Another one of Ted's adventures...

[Ritten]

Since I'm bored at work, I figured I'd post up a ride report with pictures I've still got from a ride I made back in '04. It was a looooong ass trip with only two goals in mind; to make it to the eastern most point in the US and to go eat lunch in Canada. It was all on road but I figure you guys wouldn't mind that as much. So grab a box of popcorn and a cold beer, cause this one's going to take a while...




My family has always been pretty close. Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents pretty much lived all in the same town when we were growning up, so all of the cousins were like brothers and sisters. Some have since moved away and with close family living all over the country, it makes for good excuses for bike trips. One of my cousins had just got hitched in Hawaii, and they were having the reception in their hometown of Allentown, PA. "Perfect chance for an eastcoast ride", I thought when I heard the news.

When the time came, I notified my relief that I was taking vacation, packed the bike, and headed north two weeks before I was expected at the celebration.

Day 1: The start of the trip was pretty uneventful and I was determined to get out of the deep south before I started too many pictures. By the first afternoon I made it to Marietta, Ga. and stayed the night with a great aunt and uncle.
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[Ritten]

There is NOTHING like waking up in the morning to the smell of bacon and buttermilk biscuits and my aunt was determined I would start the day off right. We sipped coffee over empty plates with nothing but crumbs left in them, and I voiced my intended route to get to Maine. "I figure I'll head up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and then follow my nose on into upstate New York from there", I said while giving the bike a good lookover. We all said our good-bys and I was off.
I headed north and the weather was perfect for riding.....mid 60's and white puffy clouds in a deep blue sky. "Damn, if it stays like this I'll be in heaven." Right about the time I was rolling through Elijay, I noticed a V-Strom turning into traffic ahead of me. I passed him while he was merging in a few lanes over and he fell in line right behind me. Pulling up to a stoplight, he flipped up his viser and asked, "Hey, you heading towards Suches?". I shouted my intent to head towards the parkway and he motioned me to follow him off the shoulder toward a gas station. He introduced himself and stated that some of the best stretch of roads in Georgia were just a few miles off and I would have plenty of time to make it to the BRP, later. I said, "Hell yea".....and we were headed down Hwy 60.
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It was the first time I had seen a V-Strom ridden like a supersport and he had me grinding the centerstand of my Futura just trying to keep up!! It's hard to describe how awesome the riding is around there, and we stopped halfway at the T.W.O. (Two Wheeled Only) campground where it looked like a bike night in the middle of the day...
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I thanked Ken (the V-Strommer) for introducing me to motorcycling heaven, and I vowed that I would be back to finish riding some of the roads in the area. But it was getting late, and I wanted to make it to the Parkway before it got too dark. He showed me the best route to take on the GPS and promised that there were still some great twisties along the way. I fired up the itallian twin and headed out, stopping occasionally for gas and to get pictures of the backwood, hick towns I was going through...

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After a few hours more, I saw the signs and turned onto the stretch of road that I would later be convinced that God laid "just for motorcycles"...

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The Blue Ridge Parkway is an amazing thing. There are no stoplights, no merging lanes, no soccer moms, no commercial buildings, no homes, no construction hold-ups.....in fact there is pretty much nothing, but the road, the mountains, and you. I was lucky that it wasn't peak season yet since the leaves weren't turning, but the heat of the summer wasn't there either. Ken had told me about the two motorcycle campgrounds along the BRP, and the first wasn't far off.

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One of the million or so tunnels along the parkway...

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[Ritten]

Now the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground is just that.....motorcycle only. No SUV's, no RV's, no ORV's, no Suburbans, which ultimately means........NO KIDS.:D It's not that I mind kids at all, as it's usually the lack of disipline from the parents that gets on my nerves when kids start going wild.

ANYWAY...back to the story...

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The place seemed like a really nice campground, so paid my fees, set up tent, and got settled in for my first night.

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There were alot of bikes and license plates from all over the country. I guess I'm really not as crazy as I thought for doing this...

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After a full day of riding, I slept like a baby in that cheap, borrowed tent, and just a silk sleeping bag cover to keep warm. After all, it was still early fall right?

[Ritten]

I stayed in the tent for what seemed like an extra hour, just letting myself wake up. During the night I could hear the occasional Hardley stroll on through the campground, but with earplugs in, it didn't bother me all that much. By 6:30am I figured I ought to get up and start packing since I'd have a full day of riding and I quickly realized that I was the only one up that early. The stream that ran through the grounds was soothing and it was no wonder this place was praised so much.

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They start to serve breakfast at 7, so I figured I'd get a bite to eat and find out where everyone was going ride to. I met alot of people the night before, especially when they found out I was from all the way down in Louisiana. When I told them where I was going, and when they saw on what, well, I was considered "hardcore" by a few weekend warriors........whimps.

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Eventually, I rolled onto the road, with a packed bike and a full belly....

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The morning was nice, but a bit on the foggy side. The Blue Ridge Parkway jumps from mountain to mountain all the way from Cherokee, NC up to Virginia. Beautiful sights and amazing scenery.

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Eventually I made it across the state line into Virginia. With a 45mph speed limit on the parkway, you can't really get into a big rush to get anywhere. Not long before the new state, I was pulled over by a park ranger for passing in a no passing zone. Good thing this is a federal park and violations are only subjected to a small fine.....nothing on the record.:D

At the campground that morning I had spoke alot with a few BMW riders who were on their way up to West Virginia for a rally. They informed me about Willsville which is the second moto campground heading north on the parkway. The two campgrounds are far enough away so that going from one to the other involves a solid day of riding. I had the directions on my tankbag and was enjoying the scenery during my first visit to Virginia.

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I made it to Willsville around 3 or 4 and had been riding since 8 that morning. It was amazing to me how well the bike did on gas running at 50mph all day and I was ready for a break. The campground wasn't as "fru fru" as the one the night before, but I was ready for some dinner and a chance to walk around. The rest of the evening, the BMW riders I had met over the past two days started rolling in and when everyone was set up and ready, we headed into town for burgers and buffalo wings.

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We took part of the parkway back but it was well beyond dark. A night cutting GS led the pack with full PIAA's, running lights and fog lights and we looked like an undulating train in the dark with about a dozen bikes in our group. We got back to the campground and settled in for the night just in time to catch the first sprinkles on the tent. I slept in about an inch of water that night and found out that wet silk REALLY does help keep some warmth in. Mental note.....ship William his tent back home and buy something durable.

[Ritten]

Packing a bike in the rain is one thing, but when your gear is already wet, it doesn't matter much. I loaded everything up, and climbed into what dry clothes I had left (2 gal. ziploc bags are awesome!!), and put my wet gear on. Riding wet isn't too bad if the temperatures are sane, and the morning air was around 70 degrees. The rain subsided, but the clouds hung around. The problem with that is on the parkway, you're riding IN the clouds!! When the sun shown through, and the clear spots arrived, it was a gorgeous ride.

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The front that was rolling across the smokies that day was the culprit of such weather and with the road on the east side of the peaks, the clouds would roll across the road like a stampede from left to right. Occasionally, one could get a glipse of the valley below.

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I reached the end of the BRP around 2 in the afternoon and with two days of 50mph riding behind me, I was ready for some superslab and decent speed. I checked the map for what would look like a decent stop to get a hotel and be able to dry my gear. The fog that was up on the parkway had followed me down and was thicker than pea soup. The temperature was also dropping, so I was ready to pay top dollar for a room. I settled for a Motel 6, threw my gear into the washer there and sat around in wet clothes till I had something dry and warm to put on. Now, I was roughing it!!

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[Ritten]

I slept like a baby that night and was appreciative to have decent covers. Hagerstown, Maryland wasn't quite a tourist attraction and I noticed that the drivers were becoming more and more of a nuisance the farther north I got. I figured I had seen enough scenery for a little while and would make it a day of interstate running to try and get into New York by sundown. Crossing Pennsylvania just confirmed my previous judgements of northeast drivers and I was fearing for my life by the time I got to Syracuse!

Wanting to get to ride in the Adirondacks I figured I would head north and then across state to stay the night in Lake Placid, NY. I was running so fast that I pushed ahead of the front and was in decent weather for most of it. I knew that it meant getting some crappy stuff for the next few days though.

I regret that I didn't take alot of pictures around upstate NY now, since it was some of the prettiest country I have seen on the east coast. I rode on into the late evening just in time to get a room in a small inn right outside of town in Lake Placid. It poured that night...

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[Ritten]

Lake Placid had a very attractive aire to the town and I ended up staying two nights there. $45 a night wasn't bad for the room, and the weather was still gloomy and cold, so I was hoping to get a better experience the following day. So, with a day to spend walking around and taking in the sights, I started out with a hearty breakfast in a local place downtown...

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The shops along the main street there are all local little places and there were plenty of hiking stores I could check out for a decent tent. I ended up shipping off the cheapy dome tent I borrowed and purchased a north face tadpole to replace my hiking tent I burned a hole in with the bike exhaust the year before.......but THAT'S another story.

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The lake itself...gloomy ain't it?

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I grabbed some dinner at a local steakhouse there in town and had an angel for a waitress! She was an exchange student from the Czech Republic studying at the local university and working nights. A slight bit flirtatious, an intoxicating accent, and a gorgeous smile had me mesmerized to the point that I didn't even think about getting a picture. DOHHHHH....

[weave]

to quit bothering you, we need this report, Good Read Ted

[Ritten]

A week on the road and I've already experienced so much, but it was time to take in some of the famous New England scenery. I zigzaged south across New York, going through small towns, a few back roads, and anywhere that looked interesting. The land is so peaceful up there and the riding is just as nice...

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This guy had a funny lookin nutra rat playin in a pile of sticks in his pond...

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And it seemed like EVERYONE painted their sheds Halliburton red up there too, but it must be the cold that turns them a bit darker than ours...

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So, once I was ready to cross into Vermont, I rolled through the small town of Rutland just in time for supper, and to reserve a campground outside of town. Once settled in and the tent up, I hit an Applebees on the highway and ordered a burger. The waiter obviously noticed the gear and helmet and asked if I was in town for the rally. "No...I'm just up here taking in the scenery on my way up to Maine", I replied. "There's a big ride every year that goes from Killington to downtown Rutland. There's a big fair going on up there right now and the ride is tomorrow." I decided to check it out and see what it was all about.

Killington is only about 15 miles north of town and is pretty much just a ski resort. I pulled into the big hotel there and signed up for the ride, then spent some time walking around the tents and checking out the venders.

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The clouds were still hanging low during the day and you could see just how they cut off at a certain elevation.

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After getting my fill of Harley leather, tassels, trike kits, and chrome polisher, I headed off to the campground and my new tent.

[Ritten]

The Killington Classic.....as I came to find out is called, didn't start until 4pm, so that left me with an entire day of riding around Vermont. I checked in for another night at the campground since I would be getting back so late. I still had another week or so till I had to head south to Allentown, so I had plenty of time to play with. I asked around for where I could pick up grade A Vermont maple syrup to ship back to my grandmother and was directed to a little farm house about 15 miles off the beaten path...

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Once I harvested 4 pints of the sweet stuff, I headed straight for the UPS store and $45 later, $35 worth of syrup was on it's way to Houma, La. Hey.....when in Rome!!!

The rest of the afternoon was spent riding around the country side, getting lost and taking the day in. It wasn't perfect weather, a bit overcast at times, but the scenery was still nice.

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Here and there were a few hints that fall was on it's way...
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Me and my girl next to a lake I found hidden down a trail...
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[Ritten]

I arrived at the rally a little early just to make sure I was in the right place. Bikes were everywhere and I was thinking this was going to be a nice ride. Things are always uncomfortable when you're the only sportbike in a bunch but seeing I was an EXTREME out-of-towner, riders always were interested about the trip.

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Around 3pm we started lining up on the road in front of the resort, and around 4:30 the Killington fire department took the lead. We never really got over 40 miles per hour and I was starting to feel like I was in a parade instead of on a ride.

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We were approaching Rutland and I noticed that people were coming out from their homes to watch the 30 minute long "parade" of bikes pass in front of their house. It wasn't till we started down mainstreet that I realized it WAS A PARADE!!! Downtown Rutland, Vermont was completely closed off and what looked like the entire town was there waving at us as the bikes rolled down the historic streets!!! Here I was, the only semi-sportbike, amid what I discovered later to be 600 bikes, on a dedication ride/parade for the fallen firemen and LEO's during 9/11. They ushured the bikes onto an empty side street where we parked and could walk to all of the festivities...

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A man came up to me as I was locking up my gear in the hard bags and said he noticed the LA license plate. He obviously was a reporter with his pad and pen taking notes. I complimented the city on how neat it was, and compared to Mardi Gras this was a very pleasent experience. He thanked me and I asked for him to shoot a picture for me in return.

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There was music, food, and alot of families came out for the festivities. The Vermont Teddy Bear company was one of the big sponsors of the event and even the Vermont govenor was out there for the dedication to the fallen of 9/11.

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[Ritten]

It was a great experience to be part of the Classic and there were events going on all weekend, but two nights was already enough to stay in one place on a trip like this, so I decided to head on to see the rest of New England.

Over breakfast I noticed that the Rutland Herald, the local paper, had a picture of the ride on the front cover. Remembering the interview from the reporter I quickly flipped the page and sure enough, there were my words. He incorrectly stated that I had traveled up from Louisiana just for the ride, but I just smiled and thought to myself, "....as if".

Upstate Vermont was stunningly spectacular and with the passage of the cool front the previous day, the weather was just as nice. I set the GPS for Mt. Washington in New Hampshire and took a few side roads to get there...

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I arrived at the base of Mt. Washington and there was already a line to get to the top on this gorgeous day. A few mintues of waiting and I was on my way up...

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Halfway up...
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A view from the top...

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And a little history lesson for ya'll...

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Well, it's time for me to tour change, so I'll try to finish up the rest of the report tomorrow....:D

[scooterhose]

Dude! Great report and pics. Damn I'll have to try harder w/my next report.
Your settin the bar higher for us all.


Scooter

[JayD]

Ted, great report,
better pictures....you got the "eye"* man


*photographers eye

[Craig]

Ted, if you're not a factory rider ... well hell .. no one else should be either!

[Doug]

Excellent!
Party on dude :D

[Rocky]

Truly amazing. Thumbs Up Dude. That has always been a dream of mine. Just get on the bike and go. How I would love to do that one day. I can't wait to read the full report in its entirety.

[scootertrash]

Man, One day when I grow up I am going to do somthing cool like this!

[Ritten]

Thanks for all the encouragement guys. The first trip I ever made everybody said I was crazy for doing it on a crotchrocket. I eventually wanted a bit more comfort so I bought the Futura just for these trips. Being on the road for weeks at a time is addictive and now I'm averaging two trips a year whether I can afford the time off or not. You learn alot about yourself when you spend so much time alone....on a bike....exploring new places. I'll try to finish up the rest of the report today...

[Flying Low]

Ted,
I love to read your ride reports. please keep sharing them with us. like others said, your an inspiration to that little part of us that dreams of getting out on the open road and explore new areas. now, i'm sitting waiting on the rest of the chapters of this novel to play out.

[Ritten]

I walked around a bit and there's alot of history up there as you can tell. The weather station on the mountain records some of the harshest weather ever seen on the east coast. Snow is common in the summer months and it appeared I was fortunate to have caught it on such a nice day.

Having rode up to the top of Pike's Peak in Colorado the year before, I half-ass knew what to expect on a downhill coast in gravel. I'd take my time, stay in first and second, and use alot of rear brake to control my decent. Right as I was turning on to the road, I noticed a group of people standing on the side of the mountain, pointing and giggling, so of course I had to see what the cause of the comotion was all about. I peered off the clif only to see a hangglider awaiting an upswept draft...

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We were watching him for only a minute or two when all of a sudden a breeze flowed up the side of the mountain, and seemed to fill the breath I took as I watched this guy run and jump off the cliff. As gracefull as a bird, he floated off between the peaks...

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I hopped back on the bike and started the slow decent down the gravel which gave way to the asphalt below. It was an amazing day and I spent the rest of it riding along New Hampshire's backroads, eventually entering into Maine.

The nights I had spent in Rutland were getting too cold for the silk sleeping bag cover I was using so before getting a campground in Bangor, I stopped into a hiking store and picked up a Kelty 20 degree mummy sleeping bag. And it's a DAMN good thing I did too. Staying the night in Bangor the temperature got down to around 40, and I slept like a baby.

[Ritten]

The night I spent in Bangor was pretty uneventful and the campground reminded me of something I'd find in backwoods Mississippi. Pine straw and red clay made for a soft ground to sleep on though, and I was well rested when I headed to the coast.

Bar Harbor, I was told, was a part of Maine that everybody has to experience. So I rolled into the KOA there on the island right around lunch and figured I'd set up camp before going explore the rest of the area. The girl at the front desk asked where I'd like to set up, since I was the only tent camper so far, and I picked a site right on the shore of the bay...

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After setting up the tent, I walked around on the rocks a bit to try and get a perception of the HUUUUGE tidal differences they have in that part of the country. It's not uncommon to have a 20' difference in water level in only a few hours.

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The flag marked the backyard of a local...
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Here's me.....hoping that the camera doesn't fall off the rock it's balanced on...
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After playing around camp for an hour or so, I was ready to go see what Bar Harbor had in store for me. I had found out that Cadillac Mountain, in Acadia National Park, was the highest point in the area, and being so far east, the sunrise from the top of it is the first sunrise in America on any given day. I made a mental note to be there for it the following morning.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/108-0863_IMG.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/108-0864_IMG.jpg

Downtown Bar Harbor has a soul all it's own and it reminded me of a "clean" french quarter. Perhaps it was the french influence, or just being a party town, but everyone walked the wide sidewalks and music could be heard around each street corner.

I settled for a bit of local flavor in a sports bar that had a blues band playing on the patio. I chose a seat where I could enjoy the cool of the late afternoon and just take it all in...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/108-0875_IMG.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/108-0876_IMG.jpg

I rode the perimeter of the island so I could get an idea of the place and noticed that the tide was obviously out. The harbor looked like one big beach...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/108-0879_IMG.jpg

Riding back into the campground just before dark, allowed me some sunset shots that I'll end this day's report with...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/108-0882_IMG.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/108-0884_IMG.jpg

40 feet from the door of my tent...
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/108-0892_IMG.jpg

[Ritten]

I awoke to my beeper yelling at me and it was still dark. Dazed, I started to put on my clothes and gear, and a quick flick of the light on my watch made my heart drop. My beeper alarm I set to go off at 5am giving me plenty of time to get dressed, get on the bike, ride the 10 miles to Cadillac Mountain, and get to the top in time for the 6:30 sunrise. My watch said it was 6am and I then realized that I forgot to set my beeper ahead to eastern time!!

I threw on what I thought I needed, threw the camera in the tankbag, fired up the bike and took off. It was cold, about 38 degrees and all I had on was a t-shirt and my leather jacket, but I didn't care....I was getting this picture. The light of the morning was getting brighter and brighter as I made my way up the mountain and I have to admit that I buzzed a few campers and slow vehicles taking their jolly ole time to get to the top.

Once there, I took a huge sigh of relief to see this view...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/108-0896_IMG.jpg

Which was only 10 minutes before this one...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/108-0897_IMG.jpg

Myself, along with about a half-dozen other people, were the first witnesses of daylight to hit American soil on the morning of September 13th, 2004...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/108-0900_IMG.jpg

It was a small thing, but a memory that will last my entire lifetime, and one that I had traveled over 2000 miles to aquire.

The bike ride back to camp was enjoyed so much more after what I experienced and I made sure to take in the sights of the bay one last time.

Swinging a leg off of the bike, I pulled my helmet off and was instantly attacked by a thousand mosquitoes. I was as if I were back home right after dark!! I swatted and moved fast to get the bike packed to try and minimize the damage I was getting from the "birds", but it takes a while to take down the tent and get everything stuffed into traveling size.

In between swats, stuffs, and straps, I managed to grab a picture of the bay next to the campsite when I arrived...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0901_IMG.jpg

And then another when I finished packing about an hour later...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0902_IMG.jpg

I left Bar Harbor and headed up the coast, on my way to Lubec, Maine to fulfill one of the two goals for the trip.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0904_IMG.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0905_IMG.jpg

Later on that afternoon, I pulled into the penninsula at Lubec where the West Quoddy Head Light Station marks the eastern most point in the United States.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0908_IMG-2.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0910_IMG.jpg

From there, I decided to go ahead and enter New Brunswick, Canada since the border patrol would be less likely to give me any flack for no passport. It's an eerie feeling the first time you leave your own country, and looking at it from a distant shore was like going to school for the first time, looking back and seeing your parents waving you off...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0914_IMG.jpg

A small dock and an idea of the tidal changes...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0915_IMG.jpg

I stopped in at the Canadian welcome center and snapped a picture for those "doubting Thomas'"...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0919_IMG.jpg

I stopped in at a local diner not too far down the road, ordered a chicken sandwich and enjoyed my first canadian meal. Not too much different from anything back home.....as if I was expecting it to be.

I rode back into the states with no problem, nothing to declare except for a full tummy, and ready to finish off the ride. I was headed north to ride as far up Hwy 1 as possible and hit the tip of Maine. The country up there is gorgeous...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0920_IMG.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0921_IMG.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0922_IMG.jpg

I stopped for the night in Caribou and pulled into a local campground. The owners were amazed to see a bike pull in at this time of year and warned me that the nights would be around freezing. I assured them I had the gear. Calling home wasn't that frequent so I paid for a calling card at the front desk, and relayed the past few days events to some very attentive ears.

I spent a few hours around a small campfire reflecting back on the trip ate a granola bar, and went to bed.

[Ritten]

Now I've slept in some cold weather before. I've hiked in Arkansas in 15 degree mornings, and forged streams barefoot that were just above freezing. But I've NEVER been so comfortable as I was this night. I awoke with the light of morning around me and noticed water droplets on the outside of the tent. When I extended my arm from inside the sleeping bag I realized how cold it realy was and with a pluck against the taut material, I could hear the crackle and falling of ice...:eek: I put on my new day's clothes and stepped out of the tent to this sight...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0923_IMG.jpg

My compass/thermometer was reading 23 degrees and the bike seat told me it was probably right...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0925_IMG.jpg

I took my time getting up and once the sun was up fully, things started to thaw and dry out quickly. I spread the rain fly and tent out to dry off so I wouldn't be packing it up wet.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0926_IMG.jpg

Heading north on Hwy. 1 it was quite evident that fall wasn't but a week or so away up there and the further away I got from the coast, the more the landscape turned towards lazy rolling hills...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0928_IMG.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0929_IMG.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0931_IMG.jpg

I made it all the way to Fort Kent, and called home from a pay phone. I had made it!! The eastern most tip of the US, ate lunch in Canada, and had rode to the tip of Maine! I turned the front wheel south for the first time in pretty much two weeks, took a look at the long road ahead, and let out the clutch...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0932_IMG.jpg

[Ritten]

I made it to my cousin's reception and made a jolly good fool of myself. They're transplanted coon-ass' so their friends from the area don't know much about what to make of us. But after a few Coronas, a karaooke machine, and enough taunting, we were all having a good time...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/190376791lxVZGP_fs-2.jpg

After the weekend, I repacked my gear and started the trip home.
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip2/109-0957_IMG.jpg

28 hours later, and after one night in TN, I was in MY OWN living room, after using MY OWN shower and a nap in MY OWN bed, downloading pictures..........planning my next trip.:D :D

[Doug]

Ted, I salute you...

[chappy]

Wonderful story Ted and fabulous pictures.If only I wish I could write like that!

[shortie]

Great story and beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing your wonderful reports with us!

[weave]

That report really stokes the fire, Thanks

[Craig]

I think the verb "riding" should be replaced by the verb "teding" on dualsportridersoflouisiana ...

<in your best malcomn young voice>

For those about to TED! We Salute You!


Ted, I salute you...

[Rocky]

So when is the next Adventure ted?

[DukeRyder]

Awesome pics and report Ted!!

[Ritten]

So when is the next Adventure ted?


The next adventure will begin on May 17th and will take BayouBoy (from ADVrider) and I through the beautiful and amazing vistas of Mexico. Neither of us have ever been there, and the most Spanish we can come up with between the two of us is what we learned from the Taco Bell chihuahua.:D Well, except for "cerveza" which has been drilled into my head from other's ride reports.

We're not really following any set schedule, but we do plan on going in around Nuevo Laredo and coming out around Reynosa a week later. Somewhere in that time we'll wind our way through the mountains to Xilitla, Hidalgo and hopefully the adventure won't have any extremely negative suprises. Pictures are a given, and I've already been told that if I don't do a ride report on it I'll be kicked off the site.......j/k. (I hope). So stay tuned...

[Save-the-Manatee]

Wow, Awesome report Ted. You have talent with the pen. Very creative writing. One of these days I'm going to make a cross country run.

[Dusty]

Beautiful, I wish I could write as you do. Hell, I wish i could ride as you do. One day, One day. I will smell the saltwater and drink from the mountain streams, until that day comes I suppose these pictures and wise words will have to be enough.

[Fitty]

Well, I got to read this because Dusty bumped it back to the top. Another great report Ted. Thanks. After going west the last two years, I'm thinking of going east next year, possibly to Nova Scotia. We'll see.

[Ritten]

Well, I got to read this because Dusty bumped it back to the top. Another great report Ted. Thanks. After going west the last two years, I'm thinking of going east next year, possibly to Nova Scotia. We'll see.

I almost crossed over into Nova Scotia on this trip as I rode right past the entrance to the ferry on Bar Harbor that goes across. I didn't have my passport at the time and I was told by many that it was alot easier to get back into the States at the smaller checkpoints without one. Regardless, riding through the eastern states, and New England, holds it's own beauty and history.

[Juice]

Is that one of dem ninja bikes?

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d71/Thetedeo/New%20England%20trip/107-0748_IMG.jpg

[I_FLY_LOW]

Thanks for bumping this.. I miss Suches..
I can't wait for 2008.. I'll have a new mountain carving tool to try out on it too...