7 states, 1 Canadian province, 4 days
 

This was a very last minute, barely planned trip. I hit the road later Thursday morning than I wanted to for a couple reasons. One, I decided to take the trip on Tuesday after I found out my ex was refusing to let me have my daughter for 5 days straight. I was pissed and just needed to get away from life for awhile. This was a great way to do it.

I went to Gander Mountain Wednesday night to pick up a few things. Opted to NOT buy a sleeping bag because I already had one. However, while packing the bike on Wednesday night (after midnight), I discovered my old sleeping bag didn't roll down very tight and took up too much space. So, I waited till Gander Mountain opened up Thurs morning and went and bought a fleece bag. It's not much of a sleeping bag, but it's perfect for summer temps.

I hit the road about 9:45am Thursday and rode up to Chicago to meet my cousin for lunch. Stopped in Kentland, IN for a couple photos of a windfarm.

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Had a great lunch in Chicago with my cousin. Ate at a deli and the sandwich was huge. I could only eat half of it. Unfortunately, it had mayo on it, so I didn't want to take it with me on the bike. Would have loved to eat the rest of it later. Took a couple pics of downtown Chicago (what I could see of it from the street) before hitting the road.

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Continued on to New London, WI to visit with a friend of mine. I was running short on time, so opted to bypass the Harley Museum in Milwaukee. My friend took me to a place called "The Tree Stand" for dinner and drinks. I had the duck, she had the buffalo. Both were excellent. We also had Old Fashioneds to drink, which were great. I got on the road from her place the next morning about 8am and took my time since I only had about 5 hours of continuous riding that day. Stopped to get a pic by a farm in rural WI.

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Rode through the UP, stopping for a pic next to Lake MI, then some others of a lighthouse in Escanaba, MI. The town was very small, but was definitely a beautiful little town.

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I stopped at "The Mystery Spot" a few miles west of St. Ignace, MI. This is a one of those "optical illusion tourist traps" where the walls and floors are built on weird angles. I stopped because they had zip lines and I wanted to try that. The zip line only cost $15, but you got a $5 discount if you bought the $7 tour of "The Mystery Spot," which made the tour only $2. So, I figured I'd go on the tour. It was okay for $2. LOL The zip line was about 800 feet long and was a blast. Sorry, didn't take any pics.

The weather was getting bad so I headed to Foley Creek, which is a National Forest campground. Set up camp, including a portable hammock that packs up to about the size of a softball.

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Headed into St. Ignace to hit up the Mackinac Grille. The perch was outstanding. Thanks goes out to Gas Man for sending the text and to Caveman for making the suggestion.

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While eating dinner, a bad storm rolled through. Got back to camp and climbed into the tent during a short break in the storm. Noticed a small bit of water inside the tent. Oh well, still gotta sleep. It continued to rain throughout the night and I woke up to wet feet and a wet head. :lol: I had no time to let things dry out, as I had a long ride ahead of me down to Niagara Falls. So, I just packed up a wet tent and got on the road.

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Stopped for a pic before crossing the Mackinac Bridge.

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Took 75 south to Flint, then headed east through Ontario. I stopped for gas in Flint and I hope, for the sake of the town, that I just happened to stop in a bad area. At least 75% of the places were boarded up and buildings were in bad shape. I didn't hang around any longer than necessary. Stopped for a pic of the bridge heading into Canada.

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And a pic of the border.

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Got to the border and got grilled by the guard. He asked why I was visiting Canada and I told him I was heading across to see Niagara Falls. He then asked, "What's over there?" Wow, these guys must think people are really stupid! He asked me at least 10 to 15 questions about where I was going, where I had been, what was in the bags on the bike, what I do for a living, etc. He finally let me go through. I guess I looked suspicious.

After getting through, I rode across Ontario, and have to say that I was surprised at the amount of livestock up there. I didn't see a lot of them, but I smelled them all the way across the province! :lol: There wasn't much of anything except farmland on this stretch. I stopped near London at a 50's diner and had a chicken sandwich with cheese and canadian bacon. Very good sandwich and the place was interesting. I felt like I'd traveled back in time.

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I pressed on, and at the last minute decided to detour up to Toronto just to see the city. I thought about getting a hotel there and staying downtown, but opted to press on to Niagara.

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After leaving Toronto, I headed along the lake and started looking for a hotel. I stopped at a Hampton Inn, but was told they only had one room available and it would be $159. I figured I can find a little hole in the wall place for less, so I kept riding. I passed a few places (although not really sure why) and continued on. I got to St. Catharines and the rain got extremely heavy. I stopped at a couple hotels, but they were booked. Finally stopped at a Holiday Inn Express. The room was $230, after tax!! I really considered finding a campground and sleeping in an already wet tent, but had been riding for 12 hours, it was dark, pouring rain, and I was tired. I said hell with it and paid for the room. That's what I get for not planning anything! :lol: Anyway, I figured I'd make use of the hotel room to dry out my camping gear.

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After getting things dried out and getting a quick shower, I headed down to the hot tub for a soak. Got back up to the room about 10 and passed out. Slept for about 12 hours. Packed things up the next morning and got on the road to Niagara Falls about noon. Along the way, I just had to stop and take a picture for a song reference back to my high school days.

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Got to Niagara and it was absolutely beautiful. There weren't any places to stop and take pics of the bike, but I stopped in a bus lane for a real quick picture. Had to hop right back on the bike cause I saw the bus coming down the road. You can barely see the American Falls in the background, but it's hard to tell if you don't know what you're looking at.

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Parked the bike and visited the falls for a few hours. There is a barge that is trapped on the rocks, just upriver from the falls. I don't know the story on it and have no idea when it happened.

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Here is a view of the mist coming up from the falls.

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At the edge of the horseshoe falls.

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Here you can see part of the horseshoe falls, with the american falls in the background.

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View of the American Falls, and the bridge spanning the river between US and Canada.

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Full view of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.

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Me with the Horseshoe Falls in the background

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Closer pic of the American Falls

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Paid about $15 to go behind the falls. It was definitely worth it.

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I finally got on the road around 4:30 and figured I'd visit Buffalo, then camp there. However, after sitting in traffic for 45 minutes waiting to cross the border, I opted to push on and ride till about 8 or so, then find a place to camp. Crossing the US border was the exact opposite of the Canadian border. I gave the guy my passport and he asked where I lived. After telling him, he asked if I brought anything in from Canada. I said no and he handed back my passport and told me to have a nice day. Here is a pic crossing into the US.

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I wasn't all that tired, so figured I'd ride on a bit longer. Started getting tired about 9:30 so decided to stop at the next exit where I saw a sign for a campground. Pulled off the exit and the sign said "7.6 miles." Okay, that's not that bad. Except for the fact it was 7.6 miles in one direction, then you turned down a country road and it was a few miles back that way, then the sign was hidden and you missed the turn, then you went back and finally found the campground, only to find out it was closed. Ugh. Back on the road after losing about a half hour. Stopped for a red bull, which didn't really help. About an hour later, I stopped for a Snicker's bar and a 5 hour energy, since every campsite seemed to be several miles off the road and I wasn't about to search just to find another one closed.

The 5 hour energy worked great and I was wide awake the rest of the trip. Got home about 3am, jumped online for a few minutes, then headed to bed.

I learned a few things on this trip, and have to say I wouldn't change much about it. First, and foremost, if there are places you want to see along the way, it's best to not do more than 3-400 miles in a day. This will allow you to take your time and enjoy the places you're visiting. Second, if you're camping, you might want to carry along some road flares and/or some lighter fluid because you will not be able to get a fire lit if it's been raining extremely hard. :lol:

Third, make damn sure your tent is waterproof before setting off for the trip. I thought mine was, as I'd set it up and sprayed it and the rainfly with Camp Dry two days before getting on the road. Amazingly, the tent only leaked at the screen windows, and not at the fabric, whereas the rainfly leaked everywhere. I will be buying a better tent, with zip up windows, before doing the Cali trip next year.

Fourth, if you decide to stop at a hotel, make sure it's at least an hour away from any tourist attraction. Otherwise, you're going to pay insane prices. And make sure to have an idea of places to stay, or at least have an internet package on your phone so you can look for things while you're on the road. :lol:

All in all, I think this was a wonderful trip. It let me get away from life for awhile and I got to see places I've never seen before. While I learned some lessons on the trip, I don't think I'd change anything. Well, except for the fact that I didn't get to meet any forum members along the way.

Total distance traveled was 2004 miles. One final picture.

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that barge has been there a while (over 80 years)

Edit: http://www.niagarafrontier.com/scow.html

cool trip! Nice bike too!

Sorry we didn't get to meet up. You were literally in my backyard for a good portion of that trip. :lmao:

Did you just do highways the whole way?

Thanks for the story. I didn't realize the barge had been there so long.

I probably should have let you know earlier, but I really had no idea how much time I would spend on the road, or even if I'd cross into Ontario that day. I also didn't realize there was nothing between the border and Toronto. :lol: I thought I'd be making several stops after crossing the border, but discovered there wasn't anywhere to stop. :D I'm sure I'll get back up that way at some point, though, as I'd like to tour all of Canada.

Yeah, I pretty much stuck to highways, with a few short detours in Michigan's UP. I still saw a lot of places I haven't seen and can't say I'd change much of the trip.

Outstanding write up and great photos! Glad you had a good time!

No worries.

Oh and FYI...there's lots of things to see and do OFF the highway. ;)

There sure weren't any signs to that! :lol: Maybe next time the trip won't be last-minute and I'll get to ask some people about places or do some research before leaving! :lol: I still thought it was beautiful country.

great pics and story.. looks like it was a great ride, eh

Nice trip, we need to talk about mileage and such for the cali trip.

Yeah, I heard "eh" several times while up there. But I'm sure we Americans have our little habits, too.

Definitely. I'm sure there are going to be places we want to see along the way, but we'll have to pick and choose which ones since we're on a limited schedule. To me, the main goals are Pike's Peak, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Redwood Forest. You may have different "must see" places, as well. I've been most other places out west, as I lived in New Mexico for 2 years and Utah for 3 years, so I'm basically just along for the ride and won't have much input on places that I "must see."

From what I've seen you post, Cali is the ultimate goal and everything else is secondary. We will probably want to get out there as soon as we can so we can spend some time visiting the area and shooting the shit around the campfire in the evenings. Camping isn't much fun if you're just setting up camp and falling asleep. :lol:

Awesome write up Capt! Loved the pics. I only wish I could have met up with ya. Glad to hear it went well.

Very cool trip and awesome narration as well. Glad to hear you liked the perch at the Mackinaw Grill. I have stopped there both times I went to St Ignace and will definately stop there every other time I go there as long as its still there.

Too bad you didn't drop down to D-town, Gas and I would have met up with ya. Even if only for few minutes.

Rockin' trip :rockwoot:

Cap, great write up. Looks like you are really enjoying having a motorcycle again.

Extremely. I've put 7500 miles on it in 4 months. I'm no Ebbs or G-rex, but I'd bet that's more than a lot of people put on their bikes over the course of a few years. I think I had more miles on my bike in a few weeks than my boss has on his 2007 Harley that he bought brand new. I love the upright riding position on the bike, as well as the fact that it can hold corners fairly well. It's just too much fun to ride for me to let it sit and gather dust.

We might have to figure out a long weekend twf camping trip in the middle of the country sometime

Very nice pics...sounds like a blast.

I had a 2006 V-strom....lowered it about 1.5 inches so I could touch the ground. I loved the 270 miles per tankfull, but the bars and mirrors were too wide to split lanes. You should have cut to the front at the U.S./Canadian border. lol

Thanks. It was a lot of fun. Mine got "lowered" by putting the cases on it. :lol: The downside, as I've discovered, is that the extra weight and lack of aerodynamics decreases gas mileage. Sometimes I can get 230 miles per tank, sometimes closer to 180 or 190. Oh well, I'm still very happy with the bike.


And yes, Fred, we should def do a mid-US camping trip. Meet us in Arkansas next May! :lol:

Trans labrador in sept , hoping for jamaica in may

Yeah, I know. you keep saying that, and I keep ignoring it. :lol:

Looks like a great trip. It would have been nice to meet you, but I know you were on a schedule. Maybe one of these days!

You are not good at meeting up with people.

Whatever. I had no problems meeting others on the board, just you and Capt. Couldn't meet Capt. since he never bothered to call me.

I think his comment was directed at me. But you know why I didn't call. One, the trip was completely unplanned and I didn't really know where I would be at any particular moment. Two, I'm courteous and chose not to try to contact you at 9:30 on a Sunday night. Tell ya what, I'll make a special trip up to Akron just to meet you. Afterall, it's only like 5 or 6 hours. Simple weekend trip. ;) Although, not sure your hubby would be too keen on that idea. :lol:

Marko's comment could be for both of us too. I was like 5 minutes from his house and didn't want to venture out at 9:30pm in an unfamiliar town. Plus I was being lazy that night.

Hubby doesn't like it to start with but after he meets all you guys it's not bad. He realizes my crazy internet friends are pretty cool. And you wouldn't have to come all the way to Akron; 1.) I don't live that far north, and 2.) I would come down your way just because I'm nice ;)

To be fair...I didn't wanna venture out in the morning.