Read below for 27 Sep to hear about Miss Bella, a joyful, happy woman. Love to you, Miss Bella!
30 Sep: The initial 600 mile service at Bob's BMW took longer than we hoped. The service wasn't finished until 1:15, so we didn't get rolling out of Jim's driveway until 2:55, and we did not get as far north as was desirable, although we did get to Harmarville just northeast of Pittsburg. Contrary to Ron's normal routing, we took Interstate 70 to Interstate 76 and passed the most beautiful fall folliage, with resplendent reds, near Somerset, Pennsylvania (where it was also quite chilly).
29 Sep: After awakening in Culpeper, VA, we decided to ride ASAP towards Mount Airy instead of waiting an hour for Ruby Tuesday to open for lunch. (Besides we were quite full of oatmeal with the blueberries and bananas that we had purchased.) We had lunch at the Mount Airy Inn before returning to Jim’s house. Because of Ian, Ron will get the six hundred mile service done early tomorrow AM, then return to Mount Airy, pick up Cynthia and the luggage, and take off for Cleveland, Ohio to miss the impending rainfall from Ian due here Saturday.
28 Sep: At one PM we began the ride towards Mount Airy, Maryland in lovely cool weather on good, smooth roads, with a planned overnight in Culpeper, Virginia. We opted for a "short" distance because the bike is too tough for the feminine passenger's tush! Roughly 150 miles to Culpeper, and Cynthia reports that her tush was fine for the first hour and a half. route: US 501 N into Virginia, US 360/ 58 E to a L on US 15 N.
27 Sep: The Hampton Inn, Roxboro, NC has a delightful morning dining staff person who is Miss Bella, a joyful, happy woman who calls us Mr. and Mrs. Oatmeal! Love to you, Miss Bella! Ron spent most of the day at the library and the Recorder of Deeds photographing several books and deeds from his list of items needed for the book. The camera worked excellently well and the photos ran through OCR better than previous photos from other cameras. We dined again at Brookland Eats, this time with Steve and Karen, managers of Caswell County Historical Association.
26 Sep: We needed to put 600 miles on the bike in order to have the first service done, so Ron's great brainstorm was to travel south on old US Highway 15 to & from Caswell County for genealogy photos. Ron bought a new tiny camera with image stabilization and low light ability. The Powershot Elph 360 HS is indeed much smaller than the Canon Powershot SX540 HS.
25 Sep, Sunday: A day of rest! Jim and Joni took us for a ride in the Maryland countryside that we all enjoyed - even though we drove through a couple of heavy showers.
24 Sep: We did spend the entire day at Bob's BMW in Jessup, Maryland and left with a brand new, shiny black R1250RT. Ron was hugely disappointed that he was only offered $500 trade in on that marvelous K1600GTL that he has enjoyed riding for 6 years. Jim explained that the K1600 is not a popular model because it weighs too much - Ron's exact complaint - so the dealorships cannot sell the used ones either - and his needs a new rear shock at $2500, a new disk rotor at $1000 besides new tires at $800 and no telling what all else. Bob's has not yet listed it as a project bike for ?? $
23 Sep: This was the day of missed turns. Ron had a lovely route planned, but missed an early turn and traveled 20 miles too far on PA route 611. Once he stopped and consulted the GPS for a better route, it suggested one that we don't like (hard on Cynthia's back), so we forced it to take us further south on 611 which turned out to be a pleasant road, the west on PA 32 a busy highway to West on PA 22 even busier until we arrived in Harrisburg - - - and mis-remembered that the Ruby Tuesday here seemed closed for good when we were here earlier this summer. We called, but Ron's eyesight misread the phone number as 581 instead of 561. We turned south on US 15 to Gettysburg, then MD 97 E to MD 27 S to Jim's house just before dark.
22 Sep: And the question is: where will we be? Answer is that we began the day in Troy, NY, waiting for the heavy rains to end and for the bike to be fixed. Around 1 pm Dustin called to say come and get it, all fixed. NY 7 W into Troy, L on US 4 S to East Greenwich (except I wandered around looking for Hays Road prematurely. Eventually we rode through Renssellaer trying to find NY 9J (River Road)). It was worth the trouble as we enjoyed spectacular views of the Hudson River. NY 9J continued S to US 9 S to R on NY 199 W crossing the Hudson on a magnificent high bridge (with no wind) and then onto US 209 S to Milford, PA and our Hampton Inn destination. It was another scenic day as the fall folliage changes are appearing even this far south.
21 Sep: Our likely departure date is today, a day early. 438 miles to Bob's BMW, avoiding interstate highways. The weather is better for riding on this day, so Ron is finishing recycling, then we ride. We had hoped for an early departure, but at 11:30 with a couple more things to do, that is not to be. We were on the road at 3 pm and the afternoon light made the scenery just wonderful, what with lime green leaves and occasional oranges showing that fall folliage is beginning to appear. Perhaps we will make it to Delaware Water Gap tonight. Nope, after 60 miles, when we turned south on NY 22, the bike engine started running on only half of the cylinders, so Ron decided that the "check engine" light might actually be indicating a problem. Fortunately Max BMW was only 14 miles further down NY 7, we turned around, and the bike resumed running well until we arrived at Max BMW at 5 p.m. The fault diagnostics indicate that an ignition coil is failing. Tony Beatty was not at the desk, but Dustin was very sympathetic and coordinated to begin repairs tomorrow. Salesman Craig was such a nice guy that he gave us a ride to the hotel; his station wagon is more accustomed to carrying dogs than people; he has been showing dogs for more than 20 years. The trees outside the hotel were among the most colorful we've seen this autumn.
20 Sep: CYNTHIA HAS A HAIRCUT AT 10:30 AM and Ron was able to get her there on time. After more bug and tar removal, the rains resumed.
19 Sep: Forecast was for a rainy day. But it will be mostly dry until late day. A good day for packing. Cynthia is at breakfast while Ron is doing math, adding and subtracting. He adds Armorall to the bike, and removes bugs and tar. He actually started packing during the first shower about 11 am, then returned for more bug and tar removing until the storms started in earnest at 3 pm.
18 Sep, Sunday: Forecast is for rain after 1 pm. Let's go hiking early - meaning Ron needs to get to bed NOW. We successfully navigated the trail to the sinkholes again! 3 miles RT, and we finished before the rain arrived. The bike looks magnificent with a thousand coats of Armorall! Ron has moved on from ArmorAll to bug and tar remover on the wheels. It is not working well, and he is getting tired of all this cleaning and polishing. {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe}
17 Sep: The distance hiking to the sinkholes hasn’t changed! Ron carried one large rock 200 yards or more uphill to create a check dam. Oofta. This fall day was spectacular. We are charged up with plans to pack, Armorall the bike, and get on the road next Thursday. The third or fourth application of ArmorAll is beginning to improve the appearance. If the rain holds off, Ron will get another coat on tomorrow morning. {GMC: 1 hour with bucket & trowel}
16 Sep: Life is wonderful. We had a glorious three-mile hike to the sinkholes; Ron spent most of the afternoon prepping and painting an engine guard on the bike. And we feel great. Cynthia accidentally bought a car. The cost of the car is two thousand less than our rental car for the winter; it will be parked near Jon so he can start it and drive it once a week. {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe}
15 Sep: After three miles of hiking in Arctic temperatures (according to Cynthia) without being frozen, we ate lunch and phoned the BMW dealer to hear the joyous news that our new bike should arrive a week from Saturday! Yaaaay! And the good (?) news about a bolt that didn't fit is that there isn't a thread to bolt it into. The bad news is ending the sentence with a preposition. {GMC: 1 hour w/ bucket & trowel}
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| Harrison, Cynthiia (in middle), Ron |
14 Sep: First, we hiked three miles. We rode the spiffier (cleaned) bike to Hanover for an early dinner with Harrison at 4 pm and returned by 7:30 pm. The ride from Killington to Hanover, NH was lovely on this pleasant fall day with cool temperatures, iconic Vermont red barns, and high church steeples in the distance signaling that a New England village is clustered at the base. Grand nephew Harrison, a sophomore at Dartmouth, is an engaging and lively conversationalist. We enjoyed our visit with him immensely. The return trip was even more fun after Ron turned the wrong direction (north) on U.S. Highway 5. When we arrived at the intersection with Vermont 17, we took that west and north along some river for miles and eventually came into Woodstock from the north, turned right on U.S. 4 and found our way back to the Inn at Long Trail. {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe}
13 Sep: It is supposed to rain all day, but Ron painted a second coat between showers. Otherwise, we've spent the day indoors "packing." Ron has been good today (and yesterday), so he can now afford to take time for genealogy.
12 Sep: We are so thankful for a good night's sleep, the ability to exercise, breakfast, and out the door "early" to go hiking. (Early means before noon). It is a glorious Monday. Life is wonderful. We hiked three miles to the sinkholes and enjoyed spinach salads. Ron cleaned the bike with Armor-All and Wheel & Tire cleaner. How can two retired people be so crazy busy? {GMC: 2 hours w/ hoe}
11 Sep: That 4-year-old was yelling continually at breakfast until Ron decided it was time to YELL at her to STOP YELLING, after which her parents left the room with her. Once that family left the inn, Ron painted a second coat on one engine guard, masked off the other guard and sprayed it first coat, with cleaning of the rims between coats. Bike is getting spiffier by the day. We then ate lunch and went hiking and trail maintaining. Ron actually DID start the packing to leave process, recording his receipts collection. {GMC: 1 hour w/ bucket & trowel moving dirt}
10 Sep: repeat 10 Sep: Ron had better begin packing in order to be ready to leave by the 24th. We are exercised, oatmealed, and happy! Thank God! Cynthia's forgot to ice after hiking yesterday, so her sleep was disturbed by sciatic pains. (Our aches and pains, another best seller.) Ron intended to continue motorcycle appearance improvements this afternoon (but didn't), and Cynthia demands less strenuous hiking today. We hiked over to the pub for luncheon salads. Two youngsters screamed during the meal. Then we discovered they have the room next to us… when they started screaming outside. We hiked 1.5 miles to escape. {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe}
9 Sep: We slept much better in part because we got to bed earlier - - speaking of which I'm late already this evening. goodnight. Cynthia’s bronchitis is apparently healed. We hiked three miles to the sink holes. Ron has the motorcycle looking spiffy! I hope one of our readers is keeping a log on our sleep habits; it will be a best seller. {GMC: 1 hour w/ hoe}
8 Sep: We are not well motivated this morning. Cynthia's sleep was disturbed which consequently disturbed Ron's sleep, so we are both tired despite 8 hours in bed. Ron used steel wool on the motorcycle crash bars, preparing to paint them. Next is to use cleaner on the rims to improve that appearance. But we've delayed hiking long enough that it is time for lunch. We attempted a hike, but Cynthia decided after a quarter mile that she isn't up to it yet, so we returned and Ron returned to James Lea.
7 Sep: It is still raining this morning, a light rain expected to continue for the next several hours. Fooey. The good news is that the computer is responding normally again. Now if we could only convince our bodies to do the same. We rode into town to purchase our 4th blood pressure cuff. I really, really need to remind Cynthia to always pack a blood pressure cuff into any box she is going to ship to us anywhere. Ron purchased supplies to prettify the motorcycle prior to trade-in/ sale.
6 Sep: Rainy day again, so we are not likely to venture out onto wet rocks for a hike and a tumble. There are noticeably fewer leaves obscuring the forest floor. Most of the undergrowth is preparing for winter and a few brightly colored leaves are now adorning the trails. Today is a good one for indoor activities, like mending the torn pants leg, preparing recycling, James Lea, etc. etc. We met a delightful and wet couple of AT hikers dinnertime at the pub, Ashley and Luke. Their camping site at Cooper Shelter last night turned into a small lake by morning, so everything was soaking wet, including Ashley's down sleeping bag. They told us about meeting a family of six hikers on the trail, the youngest being a 4-year-old boy, and that this family (and 4-year-old) was hiking 20-mile days. And then at 1030 pm, this computer stopped responding to a few key combinations and the touchpad. Fortunately Ron was able to save all open documents and close several applications before shutting it down for the night.
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| "professional" wound bandaging |
5 Sep: Somewhat invigorated after a good night sleep, Cynthia, the dizzy blonde, was indeed a bit light headed while walking to breakfast and discovered unusually high blood pressure, which has given us lots of hypotheticization but no answers. Ron is pleased to report that his three or four minor bruises from the fall yesterday are pain free a day later. The forecast of rain all day is holding true, so there is no worries about the Smooches venturing forth to damage themselves again today. We took great pictures of Cynthia's artistic bandaging. Maybe she will post it today.
4 Sep: Cynthia is feeling better today, but not well enough to hike, so Ron gets to go hiking without adult supervision. His thought is that he can attempt to hike to Killington and back in 7 hours. Well, there were trees to saw, and Ron discovered that he is not in adequate physical condition to hike uphill 3 hours, saw trees (about 5), and hike back downhill comfortably - with the unfortunate consequence that he took a tumble into a pile of rocks when his foot caught on something. The good news is that the worst damage is a torn pants leg that needs mending. Second worst is that his shirt needed immediate washing to prevent blood stains from the scratch on his right arm. We slept well. {GMC: 6 hours w/ saw & clippers}
3 Sep: Today we rode into town immediately after breakfast to take Cynthia to Emergency Health Clinic in an attempt to forestall her cough turning in to bronchitis, but we were too late - already is. Ron found Fels Naptha (Eureka !!) at Grand Union and picked up Rustoleum at Home Depot while Cynthia was being medically examined. Then we got bananas, blueberries, grapes, and pretzels at Hannaford before getting frozen mango at Aldi. We got it all !! The big surprise came as Ron was unloading the motorcycle. He turned around to see Cynthia sprawled and rolling on the ground. She had left her motorcycle helment on while trying to climb the rock wall steps to the yard and apparently stepped onto thin air for her last step. The poor dear is in bed now, where we hope she cannot hurt herself any further.
2 Sep: Cynthia wants to ride to town for something, and Ron is agreeable since he is out of frozen mango and pretzels. But first, he is off at 10:30 (alone) to hike and maintain trail. we never did get to town because Ron decided en route that he wanted to hike past Jungle Junction towards Killington Mountain, since in years past we hiked that far occasionally. Then he eventually remembered that he hiked for three hours to get to the tree that he cut before his atrial fibrillation. (He is curious to see if it has been moved at all.) It was just shy of three hours when he turned around to hike back, but at least he made it as far as a particularly memorable tree before turning around. So he didn't get back to the Inn until close to 5pm, and with dinner scheduled for 5:30, Cynthia was unwilling to go to town after all. {GMC: 2 hours w/ hoe}
1 Sep: We slept well until 5 AM when Cynthia's stomach decided to become upset about who knows what. Then we slept another couple of hours to arise at 8 AM. It is much, much chillier today with a forecast high of 60 degrees and a brisk wind to help. We are in no hurry to hike today. Ron finished his Bankston thoughts and back to James Lea. Cynthia's stomach is upset, and neither of us managed to get out the door and hike today. Ron is pleased with his progress on James Lea.
