13 July 2017
I was in denial about yesterday's motel price--it was an astronomical $138.87, not $110--more on that later.
Since I'd stopped early on Wednesday, I had all the route planning done and loaded into the GPSs, so that sped up the morning somewhat; it was only a bit after 9 when I rolled out of the parking lot, back down the hill, onto US6, then north on SR549 into New York.
Up past Ithaca...ya know, there really isn't all that much to say about the ride...it was mostly grinding it out. There were a couple spots of road / bridge construction (none of which held me up for long)(and I'm happy to see some infrastructure maintenance), and because of the roads I was riding, the speed limits were low (sometimes ridiculously low), but I'm loathe to pass local traffic, figuring they know what's allowed.
The weather was, at first, delightfully cool, but as the day wore on, almost too cold--I closed the zippers on the 'Stich and turned on the heated grips--it got down to 57, and never got above 61. Still, I prefer that to 115 in Arizona, and I'm not looking forward to the heat & humidity when I'll be heading south.
Nor did it rain, more than a few sprinkles mid-afternoon--I didn't have my faceshield closed for more than five minutes.
And some of the roads were delightful--lots of hills and curves through pretty dense forest, small towns every few miles (slow going), farm smells, occasional lakes peeking through the trees...
Out of New York, across Vermont and New Hampshire, and into Maine. I hadn't been sure up to now whether I'd make it all the way through my calculated route--arrival time was 1900-ish (7pm), but I queried the Nuvi, and it said there was a Super 8 near the end, with a grocery store 0 miles away.
It was 20 after when I pulled up to the portico, and the pleasant lady at the desk said she did have a room: $116. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I asked her "What is it with the price of motels...?" ...and a conversation ensued. She said the Hampton Inn down the road was in the $180 range--it's the season. Meanwhile, she's shuttling between the two computers at her station, humming and hawing, and eventually she asks if I know about "hotelcoupons.com"? Inform me...
I leave it as an exercise for the reader, but if they list the place you're interested in, get the coupon, take a picture of the screen with your phone, and show it to the clerk at check-in. "They have to take it..." (I looked up last night's place, and they're not listed.)
Groceries across the street, and the day is done.
Motel: $92.52
Groceries: $11.50
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