Days 28, 29, 30
Home at Last!

Sorry to have missed a few days. I was completely unable to log onto Carol's network.
We spent Saturday and Sunday visiting family in the Flint area. We did not even touch the motorcycle! It was in the 90s there. We stayed inside and played lots of dominoes with Grace, and I taught her to play cribbage. We stopped to see Sue's new house - very nice and roomy.
Dennis may have created a couple of monsters letting the kids on the bike!

Today, Monday, we got on the road really early while it was cool. We had a nice ride to the bridge. With the south wind, the temperature along US2 was comfortable until we got away from the water. Then it turned to 91 degrees, and the last 1-2 hours had lots of hot, gusty wind (SSW at 20, guswting to 30 mph).. We got back around 4:30. Rode 545 miles today.
The total mileage for the trip was 7,100. Feels good to be home!

Day 27 
Dennis drove 20 miles today to get the bike serviced.
We spent the day with family. Heather and Bryce were at Carol and Matt's. They had a cookout, and Tina, Lauren and Carly, Christopher, Cami, and Rylie, Grandma and Chris, Ben, Rachel and Rocco came. It was hot and the kids had great time in the pool. The babies were as sweet as they could be. Thanks Carol and Matt!

Day 26  Cobelskill, NY to Flushing, MI
Long day! Drove 580 miles today
Sorry this is delayed. On Thursday, we got on the road early in New York. Had an absolutely beautiful ride through upstate New York. The road ran along a valley, with small mountains on each side. There were lots of beautiful farms.
We stopped in Romulus, NY to visit with a cousin Dennis had not seen for about 30 years. We spent a couple of  hours with him and his wife.
The weather was really hot, but we stopped often. We decided we could make it to Carol's house that night.
The traffic at the border at Lewistown, NY was really backed up. Took a long time to get through. There is a lot of wine produced in that area, and the vineyards near the great lakes are nice. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset.
Fortunately, there was no traffic at Sarnia/Port Huron. We arrived at 11:15 P.M. - not something we tend to do!

Day 25  July 11
Drove 320 miles, ended the day in Cobelskill, NY
Well, we did it! Got up early to a cool, clear morning and went right to Mt. Washington. We drove the Auto Road to an elevation of over 6,000 feet. There were parts that were kind of scary (like the gravel sections of road), but the view was unbelievable! At the summit, the wind was about 30 mph, with the temperature around 50. The visibility was 80 miles! Not much to say - the photos do it for me.  The road was 8 miles to the top and the climb was so steep and long, the bike started to over heat and we had to stop and let the engine cool several times.  At the summit, the wind was about 30 mph, with the temperature around 50. The visibility was 80 miles! Not much to say - the photos do it for me. 

Day 24   July 10

Rode 240 miles today for a total of 5,635 miles!
Got up early to a beautiful day and drove into Bar Harbor for breakfast. It was great. In fact, Dennis enjoyed his french toast with strawberry-rhubarb topping so much that he asked for the recipe for the oatmeal bread! Our server assured us that we could ask the owner, but she would not share it. Well, she gave him not only the ingredients, but she gave specific instructions! Boy, did that make Dennis happy.
We spent the morning in Acadia National Park, which is spectacular. Met many very nice people, so we spent nearly as much time visiting as we did walking and riding.
Since we were leaving the coast, we had one last lunch of crab and lobster rolls, and Dennis has his blueberry pie.
We continued down the road. The weather remained about 80 and sunny. We drove all the way to Gorham, New Hampshire. It's the town near Mt. Washington, which is said to have the worst weather in the country (strongest winds). We will see how the wind looks in the morning, then we plan to drive up there.

Day 23  July 9
Miles today 395
We left Summerside this morning. The weather was cool (63) and very windy. Remember that 9-mile Confederation Bridge? The wind sure made that an exciting (intense, white-knuckle, nerve-wracking, miserable, and downright frightening) crossing! It was so windy I could barely take photos. For those readers who area unaware, most of my photos are taken going down the road at 60 mph! Too much in that wind.

Once we regrouped on the New Brunswick side, we continued all the way to Bar Harbor, Maine.
We stopped for lunch in St. John, New Brunswick. It looked like a  beautiful city. It had a cruise ship parked in the harbor.
The weather turned sunny and warm (77). Dennis chose a route that minimized the wind and maximized the view. Got a room just outside Acadia National Park. We will tour the park in the morning.

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Day 22  July 8
Well, Dennis started the day having slept eight hours (in the same night!) He decided to stay here another day, so we disconnected the trailer and drove the North Cape Coastal Drive. It was a total of 215 miles.
The weather was sunny and 72, but we had some strong winds for a while.
We came across the Canadian Air Force Heritage Park. It was beautifully done. Dennis has lots of detailed photos to show his aviation friends.
Just a bit up the road, we stopped at the Bideford Parsonage Museum, where Lucy Maud (Montgomery) lived while she taught there in the 1800s.  She was the author of Anne of Green Gables and many other books.The building has been beautifully restored to the period, down the the smallest details. Our guide, Shelly Campbell, did an excellent job of explaining Lucy Maud's time there and the restoration project. Looks like we are the only guests from Ironwood, Michigan!
From there we continued up to the tip of the island. That's North Cape, where the wind must blow a lot. They have a large wind farm, a wind power interpretive center, and companies bring their turbines there to test them. Very interesting. We were told that PEI generates 18% of its power from wind. Also, a company has erected turbines and exports the power.
The ride was kind of disappointing visually - our standards for a scenic drive have been raised to a level that's hard to achieve any more! The last hour was the nicest - along the coast.
Back in Summerside, we ate at the hotel, then walked to the harbor to hear a local band playing an open-air concert.
Tomorrow we head back into the USA.