I've always been oddly attracted to remote places. I guess it's the
explorer in me; I want to go where few have been, and where few will
ever go. I've also fancied myself to be a bit of an "Adventure rider"
type... though I had yet to go anywhere off the beaten path. It was
almost six months before the MOA rally in Wisconsin, and I was
beginning to make some trip plans for myself. I was blessed with an
abundance of vacation time from work, some disposable income, and a
week to burn between the rally and a yearly family camping trip in
Ontario. Days and nights were spent pouring over google maps, looking
for small remote places to visit. I quickly settled on areas north of
Lake Superior; possibly Highway 11 down to Lake Huron and onto some of
the more remote roads that lead into some of the small communities in
the area. Still, it didn't sound that exciting, and I continued to look
further east and north. Somewhere I stumbled across this "James Bay
Road". It offered everything I was looking for - it was remote, lightly
traveled, scenic, and somewhere many had never been. My location had
been chosen, and my preparations began.
The James Bay offers a few unique challenges to a motorcycle traveler.
It's very remote. There is a section of road 233 miles long that offers
no service of any kind, save for some emergency phones every 50km or
so. This is the second longest stretch of service-free road in North
America; and it's second by only 7 miles to the Dalton Highway in
Alaska. Fortunately the James Bay Road is paved for it's entirety,
though frost heaving leaves the road rather rough. Even in the "busy
season", very few cars are on this road each day, so if anything
happens you might be waiting a while for assistance. This isn't so much
a "normal" tourist destination. The road was built when a large
hydroelectric facility was put in years ago, and most of the traffic is
to support the small employee population, native communities, and
hunters who travel to the area. Second to the remoteness is the
wildlife. This is an area that supports black bear, caribou, wolves,
fox, moose, and the ever popular black fly. The black flies are
probably the biggest problem, as they will gladly chew a hole in your
skin to get some blood, and they are rather plentiful in July. Finally,
weather is a wild card. It could be hot, it could be freezing, and it
could rain the whole time.
With those negatives, "why go", you ask? I went for three reasons;
natural beauty (There are a number of large rivers that flow across the
James Bay Road and there is wilderness all around you), the challenge
of the trip itself, and the remote silence of the area. I wanted to get
away from everything, from cell phones (which do not work even before
you reach the James Bay Road itself), traffic, and people - save for a
possible riding companion.
Though I had a friend or two interested in taking the trip with me, I
quickly found none of my riding companions would have the time to join
me on the rather remote sections of road I wanted to cover - so I would
be going alone. This wasn't a huge deal, although it meant I was going
to be forced to carry all of my own supplies, tools, and gear (no
splitting gear between two bikes). I spent a few months rebuilding my
bike to make it as mechanically perfect as I could, and to increase my
own knowledge in case I had a failure on the road. This included
learning how to wrestle a tire and tube off and on a rim. Gear was
purchased; a lightweight but warm sleeping bag, a 3-season windproof
"expedition-style" tent, camp stove, cookware, spares for the bike, and
a large can of pepper spray (for bears and other large wildlife) for
peace of mind. I also had completed a tentative route and schedule. I
had some long days planned, but I felt up to the task. I would leave
the MOA rally on Sunday, head north to Minnesota, and then cross into
Ontario, following Lake Superior. From there I would head east into
Quebec, up the James Bay Road, and then back down. Finally I would ride
further South to the North side of Lake Huron, which I would cross by
boat before riding the last 200 miles west to meet up with my family
for a few more days of camping. Perfect.
By the time July hit, I was as ready as I was ever going to be. After a
short weather-related delay, I pulled out and headed to the West Bend
MOA rally; the first stop on my journey. As one would expect at an MOA
rally, fun was had, friends were made, beer was drank, and sleep came
in small doses. By the end I was ready to get away, and the REAL part
of my James Bay trip began.
At the rally: You can never be too careful when drinking!
At the rally: Beautiful sunrise over a lake
