A Day of Riding
Our hometown held its Independence Day parade on Saturday, July 3. We didn’t attend this year’s parade, opting instead to go for a motorcycle ride. It was such a gorgeous day, too beautiful not to ride! I hoped to see a parade in one of the towns that we drove through, but we did not see one.
We left Warren at 9:00 AM. We rode to Erie, PA by way of Findley Lake, NY.
First Glimpse of Findley Lake from Shadyside Rd. (southern terminus)
Findley Lake
It was a picture-perfect day.
Bicycle with Baskets of Flowers
a Bottle Tree
Findley Lake Anchor at Northern End of Lake
From Findley Lake we rode to Presque Isle Downs & Casino. Earlier in the week Bob received a brochure from the casino, which stated that he had earned $35.00 in free slot play. Bob could use $7.00 free slot play each week for the next 5 weeks. Sunday, July 4th, was the end of the first week. Bob played the $7 in free slot play and lost. At one point he ran his winnings up to $14. Bob used only the free slot play; he didn’t spend any of his own money. We were at the casino for less than 30 minutes.
From the casino we continued on into Erie. We ate lunch at Steak ‘n Shake. Bob ordered a Frisco Melt with fries and a chocolate shake. I ordered a cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate shake.
After lunch we rode through Erie to Route 5, which we followed alongside Lake Erie to Rt. 394. By the time we reached Westfield, NY we were ready for for a break. We sat in Moore Park on a bench under a shade tree. The farmers market had ended shortly before we arrived. We watched as vendors took down canopies and loaded them and unsold merchandise into their vehicles. A short while later we walked across street to another park — The Lincoln-Bedell Statue Park. I have photographed this park in the past; however, I was always in a moving vehicle when I did so. This was the first time I was able to photograph the park standing still.
The Lincoln-Bedell Statue Park in Westfield, NY
This statue depicts a meeting between President Lincoln and Grace Bedell. In October 1860, eleven-year-old Grace sent Abraham Lincoln a letter urging him to grow a beard to improve his appearance. President Lincoln later met Grace.
Westfield Clock
We’re supposed to be at a friend’s house for a picnic by 4:00 PM; it’s time to leave Westfield!
We arrived at our friend Don’s house in Kennedy, NY around 4:15 PM. The turnout was smaller than expected. Ten of us enjoyed a picnic dinner of deviled eggs, marinated chicken, pasta salad, potato salad, and various desserts. I took a few photographs, but only Jank was in the mood for having his photograph taken. Because the others didn’t care to have their pictures taken, I will share only Jank’s picture with you.
Dog with Firewood
This is Jank. Isn’t he a beautiful dog? Jank belongs to Don, who hosted the picnic.
We returned home from the picnic a little after 8:00 PM. By 8:30 PM we were back on the motorcycle, en route Saybrook, PA. Saybrook is a small community located a short distance east of Warren. The reason we went to Saybrook was to see fireworks.
Please click on image to enlarge
This fireworks display was put on for a neighborhood block party. It was an excellent show, and we enjoyed sharing the event with Bob’s daughter, Stacey, and her boyfriend Mike.
Mike and Stacey, after the fireworks display
All total, we rode approximately 175 miles.
The Beauty Around Us 
14 Responses to “A Day of Riding”
Linda,The colors in your photographs are so vibrant. It looks like a very wonderful day. Janks has absolutely awesome eyes. He must be a sweet dog.Becky K.
Hi, I absolutely love the picture of Michael and Stacey!! Thank you for sharing it on your blog!
Great photos! The bike is lovely and the bottletree is fun. The women sitting on the anchor look so balanced, it's a vey goodlooking clock and the dog (ofcourse) is lovely! My daughter's Australian Shepherd loves to carry heavy branches and often long ones we have to watch out 🙂 More dogs on my blog if you chooose the hundar/dog tag
What a wonderful way to spend your day. I am so jealous. I haven't had a motorcycle for several years and there's no way I'd get my wife on the back for a ride like that. Great shots of some beautiful places. Thanks for sharing.
Looks like you two had a great day, Linda… Findley Lake looks like a neat place… I was interested to see the Lincoln/Bedell statue. Dinner sounded nice –and your fireworks topped off a wonderful day, didn't they????Thanks for sharing your ride—and thanks for the map. Hugs,Betsy
When you take us with you through your pictures I always enjoy the ride! I love the picture of the bike with that basket full of flowers, and the anchor with the people on either side, too. The lake was lovely as was that unusual blue tree! 🙂 I especially liked the picture of Jank. I'm sorry I missed seeing your friends, but Jank's friendly face certainly was grand! I'm a dog lover in case you couldn't tell(and shepherd lover too since I've had two of those wonderful breed of dogs in my life.).
What a beautiful place!That's a pretty big log Jake his in his mouth – yowzers!!
What a great day you had-your pictures are great! I see who was in charge of the bonfire. 🙂
Looks like you had a great ride Linda and I enjoyed your photos. We did have a few glorious days with not much humidity. Can't say that now though can we?An English Girl Rambles
Sounds like a lot of miles and a lot of fun. I loved all your photos! Such pretty country.
Your 175 mile journey is the exact distance from us in Edinburgh to my Dad's house in the north!You had a lovely tour with glorious weather. It must be so liberating to have the bikes.
Awesome pictures. Sounds like a great bike ride for sure. I need to get out more and take pictures. Thanks for the inspiration.Stephen Tremp
Hi Linda, that must be a very exciting journey. I am looking at the photos and as always i felt that mine are not that clear and detailed as yours especially those at the distance. BTW, i like that dog he is so big!
That dog is gorgeous!