2013 NorthEast by Motorcycle Day 9

Detroit, Michigan to Home.  221.8 miles.

We were up early with Jason as he was heading out to work.  We left a few minutes behind him to head south.
Detroit rush hour traffic was beginning to build, but we were headed away from the city so it wasn't too bad.  The day was all interstate since there was really no reason to not to.  It isn't a very interesting ride, but we were close enough to home to be ready to go home.

I like having the last day on the road a short one for many reasons.  First, the last day is often done by hitting "the wall" where it feels like there is no forward momentum.  Early in the trip it is all about the ride.  On the last day, whether the trip is 4 days or 20 days, things change mentally once home becomes the destination.

We made it home in good time and with enough minutes to spare to get the dogs out of beagle-jail before they close for lunch.  They were happy to be home.  Since it is Labor Day weekend, we have a few days still to unpack and put things back in order, including mowing the bonkers long grass.

The map above shows the whole adventure, sans side trips and what a trip it has been (2855 total miles).  This was not a very long trip, either time or miles.  There weren't even any all-day 700 mile slogs.  But, this trip wasn't about the miles, it was about the states.
I've completed my goal of riding my motorcycle through all 49 states accessible by land.  We saw a bit of history at Gettysburg, a bit of beat-nick at Alice's Restaurant and a bit of morbidity at Lizzie Borden's house.  We saw wonderful scenery through awesome roads, met a few interesting people and enjoyed perfect mornings, pouring rain, the ocean, heat and humidity.

What a trip.

2013 NorthEast by Motorcycle Day 8

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada to Detroit, Michigan.  281.5 miles.

We hit the road around 7 AM again.  I always find it surprisingly refreshing how no matter what mayhem a tourist area may be under in the evening, it is almost always peaceful and calm in the morning.  Even Las Vegas slows down in the morning, although seeing people (still) gambling and drinking scotch at 8:00 AM is a little unnerving the first time.

With little traffic on the road, we easily found the roads we were looking for and were on the QEW shortly.  We stayed on track until near Hamilton until we started to head south.  I can't blame Google for this one as they told me a good way to go.  I didn't see it on the antique GPS so I found a "better" way.  Several years ago I was going through the same area on four-wheels for a funeral and think I ended up on the same dreadful road through downtown Hamilton.  I'm really beginning to dislike this city.
The detour probably saved a mile or two, but added a lot of time.  After a bit of frustration, we were back on the provincial road headed toward Windsor - at least I think it is called a provincial road...

Once near Windsor, I decided to take the tunnel across to the US.  We used to go to Canada a lot when I was a kid since there is lots of family there and I always liked the tunnel; it has been years since I went through it.  The route to the tunnel is well marked.  But, when I got there, a transit worked yelled at me and walked over to me.  No motorcycles in the tunnel!  His exact words were, "It is just like a nuclear bomb."  I can only hope that was a joke?
Poking around online, I find references to air quality as a reason but car drivers are breathing the same air so that doesn't pass the smell test (pun intended).  I did find a quoted email from the private company that owns the tunnel and it said the insurance carriers would not allow it due to the unique environment.  This begs the question of why an LLC owns the tunnel?  Because they can.  Long term ownership is in limbo due to Detroit's recent bankruptcy filing.  Odd that the also-privately owned Ambassador Bridge allows motorcycles, but the private company jointly controlled by Windsor and Detroit does not.  Maybe Capitalism does work afterall.

The guy kicking us out of the tunnel was nice enough and we turned around and found our way to the bridge.  We breezed through customs and were on Interstate 75 in short order.  Since it was now the middle of the day, Detroit traffic was very light.

We got to Sarah and Jason't house around midday and hung out with the kids for a while.
Dinner that night was burgers and fixin's. Joel and Beth were also there with their kids.  Since it was a work night, the day ended fairly early.

2013 NorthEast by Motorcycle Day 7

Watertown, New York to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.  228.1 miles.

We had a slower morning since the radar was showing rain over far western New York.  The breakfast at the Comfort Inn was also much better than expected.  It had waffles and bacon and it doesn't get any better than that.

We were on the road a little before 8:00, headed south and west.  We stayed on the interstate for a bit before getting off on State 104.  State 104 took us on a trip to Mexico en route to Canada.  It probably seems odd to go almost 2500 miles out of the way to Mexico and it may have been.  But Mexico, New York was just off the interstate.

We continued winding our way through rural New York, very near Lake Ontario.  We got back on the interstate near Rochester before heading south to the toll road.
We came as close as we have on this trip to running out of fuel, but made it to one of the tollway service stations.

Google maps showed a fairly direct route to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada.  Unfortunately, the guys in Mountain View must have been laughing it up since it sent us on a direct route, but an odd one as we were on a road that didn't typically appear to be used for tourist traffic.  It was also through a heinous construction zone that a Goldwing didn't belong on so soon after a rain (read lots of mud and huge potholes).
With a bit of consultation with the antique GPS, we found our way to the bridge and were across the border quickly with little fuss.  The cars going the other way to the US where backed up for miles however.
Following our map, we found the Days Inn easily.  We were too early to check in, but got parked and just hung out in the lobby for less than an hour until our room was ready.  Being very early, we got an upgraded room with better view.  However, I may have rather had the original room overlooking the parking lot so I could see the bike to feed the paranoia.

We walked around a bit before eating at the "Family Restaurant."  It was nice to have something that wasn't Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock Cafe.
After lunch, we went to see the falls.  The Canadian side is better to see the overall falls.  It can be hard to believe from this vantage point that up to 75% of the flow of the Niagara River does not go over the falls, but is diverted to generate electricity.  A treaty between the US and Canada states that an "unbroken curtain of water" is to be maintained as the waterfall with more in the daylight during the height of summer tourist season.  A minimum flow rate is also set.

One of the great aspects of living in the US is the great relationship between the US and Canada.  After driving across the border, we then walked back to the US over the bridge.  The line of cars waiting to get to the US was still very long, but short compared to what might be encountered between countries with less friendly relations.

The view may be less majestic from the US side since it is not as easy to see all the separate falls, but it is much more dramatic than the Canadian side since it is so easy to get close to the thunderous pouring of the water over the edge.

On both sides of the border, I heard more foreign languages and accents than English, with the Candian side having more than the US.  This is likely due to the greater ease of foreign travel in Canada, including getting visas compared to the US.
While the US has a tendency to "over-tourist" locations like these, Niagara Falls stands as an example of the US getting it right.  The US side of the falls is more serene and park-like.  The Canadian side has more of a Circus-Circus feel to it with ample wax museums, haunted houses, loud speakers and the like.  This is Southern Canada however so I guess this is the equivalent of the Canadian Miami (importantly, hotels near the falls are a little cheaper in Canada).  Kakabeka Falls near Thunder Bay may not have the grandeur of Niagara, but is comparatively almost a hidden Canadian gem.

It was quite a walk back to the hotel from the US side, including another border crossing.  After yesterday's long day on the road, all the walking is kind of nice.

Dinner at night was at "Montana's" which was better than expected followed by Baskin Robbins.  It was surprising given the carnival atmosphere how many businesses were closing up relatively early while we were on the way back to the hotel after dinner.

2013 NorthEast by Motorcycle Day 6

Rockport, Maine to Watertown, New York.  467.3 miles.

Today's mileage was only 467, but it was a hard 467 due to lower speeds and an inconsiderate amount of small towns.

We woke to an early East Coast sunrise.  We had hoped to see the actual sunrise across the Atlantic (or bay), but the location of the sun was obscured by the trees.  We could probably have walked down to the water to see it, but decided to get ready and head out.

We left before the complimentary breakfast and went east.  Traffic was moderate until Augusta where we went through what probably passes as rush hour for the North Woods.  Once through Augusta, the traffic thinned considerably.

Riding through the inland Maine mountains was picturesque.

The mountains looked like postcards or advertisements for hiking the Appalachian Trail.

We crossed into New Hampshire where the speed limits dropped down to 50 MPH.  For the next few hours traffic was light.  However there were a handful of vehicles that limited the speed to a ridiculously low level.  I'm probably not at tolerant as I should be of slow drivers, but if someone can't keep their average speed above 30MPH on a rural road, park it.  At least get over when the few truck lanes show up to let the three miles of cars roll on past.

After a while in New Hampshire, a life goal was accomplished.  At 10:16, we crossed the Connecticut River and into Vermont.  By crossing the state line, I have ridden through all 49 states accessible by land.  This may seem trivial and I know of people who have done it faster or in more dramatic ways, but I have been working towards this for years with the vacation time I have and am very happy to have succeeded.

We stopped for pictures at the border to mark the occasion then continued on.

Vermont was very pretty with many, many small towns.  We wound our way north and west toward New York and Lake Champlain.  At stop at a restaurant near Lake Champlain for lunch another person overheard our discussing routes and gave advice on good roads and scenery to take around the Lake.  One of the great advantages to road trips are fun geography lessons.  I always knew that Lake Champlain was in New York, but I never realized how big it was or that it straddles the New York/Vermont border.

We crossed into New York within spitting distance of the Canadian border and began to ride south and west.  Much like Vermont, Northern New York had many small tows until around Malone where towns became more spread out and we were able to move a little faster.  The area was silly with dairy farms with lots of black and white cows.
As we continued on US11, we noticed an increase in bugs in the air; for a while there were huge clouds of them that could be seen a few tens of feet above the ground.  I'm not sure what kind of bugs they were but they were much harder and less moist than the "grease bugs" back home (corn borer larvae).

We got near Watertown and stopped to consult my phone on hotels in the area and found the location by the interstate with many hotels.  It was time to stop.
We stayed at the Comfort Inn and dinner was at Ruby Tuesday.

The only question, now that I've completed riding through the 49 states I can access by land, what will I do on vacation?

2013 NorthEast by Motorcycle Day 5

Kittery, Maine to Rockport, Maine.  166.4 miles.

 

We woke up to another very wet morning.  It wasn't raining very hard, but everything was wet.  Radar suggested the rain wasn't going to last too long, but that could have been predicted in West Virginia a few days prior as well.

We left a little later than the last few days at about 8:00.  It spit rain on an off for only about an hour and even then it wasn't that bad.  Temperatures were cool so the rain gear was not uncomfortable.

We stayed on 2-lane roads (US 1) until near Portland where we jumped on the interstate to avoid traffic near Portland and the surrounding area.  Once through the area, we were back on US 1 headed towards Rockport.

It was still early so as we got near Rockland, we headed south on State 17 to the Owls Head Transportation Museum.  I saw this on Google Maps before leaving and found the location very easily.  Having cut my teeth on British cars, I was thrilled to see the main exhibit was MGs and Microcars.  Most of the MGs were prewar but there was a smattering of TCs and TDs as well.  Overall the museum was very interesting with a lot of cars not seen very often.  The museum is at an airport so there were many planes as well, including replicas of WWI fighters.

The most interesting vehicle was a Scripps Booth.  A V-8 powered motorcycle with training wheels that could be put down for stability when speed was reduced.  It had lines and lines of copper running down the sides which I can only presume is for cooling.  There are so many conceptual design flaws with this vehicle that I can't imagine more than one was made (but they were).  Not surprisingly, they never reached real mass production.

Back on the road after the museum we continued north on US 1 through Rockland and past our hotel to Camden to eat lunch.  We then headed back south a few miles to Ledges on the Bay.  The hotel is misleading from the road, but it was everything that was advertised.  It is one of the few hotels right on the bay and is very scenic.  We were able to check in early and the woman who checked us in was very friendly, giving advice on where to park and good restaurants to eat at.

Once in the very large room, the view was wonderful.  I'm not sure the picture does it justice.

It is a bit of a hill down to the water, but once near the bay, there are stairs to go down to the rocky shoreline.  We walked along the shoreline where the view was also scenic.

While exploring, we found several old lobster bait bags, a lobster trap and lobsterman's coat.  If I was in the market for a career change, I would be all set.

The only thing I was able to catch however was one small crab.  Anytime I was near the ocean as a kid I loved playing in the tidal pools and finding all the creatures there so this was quite a fun trip to the past.

After our watery, rocky shoreline hike, we jumped on the bike again and headed down to Rockland to the breakwater.  It is just under a mile long jetty made of reclaimed granite puzzled together, but still with large gaps.  It was a nice (careful) walk and the view from the end was very nice.

From there we headed up to Camden and ate dinner at Graffam Brothers which was right on the harbor.  A whoopie pie again rounded out the day - since we are leaving Maine in the morning, this is the last opportunity for a genuine Maine pie.

2013 NorthEast by Motorcycle Day 4

Kingston, New York to Kittery, Maine.  358.6 miles.

We woke to a Berkshire morning that was cool to cold with a pretty fog covering the low lying areas.  That fog signaled cold in the valleys and hollers as we headed out on the bike for the ride east.

We took 2-lane roads to the Taconic Parkway.  The Parkway rolls along near the Hudson and as we went north, we were one of very few cars on the road.  It was magnificent.

While some people think I'm crazy for wanting to get up early on vacation, it is mornings like these that make early mornings mandatory.  This is the best time one the road, with no traffic, gorgeous lighting and cool dense morning air.

Far too quickly we were at the Toll Interstate headed east.  Traffic increased, but only marginally as we got nearer to larger cities and the morning became later.
We headed southeast into Rhode Island, leaving one fewer state to roll through on two wheels.  After Rhode Island, we crossed back into Massachusetts and to the Town or Fall River.  Fall River isn't the the most spectacular town in the East, but people there were exceptionally friendly.  While parked on the side of the road, several people strolling past and even one guy driving past gave a friendly hello which was kind of nice.

Fall River is where, on August 4, 1892, Abby and Andrew Borden were slain, likely with a hatchet.  This murder may have been committed by Andrew's daughter Lizzie Borden.  The murder was a sensational crime and covered internationally.  Lizzie was eventually acquitted of the crime and moved out of the house, selling it for paltry sum a few years later.  It was a private home for many years.  In one book I read about the Borden murders, the house was described as dilapidated, still having wall paper from when the Borden's lived there; the house is in a quaint if a bit older section of Fall River.

In 1996 the house was sold and turned into a Bed and Breakfast (Where everyone is treated like family - cute...), playing on the theme of the murders.  We decided not to stay there for the night since timing was wrong and I wasn't very interested in the themed activities, and the like.  The night before we were there, apparently the shenanigans went on until the wee hours of the morning.  Luckily, they also give tours of the house which last about an hour.
Carol was our tour guide and she gave a very fascinating telling of the events and tour of the areas of the house.  This may be a macabre tour, but the Lizzie Borden Story is part of the American Lexicon.  Possibly because enough time has passed along with the fact that she was acquitted but presumed guilty by many.  Seventeenth century misogyny also plays a roll in my opinion (if the prime suspect was named Lester, history would have written this differently).  It is so much a part of American history that there is a school yard rhyme we all may have known at one time:
Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one.

The owners have gone to great lengths to furnish the house with period articles including furniture and decoration.  Part of the charm of the tour was just the recreation of Victorian style.  Carol was obviously passionate about the subject and also plays the role of Lizzie in the annual recreations.
Below is an attempt to recreate the antique crime scene photos - or at least the locations.  It shows how the decor comes reasonably close to what the house looked like in 1892.

Andrew Borden.

Abby Borden

With the tour completed, we headed north.  After a short but delicious lunch at the Stone Forge Tavern we went around the city of Boston and into New Hampshire for a few miles, then into Maine.  One state left!
Just into Maine, we stopped in Kittery for the night.

After lounging at the hotel for a while, we headed out again and went to Badger Island, right in between New Hampshire and Maine.  We ate at a restaurant called Weathervane (Lobsters in the Rough) out on the pier overlooking the harbor/sound.  Since it was my first time in Maine, I had to have the Lobster for dinner.
After filling up myself, I filled the bike with fuel on the way back to the hotel and picked up an authentic Whoopie Pie to finish off the day.

2013 NorthEast by Motorcycle Day 3

Frederick, Maryland to Kingston, NY.  522.2 miles.

Woke up and after giving the bike a good once over we hit the road by 7:00.  In contrast to the last couple days, we were blinded by sun glare instead of torrential rain.  It was a good trade.

We headed east towards Baltimore, crossing into Delaware, making the first "new" state on two wheels this trip.  Delaware went by fast, and we entered Pennsylvania near Philadelphia.  Philadelphia was one of the few very large city skylines we saw despite being relatively close to many other large cities.

 Shortly after Pennsylvania, we crossed into New Jersey.  New Jersey sucks; I lived there for one summer and it was much like I remember it.  Poor signs and lots of traffic (although to be honest, the traffic was not very bad).  The signs for the New Jersey Turnpike weren't very well marked and we stayed on I-95 for longer than anticipated until getting onto the turnpike north of Trenton.  No worries, we made it and rode through New Jersey.

We avoided the New York area by taking I-287 which was actually fairly scenic.  From there, we took I-87 north to Kingston.  This was also quite scenic.  All told, the tolls for the day cost $17.15 which isn't terrible given the distance for the day.  I am glad I don't have to pay that kind of ransom to get around home however, and the traffic was at times a bit much.  On a few occasions, I-87 came to a near standstill for no reason.  Road etiquette is lacking around here which I'm sure contributes to the mayhem.

We got to Kingston around 1:00 and after checking in and dropping a few things off we headed east into Connecticut taking NY-199 then US-44, then north into Massachusetts by US-7.  The drive was very scenic and with the exception of one town having a festival, traffic was light to tolerable.  This appears to be a weekend hotspot for antiques and old money, seeing a Bentley, Ferrari's and several other high dollar cars.  On an absolutely perfect afternoon, there were innumerable motorcycles out and about.  

We reached Stockbridge, MA and easily found a parking spot.  From there, we walked down the street to Theresa's Cafe.  This is The Alice's Restaurant of Arlo Guthrie fame.  Someone named Alice who was a friend of Arlo's really did own it for about a year.  It really is just around the back about a half mile from the railroad tracks!

They were moderately busy when we got there so it took a bit of time, but when we left the place was nearly empty.  Since this is Alice's Restaurant, I guess this must be a Thanksgiving Dinner that just can't be beat.

Actually, it was more of a large snack to tide us over until dinner.

Once we ate we headed south and found the Church that Alice used to live at.  It is now the Guthrie Center which has a mission statement to bring individuals together for cultural, educational, and spiritual exchange.  I'm not entirely sure what that means, and there was something going on there so we didn't go in.

We headed back to the Roadway Inn for the night.  This was the hotel I was a little nervous about due to many bad reviews online.  The hotel isn't the newest, but it was clean  and comfortable.  The staff were very friendly and accommodating in letting us check in early and park the bike very near the room.  The room was a little pricey, but given the area it was a bargain.  

The view from the hotel is a gorgeous landscape of the Kingston and surrounding area.  Of the hotels stayed at so far, it was the most picturesque.

The restaurant next to the Roadway was very good if a little pricey.  Again, the staff were very cordial, even quickly cleaning a table so we could sit by the window overlooking the view.

Another great day on vacation, five new states on two wheels, and was able to get anything I wanted at Alice's Restaurant!

2013 NorthEast by Motorcycle Day 2

Jackson, Ohio to Frederick, Maryland.  443.9 miles.

 

The day started out grey, moist and humid.  After getting going with hotel waffles saturated in syrup, we hit the road near 7:00.  Today was a day of many state crossings; the days adventures would take us from Ohio into West Virginia to Maryland to West Virginia to Virginia to West Virginia to Maryland to Pennsylvania to Maryland.  Golly do we have some screwy shaped states.

State 32 in Ohio led to US 50, both of these are four lane divided with generous speed limits.  The sky spat rain on and off, at times at a moderate rate.
Things changed in West Virginia.  US 50 turns to a narrow and slightly bumpy road with trees right along the side of the road.  It is easy to see why West Virginia is the state with the most deer strikes.  At least the weather was cooperating on this leg of the trip.

The weather changed after a stop for gas in Clarksburg.  The skies opened up for a couple hours.  The torrential rain coupled with too-slow drivers made the travel a bit more of a challenge for a while.  At one point the rain had flooded the road to several inches of water.  Since the Goldwing does not float, I slowed considerably.  The jackwad truck driver behind me tried to pass, pushing a mountain of a wake of water - what an ass.  Jackwad ended up getting stuck behind an extremely slow logging truck a short time later; perhaps a bit of unintentional justice.

Once we got to Winchester, Virginia the rain let up until near Frederick Maryland.  We got to Frederick too early to check in to the hotel so we headed north to Gettysburg.  Gettysburg is only about 30 minutes from Frederick.  The museum at Gettysburg was pretty interesting, but I had a hard time getting interested in a lot of what was there.  What I did find truly fascinating was the artifacts picked up from the battlefield immediately after the battle.  Even more interesting were the artifacts from people's homes destroyed by bullets, cannon fire or shrapnel from the skirmish.  Clocks, dishes, beds, desks, etc. all on display show the ravages of war on civilians.  It is too easy to see these things as isolated.  In one showing, there were building rafters salvaged from a house showing the destruction of a cannon ball going through multiple pieces of timber, wreaking havoc on each one.
The museum wasn't terribly crowded, but I certainly would not want to go there on a busy holiday weekend or the like.
After the museum we went to the cemetery.  Perhaps not unexpectedly, there is a "normal" cemetery immediately next to the civil war cemetery - as long as there was a cemetery, may as well bury other people there must of been the reasoning.
There is a monument to the spot where Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address.

The number of graves, both marked and unmarked give a framework of the scale of what the three-day battle of Gettysburg must have been.

Once we had seen Gettysburg we headed back to Frederick.  The weather had improved significantly.  With a bit of looking, we found the Days Inn where we had reservations.  Dinner was at Longhorn before turning in for the night, hoping for more adventure, if a little dryer.

2013 NorthEast by Motorcycle Day 1

Home to Jackson, Ohio.  159 miles.

The day started off an a normal enough work day.  Up early and out the door.  At work by 5:00.  A few unpleasant things happened overnight which required attention, but overall it was a quiet morning.

As the day progressed I wrapped up bunch of small issues and around 12:30, I set the Out of Office notification and shut email down.  I was on the glide path to vacation.  By 1:00 I had put in a full eight hours, but still for some unexplainable reason feel guilty leaving "early" even if my usual work day can be grotesquely long.  I got over the guilt and left.  Even worse, it was a work picnic day so (if I would attend) the only thing I would "miss" would be forced social interaction at work.

I was on vacation.

I went home and started packing things up.  I took the dogs to beagle-jail; they were all very excited to go somewhere, anywhere.  I am too.

I finished packing but left rain suits out since the radar indicated the predicted forecast of rain was becoming a reality.  Just to the west there was a fairly strong thunderstorm.  I had an hour to putz around the house before we were both at home ready to head out.

We left and headed southeast.  It spit a bit of rain before getting on the interstate.  On the interstate we hit some typical rush hour congestion, made worse by an accident (right by work).  It rained moderately off and on as we moved from the interstate to the Cincinnati suburbs.  Once on Ohio 32, the suburbs gave way to the exurbs which gave to a perfect rural road.  The terrain changed to the Appalachian Foothills.  Traffic was non existent making a very pleasant drive to Jackson, OH.

Atypically, we have made hotel reservations for most stops on this trip.  However, we saw the Days Inn too late and got turned around, temporarily imitating an emergency vehicle, we U-ed back on track to the hotel.  After checking in we made the longer than expected walk to the Dakota Roadhouse for dinner.  Having not eaten in about nine hours, I was starving and the food was excellent.

I was on vacation.

The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield (a mini adventure)

This adventure actually starts all the way back in May.  I had written a magazine article for one of my magazines that accepts submissions from readers.  A short time after it was published, I got a letter in the mail that said something to the effect of:  I'm looking for the person who wrote the article in the magazine that mentioned motorcycling to Alaska.  If you are that person, please email me at xxx@yyyy.

I emailed them and started a correspondence with Patti who is married to Dan.  They had gotten part way to Alaska a few years previous but had to turn around due to terrible weather, flooded roads, etc. and were curious as to some of the specifics for our trip.
Around this time I read a book that mentioned the Ohio State Reformatory at Mansfield is now a museum run by a foundation.  The tours seemed very interesting; probably as close as I want to get to prison, but interesting.
I emailed Patti and asked if they wanted to meet us there for the tour.  This was a bit out of my comfort zone, but after exchanging emails I thought it would be fun to at least meet and they didn't live too terribly far away.  We found a time that would work for both of us to meet, although it was a bit odd asking some people I had never met if they wanted to go to prison,.

After dropping the dogs off in beagle-jail, we headed north and east to Mansfield.  Weather was perfect for motorcycling with cool temperatures and a mix of sun and clouds.  Traffic was fairly light except right around Columbus, but even that wasn't too bad a little before noon on a workday.  We hit a bit of rain south of Mansfield, but not enough to really matter.

We got the the Reformatory about an hour early since it took less time than usual with the dogs at the kennel and we made good time on the road.  This allowed us to roam the grounds a bit.
The Reformatory itself is a very impressive stone structure.  It was built in the late 19th century at a time when government building showed an art form bordering on pride.  I think the idea of architecture as art is overused, but this building has to be considered art.  Imposing art, but art.

The grounds around the prison are also very nice.  Landscaped expansive lawns and an manicured entrance.  I can't help but wonder what it looked like as inmates were being brought in.

As we were roaming, I couldn't help but notice a rather scary looking electric line that appeared to be attached to the chain link fence.  It almost looked like some kind of half-assed electric fence attempt.

While waiting, it rained a bit so we headed to the "porch" of the Reformatory to wait and ended up chatting with a volunteer repairing floor tiles.  He does tours at times on the weekends and gave lots of interesting tidbits about the facility.  They definitely don't hide the fact that movies such as the Shawshank Redemption, Air Force One, and Tango and Cash were shot there (sorry Sylvester Stallone - you are still an asshole).
The Reformatory was originally built in a gentler time to rehabilitate boys and young men, but over the years, changing attitudes towards crime and different philosophies for rehabilitation transformed it into a very tough maximum security prison.
The Historic Marker sign notes the facility was considered obsolete by 1970, but kept open for another 20 years.
Apparently after the prison was closed and slated for demolition, the place was a free-for-all for local Mansfieldians.  I'm sure much mayhem happened there from local youths.  It was actually the movies' desire to use it as a filming location that delayed the demolition long enough to allow the foundation to preserve it and create the museum.
After Patti and Dan got there, we headed in for the tour.  The tour costs $9 and is worth every bit of it.  The tour starts with the living quarters for the warden and others (chaplain, etc.).  This part of the tour sort of felt like the worst Real Estate Open House I've ever been on.  The interior rooms showed various states of disrepair and dilapidation, but still some charm and evidence that the living quarters were quite nice.
The Victorian details are still evident throughout although crude updating of the facilities (heat, water, electric) also leave an impression.
The Chapel (below) is similar to the rest of the living quarters as to condition.  One significant difference that could be seen compared to an average house or other building was how "hardened" the structure was with more use of brick and steel compared to plaster and lathe of that era.

The cell blocks are immense.  It is hard to do the scale of these justice in pictures.  Even walking into them it is hard to comprehend.  It wasn't until I notice how small people were at the other end that I even realized how big the cell blocks are.  Each block had 6 floors of 100 cells for 1200 inmates.

The cells themselves are 7' by 9' and hold two beds.  Originally it was supposed to be one to a cell, but again, changing attitudes resulted in a doubling of capacity.  You better be able to tolerate your cellmate.

If you didn't like your cellmate, you could end up in Solitary Confinement.  A sign advised that solitary confinement could mean either 24-hour light or dark.  Painful...

Yes.  These are the group showers.  Don't want to go to prison.  'Nuff said.

The tour ends with more administration type rooms.  It is also interesting to see the older West Cell Block which is mostly brick and Masonry compared to the slightly newer East Wing which is more steel, much colder and harsher.  The West Wing was actually built by inmates, it must have felt like digging one's own grave.  Kiosks exist around the tour to give additional information.  The videos on the kiosks are short enough to watch without loosing attention, but still interesting and informative.  Many areas of the building are off limits, but the tour is still open enough that one could get hurt if one tried (i.e. this is not a nanny-state tour).  This is one of the best self-guided tours I've ever been on.  One of the neatest things was all the nooks and crannies that can't be fully accessed, but can still be seen.  Photography is restricted in any part of the tour where windows look out over the newer and functional prison to the north.

After the tour we talked with Patti and Dan for a while before heading to The Brown Derby for an early dinner.  We enjoyed a good dinner while sharing our respective motorcycle stories.  It was fun to talk to people who have a similar traveling mentality when it comes to motorcycle touring.  They have done a considerable amount of touring on two wheels!

After dinner we went our respective ways.  We headed south to Mount Vernon, Ohio to a hotel right on the Kokosing River.  Mount Vernon was having a "First Friday" festival so it took a bit of finageling through closed roads to find the hotel.

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We woke up early and well rested to a very wet morning.  We got up and I had a great free hotel breakfast.  The staff had forgotten to plug in the waffle maker so it took longer than anticipated.  A few minutes doesn't seem that long until waiting for the Golden Malted waffle iron to heat up while desperately needing a syrup saturated waffle.  Time was past eating sausage patties until a waffle was made.

We finished getting ready before suiting up in our motorcycle coats and rain gear.  We were out the door by 7:00.  Despite a dump truck in front of us loosing a tire to a fire, it didn't take too long to get to I-71.  The rain varied from light to moderate until around Dayton where it misted a bit before stopping.
We were home in a little over three hours with ample time to get the dogs and begin weekend chores.

The Mansfield Reformatory was very interesting and I'm glad I made the trip.  Initial plans varied on days, but being able to see it on a Friday when there were very few people there was a good option and allowed for more ability to see everything at a desired pace.  It also allowed for much better pictures without scads of unknown people in them.  The icing was meeting Patti and Dan at the same time.  Another great adventure, if only a mini one.