Check out this map, which is created by my SPOT and should update itself automatically. It only shows the past 7 days of active travelling.
If I’m not riding my Suzuki Vstrom DL1000 motorcycle I’m either sorting out all the pictures that I’ve taken 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 training a young Toller puppy, so don’t expect to read much.
By the time I got home my suit was nicely soiled by road grime splashed and sprayed at me by trucks on wet roads. I used our home front loading washing machine after removing all of the body armour and opening all pockets and zippers before washing. It’s a two step process using Nikwax products.
Firstly, washing in warm water with 100ml of Tech Wash and warm water on heavy duty cycle with high spin; it’s important to have the suit thoroughly rinsed with no soap reside. Secondly waterproofing with 200ml of TX. Direct wash-in using warm water on delicate cycle and low spin.
I partially dried the suit outside in the sun and finished it in our dryer set on low heat. I believe that the temperature of the dryer improves the waterproofing.
Then I spent about 30 minutes carefully picking out the “cro jam” from all the Velcro.
It’s nice to be home safe and cozy warm and dry. Most of this trip has been wet and cold, I wore my winter gloves or my insulated rain gloves all but 2 days.
On the William Darrel, the Horne’s international ferry from Cape Vincent NY to Wolfe Island, Ontario, I was the solo vehicle and passenger. I’ve had my Suzuki on many ferries but never been the only fare.
The picture is aboard the Wolfe Islander III looking towards Kingston.
The weather forecast today for PA means I should have a dry start
and the forecast improves as I ride into NY.
I expect that I will encounter more rain tomorrow as I get closer to Ontario.
We split Thursday going our separate directions because the weather forecast was for lots and lots of rain, so no reason to spend it doing more loopse in the Windy 9 area. Jim and have once again had a wonderful adventure together, no surprise, we been friends for about 60 years. How can that be?? We are still playing on the roads, just as kids growing up together in Grenville Park. At least it’s warm rain, not at all like our previous trips to Newfoundland. Riding in cold rain while looking at icebergs puts things into a unique perspective!
NOAA is one of my favorite weather sites, but for simplicty the small app file size, free, and fast operating is, and the radar is excellent
which I prefer while in Canada.
Tomorrow I’m headed to the Finger Lakes area of New York State and I think that the rain had generally passed, it will be a cold start in the morning so I’m hoping my right boot will dry by morning.
I’ve been using WeatherUnderground as recommended by Uval in RoadRunner. It is a good app to use while riding in the US but takes up a lot of limited memory in my android phone; so I will uninstall it when I get home.
Here are my friends for riding in the rain,
Mr Plexus on the outside if my visor allows me to see through the road grime of the truck spray and Mr Defogit helps to keep the inside of my visor fog free.
Thanks to Jennifer and Mark we had a comfortable stay in Springboro OH. Wow, it sure is flat country compared to 6 days of West Virginia twisties.
Wednesday, riding the “Tripple Nickel” Hwy 555 southbound to Marietta was a blast. We checked into a Red Roof motel, made a quick GPS route and rode NEly up Hwy#26 and looped back to the motel just before dark; after only one deadender gravel road that deteriorated into a muddy trail. Sam will recognize this picture of a special place on Hwy #26, and now is in the process of being repainted.
Poor for both the Spyder and Vstrom, neither have skid plates.
On the way to Springboro OH to visit Jennifer and Mark we stopped for a short hike into Old Man’s Cave in the state park.
We had only an hour of cold wet riding. It’s been 7 days of riding and Springboro is the turn around.
It’s going to be a cool start this morning.
Hopefully it warms a bit before we get to Athens OH tonight. We rode for 2.5 hours before finding a breakfast stop and I ate the “hungry man special.” While still in West Virginia on the way to Ohio I missed 1 rabbit, 2 pea hens, 6 turkey vultures and a deer by about only 1 or 2 feet. It was a serious pucker moment. I nearly clipped her back legs with my front wheel. I was going 45mph and she crossed from my left, running parallel as I braked hard and at the last second she squeezed past my front wheel. I don’t think my deer whistles played any part of my close miss.
We had a great ride leaving WV, WOW.
Later in the afternoon we checked some luggage at the Highlander Motel in Athens and went for a loop ride. Interesting train cars at the museum at Nelsonville.
