Leaving Geneva on the Lake

We have safely arrived at our next destination, Cambridge Ohio.  Our goal is to move about 200 miles each time and this was a perfect choice.  The second week of our stay in Geneva was great.  We were still a little "shell shocked" by all the changes we had made but we were able to find a lot of fun things to do.  We rode to the Pymatuning Reservoir which is half in OH and half in PA, so we can now claim two more states that we have ridden in. The leaves are just aching to start changing color and the nip of fall is in the air, which makes for a perfect ride.  While riding around the reservoir we found the Beachcomber Bar.  As we walked in the bartender urged us to come in and sit, as if she had known us all of our lives, because bar bingo was about to start.  Every half hour they pick a seat number and that seat gets their drink free.  And wouldn't you know - Cliff won. The person who wins has to pick the next winner, so we HAD to hang around.  Guess who won the next round?....Yep - me!  Our lucky day.  We stayed around long enough for me to pick the next winner, but had to move along so we left our new friends and travelled on.

Some people may wonder what the big deal is about motorcycling.  It is something I never thought I would enjoy and I totally understand peoples fears of it.  But once I got on it the first time, I knew I would love it for years to come.  Anyone who knows me, knows I am not much of a thrill seeker, but I do enjoy the "total picture" of my surroundings.  That is why I love the motorcycle.  You see everything surrounding you and you feel a part of it all.  The sounds are more clear and  the feeling of temperature changes is amazing.  But my favorite thing is taking in all of the smells.  Believe me, driving through farm country, sometimes it isn't so pleasant.  But last week we drove through wine country and it smelled like nothing I have ever smelled before.  I'm not sure if it is just because it is harvest time, but the smell of grapes was so overwhelming.  I never knew they smelled so good.  I just wanted to keep riding around in circles so I could take it all in.

Throughout this blog, anyone who hasn't been around us will think all we do is go to bars.  We ride, we explore, we wander around small towns, we bicycle and we kayak.  But there is a song that says "you're always at home in a bar" and we find that to be true.  It's not about the drinking (although that's a perk) we just find that they are the best places to meet people and to "feel" what a town is really like.  We like the small, off the beaten path ones where we will meet locals and we almost always find someone who wants to tell us their story.  We went to one in Geneva-on-the-Lake called "The Survivor's Club".  We started talking to the bartender and she was telling us the story of how she ended up buying the bar and what she wanted to do with it.  She poured herself a beer and said "come on outside, I'll show you"  We got out there and she pulled up two chairs at a table and sat us down with a bunch of women who were also visiting.  She just saw in us that we would be interested in their stories and they would be interested in ours.  Since we can't fit a lot of stuff in the RV, I always said I like to collect "people" and these ladies were a definite addition to our collection.  (This day was the five year anniversary of my Mom's death and these ladies were toasting her and helping me celebrate her.  The picture of them with Cliff wasn't so innocent).  So here's to Robin, Terry, Leslie, Donna and Sookie (the bar owner)!

Some things I learned in Ohio so far...there are places in the country where only a yield sign stops you from crossing an active train track; riding down a steep, cobblestone hill on a motorcycle is not all that fun (thankfully I have an excellent "rider"); Lake Erie is really, really big; people love to have someone listen to their story and...Grapes smell really, really good.

As we were leaving NY I told my family and friends I would do a blog - but in the back of my mind I wondered, will people really be that interested in what we are doing?   One of my dearest friends commented that "it is like spending a few minutes" together when she reads it.  So as I write it, I imagine that...Just sitting with each of you with a __________(you fill in the drink) in our hand and telling  you about my day.  For now - the sun is shining and the roads are calling our name......