Four Corners Tour – Ride Day 24 – Tour Day 21 – August 7, 2015 – Friday
Start Time: 7:43 AM EDT
Stop Time: 6:28 PM EDT
Start Location: Shipshewana, IN
Stop Location: Tonawanda, NY
Lodging: AA Royal Motel and Campground
Breakfast: Campsite (bagel with cream cheese)
Lunch: Panera Bread (steak and cheese sandwich and salad)
Dinner: Campsite (PB&J on flour tortilla, Apple)
Miles Traveled Today: 460
Weather: 61-81, Clear and Sunny
States visited so far on this tour.
Route: IN-120, IN-127, I-80, I-271, I-71, I-190, Niagara Falls Blvd.
Today started just a little later than most, but I got to enjoy the sunrise from the campground instead of the road, and it was pretty spectacular.
The sky backlit the silos of the Amish farm across the highway from the campground, and the band of mist just above ground level made for a view that screams we have a creator.
Once I finally got rolling, it was not long until I crossed my first state line for the day.
And not too long after that, I crossed another.
Pennsylvania was the only state since Illinoise that did not welcome me with a toll that will wipe a ride smile right off your face.
As you might expect, New York picked right up where Ohio left off on the ridiculously high tolls.
A little over $30.00 in tolls paid yesterday and today, and more to look forward to tomorrow if I don’t take an alternate route.
Had I taken the route to avoid tolls today, it would have added an hour and fourty seven minutes to today’s ride, I opted for the tolls to make sure I would have time for Niagara Falls.
The Falls did not disappoint. The power displayed is beyond description, but again, the created viewing the Creators creation is the best I can muster.
I could tell I was back in somewhat familiar territory today, had multiple dummies texting while driving as I passed them, or as they passed me.
A couple years ago while on one of my government protest trips to DC with Jim Reherman, I got to meet Jim’s friend Jim Dodson, who kept us laughing all evening long.
In one of Jim’s stories of the day, he described how a young girl texting while driving almost ran him off the road, and then showed us the gesture he gave her. Between his facial expression and the shaking of his fist, I thought I was going to pull a hernia I was laughing so hard.
The problem with the whole thing is Jim is a pretty small guy, not to mention that he has a permenant smile on his face (he can’t not smile), so the girl just looks up, smiles at him, waves, and goes right back to texting.
The point of the story is that Jim taught me how to express my displeasure with another driver without the crudeness of the bird (which usually makes things worse rather than better).
Today, two gentlemen got a great big smile along with a fist shake (both were really confused, which was a perfect outcome in my book). Thank you Jim Dodson for the lesson in expressive gestures that don’t contradict my Jesus is Lord inscription on my trunk.
Thank you Lord for protecting me from these two bozo’s. In both cases, their poor choices put me in a compromised position, but You kept me safe and sound.
Tomorrow I’m headed to New Hampshire. Might just bite the bullet and skip the tollrific interstate.
Tour Tip:
ALWAYS have an alternative for your GPS. I have Miss. Zumo, but also have my iPhone and a real live atlas. A little over a week ago, the Zumo could not find the satalites one morning, so I was sure glad I had the iPhone.
Yesterday, the Zumo went off, and would not come back on (did it once for a few minutes the day before). Again, really glad I had an alternative.
Just don’t think I’ll ever have enough confidence in technology to leave my atlas at home.
Product Review:
I just have to give my Nolan 104 helmet five out of five stars. I just love everything about it. It fits well, the modular portion opens and closes flawlessly, the sun shield works perfectly, the easy chin strap thingy works perfectly, the pin lock internal shield minimizes fogging, the thing just works like a helmet should work.
I would also give a high ranking to the Super-Visor (there are two versions, and I have used both).
On my old HJC helmet, I had the version that installs at the top of your shield, and basically creates the same effect as the brim of a hat.
On my current helmet, I have the peel and stick film version, but I trimmed it down a little and installed it on the inside of the sun shield in my helmet instead of on the helmets main shield (made perfect sense to me), which really works well when you triding at dusk or dawn.
Watch out for deer in the morning and evening. There is a plethora right now in the north east.
Thanks Paul. I fear the deer, especially the suicidal ones that act like a squirrel when they see you coming, always second guessing themselves on which way to go next.