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A Motorcycle Ride with Friends

We went on a motorcycle ride on Saturday (June 5th) with our friends, Dave and Susan. We decided to go for a motorcycle ride, even though it looked like rain.

We departed Warren around 11:00 AM. Our first stop was in Dayton, NY (a small town approximately 40 miles south of Buffalo), at The Masters Plan Cafe. The cafe is not yet open. I was told that Angie Mardino purchased a former bar with three acres of land in April 2006, when it came up for auction. Angie’s vision is to create a 1950s/1960s style restaurant with an old fashioned ice cream parlor. Each ice cream will be named after something from the Bible. We stopped at The Masters Plan Cafe because Dave and Susan know Angie and have participated in some fund raising events. We talked about the condition of the building when Angie purchased it, what renovations have been done and what still needs to be done.

Our next stop was in Gowanda, NY, which was only 5 miles up the road from The Masters Plan Cafe. We parked on Main Street. We immediately remarked on how few motorcycles were parked along Main Street. We later realized that motorcyclists were participating in the Moose Riders’ 3rd annual Charity Ride. We walked up and down Main Street, looking at the motorcycles and checking out a few vendors. The only purchase made was by Dave. He bought a 2010 Hollywood Happening tee shirt.

Dave and Bob (and their motorcycles)
at Hollywood Happening in Gowanda, NY

We left Gowanda, en route Dunkirk, NY. We drove through Silver Creek and along Lake Erie. Once in Dunkirk we stopped at Tim Horton. Dave, Susan and I ordered bagels and cream cheese; Bob ordered a cookie. Bob, Dave and Susan drank coffee with their bagel/cookie; I drank hot chocolate with my bagel. Thank you, Dave and Susan, for paying for our snack!

We left Dunkirk, en route Bemus Point. We passed through Barcelona, Westfield and Mayville.

Westfield, NY: Lincoln-Bedell Statue

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.

Susan and Dave in Westfield, NY
at intersection of Rt. 20 and Rt. 394
where the Lincoln-Bedell statue is located

We boarded a ferry in Stow, which took us to Bemus Point. The captain of the Stow-Bemus Point ferry is Randall Burt, whom Bob and I first met in February 2003 at the Mayville Ice Castle. Randall and I are Facebook friends. I was aware that he operated the ferry, but I didn’t know if he would be running the ferry on Saturday. I was pleased to discover that he was operating the ferry that day.

Bob, Dave and Susan waiting for ferry in Stow, NY

The ferry draws closer
Don’t you love the license plates — “Roars” and “Go Mad”?

Dave and Captain Randall Burt

Motorcycles on ferry
(Susan took this picture.)

Susan and I relaxing, while on the short ferry crossing.
(Dave took this picture.)

We stopped in Bemus Point for ice cream. After eating our ice cream, we rode home. I am happy that we decided to go for a motorcycle ride, even though it looked like it might rain. We rode approximately 145 miles and nary a drop of rain fell on us! We had a GREAT day with our friends and hope to ride with Susan and Dave again one day soon.

A Spring Afternoon Ride Around Chautauqua Lake

This past Friday (April 17th) we went for a ride, by motorcycle, around Chautauqua Lake. The Nissan was scheduled for its 120,000-mile service. I drove the Nissan to the garage in Jamestown, NY. Bob, Stacey and Stacey’s boyfriend Mike followed on their motorcycles. While the Nissan was being serviced, we rode around the lake.

Our first stop was at Bemus Point, where we took a few pictures and ate lunch.

Mike and Stacey at Bemus Point, NY

We planned to eat lunch at the Village Casino, but it was closed. As we rode into Bemus Point we had noticed a restaurant that appeared to be open. That restaurant (the See-Zurh House) was open; however, at first, we thought it too was closed. The restaurant sign said lunch was served from 11:30AM-2:00PM, and the time was 2:05PM. The restaurant bent its rules for us, as well as another group of four people. We were seated, and we were able to choose selections from the full lunch menu. A little while later two men came in; the full menu was not available to them. They were only able to order drinks and beef on weck with chips. The Sea-Zurh House serves traditional American cuisine in a casual setting. The food at the See-Zurh House was good. Mike ordered a Philly Steak sandwich with fries; Stacey ordered a Cajun Fish sandwich with fries: I ordered potato chips and a hamburger with bacon and cheese; and Bob ordered a beef on weck with fries. We ordered dessert too. Stacey had a dish of blackberry sorbet. Mike had a slice of pumpkin cheesecake. Bob and I shared a generous slice of Jeanne’s Favorite Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Ice Cream Pie. The peanut butter hot fudge ice cream pie is a customer favorite. It was delicious, and the serving size is certainly large enough for two people to share!

After lunch we continued our ride around Chautauqua Lake. We rode through Mayville and passed by Chautauqua Institution. We stopped in Stow, where we saw Liberty Lighthouse. In season you can ride a ferry across Chautauqua Lake from Stow to Bemus Point. The lake is narrow at this point, and we could easily see Bemus Point across the lake.

Stow, NY – Liberty Lighthouse and Mike’s new motorcycle

Stow, NY – Bob, Stacey and Mike’s motorcycles

Stow, NY – Liberty Lighthouse
Mike and Stacey sitting on bench
Looking across Chautauqua Lake at Bemus Point, NY

Stow, NY – Looking Across Chautauqua Lake at Bemus Point, NY
Hotel Lenhart is the yellow building.
The Village Casino is the green building.

Stow, NY – our shadows on Chautauqua Lake

Stow, NY – Bob, Mike, Stacey and I
Chautauqua Lake and Bemus Point in the background

We went our separate ways when leaving Stow. Stacey and Mike headed back home; Bob and I returned to the Nissan garage. Bob and I made one more stop before arriving at the garage. There is a rest area (very nice!) along I-86 about 2 1/2 miles from Stow. From the rest area there is a scenic overlook of Chautauqua Lake. The view is quite nice!

Chautauqua Lake Rest Area on I86

We left the rest area and returned to the Nissan garage. The 120,000 mile service for the Nissan included spark plug replacement, oil change, tire rotation, and cooling system flush. All service was completed except for the cooling system flush. Antifreeze is leaking from a hose; the hose needs to be replaced. We have to take the Nissan back to the garage next week to have the hose replaced. The garage will flush the cooling system at that time.

On Saturday I worked from 9:30AM-3:30PM. I clocked in as a customer service flex agent and remained in that position throughout my work day. As a customer service flex agent I receive telephone calls for catalog orders, as well as receive calls related to customer service issues. I place catalog orders for Solutions, Sahalie, Norm Thompson and Draper’s & Damon’s customers. The only company for which I do not receive customer service related calls is Draper’s & Damon’s. I am not trained to answer all customer service issues. In general I can locate a customer’s order, inform the customer of the status of that order, and I can make some pricing adjustments to the order. My work day went well. I even gained confidence placing Draper’s & Damon’s retail store catalog orders! The sales associates were patient with me. By the third retail store order, my proficiency handling such calls had increased substantially.

I’m happy that we were able to enjoy the beautiful spring weather over the past couple of days. Clouds rolled in overnight; today will be a rather cloudy day. The WICU12 weatherman is forecasting “occasional showers through a good portion of this week”. We are to “expect scattered rain showers Sunday night through Wednesday morning. Nice weather will return again on Thursday and last into the weekend.” We’ll have to think up something to do this weekend 🙂