Vol. 19 No. 4 - 30 June, 2015

Delivered the trailers to a Home Depot in Queensbury, New York on Monday 1 June, then down to Berlin, New York and loaded bags of peat moss, top soil and pine bark mulch. Berlin, NY is east of Albany, near where the states of Vermont, Massachusetts and New York join.

Garden supplies in Berlin, New York - a muddy day!

Berlin, NY to Greece, NY.

The next day we delivered it to a Home Depot in Greece, New York, then to Attica.  The first week of June each year is the DOT Safety blitz for trucks.  We always plan to put the truck in the garage that week to get anything done or checked. Also the Western New York Moto Guzzi Rally scheduled for the first weekend of June.

Our new accommodations while in Buffalo area.

Our (new to us) caravan – travel trailer was delivered on Wednesday, we spent a lot of our time transferring items out of the RV to the trailer.  
I forgot to get a photo!  Here is the photo the seller posted on Craigslist. 

It is a 2000 model 26 foot Fleetwood Mallard and in good condition. We liked the two doors to the outside, and the aftermarket awning goes most of the length of the trailer.  Also, the bed is not against a wall (except for the head), for easier access.

This is the Varysburg Hotel - they have great meals and we usually stop there while in the area.

Varysburg Hotel, in Varysburg, New York.

Jim and I left Attica for the Western New York Moto Guzzi rally on Friday morning 5 June and stopped in Sunset Bay and had lunch with Dave and Sandy Stroud at Cabana Sam’s – a beautiful summer day, so the ‘beach’ was busy.  Lovely to see Dave and Sandy, always lots of laughs.

Beach at Sunset Bay, eastern side of Lake Erie, water temperature was 50 degrees F (10 C), people were in the water!

We arrived at the rally mid-afternoon and caught up with friends from other areas. A new moto guzzi dealer is in Buffalo and they had the new bike models for people to test ride, as well as parts for sale and knowledge to share.

A hearty chilli dinner and campfire antics completed Friday. The temperature dropped considerable once the sun set and a shower of rain dampened the campfire for a brief time.

Saturday was to be an exciting gathering of cigarette boats on Lake Erie, so a group waited at the harbor for a couple of hours, it was very windy and cold.  The boats never did arrive…??

Lake Erie at Barcelona Harbour.

Caleigh, Baillie, Michele and Gracie at Lake Erie.

Headed south to the Southern Tier Brewery and had lunch and sampled their beer, then back to Westfield to check out a new Five and 20 Spirits and Brewery. It was nice and they have a tasting room for beer and wine, and an outside garden.
Then back to the campgrounds for the Saturday evening meal and awards.

The oldest moto guzzi rider was 82 years old and 11 months; the youngest guzzi rider was 34.  Friends Randy and Louise Petersen received awards for longest distance travelled to the rally, 550 miles from Michigan, Randy on his Moto Guzzi Norge and Louise on her Honda Rebel.  124 adults and 6 children registered for the rally.
This year there was a family of Canadian geese on the pond.

Many people strolled to the cliffs beside Lake Erie and watched another spectacular sunset.

Sunday morning was fine and sunny and people started packing up.  Everything was dismantled, packed up and cleaned up and everyone had gone different directions before noon.

Cousin Marguerite and Lesley.

Monday morning Empire Truck looked at out truck and discovered the forward differential had some wear and recommended replacement, and brakes on the prime mover (tractor) – it would take two days for the diff to get there.  Weather was rainy, windy and cool.  We borrowed Michele’s car on Monday to meet Jim’s cousin, Marguerite and husband Mike in South Buffalo for lunch at the Blackthorn.  

Also visited Jim's mother a few times.  We did have time to empty the RV and set up the caravan.

Wednesday was a fine, sunny day, and we went to Letchworth State Park on the motorbike.  We have been there several times, but now for several years.

Wikipedia:  Letchworth State Park is located 60 miles southeast of Buffalo.  The park is roughly 17 miles long, covering 14,350 acres of land along the Genesee River.  Renowned as the “Grand Canyon of the East”, is one of the most scenically magnificent areas in the eastern US.  The Genesee River roars through the gorge over three major waterfalls (and numerous smaller ones) between cliffs – as high as 600 feet in some places – surrounded by lush forests.

Genesee River and Razorback ridge at Letchworth State Park.

Wolf Creek Falls.

Lower Falls at Letchworth State Park.

The wildlife crossing signs were interesting, especially when we experienced a wildlife crossing!  A Northern Black Snake – very common and harmless, it was large and unconcerned.

Upper Falls after two days of rain, they were roaring!

This photo stolen from Letchworth State Park website and shows how the Falls usually look.

Snack food in some of the smaller pubs are interesting.

The truck was ready Thursday, with new brakes and diff.

On Friday, we loaded at Hillcrest Coatings Inc. in Attica - 22 pallets of glass beads and tarped.

Jim and I left Attica early Saturday morning and delivered at Michigan Pavement Marking near Grand Rapids, Michigan on Sunday morning.  The glass is mixed with special paint and used for highway signs and lines.

Internet: Retroreflective highway signs and lane markers us special kinds of paints and materials.  Most retroreflective paints contain many thousands of glass beads per square foot that are bonded to the highway.  Instead of scattering light, as normal paints do, retroreflective paints containing glass beads turn the light around and send it back in the direction of your headlights.

Attica, NY to Grand Rapids, MI.

Where the line markers practice.

Lots of storms and weather happenings!

Indiana.

Monday afternoon, 15 June, we loaded wire fencing from Merchant Metals Inc. near New Paris, Indiana – they produce and distribute hot dipped galvanized and PVC coated chain link fence systems in the US.

Loading at Merchant Metals in New Paris, Indiana.

Delivering at Merchant Metals in North Tonawanda, New York (near Buffalo).

Delivered in North Tonawanda, New York, near Buffalo to another Merchant Metals Inc, product they needed.  Then south to North East, Pennsylvania and loaded transformer parts that had to be tarped - 13 long crates.  We wanted to get close to New Hampshire for the Moto Guzzi National Rally.  This load delivered in West Brookfield, Massachusetts on Wednesday, 17 June.

North East, PA to West Brookfield, Massachusetts.

The 44^th MGNOC National Rally was 18-21 June at Cheshire Fairgrounds in Swanzey, in south west New Hampshire, in the Monadnock Region near Keene.  Jim and I arrived on the Wednesday afternoon.  There were a few other people there already, or came in after us a day early.

Arriving early for the Moto Guzzi Rally at Cheshire County Fairgrounds, Swanzey, New Hampshire.

We were welcomed by New Hampshire Moto Guzzi Rep, Randy Tefft running around on the ROKON.  Randy is going coast to coast on it to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project.  He commences on 1 July from Portland, New Hampshire and rides across the USA to Malibu, California.  Top speed for the bike is around 35 miles per hour!

Website:  ROKON is a Rochester, New Hampshire-based motorcycle manufacturer that builds unusual 2-wheel drive off-road motorcycles sometimes referred to as moto-tractors.

Jim was selected for a random drug test, so after we unloaded our motorbike we went into Keene for that and then found Elm City Brewery for an early dinner.

Thursday we rode 100 miles west and met up with the group travelling with Joe and Michele; Chris and Judi from Wisconsin, Derek and Cindy from Florida, Frank and Penny from near Buffalo, and Jerry from Kentucky.  It was a great ride, through winding road and historic towns, through Green Mountain National Forest, Jim and I stopped for coffee in Cambridge, NY.

Stopped for coffee in Cambridge, New York.

Met the group in Greenwich, New York and returned to Swanzey with them along the same route.  Stopped at Madison Brewery Company in Bennington, Vermont.  Stopped in Brattleboro, then on to the rally site to get set up, dinner and socializing.

Friday, a group rode through some twisty roads along the Ashuelot River to Cornish-Windsor Bridge – a covered bridge across the Connecticut River between Cornish, New Hampshire and Windsor, Vermont.  Built in 1866, this is the fourth bridge built here.  It is the longest wooden covered bridge in the United States and the longest two-span covered bridge in the world.

Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge.

I wanted to get a little closer for a photo of the bridge and off the road, so hopped over the guard rail.  Judi yelled out - that is poison ivy growing there!  Now I know what poison ivy looks like!  Didn't have any of it touch me thankfully.

LtoR: Derek, Jim, Cindy, Jerry, Michele, Joe, Judi, Penny, Frank and Chris.

Riding through the covered bridge.

Brochure:  Between 1827 and 1912, over 300 covered bridges were built throughout New Hampshire.  Today, only just over fifty of these historic structures remain, many have been lost to flood, neglect or fire.  Covered bridges are a link to the past, when the mode of transportation was horse and oxen.  These structures are a testament to the timber framers and stone masons who built them.

Windsor, Vermont is a very old town chartered in 1761.  Harpoon Brewery is on the south side of the town (also one in Boston, Massachusetts).  We enjoyed some of their great beers and lunch in their garden setting.

LtoR: Derek, Lesley, Jim, Joe, Michele, Judi, Jerry, Don, Penny in front of Frank, Ginger and Dave; Chris and Jimmy kneeling.

Harpoon Brewery beer garden.

Crossing back into New Hampshire.

Photos of the Cheshire Fairground / guzzi campground.

Jimmy's truck with ours - we had a good spot.

Friday evening dinner at the camp and campfire socializing.

Saturday morning Jim and I went on a river run led by Randy – a dozen bikes along the local roads to Otter Brook Dam – part of a network of flood control dams on tributaries of the Connecticut River to help prevent flooding.

In the afternoon Jim and I had a look around the historic downtown area of Keene, this is the church in the square.

Downtown Keene, New Hampshire.

Visited the town of Swanzey and found one of the six covered bridges in the area: Carelton Bridge - 67 feet 3 inches long (20.5 metres).

Wikipedia: The Carleton Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge that continues Carleton Road over the South Branch Ashuelot River in East Swanzey, NH.  The bridge was built in 1869 on a site that is believed to have had a bridge since 1789.

Saturday evening dinner then the awards.  Several people were already packed up and loaded and left after the awards.  They had a lot of miles to travel and rain was settling in for most of Sunday.  265 people attended the National Rally.

Sunday morning packed up and heading home, Joe & Michele, Frank & Penny.

The rain and fog still hanging about mid Sunday morning.

Jimmy left about lunch time, he had to load on Monday.  Jim and I did not have a reload, Jim and I had lunch in Keene with Randy (rally master) and Tom, guzzi friend that came in from Hawaii.

We went in a circuit around Mt Monadnock, the region is named after this 3,165 feet (964.6 metre) isolated mountain which is the dominant geographic landmark.

Mt Monadnock, in south west New Hampshire.

Stopped for a quick photo of the Cheshire Railroad Stone Arch Bridge, built in 1847 with a span length of 90 feet (27.4 metres) and is over 50 feet (15.2 metres) high.  There are a lot of stone arch bridges in the area, but this one is the largest.

Cheshire Railroad Stone Arch Bridge, South Keene, NH.

We loaded the motorbike on Sunday afternoon and stayed the night at the Fairgrounds.  Only two other people were still camped there, so we socialized a little before an early night was required.  It was a fun-filled rally - we enjoyed time spent with moto guzzi friends from all around the USA.

Monday morning was consumed by getting a load.  The north-east is not a good area for flatbed freight, but we knew that before we planned on attending the rally.

We ended up deadheading 230 miles (370 kms) to Clifton, New Jersey to get a load. 

Constructing a new span to the Tappan Zee Brdge over the Hudson River.

Tuesday, 23 June we loaded at Swepco Tube, four large flat steel plates, and tarped it.

Website:  For fifty years the name Swepco has been synonymous with high alloy, corrosion resistant products.

Pick up in Clifton, New Jersey prior to tarping.

An unmarked low bridge on the way to pick up the next part of the shipment - we held our breath going under this one! Coatesville, Pennsylvania.

We were a little concerned when we turned the corner and saw this bridge!  No height was indicated, and no ‘low bridge’ or ‘no truck’ signs.  Jim went slowly under it after dumping the air out of all airbags.
At Brandywine Valley Fabrications in Coatesville, Pennsylvania we loaded one more large piece of flat steel and tarp that.

We had nothing on the top deck of the trailer, and time to find a LTL to fill out.  Loaded one coil Thursday morning in Columbus, Mississippi, and tarped it.

One coil LTL loaded in Columbus, Mississippi.

The two part shipment delivered to Rolled Alloys in Houston, and the single coil delivered to Ta Chen Industrial in Houston, Texas also.  Both deliveries were close together, and we had both off before lunch.  
It was hot and humid, so rather than sit in a hot truck at a truckstop all afternoon and night, we found a motel with truck parking north of the city and only 20 miles from our next load.  Nice to be in air conditioning!
One of the better fast food restaurants and a 'Texas' icon is Whataburger and there was one a few blocks from the motel.

Whataburger Restaurant.

Friday morning, 26 June we loaded at a construction site near Spring, Texas – about 40 miles north of Houston, The Woodlands area.

Reflection of the working crane on the building in front of the truck.

Our load was five weights and a crane jib section.

The red crane in the reflection disassembled and brought the blue one to the ground. Four other trucks were loading there.

We ran that over the weekend and delivered north east of Atlanta, Georgia to J E Dunn Construction in Winder, Georgia on Monday morning.

Pendergrass, Georgia to Detroit, Michigan.

The next load was only 20 miles away in Pendergrass, Georgia, five pallets of stainless steel coils at North American Stainless, I took this photo prior to throwing the tarp over them.

A light load and a quick trip to Warren, Michigan north of Detroit and delivered them on Tuesday afternoon.