Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Shelburne, Vermont

Getting off to an early start we had a few ideas of places to visit, but of course, they are only plans until they happen or don’t.

How could we not go to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory? The weather even cooperated by raining while we drove and after we were inside, but not when we had to be outdoors. The place is quite a bit of fun, with lots of activities for children. The tour was short but very entertaining. On our way out some of the bears jumped on my walker and told us they really wanted to see California, so we made arrangement to give them a ride. Some of you may get to meet them when we get back.

Next on our list was a maritime museum at Basin Harbor on Lake Champlain.. It was a long drive thru some real rural areas, and when we got there it was a closed. Seems like they only open Wednesday thru Sunday and we arrived on Tuesday. We thought about boon-docking there for the night, but then decided it wasn’t worth it, so we moved on.

Next on our list was Fort Ticonderoga. I like historical stuff, especial our country’s – and once with the Boy Scouts while camping at Lake George we visited the fort. Unfortunately, I was not paying attention to the roads, and depending too much on my GPS. Had I looked at a map more closely and reviewed my GPS trip plan, I would have noticed my GPS had a mind of its own and was taking a screwy route which involved a ferry ride. WE decided after we were already way off route to abort that plan and just make distance south. We wound up in Bennington at a Wal-Mart and spent the night.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006
We have finally given up on the possibility of getting an oil and lube at a Wal-Mart in the east, so we found a local shop here in Bennington and got the job done. It was fast and simple and not very expensive and they were even nice enough to replace one of my wipers (which I had bought previously) at no charge. Turns out it was a good idea, because on our way to Cooperstown, the expected and predicted heavy rain storm hit with a vengeance. Fortunately by the time we arrived at Cooperstown, it had run its course. At first we tried to drive thru town to find a parking place but the streets were packed and no place for us, especially in heavy traffic. We backtracked 3 miles out of town to a free parking lot that has a trolley shuttle that runs every twenty minutes and it took us directly to the front door of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The 3 story building was not very large by museum standards, but quite a bit of history and nostalgia was packed into every square foot of its floor space. A short movie in a small theatre made to resemble an old-time ball park gets everyone in the mood for the many exhibits to come. One floor is just dedicated to the multitude of records that have been set and broken by ball players since the beginning of the game, while another wing is dedicated to those talented enough to qualify and be chosen for the actual BASEBALL HALL OF FAME. I liked the exhibits that displayed the early days – the uniforms, baseballs and bats and the rest of the equipment as it changed thru the century to evolve into its modern day forms.

Peter, being new to the game, was interested in the mechanics and rules of the game. He really enjoyed the part about hitting a homerun and getting to run the bases, however he thought a nice variation would be to pee on each base instead of tagging it. I explained to him that would probably set baseball back a few years, and he shouldn’t mention it again.

The HALL OF FAME BUILDING is just a start for the town of Coopers. If you’re not a baseball fan – stay away!!!. In each and every establishment – if it ain't selling baseball memorabilia, T-shirts or souvenirs, it’s selling baseball artwork, baseball jewelry or even baseball food. Yep, we had a late lunch at the Doubleday Café and you can imagine what the menu items were.

We strolled the streets, window shopped, and finally tired, using our remaining strength to get to the trolley stop. We had already scoped out the nearest Wal-Mart and arrived before sundown. There were a few other RVs in a corner of the parking lot so we chose a spot nearby and settled in.

Thursday, July 13, 2006
One of the parks in our AOR Membership was in East Otto, just south of Buffalo, NY., in the Allegany Mountains.

We are always skeptical about the validity of the grandiose descriptions in the brochures, so when we arrived at the Allegany Mountain Resort, we were really impressed. The grounds are built around a beautiful lake and there are trees and grass everywhere. In addition, our site is just a short walk to the pool, lakeside and the restaurant. The Poolside Café is open all day and serves all the basics including fresh made pizzas that are pretty good. We will not starve here.

The weather has been pretty warm to hot, with high humidity. Even the heavy rain last night did not cool off the area much and tomorrow the predication is for the 90’s. Peter was watching me shaving with my electric razor and wanted to know if I would take a little off the top of his coat to cool him off. I refused for his own good. Plan B is for him to sleep under The Beast to stay out of the sun.

We spend a lot of time sitting by the lake watching people throw lines in the water but have yet to see one come out with anything alive and scaly on them. Under a group of trees along the lakeside we found a shady spot with a reliable breeze, so we sit and read and listen to the radio (when we can tune in a station). We haven’t found a book that Peter likes yet (do they make books out of meat?).

Met a couple our age from Canada that pulled into the space along side us for a few days and had interesting conversations about our different cultures.

Other than that, we did very little and enjoyed every moment.

Plans

We are now planning on visiting The Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the Presidential Libraries of Truman and Eisenhower.

We were thinking of going to Grace land and the Clinton Library but that’s seemed like a lot of white trash in large proportions.

We also heard that the Clinton Presidential Library was having staff problems and long lines.
Apparently, the state of Arkansas has a law that all museums must have assisting personal available for handicapped visitors. The problem is that most of the visitors are illiterate and the state is running out of 5th grade teachers to read the exhibits to them.

060710 - Trams,Moose&Ice cream

July 5,2006
Mexico, Maine

With the beautiful costal area disappearing in our rearview mirror, we headed in a westerly direction to see the rest of the New England states. Our friends Barry and Maureen suggested that we stay off the interstate for a while and take a more interesting road US 2. They claimed it was a more scenic route and you know my opinion of what a scenic road is: a stretch of road that is enjoyed by everyone except the driver.
They assured me it was a good idea and so I acquiesced. You can actually take this road across the northern portion of the entire US.

The weather was the nicest it has been in weeks, with sunshine, warming temperatures and no fog or high humidity. We are heading for Conroy , New Hampshire to get a ride on an old train that winds thru the White Mountains . Route 2 is a more of a countryside highway, usually one lane each way, but in good condition and easy to drive. It goes thru lots of small towns and rural areas and we get to see a lot of old buildings, farms, and basically the real America. Of course, that means slower speeds, especially going thru towns and school area, and since we don’t want to get caught in any city fundraising speed traps, we check our speed and good driving habits regularly. Peter mans his battle station at the side window looking for police cars and pet food stores.

So far we have been lucky about the price of gasoline, not having paid more that $2.89 a gallon and often lower. We avoided higher prices in New York and Connecticut, and see prices that vary from $2.75 to $2.85. There’s a chain of gas stations called IRVING, and they seem to have reasonable prices so even though we are only ½ full, we decide to top off @ $2.77. For some reason, this particular station has an attendant pump your gas at self-serve prices. For us it is a real treat and I fully enjoyed the rare experience of shouting out “fill’er up!

Just down the road was a new Wal-Mart Super center so we decided to combine a road break for Peter with a little shopping. It was about 4 PM and we were tired, so on impulse we asked if we could spend the night in their parking lot. They actually encouraged us to. We ran our generator for a few hours for the air conditioner and Microwave oven to operate, and after dinner shut everything down, settled in with a book and fell asleep.

Getting an early start on they day, we arrived in Conway about mid-morning and got real close to the train station but couldn’t find a parking spot for the Beast. The town itself was going thru a lot of street construction and we definitely didn’t feel comfortable ducking and weaving around orange cones and machinery. A phone call to the railway station for assistance in parking didn’t get us any help, so we decided to get a good steak for lunch and find a campsite for the night.

We were determined to get some sky high view of the mountains and so we headed for a tramway that climbs over 4,000 feet in the Franconia Notch State Park of New Hampshire. It was a beautifully clear day and it got even nicer as we ascended the mountain. Peter had a hard time trying to get a look out the windows but was duly impressed when we got to the top and exited the car.

We had a view of mountain ranges from Maine to Vermont. Just spectacular. Photographs will not do it justice, but I did the best I could.

Feeling satisfied with our lofty experience, we felt comfortable leaving the state and crossed the border into Vermont at St. Jonhsbury. A lovely campsite called Moose River was our home for 3 days. The owners were charming and they had planned events for the weekend like moose racing at the lake (not real mooses), an evening blind auction and finally a bonfire at sundown ( which was about 8:45 pm.)

Our site was on a large grassy field with lots of room for Peter to roll around on and sleep.
The weather had threatened rain and thunderstorms but they never materialized and the sun was bright and hot most of the time.

Monday, July 10, 2006
The bad weather that was predicted never appeared. We were especially thankful since it is really unpleasant to unhook and stow connecting gear when it’s raining.

WE had some options on our list of things to do today – one was a visit to a maple sugar candy factory.
It sounded like fun, but when we reviewed it in our book “Things Made in America” (given to us by Pete and Rose), it described lots of stair climbing and some slippery surfaces, so we opted for our next choice.

Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory Tour in Waterbury. Yeh, you would have picked it too. We got there a little before noon and the parking lot for RVs was not very crowded so we got a space close in for a very short walk, but when we returned to the Beast 2 hours later the lot was jammed so our timing was great.

The tour consisted of a movie and catwalk view of the actual factory and finally a visit to the tasting room.
Their newest flavor is called Chocolate Therapy, and it was delicious, and so was the 2nd one.

We checked out the gift shop for some things to bring home but they were really overpriced and unspectacular. In fact, it was hard to tell the difference between B&J souvenirs and those of Gateway computers. They both use black & white cow hide as their logos.

The story of how two chubby, non-achievers from Long Island, built an Ice Cream Empire is inspiring and heart warming, but eventually they sold out to a large conglomerate and now have nothing to do with the company.

Oh, before I forget, we decided to top off our gas tank at ½ full in the mountains if we see good prices and at $2.79 we did. Once again, the attendant offered to pump the gas for us. Wow – what a treat. Lets see what happens the next time when we cross state lines in to New York. “You want me to do what? Yeh – right” is the expected response.

Another surprise – my phone indicated that we are back in “Sprint Territory”, and lo and behold, my small phone that refused to take a charge is now fully functional. Go figure.

I called Sprint to get a refund for the past 3 days of total blackout and some wise ass supervisor tried to tell me I was not entitled to it because I was outside the service area. After 10 minutes of getting nowhere with MR. COMPANY MAN, I hung us on him, called Sprint again and got a service rep that was overly apologetic and issued me a $20 credit even though I only asked for $18. aIn't life grand?

Shelburne, Vermont is our home for tonight and will shove off in the morning to what sounds like some interesting places.

Till next time,

BAR HARBOR - 06

060705 - Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor, Maine
Arrived - Tuesday, June 27, 2006

With the weather prediction for the coming week mostly overcast and rain, we pointed the Beast north and aimed for the famous Bar Harbor. Today was a storm free window in the long forecast, so we had a pleasant, leisurely drive up the coast. Many small towns later we crossed the bridge to Bar Harbor Island.

When we plan trips to touristy areas, we tend to look for KOA camps because they usually have those little extras that are really important to us. Things like planned tours and public transportation as well as good facilities and helpful staff. This one was no exception.

We got a good spot on the bayside and due to water damage to the grass, no neighbors on either side.
Peter likes his space. The interior roadways are paved so we look forward to using the Batmobile.

The days are pretty long in this part of the country – with sunrise before 5 am and sunset after 8 pm.
There is quite a bit of humidity and of course their famous fog rolls in and out at will.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006
With the Island Explorer schedule in hand we headed for the bus stop. One of the camps golf carts saw us and gave us a lift. The buses are free and run about every 30 min. (They are funded by L.L. BEAN to the tune of about 1 million dollars a year) They stop at most of the campgrounds and finish at the Village Green in downtown Bar Harbor. We Have read an ad re: a 2-1/2 hour tour of the Acadia National Park (which is most of Mt. Desert Island) on a motor Trolley. The bus ride to down town was an hour but gave us time to browse as we headed for Oli’s Trolley.

In the late 1800’s, this area was the summer home and playground of many of the countries rich and famous citizens, including President Taft, The Proctors, the Gambles, and of course J.D. Rockefeller, who wound up owning most of the Island and then donating it to form Acadia National Park.

However, after 1915, the invention of the automobile created a stream of constant tourists to the area which the former inhabitants were trying to avoid, and so the area soon lost most of it’s high scale inhabitants. The area also drew lots of what were called “Rusticators” who were artists and performers who had the time to spend the summer “in the woods” and also could earn a little money with their talents. Some of the big mansions became bed and breakfast inns while new hotels started to spring up all around to accommodate the influx.

Prior to the intervention of the automobile, the area was traveled by horse and carriage. Rockefeller was responsible for the building of an extensive network of carriage paths for his own pleasure, and they are maintained to this day for that purpose. Automobile roads were built after 1920 for the tourists, but only horse drawn vehicles are allowed on the old carriage trails. There are stables available for rentals to travel these exclusive paths.

While the maximum height of the mountain is only 1500 feet, it is the tallest mountain on the east coast. From the top of Cadillac mountain, there is a gorgeous view that can extend to Nova Scotia over 100 miles away. Unfortunately, the famous New England fog was in place and our view was severely limited.

There are actually many small mountains on the island as a result of valleys that were cut by the Wisconsin Glacier about 15,000 years ago, actually forming the only fjord on the east coast, Somes Sound. (Puget Sound is another on the west coast). This glacier was also responsible for removing superficial rocks to expose the granite layer below which is a product of molten magna that cooled and crystallized. The mountain is a major source of granite which is prized and sold all over the world.
This park was the first east coast area to be declared a national park in 1919 and is still the smallest park in the system.

An interesting fact: The regulations for lobster trapping is very strict and the small ones as well as the large ones have to be thrown back. If a lobster is more than 2 pounds, it is probably at least 9 years old and in its prime for reproduction. Throwing one adult back can be responsible for the birth of hundreds. Therefore, the only size that is legal is about one pound plus. If you are getting large “Maine “ lobsters – 3 pounds or more, they are probably not from Maine or they are “illegal.

Speaking of lobster, we couldn’t leave Bar Harbor without a traditional seafood dinner and so we picked one of many restaurants for a bowl of clam chowder and a seafood pasta dish that had it all.

Thursday June 29, 2006

It seems like yesterday is the best weather we were going to get for the week. The rain and thunderstorms at night were intense and would have made a great opening scene for some scary movie where many people disappear into the night. The heavy rain continued till early morning and the sad look on Peter’s face told the whole story. When I opened the door to show him how rotten it was outside, he took a step forward and with a disgusted look out side and then to me, he backed up and jumped on the couch.

By noon, the rain was gone, the fog was lifting and the puddles were beginning to recede.
We extracted the Batmobile from its cave and had it assembled in minutes. The batteries still had most of their charge left. We toured the campground and Peter did his usual geological survey and p-mail postings. The afternoon stayed clear and the sun actually broke thru so we took advantage if it by sitting out and listening to the radio and reading.

Heading the warning of Maureen, we made plans in advance to spend the rest of the holiday weekend at a nearby campground that was about ½ the price.

The weather continued to alternate between rain and shine but shine enough for the Batmobile to do its job.
We have been planning our next destination and look forward to getting inland.

060628 - BATH, ME

Bath, Maine
Arrived June 14, 2006

If you had ever asked me when I would visit Alaska or Maine, my answer would have been the same – are you kidding?

Well, never say never ,

Here we are in Bath, a beautiful, little, thriving town on the lower east coast of Maine. It was a two day drive from Redding, CT with a stop over at Salisbury State Beach Park, on just the northeast tip of Massachusetts right on the beach. It was a beautiful campsite, as recommended by Barry and Maureen and we wished we could have stayed more than just one night. We felt right at home there. When you look at the roof of a trailer or motor home, you may see many items and devices there, such as radio and TV antennae, air vents, satellite dishes, storage pods, and air conditioners. If you see more that one a/c, the RV is probably 30 feet or longer. Rigs with only one A/C are less than 30 feet. Most of the RVs we saw and were among had only one A/C. Nice middleclass working class size rigs, not the monster buses that rock stars and celebrities ride in.

The reason we had to get to Bath by Wednesday was because Maureen was leaving on Thursday for a cruise to Alaska and we wanted to see her before Barry drove her to the airport. This meant that Barry would be home alone, with the dogs, so us bachelors would be free to run around.

When we arrived, we knew there would be room for the Beast because Barry drives a 40 foot Country Coach and if he says there’s room for us, we believe him. As we backed into his 100 foot driveway, that had already included his RV, we felt safe and secure. Electric and water hookups were performed by Barry, and we were really happy campers.

Barry drove Maureen to the airport Thursday morning so we had the day to ourselves. We promptly headed for Wal-Mart to shop and wandered the aisles in an electric cart for hours.

Friday was a real treat. Barry has a motor boat (Boston Whaler class) moored at Robin Hood Harbor, and in the afternoon, we took a ride around the area, going into nooks and crannies of the coastline. Peter took to motor-boating quickly – finding a good spot to lay down in quickly. Along the way, we happened across some lobster fisherman just pulling in their traps and we bought 2 lobsters for dinner. Peter was upset that we didn’t get 3.

Boating along the coast is incredible – so many small bays and harbors and so many boats. The tide changes every 6 hours and is about a 10 foot swing, so there is a drastic difference in landscape and coastal appearance between low and high tide.Everywhere we went there were lobster trap buoys marking their location for later pick up. There must have been thousands, for as far as the eye could see. They were all brightly colored with different combinations to be able to tell whose trap was where, and they appeared to be scattered randomly throughout the waters.

That evening, Barry threw the lobsters in a pot, and soon we were cracking and picking our way thru a great meal. It was Peter’s first taste of Lobster, but I warned him that we don’t order them in restaurants unless he wants to spend his entire kibble allowance for a month on one meal. He understood.

The next day we were going to take the boat out and watch the Lobster boat races but they were really early and the tide was still low, so we opted for a later departure and we cruised the waterways and visited a few pretty harbors and saw some magnificent boats.

As you might have expected - Sprint and Maine are not on speaking terms. My cell phone is constantly roaming and my Internet card sent me a Morse code signal that said “WHY BOTHER?’.

As luck would have it, someone in the neighborhood had a WIFI set-up and we managed to piggyback off it for a few hours a day – although we never knew when he turned it off and on.

One evening, Helen Thomas, the famous woman Press Corp reporter was lecturing at a nearby town for a local civic group as well as hawking her new book, and it was quite a turnout – and there was a $10 ticket fee to boot. The location was an old restored barn turned into a theatre/ lecture hall, and it was wall to wall liberals, conservationists and Bush Bashers. WE sat quietly and tried not to make comments and got thru the evening without a scratch. We even told some people that the dog’s name was PETA.

Prior to the lecture, we stopped at a local roadside joint called the Sea Basket and had a delicious meal of lightly fried haddock and scallops – sort of Maine’s version of KFC.

Freeport is a short drive but is a whole different kind of small town. In the first place, it is the home of L.L. Bean. In addition to that, there are many famous brand and signature stores such as Starbucks, Gap, Banana Republic, Ben & Jerrys, Pendelton, and the like for the yuppies that live and visit the area.

Our first stop was to L.L.BEAN’S outlet store, which is only a block away from its main store. There were a few good bargains we picked up and bought a nice jacket at the main store as well.

One evening Barry took us to a local pizza joint that made pretty good pies and also had good tasting spaghetti in a bowl with meatballs and sausage for $5.

Friday, Maureen returned from her cruise but between the flight and the drive, they were both exhausted and so we didn’t get to talk about her trip till the next day.

Over coffee and bagels, we watched a slideshow of all her pictures, and they were taken well and quite good.

Both of them gave us some travel tips and ideas for the rest of our trip and by Tuesday morning, we were ready to hit the road again. We wished each other safe and happy travels and talked about seeing each other again in Green Valley Arizona in the winter.

Our visit to Bath was so much more than we ever expected and between the Connell’s hospitality and the charm of the town and surrounding area, we really hated to leave, but there were new places and people to see and meet.

060614 - REDDING,CT

Redding, Connecticut
Arrived Thursday - June 8, 2006

Continuing on our FRIENDS AND FAMILY TOUR – 2006, we threaded ourselves thru the Connecticut countryside after leaving the interstate. Our next target was another old friend from public school 253 – having met in the fifth grade class of Ms. Mildred Gabiner.

Although the class had been seated alphabetically, thru a quirk of fate, I arrived late to class and was seated behind Steven Yurman, That started a long standing friendship that was rekindled this trip.

Thru our public and high school years we were inseparable: our mothers thinking they had inherited another son to feed and watch over. Through the adventures of Scouting as well as the standard neighborhood activities and those we made up, our free time was constantly occupied and we enjoyed those teenage days and night of summer and winter until the seriousness of college shook us rudely into adulthood. We drifted in and out of contact for a couple of years and then drifted apart.

One (all to brief) meeting in Los Angeles in the early nineties sparked some great memories but faded too quickly. Steve had been involved in businesses that forced him to travel the globe extensively, making future contact challenging.

When I started planning this most recent trip, I relied on the Internet as my private detective agency to find old friends, and fortunately, Steve was not too paranoid or egotistical to have an unlisted address or phone number.

AS I carefully followed Steve’s car down route 7, then to increasingly smaller and more curvier and irregular roads, and finally over the old preverbal railroad tracks, … he led me to the home of his friend/accountant Alan and his wife Bev.

WE made the final hard left turn into his long, steep driveway… performed a broken U-Turn and backed the Beast into a very exclusive motor home park … built for one – and at the time we were it. A 50 amp plug was conveniently at our side and within minutes we were lighted.

Part of the greeting host’s family was a golden retriever named McGee (Molly?) and Peter quickly ran off with her for a guided tour of the property.

Alan owns a 40 foot Airstream Skyway motor home which is uniquely identified by its internal stairway that leads to an observation deck on its roof. he was kind enough to have it put in storage so that the Beast would have a place to stay. There isn’t an RV park within 50 miles of Redding.

From the moment we said hello, the memories and stories started stirring and flowing. Time had been good to Steve – he still had that youthful smile I remembered and his voice was charged with excitement .

He and his wife Joan had raised 2 lovely daughters – one finishing up her PHD in Psychology and the other just starting college in the same field. A small dog completed the family but Boz was very territorial and barked and snapped at Peter. Peter tried to be a good guest but they had to be separated.

Friday we spent our time on a tour of the area and a very beautiful area it was. Very rural, but a strong community base and well funded local government.

Saturday turned out to be Steve’s 64th birthday, and Joan had planned a BBQ and party for some local friends and relatives. It was a great day for all of us to get to know one another better and when Steve and I started discussing our days in the Boy Scouts, he disappeared and quickly reappeared with his old uniform on a hanger. I’m glad he didn’t try to put it on. Believe me, he surprised me as much as the rest of the guests. That uniform led to long discussions and memories of days gone by and the associated activities and people involved.

Each evening, we returned to the Beast to wind down and sleep. In the mornings, Peter was chomping at the bit to go out and play with McGee.

Steve had this great idea to drive into Brooklyn and visit some of our old haunts to see how much we remembered and how much places and things might have changed. It turned out to be a super idea.

It was a long but pleasant drive toward the city, completely filled with conversation and questions back and forth about our pasts and plans.

AS we approached familial landmarks that immediately triggered childhood images to spring to life, we often blurted out names of places and people simultaneously. “Suicide Hill”, a grassy knoll along the Belt Parkway that was a great place for sledding down in the snowy winter as long as you stopped short at the service road to the parkway to avoid being run over by speeding cars..

Zuckerman’s Pharmacy and the corner candy store were now other venues, as well as Mr. Bromburg’s Barber shop, but the large apartment building was still standing and apparently occupied, as was the row of houses along Neptune avenue. in which I was born and grew up in the third one heading west.
It was apparently freshly painted and newly occupied since the passing of my Dad.

As we drove slowly up and down local streets, we were constantly pointing in amazement at old structures that still remained and describing to each other what building and stores were missing when we saw newly constructed one.

AS we roamed the streets of Manhattan Beach, I was especially interested in the status of my Uncle Sam’s house – he had recently passed away. I was totally surprised to find that beautiful piece of property, with its large grassy lawn and white corral fence gone, and replace with a massive home that filled the property without a blade of grass to been seen.

We weaved our way thru Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach, around our old public school 253 and Abraham Lincoln High School and were happy to see them still standing, apparently still operational, and amazingly similar to what I remembered.

Steve wanted to visit the boardwalk, especially the area where the covered sitting section jutted into the beach. A popular place for young mothers with their babies and older folks like his grandmother used to sit and meet with friends.

It was a perfect day for the beach, and we opted for lunch at one of the boardwalk’s restaurants, which are now all Russian. Nevertheless, we had a great lunch and beautiful view of the beach and the passerbys.

What visit to Brooklyn would be complete without going to Coney Island and world famous Nathan’s?
It was the summer of 55 all over again – albeit the Parachute jump is a mere skeleton without its silks, and Steeplechase is now a baseball field for the Brooklyn Hurricanes, but the crowds were still shouting out their food orders and the Hot dogs and French fries have never tasted better.

AS we drove towards the Belt, we passed a store selling pigeon supplies and down the block a sign proudly proclaimed the presence of a Pigeon Club. Where else but Brooklyn would you find that?

That evening we had our last dinner with Joan and Steve and with the excitement of TOUR BROOKLYN 2006 completed we spoke of our next day’s departure and days and event to follow.

The next morning, we arose and mentally reviewed our pre-flight checklist and said our goodbyes, then carefully negotiated the twisty, steep roadway as Steve once again assumed lead position to guide us safely to the main highway.