The most ideal motorcycle travel destination: autumn lobster in Kashima, USA.

Kashima is a small island in the United States, attracting people from all over the world to watch it. Kashima is an ideal motorcycle travel destination: towering sea bridges, winding causeways in the sea connected with the land, and the wind hunting makes the motorcycle swing from side to side; The trees on the island are high and the forest is deep, the mountain road is winding and the slope is steep, and you can't see which direction the road will extend. If the motorcycle climbs to the top of the slope and slows down in time, my heart will run to my throat and feel like riding a roller coaster.

Knowing that I went to New England in the middle of June in 5438+ 10, my friends were a little worried that I would miss the best opportunity to see the red leaves.

I'm not too worried. I have always been wary of "the best in the world" and "I must go all my life", thinking that these are often exaggerated by various people for various reasons. On the other hand, you can also say that the world is the richest, whether you don't have to accept everything, you are happy when you are happy, and you are happy when you meet God unexpectedly.

In places famous for autumn colors in the United States, there are red leaf forecasts on websites, which accurately report the time, process and region of autumn color evolution. It is convenient for the audience to follow the map. I ignored the red leaf forecast. I can't believe that you can't see the red leaves without that thing.

Kashima autumn colors

Starting from New Jersey and heading north, my destination is Kashima, Maine. I didn't know that place until I read Steinbeck's travel notes about driving around America. I really want to see what the island has become after Steinbeck swam for 50 years.

Autumn scenery along the way is not outstanding, which may be related to the route I took: I took the road equivalent to expressway and the national highway in our country. In Beijing, if you want to see the red leaves, you have to go to Xiangshan, but you can't go by national road. When I checked into the hotel on the first day, the receptionist asked me strangely: What are you doing here at this time? But this is not meaningless. A mountain forest that occasionally appears on the roadside is also changing, like a gray bottom cloth, with several colors of red, yellow, orange and green ... but it is enough for me to stop and look out and enjoy autumn with satisfaction.

A quiet town full of autumn breath

Kashima is an ideal destination for motorcycle travel: the towering sea bridge, the winding causeway in the sea connected with the land, and the natural wind making the motorcycle swing from side to side; The trees on the island are high and the forest is deep, the mountain road is winding and the slope is steep, and you can't see which direction the road will extend. If the motorcycle climbs to the top of the slope and slows down in time, my heart will run to my throat and feel like riding a roller coaster.

I live in the busiest street on the island, and the whole street is only 100 meters long. The tourist season has long passed, and only two hotels and a restaurant are still open on the island.

Red leaves are colorful.

There is a traditional lobster fishing village in Kashima. Steinbeck mentioned in his travel notes that the lobster here left him a good memory. I will eat a lobster for my first dinner on the island. I ordered a lobster weighing more than one kilogram, and it was eaten the same way as Steinbeck's 50 years ago: cooked, dipped in lemon juice and melted butter.

I have to admit that I am disappointed, because I have never felt that the cooked lobster meat is a bit like a rubber band, or the kind with poor quality. Meat is a little sweet without seasoning, but that tenacity makes it taste far less than what I like to eat: raw or porridge. Strangely, I was the only one who ate lobster in a packed restaurant. When the waiter shouted for my lobster, it seemed that all the diners were focused on me, and I felt like an upstart to show off.

Staring at the lobster, I was in a daze: watching the lobster as bright red and complete as a plastic toy, on the one hand, I was a little excited, on the other hand, I was a little overwhelmed. After all, I have never eaten lobster with a shell. The waiter saw that my face was wrong and immediately gave a brief introduction on how to eat. I didn't understand it, but I didn't care too much: I thought it was just to open the shell and find the meat anyway. I grabbed the pliers from the lobster and spilled the water first. There are two tables next to them, obviously waiting for my joke. See my recklessness, immediately take turns to explain them in detail. I continued my poor performance while talking to them. It turns out that both tables are islanders, one of which is a couple, and Mr. Wang is a lobster fisherman in the town.

Lobster! lobster

When Steinbeck traveled in the United States, he began to worry that the diversity of American native culture would be destroyed by the popularity of television. For example, local accents gradually disappeared, but in New England, he was comforted. To my surprise, 50 years later, the local people still speak with a strong accent and angular pronunciation, which is not as soft and smooth as people in big places.

After the instruction, Mr. Wang returned to his seat, eating his own meal, staring at me and constantly correcting my eating method. I learned half-heartedly. To tell the truth, the passion of eating lobster has almost eliminated the rubbery taste. And the English they speak, as Steinbeck said, has a strong British west coast accent and is difficult to understand. Probably because my husband's teaching effect is too poor, my wife finally came to my desk for help. Seeing that I was a little on the road, I specifically told me before returning to my seat: some people avoided the blue sauce in the lobster belly, but others flocked to it. You might as well have a try if you like. Her warm eyes obviously encouraged me and reminded me of the time when I took my American friends to eat dog meat. However, I stared at the thin sauce for a long time, swallowed and put it aside. When the big piece of meat in the lobster was about to be eaten clean, maybe he saw me eating irresponsibly. My husband reminded me loudly from a distance that there was meat in those thin claws, which was my wife's favorite part. You must suck out the meat and eat it!

I can't help it I can't throw away all those chicken ribs at once like I usually eat crabs. I tore them off one by one, pursed them, and tried to suck them on airs. Before the first bite was tasted, the gentleman couldn't wait and asked eagerly, "How?" ? How's it going? "As I smoked, I turned my head and nodded at him, trying to fill my eyes with excitement and gratitude, as if I had found something that I would never forget.

In fact, some fine pliers do have a little bit of meat as thin as a matchstick, but I think it tastes no different from other parts of the meat, and it's so troublesome! If I hadn't been afraid of being rude, I would have given them all those match stalks.

After dinner, I buried the bill and said thank you and good night to the couple, but they didn't let me go and took me to their table for a while. They all grew up on the island, and when they became wives, they went to Japan with their father who had been a soldier for several years. Hearing that I have been to many places, Mr. Fisherman asked curiously, "Which country has the most beautiful girls?"

I think 50 years has left its mark on New England. The typical New Englanders Steinbeck met were very reticent, and they would never speak unless the guests spoke on their own initiative.

strategic vision

Self-driving route: The nearest city to Kashima is Bango, which is about 1 hour drive from Kashima. It takes about two hours to drive from Augusta, the capital of Maine.

Accommodation: The hotel is concentrated in Nington, Si Tong, a small town on the island. A double room with simple kitchen equipment and living room costs about $80 ~ 130 a day.