Strider7
Well-Known Member
Day Three
The Day Three alarm came early, as - once again - I had arrived late and we then stayed up late working on the bike, drinking beer, and looking at GoPro footage from our trip to The Dragon a couple of weeks before. Well, it was a work day after all, so I bid my friends goodbye, and they pulled off to work. I stayed in their driveway for a while, looking at the route, trying to figure out how I would work out grabbing Pennsylvania and Rhode Island on my way up to Maine. I was also looking for a bike shop that I might pass on my way up. I had been having trouble with the helmet mount for my Sena SMH10, and wanted to get a replacement mount. I use aftermarket speakers in the helmet that plug into one of their mounts that's made for use with earbuds. The connection is a dongle type jack, and is a known failure point - and mine failed. By this point in the trip, I had lost all sound from the right speaker.
With a route chosen, I set off for Maine. The plan was to cross the Delaware River in New Jersey, near Philly - to grab Pennsylvania, and then to run due east from Hartford, Connecticut towards Rhode Island. Along the way I got Delaware too. It was on this day that I really regretted not taking the time to mount up the GoPro. I mean, how often can you look over from atop your mount and see the New York City skyline? At least when your home is in Texas, twenty minutes south of Houston, that is. Anyway, seeing NYC from the bike was one of the 'this is PRETTY COOL!' moments that I had on the trip. I scanned the horizon for Lady Liberty, but couldn't see her from my vantage point.
As you might expect, traffic near NYC was heavy to say the least, so some lane splitting was in order to save a little time, and to save both the bike and me from the heat. Well, I knew it was tight in there - the lanes were Quite narrow at times - but I didn't realize until a couple of days later just how tight it was. I noticed these marks on my left side Givi case one evening in the hotel room ...
Needless to say, it looks like I just barely squeezed through one of those times.
As the evening wore on, east of Hartford and near Dayville, I encountered a disabled motorcyclist. He was the second guy I had seen on the side of the road with their bike. The first guy just waved me on as I slowed to see if he needed help. This young man though, was obviously frustrated, so I stopped. As it turned out, he had just purchased the bike about 30 minutes before, and was still an hour away from home. The bike's electronics just started going nuts, he said, and then it stopped running. I was able to jump his bike and get it started, but it wouldn't stay running, so I suggested that perhaps he needed a new battery. Either that or it was gonna be the R&R, and that would require a tow. His phone was dying, so he used mine to call for help. Fortunately a homeowner came out and offered us a spot on his driveway, away from the traffic of the roadway. Once he was all set with help on the way, and a safe place to wait - I was on my way again.
Taking 101 into Rhode Island, I was able to top Jerimoth Hill, the highest natural point in the state. From there I hightailed it towards Bradbury Mountain State Park in Maine, where I would camp for the night. Once again, I arrived late and set up in the dark. Having done this so many times now, I am actually fairly proficient at the 'night setup' drill. Here are pictures from the next morning ...
Another Houston Firefighter that I have a trip to Colorado Springs planned with, asked me what all I carry, and how I strap it down to the bike, so I took these pictures for him ...
The Day Three alarm came early, as - once again - I had arrived late and we then stayed up late working on the bike, drinking beer, and looking at GoPro footage from our trip to The Dragon a couple of weeks before. Well, it was a work day after all, so I bid my friends goodbye, and they pulled off to work. I stayed in their driveway for a while, looking at the route, trying to figure out how I would work out grabbing Pennsylvania and Rhode Island on my way up to Maine. I was also looking for a bike shop that I might pass on my way up. I had been having trouble with the helmet mount for my Sena SMH10, and wanted to get a replacement mount. I use aftermarket speakers in the helmet that plug into one of their mounts that's made for use with earbuds. The connection is a dongle type jack, and is a known failure point - and mine failed. By this point in the trip, I had lost all sound from the right speaker.
With a route chosen, I set off for Maine. The plan was to cross the Delaware River in New Jersey, near Philly - to grab Pennsylvania, and then to run due east from Hartford, Connecticut towards Rhode Island. Along the way I got Delaware too. It was on this day that I really regretted not taking the time to mount up the GoPro. I mean, how often can you look over from atop your mount and see the New York City skyline? At least when your home is in Texas, twenty minutes south of Houston, that is. Anyway, seeing NYC from the bike was one of the 'this is PRETTY COOL!' moments that I had on the trip. I scanned the horizon for Lady Liberty, but couldn't see her from my vantage point.
As you might expect, traffic near NYC was heavy to say the least, so some lane splitting was in order to save a little time, and to save both the bike and me from the heat. Well, I knew it was tight in there - the lanes were Quite narrow at times - but I didn't realize until a couple of days later just how tight it was. I noticed these marks on my left side Givi case one evening in the hotel room ...
Needless to say, it looks like I just barely squeezed through one of those times.
As the evening wore on, east of Hartford and near Dayville, I encountered a disabled motorcyclist. He was the second guy I had seen on the side of the road with their bike. The first guy just waved me on as I slowed to see if he needed help. This young man though, was obviously frustrated, so I stopped. As it turned out, he had just purchased the bike about 30 minutes before, and was still an hour away from home. The bike's electronics just started going nuts, he said, and then it stopped running. I was able to jump his bike and get it started, but it wouldn't stay running, so I suggested that perhaps he needed a new battery. Either that or it was gonna be the R&R, and that would require a tow. His phone was dying, so he used mine to call for help. Fortunately a homeowner came out and offered us a spot on his driveway, away from the traffic of the roadway. Once he was all set with help on the way, and a safe place to wait - I was on my way again.
Taking 101 into Rhode Island, I was able to top Jerimoth Hill, the highest natural point in the state. From there I hightailed it towards Bradbury Mountain State Park in Maine, where I would camp for the night. Once again, I arrived late and set up in the dark. Having done this so many times now, I am actually fairly proficient at the 'night setup' drill. Here are pictures from the next morning ...
Another Houston Firefighter that I have a trip to Colorado Springs planned with, asked me what all I carry, and how I strap it down to the bike, so I took these pictures for him ...