Day 14 Saturday 16th April 2011
As expected it was pelting down by the time we woke up. Not constant rain but showerbursts. The Weather Channel began showing the devastation of tornados and hailstorms with the comforting news that these were heading directly for us. Around 2.15pm the sky blackened, the wind picked up and then the rain just swept in. The car park was awash in minutes. After a half hour or so it all eased off and by 5pm we had a few breaks in the cloud.
We decided to brave the elements and make for the Mexican restaurant next door. The sky was black in the distance and by the time we had finished our starters the rain was lashing at the restaurant windows – just like going through a car wash. We ate slowly.
Eating slowly paid off because settling the bill an hour or so later we managed to step out into a clear sky – and that’s how it stayed, the storm had passed over. The Weather Channel was now relaying good news about the forecast for the next few days - sunny – hooray !
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Singin' in the Rain
Another video....
This is why we stopped our journey and stayed in a cheap motel for 2 days. We have just been taken off tornado alert !
This is why we stopped our journey and stayed in a cheap motel for 2 days. We have just been taken off tornado alert !
Skyline Drive Video
Just thought that I would share this video taken yesterday of me and Mark on Skyline Drive
Sunny Days and Rainy Days
Day 13 Friday 15th April 2011
Had a fitful night last night, kept waking up in the wee small hours thinking about the task ahead – a mixture of intrepidation and excitement. Got up at 7am and did my ablutions and, after breakfast, did my final repacking.
We got dressed in our motorcycle gear and loaded up the luggage trolley with our kit and made our way to the hotel lobby. We loaded up the bikes and set off at around 10am heading west to the downtown inner harbour area where we picked up Pratt Street which took us to the 144 and our journey had now begun.
The 144 runs close to highway 40 but the 144 is a lovely quiet road (unlike the 40) and it runs through nice countryside and little Maryland townships. All good things have to come to an end though and just outside the city of Frederick we pick up the 340 freeway heading south and follow that to Front Royal where we find the entrance to the Shenandoah National Park and the beginning of the 105 mile long Skyline Drive.
Like most things in America, most things come with a price and Skyline Drive comes with a $10 toll for motorcycles and a maximum speed of 35mph but the sky is blue, the sun is out and the scenery is spectacular. The park has only just opened for the season so visitor numbers were very low and we pretty much had empty roads apart from the odd squirrel, eagle and deer.
The rangers told us that a storm was incoming and should hit the area some time around midnight and would be dumping around 2 inches of rain. We decided to pull off Skyline Drive at the 33 and headed for a local motel in Elkton but the owner told us that he was fully booked despite having an empty parking lot. We got the message and carried on another 14 miles to Harrisonburg where we found and booked 2 nights at a Motel 6. It is too early really to be having a rest day but better than spending the day riding in torrential rain and high winds with thunder & lightning high up on a mountain.
Our idea is to retrace our steps along the 33 to Skyline Drive and continue to Roanoke where we will pick up the 469 mile long Blue Ridge Parkway so let’s hope that the rain moves on – the forecast reckons that it should pass over by Saturday night so it’s a case of sit tight.
PS Just heard on the news that Virginia has been upgraded from a 4 out of ten to a 6 out of ten - this is for tornados AAARRRGGGHHH !!
Had a fitful night last night, kept waking up in the wee small hours thinking about the task ahead – a mixture of intrepidation and excitement. Got up at 7am and did my ablutions and, after breakfast, did my final repacking.
We got dressed in our motorcycle gear and loaded up the luggage trolley with our kit and made our way to the hotel lobby. We loaded up the bikes and set off at around 10am heading west to the downtown inner harbour area where we picked up Pratt Street which took us to the 144 and our journey had now begun.
The 144 runs close to highway 40 but the 144 is a lovely quiet road (unlike the 40) and it runs through nice countryside and little Maryland townships. All good things have to come to an end though and just outside the city of Frederick we pick up the 340 freeway heading south and follow that to Front Royal where we find the entrance to the Shenandoah National Park and the beginning of the 105 mile long Skyline Drive.
Coffe stop
Like most things in America, most things come with a price and Skyline Drive comes with a $10 toll for motorcycles and a maximum speed of 35mph but the sky is blue, the sun is out and the scenery is spectacular. The park has only just opened for the season so visitor numbers were very low and we pretty much had empty roads apart from the odd squirrel, eagle and deer.
Skyline Drive - the road is all ours
Our idea is to retrace our steps along the 33 to Skyline Drive and continue to Roanoke where we will pick up the 469 mile long Blue Ridge Parkway so let’s hope that the rain moves on – the forecast reckons that it should pass over by Saturday night so it’s a case of sit tight.
PS Just heard on the news that Virginia has been upgraded from a 4 out of ten to a 6 out of ten - this is for tornados AAARRRGGGHHH !!
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Please Release Me Let Me Go
Day 12 Thursday 14th April 2011
Woke early and had eggs and sausage for breakfast – enough to set me up for the day (I had a feeling I might need an extra helping of patience and energy today). Nine o’clock soon came and I rang Ray the escort agent at the agreed time and explained that we were ready to go anytime soon. Ray said that he would ring back if he could get someone to do the escort earlier. Then came the long wait.
Anyway at 10.35 the front desk rang up to the room to say that our escort had arrived and she was waiting outside in her silver car. This turn of phrase in a hotel lobby back home would certainly raise a few eyebrows.
The “escort” was there waiting as described and we made our way to the port on what was turning out to be a wonderful hot spring day. The escort took us to the Mid Atlantic Terminal where we could see our boat (Texas) at the dockside and the Wallenius Wilhelmsen office close by.
As the escort put it “You guys must have 3 horseshoes shoved up your buts” because all the paperwork and payments went smoothly and we were soon in shed 12 getting on our bikes ready to follow our escort out of the port and to the nearest fuel station to gas up.
A quick ride back to the hotel and we took our panniers up to our room to transfer our kit from our airline luggage ready for refitting tomorrow. A study of the maps of Maryland and Virginia gave us a good idea of our route out of Baltimore tomorrow but the job for tonight was to re-establish contact with Bob Erion at Radiant Shipping who is our shipping agent of choice for the journey from Seattle to Vladivostok. Emails gone replies awaited.
Woke early and had eggs and sausage for breakfast – enough to set me up for the day (I had a feeling I might need an extra helping of patience and energy today). Nine o’clock soon came and I rang Ray the escort agent at the agreed time and explained that we were ready to go anytime soon. Ray said that he would ring back if he could get someone to do the escort earlier. Then came the long wait.
The day breaks over Baltimore
Anyway at 10.35 the front desk rang up to the room to say that our escort had arrived and she was waiting outside in her silver car. This turn of phrase in a hotel lobby back home would certainly raise a few eyebrows.
The “escort” was there waiting as described and we made our way to the port on what was turning out to be a wonderful hot spring day. The escort took us to the Mid Atlantic Terminal where we could see our boat (Texas) at the dockside and the Wallenius Wilhelmsen office close by.
As the escort put it “You guys must have 3 horseshoes shoved up your buts” because all the paperwork and payments went smoothly and we were soon in shed 12 getting on our bikes ready to follow our escort out of the port and to the nearest fuel station to gas up.
Mark prepping his bike at the port, My bike to the right
A quick ride back to the hotel and we took our panniers up to our room to transfer our kit from our airline luggage ready for refitting tomorrow. A study of the maps of Maryland and Virginia gave us a good idea of our route out of Baltimore tomorrow but the job for tonight was to re-establish contact with Bob Erion at Radiant Shipping who is our shipping agent of choice for the journey from Seattle to Vladivostok. Emails gone replies awaited.
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
What's Been Going On Over The Last Few Days ??
Sunday 10th April 2011
The Days Inn has served us well for the first night especially after we managed to commandeer two light bulbs to put in the lamps so that we could see, the previous occupant having seen the opportunity to acquire something for free. The couple in the adjacent room appeared to have a huge row during the early evening last night and she fled her room never to return but it all went quiet after that and Mark said that, having seen them together earlier, they were an ill suited couple anyway, she being of the brassy whore type and him shouting about her taking his money leads you to probably only one conclusion.
I had risen from my bed early today to get myself ready for a family Skype session but the appointed hour passed without hearing from home so my guess is that Gina hadn’t read my email from yesterday setting up a meeting online – disappointed of Maryland here.
Monday 11th April 2011
Fine day today but I must catch up on some unfinished work I left behind in the UK so the first couple of hours sees me slaving away at a hot laptop (more to be revealed further along our journey). I had enough of this by eleven so we decided to go for a walk for a bit of exercise except that we soon found out that there is no sidewalk and a walk along a busy highway is not recommended.
We gave this up as a bad job and decided to retrace our steps yesterday and drive to the nearby Trap Pond State Park in Delaware. We got going and air conditioning was needed to keep us cool in the rising heat of the day. The State Park was a huge disappointment - they wanted six dollars just to enter so we said stuff it and drove back to Salisbury and took a pleasant walk around their tourist information and visitor centre which had a nature reserve tacked on the side. We sat and watched the eagles soaring in the thermals and the small terrapins/turtles in the nearby creek.
Maryland in the Spring
When we were all natured out we headed back towards the hotel stopping at Walmart to get some kit for the bike – duct tape, WD40, sunscreen and the like. The rest of the day was spent finishing off my work which I finally fired off to Gareth, my business partner, just after midnight. ZZZZZZZZZZ
Tuesday 12th April 2011
The weather has changed dramatically this morning, still warm, but there is a storm brewing. The news has pictures and tales of huge tornadoes and giant hailstones but they are further out west in Iowa but the tail end is heading our way.
We load up the car and check out of the Days Inn that has been our home for the last 3 nights and we head north on Highway 13 until we reach the turning west along the 404 that eventually joins up with the 50 to take us back over the Bay Bridge. We soon pick up Highway 2, the Governor Ritchie Highway and find our way back to Pete’s Cycles where, true to their word, the Scala Q4 headsets had been delivered. We grab a quick coffee at Pete’s and leave before we are tempted to spend any more dollars on things we don’t really need.
As we leave Pete’s parking lot the first few spits of rain hit the windshield but the sky does not look too menacing. We make it OK to the airport and, after one false journey the wrong way down the 695 Baltimore Beltway, we make a U turn and get off the freeway at the right junction. We drive around the hotel district and eventually find our Red Roof Hotel and we were pleasantly surprised by a) how pleasant the reception staff were b) the fact that there was free wiFi when we thought that there was going to be none and c) the rooms were comfortable and above all cleaner than any so far (even the expensive ones) so top marks to the Red Roof at Baltimore Washington International Airport.
Having settled in we realised that we hadn’t eaten all day and it was getting close to 4.30pm so we headed for a nearby Afghan (yes, Afghan) restaurant chain Maiwand Kabob and had lamb & chicken on pitta – really scrummy. Back to the hotel and our Scala headsets were fully charged so we fitted them to our helmets, got them working and then paired them via Bluetooth to our Sat Navs – we are ready to roll ! Tomorrow is a whole new day.
The day has finally arrived when our boat sails into Baltimore but not so fast buddy .... there is still plenty of paperwork to get through before we can get them into our hot little hands.
First move of the day was to say goodbye to the Red Roof Inn and take our little car back to the airport rental returns. This was achieved without incident and we caught the free shuttle to the main terminal building and grabbed a $45 dollar taxi ride back to the Best Western in O’Donnell Street where we began our visit to Baltimore last week. We retrieve our bags that we left behind last week with the concierge. Bad news is that our room isn’t ready but good news is that when it is we have been upgraded to a suite with a sitting room and jacuzzi at no extra cost – bonus !
Bonus that was until we found a big double bed in place of our normal twin bed set up. Now we are good friends but....... Not to worry though, there is a pullout bed in the couch in the sitting room complete with its own TV set.
Hotel Suite
It is still only 11.30am so we set about ringing the shipping company to see what we have to do to get our bikes. Ha ! This is where the fun started. Jan at Wallenius Wilhelmsen (the shipper) tells us that before we can do anything we have to get customs clearance for our cargo, we then have to go to the terminal and pay the landing fees of $160.31, we then need an agent to escort us into (and out) of the port. She suggests using a shipping agent to do this for us and gives us the name of Toni (female) at Transworld Shipping. I ring Toni but Marjorie answers (Toni is away at the moment). Marjorie drops the bombshell that before she can get customs clearance we will need to give her our powers of attorney – this is getting all too complicated so I ask her if we should do the customs bit ourselves. She suggests that this is best and gives us the US Customs address at 40 Gay Street by the Inner Harbour and tells us that her office is just around the corner at 300 Water Street.
We get the free Best Western shuttle to the Inner Harbour driven an impatient Kevin who drops us off at Pier 5. luckily, we knew our way around from our previous visit last week and we were soon stood outside the impressive US Customs building.
Once inside we imparted our plight to the lady on the front desk who contacted a guy who came down to collect us and find out a bit more about what we were after. A few phone calls and he gave us the news that the department that deals with the type of customs clearance that we want has been moved from Gay Street to Baltimore BWI Airport. Now in case you don’t know, BWI airport is where we stayed yesterday and it is some 10 to 15 miles outside of Baltimore. We have no transport and taxi fares are around $50 one way including the obligatory tip. We put this to the customs officer saying that we didn’t have the time or monetary resource to keep going back and forth to the airport and he called in a superior, Officer Barnes.
Officer Barnes was, as he described himself, of the “old school” and he asked lots of questions and we answered as truthfully as we could and he finally got to understand what we were doing and why. He made a few calls and using what can only be described as a 100% dose of common sense approach he cleared the bikes for us and we got the much sought after stamp on our documentation. A grateful thanks was said to Officer Barnes and the other guy who helped and we left Gay Street and made for Marjorie’s Transworld Shipping office on Water Street.
Marjorie looked at our paperwork and said that we didn’t really need her help, all we needed was an escort agent to take us portside and she gave us the numbers of three possible. She also gave us a delivery order in case we needed one and she very kindly mad no charge for her time.
While waiting for the shuttle bus to take us back to our hotel I made a call to one of the escort agents listed and made contact with Ray. He agreed to pick us up from the airport and do the escort work for us tomorrow at a $40 per hour rate.
So hopefully by this time tomorrow we will have extracted our bikes from the Port and we will be ready for the off. WOOOO HOOOOO !!
Saturday, 9 April 2011
You get What you Pay for
Today has been a busy one. We travelled a couple of hundred miles in our rental car and visited a few bike shops looking for helmets and boots. We finally found what we were looking for at Pete's Cycles at Severna Park on the Governer Ritchie Highway a few miles outside Baltimore. We also bought a Scala G4 bike to bike communication set which replaces our existing Rider 2 sets which have a shorter range than the G4.
We also did manage to find accommodation at really low prices - we have a Days Inn room with wifi for 3 nights for around £30 a night for both of us, Sounds good but you get what you pay for and it is no comparison to the Best Western we left behind in Baltimore but beggars can't be choosers and at least it is warm and cosy.
The weather has picked up too and it is looking like a warm weekend so we may drive a few miles to the coast tomorrow to see what the Atlantic looks like from mthe other side.
So we are now all suited and booted - all we need now is our bikes,
We also did manage to find accommodation at really low prices - we have a Days Inn room with wifi for 3 nights for around £30 a night for both of us, Sounds good but you get what you pay for and it is no comparison to the Best Western we left behind in Baltimore but beggars can't be choosers and at least it is warm and cosy.
The weather has picked up too and it is looking like a warm weekend so we may drive a few miles to the coast tomorrow to see what the Atlantic looks like from mthe other side.
So we are now all suited and booted - all we need now is our bikes,
Friday, 8 April 2011
Four Wheels on My Wagon...
Two wheels are the best for both of us but in the absence of our trusty steeds we have a four wheeled friend for the next few days, courtesy of a few dollars (and a few dollars more) from Dollar Auto Hire at Baltimore International Airport.
Vrooooommmm !!
The sales assistant tried very hard to sell us an upgrade, a GPS, breakdown cover but we held our own and paid around £116 for the week.
We managed to escape the clutches of Baltimore Airport and headed East across the Bay Bridge and then south along route 50. We are now holed up in a town called Salisbury, South Maryland and IT'S RAINING !! But the forecast is good, getting warmer over this weekend. So it's now just a question of where to go over the next few days - we have to find somewhere cheap as these $150 a night hotels are soon going to rack up a bill of a few thousand dollars - so it's out with luxury and in with frugality.
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Baltimore Harbour
Yes, I know that the locals who inhabit this place called USA like to misspell the word as Harbor but we are British don't you know and we would rather use the correct spelling. That's where we have been today - spending a few hours in the hot sun of Baltimore taking in the sights and sounds of the Inner Harbour area or Inner Harbor for any North Americans reading the blog.
We got up for breakfast at an acceptable 7.45am and booked hotel accommodation for next week when we return to Baltimore to pick up the bikes. After stuffing our faces we got ourselves into the business center (that's "centre" to you and me) and printed off a car hire voucher that I had managed to book online last last night before we hit the sack. the hotel shuttle bus driven by Kevin to take us to downtown Baltimore.
We got back to the hotel around 3pm and repacked our bags - so that is three things off the list we made yesterday so I break out the Maryland maps and we begin to look in earnest. - all in all a very productive day. The only grey cloud on what has so far had a silver lining is possibility that US Government workers will strike from tomorrow, Friday. We are not sure if this will affect customs and our ability to clear the bikes out of port next week. Patience, patience and time will tell.
We got up for breakfast at an acceptable 7.45am and booked hotel accommodation for next week when we return to Baltimore to pick up the bikes. After stuffing our faces we got ourselves into the business center (that's "centre" to you and me) and printed off a car hire voucher that I had managed to book online last last night before we hit the sack. the hotel shuttle bus driven by Kevin to take us to downtown Baltimore.
We got back to the hotel around 3pm and repacked our bags - so that is three things off the list we made yesterday so I break out the Maryland maps and we begin to look in earnest. - all in all a very productive day. The only grey cloud on what has so far had a silver lining is possibility that US Government workers will strike from tomorrow, Friday. We are not sure if this will affect customs and our ability to clear the bikes out of port next week. Patience, patience and time will tell.
Old Lighthouse and sailing ship - Baltimore
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Escape from Surreality
Day 4 – Wednesday 6th April 2011
We wasted time this morning, and we had lots to waste. Our bus was at 12.15 and was, as we had found out the day before, leaving from only a few yards away from our hotel – quite a bonus for us as it was particularly busy out on the sidewalk and our cases would have been too cumbersome to drag through the throngs of New York.
We arrived at the bus stop in good time and the Boltbus appeared not long afterwards. Luggae stowed we were soon heading off down 7th Avenue and hit the Holland Tunnel which had out on the Jersey Turnpike road in no time at all. Looking left out of my window I could see the Manhattan skyline standing majestically and it reminded me of the opening titles of the hit TV drama, The Sopranos, where it shows Tony on his way home to New Jersey and the sights along the way. They changed the title sequence some two or three series in because the earlier episodes showed the Twin Towers but later ones removed them from the shots for obvious reasons.
Baltimore was reached in good time and we were soon enjoying a taxi ride with Joy who was at pains to point put the areas of town that we should not venture into unless we wanted to be relieved of our wallets. Tonight, she told us, was also a big baseball game in Baltimore. We pondered on it but decided that we did not want to go and watch a few men play rounders so gave it a miss opting for a couple of drinks and a meal in the bar with our polish host, Yvonne who we found out was from Gdansk and her husband was from Poland too. A look at the internet told us that our boat has sailed (on 4th) and will dock in Baltimore on 13th which realistically means that we should be able to collect on 14th. Tomorrow’s jobs are to a) look for car hire, b) repack the bags so that we can leave our luggage with the concierge until 14th, c) rebook hotel for 13th & 14th d) start working out a route south (also pleased today that the Garmin sat nav map of USA works fine in my Sat Nav so at least I will some idea where I’m going !).
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