, to fields of black bottom cactii, to Joshua trees. Awe inspiring and unique. (See pictures in the gallery). It is hot desert, so prepare yourself with plenty of water and head covering from the sun. On a scale of 1 - 10, I would rate Joshua Tree an 8 - worth seeing and experiencing.

Day 11 - Traveled from Palm Desert, CA to San Juan Capistrano, CA - 205 miles

Beautiful day to you all! We traveled today from the east coast of California to the west coast. We left at 10:30am and arrived at 5:30pm. The travels brought us through many different cities, but one thing was consistent....Traffic! Welcome to California! We arrived in LaJolla, CA and I immediately noticed the change that has come in this part of the world. A lot of development has occurred in the 30 years since I had been here. The area used to be a few condo buildings and other shops and walkpaths. Now there a major building and l4 lane roads with a lot of traffic.We also visited my alma mater - United States International University (now Alliance International University). They still have the same buildings that were there 30 years ago. It was amazing to me to see it and wonder what happened to the progress of the university? With all of the progress going on around it, why did they not progress? It reminded me how things will continue to grow and prosper, the question is - "Will you?" A moment in introspection. Greg and I have stated to each other several times how fortunate we are to be on this journey. We are able to see and do things many people have only dreamed about. We are blessed beyond measure. We hope to encourage each of you to not only dream about doing something, but to do it. You can do it. We believe in you!

Well, we also enjoyed a meal at a BBQ place called - Bad to the Bone BBQ and it was Bad to the Bone! We enjoyed getting to the Pacific Coast and seeing the beauty of this area. The water is always cold and there is a cool breeze always blowing and a very vibrant community. A lot of people excercising, cycling, swimming, jogging, walking and everyone energetic and moving. What a lively place San Diego still is. I enjoyed living here because there was always something to do. Theatres for small plays by UCSD students, cycling (very challenging because of all the hills) or just hanging out at the beach. Just a beautiful place. Great to be back, but Greg and I must move on up the coast. We will be traveling Route 1 up to Washington. Happy trails, see you all out there and see you all here that have been following us. Tell your friends and neighbors to keep up with us as we continue on. See photos in Gallery.

Day 12 - Pacific Coast Highway from Capistrano CA to Santa Monica CA 77 mi

We left the hotel in Palm Desert to go on ur adventure up Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) (Rte 1). Our ride yesterday was part of a Pacific Coast ride, but was not part of Pacific Coast Highway. It was exhilarating, but not part of the official Pacific Coast Highway. Today we began our journey at 12:15pm to begin up the coast. The weather was perfect, about 19 degrees with overcast. That is a typical weather forecast for this part of California.

Our journey began near Dana Point CA. We proceeded through Laguna Beach (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_Beach,_California). This is a major tourist attraction. There were people everywhere, hustling and bustling from place to place. There were also a lot of outside diners and restaurants that were busy and packed. Many upscale shops and stores that were also busy. Definitely a tourist mecca. Traffic was slow, but steady. We noticed that a lot of motorcycles drive in between the cars whenever the traffic was slow. I found out later that this was legal for motorcycles and bicycles to do. Dangerous to me, but legal in CA. After Laguna Beach we came to Crystal Cove, then Del Mar CA (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Del_Mar,_California). These 2 places were not as touristy as Laguna Beach. I believe there were more residents that tourists. Most people were driving and knew where they were going. Then Newport Beach (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_Beach,_California) and Huntington Beach (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington_Beach,_California). They both seem to be one big beach town. Because the beach was big and ran between the 2 towns. Not many people on the beach, I believe because it was a bit chilly close to the water. Huntington Beach had a lot of beach volleyball courts. When I say a lot, I mean a lot. They were 3 -4 courts deep back to back covering the entire beach. Then we came to our cousin Lisa's house in Hawthorne CA. We hung out with her and her significant other Scott until about 7:45pm then proceeded on to Santa Monica CA. We did get a recommendation from her and Scott to get some of the best fried chicken in all of Los Angeles from Roscoes Chicken & Waffles. We stopped by there and got fried chicken (Excellent), collard greens (ok) and Mac & cheese (off the chain). Roscoe is very famous throughout the nation (https://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/our-story/).

The drive up PCH has been beautiful so far with lots of beautiful scenery, beaches, shops and restaurants. It was interesting to see wealth, poverty and wealth all along one roadway. Interesting to see it and so distinctly. So cool!

Day 13 - Travel to Oceano CA

Stopped off in Santa Barbara to eat lunch at Dargans Irish Pub. Pool tables, beer and a lot of history on the walls. Our host with the most was Fielding. Served us well! We ate potato skins and corn beef and cabbage. We ordered, we ate. We got the appetizers and before we could finish one potato skin the corn beef and cabbage was at the table. The potato skins were covered with cheese, bacon and jalopena peppers. Great service with a super fast kitchen! Mmmmmmmm good! I almost licked the plate...it was that good.

Arrived at room for the night in Oceano, CA. It is called the Pacific Plaza Resort. Very nice accommodations for the night. Very unusual for this area. See what you think...

Dargans Irish Pub

Pacific Plaza Resort

Day 14 - Travel to San Francisco via Elephant Seals

We left the hotel/apartment/luxury suite at 9:45am heading to San Francisco via highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). Our first stop off was Avila Valley Barn. What an awesome place! It is like going back in time over 75 years. Most important to remember are the pies that they have. They have many flavors to peruse through. Greg and I each got a Olallieberry Turnover. You will have to research what the Olallieberry is made of. I do know that it is multiple berries all in one turnover.

When we arrived at the barn I purchased Greg a roasted corn, because he had never tried it and he loved it. Our host with the most was Stamarti. He has a giant roaster loaded with corn and when he peels the husk back the smoke was streaming from the corn. Then he gingerly cuts the corn into 2 pieces, or you can have it whole, and offers it up. He then directs you to the table that has all the fixings for the corn. Monkey sauce, hot sauce (mild - for Greg, Hot for me), Lime and chili pepper, mayonnaise, salt and pepper and a host of other stuff. We ate it so fast that we almost forgot we had it. It was goooooooooood! Thank you Stamarti!

Then we proceeded into the main store where the pies were located. Mmmmmmm Mmmmmmm Mmmmmmm. Oh my, how good they looked! And when we arrived at San Francisco we tried them out and they were gooooood. We also had ice cream, served by a truly professional ice cream scooper Rachel. She knows her craft, even though it is only part time. She told us that she just loves to work and we were glad she did. Greg had strawberry and I had Heath bar. 1 professional scoop each catered by Rachel. Mmmmm Mmmmm good!

We also met Julian and Cambria. Julian was on happy dad duty til the afternoon. Cambria was so close to 1 years old and loved her music. He said whenever she hears music she jumps around. And I also noticed that she loves strawberries! Julian is the epidemy of a great dad. He said that work and making money is not priority. You are right Julian, when you place Mom and children as top priority everything else falls into place. Great job Julian!

Also Sam was kind enough to ring up all of our purchases with a great big beautiful smile. Thank you Sam for your patience and professionalism!!!

Before leaving we met a beautiful couple Stan and Val. They love to adventure also. Fun fact: Val told us that she was in her 70's and that Stan was a lot older than her. Stan looks good for his age! He reminded me of Evil Knievel. You take a look and let me know what you think in the comments.

We got the recommendation to visit Avila Valley Barn from John and Andrea at the Best Western in Rancho Grande, AZ a few days back. See all the pix in the gallery and below.

Day 14 Cont'd

We visited the elephant seals along the PCH at the Elephant Seal Vista Point. We met Bob who was a volunteer tour guide. He told us all about the elephant seals. He made us aware that all the seals on the beach were females and pups. All the males were up in Alaska feeding. Fun Fact: Bob stated the males go up to Alaska to feed and their feeding grounds are where the Orcas go during the same time. The seals go to eat and potentially be eaten by Orcas.

The males then come back to the spot where the females are for mating season. The females are pregnant 11 months out of the year, then they nurse the babies (born at 300 lbs) for 1 month, then get inpregnated again.

Seals spend most of their lives out in the water, about 1,000 mi from the shore feeding on fish and other things. Greg was fully intrigued to see so many seals in one place. Enjoy the pictures!

We had lunch inner in Carmel. Found a great place called Cafe Luna. Met Mike and Sergio from Lebanon. It is a family business that they recently started and are currently working on rebuilding the menu. Mike told me he was in a very successful restaurant in Egypt for 18 years before purchasing this restaurant. He is the 3rd owner and looking for this one to be successful as well. He sold the restaurant in Egypt and is now living in California. Great food, great service and great people. Greg had a Chicken Caesar salad that he commented was great. I had wonton ramen and a side salad. All was great! We talked with Sergio and Mike for a few minutes and then Sergio stated he was going to get our food. 3 mins later there he is with the food! Wow!! We also had 2 smoothies, me a tropical and Greg strawberry. 

The city of Carmel-by-the-Sea is a great eating and shopping place. Bring your big wallet.

We really did not have time to look around due to travel time to San Francisco. We arrived in San Fran at 9:45pm. We do not like to drive at night through the hills due to unsafe lighting conditions and potential animal crossings. Safety first.

Elephant Seal pix

Carmel-By-The-Sea Pix

Day 15 - Meet up with Loretta in Foster City

Greg and I met up with Loretta and her parents today at Starbucks in Foster City. My friend, my friend. Loretta and I have been friends since 1990, 34 years. We had many evenings and days walking around our Alma mater - USIU in San Diego, CA. We talked and walked for many hours around the campus. When we graduated we stayed in touch throughout the years via telephone. Only saw each other 1 time since our graduating from college and today was the first time since that time. Our friendship has always had a uniqueness. We always knew each other was there for one another, no matter what. Who says friendship cannot last through decades without face to face contact. The 2 moments face to face were like we never left each other's company. 

I finally got to meet her mom and dad for the first time. They were excited to come and see our motorcycles. So, we went to the bikes and they sat on them and were truly amazed by the size of the bikes. We took some pictures with them on the bikes then went back with Loretta and took some group pictures (See them below). Then Greg and I sat with Loretta and talked with her. She is currently facing health challenges, but her strength was shining through as we walked and talked. We got caught up on time and had a few laughs and, as always, enjoyed each other's company. This was the first time she met Greg and was happy to meet him. I ask that everyone keep her lifted in prayer so that God will continue to pour strength into her during this season. She is an inspiration to all her friends and family. It was great to see her smile and to talk, as we always do, about any and everything. 

We also met a couple named Ed and Misa - They were at Starbucks sitting across from us for awhile and they said that they thought Greg was a friend of theirs from Elementary school. Wow, the people we meet. We never know who is watching us.

Day 16 - Travel from San Francisco CA to  Mariposa, CA

Taste of the Himalayas - Sausalito

Day 17 - Day in Yosemite National Park

Today was a day to hang out in Yosemite National Park. I was told last evening that the visitors center in Mariposa would be open at 6am, so Greg and I were up at 5:45am and we went to the center at 6:25, but they did not open until 8am. So, Greg and I left to go to Yosemite early, and thank God we did. When we arrived at 8am, there were very few people there. By about 9:30am, the parking lot that we were in was full and there were a lot of people that were present at the park. It is a bustling place with people hiking everywhere. Be aware that if you plan to go there on Saturday or Sunday you will need to make reservations at recreation.gov website. This is very important because they will turn you away with no reservation on Saturday and Sunday. So, make those reservations on Saturday and Sunday. They are not necessary on any other days.

We decided the best way to experience a look around the park was through bicycle. So, we rented bikes for the full day. Our first leap of faith into the world of hiking was to experience Misty Falls. Hiking is not a play play sport. I do not know how high the falls were from the bicycles, but I can tell you I videoed all of it and it took about 45 mins to get almost to the falls. I decided not to go all the way due to not wanting to get soaked. You will get wet - guaranteed! I believe it was about a 3000 ft elevation. The trail in some areas had an incline of about 8 degrees. It was tough and many rest brakes were needed. Needless to say, wear good hiking boots and have some type of jacket (when you get close to the falls it gets cold). And if you do not want to get wet, wear a poncho. I did sustain a few scrapes on my hand and left leg from a slip and fall (see pix), but am ok. The steps are slippery,, so make sure you have good footing. That trail wiped me out from even wanting to do any others. Be ready when you go to Yosemite. If you want to experience the whole park in one trip, forget it. There is far too much for you to do that. Decide before you come what you want to experience and then figure for each trail will require at least 1 hour. 

We rode the loop around the park and took pictures and videos. We saw at least 8 waterfalls and the bohemeth El Capitan. I have uploaded the many pictures that were taken, enjoy. The place is incredible, but be ready when you come. It is stunningly beautiful and an Awesome display of God's glory!

Another glorious event was that we had a opportunity to see 4 rock climbers climbing El Capitan and talk to one of the climbers that has climb it 7 times. Taylor is his name and he told us that he has only been rock climbing 5 years, but loves it. Another climber that we met told us that the speed record for climbing El Capitan is 1 hour 58 mins. It usually takes from 3 - 4 days.

Before leaving the park we ran into 3 folks from Spain - Gabriel, Olga and Hugo. They had been in the US for 3 weeks and were leaving on Sunday from San Francisco back to Spain. Great people! Olga is a cinema fanatic and loves people from America with southern accents. Gabriel could not believe that our wives would be home waiting for us when we return home after allowing us to go for 2 months. He was amazed! Hugo was kind of quiet, but did say that he liked how clearly I spoke english, he could understand every word. Happy travels to our newfound Spanish friends!

Lastly, we met another gentleman from Germany named Casper (as in the friendly ghost). He was also on a 2 month journey traveling from the west coast to the east coast. He bought a 2015 Triumph that he is going to sell once he gets to NY. His blog is www.bikebrewers.com. Search for Casper at the top of the page and you will get his articles. Follow him. He informed me that the site was set up for folks that build, rebuild or are creative in motorcycles. To bring the spotlight to the garage build or shed built bikes. Enjoy perusing the site to see what many are doing out there. The site started in the Netherlands and now is available worldwide. Casper also informed us that he just finished a motorcycle tour around Japan. He said his average speed was about 30 mph because they have slow speed limits throughout Japan. Happy motoring Casper! It was a pleasure to meet another adventurer.

Well, that wraps up the day! See you soon in Sequoia National Park!

Oh, by the way, we stayed in the Mariposa Lodge in Mariposa. Great place for a stop over and it is in budget in comparison to other places that were inside of the park. We had to drive an hour to get to the park (45 mi). It was cozy comfortable. And we ate at a restaurant called Savoury's. Again, great food and service! Greg and I had salads. I had the Caesar Salad with blackened salmon and Greg had the Savoury's Salad. We also both had a bowl of their famous clam chowder. Savory Goood!

HAD PROBLEMS WITH PICTURE UPLOAD. WILL TRY AGAIN AT NEXT STOP.

Day 18 - Travel from Yosemite to Sequoia National Park

We left from Yosemite at 10:18am and arrived at Kings Canyon at 2:55pm . We drove through Kings Canyon via highway CA180 directly into Sequoia National Park. We decided to do a drive by to see what we could see. When entering Kings Canyon we had another mountain driving experience. A lot of twisties and steep inclines and descents. We had to take our time due to the severity of the curves. To get to Kings Canyon we had to enter the Sequoia National Forest. The views were spectacular from the roadway. We only got a few pictures because we were driving quit a bit today.

We had lunch at DiCiccos Italian Restaurant located in Madera CA. The food was purely italian. We met the owner Marco. The restaurant has been there since 1973 with great success. He originally came from Italy with his brothers in 1961. His Uncle had started the 1st restaurant in Fresno CA in 1956 and now needed help to open more. So he went to Italy and brought back his son's and nephews (I hope I am getting this right). Then in 1973 they opened the location in Madera. Marco and 6 others opened it together. The other 6 left him and went into partnership with a guy. The partnership did not last long, but Marco remained at the Madera location thriving. He is a great guy with the customer in mind. I accidentally ordered meatballs because I forgot that I ordered Lasagna instead of spaghetti. The server brought the meatballs and I apologized that I did not want the meatballs. Marco came walking up and told the server to take the meatballs off the ticket and he gave them to us. He also gave us some Spumoni Ice cream. I did not know what it was, but it was really good. We let him know that we did not want the meatballs. Greg had Chicken Caccitori and I had the lasagna. All good, but we could not finish it all. It was a great experience to eat there and to learn the history of the restaurant from a genuine guy. Keep ups the Great work Marco!

We arrived at our hotel in Tulare at 7pm. Long day of riding, but filled with a lot of beauty. We look forward to going back to Sequoia tomorrow to venture into the forest. I found out when I arrived that the hotel is 1hour and 50 minutes from the park. Oh well, we are here and it is a pretty nice updated hotel. The name is Hillstone Inn Telare.

Day 19 - Sequoia National Park visit

Wow! What a visit to Sequoia National Park! I would recommend it to everyone. It is similar in size to Yosemite. There is not evough time in a single day to take it all in. We took in as much as we could in the few short hours we had. We decided that we would visit the General Sherman Trail and all of the trails associated with it. We ended up walking 6.91 miles over a 4 hour period and over 16,000 steps. 

The Sequoia trees are a sight to be seen and realized the pictures do nno mercy for what you experience. They truly rise out of the ground and tower hundreds of feet into the air. The tallest tree in the forest is 311 feet tall. The biggest tree is the the General Sherman, but it only goes up 275 feet. On the trails you encounter so many trees. young and old alike. There were a lot of trees with fire damage, but you could see the reforestation that was occurring naturally. I found out that fire may damage the standing trees, but it also aids the life of the Sequoias. the heat from the fire opens the seeds in the Sequoia pine and the seeds fall to the scorched ground, which is great soil for them to grow. Also, the trees that are burned heal themselves from the burns. Wow, look at God!

Day 20 - Resting day

Today was a day of R&R. We were able to rest and relax from driving and moving from place to place.

Day 21 - Travel from Sequoia (Tulare CA) to Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco

We left the Hillstone Inn in Tulare CA heading to The Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco at 8:25am and arrived at 1:40pm. All travel today was mostly highway. We are heading back to our end point of Pacific Coast Highway to continue the journey to the end of PCH. Enroute to Fisherman's Wharf we stopped off in a town called Hollister at a Ice Cream shop called Casa de Sweets. There we met Bella who prepared our ice cream for us. I had blackberry and truffle. Greg had Caramel and another flavor. They had at least 20-25 flavors to choose from. The neighboring town of Gilroy is where Bella was born and raised. She was working part time for the Cas DE Fruta, then got hired full time at the Casa De Sweets. She told us that Gilroy is known as the capital of Garlic. They produce a lot of garlic. She also told us that they even have garlic ice cream. They used to have a garlic festival until 2021 when some guy came into the festival shooting people, killing 3 and injuring 17. They have tried to do the festival in other counties, but it just does not work. The reason they were trying to use other counties is because they found the security cost is prohibitive and Gilroy could not afford it. Thank you Bella and happy scooping. By the way, when you get a scoop of ice cream, it really means 2 scoops! We also ran into Frank. He was at Sequoia NP when we were there and he and his family were talking about us and wondering how we traveled so far on the motorcycles. We talked to him for awhile and I showed him the blog and he stated that everything in our blog outlines his entire life of doing and we have only been on the road for 20 days. He was totally impressed by us and our travels. I told him now that he can tell his family and show them the blog of how we did travel. I told him that he reminds me of Jimmy Carter (take a look at his picture and you be the judge)

Today we toured San Francisco CA on electric bikes. It was tough and difficult climbing the hills and going down them. Very challenging and very steep. The streets of San Francisco are nothing to play with. I believe if you live in San Francisco you have very strong legs, because those hills are merciless and they are everywhere. We were challenged, especially going up.

Casa De Fruta & San Francisco

Day 22 - Travel from San Francisco to Fortuna CA 293 mi

We left San Francisco this morning at 7:30am and arrived in Fortuna CA  at 7pm. We checked in to the Comfort Inn and Suites.

Our day was filled with continuing our journey on PCH. We are challenged to travel the entire PCH up to Seattle. The route lead us into the mountains along the coast. it was cold and very windy from the ocean. When was arrived at Fortuna the temperature was 53 degrees and has dropped to 48 at 9:33pm. The mountain riding was exciting and exhilirating! A lot of twistees ALL DAY LONG! It was awesome! The wind made it where we had to go a bit slower that the speed limit. Most of the turns called for a speed limit of 20 mph, some 10mph and some 15mph. It was challenging to do this all day long, but we made it! If you decide to do this as well, save up your energy because you are going to need it.

Another event that occurred was us meeting Lisa from Lisa's Lucious Kitchen in Port Arena CA. Greg and I stopped there to eat and found out when we walked through the door that she was not running a restaurant. She stated she is a chef and has been one for 44 years. She told us that she has jams, soups and other items that she sells locally and ships. She stated that she bought the building a few years ago and have been doing renovations. She also created a very helpful sheet for all the business and services that are available in her community. 

She also shared that Port Arena is a very unique area.  She began to share with us the best location to eat (Rollerville Cafe) and to go see the lighthouse as well as going to the water just down the road. So we went to the water and found a lot of rocks on the beach, but also saw pieces of wood that had been smoothed from rolling around with the rocks.  They were so smooth that I though they were rocks. Cool experienc

The lighthouse is the westernmost lighthouse in California.

Day 23 - Travel from Fortuna CA to Coos Bay CA via Redwood National Park 235 mi

Another great day of riding, just a little colder. We left the Comfort Inn in Fortuna at 9:58AM and arrived in Coos Bay OR, Best Western Holiday. Enroute to Coos Bay we went through Redwood National Park. The big Redwood trees are as intriguing as the Sequoias in Sequoia NP. It is amazing to see such huge trees that are reaching over 250 feet into the sky and then to have that rich red color in the tree itself. Beautiful trees throughout the park. We just did the Drury trail to capture as much as we could and keep traveling. See all the pictures we were able to take to try and capture the essence of the park.

We also captured photos along the way up Pacific Coast Highway. It was absolutely beautiful as we traveled along the coast of California and Oregon, With the cold front sitting out in the Pacific and all the breeze that is blowing and causing beautiful wave patterns crashing onshore. Waves crashing on the rocks and any obstacle that gets in their way. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

Off tomorrow to Astoria OR! 

Day 24 - Travel from Coos Bay OR to Astoria OR - 222 miles

We left the Best Western Hotel at 9:51am and arrived at the Lloyd Hotel in Astoria Or at 3:36pm. Non eventful journey, just anticipated going through the Oregon Dunes, but it never happened. The entire ride was covered with trees so we could not see the dunes. There are sand dunes, like the desert, in Oregon. Very interesting since the state is so far north. I would recommend going to Google and searching for Oregon Dunes to see the uniqueness of the area. I was looking forward to it, but no luck. Our main focus right now it getting to Washington to get to the dentist. I have a tooth that needs some attention. We will not be there until Tuesday because the dentist office is closed for Memorial Day. The ride up to Astoria was great with some twisties, but mostly smooth. The last 80 miles was filled with rain, not a heavy rain, just misty rain and every once in a while a few drops. Oregon is a beautiful state with little villages along the way on Highway 101. Tomorrow we will be venturing into Washington state to Everett WA, then the following day to Vancouver BC.

Our eating experience today was via food truck. The food truck was called PASTIES (Past EEZ). They serve meal pies that are so good! Greg ad the UMOggie and I had the Trailblazer. Umoggie was like having a beef stew in a pie. Greg ate it so fast, even hot, that you almost missed that he had one. The Trailblazer was pulled pork with Mac and cheez in a pie. I have to say they were delicious! It is really unique that they have food trucks parked in a old gas station serving different kinds of food. Great concept and very busy!

Day 25 - Travel from Astoria OR to Seattle WA

Today was a journey in the cold. Morning temperature when leaving at 9:55am, 49 degrees! Yes, this Floridian, riding in 49 degree weather. What makes it even worse, as we are riding along snow began to fall and then it started a light rain that took us all the way into Seattle. It is amazing the weather changes that occurred in our short journey. Sun shining at one moment to clouds to snow to rain, then as we got closer to Seattle the temperature dipped about 10 - 15 degrees, then later it rose by 10 degrees. Wow, that is amazing to me coming from Florida where the temperature and climate changes are not as vast. Other than the weather, it was a pretty uneventful ride, just filled with fun and laughter. Greg and I always have a great time while traveling by laughing, singing and communicating along the way. If you own a motorcycle we strongly recommend you invest in a Cardo Packtalk Bold. Read up on it in Google.

We did have an opportunity to meet Jae. He is the owner operator of Ashiya Restaurant in Lynnwood WA. He told us that he was managing a restaurant for many years and decided 9 years ago to open his own and has been successful. The food was great and the service extraordinary! Jae informed us that all items on the menu are his own creations. You will only get these unique items at Ashiya - Lynwood. It is a Japanese/Korea fusion restaurant. The Ramen and Curry dishes are Japanese and all other items are Korean. Greg had the Honey Karraage Plate and he informed me that it was really good. Matter of fact the plate was clean. I, in turn had the Shoyu Ramen, which was also delicious. I highly recommend Ashiya if you are ever in the Lynnwood area. I will say it again, great food, great service and fast!

We stayed in the Executive Hote, by Best Western in Everett. 

We decided tomorrow to head into Canada. We will be visiting Vancouver BC. 

Day 26 - Travel from Seattle WA to Vancouver BC 139 mi

We left the hotel in Seattle at 10:52am and arrived in Burnaby BC at 1:49pm. It was a short trip with a lot of traffic. We got diverted 3 times from Google to get around all the traffic. Before we left the hotel in Seattle we met a couple, Brian & Wenonah. They were from Vancouver so we inquired with them what we should get into. They had several recommendations that I documented to ensure we were able to get to them. They knew about Grouse Mountain and Capatalano Suspension Bridge. They also told us about Stanley Park, Deep Cove and make sure we went to look into the Talasay tours. The tours are about the indigenous people of Vancouver or the 1st people.

This lead to an interesting conversation about the original people, prior to the colonization of Canada. I discovered that Wenonah was one of the indigenous people and she began to educate me on so much. She told me that there are many different tribes of indigenous people throughout Vancouver and surrounding areas, but they are all on people. What happens to one area, happens to all. When Wenonah was talking you could see and hear her passion for the people. Not just her people, but all people, including the settlers. The conversation then became interesting. She informed us that even though her people are still alive, they are considered inexistent, as though they do not exist. They were colonized by the Europeans initially which brought about different tradition that were not customary to the indigenous people.

I asked Wenonah, "How do your people perceive the colonizers now?" She told me that was a tough question. She did answer that she sees them as an opportunity to unite and bring about good for all people.  She could not answer for the people, because that is not her right to do. This could only be answered by the Matriarch of the tribe and she is not the Matriarch. The Matriarch is her aunt Beatrice Anderson. Beatrice has written a great book called "Nlakapmux Grandmother's traditional teaching and learnings". This book is historical for her people and informative for the rest of the world. 

Spend some time researching the 1st people of Vancouver and when you are in town take the Talasay tours or get their app On Amazon app or site. Spend some time learning. There is great correlation with what happened in British Columbia and how similar thing happened in Florida.

When we finally made it to Vancouver it was raining. It rained all night. We did try and see Grouse Mountain and there was too much overcast. the same was for the Capatalano Suspension Bridge. So, we came, we saw and we conquered. We decided to carry on back to Seattle WA the next day because the forecast was the same. It was cold and wet for both days.

Day 28 - From Vancouver BC to Seattle

We left Vancouver BC at 11:37am to head back to Seattle. I need to visit a dentist to check my teeth. Greg and I both agreed that we needed to leave due to the poor weather conditions. Bone chilling cold, wind and rain. We got back to Seattle and the weather was georgous! Washington does have a lot of rain and multiple times it is not in the forecast for us to have rain. I stated that it is named appropriately - Washington, because you get a ton of Washing. you will get that later when you get closer to home.

Day 28 - 29 Staying in Seattle WA

We remained in Seattle for 2 days. Let me explain. As I was riding along, I decided to get some snacks to put into my jacket pocket to nibble on while riding along. Well the snack I chose was Gummy Lifesavers. Innocent, right? No! I ate the entire pack (Share size) quickly without knowing it. I reached into my jacket pocket and they bag was empty! Well, needless to say, this caused irritation to my teeth and I ended up in severe pain whenever anything went into the tooth. I thought a nerve was exposed so I needed to get to a dentist right away. I contacted my friend from USIU who lives in Seattle (Lorene). She advised me of her dentist name so I could contact them to get emergency care. Well, I had to wait until Tuesday to see him, so Greg and I decided to go to Vancouver BC then double back on Monday to be back for the appt on Tuesday morning. I went to the appt and he referred me to a specialist for possible root canal treatment on 2 teeth. His prognosis was not good and he stated it a few times. He also told me that if it was him, he would beeline it back to Florida and get my teeth straightened out right away and just cancel the rest of the trip. I decided that I would wait for the specialist before I made the decision to abort.

I went to the specialist on Wed the 29th and he gave me his opinion. He stated the teeth that I was having the problem with was good, but there is another on the left side that he noted needed a root canal treatment done on it. I had it done and went out to my bike and the rear tire was flat, I had the bike towed to I-90 Motorsports in Issaquah WA. I would not have been able to accomplish this without the help of my faithful assistant Lorene. She connected me with a friend named Michael who owned 3 motorcycles and he turned me on to 2 bike shops. I-90 was able to take care of the bike immediately and had the work done within 2.5 hours. Thank you Lorene and Michael! I had to replace the front and the rear tires, so I have brand new tread all around. Thank the Lord that this was discovered in a big city rather than a small town.

During our stay we were in Overlake at the Aloft hotel. This is in Redmond WA, which is where the headquarters for Microsoft is located. Wow! What a massive college campus the corporation is. We did not spend a lot of time there. We just went to the company store and the visitor center. It was interesting to read the history of Microsoft and it's venture into Productivity and AI.

The highlight of us being in Seattle is being entertained by my friend Lorene, her husband Charlie and their family at their house. They opened their home to us, entertained us and fed us with a home cooked meal on Tuesday and Wednesday. We sang kareoke on Tuesday and Wednesday, talked, joked around and played air hockey on Wednesday! We did not realize how physical air hockey is. Now we know! We did not get back to the hotel until 2am on Tuesday morning. Wow! What fun!

Tomorrow we begin our journey heading back to the east coast of the USA. Thank you for riding with us thus far, we pray you have gained some insight during our travels. Will be back soon!

Day 30 - Travel from Seattle WA to Spokane WA 297 miles

Our travel today is to begin our heading East. We left our hotel at 9:08am and arrived in Spokane WA @ 6:44pm. We left in 48 degree wet weather and arrived in Spokane dry and temperature at 74 degrees. The travel was great and eventless. We fueled up when we left Seattle WA and once more to complete the trip. Along the way we stopped at a great little diner called Mountainview Diner. Great food, great service and great location. Greg had a BLT with fries and left an empty plate. I had Chicken noodle soup in a sourdough bowl. It was Goooood and unique. The diner is located right at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and right at the beginning of the Cascades Scenic Loop. WA Rte 2. Riding through the Cascades was beautiful. Tall mountains all around you and around every turn with tall trees in the begiennning beginning of the ride. Layers of mountain ranges in front and on the side with snow tops. Clouds flowing over the top and ice on the trees at the top. Beautiful scenery!

Then we arrived at Deception Falls. Wow!! this was an awesome experience. I believe we arrived at the right time of year because of the amount of melting snow. The water was rushing fast and hard down the falls. The scene was so awe-inspiring. All white rapids rushing over the rocks and then you walk over the bridge with mesh bottom and the water rushing under it. Then when we walked up the stairs and came around the corner and the sound of the water is so loud that you cannot hear anything except the sound of the rushing water sounding like loud beating drums. the you are ever on Rte 2 heading east or west, don't miss Deception Falls. Rachel, thank you for the suggestion! It was worth the driver and the time. This is an experience that will always remain in my heart. I did speak with a visitor that stated she was there in the summer, but the water was not rushing like it was today.

Once we left Deception Falls, we continued our journey to Spokane WA. We then ran into a little town called Leavenworth WA. This is a modern day Bavarian Village with the look and feel of a real life Bavarian Village. All the buildings were like reproduction of a Bavarian building. There is very close attention to details, even in the wood work of the fascia and roof. Beautiful rendition. We would have eaten, but we had already eaten. We heard that the food was authentic German food. Try it for yourself and see.

Once we arrived at Spokane we checked into the hotel (Hotel Indigo). They have valet parking, but we were unable to use the service because no valet for motorcycles. This created a parking problem for us, however we got it resolved by street parking right across the street from the hotel. If you are on motorcycle and decide to use this hotel know that parking may be an issue. There are public parking locations near the hotel that will cost. According to the front desk clerk, the cost of parking for the hotel is $30 and night and the parking location is 3 blocks away. I am going to talk a bit more about Hotel Indigo in a separate post, because of the uniqueness of the hotel. See below.

Hotel Indigo Spokane

This hotel has a very interesting history. I had an opportunity to speak with the owner and chef of the restaurant Dona Magnolia who gave us a quick history. He stated that this hotel was the one that Al Capone used for his illegal alcohol trade. The train track runs right behind the hotel and he would keep all of his illegal stuff in the basement of the hotel. There was also illegal gambling in the basement and a host of other stuff. The hotel changed names multiple times(read article: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/aug/06/renovated-otis-opens-as-hotel-indigo-during-pandem/) and at one time totally burned down. In between being a hotel it was also used for low income housing. All of the artwork throughout the hotel has significant meaning. From the names as dates of all the hotel names, significant people of Spokane and the history of the hotel in the community. The floor on the first floor is the original floor of the hotel. You can see it in the black and white picture. Enjoy the pictures to see the story. The two guys that are in the picture, the one on the right is the owner and chef of the restaurant Dona Magnolia and the server David is on the left. The food was great and unique. Greg and I had Red Coconut Curry and I also ordered Szechuan Dumplings. Good and spicy!

Day 31 - Travel from Spokane WA to Belgrade MT 389 miles

Today is a travel day to continue our journey east. We left the Hotel Indigo at 8:49am heading to Belgrade MT. The drive was really beautiful as we navigated through the curves and mountains. A few times we would come around a turn and right in front of us is a massive wall of the side of the mountain filled with trees. It looked like a painting of just green trees all snuggled together. Then we would come around another curve and you see giant multi-faceted layers of snow capped mountains that puts you in awe. Clouds hovering on the mountain tops and ice showing on the trees at the top, looking ghostly. Just beautiful art all around us turn by turn for hours! Just beautiful! I wanted to ride the route again and again. 

Also in our journey we made a couple of stops. The first stop was at the Idaho/Montana border, as we were about enter Montana. The stop was at Lookout Pass and I took a couple of pictures. I could tell this was a ski area. I saw the ski lifts and the snow plows. I do not know how high we were at the time, but it seemed to be a place of business during the ski season.

Our next stop was to eat lunch/dinner. We stopped in a town called Drummond MT at a place called Parkers Family Restaurant. I think they really should have named it Parkers Burger extravaganza. They have 139 different burgers that you can order. We did not order any because we do not eat burgers. They had one burger that over 2 lbs of meat! They also have a eating challenge that you can partake in. I believe it is one 2 lb burger, 1 lb of fries and a 32oz milk shake in 20 minutes. There were a couple of guys that took on the challenge, except they said that it was not enough food so they asked to do a double challenge! See it on Youtube...https://youtu.be/dIwwDfUwVr0?feature=shared. You will be amazed! Watch all the way to the end.

You never know what you will run into on a journey! Wow!

By the way...Greg had the Chicken wrap with seasoned curly fries and lemonade. He devoured all of it! I had fish and chips with seasoned curly fries and lemonade. Mmmmm good! I thought the fish was going to be mostly bread, but it was the opposite. The fish was huge surrounded by a crispy breading that was flavorful. And the fries were seasoned curly fries that were delicious, even without ketchup! But those that know me, know I had my ketchup. Amen! Bon Appetit.

Also, we were just riding along and I told Greg that I wanted to stop and eat and we hit the next exit and the place I chose on Google was the bar down the street, but I saw Parkers and told Greg I would eat there instead. Mmmmmmmm Good!!!

Day 32 - Travel from Belgrade MT to Gillette WY 382 mi

Today was a strictly riding day. We traveled and enjoyed the scenery. A lot of open fields and open highways. Rolling hills and straight roadways that you can see for miles. Just a few turns here and there, but mostly straight roadways with fields and cows on both sides and snow capped mountain backdrops. Beautiful relaxed ride that was good for giving God praise for His glorious creation. We went from crazy mountain driving to beautiful plains and valleys!

Day 33 - Travel from Gillette WY to Murdo SD 389 miles

For those of you that are following us, sorry for the late updates. I have been having issues with hotel internet that cause me to get behind in posting.

Today was a WOW!! Day! We went to 4 different sites and traveled 315 miles. We visited Sturgis, SD, Mt Rushmore and the Badlands and walked 2.8 mi around the Devils Tower WY. All I can say is WOW!!! Take a look at the pictures and you will see. Not only was it beautiful, it was also exhausting!

Where did such a massive structure come from? The plaque stated that it used to be under water millions of years ago. Now it stands over 300 feet in the air. The only question you can ask yourself is "How?". God knows.i Here is some information man has been able to acquire: https://www.nps.gov/deto/learn/nature/tower-formation.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devils_Tower

Mt Rushmore was stunning! I have seen pictures of it, but to see it in living color is much greater. They have decorated it well with all the 50 United States and it's territories plaques leading up to the sculpture. Beautiful! Below is some information on how Mt Rushmore came to be. It is an interesting story and challenging at the same time. Watch and learn.

https://www.pbs.org/video/american-experience-mount-rushmore-chapter-1/

The Badlands! Again Wow!!! Is all I can say. I did not take enough pictures for you to see the awesomeness of the park. It was never ending. I have included some additional information because I do not think my pictures did it justice. I recommend you come in from the East entrance and get ready to have your mind blown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badlands_National_Park

Right outside of Sturgis there was an accident that held us up a few minutes. There was an overturned truck in the roadway. It seemed the truck came around the turn and lost control and flipped on its side. I believe it was the cross wind that caused it. The driver was ok. He was just climbing out of the truck when we pulled up. 

Mt Rushmore

The Badlands SD

The Devil's Tower

Day 34 - Travel from Murdo SD to Omaha NE  - 394 miles

Today we traveled from Murdo SD to Omaha NE. We left the Hotel at 9:29am and arrived in Omaha at 3:38pm. The ride down was uneventful, except us having a great time just cruising down the road without a care in our minds. There was little to no traffic, so our speed was consistent from gas station to gas station. Fast trip. Again today was all about wide open fields with a few cows here and there with seeing the roadway for miles and miles. Great cruising, great music and great scenery. What every motorcyclist dreams of, now in reality. I remember seeing roads like them and saying to myself, what a great road for cruising on a motorcycle. Today I saw the same thing, except I was actually riding on it! Dreams really do come true! We traveled I-90 to I-29.  We did not stop for lunch or dinner. We had breakfast at the hotel in the morning, then had dinner in Omaha at OG (Olive Garden). I always have Endless soup and salad and Greg had Shrimp Pasta. Food was great, as always with OG.

After dinner we came back to the hotel and played pool. I won the best out of 3. Then we played Foosball and we tied in that. It was touch playing on one side, because the 2 men in front of the goal did not have a handle. I played with it In the first game and Greg won, then Greg played with it in the 2nd game and I won. We stopped because it was too hard to play without the handle.

Our journey tomorrow will be to Kansas City MO. Stay tuned. Any comments??

Day 35 - Travel from Omaha NE to Kansas City MO - 185 miles

Today was a short ride so we could arrive early and get our laundry done and relax awhile.We have been driving hard since leaving Seattle. We need a moment of relaxation. So, today is the day. We both have a lot of laundry to do, so we went to Dollar Tree to get more detergent, then we went to a very famous BBQ place here called Char Bar. They also have pickleball courts and you can rent paddles and balls. This was a very busy place. We got in at the right time, at about 4:45pm. It started filling up at about 5pm and it was packed when we left at 6:15pm. We did have a competitive moment. We played a game of corn hole right outside in the back of the restaurant. It was a good game and fast. I know you are probably wondering, who won? Well, that is yet to be determined or shared. Let's just say the guy with initials GL. Good Luck!

I received a text message today from Melinda (my friend Loretta's sister). She informed me that Loretta passed away on yesterday (Monday 6/4/24). Please be in prayer for the family as they face the uncommon circumstance of a child passing away before parents and that they will have peace through the process. I am so glad that the Lord made it possible for me to spend the time with her that I did on this trip. She is and always will be a dear friend to me after 34 years of life together. Thank you Lord!

Day 36 - Travel from Kansas City MO to St Louis MO 264 miles

We left the Hotel @ 11:35am heading to St Louis MO. As we were departing the hotel we had an opportunity to meet a wonderful young lady by the name of Donna. She was one of the people that prepared and served the breakfast at the hotel. She was a lot of fun as we were checking out of the hotel. We told her about the ride that we were on and she told us that it was great and to be safe. We asked if we could feature her on the blog and she was fine with it, a bit hesitant at first, but then said sure. Between her and Wendy at the front desk we had a great time laughing and enjoying the check out experience at the Holiday Inn Express. When I arrived at the hotel I asked Wendy to put us on the 8th floor. She laughed and when she gave us the keys she told us that she put us in room 820. There were only 4 stories to the hotel. So when we checked out I told Wendy that we were checking out of 320 and she stated that it was 820. I have found that in life, you never know where God is going to bring you into to show His Joy in the day. Thanks to Donna and Wendy we were off to a great day! Sorry Wendy, I forgot to take your picture. She reminded me of a young lady I used to work with - Mary Sue. Looked like her and talked like her. I told her she has a twin in Florida.

Our eating experience today was at a place called Coopers Coffee and Eatery. It was very unique for its location. All the food was gluten free and very healthy. It was out in the middle of nowhere. It seemed like a eatery that you would see in the middle of downtown in a big city, out in the middle of nowhere next to a gas station and a truck repair shop. I just remembered seeing a billboard that stated "The best food on I-70", so I thought let's try it. It was good. If you are ever on this segment of highway, I would recommend it. 

We are spending the afternoon with my mother in law and sister in law. We stopped at the nursing home to visit with Laura. She was so excited about seeing us. We were able to spend an hour with her and we met some of her friends at the home. Donene, Leon, David and Willie Mae. We talked for a few minutes and she shared her secret places that she enjoys at her residence. The visit went well and then we had to go to Lauretta's house. We arrived at her house at 6:30pm and she had some chicken fried rice on the table for us. It was sooooo good! There is something about the St Louis fried rice. Needless to say I ate the whole thing and then had the egg rolls for breakfast. We had a great visit with Lauretta and I had a short and sweet conversation with her. That is an ongoing joke between us, because my conversations are usually long. Congratulations Lauretta, you survived!

Notice Greg in the pictures. He stepped out today in full regalia. He told me that Mary bought him the pants to his outfit and so we wanted to take the picture! I think he was full of himself...Notice the stance....LOL!! Did anyone notice something about Greg riding down the road in the last picture?

Day 37 - Travel from St Louis MO to Markham IL 297 miles

Before leaving St Louis (Mary's hometown) we visited the Arch. I had been to St Louis before, but never visited the Arch. We spent the morning there and in the beautiful park that surrounds it, along with the flowing Mississippi River behind it. Parking is at a premium because it is located downtown. We went in and you go through security and then go downstairs to the museum. We decided to take the tram to the top. Nothing like getting in a small can and riding up to the top of the Arch. I saw a guy get out that stood about 6'3". The tram is very small, so be aware. They have enough seats in it to hold 5 passengers - sardine style! Enjoy the great pictures and if you are ever in my baby's hometown - definitely visit the Arch and dont' forget to visit the museum to learn some truths.

Our drive today was filled with major wind gusts! It reminded me a lot of us coming out of the Rockies. Very strong cross winds! I watched as  a semi-truck was pushed onto the shoulder. The driver was able to get it back on the road. They were very strong! Greg lost his Steelers head wrap. I peeled mine off in time and put it in my pocket. We were able to get away from it for a little while then we had to get back into it after about 20 miles. It was a major workout to keep the bike on the road. Along with the wind came the dust storms. We went through one that lasted about 600 feet with a total brownout on the highway. The rest of the day we were dusty conditions along with the wind. What a travel day!

We arrived and visited with our friend Don from St. Petersburg. He took us over to Chicago Heights to show us where he grew up and explained to us how much it has changed and not changed (His high school is still standing). One thing we experienced was cicadas! I was sitting at a light waiting and I saw these big bugs flying around and 2 of them attacked me while I was sitting there. Greg said he got bit by one at the gas station. They were everywhere and were super loud in the trees. The noise was so loud in the trees as we were passing by that it was piercing to the ears. I did not know what they were, so I looked it up. Here is what I found....https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2024/04/us/periodical-cicada-2024-visual-guide-scn-dg/index.html. This was the first time in 221 years that the 2 broods of cicadas emerge from the ground. It was pretty amazing how many there were flying all over, but also weird. They do come out every 13 & 17 years, but they were plentiful this year because of the 2 broods at the same time. It was interesting to say the least. Our hotel is in Munster IN. The strange part was that once we left Illinois there were no more of them. Strange!

Day 38 and 39 - Travel from Markham IL to Flint MI -  270 miles

We traveled from Munster IN to Flint MI today. It was a little windy toward the end of the ride, but mostly calm and peaceful. When we arrived at Flint we checked in to our hotel then went over and spent time with our niece Grace, Grand nieces Bella and Sharon and Javaughn. We enjoyed dinner (that Grace cooked) and we also ventured into Canada to eat at my friends ice cream shop call Cooleez. It is the oldest ice cream shop in Canada. Greg, Grace and I went to the ice cream shop to taste how good the ice cream is. My friend told me that it is a very busy shop and it was. The entire time we were there there was a line of at least 6 people...the whole time. I had 2 scoops of butter pecan and waffle cone and I have to say that it was the best butter pecan ice cream I have ever tasted. Greg had butter pecan turtle and Grace had a turtle sundae as well with brownies. They both stated that it was good ice cream and brownies. Let's just say that they both emptied the bowls and I also did not have any cone or ice cream left. Excellent!

Once we left Canada we went to an egg roll restaurant that have corn beef egg rolls. We ordered the original corn beef and the corn beef and cheese. Of the two the corn beef and cheese tasted better than just the corn beef by itself. It is a very unique concept that I have never experienced before and they were very tasty as well. I thought it to be weird at first until I tried it and I look forward to Florida having these soon. If you are ever in Detroit give them a try and see what you think.

I have to say, Grace was a great host for us. We did not have to worry about a great home cooked meal, nor getting around without riding our bikes and just having fun. Greg also had his first experience using the Meta Quest 2. Let's just say it was very interesting to watch. Greg realized that the kids on the game was giving him a hard time until he convinced them to team up with him on the game and they ended up winning as a team. At first the kids were firing on him, until he started picking up his own guns and firing back at them. He enjoyed the experience and may end up getting a unit.

Day 39 was an opportunity for us to rest and not ride our bikes. We will be leaving out in the morning to Pittsburgh!

Thank you Niecy Grace for a great time!

Day 40 - Travel from Flint MI to Pittsburgh PA 361 miles

We left the Hotel this morning at 8:45am and arrived in Pittsburgh PA at 2:55pm. Very fast and focused trip. We are traveling to our sister Debbie's house. When we arrived she had a casserole in the oven with garlic bread. It was delicious. We played games through the night. We played Hand and foot and Rack-O. Both games were a lot of fun! It was my first time playing Hand and foot, but I learned it and Harry and I won the game. Rack-O is also a fun game. Just know that you must be patient and thoughtful in playing it. Here is the Android link to download the app - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=racko.card.game&hl=en_US. Here is a link to how to play...https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DGOP1iO-1pk

An incident occurred that I did not want to share, but I figured I have to share the good with the bad. When we arrived at Debbie's house Greg was parking on the side and I decided to stop as soon and I entered the driveway and not realizing the driveway was on a downhill angle when I stopped the bike kept going and laid down at the end of the driveway. Yes, I said that...I laid it down. Greg and I had just talked about the fact that we had traveled over 10,000 miles. No bad incidents or major problems. The worst is to lay down your bike. Yep, I did it! Just damaged the right mirror, but it is still functional. It was terrible when it happened, but I have recovered. I apologized to the bike and I think we are back in a right relationship...LOL! Sorry, no pix. The picture of both bikes is the following morning. Did not think about taking one during the event, but just know the Gold Clydesdale is fine!

Tomorrow we will head out to Niagara Falls, then into Toronto CA.

Day 41 - Travel from Pittsburgh PA to Toronto CAN via Niagara Falls US & CAN

The journey continues! This morning we are heading into Canada, primarily to see Niagara Falls from both sides of the border. Enroute to the Falls we had a gas stop in Meadville PA. One of my neighbors is from there. Cool! I did include some pictures from there to remember the place. 

The Falls - From the US side it was very limited on the view of the falls, but on the Canada side you had a clear view of the falls. Greg and I decided we would experience the falls with our Mary's. Today was just a look, see day. It is a beautiful sight. The grandeur of the site is overwhelming. As you will see in the pictures it is a beautiful sight and well worth the trip. 

We left the falls and continued on our journey to Toronto CAN. We hit a lot of traffic an hour out from Toronto so our arrival was an hour after we had scheduled. We unpacked the bikes and immediately went to dinner. HUNGRY! Enroute to the restaurant we met a gentleman that was there on business. His name is Joey from Gatlinburg TN. He is a manager over mechanical engineers for a great company. When we entered the restaurant the waiter thought we were all together, so we shared dinner together. We had a great time throughout dinner. He is a funny guy. We talked a lot about riding morotrcycles. He rides with his dad. His dad has a new Harley and he rides his dad's older bike, a Victory bagger. We also talked about different motorcycle rides near his house. Greg was familiar with them and had ridden some of them. It was a great time and I asked if he minded being featured in our blog...so you can see him in the pix. Nice talking with you Joey. Safe travels back home and thanks for breaking bread with us!

Day 42 - Travel from Toronto CAN to Ottawa CAN  239 miles

Another day of travel. This time we are traveling through Canada for the first time. Day before yesterday we hit the 10,000 mile point! What a milestone, 40 days - 10,000 miles! We have enjoyed every mile throughout the nation. We have enjoyed the riding comfort and versatility of the Honda Goldwing. Bike and Trike. Both machines have functioned flawlessly and have been super comfortable. We have talked to some asking, how can you ride that far on a motorcycle and not have a sore rump? Our only answer is - It's a Goldwing. Super comfortable, dependable, consistent, efficient and beautiful. All this in one machine. Who else can say that? It's a Goldwing. I challenge everyone to ride one to see for yourself.

Our travels today was again flawless. We both said how great it is to drive on Canadian roadways, very open and flowing. At certain points we were the only ones on the road. Beautiful open roads and countryside. Ayyy Canada! Great job on your roadways!

We arrived in Ottawa and again immediately went to eat dinner. This time we were referred by Elizabeth and Yuki to a restaurant called Welcome Back. The food was great and after eating we returned back to the hotel and had a conversation with the front desk Host, Yuki and Elizabeth. We thanked them for the referral to the restaurant and they asked about our journey and were really excited about it. We had a great time talking with them at the front desk as they shared their ambitions. Yuki is seeking to be a dentist or a nurse, more than likely a dentist and Elizabeth is seeking to become a lawyer. Both were anxious to learn more about investing and whether they should be thinking about retirement. We wished them the best in their future and look forward to seeing them as a lawyer and dentist. We also met the Assistant General Manager Ingrid and the Gallery Host Manager Rahel, Gallery Hosts Anmol and Victoria. Great staff and management at the Hyatt Place in Ottawa! Thank you to the great front desk hosts and supportive managers!!

Tomorrow onward and upward to Quebec City ON!

Day 43 - Travel from Ottawa CAN to Quebec City CAN 280 miles

We left Ottawa at 11:30am heading to Quebec City. We drove through the countryside and saw all of the beautiful scenery. I tried to collect as many pictures, but I don't think they did justice to the ride. It was very beautiful. Rolling hills, open plains, lakes, rivers, streams, beautiful old home, nicely done new homes, beautiful fir trees and beautiful open roads. that is what it was like until we hit Montreal and Quebec City.In those two areas we ran into traffic and it was kind of neat to see how all of the billboards started popping up on the side of the road when we were close to big cities. Really neat to see the transition. 

The drive was easy and fast. Most people do not adhere to the speed limits. Most are moving at 125 KM/hr.  Speed limit is  100 km/hr. I guess it is like the US, most drive 10 mph over the speed limit. Even still the drive was easy and fast. We arrived in Quebec City at 6:45pm. One thing that jumped out at me were the beautiful fir trees. I took a few pictures so you can enjoy it as well. The hotel was lovely and modern - Hampton Inn Beauport. This will be a one night stay, then on to Rockland ME.

I don't know whether anyone has noticed, this journey has been about the ride, not the places visited. Greg and I decided to make the journey because we love to ride. We raked in over the 11,000 mile mark today! It's all about the ride. We have seen some beautiful cities and places that we will come back and enjoy with our Mary's in the future. The ride no one can take away. The experience has been exhilarating, and very meaningful! We have seen many places and met many new people that we also introduced to you. People are interesting to me. Everyone has a specific purpose and it is interesting to see each person reaching for the purpose, no matter what state, city or country we were in. We are more alike than different. I will talk more on this at the end of the journey. More to come.....Thank you for enjoying the journey with us! Please remember to comment as you read along. Give us and everyone else your thoughts. Just to let you know, your email is NOT open for others to see, so don't be shy.  See you in Rockland ME. We are going to McLoons Lobster Shack for some great Maine lobster. See you there!!

Day 44 - Travel from Quebec City Can to Rockland Me 256 miles

What a sweet ride! Hwy 201 is the bomb! In leaving Canada there were a lot of mixed feelings. I had never been to Canada, so I was wanting to stay to see more, but we also needed to continue our journey. It was great to be there and to see and know that there are not too many differences in the people. I will remember the visit to Canada and the Great people that we were able to meet. Many wished us safe travels, in French and in English. I do know that I will definitely need to brush up on my French so when I return, even though the Google translate did work a few times.

When we arrived in Rockland ME the first order of business was to go to the best Lobster roll in Maine. The research showed me that McLoon's Lobster Shack. We unpacked the bikes and immediately went to McLoon's. It was a 16 min ride to the island. The shack was located right on the edge of the water. We ordered the Lobster Rolls Royce which had approx 1/2lb of lobster in it. It was fabulous. The aim was to sit on the dock of the bay and eat some Maine Lobster. We sad right on the edge of the water and enjoyed the lobster rolls and Maine made sodas. The Cole slaw was killer as well.

Our visit to Rockland Me was nice and exhilarating. We found out that Rockland has a real big Lobster festival every August. The front desk clerk stated that is a really big event and well worth attending. If you like lobster, it is highly recommended! There are vendors from all over Maine that participate in the festival and most are really good. It is one big lobster party! So, next time you are in this area in August, stop by and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

We did meet 2 wonderful service staff at the hotel, Baylie and Ann Marie. Baylie was full of Joy as she delivered service extraordinaire. She brings a lot of energy and true happiness to anyone's face and life. Her good morning was so contagious that you cannot help but smile. She has been working for Hampton Inn for over 3 years. She stated that she is from Jamaica and comes up and works for 3 mos every year. She was a lot more subtle than Baylie, but once she had an opportunity she shared Joy as well. Next time you are in Rockland Me look for Baylie and you may also have the opportunity to meet Ann Marie as well. Thanks to the both of them for their commitment to excellence!

There was one last thing that is important for you to know, across the street from the hotel is an ice cream shop named Dorman's that I would consider "to die for". Their 2 scoops of ice cream was like almost a pint. It was massive! When the person gave it to me through the windows I was amazed! I ordered the Raspberry with nuts. My expectation was to have regular peanuts, but it came with walnuts, even better. It took me about 30 minutes to finish it and afterwards I said to myself...so much for losing any more weight! It was goooooood! Greg ordered a sundae and it had to be good also, because it was gone right after we walked into the hotel. Dormans is only open during the summer and the people love it. I found out that there is usually a line going down the street waiting to get ice cream. To me it was kind of chilly out the day were there and I asked 3 young ladies that were in line behind us why people are willing to wait in line for ice cream when it is cold out? The young ladies laughed and stated it was not cold to them and that people always wait in line for Dorman's. When I got my ice cream cone, one of the young ladies said to me, "Do you see why now?" I cracked up laughing and said "yes, unbelievable!" Don't miss this treat in Rockland ME!

Travel to Rockland ME

.McLoon's Lobster Shack and Dorman's Ice cream

Day 45 - Travel from Rockland Me to Boston MA

Our travel from Rockland Me to Boston was nice until we got closer to Boston, then traffic. It was amazing to us how throughout the journey the traffic highlights were on the West and the East coasts of the United States, everything else was wide open country with little to medium traffic. It took us 4 hours to travel 191 miles, averaging a little under 50 mph. Yes, it was a bit agonizing, but we still enjoyed the ride.

We stayed at the Westin Hotel. I had never experienced a Westin Hotel. Wow, they are luxurious, especially the bed. They call it the heavenly bed. their whole concept is based on your wellness as a customer, from sleep to workout to eating. Bed was awesome, breakfast was excellent and Greg told me the gym was nice. They even have workout kits that you can rent out at the front desk. As you can tell, this hotel is worth mentioning! First time in my life, but it will not be the last. Check it out...https://westin.marriott.com/.

We did not really do anything in Boston MA. We know there was a lot, but we decided to just chill at the hotel and go and eat. One of the reasons was because the weather was inclement. We arrived early afternoon and rain was expected again at 6pm. We did spend time at Bonfire Indian restaurant. The only comment I have is "Dang, that was some good food!" Authentic Indian food with a touch of class service. We picked it because it was the closest, not realizing that it was also the best in Boston. This place was busy! People walking in and an extreme amount of takeout. We arrived at 4:50pm and the doors were open at 4:58pm. the scheduled time for reopening for dinner was 5pm, if this is any indication for you. From the time we walked in the manager was walking carry out bags to the front for pickup the whole time we were there. Unbelievable the amount of volume! Greg had Tandoori chicken on a hot plate and I had the curry goat. It is a small place with a lot of customers!

Tomorrow, onward to NJ to visit with Anthony and his family.

Day 46 & 47- Boston MA to West Orange NJ 

On the road again! This has been my favorite song throughout this journey. We have been on the road for 46 days and it has been mostly Awesome! We clocked over 12k miles and still have more to go. Enroute to NJ we stopped to fuel up and met a gentleman by the name of Tony (Roland). He is part of the Seacoast Hogs MC. He informed us of the Laconia Bike week, but we were not able to participate. He told us that he rides a Harley Davidson. 

Well, we are  in NJ now and it is wonderful. We left Boston at almost 11::30am and arrived at Anthony & Dawn's house at 4:30pm. The original ETA was 3:23pm, but we ran into.......wait for it......wait for it....Traffic! Yes, this is the first place that I have ever been in that you can leave your house with a ETA of 30 mins and travel 15 mins and the ETA reads 34 mins. It was wild to me because I have never driven in such a populous area before.

The visit with the family was excellent! When we arrived Anthony and Dawn prepared a shrimp pasta that was delicious. They were orchestrating together in the kitchen and prepared a dynamite meal, with some tasty tea included. Prior to eating Lyvia and LaChea prepared the table and we sat at the table devouring the meal. All Good! We wrapped the night up playing 2 games. We played jumbo Jenga and Solved!. I must say, we have some really good Jenga players in our family, so beware. We played it all the way to the end where the last player (Lyvia) had to pull the block to collapse. Then we went on to playing Solved!. I believe we finally hit the sack at 12:30am.

The next day we went to a spa called King Spa (https://thekingspanj.com/). This is a Korean spa. Anthony and Dawn thought it was be a great way for us to relax and unwind after a month and a half of traveling. Boy, was it ever! This place was fully loaded with about at least 12 different saunas. From ice saunas to 240 degree saunas. They also had, infrared light therapy, a healing room with light and aromathrapy, a restaurant, spas, showers, uniforms, massage rooms and a game sitting area for playing all sorts of games. It was relaxation extreme. I took advantage of the exfoliation body rub. Wow, I have never felt so clean and relaxed in my life. I also experienced a few of the saunas and the healing room (I was knocked out). Total relaxation and rejuvenation! Greg, I believe, experienced every hot sauna that they had, including the extra extra hot 240 degree one! You walk into King Spa with stress and walk out on a cloud. Great time had by all. Lyvia and LaChea had their mani/pedi and they looked good.

Another great experience that I can share is the garden that they have created in their back yard and a bit in the front. It is a very fertile garden with variety. They did a lot of research to find out what plants grow best with each other and how to heal plants as well. They do consume what they grow, which lessens the impact of grocery cost and they know what they are eating, without pesticides. Great job family! Proud of you!

One last thing. In our journey Greg and I were talking about how we have not taken anyone for a ride on our bikes. Well, that was fulfilled. We finally rode someone....Dawn! She was so excited about riding. We rode out on the highway and back and she loved it. It was her first experience on a big bike. She had ridden on the back of her dad crouch rocket when she was younger, but never a touring bike. She loved it! Thanks Dawn for the opportunity to serve!

Day 48 - Travel from West Orange NJ to Washington DC 233 miles

As I begin this writing, memories are overwhelming me. Memories of the thoughts to do this ride, Memories that have been created throughout the journey. Memories of the things that have been shared with my brother, memories of all the people that have been praying for us, memories of all the people we met, memories of the beautiful scenery all around us...see what I mean, so many memories in such a short time. Greg and I decided that we would close off our journey in Washington DC, the nation's Capitol. We have visited National Parks and traveled throughout the US, so it is only appropriate to culminate with as much information as possible on the nation's capitol. So that is what we are going to do.

We left New Jersey this morning at 10:30am and arrived in Washington DC @ 4:15pm. We are going to be at the Hotel Washington during our stay here. We chose it because it is close to the White House and all other potential locations that we will visit. Today we walked around the neighborhood to get some dinner and we ended up at Himalayan Doko - an Indian restaurant, Greg loves Tandoori chicken, however he went for Tandoor Prawns (large shrimp)! I ate light, only having some steamed noodles with samosas. Greg's plate came out with rice in a bowl and the prawn with sauces on a separate plate. He ate to his hearts content, even though they were spicy hot! He survived after 4 glasses of water. All food was good. Once we finished eating we went journeying around the neighborhood and went to the white house south lawn to take some pictures. Of course we were able to see the Washington Monument and the Capitol. 

In my opinion, Washington DC is a must visit city to be able to understand the country you live in. 

Tomorrow we will be visiting the Smithsonian African American History Museum.

Day 49 - Washington DC

We spent the day today in multiple places trying to cover as much as we can in the short time we have. First stop: The Capitol. In our journey to get there we ran across a lot of the departments of the US Govt. we passed the National Gallery of Art, The National Archives, The US Department of Justice, Office of the Mayor of DC, Security and Exchange Commission, Office of International Affairs, Federal Trade Commission and the Ulysses S Grant Memorial. What an adventure today! We decided to take lots of pictures and visit the Smithsonian African American History Museum.

The visit to the museum was great. I would highly recommend it to everyone. If you do plan to go, I would also recommend that you take at least a week to really soak up all of the information. There are a total of 7 floors, 3 in the lower concourse and 4 in the upper level. The lower are floors are C1 - C3 and the upper are L1 - L4. The upper are the Galleries with cultural information, music and art. The lower levels are the real core of the museum. You start on C3 and work your way up to C1.There is a lot of information, so be ready. the museum gives a very comprehensive explanation of African American History growing from Pre-slavery all the way to Afrofuturism. I learned a lot that I did not know and I am sure you will too. Just know that to digest all of the information you will definitely need the week. We spent 3.5 hours and did not even scratch the surface. 

Day 50 - Washington DC

Today was a very busy day of traveling between all the key places in Washington, that we could see in one day. We walked a total of 28K steps to see, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial, Theodore Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Jefferson Monument and the Museum of the Bible. We were exhausted by the time we arrived back to hotel, but appreciated all that we saw.

We went inside the Washington Monument and went all the way up 500 feet. Greg sacrificed his morning to get the tickets by waiting in line beginning at 7:25am and he was the 40th person in line. They give up to 6 tickets per person on a first come first serve basis to go up in the monument. If you are decide to do reservations for the Monument, you will need to do them at least 30 days in advance, and maybe even earlier. If you have never been up in it, I would highly recommend it. The view of the city if gorgeous from the Noreth, south, east and west. They also give you an explanation of what you see looking out each view. You can see the pictures I took from above.

Next our visit to the Lincoln Memorial. Wow! I have heard about it got many decades of my life, but never had an opportunity to see if for myself. To see the Lincoln figurine sitting in his chair was so realistic it seemed like Lincoln was present in the place. In college I had an assignment to see the 2 sides of Lincoln face. It was a great assignment looking at both sides of Lincoln face. Many do not know that there are two different views of Lincoln's face. There are 2 distinct features of each side of his face. If you have time take a look for yourself and see if you see them.

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial

Martin Luther King Memorial

Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Day 51 - Travel from Washington DC to Richmond VA

We left Washington DC heading to Richmond to visit with family. Washington was our last discovery stop and we really discovered a lot. In leaving we realized how important it is to visit the nations capitol at least once in your life. 

We arrived at Sharon's house at 1:09pm and she came out to greet us. We proceeded to the house and ate a salad and a casserole. We ate until we were full and all the food was good. She had been up since the night before. She went to work and got off at 7am, then proceeded to prepare for our visit. She prepared the salad and the casserole, we ate and all was delicious! Our cousin Junebug came bay to visit with us. We played spades through the afternoon and evening. What great fun! Junebug was my partner and sad to say we lost 2 games. Greg and Sharon won and are the champs! Junebug had to leave for a few minutes to handle some business and Greg, Sharon and I played Tunk. It was all great fun!

Junebug also let us know that he was a motorcycle rider when he was younger, so we took his picture on Greg's bike. We thought it might encourage him to ride again, but he said that card has been thrown in now. He is not going to ride any more. :-(

Tomorrow we are off to Marsha and Joyner's house.

Day 52 - At Joyner and Marsha's house - Richmond VA

We left Sharon's house in the morning and traveled throulgh the back way to get to Marsha's house. Lots of fun twistys! Thank you Sharon for taking us that way! We arrived at Joyner and Marsha's at 9:40am. Breakfast was served. Joyner had to work, but Marsha had prepared a meal fit for 2 kings. We had grits, fried apples, sausage, bacon, fruit cinnamon chips Belgian waffles and some grape/orange juice. All was soooooooo good! One thing for sure, every stop we made with family, food was ready and plentiful. Thank you family for closing off this journey in a bang up way. I hope the weight we lost will still show. Great food, great conversation, great times and great relaxation!

We also had a visit from our niece Shameka and great nieces Gabby and Gianni. Shameka made me aware that she's married now. Congratulations to you Shameka! 

Marsha then prepared some homemade chicken pot pie. MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Gooooood!!! 

Day  53 - Travel from Richmond VA to Norfolk VA

On our exit from Richmond the temperature was 101 degrees. Sweltering heat! Traffic was very heavy and in some spots we had 15 - 20 minute waits. We survived it. When we got closer to Norfolk the traffic was even worse because of the work they were doing on the bridge into Norfolk. It was so hot that sweat was pouring down our backs from our heads. Our helmets did not dry out until we were leaving our next stop in NC. We arrived at 3:54pm and hung out with the grandchildren playing chess, hide and go seek until 7pm when Shirley was able to get off from work. What a great time! The kids enjoyed their Papa and Papa enjoyed them all! When Shirley arrived we had a great time playing Switch. We had a great time until 11pm, then we went on to the hotel for the night to prepare for the next day.

Day 54 - Norfolk VA to Whitsett NC

Day 55 - Travel from Whitsett NC to Moore SC

Day 56 - Travel from Moore SC to Clearwater FL - 592 mi

Trip map places summary

The red marks show all the places we visited in our travels. According to Google maps we traveled 10,011 miles all in 56 days Avg 179 miles a day...WOW!!!! That is according to Google maps, according to Greg's speedometer we traveled over 13,600 miles. We will double check.