Asbury Park to Sandy Hook to Atlantic Highlands (9/11 Memorial)

Now that the weather has been clearing out a bit I want to share with you a nice jersey Shore ride. This is a ride John and me did last season.

On a beautiful August day we took a trip down the shore. We took the Garden state parkway South to the Asbury Park Exit. Headed east to Asbury Park. Passed the Stone Pony (a N.J. landmark where Springsteen, Southside Johnny among others started out), and road along the ocean North, through Long Branch, Sea Bright, up to Sandy Hook. In Sea Bright we stopped at Donavan’s Reef. Donavan’s has a Tiki Bar right on the beach. If you didn’t know better you would think you were at an island bar in the Caribbean. In Sandy Hook we had lunch out on the water at Bahr’s. Bahr’s has been there a long time and is famous for their lobster bisque. From Sandy Hook you follow highway 36 North over Highlands Bridge to Navesink Ave/Scenic Road, Stay right and follow signs for Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook. This is the highest natural elevation on the Atlantic coastal plain. It has incredible views of Sandy Hook, Raritan Bay and the New York City skyline. This park is awesome home to the very moving Monmouth County 9/11 Memorial. On 9/11 many people came to this spot to see what was happening in N.Y.C. It is an Eagle sculpture clutching a beam from one of the fallen towers. The memorial honors both the lives lost and the fearless display of heroism by rescue teams and citizens who responded to the tragedy.

On the road from Asbury to Sea Bright.

On the deck at Bahr's and over bridge to Atlantic Highlands.

Mount Mitchill.

The 9/11 Memorial.

Adirondacks, Whiteface Mountain 6/09

After checking out the Americade tents in Lake George we headed up to Inlet, N.Y.

The next day after breakfast we headed for Whiteface Mountain.

Whiteface Mountain is where the downhill skiing was held at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Whiteface is 4,867 feet high. You can take the bikes up most of the way on Veterans Memorial Highway.

Once on top you can go through a tunnel that is carved into solid rock and runs over 400 feet long into the mountain and take and elevator to the summit.. Or you can hike it. I hiked it but the pictures below are in the tunnel.

You can see Lake Champlain, Lake Placid, Vermont and into Canada on a clear day. For more information on Whiteface you can click on this link http://www.whiteface.com/newsite/summer/highway.php

Lake Placid

BBQ time.

Americade 2009, Lake George, N.Y.

This month was the annual Americade motorcycle rally in Lake George, N.Y. The show was arranged a little different then usual. More vendors by the lake in the tent section and less in town.

A very cool product at the show was from a company called "Rocker Boards." They are making a line of what I would call scooters, seen above. They are made to look like very early bikes. The scooters are automatic and look like they will be a fun novelty bike. They will be available on the market soon.

For more on Americade click here, http://www.tourexpo.com/data/

The weather kept some people away this year. (For those of you from northern New Jersey I don't have to tell you that we have had about 30 straight days of rain). When we left Jersey for Lake George it was pouring rain but it started to clear up around Albany. Then we had good riding weather for the rest of the trip. Check out the next post for a continuation of this trip and a ride to the top of Whiteface Mountain.