Some Fall Riding.

 Thursday evening I got out for a couple of hours out towards North Gower and Richmond.
Just a nice warm fall evening, and a leisurely ride.
For some reason , the farmer's fields seemed particularly peaceful to look out over.


Friday, 2 colleagues from work ( Greg and Frank )and I went for a pretty awesome ride in the afternoon.
We have all been working pretty hard, and being Friday before the long weekend, the sites were a ghost town by around 11 am.
Seemed like the thing to do.

We went up to Calabogie and then followed the Matawatchan up to Griffith.
People rave about the road between Hopetown and Calabogie, but I think this road is better.
Not as great asphalt, but a much more scenic ride.
From there to Denbeigh, and then the Boulter road to Combermere.

We stopped at the same spot Brent and I had stopped, for the view.
Photos just don't do it justice.
It is so peaceful...the smell of the fall leaves, only the sound of the wind in the trees...horses grazing..
We were probably there for 15 minutes just taking it all in.

I am pretty sure the guys both liked the rest of the road as well.
What is not to like ? Lots of corners and small hills,a wood plank bridge, trees changing colour both sides of the road..

We decided to head to Barry's Bay but first we stopped at the park on the old Barry's bay road.
The water level was low so there was no waterfall, but it was still a great place to stop and see.

Greg and Frank 

We gassed up in Barry's Bay, and then headed to Eganville, and then Renfrew.
A quick break in Renfrew, and then home via the highway.
By this time it was getting pretty dark.

I am not crazy about riding in the dark at this time of the year because of the deer. They are everywhere.
I am guessing it would suck to hit a deer at 60 mph.
Might even put a damper on things.

We took it easy and stayed in the pack with the traffic, and nobody aced out a deer.

I was happy I had my leather jacket with me for late afternoon and the night ...when the sun went down it was positively nurpley.
I almost just left the house with only a jean jacket on...I could have frozen my "special guys" off.

Greg and Frank are great guys to ride with , and we committed to getting out again before the year is over.

Out and About / This and That.

The weather has been a little nicer the last few days.
No massive rides...just out and about.

Both Thursday and Friday I was able to ride to work. A little nurple-ish on the way in, but coming home was nice.
Friday after work my wife and I went out for a little ride and did the Experimental farm, canal and Ottawa River parkway.
The Exp. farm was beautiful as usual.

Saturday morning I took a little ride and stopped to see the rock sculptures along the river.
I was the only one there...that was nice.

Saturday afternoon we went out to Arnprior via Galetta, and came back through Pakenham, Almonte, and Carleton Place.
Actually, it was near perfect riding weather when the sun was out.
Wasn't too cold or too hot..... the Super Glide was happy..it's air cooled.
No back firing, or burning nads from the heat coming off of the motor.
As fun as it looks to be on a Harley on a really hot day... it is not that fun.
They definitely run hot, and prefer the cooler weather.

Saturday night I got out for a little ride up the Queensway to Orleans and back.

Sunday...rainy and cold.
Really crap-tacular weather.
As much as I love to ride ( must be true...look at my profile...it says so.) ...I stayed home and started on one of the many projects I have been backburnering due to my busy riding schedule.

It felt kind of different to be home on a Sunday.
Good, but different.

Tonight I got home from work, gorked back a yummy meal of Salisbury steak, and mashed, and headed out on the bike.
Really nice evening.
Again nothing huge, just down to Maitland (between Prescott and Brockville ) and back.
Still, it was nice to ride steady for 2 hours.
And surprise ! There are still a shit load of bugs looking to commit suicide against my wind-shield.
A couple of frosts should put an end to that.

Tomorrow is looking OK, so maybe I will ride into work, but the rest of the week looks like solid rain.
I don't mind getting caught in the rain, or an iffy day even...but getting to work soaked would suck.

The detachable wind shield and sport front fender on my bike do a pretty amazing job of funnelling all of the dirty water straight to my crotch  from over the tank.
Sweet!
 ....It is hard to look like you know what you are doing, when you look like you pee'd yourself.
I would not want to spend the first 2 hours of my day explaining that no...I do not suffer from adult incontinence....I rode into work.

Any ways...here is hoping the weather people were smoking crack and got it all wrong, and the long range is going to be sunny.

Small rides and more tire action

Been a really bad week or so, weather wise.
Too much rain.

Last week I tightened up my clutch cable, which meant I had to remove the derby cover on the primary case...and as always, one of the crappy Harley torx head screws stripped.
Bought a screw extractor, removed it, and then changed all of the screws to Allen key chrome.
Never as easy or as cheap as I planned.

I have gotten out for a few small evening rides, and on Sunday went out to Brent's in Lanark, and then to Renfrew for breakfast.
I had already decided to cut the day short because it was windy and cold and looked like rain, when Brent asked what was on my rear tire.
I took a look...it was down to threads in 2 spots.
Not good. Not good at all ...

That ended any debate about riding farther...I took the back roads home.
We stopped at the church in Burnstown.

When I got home, I took the wheel off, because I did not trust the tire to drive on any more.

Bit of a beast..I had to remove the shocks to get at the axle bolt, and remove the brake and belt guard too.
Next morning I texted Don from Black's Corners Tire to see if I could drop my wheel off with a new tire and tube, and pick it up later in the week.
He said he would change it while I waited...what a guy !

That night...put the wheel back on and went for a little test ride.
Back in business.

The Madawaska from the Church in Burnstown

Got out for a little ride tonight after dinner. I went out to Rideau road and back on the 416.
Not exciting or anything,but it was nice out.

It gets dark pretty early now. By 7:30 it's black out, and there are a lot of deer rampaging about at this time of the year..
It would suck to hit one for sure.

Hopefully there is some sun this weekend.

The week and then the Barron Canyon

It was a pretty good week last.
In between some not so nice weather I got some after dinner rides in. Nothing huge...all under an hour, but still good.

Wednesday I went out to Brent's and we changed my front tire. He had  a virtually new tire that he had no use for, and he has a bead breaker, rim protectors, and the spoons.
Went really well, and I have a tire that will get me the rest of this season and probably into June next year.
Sweet !

Saturday I got out for a few rides in the city doing chores and pick-ups. I would rather take the bike to do something than drive the SUV any day. It takes longer somehow...but that is OK.

Sunday I left the house at 7am to meet up with Brent in Lanark for breakfast. Foggy and cold.
Froze my nads off.
Any ways, we met up and decided to run to the Barron Canyon in Algonquin Park.
The turn off is between Pembroke and Pettawa, on the left.
The 1st few miles were paved, and then we hit gravel, and then packed earth...took a good 45 minutes to get there . A few times I thought I had hit bumps hard enough to break a spoke.
Definitely not a motorcycle friendly route.

All was forgotten once we got there.
Pretty spectacular place!
The only thing I can compare it to, ( geek alert!..... geek alert ! ) is the scene in "Lord of the Rings" where the fellowship is canoeing through the canyons.
There was even canoes/kayaks.
Kind of a fairly steep uphill trail.
Brent and I looked totally out of place in our boots and leathers with the other hikers.
Oh well.

There are no guard rails of any kind, just signs saying watch your kids.

I am so getting a canoe for next year, and trying this  !

The forest is of a different kind than I am used to seeing...it seems almost West Coast-ish for some reason.
Beautiful, in any event.
We saw deer tracks, and were told there are definitely bears and wolves.
We did not see any of the bald eagles that are there, but there are supposed to be all kinds of hawks and birds to be seen soaring around, and living on the cliffs.

We had a good chat with a game warden...real nice guy.
When asked, he informed me that yes, there is indeed a helmet law in the park.
I had to ask. :)

In typical Parks Canada fashion, everything is clean, well maintained, directional signs everywhere....the whole nine yards..
You can't mind seeing your tax dollars being well spent in a tangible fashion.
Cost at the gate for a day pass?...6 bucks each. That is almost free.

The ride out was not as bumpy, but still took a while. You cannot get past  40km/hr on roads like these.

Looking at the time, we decided to highway 17 it home.
Not a particularly exciting end to the day, but it cut at least an hour off going the scenic route.
Uneventful ride home.
I was actually kind of beat from the off-roading and the hiking we did , so that was OK by me.
The coming week is looking like a mixed bag for weather. It looks like the heat spell is over as well.

No more riding in just a t-shirt and vest.
Jackets, gloves, hoodies and chaps are the order of the day now.
sigh......

Small towns and nice roads

Met up with Brent at 8;30 in Lanark for breakfast.
We decided to head up to Sharbot lake and explore back of Wagarville.

Of course we stopped at Silver lake on the way.

Past Sharbot Lake , through Tichborne and Parham, we turned for Wagarville, and followed 5 Lake Road , which turned into Mountain Road.
Wagarville was not very big. ....100 people ?

We stopped to check out 5th Depot Lake. Not a very appealing name, but a really pretty lake.

Mountain Road is a fun ride. Nice scenery too.
So now we are in Tamworth.
Where to go?

Brent suggested that we go to Marlbank, since neither if us had been there.
Finest road of the day for some reason.
Enough turns, but also some long straight a ways with rolling hills.
The road was like a snake, but not left to right...up and down.
Not much in Marlbank...

Next stop Tweed.
Really nice town. Just big enough.
We headed back to highway 7 and immediately turned on to Flinton Road, heading to Flinton.
Again a new road for both of us...and another pleasant surprise!
Lots of turns, hills and again...great scenery.

We stopped at a big swamp / marsh along the way.
It was actually quite intriguing looking for some reason.

To get down to the swamp we had to walk through a bit of a forest area.
There were snake skins, snakes, frogs, herons, assorted birds ...lots of wildlife.
Worth stopping for.

Not a whole lot in Flinton...

We rode up 41 through Northbrook and Cloyne, and turned at Vennachar Junction.
From there, Plevna, Ompah, Snow Road Station, Elphin, Lanark... and home through Ferguson Falls, and Carleton Place.
These are all fun roads, but kind of routine now.

Between Elphin and Lanark, I saw Brent signal to pass a car a head of us.
I shoulder checked and followed him.
During the pass, while I was doing 110 km/hr.  at least, ...3 rice rockets passed us...while we were passing the car !
Scared the shit out of me.
They came from behind the truck following me.
They had to be doing 160 Km/hr.
And people wonder at Motorcycle fatalities.....these guys will end up smeared somewhere, driving like that.

Looks like sunny week coming up...could be I will get out for a night ride or 2.

Friday Ride

Not really a massive week of riding, but I did get out a few nights after dinner for an hour or so.

Friday, I was invited to join  in on a ride organized by Mark from Modern Niagara.

We left Ottawa around 8:45, headed to Orleans to pick up 1 more rider, and headed to Hawkesbury.

From there, across to Lachute, then Morin Heights and Saint-Sauveur, to Mont Tremblant.
Some of the roads were in pretty nasty shape, but all the hills and corners and the spectacular view along the way, make this a pretty awesome route to take.

 Saint - Sauveur was a particularly nice little town. I kind of noticed that people were looking at us as we rode down the main drag, and later when we stopped, one of the guys mentioned that there was a sign in French stating no motorcycles on the main drag.....that would explain the looks we got!
I would definitely go back there.
http://www.valleesaintsauveur.com/media/FAQs.html

At Mont Tremblant , which is very pretty as well, we had a nice BBQ lunch and some coffee, and then headed back to Ottawa through Brebeuf, Cheneville, and Ripon and to the 50, and home, with guys dropping off as we rode.

The Bikes

The Guys from Modern

Mont Tremblant

Getting ready to head out.

All and all,  it was a thoroughly enjoyable ride and day.
Thanks for the hospitality, and for making me a part of the day.
A great bunch of people, for sure!

And, as you must have noticed in the pictures...a  mix of motorcycle brands and styles.
Sports bikes to touring bikes.... Hondas, Harleys and Suzukis.
Just guys who like to ride....riding and enjoying the day.

Nothing wrong with that.

Riding Again

It was a long week of no riding.

My back was too sore from my tumble down the stairs last weekend to think about riding.

I got the oil changed, and the bike cleaned up on Saturday, and just a quick-check-for-leaks ride.

Sunday I met up with Brent, and we rode up through Plum Hollow, Battersea, Inverary, and back through Sharbot Lake.

Outside of Battersea, we had to stop at this cool little bridge that opens up to let boats through.

A couple of stops along the Mississippi River, which we seem to cross at some point no matter where we are heading.

Not a big ride, but I didn't want to push my back, and end up back where I started a week ago.

It was relaxing.

Monday I got out for a little ride to Merrickville.
I had ridden past , but never stopped at,  the ruins across the street from the locks.. I am glad I finally did.
What's not to like ? ...stone ruins and buildings...river..interpretive center..

Sometimes life is such a rush, that we forget to stop and see the sights..
Invariably when I do, I learn something new.

Like today... I had all kinds of grand plans of where I would be riding for the couple of hours I would be out, and I ended up waylaid in the ruins.

Have to step back and remember that sometimes it is about the journey and not the destination.
The process and not the result, is what matters.
Kind of the antithesis of daily life...