Wounded Warrior Project

I’ll be doing a cross country ride soon, an “American Journey.” One of the reasons for the ride is to bring awareness to the Wounded Warrior Project. Our men and women in the armed forces put themselves in harms way everyday for our freedom and ideals. They deserve our constant support and gratitude.

The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) was founded on the principle that veterans are our nation's greatest citizens. The WWP seeks to assist those men and women of our armed forces who have been severely injured during the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations around the world. Many of the injuries are traumatic amputations, gunshot wounds, burns, and blast injuries that will retire these brave warriors from military service.

From the battlefield to their bedside, WWP is there to meet the needs of our wounded heroes:

• They provide them with unique programs and services.
• They raise awareness and enlist public support.
• They provide a means for veterans to help each other.
  

The Wounded Warrior Project is a nonprofit organization. Click on their logo above to go to their site and do what you can to help our vets.

Check the blog often to watch my “American Journey” and spread the word about the WWP.

Washington Township Police Department Motorcycle Safety Course

On August 10, 2008 the Washington Township Police Department held a Motorcycle Safety Course that I attended. I want to thank Sergeant Rich Skinner, Sergeant Bill Curl and their colleagues for their time and effort in running the course. It was free of charge and covered skills like riding over obstacles, braking, swerving and tight turns, among others. The course was well worth the time and with all the DOPES out there driving cars it is always a good idea to improve your skills!





Rich Skinner (above) instructing riders.


Bill Curl giving me last minute instructions.

Me and Smeltzy at the class. It was fun. (But I don't like that he looks taller then me in this picture).

That's better!

The Hawk's Nest

One of my favorite “local rides” from Northern, N.J. is to the Hawks Nest. It’s about a 3 ½-4 hour round trip from Bergen County, N.J.. You don’t need to be riding to Vermont or far upstate, N.Y. if you want to see rolling farmlands and great scenery. Some of the best stuff is in our own back yard. These pix. are from the ride we did Sunday 8/17. It was one of those perfect days for a ride! High 70”s low humidity and sunny.



ROUTE: You head north from N.J. to the N.Y. Thruway. Get off at exit 15A for RT 17 N toward Sloatsburg/Suffern. Make a left on 17 N and make a left onto to 17A (look for signs for Sterling Forest). Go over the mountain and make a right at the stop sign (you are in the town of Greenwood Lake). Stay left and head over mountain (still 17A). (At the top of the mountain is ???? Dairy. You can stop off and a drink and good views). At the end of that road make a left onto Oakland Ave (94). Make a right onto 1A (your second right. You will see a restaurant on the corner). (On 1A you will find a roadside stand or two selling fresh local produce). It gets a little tricky but it’s worth it. Stay on 1A (turns into (1) and the Pine Island Turnpike), for a while until you see signs for Port Jervis. For the rest of the trip and the most important thing to do is to follow signs all the way to Port Jervis. (in a future blog I will list an alternate route, a short detour, where you can ride by a farm where they keep all the animals for the Radio City Christmas show), Eventually you will make a left onto (6) and continue following signs to Port Jervis. When you get to Port Jervis follow signs for the “scenic byway (97).” Stay on the “scenic byway all along the Delaware. From there you can turn around and come back or cross the Delaware and ride back on the other side but that’s for a future blog.



The first time I was riding through this area I looked up and saw a dozen camels and some zebras grazing out in a field. ??? Was I seeing things? I hadn't been on the road that long. Nope, telling from the puzzled look on their faces my friends saw it too. Turns out this is where they keep the animals for the Radio City Christmas Show.




Usually the people are fairly friendly here. You can ask them to look at the animals. But for some reason this friendly looking young lady didn't like Chad and considered squashing him with this tractor. Must have been a rough day on the farm!

If the weather isn't cooperating this Army & Navy store in Port Jervis is a good place to stop for supplies. You can pick up some rain gear or an extra sweat shirt.










Frank, Chad, John & Susan at the Hawk's Nest

Lake George, Vermont, Lake Placid, Saratoga

The first long ride of this 2008 season was from New Jersey up to the sparkling waters of Lake George. I rode up with some friends and it was the last day of the Americade rally. That was okay. We weren’t there for the rally but for some great rides into Vermont, Lake Placid and back down to Saratoga. It was in the upper 90’s for the whole trip with high humidity making the real feel in the 100's. Other than the occasional heat exhaustion (not a joke), it was a great trip.



From Lake George we headed into Vermont via the ferry at Fort Ticonderoga.











We had a great ride through the small towns and the rolling farmlands. It feels like you are riding in a John Mellencamp video up there. We did stop at the Ben & Jerry’s factory and let me tell you, although we like the ice cream (not the politics),the factory was NOT worth the trip.










The next day we headed to the incredibly scenic Lake Placid.
Route: From N.J., Albany or Lake George take the Northway (Route 87) North to exit 30, turn left onto Route 9 and follow Route 9 into 73 until Lake Placid, at the light make a left and continue straight on Main St.











We stayed at the Mirror Lake Resort and had an outstanding time. The resort is top of the line. The people are friendly, the views are awesome and the rooms are comfortable and very clean. It is in walking distance of Main Street. Main Street on Mirror Lake is a great place to stop for lunch or dinner and the girls enjoyed the local stores. There is also a 2.7 mile walk around the lake to stretch your legs after a long ride. Mirror Lake Resort was one of the more expensive places to stay but well worth it.











There are unlimited activities to do in the Lake Placid region. We went hiking at the Adirondack Loj. From there you can hike up the "High Peaks." There are 46 "High Peaks" in the area to climb at all different difficulty levels. It is a short ride to the Loj. but first you have to stop and pick up sandwiches for the hike at Simply Gourmet. They have 46 outstanding sandwiches for all 46 "High Peaks" in the area.
Route: From the Mirror Lake Resort turn right onto Main and then a right onto Saranac Ave. Simply Gourmet will be on the right just after the miniature golf course. Get back on Saranac Ave. (make right out of lot) and continue to Old Military Road and turn left onto it. Go to Adirondack Loj. Rd. and make a right onto it, take that just under 5 miles to the Loj.




We hiked up Mt. Joe. It’s all about the view on top!

From bikes to bicycles and we stopped off at the Olympic Museum where “Miracle On Ice" took place. It’s history and worth checking out if you get a chance.











Below are more scenes from around the Lake Placid area as we headed to Saratoga.




PLP




















On the way back to Jersey we stopped off at Saratoga Springs. I’ve never been there before and it is a another great place to stop, take a break and look around. Check out the actual springs in the park and around the area. Be sure to take a tour of the battlefield at Saratoga where two very important Revolution War battles took place. It’s a nice ride from the town to the battlefield.
As I mentioned above, it was in the upper 90’s with high humidity making the real feel in the 100's. We had some stops to make along the way and then hit traffic on the Northway where we were at a complete stop. Bikes were hot and so were we. When we finally got to town we stopped for lunch to cool down. After lunch the group headed back to Jersey but I wanted to see the battle grounds. So PLP and me did. There we were, in the sun, on the bike, stop and go from one point to the next for about two hours. By the time we were done we had been out riding in the 100 degree day for about 8 hours. We were tired, light headed and dizzy (heat exhaustion). I was planning on heading back to Jersey (about a 2 ½ hour trip), but needed a break. We stopped of at one of the springs where I met an older gentleman. I think is name was Charlie. He looked like a typical grandfather. I told him about my day on the bike. He told me that the heat didn’t bother him (basically calling me a whimp...lol.) and that every evening of his whole life he comes to this specific spring and has a drink. He explained it’s how he stays young and healthy. As we said goodbye, Charlie walked over to the parking lot, picked up his helmet and got on his late model Harley Road King and rode away…I decided to try the water!!! Thanks for the tip, Charlie!