Where did you ride from/to?
Angus Ontario to Cold Lake Alberta leaving on Labour Day weekend
& returning in the 4th week of October, in 1984. Military training course, my first one away from Ontario after returning from being stationed in Germany with the Canadian Forces 2 years previously.
It was cold & wet on the way out, with a stop in Winnipeg Manitoba to visit my 3 year old son. It stayed either cold, or wet all the way in both directions. Some sunshine took the edge off the trip, but also the fall scenery was fantastic & I saw tons of wildlife, including a golden eagle that flew right in front of me driving through a park in Minnesota.
What did you ride?
I rode my 1980 BMW R100RS that I had picked up in Germany direct from the factory. No special adds at that time, until after the trip.
The weather was not great, so I got some help to make up a version of an electric vest, running the wire through an oversize denim shirt. The vests were pretty expensive at the time, so this solution worked. Problem is, I was silly & didn't use the vest until the return leg of the trip, not putting together the obvious fact that warmth = comfort in lousy conditions. DOH!
In Winnipeg, going to visit my son, I had an Octegenarian pull out in front of me suddenly(I had the right of way, he shot out from a side street) so I ran into his passenger door, & fell over. End result, one bent Beemer, forks twisted & fairing semi-crunched. I rode like that for the rest of the trip, at about a 20 degree rotation to one side. Wow. The rest of the trip was an exercise in patience, & tolerance. No other oopses, but a lot of weather both ways. Lots of rain in Ontario going west, followed by cool weather( I know, should have used the vest!). Stayed in Cold Lake for 5 weeks, not including a week of travel time on either end. Normally, mid October at that time of year in Alberta
means snow has fallen or will fall soon. I got lucky, only got snowed on 2 or 3 times. Driving back at the end of October was about the same temperature as going out, cool weather, but the vest was wonderful & made the trip almost pleasant. I returned through Michigan & stopped to visit relatives in the Saginaw area, slept in a real bed & had a shower!! When I started the final leg, it was in a nasty, driving rainstorm. At the Canadian customs kiosk, the agent couldn't keep a straight face, & asked if I had anything to declare, after asking where I was travelling from & to? I asked if he was ****ing kidding, when he cracked up. Asked a couple more questions & said "ride safe". I slept for about 24 hours when I got home that evening. I think the total trip was about 6200 kilometres!
What I'd Do Differently
- Don't get hit by octegenarians
- Stay as warm as possible
- Take more pictures
- Enjoy the experience, as each trip is unique
