Kamloops

We packed the bikes and were on the road at 3pm. Temps were hot - 33-35C and Cipi motioned for a water stop just outside of Kamloops. We got fuel and water. I had a coconut water which was very refreshing. 

Met some Harley guys returning from Sturgis. A local rider pointed us to Highway 5 and 24 as a more scenic route to 37 and takes just as many miles as 97. Ironically, that was the route that was originally planned in Furkot. 

Dinner was at Hoodoos (Hoodoos At Sun Rivers

1000 Clubhouse Dr, Kamloops, BC V2H 1R4

(250) 828-9404 https://goo.gl/maps/JAsG8E68z452). 

The view of the river and cliffs gave us a taste of things to come. The food was excellent, so good that Cipi wanted to eat there on the return trip. Took a few pictures and hit the road. 

Highway 5 is a scenic route along a river.A massive forest fire along the route left the hills on both sides burnt for a long distance. We could see where the fire entered the inhabited valley but homes were still standing. I assume that they had cut space around the homes free of trees and then were watering the buildings so that they wouldn’t catch fire. 

It was starting to get dark when we hit the highway 5 junction and we didn’t want to ride hilly country half blind, so we took a room at the Lost Horse motel right at the corner of the road. It’s a small, old motel, run by a Grandmother and her cat. A room with 3 beds was $75. The facility was not great, but better than setting up camp in the dark.

Alarm went off at 5:45 am, we packed the bikes - took too long, need to get this more efficient. Breakfast was a few nut bars and off we go.

Day 1 - Departing Kelowna

Starting km approx 16,870

Jeff and Cipi arrived Tuesday late. We had some beer and pizza that J and I ordered earlier. The drive was brutal on both since they had little sleep prior to departure and then drove from 3am Sunday to Tuesday AM with a 30 minute sleep break and a stop over to look at a natural wonder site. Their last stretch was done in the dark on rural mountain roads with steep cliffs, curved roads and wild life warnings - just the kind of road that one wants to do sleep deprived. The last 123 km are very scenic but were driven at slow speeds and driver change every 30 minutes. It’s amazing what a couple of slices of pizza and a few beers can do to help a transition into their part 1 recovery sleep. Cipi works in construction, so he is up early everyday. Day 1 was no exception. Clearly, both would be exceptionally tired before end of day today. 

Cipi and Mike got up early and took the BMW to the dealer in West Kelowna to get tires changed and oil/filter replaced.

Appointment was for Wednesday based on original travel expectations, but we asked to get appointment changed to Tuesday. Fortunately, dealer Bentley Motors holds a few traveler spots open in the morning and was kind enough to take my bike in. That is the sign of a great dealership and I really appreciate their service commitment. It’s much better than most BMW dealers who offer adventurers on a timeline appointments in 2 weeks. Bike was ready for noon. 

Internet and City apps are awful in the Arctic

Trying to post the blog and the blogger app insists on a log in. Hard to do if there is no internet. Instagram and Apple Music are the same. I think they expect periodic validation that you are who you say you are - great in an urban setting - terrible in remote or rural settings. 

Rogers service is terrible in the North West, but Bell is passable.

I am sitting in the campground and the jack pines are raining cones around us as the wind rustles through the trees.

Pics

A small teaser. 

Midnight in fort McPherson

We Did it !!!!!

We rode the Dempster past the Arctic Circle to Inuvik. At first I wanted to write that we conquered the road, but no one owns the Dempster. The road changed on the way up and back. Sections that were bad on the way up were good on the way down and vice versa. The locals tell us the road changes by the hour. It was sunny in Inuvik when we arrived, raining when we left. When the road gets wet, it gets slippery, when they are grading it, it gets ugly. The area had excessive rain for weeks and we got on days after it reopened but there were still repairing big sections. Rivers overflow and take out 75 feet of road. 

The road has two major mountain ranges and they are like nothing we have ever seen - I think any Arctic mountain ranges have similar characteristics. The photos give an impression of the scenery but you need to see it to get full effect. At the border of Yukon and Northwest Territories, a native family showed us how they pick cloud berries - that only grow at altitude in wet lands. Up here, everything is either raised road, rock or wetland. 98% is wet land.

In Inuvik, a native woman gave us smoke dried fish. An entire filet of fish is cut in a checker pattern and hung to dry. This process shrinks the flesh to small squares that are like jerky in texture and easy to break out. An elder native explained that when you have dried fish, you can travel for ever. They are proud of their traditions. The preservation process keeps a the fish skin in perfect condition so you can see what species the meat came from.

Sorry for not posting more - we are in Dawson City - there is little to none Internet or cell service in the north. Eagle Plains offers 100 meg for $5 since it goes over satellite. Also, we are traveling 12 to 14 hours per day. Here, the sun sets at 10:30 and there is twi-light til midnight. Up north, sunset is 11:30. I will post pictures when there is a bit more time and bandwidth.

My fellow travellers, Jeff and Cipi are ecstatic with the trip, scenery and camping experience. Cipi loves his hammock tent. Ahh yes - the Artic Circle photo - Cipi is actually beaming with pride and accomplishment. That's his "Rambo - damn I'm happy" look. 

Today, Chicken, Tok and Fairbanks Alaska. 

Saturday August 13

Today, I make it to Kelowna and the end of Leg 1. How fast time flies when you are having fun. 

I get up at 5:45 and start packing but reflection has revealed the morning routine bottle neck is the eat/dump shower routine since I can’t pack the eye drops until after the shower and the toiletries back until drops are done. I generate a temporary solution to that problem and all the bags are packed quickly. Steve is no where to be seen (turns out he had already dumped his old oil at a gas station disposal site. He drops by as I am almost finished loading the bags and we head out for coffee and I have a Tim’s egg sausage meal. Another lengthy conversation on business, politics and motorcycling and we end up with a later start. I load the last bags and sweep the room and he’s had his shower/dump and is putting on his helmet while I’m strapping down my sandals. Darn, I can’t go fast. 

We fill with gas and I am relieved that even with the mountain runs, the lack of wind allows the computer to announce we can now go 530km on the full tank. The morning is cool and Steve stops to put on a sweater. I have a panic attack because find my phone app reports my iPad is back in Cranbrook. I turn around but then remember putting it in the top case. I pull over and check - sure enough, it’s where it should be - darn technology.

Coffee stop is at Tims in Creston and accompanied by another long chat. It’s getting hot and Steve’s sweater comes off. The charted route stays west on Highway 3 but 3A offers an exceptionally scenic loop. If I had more time/ energy that would be the choice, but today Kelowna fast is the target. 

The next stop is just past the top of Nancey Green park. Steve needs to reduce heat so he switches to tank top. Lots of bikes on this stretch and we hear one bike blasting his horn, turn around and there are three deer crossing the road. Wild life encounter number 2. We chat for half an hour and now I’m antsy to get on the road. His ride ends at Grand Forks so we say our good byes. The ride in this area is excellent and the view of the cliff road Christina lake is what makes trips like this worth while. 

The last stretch of road is Highway 33, a 123km stretch of remote mountain highway at altitude. There very few vehicles, few straight sections and steep mountains on each side. I’m eager to end the ride and say hello to Jonathan but this is a fitting way to end the ride. The final sections is Big White ski resort which has a steep descent and lots of curves. Half way down, behind a blind bend, a brain surgeon decided to park his pickup and trailer so that the trailer crossed the middle of the right hand lane - no cones or warnings above the curve. The car in front of me swerves and I react to it’s brake lights. Fortunately, there was no opposing traffic. A bike going hot through those corners would have clipped the trailer. 

Julie texted Jonathan’s address and we unloaded the bike. Nice to see him again. He has a great location with a pool but no transportation and he’s way out of town. We go for pizza that is in the condominium grounds, walk about parts of the golf course - Quail Run. It’s a good course with a $150 greens fee. 

I’m tired so off to bed early. Tomorrow, seriously look at reducing gear for the Inuvik run. I weigh the gear and have 180lbs of stuff. While that’s well within the weight rating for the bike, the top heavy weight will not be good on the dirt roads. 

Got a text from Jeff - he and CiPi are on the road. They have two long days of driving ahead of them, arriving on Tuesday. My tire appointment is at 9am Wednesday and I hope to be on the road by early afternoon.

Friday August 12

It takes almost an hour to pack all the bags and fasten them to the bike. That’s not good. I need to reduce weight and stuff for the second leg. The bike is top heavy and that will make the dirt roads more dangerous. Fill the tank and the bike becomes wobbly. Today, the computer says it will only take me 430km. I suspected that the wind may have reduced the mileage but would never have expected by that much. Today will tell since the wind is gone. 

I stop at the Medicine Hat TeePee and take a photo for Colin, who hails from Medicine Hat and tongue in cheek reminds us how important the worlds large tee pee is as a tourist beacon. You can see from the photo that today was not one of the more busy days. 

The highways run through the middle of small towns so I get behind a pickup truck that know where the speed traps are and a able to make up some time. We get to a town, slow down, hit the one stop light and then back up to speed. On one of these stops, I can see a motorcycle off in the distance and after a few towns, catch up to him … It’s Steve. He’s an early riser, got on the road early and got ahead of me. There is a lesson there. He has one back to pack and off he goes. More hours on the road = more distance. 

We stop for gas and a smoke (Steve) in Coalhurst and pull over to take pics of the bikes. A brief get to know you conversation extends into 45 minutes, 2 coffees and 5 cigarettes. This pattern would follow until we part ways in Grand Forks BC. 

Off in the distance we can see the foot hills and storm cells to the left and right. I’m getting excited because we were hitting the mountains (did I tell you I love riding in mountains). I should stop to take pics, but now we are two riders and no communicators. Traffic is heavy with tourists in Crows Nest Pass. I was thinking mountain pass like one of the Colorado passes. Those came later,  but this was a very busy mountain town with buildings everywhere and not much of a mountain top. We drove through this amazing jumble of rocks and boulders in a suburb of Crows Nest called Frank. Looking up the mountain to the left, it was obvious that all that debris came of the mountain recently. Some of the boulders were as big as cars and trucks and the debris field was cleared to build the highway. Later, I research the famous Frank rock slide and realized I had seen a documentary about the event. The pictures do not compare to real life. 

Traffic started to die down a bit after Crows Nest and the roads had ample passing zones to get around the campers, dawdlers and heavily laden trucks. After days of straight line riding, I had to get used to sweepers. The top heavy luggage printed spirited riding. For uphill passing, Dynamic mode helps deliver extra power quickly.

We get some proper mountain passes and all of the terrain associated with a region like this up the hill, down the hill, through the valley, over the river, up the hill …. After Colorado, this is no longer new and I find myself comparing BC to Colorado. I wish I had done this first, then I could compare Colorado to BC. The reality is, Colorado is more spectacular. Canadians are a practical bunch. Roads are built efficiently and cheaply so they follow rail road tracks and cross the lowest passes. In Colorado, roads are built over the steepest passes - just because. Gold built the road, government pork belly funded a road. Look at the million dollar highway - a lot of money for marginal economic value. BC travel is Canadian travel. Colorado is for the best roads in the mountains. 

We end up for a rest stop in Cranbook. There is a group of Harley riders off to a bike party up the road, riding custom bikes suitable for a ride to Starbucks but not mountain roads. One bike was a hard tail with a metal bike seat. The only rear suspension was the two little springs on the seat. The tank was so small, it could ride 75km, so a plastic gas can ruined the lines on the welded chain “luggage rack”. The handle bars were a 2 foot pipe at shoulder level and the foot pegs put the rider in the same position as a gynecologist’s chair. 

It’s been hot, we could go for a few more hours but Steve wants to change the oil on his bike so we stay since there is a Canadian tire in just down the street. Steve replaced his Metzler tires in Brandon - the BMW dealer ignored him and the Kawasaki dealer made a spot for him. The oil is changed in the parking lot with an aluminum turkey pan and rubber hose. He’s an iron butt rider so this is a regular event on a ride. He offers me an honorable out for using the BMW dealer for an oil change since the bike is still in warranty, and he did use a dealer to change the tire. 

Dinner is at Frank's, an excellent Ukrainian restaurant that serves monster portions of schnitzel. Food is good but we can’t finish it. 

Thursday Aug 11

Today is a full day of prairie riding. It didn’t rain again even through the forecasts promised it, so I pay no attention to predictions of rain in the Calgary area.

The Trans Canada highway takes a longer route with a north dogleg, so I decide to take the more rural highway 2. It’s only 100 kph and two lanes, but there is almost no traffic. Yes, the land is flat and the farms are massive, but when you look at the big picture, the textures and patterns of the different crops, farm buildings and frequent large shallow ponds, create a fascinating tapestry. The photographer in me wanted to stop, but I was on a mission and time was of the essence. Besides, the best photos needed moody lighting so early morning or evening were best, with a thunderstorm thrown in for good measure. If you look at Google maps zoomed in, you will note that this area has thousands of ponds, all shallow and some quite large. I guess they hold the rain water in the flat lands, that would normally fill a big lake in Ontario. 

For large parts of the trip, oil wells dotted the fields. No doubt, these farmers had a guaranteed source of income, regardless of crops. It reminded me of Texas before fracking. 

My sub conscious notes that all the regular gas stations are missing from this road. In place are co-op card lock stations. The computer says I have 202km of fuel but I check the GPS for the next gas station - 186km away, a Petro Canada and Esso. That’s a bit tight, but the option is to turn around. Good thing the GSA has a big tank. Gas is in Redvers, just past the Saskatchewan border. The PetroCan only sells regular gas, so I head on to the Esso. What???? Regular only. I startled the lady stocking shelves in the store to ask if she knew where I could get premium gas. She didn’t know, maybe Carlyle or Regina. The answer was Carlyle - 43km away. I guess the rural world is small in that part of the world, or none of the vehicles in Redvers consume premium gas. I don’t fill the tank - but since there is no certainty where the next premium gas can be found, the octane levels will be lower for a while. Wonder how the bike will run since premium is scarce in the far north. The bike actually runs well, power is off a bit, but since there are no cars - I don’t need to worry about passing. Weyburn is large enough to have all of the major gas brands, so I fill up with premium. With a full tank, the computer reports that the bike has a range of 470km instead of the normal 530km range. Did the regular fuel do that? We’ll find out later. 

One of the neat aspects of prairie travel, is that you can see the rain from miles away. The route took us north west on 39 to rejoin the trans Canada at Medicine Hat. Now there are storms all around and some on my route. When data is available on the cell phone, the GPS reports rain on my route with options to reroute (nice feature). I’m going to get wet. The road is wet in sections where prior storms passed. A brief stop in Wilcox adds the rain suit and goretex gloves. The iPhone goes into the waterproof tank bag and just as I get back on the bike, the advance drops start hitting and the squall line is half a km away. This will test how waterproof the helmet and new rain jacket are - they passed the test. 

It’s strange, in and out of rain and then hot. By the time we reach Medicine Hat, I’m cooking but the storms on the horizon force status quo. The winds, which were constant before are downright ugly now. The huge bundle of bags and top case act like a sail and the bike needs to be leaned over aggressively to maintain a straight line and the gusts, well, they just help keep me awake. The terrain has changed to rolling hills - similar to Nebraska. There is no equivalent in Ontario. When the road rises to the top of a large hill, the full blast of the wind hits the bike. 

The only photo I took of a storm is in Moore Lake while getting gas at a cheesy Esso/convenience store. There was a line containing multiple storms passing by every 15 minutes. The storms were small, in some cases less than a km wide but they were shakers, in between sun shine. 

I met an guy on a BMW 1200GT, a road bike. This model was the first release of what was later to become the 1300GT - a fast and comfortable sport touring bike. We chatted - he is semi retired living in London and traveling to BC to visit a friend for a few days, then return. His passion is motorcycle touring and he does iron butts. We wait out a storm and decide to ride together for a while. He did 1,100km yesterday so he’s cutting off at Swift Current, but I want to make it to Medicine Hat so we part ways under sunny (and hot with a rain jacket on) skies with a honk and a wave. 

Off in the distance, the sky is black as night - that’s the storm Steve wanted to avoid. Time for equipment waterproof test number 2. I put the bike into rain mode to soften power delivery when passing and tune up the ABS for wet roads. The temps drop rapidly from 30C to 16C and the rain hits hard. Everyone slows down - a good thing because the spray from tires combines with the rain to severely reduced visibility. I am glad of the decision to put the new tire on the back. The old one would have been hydroplaning with this much water on the road. After a wile the rain stops and I can see that the next few waves of rain are off to the south. This may not be so bad after all because blue skies are starting to show in the direction of Medicine Hat. 

I have memories of Medicine Hat from my early work days as an auditor, driving into town over the gully, setting up in the hotel at 9PM and doing CGA assignment until 2am and then grabbing a few zzz’s before starting the audit at 9. 

Dinner is at Perkins - I go for a soup and southern chicken avocado salad. The salad will feed two people but the Avocado slices look like there were frozen a year ago and thawed just for me - I would call it a chicken salad. 

I wash the bugs off the bike, bags and helmet. It’s unbelievable how many insects thrive in that area. I couldn't imaging riding a naked bike (no wind screen) and not having a full face helmet. The few times I rode visor up, the bug strikes stung like a son of a gun and a wasp stinger works as well splattered as alive. 

According to the original plan, I was supposed to be in Creston BC this evening. I guess I’ll need to adjust the parameters for the next leg …

Wednesday Aug 10

I have the proverbial horseshoes up my butt when it comes to weather. Today, the forecasters, radar, all said I was going to get wet - very wet, but it didn't happen. 

The morning started cool and sunny, but after a fantastic breakfast at Eddy’s with the Trike gang, they set off back to the US for their western Michigan ride, and I set off west. It became cold and cloudy quickly so I guess the cold front started winning that tug of war. Stopped 45 minutes in at a Trading Post to put on rain gear and heavy gortex gloves and needed it for the entire ride through Ontario but it started to get sunny at lunch in Dryden. The roads from Thunder Bay were nice, not bad … but not as spectacular as from the “Soo” to Thunder Bay. Regular curves make up for the scenery that looks a lot like Bancroft area. Don’t need to ride a thousand km to see that. Had the first wildlife encounter with a small black bear that crossed the highway, half a km in front. Didn't have time to take a pic, but that’s how I like the wildlife - seen but far away

Tim Horton’s Chili and salad was a much better choice than another burger. Rain jacket and heavy gloves came off since it just warmed up to 22, so the long sleeve shirt stayed on. 

It was supposed to rain at the border but only got hotter so just after the border a hydration and rest stop provided the excuse to jettison the shirts and go hot weather gear, along with a top up of sun screen. I can’t believe how quickly the landscape transitioned to flat, flat, flat. I had a lot of energy from the rest stop and blew right through Winnipeg after a fuel stop and set Brandon in my sights. The Rever app says the trip went 898.0 km - a good ride. The Manitoba roads were under a lot of construction, and they needed it. The heavy truck traffic gouged ruts into the road way and where it collapsed, pot holes that could never be filled. Some of the sections under repair were dangerous for motorcycles.

The 110km speed limit however helped to reach Brandon in good time, although it was cooling down quickly. The tug of war with cold and warm weather was about to bring rain again - but it held out until I landed. After supper of turkey with perogies and veggies at Humpty’s family diner, apparently a favourite with locals, the sky broke and offered a sailors delight. Not sure if that nautical rule applies to the prairies, far away from the sea, but I was hoping …

That hope was dashed with an Accuweather notification on the iPad that it is going to rain in 58 minutes. Hopefully it’s gone in the morning. Will figure out tomorrow’s plan - tomorrow.

Tuesday Aug 9 - Day 2

Day 2 - Yahoo. Still full of piss and vinegar.

Weather looks a bit iffy - lots of rain in the prairies and Thunder Bay was going to get wet. I’m ready for it but since I’m not wearing the Klim jacket, put the Olympia rain jacket as the top item in my top case. 

Talk briefly to Dean (the Slingshot owner) and Russell (Spyder Owner). They are retired and living in Alabama and are doing a round the lake trip and today they are planning to hit Thunder Bay. Dean gets a lot of attention from the Slingshot. People want to know more about the “bat mobile”. In his southern drawl, Dean delights in sharing how fast it is and all the neat features. It’s got a steering wheel which makes it more of a car than bike. The Spyder has handle bars and you actually sit higher off the ground. The Slingshot is closer to a three wheeled go cart. 

The ride is spectacular and the tens of bike groups that pass by prove that the area as established a well deserved reputation with riders. Lots of curves, mountains, lake vistas. The area is rugged and beautiful. Pictures don’t do it justice. There are as many US riders as Canadian and a good mix of retirees and young bucks. Lots of two up husband/wife combinations. I suspect this is more indicative of US motorcycling than Canadian, expect up here, bikes are on the road for just 4 months of the year. 

Lunch is at the first fuel stop in White River and as I pull in, who do I see - the three trikes. They left an hour before me (I must get better at setting the bike up in the morning). Russell asks - what are the traffic rules here? The signs say 90, and we are following the law, but the truckers are pushing us to drive 110. I respond with the 15km rule and the regular advice - drive the same speed as the truckers since they can’t afford to get tickets but need to get there as fast as possible. 

I am reminded of speed as well since my preference is to have zero vehicles in front of me, to maximize enjoyment of the view. That also means driving slower to safely enjoy the views. The bike passes traffic smartly and the roads have passing lanes so the silly fast moments are few, but every hour, there is an OPP officer, lights flashing, handing out a citation. They are like sharks in a school of fish. They can eat constantly but the population is so large, few get hit. 

There is zero cell coverage in White River and near the end of my meal I ask two girls who seem to be on Facebook, what carrier they use, and they reply “wifi”. Silly me, I get an email off to Julie and back on the road. 

It starts to get over cast and cooler closer to Thunder Bay. The cold front was promised but only delivered the occasional potter/patter that didn’t warrant covering up my iPhone. But, I’m getting cold so a quick stop in Schreiber to hydrate, coffee and SNUS to get alert again and put on a shirt to warm up. I meet Pastor Bill and we chat about motorcycle touring, and enjoying the gifts of life. He wishes he could ride a bike but never got over the fear. His conversation certainly leaves a positive impression of northern community, something we see most places we travel to. 

Wouldn’t you know it, 20 minutes in and I can see a weather front in the distance … and behind it brings clear sky. That doesn’t look right, but at least there is no rain with the front. Get into the sunny area and lo and behold, it’s hot. Seems the warm front pushed out the cold front and now I’m riding with way too much clothing in temps that are climbing from 19/22 to 29/32. Not wanting to slow down average time, I continued to cook a bit until a scenic overlook and thirst create the incentive to stop, change, swig and pic. Funny how an empty place can fill up with cars, just as one starts to take a leak. 

Thunder Bay has no hotel rooms - some fair is opening up tomorrow and there are sporting events - it’s high tourist season. After the second rejection, I look across the street and what’s parked there? - three trikes and one of them is a Slingshot. I cross the road and Dean recognizes me immediately and calls out to join them. They too have not found rooms and are madly researching options. I call Julie to let her know the situation (and say hello). She’s off having girl fun and offers some suggestions. We finally get rooms in a motel in Kakabeka Falls, but I’m out of gas. The give me the address and we’ll meet at the motel. Apparently “the restaurant” closes at 8PM so we need to hustle to get dinner. 

The motel is a small old fashioned motel. A place to stay with air conditioning and outdated everything else. The proprietor lady seems nice, but I sleep in my cotton sleeping bag. The restaurant is called The Eddy and the food is amazing. I join the Trike gang for dinner just before the doors are locked at 8PM. We have the usual conversations but it’s hard for me to understand their accents. It’s interesting how people define themselves and the words they choose to used over a dinner with strangers. I truly enjoy dinner, the food and conversations. That’s what makes motorcycle travel so different. How else could a group of Alabama retirees invite a Toronto BMW rider to dinner?

Monday Aug 8 - Day 1

The trip starts in Ernst today. 

Last night we had a quiet birthday dinner with Brian and Harriet - Turkey burgers and leftovers from the big Saturday party meal. Brian had meetings in the morning so we kept the evening light and went to bed early. The bags were repacked on Sunday afternoon, so they were sitting downstairs on the dock ready for the boat ride in the morning so all we needed to do was get up and go.

Sleep came quickly but anticipation woke me up before sunrise. My mind went through the checklists several times but that wasn’t like counting sheep. When the alarm went off at 6am, it provided the excuse to jump, hit the coffee on button and start packing. The temps were cool in the morning and the lake was glassy still on the ride over. It was going to be a great day for the ride. 

You would think that with all that preparation, packing would be quick - Joanne, the marina manager called over 45 minutes after we landed “You still packing???” The bags did not go on in the right sequence, so there are two retries. I come to re re-confirmation that the bike is too top heavy. As the bike is loaded, the suspension compresses with the weight. When the last bag straps were tightened, the bike almost tips over because the side stand angle has changed so much. Pumping the suspension up to two riders setting fixes the problem, but I know the bike will not handle well on the Dempster in the rain. I will shed as much stuff as possible before we leave Kelowna. 

Julie and I travel to Huntsville for Muskoka Roaster coffee and a bike. We are taking care of last details - Julie is ordering insurance and I’m getting the Spot activated. Both activities are completed in reasonable time so it’s good to have one last proper meal with Julie before I hit the road. Our hug goodby lingers a bit longer - it will be a while before we see each other in person.

The bike wobbles a lot at low speed but becomes stable at speed. This ride is a marathon, so speed and curves are secondary. I practice the collision avoidance manoever and the top weight greatly hinders the precision. The safety manoever becomes a risk if I’m not ready for how the bike reacts. Not sure how other riders who put a lot more stuff on their 1200GSA’s find the handling when loaded. My stuff is well within the total capacity for the bike, but it sure isn’t the canyon carver when barely packed. 

Day One goes well. Not a lot of speeding, so little risk of getting a ticket. The roads are familiar from prior trips but the French River area proves again how stunning that area is compared to north near Sudbury. 

Riding in the North is not like anywhere else - even in built up areas, one needs to be mindful of “remote”. Driving outside of Sudbury, needs gas, GPS finds a gas station .8km away. Drove 15 km to get there. It seems that the GPS gas/hotel etc. search is as “the crow flies”. In this case, I had just gone over a bridge to a remote town and the exit was a few miles up but the roads to connect to town were a long way off. 

Got into the Sault (Soo) at a reasonable time - it was too hot to set up a tent when a Days Inn was so easy to check in. Three Trikes were parked out front - a BRP Spyder with trailer, a Harley with trailer and a Polaris Slingshot. 

Dinner was Swiss Chalet - better than a burger joint and I could walk. Wandered to Lowes, and Walmart to get batteries, wipes and After Bite. 

Photos to come when there is more bandwidth.

Spot tracker still not working

The Spot account isn't working yet. I will spend some time on the phone today to try to clear it up with them, but in the mean time, the ride will be tracked on with the Rever app. I will post the link to the ride when the link is ready for publishing. 

Day 1: A few km and a Swedish Massage

We are off. The trip has started. 

Starting Odometer: 12,481km

The goal for day one is simple - off to Windemere for my buddie’s birthday -  spend the weekend celebrating and then start of week - on the road for serious. 

Tom drops by the house to say good by and share some words of wisdom. He is our group ride leader and has taught me everything I know about motorcycle touring. On those rides, he sweats the details, we get assigned tasks, but generally, our job is to enjoy the ride. We discuss several details, including how we’ll organize a meetup in Tennessee in early October, but his big message is: “This is your ride, do what you set out to do, follow your heart - enjoy it and be safe”.

The bike is packed and ready. I already know that the stuff needs to be repacked to use space better. The load is heavy so I crank the suspension to two riders to level out. It’s top heavy and simply turning the bike around, a few wobbles that took way more effort to correct remind me that this thing can tip easily and it would be a bitch to right. The load will need to be cut back for the final run up the Dempster to survive any gnarly weather. 

The ride itself is somewhat boring - early weekend traffic means the roads are very busy but moving. Got the classic cager dorks who think that the left lane is made for those who drive 105 kph and refuse to move to allow others to pass because anyone passing them is speeding, and therefore a criminal in the eyes of their law. 

Had several opportunities to use the Clearwater lights to warn cars that were about to, or did cut me off to watch it. Even with five very bright lights to make sure the big fat Bemmer is not invisible, people still cut in front of the bike. I’m sure that 98% just didn’t see me because they were clearly startled when the horn goes off and the Clearwater Lights are rapidly flashing 100% power and it looks like they just got hit by lightning. Many are appologetic, others give the finger - how dare you interrupt my near nap condition!!

The probably didn’t see me (or any other vehicle that would have been close to them because a) they didn’t check their mirror before making the lane change, or b) the never check their mirrors while driving so they have no idea what’s behind them. Our traffic laws are designed to put tax paying individuals on the road to earn money (and pay tax) and buy gas (and pay tax). Competent, safe driving practices are completely absent in both Highway Traffic Act and it’s enforcement. I'll rant about that some other time.  If everyone followed the Smith System and European traffic rules, our highways would be significantly safer and more efficient. 

Met Julie in the Port Sydney Foodland to get fresh corn for Brian’s birthday dinner (I made Alton Brown’s baby back ribs for dinner). Fully loaded, the bike gets attention and several guys (it’s always guys) come over to inspect and chat. 

The weather band that my GPS was warning about deliver’s a full load of rain, just as we turn into Dee Banks road. I start unloading the bike under the car port by the marina, change out of the full gear and relax waiting for the rain to stop so that we can get to Brian’s.

It’s Brian’s birthday tomorrow. We’ve known each other since church youth group and a few close friends are celebrating this milestone - I’ve prepared the birthday meal featuring Alton Brown’s baby back ribs recipe, Thomas Keller’s lime corn and Julie’s bean and spud potatoes. One of his gifts is a massage and the masseuse is there for the afternoon. I am offered an hour of Swedish massage. My wife tells me to get on the table commando style - Uhhh, that’s a first for me. Some might judge me as a goody-two-shoes, but I have never been nekkid in a massage. 

Loosing my job, getting ready ready for this trip, starting to look for new work - the last few months have been stressful. That stress starts to flow out as she works on my feet and calfs. The sinuses start getting congested, thinking alergies,  and am told that is caused by the increased blood flow and oxygenation. I won’t get into the full details but feet, legs, hands, back, neck and scalp are all happy and relaxed. I can fully attest that a Swedish massage is a great way to start a ride. Before you start snickering, the lady is a grandma and rides a Yamaha. 

Birthday Dinner is tomorrow, spend a day relaxing, reorganize the boxes and the ride starts for sure at the start of the week.