Kent County

Wrapping up the flat tire story, we found that the metal pieces didn't leave any burrs inside the tire. Thus, since the tire only had 4,000 miles on it, we decided to just replace the tube. 24 hours later, it's doing just fine.

The tech at Eastern Harley was super, but I will never give that store another dime of my money. The owner Stan and his buddy were chatting and paying no mind to me, the only customer there. I won't repeat the actual things they said about almost everyone except white males, but Stan was very proud to say that he wasn't prejudiced; he would sell anyone a motorcycle. His buddy was even prouder to claim he wasn't racist; he was just a bigot. I picked up my stuff and went to stand outside in the heat. Luckily, the bike was almost done, so I didn't have to wait outside long.

I left there about 13:30 heading into New York City. I made it to the NYC HD, then my GPS lost its mind 🤣. It couldn't tell the difference between upper and lower level roads, plus I missed a couple of turns, so it took me quite a while to get out of town. Two hours in fact ☹️. I got a glimpse of the Empire State Building, but didn't get to look around much because of the traffic. I have never been to NYC, so I was disappointed the flat tire took up my sightseeing time.

As for driving, the cars and trucks were not a huge problem, but the bicycles and mopeds were crazy! They ran lights without slowing down or even looking. Dirt bikes even used the cycle lanes. I only had one minor incident. A dump truck decided he wanted my spot in my lane because his lane ended. I would've had to backup to let him in, so I didn't. He laid on his horn and I flipped him the bird. With him now behind me, I was able to go around the truck in front of me and squiggle out of the jam 😁. No problem.

Although traffic was horrid, it wasn't any worse than any other big city, like LA, Paris, London, or Dallas. The real problem was sitting on a motorcycle in that heat for so long. It was about 95°F with a heat index of over 105, I have no doubt. I finished the water I had and bought a bottle from a lady selling stuff between cars. By the time I reached my hotel, I was very dehydrated. Plus, I found the heat from my engine burned the inside of my right thigh. Ouch.

After a couple more HDs, I made it to my hotel in Danbury, Connecticut--new state!--which wasn't as far as I wanted to get, but I was exhausted. I was so tired that my helmet seemed very heavy, which has never happened before. I'm glad I stopped when I did.

I left this morning at 07:00. I wasn't sure how hot it would be along my route, so I wore my chaps today to protect my legs. As it turns out, the heat wasn't so bad. By the time I got to Rhode Island--new state!--it was downright cool.

I'm stopped for lunch now at Jefferson Boulevard Diner in Warwick, Rhode Island. The corned beef and swiss on grilled rye was delicious, but the homemade potato salad was one of the best I've ever had. Stop in for breakfast or lunch if you're in the area. Yummy!

So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

Day 103 mileage: ? (total 23754.6 + Day 103)
HD Dealership Challenge: 7 (total 205)
50 Rides, 1 Nation: 1 (total 21)Read more