Day 2 (Cooperstown, NY to Rutland, VT

Day 2 dawned clear and cool. The first order of business each day is loading the bikes. Most hotels are becoming very motorcycle friendly and the Best Western in Cooperstown was no exception. They allowed us to park the bikes under their portico. It is nice not to have to deal with the heavy dew in the mornings when it is so cold, plus it is an added security feature. Thanks BW we appreciated the hospitaly.

After a quick breakfast we headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame to visit the museum. The displays are extensive, but from my perspective it could use a lot more interactive materials. You almost have to READ your way through the museum. The video at the beginning was OK, but a full IMAX film would have been far better. How cool would it be to experience seeing what a real major league bast ball looks like, or actually seeing how much a professional curve ball curves. There is so much action and sights and sounds that could be presented in a format like this that would bring the place alive. I have been in a number of museums that charge far less with much more interesting displays. Any young children I saw there today, quickly had tired of reading any of the materials shown. Some of the mock lockers were interesting if you knew something about the player. Here is the display for Honus Wagner.

Of course the jersey of Babe Ruth was displayed in a room dedicated to his memorabilia.

My favorite was that of Roberto Clemente. As a kid growing up in the Pittsburgh area, he was my hero. I used to wait hours on the door step of the shoe store next to my dad's office to wait for him to bring his spikes in to be shined and sharpened. He barely spoke English, but he would sign anything we handed him. I wish I had one of those autographs today, but those were different times and we actually played in the back yards with those balls and gloves that he had signed. "Too soon old, too late smart".

They even had a couple of Phillies in the hall. Imagine that! Here is the locker of Mike Schmidtt.

After leaving Cooperstown, we headed out across the back roads of the Amish farm country of NY state. Then into the pristine forests and lakes of the Adirondacks. This is a beautiful area and seems to be a throw back to simpler times. We crossed the bridge over Lake Champlain over into Vermont. Here is a picture of the Phat Pac ahead of me as we crossed the bridge. WOW.... what a beautiful day.

Once in Vermont, we quickly headed for route 125 which is has lots of twisties through the mountains surrounding the Killington and Pico Peak ski resorts. Riding these roads with almost no traffic was lots of fun.

We arrived in Rutlant VT later than we had expected even though we only traveled about 275 miles today. Most of these miles were at moderate speeds on small and winding roads. We did not use any major highways and no interstates. It was just a tranquil day of enjoying perfect temperatures, no traffic, and pristine scenery. We can only hope that tomorrow is as nice.