The hotel we stayed in was very trendy but typical of a Manhattan hotel room in that it was very small. Yesterday the piglets roamed the town and walked for miles visiting art galleries and shops, Central Park etc. I think they were amazed at the sheer size of the place. Being Sunday the town was very quite except for the tourists. There was far less noise as the cars are not allowed to honk anymore except in emergencies. The piglets enjoyed their time talking bikes in Brooklyn and they were home by midnight. We left the hotel at 8.30am and had breakfast with Susan's brother Fred and then hit the road. The roads were still quite as we were heading out against the traffic and in Summer half the town goes on holiday. We went past our house that we used to live in at Croton-on-Hudson. Ross lived there from the ages of 2 to 5. The neighborhood seemed smaller and a lot more trees. We then crossed the Hudson River at Bear mountain which is just South of West Point military academy. The ride took us through the Catskills which is famous for the story of Rumplestiltskin. The area is extremely pretty with so many trees and rivers running beside the road for miles. Deer beside the roads and trout fishermen standing in the river. Idealic.
We drove into the parking lot of Susan's shop and of course
she burst into tears on seeing Ross whom she has not seen for a year and a
half. (mind you she has spoken to him almost every day.) The piglets showered,
did their washing and had a big meal. I sent a message to the Wild Hogs "The
piglets are in their pen and clean.) It is good to be home and not have to
check out and ride three hundred miles. But then again I miss pulling on the
boots and starting my engine.
I spoke to James Gribble who welcomed us home. What a nice
guy. The little we did to raise money for his foundation was well worth it for
such a great cause and a great family.
We are holding a small welcome home party on Friday night
and having a final group ride on Saturday for the piglets before they head home
on Sunday. They go down to New York by train on Sunday and then go to JFK and
LA on Monday. It will be interesting for them to look out the window of the
plane and see the area they have covered over the last three weeks.
Some statistics: 19 days of riding, 35 gas fill ups,
(piglets had double this),114.49 gallons of gas, average 44.6 MPG, average price
gallon $3.92, total gas bill $475.84.
Special thanks for all of you who have read the blog and
especially to all those who donated to the Puffin Foundation. I will have a few
more posts to cover photographs once the lads send me there photographs and of
course I'm sure I will have some reflections on the trip.
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