First Leg of the Trip a Bone Chilling Success!

We made the trek from Hanscom Air Force Base Massachusetts to Hershey Pennsylvania. The weather was overcast the entire day and it rained and snowed on us for a significant portion of the ride. I am man enough to say that I was scared driving over the Poconos Mountains. At one point near the summit it was snowing and the fog was so bad that I could only see 50 feet ahead. It was definitely a white knuckle ride. The weather is even worse today. If we were to try the same ride today there is no doubt in my mind that the Poconos would be inpassible for a motorcycle.

Our first stop was just to use the bathroom but we found this little road side gem. It is a restaurant that gives each person three books of their choosing with each meal. The food was great and the people made it even better. There was a couple from Flagstaff Arizona that did not seem to mind Keira and Kiley running back and forth through the restaurant getting their pent-up energy out. While we were waiting for our meals we walked around to pick out our books. Kristin got one called Airstream Living. A picture book dedicated to Airstream camper trailers and all the ways you can deck them out. It was a cool little place and I am glad that we stopped for a bite to eat.

This picture was taken just before we hit the real nasty weather. We stopped in to a McDonalds to warm up. As we climbed into the mountains my feet and hands started to scream at me. Even with my hand and toe warmers and my waterproof gear the cold found it's way through. The service at McDonalds was terrible and the gas station in this mountain town had only one type of unleaded fuel, 87 octane. I did not want to get stuck on the mountain so Filled up my tank from this ancient looking pump while sniffing the gas to make sure it did not have any funny smells. At this point I put on my Cabelas hunting overalls over my chaps and under my Gortex Pants. It was a smart move because the temperature continued to plummet.

I want to give a special thank you to my family. Every time we stopped to fuel up, eat, or relieve our selves, they were there to encourage me and warm my heart. I don't have any pictures of Kristin or Susan (Kristin was driving and Susan was snapping pictures). They have both been a great help, especially when it comes to helping me put on my gloves when my fingers are too cold to be effective. Susan has been not feeling well so we have been making more frequent stops than originally planned she has been a real trooper. P.S. my back and bum say thank you for that. I hope you feel better and at the same time...maybe you could pretend to feel bad? Just a thought ; ) We are going to spend the day in Hershey today and we will hit the road tomorrow. Look forward to an improvement in the weather.