Due to my current work situation I've been unable to head to many rallies so far this year, so I decided to take a trip over the Memorial Day weekend with a fellow Airhead GS rider. We wanted to camp but expected most places to be pretty crowded, so we headed off to Canada where it was NOT a holiday weekend. The plan was pretty simple; leave Friday at 5pm and head to Pinery Provincial Park near Grand Bend, ON for some camping. Tentative plans were made for Saturday to take the Chi-Cheemaun ferry across the Lake (the same boat I took last year after my James Bay Odyssey), and then ride back south along the Georgian Bay (Canadian Highway 69).

We made it out around 5 and after a brief stop to adjust his rear shock (the bike was getting into "death wobble" mode until preload adjustments were made), we were on our way. We made a brief stop at a rest area off of I-94. The bikes were looking good:



It had been a long week for me, and I decided to stretch out while my riding partner headed into the rest area:



After that short break we headed across the Blue Water Bridge into Sarnia, ON, and then made the rest of our trip to the park; stopping for beer and some food (only the necessities). It was dark by the time we arrived, but we managed to setup and get a fire going before sitting down to eat. Too bad we had some unwanted visitors who were quite tenacious:



They eventually left after the food was gone, and we enjoyed a nice campfire in peace:



That night got pretty cold (below 45 degrees) and I ended up using my "neck sock" to keep my ears and head warm. Not so stylish, but VERY functional (thanks again, Duck!):



We quickly showered, packed up, and headed North along the lakeshore to the Bruce Peninsula, where we picked up the Chi-Cheemaun ferry and enjoyed a smooth 2 hour boat ride across the lake. I again saw the Cove Island Lighthouse:



After the ferry across the lake landed on Manitoulin Island (on the north side of Lake Huron), we sped off - spending the next few hours winding our way across the island, over the narrow and rough single-lane swing Bridge in Little Current:


Note: This photo from Wikipedia.

From there we stopped in Espanola, ON for fuel, and we were held up by some locals who were excited to talk to us about or trip. We ended up being popular almost everywhere we stopped. From there we rode onwards, connecting to the trans-Canadian highway and riding that into the Greater Sudbury area before turning south on Canadian Highway 69, along the Georgian Bay. Our final stop for the day was to be Grundy Lake Provincial Park. When we arrived, we noticed the park was closed. Sure, you could fill out a form and pay for your campsite on the honor system, but there was no firewood for sale. Even worse, the only store nearby was closed for the day. The final nail in the coffin was a rather unexpected visitor that I became very familiar with last year - blackflies! Apparently, they stick around this far south until it gets warmer (later in the year), at which time they die. Bleah. We pulled out and planned to stop another hour south at Killbear Provincial Park. It turned out to be fortunate that we decided to ride further, as one of my personal goals was finally reached (I was a little disappointed I missed this on my trip last year) - I finally saw a LIVE moose. I actually saw several, a mother and juveniles. Nice!

Upon our arrival, this park was "closed" as well, although there were actually other people staying there, and very few blackflies. I had a great view of a smaller inlet off of Perry Sound from the beach; adjacent to my campsite:



I also finally had a chance to test how waterproof my new boots are:



The result? Dry feet!



View from the beach to my campsite (see my Olympia AST?):



The sunset here reminded me a little of the sunset I experienced last July at Lake Superior Provincial Park:


Sunday morning rolled around, and it was again a cold one. We quickly packed up and headed off to the nearest Tim Horton's for bagels and coffee (well, no coffee for me). On my way out I met a nice gentleman who asked me about my bike, talked about the Paris-Dakar (he once lived in Algeria), and asked me about the James Bay. Nice guy.

Our next stop was for fuel. The trusting gas station attendants didn't require us to pre-pay (Canada is so FRIENDLY!) and then they talked to us about our bikes. Finally, another gas station patron stopped to talk to us a bit and suggest some stops on our planned route for the day. Eventually we pulled away just as an R1200S (yellow/gray) rolled into the parking lot. We waved at each other as I made my way out onto the road and back towards Pinery Provincial Park.

The ride to Pinery was uneventful but interesting. The roads we were on led us into one small town after another, past farms, residential areas, and over rolling hills that reminded me of some areas I've seen in Pennsylvania. We eventually made it to Pinery after a grocery and beer stop, setup our tents, ate, and then settled in by the campfire:



The next day was Monday, and we awoke very early and made the short ride home, avoiding rain (the skies looked bad and I DID get a few drops on the face shield). Upon arriving home I unpacked a bit and surveyed the damage. It had been pretty buggy in Canada, and my bike showed it. Lots of bug carnage. It looked like a giant with a sinus infection sneezed all over the front of my bike. (don't scroll down if you don't want to see it):



Handguard:


Tank:


A bee that didn't quite make it:


The end result (aside from needing to wash the bike) was that I finally broke down and washed my Olympia jacket after MANY, MANY miles. Turns out it's supposed to be high-viz with some black, not black with some high-viz.

Here is a rough guide of our route. "A" is Toledo. "B" is the end of day 1, "C" is where we hopped on the ferry, "D" is where the ferry landed, "E" is Killbear Provincial Park (end of day 2), and "F" is back to Pinery Provincial Park (end of day 3).



The weather was nice, it was a good trip to go on, and it was good getting home. As always, I found Canada beautiful, and the people were friendly and welcoming. I'd love to have a week to spend around the Georgian Bay - there are lots of nice Provincial Parks that we didn't even make it to. It's definitely a reason for me to go back at some point.