Sunday in New York

Carrie and I headed out to the Staten Island ferry. 

We parked the car on Staten Island jumped on the free ferry to downtown Newyork. I expected the ferry to be full of Dutch people riding back and forth all day long. Even though it was free to my surprise it wasn't full of Dutch people. However I was wearing my Dutch soccer jersey and I overheard what I thought was people talking Dutch. As we left the ferry a man said to me in Dutch if I had a passport to go with my jersey. I answered him in Dutch. I think I surprised  him. 

Harold and Mary came along too. 

Thanks to Mary we got tickets to see the 911 memorial. It was strange to see to big holes where the towers used to be. It made me think about where I was the time I first heard about it. I think it's one of those moments that everyone remembers where they were. 

The security to get to the memorial was like going on an airplane. Ex rays and metal detectors. 

In the memorial store we saw the bike that was made by Paul jr designs. 

The bike is pretty cool. 

On we went to Times Square. It's quite the tourist trap. We fell right in. 

A store that is just about m&m's. 

very Newyork. 

Three floors worth. They put the washrooms on the third floor. I know that was on purpose. 

We spent the whole day touring around the city on a double decker bus. The guy on the second bus we took was a bit of a,?  Well let's just say if I was mr potato head I would grab my lips and touch my butt. 

The ride back on the ferry was very scenic. The Statue of Liberty in the sunset. 

The city as we pulled away. 

A long day but a fun one just the same. 

After dropping Harold and Mary at their hotel we headed over to 

Buddy's cake shop. It wasn't open but it was still cool to be in front of the shop. 

After that we headed to 

Occ. Orange County choppers. Oh I just noticed it was on the sign. 

My stomach started doing circles about this time. I think it was the pizza I had. Actually Harold had a similar thing a few days earlier. And Jane on Saturday. I guess I thought I was immune to being sick. We stopped for the night at a hotel. Good thing. I felt like a Japanese bullet train. 

Before we headed home we went inside an looked around. 

They actually had a pedal bike in the showroom. 

And the Lance Armstrong bike. We took a tour of the back shop and saw all the guys from the show. They were actually filming when we were there. 

After that we jumped in the truck and headed over to Paul Jr Designs. 

We took a pic in front of his truck. They weren't open to the public. We respected that but I will say we were a little disappointed. After all Jr and the gang are our favourites. Back in the truck. Homeward bound.

It feels weird to be driving through the mountains in a car and not on a bike. I have to admit I did ride the recumbent bike in the hotel. Only for 45 minutes though. I think I'm going to miss it. See you again. Len.  

 

The final day part2of2

We got off the ferry and staged to get a police escort. 

This was looking back. 

It was a sea of bikers. Funny once we got going we had to climb some steep hills. All the warriors enjoyed the climb. 

Right turn. 

Left turn. We were at the end. 

There were only a few behind me. 

We stopped off for a couple of pics. 

This is what everyone was taking pics of. 

Nice bridge. And fort. 

They had goats running the hill. 

We arrived at the Middletown beach for the tire dipping. 

Carrie and I. We made it. 

I'm the black helmet   

It was a big group. 

Of course I had to do a self portrait

Me , Jane , Barb and Harold 

We Made a big circle and thanked god for everything. 

Thanks to Lawrence and Marie for coming to the ferry, beach and dinner. 

We lined back up to travel to our final camping spot. 

We had a police escort again. What service. 

Marc showing off his leg span. 

Our final stop. 

Here's our small group. Group 31. What a great group. This is an experience ill never forget. One that has and will continue to change me. I'm hoping for the better ;) I gained a lot of good friends. Love you all Len 

One last bonus pic a truck I saw during the ride. I didn't get it all because I was moving. 

. 

The final day part 1of 2

The day started the same as every other day on the tour. 5am  zippers start opening tents. Air mattresses release their air. Tent poles start clicking together. Loud talking. So then it's 530. We try and get a little more sleep. 600 rolls around  and it's time to pack up. Harold, Jane,Barb and I rode together for the last time. 

Through the streets we rode making our way along the Hudson River.

Little towns. With steep hills. Well we know all a out hills. So no big deal. 

Story of our ride. Altered routes. We found out today that we actually rode over 4000 miles thanks to altered routes. 

What a beautiful  start to A memorable day. 

We actually rode through New Jersey to New York City.  

We crossed the George Washington bridge. 

The Newyork sky line in the distance. 

We rode through the streets of manhattan. 

Ahead was downtown and the cruise ships. 

Behind us was the bridge we crossed. 

Past the aircraft carrier the intrepid. 

The city across the Hudson. 

The tower in the middle is the replacement for the twin towers. 

Getting closer to ground zero. 

The new tower. 

Getting ready to go on the ferry. 

The kids. 

On the ferry with liberty in the background. 

This pic was off the ferry. 

This on looking back at Newyork   

 This is part one too many pics. 

Len.