Destination unknown...?

interesting pics rotor, especially the maritime one. Had to laugh at the gas pump not taking your credit card. keep on (safely) keeping on
 
Thanks for the pics and story rotor. Ride well.
 
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Day 11: Everybody does it...

As I was leaving from under the shadow of the Rockies, all my friends said: if you get that far, you must ride the Cabot Trail. Why, I inquired? So you can tell us what it is really like...

Well, a conformist that I am, and since I was already there, I did. Look below and judge for yourself:


Is it just another road by the sea, with plenty of turns? Make up your own minds:


Or, more:


Blue skies behind me, blue skies ahead:

Is this the compensation from above for the dark, diluvial woods of Northern Michigan five days ago?

I was not there alone:

(But, to be honest, I was expecting more motorcycle traffic).

In summary, what can I say?...:

Tough gig to be sure, but somebody's got to do it...

Where next? Can I get any further from home?
 
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cookiemech_imp said:
Those are beautiful places, and your photography is very good!
Thank you. Here is one more from the Cabot:

For those interested, on this trip I carry a small but quite capable P&S, a Canon S110, such camera fits easily in my riding jacket pocket. Five years old, they go for under $100, used. Will do everything required for images shown on computer screen, and can produce quite good prints of up to 30x40 cm.
Day 12: By land and by sea!
The evening before:

Well, the final destination of this little trip is now painfully obvious: To go where the road really ends. After Cabot trail on motorcycle, the logical next step is across the Cabot Straight by a ferry.

In the morning, I'm in the Newfoundland ferry boarding line:


On the ferry:

The only bike on a center-stand!

Well, there is only one road out of Port aux Basques, and that is the one I'm taking tomorrow morning. Such a big island, so few days to explore it.
 
i feel strange asking this, but is it truly a smarter idea having your bike tied down on the center stand as opposed to the side stand? it seems much less stable that way, please correct me if i'm wrong.
 
Interesting. Wife and I went by ferry to Orcas Island this week and none of the bikes were tied down. Very smooth crossing. Later going to Port Townsend was a bit choppy and smaller ferry, but bikes also were not tied down.
 
I've taken my bike over Bass Strait 3 times now and they are always tied down. They will not let you put it on the centre stand either.

Great photos, rotor. I'm enjoying your trip vicariously.

For those asking, rotor's evening ritual is very light oiling of the chain using a technique he has described elsewhere on the forum. And also here.
 
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Day 13: first day on the island

Morning in Port aux Basques is miserable. Fog and drizzle, occasionally turning to full rain for the first 220 km. Around Corner Brook it improves, there is a few minutes of sun, but only enough to be able to see the snow in the gullies on the mountains to the East of the road:


But the rain seems to be done for the day, and the rest (of the 350 or so) kilometers to the Rocky Harbour is entirely pleasant, if somewhat chilly ride:

Actually, 430 from TransCanada to (and somewhat past) Rocky Harbour is not unlike Victoria to Port Renfrew. (But then, any road winding by the coastline has it's charms, even in drizzle and 12 deg. centigrade).

Next? depends on the weather, and there is no promise of any improvement for at lest next two days...

p.s., I'm making note of practical questions asked (e.g., the eternal dilemma: on the side-stand or on the center-stand on ferries - heck, where I come from, wars have been fought over that one :) and will try to address those in a practical-lessons-learned-from-the-journey-and-hard-data story-concluding post - if there seems to be any interest).
riggies_imp said:
Checkerboard CBs are the best looking ones to date, in my opinion.
Tanks. Unfortunately, on the pictures in this thread, there is almost always some ugly piece of luggage or piece of gear on it. And I am often simply to lazy to lift the old girl on the center-stand for the photo. And rarely do I have time to wait for an unsuspecting passer-by to press into service of pressing the shutter button if I want the rider included :)
 
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Day 16: About and around the destination
Morning is cold, but as the day goes on warmer and less cloudy.

First things first:

Signal Hill. In the age of digital photography and Photoshop, no image is a proof, but this one is a pretty good "indication of destination".

At Cape Spear, easternmost tip of the continent:


Just bumming around the Avalon Peninsula:





You meet the nicest people on a Honda:

At the gas station on the outskirts of St. John's, who would pull up but a rider (our age, of course :) on an original CB750. 40 years old, showroom condition. He shows me his, I show him mine...

Just like the Signal Hill, not to be avoided:

Quidi Vidi Brewery. Institution.

And the view from inside out is just as inspiring.

(Yes, bike is on this picture too. Can you spot it?)

Tomorrow: long trek home... How long? Very long. Which way? We don't know yet!
Day 17: first leg of the return
I'm quite sure pictures of checker-stripe CB1100 have become somewhat tiring. But the snippets of Newfoundland scenery?




Somewhere west of Gander...
 
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Day 19: Ferry ride

Strapped:

The way my uncle taught me: upright and symmetrical. The only thing that I was taught but didn't do is put a one-inch wide ring cut from old bicycle inner tube on the front brake lever. I'm just not sure that is an OK thing to do with a hydraulic brake and leave on for six hours.

Tomorrow: East through Nova Scotia.
 
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Day 20: Canada Day

First, some decoration is in order:


Leaving North Sydney the weather was hard to read, and the forecast was of no particular help. At this point, I'm on one hand so used to rain that I don the overalls in the morning almost automatically, on the other hand, it is a national holiday and I deserve a break... The optimist prevails. A few drops of rain and then the cold wind on the causeway almost make me regret it; but then as I turn north from Trans-Canada at New Glasgow to follow NB6 along the coast, it is sunny and warm!

As evidenced in Pugwash:


In Tatamagouche, I stop for coffee. Across the street from the coffee shop, there is a beemer with a notice on the wind-shield:

2007 K1200 in mint condition, with panniers and top case, for $5K (Canadian!).
And the plates are Alberta - 5000 kilometers west!

There must be an interesting story hiding here: perhaps a happy one (fund girl, decided to settle in Maritimes...) or a sad one (broke leg, can't continue...). We'll never know...

And finally: two beauties, competing for attention: one just out of beauty parlour, while my Cinderella is dirty and neglected after 10 thousand kilometers on the road...:

(but we know who got the pompous price :)

PS. I don't want to add to the not uncommon confusion on how to secure a bike on a ferry. We should perhaps have a sticky thread on that topic. So in whatever time I have when writing these posts I want to say only this:

1) I've seen otherwise experienced motorcyclists bring their bike on a ferry with a full tank of gas. When going on a ferry, there should be just enough gas in the tank to get to the nearest gas station when you disembark. And I have yet to see a ferry harbour with no gas station in the immediate vicinity.

2) Have a good look at how is the side-stand attached to the frame and draw your own conclusions...

Tomorrow? still haven't decided. (Toronto? seems unavoidable, but who needs to traverse 401... (been there, done that :)
 
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Day 22, 23: The short-cut
So instead of going north to Quebec and along the St. Lawrence, I have decided to cut across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. It is not significantly shorter distance, but it follows the old wisdom: whenever possible, do not return the way you went out. Most of the trip there will have to be via secondary and regional roads, but that is preferable to ripping up or down the trans-Canada or Interstates. Not much in terms of description is needed, so here are a few pictures:


The trip is well into the last third, and the funds are running low: alwas looking for economy-level motel... :P

Big skies, Vermont:


As good a place to take a rest as any:


Bridge over the western fork of Lake Champlain:


Finally, on the banks of St. Lawrence:


Again, two beauties in close proximity:


Entering Canada, I do stay away of 401 initially. I take the 1000 Islands Parkway, an proceed right through the down-town Kingston. But exiting Kingston, there are several spots of road construction on 33, with single lane alternating traffic, and I loose the patience. I take 4 (IIRC) north to 401, in the hope to reach Toronto before the afternoon rush-hour traffic. It is very hot. In Whitby, I decide it would be foolish to get into Toronto low on gas, and stop for the fuel:



The bike finally get some gasoline not polluted by alcohol (so hard to get in New England states!) and I get a double espresso, cold water and some sugar. I'm ready for Toronto traffic, I think.

From Kennedy to 427 I split the express lanes of 401 between 3 and 4 in the afternoon. A better rider than myself would not think much of it, but for me, it does take all the concentration and skill I can muster at the end of a 550 km hot day ride. However: of thousand of vehicles I filter through, only one idiot honks at me, while two outstanding, cvic-minded gentlemen actually open the space for a passing motorcycle!

There is hope for this country yet!

P.S. the reason for the mad rush was that I'll have to take a couple of days pause and deal with an unforeseen but urgent piece of family business. The trip will have to wait. Stay tuned, I'll be offline for a while, but I'll be back...
 
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Day 24: On the road again...

For a couple of days the bike was in the parkade at Malton, my dry bag was in a locker while I dealt with lawyers, bankers and consular officials. The worst day riding is much better than the best day... (which is all you would be interested in, and which, I'm quite sure, you all knew already :)

So early on Sunday, in hardly any traffic at all, I pull north on 400.

I am still a better part of the week from home, but I am already in this frame of mind where the most important thing is the safe and speedy return. So, only one photo today, in case someone is interested in a unique business opportunity in the hearth of Northern Ontario, only a few steps away from TransCanada:



Tomorrow, around the North shore of Superior...
 
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Day 25: Superior!

Waking up in Soo around 6:00, I peek through the window: the sky is cloudy, looks like rain. I turn around, and by 8:00 it looks better: sun and clouds, doesn't look like rain at all. However, by the time I brew a cup of make coffee, and pack and strap the dry bag, it is past 9:00. I am late to start this, the second day in a row of approximately 725 km.

Beginning is fine: all the way to Pancake bay, the weather holds. I am again reminded why I always just smile dryly when asked after some trip: "So, did you see any wildlife?" as if that is some particularly desirable occurrence. Wildlife? The less, the better, if you ask me:


Everybody knows there is this stretch of 160 kilometres without fulel on Trans Canada on the North shore of Superior. (At least everybody knows that the second and subsequent time they pass that stretch :). While I fill up, I observe the skies on the northern quadrant, and decide to put the overalls on. It turned out to be a smart decision.

I press on to Wawa. Halfway there the road is first in light, and than in heavy fog, with drizzle to match. Progress is so slow... In Wawa, I do the unthinkable: fill the tank without even stopping to take the picture of the bike under the goose. It doesn't really matter: the original Big Goose was thorn down when the road was widened, and a number of smaller birds erected to replace it. What nonsense! Wawa without one (and one only!) Big Goose is simply not Wawa, and Northern Ontario without Wawa is just an endless expanse of mixed forests, granite and lakes.

I consider for a moment to warm up with a coffee, but decide against it. Thunder Bay is still almost 500 kilometres away.

This also turns to be a good decision: the fog dissipates just a few kilometres after I leave Wawa. The temperature dips, but with the overalls on, I can move faster. Besides, I am again enjoying the view of the lake:


It also gets gradually warmer. Ride becomes fast and enjoyable:


Finally, in the mid afternoon, I am by the western end of Superior:


Around 19:00 I am sitting on an outdoor patio in down-town Thunder Bay with the first meal of the day: a pint of "what's local and on tap?" and some other, secondary food groups.

Tomorrow: the last of the Canadian Shield.
 
rotor_imp said:
Day 25: Superior!

Waking up in Soo around 6:00, I peek through the window: the sky is cloudy, looks like rain. I turn around, and by 8:00 it looks better: sun and clouds, doesn't look like rain at all. However, by the time I brew a cup of make coffee, and pack and strap the dry bag, it is past 9:00. I am late to start this, the second day in a row of approximately 725 km.

Beginning is fine: all the way to Pancake bay, the weather holds. I am again reminded why I always just smile dryly when asked after some trip: "So, did you see any wildlife?" as if that is some particularly desirable occurrence. Wildlife? The less, the better, if you ask me:


Everybody knows there is this stretch of 160 kilometres without fulel on Trans Canada on the North shore of Superior. (At least everybody knows that the second and subsequent time they pass that stretch :). While I fill up, I observe the skies on the northern quadrant, and decide to put the overalls on. It turned out to be a smart decision.

I press on to Wawa. Halfway there the road is first in light, and than in heavy fog, with drizzle to match. Progress is so slow... In Wawa, I do the unthinkable: fill the tank without even stopping to take the picture of the bike under the goose. It doesn't really matter: the original Big Goose was thorn down when the road was widened, and a number of smaller birds erected to replace it. What nonsense! Wawa without one (and one only!) Big Goose is simply not Wawa, and Northern Ontario without Wawa is just an endless expanse of mixed forests, granite and lakes.

I consider for a moment to warm up with a coffee, but decide against it. Thunder Bay is still almost 500 kilometres away.

This also turns to be a good decision: the fog dissipates just a few kilometres after I leave Wawa. The temperature dips, but with the overalls on, I can move faster. Besides, I am again enjoying the view of the lake:


It also gets gradually warmer. Ride becomes fast and enjoyable:


Finally, in the mid afternoon, I am by the western end of Superior:


Around 19:00 I am sitting on an outdoor patio in down-town Thunder Bay with the first meal of the day: a pint of "what's local and on tap?" and some other, secondary food groups.

Tomorrow: the last of the Canadian Shield.
Enjoying the ride report and pics...looking forward to tomorrow's.
 
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Day 26: Goodbye Canadian Shield, hello The Prairies...

Morning is sunny, and unlike yesterday I'm on the way well before 9:00. A look at the map convinced me it would be a smart thing to get west of Winnipeg today, instead of leaving the East-West traverse of it for the morning rush-hour. This means third day of more than 700km. So there is only so many times I want to stop.

This is the first; after all, it marks some level of westward progress:


I know it will be a while before I see my CB1100 in this kind of landscape:


In Kenora, on the shore of the Lake of the Woods:

Despite trying to get to the other side of Winnipeg today, I cant resist passing through the town instead of taking the bypass. Well worth extra half of an hour.

The transition from the Shield to the Prairies on Trans-Canada I always find fascinating. From the Ontario-Manitoba border the landscape flattens, but for a while it is still unmistakeably the Shield: granite, forest, water... Then in a space of just a kilometre or so, right before the intersection with Manitoba 12 - one find himself in the the Prairies, with full knowledge that from this point on, right until one hits the Rockies thousands of kilometres away, nothing will look any different from what one is looking at now.

At 18:00 or so, I am west of Winnipeg, if only enough to know that I wont be affected by the morning traffic into it.
 
rotor_imp said:
Cormanus_imp said:
Very important those semis. Did the right guys win for you, rotor?
Now even if I have to push the bike across the prairies, I must make it home by Sunday:excited:
Now even if I have to push the bike across the prairies, I must make it home by Sunday:excited:
Rotor,
We are watching your trip =:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
To meet your Sunday target , my personal suggestion is: 6th gear and 4000- 4500 rpm will make you do it...but watch out for traps and SAFETY :angel: is always priority
Only ride during day light
Good luck:)
 
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