New York Arrived in the afternoon, was picked up by Frank and then taken to a fire department operation in the evening. Very good start to my Red Knights US tour. On Monday my motorcycle was brought into the USA with Scott and unpacked from the transport box. The whole process was quite an adventure and without his help and tools it would never have been possible. 4th of July parade turned out to be a water fight. Very cool to watch and I had a lot of fun. Great Italian restaurant to finish. Apparently the home and court purveyor of the New York Giants. Massachusetts First long trip in the States on a motorcycle and used the scheme that will serve me well for the next few months: Get out of the city traffic and the suburbs as quickly as possible via the Throgs Neck Bridge and I-95. Then set the navigation system to 'backroads' and enjoy the landscape. The bridge was a 'Toll by Plate' bridge... let's see what they do with the D plate After Bridgeport I followed the 'backroads' which let to some really nice streets and I had a lot fun. In the evening I arrived in Boylston and the RKMC Memorial and Guest House. As with all other subsequent RKMC stays, I was warmly welcomed and there were numerous joint activities. Connecticut Stopped at CT 10 where I was told to ride the 'Blue Ridge Highway'. I didn't know about this trail and it turned out to be a great recommendation. In New Haven I discovered an exhibition about the city development on the 'Long Warf'. The highly recommended pizzas from Pepe and Sallys couldn't be tried because there were huge queues. Drove past Yale University. The impressive building turned out to be a 'mundane' sports facility :) Pennsylvania Luckily I was warned that there was going to be rain and so I put on my rain gear in good time ... but 15inches is still quite a number. Especially if you don't recognize a water-filled depression and rush in it with 35mph Stayed at PA20 and was told that this is bear territory and there had to secure the trash cans for the evening Philadelphia Tour of the battleship New Jersey. Very impressive structure and mechanics of the large ship's cannons (5 floors high, powder and ammunition are transported from inside the ship by elevator) Fill up once: ~2.4 million galleons The people were put in the remaining spaces and the insights into the different worlds of the officers and enlisted was very exciting. Cape May Accommodation at NJ 31 and got to know the Wildwood amusement park in the evening The next day a tour of Maryland and a visit to my old house and school (my family recognized the pictures immediately) Short stop at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Institute. Unfortunately I couldn't store my the motorcycle clothing. So didn't see much of the learning paths On the way back note saw the Annapolis Firefighter/EMT Memorial. In my opion it was a bit 'too much patriotism' Matt and Stephanie gave us a Philadelphia sightseeing tour: Liberty Bell, Congress, Chinatown Firestation and of course Cannoli for desserts. Comparison of the two 'best' Philly Cheesesteaks restaurants (Pats and Geno) made... Geno won :) Dinner with some NJ chapters at the harbor. View of the US Coast Guard Training Center Prince George Rode with New Jersey to the Maryland State Picnic in Galena. On this trip I was strongly advised not to wear my motorcycle jacket as it was 'a bit' warm. Until now I had always ridden with full protective equipment and on the one hand I felt very uncomfortable but the cooling down was worth it. In Galena I was then 'passed on' to the Virginia Chapter and continued with them to Prince George. Blueridge Parkway Rode the entire Blueridge Parkway, from mile 0 until the end in Cherokee. Great route, beautiful viewpoints and interesting stops along the 460 mile route First overnight stay in Roanake. Before continuing the journey I visited the Dixie Caves. A stalactite cave discovered at the beginning of the 20th century when the dog 'Dixie' disappeared into a hole. Getting back onto the Parkway wasn't that easy as the first 4 streets were always marked as 'Private Property'... The next stop was the iconic Mabrys Mill. Apparently such a classic motif that many other states also use this picture. Second night in Boone First stop was Cole Manor. Summer residence of a jeans magnate built around 1920 and already equipped with today's amenities, today a destination. Second stop was Linfield Falls. It was a walk of almost 1 mile (less than ideal with motorcycle clothing) but it was a very nice area. On the way back I met a snake that I didn't even recognize as such. Only when it slithered away... Third night in Asheville End of trip on the Parkway, and the weather turned nasty on the last day. Rain and driving through low clouds (with correspondingly poor visibility) also have a certain entertainment value. The parkway ends near the Cherokee Indian reservation and there you can visit the corresponding Cherokee Museum with an overview of the Stone Age, prosperity and eventual expulsion by the settlers Continue to the Tail of the Dragon and got very lucky. Hardly any traffic and had a great ride (see video) Tail of the Dragon 1/3: https://youtu.be/J2Xsov-Owts Tail of the Dragon 2/3: https://youtu.be/4sVmjS3Om7Q Tail of the Dragon 3/3: https://youtu.be/60CWRItzlgE Myrtle Beach From a pleasant 20 degrees Celcius in the mountains to up to 36 degrees Celcius near the coast. From extremely curvy roads through mountains to long roads past fields Visited some of the fire departments in the area with Tim. In contrast to the mass gatherings in New York, here there are only 2 people per car. In Myrtle Beach Tim introduced me to Waffle House and especially Grits. I also learned about the 'Waffle House Index' Once refreshed, we visited one of the countless mini golf courses and then rode the Ferris wheel. Back at Tim's there was a meeting with SC 1 and a 'Low Country Boil': potatoes, sausage, shrimp and corn were cooked in a lemon broth and everyone helped themselves directly. Rode with SC 1 to Georgetown. There we meet with SC 3 and have lunch together with a view of water, turtles and alligators. Back in Myrtle Beach visited the zoo/theme park 'Alligator Adventures'. Seen there, among other things, 'Bob, the tailless alligator'. Brookgreen Gardens and the associated Lowcountry Zoo. The garden is a beautiful mix of botany and art elements. Atalaya Castle, the winter home of Archer and Anna Huntington, the builders of Brookgreen Gardens Ripley's Aquarium, with its main attraction the glass tunnel through the shark tank At the end of my stay I was handed over to SC 3. Charlton Visit to the fire brigade museum with a large exhibition of restored vehicles from the 20th century. Then continued to Patriot Point and visited the aircraft carrier Yorktown (The Fighting Lady). This was an aircraft carrier from World War II and was therefore designed for propeller aircraft. There are now also an F14 and an F18 on the flight deck as exhibits. We didn't visit the destroyer, but we walked briefly over the 'Vietnam area' where a corresponding camp was set up. Aside from the fact that it was very sour, it almost felt like you were in a Vietnam war movie Brunswick Visit to Jekyll Island (former winter club of the richest families in the USA). Looked at Sea Turtle Rescue Center. In addition to some information about the different sea turtles, I also learned a lot about the work of this organization and saw live treatments. Just like humans, turtles don't like needles :D I took the Dolphin Tour and it was quite rainy so there weren't many people on board. But saw a few dolphins and enjoyed quite an entertaining and educational tour Joe and his wife invited me on a boat tour. We drove past Jekyll Island and all the way into Florida. Had lunch there, visited an old saloon and then drove back. On the way back we were surprised by the weather and found shelter on a private pier, soaking wet. Due to the warm weather we were able to dry out well on the rest of the journey back. Atlanta In order to avoid Metropol traffic, I parked the at the Indian Creek P&R and switched to the (quite affordable) Metro. Visited World of Coca Cola. Quite nice but very American. In addition to the many artifacts, there was also an area where there were many soft drinks with different flavors from all over the world to try and taste. Visited the Federal Reserve Bank Atlanta and its exhibition on the history of money in the USA. I even got some shredded Dollars as a souvenier. Perry My first Mexican meal in the States. Met the Regional 4 Director Chuck. Here I was made aware of the Bootleger Rally in Ohio at the end of August. Jacksonville Florida Visit Kingsley Plantation. The journey to the plantation was incredible, an old, only partially tarred road lined with palm trees and trees covered with 'Spanish moss'. The audio tour about the plantation and the history of slavery was also very good Afterwards I visited the MOSH Science Center to watch a film about the sun. As an unexpected goodie, it wasn't just a planetarium but also contained many exhibitions about, among other things, the history of Jaksonville from the Stone Age to the Civil War, the World Wars and the race riots. St. Petersburg Was picked up halfway by Norm Beausolei. Visited Zipline Adventures in Tampa. It's quite nerve-wracking to 'jump' from a platform at a height of 150m and then race around on a tightrope. Visited the Historical Museum in Tampa: Indians, tobacco and pirates :) Experienced a subtropical sunset on the beach in the evening. Great colors and especially how fast it is. The sun was gone in about 20 seconds. Everglades City Unfortunately my kayak tour was canceled due to the guide's illness and I was rebooked on a dolphin and shell collecting tour. We met two dolphins who were quite playful and actually swam along in our bow wave and did a few jumps, that is until they where driven off by a cranky older dolphin In the afternoon I went on an airboat tour. Not in the reeds but through the mangrove forests around Everglades City. Met 2 alligators there too. Miami Jet skied in the evening. It's a lot of fun, but it's a bad feeling when you're thrown off course by waves and feel like you're sliding around on ice. Viewed downtown Miami with the people mover. Visited the Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science and the Bayside Tourist Market Gold Coast Railroad Museum with interesting exhibition cars, including cars from the segregation era and lounge cars with skylights. Got a private tour of the Miami-Dade Military Museum. Key West - 7 Mile Bride & Fred the Tree - Southernmost Part of the US - Butterfly Conversatorium. Unfortuantely my Butterfly sticker didn't stay on my helmet but was blown off :( - Cuban Sandwich and Key Lime Pie, both very delicious - Fort Zachary Taylor. The tour was very good and added a lot to the information boards, including the fact that the 2 upper floors were useless due to the development of weapons after the civil war and were therefore torn down. - Starting the journey towards Chicago and hopefully cooler temperatures Tallahassee With a stopover in Sarasota, this route was a pretty warm affair with temperatures of 40 degrees. And it's impressive how massive tropical summer rain sets in. When it started drizzling I was less than a mile from a rest area. When I got there I was practically soaked :) Best idea to wait out the storm there. For the next few miles there were branches and sometimes entire trees on the road... Watched an IMAX 3D film about the Hubble Telescope in the Science Center. Great shots and I was all alone in the cinema. Then visited the Florida State Capitol. Unfortunately the lookout on the 27th floor was closed for repairs. So just a look at the Senate and House of Representatives. Pensacola Unfortunately, the Naval Air Museum is only accessible to non-Americans if accompanied by a US citizen. Despite efforts from Red and Green Knights, no one was in the area, so I didn't got to see this exhibit. Baton Rouge. Visited the old State Capitol (an old baroque palace) with the impressive colored glass dome. In the exhibitions we also learned about the controversial governor of Louissanna Huey Long, who campaigned during the Great Depression with quite radical social issues and initiated many construction projects. On the one hand, this provided the state with modern infrastructure, but on the other hand, it also left it heavily indebted. He was then shot in the new State Capitol. Visit the new State Capitol. I even got a short private tour there and then enjoyed the viewing platform there. In addition to the really great view, it was remarkable that there were no bars, barriers or anything else obstructing the view. Spent the rest of the day at the State Museum and saw a lot of the history and traditions (Mardi Grass). Poplarville A visit that didn't go as everyone had hoped :) None of the entire chapter showed up, so there was no overnight accommodation as originally planned. Shawn had also planned to go on a short tour with me, but first one of his weels broke, then his battery died and finally his brakes failed... So, for the first time in the States, I drove to a hotel in the dark... and probably 'met' an owl :( Gadsden Was invited by Heather Drew to stay overnight at the Cove RV Resort and was invited to a delicious Irish meal in the evening The next day we went on a tour with Alabahma 3 through the mountains and enjoyed some beautiful views. In the evening we saw a Japanese dinner with a cooking show... impressive and very tasty but of course also very American The next day the local Knights rode with me to Lynchburg, Tennessee and we took a tour of the Jack Daniels brewery there. It's impressive that the 'trick' is to filter the bourbon with coal and that Jack learned this from a slave. The return journey and the final dinner at a Mexican restaurant led to me driving through the night for the second time... but this time not alone :D Dayton And back to Tenneesee, but this time through Chattanooga and a short stopover at the Train Museum there. Like the museum in Florida, not quite what I expected but still pretty impressive. The next two days I helped my hosts to extend a roof on a local horse farm and as a rewards got close contact to a horse. The roof frame was built on the first day and occupied on the second day. This second day was much warmer and more humid and we were all exhausted when we finished. It was a great experience and I enjoyed my stay. Mammoth Caves My hosts escorted me on the first leg of the trip through some very nice roads until we parted ways in Spencer. From there I continued towards Cave City, Kentucky and the the Mammoth Caves. These Caves are massive and they offer several tours and I took part in two of them: - The 'Cleveland Avenue' Tour was a very good introduction to the Cave - I got really lucky and was able to upgrade my booked 'Extended History Tour' to the 'Grand Historic Tour' which is a 4 hour walking tour all the way to the wet bottom of the caves. It was an amazing experience with a lot of interesting stories. Louisville Visited the Derby Museum in Louisville. Very impressive but also very depressing when you consider that these horses are prepared for this racing season for 3 years from the moment they are born and after that they are... useless Reunion with Heather Drew from Alabama and onward journey to Waverly. The BMW navigation took me onto a hilly gravel road, but the her Harley also handled it very well. Big compliment to Heather who endured the whole thing without any complaints. Waverly Had a great stay with Dough, unforgettable 'training evening' where we taught Heather to pick up heavy motorcycles. A shared trip to the Xenia Firestation for the 'X' in the alphabet tour and then spent the rest of the day at the Air Force Museum. This is an impressive collection of aircraft and one day is definitely not enough to to see (and experience) more then just a fraction. Pittsburgh After the weeks of American roads so far, the narrow, hilly and winding streets of this city were a challenge. I was correspondingly happy when I reached Trudy, the person responsible for Help-A-Knight, and we switched to a car. Pittsburg has some great views, interesting food (Primanti Brothers) and a City at night is a great sight anyway. Youngstown/Bootlegger Rally Drove with the Red Knights from Pittsburgh to Youngstown for the 2023 Bootlegger Rally. Overall, quite similar to EuCon. A tent area where everything took place (BBQ, raffle, announcements, events, ...) There was an Ride-Out every day: Thursday - Those who arrived early had the opportunity to take part in a 'small' tour. I decided against it and it was probably a good idea since the 'small' tour lasted several hours ;) Friday - Went to Beaver Creek, a park in the area. The journey there was quite varied, sometimes with police/FW escorts but often there were simply 'blockers' placed there. Since the journey took almost an hour, everyone had a turn, which meant that we always found ourselves somewhere else in the convoy. The park itself was quite nice with a few exhibitions about the (failed) attempt to build a waterway. Saturday - This time the exit went to a covered bridge. I had imagined something like the historic wooden and rickety bridge in Friedrichshafen and not a new (2005) bridge for a highway :) This time I made the return trip with my hosts from Tennesse and we drove to Lake Erie and then visited a museum about the slave Underground Railroad Toledo Visited the National Museum of the Great Lakes there. In addition to the history, the development and the tragedies, there is also a freighter that you can walk on. Joliet / Bourbonnais On the Bootlegger, one of the Red Knights from Joliet invited me to explore Chicago from his place ... and apparently promptly forgot about it. In any case, he wasn't even in the area when I rang his doorbell ;) But the Illinois State President lives about 50 miles further south and invited me to spent the night at his place. Heyworth Continue to Heyworth to another bootlegger contact (Cowboy, Illionois). Unexpectedly, there was a long stretch on Route 66, and you noticed that it was slowly becoming more rural (and there was more space). On the far right was Interstate 55, to the left was the old Route 66 (rotten asphalt), then the new Route 66 and then on the far left a railway line. Spent a nice evening there with hot dogs and chili. We also swapped motorcycles. He rode around the block on my BMW and I rode his Harley around the block... a Harley like that is damn heavy and I promptly stalled it at the intersection and only managed to get going again after 3 attempts. Chicago Back to Chicago and got a hotel at the airport. This meant I could take the hotel shuttle to the airport, take the metro into the city and thus 'escape' the city traffic. - Downtown, Navy Pier, Willis Tower and then in the evening a Chicago deep dish pizza... very tasty - To the 'Museum' district. Spent the whole day at the Field Museum of Natural History and still didn't see a lot. Gigantic. Milwaukee I contacted the local Red Knights (Boom Boom and Bang Bang) who I also met on Bootleggger. Unfortunately there was no evening program because, as a mechanic, he had to help a friend buy a car and that lasted until late in the evening We met the next morning and drove to the Harley Davidson Museum together. Saturday was the perfect day, as free test rides with all Harley models were possible today. The museum itself is quite manageable, but very interesting with a mechanic on the side. Since we were there very early, we parked our motorcycles pretty close to the museum right at the tour bus stop, ie the visitors to the Harley Davidson Museum first saw a BMW :D McGregor It's a long way to get to the next Red Knight (Elmo) in one go, as he invited me to brunch at the local shooting range on Sunday Luckily we met just under an hour from his house in Hinkley. It got dark and he lives on a ranch in the middle of nowhere after a 4 mile long pebble road, and my GPS would have taken me along an ATV path... On Sunday we went to the shooting range where, in addition to a picnic, we also shot clay pigeons. First, shotguns are ESSENTIAL bigger than I expected and secondly, the 'Skeets' are painted so brightly that they can really be seen. In the afternoon a delicious pumpkin ice cream from DQ On Monday he made an appointment for me to see his chiropractor because I seemed to be sitting a little crooked on the motorcycle. Back vertebrae, pelvis and cervical vertebrae noisly adjusted ... Afterwards a visit to the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center. Minneapolis Stayed with a non-Red Knight who had close contacts with the local chapter who referred me to him. As soon as we arrived there was a trip to the chapter meeting and dinner. St Paul Cathedral (the tour guide saw my motorcycle and put me in touch with your brother, who is also a BMW driver and a few made good suggestions about the further route west Mall of America. A huge shopping center with a theme park inside :) Mill City Museum. History and Development of the Minneapolis Mills Pine Tree Apple Orchard. Visited apple orchard. You can also 'cook' apple cider with cinnamon and drink it around the campfire in the evening. Yummy Sioux Falls Stopover in Sioux Falls at the 'last' Red Knight in the USA who is in a chapter. West of here it gets very thin and I only managed to meet 3 MALs from here on. Ordered delicious Chinese food through DoorDash Before continuing our journey I briefly looked at the 'Sioux Empire Medical Museum'. Not really much but a nice little overview of the history of medical care in this area. Rapid City Once through South Dakato, somehow not much to see except farmland as far as the eye can see. In fact, the Visitor Center for South Dakato appears to be on the Missouri River, practically in the middle of the state ;) The huge 'Indian Statue' (Dignity of Earth and Sky) at this rest area is impressive. In the afternoon I drove through the Badlands and I have to say it was an impressive experience. Every time you stopped to look at this amazing landscape you came across an even better view 500yards further along the road. This was the only time I was sad that I didn't have room for camping equipment on my motorcycle, as the rangers also had an interesting evening/night program to offer. And so far away from civilization the starry sky would have been spectacular. From Rapid City I then immersed myself in the 'Wild West' area of ​​the Black Hills: Keystone Place with boardwalk, a museum about Borglum who created Mount Rushmore and a historic steam locomotive with different cars from this era in which you can travel to Hill City and back Deadwood The 'classic' western town with gunfight performances every day except Sunday... and I was there on Sunday :( The gold mining museum is also closed on Sundays, officially at least. The owner was just inside doing accounting and the door wasn't locked so I was allowed to watch it for free :D Devil's Tower Another geographical feast for the eyes, this 'stone needle' in the far countryside Gilette Stopover on the way to Yellowstone Bighorn National Forest. Tried some off-roading but only found 'private property' gates. But did see snow and simply impressive scenery all around. Red Lodge The last 10 miles to Red Lodge were quite strenuous. A very strong crosswind that forced me to drive at a lean angle of 20 degrees, and then also winding roads through rocky terrain. Overnight in Red Lodge before driving through Yellowstone National Park. Lodgings IN the national park are outrageously expensive and completely booked Driving over the Beartooth Pass, nice that RKMC Germany V drove through the Silvretta Hochstraße, I have this here :D Yellowstone is impressive.. and pretty crowded :D I continued on to Rexburg, where hotel prices were back to normal Boise I unexpectedly passed the Craters of the Moon National Park. Very impressive landscape Quite a dry area (greetings from Lucky Luke), but the houses are all surrounded by lawn and trees In keeping with the Lucky Luke theme, I visited the old state prison and did the tour. Interesting stories and impressions. Portland Drove to Portland while circling Mount Hood. After the long distance and lots of nature, we were back in big cities, i.e. I parked my motorcycle and switched to local public transport Freakybuttrue, well, I expected a little more Visit to the OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) Took Highway 30 out of Portland to Multnomah Falls. It was foggy and damp that day, so the old highway with its stone guide posts really suited us well. And the waterfall itself was impressive, even though there was very little water coming down due to the time of year Allyn Quartered with a Red Knight MAL Day trip with fast ferry to Seattle: Space Needle, the first Starbucks, monorail Tour of the area: salmon farming, impressive bridges for lumberjacks and exercise in the local gym :D And got in touch with family in the Portland area with an invitation to stop by Ocean Shores But first all the way to the Pacific. The journey there went through an Indian reservation, where there was also a fish breeding station where I was allowed to take a closer look at the Smolts in the 'racing pools' while balancing on narrow catwalks Portland/Camas Hospitable couple who took me in. Visit to the Bonneville Dam with a tour of the generator hall, very impressive when you stand next to the huge generators and everything around you vibrates Since salmon swim up the river here too, there are fish ladders and you can look inside the dam... very impressive Also in the area is the sturgeon, which tends to be local and grows over the course of its life. They have an 80 year old, almost 3m tall specimen there... Pacific / Highway 101 Simply an impressive drive along the coast. The Pacific changes its appearance from blue and calm to gray and stormy. Crescent City Unpaved route through the Jederdiah Smith Redwood State Park, and in the morning in the fog... indescribably beautiful Continue south on Highway 101, a beautiful road with impressive views of the Pacific, although the coastal road is VERY winding and in some areas the 10m-20m drop-offs to the ocean are not secured with any guard rails From Stafford I took the 'Avenue of the Giants', which runs parallel to the 101, to drive through the redwoods and not past them From Leggett then changed to 1, as the 101 goes inland here Fort Bragg Stopover in a coastal tourist resort. Delicious ice cream (Cowlicks Ice Cream) and a 'Sea Glass Museum' which is essentially waste washed by the ocean Fort Ross, a former Russian outpost. Planned as supply stations for the colonies in Alaska. California traffic is HUGE. Today's destination was Vallejo, and traffic was already backed up 15 miles from town... Salinas Got in touch with a Red Knight MAL who invited me to his place. To avoid the traffic, I took back roads to Livermore and saw a lot of wineyards. From Livermore took the 130 through the San Antonio Valley to San Jose, a great mountain road with wonderful views... and in my case a truck convoy that cannot turn properly and resulted in a wait of almost 2 hours until the truck could be freed again. Day tour via Carmel-by-the-Sea (luxury seaside resort, impressive) to Big Sur (national park) Visit to the Laguna Seca Raceway. My host's brother races and gave me a ride in a normal sports car. Impressive experience, much more respect for the performance of the tires and I have no idea how he can steer and shift gears at this speed and G-forces... San Francisco Dropping off my motorcycle in Richmond Big Bus Tour of San Francisco including a guided tour of Chinatown. In addition to Golden Gate, there are so many interesting things to see (Fisherman Warf, Trolley (Museum), Painted Ladies, Boudin (with a view of the bakery), California Academy of Sciences with the Morrison Planetarium, ... Las Vegas Fremont Street Experience, The Mob Museum, The Strip (and there the bridge structure that you can walk starting at the MGM Grand) Tour to the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam, then Cirque du Solei - Ka at the MGM Grand in the evening And then looked again over the strip and dusk from the Strat San Diego Navy base of the Pacific Fleet with MANY ships that you can see on the harbor tour and the aircraft carrier museum USS Midway once again had far too little time Balboa Park with the San Diego Zoo and the Railroad Museum To the outlet center on the border with Mexico, the Birch Aquarium and a walk across the campus of the University of California / San Diego Los Angeles Yes, in the USA you can also take the train and not just fly Went straight to the Santa Monica Pier in the evening and visited the end of Route 66 after driving about 40 miles of the actual 2500 :D Big Bus Tour of Los Angeles with the La Brea Tar Pits. The tour there was funny and very informative at the same time ... that's not tar it's asphalt Visted the The Queen Mary In Long Beach and took a guided tour through the Staterooms for First Class Passengers ... and a self guided tour through the Engine Rooms afterwards. And of course the Paramount Pictures Studio Tour