Fun in the sun

What a couple of days it's been. Yesterday I left Atlanta for Orlando. In a car, that's about a 7 and a half hour drive. On a bike when it's 95 degrees out and you stop every 50 miles for a drink of water, it apparently takes 10 hours. I'm visiting a friend from college.

[Monday]
"So how long do you think you're going to stay?"
"A couple of days I guess. Maybe 3 if that's alright."
"You can stay as long as you want. Is there anything you wanted to do in town?"
"I don't really know what there is in town other than the parks and those are just a wee bit out of the budget."
"I can get you into any Disney park for free."
"I'll leave on Saturday."

My friend, it turns out, is an Operations Manager at Disney.

And apparently, I was riding in on Monday night, and another friend of ours was flying in Tuesday morning. We took a little trip today and they rented a car for it but to get the one my friend wanted, he apparently had to pick it up at 4am.

I arrived at his place at midnight and we got a few hours sleep before leaving at 3:30am to pick up a car.

...

IT WAS SO WORTH IT!



So I got to drive around in a new Mustang convertible for a while.

Here's the conversation my friend said he had with his boss today:
"You seem anxious to leave. You got a plan for the next couple days?"
"Me and two friends from college are driving to Hollywood in a Mustang convertible to play in a poker tournament tomorrow."
"That's usually something people only talk about doing."
"We're men of action."

And here we are!



I relinquished the front for the trip down because it was their plan and I was just tagging along (and they weren't making me pay for the hotel room), but tomorrow, I called driver for 50 miles.

Yeah, we're having fun.

Meanwhile, on a side note: I have serious beef with the Florida toll system. In New York, you can pay a toll with any means you can come up with. Cash, Credit, Debit, EZ-PASS, you name it. I'm pretty sure you can pay with an interpretive dance if you're good enough. If you can't pay a toll, they scan your license and send you a bill. In Maryland, there are even credit card lanes that are like pumps at a gas station where you just swipe your card and move on. No human involved.

In Florida? Caught without any cash because the ATM at the service station was broken?
"Can I pay with a debit card or credit card?"
"Nope. Do you have your checkbook with you?"
-WHO THE HELL WOULD HAVE THEIR CHECKBOOK WITH THEM?!-
"No. I don't."
"Well then I have to fill out this form and you have to mail it back with the payment within 10 days."
"Ok. Can I pay this online with a credit or debit card?"
"No. Cash, check or money-order."

Really, Florida? Really? Your contingency plan is a personal check or money-order? Can I send it USPS or do I have to use a carrier pigeon? Every other state in the union seems to have come up with all sorts of ways of getting money quickly and easily but not here. Luckily the ATM at the next service station worked.

My friend pointed to a couple of signs on the road today:



And as ridiculous as that is, it is immediately followed by:



Sun-Pass is available in the service station gift shops. That's right: Not only do you have to pay the toll, you have to buy from them the means by which you pay them, and failing to have the proper payment causes the toll to jump up $100.

Our other friend said he saw a sign that said "Next Cash Exit 52 Miles" just before those. Florida, you fail at tolls. I can say no more.

This bird is over 4 feet tall!

Cherokee, NC

Cherokee, North Carolina. 2 days was not enough time.

The first day was rainy so I went in to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. It's very well put together and has a lot of interesting content. My favorite part was set up so visitors could read quotes from 3 native American chiefs on a trip to London interspersed with quotes from the British soldier escorts describing the same events from completely different points of view. The museum is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

I had woken up late and the museum ate up most of my day, so I went down to the touristy area where there are a whole slew of shops where you can buy Native American souvenirs made in Taiwan. As my hosts told me, there are authentic craft shops around, you just have to find them. I was just killing time however so I went into the kitschy places, and after wandering around a bit called it a day. I wanted to be up bright and early the next day.


The next day was almost perfect. Some of the best roads in the country are right nearby so I headed out for a day of riding. What a joy it is to travel burdened by neither cargo nor expectations. Here's what my route looked like (click it, then click the magnifying glass icon to get a not-so-squished version):



And here's some of the scenery:




You'll recognize this dam if you saw "The Fugitive":


As a fan of the audibly quiet, visibly loud ideology of motorcycle safety, this sticker made me laugh:



Seen on a trash can on the Tennessee side of US-129 in a scenic overlook. There are shots of the scenery too but you'll have to click the picture and browse the photos.

The riding is exciting and the scenery is beautiful. What more can a biker ask for? US-129 is like a pilgrimage for bikers. It's called "The Dragon" and it's got 318 curves in 11 miles. If you ride outside your ability on this road, you will lose control of your vehicle. Whether you die or not because of that is mostly luck in one form or another. Unlike a typical wreck you're either going to end up going into a ditch where nobody will find you if you can't move or in the other lane of traffic between blind curves where someone coming from the other side won't be able to see you in the road. Even being careful, chances are you'll sacrifice some of your footpegs as they scrape off in the tighter turns.

On the North Carolina side, stands the "Tree of Shame". A part from every bike that wrecks on the Dragon is nailed to, or hung from this tree:



I wish I knew the story behind the two plastic big-wheel trikes up there...

Coming back from the Dragon on my way back to the reservation I managed to grab this photo:



After taking that last picture, I decided to stop at a supermarket for a new toothbrush and toothpaste. As I start to turn left into a row of cars, some lady blows past me, on the left and comes within 2 inches of my front tire. So I grab the break to avoid dying on her car. Since the bike is leaning over, stopping causes it to fall down. But it was either drop my bike or get creamed by some grumble-grumble idiot cager. So I drop my bike. I hit the horn and waved at her but a whole parking lot full of people watched in disgust as that lady ran the hell away, then came over to see if I was ok and if I needed any help. But I already had my bike up before anyone got over. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was the anger, but that marked the first time I ever picked up my fallen Valkyrie without any help. I wasn't hurt save a bruise on the knee, and my bike has roll bars so it wasn't damaged at all either. That lady and I are probably both lucky she ran away or I might be in prison right now. It usually takes a lot to make me angry but being so stupid it almost kills me is kind of a hot-button.

I tackled some of the most dangerous road in the country that day and naturally I almost get killed in a parking lot. Oh but did that put a bad taste in my mouth the rest of the night.

The next day, a new front tire came for my bike and I brought it in to the "local" Honda shop to have it put on. Then had dinner with my gracious hosts Sean and Gerri Grady, packed up, and headed to Atlanta, Georgia where I've been for 2 nights and 2 days with my friend Matt and his girlfriend Anna.

Matt's in a bit of a predicament. He's an I.T. consultant with Oracle so he has to travel wherever his assignment is. Currently he lives in Atlanta, and works in Chicago. He's only home 2 days a week and he flew out back to Chicago this afternoon so tomorrow I head out to Orlando! Assuming I can get in touch with my friend there. =)

Just remember kids:

"What's the fastest you've ever gone...?"

30 mph. Because when it's dark out, you're on road loaded with twisties, and every curve is blind, 30 feels like 120. I didn't have any "brown pants" moments, but riding these curves felt like I was free falling out of the sky.

Roanoke

My bike leaked coolant from the radiator cap all the way down from D.C. to Roanoke.



Maybe it wasn't screwed on right, maybe it's a faulty cap. Maybe it's because when I checked the coolant level when the bike was cold, it was way high. VERY high. The next morning when I checked the bike cold it was still pretty high



I'm hoping that's the cause of the leak. So I take my Valk to a self serve car wash, clean her up, and then hit the Blue Ridge Parkway. I ride up to the Mill Mountain lookout where they have what they claim is the world's largest man made star and it lights up at night.



Use your imagination. From the lookout you can see the city of Roanoke proper



and for just 25¢, visitors can use this laser cannon to rain death down upon the unwitting inhabitants!



After about an hour and a half of riding around the Blue Ridge parkway and coming back to my host's house, there was no leaked coolant. I was also running the Valk a little colder than when we're on the freeway but that tells me it just needs the excess drained out.

Today was a trip up Highway 311 which is a much more fun ride than the BRP. At least the parts of the BRP that I was on. 311 was Full of sweepers and twisties.



Tomorrow I move on to Cherokee, North Carolina. My only question is "Is there one of these for every season or is every company supposed to release one in the summer?"

Something about a big white building somewhere around here...

The following day was filled with more walking around D.C. This time not in the rain. No, this time it was in the sweltering heat. I went to the National Mall (not a shopping center, it's the are with all the monuments) for some touristy picture taking.

Behold! The Washington Monument:


The Lincoln Memorial:


The Department of Agriculture:


There's a brand new World War II memorial between Washington and Lincoln.






plenty of pictures (including two of the white house!) in the photostream.

After the Washington monument, I started making my way to the Jefferson memorial. I'm pretty sure it's the only thing in the area I haven't seen up close. Water in hand and determination on my face I walked all the way down to...where I could see that the bridge over to the Jefferson memorial is way too far away to walk to in 95 degrees with the sun mercilessly beating me down. So I took a picture from across the water (zoomed in to make it look like I'm closer than I am)



and headed in to the nearest air conditioned building for some more water. It happened to be the holocaust museum.

I had to study the holocaust in 7th grade. For the entire year. It was a time when the darkest and most despicable aspects of humanity held Europe in the grip of hatred. Every moment of thinking about what went on is stomach-churning. And it's probably the most important subject in world history. Every new piece of knowledge gives insight into the very bounds of human suffering, and a level of cruelty that is simply beyond most people's imagination. Seeing suffering, we can learn of empathy. Seeing cruelty, we can learn of compassion. This is not an easy subject to learn about, but studying it lends an understanding of the human condition that there aren't too many other roads to.

Taking pictures in there seemed like it would be disrespectful. So I spent a short time in there, walked around, remembered, and left.

I then made my way to the Lincoln Memorial because much of the path was shaded. I took a couple of pictures, then met my host downtown before we met up with a couple of other CouchSurfers to have dinner and walk around town. I forgot to get a picture of all of us though.

The next day I packed all my stuff and headed about an hour north to Glen Burnie to visit my friend and former roommate Brittany. I've been here two days (three if you count the day I arrived) and I leave tomorrow at some point for Roanoke, VA on my way to Tennessee.

Washington D.C. in the rain.

I spent 4 days with Jay and Elaine in their Ashburn home. Had a great, great time but video games and cartoons do not a good story make. I thought I was waiting out a heatwave but apparently temperatures in the 90's are par for the course. So I waited for some rain predictions to come and go and on sunday I bid farewell to my friends and most gracious hosts Jay and Elaine. Here we are with various video game characters:



I look like I might be retarded. I should probably stop making that over excited face for photos.

Anyway, I headed over to the house of my high school friend Mike who lives in Washington D.C. We kicked it back with some cold ones (Crisp Apple Hornsby's in my case) and watched Tropic Thunder. Mike had work the next day so off he went at around 8am. I slept until noon and then walked around D.C.







It was very hot (~88°) and lightly raining. Light enough that it was more of a relief than a burden but raining nonetheless. It was a lot of incentive to go into the museums. In one museum I got a picture of an Yves Klein exhibit. He did a lot of work in monochromes. An entire canvas as a study of one color.



It makes me wonder if abstract art can ever be understood by anyone but the artist. Appreciated yes, but can the viewer feel the same as the artist when they feel the need to create? Methinks not. Then I have to wonder the same thing about any piece of art. Any work of art means something different to each viewer, no? Oh well, this isn't an essay on the merits or lack thereof of art critics.

Turns out photography isn't permitted but they didn't tell me that until after I clicked the button. Suckers!

I spent the day walking around the capitol hill area and in the Smithsonian area. I went in to a few museums but maybe I was too tired or something but I just couldn't find any of it particularly interesting. At 5:30 I met back up with Mike and we went to meet our other friend from high school Ben for dinner. Here we are at Fuddrucker's!



I had an Elk burger! It was quite good. Good in a way that I'm sure it must be bad for me. Probably nutritionally the same as their regular burgers.

A new sport is storming the streets of D.C.

Québec day 2: Electric Boogaloo

Wanting to see Québec again during the day, I am about to head out to the bus station when I log on to CouchSurfing and have a message from someone that basically says "Hey, I see you're in my city, let me know if you want someone to show you around." Always better to have a local guide, I meet Valerie in the Old City and there's also a Couch Surfer from France who's name I can't remember because I'm terrible like that. First we go for breakfast.

The local specialty of...Canada? Ontario/Quebec? Somewhere, is "Poutine". Heh heh, I know. But it's actually fries with gravy and cheese. And not the kind you can get at any diner, this stuff is much better. Better gravy, better cheese, I'll even say better fries. I had some in Montréal so I was told try the Québec specialty which is called "Galvaude". Galvaude is poutine with chicken and peas. It was the only poutine I've ever seen on any menu that was offered with or without cheese. Being first and foremost budget minded I figured I'd save a couple bucks and opted for no cheese. Apparently I did it wrong but it was still good.



See how good it is?

Anyway, I got this awesome picture of Valerie looking like I kidnapped her



"You look confused and frightened."
"Of course I do. I'm in a fast food restaurant with an American and a French guy."

Haha! Indeed.

Then we took a ferry to the South Shore where I got a great view of the citadel



and went to a local brewery in the town of Lévis.



We were waiting for night to fall when the city plays a moulin image, (probably the only thing I can actually pronounce in French) which is like a moving slideshow, onto the side of a huge building which you can watch from the south shore.



The huge building or set of buildings across the river with the blue line across the top is what they projected the show onto. Valerie got a message from a friend in Montréal asking her to come to Montréal and that's where I was going the next day so I invited her along. I pick her up in the morning and we ride over to Montréal. I park it at my host's place and then wait for my host to get home. Valerie and her friend go off to do their own thing.

Later I met Valerie and her friend for dinner. Talking about where I'm going next I tell them I have a concert tomorrow and a 4th of July party in Ct. the next day and Valerie says she'd love to go to a 4th of July party in the U.S.A. So the next day we get back on the bike and ride down to Gloversville, NY. At the border, we were right next to a dude driving a T-Rex.



I never really thought I'd see one of these in person. Bet it's a blast to drive.

Just an hour away from my concert venue in Herkimer. My host, Teddy, in Gloversville is a very cool dude. He took Valerie to fireworks down by the lake and I head off to my concert.

I went to see "Further". I'm a Dead Head. As a kid I didn't really like the Grateful Dead, but a few years ago I started really listening and that's when I started loving it. I never got to see the Grateful Dead while they were around but "Further" is Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of the GD, and then a few guys from various GD tribute bands. I had some really high hopes for this concert and I am happy to say that they were met. I had a hell of a time getting over there. I was running behind schedule all day and I ended up getting to the concert at 9:30, 2 hours late and I was worried I'd only get to see them play for an hour. I had nothing to worry about. They played straight through to midnight and then did a half hour encore. I got to hear some of my favorite tunes. Including "Terrapin Station".



That's my favorite for it's beautifully poetic lyrics, stirring instrumentals, and, of course, turtles.

We then went to a 4th of July party over at my friend Andy's house with a bunch of dudes I went to school with and a few others. It went the way a 4th of July party usually goes I guess. It was a good time.

I then went home for a couple of days and Valerie secured transportation back to Québec. I then headed out in blistering heat to Ashburn, VA. Riding for 5 hours in 100 degrees really isn't pleasant. Night brought only the slightest bit of relief but even at 10:00pm it was still oppressively hot. Like riding through the fire pits of hell itself I say. Made the town name "Ashburn" seem all too appropriate.

Anyway, it's time to wait out this heatwave in the home of my good friends and former roommates Jay and Elaine.

Oh, and I got this photo outside my host's apartment when I went back to Montréal:

Rain, rain went away

So an hour and a half or so after I called it quits from getting soaked, the rain stopped. The sky even cleared. But I didn't really trust it so I didn't want to go out again until that free show downtown my host Benoit told me about. So I wait another hour and then my host asks if I want to eat here or in town somewhere. "Here is fine." "Alright we just need to go to the supermarket to pick up some stuff...bring your camera." "My camera? You think I'll need it?" "Oh yeah, definitely."

After a 15 minute drive, it turns out, I did.


Rather than go to a supermarket, we went to Montmorency Falls. The tallest falls in Quebec, they are about 100 feet taller than Niagara. The surrounding area is beautiful


and you can get great views of Quebec City and the surrounding area.



We walked all around the area and I got a ton of pics so check the photostream.
They start from the car ride over (I had no idea where we were going or how long the sky would be clear for).

After walking all around Montmorency falls, and getting back in the car I said "That was the coolest supermarket I've ever been to." It was already 8:30 and the show was supposed to start at 9:30 so we didn't have time to go to the actual supermarket. Instead we went back, ate leftovers, and made our way downtown. I'm wondering what this is exactly because he almost made a point of just saying "show" and not calling it a concert. We walk out to this highway overpass where the underneath part is all fenced off. We walk around the fence to the entrance and I see a small yellow and blue spiral tent.

I recognize that trademark.

"Oh no way...THIS is a FREE show?"
"Yup."
"Totally free."
"Yup."
"Cirque du Soleil is putting on a free show in the middle of the city?"
"Oh you figured out what it is? Yeah, the city made some kind of a contract with the production company for free shows in the summer for 5 years."

This was this year's stage setting:


It was almost like stumbling across a secret hobo circus.

Anyway, completely free show of crazy acrobatics right in the middle of downtown? AWESOME! Apparently it was some story about tree people that continued last year's show. I may not have gotten everything, but it was still a great show and overall an incredibly cool experience.

After the show, Benoît takes me on a walking tour all through the Old City.



There's a wall that circles the old city


and you can go up stairs and walk all around it for some incredible views.


Québec is definitely a more charming city than Montréal. Especially the old city. But Montréal has the subway, and is mostly all flat. It seems like you're always walking uphill in Québec.

We then went for a beer at a local brewery (I know I'm not a beer drinker, but while I travel, I'll try anything local) and on the way back to the car, got a great picture of a lesson learned the hard way.



I feel bad for whoever's bike this was but I couldn't help but laugh.