There and back again - a Cablebandits' tale.

[MrsCablebandit]

Last Wednesday, Chris (cablebandit) and I set off on a six-day international motorcycle adventure. The purpose of our trip was to be in Byron Center, Michigan on Saturday, June 9th for CLAY's annual ST.N BBQ. We decided to take "the long way" to get there by traveling up to and through Ontario on our way to Michigan.

While we were gathering our clothes Tuesday evening, I asked Chris what time we needed to leave Wednesday morning so I could set the alarm clock accordingly. He said we should be on the road no later than 8 AM. Wednesday morning, we were up, packed, suited up, and ready to roll out of the garage at 7:49 AM.


Rolling out early...it's a little chilly!

Chris and I both opted to start the day with our liners inside our jackets; this proved to be a VERY wise decision! It was 55 degrees when we left the house and dipped as low as 52 degrees about 50 minutes later outside of Clearfield. Brrr!!! The first part of our route was a bit of a repeat from our adventure to Kane and the Kinzua Bridge two weeks ago. We headed out US 322 through Philipsburg to Clearfield where we picked up PA 153 to US 219. We stayed on US 219 through Ridgway and Johnsonburg to Bradford.


On US 322 leaving Port Matilda heading toward Philipsburg.


It's a junkyard, dawg!


Hey, there's the Hound radio station again!


Back in Ridgway, PA.


The paper plant in Johnsonburg; it was a little stinky that day.


Riding through the Allegheny National Forest on US 219.


Hi, Pete! (My colleague Pete works at Pitt - Bradford).


Bradford, PA is the home of Zippo! When in town, do the museum tour!

Just north of Bradford, we turned off of US 219 onto PA 346 where we found a Tim Horton's inside of Crosby's gas station. I was thrilled to discover this Timmy's serves STEEPED TEA! Chris got a Boston Cream doughnut and I had a bagel with cream cheese along with my steeped tea. I sent my mom a text to brag that I was enjoying a Tim's steeped tea; she was totally jealous!


Tim Horton's steeped tea is awesome!


I should have had Chris take this plate since I didn't wind up getting a souvenir from the trip!

Following our late breakfast stop, we continued out PA 346 to PA 646 which turned into NY 16 and led into the town of Olean, NY. We stayed on NY 16 until it met NY 400 - the Aurora Expressway. We took NY 400 to I-90 to I-190 toward Buffalo. We stopped for gas outside of Buffalo-proper and then continued  to the Peace Bridge where we crossed into Canada.


Well, hello NY! This was my first time in NY on the bike.


Despite bear crossing signs every mile for 6 miles, we did not see any bears.


Chili, the ST.N mascot, traveled with us for this trip. Here, he supervises our fuel-up.


Shuffle off to Buffalo.


First Niagara Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres.


Our friend Marty recommended crossing at the Peace Bridge and his suggestion was spot-on!


Stop here for goods free from duty.


Leaving the US, heading toward Canada on the Peace Bridge.


Flags mark the international border on the Peace Bridge.


Welcome to Canada, eh!
 

In keeping with the measurement system of our host country, we changed our GPS over to metric.

Crossing at the Peace Bridge was our friend Marty's suggestion. THANK YOU, MARTY! There was very little traffic, the border guard was very friendly, and it allowed us to arrive at Niagara Falls "the back way" which, again, meant very little traffic. With regard to our border crossing, it was so easy to enter Canada. The border agent asked us to turn off the bike, but did not ask us to remove our helmets (yay!). She asked the basic "why are you here, how long are you staying?" questions before sending us on our way with a "have a safe trip!"

We rolled into Niagara Falls (Table Rock) about 15 minutes later and Chris was DELIGHTED to discover that motorcycle parking was only $10 as opposed to the $18 he had seen online earlier in the week (no m/c parking fees were listed online). We parked the bike, stashed our valuables, secured our helmets onto our new helmet locks under the top case, and headed off to be tourists for a few hours. We snapped a few pictures of the falls before heading inside in search of rest...er, washrooms, currency exchange, and lunch.






Photographer Chris!


The Maid of the Mist. One of these days...


My handsome hubby at Niagara Falls.


Representing the Pens at Niagara Falls!


Chris, Chili, and me.


The falls erode about 1 foot every 10 years.


Chris wanted to bring this giant stuffed beaver home with us!


The Welcome Centre at Table Rock.


Inside the Welcome Centre was gorgeous!


Chris' camera has CRAZY zoom!!!


Hmmm...well, I know "frommage" is cheese...


We got pizza combos (Chris' with fries, mine with salad) for lunch. Chili approved.


This little House Sparrow enjoyed the fry tidbits we tossed him.


And this seagull enjoyed my pizza crust.
 

Here's Chris and me at Niagara Falls.


A marker about the park and powerhouse.




The view from our primo $10 parking spot!

Once we were done being tourists, it was time to make our way to Toronto. We left Niagara Falls via the 420 to get back to Queen Elizabeth Way.


Suited up and ready for the trek to Toronto.


Carriage ride around Niagara Falls, anyone?


The boring American side.


Heading "up" toward "downtown" Niagara Falls.








We saw several cars in Canada that we've not seen in the US, including this Mercedes B200 available in Canada since 2005.


To Toronto, please!


Canadian wine in the making!


The QEW kept us close to the shores of Lake Ontario.


Ministry of the Environment...sounds like a Harry Potter office!

Thankfully, we didn't encounter too much traffic in/around Toronto since it was still somewhat early in the afternoon rush hour (around 3:30 PM). From the QEW, we took the 427 to the 401 to the 400 to get just north of Toronto-proper to Vaughan and our hotel, the brand new Aloft. We encountered about two minutes of rain outside of Mississauga and the skies were quite threatening when we arrived at the hotel. We checked in, got showered and dressed, and walked to the Canyon Creek Chophouse for dinner. It was at dinner that I discovered that unsweetened iced tea isn't something that is widely available in Ontario. After this disheartening revelation, I realized I was going to have to settle for club soda while I was in Canada. Oh well...

Following dinner, we walked over to Vaughan Mills (similar to Arundel Mills for you Baltimoreans reading this). We started at Bass Pro Shops and walked a lap around the mall with a stop in the most awesome store ever! (You'll see in the pictures below.) After being on the bike all day, it felt great to stretch our legs a bit. When we returned to the hotel, we hit the pool for some additional relaxation (the water was quite warm) before returning to our room to turn in for the night.


Our standard king room at the brand new Aloft (opened the first weekend of May).


The closet area.


Separate sink area.


The walk-in shower complete with shampoo and shower gel dispensers on the wall.


Heading toward Bass Pro Shops to browse.


Stormy skies behind our hotel (the white building near center).


Canadians have some funny signs, pedestrian and roadway alike.


PRO HOCKEY LIFE!!! So much hockey gear, so little time to look at all of it!!!


Chris surveys the scene.


Pads, pads, and more pads!


How about some hockey sticks?


I spy a home Penguins jersey!


And an away jersey!


Check out our rock star parking spot behind the sign, to the left of the main entrance!

We left our house at 7:49 AM and arrived at the hotel about 8.5 hours later at 4:30 PM. We were probably stopped at Niagara Falls for about 2 hours and another 30 minutes earlier in the morning at Tim Horton's so our "on the road time" was approximately 6 hours. We traveled approximately 310 miles on Day 1.

Stay tuned for Day 2...

[MrsCablebandit]

Thursday morning, we woke up, showered, packed, and got ready to leave our hotel pretty quickly. Our hotel did not offer complimentary breakfast, which was OK because neither of us was particularly hungry that morning. We took the 400 north for a bit, passing Canada's Wonderland just north of our hotel. We left the 400 at exit 137 and followed Lower Big Chute Road to the 12/Trans-Canada Highway to Coldwater Road, which led us into Coldwater. We gassed up at a PetroCanada. Our first Canadian fill-up cost us $23, which was only about $4 more than a fill-up in the U.S.


The view from our hotel room. In the distance (left) is Toronto.


And with the crazy zoom on Chris' camera, there's the CN Tower in Toronto!


Canada's Wonderland had TONS of coaster tracks!


North 400 to Sudbury, please!


I present to you...a Canadian barn!


Approaching Coldwater.


122.9 was the best price I saw for petrol while we were in Canada.


Filling the Connie with Canadian petrol from PetroCanada!


The town of Coldwater.


A creek in Coldwater...but it has nothing to do with Coldwater Creek Clothing.

Coming out of Coldwater, we joined up with Upper Big Chute Road which took us to and through the Muskoka Lakes. The scenery through the lakes was stunning. I'll tell you right now that the pictures I took pale in comparison to the real thing. The lakes, the cottages, the rocks...they were all gorgeous. I did my best to capture the scenery, but I know, when I look at my pictures, that my memories of those areas are more vivid than the photographs will ever be.


A few more Canadian barns...






This part of Canada smelled like a giant Balsam & Cedar Yankee Candle...it was amazing!








R Doug has his own road in Canada?


"Cottage Watch" is the community watch program at the lakes; these signs are all over!


When we first rounded the corner, we weren't quite sure what we were looking at when we saw this!




Then we realized it was moving this boat through the Big Chute!


Waiting for the all-clear!


There they go into the lake!


I took this random shot as we passed by this lake and it wound up being one of my favorite photos from the entire trip!













Upper Big Chute Road eventually turned into White Falls Road and led us back to the 400. We hopped back on the 400 north for a little bit and exited onto route 38 which took us through the Wahta Mohawk Territory, a Mohawk First Nation reserve. This area, and most of the area we'd ridden through on Upper Big Chute/White Falls Road, was an excellent example of the Canadian Shield. Route 38 eventually ended at route 169 in Bala, the cranberry capital of Ontario. Here, we stopped to take a few pictures of Gaunt Bay and the falls that Bala Bay creates as it feeds Gaunt Bay.








Turn here for the historical plaque...


...and here's the historical plaque.


















Our Concours looks lonely in the parking lot for the historical plaque and the falls.

It was about 11 AM when we stopped in Bala and we were getting hungry at this point. We consulted our GPS to see what was there in town, but didn't see much so we decided to press on to Parry Sound for lunch.


The checkerboard background of the directional arrows was quite curious!


I LOVED this barn!!!






Coming into Parry Sound - Jewel of the 30,000 islands.




We found the Bay Street Cafe along the water for a nice lunch.


There's the Connie's butt poking out in the parking lot!

We had a really nice lunch at the Bay Street Cafe. Chris got the special of the day - the Canadian burger, which had cheddar cheese and peameal bacon on it. I got the pickerel filet sandwich. Both of our sandwiches came with French fries, which we were quick to dip in Canadian Heinz ketchup! After lunch, we walked down to check out the two float planes that were docked nearby.


Chili enjoys some club soda while we wait for our lunches.


Chris' burger with peameal bacon.


My pickerel.




















Chris watched this sea gull gobble down this fish!









Once we left Parry Sound, we continued north on route 400 until it ended. We then proceeded north on route 69 into Sudbury, our destination for the evening.











Our hotel for the night was the Hampton Inn in Sudbury. I used some of my Hilton Honors points combined with $40 to book our room...not too shabby! The hotel was quite nice; Hampton Inns typically are! Once we were checked-in and showered, we walked across the street to Canadian Tire (which sells more than tires, by the way) so Chris could buy a metric tape measure. After our successful shopping trip, we walked to Pluckers Wings & Things for dinner. That's where we discovered "whistle berries." The menu stated that sandwiches came with buckeye chips and the choice of cole slaw or homemade whistle berries. We were intrigued, so we asked our server who explained, "They're baked beans...get it? Whistle berries?" Ha-ha-ha!!!

After dinner, we ducked back into Canadian Tire to buy a bottle of Diet Coke before we returned to the hotel. We checked out the hotel pool, but the water wasn't particularly warm so we decided to skip a swim that night.

When we returned to the room, we found that Chili had settled in already and was surfing ST.N trying to keep up on all of the happenings!


Silly Chili!

Our "on the road time" for Day 2 was about six hours and we traveled approximately 409 kilometers (254 miles).

Stay tuned for Day 3...

[MrsCablebandit]

We went to bed Thursday night knowing that Friday was going to be our longest day, both mileage-wise and time-wise, so I was up before 6 and we were downstairs having breakfast by 6:45 AM. Chili joined us for the complimentary breakfast.


For a little Chili man, he sure has a big appetite!


Chili used my orange as a stability ball to stretch his back and work on his core.

Our goal was to be on the road by 7:30 AM; we pulled out of the hotel parking lot at 7:28 AM. We rock! We stopped at a nearby gas station to fill up and then promptly hopped on the 17/Trans-Canada Highway for the jaunt up to Sault Ste. Marie and a return to the US.


Filling up with Esso petrol this time!


Another Canadian barn.


Lots of scenery from along the Trans-Canada Highway.






OPP! But in this case, it's Ontario Provincial Police, not Office of Physical Plant.


I thought of my sister-in-law, Casie, when I saw "The Webbly."




We stopped in Blind River for a stretch break and a washroom visit.












Bruce Mines - Canada's First Copper Mine, est. 1847


This chap on a Honda ST1300 from Connecticut passed us and then settled in just in front of us. Anybody know this guy?




Then we passed him on our way into Sault Ste. Marie.






Coming into the Sault...

We got one last tank of Canadian petrol at a PetroCanada in Sault Ste. Marie before making our way to the bridge to the US.




Hard Wok Cafe...ha-ha-ha!


Bridge to USA, this way!

We got onto the bridge back to the US with relative ease and were all set to cross back into the country. But then, we hit...traffic. On the bridge. For 45 minutes. In 80 degree temperatures and sunshine. Ugh.




The bridge is 50 years old this year.






HELLO!


Ugh...traffic.


At least we were going slow enough that I managed to capture this picture!


Ugh...lots and lots of traffic.


Welcome to the United States!

I wish I could say our border crossing back in to the US - OUR HOME COUNTRY - was as easy as the one going into Canada. I wish I could say that. Instead, I have to say - and pardon the language here - the Customs & Border Patrol agent we had was a dick. There's really no other way to describe him. He was an arrogant, brusque, and condescending dick. (Sorry if that offends anyone; sometimes the truth is offensive, eh?)

When we pulled up, Chris shut off the bike and handed the agent our passports. The agent asked us what our citizenship was. We both answered, "US" but I felt like saying, "Um, it's right on the passports we just handed you." He asked us to remove our helmets. What a chore, especially two up ON the bike. He took his sweet time looking at our photos and our faces. Then he proceeded to deliver the Spanish Inquisition - a litany of questions not at all relevant to why we'd been in Canada. With each question, I grew more and more frustrated. We are citizens of the United States of America...returning to our home country shouldn't be so difficult! One of the questions he asked us was the plate for the bike. I knew it and answered him, but after the fact Chris and I said we should have told him, "There's 13 cameras trained on this bike, you mean to tell us you can't look at a monitor and see for yourself?!?" Argh, the whole process was SO irritating!

Once we were finally released, we rolled ahead to pay the toll for the bridge that we'd just sat on for 45 minutes and got the heck away from that mess! We took I-75 down to St. Ignace to get to the Mackinac Bridge to cross from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the Lower Peninsula, or "the mitten."

















Once on the Lower Peninsula, we exited I-75 and got on US 31 and then shot over to the coast of Sturgeon Bay on a local road. It was getting close to 2 PM and we were hungry. Luckily, CLAY told us about a place in Cross Village called the Legs Inn. We made our way to the Legs Inn and had a delicious lunch! The Legs Inn features authentic Polish dishes and - not being one to shy away from authentic dishes - I opted for the Zurek soup and an order of potato & Farmer's cheese pierogies for my lunch. The Zurek (zhoo-rek) was phenomenal. It was a creamy soup of Polish sausage, red potatoes, and hard boiled eggs. Yes, hard boiled eggs. And I repeat...it was phenomenal. My pierogies were delicious, too! Chris ordered the BBQ beef brisket sandwich (decidedly un-Polish), but it was just as tasty. AND! I was able to have unsweetened iced tea. This meal was, as they say, full of win!


Chili joined us for this lunch. Here, he's checking out the Authentic Polish Lunch offerings.


Chili approved of the Zurek soup.


My pierogies.


Chris' BBQ beef brisket sandwich and Cole slaw.


Some shots of the interior of the Legs Inn.






King Chili on the Iron…er, Wooden…Throne


And now a few exterior shots...
















Why the Legs Inn? Give this a read!

After lunch, it was time for a meandering ride along the coast of Lake Michigan and its bays, starting with a ride down Route 119, also known as The Tunnel of Trees.











We rolled through the swanky little towns of Harbor Springs and Charlevoix, either of which I'd be happy to call home!








This one is for sale! Where do we sign?!?








NCMC...I wonder if they're hiring?!? Nah...Michigan is too flat!


The sidewalks of Charlevoix were lined with petunias planted along the curb!




To the sailboat, lovey!

US 31 led us into Traverse City. We passed our hotel and continued onto Old Mission Peninsula to visit the lighthouse located on the 45th parallel...or halfway between the Equator and the North Pole! Old Mission Peninsula was beautiful! I really want to return to Traverse City for a vacation - there's so much to see and do. We picked up brochures and tourism guides so we can plot and plan our return.








The lighthouse keeper's office.














Lots of Michigan wine-in-the-making! There were grapevines and cherry trees all over the peninsula.








Grapes, grapes, and more grapes!

After our jaunt up the peninsula to the lighthouse, we circled back to check in to our hotel. We showered quickly and headed out for dinner at the nearby Red Mesa Grill. After 406 miles and 10.5 hours on the road, I needed a margarita! Red Mesa Grill makes their own sour mix (which they sell to go!...just not in moto-friendly containers...boo!) and my margarita was divine! The food at Red Mesa Grill was quite yummy! Chris ordered the chicken and black bean burrito (hold the beans!). I started with a cup of Island Shrimp and Chorizo soup and then had the Roasted Pineapple (squee!) Quesadilla with Chicken appetizer as my entree. Yummo!!! After dinner, we ducked into the little market next door to buy drinks to take back to our room.

After dropping off our drinks in the room, we crossed the street and hit the beach. I dipped a toe (or a few) into the lake, whereas Chris went in shin-deep. We walked on the beach for a bit to stretch our legs, but we both agreed that we were spent. The walk on the beach just served to postpone going to bed until an acceptable hour (something like 10 PM instead of, say, 8!).


Yum, yum, yum!!!


The motel directly across the street from us was host to the "Road Hogs."












Chris braved the waters up to his shins.


Me? I just went in toes-deep.


One of my favorite pictures from the trip.


Another of my favorites!




We saw these two adventure tourers at one of the hotels across from ours.

After our beach walk, we returned to our room to stretch out and watch some TV before turning in. Like I said earlier, we did 406 miles on Day 3; that’s the most miles I've ever done in one day on the bike! We were on the road for 10.5 hours (7:30 AM to 6 PM), but we were stuck in 45 minutes of traffic at the bridge/border, and we stopped in Blind River, Cross Village, and at the lighthouse...so our actual on-the-road time was probably about 7.5 hours.

Stay tuned for Day 4...the day of the BBQ!!!

[MrsCablebandit]

Day 4 was THE DAY! The day of the BBQ at CLAY's house. The whole reason for the trip! We got up around 6 and headed down to the lobby for the complimentary breakfast just after 7 AM. The breakfast area at our hotel - the Quality Inn By the Bay - was tiny! There was a sign on the wall that they prefer to think of it as "cozy." Nah. It was small. So we grabbed breakfast to-go and headed back to our room. Oh, actually, before that, I should note that when we first woke up and Chris looked outside, it was POURING! Thankfully, about five minutes after we woke up, it stopped.

After breakfast, Chris went outside with a towel to dry off the bike. When we took our stuff down to the bike before I walked to the lobby to check out, an older gentleman with a yellow Goldwing had come down to his bike to remove his cover. He said to Chris, "That thing (pointing to our Connie) is bone dry! How did you manage that?" Chris responded, "It's a Kawasaki...it doesn't get wet!" and we all shared a laugh. (Note: When I first saw the yellow Goldwing...before I saw the license plate from South Carolina and the not-ground-down footpegs, I thought, "BigBird?!?")  

I left Chris to put the bags back on the bike while I went to check us out. When I got back, Chris was still talking to the gentleman, who'd asked for some riding advice on cornering. Turns out he and his riding partner were headed the way we'd just come, so Chris also gave him some insight on the roads we'd been on. We got suited up and left the hotel just after 8 AM.

Since we'd gassed up in Sault Ste. Marie, we didn't have to make an immediate gas stop Saturday morning. We went a little over an hour and about 60 miles before stopping at a gas station across from the Little River Casino Resort.










Time to put some American petrol back in this beast!




Chili spies on Smooches the Adventure Moose, the C14's permanent inhabitant.

We stopped another 90 minutes later in White Cloud for something to drink and a dose of Vitamin I. At some point between our stop for gas and our stop to stretch, I'd fallen asleep while we were riding. I'd listened to the last Mike O'Meara Show podcast on my iPod and had switched over to jazz. Mistake! It was far too easy to close my eyes to listen to the music. Couple that with the flat and frustratingly straight roads in Michigan and, well, it was lights out. I don't think I was asleep for much more than 10 minutes, but I was definitely fading! I clicked over to talk to Chris and informed him that a stretch break was in order. He asked me if I'd fallen asleep having noted that I was pretty much perfectly still for a spell.

We decided to stop at a Wesco gas station for our stretch break. When we walked into the station, we were immediately overcome by the aroma of freshly popped popcorn. The smell was intoxicating! I guess Wesco's popcorn is "a thing" in Michigan. Anyway, I'm weak and while I was waiting in line to pay for Chris' Diet Coke and my Gold Peak unsweetened iced tea (y'all have NO IDEA how thrilled I was to find bottled unsweetened tea!), I caved and bought a small bag of the popcorn. I was wooed by the smell! We went outside and shared the popcorn while enjoying our beverages and stretching our legs. Let me just say, it's a good thing I don't live in Michigan because that was some awesome popcorn!




Are you familiar with the viral "honey badger" video?
Channel the narrator's voice and repeat after me:
"This is a house of flavors..."


THE popcorn!!!




This. is. SPARTA!!!


Approaching Grand Rapids.

Following our stretch (and popcorn) break, it took us just over an hour to make it to Clay's house. We pulled into the driveway and parked the bike. There were about 10 folks milling about in the driveway - some admiring the bikes, some changing out of riding gear, and then there was Clay! He came down the driveway with a huge smile on his face saying, "Chris? Beth?" You see, we'd never met Clay before that day. We "knew" him from here on ST.N and we're friends on Facebook, but we'd never met face-to-face before. There were quite a few folks at Clay's BBQ that we'd never met before. Heck, that was part of the appeal of going to the BBQ - the opportunity to meet several folks from ST.N with whom we've conversed over the years!

Clay gave Chris a hearty handshake and me a big hug. It was great to meet him and, in short order, folks like Meemuh, sammyseaman, Reddog*, Gat, Fourstring & Jadziadax8 and the Sprout, Clay's wife Jaci, Mr. Black's wife K, wibornz, and Dan K (among others). We saw Buckeye Rider and mxvet57 again (we'd just seen them at the beginning of May at the Region 6 Spring Meet in West Virginia). We ducked into Clay's house to change out of our riding clothes into shorts and t-shirts (it was in the 80s and sunny). While in the kitchen, Clay handed over the box of cookies that I'd shipped to his house ahead of our arrival. For the BBQ, I made a batch of chocolate-chocolate chip maple bacon cookies. They were phenomenal, if I do say so myself!

We headed to the back of the house to Clay's barn where all of the food was. I started to unwrap the cookies and immediately felt like a flame attracting moths. I was swarmed by several people! I let them all take a cookie before heading into the barn to put them out with the rest of the food. That's where we met a few more folks. Shortly thereafter, Clay announced that everything was ready and everyone grabbed a plate and dug in. Clay's friend has a smoker on a trailer and had come over to prepare a FEAST - pulled pork, BBQ chicken, sausages, hot dogs, stew, baked beans (with PINEAPPLE, y'all!), and hamburgers. I'm tell ya, it was QUITE the spread!!!


Hail, hail, the gang's all here!


The spread after everyone had been through it.
You can't appreciate all the food that was there, so trust me when I say it was a lot!


Sitting in the shade chatting with mxvet57, wibornz, and Buckeye Rider.

After we ate, Chris went to sit with K to hear about the touristy things she and Mr. Black had done on their trek to Clay's. They'd come in their car from Massachusetts and had spent two days in Niagara Falls along the way. I sat in the shade talking to mxvet57, Fourstring, jadziadax8, wibornz, Meemuh, and Buckeye Rider while Sprout played with and among us. (Side note: Sprout's 2 and he's adorable!)

When I got up to refill my drink, Clay asked me if I wanted a tour of his gardens, which I definitely did!


Clay's garden for heat-tolerant plants like peppers and tomatoes.
He has an irrigation system under the tarp.


Down by the creek at the edge of his property, Clay has his "cool" plants like lettuce, radishes, and peas. He has this rigged with irrigation using water from the creek and a solar-powered battery. Genius!


One of Clay's grapevines. The grapevine at our house came from Clay last year!

Chris joined us for the garden tour and then we walked out front to admire all of the motorcycles in the driveway. I had a nice conversation with Reddog* before snapping a few pictures of the bikes.


Our Kawasaki Concours 14.


Buckeye Rider's Aprilia Mana


sammyseaman's Triumph Thruxton


Gat's Yamaha Super Tenere (love this bike)


Reddog*'s Aprilia Caponord (I'd never seen one of these before!)


I LOVED mschook9's Ducati...it was the "prettiest" bike there.


All of the bikes in Clay's stable! His Suzuki Bandit 1200 is the third from the left.

After baking in the sun out in the driveway admiring the bikes (my neck was sunburned for days!), we went back around the house and sat on the lawn in the shade of one of Clay's trees. We sat around chatting with folks about this, that, and the other for quite a while.


Clay, Sprout, jadziadax8, Fourstring, and Oddball


mxvet57 and Clay


Oddball, sammyseaman, and Chris


Sprout and Fourstring in the trampoline.

Around 5:30, Chris and I decided we should probably hit the road. We had about an hour's ride to our hotel in Battle Creek. We went out to the bike to grab out gear and headed into the house to change. After donning our riding gear (which had been sitting in the sun all afternoon and was all warm and roasty-toasty), we walked around back one last time to bid everyone farewell.

On Clay and Jaci's suggestion, we took M-89 to get to Battle Creek rather than the highway. We left Clay's about 5:50 and got to our hotel - the Hampton Inn - just past 7 PM. We checked in - and a lovely check-in it was thanks to Franklin at the front desk! - and headed up to our room for a quick shower before we walked to Bob Evans next door for dinner. When we were walking back to the hotel, we talked about going for a swim at the hotel but decided we were too tired. We returned to our room and watched "The Hangover 2" on HBO.

Our on-the-road time for Saturday was only about 5.5 hours and we covered approximately 262 miles.

Stay tuned for Day 5...

[MrsCablebandit]

Once the BBQ was over, we'd officially been everywhere we had to be on our trip. For Sunday and Monday, we didn't have to be anywhere except home by the end of the day on Monday. That meant we didn't have to set an alarm for Sunday morning. Ah! The chance to sleep in a little...yay! I think we woke up around 7:30 and we took our time getting ready that morning. In fact, we didn't dress in our riding clothes. Instead, we each threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to head down to breakfast in the lobby. Like the Hampton Inn in Sudbury, this Hampton Inn's breakfast featured both hot and cold breakfast items, so we had a nice breakfast before packing up and hitting the road. I think we got on the road around 9:30 and pointed the bike east toward Ohio. We took lots of back farm roads to make our way over to US 223, including several "Mile Roads" - 12 Mile Road, 7 1/2 Mile Road, even 8 Mile Road...but we didn't see Eminem.




This fountain and the swanky mansion/clubhouse was the headquarters of some  insurance association - your premiums at work!
 





Intersections along back roads in Michigan have these single lights hanging over them.

Just before we crossed into Ohio, we stopped at truck stop for a stretch break. Sunday was a warm day from the outset. Between the hotel and our first stop, we finally had the chance to test out the new water bladder in our tank bag. Well, check that. We'd been using at stops and Chris had used it a few times while we were riding, but Sunday morning was the first time I tried to drink while we were riding. It requires just a bit of acrobatics - Chris has to lean over just a little, we have to run the tube under his arm, and I have to crouch down - but I was successful in "taking a hit" from our water supply. It's a good thing because it would have been very easy to get dehydrated on Sunday as hot as it was.

Anyhoo...back to our stretch break at the truck stop. We managed to find a parking space in the shade. We took turns going inside to enjoy the air conditioning and while Chris noticed a stuffed moose for sale. As you know, we had the ST.N mascot, Chili, along for the ride. We also have Smooches the Adventure Moose who is permanently attached to the bike. But Chris has been looking for a stuffed moose about the same size as Chili that he/we can take on trips and photograph similar to the way we'd been photographing Chili. The moose inside the truck stop was the right size and a pretty good price, too (only $8.99). So, we picked up another passenger on the bike and promptly named him "Muskoka the Moose" after the lakes we'd seen in Ontario. Shortly after leaving the truck stop, we crossed into Ohio. It's round on both ends and  high in the middle!




This one's for you, Eric...Meemaw!
 

Lotta good that helmet's doing her sitting on the sissy bar.  

We stopped for lunch at a Wendy's about 1:15. It was so hot that we wore all of our gear into the restaurant in an effort to get off the bike and into the air conditioning as quickly as possible. The good thing about taking our jackets and helmets into Wendy's with us was that they'd be nice and cool when it was time to get dressed again! I found us a table and Chris went to place our order. He upsized our drinks to the biggest ones possible so we could continue to hydrate. When we left, even though we'd parked in a somewhat shady parking spot, the indicated outdoor temperature was 99 degrees. Ugh.


Oof!
 

I tried to catch our picture in the windows, but as I snapped the picture, the windows went from clear to painted. Fail.
 

Oh! US 250! Just a few hundred miles east and we'd be on my favorite road - US 250 between Staunton, VA and the intersection with WV 28. It's AWESOME!!!
 




Day 5 was a monumental day for us and the Concours; we turned 30,000 miles on the bike!


29,999 and counting...
 

...and there's 30,000!!!

We turned 20,000 miles back in October on our way back from the Region 6 Fall Camping trip. Here we were, less than nine months later, and we'd added another 10,000 miles! Chris was very excited because we turned 30,000 miles more than a month shy of the Concours' 2nd birthday (July 17th). We stopped for petrol and a stretch break while we still had 30,000 on the odometer and did a little celebratory dance pump-side!

On our way out of town after the gas stop, we came upon a railroad crossing with the gates down and the lights flashing. I got all excited to take pictures of the train as it went by, but it turns out two local hoodlums had somehow triggered the crossing gates and buggered up traffic. We sat at the gate for a while until we realized this. Another local got out of his car, read the kids the riot act, and proceeded to direct traffic through the crossing.


And here I thought I was going to get some good train shots...

We ended our fifth day in North Canton, Ohio at the Best Western Plus. After getting checked in, we decided to hit the pool and hot tub before we walked over to "The Strip" for dinner. We decided that from now on, we'd make it a point to see out hotels that have hot tubs because a good soak at the end of a long day on the bike is superb!!! After 15 minutes in the hot tub and another 20 or so in the pool, we headed up to our room to get ready for dinner. Showered and dressed, we played a little Frogger while trying to get across the street to "The Strip" - a large shopping center with plenty of restaurants. But once we saw Red Robin...well, our choice was made. Chris went with his traditional Red Royal Burger and I got the Banzai Burger, which has PINEAPPLE on it! Since it was the last night of our trip, we decided to splurge and have dessert. We got shakes and agreed that they may have been the best milkshakes we've ever had. Chris got the mint chocolate brownie shake and I got the seasonal salted caramel shake. Yum!!!

We ended our night with the latest episode of Jerseylicious and the premier of True Blood. I'll have to check with Chris on the miles for Day 5 (he's already in bed because he has to teach tomorrow), but I think our on-the-road time was about 5.5 hours. We really did stretch out our return trip Sunday and Monday. If we'd wanted to, we could have made it back home on Sunday, although that would have meant slabbing it home...ew, no thanks!


Chili and Muskoka get acquainted.

Stay tuned for Day 6 and some final thoughts...

[MrsCablebandit]

Ugh. Here it is. The last entry for this wonderful trip. Color me sad.  

We woke up around 7 Monday morning, got showered and dressed, and headed down to the lobby for the complimentary breakfast. At this hotel, the breakfast attendant makes the waffles although neither of us decided to partake of this particular breakfast delight. I just found it interesting...and I also approved of this move! I've seen my share of hotel waffle makers completely gunked up and/or otherwise operated incorrectly by unsupervised children and adults alike! We returned to our room, packed up one last time, and headed down to the bike. I left Chris to attend to the bags while I walked to the front desk to check us out. Once we were on the bike and ready to roll, I said to Chris, "Say it with me," and without hesitation we both said at the same time, "We're coming, Monkey!" (That's what we say whenever we're headed home to Oscar, be it from an 1,800 mile bike trip or a quick run to Wegmans.)

We passed the Pro Football Hall of Fame which, if we'd had more time, I would have liked to visit to see Troy's bust and display. Oh...Troy who? You must not know me very well, then. Troy Aikman, silly! I luuuuuurve him!!! I'll get there to see Troy, and Emmitt, and Michael...and hopefully Hines Ward and The Bus...someday!


Last night's dinner location...YUM!







We were on the highway briefly as we passed the HoF and then found our way onto back roads to worm our way through Ohio into Pennsylvania, including a pass through Historic Lisbon, OH.


Way to go, Ruben!


An Ohio barn!


Yuck...we'z in Indian territory.


Live, love, and grow in Lisbon, OH.


Constructed by Jacob Picking as a hotel.










This church has curb appeal!


The Penn-Ohio Model A Ford Club had a stop at the Hall China Company in East Liverpool, OH as part of the summer tour.


A Cobra attack helicopter at the VFW post in Midland, PA.


Approaching Beaver Valley Power Station.


The cooling towers at Beaver Valley Power Station.

We took a stretch and snack break at a Sheetz just outside of Beaver, PA.


Cannons across the street from the Beaver County Courthouse.


The aforementioned courthouse.




King Cones Castle in Butler, PA.

We wandered along the back roads of Pennsylvania, commenting along the way that we were fairly certain we'd been through more turns and curves during our brief return to PA than we had in all of Michigan and Ohio! It was nice to be back on familiar, twisty turf! We wound up coming into Punxsutawney on PA 36 where we encountered the many Phils of Punxsy!


Tourist Phil


Bellhop Phil at the Pantall Hotel


Groundhog Day Phil - you can see "Phil's Burrow" on the green awning...he lives at the library year round.


Fireman Phil


Mailman Phil

We continued along PA 36 until it met up with US 219 to PA 879, which we took to Curwensville where we stopped for a brief stretch break and to decide where to have a late lunch. We were closing in on Clearfield and it was a Monday afternoon...chances were quite good that we'd be able to get a table at Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, so that's where we headed for our last on-the-road meal.


I saw this barn a few weeks ago when we were heading north to Kane to place the PA photo tag. This time, I snagged a pic of it.


Welcome to Denny's!




Check out Chili among the pickle spears!

After our yummy late lunch at Denny's, it was just about 50 minutes to get home via US 322. That last stretch of the ride, I really had mixed emotions. I was sad that our six-day adventure was coming to a close, but at the same time, I was really excited to see Oscar!

FINAL THOUGHTS
I had an absolute blast on this trip! I kept saying (and keep saying to anyone who will listen) how much fun I had at CLAY's BBQ and how great it was to finally meet and put faces to the names of some of the people I've chatted with here on ST.N. Heck, I say that about every ST.N event! There are some pretty cool people on here!

Some other observations: Canadian Heinz Ketchup is awesome, if I ever move to Canada I'll have to make my own unsweetened iced tea, Ontario would be a bitchin' place for a summer vacation on one of the many lakes, ditto for Traverse City on THE lake, central Michigan roads are a snoozefest, I overpacked (again), I can shower and be ready for dinner in 20 minutes but at home it takes me at least 45 minutes?!?, and Pennsylvania has the most attractive stop/slow sign holders of the four states we rode through plus Canada.

Thank you to CLAY and his family for their hospitality! And to Daryl for cooking all of that delicious food. Everything was wonderful, but it was the camaraderie that I enjoyed the most.

To everyone we saw at CLAY's house - old and new friends alike - it was great to see you, meet you, chat with you, etc. mxvet, lay off the hooch and stay out of the back of your truck!

To Chris, thank you for another great trip! I had a fantastic time and I'm already looking forward to the next two-wheeled adventure!

And thank YOU for reading my ride report!

TOTAL MILES: 1,804
TRIP LENGTH: 6 days
MOVING TIME: 36 hours
AVG MPG: 46.5
MOVING AVG: 50 MPH

[Kneescrubber]

I see what you did.

 

[sammyseaman]

Niagara Falls, NY  
Niagara Falls , Ontario  

 

[Cablebandit]

I didn't see any mention of the smoking hot stop/slow sign holders we have in PA.  

[Dan K]

Great start to the report and great to meet you guys at Clay's. Sounds like a great ride.

[R Doug]

Ok, you've done the touristy thing in Niagara.  What's next?    

[Mr.Black]

Niagara Falls, NY  
Niagara Falls , Ontario  

 

Yup!

We we're at Flyers in Niagara Canada Wednesday evening and did the touristy stuff on Thursday. Maid of the mist et al.   That is two thumbs up. Check it out on your next trip.

Flyer showed me the good cigar shop away from the hullabaloo.

[Gat]

Stuffed Beaver!  

[naustin]

 

Why does the c14 tell you the temp is "outside".  Doesn't that go without saying on a motorcycle?  

[MrsCablebandit]

Day 2 has been posted!

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,72392.msg1680823.html#msg1680823

I'm going to TRY to get more than one day posted each day, but this pesky thing called WORK keeps getting in the way.    

Why does the c14 tell you the temp is "outside".  Doesn't that go without saying on a motorcycle?  

On this trip, we were amazed at how cool/cold the indicated temperatures felt sometimes. When we were running about around the lakes on Day 2 and the temps were in the 70s, it felt downright chilly! If the bike hadn't indicated what the temperatures were, I would have easily guessed it was 10-15 degrees cooler. And then of course, on days like Sunday when the indicated temperature was 99 degrees...well, that was just the bike mocking us at that point!

[Cablebandit]

 

Why does the c14 tell you the temp is "outside".  Doesn't that go without saying on a motorcycle?  

Well the first pic was actually the temperature inside the garage.  

[viffergyrl]

Very nice Mrs. CB! Waiting for the next installment.

[MrsCablebandit]

Great start to the report and great to meet you guys at Clay's. Sounds like a great ride.

Great to meet you too, Dan! When you introduced yourself, it was like, "Whoa! Dan K!" It was just so cool to finally put faces with all of the names!  

Very nice Mrs. CB! Waiting for the next installment.

Thanks! I'm going to try to hammer out Day 3 this afternoon while I'm listening in on a conference call.

[naustin]

On this trip, we were amazed at how cool/cold the indicated temperatures felt sometimes. When we were running about around the lakes on Day 2 and the temps were in the 70s, it felt downright chilly! If the bike hadn't indicated what the temperatures were, I would have easily guessed it was 10-15 degrees cooler. And then of course, on days like Sunday when the indicated temperature was 99 degrees...well, that was just the bike mocking us at that point!

My bike reports the outside temp too, and I share you amazement at times how cool the air can feel despite actual temps in the 70s.

What struck me funny is the display on your C14 specifically reports the temp is the "Outside" temp - can you switch it to the "Inside" temp too?!

Thanks for the ride report!  I'm enjoying it so far!

[Cricket1]

On this trip, we were amazed at how cool/cold the indicated temperatures felt sometimes. When we were running about around the lakes on Day 2 and the temps were in the 70s, it felt downright chilly! If the bike hadn't indicated what the temperatures were, I would have easily guessed it was 10-15 degrees cooler. And then of course, on days like Sunday when the indicated temperature was 99 degrees...well, that was just the bike mocking us at that point!

I bet the humidity was very low when the 70's felt cool. To me it can be 70 degrees and 80% humidity and feel terribly hot and miserable.  OTOH- 85 degress and 20% feels great, especially in the shade or when moving.   Doesnt that fancy C14 have an RH gauge too?   

[Cablebandit]

I bet the humidity was very low when the 70's felt cool. To me it can be 70 degrees and 80% humidity and feel terribly hot and miserable.  OTOH- 85 degress and 20% feels great, especially in the shade or when moving.   Doesnt that fancy C14 have an RH gauge too?   

That was my theory.  It was very dry (sub 30%) humidity much of the way across Canada and upper Michigan.



No RH gauge but you can cruise fast enough to get condensate to form.  

[ConPilot1]

Nice pics Beth

Looks like a great trip....

[MrsCablebandit]

Nice pics Beth

Looks like a great trip....

Thanks, Tim! We had a great time. You really ought to make the trek next year!


Day 3 has been updated, y'all! (No conference call yesterday afternoon, so I had to wait until last night to write it.)

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,72392.msg1680824.html#msg1680824

[viffergyrl]

Ah... memories.... My folk all came from Michigan. My father grew up in Clare and my mother was born in St. Joe county (Three Rivers). In fact I have a cousin in Clay's neck of the woods. Hmmmmm......

Traverse City is a great place to visit, but my best memory is my aunt and uncle's cabin on Green Lake (near Interlochen). Going fishing with my uncle is as clear in my mind as if it happened yesterday.  Then there was my grandmother's house in Constantine - the old barn, the cornfields, and the fireflies! (Don't have those in California.) If I close my eyes I can hear the cicadas, smell the earth, and see all the green things growing.

I like that route 119.

[sammyseaman]

The times I've had to deal with American and Canadian border crossings are always the same:
Go into Canada and receive a very pleasant welcome.  
Go back into the good 'ol U.S of A. and deal with a douche-nozzle fuckwad.
Every single time and most of those were before 9/11. It's pretty embarassing and really fuckin' annoying  

On a less grumpy note, I'm glad you guys were able to hit Leggs Inn and the Tunnel of Trees. Both are must dos if'n one is anywhere near Cross Village  

[bungie4]

I love seeing other ppls trip reports from my home turf. Glad to see you enjoyed Central Ontario. I was really hoping you guys would've given me a buzz, but I understand.

(truth be told, I just wanted a pic of me 'n chilli )

[MrsCablebandit]

Day 4 - BBQ DAY! - has been updated. Two posts in one day...I'm on a roll!  

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,72392.msg1680826.html#msg1680826

I love seeing other ppls trip reports from my home turf. Glad to see you enjoyed Central Ontario. I was really hoping you guys would've given me a buzz, but I understand.

(truth be told, I just wanted a pic of me 'n chilli )

Sorry! I meant to make a note of which Canadian ST.Ners were where to shoot y'all a PM when we were in town, but I forgot.  If it's any consolation, we LOVED our time in Ontario and I suspect we'll be back to rent a cottage and enjoy some time on one of the many lakes! In the meantime, come on down to ESTN this fall and/or next Spring's Region 6 Meet...I'm sure Chili will make it to one or both of those!

[sleazy rider]

Stuffed Beaver!  

 

[R Doug]

R Doug has his own road in Canada?

Well, I am an honorary Canadian, don't cha know.


Great report... Keep it coming.

[Mastros2]

Great report so far! Keep it coming Beth!

[st2sam]

 
Mary Mother of God Beth what a awesome report...
Looking forward to the rest of the trip!  

 Did you (Chris) notice any difference in MPG running on Canadian gas?  (no ethanol?)
One more, did you switch over to KPH when in Canada?

[Cablebandit]

Sam, I reset the average fuel consumption on the way out of the garage just to see how we would do over the long trip.  When I reset it it read 42mpg average since new.  (it now has over 30K)  On the trip we averaged about 46.5mpg.  I don't really think it had anything to do with the gas.  It had more to do with the flat terrain (no real elevation change for hundreds of miles), and riding two up on fairly straight roads with lower speed limits.  I tend to ride quite a bit slower two up.

I did change to KPH once we hit Canada.


Just a sidebar: All the COG guys that claim crazy mileage out of their tires obviously live toward the middle of the country.  I left with about 800 miles on the rear.  I came home with about 2700 miles on it and ZERO change in tread depth.  I measured it the day before we left and the day we got home.

[st2sam]

 42mpg average since new.
 All the COG guys that claim crazy mileage out of their tires obviously live toward the middle of the country.

Thanks...

I get 40.7 since new (2009 stock map, no flies, K&N) with over 40,000mi..
TIRES! Ha, I'll bet you two ta one you are correct.
If I could get 3,500mi. out of a set I'd be tickled pink..........

[MrsCablebandit]

Day 5 has been updated. I know it sucks that I can only update one day at a time...it's not my usual M.O. I like to be able to post everything all at once, but it's been a crazy busy week. Thanks, all, for bearing with me!  

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,72392.msg1680827.html#msg1680827

[Skee]

Gawl Almighty that's a lot of photos - I had to stop halfway through for artificial  tears - though I enjoyed viewing all of them.

[Spanky]

Awesome ride report! I wanted to go. The pics just prove that I missed a great trip -   for you two,   for me.

[Rincewind]

I did a similar trip a few years ago, though we did it clockwise around Lake Huron.  I loved the Georgian Bay area.  Thanks for all the pics!    

[canban]

Great report!!!!

I too love reading about my own backyard. For a cottage vacation Muskoka or Georgian Bay are both fantastic.

One bone to pick. Lots of hockey content on Day One , yet when you get to Parry Sound no mention of its favourite son Bobby Orr .

Hockey was around before Mario and / or Sid took over Pittsburg  

[MrsCablebandit]

One bone to pick. Lots of hockey content on Day One , yet when you get to Parry Sound no mention of its favourite son Bobby Orr .

Hockey was around before Mario and / or Sid took over Pittsburg  

Touche! Chris can vouch for me...I tried to get a picture of the sign that said Sudbury was Bobby Orr's hometown and I did point out the Bobby Orr museum to Chris when we were down on Bay Street for lunch (it was about two blocks down from the cafe).


And, Day 6 has been updated. That's all she wrote. Literally.  

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,72392.msg1680829.html#msg1680829

[bungie4]

Touche! Chris can vouch for me...I tried to get a picture of the sign that said Sudbury was Bobby Orr's hometown and I did point out the Bobby Orr museum to Chris when we were down on Bay Street for lunch (it was about two blocks down from the cafe).

Correction: Bobby Orr's home town is Parry Sound (or more specifically, Orrville).

It's a shame  you didn't have time to explore some of the backroads in the area. VVG. I found a great new one just east of Port Carling that was freshly paved. I was riding with a lady friend who rides 1000RR. Sure enough, first pass at it, we got stuck behind gramma doing 40km/h and couldn't pass (safely) anywhere. So we did a U-Turn at the end and gave it a good sampling. Twice

If your in the area, BrackenRig road should be high on your list!

[Reddog*]

Thank you for the tales of your travels to Clays.
It was very nice to have a chance to chat with you there.  

[MrsCablebandit]

Correction: Bobby Orr's home town is Parry Sound (or more specifically, Orrville).

Argh! That's what I meant to write!!!

While I was writing that last post, I was thinking about how giddy I was that we'd been anywhere near Whitby (James Neal's hometown) on Wednesday versus my mild-at-best enthusiasm to be IN Bobby Orr's hometown on Thursday.

[viffergyrl]

Bravo, Mrs. CB!! It was really great to put faces on some of the more 'prolific' STNers in their natural setting.    

[MrsCablebandit]

Awesome ride report! I wanted to go. The pics just prove that I missed a great trip -   for you two,   for me.

We'll be sure to rub it in this weekend how you missed out on a great trip. Of course, copious amounts of ice cream will likely ease the pain.  

[Gat]

Awesome report, thank you for sharing it with us!  It was really cool meeting you guys at Clay's.

Maybe next year a few of us can head out your way  

I rode over the Big Chute Marine Railway last summer and got the opportunity to see it from the water.  Here's a shot from the lower end.

[MrsCablebandit]

Maybe next year a few of us can head out your way  

Funny you should say that! Chris and I have already started talking about doing something similar to Clay's BBQ at our house next summer. This year's a no-go because someone has to teach MSF classes nearly every weekend in August! But next year...heck, I've already got the menu planned, right down to the types of cookies I'll make.  

August 2013 - The Homestead Hootenanny - keep it in mind!

[ConPilot1]

 I don't know if I can make that one. It's pretty far away.

[sammyseaman]

Excellent ride report  
Sad it's ever  

[Mr.Awesome]

Thanks for the great report, really enjoyed it!  You are fantastic with that camera.  

[slayman]

Great report. Thanks for putting the time into the pix and the write up.

[Orson]

Nice report!  

Bravo, Mrs. CB!! It was really great to put faces on some of the more 'prolific' STNers in their natural setting.    

Yup, nice to see faces  

It was nice seeing the Canadian portion as most Canadian trip reports are either out west or in the Maritimes  

[MrsCablebandit]

Thanks, all!

I really do enjoy putting these ride reports together for others to read and enjoy. Plus, I get to relive the entire trip!

[Dan K]

Great report, Beth.  In all the pics from Clay's, well, it appears I am a vampire and do not show up in pics...only my bike.  I'll stay mysterious.

AWESOME to meet you guys.  Looking forward to next year already.

 -Dan

[Mr.Black]

it appears I am a vampire and do not show up in pics

 -Dan

What, this isn't you?

[Dan K]

What, this isn't you?

I thought that was you?!?!?  Alas, I do not ride an FJR, so that is definitely not me.  Hi Ed!

 -Dan

[Cablebandit]

Would you want to wake up in a strange "bed" next to this?  

[sammyseaman]

Would you want to wake up in the "bed" of your truck next to this?  

FTFY  

[Cablebandit]

Well the quoted "bed" made it special for those that were there.  

[CLAY]

I followed Day 1 then forgot to check back in until tonight.  GREAT report!  It was awesome to meet you two- it's always fun meeting fellow STN'ers.  
Good times indeed!

[Cablebandit]

I'll always remember the Clay-B-Que.  I have a scar on my calf from where the cotter pin on the front of your whatever was parked next to your CB200 attacked me.  





Good times.

[bluepoof]

Great ride report, even if you're a Pens fan.