NY, NY

Parking on S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY.

Stuck in Manhattan traffic. Photo by Suzy.

Hard at work.

Hard at work.

Free beer and a great view.

Washington Square dropouts in Union Square.

Fette Sau BBQ

I got his autograph right after this shot.

New York gets harder and harder to leave every time I visit.

Labor Day Weekend in Strongsville, OH

Dueling Mountaineers

Dad's Toolbox

Cleveland Metroparks

Little Amelia and her Dad

Ryan

The Family

Getting fresh rubber

By the time I had made it the 2,500 miles to Cleveland I was in need of a new rear tire. I had already put a couple thousand miles on the rear before I departed on this trip and all of highway riding I did really wore down the center of the tire. The sad part is that the wheel still had a thousand miles of cornering left in it! Days before arriving in Cleveland I ordered a new tire so that when I arrived it could be a quick swap.

Fortunately for me the one KTM aficionado I know lives in Cleveland and loves to work on his own bikes. Matthew has been giving me much appreciated advice since I bought my KTM and now he offered to help mount and balance my new tire.

I can't thank Matthew, JT, and Donnie enough. Thank you guys for looking out.

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Matthew built his own garage making sure to leave extra space to work on his motorcycles.

Matthew, JT, and Donnie.

Matthew's Adventure: http://theroadtheride.blogspot.com/

Kind of roughing it

Gable Inn. Lexington, NE

Gable Inn. Lexington, NE

For $35 a night it was the cheapest place in town. I couldn't say no but I still slept in my sleeping bag.

Aerostich suit waterproof, iPhone not.

My motorcycling career started just over a year ago after I had moved to Los Angeles in August of 2008. I moved there from Chicago where I did most of my commuting on two wheels as well, but with much less horsepower and zero hydrocarbons. Riding a bicycle in LA isn't the most efficient way to get around when you consider the mountainous terrain and the distance to everyday locations. So I felt the only way to satisfy my need to travel quickly and efficiently was to start riding a motorcycle.

Southern California is arguably the best place to be a Motorcyclist. Aside from many different mountain roads to explore you can ride there all year long and never get stuck in a rain storm. Until the third day of my cross country adventure I had never experienced riding through the rain but instead of fearing it I embraced it.

I started off that morning in Lexington, NE with my planned destination that night to be Chicago. I knew this leg of the route would be the most challenging in terms of sheer boredom. The storm cloud that loomed over the east was really the only thing to look at. I had pulled over before I entered the storm to refuel and make a couple phone calls. After I pulled back onto the highway I travelled through over 100 miles of constant rain that ranged from down pour to little sprinkles. I was surprised by the amount of control and traction my tires gave me and I felt very comfortable charging on towards Chicago in the rain.

It was still raining a little bit when I pulled over to refuel again. I checked my zippered pocket for my phone and it wasn't there. I had put my phone in the regular pant pocket of my suit which is not sealed. When I pulled my phone out of my pocket water was actually dripping out of it.

Right after I realized I put my phone in the wrong pocket.

Not to worry though, I was able to make it to the Apple store in Chicago before it closed and they were happy to charge me for a replacement.

3,000 miles later...

Myself catching a photo of myself.

On September 1st I set out from Los Angeles to New York City and back on my motorcycle. Some would assume I am in search of some sort of personal exploration but this is not a spiritual adventure for myself. Others would suggest I probably just want to be like Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman.

Well maybe I would.

I just like riding my motorcycle and wanted to see what it was like to ride everywhere else other than Southern California.

Sunset in Utah at the end of my first day.

I wasted no time getting across the country and logged in 805 miles on my first day of travel. I had setup a schedule to make it to my hometown of Strongsville, OH in four days in order to be with my family for Labor Day weekend. I really didn't spend much time off my motorcycle those first four days of riding. There was a quick stop in Frisco, Colorado (9,500 ft up) to have breakfast with my Aunt Karen and Uncle Tim who I don't get to see often enough.

Sunrise just before traveling through the Rocky Mountains.

After an eventful and great Labor Day weekend with my family in Ohio I left the morning of Labor Day towards the east coast and New York City. I didn't expect to get to New York City in only 5 days of motorcycle riding but opportunity was knocking in the Big Apple in the form of paid work.

View from the Williamsburg Bridge. Brooklyn in the front, Manhattan in the back.

I have spent the last week in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with my oldest brother Joe and his girlfriend Suzy. I'm so glad to have an older brother like Joe and really wouldn't have any reason to be here in New York without him.

Thank you Joe and Suzy for looking after me and giving me a place to stay while I was here.

Street watching with my brother in Brooklyn.