09-09-2021, 10:17 AM
2021 CB1100 Forum Rally Tribute (cont.)
Eventually we rode much further west and got our butts (my butt was hurtin' many times) on the Algoma Loop. We made a stop at one of very few building structures on the loop:
... and no, this was not Steelers Country.
The Algoma Loop is pretty long (682 kms). We entered dry and with visible light. Within an hour or two the rains began and darkness descended. Here is Alain starting to get into it:
The loop isn't like many in the U.S., but it was still fun to experience its therapy.
... and then the rain ...
Rain would be with us practically from this point off and on during the rest of the tour. Alain relished the rain
.
Alain turned animal when he killed a bird. I have no capture of the incident, but saw it in "slow motion". A bird challenged Alain's right side CB1100. The bird charged, bounced off, and rolled head over tail to the soft road shoulder. It was done. I have never seen this side of Alain before. It worried me for a bit. Alain even showed his trophy marks on this rain suit pant leg.
Not long after I took the lead ripping up some tarmac. The sun was starting to get low. Then suddenly from the shadow of the right side road a glorious and beautiful American Bald Eagle started to take flight. It's wings chugged hard as I came about ten feet of a head on collision. We caught eye-to-eye contact as it looked back while passing by my left handlebar. It may have reconsidered me as a meal too big. In any case, it was majestic and looked cool trying to not get killed.
By this time many of our portable electronic devices lost charge and the rain was a pain while charging others. Android doesn't like it when it senses the USB-C port is damp.
It seemed to "take forever" to get to Wawa in the pitch black of night and rain. Overcast, no humanity, trees lined both sides of the road. One of our concerns was a moose jumping out. It would have been a mess. But it didn't happen.
Wawa is a tiny town whose main strip seems to cater to fishing, hunting and hydro electric crews. There are many motels that have a good rating and better. We were boneheads thinking, ah, the season is over, there will be plenty of available rooms. We didn't reserve rooms. By the time we arrived (after 9:15 pm), the town didn't have a single "good quality" motel room. Then we got lucky: The business couple ahead of us booked two rooms and offered one of them to us! Wooo-hooo! Very thoughtful of them. Caveat: It had a single queen bed
. The good news was Alain was a light snorer.
In addition upon arrival in Wawa, no dinner could be bought. Nothing was open! Couldn't even get a coffee. We went to sleep without dinner. I think unconscious came fast that night.
(To be continued ...)
Eventually we rode much further west and got our butts (my butt was hurtin' many times) on the Algoma Loop. We made a stop at one of very few building structures on the loop:
... and no, this was not Steelers Country.
The Algoma Loop is pretty long (682 kms). We entered dry and with visible light. Within an hour or two the rains began and darkness descended. Here is Alain starting to get into it:
The loop isn't like many in the U.S., but it was still fun to experience its therapy.
... and then the rain ...
Rain would be with us practically from this point off and on during the rest of the tour. Alain relished the rain
.Alain turned animal when he killed a bird. I have no capture of the incident, but saw it in "slow motion". A bird challenged Alain's right side CB1100. The bird charged, bounced off, and rolled head over tail to the soft road shoulder. It was done. I have never seen this side of Alain before. It worried me for a bit. Alain even showed his trophy marks on this rain suit pant leg.
Not long after I took the lead ripping up some tarmac. The sun was starting to get low. Then suddenly from the shadow of the right side road a glorious and beautiful American Bald Eagle started to take flight. It's wings chugged hard as I came about ten feet of a head on collision. We caught eye-to-eye contact as it looked back while passing by my left handlebar. It may have reconsidered me as a meal too big. In any case, it was majestic and looked cool trying to not get killed.
By this time many of our portable electronic devices lost charge and the rain was a pain while charging others. Android doesn't like it when it senses the USB-C port is damp.
It seemed to "take forever" to get to Wawa in the pitch black of night and rain. Overcast, no humanity, trees lined both sides of the road. One of our concerns was a moose jumping out. It would have been a mess. But it didn't happen.
Wawa is a tiny town whose main strip seems to cater to fishing, hunting and hydro electric crews. There are many motels that have a good rating and better. We were boneheads thinking, ah, the season is over, there will be plenty of available rooms. We didn't reserve rooms. By the time we arrived (after 9:15 pm), the town didn't have a single "good quality" motel room. Then we got lucky: The business couple ahead of us booked two rooms and offered one of them to us! Wooo-hooo! Very thoughtful of them. Caveat: It had a single queen bed
. The good news was Alain was a light snorer. In addition upon arrival in Wawa, no dinner could be bought. Nothing was open! Couldn't even get a coffee. We went to sleep without dinner. I think unconscious came fast that night.
(To be continued ...)
