D.C. to Rhode Island via NY, VT and MA

The ride continues to be be a good one, albeit with more traffic and less consistently gorgeous scenery, as we've made our way around the New England area.  That is not to say that it hasn't had some lovely, if not spectacular, sections.

We had a very nice visit with Corey and Chase (daughter and son-in-law) which included a tour of the west wing of the White House.  That is something that not everyone can arrange as you need a tour guide who actually works with the administration to get one.  Fortunately, Corey has a friend and former colleague who graciously agreed to take us.  There are limited public areas, but it was very special to literally stick our heads in the oval office and seem some of the places where the business of the highest levels of our government actually gets done.  A big thank you to Laura Holgate, Senior Director for Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism and Threat Reduction at the National Security Council for her generosity.

From DC we proceeded to the Adirondacks with an overnight stop in Danville, PA ending the two-day ride in Herkimer, NY (yes, the real name of the town) on the banks of the Mowhawk River and Erie Canal.

From Herkimer we proceeded to make a loop in the Adirondacks, spending a night at Amanda's Village Motel, Saranac Lake which was owned and run by Joe and Edie!  From Saranac Lake we went to visit Chase's parents near Woodstock, VT via Lake Placid and a ferry across Lake Champlain as the bridge we would otherwise have taken has been removed!

We then rode a loop in VT that included a trip to Ben and Jerry's factory in Waterbury.

I then took off for Boston to visit some old family friends, Betty Milhendler and Marvin Schpeiser & family, while Ron and Marie stayed in the Berkshires, not wanting to hassle with the big city.

While in Boston I learned that, unfortunately, I would be riding the rest of the eastern loop alone as Ron and Marie unexpectedly had to return to Springfield.  However, undaunted, I took off for Narragansett, RI via Newport, for a minor Peace Corps reunion.  Some pics are below with the early arrivals with two more folks yet to come.