We made it to New York after 14 months on the road and over 50,000kms!!! Feels good.
New York!!!!
Category General
Friends & family in Philadelphia & Princeton
Wednesday is a great day: yesterday’s MSG induced migraine is over and we are riding through Washington DC to head to Philadelphia. The air is crisp, the sky deep blue, my head clear as crystal, the traffic is light and easy. It is my turn today to see a bit of DC. We ride past the Pentagon, over the Potomac, past Lincoln’s Memorial, run parallel to the Reflecting Pool, get a fleeting glimpse of the White House, ride along imposing National Archives buildings and get close to the Capitol. We have visited Washington many times before over the years, but have usually spent our time visiting most museums. Today is different. We are slipping through, as part of our round the world tour. Time is running out. A few months ago, we would have stayed another day. We no longer have that luxury. But it is still perfect. It still feels special to ride through DC.
Crossing the Potomac towards Lincoln’s Memorial
Riding out of DC past the Capitol
Our next stop is Philadelphia. On our way, we clock over 50,000kms since we left the UK 14 months ago! We have started to feel confused about how we feel about the end of our trip and when I notice my odometer clicking over this milestone, this lump in my throat suddenly came from nowhere and takes me by surprise. Yes, it was suddenly a little emotional, realising what we had done this past year. We are on a major road at the time, no place to pull over. A drive by video and photo will have to do.
Our first New York sign – we’re definitely getting closer!
Celebrating reaching 50,000kms on our way to Philadelphia
Why Philadelphia? For one very special reason: to see Oliya and her kids Sabina and Samir, whom we met in Uzbekistan just over a year ago in Samarkand at her father Jamkur’s home. Oliya has lived in the US for the past 6 years and was visiting her family during her kids’ summer holiday when we met them. Oliya’s sister Aziza, who we met first at a restaurant in Samarkand, and I have stayed in touch ever since through WhatsApp. Aziza and Oliya’s father Jamkur’s parting comment to us when we left has stayed with us ever since: “part of my heart goes with you”. Seeing Oliya, Sabina and Samir again outside Philadelphia was wonderful. The welcome they gave us was so heart warming. And what a feast we had. Oliya remembered that we had enjoyed her father’s plov – a typical Uzbek meal. After dinner, we skyped home in Samarkand. The line was terrible, we couldn’t understand what they were saying, the image was constantly frozen and blurry, but we did see everyone. The image of Jamkur with a beaming smile and doing a heart sign with his hands was so special. We are so glad we stopped over to see Oliya, Sabina and Samir. We were lucky to finally meet Oliya’s husband Parviz who came home early from his evening shift to meet us. It is hard to hear how difficult it is for them as a new immigrant family with limited English. Parviz used to be a lawyer in Uzbekistan but has not been able to get a comparable position here because of his level of English which is so tough for him. But both Oliya and Parviz are doing all they can to give their children a better chance in life while also supporting their family back home. I wish people who complain about too many immigrants or refugees could spend a bit of time with them and hear their stories… Leaving your home and families is never easy (we know, and it was our choice!) and sadly many have no other option. We feel for them… It is like time time stands sill for us while we are there, somehow, we get to do so much in an afternoon/evening: Anthony plays Monopoly with Samir, I go for a walk with the Olya and Sabina, I meet the Russian grandmother whom Oliya looks after every week end, we enjoy Oliya’s feast, we all play cards, we chat while we do the washing up, we reminisce about our gatecrashing that wedding in Samarkand, we laugh – we are so glad we are here. The next morning, Oliya prepares a huge cooked breakfast for us: she managed to start a little later this morning – she normally starts at the kindergarten at 7am but is starting at 9 today so that she can spend a bit more time with us. There is no greater gift than unconditional love and friendship and this is what this beautiful family has given us. After Oliya leaves, we spend a bit more time with Sabina and Samir before we head off too.
Samir, Oliya and Sabina (with Lucky)
Samir and Anthony playing Monopoly
Samir wants to take Anne for a ride
We are now headed for Princeton, to see one of Anthony’s cousins Inger and her husband Steve who have been here for the past year. We last saw them briefly in Melbourne just before we left Australia nearly 2 years ago (already?!). It is good to see family again. And it is a good time for us to catch up on family news and clean our air filters (we did an oil change just outside Philadelphia), give our jackets their first wash in 3 months, catch up with laundry, and catch up on our blog writing. And eat some delicious and healthy meals. The food we have been eating while in the US, apart from when we have visited friends, has been pretty bad really. We have never been to Princeton before and can see why it has such a reputation. It is a beautiful place, with lovely old houses, stunning university buildings. With its university which was established in 1736, it has a vibrant and cosmopolitan feel.
Steve, Inger and Anthony
It has been a lovely place to stop for a couple of nights and great to see family, thanks Inger and Steve, before heading into New York City tomorrow!!!!
– Anne
The Nation’s Capitol
In our previous visits to Washington we have never seen either the Pentagon or Arlington National Cemetery. Our location to the south of the city allowed us the opportunity to see the Pentagon and spend a little time walking through a small part of the cemetery. Seeing some of the dates on the tombstones is a sober reminder of sacrifices that individuals have been made on behalf of their country. It is nice to see that their wives can be buried alongside them, at a later date of course. Currently some 400,000 people are buried there.
Arlington cemetery
Washington DC, the nation’s Capital, is home to the United States’ Capitol Building, which houses the legislative arm of the US government. Congress, as it is called, is made up of a Senate and a House of Representatives. We had never been inside the Capitol Building in previous visits, so decided this was time to see the interior and learn a little about how the Congress of the United States works. Anne unfortunately went down with a MSG induced migraine, so only I had the opportunity to visit the Capitol building.
Washington DC Capitol showing House of Representatives.
The visitor centre is extensive and built underground so as not to spoil the views of the Capitol Building. It is designed to take hundreds of visitors at a time and was much larger than I had imagined. I was able to see both the Senate chamber and House of Representatives chamber from their respective visitors’ galleries plus a tour of the old house of Representatives chamber and its 36 statues. Not bad for an hour and a half.
Throughout the Capitol building, one comes across many statues, the largest number reside in the National Statuary Hall which was the old House of Representatives meeting place from 1807 to 1857 – the tour guide said that each of the 50 States can nominate and provide 2 statues, bronze or marble, of famous people (deceased) or, as in the case of the Rosa parks statue, commissioned by Congress, the first by them since 1873. That is just the cover story, one of the other guides said that anyone on a tour left behind overnight gets turned into a statue! Reminds me of C.S. Lewis’s book ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’, where the White Witch turns people and talking animals to stone. A much more plausible explanation than that the States provide the Statues I think, so do not dawdle on the tour.
Rosa Parks amongst the Capitol statues
Greek and Roman democracy influenced the founding fathers and this extended to the architecture of the Congress Building but one can see the local influences, such as the top of columns decorated with corn cobs and tobacco leaves. Good to see a local touch.
Washington laying the foundation stone for the Capitol building.
I find Washington is city of contrasts: we have wide avenues, amazing monuments, impressive buildings and poverty. As I walk though the city, I see government officials, military personnel, tourists, every type of law enforcement officer and the homeless and mentally ill. Such a mixture and we have noted that in wealthy areas, such as Santa Barbara in California, we find a higher number of homeless people. We should not forget how lucky we are and have been in life.
The White House
Passing the old post office on Pennsylvania Avenue half way between the Capitol Building and the White House, which is being converted into a hotel, I see a sign: ‘ Trump coming in 2016’. The hotel will be a Trump, or does this foretell the results of the 2016 Presidential Election? I cannot imagine that even Donald Trump planned that one, but we will have wait and see how the Republican Presidential Primaries turn out next year before we know if the poster was more than it was intended to be.
Post Office being converted to a ‘Trump’ Hotel
Capital DanceSport Championships were taking place in our hotel. The place was full of colourful dresses and bronzed people taking part in the Ballroom and Latin dancing. The hotel’s arrival information for the participants included warnings not to use the water sprinklers to hang clothing from and to contact housekeeping for old sheets if they were using bronzing sprays in the room! Talking to one of the makeup artists, I learned that she starts at 4 am, as the first dance heats commence at 7am and the competition runs until midnight each day.
Amazing dance dress
A day of contrasts…
– Anthony
Barns, Buggies and beautiful bends
After our most wonderful experiences, outlined in Anne’s blog entry ‘An insight into Armish life’ we find ourselves contemplating the end of this amazing journey. Suddenly dates and places that seemed so distant a short time ago can be seen appearing as dots on the horizon. Civilisation will be crowding in on us as we leave the open spaces of the west behind and head east, a reminder of the lifestyle changes we will face when we turn Streak and Storms engines off for the last time next month.
With our initial transition being to visiting family and friends in Europe, we will have time to contemplate our 15 months on the road and how those experiences will weave their way into the fabric of our lives going forward.
Enough of the contemplation, we have another three weeks of sights, sound and experiences ahead to enjoy and record for our loyal followers around the world. We have no specific destination apart from New York at the end of August, and are almost taking a day to day approach to finding the next destination. We arrived in the Amish country in Indiana, Anne also wanted to visit some of the Amish communities in Ohio as well so we are headed for Wooster, Ohio. With a 100 mile wide rain front just starting to tap on our windscreens as we rode out of Elkhart along Interstate 88/90, we happily emerge out of the grey drizzle into the bright sunshine and on our way.
Barns, the red variety, and buggies have been the focus of Anne’s photography this last couple of days. We can tell when we are in Amish country from the horse droppings on the road, an early warning system for buggies around the corner or over the hill. The terrain is quite undulating. Here is a sample of what we saw, the visual representation is far better than any words I can write.
Amish buggy with night flashing lights
Grain storage and Buggy
Grocery parking in Berlin, Ohio
Amish horse and buggy near Apple Creek, Ohio
Typical Ohio red barn
Lehmans of Kidron, Ohio https://www.lehmans.com is a country store in a tiny village that carries a range of Amish made and used products. Their byline is ‘Simple Products for a Simpler Life’ and the range of products, their simplicity, the use of local and US manufacturing, plus the interweaving of historical items in the displays makes for a fascinating store, being used by Amish and tourists alike. It is worth visiting if you are in the area.
Choice of wicks at Lehman’s
The widespread Amish quilting practice, piqued our interest in the work. No, not to take up quilting, but just to see what is being, and can be done. I find that an event called Quilt National 2015, a biennial event for quilting as an art form located in Athens, Ohio some 80 miles south. We find an old barn filled with some amazing artistic creations, no photos allowed but here is the link for those interested. dairybarn.org/quilt-national/quilt-national-2015/
Athens is also a university town and full of parents taking their kids with all their possessions for a new academic year, starting next week. We will have to remember that all the school zone speed restriction signs and school bus rules apply from Monday.
We had stopped for a night in Marietta Ohio, initially for one night, but after talking to an enthusiastic visitor we decide to spend an extra day here. A river bikeway leads us from our hotel next to the Ohio River and Interstate 77 to a beautiful town centre. Unlike so many places we have passed through, this town centre seems alive. It may be because a 2,000 student college provides the economic impetus for redevelopment. We enjoy coffee, a middle eastern lunch at great resturant and the annual flu jab to round off a great day.
Front Street, Marietta, flags, flowers and fabulous
Interstate 77 takes one on a winding journey for over 80 miles towards the Capital of West Virginia, Charleston with its golden dome State Capitol Building. The morning sun falls on the large variety of trees that line the highway and surrounding hills. This must make for a fabulous journey in the Autumn/Fall.
West Virginia must be stunning during the fall
Charleston Capitol, West Virginia
When this region was being explored and developed in the early 1800’s, access would have only been possible by river. Even today, all economic activity we saw in West Virginia seems to take place along the rivers – road and rail have to follow the river’s course. We diverge from the Interstate after Charleston onto route US60 which initially follows the course of the Kanawha River. We pass a mile long chemical plant at Belle, a shuttered power station and both open and closed coal mines all clinging to the slivers of flat land between river and heavily wooded hills. Some of these once prosperous towns seem to have an air of sadness about them, pressure on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increased natural gas usage for power generation is reducing coal demand which is the major economic activity here. Tough times.
One of many coal plants along the Kanawha River
US60 rocks and rolls, brakes and throttle, an edgy twisty road, so much fun even at the slow speeds pace. The scenery reminds me of SE Asia, the density, thick green ivy and I thought at one point we were back at the Golden Rock in Myanmar, but no just a golden ‘M’ arch poking through above the tree line.
Riding along the Valley Ridge Road West Virginia
Chesapeake & Ohio 614 4-8-4 steam locomotive made by Lima in 1948
Appomattox, a name those familiar with the American Civil War will recognise, was the place where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of North Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865. The location of the surrender is now the Appomattox Court House National Park Monument. Buildings have been rebuilt or restored, recreating the location as it was in 1865, although we were told more trees exist today, mostly to screen out modern constructions. The surrounding land used was used for tobacco farming. Reading the history of the event in the museum, one gained a sense of two men who by the outcome of the terms of surrender, helped lay the foundations for reconciliation over time between North and South.
Where the Appomattox surrender was actually agreed and signed
One of the more interesting aspects of being in the USA at this time is vey early campaigning, Republican and Democrat Presidential candidates, given the first primary elections are not till February 2016. This is our daily diet of TV, interspersed with all the USA crime program series to allow me to catch up in what I have missed over the last 24 months. Yes I can be a TV junkie.
First impressions are of a busload of Republicans competing on the one hand, and Hilary and her ‘baggage’ on the other bus, although her bus may take on extra passengers (candidates) should the baggage slow the bus down too much. On the republican side Donald Trump has taken the limelight as he always does, uses non politically correct language and raises issues such as illegal immigration that politicians want to ‘manage’ the message in their usual way. His approach has gone down well with a portion of the population fed up with ‘Real Politicians’ , but I suspect over time his approach will see his vote stagnate and as other republican candidates fall beside the wayside those supporters will not move to Donald Trump. I am glad I do not have to sit through this interminable election process in the USA, I just hope the process turns up a good couple of candidates to enable a good President to be elected.
– Anthony
Meandering across the ‘M’s
Three days in Fargo have left us refreshed and ready to ride again. We have blue skies and a cool breeze at our backs as we head east for New York. Our route will take us across the ‘M’ states Minnesota and Michigan, plus Wisconsin, which is really an upside down ‘M’. We are also adding Metzeler to the list of good ‘M’s. While we were at Sturgis, Metzeler offered us a new set of tyres to replace the ones we have worn down with all our riding since Costa Rica. How generous of them. We will get them fitted in Grand Rapids, Michigan, hence our route over the top of lake Michigan.
Across the state line into Minnesota and a change of scenery. The flat plains and large fields are replaced by rolling hills, trees and lakes. The Minnesota number plates say ‘10,000 lakes’ and after seeing as many as we have, and more on the GPS, that the statement is probably true.
Anne spots a real coffee shop in Park Rapids and as we bask in the sun under the shade of a pine tree, we meet Brian & Kathy, the owners, and spend time chatting. They are small business owners, who own this drive through only coffee shop. Open all year round, must be tough in winter with no tourists and half the local inhabitants fleeing south to warmer climes, but what would our staff do without a job if we closed in winter they say. Lovely people.
Brian and Cathy, owners of Espresso 34 – great coffee!!
We also have our first large animal encounter, a deer, walking out across the road, brakes worked fine, but a timely reminder that we should not ride too late and as we head through state and national forest, we need to keep our eyes open.
Duluth is a city that I recall from my geography at school as a major port on Lake Superior for the transportation of iron ore to the steel mills in places such as Cleveland and Pittsburg. Today iron ore and Wyoming coal account for 80% of exports, with grain making up the bulk of the rest. A major import are nacelles, bases, towers and blades for wind turbines. This is the most inland port in the USA. We get to see a Polish ship arrive to collect grain, and the locally famous Aerial Lift Bridge in action.
William A Irwin, a bulk iron ore carrier museum.
Water towers in Duluth, MN
Isadora ship is through, lift bridge goes down again to let road traffic across
The size of the port becomes apparent as the Polish ship disappears from view and we see it later looking quite small next to an enormous grain elevator complex, one of many that dot the harbour basin. We are quickly out of town and heading for Wisconsin and Michigan.
Isadora is ready to be loaded up with grain
The nature of the landscape, in my view, lends itself to holidays by lakesides. We see RV’s with boats, ATVs, jet-skis and a local boat variant called a pontoon boat. The latter is designed for leisurely trips around the myriad of small lakes that exist, some interconnected allowing quite extensive travel. People seem to holiday locally, many we meet are from a few hours away or the next state. A great environment for holidays with kids.
Great spot to stop and refresh
While we are protected by trees for the most part our journey along the northern shore of lake Michigan and then over the Mackinac Bridge, one can see how windy it could be for us, but I am glad we are travelling now with bearable winds – we heard of one RV being flipped over by the wind the other day.
Crossing Mackinac bridge
Chicago is a long way away, on the far side of Michigan lake
We keep meeting people interested in our journey. At the campsites, hotel car parks and food stops, we get their enthusiasm in our journey. It is quite infectious and a reminder to us of where we have been and what we have achieved in 14 months. It is hard for us to imagine that this way of life is coming to an end in a few weeks. We are so used to having another country ahead to cross, places to visit, people to see. Now we look at our calendar and see flights and family reunions, which we are looking forward to, but how will we miss this nomadic life on the road? Time will tell.
Luke, Jamie, Jaime and Alia
We visit BMW Motorcycles of Grand Rapids. Two new fresh sets of Metzeler Tourances await Streak and Storm. They are fitted and we are able to use their cleaning bay, equipped with all the best cleaning tools and products to change Streak and Storm to their purchased grey colours from the dirt, mud and oil spattered bikes they had become. It will hopefully reduce the number of wasps that seem to show interest the bikes each time we stop, probably because of all the dead insects that formed a film across the front of the bikes protecting the chrome and paint from the elements. We had great help from Gary in cleaning the bikes.
Storm being washed for the first time since Costa Rica!!
The 3 miles from our hotel to BMW Motorcycles of Grand Rapids took us past 30,000 miles for the trip. Another milestone, no pun intended, and Anne has updated the route map in our blog to reflect this and our recent wanderings in Colorado and Wyoming.
In Australia I was only able to get six months’ supply of heart medication before coming away. A law that exists to stop people stockpiling I guess? Suddenly we have been gone for six months and I need some refills. We find an urgent care clinic who are very helpful and fill my prescriptions. They do not even charge for the service on the spot, just say they will invoice me at my home address.
Across the road to the Walgreens pharmacy the prescriptions were sent. They are electronically transferred. I take Crestor for cholesterol which in Australia with the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme costs me about US$25 for one month. Here the bill is US$265 for one month. Eeeeek!, Just one month please, I will get more in Europe thanks. We forget what is subsided back home. Must be tough for those without medical insurance here when you need such tablets.
Off to Amish Country tomorrow and then a leisurely ride eastwards.
– Anthony
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