La Fin
8/20/22 The final 250 miles. https://goo.gl/maps/ZpB7FB5rgWj5vKzr8 I leave Johnson City around noon and head east on 321. 321 is a pretty fun twisty road as it winds through the Watauga region into Boone. Ease of Boone, I switch to 421 into Winston-Salem where I will take the I-40 interstate east al...
I Have Friends in Small Places
8/19/22 I'm riding to Johnson City to see another friend, who's also teaching media in another southern university. My friend Shara teaches film and media studies at ETSU in Johnson City. I've visited a few times and rather like this small college town near the mountains of Tennessee. https://goo.gl...
From Maine to Kentucky
8/17/22 This should be an easy day at 250 miles from Memphis to Bowling Green. https://goo.gl/maps/GL3KdVKhaBLvUPch7 The hard part is to stay on the speed limit in the first 50 miles since Mike warned me to not speed through the first few towns of Brownville and Humboldt - small southern towns, loca...
Memphis Mike
8/16/22 I have 320 miles to go from Gibsland, LA to Memphis. I have a Bunk-a-Biker setup with Memphis Mike, a Youtuber with a motorcycle channel. https://goo.gl/maps/A3jGS6WaahTVBJJq9 No other stops planned except for fuel. The mugginess in the air is thick as I make my way through Louisiana and int...
Natural Born Killers
8/16/22 I have two stops to make in Louisiana before I head to Memphis for the night. I was told I need to stop in Gibsland, Louisiana to see the Bonnie and Clyde "Death Spot." This is the sight where the infamous bank robbing duo Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed by lawmen and decimated and killed. 66...
From the desert to the swamp
8/15/22 As I keep moving north east towards Louisiana, I could feel the change in the climate. I'm moving away from the desert heat of the southwest and entering the humid swamp heat of the south. At this point, I'm not that concerned with good roads or scenery but rather with just arriving at the d...
The Most Famous Beaver in the World
8/15/22 140 miles northeast from Lockhart on US-21 and 190 and I see the sign for the world's most famous beaver: I learned about Buc-ee's a couple years ago and I've been wanting to go ever since. Founded in the 80s in Texas, Buc-ee's is a giant gas station/travel center/food emporium/gift shop tha...
The Best BBQ in the World
8/15/22 The sole reason I'm this far south in Texas is because of the the town of Lockhart, the BBQ capital of Texas. Lockhart, Texas has several BBQ restaurants that are legendary in the state and beyond. Since I'm only one person and can only have one meal in town, I chose Black's BBQ, a third gen...
My Own Private Compound
8/14/22 Continuing on my fast track home, it's another travel day - 430 miles from Alpine to San Marcos, TX where I am bunking with Laura, another BaB host. https://goo.gl/maps/WSYJrKqzD9zs4G3y7 Another scorching hot day that includes frequent stops at gas stations to hydrate with Gatorade and Icee...
Prada and Big Bend Biker Hotel
8/13/22 I felt like if I didn't leave now then I'd be in Santa Fe for another week. I am heading towards Marfa and Alpine, Texas. Certainly not the most direct route home but there were a couple things I wanted to see and experience. https://goo.gl/maps/YAEuSSPsb47TRyiX7 I head south on US-285. Abou...
Friendship & Chilies
8/8/2022 It was a long ride 220 miles to Santa Fe. I was caught in a downpour around 2pm leaving Durango (which Carter said happens everyday during this season). Then for the rest of the ride, I would be dodge little rain storms or being caught in some sprinkles here and there. I was rushing to Sant...
Millon Dollar Highway
8/8/22 I left Carter's house in the morning after coffee. I managed to get down his steep unpaved driveway and the road leading to his house unscathed (it really was hard packed). Carter lives about 20 minutes outside of Durango. The drive into town was nice and easy. There was still a chill in the...
Durango chills and Carter
8/7/22 The ride from Moab to Durango wasn't too bad if it weren't for 98F in Moab. https://goo.gl/maps/5j8H7oUtmNbbnnaJ9 15 miles south of Moab was Hole 'N' The Rock, a road tourist attraction that featured several gift and jewelry shops, random sculptures, a petting zoo and a home carved into the s...
The Mighty Two (for now)
8/6/22 I loaded up the bike in the morning and headed out to Moab before Adam and his friend Mo. Since I was going to take a scenic road, I figured leaving before them by an hour would put us at the hotel in Moab at roughly the same time. https://goo.gl/maps/nwjpc6XHUYu3Q1MU6 A short 50 miles on I-1...
Mormans and More
8/3-8/5 The first thing on the agenda was to take the bike into the dealer to replace the steering head bearings and take a look at a few other things. They were good enough to tell me to bring my bike in when I got into town when I called about ten days ago back in Canada, unlike the three dealers...
Really Old Friend
8/2/22 I was really looking forward to seeing my friend in Salt Lake City. Adam is someone I've known since high school. He lived in DC for quite some time and like myself, got tired of the city and wanted to be in a place that offered more opportunities to do what he enjoyed, namely anything outdoo...
Country Western Beverly Hills
8/1/22 I got into my motel on the edge of town after my buffalo traffic jam in the Tetons. I traded in some points to get this motel at a reasonable price for one night but still this room is nothing to write home about for $150. After my long day, I wanted a nice meal. I found a fancy hotel restaur...
Dyanmic Duo Roads
8/1/22 I've been looking forward to the Beartooth Highway for years now. When I was back in Montana in 2017, someone told me about the road but I didn't have the time to backtrack to it. But not only Beartooth but Alex back in Bonners Ferry told me about how Chief Joseph Highway connects to the Bear...
Diaster and Recovery
7/31/22 Red Lodge was hit with a flood back on 6/12. The flood was so devastating that it closed the north and northeast entrance to Yellowstone Park and shut down the Beartooth Highway since then. So it was with incredible luck and rejoice, that on July 22, the Beartooth Highway reopened. When I ar...
A Long Road to Red Lodge
7/31/22 Travel Day - I have 370 scorching hot miles to go today from Missoula to Red Lodge. My sole reason to go to Red Lodge is to ride the Beartooth Highway and Chief Joseph Highway. https://goo.gl/maps/ke7bEUvtQxvjiQ4F7 Missoula will always have a special place in my heart. It's the first city th...
Lolo Pass & Thousand Buddhas
7/30/22 I got up earlier than normal to get on the road. While I only have 150ish miles to go today I had a few places I want to visit. https://goo.gl/maps/bVeQ5VsoTNZnhtL89 I am continuing on US-12 Northwest Passage Scenic Byway east along the Clearwater River and then eventually the Lochsa River....
More than just potatoes
7/29/22 I left Alex's house in the morning to meet Matt for breakfast in town. Matt is someone that answered my Facebook post months ago about routes and places to visit for this trip. He's Canadian by birth but has lived all over Canada and NW US for years. He gave me tons of options and advice on...
Back in the Lower 48
7/28/22 Once I got into Creston, it was just a short 8 miles to the border at Porthill, Idaho. I saw a sign that this border station closes at 5PM! It's now 4:40PM! I should be able to ride the 8 miles to the border before they close. However, I did open the throttle a little more than usual to make...
Hippie town turned hipster town
7/28/22 Leah and Charlie convinced me to take the northern loop into Nelson, a ferry to Crawford Bay and then down south to Creston before crossing the border into Bonners Ferry, Idaho. It's a pretty short ride if I went to Bonners Ferry directly so I decided I had the time to do one last Canadian s...
Hot AF in BC
7/27/22 After morning coffee, I say bye to Guy and load up my bike and head out with Andrea. She's taking her VStrom 650 into Holeshot for a tire change so we both head out together. I'm making my way east to Montrose via the Crowsnest Highway to stay with Bunk-a-Biker host Leah. https://goo.gl/maps...
Langley and Vancouver
7/24/22 After Deadman Junction, I'm getting back on the Trans-Canada south towards Hope and then west to Langley. https://goo.gl/maps/fGVTEPDidhTKDLvS9 It's only 200 miles but with the heat and the construction stops, it was a long and tiring trip to my Airbnb. I'm staying two nights in Langley so I...
Maple Cowboy Town
7/26/22 After leaving Tammy's place, I head back west towards Cache Creek to Deadman Junction Ranch, a western town that was built and curated by a Canadian that loves the American old west. Apparently many of the buildings and items are historic originals. It was a hot day so pulling into this cowb...
Long day backtracking to Tappen
7/23/22 After waking up in Hinton, I'm backtracking thru the Icefield Parkway to Golden and then to Tappen, BC where I have a Bunk-a-Biker with Tammy. Going thru the Parkway on a Saturday is completely different than the day before on a Friday evening. Today the park is loaded with people, cars, tra...
Kamloops
Another 30 miles east and I reach Kamloops, a small city in eastern B.C. I get into town around 8:30 pm and stop at a grocery store to grab some dinner. By the time I come out at 9pm, the sky is dark. I'm now south enough that there is actually night time. I've spent close to three weeks up in the Y...
Icefield Parkway take 2
7/22/22 Today is going to be a long day to ride up to the Icefield Parkway but because I didn't want to stay the money to stay in Jasper again, I'm going even further by another hour to Hinton where I have a motel room for $100. But first, I'm meeting Guy and Andrea for breakfast! Turns out serendip...
Ferry to Sea-to-Sky
7/21/22 Another ferry ride - 11am, a quick 35 minutes from Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver on the mainland. Once I'm off the ferry, I go right onto BC-99/Sea-to-Sky Highway north towards Whistler Mountain. The Sea-to-Sky is one of the best roads in the Vancouver area. It twists and turns...
A quick stay over
7/20/22 After the flight at Air Nootka, I had to ride back to Nanaimo to stay one night at an Airbnb. The next morning, I was catching the ferry from Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay on the mainland. Instead of visiting Vancouver right away, I'm going to ride the Sea-to-Sky Highway/BC-99 right off the ferry...
Dog is my co-pilot
7/20/22 I woke up at 5am and loaded up the bike. I had 5 hours to ride back to Gold River to get on the plane tour with Air Nootka. 5 hours plus two extra hours for traffic, fueling, and a bathroom and coffee break and that should put me there around 12 noon. I wasn't sure if back tracking is the sm...
Queen City
7/19/22 I got up in the morning and took my bike to the BMW dealer in Victoria. I have a bad notch in my steering head bearing at this point and wanted to get that fixed since I still had a long way to go before I get home. I was thankful there was a dealer in town on the island. I rode over there b...
Road to Victoria
7/18/22 After fish tacos, I had to trek to Victoria. https://goo.gl/maps/TjLJgcCZg21EVdRE8 While not that far at 280 miles, it is a slow moving road from Tofino back to Nanaimo and then down to Port Renfrew to Sooke and then to Victoria. The road to Port Renfrew and to Sooke is actually a bit twisty...
Another overpriced resort town but it grew on me
7/17/22 I left Chuck's house in Nanaimo and headed west to the other side of the island. It was rainy and cold that morning so I took my sweet time drinking coffee and chatting with Chuck and his friends. Eventually around 10:30am I put on my gear and went down that steep hill of his driveway and he...
Gold River & BaB in Nanaimo
7/16/22 The next morning I decide to take a ride down to the Gold River before going to my Bunk-a-Biker house in Nainamo. https://goo.gl/maps/Tdd534L3TuMJnMaAA BC-28, the Gold River Highway, is a nice scenic road that follows the Upper Campbell Lake and ends at the Gold River. It's often a two lane...
Coffee with a View
7/15/22 Once I got the battery sorted out, I head out for Campbell River. I don't have any plans for Campbell River but it's a manageable distance to cover for one day. I got an Airbnb room for the night that's close by the beach. I got into town by mid-afternoon, dropped off my stuff at the Airbnb...
I'm on a boat
7/14/22 Woke up at 5am to get ready to ride to the BC Ferry terminal by 6am for a 7:30am ferry to Port Hardy, Vancouver Island. The bike cranks up but it sounds a bit weak. It's been a little weak two days ago on the way to Prince Rupert. I thought that maybe since it was a long travel day and the h...
Visiting Prince Rupert
7/12/22 I left Jade City and headed south. I've decided that I'm going to go to Prince Rupert to take a 16hr ferry to Port Hardy onto Vancouver Island. A few people have told me that I need to go ride on the island. Plus it's kinda fun to roll your bike onto a ferry. It was going to be a long ride t...
Meet the Danes and Bad Intel
7/11/22 I left Whitehorse the next morning and continued down the Yukon. It's another travel day. I am making my way east to Watson Lake and then turning south to stop in either Dease Lake or Jade City. I don't know much about either place except that they're very small communities and not a lot of...
Once more into the fray
7/10/22 After Leo took off that morning, I started to make my way on the Alcan towards the border. I was leaving Alaska and entering the Yukon again on my way home. https://goo.gl/maps/Lv5qqnLcdKmUtHeV8 I was warned by quite a few others that the Alcan near the border crossing of Beaver Creek was aw...
More New Friends
7/9/22 I left the Lodge the next morning to head to Tok, Alaska to meet Guy and Andrea. Guy is a cousin of a high school friend and Andres is his girlfriend. They live in greater Vancouver and are both riders. Guy is on a BMW 1200GSA and Andrea is on a Suzuki V-Strom 650. My friend put us in touch o...
The Lodge at Black Rapids
7/8/22 I got into the Lodge at around 8pm. The Lodge is situated on top of a hill so I had to climb this pretty steep unpaved driveway. Once I got to the top you could see the grandeur of the building. The inside of the Lodge has these wooden beams that creates this "rugged luxury" feel and look. Th...
Dirt glory
7/8/22 I left North Pole and headed down AK-3 to Denali National Park. Sheryl and Lynn both said that the park was just alright. It's packed with people and tour buses and congested with cars plus you can only drive about 15 miles into the park in a private vehicle. The park will only let official p...
The Kindess of Strangers
7/7/22 I got into Fairbanks from the Dalton the eve of 7/6 and got an Airbnb for the night. I got some awesome Thai food from a drive thru hut (these are pretty common around Fairbanks) just down the block from the Airbnb. It was delicious! Apparently Thai food is pretty good in Fairbanks due to a g...
The Return Part 2
7/6/22 The next morning I loaded up the bike and got back on the Dalton to Fairbanks. There is a little road about three miles long that takes you from the Dalton into Wiseman. This hidden road is surprisingly scenic. I stopped to take a few photos since this may very well be the last time I will be...
The Return Part 1
7/5/22 It was a tough decision but I decided to not return to Fairbanks in one day with the Brazilians but rather to take my time doing back down solo and stop in Wiseman overnight for the first leg and then Fairbanks the next day. My main reasons was I wanted to take my time going back down and sto...
The Haul Road part 2
7/4/22 We woke up, packed up, and got on the bikes by 7:30am. Gustavo wants to get to Deadhorse by 1pm so there will be plenty of time to get on the shuttle bus to the Arctic Ocean. It was cool in the morning, mid 40s from Wiseman. The Brazilians ate some cheese, crackers and sardines for breakfast....
The Haul Road part 1
7/3/22 The James Dalton Highway is also known as the Haul Road. It was built to "haul" supplies and building materials to support the oil pipeline and the drilling up in Prudhoe Bay. Featured on the reality show Ice Road Truckers, it is known as one of the most dangerous road in the world. It is cur...
Fairbanks and hjinks
6/30/22 After Chicken, Ken and I had a long ride into Fairbanks. Another 279 miles thru Tok, Delta Junction and finally Fairbanks. Ken and I roll into Fairbanks at 11:30 PM without any hotel reservations. I kept checking my phone expecting my lower 48 cellphone plan to come back into play. I checked...
I'm the King of the World
6/30/22 After my morning coffee at Red Mammoth, I meet up with the guys in front of their hotel at 11am. Steve, Ken and I were there but Curtiss was still loading up. I thought the former Navy man would be 10 minutes early but when you have three GPS to setup on his Pan America, it takes a while. I...
New Old Friend and New New Friends
From Whitehorse, I was now getting off YT-1, the Alaska and turning north onto YT-2, the Klondike Highway, towards Dawson City for 330 miles. https://goo.gl/maps/pQvjbKcoMVPobJot8 It's pretty surreal to me just now far north I physically am. Not just north in the US, not just north in Canada but nor...
Whitehorse
6/27 After Carcross I rode a short 50 miles to Whitehorse. Terry from Calgary has a son who lives in Whitehorse and she was gracious enough to set me up to stay with her son. Another Bunk-a-Biker connection comes thru! After a restful night in Whitehorse, I made a quick trip to see the S.S. Klondik...
Carcross, it's not just a desert
6/27/22 After the Sign Post Forest, I continue west on the Alaska Highway towards Carcross. I didn't even know about this place until Ken told me about it way back in Wawa where we first met. The Carcross Desert is the smallest desert in the world at just one square mile. Since it’s on my way to Whi...
All signs point to the forest
6/26/22 I leave Fort Nelson and continue onto the Alaska Highway. Not a lot too exciting for 115 miles except a few horny road hazards. I got to Toad River and pulled into the gas station. After fueling up, I decide to check out the restaurant/store. As I walk by the front door, I see a 1200GS with...
Deja Vu, move along
6/26/22 The ride to Fort Nelson was a decent stretch at 242 miles. https://goo.gl/maps/q88saodSMRXF1WWV9 Up and up the Alaska Highway we go. Not much to report. 2 lanes, mostly trees on both sides. Fueling up whenever I could. The gas stations are a bit further than normal now but still within reaso...
Move along, nothing to see here
6/25/22 I got to Fort St. John later in the day from Dawson Creek. A few people from Dawson Creek told me there's a rivalry between these two cities but I don't see it. Although Fort St. John is bigger than Dawson Creek with about 20,000 people, Dawson Creek at least has the Alaska Highway Mile 0 Ma...
Mile 0
6/25/22 Riding further and further north is getting a bit surreal. I don't know why but there's something about this trip that seems a bit unsettling to me. And I don't think it's just that I'm in Canada. I think the idea of riding a motorcycle to the top of the world is starting to seem a bit extre...
Another generous host
6/24/22 One night at Jasper was all I could afford so I had to keep moving north. I got connected with Guy, another Bunk-a-Biker host in Prince George. Guy and his wife are both ADV riders and while his wife was away that weekend, Guy was able to host me. So now I just have to get there. It's a 233...
It was certainly freezing at The Icefields Parkway
6/23/22 The Icefields Parkway is a 138 mile two land scenic drive that connects Banff with Jasper. It is rated as one of the most beautiful drive in the entire world as you drive by more than 100 glaciers with the Columbia Icefield being the star of the drive. You'll also see beautiful lakes and lus...
A tale of two conflicts
6/22/22 I'm conflicted on towns like Banff. Whether it's mountain towns, beach towns, or artsy towns hidden out in the country, they stir a lot of conflicting feelings in me. They're certainly beautiful and if given an opportunity, I would love to live in one of these towns for the summer or winter...
Golden coffee
6/22/22 I woke up in my motel in Radium Hot Springs and walked to the coffee shop a few blocks away for a cup of coffee and a sausage roll (this amazing British pastry we can not get in the US). I really like this little town of Radium Hot Springs. They even have a set of giant horns in the town tra...
Touched by God
6/21/22 Since it's too expensive to stay anywhere near Banff, I looked into lodging at two nearby towns, Golden and Radium Hot Springs. There is a scenic loop called the Golden Triangle between Banff, Radium Hot Springs and Golden. So I figured I couldn't go wrong with either Radium or Golden. I tra...
The Prettier Less Famous Sister
6/21/22 Moraine Lake is the less famous but even more beautiful lake than Lake Louise in Banff. There were numerous signs showing the parking lot was already full and closed. You would have to queue up to take a bus to see Lake Moraine. I decided to pull up on my bike and ask the parking attendant h...
Lake Louise
6/21/22 Lake Louise is one of Canada's most famous and treasured nature destination. Know for its turquoise water and mountains, it's one of the most beautiful scenery in the world. As you can imagine, a place like this will be mobbed by tourists. I'm conflicted about going to places like these. I d...
Banff
6/21/22 Banff is one of those places that I've heard of forever but never thought I would go. If it's not for having a motorcycle in my life, I doubt that I would make the effort to come here. While I like nature, I've never been a hardcore hiker or camper. But now, I seek out the amazing rides and...
Home away from home
I was lucky enough to arrange a same day Bunk-a-Biker stay in Calgary for a couple nights. It was a straight shot up AB-2 from Head Smashed-in Buffalo Jump to Calgary for 115 miles. It was rainy all day in Calgary and if I was lucky I would just miss the last rainstorm of the day when I arrive in th...
Using your terrain
6/18/22 150 miles west of Medicine Hat is the World Heritage Site of Head Smashed-in Buffalo Jump. A "jump" site used by the Blackfoot indians where they would startle herds of buffalo into a stampede and they would run off a cliff to fall to their deaths. The Blackfoot would then retrieve the downe...
330 Days of Sunshine
6/17/22 330 Days of Sunshine - that's what Medicine Hat is known for. And a mild winter according to the woman at the visitor center. So much so that they changed the address of the visitor center to 330. Just down the road from 330 Gehring is the world's largest teepee - the Saamis Teepee. Construc...
41 miles of real world scenario
6/17/22 The next stop is Medicine Hat, Alberta. To make up some time, I'm jumping back to the Trans Canada but I need to take some local roads to connect to it. Google Maps gives me a route, SK-614 to 1 (Trans Can), 2hrs 15mins. Looks easy enough. https://goo.gl/maps/DKaineBh2J31xcAdA I get to the i...
Digging up some bones
6/17/22 I left Moose Jaw in the morning and had 200 miles to cover to reach the T.Rex Discovery Centre in Eastend, SK. https://goo.gl/maps/bgD6MH5H2A5Daf5F6 They built this center out in Eastend in the middle of nowhere because there are active dig sites in the surround area. The museum has a functi...
Gangsters, Immigrants, and One Giant Moose
6/16/22 After the RCMP Heritage Centre, I jumped back on the Trans Canada Highway and 50 miles later, I arrived at Moose Jaw. Billed as the "Most Notorious" city, Moose Jaw was a town where bootleggers would run Canadian whiskey and other booze down to the U.S.during Prohibition. There is a series o...
Royalties in Saskatchewan
6/15/22 Ken and I are departing on our own ways today. He is marching westward to Calgary and I'm staying in Regina for a half day to see some sights. We sneakily cleaned the chains on our bikes in the back of the motel parking lots before we said goodbye. I had a great time riding and hanging with...
Regina - stop giggling
6/15/22 Ken and I woke up to some harsh rain at the Kipling Motor Inn. Watching the radar, we had about two hours to wait until the rain clouds passed Kipling. We took our time packing up. At around 11am the rain subsided, I put on my rain gear just in case. I was pretty jealous of Ken's Klim jacket...
Hillbilly with a heart of gold
6/14/22 After my stop at the paperclip, I met up with Ken at the only motel in town, the Kipling Motor Inn. He got there about an hour before me and had already showered and ate. He was going across the street to the local bar for a beer after a long rainy day. That sounded pretty good and am going...
A Good Trade
6/14/22 I finally arrive in Kipling around 7:45pm. The giant paperclip is located on 6th ave in a tiny little park with a single bench. Kyle MacDonald started from trading a red paperclip for a fish shaped pen, fourteen trades later, he traded a movie role for a house here in Kipling. The house was...
Gas and dogs
6/14/22 After leaving Sara the camel, my next stop is Kipling to see the world's largest red paperclip. Since Wawa, I've been very meticulous about fueling up whenever possible especially now when I'm solo again. I fueled up at a station just down the road from Sara. With a full tank, I continue on...
A Rainy Day for Giants
6/14/22 It's a rainy day in Winnipeg. Ken and I drank coffee with Tamar and Clint, gave them our heartfelt thanks, and then headed out in the rain. If you ride long enough, you'll get caught in the rain. I've been in numerous rainstorms, some light ones and some heavy downpours. Sometimes you pull o...
Bunk a Biker
6/13/22 About 250 miles later, we entered Manitoba. Manitoba is part of the prairies of Canada. It has some of the straight roads I've ever been on. Seriously, one straight roads for hundreds of miles. I engaged my cruise control and rested my throttle hand. After another 90 miles, we entered the ci...
The Moose is Loose
6/13/22 I woke up at 2:40am to the sound of rain falling on the tent. Then I woke up at 3am to pee against a tree. Then I woke up at 4am because the temperature dipped into the low 50s. When I finally woke up for good around 6:30, I was questioning if I should've just committed to staying in motels...
Are there bears here?
6/12/22 After seeing the Terry Fox monument, Ken and I rode into Thunder Bay downtown. It was Sunday so a lot of stores were closed. We found a cafe that was open and we rode there to caffeine up and figure out our next step. We could either stay the night or continue west for another hour or so. We...
Going to see Terry
6/12/22 After almost running out of gas, Ken and I fueled up and continued on to Thunder Bay. 187 Miles of the Trans-Canada Highway along the southern coast of Ontario gave us scenery of woods, bays and occasionally Lake Superior. The destination here is the Terry Fox Memorial on the outskirts of Th...
Riding Buddy
6/12/22 You’re constantly meeting and talking to people on the road. It’s the nature of traveling on a motorcycle. Riders and non-riders alike want to know your story and travel plans. Staying at the same motel in Wawa was Ken. Ken is traveling from Georgetown, Ontario to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Terr...
Wild Goose
6/11/22 I actually got a halfway decent night's sleep at the Rodeway Motel in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. I crossed 30,000 miles on the GS yesterday and totally forgot to take a photo. I packed up the bike and went to the local coffee shop to start the day. I rode about 190 miles to Sault Saint Marie,...
Onward
6/10/22 I woke up this morning and had to pack up the bike for the next leg of my Alaska trek. From this point on, I will be solo. Even though I've gone cross country a couple times alone, this one feels different. Maybe I'm still reeling from this start of this past week. But I can't even think abo...
The Falls, chance encounters and a moto frisking
6/9/2022 Since I had to go back to Buffalo today to pick up the new helmet camera, I figured I'd go check out Niagara Falls. After a 90min ride on the Queen Elizabeth Way, I made it to the falls. Thankfully, it was a pretty quiet day and not a lot of tourists. Everyone says the view of the falls is...
Oh Canada
6/7/22 I crossed into Canada via the Peace Bridge. It was pretty uneventful, which is the best way to cross border into another country. Since my camera was not working at time, I don't have any videos of the crossing. Jigger lives in Brampton, a suburb about 25 miles west of Toronto. Brampton is he...
Rain and Loathing in Buffalo
6/6/22 After a great dinner at Duffs, I had to go to an Amazon locker in downtown Buffalo to pickup an Atlas mechanical cruise control device for my bike. I ordered this back in Raleigh but it wouldn't have been delivered to my home in time before I left so I decided to time it for a delivery to Buf...
A Wings Pilgrimage
6/6/2022 After about almost four hours of steady riding and 165 miles, we arrived at Buffalo, NY. Seeing the blueness of Lake Erie was stunning. It looks just like the ocean but I had to remind myself that it's just a lake, a very large lake. Back in 2014 on my first cross country trip I visited The...
Groundhog Day
6/6/2022 80 miles north of the Flight 93 Memorial is the repetitive town of Punxsutawney. Known for a large rodent that can predict the end of winter, Punxsutawney, PA is surprising bigger than I thought. What was also surprising is how much groundhog presence is in this town. Some places shy away f...
Another Traveler
6/6/2022 We were surprised to see dedicated motorcycle parking at the Flight 93 Memorial. There was just a lone Harley Road King parked in the long rows of motorcycle parking area. It clearly belonged to a Marine Corp veteran based on the USMC logo etched onto the engine cover along with a few other...
A Somber Remembrance
6/6/2022 Just a few miles away from the Glessner Bridge was the Flight 93 Memorial in Stoystown, PA. I wanted to stop here to see the field where the plane went down. It's a National Memorial now with a museum detailing the events of that morning down to the minute. Exhibits displayed the personal i...
George's First Covered Bridge
6/6/2022 From the Big Coffee Pot, we rode west about 27 miles to Glessner Covered Bridge outside of Shanksville, PA. This was a highlight for George since he's never ridden thru a covered bridge before. It took a few unpaved dirt roads to get here and Ben navigated his Street Triple down those dirt...
But first, coffee!
6/6/2022 We woke up the next day and after a local coffee and breakfast got on the road for a jam packed day. We first rode about 30 miles to Bedford, PA to see the Big Coffee Pot. We thought there was an actual coffee shop here but sadly no such luck. But as we rode through PA on a beautiful day, g...
Finally, some riding...
6/5/2022 After Jim left in his truck and trailer, Ben, George and I had some miles to catch. We decided to skip our original plan to go to the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant, WV and instead start heading north towards Buffalo, NY so we can catch up to our day three plan. The three of us rode some...
Second day, second breakdown
6/5/2022 About 90 minutes after breakfast. Jim's Triumph Daytona died. Fuel pump fuse blown. Twice. After the second fuse blew, we figured there's a short somewhere and we weren't gonna fix it. So after a while trying to decide what to do, we determined the best course was for Jim to rent a Uhaul tr...
Homemade biscuits and sausage gravy
6/5/2022 Ben’s mother made us breakfast. Perfect way to start the day…
Friends to the Rescue
6/4/2022 So after calling a few dealers in the area, I sourced a clutch cable but it was back in Raleigh. I called a couple friends back in Raleigh and not one but two friends were willing to come help. In the end, my friend Keith picked up the cable and drove it up to Milton. My riding buddies went...
So this happened…
6/4/2022 80 miles from home. Snapped clutch cable in Milton, NC. Waiting for friend to deliver a new cable. Very good friend.
T minus 1
6/3/2022 Loaded and ready to go! Tomorrow, Saturday, June 4th is launch day. I'll be leaving Raleigh with my friend George and riding up to Roanoke, VA to meet up with another friend, Ben. Then the three of us will be together for a few days until we reach Toronto. Then I'll split west and they will...