VTProf
08-08-2005, 11:19 PM
Just returned from a little tour of 9 states in Mid-Atlantic and New England. Covered almost 1,800 miles in 4 days. Saw a lot of delightful sites, enjoyed some great clam chowder, and stopped to visit friends.
Started early Wednesday morning with a run from Blacksburg through Antietam NB, Harpers Ferry NHP, and Gettysburg to Morristown, NJ. 525 miles over a mix of interstate, other highways, and secondary roads the first day. I had the greatest Italian dinner at a little hole-in-the-wall place in Fairfield, NJ.
Thursday morning I left the motel at 7 AM and headed over to the Edison NHS at Orange, NJ. The Edison NHS is under renovation and closed to the public. I’d called ahead and the rangers invited me to meet them at 7:30 for a quick tour before the days construction work began. Given that I teach about the invention of motion pictures and sound recording it was great to see the workshop where these ideas originated. Next stop for the day was Hyde Park, NY where I visited both the FDR Birthplace NHS and Vanderbilt Mansion NHS. Rode the Taconic State Parkway (a road that is in need of major repairs in a couple of places) north to the MA Turnpike and through the Berkshires to visit the Springfield (MA) Armory NHS. Finished day two with NPS stops. One was at the Saint-Gaudens NHS in Cornish, NH (where I got to ride across the longest covered bridge in the US, twice) and the other Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP in Woodstock, VT. This Woodstock stop was the furthest north on my journey. I spent the night at Quechee Gorge, VT.
Started day three with a bit of shopping for maple syrup (bought 6 jars!) and then pointed the VTX southeast back towards MA. First stop was the Lowell NHS (it celebrates industrial production) and then rode the back-roads to Concord and the North Bridge Visitor Center of the Minute Man NHP. Negotiating the traffic around metro Boston was no fun but I made it to the New Bedford Whaling NHP in good time. This stop was the furthest east on my journey. A quick ride over to Providence, RI took me to the Roger Williams National Memorial. Another quick ride (I think that all rides in RI are quick, hehe) delivered me to the home of a college classmate and good friend I’d not seen in several years. We sat and talked, drinking Italian espresso and eating tasty pastries, for about three hours before I turned east towards Norwalk, CT. Spend most of the trip through CT on the Merritt Parkway (4 lanes, limited access, and no commercial vehicles) rather than I-95 which was a real treat! Arrived at the motel in Norwalk just before 8 PM and enjoyed a wonderful bowl of clam chowder for dinner.
Saturday was the last day of my journey but also the longest with over 590 miles of riding. The Weir Farm NHS was only about 20 minutes north of Norwalk and opened at 8:30. After a nice chat with the park ranger about J. Alden Weir, one of America’s leading impressionist artists, I retraced my route back to the Merritt Parkway and began the journey east towards home about 9:30. The ride was really smooth through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. Unfortunately, things got a little wet and wild once I got into Virginia. After spending 5 hours covering the 200 miles of I-81 in Virginia I finally made it home at 9:30 Saturday night.
Well, that’s the end of my Iron Butt Association National Parks Grand Tour. I visited 81 National Park Service locations in 25 states in just under 70 days. It was a super experience. I saw and learned so much; met lots of interesting people; visited several old friends and made some new ones. And through it all the VTX never faltered and was an absolute delight to ride.
Question is: What should I attempt next?
Jim
Started early Wednesday morning with a run from Blacksburg through Antietam NB, Harpers Ferry NHP, and Gettysburg to Morristown, NJ. 525 miles over a mix of interstate, other highways, and secondary roads the first day. I had the greatest Italian dinner at a little hole-in-the-wall place in Fairfield, NJ.
Thursday morning I left the motel at 7 AM and headed over to the Edison NHS at Orange, NJ. The Edison NHS is under renovation and closed to the public. I’d called ahead and the rangers invited me to meet them at 7:30 for a quick tour before the days construction work began. Given that I teach about the invention of motion pictures and sound recording it was great to see the workshop where these ideas originated. Next stop for the day was Hyde Park, NY where I visited both the FDR Birthplace NHS and Vanderbilt Mansion NHS. Rode the Taconic State Parkway (a road that is in need of major repairs in a couple of places) north to the MA Turnpike and through the Berkshires to visit the Springfield (MA) Armory NHS. Finished day two with NPS stops. One was at the Saint-Gaudens NHS in Cornish, NH (where I got to ride across the longest covered bridge in the US, twice) and the other Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP in Woodstock, VT. This Woodstock stop was the furthest north on my journey. I spent the night at Quechee Gorge, VT.
Started day three with a bit of shopping for maple syrup (bought 6 jars!) and then pointed the VTX southeast back towards MA. First stop was the Lowell NHS (it celebrates industrial production) and then rode the back-roads to Concord and the North Bridge Visitor Center of the Minute Man NHP. Negotiating the traffic around metro Boston was no fun but I made it to the New Bedford Whaling NHP in good time. This stop was the furthest east on my journey. A quick ride over to Providence, RI took me to the Roger Williams National Memorial. Another quick ride (I think that all rides in RI are quick, hehe) delivered me to the home of a college classmate and good friend I’d not seen in several years. We sat and talked, drinking Italian espresso and eating tasty pastries, for about three hours before I turned east towards Norwalk, CT. Spend most of the trip through CT on the Merritt Parkway (4 lanes, limited access, and no commercial vehicles) rather than I-95 which was a real treat! Arrived at the motel in Norwalk just before 8 PM and enjoyed a wonderful bowl of clam chowder for dinner.
Saturday was the last day of my journey but also the longest with over 590 miles of riding. The Weir Farm NHS was only about 20 minutes north of Norwalk and opened at 8:30. After a nice chat with the park ranger about J. Alden Weir, one of America’s leading impressionist artists, I retraced my route back to the Merritt Parkway and began the journey east towards home about 9:30. The ride was really smooth through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. Unfortunately, things got a little wet and wild once I got into Virginia. After spending 5 hours covering the 200 miles of I-81 in Virginia I finally made it home at 9:30 Saturday night.
Well, that’s the end of my Iron Butt Association National Parks Grand Tour. I visited 81 National Park Service locations in 25 states in just under 70 days. It was a super experience. I saw and learned so much; met lots of interesting people; visited several old friends and made some new ones. And through it all the VTX never faltered and was an absolute delight to ride.
Question is: What should I attempt next?
Jim