Follow me on a map!

Check out this map, which is created by my SPOT and should update itself automatically. It only shows the past 7 days of active traveling.

If I’m not riding my Suzuki Vstrom DL1000 motorcycle I’m either sorting out and editing pictures that I’ve taken ( GordBinnington.SmugMug.com ) or researching and cataloging all the rocks that I’ve collected, or I’m planning my next adventure ride. In between, I do some writing and more recently spend time dog training my young Toller, so don’t expect to read much.

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Historic K&P trail

Just north of Calabogie I followed the old railway line.

The railbed was in very good condition.

Foymount has some interesting history but the community doesn’t have any economy. But still it’s fun to tide to the elevation of 500m, the highest community in Ontario.

I was only away 2 days but it seemed like a real holiday, the highlands are such a great place to ride.
The Letterkenney road to Qaudeville

has recently been repaved and is wonderful to ride.

NEVA 2018, in Canada eh!

I’m looking forward to visiting and riding with Stromtrooper friends, this year near Gravenhurst Ontario. North East V-strom Adventure rally, a first time that that the event will be in Canada, August 3-5. The registation is promising, with lots of riders making the trip North.

I’m finalizing my packing now because I will be leaving a few days early. No matter how many trips I make, and I have an extensive list; my packing always boils down to counting socks and underwear!

I’m at the family cottage, a beautiful place in the middle of the UNESCO Frontenac Arch Biosphere. What a great place to enjoy and play with my dog Billi. I’ll leave Wednesday for Bracebridge, getting to KOA in Gravenhurst on Thursday.

I had good riding weather to Bracebridge, cloudy with moderate temperature and only about 30 minutes of rain. Hwy 507 through Catchacoma, jog at Goderham onto #3 and to #118 to Halliburton is always s blast.

I decided to leave Friday evening and ride part way towards Ottawa; I ended up staying over night in Bancroft.

I left early Saturday morning and had a fantastic ride with very little traffic. Near Griffith I went south on Centennial Lake Road and followed the twisties to Calabogie….. WooHoo what a flight! Made it to Ottawa in plenty of time to shower and change and get to a family wedding.

All round I had a great few days with friends, NEVA was a success.

200,000 km

Last night just after sunset when I was riding home from the cottage my odometer clicked over at 200,000 km. WooHoo. I wasn’t on a major trip or anywhere spectacular. My trusty 2007 Suzuki Vstrom DL 1000 is still working well and completely reliable. When I bought it new I never imagined that I would travel so much, I’ve see so much of North America and met so many awesome people. It’s been a wondetful geography lesson.

Homebound from Romney

Jim and I split about 8:00am and went our separate directions. I’m solo and Jim towards home in North Carolina, with Larry in tow south as far as a campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Nice for Jim to have company and being together makes for an easy navigation day for Larry, just to follow.

I enjoyed mostly sun and dry roads and had a fantastic home style dinner for lunch at Rayaunda’s restaurant, and realized is was very close to Beaver Springs Dragstrip, so I rode couple miles north out of my way to see if I might be able to meet up with Beaver Bob and Donna; good for them they recently retired and sold the strip. I decided to stop for the day at a Comfort Inn in Towanda PA. Wow, welcomed with a beer cooler in the lobby! Reasonably long day of 467km so I’m more than half way home.

First adventure 2018

I’m leaving in the morning for a ride; plan to be home in about 2 weeks. I’ll be meeting another rider Sunday night in Indiana Pennsylvania and eventually we will find our way to the annual, camp&ride event in Romney WV the following weekend.

On Saturday I stopped at the Kinzua viaduct, an amazing construction project in it time but not much left any longer to hold a train.

On Sunday I was the first firstaid trained person on the site of a accident; a van with 3 women, no seatbelts, smucked a hydro pole. Nothing life threatening, no massive bleeding, everyone breathing ok; but cuts, bruises, likely a few broken bones and a back injury. A nurse driving by stopped soon after me and the fireman and medics arrived in about 15 minutes and took over. I expect I missed the actual crash by less than a minute. I surprised my self that I kept so calm.

I had about 1.5 hours of rain Sunday, but otherwise we’ve kept mostly dry.

Jim and have had a very good day, with a real mix of roads to explore.

The rain finally caught up with us this afternoon while on dirt/gravel roads west side of Pine Creek Gorge; via Cedar Run and Slate Run, probably a tornado, judging by all the trees ans branches littering the roads. We’re drying out and have a room at a tavern in Waterville PA.

After lunch today we left for Lock Haven and have spent a dry afternoon in the museum.

Due to the wet weather forecast we choose today, Thursday, as the driest and best to ride and make some mileage and are now in our motel in Romney a day earlier than planned. Today was damp, some rain, but generally a good day with some nice twisties to enjoy. We went our of our way riding a lot of bumpy gravel to get to Oldtown toll bridge crossing the Potomac, only to find it awash with high water and debris. Bummer to have to change our route adding about 2 hours. Met up with some friends and had a group dinner while Larry entertained us.

I love the smell of Plexus in the morning

Finally winter seems to be over, and the weather was perfect today for a ride. Of course the best cleaner for the visor on my motorcycle helmet is Plexus. Its

unique smell reminds me of a famous quote by Robert Duval in the award winning cult war movie Apopolypse Now. I rode for a few hours on the backroads in cottage county north of Kingston; finally the lakes are free of ice.

WooHoo

Today is the first day of spring, here in Kingston and the equinox was at 12:15 while I was riding. The first ride of the season is always fun, even though it was only 0℃. It was just a short trip to the bike mechanic to have some minor repairs.