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Lifes2short....Ride the World
My wife Lori and I have spent the last 13 years or so working in an Ambulance communications (or 911) centre in southern Ontario. We've been paying down the mortgage, the cars, paying our bills, and taking a few weeks of holidays here and there. In the meantime, since getting my motorcycle license about six years ago, I've managed to rack up over 80,000 km's on two wheels, with a good chunk of that 2up. We have been to many fantastic places on a bike and loved each and every trip.
But this is where that story ends. We decided to do what we've talked about doing during every trip, and that is to keep going. Having sold our home along with nearly all everything we own, we have set out on the road 2up on our Triumph Tiger Explorer, with only a vague idea of where we are heading. It would be an understatement to say that we've been inspired by so many others that have ventured out before us. Some for a few weeks or months, some even for years. The blogs, the ride reports, videos and books have only fuelled our fire. I’m not sure we'd have the testicular fortitude to do something like this without them. It is with this in mind, that we wanted to share our own ride report and hopefully give back for all the great stories that have we enjoyed. Cheers, Mark |
Enjoy it
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Thanks.
What exactly is the plan? Travelling with a specific itinerary is helpful if you have one or two weeks for your holidays or have a long list of things to do and places to see in a short amount of time. You might imagine that the longer the trip the more planning there is involved. Although going away for an extended period of time can require more preparation, it's really not the case when you're planning on travelling for many months at time. In fact, planning every tiny detail of a journey that long is down right near impossible in my opinion. There are too many variables and inevitably something happens that slows you down or throws you off course. My entire professional life has consisted of strict time tables, deadlines and doing many things at once. Always go go go. In fact we've both spent the last decade working in an environment where every second really does count. I often feel like maybe my brain is just hard-wired to run at warp 9. Lori thinks I'm just an adrenalin junkie. Maybe. I mean I do love to ride a motorcycle...fast (but well within the posted speed limits of course). One of the things we're looking forward to is that there are no strict time schedules, no deadlines to meet and the ability to slow down (I wonder if she meant on the bike? Ok so one of us is looking forward to slowing down). With that said, we do of course have an idea or general plan of where we would like to go, places we want to see and some bucket list items to check off. And we’re also thinking it may be a wise to leave you with an idea of where we’re heading in case we really get lost, that way you’ll know where to look for us . You are going to come look for us...right? Victoria Day weekend, we departed for Newfoundland via Ottawa and Gaspé. Although we've been to Gaspé, the Cabot Trail and PEI before, we think it's a beautiful part of the country that's worth another look, (and of course it's also between here and Newfoundland). We are planning on spending about 2-3 weeks on the Rock but we're leaving that somewhat open. They've had a particularly bad winter there (haven't we all?), and at this point it looks like it will still be very cold there at the end of May. From there we’ll head back west to Ontario via Mount Washington. We've ridden by Mount Washington several times before and for some strange reason have yet to stop and check it out, so we’ve added it to the menu. Heading west, we'll stop by at (the place formerly known as) home, you know, to make sure the kids are alright and then take about a month to ride out to Alaska. Will we go up the Dalton or take the Dempster to Inuvik? Hmmm, ultimately the weather will have the final say on this one as the roads can turn quite treacherous in heavy rain. I’m actually quite excited about riding our bike into the Arctic Circle, the land of the midnight sun, and Alaska in general. Although I think Lori has some concerns buzzing around in her head about the size and lethality of the skeeters out there. From there, the plan is to head south (duh) to Nakusp, BC for the Horizons Unlimited meeting in August. Then meandering down along the west coast before cutting clear across the continent to Asheville, North Carolina for the Overland Expo meeting in October. Its timing and location make this a bit out of the way for us to say the least but we would really like to attend. After that we'll keep heading south-ish into Mexico and Central America, which are a blank canvas at this point. We would like to take our time travelling through this part of the world, enjoying the sights, the culture and the people. Then continue to make our way to Panama where we’ll ship the bike to Colombia and ultimately end up in Ushuaia, Argentina. Of course that's all subject to change but for now it's a good start and gives us a general direction of travel. I can't figure out how to embed this thing at the moment so here's a link: https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=...218,150.644531 Google typically routes the fastest way possible attempting to get you to your destination in the most efficient way (or something like that). Although not representative of our exact path, it does give a general idea of where we're going. |
Just wanted to catch up with the posts from our blog while we are online.
After a whirlwind of activity at home over the last few days, we're finally hitting the road. WhooHoo! I think we're just as excited to finally begin the trip as we are to not have so much to do.We got up just before 6am, we had a couple of stops on the way to Ottawa today and wanted to get an early start. We loaded the bike and were ready to go right on schedule. Lori tried to get on the back and we discovered a little hitch in our luggage set up. Now everything we've read about the Giant Loop Fort Rock top case (GLFR) that we bought was positive. It's super comfortable for passengers, 85L of storage space, two pockets on the outside accessible by the pillion, even a separate section on one side that can be accessed more easily when stopped for a break. Horseshoe design so it sits on the back rack and wraps around and over top of the side cases. In theory this thing was the bomb.Our first discovery before we even moved an inch was that once loaded up and strapped down, there was no way Lori had enough room to even sit. At least two inches of the pillion seat was taken up by this thing. If you know how small the pillion seats typically are on motorcycles, you'll know that's a lot of real estate to give up. We adjusted the entire set up and tried to slide it back those two inches and re-fastened everything. At least Lori could now sit. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/O...IMG_0923-L.jpg What we looked like at 8AM. Now you might think that setting out on a big trip like this, we would have made sure our gear worked as we expected and had set everything up before. Well we did. We had filled the GLFR and the 40L Triumph dry bag along with the side cases. We knew it all fit together and we could both sit on the bike. At the time we had everything sitting a bit further back and everything did seem to fit, just as it did now. About the biggest mistake we made was in not loading everything up and heading out for a day or two ride. I guess today would be that ride. So we hit the road. Our first stop was about an hour away in Toronto at our friends house. Once on the highway, Lori was able to slide herself back a bit which also slid everything behind her back. Much more comfortable though. About half hour later, we discovered the case slid back a bit too far and the Silver Triumph dry bag (along with the bike cover that was on top of that) was no longer on top of the GLFR, but hanging off behind it. Having it back those 2 inches pushed everything back far enough that all of the weight was not being supported by the rear rack on the bike and between the momentum of accelerating and gravity, everything just kept sliding off the back. So we pulled off at the side of the highway to re-adjust everything. Only way to make this safer was to move everything forward a bit so the weight was centred over the rear rack on the bike, which of course led us back to square one in terms of enough room for Lori on the back. Back on the road Lori was basically using all her leg muscles to try and keep herself from sliding right into me. “This is not going to work”, we both agreed. If we make it so it's comfortable-ish for Lori, the weight is too far back and everything on the top slides off bike. Not even an hour into our trip and we were having a significant problem. Something else that bothered me was having the GLFR strapped down over the side cases, made the side cases completely inaccessible without unstrapping everything and removing the GLFR. Need rain gear or a sweater, we essentially have to remove most of this system to get at anything. UGH! I dismissed this impracticality initially because I thought Lori would be uber comfy on the back, so I was willing to work around it. Another issue that became apparent and the final nail in the Giant Loop Fort Rock case coffin was one of safety aspect. The sides of the GLFR completely covered the pillion grab bars. If we ever had to make an emergency stop, she would have nothing to grab on to and slide right into me. In the event of a panic stop, Lori could also reach around me and push off the tank, but the only thing Lori could reach was the very end of the tank bag and barely with her finger tips. Not quite sure how this little detail managed to slip past us, but it did. Well "that's that" we agreed. Now what? Since our destination that day was our friends place in Ottawa, where we would be staying indoors, we decided to drop off the GLFR (which had all our camping gear) with our other friends in Toronto and carry on without our camping gear for the day. While on the road we decided the solution to our dilemma was a regular top case (which incidentally was our original plan). It's locked down to the rear rack of the bike, lockable, Lori can easily reach the rear grab bars (not to mention the heated wraps I put on the grab bars for her) and we would also strap down a dry bag onto each side case, giving us full access to everything, at anytime. It also gives us about the same volume for packing. While we both love the idea of the Giant Loop Fort Rock top case, it's just not going to work for us like we thought. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/O...IMG_0928-L.jpg Getting help from Otto unloading the bike. It was nice to catch up with our friends Jeff & Karen over brekky at the Bad Dog Cafe - excellent food by the way, and drop off our gear. We were soon back on the road to Ottawa - our shakedown ride! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/O...IMG_0930-L.jpg What the bike looked like by the time we got to Ottawa later that day. |
Back to the future
From Ottawa we turned around and headed back west :(. We picked up our gear from Jeff and Karen in TO and our friends Paul & Allyson offered us the use of their place in Great Valley NY while we waited for our top case to arrive. So that's where we headed.
Props to Revzilla for a quick turnaround time on our order. I placed my order on Monday and USPS attempted delivery on Wednesday morning. We basically swapped the Giant Loop Fort Rock case for a Givi E55 top case and a Wolfman Expedition dry bag. About the same volume in terms of space but the set up is much better as far as comfort for Lori and we're also able to access everything much easier anytime we need to. Not to mention Lori has full access to the pillion grab bars which made her much more relaxed and safe. We had everything installed by Thursday and were back on the road Friday morning. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/O...IMG_0948-L.jpg The new and improved Tiger. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/O...IMG_0953-L.jpg We took great care to balance everything between the side cases and the bike felt MUCH better on the road. Not sure if part of that was the fact Lori was more comfortable and relaxed or if it was just better balanced overall but we both thought it handled significantly better. Thanks again Paul & Allyson, we can not express enough how much we appreciate the use of your second home. It was about 2:30pm by the time we got to Hamilton and reluctantly hopped on the 407ETR (express toll route). I always feel like I'm getting screwed taking the 407 as it's so expensive but we really didn't like the idea of going through Toronto at 3pm on a Friday afternoon, especially now that the Gardiner Expressway (expressway being something of an oxymoron I think) is under construction. Turned out to be a wise choice as we were through TO in no time at all. We stopped just outside Peterborough for the night and had an easy ride the following day back to Ottawa. We wanted to check out the capital some more but once we arrived, we learned that it was marathon weekend and there were road closures everywhere downtown :(. So we would spend another night with our friends Mark & El, who were super awesome to let us crash with them yet again - we can't thank you guys enough. Mark & El are excellent cooks (and hosts) which makes it that much more difficult to leave Ottawa. And I mean excellent as in they could easily open their own restaurant good. In the meantime we discovered an issue with the bike. Seemingly overnight, the Tiger lost over 20psi in the rear tire. Hmmmm?! I have a portable compressor so topping up is not a big deal, but that's a lot of air to lose. Checking the pressure this morning, the tire pressure gauge didn't even register. Oh oh! Running some soapy water over the tire we found a tiny leak. Nothing appears to have punctured it and its location (right on the seam in the corner of the tread) makes me think its a fault with the tire itself. Either way, it will need to be replaced :( We found a Triumph dealership here in town is open today (Sunday) but their service department is closed so we're in a holding pattern for another day. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the universe was conspiring against us. We just can't seem get past Ottawa. I think we should be frustrated or annoyed or something to that effect but it just feels like it's all part of the adventure to be honest. I mean we're still on the way to Newfoundland, just a bit slower, that's all. In the meantime, we've decided to put our camping gear to use tonight, that is after all the reason why we're lugging those extra pounds around. |
Finally leaving Ottawa...maybe
We pulled up to the Ottawa-Nepean campground only to discover they were completely full for the night. Apparently there was a pow wow going on. Lori pleaded with the man telling him about our tire sitch and eventually he was able to magically find us a spot. I say magically because pulling up to our campsite, we noticed the dozen or so sites surrounding ours were completely empty.
Not to mention each site could easily have several tents up. Walking around the place I found only about 30% of the sites actually occupied. Completely full huh? Not sure how this place stays in business. The answer came to me when we paid for our stay the next morning - another magic trick of sorts. In the meantime we were happy to be in for the night. Setting up our tent we had to keep our gear on due to the swarms of mosquitos that were in full on attack mode. It seemed our campsite was only a few feet from some prime swamp land. I suppose we got off easy with only about a dozen bites between us. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/O...IMG_0963-L.jpg We fell asleep to the sound of pitter patter on the tent. I realize I may be in the minority but I've always liked camping (and hiking for that matter) in the rain. I really enjoy the sound and the smell and find it über relaxing. We planned on being at the dealership when they opened at 9 but ended up getting a late start. It typically takes Lori a night or two to get comfortable sleeping in a tent, something I've never had a problem with. However the cold hard ground woke me up before dawn. Apparently my (brand new) Exped Ultralight 7 has a leak somewhere. That's great, another item mysteriously losing air. We eventually got to the dealership (Ottawa Goodtime Centre) and discovered a brand new Metzeler Tourance EXP waiting for us, conveniently enough the exact tire I was looking for. They were able to get me in right away while we went for some brekky. Nice place by the way, lots of two-wheeled eye candy. About an hour and $297 later we were finally on the road. I think Mr Exped and I are going to have try and patch things up on our own. Could it be? Could we possibly be on our way out of Ottawa and back on the road? Finally? We wanted to do some more sightseeing but were afraid we'd never get out if we didn't hit the road now. I plugged in a random destination (Montebello, sounded kind of interesting) to get us heading in the right direction and we soon found ourselves on route 174 heading east out of town. The GPS directed us towards a ferry just outside Cumberland (hey why not), every motorcycle road trip needs a ferry ride. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/O...IMG_0968-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/O...IMG_0923-L.jpg It was a quick trip across the Ottawa river and just as Lori got on the bike (we found that with all the gear on the bike, it's easier if she gets on first while the bike is on the side stand and then I'll get on. On the ST1300 it was easier for her to get on after me.) the captain of the boat comes over to me asking me something in french and at that exact moment the bike starts to tip over towards me with Lori already sitting on the back. My immediate reaction was to grab the handlebars and shove my leg under the bike to try and stop it. Perhaps not the smartest thing to do with a fully loaded bike but in this case it worked. The captain jumped over to where I was and helped Lori get off and then right the bike. It all happened in a matter of maybe 2 or 3 seconds. We're usually pretty careful about where we park and where we get on. If the bike is too upright, we'll never get the kickstand up and if it's on too much of an angle, then this could happen. At the time I didn't think the bike was leaning that much on the side stand, although the pic above may argue that opinion. We blamed it on the slippery surface of the ferry. Either way, no harm was done and most importantly, we were now in Quebec! WooHoo! |
Rain, rain and even more rain
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We awoke to the sounds of water running through an eavestrough next to our hotel room. I suppose I have only myself to blame for pointing out how much I love rain while camping and hiking, but I said nothing of rain while riding a motorcycle. Lori however agrees that it's all my fault. Lori was already online checking out the weather and planning our escape. "Is there anywhere we can go where it's not raining?", I asked. "Yes but it involves a plane ride", she said. At that moment I realized that since leaving last Sunday, it has rained at some point during the day, every day except for two. Those two days we were at Mark & El's and the forecast actually called for rain. In fact it rained all around us but not directly where we were. Now I don't really mind riding in the rain all that much but for some reason I dislike getting started in the stuff. Perhaps why I'm still in bed writing this rather than getting ready. Nine degrees and raining doesn't inspire going anywhere to be honest and we were tempted for a moment to stay where we were. The rain let up by 11am and we decided to make a run for it. These 11am departures are becoming somewhat of a theme last few days. Our destination for the day was a B&B Lori found online just outside of Sainte-Anne-De-Beaupré, a fairly short 330km ride. An hour later we were pulling off at a Tim's to warm up. The weather was just sucking the warmth right out of us. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0972-L.jpg Lori was chilled to the bone and needed a couple of drinks to warm up. Usually eager to take the slower, scenic route, we put up the white flag and superslabbed it all day. The rain went from bad to worse and the wind was gusting from every direction but our back, on several occasions tossing us into the adjacent lane, which luckily for us was unoccupied. I had no idea which way it would gust from next. The bike seemingly navigating an invisible slalom course. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0975-L.jpg Lori's impression of Randy from Christmas Story. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0977-L.jpg How many zippers can you count? That's right - 4 and a total of 5 layers. We then managed to hit Quebec City during rush hour for some first gear stop and go traffic. For an added bonus the skies opened even more and the rain went from worse to just ridiculous. It was one of the more trying days I've had on a bike. I could almost hear the universe asking: "you sure you want to do this?" We're cold, wet, & exhausted, but there's no place we'd rather be right now (unless that place is somewhere sunny and warm of course). The answer is yes. Do you hear me? YES! We discovered a little beacon of light at the end of our day when we arrived at Gîte Un air d'été Bed & Breakfast. 102 degrees of bubbling aquatic goodness calling out to us. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0982-L.jpg Oh yeah! Now this we can handle. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0979-L.jpg View of the St Lawrence from the back yard - not too shabby. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0203-L.jpg Awesome little spot to chill out and enjoy the view. |
In the morning we got treated to a fantastic multi course breakfast from Claude, the owner. Blueberries with maple syrup, then a scrambled up egg served inside the egg shell and finally french toast topped with yogurt and strawberry drizzle and a side of fruit. Oh and of course we can't forget the freshly baked croissant that just melted in our mouths.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0202-L.jpg It really was that good. We booked into the B&B for a second night and decided to enjoy the perfectly sunny day sightseeing in Quebec city. On the way we stopped at Montmorency Falls. It's hard not to pull into this place as the waterfall can easily be seen from the highway as you drive by. I was surprised to find out that at a height of 275 feet, it's actually 98 feet taller than Niagara Falls. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-39-53-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-41-26-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-42-09-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-45-48-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-55-46-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-52-40-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-54-34-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-56-30-L.jpg View from the top was fantastic. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-10-48-L.jpg Moving the bike to a more secure location. We parked on a busy street in front of a restaurant but some dude said something about no moto-parking. Not that we believed him, but we had no where to put the parking tag and I also wasn't sure he wouldn't have a few more drinks and kick the bike over. So I decided to move it to an underground parking lot around the corner. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-25-06-L.jpg With the bike safely tucked away, we got down to being all touristy. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-21-38-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-27-53-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-29-23-L.jpg Looks like a nice rooftop patio to chill and have a morning coffee. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-49-15-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-50-57-L.jpg Fantastic little streets (we call them alleyways back home). http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-11-27-L.jpg And I was worried about taking the bike down some of these narrow pathways...These guys have some serious driving skills as they barely slow down here. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-06-45-L.jpg I think my jeans need a trim...cool restaurant actually. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-39-01-L.jpg We stopped into Les Trois Garcons for some lunch. Equally as creative on the inside, and the food was also very good. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-48-39-L.jpg Lori sees a red door and she wants it painted black? We saw hundreds of cool looking doors like these. |
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http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-21-23-L.jpg Very cool mural. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-34-01-L.jpg We popped into a random coffee shop for a little break, that cheesecake was phenomenal by the way. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-54-54-L.jpg The seagull really makes this shot I think... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-58-05-L.jpg To say Chateau Frontenac is massive would be an understatement. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-23-03-L.jpg Yes Lori loves old doors. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-35-38-L.jpg Beautifully carved out of the wall. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-07-08-L.jpg Really? Out of all the restaurants and you need to have a Tims? We called it a day after this. We could have easily spent a week touring around downtown, there is just so much to see. I think that may end up a theme for us on this trip however. There is always something more to see. |
What a beautiful place! I'm just going to have to take some time and ride North!:mchappy:
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In and following along!
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After another phenomenal brekky, we headed a few kilometres west to the Sainte-Anne-De-Beaupré Basilica. I'm not sure there is anything I can say to describe it that will do it justice. It's quite a phenomenal place to see first hand. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-46-20-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-48-29-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-48-12-L.jpg Opening these doors was like trying to move a small truck. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-50-22-L.jpg Looking down one of the hallways as you walk in. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-31-04-L.jpg One of the original builders was said to be walking with the aid of crutches when building the church. Once the work was finished, it's reported he no longer needed the crutches for mobility. Since then, the Catholic Church has credited the basilica with many miracles of curing the sick and disabled. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-30-42-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-29-52-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-32-22-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-09-29-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-11-22-L.jpg The attention to detail everywhere was amazing. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-21-23-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-42-11-L.jpg Across the road is a beautiful old wooden memorial chapel. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-41-12-L.jpg And behind the chapel were life sized Stations of the Cross http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-38-55-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-00-14-L.jpg View of the basilica from the back. From there we headed further west to Les Sept Chutes (the Seven Waterfalls). Coming down the gravel hill we hit a patch of sand, the bike did a little dance, I thought for sure it was going down. Next thing I know we're still going down the hill on two wheels, I guess our first drop is going to have to wait for a bit. Once at the bottom we learned that all the waterfalls are back up the hill we just came from. Doh! It was a beautiful day so we left the bike there and hiked the 1-2km back up the hill along the trails. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-57-42-L.jpg Hey look over there...where? Snow! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-06-49-L.jpg Five of the seven waterfalls. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-23-36-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-32-12-L.jpg We lost track of time and by the time we got out of there it was late afternoon, just in time for rush hour through Quebec. Ooops! We didn't exactly have a destination in mind, just wanted to get out of Quebec City and start heading east. We ended up in Montmagny QC for the night. Total for the day - 165km that took us the entire day to ride. We were happy about the state of the weather so we really didn't care about the mileage. The next morning we awoke to some dark clouds and another wet departure. In fact it started to pour just as we were ready to leave - oh well. Our destination for the day...somewhere where it wasn't raining. The weather channel pointed us to Fredericton, 520km away. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20523KM-L.png http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1021-L.jpg In and out of rain most of the day, we managed to miss most of this nasty looking cell. It was a good day to put some tunes on and just ride. Lost in our own little world. Once into NB we saw a fully grown black bear at the side of the highway, on the wrong side of the animal fencing :(. Hopefully he found his way back. We managed to finally ride out of the crappy weather later in the afternoon and also lost an hour crossing into the Atlantic time zone. Hello New Brunswick! |
Great Ride Report So Far
Folks,
Great ride report so far. I'm in this from very close to the beginning. As soon as we get the 3 15 year olds out of the house (unfortunately that will take a while) we will be following you down the road. If you get to the north side of Dallas, TX let me know. We can provide a bed and meal. Enjoy the ride. We will be following along. John "TripleK" |
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Thanks John, we really appreciate the offer. That's about how old Lori's youngest was when I brought up this crazy ;) idea. Take care, Mark |
Into Nova Scotia
We were in and out of New Brunswick in a day. No real reason, in fact we had no real plan that morning, but after a coffee stop, Lori said "let's just ride east". So we did.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20249KM-L.png We found a campground just into Nova Scotia in Amherst, Loch Lomond RV park. We booked in for a night and ended up staying three. The park itself was very nice, we had a great spot overlooking the lake and the bathrooms were the nicest we've seen in any campground. Nicer than the previous nights motel we agreed. We found a nice little breakfast spot in town called Breakfast at Brittany's. Formerly a police station, friendly staff, freshly pressed coffee and a massive breakfast even my hungry belly could not finish. We've now been on the road for two weeks. It feels like we just left and at the same time it feels like we've been travelling for much longer. We have days where we don't see much and others where we pack so much in, that at the end of the day we both think that morning happened on a different day. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20190km-L.png With most our gear at the campground, we took a much lighter Tiger out for a run along the Bay of FUNdy. The bottom section west of Parrsboro was a blast to ride, lots of twisty sections, lots of scenic views, elevation changes. A very re-energizing day on two wheels. I had been feeling out of sorts since leaving, in fact we both have and this was exactly what I needed. We made a pit stop at Joggins Fossil Cliffs, cool but not spectacular. Have I mentioned how beautiful, sunny and warm it's been? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-49-53-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-08-12-L.jpg Enjoying a nice fire back at the campground before checking out for the night. In the morning Lori talked me into staying for a third night, so we could just relax, enjoy the sun, do some laundry and generally just not rush. "Ok I'm in" I said. We eventually hit the road again but as usual, we didn't really have a destination in mind. What we've been doing lately is just aiming the bike in a direction in the morning and going. Stopping at interesting places along the way and eventually stopping for a break at a coffee shop where we figure out what the plan is for the night. After a few minutes of searching and researching, Lori will usually find us a good spot to sleep. So far it's been working out well. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20332KM-L.png Our route this day. We pulled in to Five Islands for a look, dirt road for about half a click to get there but it felt more like someone dumped a truckload of ball bearings on the dirt. The bike danced all over the place. I feel like I need a lot more practice in the dirt if we're going to ride up the Dempster, especially if it's anything like this. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-44-35-L.jpg Tide was out, you could almost walk to the islands. The Bay of Fundy is just an amazing wonder, it empties and fills about a billion tonnes of water with every tide cycle, which occurs every 6 hours and 13 minutes. The tide changes over 50 feet in some places. That's the height of a five story apartment building. Wow! One of the best places to see this is at the Hopewell Rocks, which we've visited in the past and well worth the stop if you're in the area. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-57-36-L.jpg During a stop later in the day, we were treated to a tidal bore. Pretty cool to see. Sorry no pics as we were a bit too far away. It wasn't as big as I had heard, although it apparently gets larger further up the channel where it narrows. We might have to double back towards Truro to check it out. Almost ran out of gas...again. I will admit that I thought for sure we'd run dry this time. I stopped at a NSLC seemingly in the middle of nowhere to double check where the closest gas station was. I didn't like what the GPS was trying to tell me. Lady at the counter says maybe 20 miles, I joked that I may have to buy a bottle of the vodka cause I didn't think I'd make it that far. In fact the GPS was indicating 43km to the gas station, while the bike computer read 23km till empty. Hmmmm! We decided to keep going and see how close we could get. I had resigned myself to the fact I'd have to walk. Playing it out in my head that I'd put on my shorts, hiking shoes, Lori would stay with the bike, maybe I could hitch a ride? The bike was now reading ZERO km left. Here we go, any moment now. 10km, still going, 15...About 18km later we came around a bend and I see an Irving gas station. Lori later said it was like loaves and fishes from the bible. Perhaps even something conjured up just for us. She was afraid to look back as we pulled away in case it wasn't really there. Strange but that was not the Irving the GPS was leading us to, which we passed about 5 minutes later. Also strange but I thought for sure we'd get in a full 20L or pretty close, but only 19.3L went in. The previous time we had a close call with gas, the bike indicated we had another 20km to go and I ended up pumping in 19.5L. Lesson here is that the bike computer is definitely not to be trusted. And also that we definitely need to fuel up earlier. That's one thing I really do miss about the ST1300, the 7.7 gallon tank and the range. The TEX so far seems to get very inconsistent mileage at anything from 34-41 MPG, and this really depends on the speed and wind is a huge factor. I've rad about some TEX riders getting well over 50MPG, no idea how they manage to do that. We camped again, this time at the Plantation Campground. Average looking place, we were the only tenters so it was nice and quiet. Another beautiful day weather wise. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-44-28-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-45-51-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-47-35-L.jpg Took advantage of the sunset to snap a nice pic of the bike. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20253KM-L.png The next morning we doubled back a bit to see low tide at Halls harbour. Totally worth it! There is something cool about seeing a bunch of boats sitting on the floor of a harbour when the tide is out. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-41-19-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-34-07-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-53-28-L.jpg A recent erosion. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-44-22-L.jpg Cool view across the bay. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-45-58-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-57-44-L.jpg Lori found a friend to play with. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-00-16-L.jpg Lots of cool things to photograph around the dock. From there we headed towards Port Williams where on the recommendation from Macdoc, we stopped at the Port Pub for some lunch. Great place with fantastic views (good call, thanks Macdoc). With full bellies we meandered west along the Evangeline Trail to Whale Cove campground in Digby Neck. Very beautiful area but as we arrived so did the fog. Socked in for the night, we were lulled to sleep by the sound of the fog horn going off every few moments in the distance. |
The view from the back of the bike
The first three weeks; a view from the back of the bike (written by Lori)
The first three weeks have been both exciting and trying. To be honest there have been a few moments of envy when we've been camping near RV's. There have even been a couple of conversations around the idea of moving up to more luxurious accommodation in the future. Yes, I'm a princess. I fully admit to this. I like the finer things in life. Things like warmth, a bed, clean clothes, a clean bathroom....a bathroom. The kinds of things one might find in a home or even a traveling home. I'm not fond of bugs or Arachnids or just about anything with more than 4 legs for that matter (except caterpillars and butterflies, they're ok). "So what the heck am I doing on the back of this darned motorcycle" you ask? I love the smells, the views, the feeling of the wind, the closeness with nature and Mark. I love the adventure of it. And let me tell you, it's already been an adventure. In 3 weeks we have gone well over 5000 km. We have traveled from Ontario through Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and have just started our trek through Newfoundland. We've almost dropped the bike twice. Once while on a ferry, with it stopped and with me on it (total amateur move on our part). The second was on a gravel road where someone decided to put a sandbox just for fun. Mark did a great job of keeping us and the bike upright. We have almost run out of gas twice...... This I have nothing much to say about except "You have one job!!!!" All in good fun of course. We do have someone looking out for us though or we would not have made it 40ish km when it said 23 till empty. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/O...IMG_0970-L.jpg This was taken just moments before our first almost nap. See how leaned over it was? The scenery has been amazing but that's not a surprise. The east coast has always been one of our favourite areas to explore. We are so happy we have been able to do it more justice this time than on previous trips. We have seen a fully grown black bear on the wrong side of the animal fencing along the highway and let's not forget the fox, groundhogs, skunk and countless turtles along the way. Of course there was the duck who decided it wanted to play chicken for a while. Awkward!! Luckily we have only seen a few deer from a distance and no moose, elk, reindeer or abominable snowmen. Yet. We have met some pretty awesome people already. A good example is just leaving Tim Hortons and having a couple stop to chat, then another person comes up and another. Soon you're having a full on love fest right there. It's amazing and not something we are overly accustomed to in southern Ontario where saying hi will get you weird looks and possibly a psych evaluation if you happen to be on a Toronto subway at the time. In fact any stop at a food establishment seems to bring on at least one good conversation. We may have to start planning these longer stops into our day so we can plan on less distance. I'm not sure Mark will go for that though. We will have to start taking pictures of these encounters. We are already less hurried than ever before. Of course it's still been a struggle for each of us and to be honest a little difficult between us to get our mojo going. It's actually difficult to have all the time in the world and then decide what to do with it. It's far too easy to let that time slip through your fingers and suddenly you feel like you've wasted so much. We have always worked well together and do our best communicating when we get into a daily rhythm. That's been a new challenge even for us. We are both dealing with our extreme change of lifestyle in our own way and although we each understand the other it is adding a level of stress we haven't experienced before. Mark has been very patient and accommodating with my whims but I can tell it's taking it's toll. I do feel that I'm starting to warm up to the more rustic elements of the trip. The list of things I really hate is shrinking. I'm mostly down to; being cold, mosquitoes and dark, buggy bathrooms. Otherwise, with the exception of being female with all that encompasses, missing the kids terribly as well as the rest of our family and friends and any of the million other things that may bother me on any given day, I'm pretty good to go. Rain isn't my favourite but as long as it isn't combined with either cold or mosquitoes I'd be ok with it now. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-48-29-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...09-50-46-L.jpg I'm not the only one missing things. Our set up and take down routine is becoming a well oiled machine. We are getting everything set up in about 15-20 minutes. Takedown is a little longer at about 45 minutes, but that includes packing the bike. I'm pretty happy about that. It gives us a little exercise in the morning before we eat and gets us warmed up too. It no longer seems like the chore it was a couple of weeks ago. We've also basically found a home for everything on the bike so putting it back is much easier and faster than it was to start with. We have both commented about how it seems like our stuff is taking up less room than it did 3 weeks ago. We have definitely found ways to pack some things smaller like the tent and sleeping bags for example. This adds just an inch here and there to make a significant difference in how everything goes together. I wonder if my hair dryer will fit now?? KIDDING!! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/O...IMG_0963-L.jpg It took almost 2 hours for us to pack up in the morning at our first campsite. I'm surprised the mosquitoes didn't just carry the tent off in that time. The bike has been great with the exception of the tire we had to replace. I was pretty nervous of this motorcycle to begin with. When we left on May 18th it was only the third time I had actually been on this particular bike. It's very different than our ST1300. I sit much higher and there isn't as much room for me as the Honda had. I can feel that it's top heavy as well and this was making me a little uneasy knowing the extra work Mark has to do to keep it up especially in gravel or sand and fully loaded. Over all I like how it feels now. My foot position is better than our old bike making it easier for me to push off the pegs when we go over uneven (translate-bus eating) ground or potholes. It seems to do better on the bumpy stuff for me on the back. Mark doesn't feel this but I definitely prefer this suspension. I do tend to get more wind and rain on this bike though. We have discovered when it's raining that my back gets completely covered in road mess. I'm usually wet and filthy when we stop, so we will eventually look at getting a mud guard or something to help with that. Now that we've managed to put down some miles we are both feeling much more comfortable with the bike overall. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0977-L.jpg Just don't ask me to turn around. It's definitely messy back there. We've been humbled many times over already. Humbled by the weather that has been extra cold and rainy for this time of year. Humbled by the difficulties with our gear choices which we are still in the process of sorting out. Humbled by our two near bike naps. We've definitely been humbled by a few broken things along the way namely a tire and the iPad that had its own dirt nap. Most of all we have been humbled by the generosity of our friends both old and new and by the beauty we have seen and experienced already in such a short distance. We've been down east before but it still rates very high in the beautiful places to go. Not just the scenery but the people are amazing. I'm very happy with the way this adventure is starting to unfold. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-02-13-L.jpg |
We hoped to get out to Brier Island in the morning but it was still foggy and weather was scheduled to move in by 11am so we decided to keep trucking. We sort of backtracked a bit to Digby for breakfast and made a plan to head south and across NS. I say sort of because it was actually the only way for us to go. We're aiming for Lunenburg tonight where Lori found some nice looking (at least online) accommodations. Atlantic view motel, right on the ocean, excellent views, even had pet bunnies.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-32-27-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-41-28-L.jpg Next morning we awoke to more rain and decided to stay an extra day. Our newly Ikea appointed queen room was already booked that night so we moved a few doors down to a more rustic cottage style room with a kitchenette. In the morning we hiked into town for breakfast and to have a wander around. It was nice to use some good old fashioned foot power for a change. We spent most of the morning walking around town in fact. Lunenburg is a very beautiful, typical coastal town with lots of multi colored buildings and gorgeous old houses. There is no such thing as cookie cutter around these here parts. Every home is full of detail, character and style. We both really enjoy places like this. The rain eventually tapered off and I was tempted to hit the road again. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-09-46-L.jpg On the way into town we found the Bluenose II, apparently not sea worthy. Definitely picture worthy. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-11-45-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-13-02-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-20-43-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-21-38-L.jpg Ok so some of the boats need a little work. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-20-54-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-22-24-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-32-53-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-39-57-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-42-05-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-43-39-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-44-57-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-48-38-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-55-20-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-04-19-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-05-30-L.jpg Beautiful B&B that we didn't stay at... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-48-38-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-14-16-L.jpg Time for a drink. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-15-21-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-13-34-L.jpg Back at the motel we found more toys to play with, they were super friendly. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-18-38-L.jpg A little blue goes a long way on a cloudy day. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-21-20-L.jpg Sure puts a smile on my face. |
I have to admit that traveling as a couple involves some compromise. There have been days when we get up and I would like to go but Lori doesn't. We try to talk about this sort of stuff out over the comm units while we ride, it helps keep us from getting too grumpy with each other. Communication is key! The compromise isn't only between us however. I find that there is compromise every day almost, in that we can't spend as much time as we'd like in every place we visit. When we talked about this before the trip, we envisioned staying a few days or longer, where ever we came across somewhere we wanted to spend more time in. And although we have done this a little bit, there's this strange and invisible force pushing us forth, we both feel it.
The next morning I communicated to my beautiful wife that we were leaving ;). We had a fairly short ride to Peggy's Cove. A very beautiful spot but very sad story of Swiss Air flight 111 crashing just a few miles off the coast here back in 1998. The aircraft struck the ocean nose first at a reported speed of 555km/h with a force of 350g, which caused the aircraft to completely disintegrate. The search and recovery operation went on till December of 1999, by which time 98% of the plane (279,000lbs of aircraft debris and 40,000lbs of cargo) had been retrieved. Ultimately it was faulty wiring which caused a fire that was blamed. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-44-55-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-20-37-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-48-02-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-39-13-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-41-54-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-46-26-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-48-24-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-26-54-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-20-29-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-41-59-L.jpg Today was beautiful and sunny day but crazy windy which made the 14 degrees feel more like 4. I was reluctant to leave to bike in the parking lot fearing it would blow over, it was gusting that hard. We would have spent more time exploring the giant rock formations but even with our puffy jackets under our motorcycle gear, we were cold. Our next stop was Halifax. Feeling like we've dragged our wheels a bit already this trip, we essentially only did a drive-by downtown, only stopping for a drink to warm up. Halifax is another city we would like to come back and spend a day or two in. Incidentally, today marks three weeks on the road. Didn’t I just write that it's been two? Wow, that last week seems to have really blown by. I looked back in the mirrors today and the bags strapped to the side cases seem to be getting smaller. Like Lori said, we're managing to pack our stuff more efficiently and every little bit helps. Our first week, it was the exact opposite. Every time we packed up, there was seemingly less space than the day before. After a few weeks, we've managed to move things around so we have better access to things we need more often and have been better able to utilize all the nooks and crannies in our cases. Things feel like they are flowing again for us, our Chi seems to be back. We knew it would happen eventually but it's a good feeling none the less. We camped out at Murphy's on the ocean campground that night, beautiful little spot. They offer all sorts of day trips on the boat and will even take you over to an island if you're in the mood for a really secluded & primitive camping experience. They have a big camp fire with free mussels, entertainment and rumoured cribbage lessons. I was looking forward to said lessons but the cold and windy day left us tuckered out and we essentially passed out after showering and setting up our camp. Next morning we aimed the bike at Arm of Gold campground in Little Bras D'Or with a pit stop in Antigonish (who comes up with such cool names?), which is a few minutes away from the ferry that we would take the following day to Newfoundland. NEWFOUNDLAND I say! |
Welcome to Newfoundland said the sign, or so I'm told. I couldn't take my eyes off the mountains so I had to take Lori's word for it. I actually made a comment that this was the first time I didn't see a sign that welcomed you to a province, instead here they welcomed you with a stunning view. "No, there was definitely a sign back there" Lori said. I did notice a sign a few kilometres down the road warning of high winds. I smirked thinking these aren't high winds, at least not after our high wind experiences so far anyway. Unbeknownst to us, we were passing through the "Wreckhouse" at the time.
We later learned that the Wreckhouse got its name because the wind, which at times is greater than hurricane force. It used to blow railway cars off the track back when the railway was still running trains through here. Needless to say it does what it wants with transport trucks and I can only imagine what it would do to a 2up riding Tiger Explorer. The highway is often shut down along this stretch because of the severity of the wind. As windy as our ride here was, I'm glad we didn't experience the full effect of the Wreckhouse. But let's back up for a moment, I almost forgot all about the ferry ride. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20223km-L.png http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1095-L.jpg We were directed to the front of the lineup, although we got on somewhere in the middle of all the vehicles. It really worked out well in the end as we had enough time to change into our moto gear before departing the ferry in NFLD. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-59-14-L.jpg We had an absolutely perfect day for the crossing. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1107-L.jpg The ferry itself was surprisingly nice inside with plenty of seating (seats themselves reclined and were quite comfortable). The menu at the onboard restaurant sounded much better than the food actually tasted however. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-53-55-L.jpg After dinner, Lori pondered life... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1110-L.jpg We were curious how fast we were going. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-36-02-L.jpg A few hours into our voyage we could see land. Wait a minute... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-36-07-L.jpg What the...what is that white stuff? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-36-10-L.jpg Yup. That's snow! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-12-56-L.jpg Coming in for a landing. No snow anywhere around here, made Lori a happy girl. Although the ferry takes less than six hours to cross from North Sydney NS to Port Aux Basques NL, it's pretty much an entire day affair. You have to be at the port two hours before departure and you also lose another 30 min with the time change. Because of this, we planned on a short ride to our destination that day, the Grand Codroy campground. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-26-36-L.jpg Camp all set up - check. Fire going - check. Ahhh, my work here is done. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-47-32-L.jpg Enjoying a nice evening before the skeeters came out to welcome us to the island. Our trip so far has been full of unexpected events and surprises. Newfoundland certainly falls into that category and definitely into a class of its own. The natural beauty of the island really took me by surprise, right from the get-go. I mean I knew it was beautiful but I had no idea it was this spectacular. The next day a cute name like Corner Brook didn’t prepare me for the mountains with exposed rock and sharp edges that surrounded the TCH as it snaked east. My eyes drawn up instead of on the road and as I caught the bike wandering over into the adjacent lane I heard "mmm-hmmm" over the comms. "You keep your eyes on the road mister." http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1122-L.jpg I tried to snap a few pics with the iPhone while riding, but they do views very little justice. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1131-L.jpg As we rode into Gros Morne National Park, I was blown away even more. I found myself thinking of my dad who passed away about a year and a half ago. He would have absolutely loved to see this with us, this stuff was totally up his alley. My thirst for adventure and appreciation of nature is definitely something I got from him. It was a very emotional experience to ride along this stretch of road as I thought of him. No too many places to stop for pictures, we did find one. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-19-59-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-22-03-L.jpg Snow could still be there in Aug we were told. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-22-07-L.jpg These don't do the views justice, it was really spectacular. Gros Morne is definitely worth a stop if you make the trip to Newfoundland. I just couldn't stop saying "wow". We landed in Rocky Harbour for the night and after checking around, we found a nice little cabin with a view. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-31-03-L.jpg Lori was a bit under the weather so we booked in for a couple of nights. There was a full kitchen and it was nice to cook real food for a change, one thing we both miss very much. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-28-32-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20346km-L.png |
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Fog and rain was the theme of the day so we hung around indoors on our day off. It cleared up at the end of the day and we got treated to a nice sunset. We initially planned on riding along the Viking Trail, north to St Anthony's as there were supposed to be lots of icebergs in that area. But it was single digits where we were and the temperature around St Anthony's was supposed to drop into the minus range overnight. Between that and the fact we would have to double back along the same road, essentially taking us two days to come back to where we were, we opted to head east instead. There are lots of other icebergs to see along the north shore towards Bonavista from what we had read. The next day did not disappoint. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R....05%20PM-L.png http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...09-50-19-L.jpg Woke up to a beautiful day and we hit the road again. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...09-57-33-L.jpg A look at Rocky Harbour as we head out. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...09-46-39-L.jpg Although it's nice and sunny out, it's surprisingly cold near the water where the temperature drops to about half of what it is a few miles inland. Fishing seems so relaxing and fun until you realize what these guys have to put up with weather wise every day. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-22-41-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-05-39-L.jpg On our way into Deer Lake, we stopped in at the Newfoundland Insectarium, what a really cool place. Initially an old barn that was almost destroyed, it was saved and refurbished into a building housing some really beautiful butterflies, arachnids and really cool looking bugs. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-17-03-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-02-51-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-22-28-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-03-21-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-05-59-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-12-10-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-37-51-L.jpg Lori is quick to make friends. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-03-16-L.jpg Some relationships are better experienced from a distance. Speaking of which, we had our first moose encounter on the TCH. I saw it coming out of the bush in plenty of time to come to a stop along with all the other vehicles coming the opposite direction. It casually sauntered over the highway in front of us and disappeared out of sight before we had time to snap a pic. Cool! A short day of only 302km had us stopping at the Catamaran Park campground. Nice and clean and again we were the only campers on the property. Not sure we'd stop here again as it was right off the TCH and we could hear the transports engine braking around the curve where the park was located. We also discovered just how hardy the skeeters really are out here, when the overnight temp dropped to about zero. In the morning, the suckers were still there waiting for us to leave the comfort of our tent. Seriously guys? |
Iceberg Alley
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In the morning we headed towards Gander Bay along the 340. We heard all about the icebergs everywhere but had yet to see a single one, we knew we were getting closer and hoped it would be a matter of time. The scenery flattened out quite a bit as we hugged the coast. Big blue to our left and coastal tuckamore to our right, both seemingly vying for our attention. But as we came around the corner something else stole our gaze. Something big and white, in fact not just one but a bunch of somethings floating in the sea. ICEBERGS! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-34-45-L.jpg Our first ever iceberg...Woohoo! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-42-18-L.jpg We pulled off the road to get a closer look. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-34-59-L.jpg I have to admit that it's pretty mesmerizing at first, but then I realized I was simply looking at some ice floating in the water, not unlike the ice floating in any lake back home in the winter. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-56-17-L.jpg Of course I reminded myself that this stuff is possibly 10,000 years old and has floated down here from Greenland. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-43-55-L.jpg So this ain't your average ice cube, now is it... I wasn't sure if it would be crazy or not, but I broke off a piece to have a taste. I just had to know what 10,000 year old ice would taste like. It tasted, well, like ice. Surprisingly not salty considering it had just been floating in the ocean for a few weeks or more. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-02-41-L.jpg Drunk on ice, it was time to hit the road again. But first I had to pass Lori's test to make sure I wasn't too (ice) drunk to ride the bike. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-21-06-L.jpg You want me to dance like that? I definitely don't have the moves like Jagger...or a whacky-wavy-inflatible-arm-flailing-tube-man. Now that's one test I'm not likely to pass, unlike our daughter who has those WWIAFTM moves down pat. We stopped to fill up the Tiger and asked about filling up our own bellies somewhere in the area. Lady at the gas station pointed us to a diner a few miles down the road. While enjoying some local grub, a friendly local had started to chat us up, in fact we spent most of our dinner talking with him but he left before us. A few minutes later, while we were putting on our gear out front getting ready to leave, he re-appears out of a nearby house and invites us in, says we can stay the night if we would like. Say whaaaat? We were just stunned! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...09-18-46-L.jpg Meet Sheldon. An wonderfully generous Newfoundlander who not only invited us into his home for the night, but entertained us, giving us the grand tour of his little town and the surrounding area. Even drove us out to a great spot to see more icebergs, and then made us a fantastic breakfast in the morning. Just amazing. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-02-46-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-03-25-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-03-00-L.jpg Iceberg on the left looked pretty cool in the shadow. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...on%25202-L.jpg It's been a huge year for iceberg sightings. Sheldon indicated that locals have never seen this many in this area. Not sure if that's a good thing on a global scale but it was incredible to witness. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-13-39-L.jpg It's really hard to put the size of these things into perspective but the houses on the right look tiny in comparison. Other icebergs even further out to sea were much larger, it's hard to comprehend that what's above the water is just 10% of the actual size. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-18-25-L.jpg This little town was just spectacular. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-18-13-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-25-31-L.jpg These guys were towing a giant size berg-cube back to shore. Apparently my idea wasn't that crazy after all. It's common practice for them to bring back the ice and use it for chillin drinks. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-25-35-L.jpg What an amazing day! |
counting stars with an explorer ....
Hi Mark Lori, well done, just a little post to wish you well and safe journey. Good choice of bike, I have her little sis, tiger800 xc :oops2: Have just bought it :thumbup1: following your blog, intend doing the same soon, similar route. am enjoying your account of Canada, cant wait to get there.:Beach::Beach: Have fun guys & keep the rubber side down :scooter: Regards Vince
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Thanks Vince. I actually tested the 800xc first and really liked it. I called it a hooligan bike, it was a lot of fun. When Lori and I went out for a ride and we found it too small for us so we opted for the Explorer instead. So far so good with the bike although I am getting the heads done when we get back to Ontario. When are you thinking of coming to Canada? Cheers, Mark |
exploring the stars .....
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was planning 2016 Alaska pan am highway but if I can get off work early for good behaviour :rofl: then 2015. Am still very much in planning stage though so nothing sure çept the tiger :D and the fact that I will be doing it :mchappy: Guys am a bit worried 'bout yer mounting & dismounting techniques. When I travel two up I keep the nearside pannier free of luggage on top, other one has dry bag on. I mount first hold bike steady and Susie (girl friend :helpsmilie:) climbs onto pillion foot rest 1 hand on my shoulder other hand on topbox & manoeuvres her leg onto the bike ..... reverse for getting off. Susie is small. If u are a bit nervous, leave side stand down as security I did this first few times with tiger ... she big gal, but try holding it straight. With your technique am afraid that your stand will break or bike will fall over, two much wait behind the stand, plus movement of Lori worming her way down :oops2: Maybe you will laugh :rolleyes2: but doing some yoga exercises will help stretch your legs & make it easier to mount & dismount I do this ahem :blushing: Susie also. Practice in quiet places I have the givi maxia 55 on my norge, have also fitted the optional carrier on top of the lid. This means I can put the tent on top. It is a good topbox, extra brake light is crap & a waste of money though. Guys have loads of fun, enjoy the wide open spaces & the road.... keep the rubber side down take care Vince |
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Reluctantly we packed up and left Sheldon’s place in the morning. With spectacular scenery 360 degrees around his home and the ocean just steps outside his door, we could totally see the appeal of living in a place like this though. “If only it were 10 degrees warmer” Lori said. It was however another beautiful day and warmed up significantly as we rode inland. On the way to Bonavista we stopped at Lockston Path Provincial park to set up our tent, thinking we could enjoy the rest of the afternoon and not have to rush back or be setting up in the dark. Within a few seconds of getting off the bike however, we were assaulted by these little flies. At first they were just annoying until we discovered they also bite and I immediately had a colourful name for them that I won’t repeat since this is a family show. Good news was that we hadn’t seen any skeeters, “maybe the flies ate them”, Lori wondered. We set up with haste and left. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-10-18-L.jpg Bonavista did not disappoint. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-10-21-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-12-01-L.jpg As we came up over the hill we saw another large iceberg. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-14-36-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-15-41-L.jpg This one was even further out to sea, we guessed it was at least 100 feet tall. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-19-22-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-24-15-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-26-42-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-24-50-L.jpg It seemed every time we looked around, we'd see another iceberg. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-25-24-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-24-53-L.jpg Cape Bonavista was quite spectacular. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-58-55-L.jpg One final look back. After stopping at Little Dairy King for dinner (yes they have regular food - and a view to boot), we briefly considered staying at a B&B in town as it was getting late and just picking up our camping gear in the morning. Instead I got to watch Lori dive into the tent wearing all her moto gear including the helmet when we got back. Much more entertaining I think. Another moose sighting today, a young male. He was just standing about 30 feet away from the road but took off into the bush as we rode past. |
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As for the weight on the side stand, when flying solo I often get on by stepping on the left peg first and throwing my right leg over the bike. I used to do the same on my Strom. The ST was much shorter so I never did on that bike. Have never had an issue with this, of course that doesn't mean that we never will. One thing I'm very mindful of is the angle of the bike when on the side stand - too leaned over and she will definitely tip over. Too upright and she may tip over the other way, not to mention it's difficult to flip the kickstand back up. We only mount this way when the bike is parked at the correct angle for this. Having tried both ways, Lori prefers to get on the Tiger first. Later when we ditch the camping gear, we'll go back to our usual way - I'm looking forward to having less gear on the bike, that's for sure. Yoga? I've gone from being very active to this, so I am definitely missing my usual routine. We are looking for a routine that we can do while on the road in the meantime. I actually do have the carrier for the E55 and am trying to decide if I want to put it on or not. I prefer to have the weight equally distributed over the side cases rather than having one side case without and moving that weight even higher to the top case. We will be going through everything when we get home for a couple of weeks and re-evaluating our gear list. Hopefully we can minimize our load a bit, so I'm not sure I'll need the rack. |
St John's
The following morning we awoke to dozens of the little biting flies hanging around under the fly of the tent. We did our usual divide and conquer routine where Lori packs up the inside of the tent and I work on the outside when she's done. I figured the time had come to break out the bug head nets and our nylon windbreakers (Montbell Tachyon Anorak). We initially bought them for hiking, but they're bug-proof and at only 1.9oz each are easy to pack on a bike. The combination was just brilliant against these guys by the way. We also managed to set a personal best time for camp takedown, apparently we just needed the right motivation.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20271km-L.png Our destination was a fairly short 271km away in St John's. We had some trouble finding accommodations at first as everything seemed to be booked up, until Lori came across Memorial University with brand new dorms for $55/night. I have to say that we were both pleasantly surprised when we arrived. Our rooms (yes we had our own rooms) were very clean with a desk and plenty of storage. The shower and bathroom were both inside the main unit but shared between the two rooms, a typical university/college set up. We were both impressed and wouldn't hesitate to stay here again. In fact if you stay more long term (month or longer), the price goes down to $30/night. We booked four nights here as we wanted a bit of a break and also wanted to see some of the local sights. We killed day one doing laundry, catching up online a bit and watching the world cup in the lounge on our floor. It was nice to be off the bike and just chill. With free tea and Keurig coffee in the lobby, this place was bordering on all-inclusive. Little did we know the best was yet to come. We eventually managed to wrestle ourselves from all the amenities and made it outside to take a ride up to Signal Hill, where the first ever transatlantic wireless transmission (morse code) was received back in 1901. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-29-13-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-23-53-L.jpg Looking back at the road leading up to Signal Hill, with St John's in the background. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-25-20-L.jpg Even from here you could make out the colourful homes lining downtown St John's. Not unlike the west side of NFLD, I didn't have any expectations of Signal Hill. This only added to the WOW factor when we got to the top and looked around. We certainly weren't expecting this: http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-37-21-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-30-54-L.jpg We guessed that was part of the fort just down from the lighthouse. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-31-43-L.jpg But we also wanted to try to put the size of the iceberg into perspective. You can make out the lighthouse just over my right shoulder. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-33-09-L.jpg Easily one of the coolest things I've seen. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-31-14-L.jpg This one was a little further out to sea, it looked ready to split at any moment. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-38-05-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-38-10-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-39-37-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1167-L.jpg A panoramic view of the entire area. On the way down the hill, we stopped to check out the Geo Centre. The building itself is built against a huge section of rock which is 550 million years old (give or take a week), that is exposed inside the building. The oldest rock on the planet by the way. The GEO centre houses various geological and space exhibits, and we also caught an awesome 3D movie, Flight of the Butterflies while there. But the highlight for me was the Titanic exhibit. Very informative. Another sad story of loss of life, this one a result of arrogance and greed. Leaving Signal Hill, we headed for the eastern most spot in continental North America, Cape Spear. Although it was only a few kilometres away, the temperature dropped from about 16C in St John's to a bitter 6C at Cape Spear. We left our gear on and donned our toques to have a look around. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-02-28-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-07-53-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-05-03-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-05-15-L.jpg We were essentially across the bay from Signal Hill. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-14-09-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-17-46-L.jpg Remnants of the gun battery installed here during the WWII to defend the entrance to St John's harbour. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-17-53-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-18-11-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1180-L.jpg Although it was a pretty cool place to visit, I don't think Lori has officially thawed out yet, so we took off back to tropical St John's after a very short visit. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-42-30-L.jpg Hey, everyone needs a hug sometimes... |
Westbound
After four wonderful days in St John's, it was time to get going again. The vote was in, we would take the same ferry that brought us here at Port Aux Basques. We declined the much closer ferry out of Argentia for a few reasons. It wasn't running for another two days which meant we'd have to stay in the St John's area, it's also an overnight crossing that takes 15 hours instead of 6. Another consideration was that of cost, as this ferry is $200 more and another $200 if we opted for the shared cabin with beds instead of sleeping in the chairs.
Too many factors that didn't appeal, so it wasn't much of a surprise we both decided to ride back to Port Aux Basques. What was a surprise was Lori saying "hey, we should do that ride in one day". Say whaaaat? But that's exactly what we did, 901km in about 13 hours, not exactly record breaking but turned out to be the longest mileage day we've ever had 2up. We made a decision to get home and it was easy to stay motivated to put down bigger miles. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20901km-L.png The forecast for the day? You guessed it, rain and between 9C-12C. In fact with the exception of the four Tim Horton's stops we made that day, 11 of those hours were in the rain. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1184-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0221-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-10-50-L.jpg By the time we pulled into Corner Brook, we weren't smiling. We were soaked through and Lori was turning cyanotic around her lips. I also discovered water getting into the side cases. Something appears to have squished the gasket of the lid in a couple of spots, I guessed this was the entry point. We swapped layers (again) and made a final push for St Christopher's hotel in Port Aux Basques. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-24-28-L.jpg View somewhere along the Long Range Mountains....I think. It was definitely a type II fun kind of a day. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-59-08-L.jpg Snug as a bug in a rug. Our ferry crossing the following day was uneventful and gave us a chance to reflect on Newfoundland. Two things that stand out immediately are the people, easily some of the friendliest & most generous folks we've ever met and the spectacular landscape. We both wished we could have spent another month on the island just exploring. Although we don't exactly have a schedule to keep, we want to get out west before closing time in Alaska. We both skipped dinner on the ferry deciding to stop at the Black Spoon Bistro in North Sydney once we got in. Cozy little place and our dinner was mouth watering amazing, all for about the same cost of dinner on board. Definitely a good call and only about a 4 min ride back to the Arm of Gold campground from there. The following day we found ourselves back in Amherst taking a break at another Tim Wendy's, we also needed to figure out where we'd be staying that night. A few minutes later a blue Tiger Explorer pulls into the parking lot and that's when we met John and his wife Caddie. John said he heard of us from a friend of his who was following us online. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-CwgQNJW-L.jpg A couple of weeks ago, a fellow inmate on ADVrider had told me to keep an eye out for John as he was heading for the Cabot Trail. Lori and I were both amazed that we could run into them, that they would be in the same area of the province and pick the same Tim Wendy's to stop and take a break at at the same time. The world only got smaller as we got talking, apparently we had quite a bit in common (outside of the obvious moto-stuff). We had a great chat and decided to check into the same hotel for the night. John has already travelled to some of the countries we are planning on visiting and it was great to carry on the conversation over dinner. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-7qdqGcS-L.jpg We both went our separate ways in the morning, Lori and I were heading home via the states and John and Caddie were sticking to home soil. Later guys. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-K5jK2Cv-L.png We had another big mileage day as we headed for Gorham NH, which is nestled in the White Mountains a mere 683km away. It's strange but once we decide to go home, we somehow manage to put down significant miles with ease. Maybe some of you find the same thing, but all we seem to want to do is ride when home is on the radar. |
You ARE being watched :eek3:
G'day from Oz Mark & Lori chug I am enjoying the great start to your new life on the road & already, your pics & words are trying to change our planned trip to Canada & Alaska next year. I may need more time away than I planned :D;) Safe travels & keep up the great write up too :thumbup1: Cheers, Grant |
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Hey Grant, glad you're enjoying the trip. Having more time everywhere we go seems to be the developing theme to our trip. We've been thinking out loud about revisiting some of these spots when we get a bit closer to retirement, maybe in a small RV type vehicle. That way we can spend as much time as we would like, of course we may feel that way about everywhere else we go. I have no idea how much time you've planned here, but I have a feeling it won't be enough ;) Cheers, Mark |
Mount Washington
The following morning was like Christmas for me. No I don't mean it was snowing, although it wouldn't have surprised us at all. I had been looking forward to getting to the top of Mount Washington for some time and though we wanted to get home, this was one stop I wasn't going to miss this time. Lori decided to remain at the hotel and get some administrative stuff completed (mainly some phone calls to family to let them know we'd be home in a few days), so I was off to the top solo. WooHoo!
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-K4WKvGf-L.jpg The ride up was pretty cool, first the road serpentines through dense forest, eventually taking you above the treeline. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-8S4KvWC-L.jpg And views like this. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-74DZvwg-L.jpg It seems everywhere we go there is still snow. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-L4SL3B2-L.jpg Found some playmates for the Tiger while I went sightseeing. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-xhGcpH4-L.jpg You can make out a hiking trail off to the right. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-shwfBbh-L.jpg Hello ISS? Yes, this is Mount Washington calling... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-dBqZhxx-L.jpg It feels like I'm at cloud level here. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Dm5Sm2S-L.jpg Built in 1853 and restored in 1987, the Tip Top House is a former hotel. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-F7G6jFz-L.jpg Some more sights at the top. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-f5xSFxD-L.jpg Mount Washington's very own Cog Railway http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-L5ThRpm-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-FXfqf3t-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Pb6r5WH-L.jpg Fantastic 360 views at the top. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-bd4WGQD-L.jpg You can make out a couple of hikers in this shot. To get to the top, one can take the railway, tour van, your own vehicle, or my favourite; your own two feet. In fact many who thru-hike the Appalachian Trail will hike all the way from Georgia to here, before continuing on to Mt Kathadin in Maine (about 2182 miles in total). Another bucket list item for me, but that's another story. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-GF7SSqC-L.jpg Cool little factoid about Mt Washington http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-ZFcHq5Z-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-h9Pvkwd-L.jpg The old...and the new. My previous ride was the ST1300 much like the one on the right. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-xRfsn8p-L.jpg Time to head back down, I think Lori is probably waiting outside of the hotel by now (tapping her foot). http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-CDXCdJQ-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-83gJbqc-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-hzz6LWZ-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-SzBwgmh-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-V5vnBwP-L.jpg Short section of dirt. Of course going down, the driver of the vehicle in front of me must have thought it was ice, they were going that slow. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-L9vPLrr-L.jpg Apparently I didn't have to rush down, Lori was still on the phone when I got there. Because of the side trip up Mt Washington, we didn't get going till about 1130 yet still managed to ride 566km that day. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-TV3dSN3-L.jpg We finally got to experience (enjoy?) some of the heat wave we've been hearing about back home. Good riding (along route 8 I think) once we got into NY, we've always enjoyed going through the Adirondacks, another very scenic area. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-PKwGjPS-L.jpg On the way we passed through Mexico, Russia, Norway, Rome and of course, Poland. This was quickly becoming a real RTW adventure. Of course each of those was prefaced with Town of, or Village of but pretty cool none the less. We have decided to take a break for a couple of weeks at home before heading west. I say home, but what I really mean is our hometown with family. We sold our home last November and have been living a vagabond like existence ever since. In the meantime we have a few loose ends to take care of here. The bike needs service, we have a few gear changes to make and also want to re-organize ourselves a bit before carrying on. It's also nice to see our family and friends again. |
Ummmm, the train looks broken :rofl:
Enjoy the 'home' rest, but don't get too comfy.........we're waiting :smartass::rolleyes2: |
Mt. Washington
You had a beautiful day on Mt. Washington. Thanks for posting the pictures. I went up it last year but the top was in the clouds so all I got to see was dark and cloudy. Good to see what I missed.
Enjoy your time at home. I look forward to the continuation of the journey. Take care, John |
Thanks guys.
I know it can be hit and miss up there, so I was glad it was picture perfect. |
Home sweet home ...
Hi Mark Lori, well done, :thumbup1: you paint a super nice picture of Canada. It seems defiantly a country to take time to explore :detective:.
Would be interested in an equipment evaluation report if you can get it together, also how the explorer done & what mods you intend to make, mmmnnnn no rest for the wicked it seems:rolleyes2: But first a well earned rest & bier with family & friends. Anyways gonna stay tuned, have fun & thanks for sharing Vince |
Hi Mark & Lori.. great blog and brill pics. Like your take on destination planning... 'point the bike and ride to until we want to stop somware' good luck on ur inspiring trip and keep the updates coming. Would love to travel Canada sometime myself... Ride safe
Bones:mchappy |
Quote:
Thanks Vince, I've been wanting to put something together in that regard but I'm running out of time before we get going again in a few days. Too many things to do and not enough time. Bike specific mods are few (other than what I've already done before we left in May). I've decided to add a roto-pax fuel cell and a couple of tool tubes both under the side cases. I'm not planning on running with extra fuel day to day but the fact that we've nearly run out of fuel twice now concerns me a bit. Maybe it's because I've come from a 7.7 gallon tank of the ST1300 and I realize that's more my fault but still, I find the tank on the Tiger small. There are definitely a few places where we're going to have to carry a bit more fuel so I thought I would pick one up. Quote:
Thanks Bones, Our destination planning seems to be as fickle as we are. One day we ride till lunch and we look for a place to stay while we stop for a coffee break, other days we go till dinner before deciding. Other days still, we know exactly where we're going to end up in before we even leave in the morning. One thing that we both agree on is that we'd like to stop much earlier in the day. This part of our trip is still a work in progress it seems, as some days we don't get going till 11am so it's hard to stop only 3 hrs later. So we often find ourselves riding a bit longer. At the root of that I think, is the invisible schedule (that we're not supposed to have). We want to make it out to Alaska and back down to BC for the HUBB meeting in Aug. With that said, we both really like being able to go where we feel like and the ability to change our minds and the direction when it suits us (or doesn't suit us as far as the weather goes). We both like letting our internal compass guide us. We've not experienced that before as there was always a schedule to keep, rain or shine, tired or not, we kept going because we had to go back to work when we got back. Canada is very beautiful indeed, I'm glad we can give you a sneek peek. We've been to the east coast 4 times now and each visit gets better and better. We always find something new to see and it never gets boring. We're both very much looking forward to the west coast as we've never really been there before (except for a 2 hr layover in Vancouver). Thanks for following along. |
Long range tiger
Quote:
Yep a shortcoming on an otherwise xcellent bike. Her little sis the 800xc has the same problem, 19 litre tank. also same glitch with fuel meter, computer tells little lies. Am also looking for a solution. May also opt for roto pax mounted on the left hand pannier (zega pro TT) between wheel & pannier. There is a large gap there. Also thought about mounting 'em under the cases, but want to go off road & am afraid of wiping 'em out on a rock :frown: Will also look at water carrier as well. Or just buy jerry cans en route when needed. Will also mount tool tubes but onto front of sump plate. Looking forward to reading about yer next stage as I plan to come down from anchorage, at some stage :frown: still in planning stage :cool4: Ride save & keep the rubber side down .... Vince |
Back on the Road
View from the back of the bike continues....
Two weeks were not nearly enough time to see everyone and do everything we wanted to while at home. We have been thoroughly spoiled by our amazing family and are already missing them terribly. I'm pretty sure I've cried a couple of buckets of tears in the last few days. Again I have asked myself why would we do this? Again I come up with all the same answers. We are doing this to live, not merely exist in a life of workeatsleep that was our reality for many years. We are anxious to see all the beauty the world has to offer (both nature and people) and in turn share it with our family, friends and anyone else who is interested and may not be able to see it for themselves. Most importantly we are doing this to inspire Michael and Kimberly that they can truly do anything they want in life. They just have to put their mind to it and push on. Life's not always roses but the rewards for putting yourself out there are by far the best. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to everyone and especially to John and BooBoo who have fed us, housed us and supported us on our crazy adventure. We didn't take too many pictures over the last couple of weeks, but here are a few. Going through the bike tightening all the nuts and bolts that the dealership was kind enough to loosen off for me. Taking a break for a photo bomb opportunity. We are back on the road and currently in Ottawa.... Illinois that is. We pushed through a very long day yesterday to get beyond Chicago as we had no desire for the big city life even for a night. (Something I read about 87 shootings on the July 4th weekend reaffirmed that decision) Of course that meant a hotel stay for us as we are now soft from all the pampering. Our destination? West! ~Lori |
A few people have asked us about our gear and what has worked, what hasn't so far, and what changes or improvements we would like to make. After 10,500km over 5 weeks, I thought I would do a quick post and go over some of the changes.
The Tiger With the exception of the tire issue we had at the beginning, the bike itself has been behaving quite well. There is however a "Service Bulletin" (as opposed to a recall, not sure what the official difference is but I suspect it's a legal technicality) on the Tiger for a a head replacement. Sounds pretty serious. It seems only some bikes are affected, however my bike falls within the VIN range of affected machines. So I've opted to have the heads replaced under warranty during out stop over at home. Although the Tiger comes with a 2 year warranty, my main concern is having to deal with this somewhere in Central or South America where dealerships are few and far between. Post-transplant, the bike sounds much better than before the job. That chain-like rattle is now gone and she purrrs like a big cat now. Not sure if it's just me, but it also seems to have quite a bit more power. This one is more difficult to tell because I've removed all the gear which just seems to turn this adventure bike into a crotch rocket (minus the pin-your-knees-behind-your-ears-seating-position that most sports bikes have). Maybe some of you that ride loaded down notice the same thing when you remove all the gear, but she's ultra light and crazy fast now. Incidentally I'm a bit disappointed with the dealership in London (Ontario) where I had the work done. Once home I noticed there were a several bolts that were not tightened well, they also pinched the Stebel horn wire when they re-installed the upper crash bars, rendering it useless and they did not reconnect my fuse block which powers all of my electrical accessories. The fuse block is an easy fix as I just had to reconnect the wire to the battery, but the horn not working is a safety issue. That's a big no-no to me. With that little attention to detail, I'm a bit concerned about what else they may have missed that I can't get to without stripping more pieces off of the bike. I realize a head replacement is not a simple job, but still. They also decided to replace the spark plugs without my knowledge or consent and only told me about this after the fact, at my cost of course. Also they did not replace the oil. Seriously? Yup, "we just topped up what spilled out" was the response. New heads need new plugs but not new oil? Maybe it's just me but that seems a bit suspect. Ok, enough ranting. We've had an issue with the Globescout side cases, more specifically the gaskets on the lids. Not sure when or how, but they seem to have been squished in a couple of spots. My guess is something was sticking out at some point when we closed the lids. Consequently they now allow water to enter during heavy and prolonged rainfall. New gaskets have been ordered but we will have to replace them in the field as we are leaving in a few days and our supplier has to get them from his supplier first. Adding a tool tube and a roto-pax to the underside of the side cases. Although I'm not planning on running with the roto-pax full of fuel day to day, there are a few places we're planning on going that I'm concerned about. Fuel capacity is one area that the Tiger Explorer is lacking, with a 20 litre tank it's a bit small for an adventure bike in my opinion. We're also adding a top rack to the Givi E55 top case. I've actually had the rack for a couple of years now intending to put it on my previous bike but never did. Since I have it, I thought why not. Gives us another place to strap something small & light-weight to. So far I'm not sure I'm liking it. The extra weight causes the lid to flip over 180 degrees which puts extra stress on the little cables holding the lid in place. Before, you could simply open the lid and it would stay at about 90 degrees on its own, now you have to hold it which is a little inconvenient. There are also a few mystery noises emanating from the bike while moving at certain speeds. One I've read is related to the Tourance EXP tires, the other sounds like a bad bearing to me. Both of which should be remedied shortly when I change tires. The tire we put on in Ottawa was actually the same stock Tourance so it's difficult to say whether that's the culprit. Another noise is also an deep sounding oscillating type noise and only during slower speeds (different than above). This one is new and only started after the head replacement. Could be a bearing getting worse or ?? Camping Gear We're happy (ish) with our Sierra Designs Lightning HT 3 tent. It's a 3 person, 2 vestibule tent that works very well for 2 people. My main and only complaint with the tent is the amount of condensation on the inside of the fly, just seems excessive to me at times, even with the vent open. The seam sealing has started to crack and flake off and as a result, we are getting some water coming in during heavier downpours. Otherwise it's fairly light, quick to set up and has kept us dry and mosquito-free so far. I'm tempted to pick up another tent, a 4 person size to give us some more space. It gets a bit crowded with our motorcycle gear (helmets, moto jackets and pants) and us. But I don't really want to add another 2 lbs to our set up. Everything is a compromise when travelling 2up on a motorcycle. One of the changes we're making with our camping set up is our mattress pad, although not by choice. We've had a cat-astrophic failure with one of our Exped UL7's when one of the cats where we've been staying pierced the Exped a few days ago. We walked in to the room to see a cloud of feathers floating around everywhere, exacerbated only by the ceiling fan running. It was funny only in a sad sort of way. We sent the mattress back to Exped for some minor surgery as the hole was way too big to patch up ourselves and in the meantime we've picked up a NeoAir All Season air mattress to keep us going till we get the Exped back. Why NeoAir? Well you see, the Exped UL7's were on sale when we bought them last winter and I just couldn't bring myself to drop over $300 on another one at regular price. We actually bought and returned an Exped DownMat Lite 5 this week, we found it too firm and too thin after testing it for the night. The NeoAir was the next most comfortable mattress we found that didn't break the bank. After spending several nights on the NeoAir, I'm surprised to say it's equally as comfortable as the Exped, minus the down content of course. The NeoAir uses the same material as a space blanket inside the mattress itself vs down in the Exped. The downside is that it has a lower R value, on the plus side, a tiny little tear won't empty out the insulation like the we did with the Exped. So far so good. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-7sxGXm5-L.jpg This could be the culprit but he's not talking. We're also putting our frying pan back in the bag, along with our zip lock bag of spices. This was a last minute cut back in May mainly to conserve space. We both miss eating healthier meals while travelling. With that, I'm also adding a second alcohol stove to the mix, the minibulldesign M4. We've been using a DIY cat can stove I made for hiking (which I absolutely love btw) and at 5 grams, it doesn't exactly factor as far as weight. Why alcohol stoves? Well the biggest reason is that I already had them. Fuel comes in the form of denatured alcohol or yellow bottle Heet, both of which are available at any hardware store or gas station all year round. I was even able to find Heet (which is used as a gas line antifreeze) in Hawaii. We now have a couple of stoves, so there should be no issues cooking a regular meal while we are on the road, something we both hope to increase the frequency of. Moto Gear We've actually made some huge changes here. This is a lengthy story that we'll get to another time. Basically we've decided to go with our original plan which is the Rev'it Sand 2 jacket and pants. We've had these for almost 2 weeks now and we both agree it's absolutely the right call. The Olympia stuff is a fine kit, it's just not for us, more specifically not for us on this trip. It would be nearly perfect as an all around set up if we were at home I think. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Cksh7Dx-L.jpg Sand 2 getting a little nikwax spritz. Our rain jackets have been failing miserably (or maybe I should say failing exceptionally well?). We've had to return both our Rev'it Cyclone H2O jackets under warranty. The velcro tabs at the cuffs have fallen apart and there are loose threads all over the place causing failure in other locations. We're also disappointed with the performance of the single layer construction of the jacket as they get far too wet on the inside. On our 13 hour traverse of Newfoundland, these did not protect us at all it seemed. We had soaked through multiple layers and changes of clothes that day. I realize that 11 hours of rain on any day is a lot but we both feel they should have performed better. The short length of the Cyclone is also to blame here, I feel like a 3/4 design would work much better at keeping us dry, longer. With that in mind we have both switched to the Olympia Horizon rain jacket. 3/4 length, mesh lined, attached hood. We have yet to test them on the road so we'll have to wait and see if they really are an improvement. Personal Gear A common theme is that most over pack for a big trip, not sure we escaped this one. I think we were a bit over packed if only because there were things we did not use during our 5 weeks on the road. Not sure we would have done it differently as the weather was much colder than typical on the east coast. We're leaving behind our puffy (down) jackets which we only brought because we expected to need something that warm off the bike. We also used them quite a bit while on the bike as we did not bring the (single purpose - meaning you can't really wear the stuff off the bike) insulation layer that came with our motorcycle jackets. We also nixed the liners on the Sand 2 gear as they really are single purpose. My intention is to pick up a couple of synthetic insulation jackets to replace both our puffy and bike insulation. We're making a few other small changes with our clothes but nothing extraordinary. Our friend Henry had asked about solar power, something we don't have a need for as everything can get charged on the bike. Our comm units, GPS, phone and other electronics all get juiced up via the 12V on the bike while we are on the go. The only exception is our laptop but so far we haven't had a problem charging it up when we stop indoors somewhere. This is one area the Tiger excels in, plenty of juice on tap with its 950w generator. Lastly, we've added a little orange buddy to our gear list - the SPOT. I've been on the fence about getting one but have finally succumbed to Lori's peer pressure and picked one up. We both like the idea of the SOS button and being able to check in with family when out of wifi & cell service range. Although we love getting suggestions for places to check out while we are in an area, we are typically a week or two behind on our blog so we often get them long after we've moved on. So we have added a link to our site with our current location. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-48-46-L.jpg Oh and I almost forgot, we also added a little pocket camera to the mix, a Lumix LX3. Something Lori can keep in her jacket pocket and is easily accessible while we are on the move. We haven't taken too many pics with it, but so far we're pretty happy with it. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-13-24-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-54-45-L.jpg Crossing over the Mississippi River Ok so maybe this wasn't as quick an update as I had thought. |
Lifes2short....Ride the World
From Ottawa IL, we zig zagged our way north west sticking to back roads mostly, stopping in Nashua and Sioux Falls to camp each night. We had an interesting delay riding through downtown Sioux Falls as traffic in front of us was stopped*while Harley after Harley rode past on the street we were about to cross. Another rider that was waiting with us said there was a Harley rally in the area*and there were about 10,000 going. Camping that night in Sioux Falls was a bit loud as a result.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20844km-L.png My lack of appreciation for the "loud pipes save lives" mentality only grew as these life saving machines rode around well into the night. Of course it didn't help that we were camped out essentially right in the city at Tower campground. My theory is that helmets save more lives than loud pipes, although I seem to be in the minority in South Dakota. I've also noticed an interesting trend that goes along with that. Most of the non-helmet wearing Harley riders don't wave back and I'm wondering if perhaps they're too nervous about taking their hands off the handlebars because they aren't wearing a helmet? Lori and I just can't wrap our brains...around the concept of not wearing a helmet or worse, taking it off and strapping to the back of the bike like we've seen some riders do. Maybe I'm just missing the upside, but the downside would seem to outweigh any positive. Getting to the Badlands was a bit anti-climactic as we spent most of the last day on the I-90. A straight and windy run west but at least it was blowing consistently from the north west. Not a lot of fun but looking at the map, there didn't seem to be too many interesting back roads to get here. Mileage on the bike took a hit as a result of the headwind and we averaged about 32MPG along here - yuck! Highlight of the day was watching a hawk dive down into the grassy median as we approached, only to come to a screeching halt and hover at about eye level as we passed by - cool! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...d%20City-L.png We got suckered in by the map as the town of Wall looked like a good spot to stop before heading into the Badlands. If I had to offer someone advice on staying in Wall it would be: Don't!*I have to say that if I never see another sign for Wall Drug, it will be too soon. If you've taken this stretch of the I-90, you know what I mean. There is a nauseating amount of signage for the place, I mean one would think this is a national treasure of some kind and is the number 1 destination in the entire country. After all those signs, I wanted nothing to do with the place. The Badlands were on both our bucket list's and certainly did not disappoint. It was quite spectacular and totally makes up for Wall. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-07-10-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-07-16-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-09-53-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-15-06-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-18-54-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-21-19-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-34-11-L.jpg The Tiger getting in on the photo action http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-34-31-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-44-00-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-57-20-L.jpg These guys were prolific in the area to say the least. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-03-21-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-21-54-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-39-02-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-39-18-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-43-41-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-48-27-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-15-05-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-32-36-L.jpg The view from the back of the bike…sort of http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-44-01-L.jpg Inspired by Neil Peart's Ghost Rider http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-44-32-L.jpg We left the Badlands via Route 44 and although it doesn't look that interesting on the map, there were more spectacular views and virtually no traffic along here (as evidenced by the parked bike in the middle of the road). Tee Pee campground in Rapid City was our destination for the night. |
The Black Hills
We decided to stay at the Tee Pee campground for a second night and do a bit of riding around the area. On the menu for the day: Spearfish canyon & Mt Rushmore.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-59-26-L.jpg Sunset at the Tee Pee We took Nemo Rd and then Vanocker Canyon Rd into Sturgis and then headed south down via Spearfish Canyon. Decent riding and pretty nice scenery. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-54-54-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-10-05-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-27-29-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-33-25-L.jpg Heading down Spearfish Canyon We stopped in Hill City for a break and checked out the Black Hills Central Railroad Company. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-17-05-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-15-42-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-18-04-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-22-50-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-35-33-L.jpg We finished the day by doing a drive by at Mount Rushmore, while discussing the commercialization of all things natural. Mt Rushmore isn't exactly all natural but I did not know that it has a multi level parking garage at the base. Maybe it's all for the best as it keeps people from crashing into each other. Incidentally I found Rushmore much smaller than I imagined seeing it in person, although still quite impressive. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-03-48-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-05-05-L.jpg Lori snapped this pic blind while we rode past, turned out pretty cool considering. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-05-13-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-06-44-L.jpg Pretty amazing none the less. The Tiger needed new rubber and after calling around, the closest shop that had a set of Hidenau K60's that I was after was south in Fort Collins, Colorado. Hmmm, Colorado eh? Oh and since I've done so much complaining about the crappy weather we had earlier in the trip, I thought I would mention how nice it's been since leaving Brantford last week. I'm usually a bit leery talking about this because I feel like as soon as I do, it's going to rain for a week straight. So we'll see how this goes. But if you never read about how beautiful the weather's been, you'll know why. |
Black Hills II
We took another scenic route leaving Rapid City through Custer State Park, then looped north via Needles Highway before making our way south into Wyoming and Guernsey State Park for the night.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...on%25202-L.jpg Going up 16A off Iron Mountain was just fantastic, the road spiralling upwards and taking us through several single lane tunnels. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-07-28-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-07-54-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-05-26-L.jpg Going through one of the tunnels, cool special effects looking shot. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-08-30-L.jpg Another view of Rushmore http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-09-49-L.jpg Checking out where the buffalo roam I have to say I was a bit worried riding down the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park at first. I wondered if it was even ok to be on a bike on the road but noted that I hadn't seen a sign telling us otherwise. It definitely would have been interesting had the buffalo crossed the road around us. Tiger vs buffalo? Typically I'd go with the tiger in the wild, but I think we may be a bit loaded down for a good fight... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-24-41-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-49-55-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-51-20-L.jpg I was really surprised to see these guys so close to the road, seemingly unafraid, except for one little guy that would take off when a vehicle drove by. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-52-25-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-57-39-L.jpg This guy was hanging out about two feet off the road. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-30-48-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-40-54-L.jpg It was difficult to believe but the views just kept getting better and better as we hit Needles Highway. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-43-00-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-44-25-L.jpg It was one phenomenal view after another. Hard to pass up and well worth it but it did make for a long day as we pulled into Guernsey Park just before dark. We both thought Wyoming was very pretty from what little we saw of it so far. No mountains to speak of on the east side of the state but rolling valleys, cattle ranches and views for miles in every direction. The next day we continued*south into Fort Collins and another state, Colorado. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20CO%20-L.png |
Colorado - Rocky Mountain National Park
You went to Colorado for tires? Well it seems no one else has any Heidenau K60's in stock and this was the closest place I could find. Of course, I've always wanted to see Colorado, so it wasn't a difficult decision since we were only about 500km away anyway. A shop in Sturgis, SD had the same Tourance EXP's that I had been running so far, but I wanted to try something a bit more off road capable to get us up to the Arctic Circle. The K60's are a 50/50 tire so they should work well for that.
It was about 6:30 by the time the tires were done and we had dinner, and we still had no idea where we'd be staying that night. Our plan was to head out via Poudre Canyon as we'd heard there was lots of camping along this road. But after stopping at the GoLite store downtown Ft Collins on our way out, Cooper, who worked there, talked us into taking Trail Ridge Rd instead. This meant staying in town another night. It was Saturday evening and downtown Ft Collins was alive. We both thought it would be nice to hang out and check out some of the awesome looking pubs, maybe find a cheap hotel near by. Yeah right! Everything was either booked up or well over $200 for the night. I knew there were several campgrounds heading out of Loveland along Route 34 so off we went. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-27-48-L.jpg Pretty cool view of the mountains from the Perkins parking lot the next morning. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20342km-L.png Our route for the day. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-42-45-L.jpg The canyon scenery was mesmerizing as we snaked our way out of town west along Route 34 next to the Big Thompson River. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-39-46-L.jpg Once into Rocky Mountain National Park, the snow capped mountains getting closer and closer as we snake our way upwards. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-09-04-L.jpg We pull over at one of the scenic look outs. Yup, definitely scenic. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-10-19-L.jpg We seem to have this knack to be able to find snow everywhere we go. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-11-20-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-17-01-L.jpg I really can see for miles and miles… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-30-53-L.jpg Onwards and upwards. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-44-37-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-48-42-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-00-25-L.jpg We're essentially at the top here, 12,183 feet. The highest elevation the three of us have*experienced to date. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-03-04-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-04-11-L.jpg New rubber lookin' good… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-07-34-L.jpg The view was literally breathtaking. Just walking around with my gear on made me light headed and short of breath. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-04-32-L.jpg Looks like a dip in one of those lakes might be refreshing…It was a very hazy day, so not the best for pics http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-20-43-L.jpg The temperature was 16C at the top. I imagine the snow doesn't last all summer. Of course the forecast yesterday was sleet, so maybe it gets the occasional re-fill. I later learned that some of these are permanent snow fields. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-20-53-L.jpg Nothing like some summer fun…in the snow. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-23-54-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-28-19-L.jpg As with most things that go up, one must eventually come down. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-29-30-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-35-34-L.jpg Near the bottom. I say that like we're at sea level or something, I think we were still about 8,000 feet here. In fact the rest of the next 2 days were spent above 6,000 feet. I noted how exciting*it was to get to the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway at 6,047 feet last time we were there, yet this was one of the lowest elevations around these parts. On the way down, we passed a beautiful campground in a valley, surrounded by mountains. I regret not stopping to try and get a site. We ended up riding almost till dark to Craig, CO before finding a campground that was not full. One of the downsides of trying to camp in the middle of summer and in the middle of Colorado. What a spectacular day! |
Butch Cassidy & The Spanish Kids?
Our day started out pretty average as we decided on Rock Springs WY for our*destination. Lori was starting to feel under the weather and wanted to stay indoors. We headed west along Hwy40 before picking up Route 318, decent riding with almost no traffic on this road.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20241km-L.png Our GPS kept trying to grab my attention by indicating we should turn around for some reason. Usually if we just stick to the route it eventually figures out this is the way we want to go and re-routes accordingly. This time it kept insisting we turn around. I finally decided to pull over and plug in the same destination into the phone GPS to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Sure enough, same thing, GO BACK! Hmmmm. Re-tracing our planned route on the GPS, I could not find any reason why heading this way was a bad idea, so we continued. A few moments later I looked over at a hill on my left and I saw what appeared to be a hand pointing in the direction we were travelling in. Seriously! As we got closer, I could make out that the hand was actually a small dead tree. Still, good enough for me and we kept on trucking. The phone GPS eventually understood our plan and led us up 10N, a dirt road. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-44-18-L.jpg Within moments we were in this canyon. Very cool but also a bit creepy in a way, as there was absolutely no traffic around. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-44-11-L.jpg Fantastic views, we passed a primitive campground a few minutes later but I got the impression Lori didn't want to stop here… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-43-56-L.jpg It felt like something out of a western actually, except we were riding our steel horse. Only thing that would have made this more complete is someone on a horse at the top of one of the ridges. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-00-06-L.jpg We eventually passed a vehicle stopped at the side of the road and I went back to see if they were ok. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-22-36-L.jpg As it turned out they had a flat, so we helped them with the tire change. But first we had to wait for someone with a jack since their Prius didn't have one. A few moments later a real cowboy looking dude passed by and of course had a jack. So we had a group tire change party in the middle of a canyon. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-22-53-L.jpg The couple driving the Prius said they were looking for Butch Cassidy's treasure that's rumoured to be buried in this canyon...somewhere. The cowboy with the jack said he actually knows someone that found part*of it, took it to the bank and was given $500 for it. Apparently the money*he found disintegrated on contact, it*was that brittle. Cool story. We pulled into Rock Springs a bit on the early side for checking into a hotel, and besides we still hadn't booked a place. So we did the next best thing and found a Starbucks. Pulling up we see a loaded KTM Adventure parked right out front with a foreign plate on the back and all kinds of stickers from around the world. Cool! That's when we met Fernando & Almu, a couple from Spain. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-37-20-L.jpg They've been on the road since May 2013 and have already travelled through 26 countries and have covered over 75,000km. We spent the next few hours chatting up a storm. Unfortunately they were heading in the opposite direction. As in exact opposite direction to Ft Collins to the same dealership to get the same*K60's put on their bike. So we told them about Butch Cassidy's canyon and free camping and anything else we could think of. They are heading south into Mexico and are hoping to make it to Ushuaia by March. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-57-18-L.jpg Safe riding guys! What a fantastically serendipitous day. From meeting Cooper the day before who told us to go another way, to stopping to help someone broken down. We would have either gone a different way or been here at a different time. I think it's quite amazing how all this stuff works out. It's meeting wonderful people along the way and experiences like those today, that add to the trip on so many levels. |
Yep......I'm sure every treasure hunter drives the road only, in a Prius :rofl:
Great report Mark. |
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Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, Into Idaho we go
We made our way towards Jackson WY where Fernando and Almu said they found a great campground. Lori's aversion to bear encounters and the desire for more serviced campgrounds (read bathrooms and showers), landed us in Teton Valley Campground in Idaho however. About a 30 minute ride from Jackson over beautiful Teton pass.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20322km-L.png The entire day was filled with amazing cloud formations moving about all around us. We could see the rain coming down hard in some places but we managed to zig zag our way around all the storms. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-08-11-L.jpg We've been joking about how well our new rain gear is working out so far as we have seen about 2 hours of rain since leaving home a couple of weeks ago. Nice! About 30 min outside of Jackson we saw some pretty dark stuff directly ahead. No more joking, we put on our rain gear. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-10-05-L.jpg Where we were heading. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-06-38-L.jpg Where we came from. Both pictures were take in the same spot just looking in opposite directions. Somehow the rain managed to hold off till we were walking into a coffee shop in Jackson though. By the time we left it was sunny again. Of course by the time we got into our campground and set up, the skies were again threatening to dump on us. It seemed to pass us by however and made for one of the most spectacular sunsets I've ever seen. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-47-50-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-54-08-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-55-15-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-59-14-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-59-32-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-59-10-L.jpg We spent the next few days here as Lori was still feeling unwell. We had absolutely picture perfect weather during our stay and it was nice not to have to pack up in the mornings. We're able to cook some decent food thanks to the fantastic Teton Valley Market & Cafe (if I recall the name correctly) about a 1 min ride into Victor. <a href="http://www.subaonmain.com/#" target=“_blank”>S.U.B.A.</a>, a block over, also had a cool vibe to it, excellent music and great coffee. It was a nice way to spend a few hours relaxing. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-59-36-L.jpg In the meantime, Lori was out making friends again. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-18-33-L.jpg Bacon, yogurt and fruit...breakfast of champions? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-46-42-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-28-05-L.jpg Guacamole, chicken, rice and a cold Stella to wash it down with - Yummy! I realized how much I miss this part of camping, just sitting around, enjoying the weather, cooking good food, chillin'. It's also really dry out here, no bugs to speak of here so it's easy to do all of those things. Temperature was in the high 20's during the day but it feels much more comfortable without all the humidity. Lori is feeling a bit better this evening so we've decided to make the move north again tomorrow. It's going to be an exciting day as we ride through Yellowstone and take Beartooth pass out. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-05-01-L.jpg |
Teton's, Yellowstone & Beartooth Pass
Wow, what a spectacular day! We rode through the Teton's, Yellowstone and finally up to almost 11,000 feet over Beartooth Pass into Montana. That's a lot to take in in one day I have to say. I have this strange sensation when we do days like this where the start of the day and end of the day feel like they happened on different days. It's a strange sense of time and place that I'm noticing more and more*on this adventure. Even on a larger scale, it's harder to put into context being in Newfoundland in June and now finding ourselves in Montana.
Time keeps on slippin' slippin'... Another sensation that is much easier to contextualize is that of my appetite every morning. So after stopping for breakfast at a little place called Scratch in Victor ID, the best breakfast burrito I've ever had by the way, we headed north towards Yellowstone National Park. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20400km-L.png http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-01-30-L.jpg Town square in Jackson, WY with its 4 antler arches. Each arch is made up of approximately 2000 antlers and weighs in at about 10,000lbs. It seems no elk are harmed in the making of these as they get the antlers either from an elk refuge or from dealers. It was another very busy and tourist filled town. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-16-56-L.jpg These elk were only a few feet off the road so we pulled over to get the camera out and take a pic. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-21-01-L.jpg Of course we also needed the camera as this was the view across the road. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-24-21-L.jpg Too bad we had just started riding, or I would have sat here all day starring at Grand Teton. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-12-26-L.jpg Entering Yellowstone. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-18-45-L.jpg Within a few minutes, everything opened up. Just for perspective, there is actually a buffalo in this shot. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-20-45-L.jpg Taking a break next to a massive vertical wall. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-21-47-L.jpg As exciting as rock walls are, Lori prefers this view I think. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-59-24-L.jpg We passed another wide open area with several rather large herds of buffalo. This small group was just a few paces off the road. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-33-12-L.jpg I thought I saw a sign for a bathroom up here somewhere… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-33-50-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-38-30-L.jpg No bathroom, but the view was pretty nice. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-39-06-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-46-46-L.jpg Back on the road and heading towards Beartooth Pass. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-30-13-L.jpg Making our way back up into snow territory. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-37-19-L.jpg The temperature dropping to 10.5C as we climbed higher http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-38-05-L.jpg We snaked our way up through snowfields. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-42-07-L.jpg Breathtaking views around every switchback, Beartooth Pass tops out at 10,947 feet. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-58-05-L.jpg The switchbacks continue as we descend back to 5500 feet. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-01-46-L.jpg I always find it interesting to see a sign indicating a turn to the left but the road actually turning to the right first. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-02-02-L.jpg It’s difficult...no, it’s downright impossible to just casually ride a road like this. The constant switchbacks and s-bends just beg for a twist of the throttle at every exit. I have to say that the new tires were just fantastic on this stretch of road. I completely forgot we were 2 up and loaded down or at least didn’t really notice it dropping the bike into the turns. Not sure if Lori agrees, but ultimately it was a safer way to travel along the pass in my opinion. I was either going to stare at the mountains or focus on the riding. I have to give Lori a lot of credit for this ride. Not only for hanging on and not complaining but more importantly for continuing to snap pics the entire time. I think she may have a career in Moto photo/videography, you know like those guys on the back of bikes doing the Tour de France... Just a brilliant day today! I continue to be amazed how the scenery just keeps on getting better and better. We stopped just on the other side of Beartooth Pass at Perry's campground in Montana for the night. The owner wanted to show me the campsites so I hopped in his John deer ATV vehicle with him. As we're riding he asks if we have any food with us, apparently they've had a couple of black bears spotted in the park today. No sooner did those words come out of his mouth, we get to the bottom of the hill and a black bear cub about 10 feet away stops us dead in our tracks. He took off as soon as he spotted us and someone else said they saw mom running after him. Although not my first black bear encounter, this was by far the closest I have ever been to one. Another camper said that the cub fell into the adjacent river this morning and got swept to this side. Mama bear left her other cub on the other side to fetch this one. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell Lori this but also didn't want her to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and come face to face with one of them, so I felt that I had to. I was very impressed she was ok with staying there the night. Ultimately and happily, it was an uneventful and bear-free night at the campground. |
It really doesn't matter where in the world we ride, there is always something beautiful to take your breath away :thumbup1:
What a great day you have had guys & YES, we're all jealous :tongue_smilie: Keep it coming, for us poor people that have to work :taz: btw - great pics Lori :clap: |
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Lori says thanks :) |
Lifes2short....Ride the World
We tried to come up with a plan for the day over breakfast at Cafe Regis in Red Lodge, just a few minutes from the campground. We looked north on the map and saw an ugly I-90 looking back at us, so we did the most reasonable thing we could think of, we headed back to Yellowstone, back along Beartooth Pass. We both agreed it was a road worth riding (at least) twice. It really was that spectacular.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20546km-L.png http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-09-59-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-10-09-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-11-25-L.jpg Climbing back to the top. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-19-10-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-28-26-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-29-39-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-29-56-L.jpg Just as spectacular the second time around. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-33-09-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-34-16-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-36-22-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-37-02-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-57-47-L.jpg Back in Yellowstone, we passed a motorcycle crash scene, Goldwing vs pronghorn. The rider was just being taken away by ambulance as we passed by, we surmised with non life threatening injuries as the ambulance departed without lights and sirens and we could see the medics working in the back. The pronghorn didn't fare as well. Riding into the town of Mammoth was a treat as the streets were lined with elk just hanging out, grazing, walking around, laying down in back yards, front yards, they were everywhere. I say there were elk in the streets! A strangely cool site. We were so mesmerized by the sight, that we forgot to reach for the camera. The ride got more windy as the mountains gave way to more open scenery, rolling hills & ranches. We ended up in Helena for a couple of days. The bug Lori was fighting thought it was time for an encore. Our next stop was in Columbia Falls where I had to pick up a care package. Thanks to Paul at ADVDepot for sending out a new horn and some gaskets for the Globescout lids. We inched our way out of Columbia Falls in construction traffic, passing no less than 15 crosses lining the side of the highway within a few miles of town. A few were in groups of 3, very sad to see. Seems this is a dangerous section of road, I wondered if it was due to animals, winter conditions, other drivers? A reminder none the less that life is short. It's easy to get lost in your own little world while the miles disappear under you, seeing crosses always seems to wake me a bit. |
Glacier National Park
Only Glacier National Park stood between us and getting back into Canada. Another stunning ride today up Going-to-the-Sun Road. Saw a mountain goat casually strolling next to the road near the top.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...oks%20AB-L.png http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-26-28-L.jpg The road would lead us up that mountain…somewhere. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-34-48-L.jpg Pretty spectacular sights. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-42-15-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-48-55-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-49-35-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-50-20-L.jpg I continue to be amazed by the Crazy Ivan's in these parks, who think that the middle of a switchback is an excellent place to stop their vehicle for a picture, seemingly oblivious to the motorcycle (us) right behind them. Because a leaned over, fully loaded, 2up bike is super easy to stop in the middle of a turn, just like your SUV. Gotta pay attention during tourist season! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-50-28-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-51-33-L.jpg Lots of snow remaining up here. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-52-19-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-55-16-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-57-04-L.jpg The theme around pretty much every corner here was, “WHOA!" http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-56-42-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-58-40-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-01-01-L.jpg Some people seem to have tunnel vision around here ;) http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-01-30-L.jpg We hit more (de)construction traffic on the way down as several miles of road is torn up and being worked on. All dust and dirt except for the sections being watered to keep the dust down which are mud. The Tiger getting a thorough dusting/mudding as a result - more street cred I guess. We ended up camping in Okotoks, AB (cool name by the way), just south of Calgary. Another spectacular day! |
Banff & Jasper
In the morning we awoke to water dripping into our tent. Rain? That's strange, the forecast didn't mention rain! We looked outside to find a sprinkler strategically placed on our campsite, so that it covered the picnic table with our towels and about half the tent. Not a great way to start the day. I got no love from the culprit (employee) doing the watering when I brought this to his attention. I was quite unimpressed!
Too bad, overall it seemed like a nice town. We walked to a Shawarma place the night before for dinner, which was excellent and thought a stop at Cora's for breakfast would improve the mood a bit in the morning. We skirted Calgary on our way out of Okotoks and rode towards Banff and Jasper. It didn't take long for the scenery to dramatically change from flat farmland to sharp, jagged peaks of the Rockies rising up from the ground. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20790KM-L.png http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-32-24-L.jpg “Hello and welcome back to the Rockies”, I heard them say. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-34-44-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-58-19-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-02-17-L.jpg If you hate mountains, this place may not be for you. We stopped in Banff for a coffee and found the place just packed with tourists. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-59-24-L.jpg Lake Louise was the same, just teeming with people. It was Mission Impossible to find a parking spot here, we ended up on the curb just as you pull in. For some reason I've always had a nice calm, peaceful image in my head when picturing Lake Louise. In person it was more like a new attraction at a theme park however. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-56-57-L.jpg That's a little bit better. The view is still pretty epic I thought. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-07-20-L.jpg The strange thing is that as soon as we left Lake Louise, the crowds completely disappeared. In fact we found another lake just as beautiful, if not more so, just a short ride up the Icefields Parkway. There was not a single person in sight when we stopped. I think this was Bow Lake if I recall correctly. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-09-42-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-31-57-L.jpg It was one spectacular view after another. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-03-29-L.jpg Lori always seems to find beautiful plant life everywhere we go. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-05-11-L.jpg Although there was quite a bit of road traffic, the area still managed to have a remote feeling to it. In fact we were alone most pulls off we stopped at. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-30-56-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-31-00-L.jpg The Icefield Parkway very deserving of it's name. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-25-16-L.jpg It was another spectacular day. In fact we’re starting to be concerned about all this nice weather - no not really. But we’ve somehow managed to get through the last 3 weeks with only 2 hrs of total rain riding time. Our new rain gear seems to be working wonders! We ended up just outside of Jasper at what we later learned was North America's largest campground, Whistler's Campground. We strolled up sans-reservation and hoped they could accommodate us. After a brief mix up, apparently someone was already occupying the site we got sent to, we set up and rode into town for a late dinner at Famoso Pizzeria. Excellent gluten free pizza by the way. No pics, sorry. I admit that for someone who loves food as much as I do, I'm slacking in the food pics department. I'll make a mental note to improve this. Of course given the choice of pics or eating… I'm also discovering that we're both learning quite a lot about not only ourselves, but each other on this trip. I guess not unexpected considering the scale of such an adventure. We've discovered for instance, that Lori has a significant fear of bears. Although we learned this a few nights back in Montana, camping here at Whistler's where they just put down a bear because it lost its fear of people (very unfortunate by the way) is definitely not helping matters. It was actually the first time we took our bear spray out of the side case. Even at Perry's in Montanta I didn't feel the need to have it out, especially with the large group of hikers having a big dinner and cowboy camping a site over from us. Even still, we're very careful not to bring any sort of food, or scented items into the tent with us. Even our stash of Werther's get's emptied out of the pockets. We all have to make small sacrifices sometimes. In the end, we had a very uneventful sleep. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-15-58-L.jpg Just a few minutes north of Jasper we found a beautiful spot and pulled over for a few pics. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-17-05-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-17-06-L.jpg Obligatory reflection-of-mountains-in-still-pond photo. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-16-54-L.jpg I booked an appointment in Edmonton to get the bike serviced. It's nice to have a 10,000 mile major service interval, but the miles come quick when riding across North America. |
Moving North
Moving through Alberta was somewhat on the uneventful side once we got clear of Jasper. We killed a day in Edmonton getting the bike serviced and ended up in Grand Prairie a couple of days later. I was pretty excited to be heading north, not only closer to Alaska, but I was also looking forward to the extended daylight. At the moment*it’s 10:30pm and it’s still light out.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...201962km-L.png Happy Trails campground in Grande Prairie sounded nice for a stop. We found all the roads are freshly paved with every RV site covered in gravel and fenced off between each other, not exactly our thing, apparently we were in the minority judging by how packed they were. At least the tent sites were at the back in an open field. One thing that has us perplexed so far is the location of the tent sites at most RV parks/campgrounds. All the RV's seem to get all the open spots in the middle of the park and the tent sites get relegated to the back of the park, where it's completely covered by trees and often next to a swamp. This ensures that RV sites typically have less mosquitos and are close to the bathrooms. Whereas tenters are in a mosquito infested area and have to walk across most of the park to get to a bathroom. Do you see where I'm going with this? So far, the majority of RV'ers seem to hang out, well, inside their RV’s where they have all the amenities such as bathrooms, kitchens, comfy living spaces. The tenters, typically hang out outside, since their tents are often on the smaller side (and I think they're just much more social bunch anyway). They also have to cook outside and then there’s the bathroom sitch. Lori wakes up at 2am and is faced with a choice: does she want to get eaten alive outside the tent or make a run for the bathroom? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-54-29-L.jpg It was tempting to put a few more miles down what with all that daylight, but we decided to stop early and take time to swap out the gaskets on the Globescout cases. We had been carrying these with us since Montana and even with our stop in Edmonton, we still had not managed to replace them. I suppose I just wasn’t properly motivated with all the nice weather. The Triple G campground in Fort Nelson has a restaurant with a very cool western motif and makes a pretty mean breakfast burrito. We also met DualSport David from Alberta, on his KTM. He was doing a 4 day, 3700km loop. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-27-42-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-26-58-L.jpg Thinking of maybe riding all the way up to Whitehorse tomorrow, a mere 951km day. According to google, it would take 12.5hrs of actual riding time, so 16+ hrs with stops. Hmmm, on second thought… Our schedule seems to be tightening up now that we’ve booked the Haines to Prince Rupert ferry, not sure we’ll make it up the Dempster. I would say that our days off are catching up to us, but to be honest we really haven't taken all that much time off. Additionally the forecast looks like crap over the few days that we’re supposed to be up there. Not that I care about the rain that much, but the road gets pretty ugly when wet. I've heard it described as a very slippery peanut butter like substance once it gets wet - not something either one of us were looking forward to. Disappointing if we don’t get up there to say the least, but I’m not keen on risking our lives, the bike, huge towing bills just to say we did it. We’ve been talking quite a bit about this over the last few days. Going up the Dempster means we're doing big(ger) mileage days every day till the ferry, while skipping it means we can actually take a day off. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-38-10-L.jpg Animal count today = 1 black bear 2 moose 2 caribou 1 big horned sheep http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-15-19-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-15-27-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-38-40-L.jpg There is a big horned sheep within 10 feet of us here...can you see it? We were experiencing radio silence with both our headsets charging in the tank bag this morning, while Lori had the camera and was snapping pics of anything interesting. We were following some traffic when it all came to a stop on account of the big horned sheep standing on the shoulder to our left. I could tell Lori was snapping pics as she moved around on the back. Later that day, we were going through the pics and for some strange reason I couldn't find the one of the big horned sheep. Lori's response, "what big horned sheep?". "You know, the one where all the traffic stopped, just before Muncho Lake. It was close enough to touch almost", I said. Ever wonder how two people can experience the same event but have a completely different memory of it? That's how. And in other news, our first fill up past Fort Nelson cost $1.79 per litre. The sign read “No Sniveling”. We probably could have skipped this station but I wasn’t sure exactly where the next one was so I thought I would top off the tank. Luckily I only had to put in 7 litres. Maybe I should have filled up the RotoPax here too as the next fill up made this one seem like a bargain. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1324-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-48-39-L.jpg Our next break was just past Muncho Lake, where we stopped for an expensive lunch break and an even more expensive fill up. $1.969 per litre. I wish that was a typo. It’s a good thing we were getting 40mpg on this stretch of the trip, and that this was another small fill up of 8 litres. You have no idea how good you have it back home. A dollar forty-what? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-43-46-L.jpg Muncho Lake http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-43-51-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-46-08-L.jpg The entire Muncho Lake area was very picturesque. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-54-56-L.jpg A significant amount of construction coming out of Fort Nelson gave*the Tiger a bit more street cred. Inside the restaurant I read something explaining why it costs so much to have everything shipped here. Seemed plausible until our next fill up in the Yukon only a 258km down the road, where we filled up for $1.45/L. Not sure why such a difference in cost, I imagined the same delivery truck dropping off gas at both stations. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-02-53-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-08-11-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-16-07-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-33-29-L.jpg View from the back of the bike? |
Into the Yukon
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Another beautiful day on the road. Every so often either Lori or I get this feeling that we're going to see an animal. It doesn't always happen but in this instance a few miles down the road, we see some rather large droppings on the highway and some worn out patches in the grass where you can tell a large animal has rolled around. A few moments later we slowed down to see a herd of buffalo grazing on the opposite side of the road. Although Yellowstone had the highest buffalo population we've seen on this trip, this was actually the closest we got to these big guys. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-37-02-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-37-07-L.jpg We made it as far as Watson Lake today, Whitehorse will have to wait another day. We ended up in a gravel RV park with a patch of grass-like substance at the back of the property. “We don’t offer tent camping but there is a spot in the back corner you can set up your tent. It’s $25 and includes a shower, take it or leave it”, said the owner. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0239-L.jpg Ok OK, we get it... Although the prime spot was already taken up by a couple and their bicycles, we managed to squeeze in beside them. We spent the evening chatting with them, Nici & Philip from Austria, who are riding their bikes all the way to Ushuaia, Argentina. They think it will take them about 2 years to get there. You can check out their Facebook page here. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-22-00-L.jpg Each bike is carrying two 25 litre pannier-bags on either side of each wheel, another dry bag on top of the rear wheel and a handle bar mounted bag. I think they’re more loaded than we are. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-55-31-L.jpg Just a short walk up the road is the world famous Sign Post Forest. Started by Private Carl Lindley, a homesick soldier working on the Alaska Highway back in 1942. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-54-36-L.jpg Currently there are over 72,000 signs in the forest. In the morning Philip told us about another couple they met a few days back, that were hiking (not to be confused with hitch-hiking) across Canada, from Inuvik to Newfoundland. He asked if we could drop off a little package (of beer and chocolate bars) for them if we saw them. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-40-39-L.jpg Sure enough, 120km later, we see a couple pushing a cart down the shoulder of the ALCAN. We pulled over and told them that they might find this a bit strange but we had a delivery for them. They both had this strange look on their faces like WTF? Yes, those insoles you ordered came in and UPS asked us to drop them off…ok, not really. They were both super excited to get the care package, I mean who gets beer and chocolate bars delivered in the middle of the Yukon? I totally love this sort of thing. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-57-23-L.jpg Sarah and Oskar are both from Ontario, she’s from Brampton and he’s from Mississauga, where I grew up. The world got even smaller when I learned Oskar is originally from Poland, where I was born. So how long does it take to hike across Canada? About 18 months give or take a few hours, mostly following the Trans Canada Trail. You can check out their blog at RambleCanada.wordpress.com. On Sarah and Oskar’s recommendation, we pulled in to the Rancheria restaurant at mile post 710 for some breakfast, just a short drive down the road. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1336-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1335-L.jpg A few minutes later a bunch of adventure bikes pull up, followed by a couple more waves of bikers a few minutes after that. We were glad to have our order already placed. We ended up leap frogging with one of the groups and ended up in the same campground in Whitehorse. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-07-55-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-08-33-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0240-L.jpg This really puts the distance into perspective for me. Wow! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-30-28-L.jpg Making good use of our kitchen sink again, handy little thing. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...23-45-24-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...23-47-43-L.jpg Sunset was officially at 10:25pm local time. It finally got dark around 12:30am. Now that’s pretty cool. |
Whitehorse
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Robert Service Campground is located just outside Whitehorse right along the Yukon river, a great spot if you’re riding a bike. First, it is just a tent campground so no RV’s here. Also because we were on a bike, we were allowed to ride in to our site. Anyone in a car has to park in the parking lot and walk in. Something to consider if you have to haul your entire camping set up to one of the spots along the extremity of the campground. Having made the decision to skip the Dempster :( we decided to take a day off here. We’re both getting a little tired of the daily grind and need a break. Ultimately I think we need a vacation but a day off is a good start. The decision to skip the Dempster was a tough one. I really wanted to get up to the Arctic Circle and had this on my bucket list for some time. It came down to weather and timing for us. The weather was supposed to be really crappy everywhere from Dawson to Inuvik and Chicken. Wet and cold. No matter how much we liked Newfoundland, both of these aren't very appealing. Another thing I wasn’t looking forward to is the peanut butter like substance the Dempster turns into when wet. Had I been riding solo, I probably wouldn’t have given it much thought and just gone. Being loaded and 2 up, I had to ask myself how badly I wanted to get up there, and why. Going just to say that we went isn’t really all that important to be honest. Riding up the Dempster also meant we would have to ride every day till we met the ferry in Haines 10 days from now, without a break. We were both tired as it was, and another 10 days without a stop was not all that super appealing. Not to mention if we had any sort of issues along the way. It left us with little room for error. Skipping the Dempster also opened up our schedule a bit. We could take a day off here in Whitehorse and another day in Anchorage. It also meant we’d stay with nicer weather for a bit longer. We might also be able to get down to Valdez or Homer, although they are currently having some very significant rainfall… The other issue we were having with rain is that our tent was leaking. At first we thought it was all the excess condensation but turns out that the seam tape used on the tent is flaking off and the tent is no longer waterproof. In fact, it hasn't been for some time. Good thing we've seen a little of the wet stuff. Considering the tent was bought new only a few months before, I didn’t think overuse was to blame. To make a long story short, when we stopped in Fort Collins we had eyed another tent at REI that was actually bigger but somehow managed to pack smaller than ours, at a small weight gain. At the time, we decided against it due to cost. A few days later I looked in my inbox to find REI sent me a 25% discount code for a single item, it was hard to pass up. Only hitch was that the tent was now out of stock and on back-order. We took a chance and ordered it to be picked up in Anchorage, hoping that it would not only be back in stock but also shipped by then. The good news is that it's shipped. The bad news is that it's scheduled to get there the day after we leave Anchorage. Hmmm, should be interesting. We walked into Whitehorse along the scenic Millenium trail that runs follows the Yukon river, both conveniently located right behind our campsite. Had breakfast at the Burnt Toast Cafe, food was great, service on the other hand, let’s just say it was abrupt. What the “please let us seat you” sign actually meant was “let us yell across the room and point to where we want you to go”. I realize that service expectations might be somewhat different up in these parts but it was almost comical watching the staff. They must not be hurting for business, even though we watched some folks leave before ordering anything. We also managed to kill several hours at Starbucks uploading pics and blog posts, free re-fills and free wifi always draws us in. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-41-01-L.jpg Dinner was great...wait...what? Is that a backless shirt? Why yes it is. The dude wearing it was a Rod Stewart look alike. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-41-52-L.jpg Oooh, I think I want one of those… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-54-32-L.jpg What would you do for a Klondike...boat? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-22-39-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-31-48-L.jpg After a nice 2 day break we left for Tok. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...16-48-47-L.jpg On the way, Destruction Bay was quite a treat. Spectacular scenery and perfect weather. We also took a break here for some lunch. I wouldn’t recommend the burger(like product), although the poutine was decent. Diet is so important when travelling after all. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-22-30-L.jpg Massive moose head hung up on the wall of the place, ads for air tours of the glaciers and they were even hiring. Seems everywhere we go, places are hiring. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-25-39-L.jpg Lots of construction along the ALCAN. Lots! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-15-47-L.jpg We stopped for some obligatory pics at the Welcome to Alaska signs just before crossing the border. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-16-30-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-20-38-L.jpg Tigger posing for a pic. Speaking of which, we crossed the Canadian border entry point about 30km’s before the US border. Weird. We wondered what was in this no-mans land, although the speed limit signs in KM/H give it away. Of course we’ve also crossed another time zone entering Alaska. Cool. |
Alaska
Just before crossing into Alaska, we passed the 20,000km mark for the trip. Wow! We’ve really been putting some miles down so far and are both starting to feel it.
Alaska can be summed up into one word. Actually, no it can’t. It has turned out to be the visual highlight of our trip so far. If I had to start somewhere it would be with stunning! There are literally glaciers after glaciers, after glaciers…you get the idea. Within moments of crossing the border we had a black bear and her cub cross the highway in front of us. We slowed down well in advance to let them cross and only continued once they were up the hill. About halfway up the hill mom stopped and looked back to see if we were following, then took off after the cub. Pretty cool. There are two cool campgrounds in Tok, actually probably more, but 2 you should stay at. On our 1st stop here we stayed at the Sourdough campground just south of Tok right off the Glenn highway (I’ll get to the other campground later). Cool place, the owners do a performance of some Johnny Cash and other old school tunes most nights. They actually sounded very good. In the morning there is all you can eat pancakes if that’s your thing, or you can ride into town for some real food. In the morning we made some tea while packing up and stopped at the grocery store to pick up some snacks before heading out. Which way to go though? Valdez sounded like a not-to-be-missed spot but they had been having record rainfall for June, July and now in Aug. The forecast showed nuthin’ but rain for the rest of the year. It didn’t take much convincing on Lori’s part to aim the bike for Fairbanks instead, where it was sunny and warm. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...%20957KM-L.png http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-26-49-L.jpg About halfway between Tok and Fairbanks lies Delta Junction, where the Alaska Highway comes to an end. We had travelled all 1387 miles (2219km) at this point. Fairbanks was an interesting day for us. We stopped at a scenic pull off during the morning and a moment a moment later another loaded bike pulls over and we met Daniel from Germany, who's pedalling his way to Ushuaia. You can find him online at Panamerica, a dream? | Just another WordPress site. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-10-21-L.jpg He told us about his bear encounters so far and having to use his bear spray on a black bear just a few days before, which didn’t exactly add to Lori's comfort level of being up in Alaska. It’s definitely a little different being all alone on a bike up here. A benefit of having a motorized version is that they’re a little louder and can outrun bears a little easier than bicycles. He also explained that he found having a third wheel much more stable and how he had all his electronics charging off it. We ended up in a campground in town right next to a fair. It was one of the least communicative days we’ve had to be honest. Lori wanted to hang out at the fair and I wanted nothing to do with big crowds and loud places. Spending nearly every waking moment together and doing over 21,000km in 2.5 months was starting to catch up to us. Neither one of us ended up too happy this day. At least there would be little chance of a bear encounter with all the noise next door. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-29-31-L.jpg It was definitely one of the more unique campground offices I've ever seen. Fit for a Hobbit I say. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20Hwy%29-L.png We left Fairbanks the next morning in silent running mode. It was a beautiful day and although we were only an hour or so outside of Fairbanks, we could see Mt McKinley quite clearly way off in the distance. Little did we know it would be our best view of the mountain. We had a very long chat about the previous day and essentially a status check with each other. It turns out that all the camping, bugs, Alsaka, bears, camping near bears in Alaska, all of this, is pushing Lori’s personal comfort zone in every way. In the meantime, here I am having a blast. She’s wishing we could stay indoors more often and I’m hoping we ca do some stealth camping. Hmmm! Well it all kind of came to the surface around Fairbanks. I’m not sure what kind of solution we arrived at, if any, but it was really good to discuss it all. Communication is one of those key things when travelling with a partner, whether a spouse or a friend. Expectations and comfort zone play a huge factor in enjoyment of the trip. It’s really difficult to make everyone happy 100% of the time. Like any relationship, there has to be some compromise. We continued on and after a stop in Cantwell for the night we took off down the Denali Highway in the next morning. Don’t let the word highway in the name fool ya. It’s paved for about 2 miles at the west end where we started and another 21 miles at the other end. Everything in between is anything from washboard, to potholes, to loose gravel to nice dirt to really crappy dirt. Overall not too bad riding though, we were still cruising along most of it around 80-100km/h http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-47-22-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-43-46-L.jpg The scenery made concentrating on the actual road that much more of a challenge. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-47-45-L.jpg Mesmerizing suff out here. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-54-43-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-43-52-L.jpg I want to say that the Denali Highway felt very remote, but it was actually the busiest road we experienced in Alaska. It was crawling with hunters on their ATV’s and RV’s. As it turns out we were here on a Saturday. Animal sightings today = 1 squirrel. We stopped about halfway down the highway for a break at The Sluice Box. A bit dark inside, the place was covered with dollar bills on every wall and ceiling. Lori had read somewhere about this old cabin circa 1900 being off the Denali and we had been on the look out for it. The dude at The Sluice Box said that it must be about 2-3 miles down a dirt road just past the bridge right off the Denali Hwy towards some mines. Well off we went in search of this mystical cabin. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-51-21-L.jpg Looks good enough to be a golf course down there. Well after 10km we finally gave up and turned around. Bike eating potholes, 3 water crossings, some excellent views but no cabin. No mines that we could see either. Nice little side trip but we were glad to be back on the main highway. We had seen plenty of the Denali and decided to head back towards Cantwell instead. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-08-09-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-34-50-L.jpg Maybe this was the cabin, I dunno. Glad I didn't have to cross this water though. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-39-07-L.jpg Someone was nice enough to build a little rock bridge over the river. We pulled in to the only gas station there and met up with a group of guys from Columbia riding MotoQuest rentals. The one guy nearly dropped his big GS1200 trying to get on, he was a bit vertically challenged for the big bike. Or maybe he just didn’t have enough gear piled on to lower it, I wondered ;). Moments after filling up, the owner came out and covered up all the pumps with plastic bags. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1360-L.jpg No more gas! This is why you fill up pretty much every chance you get up here. You just never know when a gas station is going to run out of gas. All fuelled up, we headed south only stopping at the north and south view points for McKinley. Only the south gave us a little peak through the clouds. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-18-37-L.jpg Pretty cool sight actually. A few moments later it was completely enshrouded in cloud. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-24-30-L.jpg There was still plenty to see from the south viewpoint. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-42-01-L.jpg We pulled into the Big Bear campground in Wasilla after hours and set up in one of the middle spots where RV’s park. I know, I know, living on the wild side. There were plenty of vacant RV spots so we didn’t think there would be any issue with it. We'll plead ignorance in the morning. The following morning we awoke to another tent set up in the RV section, perhaps inspired by our brash disregard for campground protocol. |
:rofl: at the campground rebels:thumbup1:
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Alaska II
When checking out, the lady at the campground said she would normally charge us the full rate since we camped in an RV spot but if I didn't say anything she would cut me a break. Not only did she not charge us for the RV rate, she also gave us the Good Sam discount which was a couple of bucks less than the regular camping rate, score! Thank you!
Lori booked us into a B&B in anchorage for a couple of days. The B&B is basically a regular house in a regular neighbourhood. Our bed was comfortable enough and the room had a retro music motif going on. Breakfast was ok, definitely not as fancy shmancy as the B&B we stayed at in Quebec, which set the bar pretty high. We spent a couple of hours at breakfast chatting with another couple staying there, then spent another couple of hours on the phone calling family back home. It was well into the afternoon before we finally made it out the door. We were both super hungry by then so we decided on an early dinner at Moose's Tooth, for some Za! The next morning while having breakfast, I got an email from REI saying our tent had arrived. Woohoo! Good thing as we were leaving Anchorage today. Our old tent, the Sierra Designs HT3 Lightning had been leaking for some time. The seam tape had started to flake off pretty much everywhere and although I tried to clean it up and re-apply seam sealer, I ultimately thought it was a bit premature for a tent to have such a problem. Since we bought our old tent at REI back in Feb, we were able to return it no problem. Not sure how it’s possible, but when looking at both packed tents sitting next to each other on the counter, the new REI Half Dome 4 actually packs smaller, go figure. In the end, it cost us less than $40 to upgrade to our new home. Not a bad deal. Before we could even leave the parking lot of the REI, we met a young dude, Chase, who is about to drive his custom built Isuzu from Mexico to the east coast and then eventually down to Ushuaia. Cool! We’ve lost track of the number of conversations we’ve started in a parking lot next to our bike. It typically goes like this: We pull up to a Tim Hortons (insert your favourite coffee shop here), get off the bike and someone comes up and strikes up a conversation. 15 minutes later we make it inside and order something to warm us up and someone else strikes up a conversation with us as we sit down at a table. Then when leaving we get our jacket, earplugs and helmet on, and sure enough someone comes up and starts up another conversation. Off come the helmets and earplugs, cause you know, I CAN’T HEAR WITH THEM IN. But seriously, it’s been a blast meeting new people this way for us. The loaded Tigger seems to attract a great deal of attention and people are always curious. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...201217km-L.png It was noon by the time we rolled out of town so we went back to Wasilla (or Wasabi as I called it for some reason) for some lunch. Finally getting back on the ROAD, we snaked our way out of town through another small town and along a massively wide riverbed that was a relative trickle now in August. Between the river and the mountains behind it, it was difficult to keep focus on the road. I gave myself a virtual smack for taking one of the turns a bit wide which sent us across the double yellow. Luckily no other vehicles occupied that space at the time. Both the frequency of snow capped peaks and the size of them increased as we rode on. Ultimately it was about 200km before the scenery flattened out. But before it did, we got treated to several glaciers. The largest (or so it seemed) and closest to the road was the Matanuska Glacier. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-16-12-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-17-54-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-19-37-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-38-26-L.jpg Simply mesmerizing! Virtually no cars occupied the parking lot or the pull off another half mile further up the road. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-47-40-L.jpg We kept up a pretty good pace after that running into some strong winds about an hour outside of Glenallen. We also ran into (or rather "out of") another problem we haven't had since the east coast. We almost ran out of gas. We pulled into Glenallen on fumes and filled up on over 5 gallons. 19.54 litres to be precise, out of a possible 20 litres. Approaching Glenallen we got another beautiful treat in the form of, yup you guessed it, another mountain range. This time it was the Wrengell's. Wow! I thought if we run out of gas, at least I have that view if I have to walk. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...23-02-06-L.jpg Just after leaving Glenallen we came across an airstrip with Mount Drum in the background. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...23-01-46-L.jpg Please believe me when I say that the pics don't even come close to doing this justice. It was almost surreal! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...on%25202-L.jpg Tigger always trying to steal the spotlight... The GPS indicated we'd be in Tok at 9:20 so we cranked the throttle a bit, trying to make up a few minutes. We both wanted to get in as early as we can due to the really long day we have tomorrow but also didn't want to be on the road so late in the day with all the wildlife out here. All of a sudden we got passed by a van so we kept it in sight till Tok. I didn't mind doing 85 for a while, especially knowing the van in front of us was paving the way. We passed a couple of vehicles heading in our direction and maybe two heading in the opposite. The road definitely had a remote feel to it. I asked Lori if she still felt the same about the remoteness of the roads, like she did earlier, “no, not nearly as much," she replied. We pulled up to the campground right at 9, Thompsons Eagle Claw. Definitely highly recommended for bikers. Due to our (hopefully) early departure tomorrow, we opted for a bunk cabin to help speed things along in the morning. Our new tent would have to wait. $20 for the both of us and we even got to use the wood burning outdoor sauna. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-20-59-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-21-45-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-22-10-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...01-30-15-L.jpg You can even sleep in an old ambulance. The place is just too cool! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-23-34-L.jpg Packing up our cabin in the morning. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-45-10-L.jpg Somewhere along the way we noticed the sun halo above us. I’m not sure I can describe how I felt today. The day definitely typified what Alaska is all about for me. Remote, mountains, glaciers, just mesmerizing stuff. I’m tempted to end the Alaskan story right here. But the next day, we left Tok and headed for Haines, Alaska. The coolest part is that we’ll be in Alaska, Yukon, BC, and back to Alaska all in a single day. About an hour outside Beaver Creek, we saw our first Grizzly bear, as it crossed the road in front of us and then ran along side the bike on our left for a bit before zagging into the bush. Construction was pretty shitty today and the weather around Destruction Bay was bitter at best. Once into BC, the temp dropped to 9.5C at the peak of another mountain range. Amazing cloud formations enveloping the mountains around us. Even at 3,000 feet, we were essentially in the clouds. The landscape appeared to be more tundra than anything else. No trees what so ever, just shrubs and rocks. Definitely the coldest we've been in the last 5 weeks. We put our rain jackets on as it started to sprinkle, actually I think it was more the fact we were traveling through the clouds at the time but it definitely helped warm us up a bit. Of course we started descending almost right away and within minutes we were at the border crossing, where it was back to a balmy 15C. Other than the cold, it was a stunning ride into Haines. Even sitting here at the Bamboo Room splitting an order of fish and chips ($24 for a regular order of fish& chips on the coast - WTF?) we could see glaciers on the mountains surrounding Haines. Spectacular! Tomorrow we’re taking the ferry from Haines to Juneau, then to Prince Rupert. Here's a little video I've stitched together of our Alaska trip with a sneak peak of the ferry crossing. |
Nice photos, I took that ferry in the opposite direction last year, stunning and a highlight of our trip, hope you are as lucky as us with the whale watching!
Safe travels Gino |
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Lifes2short....Ride the World
We ended up skipping some of the spots we were hoping on visiting due to the record rainfalls along the coast in Alaska this summer. Valdez, Seward, Homer, all will have to wait for another trip.
Haines was also a wet experience, from the time we arrived to boarding the ferry the next morming. Our dry spell was officially coming to a close, over 5 weeks with less than 3 hours of rain while riding was pretty amazing. Although it was cold and the clouds hung low hugging the surrounding mountains, we still spent most of the crossing topside under the covered (and heated) section. There is a helicopter landing pad next to the covered section where you can actually camp overnight. I think that would have been a pretty cool experience but we were getting off in Juneau a few hours later anyway. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-25-13-L.jpg Our escape pod at the ready. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-26-19-L.jpg The clouds parted every so often at what seemed the perfect times. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-36-12-L.jpg Waterfalls and glaciers everywhere. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-49-27-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-49-00-L.jpg Just stunning. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-50-59-L.jpg We could have taken this ferry all the way to Prince Rupert, but for some reason the more direct route would have us arriving in Prince Rupert after midnight, so we opted for the one day lay over in Juneau. We had a few hours before we could check into our accommodations for the night, so we hit the town. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-36-14-L.jpg Dinner at the world famous Red Dog Saloon. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-59-28-L.jpg Pretty cool place inside, everything from the entrance way, to the staff wearing period costumes (at least the ladies), to the sawdust on the floor and live entertainment, all fantastic. We stayed at the International Youth Hostel, and contrary to the name, there are no age limits to stay here. Nice place, strict rules (so no setting up your tent in the wrong spot), clean, laundry facilities, but it’s located on the side of the mountain essentially, so parking the bike took a little thought. You also have to sign up for a chore but for $12, I think it was an excellent bargain. The next morning we left the bike parked at the hostel and spent the day walking around town. Our motorcycle rain jackets coming in handy here, although most sidewalks downtown are sheltered by a canopy. We stopped at The Rookery Cafe for brekky (a little pricey but overall excellent), and later had an early dinner at Hanger on the Wharf (much more reasonable $ wise) and excellent views as it's located right on the water. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_0244-L.jpg Found this little gem in one of the stores. Hey everything's better with bacon after all. It was a soggy but enjoyable 2 days in Juneau. As we rode to the ferry later in the afternoon, we got treated to another dumping of rain, and not one but 3 bald eagles perched on the light fixtures along the highway. "Nothing combustable, no spare fuel, anything like that?", asked the crewman as we were about to board the ferry. "Nope", was my response. As we pulled away, he yelled at us to stop. "Then what's that?", he yelled pointing at the RotoPax under the side case. Oh oh! "A spare fuel canister...but it's never been used", I yelled back. "Never?". "Nope, as in it's essentially brand new", I replied. "You just said the right words", he said, "carry on". Whew! Of course I completely forgot about the bottle of stove fuel that I have strapped between the side case and the bike. Good thing his eagle eyes weren't working overtime. Another thing to note if you ever find yourself taking these ferries is that you need to bring your own straps to tie the bike down. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...22-48-11-L.jpg Lori taking a picture of me trying to take a picture of our cabin aboard the Taku. I'd love to show you what my photo looked like, but the camera refused to take a picture for some reason. It was right at this moment that I realized why the Nikon wasn't taking any pics. We lost the memory card. Luckily, we had just transferred over all the pics from the card to the laptop that morning. Whew! Our cabin was quite small, although worth every penny of the $60 we paid for each night. It came with a bunk bed and it's own bathroom. As appealing as camping on the top deck was (at least for me), it was nice to have our own little space and our own shower. If you're tenting, you have to take the tent down every morning as the area is used by everyone on board. Or of course you could forgo the tent and cowboy camp instead (just the mattress pad and sleeping bag). http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...23-42-20-L.jpg We got settled in and made our way back outside just in time for departure and what turned out to be a spectacular sunset. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...23-44-05-L.jpg Mendenhall Glacier coming into view as we pulled away from port. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...23-50-27-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...23-44-30-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...23-47-11-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...23-53-56-L.jpg Watching the clouds you'd swear they were alive. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...00-01-38-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...00-03-37-L.jpg A final look back. Wow! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-52-31-L.jpg After a great nights sleep, we awoke to a beautiful sunny and crisp morning. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-00-01-L.jpg This was most of the scenery today. We actually decided to put the camera away and enjoy the rest of the day just hanging out. Later, Lori took an afternoon nap while I caught up on the blog a bit. Of all the port stops the ferry made, Petersburg was the most entertaining. The sun had set about an hour before and it was completely dark when we departed Petersburg for Wrangell. At first I thought we were going back the same way we came into Petersburg as the channel straight ahead looked way too narrow for a boat this size. Nope. Ahead full it was. I could make out the sea of red and green beacon lights in front us that we would have to navigate, they were all over the place, some to the left some to the right, like a maze almost. If this was a highway, we surely would have seen the "winding road for the next 15 miles" sign. "This should be fun", I thought. We grabbed a seat at the front of the boat next to about a dozen other passengers. Every few minutes we'd see the big spotlight shine onto shore, checking how close we were, and close we were! I could have easily tossed a baseball underhanded to someone on the shore. The Helmsman was just putting on a show as we were literally zig zagging our way through the narrow channel. In fact Lori left and returned a few minutes later with popcorn, this was better than going to the movies. I wondered if it was more exciting to see this during the day or night? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-03-12-L.jpg The next morning we encountered some cool looking fog on our port side. It was also apparently a good time to complete the "weekly abandon ship drill". I wasn't sure if this was something we should be concerned over or not, you know, "oh it's only a drill", meanwhile...Ultimately it really was a drill and we sailed on without incident. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-21-15-L.jpg Star(jelly)fish? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-00-54-L.jpg The elusive tail shot, or about as close as we got to one. Although we did see some whales today, they were a significant distance away for any good photos. We’re not too disappointed though, our best whale watching experience continues to be in Maui, where we spent 2 fantastic weeks camping in early 2013. The whales that are in Alaska in the summer can be found migrating to Maui for the winter. So if you miss them here, I guess you’ll just have to book a flight to Hawaii. Overall we really enjoyed the ferry. Everything I read about it, prior to booking it was that it was fantastic. It was one of the reasons we decided to take the plunge ;). I have to agree, it was one of the best experiences we've had. It really added so much to the Alaskan leg of our trip, not only did we get a break from riding, but the scenery was just incredible. The sailing was smooth for the most part, Lori said she woke up the first night due to the motion, where I found that it actually helped me sleep. Food was very good, better in fact than the ferry to Newfoundland. Lori feels at home by the sea so this was an absolute treat for her, for us both. It was nice to have he downtime and we both felt like we just had a mini vacation by the time we pulled into Prince Rupert. |
Excellent pics thanks Mark :thumbup1:
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Horizons Unlimited, here we come
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We arrived in Prince Rupert somewhat refreshed from our mini vacation on board the Taku ferry. Our next destination? The Horizons Unlimited (HU) meeting in Nakusp. We were also super excited about having upgraded our accommodations to something waterproof as it rained our first night in Hazelton. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-53-14-L.jpg Hagwilget suspension bridge just outside Hazelton, BC, is a single lane bridge 460 feet in length and suspended 262 feet above the water. Day 2 weather began overcast and we quickly rode into rain. It was teeming by the time we rolled into Prince George. I guess it was appropriate enough as we were celebrating our 3 month-iversary on the road. The odometer indicating we had travelled 24,500 km's in that time. We were essentially on pace to ride 100,000 km's in one year. 2 up! In 3 months, we've gone coast to coast, Newfoundland to Alaska, and then some. We really have to slow down. Our camping experience in Quesnel that evening, or should I say mine, was also appropriate for our anniversary. While using the campground shower, I reached up to adjust the shower head as it was directed at the side of the shower stall. A second later I was standing there holding the shower head in my hand. It had simply come off the wall, with significant ease I might add. The water as now shooting out like a jet at the side of the shower stall. I had already spent the first 2 minutes of the precious 5 minute shower time allotted by my 2 Loonies (paid shower) waiting for the hot water to arrive and now I had some plumbing to do before getting to the actual showering part. Then just before climbing into to the tent for the night I went over to use the faucet at the neighbouring campsite to brush my teeth, since our site didn't have any water. I reached down to turn the water on, and immediately the water shot out every which way but down, spraying all over my pants. Seems someone thought it would be an excellent idea to screw a bottle cap to the end of the tap. Total Mr. Bean camping experience. Or perhaps the universe just giving me a gentle poke. Things aren't always going to go your way. This is how we got started remember? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...IMG_1392-L.jpg The next morning we headed into town for a Tim Horton's brekky but found Granville's Coffee shop serving up real breakfast so we ended up there. Cool little place. The temperature was up and down all day today. We started out at about 15C and were up to about 30C by the time we cruised through Cache Creek. The landscape dramatically different here, super dry, it looked like it would make a great backdrop for a western. After a stop in Vernon to do some laundry and dinner, we ended up in Lumby at a municipal campground for the night, and back down to about 15C. We were left with a relatively short 150km ride to Nakusp the next day. Between us and Nakusp stood a short ferry crossing in Needles and one of the most fantastic roads in BC, highway 6. Super twisty and freshly paved. Zoom zoom zoom! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-14-29-L.jpg Stopping for a round of golf? Nope. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...12-42-57-L.jpg As we rode past we saw this sign and a bunch of motorcycles parked out front. So we decided to pull in for some brekky. Happy to arrive a day early for the HU meeting, we had our pick of camping sites. It was actually nice to stay in the same place for several days, in fact we had trouble leaving after the HU meeting and I became concerned we were growing roots, but I'll get to that shortly. Yes I realize this is being posted on HU, but it's essentially a mirror from our blog and I didn't see the need to re-write this section. I suppose this falls under preaching to the choir. bier If you're not familiar with Horizons Unlimited, it's a fantastic resource for worldwide overland travel. You can find info on everything from planning your own world wide adventure on two wheels, gear talk, ride reports from other travellers, to info on shipping your vehicle (or your pants), trip paperwork and so much more. Why go to a HU travellers meeting? Well, to quote their website: Quote:
This HU meeting was no exception. it was a fantastic experience much like the one we attended last year in Ontario. Last year though we were getting ready for this trip and actually had to leave the event early as our newly listed house was getting significant attention. It was a little bit different experiencing this years event not as dreamers but as travellers. We also decided to volunteer our time to help out with registration and photo taking during the event, both of which helped us meet dozens of new people and make some very cool friendships. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...20-07-16-L.jpg Lori showing off her kung fu shirt folding skills at the registration desk. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-38-44-L.jpg As usual there were lots of presentations from those who had already travelled to far away places like Iceland, South America, Africa, Russia, Mongolia and South East Asia to name a few. Fantastic stories, tips, tricks and general info. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-58-13-L.jpg Some had come from as far away as Australia. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-20-53-L.jpg Grant doing his usual tire change presentation which always gets a large crowd and of course there was Nevil, who tells a tale like no one else. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...19-03-31-L.jpg Nevil did some very cool presentations on fixing your bike with things like duct tape, zip ties, WD40 and using things found laying around in the bush. I called him the Motorcycle Whisperer. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-24-25-L.jpg Home away from home. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-18-45-L.jpg Some brought even more comforts of home. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...14-02-19-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-01-12-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...13-04-20-L.jpg Lot of cool bikes. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...10-02-42-L.jpg Tigger even had some company over the weekend. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-27-41-L.jpg There was even a skills course set up. Some showing how to ride in the sand. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-06-14-L.jpg I think that Tigger was a little overwhelmed by all the excitement and needed a nap. Its first dirt nap. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...18-37-32-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-28-07-L.jpg Glad to see other bikes were also getting tired. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...11-36-06-L.jpg Lori making new friends. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...15-28-29-L.jpg Meet Ducati, he's riding down to Argentina with a couple on two Suzuki DR650's. You can read about his side of the story on their blog smboilerworks here. If you're thinking motorcycle travel may be in your future, I highly recommend attending one of these events in your area. Super informative, inspirational and a great way to meet like minded (karazy) folks like yourself. Since we had no real plan of action for leaving Nakusp, we decided to stay Sunday night. We also found that we were super busy the entire weekend either helping out or attending all the presentations. Not to mention all the unscripted evening activities that went on, campfires burning, beverages flowing. As it turned out another couple, Steve & Jeanette from the UK, who are riding a Tiger 800 from Alaska down to Argentina, also had the same idea and stayed back. We ended up cooking dinner over the fire and hanging out together. Check out their blog Tiger800RTW here. In the morning, one of our new friends Onno, came around and we all ended up spending the morning at Fairytale Cafe in town. By the afternoon, Steve & Jeanette had packed up and left to continue their RTW adventure while we decided it would be a good idea to empty every bit of our luggage and go through everything in an attempt to slim down and eliminate anything we didn’t need or hadn’t used. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...17-20-43-L.jpg So we thought "hey what's another night". Tomorrow! Tomorrow for sure we'll leave. But where to? One thing we did make a decision on was how we would travel from now on. We had been travelling far too fast and it was literally exhausting. We were on pace to ride 100,000km in a year. Now a small part of me thinks that's kind of cool, but in reality, it means riding long days and not exactly seeing everything that we're riding past. Now in all fairness the last 3 months were a self imposed timeline as we wanted to see Newfoundland first and then also get up to Alaska before attending the HU meeting. We considered going to Alaska after the HU meeting but our original plan also had us riding to North Carolina after the HU meeting to the Overland Expo. I say original, because over the last few days here in Nakusp, we talked a great deal about our speed and how riding all the way back to NC would see us keeping up pretty much the same pace we have been so far. Neither one of us was looking forward to that. Now don't get me wrong here, this isn't a complaint. We both really appreciate being out here. It's an opportunity not everyone gets and we both feel immensely privileged to be able to do it. But since we don't have to be back at the end of the week, why rush through it all, just to get somewhere? What if we didn't have to be in NC in a month and just took our time riding down the coast, we asked ourselves? Invigorated and inspired by the HU meeting and also the break from traveling, we packed up and headed out Tuesday at the crack of noon. We made it as far as the Main Street in Nakusp, I mean we had to eat after all. Oh and while we're at it, we might as well get caught up online, post an update on Facebook, upload all the pics we took over the week, maybe write a blog entry. Here's a little time lapse video of everyone leaving on Sunday. It seems leaving Nakusp is not an entirely easy thing to do. Fair warning in case you make it to the little town, which is beautiful by the way. Earlier in the week I noticed an apartment for rent sign posted at one of the businesses downtown. I though if we stayed any longer we might as well see if we can rent the place. We finally managed to break free from the strange invisible grip the place had on us at 5:07pm. Our destination? I didn't care. As long as it wasn't Nakusp. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/RTW/R...21-52-40-L.jpg I always knew there was treasure at the end of the rainbow. |
British Columbia Continued
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We managed to ride a whopping 92.1km upon leaving Nakusp and ended up camping in Kaslo that night. Hey that’s quite a bit considering our post-5pm departure. It’s officially our smallest mileage day to date, our smallest mileage week for that matter. Yup, I think this slowing down business is going well. Not a lot happening in Kaslo but the road going into town, 31A is quite twisty and very scenic. It was as if the road was welcoming us back. I will say that I had some of the best fish & chips at a little booth next to the gas station at the main intersection of the little town. Tigger had his second dirt nap while we were setting up the tent, seemingly spontaneous. I had parked the bike on a hill and apparently quite upright. Lori removed the bag with all our camping gear and we were literally in the middle of setting up our tent a couple of minutes later when we heard the loud thump and looked over to see the bike on its side. We had such a long tough week we decided we needed a break at the Ainsworth Hot Springs after breakfast the next morning. It definitely helped melt some of that tension away ;). When having trouble deciding on a route, look at a map and find the twistiest road you can. Our friend Onno let us use his Destination Highways map while we were touring around BC, which we decided to use as our planning guide. Destination Highway maps are essentially created for bikers and highlight the more scenic and twisty stuff, there’s also an accompanying booklet (which we didn’t have) that describes each road in more detail. Not exactly cheap but if you live in the area and are able to explore every nook and cranny shown, it might be worth a look. According to the Destination Highways map we were now equipped with, 3A running right along Kootanay Lake is one of the best riding roads in BC. It was definitely nice but after arriving in Creston at the southern terminus, I'm not sure I agree. Certainly 31A was much better and Highway 6 between Lumby and the Needles ferry scores way more points, from me anyway, as far as the best riding road in BC. Perhaps this is all too subjective anyway. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-WKCb5VV-L.jpg Over the next couple of days we made our way towards Kelowna where Onno and his wife Chieko hosted us for a night and I was able to change the oil on the bike in their garage. Did you know sawdust is great for absorbing oil spills. Good thing Onno has plenty of the stuff. Thank you very much for the hospitality guys. We were welcomed by rain as we left Kelowna and the temperature dropped to about 7C as we gained elevation on Highway 97C, back to single digits, back to status quo. Lori did her usual “I’m cold…my lips are turning blue…me, me, me”, so we stopped at a Starbucks in Merritt to thaw her out and discovered the line up was out the door. Busiest SB we’ve been to so far, although the service was pretty good. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Hn4CQzg-L.jpg The weather cleared right up as soon as we left Merritt http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-v2bNj6H-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-4cDth6C-L.jpg The scenery started to remind me of the Badlands area as we headed northwest on 8 towards Cache Creek. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-pSz9Gwx-L.jpg Outta my way Crossing the bridge just before Lillooet, we noticed a perfect little campground along the river below us. A sign greeted us as we pulled: “NO TENTS”. Hmmm, sadly I couldn't talk Lori into cowboy camping. Did I mention it was completely empty? Oh well. During dinner in town, Lori found us another campground just down the road. Gotta love that ALLSTAYS app! It was nearly dark by the time we found the place though as the GPS and actual location were a few miles apart. As we were setting up a very strange looking man rides up on this old beater of a bicycle and starts chatting us up, telling us about the black bear that came around the day before and ate all his pears. After a few minutes he says “just give me $10 for the site”. After he left we both wondered out loud if he was the real owner of the place or just another guest. Strange dude, and since no one else came around looking for money, I'd say he was probably the former. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-jBDKDLq-L.jpg Interesting campground, lots of antiques laying around, campsite seating brought to you by the back seat of a (former) car. Much to Lori's joy, we had another bear free experience. I guess the bear must have been full from the night before. The following morning we took Highway 99 hoping to make Whistler for breakfast. Just a brilliant stretch of road leaving Lillooet. Definitely worth a mention as the highway twists and carves its way around mountain peak after mountain peak, I found myself wondering aloud "where did this come from?" as I tossed the bike into one S-bend after another. The temperature hovered around 7C throughout the morning, the fog hugging the mountain tops turned to cloud and eventually rain. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-9cZ9XVg-L.jpg Just can't seem to lose the snow. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-8PCLCCR-L.jpg Or the rain. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-R6jt68R-L.jpg By the time we arrived in Whistler we were ready for a hot meal and drink. Warm and dry-ish, we took a walk around Olympic Village. About halfway to Vancouver, highway 99 turns into the famous Sea-to-Sky highway, something I had been looking forward to for some time. Although I think it may have been a better experience without the rain and low cloud cover, I have to say I was not that impressed. On the other hand I was blown away with the first section leaving Lillooet. This has happened on a few occasions now and after thinking about it, I think it has a lot to do with expectations. I had none of the first section of road and it was spectacular. The Sea-to-Sky highway, I was expecting to be spectacular and found it just ok. In all fairness a twisty road in the mountains with zero traffic, beats congested and scenic any day of the week. Although beautiful, we found Whistler and the Sea-to-Sky to be very touristy and busy. We rolled over 30,000km on the odometer today (26,500km for the trip) - WooHoo! We found ourselves on the ferry heading to Vancouver Island shortly after brekky. Our new friends Mark & Leslie who we met at the Horizons Unlimited meeting a few days ago, invited us to stay with them on the island. Hard to refuse a fantastic offer and great company like that. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-kSN9GK8-L.jpg The next day Mark & Leslie took us out to McMillan Provincial Park where we got a chance to walk amongst trees as old as 800 years. Perhaps not nearly as impressive as the Redwoods but definitely the largest we’ve seen so far. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Cs6BvpP-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-jpfrt4Z-L.jpg Mark & Leslie are real tree huggers. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-BmSSLbQ-L.jpg The “Goats on the Roof” market was also pretty cool. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Dq4fKkc-L.jpg Kinda reminds me of a horny Chewbacca. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-rGp72dg-L.jpg It was an absolute treat to have a roof over our heads, shower, laundry, amazing food and fantastic company for a couple of days. We also both agree, that was THE most comfy sofa bed we have ever slept on. We can’t thank you guys enough for your amazing hospitality. Since we had no real plan, Leslie suggested we ride out to Tofino and check out the beaches. Sure! Unfortunately about halfway there our old nemesis H2O came crashing down on us again, in Monsoon fashion. Highway 4 is another road that I would have preferred to ride on a nicer day. We made it as far as Ucluelet before waving the white flag. It had also stopped raining and we were hungry. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-VcbmSJf-L.jpg We found a campground in town with a spectacular view. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-6jqCSSv-L.jpg We awoke to the sounds of pitter patter on our tent in the morning. The forecast for the next few days - more rain. I’m sure the Tofino beaches are real nice and we were so close but neither one of us wanted to stick around to find out. We packed up and headed back the way we came. I learned a valuable less this day: never complain about how bad the rain is, because it can always get worse. Before we were even out of Ucluelet, the rain went from hard rain, to Monsoon like, and then…it got even worse. Leslie later described it as “Biblical rain”. We stopped in Port Albernie at a Tim’s to warm up. Our table was soon surrounded by a small lake of water that our rain gear managed to create. Not sure how it’s possible but Lori’s rain gear seems to be sucking, I’m fairly dry under my rain jacket and pants and she is completely soaked. Total head scratcher as we have the exact same rain gear at this point. We left Tim Horton’s with hotel reservations in Victoria. As hard as I tried, I just couldn’t talk my soaking wife into setting up our already soaked tent tonight - I just don’t get it! As for the Biblical rain, well it kept us company all the way to Victoria. Seems pretty appropriate considering we ended our east coast adventure on Newfoundland with an all day rain-fest. Why should our Vancouver Island ride be any different? |
Close Encounters with Bush-Bears
In contrast to the previous day, we awoke to clear skies and sunshine, birds were singing, the tank was clean…THE TANK WAS CLEAN?! Brekky was at the waterfront Breakwater Cafe & Bistro.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-CXF6D5m-L.jpg Real potatoes tossed in rosemary & sage, real bacon and eggs - delicious! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-qMFkjG8-L.jpg The Fairmont Empress hotel in the background...where we did not spend last night. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-F4WvQDN-L.jpg Parliament building. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-j82ZfMX-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-9XPVh74-L.jpg Gate…black. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-PzbcG3j-L.jpg The boat in the foreground actually doubles as a bus when out of the water - seriously. The smaller craft past that is a water taxi - there were dozens of them around here. Oh and behind that, the front end of a mega yacht - the rest wouldn't fit in the shot. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-tnxzwmD-L.jpg The waterfront in Victoria is quite picturesque. Another city we would love to spend some more time in, add that to the ever growing bucket list. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-BMGdbgf-L.png The ferry to Port Angeles was actually the roughest crossing we've had to date. There was about a 10 minute stretch at one point where the boat swayed side to side so much that I actually thought we'd go down to find the bike laying over, even though it was tied down against the wall. Getting through customs was a very atypical experience. We actually had to go through customs in Victoria harbour, where you get locked down in the parking area at the ferry terminal about 90 min before the boat even arrives. When the customs officer came over, we basically chatted about the coffee we were drinking. He looked at our passport and the customs form we filled out, and told us to take both inside another building. No "where are you going" or "how long will you be there", nothing. Easy peazy! The poor guys that arrived on bikes 10 min later got a much different experience. They totally got grilled by a very different guard about pretty much everything. I'm pretty sure there were some latex gloves sticking out from his back pocket. He looked at us and asked if we had already been checked in. We couldn't say YES fast enough. After a quick fill up in Port Angeles, we took off down the famed highway 101, another bucket list item for me. I had read and heard enough of the 101, that this highway made its way to my bucket list quite a long time ago. Let me say that the northern section around the Olympic Peninsula did not disappoint. Super twisty and super fun around Lake Crescent. Lori found us a campground supposedly right on the ocean, Kalaloch campground, about 150km down the highway so that’s where we headed. We arrived to find the place was better than advertised, with spectacular views of the ocean and we quickly grabbed a site across the driveway from the ocean front sites. We had already set up our stuff and I was trying to dry our tent out when a couple of young ladies on bicycles came up and said that they just paid for this very site. WTF? The sign clearly says to set up first, then pay. Instead of getting into an argument with them, I immediately suggested we split the site since there was plenty of room for all of us. Our share for the site…$7 - for (almost) ocean front camping. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-vdN5QNP-L.jpg "No honey, your hairdryer isn't in the tent...yes I'm pretty sure". I was actually trying to dry out our tent, it was still wet from Ucluelet. In the morning the girls packed up and continued on their trek and as we discussed our plan, the spot across from us became available. This was one of THE PRIME ocean front spots. We quickly moved our stuff and decided to stay another day. We later learned this is known as the Kalaloch Shuffle. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-NcDTpRZ-L.jpg Drying out Lori's riding gear. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-qKqNNHs-L.jpg Hey honey, I got wood! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-hZmwdm5-L.jpg In fact, the next morning we decided to stay a few more. Other than the heavy fog in the mornings, the rest of the days were perfectly sunny and in the 20’s. It’s the beginning of September and we were getting our first official tan of the year. Judging by the number of people coming by every morning asking if we were leaving, this was indeed prime camping real estate. Kalaloch Lodge is a short walk down the road and has a full service restaurant, not cheap by the way. If you ever stop here pass on the $3.50 coffee in the restaurant and get it at the store right next door. Exact same cup of coffee for $1.25. Go figure. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Vn4dj6j-L.jpg View from Kalaloch Lodge. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-kK4pWjW-L.jpg Pretty much what every sunset looked like here. One night I found myself awake at 3am needing a bathroom break. I stepped out of the tent to witness the wildest moonset ever. I tried to get Lori to come out but she was all snuggled up and declined. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-rWzSHZC-L.jpg Sadly this was the best picture I managed to take before it set a few minutes later. It more resembled a sunset, with its orange glow reflecting on the Pacific Ocean. Truly one of the most unique sights I have ever seen. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-w8zzKLq-L.jpg Our last night, our campsite neighbours came over and offered us some of their home made apple pie. Totally awesome! Easily our most favourite camping spot to date. We would have stayed much longer had there been shower facilities and cell service or wifi, but for $14 and those views, we weren’t complaining one bit. I somehow managed to talk Lori into leaving the ocean behind (not an easy thing to do let me tell you, especially after we determined that Lori is solar and ocean powered) and going to see Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens. I think she took advantage and talked me into staying indoors for a night (or two - I think I actually suggested we stay the second night), something about if I get the mountains, she wants a hot shower and a bed, I don’t get it… We also had a few administrative tasks building up and needed some attention, one of which was to print off an insurance slip for the bike. The temporary one had expired about a month ago and I had forgotten all about it. Luckily we didn’t meet up with any LEO’s in that time. We had to mail home a care package of gifts we had been carrying for a bit and I also needed to locate a new rear tire. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-72FCDC7-L.jpg 2 days later, with our to-do list checked off and a tire waiting for us in Medford OR, we boarded the train for dinner, literally. Someone built a restaurant inside an old train. This place is going nowhere fast! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-KFZ9kfC-L.jpg Looked pretty legit on the inside. Located in Mount Rainier National Park, we stopped at Cougar Rock Campground for the night. The National Parks pass we bought earlier in the trip had already paid for itself a while back. Definitely recommended if you plan on visiting more than a few national parks during a 12 month period. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-vZ4qMbx-L.jpg Lori had an eventful night when she ran into some bush-bears during her late night bathroom escapade. What’s a bush bear you ask? Great question, I’m not sure either but she was surrounded by them. Leaving the bathroom, Lori shall we say got “turned around” and didn’t know exactly how to get back to the tent. With a fading flashlight (the batteries were conveniently almost dead), she did a little sightseeing trying to find her way back and apparently every bush she looked at was a bear ready to pounce. She walked right past our loop and to another loop and managed to find the other bathroom, it was well lit after all. She said she was tempted to just stay there and wait for daylight but instead had another pee and headed back out. Braving all the bush-bears, she eventually found her way back. I was sound asleep during all this and didn’t hear about her adventure till the morning. I have a feeling my idea of going to the bathroom a few feet from the tent might be growing on her. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-4bSCMzk-L.jpg In the morning we left the bush-bears behind and headed to Mt Rainier. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-GxhkgfP-L.png It was easy to get excited, for me at least. Lori was quick to point out that there wasn’t any ocean around here. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-VWVcbmd-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-ph4F9Xm-L.jpg Look honey, there's an ocean-like body of water... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-9xs2GLH-L.jpg Quite a spectacular view. I knew Mt Rainier was home to some glaciers but I was a bit surprised to find out it has 26 major glaciers. |
:rofl: @ Lori's midnight adventure with the bush bears
|
Small World
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http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Q8sRdWs-L.jpg Following the Destination Highways map, we found a pretty fun road, NF-26, to take us towards Mt St Helens. Although paved, it’s essentially a single lane road that winds it’s way through the Cascades towards NF-99. It had a very remote feeling as we only passed 1 vehicle the entire time. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-mPNMMSN-L.jpg Evidence of the 1980 Mt St Helens volcanic eruption lay all around us as we rode south through the blowdown zone. Thousands upon thousands of massive trees blown over by the initial blast covered the landscape, more resembling very large matchsticks. It’s difficult to imagine a 1,200 degree (F) pyroclastic flow travelling over these mountains at 125 MPH destroying everything in its path for 370 square kilometres. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-LrnP7r4-L.jpg Fantastic view of Spirit Lake from here. More matchsticks laying about in the lake, even now 34 years later. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-sJ8BxSB-L.jpg Climbing up to get a better view. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-T9Pt2Kd-L.jpg The view better be worth it! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-PLjwC9J-L.jpg Oh yeah! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-JLwTFqr-L.jpg Mount St Helens, minus about 1300 feet that was blown away in 1980. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-f8Whh3F-L.jpg Can you spot the observatory in the distance? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-x63tLf9-L.jpg No? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-ZSfP9Lz-L.jpg How about now? As we were about to hike back down from the look out point, we met up with a young couple riding BMW’s - Steve and Becky. Steve caught the name of the dealership where I bought the bike from the plate on our bike and said something about being a long way from home. The next few moments went something like this: Us: “We’re actually from the other side of Toronto.” Steve: “I used to live about 45 min west of Toronto.” Us: “No kidding, we lived west of Hamilton.” Steve: “I’m from St George.” Us: “We know St George, we’re from Paris.” Steve: “I used to live in Paris.” Us: “No way!” Steve: “Yeah, by the cemetery off Freeman Street.” Us: “We lived on Dundas St right behind the cemetery.” Steve: “That’s where I lived, on Dundas Street.” Us: “You have got to be kidding! We lived in the condos right on the corner by Freeman Street.” Steve: “I lived in the first house next to the driveway to those condos.” We all just stood there for a moment with this stunned look on our faces, not sure what to think other than…WTF? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-SpbFR9m-L.jpg What are the odds of meeting your neighbour from a little town in south western Ontario, population 11,000, on an overlook at Mount St Helens in Washington? Talk about a small world! It seems Steve was moving out around when we were moving in so we never actually met. We left the Twilight Zone and headed south, in a northerly fashion. But who’s complaining when the maps looks like this: http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-GGSQ5DL-L.png The riding here was just off the charts fun. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-gDjpdqz-L.jpg Had a chuckle at this sign. After a stop over in Vancouver, Washington, we headed back to the coast stopping at Beverly Beach State Park. Another great campground located right next to the ocean. In the morning we took a walking path right under 101 to get to the beach. I will admit, it felt good to be back at the water. We liked the place so much, we extended our stay to 3 nights. Our new found philosophy of “ride for a couple of days, stay for 3” was really growing on us. The hotel in Vancouver was...let's say, unique. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-9Pgwj4n-L.jpg Hello front desk? Yes, I seem to be running a bit low on toilet paper. Could you please send up some more? I mean what went through the head of the person who decided this was a good idea? You can conduct business while doing...your business I guess. I realize there are those that already do this with cell phones but still, it looks strange. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-t3vsJcd-L.jpg Making dinner at Beverly Beach State Park. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Zf7P8dJ-L.jpg What da ya think Jonathan? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-qv3T7V2-L.jpg Somewhere south of Newport, OR, along the 101. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-gk4ZXdm-L.jpg We continued down highway 101 another day before cutting across east on route 42 at Bandon and then taking I-5 south into Medford. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-T4hcPKn-L.jpg As much as we didn’t want to leave the coast, the weather had turned cold and wet. Less than an hour after leaving the coast and before we even got to the I-5, the skies cleared up completely and the temp skyrocketed to the 90’s. The landscape, much like the temperature, changed dramatically. Everything near the ocean had been green and very lush, moss covered trees and ferns everywhere. Here along the I-5, the colour of choice was dessert brown. You could feel the lack of moisture in the air. I looked out the window of the coffee shop in Medford and saw the hill side in the distance. A moment later, I looked up again and it was gone. Like a Klingon warbird, it’s cloaking device had rendered it invisible. There were several large forest fires burning in northern California so I guess I wasn’t surprised that the smoke was making its way all the way up here into southern Oregon, in fact we could see as we rode down the I-5. But what surprised us was how thick the smoke was. I mean it completely concealed a hillside a few miles away. Not only that but set foot outside, and you could literally smell the smoke. The Happy Camp fire in Northern California was the closest to us and had been burning for well over a month at this point and still was not 100% contained. It was just so weird that no one paid it any attention. It’s business as usual here. In an effort to be consistent, we spent a few days hanging out in Medford. What’s in Medford? Well, a Triumph dealership, an REI and an Eddie Bauer, a great burger joint and several Starbucks. We noticed a trend on the west coast with Starbucks by the way. Most of them offer free wifi with speeds of over 50Mpbs - that’s FIFTY megabits per second! Do you hear that Canada? Back home, everyone is advertising free wifi everywhere you go, but you’re lucky to get 0.5Mbps. REI - well it’s been at least a few weeks since we’ve spent money at one, so we figured we better get back on track. Actually as much as I really love my merino wool clothing, the stuff just doesn’t seem to last. I’ve now gone through a merino wool shirt and 2 pairs of underwear on this trip. Yes, some will say I’m full of s…but they had all just disintegrated on me. I’m sticking with my ExOfficio from now on. Also a few weeks ago, my Eddie Bauer sweater went through a magical wash and dry cycle going in as a MED and coming out as an extra small. Isn’t polyester not supposed to shrink? So I decided to put their lifetime warranty to the test. I walked into the store with just the sweater (the receipt didn’t make the packing list) and walked out with a brand new size MED sweater. Thank you very much Eddie. We also picked up a brand new rear tire for Tigger with the intent of having it installed at the Horizons meeting we were now heading to in Mariposa, California. Grant Johnson does an excellent tire change presentation at every meeting that he attends, so I volunteered our bike and tire. You’re gonna carry a tire to California? Where you gonna put that thing? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-2WhSSJM-L.jpg Problem solved! Apparently putting a new tire on the back of a very loaded bike, makes you look totally bad ass! It’s like we became stars all of a sudden. People started taking pics of us literally everywhere we went and every time I looked over at someone passing us in their Prius - yes we got passed by a Prius (having this much crap strapped to your bike slows you down a bit, what can I say), I would see a thumbs up from someone inside. Another guy in a bimmer, circled us to get a better view, probably wondering where we had the fridge plugged in. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-mc76MTb-L.jpg Even the animals stared at us, no doubt dumbfounded by the big rubber strapped to the top to the back of the bike. Our next stop was back on the coast in Eureka! I’ve always wanted to go to Eureka for some reason. I remember tracing the 101 down the coast on a map many years ago and the name just caught my attention. I thought how cool it must be there. Sadly, the first thing that stood out when we got there was the amount of homelessness. Very different than I had envisioned. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Sjh5pKP-L.jpg We felt much safer when we saw the Zombie Outbreak Response Team stationed at our hotel. Still, we tried to be quiet so as not to wake the Walkers. Had some funny moments buying beer at the gas station. I got carded for the first time in a long time. In fact I think I’ve been carded more on this trip than I have in my entire life. Of course I left my ID at the hotel across the road so I had to walk back to get it before dude behind the counter would relinquish that tasty malt beverage. After finishing my beer I decided I wanted another one - some days they just go down so nicely. Same dude behind the counter, says: “can I see some ID?”. Really? I was just here like half hour ago. Better prepared this time, I presented my ID...again. Half hour later (these were American sized beers, so they take a few minutes to...enjoy), back to the gas station I go and sure enough, dude once again asks me for ID. “You know I’m not getting any younger” I said as I pulled out my drivers licence, again. I know, I know, I should have just got enough liquid refreshments from the get go. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-KSpV9DR-L.jpg In the morning we rode into town to check out the Black Lightning Motorcycle Cafe. Motorcycle parking out front (Lori wondered if we’d fit into one spot - yup) and all kinds of classic bikes and bike parts strategically placed inside adding to the ambiance of the place. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-HNfhq2Q-L.jpg Their menu looked pretty good too. Panini’s named after bikes; The Triumph, The Suzuki, The Ducati, The Norton and more. We totally loved the place. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-bsBLr6R-L.jpg We ordered the Humboldt Breakfast Quesadilla. Made with eggs, Humboldt fog cheese, onion, tomato, arugula and garlic-mayo, add bacon for the the most amazing flavour combination. WOW! This thing was like an orchestra going off in my mouth. You absolutely have to stop in and try one of these if you’re passing through. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-NCVh5FG-L.jpg We came back to the cafe later in the day for a coffee and ran into Julie and Vincent sitting inside. We first met them at the HU meeting in Nakusp, BC. Originally from France, they’ve been living in Quebec and are currently travelling to South America. Small world. |
California 101
If you follow our Facebook page you will no doubt know that I’m somewhat behind in the blog. In fact Facebook is probably the best place to keep tabs on us as Lori updates it more often than I can write a post here.
We’ve been having an absolute blast in California over the last while and I just haven’t been able to sit down in front of the computer long enough to compose something to post. A couple of days ago, I sat down with every intention of catching up but instead all I heard was the echo of Lori’s words from that morning: “Jenn passed away”. Jennifer was an amazing person that Lori and I both worked with for many years. She had a glow about her that seemed to radiate warmth, compassion and love. She had been struggling with cancer for several years and finally lost her battle November 12 at the age of 44. Here we are gallivanting around North America on our motorcycle and life just seems to go on. It’s very strange. I remember this same feeling when my father passed away about 2 years ago, the feeling that life just continues seemingly like nothing ever happened. It’s very bizarre to be honest. What does this have to do with our blog? Nothing. Everything! As weird as it may sound, I find that death has an interesting way of inspiring us to live, to follow our dreams. It reminds me to not take for granted the amazing opportunity we have everyday to do almost anything we can dream of and to live life with passion. To our friend Jennifer You will be greatly missed. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-JLdD73X-L.png Back in California and just a short ride south of Eureka, we got off the 101 to ride through the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It’s about a 30 miles stretch of road that parallels the much busier and faster moving highway 101. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-XvSzbJX-L.jpg Taking the Avenue allows you to meander through the forest and enjoy some of the massive redwoods. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Sr5vFVR-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-cXGfG38-L.jpg When I say massive I mean over 350 feet in height, that’s the height of a 30+ story skyscraper. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-QKmgm3n-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-NptZpjW-L.jpg Some of these bad boys weigh in around 1 million pounds, give or take a pound and can be as old as 2000 years. Immune to nearly anything short of an axe, the bark is thick enough to withstand fire. Yet 96% of the original redwoods have been lost due to extensive logging during the early 1900's. Lori wondered if these trees could talk… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-rHqLnvp-L.jpg After 5 straight nights indoors, we were back to the coast and also back to more familiar accommodations, our tent. First at MacKerricher State Park north of Fort Bragg and then Doran Beach Campground in Bodega Bay. The latter was right on the beach but unlike the $14 we spent on camping at Kalaloch in Washington, California was a bit on the more expensive side at $32. The riding between these two places was off the charts as highway 1 serpentines its way down the coast towards San Francisco. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-fqFDdkr-L.jpg Gaining in elevation and with the ocean on our right, the road all of a sudden turned inland into a dense forest. A few s-bends later, we would poke back out again at another cliff, the road appearing to simply head out into the ocean before making another sharp turn inland at the last moment. Rinse and repeat. It was a dizzying ride. As if the surrounding beauty and difficulty of the road wasn’t enough of a challenge, we found ourselves riding through and open range with cows grazing only a few feet off the road. Remembering the line from the movie Twister, I blurted out “we got cows”. I was completely spent by the time we rolled into Doran Beach. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-gBPXVXs-L.jpg Just as we finished setting up our tent, the folks across the road came over and offered us their beachfront campsite and pile of fire wood. We guessed they were there the entire weekend and had also paid for today - Sunday, so they could enjoy the entire day at the beach before heading home. Since they already had the fire going, we took them up on their offer and picked up and carried our tent across the road. The next morning continued to build on what was already my most favourite road to ride. We almost missed it as the GPS had routed us away from San Francisco towards our destination in Vallejo. After a course correction, we were back on the 1 heading south. Just north of San Francisco, highway 1 runs right along the edge of the cliffs, several hundred feet above the ocean. More s-bends here - a lot more, most of them with recommended speeds from 15-20MPH, and a lot of hairpins. But don’t look down, in fact don’t miss a turn. Missing one of the corners is not advisable there are often no guardrails to speak of. Just a few feet of dirt past the end of pavement and then several hundred feet down to the Pacific Ocean. The view was truly mesmerizing! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-cnSvHzg-L.jpg Our pot at the end of this rainbow was the Golden Gate bridge. Super exciting as this was another bucket list item for me. It certainly didn’t disappoint. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-X7BhF4v-L.jpg Coolest tour vehicle I’ve ever seen. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-d72BDMG-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-q4xtqM3-L.jpg The much less popular view of the Golden Gate and SF bay. I can’t imagine why. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-ngJmrVt-L.jpg Everything is built on a hill around here, not only that but no two houses look alike. Nothing like the suburbia we're used to. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-KG2tFSw-L.png Last week when we signed up to attend the upcoming HU meeting in California, we also signed up to do a presentation. This meant we had only a few days to not only learn how to use our presentation software, Keynote but also come up with a 45 minute presentation. Right. So we spent the next few days indoors in Vallejo doing just that. Thank goodness Keynote has a pretty short learning curve and Lori has lots of patience…for me that is. Getting off the highway before the hotel I caught a glimpse of the road sign - California 37. We had been listening quite a lot to Train’s album of the same title on this trip so I thought it was cool to come across the road by happenstance. It turned out to be another great HU meeting, this one busier than any of the previous ones, for us at least. Not only did we get scheduled to do our presentation twice, but we also volunteered our services to help out and ended up being scheduled more volunteer shifts than before. In addition, we also volunteered our bike for Grant’s tire change presentation which Grant later called the hardest tire change he’d ever done - more on that later. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-hSVmf5w-L.jpg Setting up away from the party crowd...or so we thought. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-gRKSkQJ-L.jpg Completely by accident, we set up our tent next to Melanie and Greg (and their pup Gypsy). Greg messaged us through our Facebook page a while back. In the previous picture above, you can see their bike and the cut out in the top case for Gypsy. Although the weather had been pretty good over the last week coming down the coast, we were looking forward to Mariposa. The forecast was dry and hot for the foreseeable future. In fact it hadn’t rained in Mariposa since the 1980’s. You of course know where this is going right? Let’s see, it rained Friday, there was a huge downpour on Saturday and on Sunday, we rode into town for an afternoon wrap up to the meeting and it dumped on us for a couple of hours. We were also quite happy to have our warm weather gear as it got down to single digits (Celcius) every night. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-hMbrvbz-L.jpg Stormy weather often makes for some beautiful sunsets. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-r7KTrTh-L.jpg As usual, there were lots of bike to ogle. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-nRV95Cd-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-5DVZ6d6-L.jpg |
California 101
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Craig Vetter designed streamlined bike. You can actually pick up your own kit here: Vetter Streamliner Superstore http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-SK4vCQs-L.jpg Not designed by Craig Vetter - not aerodynamic enough. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-9hGXpTg-L.jpg Lining up for breakfast. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-PjpDk3L-L.jpg No problem as long as I have my morning tea. Our presentation was on “Getting started on a 2 up RTW - false starts and pitfalls of getting going.” We actually weren’t sure what to expect and wondered if anyone would show up since we were scheduled early on the first day of the meeting. As it turned out, enough people showed up that we had to use the microphones. Neither Lori or I have a great deal of experience with public speaking, so it’s a little outside of our comfort zone, much like this entire adventure of ours. I mean who feels comfortable selling their house and quitting their job to ride their motorcycle around the world. Of course we both thought we bombed the presentation, so we decided to make a few changes for the following day. By the time we were done, we had re-written the entire thing essentially. Our second attempt felt like it went much smoother. It was pretty fun experience to be honest, it was cool to be on the other side of the table, trying to inspire others, to all of a sudden be one of the experts. Even with our busy schedule, we still got a chance to enjoy a few presentations of our own, the highlight of which for me was the author of Jupiter’s Travels, Ted Simon. He was one of the first people to ride his motorcycle (a Triumph) around the world back in the 1970’s, a journey that took him 4 years. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-LJtXnvv-L.jpg Totally packed room for this presentation. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-3QhKT3V-L.jpg Interestingly Mr. Simon has an uncanny resemblance to my late father. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-NM5mkpN-L.jpg Ron Grace from Lost for a Reason (Lost For A Reason.org - Lost For A Reason.org Helping Children And Families in Need, Fundraising For Playgrounds Work Projects And Services). <em>Lost for a Reason.org was founded as a way to say THANK YOU to the children and families on the Navajo reservation,...for the use of the land,..to ride, to run,..to explore!.. a way to help children and famiies in need! We listen to the families and we do our best to fill whatever needs they have from personal items,..to playgrounds!</em>. Why we like em? 100% of money donated gets to those in need. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-bKXwvcJ-L.jpg Tigger looking a little naked at Grant’s tire change presentation. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-GcBBzkT-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-SpPCSzg-L.jpg I had no idea what I volunteered myself for. It took us more than 10 minutes just to break the bead and there were at least 4 or 5 of us taking turns trying to get the tire off the rim. The Heidenau K60's are a notoriously hard tire to mount because the rubber is so incredibly stiff. The valley in the rim on the Tiger is also very shallow. The combination of the two made this one of the hardest tire changes ever according to Grant. Easy enough if you're at home with the right tools. Definitely a learning experience. Note to self - always have someone else mount a K60 for you. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-SnpNRQc-L.jpg Checking out Mike's gear presentation. Lori met Mike the night before and when she found out he was a local, she asked if he knew a safe place to store our bike for a couple of weeks while we fly home for Thanksgiving. His response, "sure, my garage". We can't say enough about how grateful we were for such an offer. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-FNrWdKh-L.jpg We also ran into Vincent and Julie again. They made an unplanned appearance late Saturday and we all stuck around till Monday. Once again we were the last ones to leave. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-wJTwxxw-L.jpg Monday the nice weather rolled in and we rolled out. We figured it was time to bring rain and cold to another community. |
Yosemite Valley
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Since we were so close, we decided to visit Yosemite National Park. I had actually been debating hiking Half Dome, something I've wanted to do since first learning about it years ago. However I decided to take a pass due to logistical reasons :(. For starters you have to book a permit to hike Half Dome a couple of days ahead of time which meant that we'd have to stick around in Yosemite Valley till then. Not exactly a hardship but Mike, who we met at the HU meeting and who offered us his garage to store our bike, also invited us to tag along with his wife, Kati and him on their bike trip for a few days. Something we both felt was an opportunity not to be missed. Besides, my legs have gotten a bit soft over the last several months from all this riding and sitting, so I wasn’t sure how I’d fare climbing up a mountain for most of a day. Not to mention there is just so much good hiking around here that I couldn’t begin to get it all in over the few days we’d have here. Alas, my bucket list continues to grow. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-wmHw6FD-L.jpg Yosemite valley is absolutely stunning. It's one of the more amazing places that I've been to, and even though it's packed with tourists, I somehow find it peaceful. I could easily spend days here just hanging out getting lost in the natural beauty. About the only disappointing thing was that we were here in the fall so all the incredible waterfalls were all but a trickle. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-nm3p4Vk-L.jpg Much like a good action movie reeling you in with the opening scenes, El Capitan's 3000 foot vertical granite wall kind of captures your attention as you ride in. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-pZGP7Db-L.jpg Half Dome continues the assault on your visual senses with it’s 4700+ foot vertical rise from the valley floor. It’s almost surreal looking. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-J94XBfP-L.jpg Tigger posing with Half Dome in the background. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-bFT523W-L.jpg Not exactly afraid of people or cars, these guys kinda did their own thing. We were riding along enjoying the scenery in Yosemite Valley, when I see this lady at the side of the road waving her arms all frantic like. I wonder why? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-GSK4QSn-L.png The roads weren't too bad either. We were also feeling the effects of being in each others skin nearly every single moment over the last 5 months. We were having a few Venus & Mars days and our buckets seem to be filling up more quickly these days, something that luckily doesn’t seem to happen very often. I have to tell you it’s kind of annoying to be in such a shitty mood in a spectacular setting like this. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-hdqZfTX-L.jpg Closest campground with available spots was all the way in Wawona, about an hour away from Yosemite Village. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-8zCZtwV-L.jpg It was our first campground with a bear locker at every site. The thing was large enough for us to sleep in, never mind the food, or maybe that's the idea. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-HFD6X4h-L.jpg The morning sun filtering through the trees and fog made for one spectacular sunrise. We heard Glacier Point offered some of the best views of Yosemite Valley so after some warm beverages, we saddled up and backtracked a bit. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-7F68fw9-L.jpg Great views? Check! You can barely make out a small waterfall towards the bottom of the valley. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-dsKcstP-L.jpg In fact as we zoomed in some more, we could see hikers at the top of Half Dome. Cool! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-btp6D8g-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Xm8SmWN-L.jpg We pulled over at an overlook on the east side of Yosemite Tunnel. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-KhQH6n8-L.jpg El Capitan directly behind my head and Half Dome visible off in the distance. It's hard not to be a little awestruck being here. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-HBf7q8r-L.jpg Say cheeeese! Or "Mai Tai" as they say in Hawaii before taking pics. |
Good to hear you guys are still alive :thumbup1:
Thanks for the memory jog Mark. We did Yosemite about 20yrs back & it is just a gorgeous place to visit. bier |
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California 202
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A day later, we found ourselves at Mike and Kati's place for an overnight stop before heading back on the road in the morning. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-HnBpnQC-L.jpg Mike rides a BWM R1200GSA - hey no one's perfect ;) and Kati rides a Can Am Spyder. As much as Lori loves riding on the back, a Spyder has just always managed to rev her engine when she thinks of riding her own bike. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-ng722HF-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-tdtqP85-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-pcHV2jh-L.jpg Kati working her Spyder out of a turn here. Lori and I test rode one of these guys last year. First turn I took I almost got thrown off, I didn't realize how much you as the rider have to actually lean compared to a regular bike. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-G8zHzfW-L.jpg Stopping at Busters BBQ for breakfast. Ok so it was more like brunch, even though it was the first thing I had to eat. Cool place though. I'd just like to point out that when they say that their sauce is HOT, they kind of mean it. A trend I'm seeing more and more of as we head further south. In Canada, HOT typically means MILD-MED...if that. We took mostly back roads north through wine country (to avoid all the tourists), super twisty and a lot of fun. Much to my delight, Mike was taking a more exuberant pace through the twisty stuff. At first I was even surprised to see Kati keeping up. It was very nice to play follow the leader all day. We ended up at Navarro Beach Campground for the night, perfect spot right on the ocean. Funny enough Lori and I recognized the road we had turned off to get here as we had ridden past on our way south. After setting up our tents, Mike and I went scavenging for some fire wood from the beach and nearby bushes. FREE! All this time, Lori and I had been paying for the stuff. Duh! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-tj7D3HH-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-XThtKdQ-L.jpg Mike then pulled out his saw and tiny axe and Lori & I took turns cutting the wood into smaller pieces with Kati’s help. While Mike... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-ZgdfHbf-L.jpg Well, he supervised the job site. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-5PV3NTw-L.jpg Even had a local pay us a visit. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-xjPTkjR-L.jpg Can't go wrong with this campsite view. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-jhTw2Xr-L.jpg Armed with some extensive local knowledge in the form of our very own tour guides, we continued our take 2 of Northern California the next morning. First it was breakfast in Fort Bragg followed by lunch at the Avenue Cafe along the Avenue of the Giants in Miranda. Mike then led us down some interesting roads towards the middle of nowhere, also called Honeydew. What’s in Honeydew? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-n3cz83c-L.jpg Besides a general store and some stupid expensive gas ($4.869/gallon), not a heck of a lot. We arrived at Mattole Beach campground nice and early and had our pick of sites. Another stunning spot right on the ocean. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-QcGJRSt-L.jpg Starting our day with a beautiful ride along the ocean on Mattole road before making a very sharp turn UP! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-7S7zqKw-L.jpg Looking back near the top. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-v56W4g2-L.jpg Welcome to Happy Camp. We had wanted to ride down Route 96 through here on our way south but there were road closures due to the wildfires. Thanks to all the firefighting efforts, the wildfires had been contained and all roads around Happy Camp were opened again. We stopped at another very basic (as in Pit toilets only) state run campground right along the Klamath river. Of course as we were about to set up, Mike noticed fresh bear scat about 30 feet from our site right along the path we all just rode down. Apparently we all managed to miss it. After discussing it for a few minutes, we all decided to stay anyway. I have to say that I was pretty impressed that Lori was ok with staying. A few months ago, she would have ran, not walked but ran out of the place. After setting up, Mike pulls out his camp shower, looks over at Kati and asks "so what temperature do you want the shower water?". "How about 110," she says. Lori and I looked at each other "A hot shower? Really?" Mike fired up the Jetboil a few times and 15 minutes later we're all taking turns showering behind a big tree. Nice! The next morning we continued east on 96 for a short time before turning south onto Scott River road. A very narrow and twisty road that serpentines through the mountains and what appeared to be ground zero for the Happy Camp fire. We rode past a house that had been burned to the ground, cars parked in the driveway also completely scorched. It was quite a sight. We would see other houses like it. Everywhere we looked, trees were completely burned up, the entire landscape was black. The air still heavy with the acrid smell of smoke. The road itself was absolutely mesmerizing. One of the most twisty roads I have ever been on, blind corners with several hundred foot drop offs to the valley below on our left, rock walls going straight up on our right. As if the ride wasn’t exciting enough, on our descend, we encountered a transport truck coming the opposite direction. WTF? We all came to a standstill. Now what? The truck moved over to our right as much as he could while motioning for us to move closer to the edge on our left. I guess the one with the biggest toys gets to call the shots. Luckily there was just enough room for all of us to squeeze in together. Mike and I pulled up beside each other and Kati right behind us. Had we met 10 seconds earlier, the three of us would have had to turn around and go back up the mountain to a spot that was wider. The road was that narrow. Lori and I just scratched our helmets wondering how he ever made it up here and how he was getting out. Judging by the confident pace he was moving at when we met, he had done this before. Good Luck buddy! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-pP3D34D-L.jpg Not only did Mike and Kati not stop often but Mike was really keeping up a blistering pace riding. Even at the campgrounds, they always managed to have everything set up before we did. They were up before us, even had coffee ready for us when we finally managed roll out of our tent. Camp showers, saw, ax, free firewood, these guys were schooling us in the art of camping. We were starting to get tuckered out while this retired couple seemed to be running on fresh Energizer lithiums. Zoom Zoom Zoom! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-pWPJfpf-L.jpgWe camped at Cooper Gulch campground, located on Trinity Lake. It’s a small little campground with just 5 sites, but what a view! Kind of reminds me of Ontario a little. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-5kN23Hc-L.jpg Such a beautiful evening we didn't even bother with the fly. In the morning we got up to a stunning sunrise coming up over the mountain across Trinity Lake. With our flight already booked for the following morning, we made our way toward the dreaded but much more direct I-5 which would take us back to Mike & Kati's place. We arrived in time to re-pack our gear while our hosts put together a little care package so we wouldn't go hungry during our flight home. They then dropped us off in San Francisco where we booked a hotel since our flight was at 6am and we had to be at the airport around 4-ish. Yuck! It would be a gross understatement to say that Mike & Kati are AWESOME! |
Getting Soft in California
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Our flight home to Ontario went by pretty quickly even with the one layover in Chicago, and to no ones surprise, rain greeted us upon arriving in Kitchener. Kitchener you say? Yup. Apparently KW offers international flights, who would have thunk it? Here’s a tip for you cheap, I mean savvy travellers. When we booked our car rental online, we booked the cheapest car that was available - a Chevy Spark. Sadly (ok not really) when we arrived to pick it up, none were available and they offered to upgrade us to a what they called an “economy” vehicle. In car rental parlance, this turned out to be a Hyundai Sonata. They initially wanted to give us a fully loaded Chrysler 300 but on inspection one of the tires was showing a low pressure reading. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-TtxCkDP-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-5NVMVVq-L.jpg We even managed to find a couple of nice days for a hike on the Bruce trail. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-D6X48VW-L.jpg It was strange but seeing all the fall colours made it seem like we had somehow missed the summer. Both because we had spent summer on the road away from home, from the normal routines we typically have during the summer but also because we never really experienced a hot summer on the road that we typically have at home. We had a couple of warm days in Idaho and then again in northern Washington. Of course California was perfectly warm but it was already October there. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-qJWrbwR-L.jpg Had to make an obligatory stop at Saffin Grill in Hamilton for some SHWARMA! It was wonderful to see friends and enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with family but we soon found ourselves back on the plane heading west. Back in California, we appeared to have some difficulty getting back on the road. We were pretty tuckered out and decided to take Kati up on her offer to stay with her. It was nice just to relax and we took the opportunity to go through the rest of our gear. On our flight home we managed to bring about 25lbs of "stuff" as carry on, and now we were about to put together another 26lbs of gear to send back. Most of our camping gear made the packing list although we decided to hang on to our tent, air mattresses and sleeping bags since we didn't know where else we were going to go before Mexico. Utah, Nevada, Arizona? Straight down Baja? No idea. My thought was that if we were going to spend another few weeks in the states I wanted to have our camping gear as hotel stays add up very quickly. We had however decided to ditch the tent once we make a break for the Mexican border. Our logic? Decent hotels can be found in the $20-40 range throughout Mexico and all of Central America, including secure parking for the bike. I admit it was nice to lighten the load on the bike a bit. In the meantime Mike was away in South America on a motorcycle trek of his own; 2 weeks with Rawhyde Adventures through Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. Kati was getting daily updates from Mike on his (mis) adventures, everything from menu items such as guinea pig, border crossings, broken down bikes, 16 hour riding days, trying to buy gas or riding the Death Road in Bolivia. It sounded like Long Way Round on crack, the only thing missing was a film crew to document everything. I took advantage of our mini vacation and had Tigger in for another scheduled major service at a local dealership, CalMoto in Livermore. I left my bike and rode off with a loaner BMW GS700 for the day. Not exactly my favourite machine to be honest, and not because it’s a BMW. I was actually pretty excited to ride it when I found out I’d have it as a loaner bike. After my short little test ride, here are some quick thoughts on the bike: definitely a smaller and lighter feeling bike. Everything about it seems…precise - from shifting to braking. Suspension is MUCH more firm than on the Tiger. So much so that I’m wondering if our suspension is starting to show wear from all the weight we’ve had on it. It’s hard to say since I don’t have another Tiger to compare it to and I don’t really recall what it felt like new. I was repeatedly tossed up off the seat during a rough stretch of highway on the little GS, while the Tiger seemed to absorb the same rough road infinitely better. Even the bimmer’s steering seemed stiff, granted this was a brand new bike and obviously would loosen up over time. I know this is very subjective, but overall I though the GS700 lacked character. In a complete twist of dealership experiences, CalMoto was just amazing. Staff are super friendly, knowledgable and honest. Much much different than has been my experience with Triumph dealerships so far. The shop called in the afternoon to tell me the bike was ready and also to let me know the brakes were essentially shot. Since I already had brand new brake pads with me, I told them not to bother replacing them. I was planning on doing some of the maintenance myself since we had a few extra days here. At a savings of $100+ an hour, why not? The only reason I’m even taking the bike in for service still is to maintain the warranty. When I picked up the bike later that day, I discovered they not only replaced a missing spacer and bolt on the crash bar (which another dealership had neglected to either put back on entirely or forgot to tighten so it fell off), but they had also replaced another broken part (about $500 worth) for free. I’m sworn to secrecy on the details but WOW! Can’t say thanks enough to CalMoto or to Mike for steering me their way. The surprises continued when I went to do my oil change a couple of days later. I reached down to remove the filter and was greeted with a perfectly clean oil filter. Even the oil looked to be clean. Hmmmm?! I had asked the dealership to forgo changing the oil during the service since I was going to do it myself but it appears they did it anyway, at no charge. Thanks CalMoto! Now why can’t all dealerships be like these guys? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-3wZZ9rq-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-qzsVmSh-L.jpg Yikes! Definitely got my moneys worth out of these bad boys. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-qsWMfXv-L.jpg That's better. Hey the squealing sound is gone...go figure! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-fWwb9TV-L.jpg Lori even got in on the action and installed her own Powerlet socket by her seat. A few days with Kati turned into a week, and our indecision of where to go next grew that into nearly 2 more. To be quite honest, we were both also enjoying the downtime and decided to wait till Mike returned to get a first hand accounting of his trip. We are after all heading down to the very countries Mike was riding in, so the more first hand knowledge we have the better. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-RCWrjTS-L.jpg In the meantime, we dog sat and got to know the neighbours enough that we got invited to a grade 8 Halloween concert by one of the kids. We were becoming regulars at the Panda Express and the staff at the local REI were starting to get to know us by name. Kati took us into town to check out Adventure Designs - another very cool moto-shop, where we picked up some short cuffed summer gloves and some RAM mounts. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-DtfgnNR-L.jpg Lori even managed to get some baking in. "Live in New York Once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft", from Baz Luhrman’s 1998 Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen) song. The lines popped into my head one chilly evening as I reached for a sweater. It was 18 degrees out. Kati laughed and agreed that I was indeed getting soft. Hey at least I wasn't like some of the locals who were wearing down jackets and toques. |
San Francisco
Last month we had seen the Golden Gate but never actually made it across the bridge into San Francisco. We decided to make a day of playing tourist and took the BART into the big city one day. Getting off at Embarcadero we walked through Chinatown before hiking up to Coit Tower.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-FMsnF9N-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-RHQBC2q-L.jpg Not sure who's winning…but it was a fantastic place to people watch. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-fJTwXjk-L.jpg Every Chinatown needs a bad ass dragon. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-vmC6MXq-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-VSWSfKs-L.jpg There were supposed to be 400 stairs to the top of Coit Tower, I think we must have ascended a different wall or something as I don’t think there were more than a 100. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-LbCbjhK-L.jpg There was this unique (to us anyway) single serving bathroom at the top. Dude was trying to figure out how to work it for like 5 min. It seems he walked in as the person before him was leaving, which is a no-no because the thing needs to go through a cleaning cycle in between uses. Lori tried to explain it to him but he wouldn’t have any of it and continued to look for the button that would close the door, surely it must be hidden within. Sigh! I finally took a shot at coaxing him out, suggesting that perhaps a new course of action was needed since this one wasn’t working too well. Persistent bugger but he finally came out and let it do it’s cleaning thing. It was pretty funny except for Lori doing the pee-pee dance the entire time. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-xxng7vj-L.jpg Coit Tower in all its glory. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-CCRCqcB-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-pGQFckZ-L.jpg There were some pretty cool murals inside. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-KgcBjMH-L.jpg Besides the outdoor pooper, you get a great view of San Francisco, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate from Coit Tower. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-gCdpRjN-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-LNC9GT8-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-6cL4RZR-L.jpg Saw a few classics while walking back down. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-cXmKJdc-L.jpg Always remember to stop and smell the flowers along the way. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-DQ4ss99-L.jpg We stopped at Boudin Bakery & Cafe for some lunch. It was way tempting to get something deliciously bad for us. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-6gRnJ4D-L.jpg Never stuff your face with more than you can fit in I always say...or something like that. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-TVwD4xj-L.jpg Saw*a few earning their keep... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-9BngFGh-L.jpg Others….well... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-cxtB4bD-L.jpg We met a few celebrities… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-CD5CwCt-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-9d3XV4S-L.jpg Ahhh, put a cork in it! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-zRZNFhh-L.jpg And for all you single guys out there who like long walks by the water...this ones a keeper. SF has just about something for everybody it seems. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-wTpvvM3-L.jpg The not so famous SF-Oakland Bay bridge. With the sun beaming on the residential area across the bay, it was quite a view. Not sure it turned out as well here in the pic though. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-rwmMxCK-L.jpg Oh and congrats to the Giants who won the World Supercup or something like that ;) the day before. Hey I haven't watched baseball since the first strike. Lucky for us we hadn't picked the day before to visit SF, I'm guessing it may have been a little busier... |
Hi
Will you come to Spain in the future? |
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We're hoping to make it there, yes. |
The Vortex of California
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By the end of the 2 weeks we were itching to get going again. Mike got back, took a day off and said “OK LET’S GO!” Part man, part machine, I thought I could hear the Six Million Dollar Man sound effects as he packed up his bike. Just like that we were back on the road with our energetic tour guides leading us south. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-LtLCQ8K-L.png Mike and Kati wanted to take us down the 17 mile drive in the Monterey Peninsula but checking online ahead of time we discovered motorcycles were prohibited, something about motorcycles being too loud :(. Ah, the 'loud pipes save lives ideology strikes again. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-LCt6zJJ-L.jpg We stopped for a picnic lunch on the beach at Carmel Bay instead and got treated to some seals fishing for their own lunch along the breaking surf and a very large pod of dolphins doing the same a bit further out in the bay. I didn't realize till later when I looked at a map that the famed Pebble Beach golf course is located off 17 mile drive. Thanks to Tiger Woods golf video games, there was a time when I could tell you every break on every green on that course. Except for the prohibitive cost, playing here was at one time on my bucket list. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-2qRVXSp-L.jpg Dude in the background reminded Lori of Weekend At Bernie’s for some reason. But don’t worry, this guy was still breathing…we think. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Z4M5dBt-L.jpg Alas we continued south along the incredibly scenic highway 1 past Big Sur to Limekiln State Park campground where we camped out for the night. This absolutely stunning stretch of road turned out to be a fantastic consolation prize. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-fJL2kd6-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-TdvVhZr-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-dFWK4Gt-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Gwgj8vb-L.jpg This little tunnel just outside Limekiln State Park had a very European feel to it. After setting up our tents at Limekiln, we hopped back on the bikes and Mike led us to another gem down the highway, Nacimiento road. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-T8kzZCF-L.png Nacimiento road snakes it's way away from highway 1 climbing steeply up the mountain through Los Padres National Forest. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-BwtLPfV-L.jpg The setting sun casting an warm orange glow on the mountain as we rode up. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-qmrQjN5-L.jpg We pulled over and enjoyed a spectacular sunset. The following morning Mike took me for a hike through Limekiln State Park to see the remains of several kilns from the late 1800's that were used to harvest limestone from the area. What was interesting was the redwood forest we were hiking in had been completely eradicated during that time when they used the wood to fuel the kilns. Yet here we were walking through a beautiful fully grown forest, gotta love how nature takes care of itself. Sadly no pics as my iPhone ran out of juice. On the way back we passed another camper packing up his site, I couldn't help but chuckle at the winter parka, hat and gloves he was wearing. Here I was in short sleeves sweating. It was about 16C out. Proof I guess that I wasn't quite 'California soft' yet. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-RBJ8qwj-L.jpg A little further south along highway 1, we made a pit stop at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery. Although they can be found all over the world they seem to like this spot in California. Nearly hunted to extinction in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries for the oil in their blubber, their numbers have managed to skyrocket from around 50 to 175,000. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-v38XCnT-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-vdwtB9M-L.jpg Male Elephant Seals can grow to 5,000lbs! That's the size of a Ford F-150 pick up truck! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Sp3WDGw-L.jpg The males fight for breeding rights and dominance over a section of beach. It appears beach front property is highly sought after even in the animal kingdom. The battles can get pretty bloody leaving them with serious scars on their chest. Apparently these 2 males were just practicing for the main event later in the season. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-hxq655T-L.jpg While the ladies spend most of their time pregnant or nursing. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-mgGH9nn-L.jpg Nap time it seems, also plays a very important role in the Elephant Seal world. I think I like these guys. We had a fairly short ride to Morro Bay for brunch and to set up our tents again. We also made reservations to play tourist for the rest of the day. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-NKw4NXn-L.jpg Welcome to Hearst Castle (Home - Hearst Castle). 65,000 square feet, 165 rooms & 127 acres of gardens of pure opulence. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-MxgJQQ9-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-FN6794g-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Cv7ZQnB-L.jpg Everything here is imported from around the world. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-8BDxVPr-L.jpg Restoring the smoking room. Estimated time of completion...oh about 10 years, for real. This guy was using a Q-tip to clean the ceiling and the lady doing the tour said it was a 10 year project to restore this one room. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-SrtWMKC-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-w4zfrc6-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-RxVqNHM-L.jpg The entire property is really quite something. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-djngRKk-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-zDrmLmQ-L.jpg Mike & I chillin' by the (outdoor) pool. |
The Vortex of California
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http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-MK3hNhg-L.jpg The detail has detail. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-RspXcW3-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-sx2J95k-L.jpg The indoor pool. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-mMpTZj5-L.jpg Oh and this was the road getting up here. Sadly we had to park the bikes and hop on a bus to get up here. The following day the four of us went out for some very early morning coffee. Due to previous commitments, Mike and Kati had to make an early departure and head back. A few weeks ago we met a complete stranger who opened up his garage, his home and his heart to us. Today we said goodbye to two amazing individuals that we can only describe as...family. We really can't thank you guys enough for everything. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-44NsfwZ-L.jpg |
You're still in California?
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From Morro Bay, we headed south to San Luis Obispo where we took a little detour Mike suggested, See Canyon Road. It actually starts out as Perfumo Canyon Road and ascends the mountain in typical twisty fashion. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-L6rDNsz-L.jpg Near the top we had a pretty nice view of Morro Bay behind us. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-jLL9rPh-L.jpg Pit stop in Avila Beach for some ice cream. Total tourist town, pretty beach with a couple of very long piers. It was a spectacular day so it was strange to see the beach so empty. A short ride south we came across the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach. This small eucalyptus forest is home to about 10,000 butterfly’s at the moment, a number that will swell to about 30,000 by the end of November. It turns out that most of the butterflies west of the Rockies call this home in the winter, while all the ones east of here, including all the ones we have back home in Ontario during the summer, head to Mexico for the winter. Of course it’s not quite as simple as packing up the family and flying south for the winter. These guys go through several generations just to get there, it’s pretty impressive. They weren't super active on this day however, I think we may have come during siesta hour. For weeks we’ve been smelling these intensely aromatic trees down the coast and I only recently discovered they were eucalyptus trees. The visit here only added to our excitement of heading into Mexico to see the Monarch Biosphere. Patience grasshopper…er… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-bmG3pFb-L.jpg Looking up initially, it's easy to miss all the butterflies as they blend in and look like tree branches. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-8BBDZdJ-L.jpg But a closer inspection reveals hundreds of them on each branch. Because they were quite high, it was difficult to get a great shot without a good zoom lens. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-rQmfCGP-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-3rFXDTq-L.jpg The sky was on fire in a thousand shades of orange as we pulled into Jalama Beach. Instead of setting up the tent, we went to the beach to watch the amazing display of colours. It meant that we set up our tent in the dark, something we typically dislike doing but we both agreed the sunset was totally worth it. Our days had gotten shorter and losing daylight savings meant we were now watching the sunsets happen before 5pm. A far cry from having daylight at midnight up in the Yukon. The long days are so nice when you're camping and we were now finding ourselves in our tent before 8. As strange as it seems, Lori and I spent the next couple of days seriously bummed. We were missing the company of our friends more than we imagined we would and decided a couple of days at Jalama beach was just the ticket to cheer us up. With a store/restaurant right on site, it’s the closest we’ve been to an all inclusive campground. They served up a pretty delicious Jalama burger and a huge very yummy breakfast burrito. It was tempting to stay longer. We ended having to move our tent the second day to a more open area as the site we were in had already been reserved by someone else the following night. The wind picked up overnight and we woke up with quite a bit of sand inside the tent and all over us. Yuck! The joys of camping at a beach I guess. Sand in Lori's hair did not make her a happy camper, lemme tell you. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-c5VwhnK-L.jpg Drying out the towels and shorts and keeping drinks out of the sun. Tigger is a true workhorse! We got an early start the next morning and were on the road just after 8am, stopping for breakfast in Santa Barbara. We were hoping to do some Moto-sightseeing in town but discovered a big race going on and roadblocks setup everywhere we wanted to go. A bunch of people were running everywhere, Lori pointed out that no one was chasing them.... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-rx7v4qc-L.png Map,map, on the wall, which is the twistiest of them all? After careful measurements and curve counting, I concluded that the one on the right just past Malibu seemed like the most twisty of them all. Passing Neptune's Net we turned North on Latigo Canyon Road. Man what a seriously fun road. It looked kick ass on the map and turned out to be even better in person. Chock full of S-bends and blind corners, it's the type of road to put a biker driving a cage into serious misery. Being on two wheels, I was all smiles. "Lori? You still back there hun?" Lori gets a bit quiet on roads like these and I usually have to make sure she's ok every a few minutes. I'm not sure she shares my passion for the twisties, or maybe just not to the extent as me. But I do think she's learning to appreciate it more, not unlike someone being thrown out of a perfectly good airplane learns to appreciate skydiving. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-rpHqdkr-L.jpg We made a right onto Mulholland Highway looking for the Rock Store where we heard Jay Leno likes to hang out. No Jay Leno here but we did get to talking to someone who was really curious about our trip. Also along the way, we passed a cool spot I had seen many times on YouTube, a particular 180 degree curve that plays host to a lot of crashes. You know it's a fun spot when there's a camera guy taking pics at the side of the road. The place attracts bikers, not unlike the Tail of the Dragon, although I think Deal's Gap seems to offer a much more of an atmosphere compared to the Rock Store. As we went around the curve, it was hard to miss all the gouges in the pavement left by scraping pegs no doubt. LA traffic is as crazy as I had imagined. Love the fact you can lane split here although being about as wide as a smart car, it's not something we took advantage of frequently. Now lane splitting in stop and go traffic to me makes sense, even in very slow moving traffic. But some of these bikes were lane splitting around vehicles that were already travelling well above the posted speed limit. Huh? Welcome to LA! After an unforgettable afternoon riding, we found ourselves on the east side of LA staying with family for a few days. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-RCfn2z3-L.png |
Happy Christmas.....
Hi Mark Lori, still silently following you guys & tiger :scooter: Just wanna say a super big Merry Christmas & have a super happy & safe new year. :santa: Stay safe & have fun have a jeiger on me :thumbup1:
Keep the rubber side down go for it ..... Vince |
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Whirlwind tour of LA
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We ended up spending a few days with family in Los Angeles. I've never really had any interest in LA before this, although surprisingly we enjoyed our whirlwind tour of Tinseltown anyway. Can't argue that seeing where the Oscars take place, Hollywood Boulevard, all the studios and Rodeo Drive wasn't at least a bit cool. Still, the highlight of the day was watching all the buskers perform at the Santa Monica Pier and dinner at the very British Ye Olde King's Head pub. Oh and let's not forget all the exotic cars around LA. I spied six, count 'em SIX different Aston Martins while cruising around town. I've seen two on the road in my entire life prior to today. Six here in one day - crazy! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-gVXZkZb-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-44mC3mj-L.jpg Keeping the selfie streak going. Hey is it still a selfie if someone else is in the pic? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-gb7DvVk-L.jpg Hollywood's finest keeping the peace. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Lb4bdzS-L.jpg I found it kind of eerie to read the words <em>carpe diem</em> next to Robins name at the Chinese Theatre http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-5ZcbrdH-L.jpg Boldly going where others have been... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-nkgwHCZ-L.jpg That Jimmy Kimmel guy seems to be getting pretty BIG. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-LqtMHJq-L.jpg The very first Oscars were held in this room at the Roosevelt Hotel back in 1929. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-krC7dBn-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-sqJmg9s-L.jpg Woody is more famous than I thought. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-GgMfDvh-L.jpg Some more sights of downtown LA, or is it uptown? The place is so huge it's hard to tell. This was just around the corner from Union station. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-hwrwwm8-L.jpg We stopped by at an outdoor market, sure was perdy! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-rdtQC78-L.jpg Avila Adobe was built around 1818, it's the oldest existing house in LA. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-NpT3jMP-L.jpg Dating back to the late 1800's, this is the original fire house in LA. Back in those days the fire truck was only two horsepower. When they arrived back at the firehall, they would drive straight in, unhook the horses and manually turn the pumper around on the turntable (seen under the wheels). Pretty high tech stuff. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-jhGxSVD-L.jpg Checking out Santa Monica Pier. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-mVsw85M-L.jpg A display on the beach for Veteran's Day was also bringing awareness to the number of military suicides. A sign indicated that number tops 154 every week. Very sad. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-VxZR6WQ-L.jpg You can easily tell the Canadians apart from the Americans here. The really pale looking people in the water...Canadian! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-8dgr2DN-L.jpg Me? I was getting soft so I put on a sweater. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-xF2MTpp-L.jpg I didn't know route 66 ended here, cool. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-CTC6gpm-L.jpg This is what you call juxtaposed... http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-wspcXHk-L.jpg We found this beast at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-C49CrZ7-L.jpg I bet it would make an awesome RTW tourer. |
Whirlwind tour of LA
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Welcome to Rodeo Drive dahhhling! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-TCgh9ZP-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-BFZs49w-L.jpg You might recognize this hotel from Beverly Hills Cop… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-2fSdL4K-L.jpg A thick layer of armor, this guy was well protected, kind of how I envisioned my wallet looking as we walked around Rodeo Drive. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-hHwNZ35-L.jpg We did a tour of Lake Arrowhead another day. Meh! Nice enough lake with a lot of incredibly expensive homes around it. I think this was supposed to be Sammy Hagars place here. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-WkHNmPR-L.jpg Ryan, careful, most things in there*don't react well to bullets...Not wanting to spend a small fortune to go aboard, we viewed the Queen Mary and a really old Russian sub from afar.* http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-td6J46P-L.jpg So we goofed off at the gift shop downstairs instead. Hello this is your Captain speaking... What do Michael Jackson, a stunning massive stained glass mural of the last supper and the Art of Motorcycle exhibit have in common? All were on display at the Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Ok, maybe MJ isn’t exactly on display, but I understand he’s laid to rest here. We came to the moto exhibit purely by accident when I noticed the sign as we were leaving. Quite a few very unique and classic bikes on display here, custom painted helmets and fuel tanks and even a Valentino Rossi Ducati race bike signed by the legend himself. Seemed like a very unusual setting for the Moto exhibit to be honest. No pics from the exhibit as signs everywhere said no photos and well, we were the only ones in there at the time. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-T8wCvZ4-L.jpg We found this right next to the bike exhibit. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Q7CxB7w-L.jpg On the way back we made a stop at the Griffith Observatory. I recognized it immediately from at least one movie I had seen. The place was absolutely packed for a Tuesday, maybe it's always like that I'm not sure. There's a great view of the Hollywood sign from here and also of most of LA. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-3jQm3WG-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-psQmHSG-L.jpg Hey, what are you guys pointing at? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Q2KH5zR-L.jpg Oh I see. We decided to finally pack it in and send the last bit of our camping gear home as we departed LA. That's it for camping :(, we're hotel bound from now on. We doubled back a bit leaving LA and headed west to pick up Angeles Crest Highway - what a stunning road. Wow! Twisty doesn't begin to describe it. I was surprised to find out we were up over 7100 feet. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-WJLvnsg-L.jpg Seeing the clouds gently roll over the mountains as we looked back towards LA was just stunning, it looked almost surreal. We passed the Pacific Crest Trail marker along the way - cool! I hope to one day return to that spot, hiking instead of riding, from the Mexican border all the way to Canada. That will be a very different trip report though. Angeles Crest Highway is easily in the top 10 riding roads I've ever been on. I know we haven't seen everything in the states, or every amazing road but I have to say that California in general is my most favourite state to ride a bike in. There is definitely no shortage of amazing twisty roads. I have to be honest that the thought of spending the entire winter in California did cross our minds. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Kx7S33z-L.jpg Just a spectacular view up here. |
Hey Mark, is it true? I heard you guys are finally leaving California.
After an overnight in Victorville, we headed north towards Death Valley. It was hot and the wind was gusting from the west at what seemed well over 60mph. I got to practice that ancient art of “Drunken Tiger - Hidden Sphincter” as I tried to keep the bike on the pavement, all the while being sandblasted (literally) for that added degree of difficulty. Not quite sure why but all of a sudden I got this strange feeling like I really didn't want to go to Death Valley, a feeling that didn’t want to leave me alone. Maybe it was the wind, or sandblasting, or maybe it was because we had planned kind of a long day which would get us into our hotel well after sunset. I’m not sure. But after about 15 minutes I asked Lori if she really wanted to see Death Valley today. Right away she said “NO”, and that she had this feeling like we shouldn't be going there. Hmmm, interesting. Well that settles it! I told her I had the exact same thought.
We re-routed and headed east straight to Vegas. It was nice to no longer be tossed around by the wind but almost a little eerie to be in this pocket of nearly still air while riding down the road at highway speed. I lifted up the visor and could hear everything around me much clearer, everything from other vehicles to Tiggers engine purring along. Bright lights, big city. Ahh Las Vegas. Much like LA, I never really had any desire to visit Vegas, but after an entire week (far too long by the way), here are my thoughts. The Belagio is stunning. They really go all out and put on a fantastic Thanksgiving display inside (I'm told the Christmas one is even better). The fountain show outside is just magnificent. Walking up and down the strip was pretty cool the first and second time, after that it was almost painful. There is someone in your face either trying to sell you something or snapping stripper cards (advertisements for stripper joints). Basically they snap the cards in your face to get your attention as you walk by and then try and offer you the card. You can't go 30 feet before another one is doing the same thing. It's really really annoying after about a block. I suppose one of those massive sized alcoholic beverages they sell all along the strip might have helped ease the pain. Some of these drinks even come with a lanyard in case you want to rid yourself of the burden of having to carry your alcohol, you can just hang it off your neck and slurp away. Besides the countless homeless looking for a handout, there were quite a few performers working in the streets. One girl did her impression of Neil Peart on a set of drums made out of buckets, she sounded fantastic. Another dude had a sign that read "I'll let you kick me in my balls for $20". O_o Seriously! We wondered how successful he was in this endeavour, I mean who would take him up on that offer? Strangely enough we came across him later in the week and a guy was actually kicking him. A GUY! I mean I figured a pissed off ex-wife...maybe...but another guy? Probably wearing a cup, I think. I hope! Walk into a casino and you're quickly accosted by someone "First time in Vegas?" "Where you from?" "Oh really, I have an aunt in Toronto" and you're quickly led over to a booth so someone else can try to sell you more stuff. Sell, sell, sell. Ugh! Everywhere you go, it's the same. About the only place you get peace and quiet is while playing one of the games. Although I wouldn't call the slots peaceful or quiet. On the upside, within moments of sitting down at a machine or table, a waitress magically appears and brings you free alcoholic beverages. I tried my hand at a poker tournament one night, getting to the final table and doing well until sadly the free beverages did me in. Someone once told me Vegas is nice to visit for about 3 days, max. I’d have to agree. Here are some of the sights: http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-BhCQ9jR-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-rq5rvGP-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-xv3sNBz-L.jpg Inside Caesars Palace http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-nRvRG2Z-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-kkJVDVZ-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-wwJ8gCg-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-9H3hvx2-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-M9Hdgmd-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-KmVXVZk-L.jpg We were both sick of Vegas by the time we hit the road again, and when we rolled into El Centro later that day, I was literally feeling sick. We decided to stay put and booked into a motel for a few days hoping I'd feel better. I had an ear ache and my head felt like it wanted to explode, both of which only seemed to get worse. Unfortunately my ear was bad enough that simply putting on my helmet was painful so riding anywhere far was out of the question. Our next stop was supposed to be Mexico but neither one of us wanted to go anywhere till this was sorted. A visit to the local ER confirmed I had a bad case of allergies? Seriously? Allergies? Apparently allergies were the cause of some fluid building up behind my ear, which in turn caused an ear infection. Some Claritin and anti-biotic ear drops and I'd be right as rain. A few more days in El Centro it is then. What can I tell you about El Centro? It’s the largest city in North America below sea level. It did also have a decent restaurant, Burgers & Beer, which was within walking distance and served up some surprisingly great food. Sadly those two highlights weren’t enough to put it on the list of places to visit again. It’s also incredibly dry here...how dry was it? In the time it took us to walk from the store to the motel, the grapes we bought had turned into raisins. You were lucky to actually feel water hitting your face when you turned on the shower, most of it would simply evaporate before it got to you. It was dry! We had initially planned on heading down the Baja coast but after spending a lot more time than planned in California and with our 6 day stop in El Centro, we made the decision to skip Baja all together and ride straight to mainland Mexico. Because of this, Lori suggested we ride a bit further east before crossing the border. With that, we finally managed to leave California…again. We lost an hour crossing into Arizona & MST and made a breakfast stop in Yuma at the Cracker Barrel. I must admit I have a weakness for their hash brown casserole, that stuff is seriously yummy! With a few last minute items to take care of before entering Mexico, we landed in Tucson for a couple of nights over Thanksgiving. Thanks to a mystery hotel grab via Priceline for $39/night, we ended up at the very lovely Hampton Inn. Nice! Besides making sure we had extra copies of all our paperwork, we also bought our Mexican motorcycle insurance online so we didn’t have to deal with it once in Mexico. Apparently the insurance is mandatory - as in a mandatory cash grab since everything I read says it’s useless as far as actually being used as insurance goes. For dinner, we walked across the road to the R & R Grill. Real turkey, mashed potato, stuffing, gravy and cranberry jelly, about as close as we could get to a home cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Next stop - Mexico...GULP! |
6 Months on the road
Hard to believe we have already been on the road for 6 months. What a trip so far! We’ve seen some pretty incredible sights and have met some truly wonderful people along the way. Whether at some random coffee shop or gas station or even at a well organized travellers meeting like the HU, meeting new people has turned out to be the highlight of our trip. In fact I’m not sure I ever anticipated the profound impact meeting a complete stranger and being welcomed into their home would have on me.
This trip has turned out to be so much more than I imagined before we started. For me, the freedom of being able to ride my bike everyday, to places I’ve only dreamt of seeing, is like nothing else. It really is a dream come true to not only have the opportunity to do this but to also have my wonderful wife along for the ride. Feeling a bit nostalgic, I thought I would write down some random stuff about our trip so far. Favourite place: Mark - California, maybe more NoCal (as I’m not a huge fan of LA and all that is rich and shameless). The state has mountains, ocean and some of the best riding roads I’ve ever been on (highway 1 coming into San Francisco - wow) Lori - Northern California. Lori says this choice was made under duress since she wanted to pick others as she had so many favourites. Truth is we both did. Least favourite place: Mark - Vegas with El Centro in close second. Vegas has never been my cup of tea, I prefer the sounds of nature to stripper cards being flicked in my face. El Centro, neighbourhood’s way to dry and being sick the entire time I was there didn’t help. Lori - Fairbanks, Alaska. It seemed to be the low point for Lori during the trip. Do we miss anything? Mark - Yes, a great home cooked meal. Seriously, I really miss eating healthy. Being on the road does not allow for a healthy diet overall. Yes we can make healthier choices but we can’t exactly fill up the fridge and often you eat less healthier because that’s all there is. I’m also missing my chiropractor at the moment. Now that we no longer have our camping gear, I find I’m missing a sense of home more than I did before. Having a tent and a space to call our own at least gave us a bit of a home. Lori - That's easy. The kids and the rest of the family first and foremost. Next would be a sense of home including all the mundane daily chores believe it or not. Any good tips or lessons learned? Lots. Looking back on day one of our trip, the first thing that comes to mind is - NOOBS! Even though we’ve done quite a bit of travelling and a decent amount of that by motorcycle, I still look back and think how green we were starting out. Who knows I might look back at this point in our trip and think the same thing. One of the most interesting things we’ve had to re-learn is how to travel. We’re so used to having a week or two at the most to get as much as we can into our holiday, that we’ve found breaking free of that habit has been hard. It’s taken us a while to learn to go slower. Another problem with this equation is that we’re both very goal oriented. So going slow with no specific direction has turned out to be kind of difficult for us. Kind of like a stalling engine we've spent days in a single spot because we couldn't decide where to go next. Give me a destination and a time frame, and I’m good to go. It sort of explains why we did 25K in 3 months out of the gate. We had a destination and a time to be at said destination. Ultimately I'm not sure there is a right or wrong way to travel, you just have to figure out what works best for you. We're still learning it would seem. Problems seem to have a way of working themselves out. Much like trusting your parachute will open once you jump out of that airplane, you have to trust that things will work out. There are far too many variables to account for each one before you embark on a big trip. Stuff will go wrong, sure but mostly things will go right. Compromise! A big one for 2up travel. Lori prefers the finer things in life like a clean bed and a clean bathroom ;) that's all ours. While I admit there's a certain appeal to that, I'm just as happy to sleep in a tent every night for weeks. So we usually compromise and do what Lori wants ;). Couldn't help myself there, but hey "happy wife, happy life" as they say. To be fair, Lori has had to endure sleeping outdoors with the bears and mosquitos for more than half our trip and has seemed almost happy doing it. We put together a short little video (or picturideo?) of the last 6 months (ok so maybe I went back a little more than 6 months, but it's where this adventure began back in Feb), and maybe I'm a little late posting it. |
What a trip
Have been following your ride, You have been achieving what a lot of us dream about. will be looking to follow your further adventures, Keep up posting your travels. Stay safe.
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¡Hola Mexico!
You learn a great deal about yourself when you step outside of your own comfort zone. Of the two of us, I would have to say that Lori has pushed that comfort bubble much more than I have so far. Mexico however seems to have levelled that playing field. We have both kissed whatever comfort zone we had goodbye as soon as we crossed the border. After several weeks in Mexico, we find ourselves discussing the possibility of a course correction. I mean what do you do when everything is uncomfortable and unfamiliar? You seek out what is familiar and comfortable, that's what, right? We were discussing Plan B & Plan C, maybe spend some of the winter months hanging around Florida or California, do some more riding in the south part of the US. Lori even scoped out a flight home for under $190 from Cancun as we discussed our options. But before we get to that part of the story, let's rewind a bit and start at the beginning (of Mexico that is).
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-6Z2V8Mj-L.png From Tucson we rode straight south towards Nogales, AZ, where we stopped to fill up and get things like water, you know just in case they don't have any in Mexico ;). I also took advantage of the currency exchange place at the side of the gas station and swapped out some of our US bills for Pesos. Crossing the border into Mexico proved to be quite an easy task actually. The immigration building was on the right immediately as we left the US. The friendly border official stamped our passports and 10 minutes later we were on the road heading south. Our 6 month visa came to a whopping $56 for the two of us. He also gave us directions to the Aduana where we needed to make the bike legal. I've heard enough stories about getting directions in Mexico or Central America, so I was a bit sceptical. But 21km straight down the highway seemed pretty straightforward. Sure enough, 21 clicks later there it was. Although not as cheap as us, the process was even easier as the girl in the booth spoke English. 6400 pesos for the bike, most of which we'll get back when we leave Mexico, so long as we leave with the bike of course. Considering how nervous we were about everything, it turned out to be quite an easy process overall. Riding through Nogales was quite a sobering experience. I should actually rephrase that as we technically only skirted the city on the highway, we didn't actually ride through Nogales. Most of the buildings we saw would be condemned never mind passing any sort of code back home, yet people were clearly living here. This was "home" for many. It's an image that has stayed with us both the entire trip actually. Soon enough we were cruising down the highway trying to put some miles between us and the border, after all it's supposed to be the most dangerous area of Mexico. Our destination, Hermosillo. The drive down the cuota (toll) highway was pretty uneventful for the most part, except for that Camaro passing us. I never even saw it coming up behind us and only became aware of it when I felt the lateral shift of our bike as he overtook us. One of those jump out of my seat moments. I guessed it was going 180km/h, maybe more. The posted 110km/h a mere suggestion apparently. Made a lunch stop in Santa Ana at some random road side place. Seemed a little on the sketchy side although there were other people there (which meets one of our self imposed rules for eating out in Mexico and beyond). We ordered a couple of quesadillas, one pollo (chicken) and one machaca (like a dried pulled pork essentially). The machaca seemed almost hairy and was super dry. The chicken was pretty good but I think Lori was a little grossed out. We got into Hermosillo later in the afternoon with no clue as to where we’d be staying that night. We thought we’d just ride around and find something that looked good. Now Hermosillo is kind of a large city, about the size of Hamilton with a population of about 640,000. We found ourselves a little overwhelmed with everything to be honest. We passed lots of hotels along the main road and eventually came across a Starbucks of all places so we decided we better look online to see what we can come up with. Lori found us a nice place, Hotel Ibis and even though the online rate was pretty good, we decided we could do better in person. How wrong we were. The posted rate once we got there was significantly more and although Lori tried to bargain for the online rate the guy at the front desk wouldn’t budge. Apparently booking something online would have been better after all. We left deciding to go back to SB and find something online, but got stuck in some rush hour traffic in the city. It was also getting to that point in the day where we were running out of daylight. I caught a glimpse of a Hampton Inn on the GPS less than kilometre away so we thought we'd try our luck there. By the time we arrived, the sun had already set. I think walking would have been faster. Our rate? Even higher than the Hotel Ibis. We weren’t riding after dark (another self imposed rule) so we sucked it up and took the room. The place was brand new, literally, in fact some of the rooms were still being worked on. Our room was small but very modern. Complete with over half a dozen pillows on the bed and fresh construction dust on the floor which made us think we were the first ones to actually stay in that room. Once we got upstairs and unloaded our gear, we discovered our computer not working. Great! Just like the beginning of our trip back in May, this next chapter of our trip seemed doomed to start with that much familiar “I must break you” (said in that Dolph Lundgren voice). At least we had the iPad to troubleshoot with online. After trying everything we found online, still nothing. Our Macbook was Kaput! I even messaged one of our online followers, Macdoc who knows a thing or two about Macs and he basically re-affirmed what I suspected. Either the screen or Logic board were fried. The good news is that the Macbook is still covered under Applecare. In the morning a call to Apple confirmed the bad news: there aren't any Apple stores in Mexico, in fact the closest one is back in Tuscon, AZ. Seriously, this couldn’t have happened yesterday? I suppose we could function without the computer for a short time but ultimately we rely on it quite a bit. We also didn’t know when we’d be able to get to an Apple store to have it repaired if we simply carried on south. From Hermosillo we were essentially a 1 day ride back to the states to have it fixed. The lady I was talking to at Apple booked an appointment and less than 24 hours after getting to Mexico we were back at the US border. Crossing back was actually easier than crossing from Canada to the US, only question we faced was "you rode that bike from Canada?" We decided not to stamp ourselves or the bike out of Mexico since we’d be simply coming back a few days later. Something that may or may not have been a good idea, I’m not sure yet. No surprise, it would take at least 3-5 days to have it fixed. As frustrating as this detour seemed, the computer could have died 3 weeks into Mexico or somewhere in Guatemala. |
Mexico...Take 2
Our second attempt at Mexico went a little better, or at least we lasted longer. We checked out of the hotel in Tucson and hit the Cracker Barrel for some of that hashbrown casserole one last time before heading south. On the way we rolled over 40,000 on the odometer.
Crossing the border was uneventful. We rode right past the immigration and skipped the Aduana, after all, we already had all the required paperwork. Crossing into Mexico isn't like riding into Canada or the states. At least not in Nogales. No booth, no border control officer asking how long you're going to stay for, or if you have anything to declare. When I say we rode right past, I mean we literally rode right on through. In retrospect, perhaps not the smartest thing we’ve done since there’s no record of us ever leaving the states, at least not according to our passports. Hmmmm! We ended up in Hermosillo once again and booked our stay at the Fiesta Inn online. Nice place, modern, clean. The next morning while Lori showered I scoped out a roadside food stand across the road from the hotel. From our room, I saw dozens of people coming and going, surely an indication it must be decent. Now I should tell you that my Spanish vocabulary consists of "dos cervezas por favor" and "lo siento no hablo Español". We've been trying to absorb as much as we could using an app on our iDevices, Duo Lingo, but I think Lori's the only one absorbing any Spanish. I think I’m better built for absorbing the cervezas ;). So we get across the road and unlike Canada or the US, there's no menu or prices listed on a board somewhere, it's just the stand. They lifted a lid off a pot and we simply pointed at what appeared to be a soft tortilla filled with something and said "dos por favor". So what was it you might wonder. Yeah, us too. Whatever it was, it was totally delicious though. I went back and asked for 2 more. Our breakfast came to 85 pesos (about $7) and we were stuffed. For perspective our hotel served up what they called an "American Breakfast" which included juice, fruit, tea or coffee, egg and toast, all for 184 pesos or about $15...each. That's loco! Hey another Spanish word in my vocabulary. While packing up the bike we got talking to a couple of guys visiting from just outside of Mexico City, curious about our trip and they spoke pretty good english. One of the guys gave us his business card saying "anything you need while in Mexico, just call me." Back on the road and out of the city, we passed a lot of dilapidated homes. Houses without windows & tarps for a roof, the poverty becoming more and more obvious as we went along. Even so, people seem to be happy and friendly as they waved at us, from Cowboys on horses at roadside farms to construction workers to kids in the back of trucks. The photo moment of the day (that we missed because our pocket camera was acting up) was a pick up truck heading the opposite way on the highway with a horse shoved in the back along with a cowboy. We both did a double take. Ended up in Navajoa at the El Rancho hotel, our first what I call real styled Mexican hotel Nice property, restaurant on site and beautiful pool. Complete with a cobblestone parking lot that felt more like an obstacle course to navigate. It didn’t have secure parking for the bike and was just off the main road. We were however able to park the bike in front of our door and left it undercover of our magical cloaking device (bike cover). Majority of the bikes we’ve seen on the road in Mexico are scooters or little 125CC or 250CC at most, so a big bike like ours kind of stands out, even when parked. But put a cover over it and it literally disappears. No more curious looks, no more finger pointing. It’s like Ewan McGregor waved his hand and said “this is not the bike you’re looking for!” http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-nJhq9tr-L.jpg This isn't the santa you're looking for either. One of the many Christmas decorations at El Rancho. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-KzgmZL7-L.jpg Lori has to have gotten over her fear of bears it seems. We had a short ride from Navajoa to Los Mochis the following day so we decided to take a detour to Álamos which has been designated a “Pueblo Mágico” or magical village. The town is about 380 years old and full of colonial architecture that totally defines how we envisioned Mexico. We happen to get there on a Sunday and the town centre was alive. Full of vendors selling either clothes, nicknacks or food. The mouthwatering smells of Mexican dishes wafting through the centro as we rode around. Unfortunately Álamos turned out to be a little like Hotel California, we found our way in but couldn’t find our way out. It’s quite a maze of one way streets and getting out proved difficult, or at least the way we wanted to go. The plan was to ride all the way around on route 188, but it never occurred to me to plan an actual route on the GPS. When I looked at it on Google maps, it looked quite simple. Unfortunately after about 30 minutes of riding around, even our GPS couldn’t find us out of there except for the way we came in. Oh well. Thank goodness for the breadcrumbs we left behind. More sobering images of poverty filled the landscape as we made our way south to Los Mochis for the night. It was starting to become quite disheartening. The next morning we decided to push through all the way to Mazatlán, hoping the ocean would cleanse our minds and give us the boost it usually does. Turned out to be a very boring day, all cuota and lots of it. I think we spent about 200 pesos for the day, that’s about $16. Yikes! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-LhCKfNC-L.jpg This was a common sight during our first several days in Mexico. We guessed burning was their way of clearing a field. We realize we can’t keep booking our stays online everywhere we go so we decided to simply make a list of a bunch of hotels that looked good and go knocking on some doors instead. An hour and a half after arriving in Mazatlán, we’d checked on 5 hotels and nothing, or at least nothing within our budget or with parking. It was getting dark and we caved once again and settled for something well north of what we are hoping to spend for the average night. In all fairness Mazatlán is a pretty big city not to mention a gringo destination, both of which tend to increase prices. Here are some of the sights from Mazatlán: http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-TxcTWdZ-L.jpg Hello, delivery? Seems to be the vehicle of choice for delivering food, these guys are absolutely everywhere in the cities. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-n6wkg4T-L.jpg Lori said they were taking this coliseum down. I couldn't tell. What do you think? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-BMJNjz8-L.jpg Christmas was in full swing here. I realize I'm not going to get any sympathy votes for this but it's hard to get into the swing of Christmas while it's 28 celsius outside. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-HJsH5tb-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-HRFp2mB-L.jpg The Bug is alive and well, it's just moved to Mexico. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-cFK4XwX-L.jpg Siesta time… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-c8kbWmz-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-pZZLm2P-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-dssFCtB-L.jpg This tree has a very photoshopped tinge to it, but I assure you it was quite real. Out for a walk on the Gringo Strip (not sure if that’s an official name for it, but it’s what I called it), I saw a car go past us and come to a stop. A lady jumped out of the passanger seat and starts making a b-line for us. Apparently we had been marked. “Hola, where you from?” she asked as she approached us. “Toronto, Canada”, we usually stick to saying Toronto because odds are they’ve never heard of Brantford and saying Paris will totally throw them off. “Toronto? I have an…” Wait, wait! Lemme guess, you have an aunt in Toronto. Didn’t we meet in Vegas? I have a feeling I know where this is going. Ok so she didn’t have an aunt in Toronto, turns out she was trying to get us to come to an “open house”. I smelled 90 minutes of my life I’ll never get back sitting through a time share presentation. No gracias! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-MvfJgSQ-L.jpg Beautiful sunset from our balcony. |
Durango, Durango
“Where do you want to go next?”
“I don’t know, where do you want to go?” This is a conversation we’ve had many times during our trip. Without a specific plan or agenda for Mexico, it was one we’d have again many times. Sometimes looking at a map will help us make this terribly difficult decision. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-bbdFJdL-L.png Road between Mazatlán and Durango City. Yeah…this will do! In Mexico you have a choice of travelling by the cuota (toll road) or taking the much slower Libre (free) roads. The cuota is typically much more direct (read boring) and isn’t all that cheap. The downside of the Libre roads is that they are indeed much slower as they go through all the little towns. Each of these towns has between 2 and 8 topes (or speed bumps). Not sure I know why any town needs that many topes on the main road but they all have them. More on that later. One look at the map above and it was an easy decision between the two. Ruta 40 was a blast to ride, super twisty and in decent condition. It was the most fun I’ve had since Angeles Crest in California. For a while it felt like we had the road to ourselves, kind of eerie actually until we noticed something multi-legged and bright orange crawling along in the middle of the road. Slowing down to catch a better glimpse of the next one, “I think those are tarantulas” I said to Lori over the intercom. We later learned these were the Mexican red-kneed tarantulas. “Great we’re alone in the Mexican jungle with orange tarantulas, let’s not break down anywhere around here, ok?” Lori said. Breaking down wasn’t so much of an issue for us as becoming roadkill, when we leaned into one of the many blind corners only to see a dump truck sharing our lane with us. It’s alright, I didn’t need the whole lane anyway! Much, much to my dismay, we had to get off the road not quite halfway through as Lori began feeling extremely nauseated for some reason. Not sure what the cause was but the constant rolling from side to side definitely wasn’t helping. We switched over to the much less twisty and more major 40D cuota, and put it into overdrive towards Durango. As far as highways in Mexico go, I have to say this was one of the smoothest and nicest ones we’ve been on so far, it’s also brand new. With 63 tunnels and 115 bridges, it’s definitely not a boring ride either. One of the bridges is 1,124 metres in length and is 403 metres above the valley floor, making the highest bridge in the Americas and third highest in the world. Another nice thing, or so we thought was the absence of toll booths, at least for most of the highway. Of course when we did finally stop at one, it was 120 pesos (or about $10) por favor! Apparently taking this highway end to end would cost about 500 pesos for a car. Yikes! I think that even tops the 407ETR back in Ontario for end to end cost. We lost an hour as we found our way back into the Central Time Zone and the state of Durango. Mexico has a total of 31 states and one Federal District. Durango would be our third. Lori was excited about only being one time zone away from the kids. While the Mazatlán that we saw had a very distinct gringo feel to it, everything from the english speaking wait staff at every restaurant we ate, to the rock music, heck we even watched a Canadian hockey game at one restaurant, the city of Durango had a more authentic Mexican vibe to us. I admit that we didn’t see all of Mazatlán nor did we venture out too far into the older part of the city, so I‘m not knocking the city. We had written down a few hotels but settled on the first one we checked in on, the Casablanca. With a name like that and an exercise bike in the room, what’s not to like. It was also within walking distance to the Plaza De Armas and Catedral Basilica Menor. We knew we wanted to explore a little here and checked in for a couple of nights. Durango is a fantastically beautiful city. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-tPgV385-L.jpg Wasn't kidding about the bike. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-rnZS9dP-L.jpg The view out our top floor window wasn't bad either. Ordering dinner at the restaurant, brought to you by wifi. We’ve been using a couple of translation apps (google translate and iTranslate) on our phone to help us out whenever we get stuck, which basically means we use them all the time. Even so, things get lost in translation sometimes. We ordered a grilled cheese and we literally got a hunk of cheese that was grilled! We both laughed out loud when it arrived. You know what though, it was absolutely delicious. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-TKKP7g7-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-vkNkKd4-L.jpg Plaza De Armas beautifully decorated with Christmas lights. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-hJCkhDg-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-zRZz9gQ-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-hmM2xZ6-L.jpg What stood out right away was the social atmosphere. We’ve read that Mexico is a dangerous place and one should never venture out after sunset. Hmmm! We saw kids playing with bubbles and water fountains, people shopping for Christmas gifts, couples sitting on benches making out. All around us people were out enjoying the evening. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-gsWQVZz-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Nf26ZwL-L.jpg Fanciest looking McDonald’s we’ve ever seen. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-X2sKGzP-L.jpg Catedral Basilica Menor beautifully lit up. The original cathedral was destroyed by fire in the early 1600's. Construction on the the new one began in 1695 and wasn't fully completed until 1844 as I understand it. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-7HvThB7-L.jpg A peek inside. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-SZFQTdb-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-mD69sBT-L.jpg The next morning we found a little cafe a few doors down from the hotel. Like a lot of places in Mexico, it didn't really look like much from the outside, but they had this cute little outdoor patio at the back. Perfect spot for morning coffee and brekky. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-krFMKTv-L.jpg We’ve actually seen poinsettias growing in the wild in Mexico. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-2TQjznz-L.jpg Hey dude, got a light? http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-BvPHCxm-L.jpg Templo de San Augustine. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-x3N4PLJ-L.jpg I’m not exactly a history buff but it’s easy even for me to get lost in the beauty of this 451 year old city. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-dWhGWRM-L.jpg Parroquia de Santa Ana, built around 1734. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-3h5grLV-L.jpg Vancouver Donuts circa 2014. This was an interesting find downtown Druango that's for sure. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-S9L4SNf-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-hXXbPkC-L.jpg We capped off our stay in Durango with a stunning sunset. |
Drivers Ed...Mexican Style
While loading up the bike in front of the hotel the next morning, we were approached by someone from a Mexican magazine, Enlace, and ended up doing an impromptu interview. We fielded questions about Durango and whether we felt safe, about the missing students and also about Obama’s immigration bill.
http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-2X6NRN7-L.png We crossed into our fourth state today, Zacatecas and stopped in the city of the same name. We passed the hotel we were aiming for on the opposite side of the divided highway and in trying to turn around, we quickly found ourselves being sucked into downtown amongst some pretty insane rush hour traffic. Traffic here is way more chaotic than back home, cars going every which way, pulling out into traffic from a side street to merge when there’s really no room, bikes filtering everywhere and yet strangely it seems to have a good flow to it. One of the first things that stands out about the highways in Mexico is that drivers tend to keep to the right (unlike in Canada or the states). Back home there is almost like this sense of ownership of the lane people are in, especially the left lane. I don’t know maybe they really did adopt that part of the highway. At home bikes typically ride to the left side of the lane on a one lane highway. Here that would be construed as more of a suicide attempt. Here people use the small shoulder like an actual second lane, moving over as much as they can to let another vehicle pass. Now us on a bike, we don’t really have to invade the opposing lane at all when this happens. However larger vehicles do. If you don’t keep to the right you will quickly find yourself face to face with a transport or a full sized bus sharing your lane with you as they pass someone. As the saying goes, ye with the biggest toys wins. The concept of keeping to the right is pretty much self regulating here in Mexico, essentially a survival tactic. I find drivers are pretty aware of their surroundings here. Transport trucks seem to be the only exception, but I don’t think it’s a lack of awareness. I think they just don’t care all that much since they’re the biggest thing on the road. Another thing drivers do as you are about to pass them, they turn on their left blinker. HUH? At home turning on your left turn signal, signals you’re about to make a left turn, right? Here, it means the way is clear for you to pass. A little confusing the first time it happened to us as I wasn’t sure what the driver we were passing had in mind, so I gunned it and gave him lots of room just in case. Riding in the city is another ballgame all together, almost like a controlled chaos. Some of the roads in the city have no distinguishing marks to indicate where the lanes are. So you have vehicles EVERYWHERE! If the road looks like it has 4 lanes, there are typically 5 or more lanes of vehicles occupying that space. Forget about leaving a safe amount of space between yourself and the vehicle in front as someone will quickly try and fill that void whether you like it or not. There is a subdued sense of order in all this chaos as people do what needs to be done to get from A to B. It’s definitely not a place for uncertainty and tame driving though. Looking around, no one seems angry and we haven’t seen a single case of road rage anywhere so far. Flashing your headlights is a tough one to figure out as it seems to mean various things depending on the situation. If a cabbie does it as he’s approaching you, it means he’s asking if you want him to stop and pick you up, honking is the same. If you see flashing headlights in your mirrors approaching quickly, it means “get outta my way”. It could also mean “hey I’m here, just so you know”. It basically means what ever they want it to mean. Your job is to figure out why and if you need to do anything about it. Signage. All signage seems to be more of a suggestive concept. We passed a sign indicating it was 90km’s to the next city. A kilometre or two later we passed another sign that indicated it was now 78km’s. A few clicks later, it had gone back up over 80km’s to go. Speed limit signs fall into this category as well. Most vehicles move 10-20 km’s over the speed limit, similar to back home, except the odd few that travel at warp 8. Topes (speed bumps). Ahh the one thing that can bring Lori to articulate herself in the most creative ways - not suitable for minors of course. Topes are absolutely everywhere, small towns, big cities, even highways. Yes highways. They are the bane of our motorcycling existence. They come in all shapes and sizes, some are just huge humps, some have massive potholes on the other side for an added degree of difficulty, some are marked with yellow paint or lines, some aren’t. Some are huge metal half domes (about the size of half a cantaloupe) - these are especially fun when wet, some have almost like a ramp leading up to them. There is no real consistency to any of them other than the fact that every town has a minimum of two, one at either end of the main drag, although most towns have at least half a dozen. Hitting one of these bad boys at anything more than 1/4 impulse speed is not recommended. We’ve had a couple of heart pounding moments on the highway because of these things. We were doing about 100km/h when out of nowhere I see a bunch of yellow lines only a few feet in front of the bike, and yelled “OH SHIT” into the comm unit bracing for what I thought was surely an impact with a tope. Turned out to be just lines but my heart was going 100 miles a minute. The next one I saw the lines and knew it wasn’t a tope but Lori thought it was. Same reaction only coming from her. I jumped out of my seat not knowing what she was yelling about. I’ve discovered that keeping an eye on a vehicle somewhere in front of us is pretty helpful as far as getting an idea of where exactly the topes are. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-mJRLMwK-L.jpg Back in Zacatecas, we clawed our way through the traffic and came across hotel Don Miguel directly in our path, so we thought we’d check it out. We almost didn’t stop because the place looked way too nice. Turned out to be pretty reasonable actually, still a little over our budget but I wasn’t heading back out to play in that traffic. We also didn’t feel like going out much after dinner and decided to call it a night. Sadly our Lumix pocket camera that we picked up back in July has finally kicked the bucket so we’re not taking any pics while underway. It began acting up back in California with the focus having random problems but now it won’t focus on anything and the camera just shuts off moments after turning on. |
Vehicle right of way
Hi sounds like you are having a continuing interesting trip. Reminds me of when I was in Europe regarding the vehicles you encounter. Right of way is directly proportional to the size of the vichicle you encounter but not necessarily in that order.
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Culture Shock
Somewhere over the last few days we've began feeling pretty homesick, almost 7 months on the road and it hits us now? With Christmas fast approaching it’s only going to get harder I think. There’s no doubt that there are good days and bad ones but we’ve noticed we’re having more of the bad ones lately*for some reason.
Mexico seems like a paradox of sorts. It has some of the most amazing architecture we’ve ever seen, the buildings, cathedrals, every town is beautifully decorated for Christmas, people are nothing but friendly, well dressed, platform shoes and high heels are totally in at the moment. On the flip side the poverty is almost overwhelming. You can’t drive through a small town and not notice it, even in larger cities. Some of the buildings are so dilapidated it’s hard to imagine anyone living in them. Driving through a small town we watched a family doing their laundry in the creek, 50 feet upstream another one doing the same thing. We wondered if that was also the town’s water supply but if they’re doing laundry in the creek, it’s possible there is no running water at all. Stray dogs are everywhere. Dead ones litter the roadsides and the ones that are alive are so emaciated it’s heartbreaking to see first hand. The language barrier doesn't help either and just seems to make everything that much more stressful. We were having a difficult time processing everything emotionally and have found ourselves essentially shutting down by the end of the day some days. We've gone from everything being essentially easy and fun to everything being a struggle. What's going on? It didn’t hit us till about a week later that what we were experiencing was culture shock! We passed through another 3 states today: Aguascalientes, Jalisco, and Guanajuato, taking our tally up to 7 states. As we approached the city of Aguascalientes we came upon a massive traffic jam. Under threat of construction (since I didn’t see any constructing going on), the highway went from 4 lanes to 1 and it seemed like there were a million vehicles out here. One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post about driving, is that there is no real emissions control in Mexico. So there we were sitting in stop and go traffic with buses and trucks literally spewing thick black smoke all around us. No windows to roll up, no recirculate on Tigger's dash (unless our lungs count) *cough*cough* *hack*hack*, and they say smoking takes years off your life. Maybe we're just not used to it but it left us dizzy and with a massive headaches. I eventually noticed some bikes snaking their way*around all the stationary vehicles and thought I’d do as the Romans (or is it Mexicans?) and was able to keep moving a little by following them. The fun continued once we got further into the city where we encountered some of the worst roads on our trip so far. The entire road surface was one pot hole after another, giving Tigger’s suspension a thorough workout. We eventually made it out and got to Guanajuato to discover a maze of cobblestone tunnels throughout the city. It was just stunning! Guanajuato is a UNESCO world heritage site and apparently very popular with tourists. We were lost not only in the beauty of this place, but I think we were actually lost. We didn’t have a specific hotel in mind before getting here and after 45 min of driving around aimlessly, we decided to stop at one of the guys waving his arms. They were all over the place, some trying to sell you maps, some a hotel. “What you need? Hotel? Right here!” he said as he pointed to the beautiful courtyard just through the gates behind him. “Cuanto cuesta?” I asked (how much). "1450 pesos!" Yikes - no gracias! He then offered to take us to another place that was a little closer to our budget. He hopped on a small motorcycle with his friend and guided us through more single lane alleys and up a very steep cobblestone roads. We ended up in pretty nice place with great views of the city below. I waited with the bike while Lori went to check on the room. She came back disappointed a few minutes later, said the room was a bit sketchy looking and she didn’t have a good feeling about it. Good enough for me. The 2 guys obviously a little disappointed we didn’t stay since I’m sure they get a cut for bringing us there. We made our way back out of town and stopped at the 3 hotels we had see on our way in only to find prices ranged between $120 and $200 (that’s USD, not pesos). Did I mention this was a tourist town? It was starting to get dark and we backtracked all the way back to Silao before finding something reasonable at the 7th hotel we stopped at. One of the more frustrating and exhausting days we’ve had so far. The overnight rain swept away the previous days clouds and we awoke to a beautiful sunny morning. After breakfast, Lori strapped on the good camera and we rode back into Guanajuato for a another look. It was Sunday and Guanajuato was even busier than yesterday with all the open air markets. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-ZLKgSBV-L.jpg On the way into town, Lori spied this funky building. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-PvBLs73-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-sXzQpnK-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Dj4XfzW-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-6fpLWt5-L.jpg Feels a little snug in here, even if you’re not claustrophobic. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-6qLj9HZ-L.jpg The tunnels were very cool. This one barely the width of an SUV. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-jXV6KLN-L.jpg If only walls could talk… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-BQ3KRNZ-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-Dd5DT3Z-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-7tJK3Tb-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-nqVq2sp-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-LJBkRqz-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-k9Rs8Vv-L.jpg I think that's a fish...with head statues in its body. Bizarre! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-jRdN7Jj-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-QhSJDdz-L.jpg It was little less touristy just outside the downtown core. Here's a little video riding around through the tunnels and cobblestone roads in Guanajuato. We were glad we made a second run through Guanajuato this morning under less hurried conditions. It's easily the most unique city we’ve ever been to and we would have loved to spend more time exploring the place. It would actually be a great place take a week off, of course it might take that long just to find your way out of the maze of tunnels. Maybe that's how they get people to stay longer...hmmm?? We made tracks for Morelia instead. |
Morelia
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We had a very short 174km’s to Morelia and our 8th state (Michoacán), and even with our morning detour to Guanajuato, we made it there with plenty of daylight left. We managed to hit another huge traffic jam navigating our way downtown to the first hotel on our list. Nice place but parking was an issue as I would have to get the bike up the rather significant sidewalk curb, through the main door, over the raised threshold and into a small sunken courtyard right next to the nativity scene. There was just enough space to park the bike but not enough space to turn around to get out of the sunken courtyard. The girl at the front desk told us about another hotel a few blocks over with secured parking and drew us a little map. Looked good but parking was across the road although in a secured building. We thought we’d try the other hotel on our list first, the Hotel California. But the GPS took us out of downtown into a much more depressed part of town, down some alleys we both thought were questionable and of course no hotel in sight when we got to our destination. Back to #2 it was. On the way there, we were behind a pick up truck waiting for a light to change when one of the kids in the back of the truck yells something to us in spanish. “Lo siento, no hablo español,” I replied. The girl next to him then yells back in perfect english, “do you know where the theatre is?” Seriously? You’re asking us for directions? BWAHAHAHAHA! It’s easy to forget that we’re not the only ones visiting a new town. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-fkxFR79-L.jpg Old West indeed! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-QkRQK2F-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-zL5D9nF-L.jpg We came across a local artist. Just fantastic stuff and not very expensive, we wished we could have bought this piece. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-8vpz8tM-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-PbwSWPS-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-HjcFc5P-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-84Q7gxs-L.jpg Morelia in love. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-x67vWs9-L.jpg Stopping for dinner at a random street side restaurant. Check out this presentation. Food was delicious! Our overall experience with food here in Mexico so far has been nothing but fantastic. In fact the only time my stomach questioned anything is when I had a burger back in Durango. It was obviously hand made but had a weird taste to it. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-jbKQs6N-L.jpg Moments later these guys show up and begin serenading us. They were actually quite good. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-dJ7dpb8-L.jpg It was Sunday and the Plaza de Armas was just warming up. I'm not sure what these guys were saying :( but they really had the crowd going. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-6m8XtSP-L.jpg Sunday is always THE day to see the main plaza of any town. The sound of the buskers, the open air markets, the smell of fantastically delicious food wafting through the air, the colours. There's just such an amazing atmosphere to it all. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-2XC96rb-L.jpg Brother from another mother… http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-fJZJcVP-L.jpg Turns out Morelia is also a UNSECO world heritage site. That's two in one day for us. Wow! http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-WtmBqwc-L.jpg Cathedral of the Divine Savior of Morelia was built over the 17th and 18th centuries. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-TXNkrFc-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-7hCBqPz-L.jpg Some of the decorations around the plaza. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-FZ6gHK3-L.jpg Plaza de Armas also goes by the name Plaza de los Mártires (or Plaza of the Martyrs), named in honour of those executed here during the Mexican war of independence. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-39rBfBD-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-kK2Mk5J-L.jpg We found ourselves walking around Morelia in this weird state of ambivalence, still very much feeling the culture shock yet at the same time falling in love with the city we were seeing. It just seemed to have a more relaxed atmosphere than either Durango or Guanajuato for some reason. Morelia really epitomized how we envisioned Mexico before we came here. |
Gravity Sucks!
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We didn’t roll out of our hotel till the crack of noon and encountered more bumper to bumper traffic pretty much right outside our hotel door. We eventually found ourselves in a very ritzy part of town after missing a turn the GPS wanted us to take. Beautiful new homes, security guards everywhere, we were worried one of the guards would run us off for trespassing. The GPS rerouted us straight through the subdivision and a few minutes later we found ourselves at the end of a cul-de-sac facing a really crappy looking dirt path with the GPS urging us on. According to the GPS, this is a through road. Hmmmm! A moment later a cab zipped right passed us and down the dirt road. Ok, I thought, if he can do it… The road went from bad to worse pretty quickly and we saw the cabbie pull over at a construction site. The driver and two other guys stood there starring at us like “look the circus is in town”. We tried asking about the road ahead, one guy gave us the thumbs up saying it’s ok, the other shaking his head side to side and pointing us back the way we came. We’ve heard this is typical when asking for direction in Latin America. I might have gone with a majority vote but the third guy kept mum. As tempted as I was to keep going, we decided the more prudent thing would be to ride back. Besides, I really didn’t feel like picking up the bike today. It was almost 2pm by the time we got back on track. The GPS said the cuota and libre roads had the same ETA so we stuck to the libre road. We encountered more of that stunning mountain scenery and as we climbed in elevation the temperature dipped down to 11 celsius. We eventually made it to Angangueo but somehow managed to drive right past our hotel without noticing. In fact the GPS indicated it was one street over and routed us up a pretty steep hill. The road went between cobblestone and broken up concrete and the truck in front of us came to a near stop trying to navigate a really crappy section. I came to a stop about 20 feet behind him trying to give him room in case he rolled back a bit and no sooner had we stopped moving forward, we started moving backwards. (Stupidly) I had only engaged the front brake but without any weight over the front wheel we began skidding backwards immediately and gaining speed. Oh oh! I was too busy back pedalling and trying to keep us upright to be able to put my foot on the rear brake and next thing I know BAM, we’re on our side sliding down the hill. I know we’ve all heard this before, but “it all happened so quickly.” We’ve had a few close calls with tip overs but this was our first 2up fall. Before we could even get up, an oncoming car stopped and a guy jumped out of the drivers seat asking if we were ok. We seemed to be fine. We quickly removed the top case and the Wolfman bag to lighten the load a bit and he gave us a hand picking up the bike while traffic started to build up around us. Apparently this was a main thoroughfare here in Angangueo. How exactly do you pick up a heavy bike on a 40 degree hill? Very carefully! We were lucky we didn’t slide too far as there was about 40 foot drop off to our right. Our Good Samaritan spoke pretty good english and offered to show us the way to our hotel. I felt a little annoyed once I realized we had ridden directly past the place following our GPS. Stupid GPS! After checking into our hotel and unloading our gear, I took a closer look at the bike. Damage report: http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-nDmW2Dv-L.jpg Seems fine at first glance. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-gsc5hg7-L.jpg The highway peg and the left side case seem to have taken the brunt of the fall. The highway peg is barely scuffed but the case is a bit twisted up. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-LDvLtqj-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-JxpJRS4-L.jpg Our biggest worry is that all the electronics were located on the outside of the case that we landed on, including our newly fixed computer. We opened it up and…nothing broken - whew! The lid still closes but with great difficulty and it certainly doesn’t sit right. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-bhXKpVx-L.jpg The rack itself seems to have bent in a little bit and the spot it mounts to on the bike has an obvious fracture. Still seems sturdy enough and stepping on the rear peg doesn’t cause any additional movement. I removed the side case and was able to stomp on it straightening it somewhat. Lori also realized she hurt her arm a little more than she initially thought. I guessed she stuck it out to brace herself when we went down. The incident seemed to take even more wind out of our already leaky sails and we began entertaining thoughts of possibly not continuing past Mexico. We wondered if any of the other travellers had ever experienced some sort of culture shock or been irresolute about carrying on. On a positive note we had a very delicious 4 course dinner at the restaurant downstairs. The Plaza Don Gabino hotel itself had a very rustic and authentic Mexican feel to it. http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-8Ndzhqn-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-KzW4Rgj-L.jpg http://lifes2short.smugmug.com/photo...-X6FrmKG-L.jpg There’s also no heat at the hotel which made for a chilly night when the temp dropped down to 3 Celsius. 3 Celsius! Yes, we’re in Mexico but Angagueo is 8400 feet above sea level so it tends to get a bit chilly. For the record, it was 2 Celsius in Brantford that same night and at least they have heat back home…just sayin’! |
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