WEEK 2

Monday, Empire State Building with Tom on a cold but clear day.  Our first few days we experienced unfashionable warm days but now Autumn is definitely tending towards Winter and there is even talk of snow during the week.  While we are up there a security guard approaches Tom and asks about his short.  after Tom shows him he breaks into a smile and approves. I'm relieved.  There is a lot of security around New York,  as you would imagine.
Rob has done the Whitney, we met up near the Rockefeller ice rink and meander a bit before heading home to have a bit of a rest. We are dining out tonight,  at Red Rooster in Harlem. Now this isn't anything like Red Rooster in Australia but a restaurant famed for its menu ... soul food and where  Barack Obama ate once. Great cornbread,  fried green tomatoes, chicken wings,  roast chicken (Rob) and chatted fish (me) are so good that we are truly sorry that we simply cannot eat dessert .

 Tuesday we have tickets for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island so we head off to get there at the appointed time.  have I learned nothing from the Empire State experience? Apparently not,  so we join the queue and take about half an hour or more to get on the boat.  I think they want everyone to experience steerage as so many stand cheek by jowl for the trip.  We are skipping walking around the statue and head for the more interesting Ellis Island where so many migrants entered the States.  It is beautifully restored and has some very interesting exhibitions, to say the least.
Theatre this week ... Tuesday OH HELLO , Wednesday SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (where Jake Gyllenhaal excels as George), Wednesday  night IMPROV COMEDY at Insurgent Citizens Brigade, Thursday SOMETHING ROTTEN,  Friday we switch to sport - basketball at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  We have Tom to thank for some of these, and I thank him for waking us out of our complacency and getting us out more than we might have otherwise. I also thank him for the night walk along the High Line and joining me on a rainy day on a walking tour of Williamsburg, Brooklyn (and bringing an umbrella).
We shall miss him on our last couple of days here. He gets home after us.

Random night scene in town

High Line at night

NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS

A sleep in on Saturday, which turns out cold, wet and windy. Rob decides he will be better off spending the day in bed so I leave him to it and after a bit of a walk, coffee, and lunch I settle on the new Tim Burton film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Sadly, the script is disappointing but it looks good. Rob still not getting up so another cinema, another film - A Man Called Ove which I do enjoy.  It is a heartwarming film and a cheery note to end on.
Sunday is fine and it is back to being a tourist with a visit to the Chelsea Market.

Rob is recovered and is headed to the Whitney Museum,  I take a walk along the High Line, a former elevated freight train line which is converted to a park. It is windy up there and very crowded. I love it in spite of the crowd and will be back when it is quieter.

Just to demonstrate how windy it was, on my way back to meet Rob I passed the fire department,  well not the whole fire department,  putting a wall back on place.  you can't quite see that they made use of available local resources (street rubbish bin) to get the job done.  Sorry,  was in a bit of a hurry.
Rob took a wrong turn, enjoyed a walk at ground level and missed the Whitney. Ah well.
By
After lunch we have the first of our theatre experiences - Anna Deveare Smith gives a magnificent performance delivering a series of monologues. The characters she plays are people Smith interviewed about the "pipeline" which feeds poorly educated children into the prison system, and how to change that. They are lifted verbatim from the interview transcripts and deliver a powerful message.  It is a great start to our Broadway, we'll mostly off Broadway, experience.

NY 2

The weather here continues with record breaking temperatures for October,  good for tourists. It is forecast to end,  but in the meantime. ......
We've done enough galleries for me,  and I leave Rob to The Met. Instead I do a walking tour run by the Tenement Museum,  a tour of buildings in the area which represent the changing population and industries in the Lower East Side.  I also get some advice about eating in the area.  By chance I lunch at a cafe recommended by an Aussie friend  (thank you,  Helen) then saunter back towards our flat.  It is a day to take it easy for me. 

I put the research to good use that night,  encouraging Rob to dine at Katz's deli, an original that's been there forever. As well as being famous in its own right this is also the location for the famed When Harry met Sally "I'll have what she's having." scene.   I have never seen such a big sandwich in all my life.  I cannot eat all the corned beef in my half sandwich so save some for another day,  Rob takes half his Return sandwich away.  Delicious.  As was the ice-cream over the road.  Definitely walking home to recover.
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Still warm on Thursday,  good day for a walking tour of Brooklyn starting with a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.  Huge crowds walk it, so many that there is talk of putting a dedicated wider path below the existing one. I have to say that seems a good idea,  for one thing it will separate cyclists and pedestrians.  Cyclists here ride as though their lives depended upon getting somewhere fast,  riding through pedestrians at breakneck speed with a complete disregard for red lights, pedestrians' right of way and several other road rules I think.  So far I haven't joined their ranks.

Taking a ferry ride back across the East River we continue our own walking tour through the financial district to Tribeca and the Laughing Man Cafe, owned by Hugh Jackman where Rob has found the best coffee since leaving home.  I cannot comment as I elected not to break my rule about not drinking coffee after mid-afternoon.  I do however plan to put it to the test another day.

Splitting up again,  Rob to the Subway and me to walk home through Soho and Noho doing a bit of window shopping along the way.  I pass m mostly upmarket brands but there are some smaller shops with more local designers etc.  a very pleasant couple of hours dawdling before I do the washing at the nearby laundromat and eat or leftovers from last night. Delicious all over again

NEW YORK NEW YORK

What can I say that hasn't already been said ... wow.  Approaching the skyline it changes constantly and is everything you've heard about it. Spectacular. Getting off my bus ahead of Rob's arrival I  decided to walk the few blocks to his stop carting my luggage, a decision my shoulder came to regret for a couple of days. However, we met up, successfully organised Uber and onto our home for a fortnight. A one room apartment in the Lower East Village.
My first  impression walking around our neighbourhood is that we are in the right place - thank you  Tim Peach, Phil and Anne, Fran and Peter for recommendation and local advice. i think I could happily spend a fortnight just hereabouts.  Food diversity abounds, plenty of bars with happy hour, looking for live music, theatre,  found the laundromat and dinner is great at a local fish bar.  Keep up that standard and we'll be right, mate.

Rob appreciating Strawberry Fields, but is it the right one? 

Sunny Sunday in Central Park, sounds like a song.  There is a well supported fundraising walk in some sections, but the park is of course so big that it hardly matters.  We spend a great deal of the day there,  then walk to Times Square just to see it.  Diwali is being celebrated on the stage there but the crowds do us in and we head off in search of whatever there is to see.  Just being on the street is plenty to see.

A couple of days devoted to Museums, galleries .. I visit the Tenement Museum which is wonderful and The Merchant House which has a death theme for October .. meeting up to thoroughly enjoy The Museum of the City of New York together. MoMA is everything one expects and my reaction to the Guggenheim is mixed. I am sorry I didn't wait for the day of free admission as I don't find the current exhibition very interesting. One cannot help but marvel at the building,  Frank knew his stuff all right.
Having enjoyed twilight cruises elsewhere we add New York to the list.

Exhausted we travel home on the subway we are coming to know and love.  Sleep,  blessed sleep

AUTUMN

On the great autumnal colour hunt, I spent a wonderful week with Lauren driving and cycling around.  We stayed with good friends of hers using that as a base and doing day trips from there.  The weather continues mild and warm with very little rain and when it threatened we just tailored our activities accordingly. It is wonderful to travel with someone who appreciates last minute plans and flexibility in them.  Though even the most flexible know I will have to decide very soon how to get to New York.  I am pretty certain that bus is best with my luggage,  now which bus line?  They are all cheap,  all have different luggage policies to consider.  But what do you care? Not one whit I know.  So I simply present you with some visual representations of the very good time I had. ..  Just one more thing,  I  am so glad I remembered seeing lamb shanks on the menu at the Chelsea Royal diner and that I rang to check on them as we were able to order the last two over the phone before we got there. Yum. A delicious end to a joyous month of travel by bike and car with Lauren

HEADING NORTH STILL

Now on the quest for some  autumnal colour we are staying with a friend of Lauren's in Massachusetts so we can do some day trips into Vermont to try and catch some of the famed colour in the trees during autumn/fall. 

Of course, the color is not restricted to any single state but I am reliably informed that the sugar maples make all the difference. They turn a brilliant red.  Other advice is that as the area is experiencing drought the colours will not be as spectacular as the photos.  I really am not bothered

I didn't realize that shingles would make me tired but they do.  By the end of a pretty easy day I am well and truly ready to crash early. I am just relieved that the drugs seem to be kicking in and I  am improving. So we've had a few less strenuous days,  thanks to Lauren driving us about. We've been to a local craft fair checking out the artisans' work, a few galleries,  and seen trees galore.  

MassMOCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) is great and is one of those places where the building is as interesting as its contents. It's in Williamstown well away from the State capital, Boston, which is unusual. There is another big gallery,  The Clark, also an interesting building which houses a more traditional collection.

Pumpkins abound of course as Halloween approaches and many many houses have had their decorations up for some time.  Everywhere we go people are selling them at roadside stalls and the range of sizes is remarkable. Some displays and installations are witty and some are not.

We also caught up with Nancy, with whom we rode in Oregon two years ago. It was great to see her as those opportunities are few and far between.  Meeting over breakfast in a traditional diner a treat enjoyed by all. Teri recomnended it to us and advised us to take particular note of the specials - so we did.  Banana bread french toast with bacon and REAL maple syrup for me.  Small wonder we had a light lunch of apples and cheese sitting by a covered bridge. I am still very keen on these. Passing one that is being rebuilt Lauren tells me that a high number were washed away a few years ago, evidence of damage and many landslips can be seen on the river banks as we drive through.  

The fair highlight was a time machine built by a local sculptor which a local radio personality was going to use at 1pm.  We stayed for the artist's introduction, more chat, introduction of local scientists and a bit of a Q&A session with them.  Thinking he might never get round to actually setting it off we left before the main event. On the way out we pass a local TV News crew arriving.  Perhaps that is who they were waiting for. 
Back to the colour.  The trees may not look as spectacular add they have in other years,  or may look in a week from now but they look damned good to me.  There are just so many covering such a big area I just sit back and enjoy the view.  Last stop of the day on Tuesday is the 100 mile view. 

I HAVE SHINGLES and I am ok

Oct 7.
This morning starts with a walk along the beach at dawn.

 Virginia Beach is a long Beach with many hotels overlooking it but not at our end. It is good to have a bit of a stretch before we leap in the car again.  I have been over some good bridges in my time but nothing like the 23 mile bridge-tunnel over Chesapeake Bay.  It is amazing.

Starts out as a very long bridge, dips underwater for a bit below a channel, more bridge, another tunnel, final section of bridge to land on the other side. WOW.

Today's ride will take us along the Eastern Shore with a look at some of the Barrier Islands,   It is very different terrain to the forested hills we have been in.
Over the bridge to Chinquoteague Island for lunch in one of the local seafood restaurants. Crab cake, advertised as including no filler, and it was right.

This island is famous for its wild horses which are rounded up each year and a number of them auctioned off as a way of maintaining the herd at sustainable levels.  It looks marvellous in the photographs of the muster but this year's is long gone so no chance of seeing it this trip.  Seeing the herd in the wild somewhat makes up for it.

It occurs to me as we drive along that the effect of the cluster of bites that have irritated me over the last couple of days sound familiar. They are similar to Mum's description of shingles. That worries me enough to seek medical advice. Sadly it is confirmed that the now rash, not bites, on my left side and a smaller area nearby are indeed shingles. My symptoms are low level,  not too painful, so a coupke of meds prescribed. That is a rude welcome to the system here - the first cost $5.80 , the second is quoted at $400.00!!! Fortunately the pharmacy assistant investigates generic supply and any discounts that may be applied and it is reduced to a mere $180.00. Insurance claim here I come.

No longer anxious I enjoy the rest of the day which ends with a car ferry crossing from Lewes to Cape May and a short drive to the romantically named Wildwoods. We enjoyed dinner at a bar on the wharf while waiting for the ferry to arrive at dusk. As is always the case with the ride at the end of the day we cannot see much on the water in the dark. Just glad to get to the hotel and out of the car for the day.

M2C Ride d3

A shorter ride today, all of about 2 miles to camp. Lauren and I called in to make sure we could get on the shuttle express the next day which we decided to have as a rest day. I was feeling decidedly blah, so when Chip said that would be fine and that we could if we wanted to get on today's shuttle.  I realised immediately that would be the better course. So we got on board and I promptly fell asleep.  Obviously a good decision.
I realised on arrival the disadvantage of getting to town ahead of my luggage ..  only had cycling shoes. Walked barefoot to downtown snd foud a very stylish pair of slip-ons at the first thrift shop we passed. So chic..

Lauren had researched the best coffee shop and that's where we went. It was not only the best coffee shop in Burlington but the best I  had been to for a month.  Oh joy, oh rapture. Burlington is the quietest town I had been in for a while, only a handful of people on the street. On asking if it was usually so quiet I  kearnt that it picks up towards lunchtime. I wondered if this is the effect of building huge shopping malls on the outskirts. They are soulless and you just about need a car to move from one end to the other (which we did one evening).

Another welcome ... our hotel room was ready so we could check in early. AND Lexington has Uber. I booked a massage as my back still giving me grief, not while I am riding or walking but when I sit for a while or lie down, particularly inconvenient at night. Uber to hotel, Uber to massage, Uber out again. 5 stars all.  How very handy it is.

After the massage I think my back feels better, I do anyway. A restful day getting washing done, dinner and an early night in preparation for rejoining the ride in the morning. Except  for one thing... everyone is starting to talk about Hurricane Matthew which looks almost certain to have an impact on the ride. Lots of talk about when it was cut short last time, and a great deal of speculation about when that call will be made. We can only wait and see.

M2C Ride d2

What can I say... another day with BIG climb early in the day.  Not surprisingly I am slow on the hills, I feel not much strength left in the old legs.  The minute there is an incline legs say "nooooo, not again".  Nothing for it but to wind down the gears and settle in for the long haul. The saving grace is riding through more beautiful countryside.  That and the low gears in the hub, thanks again Ewen.

Yesterday we climbed about 3800ft/1160m, today is less - 3500ft/1067m.  Well, that is a relief.  Shortlived though. Sometimes it is good halfway up a hill to just stop and take a photo of whatever is around. Never hurts to take a minute off.

There are 4 rest stops along the way, a highlight this day is the wonderful array of cakes and buscuits the local women have so lovingly made for us.

One steep pinch before the halfway mark and the rest are not too bad. Not quite enough downhill to roll uphill so plenty of work to be done.  Shyt up, kegs.
I have said it before and I will no doubt say it often, this is beautiful country.
We roll into Lexington, bathe, rest briefly and head downtown for dinner. The town has turned on a street concert and the recomnended cafe has opened on their night off just for the cyclists.  Good meal and very helpful staff.  This is very much appreciated by me when I  realise I have left my phone there.  I spoke to a wonderful woman who went to the trouble of asking round the remaining cyclists there where they were staying and found someone who agreed to bring the phone to our hotel. Boy, was I  glad not to go back out. I was amused to respond to the knock on the door and find a man on my phone stating he wanted to speak to their phone sex expert.  A good laugh all round and I  fell into bed and fast asleep. Phew.

M2C Ride d4

Today at breakfast the talk is all about the hurricane and the lack of any sms/email update from the ride organisers. Riders just want to know if there is a timeframe for a decision while acknowledging that it is still tricky to predict. Friend Mary B decides to return home to Gainsville where her sisters are headed from other more threatened parts of that state.  Lauren worries about the van being parked at the beach now under coastal flood watch. We will ride today but book a hire car to get the van tonight and head north.  Then during the afternoon the ride organisers offer a bus early the next morning to riders who need to go to their vehicles at the finish. We are on the list.

My legs are back, my back is all right and something has been biting me overnight.  I will be glad to feel completely myself at some time.  It is good to be back on the bike and no severe climbs today. Plenty of uphill work, some good downhill, a good day even if up outweighs down.  Time to just follow the road markers pointing the way.

6

Lunch today in Pittsboro where we are greeted by the Mayor. Another band here, seems to beno shortage of willing musos. I am particularly grateful when one of the women behind the table in the sandwich and coffee stall on seeing my disappointment that there is no tea to be had promptly offers to get me one from over the road. Iaccept with great pleasure. Top town. Then we were waved off by this mystical creature.

Going to sort out stuff tonight ready to get underway tomorrow ..

M2C Ride d5

It is really cheating to title this post as I have as we are riding the bus to retrieve the van and head north out of the projected Hurricane impact areas.  A longish ride with one quick contort stop, load gear and bikes in the van and we are away.. to get lunch.

We sometimes eat in one of the myriad chain restaurants that abound along the highway, often alongside a vast shopping malls.  They are not so bad as I paint the few we have in dear old Oz. We get fresh food,  soup, salad, sandwiches - not just burger and fries. When I do have burger and fries I do enjoy them.

 Late in the day we arrive at Leisa's house in Virginia Beach. It is book club night and the discussion is shared over a bowl of delicious soup. Their book this month is Q&A, on which the film Slumdog Millionaire is based. Of the four one read it to the end, one didn't get to it and the others had not completed it. This is not so much because of the book as it is the film which intrudes in the reader's memory.  That and time ... typical of any book club I've ever heard of.

Shortly after when someone mentioned another book all six around the table exclaimed with enthusiasm. Discussion was truncated when it transpired that not all had finished reading it yet but we all recommend it to you - All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr, Simon and Schuster, 2014. I thank Maureen Mitchell for recommending it to me.

Finished off the night with a lovely cup of teja and a homemade brownie. Good  finish.

NORTH CAROLINA

Two days on the road, first in the van travelling to Atlantic Beach - which is actually our final ride destination. We stay at nearby Havelock and though we have been accustomed to train noises we vary that today with jets from the nearby Marines base. Quicker to pass.
The second day after driving into Atlantic Beach and parking the van for the week, meeting up with Nancy, Mary B and Vicki we all board the big bus and settle in for the full day trip to the start point in the mountains,  Banner Elk.

This is a town at the foot of ski resort Sugar Mountain, and is overlooked by the ugliest mountain top building I've seen in years.
Fortunately this is countered by the smaller more attractive buildings in the town itself.
The cyclists' campsite looks like they do wherever they exist. Tents, trucks, support crew and a coffee truck (which sadly is not equipped with an espresso machine). It is, however, much appreciated by the locals.
There is a local band playing and a great air of anticipation.  In addition to byo tents and what is known at home as "sleep easy" tents this ride has a third option - indoor camping. Utilising a local hall cyclists lay out bedding and goods in what looks like a large dormitory. This is probably just what it looked like in South Australia recently as the Bike SA Annual Tour was washed out for a couple of days. We are actually opting out of all those experiences, staying in a hotel each night. Very luxurious for me but I am sure I'll cope somehow.
The ride is the Mountains to Coast ride, an annual ride in Autumn with a new route each year. All I'll say is remember it says Mountains first.

ASHEVILLE

This is a very attractive town.  Took a while to drive here but worth it. It is a quite liberal artistic oasis in a more conservative region.  Fortunately  we have a local contact to direct us to a good coffee shop.

My experience, as a somewhat snobbish coffee drinker from the town that considers itself the coffee drinking capital of the world, is thatbthese are few and far between.  However Jen was right, Izzy's Coffee Den does good coffee.  I do quiz the barista about local definitions of latte, cafe au lait and others before placing my order. So far they are very tolerant of me.

Next on the agenda, a visit to various artist studios in the Riverside Arts precinct. For a district that quite obviously was closing down it is now a must see for tourists.  The former warehouses are now populated by a great variety of working local artists and artisans.  My favourite is the man who repairs and restores chairs .. chairs with wicker cane, rush and other woven seats.  They look great, and it is a treat to see the collection in his workshop.
And then there's 12 Bones, the local smokehouse which is a great place for lunch.  They have a big turnover shown by the length of the ordering queue and the cars in the parking lot.  This is one of the more interesting vehicles ..

It is International Coffee day, so that calls for a second cup of coffee, from another recommended venue, then down to the real business of the day. Lauren has a haircut appointment and I will be having my nails done with the usual dark red polish.  Leah, who does this, is great and very informative about life in Asheville.  She was raised in a rural area and left that for Asheville at the first real opportunity. She loves it here and I can see why.

Especially when we arrive at our final destination for the day. Two destinations really adjacent to each other. First the Grovewood Gallery where the best is reserved for last. This is a great gallery and I buy some souvenir earrings that catch my eye. Over to the Sunset Terrace of the Grove Park Inn to meet Jen - she of the good coffee advice - and to enjoy not only a spectacular view of the closing day but also some tapas and wine. A great end to our visit to Asheville (though we are spending another night here before heading out).

MOUNTAIN TO THE COAST RIDE

OMG what have I let myself in for? I did research thus ride, I've done ither rides with hills and I  knew it started in the Mountains. However, when one is on the bike doing the ride that is a very different thing indeed.
We set out and UP we go, straight up it seems thiugh I know that can't actually be right.Not long after we have a 5mile downhill, advised to take it carefully. Good advice it is very steep. We are riding through misty low cloud, ending in a valley at the small town of Valle Crusis. I went to the Mast General store in Asheville and got a recomnendation to check out the original Mast store which opened in 1881 and has not really changed. I do a quick detour to have a look. The store isn't open and I think that the interior is really the thing to see. Next door to the store are the remains of several shops which were burnt down earlier this year.  A man has been charged in relation to the fatal fire. It is extraordinary to see what is in effect the town's business centre destroyed in one fell swoop.

On up the high steep hill to the rest stop which is at the Blue Ridge Mountain Club. Pretty damned amazing views from up the top. Coming down again we pass some very impressive real estate which all appears to be linked to the BR Mountain Club. There is a lot of money in them thar hills. It is another winding downhill taken carefully.

To be honest all I can recall of the rest of the day is up, up and maybe a little down. I did rnjoy looking round.  We came into Wilkesboro tired and glad that our hotel was before the campsite and oyr luggage has been delivered there for us  (money well spent on that service).
Oh look straight across the car park there is somewhere to eat. Sorry, Wilkesboro, no exploring tonight, just recovery. My back is a little sore so rest required.  Good night.

VIRGINIA

My my, time does fly when you are having a good time.  I certainly am. Time to catch up ....
A night in Charlottesville, Virginia, and a very pleasant next morning visiting Monticello.  Thomas Jefferson designed and built the house at the top of a mountain surrounded by a large plantation.  The house is very interesting, custom built to the amateur architect's design. Jefferson was a man who lived well beyond his means and left such a substantial debt on his death that within a few years the property had to be sold.  It was bought by a friend who wanted the house preserved for prosperity and gratefully we are enjoying it.

We enjoyed a tour of each the house and the gardens, but could not stay long enough for the "slavery" tour through the slave areas below stairs. During the house tour there was some discussion about Jefferson's dilemna as a supporter of freedom and equality at odds with his ownership of slaves.  We are headed out to Roanoke to see the O.Winston Link gallery which has been recommended .  Link spent several years photographing trains, especialky of the N&W railroad during the last few years of steam. He was also an inventive pioneer of large scale night photography. It was a great experience, recommended to all.

The next morning we got going early to get to Damascus and ride up and down the section of the Virginia Creeper trail to Whitetop. Link photographed the Virginia Creeper train so we have an affinity with it now. I said up, and I meant it - 17miles or nearly 30 kilometres uphill, only to turn around and go down again. There has been a bit of rain recently so the track isn't bad but not the best condition. We were not much faster coming downm oicking a careful line through rocks, soft sections and trying to distinguish fallen autumn leaves from rocks. A good ride nevertheless through stunning forest along a beautiful creek.

Back in the trusty van and into North Carolina......