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MAY 15 - 21 Sunday
May 15, 2005 Bill McKenna joined Bob and Tony for breakfast. A brief ride to the State House for photos of the Bell. Rain began again and ended the visit to Maine. The rain really began to pour as they headed south on I -95. Stopping at a rest stop to get a coffee, they were approached by a man who looked a bit familiar to Bob. Turns out it was Larry McLeod from district 7910. We had met when Bob spoke at Fred Hammond's district conference. Since the rain did not let up, they chatted for a while and then braved the weather again. Totally drenched they pulled in for the night in Marlboro, Mass. Mileage: Day 299 Total 7,308
Monday
May 16,2005 Our Roving Rotarians departed for Utica, NY and rode in some very cold weather. Mileage: Day 244 Total 7,552
Tuesday May 17,2005 Stopping for coffee can be more than just a coffee break. You meet people and talk. In Bob's case, people are interested in the bike, which leads to the Ride and Rotary. This particular stop Bob and Tony met Jack Henderson who is a contractor. When the talk got around to what do you do for a living, Bob answered that he is a piano tuner. Jack asked if he ever tuned Peter Nero's piano. Yes, he'd tuned for Mr. Nero on several occasions for concerts out west. Jack is Mr. Nero's builder. Mileage: Day 210 Total 7,762
Wednesday, May 18, 2005 On the way to Niagara, Bob and Tony stopped at Country Rode BMW. While there, they struck up a conversation with two other riders waiting for their bikes. They were traveling the US taking whatever roads they ended up on. They asked what Bob and Tony were doing, about Rotary and PolioPlus. Finally, the opportunity arose to ask more about them. Seems they are actors on a TV show called ER, names of Lisa Dalton and Ken Kerman. You never know who you will meet next. They took
shelter in Brantford, Canada for the night. Mileage: Day 183 Total 7,945
Thursday, May 19,2005 The day was spent changing brakes, and general maintenance work. Bob and Tony walked around, and relaxed with 2 cappuccinos each.
Mileage Day 0 Total 7,945 Friday
May 20,2005 Both motorcycles are riding smoothly. At customs, Bob was asked what he was doing, and then the customs agent said he recognized Bob. The Agent asked if Tony was with Bob, and then waved Tony on through as well. And this is not fiction. They arrived in Lansing with perfect weather. Another coffee stop provided an opportunity to visit again. This time with artist William Logan, currently instructing at Michigan State University. Tomorrow the riders catch up with the itinerary. Mileage: Day 247 Total 8,192
Saturday May 21, 2005 It was a long ride from the motel to the Capitol, but Bob and Tony were on time. There was a crowd of motorcyclists including the Judge Mike Skinner, the Rotarian that organized the reception. On behalf of the entire State Government, Representative and Rotarian Rick Jones presented a proclamation to the PolioPlus Ride. Mayor Tony Benavides also greeted our Riders and presented a City Proclamation. Channel 6 TV was there to capture the event for the evening news. Bob and Tony spoke and talked about how important the polio program is. The BMW Dealer from Grand Rapids was there and gave Bob and Tony t-shirts and goodies, and a check for PolioPlus. Bob accepted the check on behalf of Rotary, thanked the dealership for its generosity, and gave it to DGE Jay Larson to submit to Rotary International. Judge Skinner, on his Harley, led Bob and Tony and some 25 bikes out of town towards Indianapolis. Must have been something to see. Onward to Indianapolis. Arriving early at the Capitol, Tony took a little time to take photos of the Bell. By the time the Bell arrives in Chicago, it may have as many frequent flyer miles as Bob's lost luggage. At the appointed hour, our guys left. Indy lost an opportunity to share another "race". The boys ended up riding to Richmond, Indiana where they finally found a place to rest for the night.
Mileage: Day 377 Total 8, 569 |
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