FJRiders.com

Wifey and I took a little trip...Photo dump version

Day 1 and 2 -Near Somerset, PA

Flight 93 memorial














Dark granite is the flight path of the last few moments






















The boulder in the distance marks the crash site.

When the flight struck the ground it was inverted, 58 degrees to horizontal, and traveling at over 700 miles an hour.

I will just state the obvious, everyone- if they have the opportunity- must visit this memorial. It is far more than the little I have shown here. You may find yourself shedding tears like I did. It is incredibly sad, and you will relive that day, but this pilgrimage will remind you of the 40 sacrificed at that spot in Pennsylvania and the more than 3000 that lost their lives that morning.

My wife and I saw it last year. Coincidentally, we ran into Griff and his wife there at that time.

I agree - this must be seen.

That just pisses me off. A....LOT.

I was off that day, I watched it all in real time. God bless those who were so selfless that day.

Definitely on my list of places to see soon. Thanks for sharing.

I need to see that one. We went over when we lived in Ohio before the whole memorial was built and it was just a flag and a fence.

gixxerjasen wrote: ↑Sat Aug 03, 2024 11:00 pm I need to see that one. We went over when we lived in Ohio before the whole memorial was built and it was just a flag and a fence.

I was there in 2007 at that temporary memorial and that was poignant as well. They had a large American flag over the crash location.

So, it is time to move on...we went to the Finger Lakes area of western New York state, we heard it was beautiful. It was. We stayed at an airbnb about 9 miles northeast of Watkins Glen. We don't drink wine, but this whole area is jack full of wineries. It is also beautiful. I was driving so I didn't take awesome shots like Jasen would have. We did take a nice 1 1/2 mile hike fit for us elderly folk. It was AWESOME... it was the highlight of our time in the area. Watkins Glen SP.















We stayed in the Finger Lakes area for 2 full days, hiking in the state parks near there.

We then headed east, on our way to Bar Harbor Maine, the destination that Louanne really wanted to see on this trip, staying at overnight spots of interest along the way.

Okay, let me stop for a moment and talk about the hills of Pennsylvania and New York, I love the topography...the hills and forests are a pleasure to go through. I love the rural landscape, no doubt. I think growing up in unincorporated Wheaton near the open farms and swamps in an age where we were allowed and expected to roam far and wide with older brothers was priceless; later to see the farmland and swamps get swallowed up in new homes made me bitter towards what happened to a historic and once magical land. The building boom in the 60s/70s made suburbia from Chicago to the Fox River. That building boom kept going till it reached the Rock River. Wheaton is 25 miles straight west of downtown Chicago. The Rock River is about 1 1/2 hours west of Wheaton, so when I got my FJR I took little strips of green winding west to northwest Illinois to escape the Chicago mega-opolis. I would ride free and fast in the open cornfields that everybody else despises on towards northwest Illinois and Galena with its promise of hills, views and a small taste of Virginia. So yes, I enjoyed the glimpses I got of western PA and NY. I was also remembering a solo trip I took on the FJR in 2005 to New England. This previous trip guided me in 2024 when traveling with Louanne and how I wanted to get to Vermont. We travelled east through Ithaca, stayed south on 2 lane highways south of Utica, then headed east on 8 towards Speculator, then north through Adirondack SP and slightly west to Tupper Lake, our destination for the night. Adirondacks remind me of the forests in far north Wisconsin, except that the Adirondacks have beautiful ponds, lakes, and mountains/hills as well. We stayed in a nice humble motel where you park in front of your room. Those are my favorite kind of motels if its in a decent neighborhood, the room is clean, and the shower and AC works. Everything was fine about this motel in Tupper Lake. We don't need fancy. On this trip, even humble motels cost a pretty penny it seems, so fancy motels would just break the wallet. Not an option. So we picked and chose where to throw out the extra ca$h.

Our next day, we headed towards Stowe, VT. We stopped on 9N at Ausable Chasm...its right by the side of the road and beautiful, so why not stop at the parking lot by the bridge? We did...Louanne loved it and took a lot of photos and shared on FB, I just took it in. We did cross the road and I saw people holding cables and walking on a cliff path, not for me I said. Louanne would have done it though.



We came at Stowe from the north through country and eventually Smugglers Notch...




We stopped and had our picnic lunch not 30ft from the Notch. We had a nice sturdy rock to sit on.


We got settled into Stowe at our nice B&B/motel in the center of town and had a nice relaxing swim before walking around town.

Absolutely agree on the Flight 93 memorial. I've visited many historical sites and memorials, and this is the most moving I have ever encountered. I have yet to visit Ground Zero.

After a nice breakfast, we headed out and the plan was to wander through some rural scenery, drive the Kank, then drive north though Crawford Notch, view Bretton Woods, and the backdrop of Mt. Washington and Mt. Adams on our way to northeast New Hampshire for an overnight before driving to Bar Harbor the next day.

During our travels, we ended up in Newport, Vt, where we stopped for our typical picnic lunch (we didn't eat out for lunch the whole two weeks of the trip) and took a walk to stretch our legs.







We stayed overnight in Gorham, NH...just a hop, skip, and jump from the Maine state line.

CraigRegs wrote: ↑Sun Aug 04, 2024 1:48 pm Absolutely agree on the Flight 93 memorial. I've visited many historical sites and memorials, and this is the most moving I have ever encountered. I have yet to visit Ground Zero.

Not to get too sidetracked, but if you haven't visited the OKC memorial, those little chairs will tear you up.

So, the next day we traveled through Maine to get to the coast, gradually transitioning to flat lands and forest. Then we get to the island and Bar Harbor. We/Louanne picked a hotel just outside of the town that the website showed a pretty view from the hotel. This was the main area that Louanne wanted to visit, and we built the trip around it. Yes it was expensive. Yes, it was worth it.





We reserved an entrance pass to the high point of Acadia National Park, where you can get a 360 degree view of the island. The name Acadia National Park doesn't seem to fit in my eye and given the history...seems arbitrary, as the park land has been called a number of different names over the years. I think that Acadia of being along the coast of the traditional French settled Canada. In any event, it is a beautiful island park. The island's name is actual called Mount Desert Isle, or MDI...which are my initials. I had my own island... and other things.





I even had my own portajohn company, but that photo was on Louanne's phone.

Back to the beauty...













The next day we traveled to a different part of the island and saw different sights...





We stopped at a roadside butterfly garden, it was really beautiful.

We decided to have our picnic lunch on the grounds of the garden, facing the cool waters of the inlet. Those cool waters and breezes coming off of them took an 80-85 temp down to low 70s. Outdoor air conditioning!













So, after taking an afternoon swim in the hotel's heated saltwater pool, we eventually went into town for the one meal of the day we ate at a restaurant...supper. After that, we walked around Bar Harbor and listened to the town band play in the gazebo of the city park...



Then we headed to the water front as the last rays of the day settled on the harbor...





After 3-4 days in Bar Harbor, we headed down the coast, looking for lighthouses and lighthouse museums. We then stopped in Bath for a picnic lunch along the river, and I got as close as I could to Bath Iron Works. They were working on at least two Arleigh Burkes as far as I could see.

We stayed overnight in Manchester, NH...nice city, but the homeless have taken over the city parks from what I observed.

We blasted home after that, as we had that "get home" mindset. We loved this one off trip to a part of the country we hadn't been to as a couple. It was a great trip and we are glad to be back home in SC.

Evidently not too soon, as the pigs got into the garden and made a mess of things, and Charlie and Buster were on the counter ordering a crapload of cat toys from Amazon. Bad kitties!

If you had just hooked up with Mssr 'Pants the trip would have been totally epic.

bigjohnsd wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 11:52 am If you had just hooked up with Mssr 'Pants the trip would have been totally epic.

Yeah, we just didn't have the time built in to connect. But we did have an epic relaxing trip.

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 11:57 am

bigjohnsd wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 11:52 am If you had just hooked up with Mssr 'Pants the trip would have been totally epic.

Yeah, we just didn't have the time built in to connect. But we did have an epic relaxing trip.

"Epic relaxing" is great, totally epic would have been even better! Wait until you ring the retirement bell!

bigjohnsd wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 12:00 pm

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 11:57 am

bigjohnsd wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 11:52 am If you had just hooked up with Mssr 'Pants the trip would have been totally epic.

Yeah, we just didn't have the time built in to connect. But we did have an epic relaxing trip.

"Epic relaxing" is great, totally epic would have been even better! Wait until you ring the retirement bell!

Bells rung. Your epic is not my epic. We get to choose, if we are lucky, our own paths in life. Wifey wanted a shorter trip duration. It worked just fine. Sometimes life is good sticking your head out the car window without dad noticing, other times, just relaxing on the front porch having a slice of blueberry pie works as well.

Awesome report, even if it was in a cage. You should have left me know you would be in PA, Dianne and I are roughly 2.5 hours from Flight 93 memorial and would have gladly hosted you for a night or 2! It would not have even been that far out of your way.

I was at Flight 93 crash site before all of the memorial was built. Seeing it in that raw form with temporary fencing is something I'll never forget. I know they incorporated a lot of the things that were left there in those early days. I've visited the site several times and to this day can't stop there and leave with dry eyes.

Nice trip Mark. I'm glad you guys had a great time!

Epic trip I'd say, lots of variety..... I've been to all the places you mentioned, on a motorcycle trip or two (except Flight 93). I was to a few on a cage trip out east 40 years ago.... the best part is when you aren't on the bike or in the car and go for a hike. See way more that way. Awesome report, Mark, loved it all.

Awesome trip Mark! Nice report.