Bikerskier's 50-60-70 Big Ride - 4 corners ride report

[bikerskier]

Started my ride on August 25th out of Portland, OR. Have been posting to Facebook but several folks don't use that and have asked that I post here as well.

Day one ended in a great little farm house near Hedley, BC after 495 miles, about 150 in mid 90's temps, whew! Loved the Klickitat River Road between Lyle and Goldendale, no traffic, what a sweet ride. And also the Yakima Canyon Road between Yakima and Ellensburg, with beautiful sweepers along the river and no traffic. Thanks to John, from my FJR Forum for hosting my first night on the road.

Day two finds me in Prince George, after 410 miles of riding, with a mixture of roads. The first sections from Hedley to Princeton and along the river on Hwy 3 in Bc and then some real sweet riding on 5A north to Merritt, and then 97C to Ashcroft. Did I mention no traffic? Things changed though, when I hit Hwy 1 and 97 north, which were busy and then a lot of construction north of Cache Creek. Dodged all but one of some heavy rain, which caught me in a 20 min downpour. SPOT tracking device seems to be working fine and all is well. Will try to post some pics tomorrow night.

Day three was perfect for riding, cloudy and 60 in the morning, sunny and 65 in the afternoon. Beautiful countryside getting wilder the further west we go with less and less traffic. After turning north at Kitwanga, it really becomes less travelled, in about 125 miles, I might have seen 10 vehicles. BUT I did see two bears and a moose. One of the bears was chasing spawning salmon in a shallow stream and I watched him from a bridge about 20 above him. The salmon won and he got pretty frustrated trying to catch supper. Pulled into Stewart at 6:30 PM after about 425 miles and had a good dinner with Heinekens and a good sleep at the King Edward (thanks Dennis, two good choices so far) No cell service and very spotty wifi connection. OK, bear pics tonight! Off to Hyder, Alaska for breakfast shortly, and then back to Prince George. Hope I see more bears and lions and tigers and stuff.

 

[bikerskier]

NOTE: Link to my SPOT Tracker https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=ade153e3c3449c449&p=50%2F60%2F70

Day four Woke up early this AM to heavy fog and 45 temp. My short journey into Hyder, Alaska did not provide many views, so I stuck with some salmon spawning stream views and rode out to the public boat landing and could barely see the water. Have to check in with Cdn customs coming back into Canada,but nothing going into Alaska. the guy aksed if I bought anything that I might leave in Canada, and I just looked at him, it was 8:30 in the AM, and said that I was in the US for less than 30 minutes! He was a bit embarrassed at having to ask these questions since he watched me ride in a bit earlier. The temps warmed all the way up 50 degrees (chilly finger tips) and sunny as I rode away from the water and then headed south and east back to Prince George, another 425 mile day. Uneventful, (thats good) and a ton of trucks and large motorhomes towing vehicles today so it was slower. No wildlife viewing, dang it.

Off to Jasper National Park in the AM. where I spent almost every winter weekend for 10 or so years, ski patrolling at Marmot Basin.

Day Five Friday, stepped outside to rain, low clouds and 50 degrees. Rode out an hour later in same. Stopped at the Yamaha dealer to tighten the positive battery post bolt which had started to wiggle loose and caused my starting burp yesterday. Then enjoyed heavier rain and cooler temps, around 47 degrees and gusty 20 -25 mile crosswinds for 150 miles to McBride. Just really swell conditions. Coasted in on fumes due to slight mis calculation of mileage and expectations of another fuel getting place. Spent over an hour hanging on to warm soup bowls and coffee mugs and surrounding a burger to warm up. Several other minor mis calcs caused pretty epic failures in staying dry as well. So pulled into Jasper and checked into my BnB for a much needed hot shower. Too bad about the weather since there is some great scenery around here which I was hoping to enjoy again. Better dress planning tomorrow since the forecast is for the same on the Icefields Parkway down to Banff. Trying meet up with an old ski patrol buddy who has retired to Canmore, before hopefully finishing a long day at my brothers in Pincher Creek.

Day Six Jasper greeted me with 39 degrees and low cloud but I did manage a very large bowl of oatmeal at the Athabasca Hotel, which for me had memories of unlimited beer and tequila from ski patrolling days. Left town heading south on Hwy 93 and detoured up the Marmot Basin Ski hill road but it was closed about a half mile below the resort, so that was a loss. Next stop Athabasca Falls which was swarming with Japanese tour buses and very crowded. Next stop Sunwapta Falls, much less crowded. Then the Columbia Icefields and Athabasca Glacier. I have many memories of climbing in this area, including several multi day trips up to the top of the surrounding peaks. It is incredible how far the glacier has receded since my days of climbing there about 40+ years ago. The morning has been cold and windy but fairly dry which is good. Since it is Labor Day weekend, there is lots of traffic so had to be very alert for tourists driving rental cars and just regular dumb asses. Gas in Lake Louise but did not try to get to the lake since the tourist traffic there is now a nightmare. Poured rain down to Banff and again the long weekend traffic made me skip the townsite. Stopped in Canmore to spend a couple of hours with Fred, one of my favorite ski patroller and climbing friends. He has retired in this beautiful town after heading the dept of electrical engineering faculty at UofA in Edmonton. Great guy who hikes, canoes, skis and has a BMW GS 1200 in his garage.
Next Hwy 40 running south along the magnificent eastern side of the Rockies, spectacular views, no traffic, wow, then hooking up to Hwy 22, south to Pincher Creek to visit with my brother and his family for a couple of days.

 

[bikerskier]

Day Seven zero miles! A great Sunday off visiting my brother and family in Pincher Creek, Alberta.

Day Eight dawned clear and cool and made me very optimistic for the days ride thru Glacier National Park and Logan Pass. However as I swung onto Going to the Sun road I saw dark clouds in the valleys in front of me. Had 9 miles of dirt and gravel on the drive up but it was OK, traffic was already heavy due to Labor Day. It went for crap about a half mile east of the pass when clouds and fog dropped visibility to 0/0 Just about 20' and barely could see the center lines when there were any. Oncoming cars were sudden headlights almost in front me. A bit scary! This lasted over the pass and about a mile down the west side, so there were no views up top. And traffic became very heavy both going down with me and ongoing cars going up to the pass. The rest of the ride down was very pretty and pulled into Kalispell for lunch in nice sunny weather. Balance of the ride to Missoula was warm and very nice along the west side of Flathead Lake. About 320 miles. Great soup and salad for dinner next to the Grant Creek Best Western.

Day Nine was a slow start doing some work long distance and running a few errands. Left about 11 down 93 S enjoying 70 mph Montana limits on 2 lane roads. Cut east on 43 to Wisdom, which was a GREAT ride and then down to Dillon which is best for a quick gas stop. Kept working east and finally hit the Madison River at Ennis. Following this incredibly beautiful river almost all the way to West Yellowstone is a treat. Weather all day was superb and I should have some photos to share soon from today and yesterday. West Y is very touristy, with overpriced motels and restaurants so far. Hope I get some good Park experiences tomorrow.

Day Ten started clear and cool and stayed clear but warmed up to 65 today for one of the most scenic days of my life. Followed the Madison River eastward into the park and joined a moderate amount of traffic to Old Faithful. While awaiting the scheduled 12:15 eruption, I had a great walk all around the site following the boardwalks and paths taking pictures of fumaroles and bubbling hot clear pools water of water. The big event was fantastic since it was my first time and I was excited. Then back to Madison and north around the middle loop to Canyon Village for my daily soup and salad. Just south of here is the South Rim drive and Artists Point which offered really steep and deep canyon with a huge waterfall on the Yellowstone River. Tourists everywhere, just like me. Oh wait, I'm a motorcyclist and way too cool to be a mere tourist. Onward southbound in the park following the gorgeous Yellowstone River to Yellowstone Lake which is REALLY big. I had no idea. I think I had the best nonstop views ever. Having promised to not take photos from the moving bike anymore, I missed sharing with you some amazing sights, including 3 large Bison bulls along parts of the road. Probably only 160 miles today pulling into Jackson, WY, but a very happy day. I almost feel like reversing my course tomorrow.

 

[bikerskier]

Day 11 dawned clear and 32 degrees in Jackson, a tad chilly. I dawdled over breakfast, in no hurry to get cold on the bike, and got underway around 9 AM. South bound along the western edge of Wyoming in the high desert (about 6500') for 3+ hours until hitting Kemmerer, where I grabbed one of about 100 empty picnic tables in an almost empty campground and relaxed with my sandwich. Sign at a local motel shows their uncertainty, see below. Brand new huge log building housing a Chinese restaurant in Lyman.

A thought here: one of my goals was to avoid freeways, mostly successful, with only 24 miles so far. Another was to avoid chain restaurants, again mostly good, except it is pretty hard to beat a 6" BMT with extra meat and cheese for $5 to carry on the bike.

Very boring long straight, 2 lane roads, the first half of today. A couple of hours later in Utah, the terrain became very interesting with valleys of eroded hillsides and hoodoo like formations. Although warm and sunny earlier, I had to close up the gear to get thru an hour long rain, wind, lightning and other nonsense storm as I rode thru the south end of the Flaming Gorge Park. Wow, it is really beautiful with dozens of shades of yellow, orange, red and purple sandstone cliffs. Really cool but little photo opportunity with crappy weather and visibility. Jason, Marty and Scott will remember creating some new motorcycle hand signals in this area a few years back.
Pulled into Vernal, UT looking for another early stop. Easy days ride about 340 miles.
I am so lucky to have missed the 20" of snow at Highwood Pass, on Hwy 40 south of Canmore and the 8-10 inches south of Pincher Creek and the storm at Logan Pass, all of which happened a little over 24 hours after my passing.


Day 12 with another slow start with light traffic and even lighter on 191 from Duchesne to Price, about 50 miles of vey sweet sweepers, really nice windy road following a river and climbing up an dover a 9100' pass. Regretfully it rained most of it and was pretty chilly. But damn fun. Coming into Price for gas, i ran into a parade of motor officers, I assume State Police, riding in paired formation, over a dozen of them. Maybe there is a training facility nearby? They did not wave back, in spite of my best efforts. It soon warmed up and I was shedding layers and opening jacket vents. Bummer, I had to jump on I-70 for 20 miles or so to get to the Moab turnoff. About 6 miles before Moab, the Arches National Park, waves me in. I'm a sucker for big Parks and always go to the visitors center first to "freshen up", drink a crap load of water (it is now over 90) and watch a movie and look at the displays. It helps me better understand the things I am about to see doing this prep. The road goes 18 miles into the park with tons of turnoffs and viewing trails and lookouts. I spent over 2 hours hiking around, once a long way uphill to get a view of Delicate Arch. It was hot, remember, and I am in m/c gear, whoa. Took a lot of pics, and breaking one of my trip rules in doing so, but I was going petty slow so it is only a minor transgression, kinda.
Moab is very touristy, with tons of motes and restaurants and outdoor adventure type places, with equipment and tours, had a good pasta dinner and several bottles of root beer, seriously, called IBC, or something, it was good.
Met a couple from the Toronto area in the park, the husband was a rider and had just bought an FJR recently so he was interested in the bike and trip. He had just retired from the Ontario Provincial Police and they were enjoying their new freedom.
Off to the Montrose area of Colorado today, and going to try to get to a sports bar to watch the last half of the Duck game this afternoon.
Day 13 beautiful warm and sunny day in Eastern Utah and SW Colorado. Another late start due to a great random meeting with the folks I met yesterday as I was finishing my quinoa (is that correct) breakfast at a green kind of healthy place cafe, I mistakenly stumbled into. Sort of like oatmeal but different and very good with dried cranberries and brown sugar and hot milk. I was amazed! Wow! Then I spent some time with my amazing daughter and partner on the phone working on a counter offer on one of our listings!

Todays route took us a bit south and then east over some very fun roads, and then south again to the town of Telluride. A major ski town and now many summer stuff like running up and damn mountain road and then around some corners and back down for 18 miles, so the town was full of these idiots who think this is a fun thing to do. I thin there is probably some pretty good skiing here but you cannot see the hill from town but it has become very trendy and "special" to the granola set, so I felt very uncomfortable. Kind of like Banff on steroids. So back to the real world and up to Montrose for gas and a
a chug of Starbucks Frappacino Mocha. Nothing like caffeine, sugar and chocolate to get the heart started. Ended up in Giunnison, CO for the night with my new best friend Rogue, Arrogant Bastard Ale, who is helping me watch the Ducks beat the shit out of Michigan. Pretty short day again, about 280 miles or so but great scenery and sweet, sweet curvy roads. Next stop Colorado Springs. I'm worried about my tire longevity, a 10 mile section of scarified road in Montana may have dramatically shortened my tire life. It was a coarse cut with very sharp grooves and, well, shit, I may have lost a 1000 miles of rubber.

Day 14 whoa, that means 2 weeks! Easy day of about 190 mies eastbound on Hwy 50, 285 and 24 into Colorado Springs to stay over with some great friends. Rode over Monarch Pass at 11300' feet and it got cold enough for me to add another shell layer under my riding jacket. As i wander around up there I'm wondering does this altitude have any effect on breathing or cause headaches, etc? Then I realize I'm surrounded by all these freaks on bicycles, most of whom pedaled their way to the top. Why would you want to do that? Several came over to chat and they were of a different variety, they had brought their mountain bikes in a vehicle and intended to ride further up the mountain and then descend sown a mountain bike trail about 15 miles to the bottom.This gravity assisted method sounded much better to me and kind of like skiing downhill.

Great visit here with dinner on the deck and a view of Pikes Peak.
Off to find a m/c shop for an oil change this AM and then onwards. May reroute more easterly from here, forecast is for rain and some snow in the Dakotas, will decide a bit later.

 

[bikerskier]

Day 15 in Colorado Springs, found the only bike service shop open Mondays to get my oil/ filter change. Left town around 1 PM and suffered I-25 up to Cheyenne reminding me why I hate riding freeways. From Cheyenne took State road 85 all the way to Lusk, WY. The Rawhide motel provide shelter and the Outpost Cafe, the worst steak in history. The waitress warned me but I did not listen.
Not much to comment on. About 275 miles

Day 16 rolled out of bed at 0 dark thirty and in the saddle by 6 to meet some fellow FJR riders in Spearfish, SD. Cold and quiet ride. After a big Perkins b/fast, one of the guys who is from Sacramento and running a similar ride to me and I decided to travel together for a day or two. Our ride today started from Spearfish in heavy fog/cloud and rain and wind. It broke long enough for us to ride the SD Badlands National Park, which was really cool. We spent much of the day eastbound on Hwy 14 trying to outrun the storm, unsuccessfully. It got colder and rainier and windier until we finally pulled into Huron, SD for the night. Isn't this fun.... Do not want to check tomorrows weather. About 500 miles today, much of it in the rain and all of it cold.

Day 17 Cold and windy, only several rain showers today, temps 46 - 54 degrees, and very gusty. I find riding the cold very tiring because you are tense and the wind gusts keep you bouncing around so today at 355 miles, felt like 450 miles. Stops take longer because you try to warm up and bathroom breaks are more frequent and slower with more clothes on. Kept moving north and east along with this horrible fall weather and wound up in Hinckley, MN. I'm still hoping to hit Ottawa Friday late afternoon. Forecast for the morning is high 30's with snow later. Nice... Well, this is bullshit, who's in charge anyway?

Day 18 Hinckley to Marquette, MI. about 375 miles. No rain but cold and less windy. Still struggling with trying to find some nice fall weather. Pretty country in n. Wisconsin and Michigan, plenty of lakes and swollen rivers that must make S. California and the drought areas jealous. No pics today. Marquette looks really interesting, as you com eout of the hills overlooking the city, there is a great view of Lake Superior which seems as big as an ocean. Staying in the downtown Ramadaso we saw some very cool looking old and renovated architecture walking downtown to an excellent Mexican restaurant.

Most of you know I'm no fan of government and regulations but there is a one "must do" mandate. All cars and trucks MUST have automatic headlights on when the car is running or moving. You have no idea how many dumb asses are driving in fog, rain, dusk, dawn, and what ever and NO CLUE how invisible they are. This is a big one for me. How totally fricken stupid they must be.

Day 19 started the bike in 34 degrees, really! And it stayed cold for half the day, but no wind and mostly high clouds so a pretty decent day. Mike Dawson turned south today to visit Barry in Owosso, MI. It was good to travel with him for several days, a funny, articulate, well travelled and well read guy. And BEST OF ALL, he sold me a spare down jacket that is thin and light and was the perfect extra layer I needed to stay warm. I have been fantasizing about heated gloves tho. Marquette looked interesting, it is an iron mining and college town with a long history and I want to learn more about it. I think i remember at least one movie a few years back that was very harsh to the mining industry here. Man, the Great Lakes are huge, I had forgotten from many years ago, traveling along side these giant bodies of water. Crossing back into Canada at Sault Ste Marie has this major long bridge that spans about 5 waterways, including several large locks and other channels that drain Superior.
In addition to my constant companion of lower back pain which is greatest from about 4 AM to 9 AM, I am getting a burning pain behind my upper left shoulder blade later in the day, which I assume is from my riding posture with my right hand always on the throttle. This is annoying. Anyway just minor issues. Scarlett is still avoiding my calls for a back rub.
I've realized that there have been multiple levels of and points of commitment for this ride. Years of day dreaming about how cool it would be. Actually looking at a map a couple of years ago, Mentioning it to Marianne and having her give me a hearty thumbs up vote of support and saving the money. Once the ride was underway, I still felt it was just another several week regional ride and found as I was nearing the eastern edge of the Rockies, and new feeling became apparent. The hurdle of leaving my security blanket of the west and the mountains. Heading east across the prairies was a big mental step, I discovered, and was an interesting process.
About 455 miles today to North Bay, another old town on the shores of another big Ontario lake. Looks like about 5 hours today to Ottawa where I have some shiny new tires waiting for me and maybe a day off at Chris's place.

 

[bikerskier]

Day 20 started at 48 and raining and went to 42 and pouring rain for several hours before going up to 52 and rain. Cold and wet, I need to stop more often for soup and to wring out my gloves and liners, Nothing is really waterproof after hours / days of running at 65 mph. I assume I'm being punished for all my mistakes of a lifetime. The weather is taking a toll on me and my schedule. I'm staying for two nights with Chris & Dianna near Ottawa, warming up and drying out. Pretty short day of about 220 miles but it felt way longer. I spent almost an hour in the hot tub which felt amazing, and really enjoyed a great evening. Both Chris and Dianna are busy today, Chris teaching a m/c course and Dianna at her golf club wind up event.
We will be changing my tires tonight and I will be on my way again in the morning.Having a nice day off indoors, sleeping and reading and enjoying the incredible view out the back door of their waterfront home on the Ottawa River.
I'm going to need to change my plans due to the shorter riding days thus week losing a about 2 days so my NE corner will probably not be Cape Breton Island and the Cabot Trail which I was really looking forward to. Maybe Saint John, NB will be my turnaround to return to Montreal to meet Marianne on Friday. I over estimated my endurance which is being challenged by Mother Nature. I could really use some of that great weather back in Portland. Not often I get to say that.
I'm watching a sea plane practice take off and landings on the river which is about a mile wide here.

Day 21 is a day off at Dianna and Chris's river front home just west of Ottawa. Sleep, read, walk, watch golf on TV, warm and dry! And a pretty nice day as well. Started pulling the wheels off in late afternoon helping Chris replacing mytires. My best role here was holding the flashlight, he has a very well equipped shop and is very skilled with bike wrenching. I'm lucky he offered to do this for me.

Day 22 Finished the tires, and got a mid day start on the road again. Bypassed Ottawa and got jammed up in Montreal traffic trying to get to Hwy 10 to Sherbrooke. Hard to crawl along at stop and go for miles in first gear. Finally after 20 hard fought miles it broke loose and speeds picked up. No bypass routes with the St Lawrence River on the south. Pulled in Sherbrooke at dusk and got settled in my room before heading out to St. Hubers for chicken. A Quebec icon, this is great fire roasted fowl.
Only 295 miles today. Hoping for Saint John, NB tomorrow or nearby.

Day 23 began and ended pretty normally, rain. Late start out of Sherbrooke, which is a very pretty town SE of Montreal where Marianne went to Bishops University. I spent an hour on the campus wandering around around enjoying its beauty even in the rain. Ran down Hwy 212 and 16 into Maine, Very fun roads even in the wet, I mean very fun, especially with the new PR4 GT's. The coolest ever customs guy welcomed me into Maine and spent 10 min talking about bikes and great riding roads and his kids, etc. Nice. Averse as I am to freeways, I decided to stay on 95 northbound all the way to Houlton, ME to get some miles eastbound and found a room at the 3rd motel I tried around 7:30 PM. Cold and made the mistake of believing the truck stop diner lady that it was really decaffinated! Also a big score at a small country general store, some heavy duty lined large rubber gloves.. 10 bucks and my hands are warm and dry!!!

 

[bikerskier]

Day 24 WARM & SUNNY! Stopped in Fredericton for breakfast with Mary Ellen, a friend of ours from the FJRForum, and then raced down the Trans Canada to Halifax and beyond. The choice to go to Peggy's Cove for my easternmost turnaround was perfect. It is a gorgeous little fishing village and iconic of Nova Scotia. Just loved it! Google it and see the images. Late seafood lunch and headed back west, still perfect sunny weather. 4 hours time change from PDX to here and its gets dark about 6:30. And dark means cold, so I stopped over in Amherst, NS for the night. Once again had to go to 3 motels to find a room. Maybe I am getting ripe... or scary looking?. 555 miles today, a great day! Westbound now to meet Marianne in Montreal Friday afternoon. Man, I sure miss that beautiful woman and look forward to our 2 weeks together riding down to Key West.

Day 25 Amherst to St Jean Port Joli on the St Lawrence River. Mostly sunny, gusty and not a bad day at all. 455 miles today and I would not admit to saying this but the Maritime freeways enabled me to stay on schedule and be back in Montreal Friday afternoon. Most are marked 110 kph (70 mph) so you can roll along at 75 or 80 and really eat up some miles. Not much fun but very efficient. Stopped at a Quebec tourist info office and had them book a room for me so I would not have to search around in the dark and cold. It turned out to be a very elegant old huge resort right on the river. My room overlooked the lawn, with obligatory white Adirondack chairs grouped nicely, sloping down to the water. The rooms were last updated in the 60's, but I slept very well. Spectacular sunset over the river which must be 10 miles across here! Extremely nice front desk woman who tried so hard to speak english and never stopped smiling, very nice. Dinner and breakfast in the deal and served very formally in the huge dining room, which was almost empty, by a very cool old guy dressed formally. Very good lamb shank and cabernet. Damn fine day! My energy is very strong when the sun shines. Pretty amazing sight when you emerge from the hills at Riveriere du Loup and see the St Lawrence spread in front of you. Since that is another 50 miles downstream it was even wider. This is a big ass river.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Abbreviated prose, but with succinct details. Most repeated word = "rain", followed closely by "cold". Waiting for more ....

 

[Panman]

I think I'm a little envious!

 

[escapefjrtist]

Quite the adventure Ralph. Thanks for posting it up for the masses!

--G

 

[beemerdons]

Quite the adventure Ralph. Thanks for posting it up for the masses!
--G

+1, Gunny; Have Big Fun Ralph, enjoying the read along! JSNS!

 

[bigjohnsd]

Great summary Ralph. Cut and Paste is your posting friend!

 

[Auburn]

Great ride Ralph!

 

[bikerskier]

Day 26 Off to very sunny but cold 250 mile ride into Montreal which went very nicely until the freeways starting merging in downtown and traffic basically crawled all the way west to Dorval which is where the hotel we had booked near the airport was. It was great to get there early and start sorting out gear, a lot which had to be set aside for a Fedex box home to PDX to make room for Marianne's gear. Turned out that a fair bit of stuff had only been used once or twice and was not critical. I'm hoping we now have room. Took the hotel shuttle to the airport and met my beautiful partner who looked great!
Dinner at the hotel and an early night!Day 26 off to very sunny but cold 250 mile ride into Montreal which went very nicely until the freeways starting merging in downtown and traffic basically crawled all the way west to Dorval which is where the hotel we had booked near the airport was. It was great to get there early and start sorting out gear, a lot which had to be set aside for a Fedex box home to PDX to make room for Marianne's gear. Turned out that a fair bit of stuff had only been used once or twice and was not critical. I'm hoping we now have room. Took the hotel shuttle to the airport and met my beautiful partner who looked great!

Dinner at the hotel and an early night!

Day 27 Dawned with high clouds but nice and we continued sorting the gear and then a confusing search for Fedex which was unsuccessful but we did find a shopping mall post office and after much fuss the box was underway. Spent the next several hours in the Dorval neighborhood where Marianne grew up, her house, schools, shops, playgrounds, etc. It was very cool to see her history here and she was thrilled, very satisfying. As always, things look so much smaller now and the big hills she struggled to ride her bike up now are no more than a slight grade. Moved to a cool older hotel downtown. We rented a car for the day to make things easier and that was a chore. First take the hotel shuttle to the airport to get the car, and then do all the things mentioned above including taking all our gear to the new hotel, then driving back to the airport and then the shuttle back to the first hotel to get the bike and then ride the 20 miles or so to the new hotel. Made it! Had a great walk downtown to old Montreal and found a steak house and great dinner and wine. Meal and service were great and the walk was very good! Off to see our friends Bob and Sandy Soucy in the south end of New Hampshire tomorrow. The journey continues southbound to warmer weather!

Day 28 Started cloudy an cool in Montreal and we were off early heading SE for Sherbrooke and then south into Vermont and New Hampshire. A great breakfast in downtown Granby which is a very cool town with the downtown all made over with new shops and restaurants. So many of these towns are being reinvented to bring energy and beauty back to their downtowns. Ran quickly down to St Johnsbury where we left the highway for lunch and gas. Rode east on 2 for a very nice 50 miles or so before swinging south on 16 thru the White Mtns past Mt Washington which is a big ass hill that has some of the most windy conditions in the world at the top. Google it! Seriously! The pass was thick with cloud and fog so we continued south thro the Conway area which was totally slammed with people. About 5 miles of tourist stuff, bumper to bumper and every restaurant, shop parking lot was jammed with people. Weird. So the route down 16 became very crowded and the closer we got to
Boston the busier it got. Finally swung off to some small highways to our friends house in Fremont. It was so good to see them after they left Portland 14 years ago to be closer to grand kids. A good day with Marianne on the bike. About 350 miles.
View from the back! Now that I have joined the adventure, thought I would add my two cents. The first thing I saw as we left the hotel in Montreal was rain..... Scary, but it stopped quickly. We saw some beautiful country thru Northern New England, including a few hillsides where the leaves had begun to turn. Wonderful visit with Bob and Sandy, we picked up right where we had left off some years ago. Long day but well worth it!

Day 29 What a beautiful day! Sunny and 75. Pretty easy day running SW towards New York. We decided to stay well away from the city and take a commuter train for a full day in town. Got a great deal at Heidi's Inn in Brewster, NY with huge room with lots of windows, very clean and nice. Got a load of laundry done and had an excellent meal at a fabulous Mexican restaurant a short walk away. This beautiful place overlooked a river and woods from the hillside and we were able to watch the sunset from our table. Very, very good food and a yummy hot lava cake. About 222 miles today. A great day. Off to the train to NYC in the morning. Good fun!
View from the back. Incredible weather! Perhaps I have brought Portland's never ending summer weather with me. I kept having to remind myself that I was riding thru New England. The small towns which are everywhere were charming. The ride was awesome. As R described above we have a weird but wonderful hotel/motel on a 30 acre property which has been owned and run by the same family since 1985, beautiful landscaping and right next door property was the great Mexican place, we walked thru the woods to get there. Wonderful day and NYC here we come.

Day 30 NYC - -WARM & SUNNY Perfect day for us tourists. Spent about an hour and fifteen minutes on the commuter train to Grand Central Station, pretty easy ride and then took the subway down to Battery Park to walk to the Staten Island Ferry. Megan suggested this as a great way to see Lady Liberty and an fantastic view of the city and it was excellent. Beautiful morning on the boat with exceptional views and an easy round trip. Back to the south end of Manhattan and the obligatory photo of Marianne (since sheworks in the market) next to Merrill Lynch's statue of the bull on Wall Street. Had a street vendors hot dog and lamb over rice for a snack before heading north. Looked into Trinity Church on Broadway, which is fricken absolutely amazing! And then to the 911 World Trade Center Memorial. Hard to describe all the emotions I experienced over the next 2 hours, seeing the new water fall pools and then the museum. I felt great sadness for the victims, aching sympathy for the families and a deep rage for the animals who perpetrated this horror. What cowards who attack innocents.
I hate the bastards. Caught the subway up to midtown and walked to the East Village to have lunch at Katz's Deli, an iconic staple of New York. Excellent pastrami and pickles. Back to the subway and further up to the diamond district, where we spent a couple of hours trying unsuccessful to replace some of MA's jewellery that went missing on our last remodel. What a fantastic day, I have probably forgotten several things we did but it was great and perfect weather. An observation, New York is not clean, the residents trash the streets with garbage and cigarette butts horribly. Oh well, it's their city.
Another easy train commute back to Brewster and the day was over. Loved it!
Looks like I have photo issues, will post them later.
View from the back. We did in fact have a wonderful day and much as I hate to admit it, I think Ralph summed it all up very well!

Day 31 Nice and high clouds, Fairly long day of bout 370 miles to Rockville, MD where we are hosted by a workmate's parents. A beautiful home in the quiet 'burbs and wonderful people. Marianne was tired and sore so we will reduce our driving days from now on. Pretty countryside and only a few traffic issues.
View from the back. It was a LONG day, but filled with some beautiful scenery and pleasant weather. My southern roots were very happy to cross the Mason Dixon line! Carolyn and Ron, our hosts, could not possible have been more welcoming. And we were perfect strangers! We now feel that we have new friends in Rockville MD. Off to see DC tomorrow, cant' wait.

 

[bikerskier]

Day 32 On the DC Mall, light rain ended around 2 PM and we walked miles back and forth seeing the Monument, Capital building, Library of Congress, White House, reflecting pond, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the Air & Space Museum. Lots of powerful emotions at the war memorials. Wow, and we also squeezed in a great lunch at Old Ebbitt Grill next to the White House. Tired and sore from the all the walking but it was great! Rode in and out on the subway from Rockville and got back to a great little dinner party with homemade Mexican food. It was terrific. Again, lots of pictures but need to figure out my IPhoto thing to post them. A great day!
View from the back. Super Day! If our government only worked as well as they portray the history of the US, things would be a lot better! The Library of Congress is incredible. We feel very blessed to have had this opportunity and can't wait to come back to DC when we have more time. Dinner was great fun and we will be back on the road tomorrow. The Korean War Memorial was especially affecting, with larger than life soldiers traipsing thru' fields. A fantastic piece of art, which was surrounded by many Korean tourists when we were there! There were numerous wreaths of thanks from South Korea displayed around the memorial.

Day 33. A perfect day for riding, warm and sunny. Headed southwest from Rockville past Leesburg, Pooleville and Whites Ferry and Warrenton, then followed 211 west to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive. 211 was very nice, uncrowded with constant sweepers and elevation changes and beautiful countryside. Climbing into the hills into the park and turning south on Skline was terrific. Then the dream started. A constantly winding road along the top of a ridge for about 50 miles with alternating views to east and west from the road with plenty of pull outs to take pics and enjoy the views. Although the speed limit is only 35, we spent most of it at 45-50 and I could not get the smile off my face. One of the best rides ever and that is a big statement for me. Found a park run grill near the south end and ate lunch on benches overlooking some great woods. Running late so we headed for I-81 south and found Roanoke motels sold out for 30 miles due to VT footbal and a huge conference, so wound up riding until 8 PM to Wytheville to get a room.
View from the back. Incredible scenery today! The first sign we saw on the Skyline Parkway was a little disconcerting, " High Motorcycle Crash Area Next Three Miles"! Never seen that before. All in all a remarkable day, one which creates memories forever. More of the same tomorrow as we get back on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 353 miles today.

Day 34 Was another perfect riding day, sunny and warming to 80. East from Wytheville on 21 and 221, which turned into excellent choices to get us to the Blue Ridge Parkway. I mean 2 hours of sweeping, rolling, twisting 2 lane roads with no traffic and incredible views of the countryside, Just loved it. Went over a bridge on the New River and saw a pack of canoes ready to head out, so we pulled over and walked back for some photos. Must be a major put in place cuz' there were a hundred canoes stacked up in racks. You could see every detail of the bottom of the river which may have been 3-4' deep with a flat rocky bottom. Pretty cool. Then about 50 miles or so on the Blue Ridge, which was great but not as great as yesterdays Skyline Road. Pulled off and had a some great short rib tacos and pork sliders at this food shack beside a gas/convenience store. Superb food. Pulled into Spartanburg around 5:30 for the night. Very good day! 275 Miles.
Milestone today. Now have 10,131 miles on this trip!!!!

 

[n2osx]

Looking good. Keep safe my friend!

Carl

 

[hppants]

Averaging 300 miles a day over well more than a month is righteous riding, man. One day I'll have a month to ride. The first and last day will be 600+ miles. Every other one in between will be MUCH less, as I envision it.

Thanks for sharing your report.

 

[bikerskier]

Day 35 cloudy with some light showers on the way to Charleston. About 225 miles. Arrived at our friends house in Mt Pleasant early afternoon and they graciously dropped us off at Battery Park. We spent about 4 hours wandering around the magnificent old town streets slowly working north and really enjoying this beautiful city. So many large homes built in the 1700's. Met our hosts for dinner at The Ordinary, an incredible seafood restaurant that was easily in our top 10 all time restaurants. Awesome raw bar and stacked trays of shellfish, I stuffed myself and then started on our entree's, Huge fantastic dinner! Came out to a downpour which looked ominous for Monday's ride. Terrific day!
View from the back. Great day, beautiful scenery. Went thru a small town in SC where we saw the most amazing sign, a small local restaurant was advertising their new special, are you ready? Velveeta and Bologna Biscuit! Almost fell off the bike. Wonderful visit with the Sachs, southern hospitality at its best.

Some observations....
I think I am the luckiest guy I know.
Riding my dream ride with the complete support of my family and friends.
Pretty damn good health and strength to do this and enjoy almost every minute of it.
Seeing some great parts of Canada and the US and meeting people that I would never have encountered.
Enduring some pretty crappy weather with a fairly decent attitude.
Having a bunch of friends scattered around the country who are happy to see us and share their homes and laughter with us.
Some of the most m/c unfriendly drivers were in SC with folks cutting in front of us abruptly with no signal on the freeways and towns. I wonder if I am invisible, they are blind, they hate me or they are stupid. Maybe some of everything.
Really enjoying MA's company for these two weeks. Great to be able to share the sights of NYC, DC and Charleston.

Day 36 started with light rain, not bad so did not put the rain gear on. Big mistake!!! Quickly turned to heavy rain, then deluge and it was too late to gear up. So we had about 50 miles of cloudy, 75 miles of light rain and 200 miles of heavy rain with difficult visibility at times. Came down 17, took I-95 for a couple of hours and then 301 down to Gainesville. Must have been a serious wreck at some point since they had the hwy closed and about a 6-7 mile detour bumper to bumper at 5 miles an hour. The start and stop at these slow speeds is tiring and gets old real quick. Arrived around 6 PM and soon were picked up by Marianne's cousin for a great Italian dinner at their house. Super time, great people. 325 miles today.
View from the back. Well, as everyone knows I don't ride in the rain. Wrong! I couldn't find a bus terminal anywhere so just endured being soaked all day . At least it was warm. Not much to report except we made it to Gainesville and were rewarded with a wonderful evening, so fun to be with family. Since my boots won't really dry out I am ready for whatever the weather brings tomorrow!

Day 37 Left Gainesville in cloudy threatening weather which became light rain, so we cleverly geared up just in time because that light rain became very heavy rain for about 2 hours.. Visibility gets limited but as long as I have my mental comfort blanket going I can function well in these conditions. If other people start getting stupid, then it's a bit harder. Stopped in Sebring FL at a Sonny's BBQ and had a great lunch, really good. Wound up in Homestead area south of Miami around 7:30, well after dark, which was not in the plan. I tend to get a bit tetchy and spooked after dark on strange freeways which end with no notice, causing you to search for another one on city streets, with heavy traffic and an unknown destination. It turned out well at a very nice Best Western next to. Bahamas Breeze restaurant and a Barnes and Nobel with a Starbucks. 355 miles today. A lot of if very wet but also very warm.
View from the back. Managed to stay a lot drier today altho' those rain pants make for very warm legs in 90 degree temperatures! I'm sure it was a highly successful weight loss program. No great scenery, FL is kinda flat and boring. We got a little mixed up on location and stopped at a middle of nowhere gas station to ask where we were and the guys there didn't know! It was a little like the Twilight Zone.... Off to corner #3 tomorrow in Key West and will meet up with our dear friends from New Orleans for a couple days of R & R!

Day 38 Sunny, hot and humid. Whoa, now this is different! 151 miles to Key West and what a great experience driving out the islands and causeways to the end. A lot of reduced speed areas but traffic was not too bad on a Wed so we had great views and often thought about the movie "True Lies". Had one flaming asshole pass us on a double solid line with oncoming traffic by forcing his SUV alongside us suddenly and causing me to swerve right and oncoming to also move over. I consider this attempted manslaughter and would cheerfully use a Behavior Modification Device on his head and body if I were able to catch him. What a douchetard!
Checked into the Parrot Key Resort which is a really cool large old fashioned looking place with huge trees and gardens and 3 pools and borders a waterway. Absolutely funky bright room colors and furniture and artwork. Terrific. Had dinner at a local bar and grill on the next island (key) called Hogfish. Amazing good food and cheap and a great local duo on guitars singing. A young manatee surfaced about 8' from our waterside table on the dock and was rewarded with a fresh water hose which it drank for several minutes. Apparently a big treat for them.
This is my third corner for this ride and completes the SE far point. Will be here until Sat AM, when Marianne will head home from Miami. Staying with friends from New Orleans in a great condo now.
View from the back. Incredible scenery complete wth egrets and flamingos, very cool to be riding practically in the ocean for miles at a time. The FL Keys are one Kodak moment after another. I did my best taking pictures while we were riding. We will get some uploaded tomorrow. Wonderful restaurant fish dishes abound. Had some grouper cheeks last nite which were delicious. The baby manatee, about seven feet long, was a real highlight for me,you just don't get to see them often. Having a wonderful time with our friends. Sadly, I will be landing at PDX soon. I won't miss the riding in full gear in 95 degree weather tho !!!

 

[bikerskier]

Day 39 The first of two days off in Key West. This place is such an icon of Florida and my entire life I have wondered what it is like. Well, it is hot, humid, sunny with sudden infrequent rainstorms, lots of trees and gardens, and huge old homes in the southern part. Marinas everywhere with beautiful shiny white boats crowded in the slips and tons of boat dealers with boats everywhere. Some of the marinas have dry land storage in the these huge 3 story steel racks and cradles. Very cool. It feels less schlocky and gaudy junk shops than I expected. Had a great breakfast with Jim & Carol at the Westin dock side cafe and were treated to a huge cruise ship "Majesty of the Sea" arrive 200 yards away. It was neat to see how the huge bow and stern thrusters slowly moved the ship sideways to the dock and how the hawser (rope) handlers in their little boat grabbed the big lines and got them to the bollocks. Checked out of the great Parrot Key Resort and into a two bedroom condo on Duvall Square that was booked weeks ago for us and it is really nice. Walked and sightseeing for several hours including Hemingway's house and ducked into a bar to hydrate. A tall amber beer and glass of tomato juice is my hydration choice in this heat. Rested for a few hours and walked to the Southermost Restaurant in the USA. At the south end of Duvall. Yes, that really is it's name and had a pretty decent dinner. Marianne found some great dessert treats at a place called "Better than Sex" and they were good but....
More relaxation tomorrow.
View from the back. Great day! Key West is fascinating, have not been here since I was a child. Beautiful old homes and the history learned at Hemingway's house was fascinating. He did 70% of his writing in the eight years he lived there, gorgeous home filled with the original furnishings including chandeliers brought from Italy. Loved the whole tour. More to see tomorrow!

Day 40 Another perfectly sunny, hot and humid day in this post card town. Did a lot of walking and sight seeing and eating and drinking and people watching. Lots of odd balls here, local and tourist, very fun! Had a Sloppy Joe at Sloppy Joe's Bar, apparently Hemingway's favorite bar. The food was a mistake, oh well. the beer was good. Packaged all of MA's riding gear, helmet, boots, jacket, pants, etc, etc to send home via Fedex, since her part of the ride is over. Another great dinner choice at Seven Fish, a real low key small place with excellent seafood and pasta dishes. Have really enjoyed this place and may come back again.
Misc:
Cheapest gas prices so far in N. Carolina at $2.94 gal, highest in US somewhere in the high $3's. Quebec was around $1.50/liter which is the square root of 21, divided by 11, plus 100, and then add some maple sugar and voila, 30 degrees C, Oh crap, I screwed it up again... Ok.

Day 41 up at oh dark thirty and on the road at 6 AM to beat any weekend drivers on the bridges. Sunrise shortly after 7 turning pink with grey cloud towers randomly leaping at the sky, with a storm cloud catching lightning bolts. It was fantastic and I tried to find a place to get some pics with limited results. What a pretty, peaceful morning. Which led to some Miami freeway traffic even on Sat AM on the Turnpike. Florida has 3 road systems in my view. The coastal roads on both coasts are beautiful and fun with tons of things to see and do, but they are painfully slow and you cannot get very far. The freeways and Turnpike are busy with an unusual amount of crazies and one can get a long ways quickly since everyone goes 75 or more. The price is stress that I have little interest in. My favorite road is Hwy 27 / 301 which goes right up the center of the state which is pretty fast and does get some pretty high elevations in Lake Country between Lake Placid and Clermont. Some of those hills gotta be at least a hundred field high. Decided to stop in Ocala with 456 miles for the day, with fine dining at Subway and coffee and dessert from Dunkin Donuts within walking distance.
Our New Orleans friends graciously drove MA to the Miami airport in plenty of time to catch her flight west.

Day 42 PERFECT DAY for riding, sunny w/temps from 55 rising to 75. Ran NW on 27 to 19 and then west on 98 out into the Florida Panhandle. Incredibly light traffic, and very nice roads. Stopped in tiny Newport at Ouzt's Bar and grill, a roadside diner with a about 30 bikes in front of it. Had some incredible fresh and delicious raw oysters and then bacon wrapped shrimp. They were so good, I ordered a second helping, all washed down with iced sweet tea. Saw more bikes today than all the previous days put together. About 2500 bikes, of which 2300 were Harleys, most parked in front of bars, but many actually riding. At least one group of 50-60 bikes were riding in a group, and several other 25-30 bike groups. Very few solo riders like me. I must be weird. It seems to be very much a social pack thing with most folks and not at all what I enjoy in this sport. Oh well, its all good on two wheels. The second half of the day was along the Gulf Coast and I had tons of great views of the water next to me. Some very pretty towns on the Eastern half of the Panhandle, like Carrebelle and Port St. Joe, and others. The western end, not so much. Panama City , the part I could see, was sprawling ugly and touristy junky. Yukk. Overnight in Fort Walton Beach and heading to the Pensacola Naval Air Museum in the morning. 353 miles today. Great day!