Ride Pictures

I was able to see a bit more of Newfoundland today. After the difficulties of yesterday I committed to staying on the main highway – that would be what folks around here call the TCH or Trans Canadian Highway. I know I missed more than can be imagined, but I did do what I set out to do and that was to ride as far east on the North American Continent as is possible to do, and to actually ride across Newfoundland.

To me this maritime province has always been a mystery, remote difficult to get to and to get around in. Before planning this trip I truly did not believe that the TCH would indeed take me from Saint Johns. NL all of the way to Victoria, BC. But it does.

I saw my fist moose today. She was standing alongside the road waiting patiently for traffic to clear so she could meander to the other side. I'll never know if she made it or not. What I do know is what the signs tell me. Last year, along the 600 mile stretch of the highway there were 660 moose and automobile accidents. I doubt the highway is open all year, but maybe it is – none the less that's about two a day. Yikes! Toda I saw the aftermath of several encounters. This is not an animal I want to run into. I know it's blurry. You don't know what I had to go through to get the image at all. The highway is about 6 feet above average ground level here, and so there is a ditch on the side. That's where she was.

I woke to a sight I thought I'd never see with a Goldwing. Yes indeed that left fork is making a mess. I was thinking about letting it go till I got home – not anymore.

As much as I looked forward to seeing this Province I have to say I'm looking forward to being back in more populated areas. When most people think of Newfoundland they think of the rugged East Coast, and while it is indeed rugged and beautiful the rest of the province has a lot to offer also. I'll take away from my experience here how much most of the country reminds me of the California coastal mountains and even riding through some of the lower mountains in Montana. There were lakes at every turn, most of them had at least some development but not all – there were some just sitting there in the middle of the forest with no access to them at all. It'll make for good memories. A few shots that I took along the road today à

I just thought that was the strangest way ever of ‘planting' a telephone / power wire – in a box full of rocks. The second one is of one the many many lakes along the way.

What a beautiful place to have your home – overlooking the lake with your own private cove. What a life! The second – is the Highway, here about 30 miles from the coast and a town called Cornerbrook. Again, not a bad spot to live in. Till Winter comes around.

Again, I enjoyed my time here, but would not be big on recommending what I did. This province demands your respect, it's remote, it's rugged, and you need local support to guide you around the ‘gotcha's' and there's a lot of them.

Tomorrow I'm up and out of the lovely town of Stephenville early so as to find my place in line to go back to Sydney and have the bike attended to – it's in need. I'll keep you all posted as to the progress. At the moment I'm considering amending my plans to ride all across Canada. But it's just a consideration. More will tell when the bike's better, and the mainland weather clears up (Will that ever happen??). Short day today only about 180 miles. I wanted to stay in PortAuxBasques, but couldn't find any room / motel listings for the town – probably because I was looking for Port Aux Basques instead of it all run together – dunno – doesn't matter anymore now anyway. Probably won't do a blog again until I'm back on the road, but will keep you informed of progress as I have some.

Nothing really to report for today other than I got up early rode to Port Aux Basques and took a 6 hour ferry ride back over to North Sydney, NS. Water was very choppy and quite rough, but I was able to sleep about four hours - felt really good. The bike made it just fine, although when I went to get it off the ship it felt very soft so I checked and sure enough the tire was all but shot, so I'm very glad the Dealer has it's new shoes and is going to install them tomorrow. The bike is at the dealer now - resting. The dealer unfortunatly didn't have the fork seal, so I'm going to have to wait till Monctin, NB to get that repair done. The dealership here in North Sydney was very helpful They called the Dealership in Monctin and found out that they did indeed have the seal, and we'll call them back tomorrow to set up an appointment for me to bring the bike in. I just may have them order the speaker grills while I'm at it.

I had the guys at the dealership get me a cab. The cab driver was really cool. I needed to make a stop at the liquor store, the bank and then to Days Inn. As we were riding along he talked a mile a minute then said - "Hey do you really want to save some money on your stay?" Sure! He dropped my by this little hotel just a block away from my bank. It's one of those OLD 3 Story Homes converted into a hotel!! How cool is that! The rooms are huge, and the price is $70.00 a night canadian. A heck-of-a-lot better than the $120 at Day's Inn. Now, the only real problem is that the place doesn't have in room phones, nor is there an Ice machine or coke Machine. But it's right downtown, close to several restaurants and even a place to get some Ice and a coke.

The weather reamins 'unsettled' across the region - fog, drizzle, rain, t-storms with hail - though at the moment it's dry and cool.

Looking forward to some more westward travel - hope the low pressure system decides to break up and move the heck out'ta here.

Even though today was not a ‘travel day' I did manage to ride about 150 miles of the original plan before calling it a done deal. If I had been able to maintain my original schedule I would be in Moncton, NB tonight – I am, instead about 100 miles from there. That's ok, because the bike is in much better shape than it was in when I returned from Newfoundland yesterday afternoon. I didn't think I'd have much to say till at least tomorrow, but as we all know - $h!* happens. Thought I'd share a picture or two of my last (at least for the time being) Ferry ride out of Port Aux Basques. I was VERY surprised when two other Goldwings pulled into the line next to me. They were both from California!! And from the Sacramento Area!! Neither of whom wanted anything to do with the GWRRA, both of whom were running automobile tires on the back and one of which was downright arrogant. Oh well, we can't all be as friendly as I am J .

Once on board the ferry I was not too surprised too see that it had the same basic interior as the other two that I'd been on. Car decks, then deck 3 which is a split deck that also contains some passenger sleepers as well as car storage and then 4 decks above that are passenger and crew areas. I did manage to get one more picture of a ‘dormitory sleeper' – it's better than the one I was able to take the other day so I'm including it here. The lounges and the cafeteria were in exactly the same place as before, and the menu was the same. If nothing else, at least once you've been aboard one of these things you'll know what you're in for.

As I mentioned in last night's email my rear tire finally gave up the ghost as I exited the ship. I had to add air to it and I limped into the dealership at 4:45. They of course couldn't work on it then, but we set up a time this morning when they could start. I was good with the time, as I figured I'd be in Sydney at least all day today and perhaps longer. They were not able to accommodate my left fork seal repair – no parts, but did agree to clean up the mess so my front brakes would work a bit better. I left the bike in their care and after waiting for a cab I loaded my luggage and off we went.

The cab driver was very chatty, and very helpful also. He recommended several places to eat, and to visit. Mostly he recommended the hotel I stayed in last night. The Royal Hotel, right downtown, and just around the corner from the Scotia Bank (where I get to use my ATM Card for free). I was in that second story corner room. I was SO reminded of my college day's at the boarding house my brother in law and I shared on 14 th Street in San Jose. The rooms were large, and the bathroom was huge. Both rooms had the same ‘old time' furniture and decorations right out of the 30's and 40's. This place is a keeper. No, it didn't have in room phones and no there was no guest laundry, and no there was no ice machine or soda vending machine or snacks for that matter either. But there was a very friendly owner operator by the name of Irene who seemed genuinely interested in my travels. I enjoyed the night – even though I really need to do laundry….

About 7:00 I went in search of some food. Being right downtown Sydney I had expected to find an active night life with restaurants and bars and such. Ummm Not the case. This town pretty much rolls up its sidewalks about 7:00. So, the restaurant I'd planned on stopping at was already closed. The one that was open but “Was really expensive” – per the cab driver , welcomed me an put me into a table for 4 next to the bar and just outside of their main dining room (which happened to be hosting a wedding shower – so lots of giggling and carrying on….)

If you remember I've been on a search for the best seafood dinner on the East Coast ever since I arrived here. I think I found it at the “Govenors Pub and Eatery” in Downtown Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Ns. First let me set the scene. The restaurant is right on the bay, second they specialize in seafood, and third their chef is a trained chef. I've eaten a lot of seafood the last couple of weeks and now that I'm heading back West I have to declare a winner. I can say that it wasn't the fried fish on Cape Hatteras, nor was it the Blue Softshell Crab in Maryland, nor the way too much cheese in New York, or the several other meals I didn't write about.

This meal had fish, and shellfish, cheese and wine and some garlic and a very good light béchamel sauce, along with roasted seasoned potato's and vegetable.

Even the Seafood Chowder was good. Fresh, not out of a can, and not from some mass food producer. This was a meal I would have expected in a fine restaurant – not that the Govenors wasn't a very nice establishment, but as you can see there were no tablecloths nor fine place setting as you sat down – just a table and a napkin with some eating utensils wrapped up in it. The dish itself was Cod stuffed with scallops and jumbo shrimp. The cod literally melted in my mouth – now that's tender! The Sauce surrounding was a béchamel with finely chopped shellfish and seasoned with a garlic and wine - YUM! Now, it wasn't in-expensive, but it wasn't as expensive as I could have imagined either. I got out of there for under $35.00 Canadian including a cocktail, and soup and tip – and the ridiculous 13% HsT tax.

I wandered just a bit before heading back to the hotel, I found Sydney quite pretty after dark.

I returned to the Hotel and watched a bit of TV before turning in. I have to admit I slept very soundly knowing I didn't have to get up and get moving in the morning. I could sleep in and take my time getting out of the hotel. I did just exactly that. I didn't go downstairs till nearly 9:30 where Irene and I chatted some more about travel and travels we've been on.

Right at 10:00 my friendly cab driver shows up and he takes me back to the Honda dealer in town – Ramsay's. Not too sure why they call it a Honda dealer cuz they do a lot more Harley work than they do Honda – but Honda certified non the less. I arrived about 10:20 and waited, and waited, and waited till nearly 1:30 when they finally got the bike off the lift and back outside. I paid the very scary bill for two new tires, an oil change and filter, and the labor associated with it. I was able to get everything loaded and all of the electronics re-connected and out of the parking lot by 2:00Pm. A very late start, but was still able to see a few sights before the fog and rain rolled back in. I was able to ride a little bit of the Cabot Trail which is one of North Americas most scenic rides, but because of the weather and the time I only did a very short piece. This is a must do ride if it's sunny and clear. Not worth the investment of time if it's overcast, or rainy like it was today. I'm hoping that there's a next time for me in the area – this is one place I need to spend more time in.

So, the bike has new shoes, I have a winner in the best seafood contest, you are updated as to my travels and now, I think it's time to check the weather report for tomorrows ride.

Hi Everyone,

Jim's in Edmundston, and the Days Inn's internet connection is down. So he asked that I send out a quick message for him.

He left Antigonish this morning and rode 9 hours, just now arriving in Edmundston. It was a 460 mile day, most of it in the pouring rain. Tomorrow he'll head towards Quebec, following the St. Lawrence waterway. It's about a 3 hour ride (318 km, and speed limit is 110 km). He'll spend some time touring a castle, and see the fortress walls at the citadel. Then continue on, but he's not sure where he'll stop for the night.

So for tonight, he's hunkered down at the Days Inn, and has ordered pizza and snacks to be delivered to his room. He's finally catching up on his laundry, and working on the route that will get him home in 19 days! It will be a quiet 4th of July for him, as Canada already had their "Canada Day" with fireworks on the 1st.

For Jim,

Lynda

I can see my brother in law rolling his eyes and shaking his head at the title to today's entry. Like Lynda he's ½ French and is very fluent in it. I am not. So today was pretty fun in the language arena. I tried not to embarrass myself to badly, but there were moments when I could have used a tip or two.

I left Edmundson, New Brunswick this morning at 8:00. Edmundson is located at the foot of a range of mountains (hills to most of us) that one must cross in order to get into the province of Quebec. I was able to navigate myself safely to the bank (Have I talked yet about how expensive things are up here – double digit inflation and prices are downright outrageous), and was soon heading North and West on the TC2. I really like the way they name the highways up here – the TC2 is the TransCanadian Highway #2. I was soon in rain, not mist, not drizzle, not a thunderstorm, but rain – ‘a good rain' as my dad would say. Soon thereafter the rain was joined by fog (surprised?? ). It wasn't too bad, but, as I was explaining to Lynda last night. I got a pucker power lesson when yesterday morning, while riding in a pretty heavy rain, the trailer suddenly started hydroplaning and fishtailing. That got my attention ‘right quick'. Those little 8” wheels on that trailer just can't shed the water fast enough, so in today's rain I was a lot more cautious. No pictures, sorry, it was raining and electronics and water don't mix. So, I'm out of Newfoundland, Out of Nova Scotia, Out of New Brunswsick, and almost out of Quebec. Not too bad, although home still feels a long way off at least I'm headed in the general direction!

This shot on the left shows the general level of clouds and fog. The picture was actually taken after I got out of the hills and was paralleling the St. Lawrence Seaway on my right. Pretty much anything above 1500 feet above sea level was full of fog and drizzle with actual rain mixed in.

I stayed on the TC2 all of the way into Quebec. I did make a stop or two at a couple of rest stops and noted that at each one of them there were a number of bikes – Goldwings to be exact. Then I noted the rest of the day that the number of Goldwings I saw on the road seemed to far outweigh the number of V-Twins I saw. I'm guessing the Harleys and the Victory's are way too expensive up here because there sure weren't anywhere near as many

I arrived in Quebec City right around 11:30 and proceeded to follow Henrietta's directions to the Citadel. This took me through downtown and to the far Eastern boundry where the fortress overlooks the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Popular tourist attraction. Traffic wasn't very pleasant but I found a good parking spot. Right at the Citadel and actually inside it's perimeter. Kinda cool, and lots of folks were looking at me a bit strangely – in that I was a bike towing a car. I smiled and moved on.

The Citadel occupy's the entire Eastern perimeter of the city and is built just like every other fortress up and down the East Coast. Thick – thick –thick at the bottom, and thinner at the top with cannon's strategically placed to protect the city within. I could have spent at least three hours climbing around it, but alas I knew I needed to make up some time today so I curtailed my visit knowing that this is somewhere Lyn and I need to come back to . I was reminded as I walked & rode through the area how much these old cities are all the same – the Old Town in Stockholm, the Palaka in Athens, and Rue 1 in Paris, and the same for many European Cities that still have their original cities to work with. The streets are narrow, and full of shops, charm, history, and tourists. It's a place for lovers and family's to spend time at – not an old married guy riding solo J ! So my time was quickly spent and I moved to leave the city, But not before becoming lost and entangled in what has to be one of the largest shopping malls in Canada.

The ‘Mall' and I don't know the name of it, was at least three city blocks long, had at least that many two and three story buildings in it, had every flavor of store imaginable and hosted (today at least) a bulging parking lot and masses of people all eager to spend their money. I was simply looking for something quick to eat and got caught up in the circus of trying to find a parking spot – which, which when I did I protected aggressively. Then I set out for food. Remember please this is a French speaking province, and what little French I do know will get me a phone call to a lawyer if I get into trouble and that's about it.

It's one thing to be able to speak a few phrases and know / expect what the standard response should be, but when you read a fast food menu entirely in French and have to say in your best American French accent “Kiss Coo Say Twa” and not be able to understand a word you hear back can be a bit unnerving. Almost as much as asking “Do you speak English” and have the 18 year old clerk look at you and say “No, not a word”. HUH?

I finally got out of Town a little richer in the experience part and a little fuller in the belly. It was nearly 13:45. Next stop Montreal. Which is where I am at the moment. I arrived at the Best Western and was greeted by the desk clerk in French. “English??” I asked. “Sure, how can I help you?” I swear ALL of these folks in this province are bilingual, they just love seeing the non locals suffer.

The ride from Quebec to Montreal was boring. Freeway. No pictures. Nothing to see. Maybe tomorrow when I head South and ever Westward I'll find something to shoot. But for now let me leave you with a few of the ride into Quebec today and a caption or two. The shot on the left is of the St. Lawrence Seaway from the TC2. Grass, then to the horizon is the seaway then the sky. At this juncture it is wide enough that you can't see the shore from the center. That's a lot of water moving out to the Atlantic. I was a bit disappointed in my route choice, as it looked really good as I was laying it out – looked like it was really hugging the seaway shore, but no, I was usually about ½ mile from it, or, when I was really close it was blocked from view by trees.

This is the only shot I got of the Seaway as I was going into Quebec. Again, I think the Canadians could take a lesson from California when it comes to allowing folks to stop and capture the sight (like the Golden Gate Bridge) before making them continue on. Now, that's just my opinion….

To the right à It's a road, I rode on it so I know it's a road. Can't imagine it with heavy traffic, but it did get me into the interior of the Citadel.

I am amazed at how European Quebec feels. Canada for the most part feels very North American – a little different, kinda like the South is different from the North or East, but still the same. This isn't really so in Quebec. If you want Europe on this Continent then Quebec is the place you want to visit.

One last word about the shopping mall. I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm finding Canada to be no bargain. It's expensive here, they have double digit inflation. What I don't get is how the heck these folks are doing it. The mall was packed – seemingly everyone was out shopping. Don't know if they were buying, but it sure looked like it.

Tomorrow – Niagara Falls. Rumor had it that Lynda might fly out an join me, but you all know how rumors are.

This morning as Henrietta was doing her best to get me onto the ‘T.O. 401. O” in a Northerly direction it dawned on me that she actually expected me to ride through Montreal in my effort to get to Niagara Falls. Why on earth would I choose to ride through a major city unless I absolutely had to?

Here's the Geography. I stayed last night in the town of Brossard – a suburb of Montreal. It's South East of the city about 10 miles. I expected that I would be proceeding Westward this morning – not Northward and then Westward. So, I had the unexpected pleasure of riding through Montreal Morning Commute. Don't think I want to do that again any time soon. I was way too busy watching traffic and taking care of the bike to get any good pictures, but did manage to take a couple of snapshots. I'd forgotten that Montreal is an Island. A big island, but an island none the less. I was on several bridges today in my effort to orient myself in the desired South Westerly direction.

I did finally clear the city and was on the 401 headed West and South and by 9:30 I was crossing into Ontario. Finally, I'm back into English speaking Country. HA. The joke was on me. Both times I stopped for gas the only directions on the pump were in French. And, since I don't know the French for “Pay the cashier before pumping” I had no idea if I needed to pay first, or fill the tank and then pay afterward ß as has been my experience in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Needless to say I was able to work through the issue, get the gas and proceed.

So I saw Montreal, I would have liked to spend some time in the city re-visiting the Cathedral and the underground Malls there, but seeing as though this city wasn't on my radar I scooted through as fast as I could. Once out of the City the country looked very much like the picture to the left. Mile after Mile of it. All the same. Maybe Montreal wasn't so bad after all!

My real goal is to continue making Westward (always Westward) tracks. And today I elected to not explore the 1000 Islands area of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the Erie Canal. As I sit here writing this I wonder if I didn't make a mistake. I had it in my head that I needed to see the Niagara Falls from the Canadian Side and that's where I concentrated my efforts, but I've seen the falls before, while I've never seen the islands or the canal before. The falls won out. Don't ask me why, cuz I can't give you an answer other than “that's where I wound up.” The roads were uninspired and uninteresting so no real pictures of how I wound up here are available.

The Falls themselves are AWESOME! The sheer volume of water that falls over the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls is staggering. While this place is still very popular with honeymooners it's also filled to over flowing with regular vacationers. And, the town of Niagara Falls, Ontario is a world away from what Niagara Falls, New York is like. This place is much more touristy, has more of a Las Vegas, Disneyworld atmosphere. There's a huge Casino, top notch restaurants, 50 story hotels (every one of them claiming ‘falls view' rooms (for $300.00 Canadian a night)). It's still worth the effort to visit.

Maid of the Mist ships waiting their turn and Yours truly enjoying the cooling mist.

Did I mention Henrietta also routed me through Toronto? Interesting traffic management in this city. There were basically 20 lanes of traffic – 10 in each direction. 5 in each direction were considered ‘express' and 5 were considered ‘collectors'. I spent all of my time in the Collectors, toiling my way through the city. I was finally able to ‘rejoin' my highway at the Southwestern part of the city. All in all there was only one spot that was really badly congested and that only took a few minutes to work through. I'm pretty impressed. Maybe LA could come up here and take some lessons!

I got out my macro lens – gonna bore you with a couple of shots. I know – you don't have to tell me.

One Truck caught my interest today. I think it's the best saying I've read à I'm sure it's too small to see, so I'll fill you in. It's a Coors beer truck. The rear says “Don't tailgate. We aren't going to drop any.”!

So, what did I learn today? I learned that keeping off of secondary highways is important when you are in the hinterlands, and not quite so important when you are in populated areas. So, it's ok to tell your GPS that it's “ok” to pick roads that will get me where I need to be faster than running solely on the Interstate. I've Changed my GPS Parameters. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Hey! It's an adventure!

Felt like I swam an entire one today. No blog document as there really isn't much to say.

I left Niagara Falls this morning and took the same route I'd taken yesterday in reverse back into Toronto, and then finally onto the T-400 North which I rode for about 140 miles, then picked up the 17 West which I stayed on all the way into Salute Saint Marie.

The weather did not cooperate. Had some dry spells, had plenty of showers, and lots of wet misty roads. It's clearing now, with a forecast of sun and cloud mix for tomorrow, with a chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon evening. I'm good with that.

The scnenry today was just like the scenery of when I rode through Maine - flat to low hill's and lot's of trees and water. Not very sceninc. I took a few pictures - I'll share them in the next document.

It never ceases to amaze me. The diversity found along any stretch of highway can be phenomenal. The last couple of days have proved just that to me. Although yesterday wasn't the best riding day of my career, and I'm sure I missed a good deal the road I was on was still worth remembering. Today's ride started out very similar to yesterdays, but soon took on a whole new meaning of remote, and downright purdy.

While I could swear I never saw a mountain yesterday I was in hills most of the day, and at enough elevation to provide a nifty fog cover when I was high enough. It was one of those shower days. You know, the kind of day when you take your first shower, then get all steamed up and misty and then finally dry, only to encounter the next bank of fog, followed by a good thoroughly drenching shower, more mist and then dry. It went on like that all day. The ride from Niagara Falls to Sault Saint Marie was long with nary a view of Lake Huron the whole day. The falls themselves in the early morning were pretty cool looking, lots more mist (IMHO). The road into and out of Niagara Falls, On. Is called the Q.E.W. (or Que), I don't know what it means but the highway signs have little crowns on them so I'm guessing it's for Queen Elizabeth…. Something…. In any case Henrietta was insistent on taking me back through Toronto which I sorely detested, but followed her advice and did indeed soon find myself heading North on Cn-400. I basically took that route most of the day. I switched highways in Greater Sudbury so as to start my Westward journey on Cn-17. Because of the weather my picture taking was quite limited but do have a couple to share. There are a couple of things I've noted over the last two days in Ontario. The first is that the closer to civilization the road is the more likely there will have been some thought put into logical stopping places for fuel and for food and a restrooms. However, the further away from civilization I got the more I had to rely on common sense and intuition than anything else. The last thing you want to do is run out of Gas. Getting the needed help can be hours away, even with helpful truckers, and other motorists. I did finally make it into Sault Saint Marie about 5:00 only to discover there was a convention in town (A Convention????? Huh?) So my choice of hotels narrowed significantly. I was able to secure a very fine vintage 1960 motel for a decent price and it even had internet and a close by food. I was a bit surprised, but then too I had a wash basin in next to my bed …

As mentioned, today started out almost like yesterday. Lots of cloud cover and actually quite chilly. I had to stop and put my garbing liner on under my mesh Goldwing Jacket. I kept it on all day long. It gets cold up here! That's Lake Superior on the left.

It was really cool seeing the lake in the fog. It was also the first time I'd seen any of the Great Lakes since staring my ‘tour' of them. Seems that they are purposely hidden from us travelers of the roads. If we want to see the shoreline then we must do so from a boat – on the water. There is just nothing prettier than to come down off of a mountain (well what passes for a mountain here anyway), and round a sweeper and see this huge expanse of water in front of you. It's really beautiful.

Though it's hard to see the road ahead it does twist off to the left and then the right as it climbs, and on the right is a telling shot. This highway is used heavily by trucks. They don't care about you – Stay out of their way – These guys are serious about moving the 500 miles between Sault Saint Marie and the border without stopping – or slowing down.

It's impossible to describe how big these lakes are, just know that I spent at least 8 solid riding hours and Lake Superior was on my left the entire time. That's a big lake, and I have at least another 3 hours tomorrow riding through Mn. with it still there.

As I was leaving Sault Saint Marie this morning I had a Bambi incident – there was this young buck (4 points is the right term I believe) standing on the side of the road. I looked at him – he looked at me and bolted. Proof positive that animals don't trust me J . Then about 2:00 this afternoon I was tooling along behind a couple of cars when suddenly the first one hits the brakes followed by the second one and then of course me… Off on the left was my second Moose sighting. Dang it, the camera was off again.

I can see why the Moose accident rate is so high here. First, there's at least 1 Moose for every man woman and child here in Canada, second, they aren't the smartest of animals – won't learn to avoid highways, and third – they blend into the night, very very dark coats, and their eyes do not reflect like deer's do.

Tomorrow I'm re-entering the US for a couple of days. I have relatives in Iowa that I'm going to stop and see, then I'll be working my way back up into Manitoba via South and North Dakota (Oh Joy!) before continuing my way Westward (ever Westward) and home.

I don't suppose it will ever make any difference how long I live in California . It's where I make my home now, but I'll never be a California native, and there will always be a little bit of Iowa in me. There is something about going back to your roots that being in your home town evokes. It's like magic. Long forgotten roads, memories, friendships, sights and smells all come back in a flash when you are on your ‘own turf'.

But first I had to get out of Canada and into the US . I had 2 $5.00 bills and 3 $1.00 coins in my pocket when I woke up this morning – just about the perfect amount to fill up the bikes gas tank. I left Canada with $0.00 Canadian!! How often does that happen? I was also exactly $0.00 in American too – not so good, but at least my ATM card would work. The ride out of Thunder Bay to the Border was a pleasant 45 minute affair. I didn't know what to expect in terms of crossing time, as when I went into Canada the traffic trying to get into the states was at least as bad as it was trying to get into Canada – and I was in line for about 45 minutes. Today however, I breezed right up to the border guard, presented my passport, was asked a couple of questions (like “You actually went to Newfoundland ???”). And was welcomed back into the states.

My memories of Minnesota are of lakes, and farms, and Albert Lea was the biggest city I'd seen other than Des Moines – but it didn't matter, because my view of Iowa and Minnesota both was one of flat farmland. Whatever your visions of Minnesota are let me suggest that you try Mn-61 around the Western Edge of Lake Superior – I'm pretty sure it'll change whatever that opinion was. The temps around the lake were quite cool – 53 at one point, but the scenery, and hills were worth it. I didn't do a very good job of capturing the days ride in pictures but do have a couple that I can share. Truly, Mn-61 is a highway to add to your ride list if you ever decide to visit the Great Lakes .

The Lake – fills the horizon – the road feeds the need to see what's around the next curve and the forest provides ample opportunity for the Thumpers, Bambys, Gentle Bens, and assorted wildlife to introduce themselves to you.

Saw many many motorcycles on this road to day. Popular place for the locals.

Route 61 dropped me off in Deluth, Mn. I'd never been there before and didn't realize it was right on the southern tip of the lake – and is considered a harbor town. I needed both gas and cash – Henrietta provided directions to both, but let me tell ya, she sure wasn't happy with me when I encountered a street closure and big detour that had the bank squarely in the middle of it. I had to shut it off to shut her up. I got both cash and gas and was soon headed down the I-35 South.

A couple more gas stops and a lot of riding with crosswinds finally got me into Mason City , Ia. Tomorrow I'm seeing an Aunt (She's 91!!!), and my actual home town, some friends and such, then on Saturday I'm heading South a bit more to see my Sister and family before heading back north again. So I'll most likely not bother you all with the family stuff but will pick back up again when I ‘m back on the road.

I know you have all been going through withdrawel the last couple of days. Well, I am back on the road again after spending some feel good time with my family in Iowa. I left this morning and road through two thunderstorms - one Westbound on I-80, and one Northbound on I-29. Both were quite large with lots of water, thunder, and lightning. So, other than those two rather exciting events I spent the rest of the day in very boring interstate riding, as I will tomorrow also with the added pleasure of crossing into Canada again.

I did want to bring you all up on an event that may affect the rest of this ride - As I was riding from Thunder Bay, On. into Iowa on Thursay I noticed my Left arm feeling quite painful and my fingers a bit numb. The problem has persisted, and, while Advil allows my enough comfort to use the clutch to shift there is little else that I can do with it. it appears the the Ulnar Nerve has gotten compressed and / or has been moved from its proper channel. (Niece = nurse & my brother in law had t the same symptoms) -- Depending how this plays out over the next few days I may well be making a beeline for home to have this tended to. I'll keep you all informed,

Well, I appear to be having trouble attaching files so here it is in Text format....

Mother Nature & Father Time Declare Victory Well folks, after riding through two more thunderstorms yesterday I arrived in Watertown, SD where it was clear, dry and warm. I talked to Lynda and convinced her that I would be able to continue the rest of my Canadian trip. Then I checked the Manitoba weather -- Most of Canada's weather remains unsettled including Winnipeg and points West. Mother Nature was just not about to cooperate with this ride. So I made a commitment then to head for home as expediently as possible – while still trying to enjoy myself. That, coupled with a swollen and very painful left arm had me convinced that Father Time was in cahoots with Mother Nature to keep me in the states, and heading steadily Westward.

This morning I awoke to a clear sky, a light breeze, and cool temps -- I ‘almost' thought again about continuing my Northward Trek. Then I tried to use the arm - no, it needs to be looked at so I re-rode 100 miles of I-29 only this time South to connect up with I-90 West. I was going to ride into either Rapid City, or Sturgis for the night, but in the lovely town of Wall, SD (yes, the home of wall drugs fame) NOAA issued a severe thunderstorm and tornado watch for the Southwestern area of SD all of the way to midnight. I stopped and got my room for the night and am now waiting for the storms to develop. The sky was reallu really black a little bit ago, but that one moved North… We'll see.

This will be my last formal blog document till I get home, and then I'll send out the last few days of the trip, and some thoughts about the last two months.

I just reviewed a couple of movies I made with my digital camera while ‘hold up' in lovely Wall, SD. There isn't a way for me to include them with this document (that I know of anyway), but suffice it to say they were vivid enough to make me remember why I stopped there rather than continuing on toward Rapid City or Sturgis. Seriously black sky. Lot's of rumbles, and flashes of lightning so often that there was little need for electrical power.

The ride into Wall was my first opportunity to test the theory of keeping the need to use the clutch (and consequently the left hand and arm) to a minimum. It was, for me, a difficult decision to retrace my route from the previous day back down I-29 till I could turn West onto I-90. I've always known that the wing had great torque, and, once I was on the interstate I was able to exit, and enter with very minimal shifting – 5 th to 3 rd to neutral. First to third to fifth on my way back onto the interstate – worked beautifully!

I-90 and South Dakota can mean only a few things. Mt. Rushmore, Sturgis, the border to Wyoming, and points North. My goal was Westward, so, after passing Rapid City & Mount Rushmore (been there, done that, have the ‘T' shirt and stuff already…) I wound up in Wyoming – heading toward Devils Tower. It was a great detour off the planned route into Laramie, Wy. – only 20 miles one way and I had a great view of one of our National treasures. The weather was, as you can see – gorgeous! It appears that I have finally reached the end bad weather and stormy skies.

The ride back to I-90 was quick, and in just a very few minutes I found myself on Wy-585 heading South and connecting up with us-86 to continue on South and West. This wound up being a pretty long day – over 400 miles and I was still quite far East in the surprisingly large state of Wyoming.

As you can see in the picture above I pretty much kept my left arm down and close to side the whole day. I arrived in Laramie about 17:00, found the Best Western and got settled for the night. A note to other travelers who decide to stay in Laramie -- The Best Western in Laramie is not recommended. The facility is ok, but, buyer beware on their room pricing.

Wednesday – Thursday were drone days. The goal was to get across Wyoming, Utah and Nevada as quickly as possible. I-80 was the only game in town for that kind of accomplishment, so, I-80 it was. Sadly, my arm and hand were not doing so well, so the camera stayed in the saddle bag the entire ride home. Wednesday it was Laramie to Wendover – Hot, and the Salt Flats as challenging and stark as they ever were. I spent the night at the “Rainbow” Casino. Not a bad room, but no internet, and all if the amenities were geared around getting me out of the room and onto the casino floor – not being much of a gambler I managed to ignore the enticements and stay in my room. Thursday was 400 + miles across Nevada – I could have ridden the rest of the way home, but would have arrived in the bay area during rush hour, ummmm no, the decision was easy to hold up in Boomtown, right on the border. Again, a very in-expensive Casino Room, and, like the night before I managed to keep myself in the room without too much difficulty.

Only one stop in Dixon for fuel on Friday got me home by about 11:00. Lynda had a Welcome Home banner up on the Garage. That was very sweet of her!

So I'm closing out this ride's Blog. It's been an experience that I wouldn't have missed. Thanks for riding along with me. It's been fun!

Since my return, and indeed the whole last week, there has been a lot of interest about my left arm. Here is what I know, at the moment. The arm is responding to being immobile and NSADS – already the pain has been reduced from a 7-8 on a scale of 0-10 (with 10 being unbearable pain) to about a 2-3, with an expectation of being back to normal in several more days. Cause?? Tendonitis? Probably. Repetitive Stress Syndrome? Perhaps. Ulnar Nerve issue? Most likely. Still painful? You bet!

The arm and hand were swollen to the point of requiring the removal of my wedding ring – via a saw. That was an interesting experience, thankfully we have a great jeweler who will be able to repair and re-size it when the time is right.

As of this moment we don't have a good answer. I met briefly with a Neurologist yesterday. He thinks Tendonitis, but hasn't ruled anything out, so I'll call tomorrow for an appointment to do a nerve conduction test --- he's planning on making me twitch – allover J . This will prove or disprove nerve involvement, and also provide a final diagnosis (hopefully). I can almost make a fist!

So, that's as much as I can tell you all right now. I do want to thank everyone for their support and concern. We're working through it.

I've had a lot of solo (soul?) time the last two months to think, reason, imagine, compose, plan, adjust, and most importantly – ride. In the end I have to ask myself, was it worth it, and would I do it (or something like it) again. I did a lot right on this trip, and some significant things wrong.

When I started this ride I was pretty much event oriented – “Ride Tioga”, “Ride the ET Highway” – etc. I was pretty successful doing that but the further South and East I went the poorer the weather became, and the more my days became goal oriented – “Get to San Angelo”, “Get into Canada” – etc. I think the weather played a huge role in that, as it is very difficult to remain relaxed when fighting miles, as well as wind and rain. But, I think the overriding consideration was that I really wanted to “Do it all”, but I put a time limit on it. You can't do that. A ride like this must remain an event driven ride to be truly enjoyable. When / If I do another ride of this scope it will remain one of events, with no timing between them.

All that being said this was still a ‘ride of a lifetime'. Such memories! I mean, what are the chances of being 3000 + miles away from home in Newfoundland, waiting for the ferry to take me back to the mainland when not one, but two more Goldwings pull up next to me – both if which are from Sacramento. Meeting and chatting with other riders taking similar rides will always be a special memory. Watching the sun set in the Grand Canyon and schlepping luggage up and down countless stairs and into the ubiquitous motel room. There are things that make the days and the memories all run together, and some standout stellar moments that will always be with me.