Day 6: New York

We got up at 4:30AM to leave as soon as the sun came up. Kester and Mary made eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns. We were on the road around 5:15AM and made good time. Kev's bike is still having issues, and generally won't idle. He needs to keep the RPMs above 2000 when we're in traffic or it will die, and possible not start again unless it cools down. Violation. Sure enough, we get stuck in a bunch of traffic after crossing the bridge in Poughkeepsie, NY. Willow died and wouldn't start again for about an hour and a half. We make it just south of Wurtsboro, NY and camp for the night. Not many mosquitos, but lots of tiny black flies. They're not as smart, so they don't get into the hammock as easily. The sleep was decent, and Kev's sleep was just okay.

Day 5: Stay Put

Since Kester and Mary are so awesome, we decided to stay in Foxboro for the day and take Willow and Fred to a local motorcycle shop to get looked over. We're both having issues, so this was a good idea. After calling all shops in a 40 mile radius (at least 6 shops). They are all booked up and too busy to help us. Crazy. By the time we figure this out, it's late in the morning, so we decide to stay in Foxboro anyways. We helped Kester pick up a new handmade canoe from Cape Cod, and enjoyed the day thoroughly. Kester is ridiculous, and I want to be like him when I am older.

Day 4: Destination Number One.

Came out in the morning and Fred started right up (sweet!). Hot and humid day. A LOT of stop and go traffic traffic. Not good for the bikes. Heading towards Kev's relatives in Foxboro, MA , so we had to go right through Boston. Just as we're getting close to Boston, Kev's bike quits. I keep riding for a bit before I realize he's not there. I pull over and wait 30 mins, then decide to head back to find him. Traffic is pretty bad. I get back to him, and he reports that Willow won't run. Situation sounds bleak. We consider calling AAA for a tow, and then another motorcyclist pulls over. We troubleshoot for a while with this guy, then try starting Willow again. She runs! Old timer motorcycle guy speculates that Willow likely overheated and the exhaust valve(s) locked up. Recommendation: Avoid stop and go traffic, avoid driving faster than 55mph, and avoid hot mid-day heat. We make the stressful drive through Boston (traffic and freeways suck on a motorcycle), and make it to Foxboro, MA to stay with Kester and Mary (who are completely awesome). We go out to eat, and also visit their good friends nearby. Lots of beer made the day's stress fade away.

Day 3: Blue Pipes

Day was good for the most part. Pretty hot and humid. Did full day of riding, then rolled into a gas station in Lewiston, ME around 5PM. Tried to start up Fred, but he wouldn't start. Pulled him over, gave him 2 hours to rest while we ate. Came back, and he started up but wouldn't idle. Had to keep RPMs above 3000 or he would die. He sounded horrible. Fred limped over to a motel (barely made it), and I put him to rest for the night. The ordeal heated up his exhaust so much that I blued his pipes. Ohh well. I hoped that he would maybe start in the morning when he's completely cooled down. I also suspect that Fred's ignition coil might be overheating (as an earlier mechanic had suggested).

Day 2: AMEERICA

Made it across Maine border without much trouble. Kev got held up for 20 mins with questions about his camera gear and knife. Bikes were running good.
Camped in the woods south of Calais, ME. Mosquitoes were the worst I've ever seen in my life. Completely ridiculous. Camping sucked royally. Mosquitoes were so loud, I could barely sleep. Kev's hammock seems to be too small or something, so his night sucked as well.

Day 1: A Catastrophe

a.) Kev damaged his GoPro camera after it fell off his bike when hitting a big bump.
b.) Ran out of gas just outside Amherst, NS (I forgot my petcock was set on Reserve the whole time). Kev had to make a gas run for me. Then my bike quit and wouldn't start! Tried to jump start it, but that only got me a mile before it quit again.
d.) Got bike towed to local mechanic and got my bike working (they suspected my carb jets got clogged when I ran out of gas, since all the dirt in the bottom of my tank got used).
e.) While Kev was waiting for me in the motorcycle-shop parking lot, he thought it would be a good idea to tighten his cam chain (it sounded like it was loose). While doing this, he managed to completely drop his cam chain tensioner INSIDE of his engine by accident. He was terrified that his bike was finished for good and the entire trip was done. After 40 mins of crazy hard work, the mechanics were able to fish out the parts from his engine, and put things back together. Truly amazing watching this happen.
f.) Made it to Moncton, and we stayed at Kev's friend Mel's place. Mel, if you're reading this: Thank you!!
Crazy stressful day. Let's hope the whole trip isn't this dramatic.

Day 0

My friend and I are going on our first big motorcycle trip around the USA. We are leaving Nova Scotia Canada at 9:00AM tomorrow morning. Willow and Fred are our motorcycles. Here's Willow at sunset before take off.