After a night of much-needed and well-earned sleep, I managed to hop
out of bed just after dawn. Surveying the room, it looked a lot like my
saddlebags had exploded. One saddlebag was on the bed (half open), one
was on the floor next to my Ortleib dry bag and the gas-smelling rain
fly, and the other bed was half covered in my tank bag, and half of
it's contents. Knowing I only had 200 miles to cover, I took my time
sorting, cleaning (turns out gas DOESN'T eat through a tent rain fly),
and re-packing all of my belongings. I also took the time to wash
myself until the bar of hotel soap was down to a sliver. From there, I
re-adjusted the points on the R80 (they had closed substantially, and
WERE the cause of my engine stumbling), and got back on the road.
The ride was rather dull, especially after the excitement of the past
few days. I was back into traffic, back into frequently seeing signs
for food and fuel, and back into a comfort zone. The monotony was
broken only by a quick stop to help a Harley rider pulled off to the
side of the road. He was an interesting character; wearing a
peanut-shell helmet and a baclava that was painted to look like a
skull. I wonder if he had a hobby scaring children. While his initial
diagnosis was water in his gas, it turned out to be no gas in the tank.
After a few minutes of transferring fuel in my stainless collapsible
cup, we were both back on the road. I continued east until hitting
Highway 6, where I turned towards the small town of Espanola.
My destination for the day was Manitoulin Island; along the north shore
of Lake Huron. From there I would take a ferry south across the lake to
the Bruce Peninsula, and then ride east to Pinery Provincial Park where
I was meeting up with my family for a few days of camping. Finally
reaching the island, the riding became a bit more exciting as the road
began to wind it's way along. All too soon I reach "Gordon's Park"; a
small no-frills campground located close to the Chi-Cheemaun ferry that
I would be taking across the lake first thing in the morning. The rest
of the day was spent riding around looking for a laundromat (found) and
getting a bite to eat.
The next morning I awoke early, packed my gear, and headed towards the
ferry loading area. Motorcycles get to ride on-board first, so after
verifying my reservation, they had me ride all the way to the front of
the group. A few minutes after I was joined by a couple on their own
Harleys. They had just gotten married and were taking a short vacation
riding around the lake. Both were quite friendly, and were interested
in hearing a bit about my James Bay trip. Sadly, another less-friendly
group joined us shortly after. Initially there were some comments made
about the high-viz jacket, the gear on the bike, and the bike itself. I
gave polite but short responses at first, but quickly grew tired and
ignored them, completely. They made another comment about the gas can,
and it must have been enough to annoy the couple I had spoken with
earlier. Suddenly I heard them respond back "He's been riding for the
past week and just got back from the James Bay! He's ridden over
4500km, this trip". The comments quickly faded away, and all I could do
was smile. Soon enough the massive "Chi-Cheemaun ("Big Canoe") arrived,
and we were quickly loaded on board.
The "Cheech" arrives; the largest passenger/car vessel on the Great Lakes:
Tied down and ready to go (rope is provided, but my knot tying skills are not so good, so I came prepared):
The journey across the lake was better than could be expected. It's a
two hour crossing, and there is plenty to do. I headed in and grabbed
an excellent breakfast before heading out on deck to enjoy the fresh
air on this beautiful sunny morning. I ran into the couple I had met
earlier, and we stood around on deck taking about motorcycles, riding,
camping, and bears. In no time at all we approached the Bruce
Peninsula, and we quickly headed back down to untie the bikes and get
ready to unload.
Approaching the south side of Lake Huron:
Although I was the first bike onto the boat, the group of unfriendly
riders were let off the boat ahead of me. A few miles down the road I
grew tired of the noise, and they were moving slower than I would have
liked. I finally found an opening and cracked open the throttle,
blowing past the whole group of them like they weren't even moving. Not
bad for carrying so much stuff on my old bike, eh? I passed a few more
cars and quickly lost sight of them. From there I rode east along the
lake battling traffic as I passed through one tourist town after
another, Soon enough I approached Grand Bend; now only a few minutes
from the campground.
Pulling into Pinery Provincial Park, my spirits were at an all-time
high. I was here! I followed the twisting road back to the campsites
with a huge grin on my face. I rounded the last corner towards the camp
office, parked the bike, turned around, and that's when I realized my
whole family was there checking in; I had ridden right past them and
didn't even notice. It was great to see everyone - my parents, my
brother and sister-in-law, my aunt and uncle, and my cousins. An hour
later, I was on my large campsite in a bear-free area. My tent was
pitched, my gear was mostly unpacked, and I had a beer in my hand. My
parents had brought my 4-legged daughter (Lucy Lou) with them; I hadn't
seen her for 11 days.
This is one of my favorite photos from my trip. It's not an amazing
photo. It DOES remind me of the great mood I was in when it was taken,
though. I've been making the trip to Pinery Provincial Park since
before I can remember. It's like a second home, and it always feels
good to be there.
The next few days were spent hanging out at the beach, walking my dog
around the park, sharing stories and laughs around the campfire, and
drinking too much. It was a great end to my trip. A few days later I
packed my gear one more time, thumbed the starter, and rode the last
164 miles home. It was uneventful and utilitarian. Across Canada, into
the USA via the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, and then through piles
of traffic in Detroit before finally making the turn into my driveway.
Transmission problem? What transmission problem?
We did it.
Now where is that map? I have some planning to do...