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Wow!!! amazing!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps074e5bb3.jpg We pitched our tents near the edge, not as near as Grant had originally wanted to put his! He was about to pitch it about a foot from the edge when I asked him if he sleepwalked. LOL, "I don't' think so he said," but I see what you mean. It probably would have been fine, but as it turned out the wind picked up and being behind the trees helped buffer some of it. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps739ce138.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps03bba018.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psa9e39493.jpg In case you find yourself on Cape Breton, and in Pleasant Bay wanting to find a cool camp spot, just head toward Red Bay and rich before you hit the monastery, you'll see this turn. This is where the spot is :D http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psc555f435.jpg Grant was almost out of bass, so he went to fill up his tank about half an hour from where we were, and got back an hour or so later. Seeing as he had a fire in mind we spend the next half hour getting firewood. There were a lot of dead dry trees nearby that had been blown over it looked like, yard ago. Grant had a saw so he did all the heavy work, and me I bundled it up and carried it to the campsite. Earlier I had gotten some birch bark of a tree and it makes the best fire starter!! Later I introduced him to the Indian food, and cooked us a meal. He was going to have oatmeal for dinner, so I figured he could probably do with something a tad tastier. I told him I cook, you start a fire, sounded like a deal to him. We had dinner sitting on the edge of the cliff, by a fire, watching the sunset, it was just a perfect evening!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps72a8719d.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9475bc7f.jpg I grabbed his pot for show, haha, could't believe the huge pans he was carrying, but it was great he had as I had dumped twee meals and a full pack of rice into it for dinner. My biggest little pan would not have held all that! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps88719ab5.jpg The sun was almost gone http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0747258b.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1071ee11.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...pscd6d26d9.jpg We talked about all sorts of stuff and had a really wonderful night. Grant had been saying that he's only been traveling for two weeks, but he had camped by himself the whole time, and that he missed company. It was really enjoyable spending the evening with him, and it struck me how well we got along even with our huge age difference. (my son I think is only 2 years or so younger). As the firewood was finally all done I wished him goodnight and crawled in the tent. The moon had already risen and Grant folded back the sides of his tent so he could see it while lying down. Yeah, that would be cool to have a sunroof on the tent!! (idea for tent manufactures??) I slept absolutely wonderful, something about the location, very good vibes!!! Grant had only 6 days to make it home and over 2000 miles to go. He was from Wisconsin and actually made cheese!! I never knew that "good" provolone had part of a cow's glands in it. Okay, that sounded to gross for me!! Glad I never really ate much cheese, other than some rennet free Jack or mozzarella. I was tempted to stay, but had the feeling I should go.We both broke up camp and were done almost at the same time. I would have liked to have ridden with him for a while, but knew he was in a time jam, so I thought he shouldn't wait for me. I said you aren't waiting for me are you? nay later I realized that he might have misconstrued my question to think I didn't want to ride along, as he said no, I'm about to leave. Language for me is sometimes a very difficult thing!! I have a tendency to phrase things wrong , grrr. I wished him safe travels, and we exchanged emails. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psa1ec44dc.jpg Right before he left he noticed the rainbow behind us. I left a few minutes later heading for New Brunswick, as it turned out that I would not be able to make it to Halifax and back with the amount of money I had left. Instead I decided to go to PEI and spend the last few days of freedom there. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...pse21f7d1f.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps537fa102.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps59269794.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7bfafcd2.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps686c140d.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps47f87384.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6e0914ea.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psb30de74d.jpg When I got to Cheticamp I found a cure coffee/tea/cookies and cake house. The girl who ran it said she would be closing it soon, as most of the tourists were gone now. I was glad she was still open. I got a cup of tea and sat down inside to use the internet. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psf1d9766f.jpg LOL I spend a couple of hours there and gave her a toony as she didn't have anything else there I could eat. It was around 5 when I left and I knew I had to find a place soon. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6b65e2b9.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6a2e3da2.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4bc4e458.jpg I got to Cape George around 7-ish, and saw a really neat place to camp http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps586c7428.jpg yeah, lots of no camping signs around, bummer After having taken a break there and eaten a few snacks, I headed along the coastline in search of a good spot. I saw a small dirt road that veered toward the ocean, and took it. BAD IDEA!!!! I picked a wrong road and it became obvious almost instantly, but the road was slanted to the right and I couldn't park Spirit nor turn around as it was too narrow. A also couldn't push her up hill if I had tried to manually turn her around. The only course of action was to keep riding an hopefully there would be a spot wide or flat enough for me to turn her around. Well that was another bad decision, but the only one I could make. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps890d9941.jpg Hmmmmm :huh http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps89e5f993.jpg At one point I couldn't go forward anymore as a lot of branches were covering the road. At least I was able to park Spirit and get off, so I spend 15 minutes ceasing the debris and make a space large enough to turn her around, or so I thought. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8b2c8e90.jpg As it turned out I wasn't able to kept the handlebars locked to the right to make the turn, it was too bumpy and I didn't have the strength to keep her going without loosing my footing. I really did not want to drop her. Her turning radius is not that great either!! So Here I was, her front wheel as far as it could go, stopped at a huge tree stump, her butt still uphill so I couldn't push her back either. For a while I was pondering getting my straps and tying them to some trees and to keep tightening them until I had backed her up, but all I could see happening is the kickstand sinking in and thumping her over. Screw it I though and decided to see if I could find some help. As I made it back to the road I saw a car pass, and the guy behind the wheel waved. Aww shucks, I didn't even try and stop him, but I figured he was by himself and might not have had the strength to help either, so I sat down by the side of the road, enjoyed the remaining sunshine over the trees, and relaxed. Sotting there on a really quiet and rarely traveled road, reminded me of the guy who wrote a book about his travels (darn can't remember the title). He was in India and his bike had broken down, so he just sat under a tree relaxed and waiting to see what the future had in mind for him. He wasn't worried and knew that at some pint someone would be by to help. I decided to do the same and enjoyed the sun ad the sound of the birds. The trees were moving with the wind and it was very beautiful and peaceful. I felt totally happy and at easy even in this precarious situation I had gotten myself in. I think I sat there for about 15 minutes when I heard a truck heading my way. I got up and soon saw indeed a truck coming up. I waved my arms in the usual distress way and they immediately stepped on their brakes and pulled into the little road. I told them I had gotten myself in a bit of a pickle and needed their help. Turns out there were 6 guys in the truck! Amazing. They walked down with me where Spirit was still standing (Phew, was wondering if she still was) and helped me turn her around. Unfortunately the grass and mud where too slippery and after several tires I found myself only about 100 feet further. Spirit kept stalling and I almost dropped her several time. I finally got off and suggested maybe we all push her up the muddy hill. That went so much easier!! In no time we were at the truck and I parked her safe and sound. I was soaking wet and overheated but totally happy that I was back near the road. I thanked them all and took a picture, of them asking them if they would mind being on the internet. They didn't |
The rest of it :)
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I told them I had a lot of reader and tow guys gave me their cards and said well if you do and any of them come this way, maybe you could post these too to get us some business. I promised I would before I looked at their cards. LOL, now I am promoting the death of some fish, but a promise is a promise. I thanked them again, and some of the guys were saying I are their day, they were genuinely happy to have helped! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps987ac589.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5c8d05ec.jpg What made me go down there???? http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1bcf32c7.jpg I hopped back on Spirit and kept riding, it was near sunset now and was debating wether or not to just pay for a provincial park when I noticed a long gravel road with a land for sale sign on it. I decided to give finding a free spot one more try. Wow!! I hit the jackpot this time! I parked Spirit and walked around a bit. It turned out that the hug hill I saw was accessible on the side and I could ride Spirit right up to the bluff overlooking the ocean. Piece of cake, I had found my spot for the night! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps22de9ad7.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psa5561969.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps82e8a74d.jpg Needless to say I conked out in no time!! It was wonderfully quiet all night, with the moon up and the wind in the trees. I could even hear the ocean, a sound I love so well… The next morning was sunny, and I decided to take a day of and kick back http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps22d70d70.jpg I spend a warm day relaxing, and got a bit sunburned. Once I hear a truck pull in, but I was behind the rocks so they couldn't see me. The next day I hit the road heading for PEI http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7052456c.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psb5bd2f67.jpg At one of the gas stations. LOL In New Glasgow I found a Sobey's that had vegetarian sushi rolls, and salad. I also got some more almond milk and paper towels. Right before Tatamagouche I saw a little park with benches and stopped there to eat. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0a96c190.jpg It was delicious, but I have to say I was shocked at the strength of this particular wasabi!! Holy cow, it was so strong I could feel it all the way up my neck to the crown of my head, it actually physically hurt!!! I ended up scraping most of it off the sushi, but still, I could feel it every bite. Never had that happen before! Afterward I rode through Tatamagouche, I just love the sound of that name!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8a771aaf.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0e4e1d74.jpg Then if was off to Port Elgin http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9a404083.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4b56dd81.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9d5265eb.jpg I knew that once on this bridge there was no turning back. the fee to cross it was $18!! I was hoping it was worth it… http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psd00eb3b8.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps657f93c1.jpg Nothing but water! ONce on the island I stopped at the visitor info, as I had no idea what PEI looked like. I was shocked when I saw the map! Road after road after road……. Not much free space anywhere. My heart sank in my shoes cause it didn't look like I would be able to find much of any stealth sports. Looking closer at the map I did notice a few dirt roads along the coast line, so I headed toward Seacow Head light house. When I got there a beautiful lighthouse caught my eye, and behind it a grassy field where an RV had parked for the night, A guy walked up to me and I asked him what the deal was with camping here. He said he didn't really know, but I could ask Tom the owner who lived near the silo in the distance, and walked off. Later he came back after I took some photos of the lighthouse and the coast, and said that I could most likely stay, and that Tom wouldn't mind. He himself had rented the little lighthouse cabin. Then he mentioned that I should go check out the spot behind the RV and walk down there. He said it was his wife's favorite spot. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps450f61a6.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psbe45434f.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps26126895.jpg I pitched my tent behind the bush so the RV could not see me nor me them. Then after I was all done I walked to the spot the guy told me about. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psf1958128.jpg Awesome!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps30f30bc3.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps98d188c9.jpg Both he and his wife showed up for sunset, and we got to talking. It turned out that he used to own the farm and the property years ago, and had sold it to Tom. The rest later as I haven't even loaded the photos up to photo bucket yet. I thought I had, but nope, hadn't…... |
I finally have a moment to post the almost last part of my RR.
I'd better backtrack to where I left off… http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps56e63fd8.jpg Woke up in the middle of the night and saw the moon setting over the sea. The following morning was sunny and I was utterly mellowed out by the sound of the waves. I wondered about a bit and took some flower pics http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psed596e87.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psca080053.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps55b12a15.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8b9a08d7.jpg Not exactly a flower but so adorable!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psabead228.jpg Left the camp spot around noon, as I figured PEI was small. Haha, was I ever wrong! I wasn't wrong about how crowded it would be. Everywhere I went there were houses or farms, no wilderness whatsoever. I wanted to ride through the little town of Alaska, so I went North-West. The coast line was pretty, but I was starting to feel that PEI just wasn't my cup of tea. I rode through the village of Alaska, but could not find a town sign anywhere! Bummer! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9031da9d.jpg I kept riding and hugging the shore line when the road turned to dirt. Then I noticed a small road veering off and saw the ocean in the distance. I went down it and saw to my delight a big grassy area to my left. A perfect camping spot!! I decided to go find a town to put some gas in my tank and get water. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psf15d20a1.jpg Red sand beaches are pretty amazing http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5f81bf06.jpg Loads of wind mills I found the town of O'leary and put the last of my travel money (other than the 18 for the bridge fee) in the tank. They had a water faucet there and the gal behind the counter filled up my large Nalgene bag with water. That would last me a while!! Then I rode back to the spot I had found and pitched my tent. Occasionally a truck and trailer with boat would show up, and I would hear them head out to sea to go fishing. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2e5cf955.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psb1cdd828.jpg It was a nice wide-open space and a solid breeze cooled of the otherwise hot afternoon. I was really happy that I ha found this little red beach, as it looked almost impossible to find some non suburban bit of land on PEI. I calculated that I had enough gas in my tank to make it to Moncton, which meant I would have to stay put for a day or so as Rory wasn’t expecting me til Friday. This place was so quiet that I felt peaceful and content. The night came up quite fast and with it an amazing sunset the I wasn’t quite able to see all the way. I was sitting in my tent cooking dinner when the sun finally made it behind the little hill, and the instant drop in temperature was shocking!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psc6182e53.jpg That night was so cold, I think down to 5 degrees Celcius, that I actually put my wool sweater on inside my sleeping bag. By morning heard dripping, it turned out to be the condensation inside the tent. I love my MSR, but that is a definite con about the tent. They should have made vent holes on the top, like the Eureka I had. The next day was hot as can be, and I started boiling in the tent early on, so I spend most of the day outside in the sun, or in the shade that Spirit made. There were trees behind me, and I was just about ready to grab the hammock and string it up when the clouds started moving in. It cooled down to a very comfy temp after that. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps545b0c5c.jpg Even put my sweater and woolen mittens on http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psa821ff15.jpg The moon was on its way down early in the morning http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psa7382bff.jpg I would have stayed there another day and just head straight to Rory’s on Friday, but the forecast for Friday was cloudy and chance of rain, and I figured I’d rather ride a short distance in the rain than a long one, so I packed up Thursday morning and rode back via Alaska to the bridge. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8cd0e5e3.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps158bd9f2.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps06eaf596.jpg Looks like they were ready for Halloween and Thanksgiving! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psaec67dd6.jpg My plan had been to stop at the visitor center and pick up a map of New Brunswick, as I had lost the east coast map somehow. Well, wouldn’t you know it, they were closed due to a power outage! No map! Rory had suggested a few areas to me where I might camp, and I found out too late that there was actually an ADVer living nearby. I rode to Shediac along the coast and it was just as hard to find a place, if not harder, then on PEI. In Shediac I found the library and used it to google some remote areas. There was a Shediac River road and it looked like I might be able to find some dirt roads on it and camp there. House after house graced the road, and I figured I’d be out of luck here, until I saw a for sale sign that looked like it had seen better days. The little gravel road looked like it hadn’t seen a car in months, so I turned on it. At the end of it was a nice small clearing bordered by a forest. Perfect!! I pitched my tent and stayed there for a couple of days, the first night extremely cold, and the second night a very rainy one but warmer. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5b2a3e0e.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps980428d8.jpg This time the overgrown trail was ok. I didn’t think I’d run into another nightmare like on Nova Scotia :D http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psea43f16d.jpg The next day, to prevent overheating in my tent, I strung my hammock in the forest http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps767a4706.jpg Amazing how beautiful grasshoppers are!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps33347846.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps05e24c67.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps57697c57.jpg I almost didn’t take a picture of this flower, but I felt sorry for it that I didn’t, so I took a close up. And wouldn’t you know it, only upon looking closer do I see that it is a really beautiful flower, in it that it has a lot of little yellow flowers in the center of the sparse white petals. It rained Thursday night and it sounded wonderful. The sun was out on Friday, against all odds, and I hung around and waited for the tent to dry. I made it to Moncton around 1, but decided to hang at Starbucks for a while to download a gazillion pictures, and try and catch up on my RR. I had texted my ex (we are good friends) the night before and asked if I could borrow $20 for food on the plane or at the gate, and he put a hundred in my account, Awwwww. So I figured I could have a tea and snack at Starbucks. Afterward I stopped at the gluten free store at the back of the shopping center, and bought a gluten and dairy free pizza, as Rory had texted me that they were having pizza and had left a piece for me without meat. I had to tell him I couldn’t have any of it anyways, so bringing my own pizza sounded like fun. As I arrived Maria was just heading out of the door to go to a movie with a friend, and Rory and I had fun trying to get the oven to turn on!! LOL I slept great that night and spent the next day getting ready for my trip home. As it turns out, Kauai children's Theatre contacted me a while back and asked me if I could please come back to Kauai to build a 12 foot dragon for their fall production of Shrek. As I was getting rather broke I thought it would be a great idea to get back to Kauai for a while, work on the dragon, see my son and make some money for the trip. This is what I will be building, but 5 feet smaller as the ceiling in our theater is not that high! http://www.character-shop.com/pictur...shrekdrag1.jpg |
Great dialogue:
I dont know if you are still checking your blog since you are back in Kuai. But I just wasnted to echo what a number of other people have said about how they enjoyed your reports. It would be interesting to hear how things are going while you might be contemplating your next adventure. Take care and happy holidays. Im sure it will be different than your one in Alaska.http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...s/biggrin2.gif
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Gimli. Not only the dwarf, the Gimli Glider is a famous story about an airline flight that ran out of fuel and did a dead-stick landing on a drag strip at Gimli! Quite a story. Be sure and track it down. Rob |
snoring corection device???
Dont tell my wife about this snoring correction device. Her elbow in my ribs ia bas enough :). Keep the great pics and blog coming....:thumbup1:
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Hi
Will you ship your motorcycle to Europe? |
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I know I still haven't posted the end of my journey, or how my dragon turned out. I will try to do so as soon as I can, Meanwhile:
Mele Kalikimaka http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psae31d56f.jpg Aloha! Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas! Nothing Much changed here, I'm still on Kauai, :palm: still haven't found a place to live. and still staying with a friend (who is hoping I'll find something soon :D ) I will be checking out a place the day after Christmas, keeping my fingers crossed that this is a nice place with a nice person. Have to do the room mate scene as the rents here have sky rocketed due to lack of housing availability. I miss the snow, and Spirit, but do have some work, and will hopefully be able to save some for spring time. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psa5dbbaf9.jpg Lots of rainbows on Kauai http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6c434d91.jpg Hau'oli Makahiki Hou Means Happy New year Will continue this thread in the spring once i am back in New Brunswick |
I am among many who look forward with anticipation to the next round. Personally if I never see snow again I will be just fine. Thanks for a great story.
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On the road again
I'm in Moncton!!
Just a brief "ride" report today, more like a fly report :laugh: The day I left was rather crazy. Got up early as Mel decided to do a photo shoot of Mokan and Nokan, and a short film shoot early in the morning. Of course he had to have me there to help the guys into their costumes. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psu87fychy.jpg These are their heads, the mouth opens and closes and the eyes move left and right. (so far) Then the guys he hired to portal the characters had way too big a heads to wear the puppet heads, so I ended up being one of the characters. As you've probably guessed, this took longer than he anticipated. I finally put my foot down and told him I needed to get back home to take a shower and clean the bathroom ere I left. Got to the airport in time though. Then I found out that even though you may book certain seats during your reservation, it doesn't mean that you actually get them!! Turns out they erased my seats and put me slap dab in the middle between two rather obese persons!!! Needless to say I could not breathe without touching either of them. For someone like me, who doesn't even like being around more than a few folks, the situation was rather distressing. I looked around me to see if there might be another seat open somewhere, and noticed that the whole row behind me was empty. Hmmmmmm, then decided to ask the air hostess if I could sit there if none showed up. She said I could, but that they were waiting for those folks to show up. I decided to put my bag of home made cupcakes on the seat behind me, as a "I got first dibs" message. After five minutes of watching the isle and see if anyone else boarded, the door closed. Well, I don't think you've ever seen any one jumped up that fast! I climbed over the person sitting next to me, and grabbed the empty window seat.:clap: The air hostess saw me and walked up, shaking her head and laughing. She told me I must be a very lucky person (she doesn't know the half of it!!). I spend a blissful 4 1/2 hours flying to San Francisco. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psnrhrhiep.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psvpp0gy2i.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psgwbhrv8t.jpg The pilot got us there in record time, as it normally takes 5 1/2 to 6 to get to the mainland from Kauai. In San francisco I found a deli that had fresh dolmas in their deli section, as well as tabouli and other good vegan stuff. I got the dolmas and they were delicious!! The flight to Toronto was long, I did have a window seat, but crawling over two guys to go to the bathroom, is not much fun. I was glad I had my hidden object game on the laptop, and kept myself busy and awake. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psdhlssz53.jpg The moon above the clouds http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...pskuids1te.jpg A socket in the seat in front of me!!! Awesome! I charged my laptop during the flight. Air Canada also had some pretty good meals, and I opted for the spinach salad. My luck they still had one :). I gave her my debit card, and it turns out they only take credit cards, sniff. I handed her the salad back, but I guess she felt sorry for me as I had been so happy that there was a salad left, and told me to go ahead and just eat it. So I got a free dinner to boot!! Once in Toronto I went through customs no problem, and waited for my suitcase a while. I kept noticing a speaker message playing every few minutes and decided to listen. It said that passengers coming from Oahu or San Francisco didn't need to get their luggage from the baggage claim but could go straight to their connecting flight. I waited a little while longer to make sure my suitcase wasn't there, and walked to the other terminal. This time there was a little plane getting us to Moncton!! Cool http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psx3ofqevh.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8dhfz3gp.jpg Wow, tiny tires!! The flight was short, but the guy next to me was rather intrusive, he had his legs all relaxed and spread out taking up half of my foot space!! I know I should have said something, but decided to just squash myself against the wall and window and enjoy the flight. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psbo6jqxsu.jpg In Moncton I stood at the carousel for a while, until it became obvious that my suitcase did not make it there. :eek3: :eek3: :eek3: :eek3: :eek3: Went to the baggage claim window and filed for a lost suitcase. Should I have waited longer, was the broadcasted message wrong? According to the guy there, yes, you always have to pick up the luggage when going through customs. Paul (Rory's friend and storer of Spirit) walked up, he had come to give me a ride to his house. Very sweet, and as it turned out very lucky for me, as I would have just stayed there for however long it took them to find my suitcase. I was exhausted and my brain just about shut down as I hadn't slept, but remembered to ask Paul if we could stop by Canadian Tire to get some Rotella-T. Paul and Marilyn live in an old but beautiful farm house, and gave me a room to myself. I tried to stay up but didn't manage, and took a two hour nap. We had a wonderful evening together with a good dinner and lots of stories, and by nine I was done for and crawled in bed. Slept 12 hours………... Today after a good steel cut oats breakfast, I started working on Spirit. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psdirytw3h.jpg Changed her oil, cleaned the air filter (much needed) and put in her battery. Then around lunch time I got a call from Baggage claim, they found my suitcase! It was still in San Francisco!!! Whet the….????? It should be here tonight he said. So now I am about to put the air filter back in as it is dry, and hopefully she'll start right up!! |
Welcome Back
Have been anxiously waiting for your return to the road. Enjoyed all your pass commentary of your prior adventures on the road. Waiting to hear where your next destination takes you. Take care.:D
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Lets see….. what day is it?? :cool4:
It’s Tuesday, and I am currently in Camden Maine sitting on a comfy seat in a house that belongs to a friend of mine from Kauai, actually the same friend who gave me Spirit. The ride here was awesome, a great start of this next chapter of my journey. Let me go back a few days….. My suitcase arrived two days after I did, but at least it got there, yippee!! Everything was still in there, customs must have wondered about the camping stuff in there :biggrin3: That same day I went grocery shopping on Spirit (it was the day before leaving) and I felt a little wobbly while riding (should have known it wasn’t me!) I figured I’d been off her for almost nine months, so it was normal. It felt great riding again. I found a little health-food place far out of town, and I parked in the dirt parking lot (of course without checking the ground first), and when I went to put my feet down, I discovered to my dismay that they weren’t reaching the ground! By the time they finally did Spirit was leaning over too far for me to hold her, and I had to let her go down. Luckily a guy saw what happened and helped me get her up, I had just filled up the tank, which made her really top heavy (drawback of the 7 gallon tank) Well, no harm done, and now I had dropped her once, I figured I had gotten it out of my system and that would be it (little did I know). Found my way back no problem (Thanks again Jettn Jim!! That XOG is a lifesaver!!!) I packed up fairly early in the morning, a little nervous, but also excited, to be out on my own on the road again. I said goodbye to my wonderful hosts http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psbxroa0le.jpg Paul and Marilyn in the garage http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0y5mpkc2.jpg Both of them working hard getting the nails out of the wood, so they can burn it in the winter to keep the garage warm. He stores a lot of motorcycles here in the winter for a variety of riders. Paul was worried for me, which I found really sweet, I felt we were two kindred spirits. Marilyn his wife reminded me so very much of my step mom Henny, who passed away a little over a year ago, that I had to stop once in a while and watch her. She didn’t look exactly the same, but similar, but her mannerism and voice were very much the same. I waved bye, as they were about to go spray the ground around the Christmas trees, bummer, but yeah… As I was bypassing Moncton I really felt like something was wrong with the front tire, and slowly it dawned on my that I had a Heidenau on the front, still he same one Doug had given me, and those always feel and look solid, but I hadn’t given her a real pressure test (what was I thinking, or not thinking?) Luckily there was a gas station shortly after my little eureka moment, and I checked it. 20 psi, no wonder!! Of course a tire would lose air sitting for such a long time. I filled her up and checked the back one, 35psi! This tire had not lost a single psi!! Go Shinko!!! I hopped back on Spirit, and wow, what a difference, we were good to go. :w00t: As usual, the first moments of riding are always accompanied by a variety of thoughts: Why am I doing this? Will I find a place to camp for the night? Is Spirit going to give me problems again? What will the weather be like? Are there bears around? Etc, etc. But luckily as this was the third time starting out after a prolonged break, I could draw from my experience and tell myself that everything was going to be great. I wasn’t going to worry about anything and just believe that a great camping spot would appear when it was time, that Spirit would be great, and that this time I would just enjoy the ride west where I would eventually find a place to settle down. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psli9jzi3q.jpg The peaceful feeling of a wide-open road, without traffic My plan was to head toward the St. Martin area via the coast, and find a spot to pitch my tent for a few days. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7mv4kh9m.jpg The Chocolate river, you can see why http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psgiqaudiu.jpg Lots of brown clay dirt http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...pscc0njphs.jpg Looks like there are a lot of covered bridges in New Brunswick http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psguopndki.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psqn2n2lth.jpg The beams under the bridge were seriously warped, but it looked like they were supported by metal cables now, so the bridge wouldn’t collapse. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psexqrod7p.jpg As soon as I entered into Fundy National Park I hit road work! Go figures. Parts of that road were really rough, with fist-sized rocks piled together. No problem for Spirit, but boy, I sure would have hated riding a Harley or Goldwing over that!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psxgohndvw.jpg Spring is in the air!!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1x4xlft5.jpg I decided to take the little detour and check out St Martin, another covered bridge. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psmopgnx52.jpg Amazing rock formation I took the road up the hill, hoping to see some nice views, but after a while realized that it was just a suburban area, and went to turn around using someone’s driveway. Should have looked better as it turned out that most of it was rocks and sand. Needless to say I felt Spirit slip sideways in the curve, and again I didn’t have the strength to stop her from topping over. Ahhhh, twice in two days!! A young fella stopped his car and helped me get her up; it was a struggle as she kept sliding in the sand while we tried to lift her. I ended up taking the bag off the back, and that helped. He wanted to wait until I was off again, but I told him to just go ahead, that I would be fine, and I was. I got her turned around and headed down hill again http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psumzpor65.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps19jtfu0q.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psnozv1hzc.jpg Close-up of the cliffs, gorgeous!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8jbyez5c.jpg Spring came late here; the leaves on the tree look barely a week old There were more houses here than I had thought there would be, so finding a quiet camping spot around here turned out to be futile, I would have better luck past St. John, so I kept on riding. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psw4ijtvyc.jpg As I was going down hill I passed a little beach to my left, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a picnic table sitting in some grass. I decided to find a spot up the road to turn around and take a peek http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4jde8oul.jpg View from up the road http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6inxiika.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psft3d2qxk.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psi2wqirdj.jpg Now why on Earth did I ride up to the beach????? I did good though, I pushed her back manually, not sitting on the bike, and got to a spot where I had a big enough area to turn the her around facing forward. Then I started her up and walked alongside until I could park on somewhat solid and even ground. Yippee, made that hurdle!! I had to boost my self esteem after I had dropped her :laugh: I rode through St. John, and headed for Dipper harbor. On the left side of the road I suddenly noticed a nice smooth dirt road heading toward the bay, I turned around and took it. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psknc7tzoy.jpg Wow, what a nice road, and it looked very promising as for as finding a camping spot goes. I noticed one area to the left with a fire pit, but it looked messy. The road dead-ended near a factory with locked gates and blocked off with huge boulders. Didn’t look like this entrance was used anymore. So I turned around and happen to stumble upon and overgrown driveway to the left. I parked Spirit and walked up the little road. It was perfect, and by the looks of it no one had been driving on this road for a long time. Still, it was spring now, and maybe someone might show up and go to wherever the road went. I walked down it a bit but it kept on going, so I turned around. I decided to check out the spot with the fire pit, but when I got there it was worse then I had seen in that quick drive-by. It was littered with beer bottles, soda cans, trash bags, and other pieces of garbage. Absolutely disgusting! So I decided to take my chance on the overgrown driveway. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psla7ozsdt.jpg I pitched my tent and shortly after it began to rain. Just for a little and then the sky cleared, but along with it came the cold! Boy was I freezing! I cooked a little supper to warm up, and crawled in my sleeping bag early. I was glad I had decided to bring my fleece blanket with me again. I fell asleep shortly thereafter, but woke up about an hour later when car slowed down and stopped right at the entrance of the driveway……… crap!! But whoever it was, they took off again after a few minutes, phew!! That would have been a nightmare to pack up again in the dark. I fell asleep again and slept like a baby till morning. There is something so amazingly wonderful about waking up in the woods, with the sound of birds chirping around you and knowing that there is absolutely nothing that you have to do! I just lied there, being content and peaceful, enjoying the warmth of my sleeping bag and the comfort of my sleeping pad, just being, and not worrying or planning. I finally felt a bit more human. As my little spot was so peaceful I decided to just kick back a day, I needed it after months of working without weekends. I read and crocheted and watch a movie on my laptop. It rained that day, so I was enjoying the soothing sounds of the rain on my tent. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psuyyju7rr.jpg I just love the little shed that attaches to my tent, it really makes it into a home! I would have stayed another day if it hadn’t been for the fact that I wanted to meet up with my Boss/friend in Maine. On my previous trips I got up and tried to get out off wherever I camped, by 10 AM, not this time! I was way too relaxed, and just took it one minute at a time. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...pskkabtwj9.jpg Little mountain of moss, had to take a pic I was all geared up by noon, and slowly meandered to Deer Island. |
Part two
I saw on the map that there was a town called Utopia, I just had to detour and swing by there. Unfortunately I did not see the town name anywhere, only a sign with Utopia road
http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psifpkujcm.jpg I headed to the ferry that would bring me to Deer Island. From there I would take the ferry to Campobello island and then the bridge to Lubeck Maine. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps68kqfv0p.jpg The ferry dock http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psbr5hrvuk.jpg Awesome!!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psb4yeuan9.jpg Nice view from the dock side http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6yuznvaw.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...pscgkoj8vg.jpg On the ferry http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2g4bfhqb.jpg Spirit, and hanging on the dry-bag, my new green crocs, with magenta straps http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1yhi964f.jpg Not exactly trust inspiring During the ride, I inquired about the ferry to Campobello, and found out to my dismay, that the ferry hadn’t started up yet, and probably wouldn’t for another couple of weeks! Shucks!! So here I was going the wrong way. The ferry ride was free, so I decided to just tour the little island and then take another ferry back. They went every half hour, so the wait wouldn’t be too long either way. The ferry ride lasted about 20 minutes, and I was the last one to get off. Deer Island is a quaint little place, but very picturesque. I had fun just cruising down the roads, even ended up on a dead-end one. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psa8fkhszh.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...pspldwzkq8.jpg I couldn’t decide which picture to post, so I posted both of them :D http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psrgxq2oof.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psbtevadhd.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8vzhppu1.jpg I felt like moving right in http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psho2ropsi.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...pshzk5zpf3.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...pskwizw3hj.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psmq0qjtkb.jpg http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psalwbaesv.jpg After a whole hour I had been on almost every single road, so I grabbed the ferry back. The ride to Calais was uneventful, and fast (took the freeway) The border crossing was quiet and before I knew it I was in the US, yay, my cell phone worked at a normal rate again! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1cdxfzto.jpg I found the visitor center and stopped by to get a map of Maine. While there I inquired about forest campgrounds, and they gave me a map of public lands campsites. The closest one was Rocky lake, and as it was past 6 already I decided to head out there. I found the turn really easily (or so I thought) but after riding on dirt for about 5 miles, I realized that I was passing the rocky lake but saw no turn offs. A lady was driving up and I waved her down to ask, but she didn’t know about the campsite, but the guy behind her did. Turns out I had turned right too soon, and that I had to get back to the road and take the next dirt road to the right. I found the campsite no problem. It was on public lands, so it was free. Turns out though that while riding I lost the camera battery that I was charging. I had totally forgotten that I was doing so, because I would have disconnected to charger and packed it away. Jettn Jim had given me a great camera for Christmas years ago, and with it three batteries. I guess that he knew that eventually I was gong to lose one!!! http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psqypoh3wc.jpg It was a gorgeous camp ground, with one big drawback…….. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...psnjavinxg.jpg I couldn’t get Spirit past the boulders! Luckily I was the only one here, and Spirit only about 15 feet from the tent. This is as far as I’ll get tonight, I’ll post the rest of my report tomorrow |
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