Life on the road in the Cadillac was nowhere near the same experience as on a bike, but there were benefits. Jacquie and I quickly settled into a happy routine in our climate controlled environment while the bikes settled into the usual riding patterns and routines that are so familiar. I found my mind slipping into biker mode from time-to-time, like reacting to changing lane positions when the bikes warned of approaching road hazards. I had to catch myself a couple of times when a natural urge would have had me slip by Ian and Glenn to move up in the order or take my turn in the lead. On some of the better riding roads the Cadillac provided some thrills as we held the turns with the bikes and had plenty of pull to keep up in the straights. As always, the evenings brought a great mix of good food, stories and antics that can only be shared with trusted friends. I’m glad I went along for the ride. Neil

Day 5 - Home again

We spent the last night at the Lincoln Motel in N.B. We sat around drinking for a couple of hours and decided to go for dinner at 9:00. Neil decided to do some recon at a restaurant down the road on the advice of the motel owner, Mrs. Patel. Turns out he went to a different one than suggested... no problem. He was befriended by the owner as soon as he walked in the door... Anyway, he came back pretty excited about the place so we all walked down. The place was empty except for the owner, who was loudly discussing whether he should be firing a waitress, and a lovely server/bartender who was very attentive but couldn't make a Pornstar to save her life. The food was really good though! And they had good tequila! The last night on the road ended as it should and with none of us considering the 7:15 am alarm.

As mentioned earlier, this morning was hot and humid.


We got back to Oshawa at 3:30 after riding in the hottest day of the year! 38 deg and humid! It was an easy ride with little traffic when we left North Bay at 9:00 am. but the temperature was climbing as the morning went on. We turned east at Hunstville and then south on 35 at Dwight. We had a great ride through the twisties at the north end. The traffic was a bit heavier until we were south of Dorset. During the rest of the trip we were in heat survival mode. Stops for re-hydration and cooling shade were absolutely necessary. We got to Glenn's house at 2:45 and carried on to Oshawa. Even though we cut it short by a day, this was a great trip! Having Jacquie along was great for Neil (and me) as a shotgun passenger and she took some amazing pictures and video from a perspective we've never had before. All of us experienced new roads, had lots of fun but we all agree that we've beat Ontario to death. Back to the U.S. next year!

More photos will be posted tomorrow.

Thanks for following!

Ian

Day 5

North Bay. 8 am... 25 deg... feels like 35... WTF! Ian

Day 4

Life in the Cadillac today consisted of watching the backs of Ian and Glenn over roads that ran straight and flat into the smokey haze; mixed with short flurries of activity while Jacquie was in picture and video mode. The tunes have been good and plenty. Jacquie and I are soaking up the AC like you guys at home. Ian pointed out a young bear that ran up the ditch into the bushes and poked out his head to watch the Caddy go by. Life on the road is good. Neil

The day started warm and hazy. Forest fires to the north had the sun looking like a glowing red orb. It was an interesting ride along highway 11 through tiny french Canadian communities. I had no idea the French had such a presence in the north. We turned south at Highway 655 and experienced a road so straight and flat that, without trees, could have been Montana. We stopped briefly in Porcupine, a suburb of Timmins, and then went east back to Highway 11. The heat and humidity was building at midday and we decided to push to North Bay to make a quick trip home on Thursday. The forecast of 38 degrees on Thursday was too much to consider making it full day of riding. Back in a few minutes... having computer battery issues... Okay, back now. We had originally thought about staying the night in New Liskeard but when we made the turn south at Matheson, we thought 300kms to North Bay was doable. It was an uneventful ride other than many delays due to construction along the highway. The traffic was very light, a common feature of this trip. We got to N B at 6:00 and found a cheap motel for the night. we hope to be on the road by 9 am with 4 hours of riding to get home. Talk to you tomorrow. Ian

Day 3 started out pleasantly cool. The 100km run on Hwy 17 was a good warm up for what layed ahead. Hwy 631 from White River north through Hornepayne to Hwy 11 has been on the "got to do list" for a long time. It didn't disappoint. Decent pavement, no traffic and an abundance of fast sweepers made for an incredible ride. Lunch at Uncle's in Hornepayne and a quick tour of downtown (it didn't take long) broke up the 200km run nicely. Back on Hwy 11, the run through Hearst to Kapuskasing was as expected; straight and uneventful. Took some time to tour Kapuskasing; pretty downtown and an excellent steam train exhibit. Looking forward to what day 4 has in store. Glenn

I've learned today that Neil should either focus on driving or taking pictures... not both LOL We're hoping to upload pictures today, if Neil hasn't erased them from his camera.... AGAIN! Jacquie

On the road at 9:00 after breakfast at the Anchor Inn in Little Current. The Hotel had good food but it was hot and sticky for sleeping with no AC. Nice view of rocky bays against lakes and wetlands on Hwy 6 towards Esplanola. Hwy 129 towards Chapleau was nice for tight twisties and ups and downs but turned into a 40km stretch of fresh gravel and tar. Staying at the Northern Lights Motel in Wawa where "Mo and John" put dozens of tags pointing to features of the room that you would not expect. One example of these extra touches was a pair of earplus...one of our group would have paid a $20 for a set last nignt. Neil

It was a great day of riding! 550kms through some very rugged terrain. The gravel riding was exhausting but it didnt linger. This is beautiful country! I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Another new road to experience north out of White River. Ian

I don't really have too much more to add to Neil and Ian's account of the day... I am enjoying my shotgun position. It's giving me the opportunity to take dozens of photos. Oh, one more thing, as much as some of you have already made the conclusion that it was me snoring.... it wasn't. It was Ian :) Jacquie

Day 1

What a beautiful day for riding! We left Oshawa at 7:30 am and got to Tobermory at 1:30 pm. It was the most uneventful day of riding ever. We are now in Little Current on Manitoulin Island and sitting in the bar of the Anchor Inn Hotel. Cell phone coverage is bad here so those of you expecting a call, forget about it.

In some ways, the start of our annual road-riding adventure on July 17th will mark a new beginning.

Glenn’s 1500 Suzuki has been freshly overhauled after a final drive failure that fortunately occurred fairly close to home and while Debbie was along to provide back-up transport on her 1400 Intruder. Bike and rider are now up to the challenge of acquiring more “time in the saddle” to add to an impressive trip history that boasts well over 100K of asphalt, consumed on some of the most interesting and diverse roads that Canada and the US have to offer.

Ian’s 1300ST continues to perform well in its Nuevo “Amish” sort of way and we are all both pleased and reassured that Jacquie has agreed to join the 2011 trip. For a bit of history, Ian and Jacquie’s new relationship was just taking form in the strange new world of Skype during our west coast trip in 2009. On that adventure, the ST was left with several “marks” due to some minor mishaps that we chalked up to Ian’s mind being elsewhere. We think it is likely that Jacquie’s “live” presence will act as a reasonable safety precaution against further damage to the ST’s paint and protruding parts by allowing Ian’s head to stay more fully “in the game”.

Neil’s Venture has sadly been put to pasture in Colorado after bike and rider skidded out in a turn and crashed in the summer of 2010. Since Neil has not yet replaced the Venture and truth be told, could benefit from bit more healing time, it is clear that the best and only remaining option will be to trail the bikes in the Cadillac. This grim reality is made much more pleasant with Jacquie’s happy acceptance to ride shotgun. We expect that this chase-car arrangement will benefit all concerned since the riders can shed the weight of gear and be alone with nimble bikes and their solitary thoughts. Neil and Jacquie are also excited about the prospect of interesting times in the Caddy including as we understand, a virtual plethora of planned musical swoonings and little known thought renderings that might stupefy those with lesser minds.

Our general trip plan has bikes and crew travelling approx. 2400 km on a northern Ontario loop starting with a ferry ride to Manatoulin Island, proceeding north and west via Chapleau and Wawa, across the top on TransCanada #11 to Kirkland Lake, and then south through North Bay on the return.

We invite you to travel along with us and to contribute to the nightly blog which will include pics of the day, opinions on our wanderings and accounts of all manner of self inflicted tomfoolery.