MS Society of Canada Sudbury Chapter - Northern Ontario Development Day

Sandy's and my involvement with the Sudbury Chapter of the MS Society of Canada began gradually. First we started attending meetings of the chapter self help group, then called Hope Seekers and now renamed Trailblazers, at the Rona Ramsey MS Centre of Hope. Then we began going to the Thursday lunches held by the chapter members. The next thing you know, I had volunteered us to take the aluminum pop cans they collected to the salvage yard and bring back the funds this generated. Finally, an off hand comment resulted in me being recruited last December to fill the vacant Treasurer position on the chapter Board.

Rona Ramsey MS Centre of Hope - Sudbury Ontario

The Northern Ontario Development Day (NODD) was an idea that had been percolating for several years and now the Board was about to make it happen. The plan was two-fold. First we would have a morning working session with the Northern Ontario chapters to share ideas and best practices regarding fundraising, as well as to discuss chapter issues common to the north. Second, we would host an open afternoon seminar where speakers would talk about the possibility of developing a  neurological clinic in Sudbury to service the north. Recognizing that there are not enough MS patients to warrant a dedicated MS clinic, the invitations went out to other organizations representing neurological disorders which could also benefit from such an institution.

Finally, under the leadership of Director at Large Paul B., aided by new Director of Public Relations Lori, chapter staff person Sheila and other Board members, the vision imparted by Chapter Chair Laurel was about to become a reality.

The weather was amazing this morning. It was almost as if spring finally realized it had been waiting in the wings too long and finally burst upon us in one amazing day. Sandy and I got to the Centre about 8:00 AM. Most of the setup for the morning session had been completed Friday afternoon, so it was a fairly relaxed atmosphere as we waited for the attendees to arrive.

Sandy, Lori and Cyndi prepare to greet the guests

There was a nice continental breakfast laid out and the coffee was on, so everyone fixed plates of fruit, yogurt, breakfast bars and homemade muffins. Sudbury members arrived as did Peter and Lionel from Timmins and Sandy from Thunder Bay. Last in was Sylvia Leonard, MS Ontario Division President and National VP, who had driven up from Toronto yesterday to observe.

At 9:15 sharp, we set aside the breakfast dishes, got one more cup of coffee and got down to business.

The chapters attending shared the strategies they used to make the main fundraising activities successful. Timmins is renowned for their Carnation campaign while Sudbury's Walk is successful. Chapters also shared other means of fundraising. Everyone agreed that what works in one place may not work in another due to local dynamics but that there were also some commonalities. After the break, we talked about these issues and Sylvia shared some thoughts on changes she would like to see as the new Division president.

Sheila, Laurel, Rona and Gilles from Sudbury

 Sandy from Thunder Bay and Division President Sylvia

Sandy, Sylvia, Lionel (Timmins), Cyndi, Dr. Shawn and Paul B (all Sudbury)

Gilles (Sudbury), Peter (Timmins), Sandy (T Bay) and Sylvia (Toronto)

Sandy, Rose, Lori, Paul H and Sheila (all Sudbury)

All in all, as we broke for a lunch provided by the Trailblazers, everyone agreed that the morning had been worthwhile and would like to see it done again. It was one workshop where I was engaged all the way through, an unusual and positive thing. It was particularly nice that Sylvia made the effort to come and listen to what the northern chapters had to say.

Yours truly and  Paul Brokenshire, rated one of the 75 most interesting people in Canada

After lunch, the chapter people, aided by our guests, sprang into action to convert the workshop space into the layout for the afternoon seminar. Tables were folded and put away while chairs were set up for the expected fifty plus attendees. the podium, sound system and projector were put in place. We managed to get everything in order as the afternoon guests started to arrive.

MC Paul B giving some opening remarks

First to speak was Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas. She gave a talk on how to organize a campaign to get what we needed from government, followed by a question and answer session. Some of her points were ones I was already familiar with, while a few provided insight into additional methods and considerations. Her asides about how politicians operate were both informative and humourous.

MPP France Gelinas addressing the assembled multitudes

Dr. Melanie Ursell was the next up to the podium. A neurologist specializing in MS who moved her practice from Toronto to Bracebridge, Dr. Ursell used a Powerpoint presentation to impart facts about MS as well as new advances in drugs and treatment regimens that were on the horizon. She was extremely well versed in her subject and took questions from the floor as she went along. It seems that some new drugs and well as the idea that aggressive treatment be commenced right after the first exacerbation are yielding very positive downstream results in slowing the progress of the disease.

Dr. Melanie Ursell from Bracebridge

Dr. Ursell was followed by Sherry Frizzell, who described the workings of the Northeast Local Health Integration Network, which is responsible for providing most of the local health care services and would be involved with any potential new neurological clinic. She was followed by closing speaker Dr. Shawn Rossi, Sudbury MS Chapter Director of Client Services and coordinator the neurological clinic project.

During the afternoon break, cake and coffee were served to the attendees. At then end of the session, Sudbury Chair Laurel gave some closing remarks to tie the seminar together. As the guests departed, the chapter people restored to building to its everyday layout in short order and most of us headed out for supper.

Paul B. had arranged a private room at Curious Thyme's Bistro, located at Science North. The company was excellent, the service was good but the food was just OK. I will say they know how to make asparagus taste good to me (and I usually hate asparagus).

Lionel (Timmins), Gilles and Paul H (both Sudbury)

Cyndi (Sudbury), Sandy (Thunder Bay), Paul B, Rona, Sandy and Rose (All Sudbury)

Sandy (Thunder Bay) and Paul B (Sudbury)

After supper, we left and spent some time talking in the parking lot. Peter from Timmins rides a motorcycle, although he is more of an adventure tour rider and has a Kawasaki KLR 650. Still, it was good to talk a little motorcycle speak on such a pleasant evening.

All in all, it was a good day. We met new friends and learned a lot from each other. I expect we will get together and do it all again next year.

Northstar Recreation Open House

Northstar Recreation - Sudbury Ontario

Northstar Recreation is a motorcycle dealership in Sudbury started a number of years ago by Dave Bimm. Dave had been the service manager at another local dealership prior to that and had taken good care of my previous GoldWings. A couple of years ago, after a lot of work, North Star was granted a Honda dealership in addition to the Kawasaki line they had started with.

North Star Recreation Owner Dave Bimm

Today we were there in response to an invitation extended to the Freedom Riders along with other local groups to witness the unveiling of the new Honda F6B. The original F6 was the 1500 cc Valkyrie, which was a stripped down bike using a hopped up version of the GL1500 motor. Using six carburetors instead of two and more aggressive cams, the bike would pass everything except a gas station and found a strong following. The F6B is a stripped down bagger style bike using the stock GL1800 motor. While this was the Canadian unveiling, I did point out the bike was on the road in the USA and U-Turn had just picked up his in Chattanooga and was riding it back to Boston.

The shrouded F6B awaiting introduction

Dave had laid on a very nice spread of food and refreshments. The small crowd came from various organizations and also included regular North Star customers. In advance of the appointed hour, since we were all there, one of Dave's staff started the unveiling by uncovering the three versions of the new CB500.

CB500F, CB500X and CBR500R

With the entry level bikes uncovered, the crowd held its collective breath and the cover was pulled off the jet black F6B. With a shorter windshield and no trunk, the bike is lower and lighter than a GoldWing and should be attractive to the bagger crowd, those that like the Kawasaki Vaquero or Harley Davidson Road Glide Custom. The F6B should be the fastest, best handling bagger out there, reinforced by the super reliable GoldWing engine. Plus, in black, it just looks plain mean. The centre stand is optional and it doesn't have a cruise control (a mistake in my mind), but it is state of the art in its class.

Freedom Riders Ray, Terry, Leo and Sandy around the F6B

It was nice of Dave to invite us and we enjoyed stopping by. When he first got the Honda dealership, he warned me that his mechanics were not up to speed on GoldWings. I appreciated his honesty at the time. He told me that they have gotten them figured out now so I am looking forward to finally being able to deal with a local shop for the first time in over ten years for my rare routine maintenance.

Thank you Dave Bimm and Northstar Recreation. We will be seeing you down the road.

Woodstock Ontario to Sudbury Ontario

After a few nice spring-like days, it was back to cold this morning. There was a hard frost, a little snow on the ground and a forecast high of -6 C. The tailgate on the truck was frozen shut so, rather than fight with it,  everything went into the back seat.

We were rolling at 7:30 after a quick stop at McDonald's for coffee, breakfast sandwiches and muffins to go. We ran through some snow squalls on the way to Cambridge and there was more snow on the ground when we got there.

Snow squalls on Highway 401

When I exited the 401 at Hespeler Road in Cambridge to head up Highway 24, I felt a slight clunk. At the stoplight, I got out and found my suspicions were correct. The frozen tailgate that hadn't released when I pulled the latch back at Heather and Tom's had finally decided to cooperate. It was wide open and, had I not checked, some of the items stored in the box might have parted company with us. Lucky to have caught it sooner rather than later, I shut it firmly before we continued on.

Going through Guelph a different way, I saw a sign for John Galt Park. Ayn Rand fans will get a kick out of this, although it was named for a different John Galt. This one was the founder of Guelph but it should still be a good venue for libertarians to congregate.

The trip up Highway 24 to Airport Road, north to Highway 9 and east to Highway 400 was uneventful. I watched the speed because of the ticket I got along this route last summer, but saw no police this time. We made up for that on 400 north where we saw three traffic stops within a few miles near the Highway 88 interchange. On the plus side, they were working the southbound side, catching people heading back into Toronto after the long weekend.

Through Barrie and north, we experienced severe crosswinds and blowing snow. It may be April first but it felt like a severe November day. The construction was still going on at the Barrie northbound service centre, until recently an empty lot. We stopped at the Esso at Waubaushene so I could grab a couple of 5 Hour Energy bottles. These are great for fighting off drowsiness when driving.

Barrie service centre construction

On the two-lane north of Parry Sound, we got into a line of slow traffic following a snowplow which was salting a bare highway. Since we were approximately 43 vehicles behind the plow, I bided my time and waited for the passing lanes. Unfortunately, the plow took up both lanes in the passing stretch so nobody was going anywhere until he pulled over at Pointe Au Baril. As we went by, I noted that not only was he salting a bare road, he was plowing it as well. It is always nice to see one's hard earned tax dollars being flushed down the drain.

Now we were lined up about 42nd behind a tanker that had been right behind the plow. Again I waited for the passing lanes but every time we got to a passing lane, some twit would pull to the left and briskly not accelerate. Sometimes they weren't even passing anyone and so I went by two on the right. I finally got by the truck just before the Magnetawan River and the last sixty miles was relatively easy.

Near the Britt turnoff, the OPP were running a bit of an immoral speed trap. A cruiser was parked hidden in some trees and the constable was using laser to paint southbound traffic a half mile away. The immoral part is that the traffic was being clocked as it came to the end of a passing lane on a downhill section. People who were actually driving the speed limit everywhere else would probably be exceeding it in this situation. This was very much like how I got ticketed on Highway 9 last summer.

We got a couple of shots of the construction around the Highway 64 turnoff, as well as what used to be the Holiday Golf Course until they built a traffic lane over one of the fairways. The four-laning is a good thing and I hope they can get it done by 2017, as scheduled.

What's left of Holiday Golf Course near Alban

Heavy equipment waiting to go to work

We pulled into the driveway about 1:00 PM. There was a raw wind blowing and we discovered the salt truck we followed had been dispensing brine. As a result, the front and sides of the truck looked like they had been whitewashed. But we were home and that is what counted.

The brine covered truck

Today's Route (312 truck miles):


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Cambridge Ontario to Woodstock Ontario

Easter morning. We got up to the sounds of children exploring their haul from the Easter Bunny. And what a haul it was. There was even something for Grandma and Grandpa.

Exploring the Easter goodies

Grandma with her treats

After we had gone through the Easter morning rituals, the Koolen family was off to Mike's parents place in Aylmer while we headed to Woodstock to Heather and Tom's. On the way, we saw some geese walking on a frozen pond. They didn't look happy. I stopped at the new Flying J and fueled up at $1.258, the best price in this area.

We arrived at Heather and Tom's just before 10:00 AM. We settled in and watched some TV, mostly Top Shots episodes, until 3:00 PM when we headed back towards Tom's parents place in Breslau for Easter dinner.

Zofia and Stan again set a traditional Polish table where three sons, their wives, their grandchildren and parents of the sons' wives all sat down. The meal was, as usual, spectacular. The  main course included pork medallions, turkey, beans, potatoes, vegetables and cranberries. There were several wines to complement the food. Then cakes were brought out along with coffee and liqueurs. Oddly, we then had salads that included quinoa, corn and mushrooms. The good food was matched by the company. All in all, it was an amazing dinner, although I ate too much.

After returning to Woodstock, Tom and I watched more Top Shots, talked about how the PS3 connection worked and then turned in.

Today's Route (109 truck miles):


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Cambridge Ontario - Ontario Science Centre

Mike had originally suggested that we take the kids to the Royal Ontario Museum today because Jolene wanted to see the dinosaur exhibit. I found it awesome that a four year old would even know there was a dinosaur exhibit. Unfortunately, we checked and found that the dinosaurs had moved on, so we went to Plan B and headed for the Ontario Science Centre in Don Mills instead.

Since we were going to pick up Heather at Tom's office and the seven of us would have been a tight fit in Mike and Kim's Mazda, we took the truck as well. I had the GMRS radios that we bought for the Arkansas/Virginia run last year so we could communicate between the vehicles as we went.

The first stop was to collect Heather at Tom's workplace near the 401 and then we headed east on the big road. We opted to stay on the 401 and I let Mike set the pace all the way to the Don Valley Parkway and then south to the Science Centre.. Traffic was steady and, when we got there, parking space was ample (for the mere sum of $10 per vehicle). It was warm and sunny, almost like a real spring day, as we piled out of the vehicles for the short walk to the entrance.

Lots of people heading into the Science Centre

At thee front desk, we used coupons downloaded from the Web and received a discount on our admission prices. Then Mike went to get a stroller while we we waited in a large, glass windowed hall and tried to figure out where we were going on the map supplied in the guide. The Centre has six levels but is tiered  down a hillside, so it isn't simply up and down.

Our first objective was the children's play area. Mike, Robyn and the stroller took the elevator down while we took the escalator. He overshot and it took a while before we reconnected. Then, after a wander through the space exhibit, we found the large, interactive child play area.

Future astronaut Jolene

Robyn needed a little help

You put the ball in the Rube Goldberg style rails....

...and try and figure out were it went

Only twelve more years.....

Mike found the high ground to observe

After exploring the play area for a while, we went down to the cafeteria for lunch. They had several different vendors with choices ranging from pizza to healthy selections. The prices were about what would expect for a captive clientele, more than on the street but not enough to break you. As usual, the grandkids were good about eating in public, in contrast to the wailing little girl sitting on the other side of me.

Eating done, we headed to the bottom level just in time for the electricity demonstration. The highlight came at the end when people lined up to experience the Van De Graaff generator and had their hair redone by static electricity. Jolene's hair experience was the best of all the people who tried it.

A shocking experience

After wandering through the science and technology displays, we decided to call it a day and headed back to the entrance, with an obligatory stop in the gift shop on the way out.

They say going green is big these days

Little sister gives big sister a ride

Leaving the Centre, we headed north on the Don Valley Parkway, starting a a snail's pace. I'm not sure where all the cars came from but they were all going the same direction. Ours. Once we got to the 401, the pace picked up and, once we were past the airport, the stopped eastbound traffic made us happy we were going west. Lots of traffic on a Saturday reminded me of why I hate cities.

There were a lot of bikes out today but the heavy layer of salt on the 401 was waiting for a solid rain to wash it into the ditches. We passed the two service centres under reconstruction near our Cambridge exit. They look like they are going to be glass palaces. Just after 4:00 PM, we pulled into Kim and Mike's driveway.

Tom came by after work and we had shrimp for supper. The young ones sure do like shrimp. We played around with them until bedtime and then, after Tom and Heather went home, we watched Silver Linings Playbook On Demand. It was a good movie with a  feel-good ending and showcased more of the great skills of Jennifer Lawrence.

Jolene hates being hung upside down (except when Uncle Tom does it)

After the movies, it was off to bed early again. We didn't want to frighten the Easter Bunny away.

Today's Route (170 truck miles):


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Woodstock Ontario to Cambridge Ontario

I woke up after 7:00 AM and we settled in to watch last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy, downloaded from some sources and played through the PS3, while Tom brought back breakfast from Tim Horton's. We headed back to Cambridge at 9:15, arriving at Kim's at 9:40. There was a dead possum in the middle of Myers Road. At least I think he was dead and not just playing possum. These critters used to be considered a southern thing but started moving into this area more than a decade ago. Sooner or later, we will need a stew recipe.

Mike was at work doing went to work early to do some work in anticipation of his company's inventory. We spent time playing with the kids and watching some TV until he got back.

Jolene, Grandma and Robyn

When Mike got back, we all decided to go for a walk. It was cool and windy but that didn't stop us. Everyone bundled up and we set out on a trek that took us a couple of blocks and then down a path to a creek. Mike thought this would be a good turnaround point but Kim said we should continue along the path to a local playground. Mike pointed out that this would be a fair distance and he would end up carrying someone back but the majority sided with Kim and we kept going.

Kim, Jolene and Sandy wait for the slowpokes

We are coming

Someone is being carried already

We are walking into a stiff headwind

We finally reached the playground, a nice little facility. The whole area has a rubber mat ground cover to minimize bruises. I wish we had this when I was a kid. The slides were popular, as were the swings. Jolene insisted on the big kids swing and, despite her father's warnings, did not fall off.

Mom helps Robyn get lined up on a slide

Rubber mat ground cover

This is a good spot for children

After a wile, we started back and discovered another path back up to the street level. As Mike had said earlier, it was a good walk back to the house but we made it OK with only a little carrying.

Robyn gets a little lift along the way

Back at the house, Mike ordered some BBQ for delivery. It was good, although not quite up to the standard we have gotten used to in the south. Still, it was tasty and the grandkids really tucked into it.

Robyn waiting on food

Jolene likes hot chocolate

Later, after Jolene and Robyn had gone to bed, we settled in and watched some television before turning in fairly early. Keeping up with children takes a lot out of us poor old adults.

Today's Route (33 truck miles):


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Sudbury Ontario to Woodstock Ontario

It was the Thursday morning before Good Friday.  Last year at this time, following an exceptionally mild winter, all the snow was gone. Bikers and golfers had been out for several weeks and spring was well under way. This year was a whole other thing. Our winter had been more like the winters of old, with heavier snow and colder temperatures, and spring was dragging its heels. A few hard core riders had been out but the golfers were still hibernating.

Our front yard this morning

Our trip south this weekend was to visit kids and grandkids we hadn't seen since Christmas. I had one chore before leaving, to deliver a monthly report on our Action Sudbury charity bingo's to the city licence office. I had, as Vice Chair, been covering for our illustrious leader since December since he and his wife (our secretary) decided that winters in Mexico were much more palatable. I will be glad to see both of them get back in a week or so. They won't, however, like the snow.

After looking for a gas station that wasn't too crowded and dropping off the report, we headed south under grey skies just before noon. The road was dusty to salty as we motored along. The visible salt will soon wash into the ditches with spring rains, attracting moose to the roadsides and requiring enhanced vigilance.

Construction of the new four lane highway was well under way from the Killarney turnoff to the French River. It looks like the Holiday Golf Course at the Alban turnoff has lost a few fairways and greens because the roadbed for the new lanes now sits were they had been. I'm not sure if this means the end of golfing here or not. Although it was evident a lot of work here had been accomplished, the only worker we saw today was covering up the reduced speed limit signs in preparation for the long weekend.

Passing through Barrie, it was good to see construction proceeding on the service centre on the northbound side. About time since it was closed for rebuilding in May of 2010. The southbound service centre at Highway 89 was now just a hole in the ground, but it looked like this one might get done in a more timely manner.

We got off Highway 400 at Highway 9 to avoid Toronto rush hour traffic and proceeded west to Mono Mills, where we saw that gas prices were $1.249 per liter compared to $1.296 back home. This spot normally has the lowest prices along our route and today was no different.

West of Caledon, we did see one bike coming out of the side road that leads from the Forks of the Credit, a popular motorcycle road. Good for him. Then in Guelph, we took a different route to avoid the rush hour jam that usually happens on Highway 24 as traffic tries to make a left turn on County Road 38. Instead, we went south on Highway 6, cut off on Downey Road to CR 34 and then proceeded to Townline Road in Cambridge. We encountered little traffic this way and arrived at Kim and Mike's just after 5:00 PM.

The grandkids were happy to see us and we were even happier to see them. Robyn is 2 1/2 and absolutely fearless. Usually she is smiling at everyone. Jolene, at almost 4 1/2 years old, has been in junior kindergarten since September and is a ball of fire. We visited with them and shared pizza for supper before heading on to Heather and Tom's place in Woodstock for the night. The plan was to come back tomorrow for more grandchild time.

We left Cambridge at 7:45 and arrived in Woodstock 8:30. I was surprised to see the former Esso station at Cedar Creek Road and Highway 401 in Ayr was now a Flying J. We don't have a lot of these in Ontario but this made me wonder if we are going to see more.

Heather and Tom had cancelled their cable TV service and were now relying on Netflix, run through their PS3, as well asdownloaded TV programs. This was something I wasn't familiar with but, while watching a number of episodes of Top Shots, I realized I have all the hardware necessary to do the same thing. I won't be cancelling my cable service anytime soon but it would offer significant additional viewing options at a very minimal cost. Then again, perhaps I don't need more viewing options, given the amount of time I dedicate to watching the (I guess I can't say tube any more) flat screen these days.

Sandy turned in before me but I was in bed by 11:00 PM, unusually early compared to when I usually retire.

Today's Route (321 truck miles):


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Toronto Spring Motorcycle Show

One of the ways we pass the winter months is by travelling to Toronto for the various motorcycle shows. Normally, Leo, Doug and I will make a day run down and back to see the December show downtown at the Convention Centre while Sandy and I attend the January show at the International Centre with Heather and Tom. This winter we did neither, so Doug and I decided to visit the show we normally skip, the Spring Motorcycle Show, again at the International Centre. Leo was still in Arizona and Sandy decided she didn't want to spend nine hours in the car, so it was just Doug and I.

Freedom Riders Barry and Bev live in southern Ontario and had volunteered to set up and man a club booth (provided free of charge by the show) to promote the Freedom Rally this summer. Several other club people were also planning on going down and back for the day.

Doug borrowed his wife's little Kia for the trip to save us some fuel. He pulled into our driveway right on time at 6:00 AM and we got underway. The only stop on the way out was Timmy's for my black coffee and breakfast sandwich to go. We had slipped back into a March cold snap after the the previous week's above freezing temperatures but, despite it being -15 C (+5 F), it looked like it was going to be a good day to drive.

The  240 mile run down to Toronto was uneventful. We made a stop at Tim's half way down for a pit stop and arrived at the International Centre on Airport Road in Mississauga at 10:25. The last forty miles had been through light snow squalls and sloppy roads. The parking lot was far from full and we parked the little Kia easily. However, there was a large lineup to buy tickets, but it only held us up about ten minutes and we used the $3.00 off coupons Doug had printed from the Internet.

Unlike the January show, which takes up five buildings, this one was confined to only two. There were accessory vendors selling mostly clothes and displays of custom and vintage motorcycles, dealers selling bikes and tourism places promoting their areas. But one of the largest categories was clubs promoting charity rides plus a couple of larger events. The charity aspect has proliferated in recent years and competition among them is intense.

Doug and I explored Building One looking for the Freedom Riders booth. Not finding it, we stopped at the food court for a lunch of Nathan's Famous hot dogs and fries. Then we moved on to the other building, working our way through the aisles until we found Barry and Bev. They were not twenty feet from where we had originally entered the show. The booth was simple but very nice, with the club banner and Barry's 2002 GL1800 for a backdrop. A couple of minutes after we found them, club President Rob, Dan R. new member Paul and a friend of theirs found us.

Barry manning the Freedom Riders booth

Rob, Barry, Bev, Paul and Dan in the booth

Doug and I took over the booth for an hour or so to give Barry and Bev a chance to see some of the show. Having worked snowmobile shows for years, I know that exhibitors often miss most of  what is going on around them. The idea here was to promote the 20th Annual Freedom Rally, which is taking place August 2nd through 5th in Sudbury. Once upon a time, there were club rallies throughout Ontario each summer. These were low key events where you set up your tents, rode in the daytime and mingled around the bonfire in the evenings. Over the years, the clubs burnt out and these type of weekends started disappearing in favour of the mega-events like New Liskeard. Recently, Muskoka, Manitoulin and South Georgian Bay have been trying to get on the large rally calendar and generate some tourism dollars for their area. But the casual laid back atmosphere of a club weekend is missing at these venues and so we are promoting the Freedom Rally as a chance to experience the fun of the old days.

Me talking to Barry about something or other

Selling the rally (I need less food)

When Barry and Bev came back, Doug and I made one more circuit. I stopped and talked to Glenn from Motorcycle Mojo magazine about a problem with my digital subscription and why the magazine should cover the last club rally in the province. Doug got him a rally flyer and then we headed for the door. I had also, throughout our visit, managed to make a few Vulcan riders aware of VROC so we may see a few new Frozen North members in the future.

Frankenyamaha 550 Ropemobile

Dnepr being restored

He works cheap

New police bike

1999 Drifter with 4,950 miles on the clock

Leaving the hall about 2:30, the squalls had stopped and the parking lot was now full. Doug had driven down so it was my turn to take the wheel. We stopped on the way out and I filled the tank for my share of the fuel. Then we headed north on clear roads. We stopped at Lick's south of Parry Sound where Doug had a signature Lick's Homeburger and I had back bacon on a bun. As we were eating, Biker walked in. He and Normie had done the day trip to the show too. Both are Freedom Riders and VROCers. They left Sudbury after we did, didn't find the booth at the show and headed back before we did, but stopped in Barrie for wings.

The last stretch went by quickly and I was home by 7:00 PM. It was pretty sparse as shows go, but it was a good day for a road trip and we saw a few things and met a few people. All in all, it was a good day.