Steel Horse Rover

Days 6-7 (June 6-7): Thunder Bay to Thunder Lake

15/06/10 at 10.08pm   /   by SteelHorseRover   /   1 Comment
Thunder Bay
2393 km‎
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After a long, 623 km run up to Thunder Bay and a one-day stopover to catch my breath, it’s time to hit the road again.
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On the way up, I stopped by the Terry Fox Memorial — just a few kilometers from where he had to stop his attempt to cross Canada. I had to really give myself a shake: Here I am whining about how long it’s taking me to cross Ontario on

Terry Fox Memorial

Terry Fox Memorial

a motorcycle. Terry was crossing Canada on foot; with prosthetic leg; not for himself but to raise money for a deadly disease. It was a humbling experience; and I tip my helmet to the fellow. Truly inspiring.‎

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Thanks to Mathew, manager of Sportscheck in Thunder Bay. Mathew went out of his way to set me up with some decent sun glasses. My regular ones are too wide to wear with my helmet on; and, without a tinted visor, the road glare makes it hard to see sometimes. Mathew helped me find some wraparounds with polarized lenses that I wouldn’t need to take out a 2nd mortgage to own. Thanks again, Mathew and Cassandra and the others at Sportscheck.‎
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With a late start (11:30), rain and cool temperatures in the early teens, I expect to be in Dryden by the time I’m ready to pitch a tent–close enough to at last put the Manitoba border in sight.‎
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***
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Thunder Lake, Aaron Provincial Park, 15 km East of Dryden‎
2810 km
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Crossed into The Central Time Zone on the way here. So I’m now an hour behind those of you “Back East”. Can someone pls tell me the winning loto numbers as you hear them?
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Arron Prov Park is a nice change from Killarney — no black flies; and the few mosquitoes there are are slow making them very swattable. The rain stopped and the sun made an appearance just long enough to set up the tent.
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My campsite is on the bank of Thunder Lake. The scene is quite pastoral–like something from a Victorian era. That said, there’s no drinkable

IMG_20150608_084924_hdr

Jeeves, has today’s Wall Street arrived yet?

water in the park–well, I mean, the park attentandant said, according to her sheet, it should be fine if it’s boiled for five minutes. Ummm… yeah… it’s bottled water this evening.

Day 5 (June 5): Dan

15/06/06 at 10.51pm   /   by SteelHorseRover   /   2 Comments
Thunder Bay, ON
1,770 km
Last night I stayed at the The Twilight Resort, at Montreal River Harbour on the South End of Superior Provincial Park.
It’s cold this early morning — 12 degrees; like Fall or early Spring
Dan somehow manages to be aloof and matter-of-fact at the same time through eyes that pierce through wire-framed specs resting on his nose. He listens and thinks before speaking; and, when he does, the words flow slowly and precisely through a long, grey beard and moustache.
Dan is the proprietor of the Twilight; and he’s opened the cafe / chip wagon for me so I could get a cup of joe before hitting the road this early morning. We chat about him, the North and his pig roaster as I sip the eye-opening brew.
Originally from Southern Ontario, Dan lives in Sault Ste. Marie — “It’s 3-1/2 hours to anything,” he muses — in the winter and runs The Twilight in the summer these days.
Taking another sip, I stare out at the road and confide in Dan that I am blown away by the fact that I’m still in Ontario after almost a week.
“I get that a lot,” he chuckles. “Especially from cyclists. The ones coming from the West say it took them a couple of days to cross a the prairies; and they’ve been in Ontario for days.”
I ask him about the oil-tank-pulley contraption sitting in the yard just outside the cafe.
He straightens and beams with pride. “It’s a pig roaster,” he tells me. “Made it for my daughter’s

The Pagan Pig

The Pagan Pig

wedding from stuff we found in a junkyard. It has parts from an old washing machine… there’s part of a snow blower… handle’s from a refridgerator…” Opening my eyes a little wider (it’s still early), I take a good look and appreciate the beauty in something created from bits and pieces that were designed for something else altogether; a bit like a Salvador Dali work. In both cases, the rules of “proper” and “correct” have been thrown out the window to produce a pleasing result. This kind of thought takes courage. He has a right to be proud.

Gulping the last of the coffee from the Styrofoam cup, I shake Dan’s hand and say goodbye. Getting on my bike, I suddenly remember I didn’t pay him. I dismount and run back into the chip wagon.
“I just realized, I forgot to pay you,” I say.‎
“Don’t worry about it,” says Dan with a grin. “I forgot too.”‎
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Welcome to The North Country.
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Day 4 (June 4): Rain Suit Works!

15/06/06 at 9.18pm   /   by SteelHorseRover   /   0 Comment

‎Montreal River Harbour, ON

1,147 km

Remember getting new rain boots or a new raincoat as a kid? Remember that feeling when you got a chance to try them out during the first downpour: [Avoid] the puddles? Are you insane — these are new rain boots! At which point you would plonk your feet into the deepest puddle available. Well, anyway, that’s how it was for me as a kid (“when I was a lad”). And today I got a chance to relive my youth. The skies had been bruised and the air had been thick with the smell of ozone from intermittent cloudbursts I’d dodged throughout the day. Then, just as I was having dinner at a roadside diner at Batchawana Bay, the skies opened up overhead. Yes!
Ever since I purchased my rain suit from B

Drizzle at Montreal River Harbour

Drizzle at Montreal River Harbour

MW (expensive but worth it according to the reviews), I’ve been dying to try it out. Sure enough, it lived up to its reputation. Depite requiring a bit of effort to squirm into and being bright yellow (like a hazmat suit), it kept me bone dry as I cruised up the Trans Canada to my stop for today at Montreal River Harbour. Kudos, as well, to the Forma boots–my feet were dry as the Sahara at noon. Let it rain!

***
Earlier in the day, as I was doing a walk-around inspection of Gunther while sipping a large double-double Dark Roast in the Timmy’s parking lot in Blind River, I heard a voice from behind me say, “Ah, another biker!”. It was Mark, the owner of this particular Tim Hortons. Turns out Mark is doing almost the same route as I am in a couple of weeks, only on a Triumph Tiger.  Small world. Very friendly guy. Good luck Mark–maybe our paths will cross in BC!
***
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little despondent that it’s Day 4 and I am still not out of Ontario; and probably won’t be for another couple of days despite having covered over 1,000 kms. I’d been warned by others of this. I think one has to experience it first hand, though, to fully appreciate the vastness of this province–which is, after all, why I am on this trip–for the experience. All of that said, I am getting better at resisting the urge to open the throttle a little more; to speed things up and get on with it already. After all, it’s not about the destination; it’s not about getting there; but about being here. I think we miss a lot of the important stuff that’s around us when we focus too much on what’s ahead (or behind for that matter).
It can get pretty lonely on the road up here, too: kilometer upon kilometer, hour upon hour of empty road with nothing but forest and rock on either side and the inside of my helmet to talk to. When this happens, I sometimes catch myself singing just to hear another voice. Yeah, that’s right — singing. I must say, I’m not half bad either inf the in-helmet acoustics are any indication. So, what do I sing? Well, folk / country music, mostly — Arlo Guthrie’s City of New Orleans; Gordon Lightfoot’s Carefree Highway; The Band’s The Weight; etc. I’ve added these to my playlist in case anyone out there is looking for great road music (the originals; not my versions, great as they are).
The other thing that breaks through the desolation is the train tracks. I guess the Trans Canada more-or less follows the CN tracks that join East and West; and, vevery now and then, they make an appearance for a few minutes in the trees a few meters from the road. Rather comforting, actually — like a lifeline back to my home; a a testament to the fact that there really is civilization out there (out here).

 

Day 3 (June 3): Foxy’s

15/06/03 at 10.59pm   /   by SteelHorseRover   /   2 Comments
After the past couple of nights roughing it in Killarney Provincial Park, I decided to treat myself to a night indoors. Ah, yes; The Park–beautiful; but swarming with black flies and mosquitoes. “But what about the tube of Odomos you’re carrying?” I hear you ask. Ah, yes; The Odomos–clearly the company’s R+D team hasn’t visited North Ontario in June.
Despite the bugs, my two-night stay at Killarney gave me a real taste of the wilderness of Ontario–saw Black Bears –twice; some wolf cubs; a turtle; and a raccoon. Ah yes; The Raccoon–little bugger unzipped my tank bag, found the granolla bars I had stashed in there, and threw everything else around the campsite. Never knew raccoons could unzip zippers. And yet, they don’t know how to throw the empty wrappers away.‎
A room with a view -- overlooking the lake in Killarney from campsite

A room with a view — overlooking the lake in Killarney from campsite

Then, there was the scenery–my campsite was on a cliff overlooking the lake–talk about a room with a view!
Today was just brief ride into Sudbury to get some supplies (damned raccoon); and some minor maintenance on the bike.
See the resemblance?

See the resemblance?

Then it was onto Foxy’s On The Lake.
I hadn’t originally planned to stop here. But, with a name like “Foxy’s On the Lake”, you know I just had to come and check it out. Despite imaginations of tarted-up floozies doing the Can-Can, it’s actually just a cabin. Well, not just

Foxy's On The Lake

Foxy’s On The Lake

a cabin; it’s rather luxurious B+B cabin on the Sagamok Reserve on the shore of Geogian Bay — the shower has more places for water to spray out than I can count!; the TV gets most US channels; and the wi-fi is flawless.

That said, being just a cabin, there was no place to get dinner when I pulled in; and the thought of navigating the dirt road I took to get here again was outweighing the need for food. Enter

Archie and Howard

Archie and Howard

Archie and his brother Howard, two neighbors: When I told Archie of my delimma, he ran over to Howard’s place; and Howard shows up with his truck; and the two of them take me back to town to get a bite to eat; and return me to the luxury of Foxy’s. Kinda builds one’s faith in humanity a bit.‎

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Tomorrow I head toward Thunder Bay.‎
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Test Run #2: No Rain; Lots of Mosquitoes!

15/05/22 at 10.32pm   /   by SteelHorseRover   /   0 Comment

Test #2 was a run up to Balsam Lake this past weekend. This time around, it was a two-night camp-out, leaving the

The forest awakens!

The forest awakens!

day in between for some hiking. At this time of year, much of the forests are emerald green with fuzzy moss against a soundtrack of warbling and tweeting birds. Then, there’s that “spring” smell–a kind-of composty-fresh-green-leaves smell that annouces the return of life. Miraculous, when you immerse yourself in it.

The thunder showers that the weather reporters had been warning of all week turned out to be little more than false bravado; and I was not able to test out my rain gear. Not to worry, though; something tells me I will have plenty of opportunities to try it our on the road to Alaska.

The hunt is on!

The hunt is on!

However, what the weekend lacked in rain, it more than made up for with mosquitoes.

‎The first indication of the tiny predators came as I passed by a massive swamp on the road in to my campsite. It looked like something from Bayou country. Never a good sign in humid conditions. Then, as I slowed down to park, having reached my campsite, I could see them — swarms of tiny black dots zipping around. Instinctively opening my helmet visor as I prepared to de-bike, I quickly snapped it shut again before they little blighters could get at me. As I sat there, formulating a strategy to deal with these keepers of my campsite, a light bulb began to glow over my head; and was subsequently extinguished by a previously-undetected swarm that had done an end run around my helmet — but not before I remembered that I had prepared for this scenario. I had read a trip report warning that the flies (and, I presumed, mosquitoes) are plentiful in Northern BC at this time of year; and my wife had suggested taking a tube of odomos Anti-Mostquito Cream that she had obtained from India by way of The Caribbean (but that’s another story). A few dabs of this stuff around the hands, face, neck and ears was all it took to keep the flying devil critters away while I got the tent set up.

As an alternative to the odomos, I am also carrying a “mosquito top” — a mesh anorak of sorts that covers the upper body and head; and had a go with this closer to dusk, when the throngs of mosquitoes increased. Great bit of gear; truly effective! I was smug as watched them land on the mesh and try, unsuccessfully, to get any closer. The only downside — and it’s a minor one given the benefit — is that it gets a bit frustrating viewing the world through a mesh veil after a while.

So. There it is — Rain gear test, 0; mosquito gear test,  1.

Let's camp!

Let’s camp!

‎Apart from the mosquito test, everything went swimmingly. Gunther behaved admirably — but then, I am growing to expect nothing less from this miracle of German engineering; and I have worked out the few, minor wrinkles from last test. If this is any indication of things to come, my grand adventure will need a bit of help — perhaps driving through some fresh grease on the road or camping outside a bear’s den, for example.

All that being said, I have to concede I had just a liiiiittle bit of help this time around, as my family was in attendance. So, for example, awful-tasting MREs cooked on a one-burner stove and eaten in solitude were replaced with chicken legs BBQ’d on a proper Coleman and a propane grill with familiar banter around the campfire afterward. Mmmmmm.

It was a good chance to show them some of the cool gear I’ve acquired for the trip — like the Gorilla Pod that can hook my BlackBerry onto a tree branch for better camera angles; and the rubber wash basin that folds up into a 4″ x 8″ x 1/2″ sheet for convenient storage when not in use.

It was also one of the last chances to spend time together as a family before I hit the road. It’s going to be tough on all of us being apart for such a long time. Sure, we can use BBM for video calls to say good night; but it’s never the same as a hug. At the same time, I think one has to be removed from one’s natural habitat in order to assess it — to look at it in the 3rd person — so as to see the forest for what it is rather than just the trees in the immediate vicinity. This is something I hope to do during my time away.

Now, the sprint to launch day begins — that last 20% that wants to consume 80% of the time. This weekend will be a final scavenger hunt arround town to pick up things that, for one reason or another, have dropped off the radar; but which, nonetheless, need to be packed — spare spark plugs; tire repair kit; clothes pegs; pipe filters…

On a final note, I have posted a new Youtube clip on the Inspiration page. In it, Les Brown points out that, once we become aware something is possible (eg running a 4-minute mile, finding the right job/path/person, riding a motorcycle solo to Alaska, etc.), a huge barrier that keeps us from moving forward is removed because “I can’t do it” becomes, “If others can do it, so can I.”‎

Gunther is “Go”

15/05/14 at 5.53am   /   by SteelHorseRover   /   0 Comment
‎Had Gunther in for his final check-up this past week at BMW Toronto. Nothing major; just some fresh oil all around and a check of the front end for a squeak I had reported. Yeah, a squeak–like a one of those dog chew toys or like those noise makers you blow into at the stoke of midnight on New Years. Seems to happen when the front end dives when in traffic — a bit embarrassing, actually. There I am, dressed for aggressive adventure astride this woolly mammoth; then I hit the brakes when the traffic stops; and it’s, “tweeet”. When it happens, I do a Mr. Bean, and look around at other drivers with an expression of earnest disgust. Damned if they could figure it out, though–they said the front end looks fine. Guess I’ll just have to monitor it for more symptoms.
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I would be remiss if I didn’t send a shout out to Andrew, the Motorrad Service Manager at BMW Toronto. We got our wires crossed as to when I was supposed to pick up Gunther; and Andrew left before I arrived. Normally, I would have just picked up the keys from one of the other service managers; and be on my way. However, there were a few items from my last service visit we agreed we would review when I picked up the bike. As luck would have it, they were able to reach Andrew on his way home. Realizing what we needed to discuss could not be relayed over a telephone conversation, he–get this–turned around and came back to meet with me at BMW shop; and then spent 30 minutes meeting with me and going over some of the features of my bike. Now that’s service! Good on ya, mate.
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Looking ahead, this weekend will  Test Run #2‎. This time it’s Balsam Lake Provincial Park, in the Kawarthas (not to far from where I almost ran out of gas on my last trip, actually). The weatherman is calling for rain, so this may be a good test of my foul weather gear (and tolerance for camping in foul weather). Once again, I will have the Spot Tracker turned on; and, for those wishing to follow my route on line, simply click on the cowboy on the Route page.

1st Test Run — Success!

15/05/06 at 1.03am   /   by SteelHorseRover   /   0 Comment

This past weekend was the first real test of Gunther’s road worthiness while loaded down and my ability to go camping using only stuff I can carry on a motorcycle.

It was just a quick run up Simcoe Road 10 to the shore of Georgian Bay and then a bit West around the shoreline to Craigleith Provincial Park, across the road from Blue Mountain. I have to smile at that name; it’s a far cry from a mountain. I think I smile more, though, at the fact that Craigleith is called a provincial park as it is little more than a glorified roadside picnic area. No matter, it served its purpose as a testing ground.

Ah, Simcoe Road 10… now that brings back memories of fast rides up to Wasaga Beach with friends in the late 80s and early 90s. Kilometers upon kilometers of straight tarmac — perfect for opening the throttle to clean out Suzi’s carbs, slowing down only for brief interludes through the small towns along the way. It’s a different road, now, though, with a massive Honda manufacturing plant smack dab in the middle of the original road making it necessary to come to a complete stop and take a bypass around the sprawling infrastructure.

Ready to camp at Craigleigh

Ready to camp at Craigleigh

Gunther handled remarkably well all the way, inspiring confidence despite one of the side bags being a bit heaver than the other (need to tweak the packing a bit still) and a soft suspension which has not yet been adjusted for the additional weight.

As far as the camping went, the tent went up relatively easily and the sleeping bag was sleepable. I did have a bit of struggle with the camp stove. After pressurizing the fuel container and connecting it to the hose that leads to the actual stove, you need to prime the stove by opening the valve at the fuel container; and letting raw fuel dribble out from the jet on the stove. Once you have a small puddle of fuel, you close the valve, ignite the raw fuel and, as the stove becomes engulfed in flames, you open the valve again, fuel begins flowing through the stove’s burner and is ignited by the flames which die down as the puddle of fuel burns off. It sounds complicated and prone to

Boots and helmet stay outside.

Boots and helmet stay outside.

3rd degree burns; but it’s not that bad, actually.

Here’s the thing, though: When I opened the valve to let the raw fuel dribble into the stove jet, it would dribble for a second or two and then stop. I tried the procedure several times with the same response (I don’t know why I expected a different response… oh wait… yes I do 🙂  ). Thinking there was not enough pressure in the tank to push the fuel out, I tried pumping up the fuel canister and trying again. Still nothing. This went on for, oh, an hour or so before I decided to have a good look at the instructions that came with the stove as a last resort. It was then that I realized the stove was upside down! Ah yes, a true Homer moment. OK, in fairness, if you have a look at the photo, you’ll note that, if you turn the thing upside down, it doesn’t

The stove works well when it's not upside down.

The stove works well when it’s not upside down.

look that much different.

Once I had the stove right-side up and opened the valve, the fuel dribbled freely; and I had the stove lit and boiling water for tea within minutes. I think the heavens opened and angels sang as well; but I was too focused on gloating over the fact that I had got the thing to work to really notice. Fire good.

***

After relaxing with a cuppa, I was beginning to feel a bit peckish; and decided it was time to try out one of the Meals Read to Eat (MREs) I had picked up the previous day at MEC. The Hot Huck’s Curry Veggie Ground

Hot Huck's Indian Veggie Ground. MMMmmmm.

Hot Huck’s Indian Veggie Ground. MMMmmmm.

looked pretty yummy based on the photo on the package; and promised to be a good source of protein, high in fibre, and free of trans and saturated fats and cholesterol. The best part was, preparing it required merely dumping the packet into a tray, and adding some of the water left over from tea. This was going to be better than the main dish at a London curry house!

Now, I had been warned that MREs take some getting used to; but nothing could have prepared me for this… this… this crap. I tried; God knows I tried; but after a few mouthfuls I could eat no more. The texture was like kibble mixed with ground particle board. The flavor was unlike anything I have ever tasted — like ancient Cheerios mixed with a half bottle of Curry powder with ground aluminum thrown in for good measure. It was awful. Just horrible! So, dinner on Saturday night consisted of some almonds I had packed and granola bars. This is not the end, though. I will not be defeated. I still have one packet of hash browns and veggies as well as a Texas beef stew to try out. I’ll be back.

Sunset over Georgian Bay

Sunset over Georgian Bay

***

The agenda for Sunday was pretty-much shower, re-pack the bike and head back down to the city. Packing took longer than planned — which is to be expected until I’ve got the routine down. The weather was sunny and warm and I was able to time a nearly perfect stop for lunch consisting of a homemade mushroom cheese burger and a pint of Flying Monkey dark ale on the deck of a 3.5-star (in my opinion) restaurant along Horseshoe Valley Road to make up for the previous evening’s meal.

I did have one small hitch on the way back: I had planned to take The Trans Canada Highway (Hwy 12) to Hwy 48. Chalk it up to exhaustion or the pint of Flying Monkey; but I didn’t clue into the fact that there is a Side Road 48 running off Hwy 12 a few kilometers before you reach Hwy 48. You guessed it — I took the side road instead of the Hwy. To make matters more interesting, Side Road 48 goes East rather than Hwy 48, which goes West; and before long, I was waaaay into the Kawarthas with little gas and no gas stations in site. When Gunther’s yellow fuel light came on, I knew things were getting serious–particularly since I have not had Gunther long enough to know how many kilometers the reserve tank will carry me. Worse yet, the sun would be down in a few minutes; and it’s no fun being out of fuel by the side of the road in the dark.

Keeping cool, I turned to that gizmo of gizmos, my BlackBerry (have I mentioned what an awesome device the BlackBerry Classic is?). The Classic has an assistant (like a BlackBerry Siri) that you can ask for advice in moments of desperation; and it’s pretty good. “Where is the nearest gas station?” I asked. Within seconds she had pulled up a gas station on Side Road 121, just passed Fenelon Falls. Trouble was, it was 21 km away. Would Gunther’s reserve carry me that far? Having nothing to lose, I began heading back up the road to SR 121, being careful to accelerate smoothly and slowly so as to conserve what remained of the precious petroleum byproduct that was left in the tank. Then, it was onto SR 121 — more throttle going downhill; less going uphill… come on old boy… you can do this. Suddenly, we came around a corner, and we were in Fenelon Falls. And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but an Ultramar Station lit up like Bourbon Street at Mardi Gras. Coasting in on fumes, I brought Gunther to a stop in front of the closest pump and filled him with fresh, clean 91 octane.

Whew. That was unexpected. It’s funny though, I wasn’t as stressed as I would have been in the old days. I think, perhaps, over the years, I have just learned to keep moving forward regardless of the circumstances. Freaking out doesn’t help. This was a good learning experience (this whole weekend was, in fact). I figure Gunther’s reserve tank is good for 20 km or so. No need to confirm this, though; been there.

Packing Prototype, Feats of Strength, Sights Set on Test Run #1

15/04/28 at 3.06am   /   by SteelHorseRover   /   0 Comment
Ready for the road

Ready for the road

I felt a bit like a squirrel this past weekend: Lots of scurrying around to collect bits and pieces from every corner of the house (and every corner of the local Canadian Tire); and hoarding them in a pile for packing. Then, with the help of a very wise subject matter expert, I did a trial pack to see where everything will fit. At this point, it seems I’ll have oodles of space — the top box, in particular, is a lot roomier than it looks. Of course, apart from checking how the sleeping bag, tent, etc. fit on the back seat, we didn’t actually pack much; just talked about the best places to stow everything. Looks great on paper! I’ve posted some photos in Sight / Sound.

While you’re at the Sight / Sound page, check out the new video I have posted. I have received a lot of questions about the bike; so I’ve added a 30-second clip of how Gunther sounds at start up. This was also a test of technology to check whether I could capture / edit video on my BlackBerry and post it to this site — unbelievably easy! <plug> The new BlackBerry Classic is awesome! </plug>

Next up was the Feats of Strength (anybody remember the “Festivus” Seinfeld episode?): Lifting my bike. While I have never dropped Gunther, and don’t plan to, there’s the “what if” factor. As you’ll note from the Bike page, the bike weighs 256kg dry (~275 in it’s current state, full of fuel, oil, and other fluids). Now, it’s extremely well-balanced when upright; a gentle tilt to one side or the other, though, and you can feel there’s some serious weight there. What if the bike goes down while I’m on my trip — not necessarily at high speed; but, say at low speed in soft gravel or if it gets knocked over in a parking lot by the clumsy or unscrupulous? Can I pick it up on my own? It was time to find out: With the help of my expert assistant, we gently laid Gunther on his left side. Facing the bike, I grabbed the handlebar with both hands and pulled up (yes, I bent my knees). When I got it to about 20% to horizontal, I could feel my vertebrae compressing; and didn’t want to risk lifting any further. This, incidentally, is the wrong way to lift a heavy bike (I was just feeling macho — a.k.a. being a dumb-ass.). Next, I tried the correct method of facing away from the bike, grabbing the frame and then walking backward while lifting. It was a struggle; but I was able to get it high enough to get out the kickstand and rest it there. After that, we tried laying it down on the right side. This time, I needed a bit of help (mind you, the bike was on a bit of an incline and I was lifting up-hill). Conclusion: If I do need to lift the bike, and I’ve eaten my Wheaties that morning, I’ll likely be able to right it on my own with effort. That would be Plan B, though. Plan A is to swallow my pride and seek the kindness of strangers. Psssshhhhh — yeah, right; who am I trying to kid; asking for help to lift your bike is like asking for a half pint of Guinness; you just don’t do it. At least I now have an appreciation for how (really really) heavy Gunther is.

Now, onto the first test run: I’ll be heading up to Craigleith Provincial Park this weekend to see how the bike handles on the road while fully-loaded, test out the camp stove, get accustomed to sleeping on the ground, etc. If you’re in the neighborhood, ping me and I’ll put an extra cup of water in the soup. If, on the other hand, you would prefer to participate vicariously (and I wouldn’t blame you given the forecast calls for a low of 6 at night), I will have my Spot Tracker turned on*; and you can follow my tracks as I head up North(ish) and putter around the campsite. This will be the first real test of… well everything before taking the show on the road. Be sure to check back for reports on how things turn out.

*Until I turn it on, you’ll get an error pop-up indicating there are no messages to display

Tent’s too small; but the boots are perfect!

15/04/11 at 11.37am   /   by SteelHorseRover   /   0 Comment
I have acquired most of the equipment I will need for my journey.

A few weeks back, I made a pilgrimage to Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC); and purchased most of my camping gear–sleeping bag, stove, cook set, tent, etc. As it turned out, the tent I had purchased — The Camper-2 — was on the short side for my 6’1″ frame; and my head was touching one end of the tent while my toes were touching the other. Not good since, as anyone who has camped in the rain knows, if you touch the inside of a wet tent, water seeps in. That said, it’s otherwise said to be one of the higher-quality basic tents for the $169 price.

Wanderer 2

So, this past week, I trekked back to MEC to see about exchanging it for a larger one.‎ Getting a refund was a breeze — I was in and out of customer service in under 10 minutes (that said, I hadn’t used the tent; just set it up indoors). Then, it was upstairs to get a bigger tent. It took a while to find someone with knowledge of the tents / features to help me choose a replacement; and, eventually, when I did find someone to help, we determined the Wanderer 2 would be a suitable replacement (see the image at the right). It cost $100 more and weighs a bit more; but is a bit longer and taller; and it also has a separate, enclose-able awning — perfect for storing gear such as laundry (which you want to keep indoors but don’t want to be smelling as you snooze). Lesson learned: when buying a tent, set it up and lie down in it before leaving the store.

In other news. I picked up my new riding boots from GP Bikes this week. For some time, now, I have been searching for boots that are: waterproof (I expect rain); relatively warm without being too bulky; rise halfway up my shins (helps keep the legs warm and have that classic riding look); include ankle protectors; and are flexible with an aggressive tread so I can wear them hiking in the mountains during stopovers. Finding boots that meet all these criteria is the proverbial needle in a haystack. You’ll find racing boots that have the high cut and protection around the ankles (as well as everywhere else); but the treads are smoother and the boots are sometimes heavier‎. Then there are the lower-cut “adventure” boots; again, though, with a smoother tread (and less protection). Then, there are the “cowboy” boots — great if you’re riding your hog to the saloon (paht-nah).
 GPBikes

As I stood there, staring at the plethora of boots on the wall, mentally calculating the impact of compromises and trade offs, a light bulb began glowing radiantly over the head of Isaiah, GP Bikes’ very helpful sales associate. “Wait — I’ve got just the thing,” he says. “I’ll be right back.” Minutes later, Isaiah returns with a pair of Forma Adventures. They’re perfect — high cut, Italian leather; aggressive tread (but not too aggressive); ankle protection and sturdy construction while maintaining flexibility for walking around; reasonably insulated for warmth (but not somuchso as to cook my feet). Best of all, they are waterproof — check out this submersion test (Part 1 and Part 2). The boots are a bit heavy; but, otherwise, these are the right ones for my trip.
So: Tent; boots. That takes care of most of the larger items on my list. I still have a few bits and pieces to acquire — first aid kit; extra stove fuel canisters (to carry spare fuel for the bike in case I run out on the Alaska Highway); mobile phone holder; and a bunch of other miscellaneous what not. Stay tuned!