Maggie Valley North Carolina - Cherokee and shopping

It was a cool morning and Tbone found ice on the seat of his bike. We walked up to Joey's Pancake House for breakfast where I had two pancakes, scrambled eggs and country ham. The server asked me several times if I knew that country ham was salty and I assured her I knew exactly what I was ordering. Afterwards we walked back down to the motel as the day started to warm up.

A warm jacket on a cool morning

Tbone greets a new day

We have our own weather station (sort of)

Joey's Pancake House

A rain chain

We hung around the motel for a while and talked to manager Billy about all the motels and restaurants that are either closed or for sale in Maggie Valley. Business is not doing well here but he is hustling and even persuaded the Can-Am Spyder group to stay here a few weeks from now. He has the place looking pretty good.

Billy and his son James

After a bit, I was itching to do some of riding so we got on the bikes and headed for the Dairy Queen in Cherokee. We rode up US 19 to Soco Gap and down the other side, a road involving multiple downhill 35 MPH curves. I was feeling pretty good in the lead and we got about 2/3rds of the way down before we caught up to some slow moving cars. The lead vehicle was still doing 10 MPH under the limit after he got to the straight and level so, figuring there was no hope for him, we passed and put him in our rear view mirrors.

The DQ now has a lunch special for $5.00. A chili cheese dog or chicken strips, fries, a drink and a sundae. Sandy and I split the chicken strips. I ate most of the fries and she got the sundae. That was an inexpensive meal. We rode back to Maggie Valley over the Blue Ridge Parkway with nothing ahead of us.

Tbone and Sandy in the Cherokee DQ

Back in Maggie, we went to check out the used bookstore that we had seen a sign for at the south end of town. A mile up a nice little side road, we found it at the bottom of a steep driveway. I believe Mary when she says she has 200,000 books, but they are in a building that would comfortable house a much smaller quantity. On the plus side, Sandy was looking for Ann Rule true crime books and Mary led her right to them. She picked up four and I got four science fiction books. As well, Mary has written a book called The Moonshiner's Daughter about growing up in the mountains here and we got a copy of that.

The used book store

Books everywhere

Don't mess with Mary

There were dire warnings about getting back up the driveway onto the road. Apparently quite a few have dumped their bike trying to get out and Mary's son said the last mishap involved people from Ontario. The exit involved a steep run up to the level road but it was blind. You can't see if anything is coming from the bottom. Sandy walked up and waved us up when the coast was clear. Easy-peasy, as Jolene would say.

We stopped at a couple of leather shops looking for a new vest to get Freedom Riders patches sewn on. There were lots for $29.95 but they had jacket cut shoulders and didn't fit well. I needed a narrow shoulder and found one at the Leather House. I didn't realize until I reached the cash that this one was $79.99. Trust me to have expensive taste. Oh well, it will be here when Carlene and the sewing machine arrive. A bonus is that it even has a special pocket for carrying my handgun. If I had one.

Back at the motel, it was getting positively warm. Tbone got comfortable and I got a picture that I posted on Facebook, garnering all manner of comments about chicken legs and such. Charlie and Christie arrived from Alabama on their new Harley soon after we got in. I did my best to catch up on some blogging before supper.

Tbone's chicken legs

Charlie  Christie arrive

Christie relaxing with a book

We were getting hungry so we took the truck down to the Rendezvous restaurant. Our favourite Garlic Knots had closed up but we found this place had gotten their pizza ovens, recipes and owner/chef. Stephanie was our server and was excellent. We had some of the best mushroom caps I have ever eaten, salad and lasagna. The only drawback was that they were out of romaine lettuce so a Caesar salad wasn't an option. The Chev HHR crowd, gathering this weekend as well, will be having a 50's party here on Saturday night and Stef tells us all the servers will be wearing poodle skirts and such. Sounds like fun.

A good place to eat

The best mushroom caps

Sandy and Tbone chowing down

They even have a Tiki bar

We returned  to the motel and hung around outside for a while. A local couple at supper had told us about what he called the Spillwell Road, a challenging ride south of Sylva. I used Google Maps and found it was actually a road through Speedwell called the Cullowhee Mountain Road and marked it for tomorrow.

After we went in, I sorted pictures and transcribed blog notes for a while. I felt bad that I was behind on the blogging since I know many are waiting for photos. I'll see what I can do tomorrow to get something posted. I then read about four pages of one of the books I had gotten before falling asleep.

Today's Route (52 motorcycle miles):


View Larger Map

Maggie Valley North Carolina - Settling In

So there we were in Maggie Valley. Just us. All alone. The WiFi didn't reach into the room through the stone wall, so I was sitting outside checking Tbone's Facebook page. He had said he was coming up today even though James said no one was expected. As I was looking at a picture of his bike loaded to go and posted seven hours ago, the very same bike pulled up right in front of me. Despite having to replace a battery on the way up, he was here and we were no longer alone.

Tbone's Mean Streak

Tbone relaxing

Not sure why I can't get WiFi in the room with this sophisticated setup

After getting unloaded and settled, we decided to take the truck for supper.. First, I dropped the tire pressures back to 30 PSI because I hadn't noticed much difference in the mileage, so better ride was the deciding factor. We drove into Waynesville to Bogart's where we had lunch last year. The special this evening was an 8 oz ribeye with salad and one side for $13.99 and Simone was an excellent server. It was Monday night and the place was packed, attesting to Bogart's popularity.

After supper, we drove back to the motel via the Shell station where we picked up snacks. Then we sat outside talking for a while as it got even cooler. Sandy filled a water bottle with hot water from the tap to keep her hands warm. It wasn't too long before we turned in for the night.

Summersville West Virginia to Maggie Valley North Carolina

It was a sunny 37 F this morning in Summersville. I couldn't log onto the WiFi and was wondering what I was doing wrong until I asked at the front desk. They told me the provider changes the password every Monday morning. Then all was good, although you would think noon would be better after all the guests checked out. We had another trailer in the lot with a drag car out of Ohio.

A mean looking car - note the parachute

Looks like it is built to run

I want to try one

After a breakfast of raisin bran, toast and yogurt, we were rolling at 8:00 AM. As usual, there was a local cop with someone pulled over on the south side of town. Anyone passing through here needs to know that this is one of the biggest speed traps in the east.

In Oak Hill, we passed a sign indicating that we were crossing the 38th parallel. It was dedicated to the Korean War veterans. We stopped at the Tamarack Service Centre in Beckley for fuel and then pushed on south towards Virginia.

Thought of the day from Steven Wright. "Why are pictures square if lenses are round?"

We entered Virginia in the middle of East River Mountain tunnel and then went through Big Walker Mountain tunnel before stopping at the Travel Center of America in Wythevillle for a sandwich and coffee to go.

East River Mountain tunnel - Virginia border is in the middle

Try not to rub the wall

Descending into Virginia

Big Walker Mountain tunnel

I-81 was moderately busy but the hills were much less severe as we slogged southwest towards Tennessee. Into a headwind. As usual. As we crossed the border going through Bristol, Jeanne Robertson was telling a story about Bristol Tennessee Virginia (the city lies on the state line) on Blue Collar Radio.

Mountain Man Mobile Cooker

Welcome to the Volunteer State

Note the flag direction

Past Bristol, we turned south on I-26 East. I know, the highway directions sometimes don't match the map. We proceeded south through Johnson City. I usually take back roads south of Bristol but the trailer dictates staying on the super slab when I can. We climbed up the side of the ridge to the North Carolina line. It was a long, slow pull but we made it. On the northbound side, Tennessee has opened a new welcome center we will have to stop at sometime.

Johnson City has a preference

The last state line of the trip out

I keep an eye out for the runaway truck ramps

We stopped at the North Carolina welcome center for a quick break and then continued downgrade, passing the infamous spot where out camper, on its first trip, popped open at 60 MPH in what has come to be known as the Great Drag Chute Incident. You can read my thoughts of that day here. 

At the NC welcome center

The spot where the trailer popped open

Pretty flowers along the right of way

We passed north of Asheville on I-240 and followed I-40 to the US 74 exit. There were a lot of orange barrels on 74 but we soon took the exit towards Maggie Valley, arriving at the Applecover Inn about 2:35 PM.

The motel office was locked up with a sign saying they would be back at 3:00. Derek is no longer resident and has a manager named Billy looking after the place. We unloaded the bike and waited. Just after 3:00, I phoned the number on the door and Billy sent his son James over to get us checked in. He told me where I could drop the trailer so we got everything parked and moved our gear into Room 14 on the front.

We are here.

Today's Route (326 Avalanche/trailer miles):


View Larger Map

Fort Erie Ontario to Summersville West Virginia

Mother's Day dawned with the news that it was +2 C and had snowed in Sudbury. Luckily for us, there was no white stuff here, but it was cool. I hope all the mothers out there had a great day. With the temperature the way it is, this truck/trailer thing isn't so bad.

We didn't rush and were out of the lot at 7:45. We followed the GPS instructions to a nearby McDonald's for coffee and a muffin to go. Maybe there will be a Mickey D's there some day but all we found was a vacant lot full of brush. Executing a deft U-turn, we headed the other way on Garrison to where I knew there was another and we got our order filled.

At the border, the agent asked where we were going and why. I explained about the bike in the trailer and the great roads in North Carolina. He asked if I owned the trailer and what the plate number was. I had no idea what the tag said and scrambled for the registration. He then asked about alcohol (none) and cigarettes (four packs). He thought I said four CARTONS. Once we cleared up that little misunderstanding, he wished us well and sent us on our way without even looking in the trailer. I guess I am still back in the Homeland Security good books.

Buffalo from the Peace Bridge

The US border at the Peace Bridge - Buffalo

We headed for I-90 West and passed through the toll booth, letting the EZ Pass take care of the fees. I still have to use a manned lane in New York so the attendant could enter the proper class because of the extra axles, but the transponder saved time and juggling coins and bills. And there was no need to figure out where to stow the toll ticket en route. Pretty good for a device that costs me nothing. The ETR 407 could learn from this.

We proceeded west into what felt like the teeth of a gale. I put the truck in 3rd and set the cruise at 50 MPH. I had adjusted the tires on the truck to the prescribed 30 PSI at home but, unfortunately, I did it at 80 F. Now just above freezing, the sensors were reading 27 so I stopped at the Travel Centres of America in Erie and pushed them all the way up to 35. I also bumped the trailer from 43 PSI to 50. The air compressor was high volume/high pressure but it still cost me $3.00 to get all eight tires adjusted. We'll see if the theoretical reduced rolling resistance has an impact on fuel economy.

It was raining south of Erie but we missed the brunt of it, catching a bit on I-90 and a bit more on I-79. Lunch was leftovers from last night, steak sandwich and chicken strips. They were even good cold. We did get passed by some interesting vehicles.

Storm clouds south of Erie

Windshields are nice things on days like this

Bumper sticker said "You gotta love rednecks with money"

It was 3 C (38 F) as we crossed into Mercer County. How is that global warming working for everyone? We were the slowest thing on the road except for a white Prius driven by and old dude sporting an Obama sticker on the side window.

I stopped for gas just before the north I-279 split. The young lady at the cash wondered if we were going home and was very surprised that we were southbound. She believed us when I explained that we were not normal. We continued south towards West (By God) Virginia, crossing the Ohio River at Mckee's Rocks and up the twisting road that climbed the hill on the other side.

The bridge over the Ohio River

Entering West Virginia, we found ourselves facing another headwind. Seemed like we couldn't find a break. I find in places like this that I often can't tell up from down. If it wasn't for the way the engine was working and the elevation readout on the GPS, I wouldn't have a clue. We made the turn onto US 19 and proceeded due south towards Summersville.

Downs and ups on the Mountaineer Expressway

The plan for today had been to make it to Wytheville (pronounced Withville), Virginia but I had gone through two bouts of fatigue today that had required me to get out and walk around to clear my head. Discretion being the better part of not driving off a mountain, I decided we would call a halt in Summersville, where the hotels were largely unoccupied because it was not yet rafting season.

The Super 8 had room, so we got parked and settled in. The rate was much better than last night although the pillows and bedding weren't nearly as plush. The TV remote refused to work until I discovered that someone had put one of the batteries in backwards. Then all was well.

For supper, we walked next door to Applebee's. I had forgotten that it was Mother's Day evening and that everyone and their dog would be taking Mom out for dinner. Luckily, they were all larger parties with an expected wait of thirty minutes. A party of two was seated at a high table almost immediately. Sandy and I split potato skins and an oriental chicken salad.

After supper, we returned to the room where I sorted photos for the blog and we watched Cochran win the Survivor finale. Then we turned out the lights and went straight to sleep.

Today's Route (412 Avalanche/trailer miles):

View Larger Map

Sudbury Ontario to Fort Erie, Ontario

I didn't mention in the previous post how, as I was getting ready to deliver carnations and figured my hair could use a trim, I attached the wrong guide to the clippers. Instead of a #2 cut (1/4"). I now sport a #1 (1/8"). Strangely enough, I like it, as long as I wear a hat on sunny days.

 Today was the day to leave for SEVROC in Maggie Valley, but first we needed to complete the jobs that we couldn't do yesterday due to the rain. Luckily today was dry, albeit cold. First, I took the truck for fuel. Then I hooked the trailer up and loaded the bike. The lawn needed mowing and, while all of this was going on, I was updating the maps in my Garmin Zumo GPS.

 If you aren't interested in GPS's, skip the next two paragraphs. The Zumo is an older 550 and I have come to rely on it heavily. But it has a few quirks. The internal memory is about 1.1 Gb while the current map files exceed this. This means that I can either install a part set of maps or I can install to the SD card, a somewhat more complicated process. The second feature is that the Zumo uses USB 1.1, which means loading a map set cab take up to four hours. Interestingly, there is a single solution to both problems.

 The SD card in the Zumo can be loaded in the card reader in the computer for faster speed. For example, backing up the music and audio files on the Zumo would take 74 minutes via the USB 1.1 connection but just took four minutes via the card reader. Rather than install the maps to the Zumo directly (even though I see the new load program will give the choice of which media to install on), I download to the computer. Then, using Mapsource, I can install them to the SD card in the reader. Unfortunately, it took an hour and a half because I had, for some reason, put the SD card back in the GPS. Oh well, I was mowing the lawn and loading the bike while all this was going on and I now have the 2013.4 version of the maps installed.

Ready to roll 

 We were rolling by noon under sunny skies, although the temperature had only gotten up to 11C. Southbound traffic was very light and, even though I was travelling at about 95 KPH, almost no one was catching me. At the Alban turnoff, we saw they were golfing despite the construction work. There was silt screening between the fairway and the new road, but folks were out. I stopped briefly at the French River Trading Post to check the bike tie-downs and, south of the Pickerel River, a large bear ran across the road but Sandy didn't have the camera ready.

 You don't realize how many hills there are on Highway 69 until you tow a trailer. Near Still River, we met a line of clouds. Entering this zone, we started getting some crosswind buffeting, although the trailer tracked well. The temperature started to drop and was down to 8 C by Pointe Au Baril.

Cloud line just north of Still River 

 We stopped at the McDonald's in Parry Sound for some food to go. I couldn't help but notice all the solo cars parked in the pull through trailer spaces. But that's OK, I parked in a bus space. By Waubaushene, the clouds cover had broken and there were large patches of blue sky. As we reached Toronto, Canada's Wonderland was open and they had a sign advertising Dinosaurs Alive. We haven't been to Wonderland in many years. Sandy hates roller coasters so I need to find a ride buddy.

Canada's Wonderland 

 We splurged and took the 407 to the 401 to Kim and Mike's. The side trip was necessary so Sandy could pick up the jacket I had left at Heather and Tom's on Easter weekend. They brought it to Cambridge when they came too visit. The service centres on the 401 are coming along nicely.

New service centre construction on the 401 near Cambridge 

We arrived at Kim and Mike's at 5:30 PM. Heather and Tom were also there, and Tom was on his bike. Jolene and Robyn were both happy to see us. although Kim said Robyn has been scared of almost everything for the last week. This was unusual because, up until now, she has been absolutely fearless. Our planned 15 minute stop turned into an hour but time with grandkids is always good.

Jolene with Aunt Heather and Uncle Tom

The original plan had called for getting to Erie, Pennsylvania tonight but it was getting late so I decided Fort Erie would be a good place to stop. I called our usual Comfort Inn and found it was now an Econolodge. The desk clerk told me they were renovating and probably didn't have room for the truck and trailer in the lot, so I checked out the only other place there, a Clarion Inn and Conference Centre. They had room and said the parking lot was huge.

Stelco steel plant in Hamilton 

On the way down to Fort Erie, I took advantage of the fact that I now had the NASCAR channel on XM radio and was able to listen to the night race from Darlington. We found the Clarion after wandering a few back roads by mistake and they were right. There were several parking lots and they were all huge. The room was very nice with comforters and lots of big pillows, although that was to be expected for the price we paid.

 There was a restaurant, Freelands, downstairs that didn't close until 9:30. I had the soup of the day (cream of mushroom) and an open face steak sandwich with a Caesar salad. Sandy had chickens strips, five large ones. The soup serving was generous with more mushrooms than I have ever seen in a soup bowl. The steak was an excellent New York strip on toasted French bread topped with cheese, mushrooms and onions. The Caesar dressing was just right and the salad had lots of large bacon pieces. Sandy said the chicken strips were great. All in all, it ws a much better meal than I had expected, although there was so much that we packed some of it for tomorrow.

 Back in the room, I watched the rest of the NASCAR race on TV before turning in for the night. Tomorrow, we would see if Homeland Security still liked me.

Today's Route (372 Avalanche/trailer miles):


View Larger Map

Three Days Of The Carnation

The MS Society of Canada sells carnations just before Mother's Day as its signature fundraiser. Rona Ramsey is the mastermind of the Sudbury Chapter campaign, which I participated in for the first time this year.

The flowers were to arrive at the Twin Forks Playground building Wednesday between 9:00 and 11:00 AM. I got there a few minutes after 9:00 and found Chapter Secretary Rose and her husband Andre already waiting. What we didn't know was that the truck driver from Toronto, who was supposed to deliver in North Bay first thing and then drop our flowers in Sudbury before proceeding west to Iron Bridge, got his orders mixed up. He went to North Bay all right, but then he went through Sudbury and on to Iron Bridge before coming back to us. That was an extra 280 miles and he showed up just before 5:00 PM.

When he did arrive, we got a look at what nine pallets of carnations looked like. There were some single stem cut but most were small pots, fifteen to a box. This was going to be a big job for the three of us so Andre, the silver-tongued salesman, asked four teenagers playing tennis if they would give us a hand. And help us they did, for almost 45 minutes of lugging boxes into the building. They were cheerful, courteous and industrious and  had to be persuaded to take a potted plant each for their mothers and a can of ginger ale as thanks for their efforts. Too bad I didn't have my camera to record the team, because they renewed my faith in the younger generation. With all the plants unloaded, Diane and her volunteers showed up to sort Thursday morning's deliveries of pre-ordered flowers to local businesses.

Thursday dawned as another unseasonably warm and sunny day. I had been awake since 3:00 AM, although I am not really sure why. My morning task was to be one of the delivery people and I drafted Leo to help. We were at the playground before 8:00, waiting for Laurel who got hung up in a traffic jam. That wasn't hard because every road across town was being worked on this morning. Good planning by the city. When she arrived, we loaded as many boxes as we could in the Avalanche and headed out to make our first drop at the Greater Sudbury Police Service HQ. They had nine boxes ordered and needed them before 9:30 AM.

The police plants were delivered on time and then we wandered around downtown delivering the rest, with Leo driving and me running in to find the people, drop off boxes and collect money. We had to go back to the playground for the second part of the load but had everything done by noon. Good thing because we would be selling plants at Vale's (formerly my old employer Inco's) Copper Cliff Mine from 2:00 until 6:00.

We loaded the truck with plants and stopped by home to pick up Sandy, since having a lady sell in a predominantly male environment was supposed to be better. The traffic was still hung up and we got to the mine at 2:00 sharp, which did not allow for reconnoitering time. Vanessa, the plant Admin, got us set up in the warm room and we laid the plants out on a shelf. There were people waiting for us and sales started out briskly. Tam, the Production Superintendent, was our biggest asset, encouraging the miners to buy and even lending money to some who didn't have any with them. Miners usually leave their wallets in their vehicles when they go underground. Sales tapered off as the afternoon wore on, but not before I sent Sandy and Leo to get more small bills and coins when our float became depleted.

Tam's story was interesting. He escaped Viet Nam as a boat person when he was fifteen, sharing a raft with 161 other people. They had no food or water and two died before they reached Malaysia. In the refugee camp, he declined a chance to come to the USA, choosing Canada because he spoke French. After ending up in Sudbury, he put himself through high school and studied engineering at university before joining Inco 23 years ago. He worked his way up to his present position and demonstrated an easy manner of overseeing the people who reported to him. Anyone born in this country who complains about their lot could take a lesson from Tam.

By 6:00 PM, we had sold 118 plants and loaded the rest up to take with us to Stobie Mine the next day.

It would have been nice if the good weather could have held on for one more day, but it was not to be. I was up again around 3:00 AM and found a cold, rainy day. I had planned to load the bike into the trailer and mow the lawn before noon in anticipation of leaving for North Carolina tomorrow morning, but all I got to do was to lay out my stuff for Sandy to pack.

After lunch, I went over to the playground and loaded 17 boxes in the truck. Then I got Sandy and we picked up Leo. Because of the rain, the construction work was shut down and traffic flowed smoothly. We were at the mine in plenty of time and the Plant Protection Officer let me bring the truck inside the gate and right up to the door.

As happened yesterday, business was brisk at first but tapered off later on. Although we were to be there until 7:00, the last cage came up at 5:15 and people going underground weren't buying so we knocked off at 6:00 PM again after selling 88 plants. Then we delivered the remaining flowers to the Rona Ramsey MS Centre of Hope to be put out for sale at local stores tomorrow. Then we dropped Leo off and headed home for some much needed rest. Many thanks to Leo for service above and beyond the call of duty.

This was my first time working on this campaign but won't be my last. I will have a lot better idea of how this all works next year. What I do know, as Chapter Treasurer, is the good works funded by the proceeds of this and other fundraising activities.

Freedom Riders Ride To Sturgeon Falls

Spring has been pretty much of a non-entity this year. We have jumped right from a won't-give-up winter straight into an awesome summer in a matter of days, and the Freedom Riders Motorcycle Association of Northern Ontario, Inc. is more than ready for it.

Last evening, there was a surprise Email from Freedom Riders VP Nepper suggesting it was too nice a night to not have a bonfire. Sandy didn't want to be up too late so I took the bike and rode alone out to join Nepper and Yollande at their place in Chelmsford. They have a very nice fire pit and benches in the back yard and he was right. It was too good a night to stay inside. Unfortunately, it seems I was the only one who was able to respond on short notice but the three of us spent a pleasant couple of hours watching the logs burn as we swapped tales. It was an early night and I got home before 11:00 PM.

This morning saw the dawn of another excellent day. We rode the bike to our monthly club meeting at the Falcon Hotel in Garson. It was well attended and we got through the business in short order. Then some of the bikes and one car set out via Garson/Coniston Road to Highway 17 and then eastbound 55 miles to Sturgeon Falls. Sandy had decided after the meeting that she was tired so friends Tom and Eve gave her a lift home and I rode solo. It seemed like every second vehicle on the road was a motorcycle enjoying the suddenly perfect weather.

In Sturgeon, we stopped at the Riv Chip Stand, which was overrun with both riders and regular folk. I wasn't hungry so I watched everyone else eat. The hamburgers looked absolutely awesome so I will have to stop here again. Or maybe at Larry's, across the street. I found an interesting Globe and Mail article about their decades long rivalry.

Riv Chip Stand - Sturgeon Falls, Ontario

Some of the Freedom Riders bikes

A brindle pit bull/shepherd mix

Leo, Yollande and Nepper

Chantal and Carole

Kristine, Ray, Mary Ann and Shawn

President Rob is ready to eat

Dan R. Sitting with all his freinds

After we were done eating, we headed straight back to Sudbury. The winds, buffeting on the way east, were a bit less choppy on the way back and traffic flowed smoothly for the most part. Interestingly, all the slow vehicles were silver. I hope that doesn't speak ill of the personality traits that make an individual choose silver, since that is my preferred colour of vehicle.

Back home, most peeled off at Royal Distributing while Leo and I came straight back to the house and watched some of the NASCAR race at Talladega.

In the evening, we went to the funeral home to pay our respects to the mother of fellow member and good friend Terry. His Mom was 93 when she passed away and had been active and mentally sharp right up until the end.. Still, it is always hard to lose a parent and our thoughts remain with Terry, Patsy and their family through this difficult time.

Today's Route (109 motorcycle miles):


View Larger Map

The Toys Are Out

We were tired after the NODD conference yesterday, plus I burned the candle a little more by watching the NASCAR Richmond race after I got home. What a joy it was to watch the recorded race and see most of my Fantasy League drivers, competitive at the beginning, get taken out on wrecks beyond their control.

Anyway, I didn't wake up until 9:00 AM and wasn't  really mobile until noon. But it was another gorgeous spring day so I called Freedom Riders president Rob to  see about retrieving our big trailer which spent the winter stored in his back yard. His wife Chantal told me they were just heading out for a ride but Rob would move the vehicles so I could get at the trailer.

After lunch, Sandy and I took the truck to Hanmer. The trailer hookup went well and all the lights worked. The drive back to Sudbury was equally uneventful. At home, I managed to back the trailer into the driveway in one shot, totally impressing the next door neighbor. He didn't know that it was blind luck.

With the trailer home, it was time to turn my attention to the bike. After pulling the snowblower and lawnmower out into the driveway, I unplugged the battery tender and removed the fabric softener sheets spread around the bike (word has it that rodents hate fabric softener sheets). I checked the oil and found it was right at the bottom of the dipstick. Since it was changed when I stored it and there was no evidence of oil under the bike, I have no idea why it was low but I added a bit to bring the level to the middle of the stick.

The tires were also a bit low so I got out my small Airman compressor, which promptly destroyed itself when I switched it on. Oh well, I've had this one for over four years and it originally cost me $19.95 so I can't complain. It was off to Crappy Tire to get a new pump and then fill the tires to the prescribed pressure, 36 PSI front and 41 rear for anyone who cares. The next task involved putting all the gear back in the appropriate bags and pockets (Sandy helped me with some of them) and then pulling the bike outside. Sandy swept the garage and then I put the snowblower, lawnmower and other implements of destruction into their summer locations.

Next came the best part. I put on my jacket and helmet and fired the bike up. It started well and ran well, not bad for a machine with 240,945 kilometers on the clock. Then I took it out for a short ride to make sure it all worked on the road. It did and it felt great. I stopped by to visit Rose and Andre, new friends who have a Yamaha 1700 Roadstar. The Roadie had some Route 66 graphics so I told Andre he will have to meet Sherm sometime.

Returning home, I parked the bike in the garage and came in with a smile on my face. The season has begun!