Some randoms from the trip, not in totally accurate chronological order.
Last stop before South Dakota and the Sturgis area, in Alzada, Montana. The signs says 'cheap drinks, lousy food'. It's true.
Crazy Horse monument from the Museum and Gift Shop. There's a lot of rock yet to move, but impressive nevertheless.
Close Encounters of the cheap souvenir kind.
Imagine if you will, no roads, bridges or fences, and 100 million of these majestic creatures thundering across the Great (north) American basin.
'Sitting on a park bench...' Hulett, Wyoming gas station rest. Just next to it were Ford and Chevrolet tailgates.
'It's gonna be a hot one...' Phillips, South Dakota sunrise. It rose to 101f degrees (38.5c) that day.
The sun (and moon) rises through fog over upstate New York's Lake Chautauqua, after my 1,000+ mile overnight ride, which extended a further 450 miles that day into New England after a solid hour on my back, snoring in a roadside rest stop in the shade.
A very typical central New England (Barre, Massachusetts) town 'common' area, dead smack in the middle of town, which most often include the town hall, a towering white-steepled church, library, school, post office, and usually a shop or convenience store. Having moved away from this region many years ago (23) I'd forgotten how quaint and rural these places can be.
Route 13 heading into the state of New Hampshire, the 'conservative' state amongst the other relatively liberal New England states. I recall thinking that I just wanted to Ride Free and Not Die after nearly getting scrimshawed by several inattentive car drivers within several miles of here.
My aging father was building his eco-friendly dream home near a pond in Massachusetts when in '03 he called my younger brother, who is a master carpenter and his wife, due to the sudden onset of cancer. He passed shortly after so my brother and his wife finished the home and have lived there since 2004. We sprinkled dad's ashes amongst the lily pads in Autumn of 2003 in the pond where he often fished, swam, paddled, and ice skated in Winter. It is a quiet, restful place with only a few ghosts.
Dawn over the pond.
Jo & I ready for the two day ride up to meet Bert to retrieve the Banners.
Whilst waiting for our dinner to arrive, over some fine ales, at the confluence of the Meduxnekeag and St John Rivers, a belting thunderstorm dropped copious rain down around us. A double rainbow appeared just before our ride back to the motel.
The inestimable Bert, in his Donington Park K Fest tee shirt, lays down some ceremonial ink.
Heading back to Massatucky from New Brunswick through the White Mountains of New Hampshire on the excellently twisty Kancamagus Highway in the Pemigawasett wilderness. Ain't that a mouthful?!
Kancamagus means 'motorcycles go swiftly here' in ancient Abenaki.
Back to western Mass to meet up with my daughter, I was reminded by this road sign, as compared to Australia and the western US, just how long 'settlers' have made New England their home. This is, of course, during the days of smallpox infested blankets and cheap beads traded for thousand of acres of land. Still, 'Lord' Jeffrey Amherst gets a town named after himself.
The view of Connecticut River's Oxbow from atop Mt Skinner, part of the Holyoke Range in the Pioneer Valley.
The old Summit House on Mt Skinner, burnt down and rebuilt a few times over the 100+ years its been there.
I would be remiss if I didn't post a piccie of the
real reason I was willing to ride all the way across the US and back through Canada! My daughter Rhiannon.
The entrance to the canal in Youngstown, New York. Point-Seven-Five recommends this place to camp or park a boat. I was impressed with this and the surrounding area for history, accommodation and restaurants & bars and will need to re-visit in the near future.
The
olde fort at dawn, Fort Niagara, Youngstown, NY, where the Krew met for breKKY and the signing.
Point-Seven-Five
Woodie
Caveman
Caveman's very lovely lady Marie snapped this one for us. She was a trooper, putting up with all the eccentric and obscure K bike talk that went on round the brekky table. I saw no yawns of boredom nor detected wiggles of discomfort from her during the two-plus hours we emptied Koffee Kups. She rides a mean V-Rod, too! Excellent folks, all.
Heading west above the Great Lakes, in this case, Lake Superior. The signs, both in French and English, said Vue Panoramique! Agreed, no matter what language.
Some well-meaning Chamber of Commerce Canuck said to himself 'Let's build one more Inukchuck'. Humour aside, all along the highways, people have cobbled together a variety of them in all shapes and sizes out of roadside rocks and shale. It's truly impressive.
This recently built tower over Lake St Helen in Nipigon, Ontario....
...served up a great view of this bridge!
Prior to my purchase of this wonderful piece of bleet skin, the slab topped
Teutonic Tool of Tush Torture had me arse screamin' after less than 200 miles!
Many thanks to the ladies & gents of Egli's Farm in Minnitaki, Ontario.
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan has its very own Moosezilla.
By western Manitoba the skies were growing hazy. By Saskatchewan something was truly amiss. By Alberta it was difficult to breath. By BC I was turning south towards Idaho, wishing to get into Washington state in the hopes of reducing my equivalent of a statistical and unwanted 9 cigarette a day habit. I was just rolling, hoping to make it home under smoked-in hazy skies from wildfires in British Columbia and northern California. The smoke lingers still today, four days after arriving home on the west side of the Cascades in Washington.
the famous Burris pine, a limber pine that is purported to be seven centuries old, is propped up by aluminium poles and a pole through its trunk. Near Crowsnest Pass, Alberta.
Mountains and a normally blue-water lake obscured by smoke haze.
An optimistic tourist poster shows the promise of a bright Autumn day in Alberta.
That very day I was at home by just after dark, having ridden in smoke haze about 14 hours all up from Lethbridge AB.
A fantastic trip and many wonderful memories. I hope you liked it too.
Re: Cross Continent Return Ride with the Banner(s) Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:10 pm
No wonder it took you two days to get to the other side of the province. If you need a small bit of twisty variation then check out the all too short run through the Qu'Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan. Years ago I was hanging out with two cousins who decided to race each other through there. I was in the passenger seat of the Camaro and we were duking it out with the the GS1100. That was my first introduction to drifting. Those prairie boys know how to go fast
