Rolling through Amos, QC and stopping for more fuel, it was now around
3:30pm. Even with my stop at KM381, my stop on the side of the road to
fuel up, and my 30 minute stop in Matagami for lunch, I was still
averaging 61mph. Not bad, at all. I pulled out the paper map and
started looking for a place to stay. My Canadian friends had mentioned
there would be hotels in the town of Rouyn-Noranda; less than 90
minutes away as estimated by my GPS. I was feeling pretty good at being
somewhat back in civilization. I could be in a hotel by 5:00pm and
relax from there. I went to the GPS and started looking for hotels;
there were several "brand-name" hotels in Rouyn-Noranda, and then the
next closest was back in Timmins. I surely wasn't going to head back
there. The next days ride would be about 330 miles from Rouyn-Noranda;
a short day, for this trip.
Low posted speed limits and high riding speed brought me into
Rouyn-Noranda in about an hour. This was indeed a bustling town
compared to what I was used to, and I found myself growing quickly
annoyed with stoplights and traffic. Am I actually missing the James
Bay Road? Sitting in traffic I get a wild idea and start hitting
buttons on the GPS. It's not quite 5pm, and I'm feeling strong.
Possibly more than that, I have an overwhelming urge to get out of
French-speaking Quebec and back into the safe feeling of Ontario. I'm
already close to the border of Ontario; I can make it! I start my
search for hotels a little further on, but find there is nothing very
close aside from some strange "no name" types of places. I'm not
risking that. Looking between the paper map in my tankbag and the GPS
screen, I click the GPS cursor on North Bay, ON (a large dot on my map)
and have it calculate the distance. Quick calculations in my head show
me it's less than 200 miles away; only one tank of gas. I figure I can
make it there in about 3 hours or so and be to a hotel by 8:00pm; it
won't even be dark, yet. I ask the bike how it feels about that by
twisting the throttle, and it responds by shooting off like a bullet.
I'm feeling stronger than ever as we blast through the countryside.
Swifter than eagles! Stronger than lions! The R80 buzzes beneath me as
I keep the speed just below that magic number. Singing in my helmet as
the miles race by. I'm back! Unstoppable! Helge Pederson doesn't have a
thing on me!!!! I AM
adventure! It's quite possible I was becoming a bit punch drunk from
all the riding I was doing, but my spirits were soaring. Suddenly,
several hundred feet ahead of me, some black mass runs across the road.
It takes a few moments for me to register that it was a black bear. How
can something so big and heavy move so fast?? Less than a quarter mile
down the road I see another one, standing in some tall grass only about
20 feet off the road in someones yard. It was rather massive and looked
like it had something pinned down in the grass. Hopefully it wasn't a
person. They are a lot less friendly looking in real life than they are
on TV. I decided it would be best for me NOT to stop.
Rolling down more back roads and through numerous small towns, I
finally see another welcome sign letting me know I was crossing into
Ontario. I pumped my fist in the air, patted the tank on the R80 and
smiled. My enjoyment was quickly broke when the engine stumbled again
just a few minutes later. I was only going 120kph. The problem was
getting worse; had I made a mistake in trying to reach North Bay? I
readjusted my speed to no more than 110kph. I was still well over the
speed limit, and I really didn't need to get pulled over by the Ontario
police. Passing through New Liskeard, I realized it was about time for
my last fuel stop as I went on reserve. I continued to put it off until
I turned south on Highway 11, at which point there were no more gas
stations. That was stupid. I didn't feel like turning back, so I threw
caution to the wind and rode on for a few miles before seeing a gas
station and restaurant in the center of a large gravel lot just past
the hamlet of Coleman. This would have to do.
Pulling in, a woman came running across to the pumps from the
restaurant. There was still an hour left in their schedule, but she had
already turned the pumps off. Lucky for me she happily ran inside to
turn everything back on, as well as offer me a free can of soda with my
fill up. Nice! We made small talk as I removed my tank bag and started
to fuel up the bike. Hearing I had been in Radisson she asked me "Did
you meet those two guys from Louisiana, up there? They were riding
BMW's, too!" My jaw nearly shattered as it fell to the ground. What a
small world we live in. With all the gas stations in all of Ontario
that I could have stopped at, I stopped at the same one my two new
friends had stopped at just a few days ago. Amazing! I told her I had
indeed met them, and went into the story of them saving me from
sleeping in the parking lot. We both agreed that they were great guys.
I was now an hour and a half from North Bay. We would make it. As
always, my friend fired right up and we turned back towards North Bay.
I had covered a lot of miles today, and I was starting to hit a wall. I
was getting a little stiff, and that overall lack of sleep was wearing
on me. I should have drank something with caffeine in it back at the
station. I keep stretching and moving around to keep the blood flowing.
Highway 11 is a rather easy ride as it passes by some scenic areas
lakes and rivers. Traffic was not too bad for Thursday evening, though
I kept getting lined up behind cars; something I wasn't used to. I had
become more leery of passing with my speed limitations in place. I was
also becoming more worried about wildlife jumping in front of me as
dusk set in. As it turns out, it was not wildlife that would be my
problem. Cruising along, I suddenly caught something come flying
towards me, hit the road, and explode into many pieces. I made an
evasive maneuver to the right; just making it past the pile of debris.
In that split second I realized what had just happened. The car ahead
of me had decided to jettison their bag of McDonalds. I was more than a
little upset. I honked and flashed my light. A short distance away, the
road widened to include a passing lane, and I jumped on the throttle
and ran up next to the car who's occupant was now hunched down in her
seat, refusing to look over. Two young girls. Though still angry at
their attempt to wreck me, I realized they were likely just littering,
and didn't notice the motorcycle behind them. At least, I'll give them
the benefit of the doubt. It didn't look like they were going to do
that again any time soon. They had likely already been scared enough. I
finished my pass and continued on towards North Bay.
Finally, into North Bay, and I was all smiles. The sun had dropped low
on the horizon, and the sky was a beautiful shade of red-orange. I
hadn't decided on a specific hotel, but sitting at a stoplight I saw
everything I needed; on one corner a Travelodge, on another a Mexican
restaurant. I moved into the turn lane, and then made my way into the
hotel parking lot. Pulling up under the front entrance I kicked down
the side stand and nearly hugged my bike. We had done it. I hopped off
and grabbed a room - fortunately they were NOT booked solid. The
receptionist was extra friendly and gave me a room on the ground level
with a sliding glass door so I could carry my gear in easily. I moved
the bike and parked directly outside of my room - spending the next few
minutes removing and carrying gear in. Once completed, I set about
taking care of the last bit of business at hand. I called and checked
in with my family to let them know where I was. I called a BMW mechanic
who agreed my points were probably causing my stumbling, and gave me
some things to check on the transmission. I'd save that stuff for
tomorrow. I looked at the GPS and saw how far I had come. 752 miles
over 14 hours and 10 minutes. 53mph average when you include all the
stops. My new longest day of riding. Not bad. I shaved down my next day
to a mere 200 miles.
I changed my shirt, donned a hat, and made my way to the Mexican
Restaurant across the street; on foot. I almost felt bad leaving my
friend sitting in the parking lot, but it earned a break, and was at
least resting on pavement instead of dirt. The restaurant was mostly
empty as I sat down at the bar to be greeted by a young and attractive
blonde. My day kept getting better. Food was ordered and a beer was
poured; some tasty microbrew I had never drank, before. It probably
could have been old stale beer, and it still would have tasted good. I
know water would have been the logical "healthy" choice to make, but I
really didn't care.
Nobody else was at the bar with me, and the bartender set about asking
me if I really was from Toledo (I was wearing my "Toledo Mud Hens"
hat), and then asking me what brought me to North Bay. I began
recounting my story before realizing I had a bartender and two servers
standing around listening to my tales; asking questions and expressing
surprise at my stories; laughing with me about my hardships. My head
swelled more than a little. I WAS adventure. Our conversations got
sidetracked and we began chatting about Ontario-Quebec politics, the
rarity of seeing a moose (I had been a bit disappointed), and other
great vacation spots. Shortly after the manager came by to break up the
fun; he was missing some of his servers. My audience was chased off. I
sat back and glanced at the TV as my second beer was delivered. That's
when it hit me. I hadn't seen a TV or read any news since I left my
house over a week ago. As far as I was concerned, the only thing that
was happening in the world was happening to me. News didn't stretch
much further than I could see and hear. I smiled to myself; of all the
vacation I've taken over the years, I had never really gotten away like
I had this time. On top of that, through all the hardships I had
recently faced, I came out alive and well. If the restaurant workers
were any sign, I had some great new stories to tell, and my trip wasn't
even over. All that stress and fear melted away and was replaced by
happiness and pride.
Finally the fatigue, full stomach, and beer caught up with me; I was
getting tired. I made my way back to the hotel, kicked on the TV, and
laid down on the bed next to my tank bag. I awoke a few hours later and
killed the TV, but I was too tired to reach for the lights or clear off
the bed. I slept uninterrupted for the rest of the night; still
dreaming of the ride. Even in my dreams, I was smiling.