July 10 and July 11

July 10


Seneca Falls was where we spent the night. We ordered up a pizza and salads and were happy as could be, watching it rain all evening. Seneca County is set between two lakes, Seneca Lake on the west and Cayuga Lake to the east. It's called the county between the lakes and gets its name from the Seneca Indian tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy. For the wine drinkers, the county hosts more than 20 of the 78 wineries located in the Finger Lakes region.

This morning the bikes were still soaked although the parking lot and road were basically dry. We took off a little before 8 a.m. as we were going to breakfast and heading for the Geneva shop to see about getting services.

As we rode along you could appreciate the history of the area – distinctive homes, with character, and style, towns with buildings made of brick, memorials and museums everywhere. It's all a piece of history and you want to stop and spend some time.

We stopped for breakfast in the little town and walked around a bit before getting on the road to the shop. I met a red Golden Retriever named Oakley who bosses his people around. Usually Goldens are the ones who want to please. But, as usual, it's owner-error. Oakley would talk and grumble about things his people would do, and they promoted and rewarded that behavior. So now Oakley talks and complains and orders them about constantly. He was such a nice boy, though.

Such a pretty boy.

We viewed the Erie Canal from our walk, and a couple of factories that are no longer in use. Sad to see old, abandoned buildings, but we have many of them at home, too. There are statues outside of a lot of buildings, which is really kind of cool.

The Erie Canal and an abandoned factory.

Statues outside of an Oriental restaurant.

Some guy running for state senator, Nozzolio or something, had a big red, white and blue-painted deer in his window. Had to have a photo of that, even a bad one, for you, Big White Hunter!!! The guy also has promoted parks and veteran memorials. He must not be all bad.

Really liked the red, white and blue.  They do the deer on parade.

We see flags everywhere here, outside of homes, businesses, along the roads on light poles and such. It makes me feel good to see them and know that patriotism is not dead.

Lots of flags on businesses, homes, light posts, everywhere.

It's a grand old flag.

What's not to love about lawn ornaments?  And why do I always look for deer??

There are not quite so many lawn ornaments, although I did see a few faded pink flamingoes, my personal favorite, thanks to Uncle Glen and his band of hooligans and their flamingo caper years ago. But today I took photos of a couple of favorite lawn ornaments I saw. There have been some truly distinctive ones that I saw and did not get – a small oil derrick, a bicycle with a basket filled with flowers and a bathtub set upright, and half buried in the dirt. I really should have gotten a photo of that one since I don't know if anyone would believe what I saw. I've seen plastic draft horses, cows, deer, a whole team of horses with a wagon and driver that must have been 7 feet long or better across someone's front lawn. I also saw an old couch, but maybe that wasn't really a lawn ornament. They do go all out in some places with their lawn ornaments. In fact, some folks think more is better and put an abundance of them in their yards. I really enjoy looking at them, though, and look forward to seeing lots more of them.

This one had it all ... lawn ornaments and  flags.

Welcoming lawn ornaments.

This one got my vote for the day.

There are some working factories, too, and you can smell whatever it is they are doing. Not so nice a smell as some things. As we came around a part of Lake Seneca, which is the deepest of the Finger Lakes at over 600 feet, you could see there were some big goings on, as there was a huge long line of cars waiting to get in, and traffic directors, cars already in the parking lot. Glad we were on the other side and going the other way.

An old church bell.

Just as we were near the Harley shop, I saw an old guy on the shoulder with what looked something like a sports equipment bag, red, white and blue, I might add. He was hitchhiking, and had a sheen of sweat on his face. What's an old guy doing hitchhiking? That's a young person's mode of transportation. I felt sorry for him and wished I'd had a seat for him, and I am definitely not the kind of gal that picks up strangers. Shoot, I don't even pick up people I know, as some will attest to.

In East Bloomfield, just a little west of Geneva, there were cars parked for a city block on both sides of the road. Turns out there was a yard sale at some fancy house, and furniture lined up on both sides of the driveway. People were out of their cars two-by-two and walking to get to it. There were a lot of yard sales today. Almost wanted to stop and check out a few as it looked as though there was some good stuff. Just a little further on there was a big antique show and more yard sales. Cars were again parked all over.

This is all called the Finger Lakes area, and it's big on antique and antiques. There are also a lot of wineries in the area. It's made up of several counties, including Cayuga that boasts a history made up of the underground railroad, the building of the Erie Canal and the invention of talking films.

We rode through Waterloo, officially recognized as the birthplace of Memorial Day. It set a Guiness World Record for the most flags, 25,898, flying in a small community on May 29, 2000. I love that.

Made the shop in Geneva and they could do oil changes, but not a full service for me. We were happy to get what we could, and mosied on after that, heading west, and then south to get around Lake Erie.

Lots and lots of corn today.

We saw field after field of corn. Lots of sweet corn, versus what kind? Animal feed corn, I suppose, for sale. Stopped to get gas at a traveller monument, and I changed from my sweatshirt to my long-sleeved white shirt. It's still damp from the drenching it got yesterday, but it felt good then. It's actually a perfect riding day, shirt sleeves, 80 degrees and maybe a little more. It's super comfortable on the moving bike, not so much when stopped. At least today isn't humid like the weather we've been seeing and riding in.

It's cool to see things like this.

I'm still not sure I understand the significance of the white horse, though.  There's also one here on the water tower.

Riding along I decided to put my camera around my neck for quick and easy access. Then the strap pulled on my neck so I put it partially inside my shirt, which is a snap-button type. I hit a hard bump and that camera went flying and down, opening all the buttons. So, had to make a slight adjustment, and also pay a little more attention to the road. We grumble about our roads, but in this country we've seen lots of bumps and loads of tar snakes, and they make you sit up and take notice when you hit them. They're everywhere, literally.

Near a place called Knapp Creek we stopped to take a photo of a weather vane, and there was a big old draft-type horse rolling for pure joy. Had to have a photo of him because he was so enjoying himself. He got up, shook himself off and went about his business.

Big old draft horse.  You could hear him groaning with pleasure at his rolling around in the grass.

He was a fine looking animal.

A Harley shop appeared on the road in Varysburg, so had to go in. This must have been a very Golden day because there was a Golden Retriever in this shop. His name is Road King Mellow Yellow, Roady for short. One of his ancestors was named Mellow Yellow after Kyle Petty's NASCAR sponsor. He was a great meet and greeter for the shop. Two of these wonderful dogs in a day to talk to and pet. Think I'm having Beagle withdrawal.

He's a handsome boy, and smiling for me.

Stopped for a late lunch in Java, NY, and I'm thinking that maybe the Western Tour Sandwich might really be a club sandwich. It's not as heavy as a meatloaf sandwich although I kind of like the thought of doing meatloaf in honor of Biker Bill and to see if I can find meatloaf that is better than JGayle's. Anyway, the club I had was okay, but I'm sure not the best. I'll keep trying.

Stopped in Bradford, on our way south, for gas. This guy on a Road King shows up to talk to us. He was da man, looked like a hockey player (and I don't mean in stature) and was going to register his bike in Florida because he had had a DUI which was cuz the cops were picking on him. He'd only had three beers. Right. Don't the cops have systems that follow you no matter where you go? He gave us advice about a road to follow. Not the best since it took us somewhere else rather than where we had intended originally to go. But we came out in a good place anyway, and are still headed in the right direction.

We are now in Pennsylvania and the Allegany National Forest. The air became cooler and fresher, and here we are staying in Kane, home of Coach Chuck Daly (1930-2009), an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons (bet you knew this, Hobbs) to consecutive NBA championships in 1989 and 1990, and the Dream Team to the men's basketball gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Just a cool thing we happened across, from the Parade of Deer, Lakota.

Today I really wanted to find lawn ornaments and weather vanes. We've seen some interesting ones. Even some churches have weather vanes, and many are elaborate. It's a shame that rather than weather vanes, that satellite dishes and TV antennas are now taking their place. The vanes are an instrument for showing the direction of the wind, and typically are used as an architectural ornament for the highest point of a building. They are partly functional, but generally decorative. The traditional cockerel design with letters indicates the points of the compass. I found that finding a chicken weather vane was not easy. I have only seen one. Other common motifs include ships, arrows and horses. And not all weather vanes have a pointer. The word vane comes from the Anglo-Saxon word fane, meaning flag.

This is the plain old north, south, east and west type.

The horse vane.

The plain arrow style.

This one was atop a church.

This had been a weather vane at one time.

As we go along during the day you think of things you want to write about, based somewhat on what you've been seeing, like the lawn ornaments and flags. Then you set yourself up to find the perfect, or near-perfect, shot. It's like a puzzle each day, finding the solution first, then looking for the pieces to make it happen.

A statue on a county building.

While this photo doesn't show her from the front, it shows the magnificent detail and the gold coloring.

The place we stayed had this deer head.  The guy is a bow hunter.

And so I know that my Great White Hunter can appreciate this sign.

And so, dear friends, for this evening, we are all in.



July 11

Well, last night's blog didn't happen. All of the text was finished and I was in the middle of choosing photos. The lights went out, came on, went out, came on, and then went off for good. We waited a minute, and then I went out to the bike and got the handy, dandy little flashlight Biker Bill had given me to take on the trip. It worked great. I was able to find the candle I had, and so we could at least shut down the computers and move around a bit.

The manager was out and about with a flashlight and in a while said the power company told them a tranformer had failed and the power would be back on about 2:30 a.m. (Sounds like one of my stories.) It went out somewhere around 10:30 p.m. The guy at the place next door turned on his generator, but we were determined to go to sleep. Not much else to do. So not thinking I could sleep, I was out like a light in almost no time. I don't even know when the generator went off, and slept well. Jaz said the lack of a generator woke her and she turned off the lights and all. I know nothing about that.

This motel was the first we had that used natural air conditioning. Was hot at first but we got a cross breeze going, and in a couple of hours were a-okay.

My burns are still not the greatest, so we used one of the medical kits and put some burn salve on the one on my thigh. The one on my calf seems to be healing. Jaz says she thinks they''re second degree burns. So now I'll probably scar up. Good thing I'm not entering these legs in some million dollar leg contest.

It was cooler this a.m., probably in the 50s, and so it was time for my jacket and gloves. We stopped to do a photo … a metal grate bridge on the Allegheny River for Daisy Korn. Added my fleece neck gaiter as the cool air down the front of my jacket was just a little too cool.

This one's for Daisy Korn, who hates grated bridges.

This propane tank had horns on it, so a photo for Biker Bill today.

The little towns we went through were very sleepy this morning. So sleepy, a dog was a bit perturbed when we came along and he had to move from his spot where he was lying in the middle of our lane. A most beautiful ride.

The Allegheny River.

At Tionesta on Highway 62, the main street had flags and yellow ribbons tied onto each lamp post. Remember the song, Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree? That's the 1960s song by Tony Orlando and Dawn about a guy who went away and wondered if his girl would want him when he came back … and it's since been used for folks who have gone away and their loved ones await their return.
(As recorded by Tony Orlando and Dawn)

IRWIN LEVINE

L. RUSSELL BROWN
I'm comin' home I've done my time
Now I've got to know what is and isn't mine
If you received my letter tellin' you I'd soon be free
Then you'll know just what to do if you still want me
If you still want me.

Woah tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree
It's been three long years, do ya still want me
If I don't see a ribbon round the ole oak tree
I'll stay on the bus, forget about us
Put the blame on me
If I don't see a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree

Bus driver please look for me
'Cause I couldn't bear to see what I might see
I'm really still in prison and my love she holds the key
A simple yellow ribbon's what I need to set me free
I wrote and told her, please

Woah tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree
It's been three long years do ya still want me
If I don't see a ribbon round the ole oak tree
I'll stay on the bus, forget about us
Put the blame on me
If I don't see a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree

Now the whole damn bus is cheering
And I can't believe I see
A hundred yellow ribbons round the ole oak tree


There's a little more to it, but you get the idea. The yellow ribbons were awesome.

So we were on the open road, and I mean open. Jaz and I were pretty much the only folks out there this morning. It was great. You could look into the forest, but not see very far. It was very, very dark in there the trees were so thick.

NO MORE PHOTOS TODAY / SERVER IS REJECTING THEM FOR SOME REASON.

We stopped in Oil City to eat at about 10 a.m. … on a funeral home I saw a sign that said drive safely; we can wait. I liked it. We ate at a restaurant called Famoore's Family Diner. We walked in and there is this amazing collection of Franklin Mint models … cars, trucks, you name it. There were Fords, Chevys, my favorite 1957 Chevy, an XKE Jag, red, that looked like the 1969 one I had years ago, woodies, Corvettes, vintage Thunderbirds (1955, 56, 57, the one with the porthole), Model Ts, military vehicles. I counted as best I could and figured there were more than 350 of the models. That is quite a collection, and very, very impressive. They were all behind glass on shelves, and I enjoyed seeing them.

After breakfast we saw a memorial, with cannons, and of course, had to take a few photos. There are lots of cannons in this country. I don't know that we have a single one at home.

I was also happy because I finally found my emery board and could fix all the jagged and broken nails. I felt nearly human again. Sometimes it's the little things.

At 11 a.m. it was 80 degrees, and time to take some clothes off. The gloves, the jacket, the neck gaiter, all packed away.

As we go along, we wave at everyone. It's interesting to see the looks, and a lot of times the double takes … two females on bikes, big bikes. Oh yeah. I just smile. Today just felt good out there, sun and not too hot for most of it, riding winding roads along a river in a long-sleeves shirt … no jacket, no electrics. Makes it easy to be nice to others. We didn't see many women riders until we got to Ohio, and there are more riding their own. Go Alaskan women, you rock, cuz you ride.

In Youngstown, Ohio, I saw a huge transmission structure right next to a house … and supposedly people worry about EMF … electric and magnetic fields. Maybe not so much. I also saw a rescue mission with bars on the windows and a place in Berlin Center, Ohio, called Noah's Lost Arc, which might have been cool to visit. It's a no-kill sanctuary for unwanted and abused exotic animals, and is dependent upon donations and admission fees to feed and care for the animals.
Near Akron we saw the Lockheed Martin blimp hangar. Jaz says there are very few left, maybe only three. She had me Google Moffett for more information, but there's more than I can put in here. So I've got a photo and a site below you can look on if you're really interested. It was a very cool building, though. Would be neat to see the inside.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moffett_Federal_Airfield

We kept on going. On the Interstate, where we were for a short time, there was a truck in front of us in the right lane, smoking from the top. Jaz was passing, and I snugged up to her and was hollering, go, go, go. I didn't trust the truck as I didn't know why it was smoking. We got past it and left it in our dust.

Stopped for gas and water. I figured my head would get sunburned, so took my buff headband and got my auntie look going. It helps, though, and I can't afford to get my head burned. Got too much other stuff burned right now. I can only do a few things at a time, and worry about a few things at a time.

At Sullivan, on Highway 224, in Ohio, we pulled over to take photos of a veteran's memorial. It's all about the cannons today. We both like them.  By this time we had decided to stay in Findlay, but as we approached we both needed a restroom. Jaz said there were some hotels, and I told her gas station first, hotels second. So, we did find a gas station. Close call.

So we're in the hotel, we went to the store and got some fruit and cheese, and are now all in.