National Motorcycle Museum

Monday, 6/9/2014

Anamosa, Iowa

Back on the road by 7:20 AM and reached Anamosa by 12:30 (crossed our first time zone – try to explain that to a kid!).  Traveling through Iowa we see lots of open space with field after field of corn.  Indiana was very flat but we are beginning to see rolling hills again and lots of dirt roads.  Anamosa is a very small town; really just a cross roads with a McDonalds, 2 hotels, a Subway and one family restaurant and then the largest national motorcycle museum.  This place was packed with history.  All the manikins are freaking Zoey out.  She said she didn’t like all those people staring at her.  When she walks around a corner and comes upon one suddenly you hear a little gasp.  We are in the hotel right now and Zoey is in her glory because the TV has Sponge Bob.  She is tucked under the covers after eating her fill of grapes, carrots and an apple; and it’s only 5 PM.  Well I guess her tummy thinks it’s 6.  Don and Todd have run to the Walmart – yes even a town of less than 300 people has a Walmart.  Well the first 3 days we traveled over 300 miles per day and the kids have done very well.  The next few days we will travel 200 give or take a few and then stop to see things.   

Our Little Grease Monkeys

Sun, 6/8/2014

South Bend, IN

The hotel last night had a window seat with a nice cushion and Todd insisted he was going to sleep there.  He did and about 2 AM we heard a thump and he had fallen off the window seat into the floor.  Awful way to wake up!  On the road by 7:10 AM and traveled through some pouring rain for several hours.  With only one stop for lunch we reached the Studebaker Museum by 2:15 PM.  Very interesting and the kids liked seeing the old cars, trucks, tanks and horse drawn wagons but what they really liked was the small hands-on garage for kids where they could change tires; replace mufflers; fill the antifreeze; drain the oil; and do all types of automotive work.  There were work orders and a desk with a phone to take customer’s calls.  They had a ball.  Reserved a motel yesterday near the museum and it is a roof over our heads and that’s about it.  I’ve stayed in worse but not very often.  Kids are doing great!  I couldn’t have asked for better kids today riding 374 miles. 

 

 

 

 

Cross Country Again - With Two Kids - Are We Crazy?

Sat. 6/7/2014

Full day of driving; car was packed yesterday afternoon and we were up by 5:30 AM and pulling out of the driveway at 7:09 AM.   Stopped for breakfast just before the Bay Bridge just like we always do on the bikes.  One or two more stops to stretch and we arrived at the hotel by 3:30 PM.  Would have been a little earlier but we are off the freeway and in town so we had to deal with some traffic delays.  I sure wouldn’t want to live in a city as crowded as Pittsburgh.   One of our rest stops was in Hancock where we walked by the Canal.  And we had to use a “port-a-potty” which was something Zoey was very interested in. Had the GPS set for shortest route for a while so we got off the interstate and traveled a few miles on great mountain roads – could almost make the van lean – until Don made me stop.  Zoey was in the back saying “wee”.   Kids were impressed with the mountains and that we were riding on top of some and going through tunnels to get through others.   Nice motel and kids were impressed the room even has a bathroom!  They don’t remember staying in a motel last year.  Toys are all over the room right now as well as popcorn.   Kids traveled good; took 3 short naps in the car. 

Few pictures of our Bahamas Cruise 2014



So much food every where on deck 9



Don , Lois and Ken



Don



Carnival Pride

Always waiting on me



Ken and Lois



Don and me

Cruise To Bahamas 2014

Sunday, Feb. 23, was a beautiful day with warm temps and plenty of sun.  Not the usual on the Delmarva Peninsula this time of the year.   We boarded the Carnival Pride around 2 pm and waited an hour or so before heading to our staterooms to unpack and settle in.   Had to do the emergencies drill (don’t want a “man over board” you know) and then we set sail in search of warm weather.  Dinner was next on the agenda; the menu had lots of choices and we just picked anything that sounded good. No limits and no prices – how great is that?

Monday and Tuesday were days at sea but as we sailed down the bay and along the eastern coast of the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida it began to warm up and we shed the jeans, sweaters and sneakers and put on the shorts, summer tops and sandals.  Every day was filled with activities and you could do as much or as little as you wanted.  Grab your Kindle or a book and rest in one of the many chairs or sofas on decks 2 or 3.  Or head out to one of the many pools and rest in a lounge chair or at a table on deck 9; perhaps take a Zumba Dance class, watch ice carving, participate in a game of bean bag toss or watch the judging of the Mix Masters competition.  Or survey the food choices available at the 7 or 8 food bars in preparation for lunch.   I mean let’s face it; it has only been 3 hours since breakfast!  If you are hungry it is certainly not for the lack of food that is available 24/7.

When we docked at our ports of call Ken and Lois took a bus to tour the Kennedy Space Center while Don and I headed for a pontoon boat ride through the many lagoons to see Dolphins, Manatee and various birds playing.  We shared our experiences over dinner before heading out to  play bingo and watch a stellar show. 

Nassau was our next port and as we pulled in to dock the water is the most beautiful shades of blue with warm breezes blowing.  We catch our tour guide just off the ship for a day touring the city, visiting a local beach and the Ardastra Gardens.  Hours later we are walking down Bay Street near the port shopping at Del Sol with a stop at a great little shop on a side street to get some wonderful Rum Cakes.

Freeport was a bit overcast with slight drizzle but that didn’t stop us from shopping the straw market and other shops near the port.  Ken and Lois even got in a quick dance in the market place to music being provided by a local artist.

Another day at sea and as we sail up the coast and into the bay you see the sweatshirts and jeans again and talk of a snow storm.  We check with friends we have made onboard (Needles and her husband) to see where they are flying to and how the weather might be for them.   There are raffles being drawn and Ken wins a lovely charm bracelet and Lois wins that last game of Bingo ($1000) and Don brings home close to $200 from the Casino; while I just contributed to all the Bingo games and slot machines.  

In true UTR style, we might not have had a lot in our group but we had good fellowship, lot of laughs and got to know each other better.  We shared bike stories and adventures; discussed rallies past and future and needless to say we missed each of you.

Heading Home

Day 8

We rode downtown last night to see the festival and parking was a problem so we didn’t even go this morning.  Up at 7 and began packing the trailer so we could pull out when the fog lifted.  Everyone had picked their riding buddies and we all headed out around 9 even though the fog was still hanging low and it was cold.  I think everyone was taking 39 east and then heading in different directions down the road.  Don and I needed gas so we headed for Sheetz first telling Andy we’d catch-up with them later which we did at the gas station in Marlinton.  We had all stopped for coffee to warm us up after an hour riding.  We continued on 39 and savored the twists and turns for the last time with Andy, Bonnie, Leon and Dale.  We rode through Goshen Pass and it was beautiful, just as I remembered it.  Our next stop was for gas and a short rest in Lexington and then we got on 64 and headed for Orange, arriving at the Dairy Korner Restaurant at 2:30 where we stopped for a late lunch or an early dinner.   Don and I decided to stop in Fredericksburg for the night while Andy, Bonnie, Leon and Dale went on to finish the trip home tonight.  We did a total of 279 miles today and I’m tired.  My babies are well cared for so no need to beat myself up.  We will spending the night at the Super 8 in Fredericksburg, VA

The Banquet

Well it’s 8:30 and the banquet is over and we will begin packing in just a few minutes to leave .  As usual Bernadette had a great little game; where we each wrote one thing on a piece of paper that no one knows about us and sign our names.  She then  read each paper and we tried to guess who it was – boy some were surprising and others were really funny.  At one table a person wrote “I’m not gay.  The second person (same sex) couldn’t think of anything to write so his table buddy wrote “I am gay” and signed his name (this person IS NOT gay).  The 3^rd guy (knowing nothing about the first two exchanges) wrote “I have sore feet”.  Well the room was rolling in laughter asking if the 3 of them were playing footsies under the table.  Gifts were given out based on things that happened during the rally to various individuals just as they have been each year and then the door prizes handed out.  Now it is over and we will all pull out tomorrow.  Even though we will gather together for our September breakfast and ride nothing can compare to spending a week together at the rally; riding, laughing, playing games and sharing.