Day2: Where are we again?

Wow, we got up. We were going to leave by 6am. We were...
Ok, so we slept in a little. No big deal. Just a couple of hours.
We watched the weather last night. Storms. They had the gahl to forcast storms on our vacation. They even showed pictures of them coming in from Ohio. Ohio, you sent us storms on our vacation. How could you?
Actually, they were only forcasted for 30%. Perhaps we could just adjust our stops.
When we got up, we looked out the window. The bike dust was freshly washed off just a few hours previously. It gleaned in the fog. The light did not reflect the sun, because there was no sun. It was the parking lot lights apparently. Well, I got a shower and so did the bike.
Now, where were we? Oh, yeah. We were in Franklin, PA. Did I tell you that yesterday at a stop in Jackson, PA we noticed an awful lot of motorcycles. Apparently, there was a bike meet at Erie, PA. Suddenly, I got a pang of anxiety, a real no-room-at-the-inn-phobia attack. Here we are, out in the middle of no-where with no place to stay. And we are on the bike.
We had this actually happen to us many moons ago. We drove into an area in NY and went to the local motel for a room. No room. No room there and no room anywhere in the area. We slept in the Jeep.
But what am I going to do on the bike? I could park it and give the seat to Connie, while I took the ground. (I am a real gentleman, yes?). So, in my panic no-room-at-the-inn-phobia attack, I grabbed the cell. I called the local Super8 in Franklin. I probably got the last room. Boy, were we lucky? We made a mental note. Make reservations for a room in Geneva.
So, that brings us back to the motel in Franklin. There is no one here. It is a long double floor motel that looks out on the street. I could have sworn the manager's name was Bates. Did I tell you I have a Batesphobia too?
I digress. After a quick 30 minutes to pack, I am ravenous. I am so looking forward to that standard, motel6 waffles and scrambled eggs. A cup of coffee, a small orange juice, maybe some bacon on the side. Cooked, of course, 3.5 hours earlier and then placed in those cute little warming trays to dry out.
But, nooooooo. Our Super8 continental breakfast consisted of toast, imitation butter, coffee very weak, and a banana. Well, the banana was good.
Our destination today was Geneva, NY. It is located on the top of the Finger lakes, Seneca Lake specifically. Since we are on vacation, we wanted to see the scenic roads. I instructed MAPI, (that is our affectionate name for the lady that speaks to us from the GPS), to take only the back roads.
Wouldn't you think that the makers of GPS devices should put in a drill sargent voice instead of the sappy female voice? Can you imagine? "Hey, stupid, take the next right, you moron." "Hey, you missed the turn. Now you are going to make me recalculate. What are you? An imbecile?
Woops, digression.
So, off we go into the woods. The views are fantastic. Well, at least I think they are fantastic. You see the trees are so close to the roads, we can't see past them. So, we go up and down, left and right, up and down, left and right in some of the most beautiful hills of the Allegheny moutains. If only we could just see...
Oh, by the way, since the roads are wet, the turns are sharp, we are making about 25 mph. MAPI says we should get to Geneva in about two weeks.
Just outside of Oil City, we are climbing this hill. A small dump truck is in front of us. We actually are travelling at 10 mph in first gear, hoping we don't have to stop on the incline. About 10 miles out we see this pretty little yellow sign. "Detour: Road closed. Please return from where you came." When we got back to Oil City, we stopped to ask MAPI where to go. She did not know. But, a truck stopped beside us and asked if we were having trouble. I told him we were lost and needed to get to Bradford, PA. Then he grinned, a front toothless grin. "Just take 8 north and turn east on 36." Then he grinned again. Did I tell you I have a toothless-grin-advice-phobia also?
So, north on 8 we go. At least the road is wider, straighter and slightly faster. In the next town, we were to turn east on 36. No 36. Did I tell you my toothless-grin-advice-phobia is justified? OK, MAPI tells us we can go east on 227 detour and get back on track. OK, so MAPI must know where to go, trust, trust, trust...
Everything looks like it is going well. The detour is not as small a road, we can even see more than 10 feet on either side of the road. Shortly, we join our old road, as we end our detour. No 36, by the way. Then the road gets smaller. The turns get sharper. The road is still wet and often advise us to travel at 25 mph. MAPI indicates 2 weeks again.
OK, I am done with this. We look for a "Road More Traveled". Robert Frost would not mind.
We turn onto Rt 62. It is beautiful. It is 2 wide lanes wide, with berms. You can maintain 55 mph. It winds along side of the great Allegheny river with numerous views and outlook vistas. Because more travel, pavement is drier. (Only a motorcyclist appreciates that.) In Warren, we turn more east and head for Bradford. Still, no 36. Did I mention that my toothless-grin-advice-phobia is justified?
Just as we entered into Bradford, there was a Vistor's center. OK, maybe there won't be a toothless-grin caretaker. The lady was very kind. She suggested taking 59 to Olean. It would be pretty, along side another river and reservoir. We would really like the drive. Really, really. And we could get a cup of coffee at the local Perkins.
Cup of coffee? I had a peice of toast for breakfast. Perkins has muffins, rolls, pancakes, waffles, eggs, omelets, orange juice, sausage, and parsley for decoration. I think I had all of them.
The trip to Olean was everything she said. Beautiful. After all, no toothless-grin. I took pictures, but they are in the bike, in the camera and at this moment, 4 floors down. I will post them tonight.
I started to worry about rain. The clouds are looking a little threatening. We need to keep truckin'. Just a little sprinkle on the way into Olean. Maybe we need to do some reconfiguring. So, we stopped for gas and told MAPI, get us to Geneva, as fast as possible, using major roads if need be. She happily replied.
That would then put us on I-86 going east at 65 mph. Suddenly, our ETA was 4:00 pm instead of two weeks. I liked that. At a rest stop, we stopped to get off the bike. Clouds now look stormy, but clearing in the direction we were going. Should we put on the rain gear?
The decision is no. But we no sooner drove two miles and thought again. So, in the bright sunlight, we stopped on an off ramp and pulled on the rainsuits. OK, we are wearing a t-shirt, motorcycle jacket, blue jeans, rain coat, rain pants on an 85 degree day in bright sunlight. People passing us just glared.
Back on the bike. I am telling Connie, you may tell me "I told you so" if it doesn't rain. Two minutes later, she is recanting. It rains off and on for the next hour. But we are covered.
When we get to Bath NY, we decided to stop. It is starting to pour and they have a McD's. A McFlurry later, the sun is shining and we get back on the bike.
Although we kept the rainsuits on, they were not needed. We traveled though beautiful NY rolling hills between or alongside their stunning Finger Lakes. We rolled into Geneva at about 5pm. Took a couple of pictures. Found a SUBWAY and ate cheap. Early to bed so we could get early to rise.
Remember, we decided to get a reservation for a room in Geneva? That is because of my no-room-at-the-inn-phobia? Well, while waiting for the desk attendant, who was on the phone, to attend to my reservation, I heard this conversation.' "No, I am sorry. There are no rooms available. I don't know what is happening in the area, but there are no rooms anywhere in the area. If something becomes available, I will certainly call you back."
Did I hear someone say, "Praise the Lord." Thanks be to our Lord who is always caring for his children.