Day 3 Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay, ON

Departed around 9:30 am for Thunder Bay.  Had a nice "continental breakfast" before we left the Sleep Inn.
That allowed us to reach Wawa for lunch.

The weather was beautiful all day. No Rain. The air near the Lake was in the high 60's F, and the high was up around mid-80's in the afternoon. 

Wawa, Ontario.  Wawa means "goose".  There were a bunch of them.

White River, ON.  Birthplace of Winnie the Pooh!!

About 20 miles west of White River, a motel was on fire.  Looked about 15 minutes old.  When we arrived in Marathon 30 miles later, we heard they had closed the Highway.  Hope no one got injured or worse.






Approx. 10 miles past the motel, before we observed 5 emergency vehicles heading for the fire, we saw a black bear cross the road, and an 18 wheeler locking up and smoking all his brakes to keep from hitting it.  Too fast to get a picture.  Mick has to work on that!

Mick's range is 180 miles, plus 40 in the reserve tank.  210 miles = Highest he has every gone before refueling.

It's not just a ride, its an adventure!!

Lake Shots.  Pictures don't do it justice.  Can't smell it, can't feel the air temperature changing as you approach it.  But its the best we can do until you get your motorcycle.

First day out my zipper handle on my leather jacket broke off.  Was destined to zip it without a "fob".  But Mick had an idea.  Carbon steel fishing lure, 30 lbs. test.  Works great.

Thanks Mick.

Got hit by a big bug.  Don't know the species, but it knocked my flip top sunglasses off my safety glasses.  You can't see it, but the bug's wings was hanging down into my field of vision.

Mick doesn't have the same problem.

Just before I pulled into the Esso I had been eyeing for last break of the day, Mick pulled around in front and took the lead.  He had decided to go on to the Terry Fox memorial rest stop.  Terry Fox was a guy with cancer that decided to walk across Canada to attract attention and money for the cause.  He got about this far before he died, so they named 100 km of the highway after him and set up this "memorial rest area" with really nice facilities.  Never found it.  So this is Mick's first "rest stop".   Nice, eh!!!

End of day!.  Still heading into the sunset!!!!










Daily Stats:

Arrival in Thunder Bay:    9:45 pm Eastern
Total Drive Time:   8 Hrs. 12 mins.
Miles:   437.3
Accumulative MPG:   46.5   (My base is too large, so will start daily MPG and MPH tallies)
Accumulative MPH:   54.3
Total Miles:  1234


Next UP:    Winnipeg, MB

Mc

Day #2 Mississauga to Sault Ste. Marie

We had a bit of a late start this morning, partly because we got in so late this morning and because the GPS was guiding us to Sault Ste. Marie through Detroit instead via Sudbury.  It took us 20 miles to figure it out, so wasted approx. 40 miles and lost an hour.  We finally got on the right track at 11:00 am

One hour in, it was time to put the rain gear on again.





Have you ever seen a Sea Gull?

Looks just like that Victory Advertisement.  Don't you think?!

Almost Centered!  Gonna have to work on it.

Didn't see any during the day.

Burnt "Frogg Togg".

Potential!!!!   Let's take off the Rain Gear.

OOPS.  That wasn't a good idea.

Sunshine!!!!

Riding off into the Sunset!!!

Its not just the Deer and Moose that come out at night!!!

Stats:
Sault Ste. Marie Arrival Time: 10:50
Ride Time:  8 Hrs, 38 Mins.
Today's Miles:  475
Total Miles:  796
MPG:  46.1
Avg. MPH:  53.9

Up For Tomorrow:

Destination is Thunder Bay

Miles: 432 Miles








Mc

Day #1 Rain Out!

We finally got away at 4:00 pm.

I'm getting all ready to go.  Checking everything twice!

!

Mick's already ready!

All our really good friends are here to see us off!

What a beautiful day for a Ride!

Traffic in Cranberry, 30 minutes out.

We crawled for 45 minutes.

Finally we got out of the traffic.

And found a bit a rain.

Once it got going, lasted about 100 miles, on and off, then on a lot!

Supper in Angola.





Rainbow at night at Niagara Falls!



Approx. 45 minutes crawling traffic at 12 am crossing the SkyWay in St. Catherine,s. 

For some reason three lanes had to be reduced to one.

We arrived Mississauga at 1:44 am. 

Total 318 miles

Total Drive time 6 hours, 58 mins.

Average 46 MPG

Average  48.8 MPH

Tomorrow we are on to Sault Ste. Marie.  Approx. 432 miles.



Gentlemen!!! Start . . . Your . . . Engines!!!!!

The bike started this morning!!

It's 3:30 pm.   Sun is shining right now, but not sure how long?

Should I don the rain gear or risk it?

Tough call.

Destination tonight is Mississauga, ON.  We may even stop and take a look at Niagara Falls, in the dark!

TIME TO GO!

Not Quite Ready! Last Minute Problem

I packed up the bike Wednesday night.   I had finished the packing and decided to start the bike up and make sure all was ready.

The electrical system was completely dead.  No sign of life.  Something had discharged the battery since it was last started on Sunday.  I put the battery tender on for the night to begin restoring the charge.

This morning the battery was still stone cold dead.  Drove the car to work.

This evening Mick and I put our mechanic's hats on and went to work.

1.)  Battery tender quick connect line had a blown 3 amp fuse.

2.)  Initially, the radio circuit appeared to be increasing the amp draw on the battery charger approx. 1 amp, well above the 5 milliamp max allowable.

3.) We tracked the leak to the radio.  All wires leading to the radio appeared ok.

4.) As the battery regained its charge, to approx. 10 volts level, the amp leakage test indicated only a total 0.9 milliamps (good) with the radio circuit connected, and approx. 0.8 when it was disconnected.  We don't know if this is normal, but no other circuit resulted in a fluctuation in amp draw.
Regardless, we were unable to find the higher 1 amp draw noticed when the battery was very weak.


We have two theories:

1.)  Battery tender connections were not completely covered with the cap when I washed the bike, and it shorted against a metal surface on the bike long enough to discharge the battery, eventually blowing the 3 amp fuse.

2.)  The radio has a "short" in the solid state circuitry that is intermittently strong enough to pull enough amps to discharge the battery over several days.


The plan:

Since we will be riding every day, it is likely the battery will still have sufficient charge to start the bike each morning.  The bike's charging system appears to be working fine when the bike is running.

If in the morning this proves not the be the case, we'll jump the bike to get it started, and remove the radio fuse each subsequent night to eliminate the discharge.

The battery tender quick connect has been removed, and if the battery requires charging, I'll connect directly to the battery terminals located behind the front wheel.

Got the battery charger on all tonight.  If I have juice in the morning . . .

I think we're ready to go!!!

PLAN & PREPARATIONS

The Bikes:

When we finished the 2005 trip, I was convinced a longer trip was going to require a bigger bike . . . with a bigger seat, and other "stuff".  The Honda V45 performed well, used barely a drop of oil and started everyday, (Mick's CB750 lost its starter and leaked 2 gallons of oil out the head gasket.  The starter wasn't a big problem since he had me to push). 

But bottomline, the V45's seat just wasn't big enough for 12,000 miles in 32 days!

Unfortunately, the "bigger bike" had to wait until 3 daughter's college educations were completed.  So, for the past 6 years, I've been writing tuition checks and dreaming of the day.

Last spring (2010), I was checking out Ebay for grins, and just happened across an auction too good to be true.  A 2009 Victory, 371 miles, Midnight Cherry, and lots of chrome!
 
There was less than 36 hours left on the auction and I was in agony.  It was a year too soon.  Had one daughter still in school.  Had never bought anything off Ebay before.  Heck of a way to start!

Judy (wife), said "Do it", and I did.  That's when my wife earned her new title of "Best Wife in the Whole World" (BWINWW). 

2009 Victory Vision Premium Tour
1731cc V Twin engine.














About a month later, Mick had an opportunity to "upgrade", and bought another BMW from his cousin's ex.  They like to keep their bikes in the family.

2001 BMW K1200RS
1200cc In Line 4 Cylinders
130 HP and will Fly!













The Plan:

The goal is to travel every paved main road in Alaska. No Dirt, at least not intentional.
We depart Pittsburgh @ 3:30 PM, on June 24, after work.


 Outbound and Tour around Alaska.

Day 1 - Mississauga, ON
Day 2 - Sault Ste. Marie
Day 3 - Thunder Bay
Day 4 - Winnipeg
Day 5 - Saskatoon
Day 6 - Whitecourt
Day 7 - Buckinghorse River
Day 8 - Watson Lake
Day 9 - Whitehorse (our hub)
Day 10 - Oil Change, then Skagway, then Destruction Bay
Day 11 - Fairbanks
Day 12 - Denali Park
Day 13 - Seward
Day 14 - Homer, then Anchorage
Day 15 - Chitna, then Valdez
Day 16 - Destruction Bay
Day 17 - Whitehorse
Day 18 - Dawson City
Day 19 - Whitehorse
Day 20 - New Tires, Oil Change, then to Haines
Day 21 - Catch Ferry to Prince Rupert at 1:30 pm
Day 22 - All Day Ferry Ride!



Return Trip - Prince Rupert to Pittsburgh

Day 23 - Arrive 6:30 am, then to Quesnel
Day 24 - Seattle
Day 25 - Coastal Road to Springfield, OR
Day 26 - Reno!
Day 27 - Delta, UT
Day 28 - Salida, CO
Day 29 - Pratt, KS
Day 30 - Branson, MO
Day 31 - Terre Haute, IN
Day 32 - Pittsburgh, PA

Piece of Cake!


Unlike a few of Bud's and Mick's vacation trips taken over the past several years:

1.)  There will be no camping.  No room for the gear, and . . . motels have showers . . . and toilets . . . and beds . . . and electricity . . . and running water . . . and internet access!

2.)  There will be no 25 year old Toyota pickup truck with two bikes on the trailer. (There's a "camper" on the back, just in case it rains or bears invade the camp!)

3.)  There will be no eating beans out of the can with a plastic "spork". (Ok.  I'm spoiled.)


Preparations:

Mick finished rebuilding his engine about 6 weeks ago (lost his alternator and starter motor last fall in Texas. How he rode it all the way back to Pittsburgh is an amazing story for another time.)

I needed a way to strap down the duffle bag without hurting the finish.  Plastic wire ties did the trick!

We took a "full pack" dress rehearsal ride on Memorial Day weekend, up through the "Wilds" of PA. Around 450 miles. No mechanical issues, everything fit, and the packs rode well. 

Both bikes have new tires and oil.  I installed a new battery, just in case.

Sunday "Bath and Buff". 













Stuff Being Packed:

10 sets of T shirts, socks, undies, and a few pairs of pants.  That's it.  All in plastic bags.
Tools, including a large Torque wrench that doubles as a personal protection device.
DUCT TAPE
Service manuals
Passports
Tire patches
Fix em Flats
Oil & Filters
Rags
Bungies, straps, and strap anchors
Bug Spray & Suntan lotion
First Aid Kit
Gas Can
Octane Booster (Yes, I did read the MSDS!)
Rain Gear (Frogg Toggs)
Battery Tender and extension cord
A couple GPS
Laptops
Cameras
Air hawk (butt pad)
5 Lbs. of power cords, chargers, data cords, for computers, phones, GPS, cameras, MP3.

and . . .

my most prized provisions!
















I think we're ready!