New Hope, PA - Holding Pattern

Yesterday's ride - Sunday 22nd June was a short one down from Newburgh to New Hope.  

My friend Michael who lives in Manhattan recommended the town to us.  As you know we had been in Newburgh to visit 'Orange County Choppers' and a really cool thing happened before we left.  As we were packing up our bikes in the hotel car park which is just opposite OCC HQ, who should we see ride in on a cool custom chopper but the big man himself - Paul Teutul Sr.  Obviously in need of some overtime work on a Sunday!  We didn't get time to say hi before he disappeared into the building.

Our ride

We are staying in hotel with a really nice swimming pool so after carrying my swimming shorts and goggles for 10 weeks I might just get to use them today for the first time!

Orange County Choppers, Newburgh, New York

Visiting Orange County Choppers was on our 'must see' list of places.   The ride in from Newport today was really exciting and a joy as the weather once again blessed us.

Orange County Choppers (OCC) is a custom and production motorcycle manufacturer based in Orange County, New York, that was founded in 1999 by Paul Teutul, Sr., and Paul Teutul Jnr.  The company was featured on American Chopper a reality TV series show that debuted in September 2002 on the Discovery Channel, which then contributed to the company's quick rise to fame as it was broadcast on networks all over the world.  It is very popular in the UK and especially liked by yours truly 'The Blighty-Boys'

A new international headquarters designed to combine their production and retail facilities was constructed in the Town of Newburgh and opened April 24, 2008, and we just had to go and see it.

Interestingly what started as a sideline to the family's steel manufacturing enterprise, Orange County Iron Works, which was founded in the 1970s.  But  in the late 1990s, Paul Teutul Sr. began manufacturing custom motorcycles as an extension of his steel business, and in 1999 he founded Orange County Choppers. The company's first bike, "True Blue," was debuted at the 1999 Daytona Biketoberfest.  And as they say, "the rest is history!"

Paul Senior with his Boys

Beautiful Bikes, Beautiful Building

Beautiful people……what we here you say!

Next door OCC have a great 'Road-House' style restaurant fitted out with many of their bikes, a 10-Pin Bowling Alley, Pool Tables, a stage for live bands and great food, beer and wines.

Now that is what I call marketing.  Branding Iron of your logo on the burgers.  They were great too.  This is a 'smoking blue burger'  smoked bacon, and smoked blue cheese….yummy!

"A Sportster…….I grew up on a Sportster…!" the immortal lines from the film "Wild Hogs" said by the actor Ray Liotta.  This bike below was the one riden by him playing the leader of the 'Del Fuegos' motorcycle gang.  Above you can see some still pictures from the film staring John Travolta.

Newport Rhode Island

On Friday 20th June we arrived in Newport, Rhode Island which is famous for the 'Newport Mansions' and also is known as 'the sailing capital of the world' and home to the 'America's Cup' sailing yatchs.  Consequently is was incredibly busy and full of a large number of seriously rich people out having fun judging by all the champagne being quaffed and the Italian and German sports cars parked everywhere.    It was difficult to find a parking spot for the bikes.  None of the fee paying car parks would allow us in, not that we wanted to pay for parking!  The Newport Mansions where very expensive to enter, so we didn't, but we did ride passed most of them. 

This is "The Breakers" (I took this 'free of charge' from a side street poking the camera through the iron railings).  The Breakers, which was built and owned by the Vanderbilt family who made their fortunes by amongst other things, the railway system of America.  It was finished in 1895 and the 70 room mansion was just a summer house for the Vanderbilts to relax in.

'B1GD0GH0G' feeling in her rightful place amongst the grand wealth of 'Bellevue Avenue' where many of the spectacular mansions are - check them all out here www.NewportMansions.org

We were hoping to come across 'Jack Sparrow' or 'Captain Barbossa' in this pub, but sadly only draught beers sold in half-pints for $8…!  For a moment I thought I was back in London.

Time to move on…whilst we still had some credit in our bank accounts.

"P-Town" & Time to move on - Newport, Rhode Island Today

We have had a very relaxing time here in Provincetown, or "P-Town" as the locals call it, but it is time to move on.  We are heading out to Newport into the smallest state in America, Rhode Island, which will be our 27th State visited.  It is where all the super-rich, old-money

American families have, or had there summer homes like the Vanderbilt's, President Dwight Eisenhower and may others.  It should be a pleasant ride, the sun is out once again and it should be about 80 F this afternoon.

"Amity Island……we're gonna need a bigger boat!"

You guessed it……..yes it's just a rock!

The view of the town looking back from the port

The front of our hotel

The port and pier

The pirate museum (which we didn't get to see inside)

The beachfront next to our hotel

Cormorants sunning themselves on the rocks

The greatest desert we have had on this tour - 'chocolate peanut butter pie'

A very well 'balanced' statue of a couple in the town square

All of the signs in P-Town this one was the funniest!

Whale Watching Off Cape Cod

On Wednesday 18th June we took a boat out of the harbour in Provincetown in the hope of sighting some whales.  The town is renowned as one of the best places on the Eastern seaboard of America to see many different species of whales depending on the time of year.

Native Americans were the first whalers off Cape Cod, using the whale's meat, oil and bone.  Early European settlers learned from the natives of how to harvest them but come the arrival of the 20th Century the industry had died off in Provincetown.

Around this headland and out into the Atlantic Ocean lies the 'Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary' which is one of the USA's precious ocean treasures and lies only 10-12 miles off Provincetown.  The sanctuary is renowned among the world's premier whale watching destinations and is characterised by the remarkable array of ocean resources and food sources for the whales to eat.

Standing "in line" waiting to board our boat.  My own personal view was that this company allows far too many people on these vessels.  Not from a safety point of view, but from the practical desire to take photographs.  It was like being in a 'Press Scrum' every time a whale was spotted!

Heading out of the harbour for a our 4 hours round trip

First sighting - this is a 'Finback' Whale

Our first sighting of a 'Humpback Whale' - "there she blows!"

Off in the distance we saw a 'Humpback' surfacing to drain the water from its huge mouth, retaining the fish.  You can get some perspective of the size of the whale with the boat on the left.

Another boat like ours from their fleet

The seagulls swarm in as the whale drains the fish it has caught from its enormous gulps of water.  Any fish that slip out of their mouths are quickly picked up by the gulls

"Get off….that's my lunch!"

The 'hump' of a Humpback Whale

Coming closer to the boat.  Another 'Press Photographer Scrum' experience.

There are two Humpback Whales here, possibly a mother and her calf

Draining the water from their mouthes, hoping for a ton a fish left to swallow. 

Deep diving, but a chance for some tail-shots

My favourite photo…another deep dive gets underway

Humpback coming in slow and close the boat

Another two Humpback whales together, again probably a mother and calf

12,000 Mile Marker - Eastham, Cape Cod

On Tuesday 17th June we rode into Provincetown.  Twenty miles South of the town we clocked our 12,000th mile.  Here we are in 'Lobster Country' for our traditional photograph in Eastham, Cape Cod.