FRANKLIN FURNACE – Rock Hill High School teacher Dave Basham’s "What I Did This Summer" story includes a long winding road and a Goldwing motorcycle.

Tuesday, September 19, 2000

FRANKLIN FURNACE – Rock Hill High School teacher Dave Basham’s "What I Did This Summer" story includes a long winding road and a Goldwing motorcycle.

The 48-year-old industrial technology teacher, and his wife, Julie, routinely take motorcycle rides to various parts of the nation during their summer breaks.

This year, the trip took them across the nation’s northern border.

"Julie is a professor at Shawnee University, so, we try to take a trip every year on bike," Basham said. "My wife and I decided to travel this summer to Nova Scotia on the motorcycle as part of our summer vacation."

He said the trip began from their home in Franklin Furnace and led them to West Virginia where they began traveling up the coast.

"The trip took us about two weeks and we covered more than 4,000 miles," he said.

The couple traveled through New York to Mystic Seaport, Conn., then to Boston, Mass.

"The roads were terrible in Boston," he said. "Everything is under construction. They literally built a cement plant in downtown Boston because they are using so much cement there. We visited Plymouth Rock while we were in that state."

Following the trip into Massachusetts, the Bashams headed north, where they boarded a ferry to Nova Scotia.

"We got on a ferry that traveled to Nova Scotia," Basham said. "The ferry traveled about 55 knots an hour and it took us about two hours to get there. Once we were there, we decided to travel to Halifax. We wanted to see the change in ocean tides there because they have been reported to change as high as 50 feet."

From Nova Scotia, the Bashams toured Prince Edward Island.

"It was probably the cleanest and greenest place I’ve ever been," Basham said. "Gas was about 83 cents per liter there and there are four liters to a gallon it sounded great until I figured out that gas was going to cost me (about) $4 per gallon."

He said the tour was surprising.

"While we were there, we rode by the governor’s house and Prince Edward was there," He said. "It’s a unique place because anyone can go see him. He’s not guarded like our governor or president are. The residents of the island all seemed to be really proud of where they live."

He said the visit to the popular home of Anne of Green Gables was also a unique opportunity.

"After we toured the island, we then headed back south on another ferry to New Brunswick, Canada, and from there we went to Bangor, Maine," Basham said. "From Bangor, we went to Bar Harbor, Maine, where we visited Cadillac Mountain. The scenery was beautiful. We also stopped to see Mt. Washington in New Hampshire."

He said the weather was unpredictable.

"We experienced every weather condition except snow while we were there," Basham said.

The motorcycle ride then led the Bashams into Vermont and across Lake Champlain on yet another ferry before the trip ended.

"We traveled through New York down to Hershey, Pa.," he said. "From there, we headed home. The entire beauty of the trip is that we could see everything from a whole new perspective," he said. "From eagles soaring through the air to deer and other animals on the ground, we saw it all. I didn’t realize we had scenery as beautiful as it is here on the East Coast."