York Operations & Gettysburg Battlefield

October 7, 2011

Lusby MD

            Had a good breakfast courtesy of Quality Inn, and asked for directions to Memory Lane leading to Hwy 30, Arsenal Road, to get to the H-D York assembly plant.  The directions were either wrong or I misunderstood as I could tell after a couple of miles that I was not heading in the general direction where I knew the assembly plant was located.  I saw the hwy 462 sign and turned onto it…it was Philadelphia Ave, then saw a sign directing me to historical downtown York, cool, I’ll head there and check it all out…but wait, is that a baseball stadium over there to the left?  Gotta check it out! 

            It was the Soverign Bank Stadium, home to the York Revolution, an independent baseball team that is the 2011 Atlantic League Champions!  How about that?  With that I decided to pass on the downtown ride and check out my Droid Maps GPS to get to the H-D plant…aha! I was about a mile away from the place.

            The tour was fantastic!  Their manufacturing operations are fantastic, very advanced.  It was like being in the Renton Boeing plant watching a 747 being assembled….pretty cool J.  This place makes the touring, softail and trikes for the whole world.  Australia/New Zealand is the #1 importer of Harleys and Japan is #3.  California gets a special color because of the emission controls…go figure…always thot CA was a country of its own!

            Frames are assembled on a cart, VIN stamped on the finished frame (given birth) and that cart then is driven by under floor magnetic drivers to each place to begin the assy of whatever bike it is to become.  Hydraulic presses apply 300 tons of pressure to stamp out tanks and fenders from sheets of steel.  Painting is done on site, very sophisticated.  QA is abundant, employee empowered groups exist.  The place is clean, organized, well laid out.  I applied for a job but they rejected me due to lack of experience….bummer.

           

Little League

October 6, 2011
York PA

            During breakfast I noticed a few more pics on the walls in the Dining Room…Little League Pics!  Research on the internet confirmed that the LL World Series is indeed here in South Williamsport.  So my first stop upon leaving Genetti’s was to Lamade Stadium for a coupla pics….then to Horsepower H-D.

             Lamade Stadium is awesome!  So perfectly manicured…I can just imagine the awe that a young Little Leaguer would have upon attaining the playoff level in this stadium.  Hell, I’m sure coaches and families are equally impressed!

Riding Susquehanna Trail

October 5, 2011
Williamsport PA
Home of Little League World Series

            Well, I finally made it to the Home of the Little League World Series!  When I was coaching the Little League teams in Lake Forest, my son and I would watch the series every year….lotsa fun!

            Departed North Tonawanda around 2 pm, 4 hrs past plan.  But I did get Sis’ bathroom cabinet done, map and riding directions, etc.  Sis fixed me a very nice brunch so I would have the energy to ride J.

            Weather was a little cool, overcast, but no rain.  As I rode through south of Buffalo the sun broke through and things started to warm up.  The roads were good ones and traffic was light.  It definitely warmed up so I was glad not to be wearing the raingear….just had the jeans.

            Only came across 6 other bike riders during the trip…coming from the east as I was heading east on US-20A.  They were well bundled up….must’ve been cold wherever they originated from. 

            The countryside was rolling hills, wooded and farmed, very rural NY and very attractive.  It is nice to get out of the city.  The trees are beginning to turn into the colors of fall.  I could see reds sparsed out amongst the greens and some golds.

Buffalo Bills are 3-0 !!

September 25, 2011

North Tonawanda NY

Is this for real??  The Bills actually beat the Pats by a field goal??  Wow, what an exciting game. Well, at least the 2^nd half was exciting.  Seems the Bills are a 2^nd half team..they were down 21-0 in the first half when they scored a field goal before the half ending.  Then they come back in the 2^nd all fired up and coordinated.  Of course, it can be argued that Brady was just not at his best and the Pats secondary was 2^nd string due to injuries.  But bottom line, the Pats 2^nd half performance was sub par while the Bills stepped it up a few notches! 

Good for them.

Did another trip to Buffalo, this time finding the old house at 97 Norwood.  What a surprise!  It seems that to an 8 yr olds’ perspective everything is BIG.  Looking at it now it was a reality jolt to the memory.  I thot the place was brick…it isn’t..same as all the houses on the street….has sidings.  It is a 3 story with basement and as I looked up a the attic I could recall how my Aunt n Uncle had fixed up a bedroom in the back of the 3d floor attic for me. The basement was my favorite place however.  Back then coal was delivered and slid down the chute to be stored in the coal bin for the winter.  I had all the fun going down there and shoveling the coal into the furnace to keep the house warm….something I just enjoyed and which my Uncle gladly deferred to my exuberant ADHD youth.

From there I drove a few blocks east to

Schuele Ave

where we lived when my family moved up from TX and reclaimed me as their son.  Wasn’t much to see anymore….this has become a very run down area in Buffalo. 

Well, at least the Bills won another game….can they keep it going??

C ya mañana,
Gonzo
twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA
email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com

Time Travelin’

September 24, 2011

North Tonawand NY

            Time Travelin’, how often do you wish we could do such a thing?  What would you do if you had such a capability??  Where and when would you have gone into the past to revisit something in history, or something in your own personal life, to prevent something, or to cause something to happen??  Where and why would you go into the future to somehow affect the current state of things.

            What prompted this reflection upon time travel?  I got sis the video “The Time Traverler’s Wife”.  It is a charming story.  But a story which still causes a wave of emotion upon me.

            I prefer not living in the past but it seems as if visiting here in the Tonawanda’s I have time traveled into the past.  Memories of events flood back into my consciousness.  Most memories joyous, of thrilling accomplishments, warming memories of youth; but some memories painful, harsh, sad, trials and failures, emotional scars carried through life and detracting from those joyous ones.  

I can only watch some of this movie, The Time Traveler’s Wife, for it keeps bringing back joyful memories that cannot be shared with those loved past.  But that is the value of memories.

I am glad that I have taken this venture of riding my Harley throughout America, even though I interrupted my western travels.  The eastern travels are awakening good memories, are renewing family relationships, strengthening my inner core to step into the future of the end.

I value my past, where I came from, my small accomplishments, what my family gave me to be capable of traveling my life’s journey, seeding me with the tools to survive.  I hope those seeds were passed on to my successors as they pursue their journey.

My journey still continues into the future with more of life to be experienced, but for now, I will just continue on working in the time present building new “memories”.

C ya mañana,
Gonzo
twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA
email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com

Shoppin’ In the Rain

September 23, 2011

North Tonawanda NY

            Breakfast at Tim Horton’s….a great alternative to Startbucks which is not easily found in Western NY.  But Timmy’s is everywhere!! And has excellent Arabica coffee and donuts, pastries, bagels, sandwiches, soups/chili, yadayada.

            From there we were off to the shoe store, then boot store, the cosmetics, and back to Blockbuster for another movie…this time we watched Tron.  Excellent FX but a variation upon “The Matrix”.

            I finally bought a bottle of wine….I need a nice glass of grape after shopping and getting wet in the rain.

C ya mañana
Gonzo
twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA
email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com

Lost Gravesite

September 22, 2011

Buffalo NY

            We were on the road by 8:20 heading for the I-190 to downtown Buffalo.  Google maps had us picking up

Main St.

which would then become Deleware and connect to the 190.  Nope.  We ended up never seeing it…..so I headed north on Sheridan to pick up the 190 coming off the Grand Island Bridge.  Within minutes we were downtown and slightly lost.  I knew where we had to be but missed a turn and slowly worked my way back.  Eventually we found the building Sis had to be at and I dropped her off.  While she was doing that I went to a Starbucks about 4 blocks away and enjoyed a latte with free internet and free parking!

            I picked her up an hour later and we decided to ride back to NT via the streets…specifically,

Deleware Ave.

  We hadn’t gone more than 2 miles when I recognized the general area….I had lived

Home Town Visit

September 21, 2011

Tonawanda NY

            Rained all night with unbelievable thunderstorms and lightening.  Am glad I wasn’t riding out in that stuff !  Yesterday I broke the emergency parking brake in Sis’ car when I attempted to use it on Clifton Hill…seems parking brakes are not used here in NY.  So this morning we had the brake repaired.

            By midmorning the weather cleared and I saw that Dennis, the upstairs neighbor, was working on his 2011 black GMC Yukon.  He was adding chrome stripping to the door sides so Sis and I went out to join him.  And then Sis got lucky….Dennis used to ride and he still had his spare helmet and gloves!  So, I got out my toolkit and removed the rack that was bolted into the frame so she could sit on the backseat for a quick ride. 

            Off we went down

River Road

towards Tonawanda and what a surprise came before us!

The City of North Tonawanda has dedicated a park to the USMC.  It has a beautiful monument of the

Oh Canada !

September 20, 2011

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

            Woke up to a sunny day….no rain as was originally forecasted.  Talked sis into following me in her car over to Canada so we can take some pics of me and Sophia with the American Falls in the background.

            The ride over was easy….paid $3.25 to cross over the Rainbow Bridge from NF USA into NF, Ontario, Canada…had a brief chat with the USA toll person in regards to my rides and gave him my business card but forgot to ask his name to mention here.  Quick questions by the Canadian guard…where were I going, what will I be doing, how long will I be staying, any weapons….very simple stuff.  There was no one in line behind me so we chatted about my bike travels and I gave her my “Gonzo” card also….she was a cutie J. 

            We rode around the town as I got my bearings then headed “down” Clifton Hill and found the Harley store.  We parked Ginny’s car in the public parking ($10) and I parked on the street where there was just enough room for Sophia ($2).  The store was not a dealership but just a retail outlet…tourist trap.  A pinup t-shirt with a cutie wearing a Mountie outfit and leaning on a bike cost me $37 arrrrggghhhhh!!  But, that is my collection for this trip.

            We then headed down to the main parkway that follows the gorge where all the tourists walk to view the American and Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls.  The Canadians have beautified their Falls, placed islands between the two lanes of road traffic, flowers, plants, bushes and trees trimmed nicely, etc.  Directly across from the American Falls I found a bricked surface in the island where I could put Sophia, and sis could then take a pic from the other side of the road capturing the American Falls behind me.  Worked out great!

Let’s Exercise !!

September 19, 2011

North Tonawanda, NY

            Poor Sis, she is the victim of my obsession with health and exercise.

            It was a rainy day so we did things around the apt then went out grocery shopping to fill her empty fridge with all the goodies I like.  For dinner we had roasted chicken and after cleaning up we worked the computer setting her up with a twitter account and introducing her to twitter’s workings.

            Then I suggested we do some stretching.  I have noticed that she walks very stiffly and, feeling in need of some stretching for my own sore body, thot this would be a good thing to share with her (hehhehheh).  I introduced her to the P90X stretching routine and she felt really good afterwards.

            Think I’ll see how she can handle going for some good walks and doing some other limited exercises. However, I need to be careful with her since she is out of shape.

            And I don’t want my lifestyle to cause her to invite me to go visit my brothers J.

C ya mañana,
Gonzo
twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA
email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com