Day 3-Americade Lake George NY-June 3-13

 

Woke up early to a bright sunny morning………. not a sole in the pool nor anyone at the bar….

With so little happening at our lodging we decided to try the Tikii Motel in Lake George….Patsy & Frank Beynon had recommended this place…for a great breakfast……excellent….Thanks.

Next was registration directly across the road at the Holiday Inn……we were early so stood in line for 1 hour.  

 the line of motorcyclist would soon stretch down that sidewalk and around the corner…..we where in the 1st 20 inside the building….next off to the vendors area where we parked in a very soggy field…the dual sport aspects of our bikes came in handy.   entering…the vendor area …..lots to see….hey Don out of my way I am taking pics of the vendors… wonder what they are selling….hey Don…I’ll catch up later.

If you need anything for your bike….you can get it here and installed…..it was after the girls had lost interest in me that I watched Don spend his retirement savings on Denali Fog lights…..at Twisted Throttle who also installed same……while they did that Don dragged me up to J & M Communications where he had me part with my piggy bank jar ……purchasing a wifi communication system with Full bluetooth capabilities, GPS, Iphone, MP3, FM radio and bike to bike talk on the go….and its the size of a credit card….wow technology. If it just had 3d capabilities with my camera….I could take in some …….next year…LOL

 A Tiger and a sidecar 

cheap trans Don, you said we would eat only salads. opening festivities with entertainment and all you can eat cake…..Don, we just are cupcakes an hour ago. 

TOMORROW maybe a demo ride or two……..

Day 2- Ride to Lake George- June 2-13

 

Up early 6 am raining cats and dogs…….torrential downpour, our bikes are dry, their under the entry. Load the bikes with all the gear, enjoy a continental breaky hoping for a dry spell. God answered our prayer, armed with the Ferry Schedule which Pedro had printed for us back in Cobourg and which I had mistakenly interpreded as sailing at 735 am. We arrived at 720 to see it sailing from the Doc……a review of the paper work indicated  715 am….next sailing 830am. Its now raining, fortunately a Tim’s is next to the terminal. loaded and enroute to Wolf Isl.  Next Ferry to NY was much smaller….basically a raft……..Customs was a breeze, though I was asked if the Go Pro was off……..ok you can go……..

That’s Don……in the Fog on Wolf Isl Stopped for Cafe and noticed that Lowville NY must be the Diary Capital in these parts.

  Don’s GPS took us in the wrong direction and we resorted to the old paper map….soon found a great place to have lunch in Old Forge a busy village with White Water rafting.

Now in Lake George at The Adirondack Diamond Resort…..a 3 star with a 5 star price tag……..Don had to ask for hangers and we had to listen to the rules……..more tomorrow

Day 1-Ride from Gravenhurst to Kingston-June 1 13

 

On the road at 11.30 with Cobourg as our 1st stop to meet with my Central America ride buddy. Met at Tim’s for coffee and a short chat, introducing Pedro’s new bride to Don.

Then onto Kingston and checked into the Super 8…..just in the nick of time as we no sooner had our bikes under the entry and down came the rain……..torrential it seemed. Crossing to Wolf Isl. by Ferry in the AM , then on to NY and Americade at Lake George for 4 days….before heading for Bar Harbour Main, NFL and Labrador…..  Departure Pics

Trip Map- June 1st 2013

 

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Gravenhurst,+ON,+Canada&daddr=Lake+George,+NY,+USA+to:Bar+Harbor,+ME,+USA+to:Sydney,+NS,+Canada+to:Corner+Brook,+NL,+Canada+to:St.+John%27s,+NL,+Canada+to:Blanc-Sablon,+QC,+Canada+to:Labrador+City,+NL,+Canada+to:Val-d%27Or,+QC,+Canada+to:Huntsville,+ON,+Canada&hl=en&sll=66.75725,76.607666&sspn=2.736613,11.634521&geocode=FVtrrQIdmdhE-ym5qEio-poqTTFLxowKwZ_IJQ%3BFYWhlgIdKz2b-ymBPgWgHcDfiTHSYs9Ps_zoOw%3BFRxNpQIdeErv-ymTJYAVSL6uTDEb2cooZRrpiA%3BFdb9vwIdUIJp_CkVNHJ-NvtnSzGHgDB7m1ODpw%3BFQXn6gIdv7-L_Ckj3VD0-7F7SzHoRQDO2-O0Ag%3BFV231QIdgKrb_ClhogprjqMMSzEfJhIfANQfng%3BFY20EAMdzT6Y_CmVQNAi6aqBSzGV8xM1zZiHAg%3BFfnIJwMdWPgC_Cmh7fGadkv1TDFj0JRz1XxLMQ%3BFZft3QIdYOpc-ylZ48CPTVLfTDG42aGyeb_Blw%3BFVSiswIdjj9H-ynptzqhLXIqTTF5tpPf4qz2iw&dirflg=t&t=h&z=5

Getting Ready-May 21 2013

 

Today was a trial pack day and short ride to check the balance of the load………..We will be on the road on June 2nd our destination Americade Lake George NY, where we will stay until Thursday, then across Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine then back into Canada crossing into Newfoundland, Labrador and Quebec before returning home.

New Trip Ontario,NewYork,New Hampshire,Connecticut,Main,New Brunswick,Nova Scotia Cape Breton,NewFoundland,Labrador,Quebec…June 1 2013

 

Spring has officially arrived but winter is refusing to step aside…..the bike is waiting to be prepped for a new adventure. On June 1st Don Jones and I will set out on a 7800 k journey through the above Provinces and States 1st visiting Americade the Premiere Motorcycle Meet in the Eastern USA.

We will both be riding 650 VStroms which are 80 % pavement and 20 % off road adventure bikes…….we hear that we will encounter 1000 k of gravel roads in Labrador….looking forward to it.  

The Return Trip Oct 1st to 7th 2012

  our hotel

We leave Cordoba about 7 am….traffic is moderate…..Pedro says go…lead the way…shortly I notice he is not in sight so I pull over thinking he will be along shortly…..doesn’t happen so I find my way back up one way streets hoping he hasn’t had an accident and worried that we will not find one another as this is a city of one way streets. Luck is with us and as I pull up to the hotel we meet….he has been circling in the opposite direction. Now we head out of town following a Police pickup loaded with Policia. Church in the Square the square decorated for xmas

Again we are on toll roads….did I say I hate toll roads almost as much as the topes….we do get one break….as we pull up to a toll, I note that their are several men dressed in grey pulling masks over their faces, a police cruiser with its lights flashing has followed us in but veers off to the left and stops. A girl in a BMW is in our lane but in front of us…..the men in grey start yelling and kick barriers across the other open lanes…the BMW reverses…she must be scared…..though the yelling is in Spanish I get the message is go…..no pay….must be a protest so I go to the right of the BMW just as she realizes its ok to go and all 3 of us zoom past the toll lady and into waiting police cruisers with the officers just standing outside starring at the commotion, we all speed away not daring to slow down and make our escape unscathed and best of all a freebie…….. Regular transportation…even in cities

Its getting late and we haven’t seen many motels….stop at an industrial area which is very modern with young employees getting off buses and heading to one of many factories…..this area is quite a contrast to some of the other places we have been…..along the road we saw maintenance people cleaning along the hwy…no litter…what a change. We stop at the gatehouse …again nada espanol…..but we get the drift that we can find a place to sleep and eat up the road…..Another Love Motel…after dinner Pedro negotiates a price 400 peso….my turn for the ceramic floor….he is not sharing the King Size bed…. Cotton

Up early and on the road in fair weather……we ride a long day and well into the evening as we are unable to get modest accommodation. At 11 pm we find ourselves in the town we stayed in when we first entered Mexico…..so we make our way to The Durago Hotel with the help of a young biker, as we find that we are lost again……..

It’s only a half day drive to the border but 1st we have to check out of the country about 20 miles before Eagles Pass. The army is waiting and give us a once over then we go to customs and the aduana office to get our bikes checked out and some of our 479.00 us dollars back….thanks to a young lady from Portugal who translates for us, we are through this procedure in an hour…….then into the next town to exchange our pesos for the us greenback.

It’s a long wait at the Texas border…..a nice couple in the opposite lane notes how hot we are sitting there in our biker gear and motions for us to move into their lane as it is moving 4 times faster than ours…we are most great full…..while being searched by the Mexican soldiers….Pedro motions that his ak 47 looks heavy…suddenly the soldier hands him the weapon and Pedro…..mucho grande…while the soldiers laugh and startled onlookers watch.

We are free and back in America and can converse……..our 1st night is spent on the out skirt of San Antonio. In the dark of the early morning as I head unto the expressway my bike seems wobbly. I pull back into the motel to discover a 3 inch nail imbedded in the rear tire…….out comes the repair stuff….pull nail…rasp hole …stick in plug with glue….have small electric pump…..meanwhile Pedro has the motel manager searching for repair shops….he is such a worrier. I’m no mechanic but a tubless tire come on……Texas to Gravenhurst…I”m here….no further flat.

Somewhere around San Marcus I spot a Suzuki Dealer and pull off the expressway…..my oil was last changed at 6500k in N Carolina….I have over 14000k now….they book me in right away and we are soon back on the road…..as we head north we are initially releived at the cooler temps but that soon changes and we are now in winter gear and anxious to get home fearing ice or snow. The last night we are 120 miles south of Toledo on 75…..I am on the road alone as Pedro has decided its to cold and he will take a couple days……I want to be home by this afternoon as my son is home for the week end and its Thanksgiving. So averaging 120k…..I make it home at 3:15 pm….not bad considering the traffic, rain and high winds I encounter between Woodstock and Toronto.  My bike yet to be washed along with its damaged mate.             

Special Thanks

The Rodriques Family-Veracruz

Many others who I failed to get their names but translated for us in time of need.

Love Mexico