An afternoon in South Baymouth

Kim, Mike and the girls were spending a last holiday before school at a place near Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. They decided to take the ferry MS Chi-Cheemaun across the mouth of Georgian Bay to Manitoulin Island for a day. Mike and the granddaughters had never set foot on the largest freshwater island in the world.

Chi-Cheemaun route

They were just going to walk onto the ferry and arrive in South Baymouth at 1:05 PM. The return trip would depart at 5:50. South Baymouth is only about a two hour drive from Sudbury, so we agreed to go down and meet them. Because we needed to be back on Manitoulin the next morning for an Ontario Provincial Police Veterans Association cruise out of Little Current, Sandy suggested we spend the night on the island. I made a reservation at the Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre in Little Current.

On the way out of town about 9:00 AM, I stopped and put what would probably be the last tank of gas into this Equinox. That would carry us to South Baymouth and back and I was not going to fill it up again before turning the car in on Thursday.

Highway 17 from Sudbury to Espanola was a study in road construction. The four lane was only two lane with no passing allowed. Then a lot of the two lane after that had been scraped and was being repaved. One of these days, it will be a really nice road. Maybe.

After a bathroom and coffee break at Tim's in Espanola, we headed south on Highway 6 towards Manitoulin Island. This thirty mile stretch included some of the best motorcycle riding in the area. The highway went back and forth and up and down through the quartz mountains to Whitefish Falls and beyond. Then it straightened out and finally became flat across Great La Cloche and some smaller islands as the road approached the famous swing bridge to Manitoulin Island.

Highway 6

Quartz rock cuts

Near Willisville

Motion activated deer warnings

The quartz gives way to sedimentary layers

Great LaCloche Island

The swing bridge comes into view

The traffic light was still green as we reached the one lane swing bridge. We had some time to kill, so we stopped in Little Current. This gateway to The Island had a quaint one block main street with mooring facilities for many small craft and a few large ones. The landmark Anchor Inn still serves the public every day. It was from here that we of Inco Metals Accounting used to drink beer and observe those of Inco General Engineering while they surveyed piles of iron ore on the Turner Coal Docks across the water. This was part of our annual metals inventory process. It was a dirty job but somebody had to do it.

Little Current - Manitoulin Island - Ontario

Downtown Little Cuurent

The famous Anchor Inn

Memorial to those who served in The Great War

Strolling the waterfront, we checked out the watercraft. There was a large cruise ship, the Victory 1, docked for the day. It was on a ten day Great Lakes Grand Discovery cruise. Then there was the Grand Heron, which would be taking us to the Benjamin Islands tomorrow.

Victory 1

The Grand Heron

Many smaller yachts and boats were docked here including a Beneteau 423 out of Michigan named Triumph. I noticed that the name was styled after the old Triumph motorcycle logo, while the man on board noticed that I was wearing a tee shirt that said "Never underestimate an old man on a motorcycle". He was on vacation and they had been visiting ports along Lake Huron since August 2nd. He still owned a 1973 Triumph Daytona that he bought new plus a Ducati Multistrada as a daily driver. He was familiar with riding both the Smoky Mountains out of Waynesville, NC and northern Arkansas. We compared some notes and then wished him safe travels as we continued on our way south.

I wouldn't mind a week or ten on this

The Triumph

We encountered two construction zones on the way to South Baymouth. Both involved flagmen and single lane traffic. The second, on the outskirts of South Baymouth, also involved a pilot vehicle.

BMW outfit in South Baymouth

Luckily, we arrived at the ferry dock before the ferry. There was no problem parking on the street while many cars were waiting in the boarding area on the other side of the curb. We spoke to a gentleman from Niagara Falls who has been taking the Chi-Cheemaun regularly since it was commissioned in 1974. Every tenth sailing is free.

The ferry dock

This house looks out at the ferry dock

Tobermory bound waiting to board

The brightly painted ferry arrived right on time. It pulled past our position and then backed up to the ramp. When the rear door opened, the vehicles debarked like animals leaving Noah's ark. First came the motorcycles, followed by a tour bus and several semis. The empty cattle hauler had a distinct aroma as it went by. Next came the cars from both levels. There was a nice ramp at the side for the pedestrians to debark but it was jammed and could not be extended to the ship, so the foot traffic walked out the vehicle ramp last.

MS Chi-Cheemaun

Backing into the ramp

Tie it up well

Motorcycles followed by a bus

Next came the semi's

The pedestrian gangway was out of service

So the family walked off the vehicle ramp

The many cars are now free to board

Because the Equinox only seated five and it was a long way to anywhere else on The Island through the long construction zone, the visit was confined to South Baymouth. The first order of business was lunch. The preferred establishment would have been Carol and Earl's on the outskirts of town but they were closed on Tuesdays. Sadly, I also learned that Carol passed away in the spring and Earl had stopped the great breakfast service. We settled for the Pierside Restaurant where the service was slow and the prices were high. I stayed low carb with a Caesar salad and grilled chicken.

Eye catching advertising

But we did not eat here

We ate here instead

After lunch, we walked around the corner to the free museum. Actually, there were three museums operating on a donation basis. The main building had many items from the history of The Island, while another showed things related to commercial fishing and the last was a one room schoolhouse. It is really nice when communities honour their past, but I really don't think than many people take the time to appreciate it.

The main museum in South Baymouth

Women and children first...

Buoy and girl

Little Red Schoolhouse museum

One room

Moving on

From the museums, we moved on to the South Baymouth Marina. They spent some time making this a pleasant place with rest rooms, walkways, a playground and a lighthouse.

A nice place to park your boat

Shirley U Jest has seen better days

We saw the honour system several places around South Baymouth

View from the marina walkway

The big water is out there

Jolene

Robyn

Benches for the older folks

Our ladies

The Koolen girls

The girls liked the playground equipment

Sandy and Kim started back frst

Crumby.....

I like people who think of our canine friends

Park dedication

Busy Highway 6

From the marina, we walked up to see the Gallery. It is actually the Southbay Gallery and Guesthouse, including a highly regarded bed and breakfast. We looked at the wares and I talked to an older lady working there about some striking acrylic paintings. She had them on consignment from a prolific First Nations artist named Duncan Pheasant. He worked for the town of Little Current and was a member of the Redrum Motorcycle Club.

A little encouragement never hurts

Here we are

And quilts as well

The foot traffic was supposed to be ready to board a half hour before departure. That would be 5:20 PM so we headed back to the waterfront where the girls had some Farquhars Ice Cream. Then we waited for the Big Canoe. Robyn and I went down to keep an eye out and soon it appeared coming around the point.

Nose plugs, anyone?

We always honour our American neighbors

Waiting

One tall tree stands out

Robyn and I at the waterfront

Ship ahoy!

Right on time

Boarding via the vehicle ramp

With the family safely aboard, we returned the forty miles to Little Current where we checked in to the Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre. I was pleased to see the lobby and restaurant walls festooned with Duncan Pheasant originals. We took our minimal luggage up to the room and then came down to the in-house restaurant, North46, where we each had the special of roasted chicken with a white wine mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. I traded my potatoes for more vegetables and found the  whole meal quite tasty.

After we ate, we returned to the room. Again, I skipped the photos and notes faze and went straight to bed with my Kindle. I do believe I might have finished two pages before falling asleep.

Today's Route (165 Equinox miles):

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A New (To Us) Car

In September 2015, we traded our 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche V8 on a used 2014 V6 Equinox LT1 with 23,500 kilometers on the clock.

The powertrain warranty on the Equinox would cover it until March, 2019. After keeping the Avi past its warranty date and then having a differential and a camshaft fail to the combined tune of $7,500, I made a promise that this car would be gone before the warranty expired.

The little 300+ HP Equinox pulled our combined trailer/motorcycle weight of about 2,000 miles with ease. Fuel mileage was good without the trailer and adequate with. The only serious problem that occurred was a failure of the manual gear selector switch on the shift lever. This would have been expensive if the dealership had not gone to bat with GM and substantially reduced the cost with a goodwill gesture. The car now had about 125,000 kms on it.

With six months to go, I was considering what to get next. We had been very happy with the Equinox. If we followed our last acquisition pattern, we would be looking for a used low mileage 2017 V6 Equinox. But the V6's were hard to find and we could not go for a new 2018 because Chev, in their infinite wisdom, discontinued the V6 engine in the Equinox. The four cylinder engines, including the little diesel, were not suitable for towing 2,000 pounds.

However, Chev had also redesigned the seven passenger Traverse in 2018 and it had the same 3.6L V6. Biker has a GMC Acadia, which is very nice and is analogous to the Traverse. But more research ruled out the 2019 Chev's because they dropped the powertrain from five years/160,000 kms to five years/100,00 kms. That matters when you look at the miles we are capable of traveling.

I woke up about 2:00 AM this morning and was unable to get back to sleep, so I was browsing Ontario Chev dealerships for new 2018 Traverse LT-cloth models. Crosstown, my own dealer, had one but I didn't like the price. Southside, our other local Chev/GM dealer, had a new grey 2018 Traverse on the lot. Then, taking a look at their used inventory, I was surprised to also find a 2017 V6 Equinox with 25,000 kms. It was about 6:00 AM when I noted both stock numbers and told Sandy we needed to be at Southside when they opened at 8:00 AM.

At 8:00 AM sharp, we walked through the door of the dealership and were welcomed by new salesman Ray. He pulled up the records on both vehicles. Unfortunately, the Traverse was only a Front Wheel Drive model. I have grown used to AWD in the winter, so this was a non-starter for me even though everything else was just what I had been looking for. On the other hand, the Equinox was my original plan anyway. It was a Premier trim and had more goodies than our LT1.

Another plus was that the Equinox was built in Ontario (Ingersoll near Heather's house) while the Traverse was built in Michigan.

It was pouring rain when we decided to go for a test drive. Ray backed the car into the service area so we could stay dry getting in. A test of town and highway driving felt almost exactly like the 2014. We struck a deal and said we would pick it up Thursday morning because we would be on Manitoulin Island Tuesday and Wednesday.

This car, which had originally been shipped to Crosstown and traded to the Sturgeon Falls dealership, had been a lease. The young lady who leased it was returning to school and could not afford the payments, so her father bought out the lease and then traded the vehicle at Southside. It had just come in late Friday and been listed over the weekend. While we were dealing with Ray, they had gotten several calls including one person from Toronto who wanted to come up and see it. And we were here because I could not sleep.

So my original plan came to pass. Sometimes the deal you need just falls into your lap.

The things I cannot change.....

For years, I have been a debater of politics and a student of Constitutional law in both the USA and Canada. Truth be told, I know more about the USA than Canada because it is less muddled despite the varying interpretations. I admire the USA for making the concept of natural individual rights real and enshrining Constitutional protections of those rights. I have further enjoyed the discussions around this whole topic.

Through the years, I have done my best to stay objective and be respectful of differing viewpoints. Unfortunately, I lost my objectivity this summer when our biggest trading partner, the USA, levied what was (in my and many other minds) unwarranted import tariffs on our steel and aluminum. This was compounded by the President repeating how Canada had taken advantage of poor old America through NAFTA and dairy tariffs (I will concede this last one although it is analogous to their tariffs on our softwood lumber). That was compounded by some people I know in the USA disparaging Canada. I had decided after June that I would boycott travel to the US meaning our annual September trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas would not come to be.

I became particularly offended last night at some responses to an article I posted regarding President Trump's comments on their softwood lumber imports from Canada and wildfires in California. Some harsh words were exchanged.

In light of my uncharacteristic behaviour, I stopped to re-examine my whole approach to politics. I suddenly realized that neither I nor any of the folks I was arguing with had any control over what was happening. The Canadian government, led by a Prime Minister who was all nice hair and photo ops but who had made no real accomplishments and had approached the NAFTA deal with a social justice agenda was probably not doing us any good. Hell, I supported Max Bernier's desire to scrap the whole Supply Management system that the USA was so pissed at.

Further consideration brought me to realize that many of the American friends I was engaging with could barely find Canada on a map and had no clue about our cross border trade dynamics other than the misleading allegations emanating from the White House.

The Serenity Prayer came to mind:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

It looked to me like I could use some wisdom.

Why would I argue with long time friends and sacrifice one of our finite number of fall trips to support a government I generally disagreed with. As I burdened us with a missed opportunity to visit friends and ride great roads, the Snowbirds were preparing to head south for the winter. Better that I review my priorities and recast them with friends and travel at the top and nationalism further down the list.

The more I thought about distancing myself from the political issues, the happier I became. Somewhere near Stayner, we phoned Sherm to see if he had found anyone to replace us in our shared room at the Stonegate Inn. We were pleased to hear that he had been holding out, hoping we would change our minds. We told him we would be there, but to keep it to himself until I could make a post about this after we got home. Which I did.

And so the trip was back on. Arkansas, here we come.

Woodstock Ontario to Sudbury Ontario

Sandy and I both slept through my watch alarms that went off at 6:00 AM and again at 7:00 AM. We finally woke up about 7:15. After checking out, we visited with Heather, Tom and the kids until 8:30.

Following the reverse of last evening's route, we returned to Holstein, arriving just after 10:00. Along the way, we passed a number of black Mennonite buggies heading for church.

Lots of families and nice horses

More buggies

Another classic out for a Sunday drive

There was a lot of brunch food laid out at Marilyn's and most of the folks were still there. Same time next year sounds like a really good thing.

Before we left, I phoned the Skechers factory outlet in Cookstown to see if they had any golf shoes. Like all those places across the US where I stopped to check in June, they had none. What is the point of advertising golf shoes on TV if your own stores do not carry them? This did, however, allow me to choose a more northerly route home.

We followed county roads through Flesherton, Singhampton, and Duntroon to Stayner where, amidst a madhouse of what the locals call Citiots, we fueled up. Then I tried to go south of Wasaga Beach but miscued and came up in the middle of town. Then it was on to Elmvale and Vasey on the way to Highway 400.

Elmvale

Sandy loves the flowers

Old Chevy's never die.....

The rest of the way home was uneventful, although we did see a little smoke from Parry Sound 33 around the Highway 64 exit to Alban. We pulled into the driveway just after 4:00 PM.

Today's Route (325 Equinox miles):

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OFSC Old Timers Reunion - Holstein Ontario

It was wet this morning and the radio reported the good news that there were no new forest fires in the province.

On the way to Heather and Tom's, we stopped at McDonald's. You can modify your order any way you want at the kiosk so, while Sandy ordered a regular egg McMuffin, I asked for the same but without the muffin. What I got was an egg, Canadian bacon and processed cheese in a tray like they use to serve hotcakes. They also included a knife and fork. I'll be able to work with this.

Arriving at Heather's at 7:00 AM as planned, we found her to be the only one up. The rest rose before too long and we were soon playing with two happy grandkids. She and I had a chance to talk about a few issues she is dealing with at work.

With Jasper and Fiona

Happy children

We left Woodstock around 8:30 and met Mike, Kim and Robyn at a Tim Horton's in Cambridge about 9:00. They were on their way to Brantford to pick Jolene up at camp but had breakfast while I had a second cup of coffee. It was a nice visit.

Meeting in Cambridge

As Mike, Kim and Robyn headed south, we stopped in a Zehr's in Hespeler to pick up chips and snacks (our contribution to the pot luck afternoon).Then we headed north to Mount Forest and Holstein. The roads were different because we were approaching from a different direction. We did stop for a quick coffee and bathroom break at the Tim's in Mount Forest, where the clientele included bikers, farmers and Mennonite girls. Then it was a short hop to Holstein and Marilyn's place.

Pastoral equestrian scene

Church in Mitchell

Lots of interesting shopping opportunities in Mount Forest

Strong Mennonite presence in the area

There were a few folks already at Marilyn's when we got there. Prime organizers Iris and Christine had things well under control. Daryl Grenville had arrived by motorcycle along with John Goodfellow on a Spyder. Bruce and Liz Robinson arrived in a classic Cadillac while the Purchases towed a small RV trailer. The Boyds had their 5th wheel Taj Mahal in place before we arrived. The rest arrived throughout the afternoon. It was good to see old friends and meet a few new ones.

Marilyn has a lovely house and grounds

Sandy, Marilyn and I

Bob Feasy and Daryl Grenville

Ron Purchase, John Goodfellow and Bruce Robinson

Liz and (past OFSC President) Bruce Robinson

Mike Farr and Gutch Gutscher

The big porch was an excellent meeting spot

Chez Purchase

Bob Hunt (centre) with the wing cooking Ron and Kathy Purchase

Jackson, an amazingly well behaved dog

Most of the group

About 6:00 PM, the main meal was laid out buffet style. There was a wide selection and I was able to get by on a variety of salads, meats and cheeses. I think everyone appreciated the excellent food.

We left for Woodstock about 7:30 with promises to be back next August. I texted Heather to tell her we would be late and would see them in the morning before they went to church. It was interesting to see that almost all the cows around Holstein were black and white.

Arriving at the hotel about 9:15, we went straight to bed after writing one more IOU to sorting the notes and photos.

Today's Route (176 Equinox miles):

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Sudbury Ontario to Woodstock Ontario

A long time ago in a land far away, there were snowmobile trails.

We bought our first sleds in 1978 and got involved in organized snowmobiling a decade later, just as the Sudbury Trail Plan Association was getting underway. STP was a cooperative of eight local snowmobile clubs that, back then, operated almost 800 miles of trail in and around the Sudbury Basin. I was variously Vice President, Vice President - Operations, President and Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs District Governor. I was also, with Normie Hein and OPP Sgt Lynn Beach, a co-founder of the Snowmobile Trail Officer Patrol and served as Special Constable STOP Officer from 1992 to 2010. During this time I was Operational Manager (STP) of the pilot project from 1992 to 1995 and Provincial Coordinator (OFSC) from 1995 to 1999. Organized snowmobiling was populated with some of the most dedicated volunteers and the finest people to be found anywhere.

Over the past few years, one of the key provincial volunteers from my era, Marilyn Streeter, had been tracking down and staying in touch with a number of people. She started with OFSC Life Members plus Board and Committee members. She held a reunion last year that we missed due to other commitments, but I was bound and bent that we would be there for the second one this weekend. Marilyn lived on the edge of a hamlet called Holstein on a county road in southern Ontario that we had never been before.

The gathering was to be held Saturday afternoon, with an additional brunch on Sunday morning. Sandy and I decided to go to London and catch up with old friends on Friday, then visit with grandkids and spend the night in Woodstock. After the trip to Holstein on Saturday, we would return to Woodstock for more visiting and spend another night. Then we would stop by for the buffet on our way home on Sunday.

We were rolling at 7:50 on Friday morning. My no carb diet meant no fast food today. Because it was Friday and we were going to London, I planned to take back roads to avoid Toronto. The ETA according to Mr. Garmin was 2:00 PM.

We thought this was smoke from Parry Sound 33 but it was just fog

R*POD by Forest River - cute little trailer

The overhead electronic COMPASS sign at the Pickerel River told us the southbound Highway 400 was closed at MacTier. This was pretty vague since MacTier is not on Highway 400. But, unlike further north, we had options that did not involve hundreds of mile detours.

Mill Lake near Parry Sound Ontario

The road is almost dry with odd looking clouds at Parry Sound

After stopping in Parry Sound for a bathroom break at McDonald's, where I replenished my coffee mug and Sandy got a smoothie and muffin, we continued south on Old Highway 69, AKA Lake Joseph Road. A quick check with the Ministry of Transportation website advised that the interchange where Lake Joseph Road rejoined Highway 400 was where the wreck was.

There was some nostalgia driving Old Highway 69. This used to be the main corridor south and every curve reminded me of one story or another from the decades of traveling here. With the south end of Lake Joseph blocked, we swung onto Highway 169 at Foots Bay and followed it to the little cottage community of Bala, From there we took Muskoka County Road 38, which wound and twisted its way back to Highway 400 south of the roadblock. This is a fun road on a motorcycle and can be enjoyed even in an Equinox.

We did note along the way that a couple of maple trees were starting to show a bit of red. It was too early for this kind of nonsense.

Portage Lake on Old Highway 69

It was raining steadily when we reached the 400 so my regrets at not having the bike of 38 quickly dissipated. It rained off and on all the way to Barrie, where black clouds resulted in a wall of water and virtually no visibility through the city. As usual on a Friday afternoon, the northbound lanes were packed with slowly crawling vehicles as the city folks tried to escape for yet one more weekend in cottage country.

Weekend escapees from Toronto

We stopped at the southbound service centre at Innisfil for a bathroom break. It was lunch time but the food court was very crowded and the lines too long, so we rolled on. I took the next exit at Highway 89 and we stopped at a quiet Tim Horton's in Cookstown. Sandy had an Iced Cappuccino while I ate a large serving of chili. Note to my southern friends: Tim's chili is basically ground beef in a tomato sauce. No fire, no heat. But no carbs either.

Sandy's Ice Cap

It was dry as we continued west on Highway 89 through Alliston, Potato Capital of Ontario and home of a huge Honda car plant. We continued on to Mount Forest. We had not been this way in many years and I noted Mrs. Mitchell's Casual Fine Dining establishment in Violet Hill. I don't remember this from before but you can be pretty sure that a stylish restaurant like this in the middle of nowhere must have something going for it to attract customers. I will put this on the bucket list for some future trip. We noted that most of the many wind turbines around Shelburne were idle despite steady wind.

If only they had more luggage capacity

Tin Can Tourists (according to the bumper sticker)

It's raining somewhere

Not much of a motorcycle road

Mount Forest Ontario

From Mount Forest, we cut south on CR 6 to Highway 9 and west to Palmerston. Then it was southwest on Highway 23 to Highway 7 and south on Highway 4 to Arva, one of the homes of my ancestors. John and Lorie Grandmont lived not far from there.

No need for sunglasses

John and I go back to high school where we both played in the concert band under the direction of (Uncle) Frank Elliott. I played the bass clarinet while John played the tuba. It was a good band, winning competition after competition in southern Ontario and taking several trips of varying notoriety. I believe we were banned from the Lord Simcoe Hotel in Toronto after only a one night stay. I left school just before the band departed on a tour of England.

There was one major musical difference between John and I. He had real talent while I just struggled to get by. He mastered most instruments and wrote some songs, including the Lasalle Court Massacree. This was a takeoff of Alice's Restaurant commemorating the night his brother and my brother (best friends to this day) had a party that attracted every on duty police officer in Sault Ste. Marie. He also wrote and played an ode to a wood tick that managed to make its way onto the space shuttle as the B side of a tape with Roberta Bondar's high school song. John had gone on to replace Uncle Frank at our high school (Bawating) and taught at several others as well. His children Jesse and Leah are noted violinists.

We had not seen John and Lorie in years despite their close proximity to Heather and Tom. One of the objectives this weekend was to rectify this. We found John at home just after 4:00 PM and reminisced until it was time to collect Lorie at work. John had loaned the family car to Leah, so we picked her up in the Equinox and went straight to their favourite restaurant.

The Waltzing Weasel was an English style pub. Late on Friday afternoon, it was packed with happy people but they managed to find us a table for four right away. The menu boasted favourites such as fish 'n chips, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, shepherd's pie and bangers and mashed. It also included some North American fare including wings and smoked ribs.

Sandy and I split the special, which consisted of a full rack of ribs and a half pound of wings along with Caesar salad. Not being a fan of sauces, we had the meats dry. The food was excellent and the one order was more than enough for both of us. It went well with the great company.

Waltzing Weasel - London Ontario

Happy diners

After supper, we dropped John and Lorie off and headed to Woodstock via Highway 2. I booked late so was unable to make a reservation at the Best Western Plus. Instead, we were booked in at the Days Inn, which proved to be more than adequate and added to my Wyndham Rewards points.

After checking in, we dropped over and visited Heather and Tom. Jasper and Fiona were still up so we had a chance to see them before they went to bed. We headed back for the hotel after 10:00 PM but agreed to be back around 7:00 AM in the morning.

I didn't make any effort to transcribe my notes or upload our photos from the day. Sandy turned in first but I took my Kindle to bed soon after and was asleep almost immediately.

Today's Route (373 Equinox miles):

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Catching up on the summer......

It has been a month since I posted anything in the blog. During this time, we have experienced the hottest, driest summer I can remember. There were very few days Leo and I could not golf.

Golf we did, arriving at Cedar Green Golf Club before 7:30 many mornings and heading out on the course before almost anyone else. Two of us could finish nine holes in less than an hour and a half. I just wish my skill was up to my speed.

After plotting my gym activities on a chart, I realized I haven't spent nearly as much time working out over the last fifteen years as I thought I did. When I did go, it was typically for 7:00 AM under the belief that if I didn't go first thing, I wouldn't go at all. A couple of weeks ago, I found that I could go after finishing golf and enjoy it just as much. This was important because my doctor told me regular workouts would be the most effective thing I can do to stay alive longer.

After the June trip, my latest battle was getting my blood sugar down. I discovered last year than any starchy foods, even whole grain breads and brown rice, have been driving my glucose up significantly. During the spring and early summer travels, I had slipped off my almost no carb diet, which resulted in morning glucose readings in the 13 range (230). After returning to a rigorous Keto-like diet at the start of July, the levels gradually came down to the mid 7's (135) and daily averages are just over 100. So when you see me chowing down on things like hamburger with no bun and veggies instead of fries, you will understand why.

The bike didn't get the workout I hoped it would this summer, however, I still consider most of the roads around here to be pretty boring. After a realization on the ride to Muskoka last month that affected my riding technique, which had never totally recovered from fourteen years of sidecar driving, I was enjoying what riding I did more than ever.

On the August 1st weekend, Tom, Mike and I flew the Freedom Riders banner to Manitoulin Island and back. On the last leg home, the trusty GoldWing died, leaving me on the side of the road with everything pointing to an electrical issue. This was my first roadside stranding in over 300,000 miles. The last time was in 1988 on I-94 25 miles from Glendive, Montana when my 1980 GL1100 stripped the driveshaft splines.

Waiting for the bridge at Little Current

Broken down on the Southwest Bypass

My new Good Sam Roadside Assistance worked. Boyuk Towing sent a roll back with a Condor dolly. The operator had never used this device before, so we explored it together and got the bike to my driveway.

I had hit a severe bump before the failure, so I suspected the battery had developed a short but a new battery proved me wrong. Then I loaded the bike in the trailer and hauled it to NorthStar Recreation, where they were able to get at it quickly. The armature in the alternator turned out to be bad, the first failure in 261,000 kilometers to cost me money. Can't argue with that. Al the mechanic replaced it with a new OEM unit and I was on the road again. hank you, NorthStar.

Back home and running again

Now it is mid-August and we are in the latter days of summer. Forest fires have been rampant, including the large Parry Sound 33 south of the French River and west of Highway 69. Almost everyone has been praying for rain and people are wondering whether this is the type of summer we can expect in the future.

We are on the road again.