FINALLY! - trip report, day 1.
Day 1 - May 30th
The big departure day. Got a bit later of a start than I intended, since I slept a bit later than I wanted to. I had been up late the night before packing and taking care of last-minute details, and last-minute things I forgot. One of these days I'll learn to plan ahead better. Pulled out and gassed up the bike at 11:30 or so.
It turned out to be a HOT day, and got hotter as I headed southwards. Since I got such a late start, I decided to head a ways down the Thuway (I-87) out of Albany rather than cutting through Slingerlands/Voorheesville into the Catskills. I took the Thuway down to Route 32 south just north of Kingston, and picked up 209 south in Kingston. Hotter and more humid it became. I was drinking a LOT of fluids. The little packets of instant sports drink that I picked up at WalMart (the brand is Fulfill. They're even sugar-free) came in VERY handy. Empty packet into Nalgene bottle. Fill with water. Shake. Drink.
I made it down 209 to the Pennsylvania border, and gassed up just over the border in Pennsylvania. Rode down through the Delaware Water Gap state park, and into the Poconos.
The late-lunch/early-dinner stop was a Wendy's in the Poconos, not far from some random resort/casino. This was the first time in probably 20 years that I had been in the Poconos. There's just something so kitchy about the resorts and the people who go there. Not sure why it strikes me that way, but it just sort of gives me that feeling.
Onward and southwestward on Route 209, towards Harrisburg. About 100 miles from Harrisburg, it starts raining, and gets windy. I pull over to the side of the road and go to get my rain gear out of the luggage. I didn't realize how unstable the spot of road I had parked on was, with the camber, and the kickstand on the bike. A gust of wind kicked up, and *BAM*. Down goes the bike on the right side.
I don't think I have ever uttered a more intoned, alliterated, and animated stream of expletives in my life.
I struggled to try to pick the bike up for a couple of minutes. The guardrail at the side of the road was just getting in the way, and I couldn't get under the bike enough to lift. Luckily, a friendly passing motorist stops and helps me out. We get the bike up and I survey the damage. Some scratches on the right side plastics. Plastics are NOT cracked or broken (His Noodly Appendage must have been watching over me. RAmen). Front brake lever is bent, but still usable. Brake pedal bent up slightly. Also still functional. Some scratches on the right side bar end and mirror. Nothing serious there, and nothing worse than was there before. Bit of road rash on the muffler can. I finish getting my rain gear on, fire up the bike again, and proceed down the road, feeling like I'm in a steam pressure cooker inside the rain gear. PVC keeps the rain out well, but it keeps the heat in well too. And it's 90 degrees still, even while it's raining.
I end up riding in and out of the rain until sundown, when I gas up the bike again, and ask about where to find a hotel. I end up riding down I-81 from Route 209 a few miles to Pine Grove, PA, and spending the night in an Econo Lodge there.
Half an hour after I check into the hotel, unload the bike, and park it under the overhand in front of the room, the skies just open up. Meanwhile, I attempt to relax, stretch, rehydrate, and recover from the small case of heat exhaustion I managed to get.
It turns out the high temp during the day was 98 degrees, and I was riding through it in full leathers. Not much I could have done about it without mesh gear, and I had no space to pack a second set of gear. Oh well. By the morning, I felt better.
Mileage for day 1: about 280 miles
Trip total: 280 miles
The big departure day. Got a bit later of a start than I intended, since I slept a bit later than I wanted to. I had been up late the night before packing and taking care of last-minute details, and last-minute things I forgot. One of these days I'll learn to plan ahead better. Pulled out and gassed up the bike at 11:30 or so.
It turned out to be a HOT day, and got hotter as I headed southwards. Since I got such a late start, I decided to head a ways down the Thuway (I-87) out of Albany rather than cutting through Slingerlands/Voorheesville into the Catskills. I took the Thuway down to Route 32 south just north of Kingston, and picked up 209 south in Kingston. Hotter and more humid it became. I was drinking a LOT of fluids. The little packets of instant sports drink that I picked up at WalMart (the brand is Fulfill. They're even sugar-free) came in VERY handy. Empty packet into Nalgene bottle. Fill with water. Shake. Drink.
I made it down 209 to the Pennsylvania border, and gassed up just over the border in Pennsylvania. Rode down through the Delaware Water Gap state park, and into the Poconos.
The late-lunch/early-dinner stop was a Wendy's in the Poconos, not far from some random resort/casino. This was the first time in probably 20 years that I had been in the Poconos. There's just something so kitchy about the resorts and the people who go there. Not sure why it strikes me that way, but it just sort of gives me that feeling.
Onward and southwestward on Route 209, towards Harrisburg. About 100 miles from Harrisburg, it starts raining, and gets windy. I pull over to the side of the road and go to get my rain gear out of the luggage. I didn't realize how unstable the spot of road I had parked on was, with the camber, and the kickstand on the bike. A gust of wind kicked up, and *BAM*. Down goes the bike on the right side.
I don't think I have ever uttered a more intoned, alliterated, and animated stream of expletives in my life.
I struggled to try to pick the bike up for a couple of minutes. The guardrail at the side of the road was just getting in the way, and I couldn't get under the bike enough to lift. Luckily, a friendly passing motorist stops and helps me out. We get the bike up and I survey the damage. Some scratches on the right side plastics. Plastics are NOT cracked or broken (His Noodly Appendage must have been watching over me. RAmen). Front brake lever is bent, but still usable. Brake pedal bent up slightly. Also still functional. Some scratches on the right side bar end and mirror. Nothing serious there, and nothing worse than was there before. Bit of road rash on the muffler can. I finish getting my rain gear on, fire up the bike again, and proceed down the road, feeling like I'm in a steam pressure cooker inside the rain gear. PVC keeps the rain out well, but it keeps the heat in well too. And it's 90 degrees still, even while it's raining.
I end up riding in and out of the rain until sundown, when I gas up the bike again, and ask about where to find a hotel. I end up riding down I-81 from Route 209 a few miles to Pine Grove, PA, and spending the night in an Econo Lodge there.
Half an hour after I check into the hotel, unload the bike, and park it under the overhand in front of the room, the skies just open up. Meanwhile, I attempt to relax, stretch, rehydrate, and recover from the small case of heat exhaustion I managed to get.
It turns out the high temp during the day was 98 degrees, and I was riding through it in full leathers. Not much I could have done about it without mesh gear, and I had no space to pack a second set of gear. Oh well. By the morning, I felt better.
Mileage for day 1: about 280 miles
Trip total: 280 miles