Two Brits and Two Questions....

I stayed in a B&B last night not far from Newburgh where OCC are located. Almost as soon as I turned north on the Taconic State Parkway, there was another bike behind me and as the guy went passed me, he pointed to something on his leather vest – a Union Jack flag! We pulled over to discover that we were both British, riding the same road at the same time. He had recognised the number plate (licence plate) on my bike as being from the UK. We couldn’t talk there as it was a busy stretch of road, so we rode 60 miles together and pulled off for a coffee.

Let me introduce Ian Tyrrell to you.....









































He was born in Nottingham in the UK and moved to the US about 12 years ago and has stayed ever since. Ian now lives in Baltimore and was riding to Williamstown after having left at 0530 in the morning. Ian was riding a Vulcan as is VP of the Maryland Vulcan Riders (www.mdvulcanriders.org).

We sat and chatted for a while before moving on and going our separate ways. It was good to meet you Ian.

I have a question for you. I have seen stars fixed to the outside of houses and garages like the one in the photo below. It has been bugging me all day, trying to work out what they are for, or what they represent. Can anybody answer this?..........





















As I rode on I reached a place called North Adams in Massachusetts and just south of this is Mt Greylock, so I rode to its summit, which is at 3,491 feet is the highest mountain in Massachusetts and the highest I have been so far on my tour. At the top is a monument to the war dead from the people of Massachusetts and I suppose it is quite fitting that this memorial should stand on the highest piece of land in the state.


























The keystone above the entrance door is a very striking eagle....





















Inside the monument is a large inscription that reads “Those Immortal Dead Who Live Again In Minds Made Better By Their Presence”. I like the way that America honours its war dead, probably more than any other country I have visited.



This is the view from the top of Mt Greylock looking towards North Adams.





















Next I went to Florida. Not the one in the southwest, but Florida in Massachusetts. There is a railway line here that dates back to 1877 and I wanted to check it out where it passes into a tunnel. I easily found the tunnel entrance and noticed a sort of mist near its entrance. I quickly grabbed my camera and got a shot of it – it was both cool and a little bit spookyat the same time. Maybe ghosts from workers who may have died building the railway hang about here.... you might be able to see the mist better if you enlarge the picture by double-clicking on it.....




























Nearby sat a pile of dead railway sleepers....





















I rode back up the hill to Whitcomb Summit, where there is a motel which is where I am staying tonight and where I type this from. It isn’t a great motel, but the view is spectacular.....





















There is a statue of an Elk nearby so I took a walk to photograph it.....





















Now to the second question I want your help with. Many of you will know my bike was recently painted with portraits of mainly 40’s and 50’s black and white movie actresses (see this link for pictures). My bike has never had a name, so I think it is now time it had one. I have been thinking about what to call it and I have something in mind, but before I commit to this, I want to give you, my readers, the chance to think of a name. Who knows, I might use a name that you suggest! Let me have any ideas you might have....