Sorry, my blog is suspended due to an illness in the family.
Thursday, 17 July 2014
Sunday, 13 July 2014
Halifax or bust
Riding the Trans-Canada Highway from Toronto to the East Coast requires, unfortunately, a ride through Montreal. The city is a wonderful place, not so much the TCH. Having driven and ridden it many times, I have yet to get through it without experiencing a serious traffic jam. This was no exception. We followed Route 40 from the west end of Montreal eastbound along the the north side of the St. Lawrence River in the face of unrelenting stop and go traffic, and followed it all the way to Trois-Riviere before heading south to regain Highway 20 eastbound. It would be the only traffic issue we would experience. 1850 km and two days later, we arrived in Halifax, and promptly got lost in Dartmouth. Rescued in short order by our fabulous hosts, we spent the rest of the night at their gorgeous home in Bedford. We awoke to a third consecutive day of fantastic weather, and are planning a down day on the Halifax waterfront today; tomorrow, the riding tour really begins: we ride the Evangeline Trail.
Friday, 11 July 2014
Day One: Leaving Home
Don't care if it's business or pleasure, I hate leaving home. Before each of these road trips, I experience anxiety that builds right up to departure. Once I'm on the road, all is well. So I'm about forty minutes from launch, the bike is packed, and after the usual morning ablutions I found myself humming the melody to "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." One way to control my stress!
The final pack is about what to leave behind. There is never enough room. The first long road trip I was packed like a Sherpa.
The last trip, I packed a toothbrush some dental floss and a Visa card. OK, well, a bit more than that, but it's crunch time every time. This time I think I have to leave behind the insulated rain pants that I bought in Washington State in prep for crossing through the Rockies in 2012. They would be terrific for the cooler eastern climate, but are just too bulky to bring along. Unless I secure them with the net on top of the luggage.. hmmm. We'lll see in a few minutes when I get to the garage for the final finals.
I am meeting Evil in Port Hope, an hour's ride. Only 19 more to go after that and we should be in Halifax! Here's a pic of Evil and his personally customized Yamaha Roadliner as we returned to Ontario in '12.
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The final pack is about what to leave behind. There is never enough room. The first long road trip I was packed like a Sherpa.
The last trip, I packed a toothbrush some dental floss and a Visa card. OK, well, a bit more than that, but it's crunch time every time. This time I think I have to leave behind the insulated rain pants that I bought in Washington State in prep for crossing through the Rockies in 2012. They would be terrific for the cooler eastern climate, but are just too bulky to bring along. Unless I secure them with the net on top of the luggage.. hmmm. We'lll see in a few minutes when I get to the garage for the final finals.
I am meeting Evil in Port Hope, an hour's ride. Only 19 more to go after that and we should be in Halifax! Here's a pic of Evil and his personally customized Yamaha Roadliner as we returned to Ontario in '12.
Wednesday, 9 July 2014
So it begins ...
Well here we go on our next grand motorcycle adventure, Caper's East Coast Adventure 2014. The ride starts the day after tomorrow (Friday), when I meet up with my great pal John "Evil" Hughes in Port Hope, ON (where else should a grand Canadian adventure begin but with a meet-up at Timmies?!). Our goal for the first leg is to make Halifax, where we are being hosted by a man I call "my oldest friend," Wendell MacGillivary and his ebulient wife Yvette Amirault, who are also riders and will be joining us for a several-day tour of the mainland (as we Cape Bretoners call everything west of the Canso Causeway) and perhaps down to the Cape, which is the second leg of this three-week tour.
We are meeting our friend Bob Murphy there. Murph has been on the road for perhaps two weeks now, departing from his home in White Rock, BC and tooling his way through America meeting his many and varied friends along the way. The three of us will tour the Island for a week or so before heading for Newfoundland on July 22nd.
After nine days on The Rock, we will return to CB for the bike rally in Sydney the first four days of August. Formerly known as Cape Breton Bikefest, it's a rollicking good time that culminates in a street dance featuring Cape Breton's beloved bluesman, Matt Minglewood. I have been to Bikefest twice before, in '09 and '10 and look forward to it immensely. The Bikefest was cancelled recently for reasons that remain unclear, but has been resuced by a local gentleman who has re-named it the Cape Breton Bike Rally and promises to deliver the same goods as in prior years. Yay to that!
The three of us planned this trip while in Sturgis last year (see http://www.caperinsturgis.blogspot.ca/); the itinerary and dates have been tossed around like an inflatable toy at a rock concert, but we are now synced and ready to go. Except I don't have a motorcycle at the moment. You might think that's a crucial element for a motorcycle road trip, and I am inclined to agree, but crcumstances led me to have the bike towed to my trusty dealer, Motorsports Pickering, yesterday owing to a rear brake pedal that lacked the enthusiasm essential for returning to its rightful place. A spring malfunction, it seems. We'll get the diagnosis today, and hopefully the bike back today as well!
And what bikes are you riding, you ask? Glad you did, because interestingly, and completely coincidentally, all three of us ride 2006 Yamaha Roadliners, 1900 cc beasts that help us cover ground with panache. Here's a pic of mine as it was being towed away yesterday (thanks CAA Plus!).
Well, I had good intentions, but it seems my smartphone is not conencting to my laptop. Later, friends!
We are meeting our friend Bob Murphy there. Murph has been on the road for perhaps two weeks now, departing from his home in White Rock, BC and tooling his way through America meeting his many and varied friends along the way. The three of us will tour the Island for a week or so before heading for Newfoundland on July 22nd.
After nine days on The Rock, we will return to CB for the bike rally in Sydney the first four days of August. Formerly known as Cape Breton Bikefest, it's a rollicking good time that culminates in a street dance featuring Cape Breton's beloved bluesman, Matt Minglewood. I have been to Bikefest twice before, in '09 and '10 and look forward to it immensely. The Bikefest was cancelled recently for reasons that remain unclear, but has been resuced by a local gentleman who has re-named it the Cape Breton Bike Rally and promises to deliver the same goods as in prior years. Yay to that!
The three of us planned this trip while in Sturgis last year (see http://www.caperinsturgis.blogspot.ca/); the itinerary and dates have been tossed around like an inflatable toy at a rock concert, but we are now synced and ready to go. Except I don't have a motorcycle at the moment. You might think that's a crucial element for a motorcycle road trip, and I am inclined to agree, but crcumstances led me to have the bike towed to my trusty dealer, Motorsports Pickering, yesterday owing to a rear brake pedal that lacked the enthusiasm essential for returning to its rightful place. A spring malfunction, it seems. We'll get the diagnosis today, and hopefully the bike back today as well!
And what bikes are you riding, you ask? Glad you did, because interestingly, and completely coincidentally, all three of us ride 2006 Yamaha Roadliners, 1900 cc beasts that help us cover ground with panache. Here's a pic of mine as it was being towed away yesterday (thanks CAA Plus!).
Well, I had good intentions, but it seems my smartphone is not conencting to my laptop. Later, friends!
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