Dress Shopping Day In Waterloo

We were up at Kim's and she, Sandy and I headed for Heather's in Waterloo early. Mike was taking Jolene to see his parents in Aylmer while the ladies searched for bridesmaid dresses.

Heather and Tom were up, with Tom's best friend Darryl and his wife Erin. Soon after, his brother's girlfriend Justyna arrived and the ladies set off in our van for the dress shop in Elmira where they met his other brother's wife, Agnieszka. And so the bridal party was complete.

Tom, Darryl and I kicked around the condo with Tom giving us a masterful demonstration of the advanced levels of Guitar Hero on the Wii. Just before noon, the girls called to say they'd meed us at the Black Forest Inn in Conestogo for lunch.

The Saturday brunch buffet at the Black Forest is much less crowded and a little cheaper that the one on Sunday but it's every bit as good. With the new glucose monitor, I've been staying on my diet quite well and was good today. Other than a very small (but excellent) croissant and two small pancakes with no topping, I avoided starches and sugars. I even passed by the excellent dessert table. The custom made omelet was extremely good.

The ladies had gotten the dress buying done with an absolute minimum of fuss. Erin said she had never seen anything like it. Sandy even picked out a Mother Of The Bride dress.

Erin, Kim, Heather, Agnieszka, Justyna and Sandy outside the Black Forest Inn

After brunch, Sandy and I took Kim back to Cambridge where she planned to take a nap until Mike got home. Then we got our gear and returned to Waterloo for the night.

Thanks for lunch, Tom. Next time is on us.

Sudbury to Cambridge Ontario

Heather decided that this would be the weekend to look at bridesmaid gowns. Sandy wanted to be there and see if she could find a mother of the bride dress at the same time. Great. Besides, we hadn't seen Jolene in quite a while, so southward we would go.

Of course, the winter weather wasn't going to co-operate, as usual. After a fine week, they called for a winter storm Thursday overnight and Friday morning. Lots of snow interspersed with a bit of rain and then a flash freeze. Further south, it was supposed to rain all night and then freeze. I went to bed Thursday night somewhat apprehensive.

Friday morning dawned nothing like the forecast. It never got warm enough for rain so the flash freeze was out. There was more snow, dropping temperatures and a driving north wind that made some pretty substantial drifts. The snow texture was neither light nor wet and was packed by the wind solid enough that it would be ideal for igloos.

I planned to wait until the snow stopped, clean the driveways and then head south, hopefully before noon. In the meantime, I set out about 6:30 for the YMCA for my morning workout. It took three runs to get out of the driveway. Then because the plows were working on the main roads but ignoring the side streets, it took three more tries to get out of the subdivision. At that point, surrounded by whiteouts and stuck cars, I gave up the workout idea and went and fueled the van. Then I went home and watched the weather radar.

About 8:30, the radar showed our snow should be ending. Sure enough, the sky brightened but that wind kept howling. I put on full snow gear and started blowing our driveway and the neighbor's.

Our driveway, not showing the big drift on the other side of the van

It took a while, but eventually I blew the snow about three doors away. The plow will come along while we're away and I'll be faced with another mess when I get home but there was no point in worrying about that right now. We packed extra warm gear just in case and headed south about 9:45 under clearing skies.

A couple of years ago, the Ministry of Transportation installed what they call Compass Signs on highway 69. These are the overhead signs with the messages they can program from some secret central location. Usually they say "Buckle Up" or "Watch For Moose" or something equally banal. I don't even look at them any more. Lucky Sandy was watching as we were leaving town because this time it told us Highway 69 was closed at Highway 64, about 40 miles south of town. Unlike other places, there are no convenient alternate routes available.

I called my father-in-law and he looked up an 800 number for MTO. I phoned them and was told that the closure had just come up but they didn't know why. Then I phoned the OPP regional HQ and found there was an accident at Point Au Baril and they were still waiting for the technical investigators. There was no estimate how long the road would be closed. The detour is across to North Bay and down Highway 11, adding about 75 miles to the trip. But, thanks to the Compass warning, we didn't drive 40 miles south and then have to backtrack.

The highway to North Bay was relatively clear but visibility was limited at times

Some people seemed to be having trouble with conditions

Travelling around North Bay, Highway 17 was very icy. No problem as long as you don't make any sudden moves. Like stopping or steering. Once we headed south on Highway 11, traction and visibilty improved.

Many rock cuts have pretty ice formations

Near Gravenhurst, the roads cleared completely. South of there, the snow started to disappear. We skirted Toronto just before rush hour and got into Mike and Kim's about 4:30. After being drifted in in Sudbury, here's what Cambridge looks like.

Snow? What snow?

This was the first time we've seen Jolene face to face in over a month. That's half her life. I don't want to be one of those bragging grandfathers, but she is the prettiest and pleasantest baby I've ever seen.

We'll take it easy tonight and tomorrow the dress wars begin.

The Sled's Back

It seems the plug on the stator was worn and a couple of the wires shorted out. Considering that age can contribute to this and the fact that it is a 1998 MXZ 440 Fan, I'm not surprised.

I also had them fix the loose snow flap that was getting hung up on the top of the track.

The surprising thing is that they have ordered a new primary clutch for me. It seems that there was a clutch recall that is still in effect, so I get a new one free. It should be in next week and they say they can turn it around on the same day.

I got a new mirror to replace the one I broke. In fact, I got two since they sell them in pairs. I hope the next one I break is on the left. After installing it, I'm still trying to figure out why the nuts were 7.5mm. Who has tools for that? I used a 9/32nds socket but it was a bit loose, too. Anyway, the mirror is on and working fine.

Today, Terry and I rode with CN and City police. The shakedown run was about 221 kilometers (138 miles) and it all worked just fine. Lately, we've been riding fairly reasonable and I've taken to sitting relatively passively. Lazy. Today, I went back to my sliding and hanging off style, common among older riders, and felt much better in the tighter and higher speed corners. It's a good practice even when riding conservatively because it makes you ready for the unexpected.

Jolene, Black Forest and Sandy's Home

I went down to Cambridge/Waterloo on Sunday to bring Sandy home after almost three weeks of her being down there helping Kim with the new granddaughter.

We managed to get a few photos of the family while we were at Kim & Mike's.

Jolene Kimberley Koolen

The proud parents, Kim & Mike

Mom and the Grandparents

We stayed down Monday to attend an open house at the Black Forest Inn, where Heather & Tom will be getting married next October. We were able to check out the setup, the wedding cake options, desserts, photographers, DJ's and limousines.

Tom's parents Stan and Sofia, Tom, Heather and Sandy check out the dessert offerings

After seeing what there was to see, Sandy and I took Heather & Tom to supper at the Daily Grill.

It was snowing this morning when we left Waterloo. As usual, a number of vehicles had planted themselves in the ditch. We drove up through Elora, Fergus and Orangeville and then stuck to Highway 9, trying to stick with the clearest roads. Snow eased up as we approached Highway 400, but continued lightly all the way home.

Once home, the temperature was dropping as I took the wounded snowmobile over to Algonquin Equipment, the local Skidoo dealer, and then came back and cleared the driveways with the snow blower. That finished off my motivation for the day.

The Sled Broke

Today was my third STOP shift this season. I was out with Francis, our fine O.P.P. coordinator, on Wednesday and Thursday. Today, we met at 8:00 at the Great Sudbury Police facility in Azilda. It was still quite cold when four STOP guys and a GSPS constable headed out.

First incident happened as I was leading from Azilda to Chelmsford. The trail was tabletop flat as I rode tight to the right side. Then there was a whack and a sapling removed most of my brand new right hand rear view mirror.

We patrolled Chelmsford, Azilda and Garson, stopping well over 100 sleds. Most were just fine. Then, on the way back to Azilda about 6:00 PM, in the pitch dark, the MXZ lost all its lights. No headlight, taillight, brakelight or instrument lights. And no tach, backup beeper or heated grips. But it ran fine and the electric start still worked.

I followed one sled back to Azilda with another guarding me from behind. We got in, loaded on the trailer and took it home. A phone call to my usual fixer, Charlie, led me to believe this was a stator problem and it would be necessary to take it to the dealer. I'll do this when I get back from down south on Tuesday.

Toronto Bike Show & VROC Dinner

I drove down to Cambridge yesterday. Sandy has been there since before Christmas. Left Sudbury about 10:45 AM in greasy conditions. It squalled to south of Parry Sound, then was clear to Toronto. I splurged and took the 407 to save time, meeting more snow squalls when I joined the 401. I arrived at Kim & Mike's about 3:30.

One strange thing I noticed as I was crossing north of Toronto on the 407 was a flock of Canada geese flying NORTH. I wonder if they know something we don't?

This morning, Heather & Tom came in from a social engagement in Brantford and were at Kim & Mike's by 8:00 AM. We drove in a two vehicle convoy to the International Centre in Toronto, stopping at the Mickey D's in the service centre on the 401 for breakfast.

The show opening time was 10:00 AM and, for once, we arrived early. At 9:30, there were many places not to far from the front door to park. I'll have to try this more often. We bought our tickets and joined the crowd in front of the doors, waiting patiently. There were eight doors, but they only opened one. Now I know how oil feels trying to flow through a funnel.

We wandered the show with no plans to buy anything. Saw a number of friends. Tom wanted to see the new Vulcan Voyager, but the manufacturers don't do this show and the dealers didn't have the prototype I saw at the last show. I skipped the ORRA meeting that usually consumes a bunch of show hours. There was an Ontario Traxxion vendor there. He was surprised by my Traxxion shirt, since the conversion is rare up here in Canada, and his buddy wants to buy the highway pegs I took off the Wing.

By 3:00, we had seen all we wanted to and our feet hurt. We left the show, dropped Tom's car at the Mandarin where supper would be at 7:00, and drove around. A tour of the houses in Woodbridge around the National Golf Course was enlightening. A number of these huge mansions are boarded up. Some are being renovated and others look like they might be foreclosures. We cruised Vaughan, stopping at Tim's for coffee, until it was time to head back to the restaurant.

The Frozen North (Great Lakes) VROC crew have been meeting at the Mandarin bike show weekend for as long as I've been a member. The buffet is great and we need some mutual reassurance in the middle of winter. Turnout was small this year, but the company was good.

Sandy, Marianne, Maxxx & Guns

Rudeboy, Sabrina, Heather & E.T.

Mike (RCAF) paying homage to our crab fishing friend, Bandit

I ate light because, unlike usual, I had to head back to Sudbury tonight to attend an O.P.P. Use of Force training session tomorrow. Stonewall was supposed to have his dinner paid by me tonight since he beat me in the VROC NASCAR Fantasy League last season, but he didn't show due to work requirements.

It was nearly 9:00 when I got my bill and settled up. Sandy joined Tom & Heather for the ride back to Cambridge while I headed north. The road was clear and, north of Barrie, the traffic was light. I passed one semi going my way between Waubaushene and parry Sound, then hooked up with a couple of other cars for the last hundred miles. Got in to Sudbury just before 1:00 AM.

Happy New Year

The year 2008 has come to a close. In retrospect, Sandy and I had a good year but it wasn't so kind to many others.

Here's hoping that 2009 will be a better one.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

First Snowmobile Ride of the Season

My current sled is a 1998 Skidoo MXZ 440. This used to be Sandy's sled but she didn't ride much. Finally, I took it out some and found I enjoyed riding it on the twisty trails more than I did my larger Skidoo Formula Z 583 liquid cooled machine. Eventually, a couple of years ago, I sold the Formula Z. The 440 isn't powerful compared to most other sleds and tops out between 70 and 80 MPH, but it holds its own on any twisty section. I'm getting too old for raw speed anyway.

With the assistance of Charlie Hinds, we had the sled ready to go in mid-December. The battery was tendered all summer. Charlie replaces some idler bearings, installed new graphite sliders and cleaned the carburetor. He struggled to get the new Kimpex Arrow dual runner skis assembled because the Jagged Edge runners Royal Distributing provided aren't the ones Kimpex makes for those skis. But he got it done and was very impressed by the 360 degree turn the sled made in his asphalt driveway.

December has brought more snow than we have seen in years. Christmas Day, I was knocking down snowbanks along my driveway so that the blower would be able to clear them with the snow. Then it started. Rain. Temperatures in the mid-40's F. More rain. Then, as usual, the temperature dropped leaving us with an ice layer. I estimate we lost about 50% of our snow here. To add insult to injury, a little more snow fell afterward.

Tuesday, December 30th, was a clear day. I was doing some work on the computer when Trevor Shamas, a friend from Toronto, called. He was in town and going riding with Vassie Lumley. Vassie is the wife of snowmobiling legend Don Lumley, once chair of the International Snowmobile Congress and International Snowmobiler of the Year. Right now, he's the big guy recovering from hip replacement surgery. Anyway, Trev wanted to know if I wanted to come along. Is a bear Catholic?

I gathered my gear and loaded the sled on my trailer for the five mile trip to the Sudbury Trail Plan yard. Trev was there and unloaded when I pulled in, but I soon had the little yellow machine unloaded and ready to go. In consultation with STP Operations Director Normie Hein, Trevor had a route planned out but we were warned about one detour due to revocation of permission to use the property and cautioned about water hazards.

We rode from Garson up to Skead on good trail. It was a little choppy but there was a layer of fresh powder on it. The new skis worked great but I plan to dial in a little more ski pressure. These are 30 lbs lighter than the stock skis and are easier to steer, so that looks like the right choice for better bite at high speeds.

From Skead, we headed west on the abandoned rail bed towards Capreol. We didn't quite get to the detour because we found the water in one large swamp on the north side of the trail making its way steadily to the south side. Packed ice on the trail was about 18" thick and the water had cut channels through this. We made it across the first one, and Trev and I crossed the second. After taking a moment to pull Vassie out of the hole she was stuck in, we contemplated the third, and worst, hazard. It was sheer on the other side and it looked like a ski could get caught in the undercut. Discretion is the better part of valour and so we turned around and returned to Skead.

Plan B was to head the other way towards the Sportsman's Lodge. Heading east on the same rail bed, we went off the trail system and crossed the Wahnapitae River on the abandoned railway bridge over the Moose Rapids. This is the bridge that tests my fear of heights, since it is over 100 feet above the river and has no guard rails of any kind. I just look ahead and keep going. We reached STP trail 82, which would take us towards Sportsman. Unfortunately, after getting across one wet spot, we came to another overrun, this one more than 50 feet across and of undetermined depth. Once again, discretion took over and we turned around. We returned to Skead and then to Garson.

At the yard, I loaded up and found my trailer lights weren't working. I headed directly home because the sun was getting low and went at the problem with my multi-meter. The problem finally became apparent. The trailer tongue attaches to the axle and bed by one pivot bolt. Everything is so corroded that the ground doesn't make contact between the bed and the tongue. I cleaned up some rust with a file and, bingo, lights again.

I'm going to hurt tomorrow since we didn't slow down a lot on the rough patches. But the sled works and I am looking forward to hitting the trails after a few cold nights. Here's to a great season.

Jolene Kimberley Koolen

According to the doctor, Kim's due date was December 17th. According to the baby, it was something else. On Monday the 22nd, they attempted to induce labour. Twenty-four hours later, the baby arrived by C-section.

Our first grandchild, Jolene Kimberley Koolen, arrived at 5:54 AM Tuesday December 23rd, weighing in at 9 lbs 4 oz. Proud parents are Kim and Mike Koolen of Cambridge, Ontario.

I had taken Sandy down on the 20th and left her there as I returned to spend Christmas in Sudbury with Mom (who I will pick up in the Soo and bring here.

Jolene and proud papa

Now we will strive to be good grandparents, spoiling little Jolene before sending her home to mom and dad:-)

Storage Day

Snow came early. I was slow.

I have a very small garage, so the reordering of the equipment is an annual tradition. The camper trailer, lawn mower and bike are moved from the front to the back and the snowmobile and snow blower move to the fore.

In between is a little tricky with the snow on the ground.

And here we are, ready for winter.

Riding Season Summary

Another riding season has come to an end.

This year, we travelled 42,188 kms (26,216 mi) and the Wing now has 172,642 kms (107,280 mi) on the clock. We burned 849.9 liters of Canuck gas (224.5 USG) and 481.0 USG of American fuel for a total of 705.5 USG. Average gas mileage was 37.16 MPG.

These statistics don't represent how good the season was.

The May ride to Combermere with Heather and Tom was special. I'm proud of the way they are handling themselves.

KSL was fine and we got our annual fix of those priceless North Carolina Roads.

The west trip, Boscobel, Topaz and Aztec were excellent. The time spent with VSP in Stockton and the train ride to San Francisco will stay in our memories. Thanks to Mal for putting us up while we took a mid-trip break in Vancouver. And Oregon Trails was everything a WWR is supposed to be.

Back home, we took in our own Freedom Rally and Interlochen in August. Then we took the fall tour, Cyclefest in Waterloo, NEVROC in Bethel, Maine and then on to Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

We got to make the run from Topaz to Aztec with Sherm, VSP and Slammer. Then we rode from Bethel to Kentucky with Tom Miller. We normally travel alone, but these people are the best and it was a pleasure to ride with them.

So, all-in-all, it was a great season. next year, the WWR is in Kentucky. My original idea was to head for Topaz and come back with the western contingent, but Heather and Tom are riding down so we'll stay here and ride down with them. Then it will be on to Laconia. Total mileage for the year will probably be less than the last few, but we'll be looking at keeping the quality level up.

To all those we saw during the season, thank you for making it such a great summer. To all those we haven't met, I hope we get to do so soon.

The Warplane Heritage Museum

With the ladies out perusing dress shops, Tom and I decided we needed something to do. For years I have wanted to attend the Warplane Heritage Museum adjacent to the Hamilton Airport, but never managed to get a Round Tuit.

We drove down Highway 8 and followed the GPS directions to the museum. It was easy to spot with the dramatic mount of this CF-104 Starfighter out front.

After paying the admission, we started working our way through the displays. Here is a small selection of what we saw.

The Silver Dart

The Silver Dart made the first controlled, powered flight in the British Empire in Baddeck, Nova Scotia in 1909 under the hand of John McCurdy. Alexander Graham Bell was heavily involved in its development and, true to Canadian style, it's first flight was made off a frozen lake.

Avro Arrow

One of the greatest planes that never happened, the Avro Arrow had reached the test flight stage when it was suddenly cancelled for political reasons.

This tiger striped CF-104 was an unusual exhibit

Lancaster Bomber

The signature Lancaster overlooks the head table of a wedding reception occurring later in the day. The hall is available for rent for social gatherings and they have their own on-site catering service.

The Lancaster, like most of the prop aircraft in the museum, is airworthy and flies from time to time. This restoration is dedicated to Pilot Officer Andy Mynarski, posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross in WW II.

F-86 Sabre

When I was a little gaffer, probably ten years old or younger, the Golden Hawks aerobatic team, operated by the RCAF, came to town for an air show. After the show, a local reporter was looking for a kid to put in the cockpit of one of the aircraft for a photo opportunity. Thus I appeared in the Timmins Daily Press sitting in the cockpit of a golden F-86 Sabre wearing a flying helmet while the pilot, named Lang IIRC, looked on.

I wonder if this was the same aircraft or just one of its select few brothers.

Avro Anson

The Avro Anson was a bomber trainer used to train pilots in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during WW II. The aircraft was constructed entirely out of wood and was the first RAF monoplane with retractable landing gear.

This particular aircraft, a 1944 Anson Mk V, spent its post-war years flying geophysical surveys for Inco as CF-HOT. It was kept airborne by its pilot, Norm Linnington, who rebuilt the wooden airframe several times by hand. With receiving coils wrapped around its wooden fuselage, it was more efficient and cheaper to fly than the other craft, primarily Twin Otters. During the last few years of its exploration job, I was responsible for collecting all the costs associated with it, paying the gas bills and making provisions for reserves for airframe, engine and avionics rebuilds. When Linnington retired, having no understudy, HOT was donated to the museum.

One time, doing survey work in Alice Springs Australia, the aircraft dried out so much that they needed to steam is to prevent the wings from breaking on take-off. Now again, in the hanger environment, it has dried out and is now parked outside in an attempt to moisturize the wood so it can be returned to flying status.

Before

After

These two photos are of the same aircraft. They show the type of work done by the restoration crews at the museum. There were many more things than what I have shown here and I encourage anyone in the area to drop by for a visit if they can.

Thanks to Tom Gronek for the photos. Sandy had taken my camera (OK, our camera) on the bridal gown hunting exercise.

The Wedding Dress Hunt

Daughter Heather and her fiance Tom have set a wedding date in October 2009. This might seem like a long way away, but Heather convinced us that she needed her mother to accompany her on a search of local wedding dress establishments.

Not one to say no, we drove down to Cambridge on Friday and stayed at Tom's overnight. Sandy took the camera with her and captured a couple of moments during the expedition. Beyond those, I have no idea what happened except that they found a couple of possibles but made no final decision on the dress.

Heather and future mother-in-law Zofia

Future mothers-in-law having lunch

The Freedom Riders Colour Run

The more temperate fall weather the last few years has allowed us to get bolder about extending the riding season. At the October meeting, the Freedom Riders decided that, weather permitting, we would hold our final run, The Colour Run, on Saturday, October 18th.

At the Tim Horton's (Levesque) rendezvous, we pulled in to find Dan & Tracey and Luc and Joanne all bundled up against the cool air. After the posted departure time, we decided that no one else was coming so we headed out Highway 17 East to Verner, where we stopped at the O'Ranch Grill for a late breakfast/early lunch. While there, Dan called our President-elect Rob, who said he was suddenly free and was riding to catch up with us. We lingered over coffee.

Rob caught up with us and we headed south on Highway 64 to Noelville and then Alban. The sun was shining but it was crisp and we soon realized that we were a tad late for any kind of show by the leaves.

This was one of the few examples of the little bit of colour we saw on the ride

My usual stop, Yvette's in Alban, was closed, another sign of the times. We stopped at the Petro-Can station at the junction of Highways 64 and 69. Surprisingly, they had a good coffee and snack selection, something I'll have to keep in mind for the future.

Halloween/Harvest display at the Petro-Can

From Alban, we rode north and I led the group right through to Val Caron where we stopped at (you guessed it) Tim Hortons. I got a group photo of the hardy bunch before we turned and headed back to Sudbury.

Sandy, Joanne, Tracey, Luc, Rob and Dan

It was a bittersweet ride because another riding season is pretty well done. There may be a few more days but, soon, Old Man Winter will be knocking and we'll be storing the bikes one more time.

Kim & Mike's Thanksgiving Visit

Daughter Kim and son-in-law Mike of Cambridge, Ontario decided to take a little trip on (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend. They are expecting our first grandchild in mid-December and figured they might not get the chance again for a while.

They crossed into Michigan down south and worked their way up the coast of Lake Michigan. Day two saw them visiting my Mom in Sault Ste. Marie. Day three saw them in Sudbury where we got this photo of the happy couple with Sandy's parents, Jan & Harry, in the future great-grandparents back yard.

After spending the night with us, the young couple headed homeward down Highway 69.

Kilo's Sudbury Ride

Those of you who follow this Blog know that we lost two good friends on July 22, 2008. One of them, Mark "Kilo" Irwin of Garner, North Carolina had a last request that I have often spoken of. His loving wife, Babe, honoured this request by mailing portions of his ashes to VROC people around the world to be spread in a spirit of remembrance of an outstanding person.

Sandy and I first met Kilo at SEVROC in Suches, Georgia an September, 1999. It was our first VROC gathering and Kilo had ridden as far as we had to get there. Although he was riding from Kansas then, he met his Babe in the Wind in Georgia and soon joined her in North Carolina. Mark and I crossed paths from time to time in Colorado, Suches and Lake Lure and he earned my respect, as well as that of many others, as a wise and thoughtful man.

Sandy and I had already participated in the spreading of Kilo's ashes in Maine and Arkansas last month, but we still had our own little ceremony to perform. Today was an exceptional October day, so Gary "Biker" Lamarche, Sandy and I headed north on Highway 144 to a local landmark, A.Y. Jackson Lookout above Onaping Falls. Jackson was a painter and a member of the Canadian Group of Seven who made Ontario landscapes famous in the first half of the 20th Century.

This is a beautiful spot with highly interesting geological and historical perspectives. I brought Sherm up here last year to give him a flavour of the Pre-Cambrian shield and Northern Ontario.

Gary Leads The Ride Up Highway 144

Traffic was light but there were a few more people at the Lookout than I would have expected for an October weekday. We made our way along the path to the upper lookout deck and I went around the barrier to the edge of the hill. With Sandy and Gary looking on, I said a few words and our thoughts turned to Mark and his family as the wind carried him aloft.

Skid and Kilo's Ashes

After a few quiet moments, we returned to the parking lot and returned to the city.

Mark "Kilo" Irwin - 1940 to 2008
R.I.P.

The Gym

I first started going to out local YMCA back in November, 2001. I hadn't been in a gym since high school. Lack of fitness and the fact that I had tipped the scale at a svelte 223.5 made me decide that something was in order. Under the guidance of Trevor Harris and other trainers, I learned to use the cardio machines and the cable weight machines. Over the course of the winter, I got the weight down to 186 and got myself in the best shape I've been in for years. But then spring came and we started riding. Suddenly, the gym wasn't so important any more. And I started to put some weight on.

Over the ensuing years, I would get into the gym over the winter, although not with the dedication of that first year. And the weight was up around 210. Last year was the worst. I weighed 208 in September, 2007. I didn't get to the gym until late December and, due to eating all the wrong things, I was up to 226 pounds by year-end.

I didn't hit the gym or do much about diet through the first nine months of 2008. The weight was continually over 220 and I didn't feel well at all.

Normally, it takes a while for me to get to the Y. Usually December. But today that will change. Yesterday, I weighed 226.0 pounds and today I started back to the gym. To avoid my usual problem of working too hard, I deliberately started the cardio slowly, but I added more time. Twenty-five minutes on the treadmill, fifteen on the horizontal bike and twenty on the elliptical, making an even hour. We'll leave the strength exercises for a while.

I found that this was the hardest time I have had starting out. As I get older, I realize that I can't be taking these breaks or, one day, I might not be able to get it back.

Stay tuned and I'll keep you posted on how this works out.

The Pediatric Burn-Scar Garment Fund

One of the requirements in the Constitution of the Freedom Riders Motorcycle Association of Northern Ontario is that and excess monies raised must be donated to a local children's charity. For the last few years, we have given funds raised through our Annual Freedom Rally (held every Civic Holiday long weekend in August) to the Pediatric Burn-Scar Garment Fund at the Sudbury Regional Hospital. These pressure garments help in the rehabilitation of people who are badly burned and the government does not cover all the cost. This year, we provided another $2,000 for this cause.

The lady who manages the Fund (I don't recall her name), with her cabbage patch demo doll, and indefatigable Freedom Rider Shirley. Membership Director Gary talks to a hidden Gord. In all, we had four bikes and six people out despite the falling of a few snowflakes on a cold, grey day.

My big challenge, as head and only club bookkeeper, was to come up with a large presentation cheque since we didn't have one for prior years and the publicity photos end up rather unremarkable. I phoned my local bank branch and they didn't know where to get them. Then I phoned the main branch downtown. A fine lady named Natalie told me they had them, had just gotten some new ones in, and she would get one out for me.

Large cheque in hand, I then had to letter it. I checked various stick-on letters after finding the old stencils of my youth were no longer available at Staples. Then I took my trusty Sharpie marker and did the job freehand. Other than spelling Freedom Riders wrong (ouch), it looked OK. You can see my handiwork here in the article published by the Sudbury Star.

We select the following year's charity every fall. I don't know who we'll be supporting next year, but it is nice to know that some kids somewhere will benefit from what the club has done.

After the presentation, we adjourned to Gonga's Grill for lunch, and a fine lunch it was.

The Leaf Run

I got an Email from Terry, Freedom Riders President, late last night. He wondered if anybody wanted to go for a ride to Sturgeon Falls for lunch today. It was cool and overcast, but any ride is a good ride.

Sandy and I put on warm gear and headed over to Petrocan at LaSalle and Barrydowne for fuel. Topped up, we were heading for the Tim Horton's at Levesque, the meeting place, when we pulled right out in front of Terry, who was on his way to the rendezvous point.

At Tim's we waited a bit, but it became obvious that we were all that were coming. This would allow for a more spirited ride than we could have with a larger group. I enjoy riding second to Terry because he moves right along and, after nearly thirty years, I am always sure of what he is going to do in any given situation.

We motored 55 miles east on Highway 17 to Sturgeon Falls. We were the first people at the Chinese Buffet, which had just opened for the day. They don't have a really large selection, but what they have is hot and good. I know I ate more than I should have.

After eating, and not willing to call it a day despite the cool and overcast, we decided to ride north on Hwy 64. The photo shows us riding alongside the Sturgeon River coming into the little town of Field. You can see the patch of blue that kept taunting us. We never were able to catch it.

I first rode this north section of Highway 64 back in 1971 on my 350cc Yamaha R5. It wasn't paved back then and, since I earned the first part of my nickname crashing on gravel, I wasn't a big fan. Now it is a very nice piece of road with nice sweeping curves and very little traffic. What traffic there was didn't stay ahead of us very long, since Terry's motto is "Pass first, ask questions later".

You can note in the above photo that: a) the leaves are changing colour, and b) Terry's '99 Valkyrie is one sharp looking bike.

We reached Marten River, where Highway 64 ends when it encounters Highway 11. This used to be a major location in the fur trade, even boasting a trapper's museum, but now it is just an excellent place for outdoors enthusiasts to get away from it all.

From Marten River, we turned south on Highway 11 heading for North Bay. You can see that they've been resurfacing the road and haven't gotten around to painting in the centre line yet. The rock cut, a small one, is typical of Northern Ontario and the leaves continue to change.

I had one pass along here that could have resulted in seizure of the bike if the appropriate authorities had been around. They only allow 50 KPH over the limit before you forfeit your vehicle and licence for a week. Fifty over comes very easily, especially if you are following a fast moving Valk. Working traffic as a pair was enjoyable, though. I think we have more skill at this than most.

You can see that, coming back to Sudbury on Highway 17, the blue sky was nowhere to be seen. It started getting ominous there for a while, but we got home dry.

I don't know how much more of the season we will be able to get out for day rides, but this was an enjoyable jaunt and we'll take as many more as we can get.

Trip Summary - September 11 to 23, 2008

We were only on the road thirteen days, but it seemed longer as we covered a lot of ground. Now we'll dial down to local riding for the rest of the season, however long that might be.

It was interesting posting the credit card charges. The trip started with $1.00 Canadian being worth $.905 US. As we got near the end and the US markets fell apart, we got up to $.94 for a Loonie.

So, dollar up, gas prices down and they just raised the limit on my main Visa card one more time. Strange markers as the economic world goes to Hell in a handbasket.

Trip Statistics

Direct route miles - 3,671
Total miles including side trips - 4,249
Total fuel - 119.42 US Gallons
Overall average MPG(US) - 37.67
Total kilometers on bike at end of trip - 170,943 (106,224 miles)

Trip Map