33 1/3 N C S + Cuba

Will be doing that. Good to hear from you, I'd meant to send you a message letting you know that I was cranked up and going, guess you know now.

DFW gtg is going to need to happen before I move south.

Hello Barb and the boys.

I subscribed too! great rr keep the rubber down !

YO John Boy! Makes me wanna sell the house, the farm and the wife and pack up and head out with ya! But I will remain here in AR awaiting your return..in your travels, ever find any good buttermilk pie or is that just a "Oark" thing..ride safe and ride alert my friend! I need to make a ride over to your place before you take off to SA

Gravity raceing is fun man, and looks like that cot has paid for it's self 10 times over already. Good stuff keep it up.

Hey Throttlemeister,

Great report. Funny, I left home on the 7th also but headed to the upper pen if MI. We hit some of the same spots though, The falls, Bangor and PEI. I left PEI this AM. I'm not going to make the Soriee. The wife is flying up tonight and we'll just do the NS perimeter this next week. Look at

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0vxPcfiLtTPH0m0k74tPIB30E1JYMkRYc

to see where we overlapped.

Be safe.

Rick
McAlester, OK

Way to go John, keep the report coming man.

Just finished reading the report so far and I will be following your progress!

Well, looks like you've already got lots of stories. I'm lovin' my job but geez, sure do wish I'd have gone with. Surely I could've figured out how to ride hard and fast. Can't wait to read more. xx Kay :eek1

Great to see you started your trip!
Cold beer will be waiting if you head my way
Buen viaje!

Hola Sr. Thottlemeister!
Do you have a route lined up once you start heading south? You going Baja or copper or a coast? Going to hit Belize?

I'm really confused with those pics of you setup to sleep on a road on a cot. You're just sleeping in the open air? Hell, I'm sure you're safe from humans.. but what about the bugs??? Are there no mosquitos?? You got a link to this cot?

You going to ditch all that cold weather stuff before you leave the US? You're not going to need it for a few months when heading south. Plus, it is nice to have all locally made alpaca shit once you start getting cold in Peru/bolivia.

Anyway, safe travels! Looks like you're having an ok time. I mean much better if you weren't updating this RR all the time.

Thanks all, nice to have the comments.

Good to see you KB on the board, this beats the hell out of myspace I'm thinking.

R Judge I remembered you posting up on the East Rally and was just wondering where you are. You missing a good one, Skibum's taking good care of us all up here, we each get our own baby keg

hey Dave,
No real routes just playing by ear and the stops I want to make.
Rough idea be in Northern California Sept 24ish for a HU travelers meeting and then San Diego to ride with super Dave into baja a long or short ways, kinda depending on if I need to come back to OK and sort things out a little.

Bandido TugTug told me we've got a party in Belize Oct 10-17 so that's one I want to make and then the "S" boat is supposedly sailing out of Panama near end of Oct so I still wanting to make the Libre event if at all possible then follow the weather.

Hell I like updating this thing, its so nice traveling solo and doing what you want anytime you want, I was just in a rush to make the big boat to NF, I showed up with minutes to spare but it was a blast.


That cot is hear and its worth every penny, I'm going to wear it out and need some consumables:
http://www.luxurylite.com/index.html

and the craziest thing is it packs smaller than a kermit chair.

No bugs around here, and I smell so bad and have some much alcohol laced in the blood that I make em sick

Getting ready to produce some more good times up here, update and pictures coming in a little bit, they are roasting pig so I might have to keep it short.

Hey throttlemeister, see you at the pig roast tonight at Skibum's place.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=383674

Your everywhere dude. I'll be fashionably late as usual at hope to not be bringing my moose meat with me.

The 18th of August

Woke up sometime still in the morning to warm temperature and decided I needed some net to check up on meeting up with a fellow inmate in Nova Scotia so I headed to Fredericton to see what it had to offer.

Something about these college towns, there where many beautiful women all over the place, or possible I have been on the road too long all ready-NO.

I can't yet bring myself to just take pictures for proof just yet, but it was quite nice and also nice was that the downtown area was lit up with a wifi blanket that was perfect.
I stopped in here with the little yellow sign, for a muffin and wifi in the cool:


Got me some Canandain funds from the atm and ended up talker with a rider about things I should go do before the boat ride from Sydney tomorrow night. We came to the conclusion that a person could go to Bay of Fundy and watch slack tide and then go across the long bride to Prince Edward Island and have a look around. So that was decided and off I went.

Went over to my hometown of Saint John and watch some tide. I meet these to characters, captain Jeff and jack of all traits Ronnie if I remeber right. These guys run a boat tour of the bay area showing folks the extreme tide show. It impressive to see that much water changing direction in such a major way.

Here's a shot from some of Ron's picture of comparison, it goes ~35 foot of change in this area and as much as 50+ foor up in the neck of the bay.


Here's the crew:



Ronnie the one to the left gave me the whole tour, less the boat ride for free. He knows his stuff about the tide pull. That day slack was right around 4:30pm and the water was dropping pretty rapidly since I started talking with these guys. My proof at their dock, I think it would be a PITA to build docks that have to go up and down so much:

I should have used the exact same spot for comparison purposes but this will have to suffice, notice the green house from the previous picture in the distance.
Now here the water has drawn lower than the anchor points for the dock:


Their boat diesel powered volvos, got a little build up going on their boys:


Their was a cool old rover that was up at the top, dude left me his business card W.E. Bill N. of Saint John saying "if you need anything no charge" how nice is that. He's email address was undeliverable so I'll say it here. Thank You Bill, I'm sure is one hell of a guy:


Wild winch up front, maybe one of those aircraft type ones:


Here's the place from the top where the grouchy old lady sold me a New Brunswick sticker for the mule:



Worth a look, that water really begins churning and boiling as it comes under the bridge where the depth is around 230'. Ronnie was saying you can get a 5' depression in a whirlpool that starts getting it when the water's moving the most:


It was soon time to leave for PEI if I was gonna do it. Capt Jeff gave me a personal escort out of town in his little blue car, I didn't tell him your gay if your male and you drive one of those j/k


Ended up blasting on HW 1 towards Moncton and went around the Northeast corner of town. Saw a big truck taking a nap along the way, heck of a lot harder to get than the mule:


Picked up a load of fuel and met up with local riders Marlene and Ray who were out for a little ride of their own. Talked about PEI and just BSed a little before going on our ways. Nice folks here:

You can alway tell a real rider like Ray and me because we've worn all the hair off the top of our heads from wearing the helmet so much.

Got to go on the Confederation Bridge over to PEI, it makes the bridges down at Keywest looking like puddle jumpers compared this bad boy. Turns out you only pay to get off the island and since I took the bridge over I'd be paying the high dollar ferry to get off, but it was the best direction I had for the time left to get to the boat.
Its long and high, ole Capt Jeff even worked as a tugboat capt during the construction of this bad boy, its even got its own radio station:



Its got a high spot in the middle for big boats, its been built in realatively shallow water, 40-60' as I heard:


Funny thing is the only rain so far on this trip was a light shower out near the middle of the bridge and it stopped before I reached the end.

My Confederation Bridge self portrait underway, I'm getting good at this:


Went on in to Charlottetown and had some nice fish and chips at Brits? and some internet until they had to run me off and close up.
My F&C:


Merk, one of the dudes working there hooked me up with ride ideas and told me about Hunter's where I could get some more wifi. What a waste of time going of there, seemed I could get hooked into their network but the wankers would turn the internet on a no one cared enough to hook me up so I left and went back to the store front of Brits to leech the know net inside and then had to move down a store to get to an outlet and I worked for a couple hours sorting stuff and posting up.
Got a lot of strange looks from the passer-byers and the cops kept doing their drive bys checking up on me. That's where kermit chairs really shine. I help a couple down on hard times with some coin bs'ed with a one legged burned out girl that kept talking strange and saw more than one familiar face come and go by during my tenure.

After midnight a fellow pulls up in a Smart car packed with himself and two ladies, diesel version I add, and asks if I need a place to stay. I'm like I using the net he said he had wifi to boot and thats all it took to convince me it was a good idea. The guy's name was Lobie and he's a K bike guy British ex-pat who's been on PEI for a while. He hooked me up with a cot in his man shed which was much appreaciated, it takes time putting up tents, cots, whatever and its nice not having to unload all the gear, too bad I couldn't get the net hot there but I was up way too late anyhow and wanted to make the 8:30am ferry tomorrow morning anyway.

My digs for that night:

Not a bad cot, but I'm getting kinda partial to my little one
As I say at least I didn't have to dig it all out, Thanks Lobie.

The later that morning there was no way in hell I getting up to make the first ferry so I just put it off and started to gather up my things and then the invitation to breakfast and a swim and shower that I would not refuse.

The breakfast was first and quite nice, Lobie has some mad kitchen skills here:




Had my breakfast and visiting with he and his family, his wife directly had to leave for work and I ate with his lovely daughter Mirm and then afterward had a nice quick swim to freshen me up a bit:

Yeah I now wear a speedo, not really but its my under armor riding shorts that do double duty, squared over and over again.

Then after the swim a nice shower to get the salt, and speaking of salt I've lost my fair share on the trip up here, did I say its been a hot SOB for the most part, Bay of Fundy was welcome relief:

Many days where spent traveling North in this my official AC/DC ride shirt, one of 3 shirts I've got with me.
Lobie and his daughter:


You can end up meeting some of the most wonderful friendly people out traveling on a bike, esp a bimmer I think helps even more.

More coming...
I'll stop here for today and do the rest of the 19th in next installment

I live it and like it dude and I know you do too

Getting this caught back up because I'm on island time now. The 19th was just as good as any of em.

Had slept on Lobie's free cot the last night and hoped to get an earlier start with a few hours of rest because I was already well into the new moring and ended up getting a much later start than anticipated but it doesn't matter, things just work out.

Had the before mentioned good breakfast, ocean swim, and clean shower and I hooked it up.

Here's a a worn out puss for you:


Got back on the road and headed for the ferry, the 8:30 was long gone, the 10:30 would be gone before even I could get to it, so the 12:30 ship it would be. I had a little time so I figured to see the island just a little instead only the bridge.
It's funny how dirt/gravel roads look kinda the same from all over the place, just the stuff beside the road makes you kinda aware of where you might be in the world today. A typical dirt road on PEI:



And its true there's lobster in them there McDonalds, no so far I've left it alone but thinking I will give it a try with fries maybe even:


I had enough time to go over to Eastern side of the island so I rode some county roads that way and ended up at Gerorgetown to check out what goes on in the place. Looks like they are working on the harbor wall and some of the roads in town are under heavy construction. The fishing fleet of Georgetown:


One coming back to port, this guy glided this thing in perfectly, almost looked like he might have a bow thurster, it looked too easy:


The mule resting with it's load:


Concrete boat (ferro?) that looks like they gave up on it:


It was time to get a move on to my ship to go over to NS. I ran down some striaght roads playing as I went along.


John to the power of 2 = John Squared:


Time to get to the boat and see what I can get into before the next boat ride to NF this evening. Its kinda of funny on PEI, you only pay to leave not to come over, so if you are on a strapped budget this would dictate your travel somewhat, the bridge which is worth a look cast somewhere round 17 for a bike maybe and the ferry is maybe double that so take your pick, I wish I had the time that I didn't so I spent the money.

I pulled up to load, bikes in first as should be and met up with an unknown on a CBR with a huge tank bag ridiing with his SO. Talked it up a little with him and shortly thereafter Steve (itsteve) from PEI on the ebay rebuild KLR showed up. Quick introduction and we loaded up directly and had the first opprotunity to strap down the bikes.

This becomes interesting for some, seeing how the mule has both a side and center my options are doubled from the start. The little crew lady, who acted like a rider, saw I put the mule straight up and she quickly gave the advice of always using the side stand. I know there are lots of opinions, and like they saw lots of assholes so I figured I knew the bike best and decided that the center stand would be the way to go. How I figured you might ask; well the bike is loaded extrememly heavy and when on the side stand the lean angle is signifcant enough a layover is quite possible and only has the one attachment point. On the other hand the centerstand has two attachments to the bike and a pretty well thought out surface area that uses the kick lever in its design so its got a nice footprint on the ground and then you take into accont the weight that is on the back end and the bike sits well in the middle. The last factor is not having a true four point tie downs, in order to strap it like in the back of a pickup, in the location where we where stacked against the wall near the bow starboard side here:

I thank Steve for the fine picture. As you can see the the front tie down area is limited to front off center right pull point, so I went straight ahead through the crashbars and cinch it up and took one my trusty, favorite red straps through the passenger footpeg loops and pulled her down tight loaded the rear shock up. Works for me and the mule maybe not for you. I hardly believe I could snap off the bolts holding the c stand but anythings possible, I just want to see it happen.

Steve got his bike locked down and we headed upstairs for some lunch.

Him down below getting ready to sail, do you call it that still with a motor only, maybe just ought to call it getting ready to ship.

I had a nice little lobster sandwich, some fake cheetos, an orange soda, and topped of with some cool apple pie, and hell no it doesn't even touch that Buttermilk that Nancey's grandmother handed down in Oark, AK. I'm really not a pie man, but that buttermilk is the best I ever had and it sounds nasty but could not be the more opposite.
The meal aboard:




It was a short crossing and we wandered about waiting for the bathrooms to all come back on line, because there was some kind of pluggage going on. Thought was going to have to hang it over board and started scoping for a spot but luckily they got the johns up and running with out much hassle.

There where some pretty nice looking women on the boat, some proof here and no I wasn't going for the crotch it just happened, blurry anyway but she was a fine example, why do I like foreign women so much?:


They got some shallow waters to navigate with these big boats, we skirted this little bar coming in to the port on the NS side:




Here's FO popping the ramp up

think his name was Dave and he's been with this boats company for well over 30+yrs and got another 10 to retire, he worked his way from the bottom and not making captain unless a bunch die/retire off and they force him, too much of a headache he says, nice fellow.

While Steve and I where on board we talked of routes and such with one of the ship's people who knows about the country, she was PEI native but knew of NS fair amount but not much apparently about what an OK rider's abilities. It was concluded that I had no opprotunity to ride the Cabot in time to make the boat to New Foundland, I was left constantly thinking, I really wanted to ride the trail and would be disappointed if I at least didn't take a ride up the East side to check the hype out.

The other important piece of information that might just have cost me a boat ride was Steve's info about the boat loading at 19:30 hours, for some reason I thought it left out little after 11 pm-maybe that's the other boat to GooseBay, what little do I even know, thanks man.

I told Steve I was going to hurry over and ride up one side of the trail and have a look for myself but secrectly I knew I wanted to ride the whole thing, I'm here and not coming back anytime soon so that's what I do, ride, and ride hard and fast sometimes to make it happen. Just got to hate much of a schedule on any trip, boats have that negative effect that's why I don't ever see myself wanting to go on one of those big cruise ships. I unloaded and twisted it good, I played with the Garmin the whole way working the scenario constantly to see if it was really doable if I made the time on the straights and bigger roads getting over there.

Well from Pictou where the boat dropped us off I made crazy time to Cape Breton area and the start of the trail. I had one instance crossing some little spit type narrow crossing that the light show started up and I just knew my number was up but alas the man was on a another call thankfully.

It happened right around the point where they are craving out the side of a small mountain for its gravel treasure:


At the little pivot bridge that hung up the LEO and myself, funny thing is I rode left up to the front because I'm going to pass all these vehicles anyway so I thought I better get back to right side before I came all the way up on his six. I made like a tourist and got a picture of the pivot bridge in action:


This move saved a bunch of time took em all in one fail swoop. Neat to see the bridge in action. I was getting closer to the Cabot and began thinking about with way CW or CCW and from the routes it looked best for me clock direction. So I made the start with enough time to make hot lap around and make the next boat.
The fun starts soon:


There's good and bad news at this point, the bad being that the camera battery was crapped out right near the start, and the good news was I ran the trail when the odds where highly stacked against me according to my resources. I am usually a lucky bastard and today proved no different, I am blessed and know it.

Here's some off the trail, more leaded up to the trail proper, needless to say all where taken on the move, I stopped once for fuel and once for a sticker for the mule:





It was really nice to get to make the trip around the tip, but the trip to the boat was far from over. By Garmin's calcualations for quick trip to Sydney it routed me across another small unknown puddle jumper ferry that I had to use. I pull up as normal and make my way up to the front, my thinking I'm on a bike considerbly smaller than most cars and can get stuck up in the front of the boat and be the first out and on my way not having to pass them in a less than legal manner right out the gate, I expressed this to the ferrymen, (little ferries) and they where like um no. Maybe I should petition NS ferry system to fun a more efficient loading system that might just make the world a better place, I passed em all anyhow. No camera battery so you couldn't see the gong show I was in, Me and the mule getting slammed up at the back of the little ferry by the rear gate.

I got of that ferry and headed into Sydney where the boats leave out for NF. Again lack of planning on my part was taking me to Sydney that I thought was where I should be but as my luck would have it I came up on another friendly BMW rider on a pretty black older K bike with bags that lined me out. He gave me a friendly wave and we paired up for a ride into town, me laying down the miles and him eating em up right with me. I blow the exit that I should have been on I thought and pulled a u-ey and turn down where Garmin said and then k-bike guy rolls up behind and we go for a drink and BS at Horton's aka harley hangout to give them hell. Lowell was a great fellow and the goofball gives me a bum email so I can't ever catch up with him. He was a retired educator from Saint John I believe. If anyone knows him I would like to send him a link. Lowell said he would help me out and show me the way, we just had to make a quick stop in town and then off. Well I got the chance to save Lowell some real hassle, being the nice fellow that he is, he bought the drinks at Horton's and mistakeningly left his wallet too losely tucked in his jacket and it plopped out in the center lane of the street, I quickly saw the situation and stopped to grab it up, he lost only few coins that I left behind but got the rest. I pulled up next to him at the turn and said, "You owe me big time now bastard" he drew a quick blank and then deduced the problem and then smile hit big time.

We made the stop and headed to the ferry right up the road we'd just come down, I pulled up along side again asking him and he was like just follow me on in. I pulled up again and told him I needed some beer and I'll be damned if we weren't going the wrong way for it now and had to turn back around to get some chaep suds for the boat ride. Sorry Lowell, sometimes I'm like taking care of a selfish 5 year old. Lowell put up with it all well and got me sorted out

More information I got duped on is the location, I didn't zoom the Garmin which would have showed but I was headed to Sydney when I should have been really heading to North Sydney. I somehow get taken care of.

I pulled up to the ferry with a little time left before it was time to load up in and met up with the other All the Way East Rally crew and a bunch of harleys, I was the last sucker to show up but I did what was said to be not possible and I felt good.

This was a much bigger transport ship than the other lesser boats and it was rigged well with tiedown points galore and once again I used the c-stand to satisfactory results, nice proper 4 point system in place. Stowed all my gear that didn't need and took my load of beer, backpack, and computer up to the cabin, it was sweet to have my own digs and didn't really feel it because I bought it when I was employed over the winter. I got fixed up in my room and started charging the battery first thing.

Got it fired up a little and went out to the main deck on the bow to the flipper front door.

Closing finally, almost there here:

The crew was having a hell of a time with the door closing mechanism, seems the safety valves or something was not functioning and it starting looking little bad until finally that satisfyied the system and got her down and put us underway after a slow start.

Something seemed to be wrong in here with the hydraulic ram safety system or something in here where they kept screwing around with:


I went in and starting hooking it up with the others down in the bar. Ron (regfoo2) Noel (dancingboy), Steve (itsteve), the bicycle girl, and the the author, yours truely rounded out the immediate group. We gave it a little hell and had a time, I had some cheap beer that served me well and a few others. Me and Ron saw the lights come on and then while later the vacuum cleaner come out. I departed to my casa and had a nice rest, the boat would not arrive for ~14 hours to NF.

This is one happy dude, these are good times here:


Overnight to New Foundland, first for me and I'm looking forward to the new lands.

The next day Aug 20th after overnight on the boat,


her name:

and her stats:

I really did sleep well, maybe it was just not enough sack time:

My morning meal:


The mule rode well again on the c stand once more with nice straps to boot:


We where greeting ship side like the heros we are. Some of the group:


another, good guy Doug got the truck to lighten the loads, thanks guy:


We got everyone sorted and got rigged for running some ole RR beds toward Skibum's (mike) place. After about five miles riding the old rail beds Mike wanted to make sure everyone knew the correct way to change out a tube before we went any farther. He did a nice job:


I had to make a decision weather or not to take the risk floggin the mule down the trail, I've got miles to go and this is not the mules fortay unless you want to beat and prod her along. So I came to the decision to bail off a side access road that dumped me back out on a big road where I could find something more suitable and safe for our tastes. I would however love to come though those RR beds on say 250cc and twist it good. The still somewhat loaded mule squeezes some of the way down through the tighter sections.
Only example I have:


I worked my way out and decided to run around the Irish Loop area of the smaller part down in the Southeast. Started out on some nice gravel that was nice and friendly compared to the RR and ended up coming to a little bridge and a small marker off to the right that just caught my eye and on closer inspection I thought it worth another look and I could not have been any luckier.
Pretty innocent looking from the top isn't it also seems the approch to these county bridges is the worst part:


Here's what's below and beside this beauty:

Nice little staired walk way going around the falls area, turned out this was Ellis Falls Bridge from 1926, very neat area:


Just a real nice dumb-luck find:




One for the mule:


Continued on going down the road and looking for more fun stuff and before long I was on to something new. Little fish ladder action not far down the way after I topped off with fuel in Colinet I went CCW on the Irish trail, everything got to have a name round here I guess.



Neat little ramp for the fishies, but none swimming just yet, any day now is the word for this river:


Good swimming hole that I thought more than twice about, I think it was all women, no spawning here for me today:


Went looking for more adventure. I think I have now found something that's a hell of a lot harder to ride the mule through than any side I've tried before, it was here at this place:


This is what happenes, you think I would learn after the first time, yes I tried it twice: The first

and once more just to make sure I couldn't ride this shit;


It was pretty darn hard even walking in this stuff, I lobster walked the bike loose from the mess.
Got to be so foggy I thought it was chewy and I was eating the stuff as I rode through it, it was damn heavy, and then the loose rock death trap on a motorcycle beach:

Crazy to think the European fishermen used to come over and set up summer camps along this shores and dry their catch on the rock beach, according to the sign there. The local name of this beach:


Went on into Trepassey and out to their little lighthouse on the point.


And the LH:


I then went on up to the battery site to protect the harbour from the marauding American privateers back during Revolutionary War.

Don't jump me fourwheeler tracks where everywhere up there and I didn't hurt a thing, the high ground:

Also:


Good ole Noel (dancingboy) told me that NF has more coastline miles than the US and now it's easy to see why, its all cut and rugged on many of the points along the edges, that fog would come and go quickly too:


Getting hungry and went into town via a little more RR bed action and ate at the place on the main route through town. Fish and chips, I'm really just trying to grow some gills:


While waiting for the meal I chat it up with the local girl doing the serving and ask her about the Cape Race LH and she replys; "Well is down a long dirt road" I'm like yes go on please; "Yeah its quite nice". Okay that's settled I check it.
I take off down the way and a ways into now back into heavy for a young couple appears out of the fog arms waving and noticieably excited to see me. He blurts it out and I like slow down dude. Seems him and his gf must have been doing some heavy petting while driving or just suck at driving in the fog and biffed a curve on a slight downhill right before a bridge. It would have been one hell of a ride especially if involoved somewhat:

They started way up here and went jumping down through headed right for the creek before they got shutdown by a decent berm that could only cause considerable front end damage, never went down to check the to see if the airbags blew but surely they did.

They ended up right close to the water, could have easily been much worse.

Little accident scene:

Thought I would go ahead and send the last bit, still writing in the window and not wanting to screw it up or have any of these bastards screw me over and shut the window down.

Now on with the rest of the 20th.

The accident scene from drivers view more less:

car way far to the left missed the bridge by a long shot.

I checked their immediate needs, then we talked about the options and checked the mileage and I was going to go the 5 or so miles on down to the lighthouse and see if I could get the keeper or anyone else to send some help their way and they would return to their car and wait for who I found to get them.

I took off and not a mile or so down the road comes a big mega cab dodge 4x4 that had plenty of room so I was released from rescue duties and could continue on my business at hand. The guy driving the truck asked if he thought he could pull them free but with the damage to the car it would not matter.

I went the rest of the way into Cape Race under heavy fog and what I found was just so, so. A keepers house away from the lighthouse looked barely alive and the lighthouse looked to be near condemned condition with signs of some type of mercury poison or something or other, concrete falling on your head type thing wrong with it. And did I say it was foggy:

Had to get close to make it out through the thick stuff:

It must have been something special in its day.
These are noisey little suckers when the fog is out thick, couple of blows every few minutes.


I had to keep moving on and keep up on the Irish Loop if I wanted to go to St John's all the way East. I passed many cool little snug harbors along the way, too many to even count.

The many harbours had many boats, this one had a travel all and many blocked up on skids and props. Some give the since of chicken buses colored up to give some character. One wild pilot boat with the drive screws pulled loose I hope or the props are far behine the transom. Doing a refit I suppose:


The others lined up nice and pretty:

They even have the big newer design windmills up here for good reason:



It was starting to get dark and I ended up at some harbour, Bulls or something started with B and went down to look at the biggest boat I've seen so far next to the ferry boat across the ocean. I went to start back up and all I got was clicks and lights out, great its the cable again. End up having to pop the tank again to tighten this up again all without the use of a torch to find the connections. Got it snugged up enough to go again but not before I met a member of the crew who seemed interested in the bike and told me he ride a KTM 9*0. The boat turned out to be the Detector, a saturation vessel that's working on subsea drilling components to stay away from the icebergs that can give the platforms fits and keep the tug boat berg ropers in business. The guy turned out to be an inmate on here called WaterRat:


(chris I think) who's from Alberta working in the Sat for 28 days running 500 depths. We talked awhile about the bikes, rides, and the project he's working on as I buttoned back up the bike.

Off and going now in the early night I figured the boys at Skibum's place would thought I just stayed somewhere else along the way but I was determined to get back over there mainly because I was without a torch and my wallet itself was left in the top box that got trucked to the house earlier. I had my checkcard and passport for ID, and even some cash but thought it best to show up and party like a good guest should.

I arrived to a barn full of revelers that where wondering what I'd been up to and the stories and drinking started quickly and ended lately or early depending on your outlook.

Some of the late nighters who stayed late in order of their departures,
Ron standing in front of my bedroom


Our generous host Mike moving too fast with his favorite stein:


And the Gregster, who like me finished the first night well into the morning hours:


And then this goofy bastard who felt right at home here:

There was drinking going on, some of it being heavy...










Later on that morning would bring peace and harmony in this perfect world:

Looks like you're having a great time John!!

Man...sounds like you've been doin' what you do. Meetin' people and riding like a banshee. Loved the pics of the bridge...cool find. Strange story about the people and their car, I'm sure they were glad to see ya. :eek1 It is amazing the people you meet out traveling. Glad you're still having a good time. By the way, you shouldn't take pictures while you're driving. That's dangerous.

All's well here. Got my new $400 freaking spare put on my FJ. Freaks are gonna have a hard time rippin' off this one considering I got a little smarter this time with locking lug nuts. Still pissy about it Surely they'll get theirs soon. That's all from me. Gonna head up to P Creek next weekend. Sure gonna miss you. Swappin' vehicles with Tom and bringing back Cop. That'll be a nice change.

Catch ya later dude. K