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.