This morning I chatted with a group of soldiers at the roadside stop where were parked.
They were very friendly, and were very positive about the fact that I am Australian. They expressed great respect for their Australian counterparts, and enthusiasm for Australia.
We chatted for a few moments, and then went our separate ways.
Travel
Roadtripping #10
There are some crazy drivers in New Jersey. Just saying.
Roadtripping #9
Dear New York,
It’s only because we have driven on Connecticut highways that we don’t think the I-89 South is an absolutely horrendous piece of road.
Actually, it is.
Yours sincerely,
The Australians in the RV that just rattled the entire way from Newburgh to the junction with I-287 South.
Orange County Choppers.
The OCC showroom is at Newburgh, NY.
This place is way beyond cool.
There are special bikes on exhibit and you can take as many photos as you like. My favourites are the 9/11 Fire Department Memorial Bike and the POW/MIA Memorial Bike. Both are surrounded by memorabilia that make the tribute even more compelling.
It’s a really powerful way of expressing gratitude and encouraging remembrance of those who bravely served and sacrificed themselves for their fellow man.
We were lucky enough to score a tour of the workshop and take a look behind the scenes. We saw a number of bikes being worked on, and the framework for a motorbike sidecar that could carry a casket for bikers’ funerals. What a great idea!
We also saw a bike that Paul Sr is building for himself in shimmering gold and maroon. That bike is going to look absolutely amazing in the sunlight.
The production team were busy in a meeting but stopped to wave cheerfully to us as we walked by. Others stopped what they were doing to say hello and That was really nice. I get a very strong impression that everyone here works very closely as a team, and strives to maintain a positive and cheerful attitude. There’s a really good vibe here.
In addition to the showroom and store, there’s a cafe and a two lane bowling alley.
I’m really glad we came here. It’s been a great experience, and an excellent change to looking at scenery all the time.
And I know so many people, especially my nephews, are going to be dead jealous. Win.
Middle of nowhere.
The brainPod is playing George Strait’s “Middle of Nowhere” on a loop as we head to the Deer Park KOA near Cuddebackville in the Hudson River valley, NY.
If you want to get away from it all, this seems like the place to do it. The campground is nestled inside a gully out in the middle of nowhere, so even your phone and it’s associated internet capabilities can take a well-earned rest… unless, of course, you actually want to chat to friends or update your travel blog so that all of your adoring fans know you are still alive. (I am!) In that case, you are likely to be frustrated. (I am!)
Sigh.
The facilities are all clean, and there is hot water in the showers. The joy of a hot shower at the end of a long day of travelling is hard to express adequately, or at least without moaning with pleasure.
A shot of the maple whiskey my friend Sean gave me in dry ginger ale finishes the day very, very nicely. I confess, there were one or two moans of pleasure associated with that, too.
Morning reveals just how very pretty it is here. It’s early spring so there are no leaves on the trees, but lots of leaves from autumn still lie all over the ground. Little flurries of wind chase the leaves in a silly frolic that deposits them under trees until the next burst of wind comes along and continues the game.
There are squirrels running around, but they are shy and won’t let me take their picture.
The laundry is done, we’ve had coffee and a maple oatmeal cookie, and we’re off again.
Roadtripping #8
We are in New York, skirting around NYC because it’s not anywhere we want to go driving and sleeping in an RV.
Even in these outlying areas, the shopping malls are enormous. They are the size of a small suburb. Not even kidding.
Roadtripping #7
It’s been some time since we have seen any snow lying on the ground.
The trees are still naked here, but it’s a nice change to see them bathed in sunshine rather than snow, mist or rain.
We are passing through Connecticut without any plans to stop.
Hartford is an attractive city from what I can see.
Waterbury is pretty too, with some beautiful buildings and a really nicely laid out lawn cemetery. The roads are really rough though. That’s not cool.
Ugh. Traffic.
We obviously didn’t skirt the more densely populated areas widely enough.
This road trip is not about being stuck in traffic.
And the roads are still really rough. I think one of my kidneys just rattled loose.
Get your roadmaking act together, Connecticut.
It’s after 6pm and we are heading East on Route 84.
There is green grass here. It seems CT has shrugged winter off a little earlier than her northern counterparts, which is only to be expected.
I’d still rather be in Canada. Sad face.
The road just got better. I think we must have crossed another state line.
Hello, New York.
Roadtripping #6
As we crossed the border of Vermont, I channeled some Barry Gibb and sang
‘Massachusetts’ for my companions. They were enthralled, of course.
Mind you, I had been channeling Karen Carpenter all morning, as that’s what my brainPod was playing, so it was a refreshing change – for me, at least.
We saw a sign to Shelburne Falls and decided to take a detour and look around.
Shelburne Falls is a really pretty town nestled below a hydro-electric plant on the Deerfield River in the hills of Massachusetts. There is a river with a causeway, from which water spills very prettily. There are also some glacial potholes quite close to town: pools and channels carved out by water movement underneath a glacier, which makes these geological formations really old and really interesting.
The shops in the street are really well presented, with personality reminiscent of the quirkiness and sense of fun that we saw last night in Montpelier.
After crossing the bridge and taking a couple of snapshots, we visit the market store. It’s obviously run by hippies, but it is kind of cool. They have some really groovy knitted animals, and my friend distracts the store attendant while I take photos of them, just in case that is frowned upon by the aforementioned hippies.
Then we visit Mo’s Candy Store. Even before we get in the door, we are greeted by cheerful violets in a half-barrel, and some brightly coloured chairs with cute sayings painted on them, like “When I feel blue, I eat pink ice-cream”. The presentation is really cute and inviting. It’s just what the entrance to a country town candy shop should be.
As we walk in the door, we are met with the most divine aroma. Not just sugar or the mixed fragrances of commercial candy. There are three confectioners making different types of candy at the back of the store. That’s what smells so amazing.
This place has everything. Chocolates, fudge, truffles, cookies, hard candy, taffy, and jars full of all kinds of sweets.
I make my selection: a PB cup in milk chocolate and one in dark chocolate, and the same choices in maple cups. Maple cups are new to me, but I love maple foods, so I know they will be a winner. I also choose a peanut butter pothole cookie sandwich which looks mouth-wateringly divine: chocolate cookies filled with peanut butter cream.
Some of the treats at Mo's Candy Store.
I can feel my jeans getting a little tighter just thinking about that cookie, but it’s going to be totally worth it.
Dumb and dumber.
We stopped at a roadside information centre in Hartford, VT where there were several police vehicles, including a K-9 unit parked and talking casually.
Just as I was taking a typical tourist “rubbernecking” photograph of the police units, a shiny black truck pulled into the stop and sideswiped one of the police pickups.
The police yelled at the driver to stop, then to stop the engine and get out of the vehicle. The police dog barked and strained at its lead; they are trained to protect their officers and vehicles as well as sniffing out the bad stuff and things/people that need to be found. One officer picked up the fender of the pickup and tossed it in the back of the vehicle.
In those couple of very dramatic seconds, the truck driver responded by hanging out of the window of his truck and yelling at the police for parking in a stupid place.
Really? That’s how you’re going to respond to a bunch of angry cops when you have just tried to park on one of their vehicles?
We watched, quite amused, as the police went over every inch of his truck looking for violations.
As the officer with the dog brought his K-9 workmate back to his vehicle, I explained that I was a tourist from Australia and I would like a picture of his dog. They were both happy to pose for a picture, although Mitch the German Shepherd was still more interested in the scowling truck driver a few metres away.
Roadtripping #5
Vermont really is stunning in its beauty and grandeur.
Mountains and trees and more mountains, with higher snowy peaks rising in the not-so-distant skyline.
Robust pines and cypresses boast their rich green among their naked deciduous forest neighbours, although some still bear a few almost transparent autumn leaves that have, by some miracle, held on through winter.
Signs along Route 89 promise moose crossing and bears crossing.
Given the number of signs, I am disappointed that we didn’t see a single one. That would have been really cool.
An Aussie Maple Leaf, adrift on the wind... 