Bikes, BBQ and the Dragon

June 5, 2010 – Kingston, ON to Saint John, NB and HOME!!

The day started with one of Meagan’s Uncle Abbey’s famous breakfasts and then we were out to the driveway to replace my rear brake pads.

These pads are obviously past their prime!

Meghan, John and Jane. Thanks for the Hospitality! Me, Abbey and Larry and the “new” Mercedes.

We departed Kingston late in the morning and started making our way home. There was no real plan and the hope was that the weather would turn nice and we’d get a chance to ride around the Gaspe Peninsula. That plan was quickly dashed when the rain started. We stopped in Montreal (Abbey…BAD shortcut.) for a quick bite and were on the road again. Once we rode out of the rain, we took off the rain gear and headed out again on the Trans-Canada. We had ridden for about an hour and a half when the weather got COLD. I tucked in behind my windshield and hugged the tank as closely as possible, but I was really wishing for heated gear. We pulled off the highway and into the same place we’d stopped last year when I was cold. I’m thinking its the Geography….

After a Sandwich and Coffee at Tim Horton’s I put on some more gear and my rain gear as a windbreaker and we headed out again. In the meantime, we’d made arrangements to stop in Saint John, NB at Meagan’s best friend Leanne’s for the night, planning on taking the boat to Digby in the morning.

Well, the weather certainly had it in for us as after leaving our meal and fuel stop, we pushed what I figure was a 50 – 70 Km/H Headwind for about two hours. It also cut my fuel economy by a third. Another stop at a Tim Horton’s for coffee and a Petro Can for fuel we were one step closer to shutting down for the night.

We DID forget to set our clocks ahead and we continued to Saint John. It was a very wet, cold ride and many times I considered stopping and staying at the “Iron Butt Motel”. The Iron Butt Motel is a nap on the ground next to your motorcycle, still dressed in riding gear. Why we didn’t, I don’t know, but we pushed on through the fog to Saint John and rolled in at around 0330 hrs. Our mileage for the day, 1249 Km. Leanne had left her garage door open and instructions on where to sleep and I don’t think I was completely under the covers before I fell asleep.

We awoke in the morning and Leanne took us to breakfast and we had an enjoyable visit. However, having forgotten to set our watches ahead, we missed to boat and were forced to ride home. Once again we rode in the rain and I got to experience Hydroplaning on a motorcycle. I’m still pulling bits of Mustang Seat from my hindquarters. The pucker factor was huge!

I finally rolled into the garage at around 1730 hours, soggy, tired and happy to be home. It is nice to get away on a trip, but its REALLY nice to come home!

DAYS: 12. FINAL MILEAGE: 7300 Km. STATES RIDDEN IN: 10. PROVINCES RIDDEN IN: 4.

June 4, 2010 – Frackville,PA to Kingston, ON CANADA!

Well, of all the places we’d stayed, I’d have to say that Frackville was one of the scarier places. Or at least the Motel was scary. We passed up the first one and settled on the EconoLodge. On the road before 0900 hrs we turned North on I-81 towards Cape Vincent, NY to catch the Ferry to Kingston ON. The mileage between us and Kingston was 286. It should be an easy day.

The weather was nice and this would be the first day we hadn’t seen rain since Sunday.

The roads were clear and traffic was light. We made good time all the way to Cape Vincent and the Ferry to Wolfe Island. A short Ferry ride from Cape Vincent, NY finally put us back on Canadian Soil! Clearing customs consisted on showing our Passports to two Customs Officers who didn’t look old enough to drive. One more Ferry Ride and we’d finally make Kingston.

Now, when we finally reached the second Ferry Terminal, the line of cars was incredibly long. We asked one of the driver’s where we were supposed to go…and this old lady steps in front of us and says, “GET TO THE BACK OF THE LINE!” to which I responded, “Ma’am, where IS the back of the line?”. The response I got was just her continuing to shout, “GET TO THE BACK OF THE LINE! GET TO THE BACK OF THE LINE!” Larry just turned around and headed for the FRONT of the line…bowing to peer pressure, I followed.

We were the first two on the boat and found that Motorcycles are supposed to load first as they take up the corners where cars can’t go. Apparently, the old broad had been waiting awhile….

We got off the Ferry and made a beeline for Kingston’s Division Road

After coffee, and a stop for a new toothbrush, we made our way to Meagan’s Aunt and Uncle’s house following Simon’s instructions. It was a much shorter day than we’d had recently and the supper that was promised was worth the ride! We had taken a moment to put up our tents and dry them out and repack some gear. We also took a few minutes to run to Tony’s Cycle and exchange some “extra” brake pads and pick up a new rain suit.

Only another couple of days and we’ll be home….

Thursday, June 3, 2010 - Princeton, WV to Frackville, PA

There are only two pictures for today. Today, our goal was to eat miles. We were going to slab our way North as far as we could in order to have a bit of a rest day on Friday when we got to Abbey and Jane’s in Kingston, ON.

Unfortunately, the day went in the shitter in a big way. It all started after loading the bikes in the morning. My driving lights had stopped working the night before and we then discovered that my tail light was out as well. Well, I took the thing apart and pulled the fuses and discovered one of the fuses was blown. Did I have extras? Sure! At home. On the workbench. In the words of Homer Simpson, “D’oh!”

Well, that's when we met Floyd. Floyd was riding his VTX1300 to Roanoke to see his brother. His battery had died, but he did have an extra 10A fuse. So, I put the fuse in and my bike was ready to roll again.

However, Floyd was still SOL. We found an Advance Auto Parts just up the road and the deal was struck…I’d take Floyd up to the Auto Parts store as repayment for getting me out of my trouble. Now, I’m very secure in my masculinity, but having Floyd ride the bitch seat was a little unnerving. Especially when the lady at the stop light scowled at us and Floyd blew her a kiss!

We were finally back on the road and headed down Highway 460 towards Roanoke and the I-81. It was a beautiful day, albeit muggy and we were making good time. Until lunch. We stopped at a University town and grabbed a “Gourmet” Sub and filled our Hydration Packs. As we were getting ready to depart, the skies opened up and we were riding into a Thunder Storm to beat the band. We had crossed back into West Virginia and finally sought refuge in an Exxon/Dunkin Donuts combo and sat there for almost an hour waiting out the storm.

When we were back on the road, the rains let up and not long after crossed into the Great State of Pennsylvania. Pulling off I-81 into a rest area is when I had my second mechanical failure of the day. No rear brakes! When I got stopped, I went to work and checked Fluid levels and discovered that the level was down. I bled the lines and got some braking power back. After that, it was on the phone to Paul in Wernersville looking for a local Motorcycle dealer. He sent us a number and an address, but unfortunately, the place was closed by the time we got there.

Continuing on I-81 we got closer to Harrisburg and the same Thunderstorm we’d chased through Virginia was directly in front of us. The rain pounded us once again and I finally pulled ahead of Larry and straight into the first Motel Super 8 I saw. There were a number of folks in line ahead of us, including some bikers. The regular $65/night charge was now $90! The Pakistani gentlemen running the place were adamant that was the price until we said we were leaving, and all of a sudden the price dropped to $70! I muttered an expletive and said that we weren’t staying there!

We pulled back onto I-81 and the weather cleared until Frackville, PA where we grabbed a Room at the EconoLodge. We’d managed almost 500 miles for the day. Tomorrow SHOULD be somewhat easier….

Floyd from Ohio

Group Shot, Floyd, Larry and Me!

June 2, 2010 – Supplemental Pics

Here are a few more pics from June 2. Atop of Mount Mitchell and along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. The tunnels were absolutely incredible!