We have had a good ride today and thankfully our backs have been relatively comfortable. The ride saw us travelling on some great turnpikes and interstates with good surfaces and covered the ground well. We wound through lots of beautifully kept and productive farmland, much of it in the hands of the Amish by the look of the buildings and then climbed through leaf covered hills to mountain ranges. The leaves are changing here as well but a lot of trees have already lost their leaves ahead of the usual colour change. Part of the ride took us on tunnels under three mountains, Blue, Kittatinny and Tuscarora Mountains which was an impressive experience. Once we left the major roads we have had a great ride on the Lincoln Highway and the I 30 W with steep climbs and lots of corners as well as the great views.



A view from lookout point Mount Ararat, Allegheny Mountains, elevation 2,464 feet. We climbed to over 2,900 feet before we started to descend and glimpsed some great views which we couldn’t stop to photograph.



A farming view as we descended.



The point of our ride today was to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial, Stoystown but alas it was closed due to the Federal Government shutdown. We had hoped being more remote it may have been open ….. and so did many others who pulled into the entry in the time we were there. Everyone was annoyed. This is a view from the top of the hill of part of it only and showed that even if we could ride around the barrier that apart from being unlawful would have meant that we would encounter personnel at the plaza as there were several cars there.



And here is the sign on the barrier that may or may not have been added to by an Australian tourist ….. or someone. Anyway, enough said.



We discoverd that other than the memorial there was little which would draw people to the area, at least on the main road anyway so it was with some relief that we turned off the main road to discover an attractive little town. This is a house just down the hill from our accommodation in Ligonier.



And another on the way to our dinner spot.



A bonus for us was to find Fort Ligonier which was the scene of one of the key battles in the French and Indian War. Fort Ligonier, built by the British in 1758, has been reconstructed and houses a museum with outstanding artefacts and exhibits relating to the 18th century events here. It was very impressive and we were glad we got to see it. They are preparing for 3 days celebration from October 11th to 13th. This is a shot within the fort walls.



And of the barricades on the perimeter which demonstrates why it was never overrun by the Indians.



And the rotunda in the square in the middle of town. Shame they are preparing for a big influx of people because there are extra rubbish bins everywhere.

Bits and Bobs:



At one of the turnpike service facilities I spotted this sign on a door in the restroom which intrigued me in what it had to offer.



I was impressed with what I found.



A quirky sculpture Norm spotted on the road between the Memorial site and Ligonier.



And a display table in the window of a shop in Ligonier.

Last 2 night’s Accommodation:



Lancaster Arts Hotel
300 Harrisburg Avenue
Lancaster PA 17603

An interesting building starting life as a tobacco storage warehouse from 1881 up until 1945 and then a paper and twine store for another 40 years and now a hotel. It has beautiful big timbers throughout the building and lovely old brick walls and timber floors. Our room is spacious and comfortable and bathroom well fitted out with a large shower. A continental breakfast and free undercover parking is included and the public spaces are quirky and tastefully decorated. I've also enjoyed a profusion of artworks throughout the hotel. Very nice. An enjoyable experience.

Last night’s Dinner:

John J Jeffries – the Hotel restaurant which had a cosy but modern ambience, great service and a sense of privacy while dining as well as enough carpet and soft furnishings not to echo. So nice. The best bit was the food which was superb! Good value and great experience. Definitely recommend it!

The planned tour of Valley Forge didn’t happen compliments of the Federal Government shutdown because this is a National Park. Interesting that it is called a National Park so one would assume they belong to the ‘Nation’ rather than the politicians but apparently not. So here we are at the main gate to the park.



And a sign at the closed off road which was repeated on signs around the perimeter of the park.



A little further along the through road we found the George Washington Memorial Chapel in the hands of Private Operators and we pulled in and found it to be a very peaceful and beautiful place and appreciated some of the history we heard from a volunteer then walked along the road to discover a little more of the history.



And this is a memorial above the battleground across the road from the Chapel



A short distance from the chapel a log cabin built on the site of one of the originals built to shelter Washington’s troops. It was a brutal time here with 2,000 men dying over the two years and not from battle but starvation, illness and the cold.



The plaque on the cabin.



And another cabin further along the road in memory of some of the regiments which served there.

We continued our trip onto Lancaster and saw huge evidence of intensive agriculture along the way as well as evidence of much involvement of the Amish community but as the day progressed I became more and more aware of a really tight and painful lower back and later in the day Norm did also. That’s the worst of being such a couple of old crocks so bottom line by the time we got to Lancaster the need for a chiropractor was clear and so I googled Chiropractors in Lancaster then the closest one to our hotel and found Dr Kevin Long who was kind enough to stay back to treat us both which we greatly appreciated. We both feel more comfortable tonight and have been icing the sore bits and hope a good night’s sleep will see us more comfortable in the morning as we have a big day ahead of us. We finally figured out tonight what the trigger was for our back trouble. The hop on hop off tour was in a bus with little to no suspension and the roads around Philadelphia were appallingly rough and jarring with many times of jarring compression of our frames, a couple of times in particular.



On our way back from seeing the Chiropractor we passed the Franklin & Marshall College athletic ground and found students hard at training so thought a picture was in order.



And some student accommodation across the road.

Bits and Bobs:



Interested to see that there is reverse parking here, this is the first place we have seen it.

Last 2 night’s Accommodation:



Best Western Plus Independence Park Hotel
235 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106 - 2813

A welcome and gracious building to retreat from the city. Lovely comfortable bed, helpful staff and charming room. We have found the first hotel to have 2 luggage stands (about time). Included continental breakfast and also coffee / tea and biscuits in the comfortable lounge / lobby each afternoon. Walking distance to lots of great sights and car parking just around the corner. Good value for money.

Last 2 night’s Dinner:

CUBA LIBRE – A Cuban restaurant and a recommendation from our hotel and just around the corner. The ambience was great as it was decorated like it was in a Cuban courtyard and it looked fabulous and the food didn’t disappoint. It was beautiful and reasonably priced. A great night!

The Continental – A beautifully restored and decorated Diner which is now a Cocktail Bar and Restaurant. Another recommendation from the hotel and across the road from last night’s choice. The ambience was quirky, the service good and fun and the food absolutely delicious with lots of choices of small and large plates and combinations to share and good value as well. Another great night.

A wet and windy day today and we knew that was coming so instead of going on a circular ride we stayed to explore Philadelphia some more and we managed to stay mainly dry.



Norm and Ken planning the day in the hotel foyer which was decorated with inspiration from one of the homes on Society Hill.



Betsy Ross’s House. Betsy Ross made the first American flag for George Washington and was a very gutsy woman who knew she was risking being tried for treason if the Colonists hadn’t succeeded in winning their independence. It was a great tour.



The city skyline as we approached the city on our hop on hop off bus tour.



And from another direction.



An impressive sign outside the Hard Rock Café, as well as lit up it revolves. Quirky.



The penitentiary where Al Capone was incarcerated … not for his crimes but for tax evasion. Makes you wonder which crimes are considered more serious still I suppose better to have him behind bars than not.



Elfreth’s Alley the oldest inhabited street in Philadelphia. Very picturesque.



A view of more of the Benjamin Franklin bridge (approximately 3kms long) and was the longest suspension bridge in the world for many years.



The Liberty Bell which we took a photo of from outside the facility as we couldn’t get inside due to the Federal Government Shutdown.



And part of the Constitution precinct where the Declaration of Independence and Independence was hatched. Couldn’t get in this either and we couldn’t even go into the park precinct with police guarding entrances. Crazy stuff. A political row is preventing Federal employees from earning an income and private individuals in business from working as well so reduced tax income….and it’s not just us who think this is crazy. People everywhere we run into are seriously ticked off with it.

The day dawned very misty and with wet roads so we donned the wet weather gear and headed off for what was a pretty intense ride on freeways all the way from Stamford to Philadelphia (211 kms) with a lot of fast moving though usually predictable traffic. It was probably just as well it was as misty as it was or we might have been more distracted by the sights but as it was we saw some hugely impressive freeway systems and countless bridges of all sizes, spans and descriptions. Awesome!

We also got a great look at the wharves in New York with the container cranes disappearing into the mist on one side of the road and the Newark Airport on the other with huge planes landing as we passed. Very impressive.

Oh we also saw a bit of suburban life in the Bronx and New Jersey areas compliments to misreading the GPS but we got back onto other alternative routes and finally onto the I 95 heading south as planned. We did this twice and then some time after when we were about ready to stop for a coffee we went through a toll point and who should be going through at the same time but Sharen and Ken who we hadn't seen in at least 100kms. Unbelievable. We pulled up in a service area for coffee south of New York and then stowed the waterproofs and the temperature and humidity continued to rise from then and the sun was finally peeking through as we got to the hotel.



Corn exchange bank just up the road from our hotel in the old part of Philadelphia.



A memorial to the Irish immigrants which was a moving sculpture. This was one of many memorials in a number of parks all over the top of the freeway. Great way to cover the freeway and also bring some green spaces into the town.



The Korean War Memorial. Very respectful.



The Benjamin Franklin Bridge which we rode over to get into downtown Philadelphia. You can just see the second upright above the building roof to the left which gives some perspective to the size of it and these frames looked seriously daunting as we rode across. Mind you as we rode through the New York Area we were on a multi storey bridge at some stage.



And another view from a different perspective where you can see more taken the next day.



A magnificent ship at the wharf near the Columbus Memorial.



A little kid playing in the autumn / fall leaves at the Christopher Columbus Memorial.



The Customs House virtually across the road from our hotel. A beautiful building.



And the First American Bank not far away from here. Built in 1795.

Bits and Bobs:



This was on the wall in our hotel last night warning people NOT to hang a coat hanger on the fire outlet and it reminded us of the amusing introduction to the Amaverde we travelled from Amsterdam to Budapest on last year. The things some people do!

We have only seen a few bikes today and the last two days also whereas the two days before that we saw a couple of hundred of them as we were on great bike roads and it was great bike weather. Prior to that time the majority of the bikers we saw wore helmets and other protective gear but since then a handful only have worn helmets and not a lot of other protective gear. I wince when I see all the bare skin!



We have seen huge numbers of new ‘trucks’ in our travels so Norm was keen to capture this one on our way back from our walk to show that they aren’t ALL new.

Last night’s Accommodation:



Courtyard Marriott Stamford Downtown
275 Summer Street
Stamford, CT, 06901

What a lovely spot to have a break! Large and comfortable room and bathroom. Lots of eating options in walking distance and close to the city centre. The hotel is comfortable and staff cheerful and helpful. The bed was beautifully comfortable and the included continental breakfast yummy. Good value for money.

The only negative we had was being charged for 2 car spots for parking. The fee was $10.00 per car for valet parking. We parked both bikes ourselves in a space which wouldn’t have taken up as much room as a car and this was the first time EVER we have been charged for 2 spots. The Hotel reception said it is a separate business from the hotel and I had to take it up with the gentleman in charge of parking, he shrugged and said this is what the hotel insists. He wasn’t going to change his mind and while it’s not a huge amount it really ticked me off. RIP OFF! This is the room they took up in the corner of the hotel entry; they didn’t even go into the car park. Grrrrr.



Last night’s Dinner:

Tawa (Indian restaurant) – literally a couple of doors down from the hotel. We dined upstairs away from the street noise and activity and the food was delicious and the staff attentive and obliging. Great value for money and delicious food.

The day started misty and humid and we donned the waterproof suits to stay dry until our morning coffee at Litchfield. The weather progressively improved after that and after we had lunch in Madison the weather was sunny and warm and it was good to get into Stamford nice and dry.



Coffee stop at Litchfield which was a great spot and we visited the St Michael’s fair which was fun. Here is Norm trying to knock the skittles over. He had already won us a chocolate each.



A Litchfield Main street view.



And a small courtyard behind some of the main street buildings. Very cute.



And some autumn leaves on the way back to the bikes in front of a lovely house. There were a lot of very spectacular and stately homes in the town.



Some decorative pumpkins at the front of a Litchfield shop.



And a local garden which was a treat.



As we wandered in downtown Stamford before dinner we discovered some lovely sculptures and here is one plus Normie.



And a view of old and new architecture which blended beautifully on a city building.



And one with Sharen to give an idea of the size.
Bits and Bobs:



A sign we found in the window of an insurance office….led to some interesting discussions at dinner.



A sign on the back of a delivery van.



Nothing anyone tells me will convince me that this is comfortable to wear .... or cool!

Last night’s Accommodation:



Conroy’s B & B
11 East Street
Stockbridge, MA 01262

Our room was in the barn and was quirky and comfortable. Breakfast included in the main house. The host friendly and welcoming but close to a turnpike and its noise and was over a mile to town to access an evening meal. I think most other accommodation around was a two night minimum over the weekend so this served the purpose but seemed expensive for what we got.

Last night’s Dinner:

Once upon a Table – a cute little restaurant which was a recommendation from our host and it was a delight. Small in size but huge in flavour of our meals. Beautiful food, fun service and good value for money. Happy to recommend it.

While the day started in fine weather we ended up with a fair amount of rain but that didn't really detract all that much from the magnificent sights we rode through with great sweeping valleys and mountains covered in splashes, stripes and what looked like whole blankets of colour draped across them. Late in the day we also saw several manicured golf courses with multi coloured trees snaking their way between the holes. Shame we couldn't stop to capture the spectacle!



Ready for the winter! A sight we have seen increasingly as winter approaches as well as last minute painting and building maintenance as people get ready for the snow. This was at the Quechee Inn.



We headed off with reasonably clear skies but cool and we donned the dri-az-a-bone pants at Woodstock which increased the comfort level. We even had a brief bit of sun in Woodstock which quickly dissipated to grey skies. This is a delightful little covered bridge we encountered on our way to Woodstock.



Another covered bridge as we headed for Woodstock.



A street view in Woodstock. A really pretty little town.



And the third and final covered bridge we captured literally in Woodstock. We passed another couple later in the day but didn’t stop to capture them.



And this was a first chance to stop and snap some of the awesome colour which had increased overnight. The flat photo does not do justice to it!



We had a morning coffee at the Grey Cap Inn just out of Killington MA and this is a lounge there with a quirky coffee table which is a sleigh! The Inn was in housekeeper mode between the summer and winter seasons and one of us said ‘I guess you will get snow in the next couple of months’ to which the reply was ‘more likely in the next 2 weeks’ to which we thought ‘eeek, we have bikes to get back to Chicago!’



Another glimpse of the colour as the day was about to turn a bit wet. There had been rain here before we arrived and it got seriously wet soon after which limited the camera being out. Bugger!



Lunch at Manchester in the Equinox, to the left of the screen, a very large and classy Inn with golf course and spa attached and they had people rolling in in big numbers.



An impressive Church in Bennington. The stone looked very nice.



A streetview in Stockbridge.



And some autumn / fall leaves under the trees in St Paul’s yard. Makes me want to rustle my way through them. The stone here was much like the church in Bennington.

Bits and Bobs



Another sign about being responsible with pets.

Last night’s Accommodation:



The Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm
1119 Main Street
Quechee, Vermont, 05059

A quaint rambling place which was built in 1793 by the then Lieutenant Governor and it has undergone many changes of hands and fortunes since. Today it is a charming Inn with beautifully decorated rooms, comfortable common spaces to relax in, the capacity to cater for large number functions like weddings and trail rides and adventure things available as well as a superb restaurant to top it off. A real find in a reasonably remote area.

Last night’s Dinner:

Quechee Inn Restaurant – an incredibly diverse menu and the food we all had was absolutely delicious. Service was friendly and engaging and the ambience just right. A great experience.

We woke to see more colours in the hills opposite our Inn and the day unfolded with a succession of oooooh’s and aaaaah’s as we rode through mountain roads and valleys. The colour low down was brilliant and a combination of tones of red, orange and gold and as we got into higher altitudes the red started to disappear and there were more trees which had lost their leaves altogether which gave a silver sheen to the roof of the forest. We travelled largely through the White Mountain National park area and what follows is a very small selection of what we saw. Not surprisingly today we took the most photos of any day so far but the picture don't do justice to the colour which is a shame.



The steam train which was very active in North Conway and filled the valley with the haunting whistle which reminds us of our childhood.



The first glimpse of colour we stopped to take a picture of.



And along the road. Note the train track up the side of the canyon. The bare cliff face has slid down to the track in may places.



A view from Crawford Notch.



The Silver Cascade and again the photo doesn't do it justice.



The Mount Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods. What a treat to have coffee there. Note the golf course in front ... actually it surrounds the hotel and there were also people riding horses around the edge of the course. Now I've heard of wallabies and kangaroos on Australian courses bit horses?



And this is about a half of the hotel lobby.



And a view across the car park at the Visitor Centre at the Flume. We found out there was a 2 mile steep walk and climb so kept riding. NB: This wasn't a Federal government site so it was still open but we have seen a number which are closed and will continue to be if the Government shutdown continues. Much aggravation in the population as a result and places we have been to distressed at cancelations to bookings for accommodation and reduced tourist numbers at the end of their summer season. Happy now we didn't manage to get our National Parks Pass before we travelled or we would have spent our money for nothing!



A quaint little covered bridge we found on our way to Plymouth.



The welcome entrance to the Quechee inn.



And a shot of one of the balloons we spotted and stopped to take a picture of …. In front of the inn we were heading to as it turned out.

Bits and Bobs:



A picture of the first Moose we have encountered for the grandchildren. Hope we get to see a real one…though in a non-dangerous scenario of course.

Last night’s Accommodation:



The Red Elephant Inn
28 Locust Lane
North Conway, NH,03860

An interesting building and a little bit rambly. Beautifully decorated rooms and lovely comfortable bed. An incredibly delicious and creative breakfast included as well as an afternoon wine and unlimited tea coffee and nibbles. We were made to feel very welcome. Enjoyable stay!

Last night’s Dinner:

Maestros –an absolutely delicious meal, lovely ambience and superb service. Great recommendation from our host.

Beautifully warm and sunny and more colour noticeable in the trees. The change is slow because of the unseasonal warm weather but for us ‘Leaf Peepers’ who are watching closely we can notice tiny changes each day.



We started the day by heading for Lexington still on the history trail and this is a view of Saint Brigid’s as we approached the Lexington Green.



And this is a lovely house typical of the town and also of the Concord area we explored yesterday.



And another with immaculately manicured gardens.



A view of Lexington Green where the local Militia faced off with the Red Coats all those years ago. The Obelisk to the left is the first War Memorial to be erected in the US and the flags were erected in 1965 by decree of government to fly 24hours a day.



A quirky little diner at Tilton Dean told us about last night which was our lunch spot. Called the Tilt’n Diner.



A pretty poor shot of some colour on the highway, not as good as we saw but one I could stop to take.



A view across Lake Winnipesaukee. There were a huge number of hotels and camp grounds in the area and would no doubt be packed in the summer.



And a view across Lake Chocorua to White Mountain. The photo doesn’t do it justice.



And a little shot of a little more colour but still only a taste in spite of a faint orange / yellow tinge to the hills.

Last night’s Accommodation:



The Colonial Inn
48 Monument Square
Concord, MA, 01742

A lovely old building dating back to 1716 which has grown and developed over time. The Inn itself was a rambling affair with multiple halls and stairwells to a number of different wings. There are also a couple of cottages out the back of the car park and we were in one of these and it was literally a cottage and very quaint complete with a comfortable four poster bed. Good value.

Last night’s Dinner:
The Colonial Inn Main Restaurant – we had a delicious meal, it was a reasonable cost and the service was good and helpful. We had a lovely night. Not loud and plenty of room to not feel crowded. Very nice.

Another glorious day of sunny skies and beautiful riding weather and we called into the downtown Providence area and were met with lots of lovely sights. This is an example of the Riverfront refurbishment project…aka what you do when you don’t have room on land to do what you want…you build over the river. A very effective outcome!



An eye catching building we encountered on our stroll.



And another.



When we arrived in Concord we were (as in 1998 on our first visit) blown away with what a beautiful area it is quite in spite of the historical significance to American Independence. This is a quick view down the Main Street



The Minutemen Memorial over the bridge where the Concord Minutemen met the British redcoats to say ‘enough was enough’ and therein the start to independence was initiated. By the way the entry to this National Memorial was closed off to the public today as the Government was shut down by Republicans stopping supply to the Government. I was delighted that many people were claiming this National sight as belonging to the ‘People’ and not the Government by still exploring it.



We called in to catch up with an Industry colleague from many years ago Dean Croke and this is his Peterbuilt – ‘The Grumpy Pete’ check out the website www.thegrumpypete.com This is a side on view.



And this is a look at the dash. Very impressive!
Bits and Bobs:



A quirky clock we found in Providence.



Mike, this one’s for you, a ‘Dunkin Donuts’ sign / store. We have seen heaps of them but not ventured in so far.



And finally a sign on a tree on Dean’s patio, a reminder of how far they / we are from home!

Last night’s Accommodation:



Harbour Side Inn
1 Christies Landing
Newport, Rhode Island, 02840

A quirky Inn utilising a number of buildings above shop fronts on the dock. Lovely comfortable room with plenty of room to spread out and relax. Beautifully comfortable bed. Complimentary continental breakfast and parking out front. Staff helpful and walking distance to lots of shops and dock attractions.

We started our day by visiting ‘The Breakers’ a former Vanderbilt Mansion and it was spectacular as was the ride along Bellevue Avenue where there were many other mansions as well. This is a view from the lawn which runs down to the sea and the real breakers. If you want a taste of the mansions check out ‘Newport Mansions’ on the Internet. There are at least a dozen because there are that many on a walking tour which we didn’t do.



From there the real ride began firstly over a couple of spectacular bridges and this pictures is of the biggest one compliments of the internet and that meant we were heading for the southern beaches and breathed in the delicious fragrance of salt and enjoyed some spectacular scenery and many lovely houses.



A great view of the bikes in front of some great old cars which were part of a group of 250 which had gathered in Cape Cod for the weekend and we had also seen some over at Martha’s Vineyard. In the background also is a quirky Coastguard building and we had a coffee to the right of that.



A view from the deck where we had our coffee. Sorry about the rubbish skip but that was the reality of today.



The lighthouse at Point Judith.



Part of the drawbridge at Mystic Harbour.



And a better view of the counterweights. We saw it lift twice during our lunch.



Our lunch spot right beside the drawbridge.



And a view from the drawbridge right across the Mystic Harbour.



And we spotted the steam boat Sonoma about to berth while we were in the old Harbour area.

Bits and Bobs:



Found Little Toot outside the Mystic Harbour Seaport but not doing too much tug work at this point.



And spotted another cute mailbox.