Day 13 (When Lightening Strikes)

Wow, what a day today was!

I got the day started off right with a little rain. Then to add to that, as I pulled up to the toll booth (at every town off of Interstate 90) to get back on the interstate, the light in the signal indicator said "Contact E-Z Pass". Great, I'm going to get pulled over by the state troopers now and they are going to hassle this guy with Texas plates. But alas, I asked the toll booth attendant about this and he gave me the telephone number to E-Z Pass for New York. Did I mention the nats (Mayflies or also known as Canadian Soldiers, so the notice in the hotel room says) that were flying around my face while trying to call them as well as the rain. As I got a hold of them, I discovered that I needed the New Jersey E-Z Pass people because that is where I bought it. Apparently, I had not registered it on the Internet but I needed to reload it with money anyway.

So, with that out of the way, away I go! As I journeyed through central and western New York State, my goal was to briefly visit the infamous, Niagara Falls in Niagara Falls, NY which is the oldest U.S. National Park. Prior to getting there though, I needed to become more familiar with more of that wonderful rain. I had very few breaks in rain, of some sort. So, I finally took I-90 over to I-190 north towards Niagara Falls and upon arriving there it looked "touristy" at first. I'm officially inventing this word and claiming it as mine. It's not in the dictionary yet so why not. Anyone know the number to the U.S. Patent office?
No really, it was beautiful but yet powerful and just incredibly amazing. I didn't see it on the Canadian side but I was pressed for time so these are the pictures of what I saw. I bought a DVD and a book though, at the gift store. Yes Lisa, I bought a magnet. It is our thing when we travel. I even bought a Niagara Falls sticker for my trailer. I should have been doing this all along the way but guess I didn't give it much thought before.

So now, I'm finally heading towards Cleveland with about 115 miles to get there. Speaking of which, I'm watching the Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers playoff game on the TV. I'm pulling for Cleveland though since my Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs didn't make it.

OK, you guys quit getting me side-tracked! So today was interesting with all the rain but I have to tell you though, I cannot think of any other motorcycle I'd rather be on during these down pours. Visibility is probably the biggest issue if anything because it drives right through the rain just fine. I have a Tulsa windshield that I had recently purchased from a friend in my Goldwing Road Riders Association chapter (TX-H).

Now, I've got a funny for all of you here. I have a CB radio in my Goldwing and off course I can hear it through the helmets intercom system with microphone. So at one point when I was still in New York State, I had just pulled back onto Interstate 90 and I could see a storm just waiting to let loose. Moments later, a full fledge storm with thunder and lightning ensued. I'm thinking this couldn't have started before I got back on the interstate? But instead, it waited for little ole' me to come out and play. So of course it was really heavy and the lightening was making me just a tad nervous, so I pulled under an overpass and got off the bike and sat underneath the underpass for a couple few minutes or so then I decided to man up and get my rain suit (Frog Tog) on and ride. This was a "suck it up buttercup" moment. My mother-in-law would have been proud of me. She is a “suck it up” kinda gal. During my brief time under the overpass the cars and truckers were all passing me with my bike on the side of the road. By the way, I didn't see any Harley's on the road. Hmmm, interesting! Ok, I'm just picking on Jeff Y. at work. At least I did visit the World's Largest Harley Dealership in Daytona Beach, FL.

So when I got back on the bike, I'm eventually chatting with the truckers and when I identify myself as a biker and not a trucker, they are blown away that I'm riding along side them in the massive rain. One trucker was stunned when he discovered that they make a CB for a motorcycle and that I could talk with him. These guys are great but I can't tell you everything they say because this is the wrong rating for a blog site. All I know is that the stories are apparently true. Eventually, it started raining hard again and even they recommended that I find a dry spot until the rain died down. I did meet a really nice couple at a McDonalds in Erie, Pennsylvania. He is actually a professional Muskie fisherman. Now that would be an awesome job! Get paid to go fishing but he did say it only lasts six months. So, what is the problem with that?

I finally arrived at the Cleveland Cancer Clinic and was stunned by how beautiful the front entrance was. I'm not kidding, this was incredible! Those pictures will be on tomorrow night's blog along with my second visit down in Columbus, OH at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. I'm staying at the Cleveland Clinic Guesthouse across the street since I have to be there no later than 9:00am. This hotel accommodates cancer patients and their families that come with them for their treatments. I met a couple out front that I really liked and we had a nice conversation while I was unpacking my luggage from the bike and trailer.

Despite the rain which really wasn't a gloomy issue for me anyway, I enjoyed today's adventure. I will say that I'm very excited about tomorrow events and look forward to meeting all of the folks that I will be meeting. By the way I'm waiting to finish this until the basketball game is over. I know you all want to know.


Oh, before I forget I got the pictures of Dr. Tom Shea, Holly, and I at the University of North Carolina's Lineberger Cancer Research Center. Feel free to go back and check out that posting (Day 7, 8, & 9). OK, I'll tell you now. The Cleveland Cavaliers won Game 5 this evening and I was here.


Pete West
pwestjr@gmail.com
(210) 563-0509 (cell)
http://www.active.com/donate/cruisinforacure (secure donation website)
http://cruisinforacure.blogspot.com (travel blog site)