Amarillo

We left our motel and pulled out straight on to the famous Route 66. According to a local we spoke to, Oklahoma has the most original stretch of Route 66 highway in the country. She was right - parts of the road were badly in need of maintenance with much of the old pavement cracked and weeds growing through. The shock absorbers on the Harley got tested a bit today! 

It is now impossible to travel the original Route 66 in it's entirety from Chicago to Santa Monica. Parts of the original route has been either re-developed as part of another highway, closed to public access or even transferred into private ownership. All of it has been bypassed by interstate - effectively killing small communities overnight. The section of Route 66 we traveled today was as much iconic as it was a relic of the past. Most of the small communities we passed through had closed gas stations and motels and a few were on the verge of being ghost towns. At times we were riding within sight of the interstate that heralded the end of the 'Mother Road' and led to it being decommissioned as an official highway.

The route is noted for it's 1950's art deco architecture and 'oddities' to try and attract visitors. On the stretch we traveled today through Oklahoma and into Texas, we saw the historic 'Lucille's Gas Station near Hydro (now closed but preserved as a monument), we rode past the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, the U Drop Inn Restaurant at Shamrock, the Devils Rope (Barbed wire) museum in McLean, the largest cross in the USA and leaning water tower near Groom. 

The highlight of the day however, was the famous Route 66 Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo. This place is renowned for its 72 ounce steak challenge. If you can eat the steak, plus 2 sides and dinner roll - you eat for free. There was a time I would have been up for that in my younger days (when I was running big miles and had the metabolism of a jet engine). If I tried it now my arteries would close over in protest!
Tracee and I both had steak and we both agreed, it was the best steak we had ever had - it was awesome. They also brew there own beer, I enjoyed my 'Honey Blonde' (beer that is). They also provide a free pick up and drop off service within the Amarillo area for motels/hotels - by Limousine! Now that is what I call service!

Tracee nearly fell off the bike laughing today. If you have seen the movie 'Wild Hogs', there is a scene where one of the characters gets hit in the face by a bird while riding down the highway. Some birds by the side of the road decided to take off just as we were going past. I had to duck my head below the windscreen to avoid a mouthful of feathers! For some reason Tracee thought this was somewhat amusing.

Oklahoma City

The reason we chose to do the Southern states towards the end of our tour was in the hope that the temperatures would have cooled a few degrees during August from the heatwave conditions (especially in the desert country) during July. While temperatures may have dropped a little, it is still very warm and combined with the high humidity, riding conditions have been uncomfortable the last few days. We have also been unfortunate enough to time our tour through the states of Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma during a weather pattern of lingering thunder storms. It is not as though we could just wait a day until the weather changes - the forecast for the next week is for storms and flash flooding warnings in this part of the country.That is all part of motorcycling - you have to take the good with the bad, it is all part of the adventure!

We left Nashville early yesterday morning and managed to get a good 3 hours riding under our belt before the rain drenched us just past Memphis and as we crossed the state line into Arkansas. It got to the stage where we didn't even bother to put our wet weather gear on - it was just too humid to wear it. Because the showers were intermittent, you soon dried off in the heat. It was actually quite refreshing.
We made Little Rock later that afternoon and stopped for the day. Later that night there were 'severe' thunder storm and flooding warnings on TV for the Little Rock area. When the storm passed through the thunder and lightening was setting off car alarms in the motel car park!

This morning we left Little Rock and continued pushing west. The weather was still overcast and threatening to rain - but the cooler conditions were great to ride in and not so humid as previous days. After Fort Smith we crossed the state line into Oklahoma. The further west we rode, the more the clouds disappeared and we were soon riding in hot, sunny (but still humid conditions) of 91 Fahrenheit (33 Celsius). We reached our stop for the day, Oklahoma City (the state capital of Oklahoma). We managed to have our first ride in 5 days without getting rained on!

Our motel is in Bethany (West Oklahoma City). This was chosen as it is located on the 'Mother Road' - Route 66. Oklahoma City is at the junction of where the historic Route 66 changes from it's south/west direction (originating from Chicago) and heads due west towards California. Our intention for the remainder of our tour is to follow the famous route (it has now been disestablished as an official highway) back to California.

A snippet of the General Jackson Showboat entertainment...

General Jackson Showboat

After breakfast we caught a shuttle into downtown Nashville for a look around. The Main street (Broadway) is lined with cafes, bars and restaurants and all have live music. Many aspiring country artists come to Nashville to 'make it' (and many do). Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson all played at 'Tootsies'. Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson actually lived above this bar which backs on to the famous Ryman Theatre where the big name artists also performed. Willie Nelson has been quoted as saying that it was only 14 steps from the Ryman stage to Tootsies bar and 28 steps from Tootsies bar back to the Ryman stage!


We had lunch at a bar/restaurant (that also brews its own beer - very nice) and then walked around the main streets. Most of the shops cater for tourists with souvenirs and also country fashion - I counted about 3  'cowboy boot' shops!

We caught the shuttle back to the hotel and relaxed for a while before heading out for the days 'main event'. We had booked a dinner and cruise on the 'General Jackson' showboat. The General Jackson is a 300 foot paddle wheel riverboat and is one of the largest showboats in the USA. It has 4 massive decks with a 2 story Victorian Theatre located in the centre of the boat where live music is performed. We had booked in for the evening dinner cruise up the Cumberland River. The ticket fee of $92 per person covers the 3 hour cruise, 3 course meal and live entertainment. The show was excellent and covered the history of Tennessee music from bluegrass, country, rock and roll, blues and soul music.

Nashville

We left Johnson City on Hwy 26 in overcast, humid conditions. I have really enjoyed the scenery riding through Pennsylvania, Virginia and now Tennessee. The landscape is characterised by lush green forest and woodlands. I guess if the humidity is anything to go by, there must be higher than average rainfall to keep everything so green. 

It also struck me as I was riding that this is also a land of contrasts. We had earlier that morning ridden past the state park that is named after and is also the birthplace of Davy Crockett (legendary folk hero and frontiersman). I was visualising him walking through the forest with his old musket over his shoulder and wondered if the landscape was much the same as in his day. As I pondered this, on the side of the road (just before Knoxville) a large billboard loomed above the treeline stating "DOLLYWOOD - NEXT EXIT" (promoting country singer Dolly Parton's theme park). There seem to be these elements of 'tackiness' that appear along the way to detract from the sense of history and appreciation of the scenery!

After linking up with Hwy 81 we had about an hour of riding until Knoxville and then Hwy 81 South merged onto Hwy 40 West. We crossed a change in time zone to Central Time (gained an hour) and then the torrential rain came! Visibility was really poor at times and we had to reduce speed quite a bit. At Cookesville we pulled into a fuel station and they also had coffee and hot food, which really hit the spot. Normally we would take our time and have regular stops, but the weather was so appalling that we just wanted to get off the road as soon as possible. The woman at the gas station said that there had been flooding in Nashville with road closures, so we didn't know what we were heading in to!

Another hours ride in the wet and we arrived at our hotel in Nashville. Due to the time zone change we arrived just after lunch (with check in not until 3pm), but the staff were really good and saw how wet and bedraggled we looked and checked us straight in.  We found out that there had been some pretty bad flash flooding in parts of the city and some roads had been temporarily closed not far from where we were staying. I was not surprised - if the conditions we encountered on the ride were anything to go by. It never ceases to amaze me the extreme weather events you get in the USA.

After we had changed we walked through the Graceland Opry Resort that was nearby and then continued on to see the Grand Ole Opry Theatre (the home of the legendary Country Music radio show). We spent some time at the large Opry Mills Shopping Centre and then caught a bus back to near where we were staying and had dinner at the Opry Bar & Grill. 

I had been to Nashville a few months earlier for a conference and really enjoyed the city - it has a great 'vibe' and country music is very much at the heart of it's culture. They even have country music playing out of speakers at the pedestrian crossings at some intersections! It was great to have Tracee with me this time to experience what the city has to offer.

Johnson City

The big decision of the day was determined by the weather. I was really keen to ride the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway through to Roanoke, but we were faced with forecasts of rain and thunderstorms as a low front was sweeping through towards us heading east.

I looked out the hotel window after breakfast and the Blue Ridge Mountains were shrouded in dark clouds and mist - similar to what we encountered at the start of the ride yesterday morning through the Skyline Drive. Decision made, we decided to stick to the main highway and head south-west. The weather forecast was predicting storms later in the afternoon, so we really wanted to be off the road early afternoon.

As we left Waynesboro on Hwy 64 our decision proved to be the correct one. I saw a few exits to the Blue Ridge Parkway and was sorely tempted to turn off, but by Roanoke we encountered our first downpour. We pulled off the road into a BP forecourt and donned wet weather gear and then carried on. As quickly as the rain had hit us it eased off and we didn't strike another downpour until Wytheville. This time the rain was torrential and visibility was very poor, so we pulled off the road into a fuel station and took the opportunity to top up the tank and wait for the worst of the rain to pass.

Once it had eased off we kept heading west and by the time we stopped at Marion for lunch, the sun was out and it was very warm and humid. We crossed the state line into Tennessee just past Abingdon and shortly after endured yet another downpour! We reached our stop for the day at Johnson City. It worked out to be good timing, because once we had unpacked the bike and settled into our room, more torrential rain  and thunder arrived!

Blue Ridge Mountains

Just a few minutes from our hotel we entered the entrance to Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive. This road follows the ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains all the way to its exit at Rockfish Gap, just before Waynesboro. Although only 105 miles (169 km) in length, the speed limit is only 55 kph (to avoid hitting wildlife and negotiate the many tight corners safely). With stops along the way it is a good 3 - 4 hour journey.

There was a light rain when we left Front Royal and as we climbed in altitude in the national park we started encountering thick fog above 2500 ft. This spoiled the views from the outlooks somewhat, but the forest was worth riding through and we saw numerous white tail deer, a wild turkey and even a turtle crossing the road!

About a third of the way through the park it stopped drizzling with rain and we only had fog to deal with at certain points. The last third of the ride the sun finally broke through and we finished the ride at Waynesboro in warm sunshine. 

Gettysburg

We left Phillipsburg following Hwy 78 and just before Easton we crossed the state line from New Jersey into Pennsylvania. Before Allentown we turned on to Hwy 222 and followed this to Lancaster where we had a short break. Lancaster County is known for its Amish community and we were hoping to see some Amish folk riding in their horse drawn carriages. Unfortunately they did not seem to be 'out and about' in Lancaster when we called in!

We then took Hwy 230 and just before Harrisburg (lots of place names ending in 'burg' in Pennsylvania!) turned on to Hwy 15 and followed this to the historic community of Gettysburg. We called in to the Gettysburg Military Park and walked around one of the battlefield sites. During 3 days in July 1863 one of the major battles between confederate and union forces occurred here. When the battle was over there were 51,000 soldiers dead, wounded or missing! Apparently over 5000 horses were also killed. We could have spent a whole day walking around the many sites soaking up the history, but the day was marching on (excuse the military pun) and we decided to push on.

We followed Hwy 15 across the state line into Maryland and then took Hwy 77 through the lovely Catoctin Mountain Park. The road was winding with many tight corners, the forest was very close to the verge with bright green moss growing on roadside banks and there was a river running right next to the road. The scenery was an unexpected treat. We then followed Hwy 81 south and branched off on to Hwy 66 which took us to our stop for the day - the town of Front Royal in the state of Virginia.

Phillipsburg

Tracee and I were both pretty shattered by the time we caught the Greyhound bus on Saturday morning from the Port Authority Station on 8^th Avenue/42^nd Street. We had both had a night of broken sleep. Tracee was up during the night vomiting. She had either caught a flu bug, or more likely the crab meat from dinner the night before was still very much ‘alive’ with something! To have to deal with that and then endure a 4 hour bus journey and keep everything down was a major accomplishment on her part!

The bus trip was made more unbearable by us being seated in close proximity to two young twenty-something women. One was blonde, the other brunette and from this point forward I will refer to them as ‘bangles’ (you get the picture). 'Blonde bangle' was an aspiring pop singer/dancer and she talked at her friend 'brunette bangle' for 4 hours non-stop - loud enough for everyone within 4 rows to have to endure the Kardashian style banal twittering .  Ever notice how the younger generation has to intersperse every sentence with about a dozen ‘likes’? Here is a snippet of the conversation to give you an idea of the pain we endured non-stop - for 4 hours;

“My third routine was, like, sooooo difficult, cause,  you know, I’m not, like, naturally a physically kinesthetic learner, I’m more ,like ,auditory or visual. The director was, like, so, like, mean to me. He told me I had my arm bent during the routine and I, like, find it soooo hard to, like, take negative feedback…”

ARGHHHH!! …… I nearly chewed my arm off in frustration.

We made it back to Boston and caught the subway to Oak Grove where our friend Neil picked us up. We collected the Harley from Neil & Karen’s place and I rode it back to the Hotel .Neil later collected us from the hotel and we had dinner with them to celebrate their son Michael’s 14^th Birthday. 

Today, on a fine Sunday morning (with Tracee feeling much better after a good nights sleep), we loaded up the bike and departed Boston heading south on Hwy 90. We branched on to Hwy 84 West south of Worcester, crossed the state line into Connecticut and then at Hartford turned on to Hwy 91. 

We stopped for coffee and fuel at New Haven and then branched on to Hwy 95 which took us through Bridgeport, Stamford and across another state line into New York state. We passed through the Bronx and over the George Washington Bridge and crossed the state line of New Jersey. We soon merged onto Hwy 78 West just past Newark and after about an hour reached our stop for the day at Phillipsburg, the last town in New Jersey before crossing the state line into Pennsylvania. A good ride of around 500 kms for the day.

5th Avenue NYC

The wet weather from yesterday disappeared overnight and it is a nice warm day in New York City. We spent today (our last day) doing more sight seeing. We walked 5th Avenue down to 34th Street to view the Empire State Building (the tallest in New York). Apparently it took 10 million bricks to line the building when it was built. We didn't go up to the observation deck (102 floors up) because (a) Tracee is not good with heights and (b) there was a 2 hour wait in the queue.

We then walked down 34th Street to Herald Square to Macy's 'The worlds largest store'. It pretty much covers a whole shopping block and has 9 levels. To some it is a shopping paradise - to me after a while it felt like the same feeling I get at the Westfield Mall in Riccarton back home - claustrophobic and frustrating navigating around the teeming masses of people. I was soon 'over it' and pleased to get out of the place.

We then walked to 42nd Street and had a walk inside the Grand Central Terminal railway station. I have seen the architecture and interior design many times in movie scenes, but it was great to be inside the main concourse with its arched windows and high ceiling.

We also looked at the architecture of the New York Public Library and the Rockefeller Centre (all on 5th Street) and then made our way back to the hotel.

We finished the day with an evening meal at a great little Irish bar and restaurant on 57th Street.

9/11 Memorial - South Tower

Lower Manhattan

After breakfast we walked to Pier 84 and purchased an all day pass for the Water Taxi. For $30 each, this gave you 'on again, off again' access to key drop off points for attractions around the Hudson River harbour, including a free pass to the 9/11 Memorial on the site of the former Twin Tower buildings ('Ground Zero').

It was an overcast day today, with light rain, so Tracee and I purchased a couple of poncho's and cheap umbrellas. Our first drop off point was the Battery Park pier near the financial district. We then had a 20 minute walk up Broadway to the 9/11 Memorial. The Freedom Tower is impressive, towering over the site of the former Twin Tower buildings. When attacked, the enormous weight of each building was supported by an inner wire cage, which melted from the heat of the fire caused by the two aircraft that were flown into the towers, causing them both to collapse. Security is very tight here (understandably) as work continues on the rebuilding of the World Trade Centre buildings. You have to pass through airport type security checks to get in. The memorial is comprised of two fountain pools on the sites of the North and South Towers. The surrounds are engraved with the names of the 2,983 men, women and children  who lost there lives in the terrorist attacks. It is a very solemn place and really hits home the magnitude of what happened that day in 2001.

We walked back down to the pier and caught the next available water taxi across to Brooklyn. We then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and back again. This bridge is unique in that the pedestrian and cycle walkway is above the traffic lanes. When it was built in 1883, it was at that time the largest suspension bridge in the world.

We then waited for the next water taxi to come along and cruised out to see the Statue of Liberty. You used to be able to walk up to the viewing platform in the crown, but this ceased after 9/11.

We returned to Pier 84 and then did some shopping for dinner and walked back to our hotel. We had walked some kilometers today!

Central Park

The credit card won today. 

Here is a formula for you; Tracee + 5th Avenue, New York City + credit card = diamonds! So that's the bad news out of the way. On a brighter note, we had a great time in Central Park this morning. We hired a couple of bikes for $20 each and spent 2 hours cycling our way around the entire park (which is spread out over 843 acres or 340 ha). It was an awesome day and the park was very busy with people enjoying the sun jogging, walking and cycling. There are also horse and carriage rides you can take. On a sadder note the park is also home to many homeless people who can be seen sleeping on blankets away from the main tracks surrounded by their meager worldly possessions in bags.We saw many of the features of the park and had a walk around 'Strawberry Fields' - a small woodland area and gardens dedicated to the memory of John Lennon who was murdered in 1980 a short distance away outside the Dakota Apartment Building that can be seen from the park.

We spent the afternoon walking around upper Manhattan looking at sights we had only seen before on TV and in movies such as; Times Square, the Chrysler Building, Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Grand Central Terminal (one of the worlds great train stations). Some of the architecture is astonishing.

It was about this time that Tracee heard 5th Avenue calling her name......