skidooboy Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 hi gang, if you see two sportbikes (ninja type bike for those not in the know, LOL!) with two power ranger looking fools riding them... stop and say hi! lynne and i are leaving tomorrow to ride around lake superior on our morotcycles. we will be trailering from home to the soo, leaving the truck and trailer there. then trying to ride to wawa tomorrow night to start but, work will have alot to say about that. we are lossely planning for wawa on friday night, thunder bayish on saturday night, some where in the U>P of mich sunday night and finishing off monday or tuesday back to the soo. you cant miss us if you see us, we are head to toe in road racing leathers, and have brightly colored bikes. one is an orange 03 kawasaki zx7r, and the other is a yellow kawasaki zx6r. i'll try to post pics and where we are what we are doing, but it will depend on access to the net. if not a big report when we get back. the weather looks great for the next 4 days, so we are just going to wing it. we have no idea where we are stopping or staying. we have the next 10 days off so i am sure we can figure out something in that time frame to have fun and relax. if time permits we hope we can stop and see some of our friends along the way. have an eye for us. ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildbill Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Have a safe and fun trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Have a great trip sounds like allot of fun... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowTouringGuy Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Looks like great fun. Hope the weather holds for you. Gotta think you must have patched up ok - how's the hip and knee doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted August 29, 2008 Author Share Posted August 29, 2008 hip and knee are ok, (thank you for asking) still working on the strength, and i am sore some days but that is to be expected. i even have raced twice since july 10th. LOL! against doctors orders. no more racing this year though, gotta get ready for mountain snow in a few short months. this tour will suffice fine for a nice recharge for work for the next few months till we can ride sleds again. (i hope). we are leaving as soon as i hit send, no work this am, can be in the soo by 1-200pm and to wawa well before o dark thirty. see you all on a canadian highway near you.... ski and bunny (aka, the princess and the dumbass) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maple Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 ski and bunny (aka, the princess and the dumbass) ... but not necessarily in that order ... Have a great trip ... sounds like fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Louis Dave Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Have a great trip. Shinny side up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Reg Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 well I went to the soo friday night after work, left Wawa at 6 pm, so I guess we meet on the hwy some where. spend friaday night in the soo them Saturday went to St joseph island if you are palnning to go there go to the Hilton beach hotel friends of mine who own the place. great palce for this winter for snomobiling. I'm planning to there this winter for a few days. Also I'm going to go visit my friends in Febuary for the OC COM ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowTouringGuy Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 Also I'm going to go visit my friends in Febuary for the OC COM ride. Look forward to seeing you again !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Didn't make it home? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted September 11, 2008 Author Share Posted September 11, 2008 nope decided to become canadian citizens. pics for your viewing pleasure. ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted September 11, 2008 Author Share Posted September 11, 2008 lynne and i had another great adventure. we have lots of pics. if your interested, i'll tell you what we did and where we went. lynne and i had the whole week off after laboor day and we were deciding on what to do, fish or ride. well, after watching the many hurricanes and storms go through the south, it made for great weather up north. this gave us a large 5 day window of great weather to ride around lake superior. thursday aug 28th had me working late so i might have the chance to have a light friday and an early out, and an early start to the road trip. friday the 29th gave me no workload so we hooked the trailer up and towed the bikes to sault sainte marie michigan. we arrived in the soo at about 300 pm. jack, the care taker of the rv park at the kewadin casino in the soo, hooked us up with a safe parking spot for the truck and trailer for the long weekend. we left the soo michigan for border crossing to soo ontario. at 400pm we were in canada and ready to ride. the custom agents were dog searching a camper and boat when we were crossing, and let us go right through. you should have seen the look on the tourists faces when the customs guy asked if we wanted a picture taken in front of the welcome to canada sign while he was supposed to be searching their vehicle to get them accross. LOL! the 150 mile ride up hwy 17 from the soo to wawa is incredible. we stopped at several overlooks, beaches, waterfalls and rapids. even stopped at the halfway marker for the canadian intercontinental hwy. the colors are just starting to show they are ready to change. more on that in another thread. we arrived in wawa just before total darkness set in. we stayed at the northern lights motel just north of town. our hosts are the parkers, (mo and john) they are not only the hosts but our very good friends. had a nice meal onsite, and a good nights sleep. up the next morning for breakfast. maureen makes homemade muffins for their complimentary breakfast bar. mmmmm, mmmmmmm up and on the road before 1000am for a big day to thunder bay..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted September 11, 2008 Author Share Posted September 11, 2008 saturday aug 30th had us riding from wawa to thunder bay ontario. approx total miles 315. the road from wawa to marathon doesnt have many views of the big lake but it does have nice meandering curves, and plenty of great views of smaller inland lakes, valleys and rock formations. the road takes us through white river (the home of winnie the pooh), marathon (built on paper and lined with gold), terrace bay, schrieber, and nipigon. this area is very very scenic with many breath taking views of the big lake, and it's bays and islands. we stopped in schrieber for lunch and fuel. then we pushed on to our final destination of thunder bay. we came accross several nice areas to stop and view in nipigon bay, black bay, and thunder bay. these views were no less than awe inspiring. views of the deep clear lake with large boulders under the water were amazing. bridges and trestles for trains dot the landscape and you cant help but wonder how the first people to travel this area were able to do so with the the difficulty of the terrain. for lack of a better word it is very rugged. entering into thunder bay we made a stop at the rest area before town to gather info on the area. this rest area is a tribute to terry fox, a young canadian who lost his leg to cancer as a teen. terry started his journey by placing his foot in the atlantic ocean, his goal, the pacific ocean. he ran a marathon every day (26 miles) while trying to run accross canada to raise awareness and funds to help battle cancer. terrys monument stands near the sight where his journey was cut short when cancer reoccured,and the doctors urged him not to continue. he lost his battle with cancer shortly after ending his run. we arrived at our hotel, the vahalla inn late in the evening, to watch the sunset on a great day with a view of the large rock bluff over looking the town from our seats in the resturant. we also watched the planes land behind the hotel at the local airport during dinner. our room was HUGE. it had a sunken room in it next to a walk out door to the parking lot. i was trying to figure out if the ironing board in our room was strong enough to get the bikes in our room. LOL! but thought twice about it before deciding they were safe enough where i could see them. another good night sleep had us looking at a little better mileage day for sundays riding....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted September 11, 2008 Author Share Posted September 11, 2008 sunday aug 31 dawned cool @ approx 45 degrees and clear with predicted high of near 90 with no chance for rain. we were looking for a side trip to extend our sightseeing and mileage since the ride to duluth minnesota was only 190 miles. but before we could do anything i had to wipe the bikes clean of bugs and road grime. yep it's not how your feel, it is how you look. LOL! a quick view of some local attractions had us riding to kakabeka falls provincial park for views of the gorge, and water falls. this set of falls is said to be as scenic or better than the big falls of niagra and taquamonon. and they didnt dissapoint us. riding to the town did not give us any hint at the landscape we were about to see. it looked like a flat, no nonsense terrain area. but, when you park and walk the boardwalk to the falls.... you can imediatley tell these are very special. the roar of the water can be heard from the parking area. walking down to the falls, we read the lore of the ojibaway legend of kakabeka. there are two versions, in one an ojibaway chiefs daughter was out gathering supplies for her people when she was kidnapped by a rival sioux tribe. they took her to their encampment and forced her to guide their war party to her peoples camp, to slay them and take their land and supplies. she guided them by canoe through the river and rapids, upon arriving at the falls she dove from her canoe at the last moment and swam to shore while the sioux braves were swept over the falls to their deaths. she then ran to her people and took them back to the sioux camp to finish the remaining rival tribe. (karma is a bitch) the other version has the young lady perishing along with the sioux, as she sacrificed herself for her people. leaving her spirit in the mist and rainbows created by the falls. and the roar of the falls the screams of the sioux as they fell to their demise. took many photos of the falls from both sides, and took in the sights of the gorge that is left from the millions of years of water flowing through the canyon. absolutley amazing doesnt even come close to describing them. after the falls we ran back into thunder bay for lunch, and pressed on to the minnesota border at grand portage. the border crossing wasnt busy but the u.s side was taking it's sweet time with everyone. we only had 6 cars in front of us and i'll bet we sat there waiting our turn for almost 45 minutes. the canadian side was alot more efficiant, for sure. after finally getting accross we were under way again. the minnesota side of the lake has similar breath taking views at the begining, then sort of starts letting you down as the beaches start getting crowded with buildings, homes, cottages, and businesses. we stopped for ice cream at grand marais (minnesota), now we can say we have been in grand marais' in both michigan and minnesota. LOL! there are alot of small vacation communities in this part of the state. they dot the landscape like small lawn ornaments. each unique yet similar to our northern communities. we get into sight of the big ship yards of duluth, the whole community is neslted on the hill over looking the harbor. almost every business and home has a view of the big lake. spirit mountain ski area is here as well. this ski area boast early and late season skiing, with breath taking views of lake superior. duluth was a much anticipated stop for lynne and i, as i am contemplating a transfer for work here. we rode downtown to the business district to see what the town had to offer. it was very busy with vacationers viewing the big ocean going ships arriving and departing the docks. downtown had many diners, bars, resturants and clubs that were absolutley hoppin while we were there. we didnt spend as much time as i would like to have, looking what the city had to offer but, what i saw i think we could handle it there if need be. we ended up staying at the sheraton right on the water with a 4th floor room with a great view of the harbor. lynne used her points from the hotel to get us a free night stay. FREE IS GOOD! lol! after dinner, lynne was out like a light, i stayed up to watch some tv and watch the big boats come and go in the harbor. i didnt sleep very good that night for some reason. i think it was we were right downtown, and my bikes were in the parking ramp on the first floor out of my sight and i was concerned about their health and well being. LOL! monday had us set on getting to the copper country of the UP of michigan....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted September 11, 2008 Author Share Posted September 11, 2008 monday sept 1st, labor day found us leaving duluth early to get a jump on anticipated heavy vacation traffic that never appeared. travel must have been way down due to the gas prices and the kids starting school. we never encountered any heavy traffic delays all day. we left duluth, over one of the two the big harbor bridges that connects duluth to it's twin sister city of superior wisconsin. Superior is said to have one more thing than duluth.... A VIEW! lol! we took a back "scenic" road to stay close to the lake shore but, as i said before, after being in the wilderness areas of northern ontario, the u.s side is less than stellar in my opinion. we rode through the area known as the apostle island area. with towns such as cloverland, cornucpoia, bayfield, and ashland. getting back on us 2 we stopped in the native amercian reservation of bad river to get fuel, and a much needed break from the bike seats. we rode another 40 miles or so to get back into michigan, and ate a late lunch in ironwood. after lunch we were making our way to lake gogebic. and i had a brain fart. lynne said she wanted to see the "lake of the clouds". and i thought hey, that is the nickname for lake gogebic, we're going right by there. so we rode to the lake and around the north shore, then stopped to get a drink and rest. and after seeing the area and knowing my sledding friends stop at "lake of the clouds" and it didnt look like this from their pictures.... i took a look at the map and found the lake she was looking for. and my route had us going that way as well. LOL! so off to the porcupine mountains state park and the lake of the clouds. now we are starting to see some more pristine beaches, and bluffs, dotted with swimmers, and families. more like what i would think it should look like. the lake of the clouds park was cool as the road was up hill and twisty. we took a rest there and took in the views, then got on our merry way again. on the way to ontonagon we saw what i believed to be a wolf hit by an auto on the side of the road. it was too big for a coyote, and didnt look like any dog i know of. it was a large grey timberwolf looking animal. thats my story and i am sticking to it. ontonagon had it's own problems the night before, it seems a fire went through the business district and destroyed several buildings. but the town had the spirit to still put on the labor day parade, that is home town pride at its best. lynne and i were debating on taking the long or short way to lanse' for our nights desination, and the long way won out as usual. lynne wanted to get to the twin cities of houghton and hancock home of michigan tech university, as she hasnt been up there since our sledding trip in 1997. we stopped for gas just outside of houghton, then ran into chassell and i took the lead to go somewhere i wanted to see... my childhood vacation area of otter lake. we rode around the lake to communites like tapiola, toivola, pelkie, and arnhiem. we visited the graves of three dear friends of years ago. two of them were a couple who were from finland who rented cottages on the lake to my family for 3 generations. they lost their lives in an auto accident together, late in their golden years. then we drove by the south end of the lake and i started getting sensory overload, from all the memories, so it was time for me to get off the bike. we finished the days ride with the sun on our backs looking at the shadows of lynne and myself in front of us. riding in tandem not saying a word but knowing what the other was thinking. we past under the statue of the snowshoe priest, bishop baraga looking over keewenaw bay like a silent guardian for road, trail, snow and water bound travelers. we had dinner at the hilltop resturant in lanse' and stayed at the hotel right next door. the room was 70's vintage, complete with lackluster bed, and poorly working ac on a very humid sept evening. just the way i remember it from my youth. LOL! lynne thought about switching hotels but, was a good sport as she knows what the area means to me. we went to bed dreaming of the last few days of a great trip, with one more to go. with visions of the world famous hilltop cinnamon rolls for breakfast. before falling to sleep i couldnt help but think, just one more day....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted September 11, 2008 Author Share Posted September 11, 2008 tuesday sept 2nd. the last day blues. doesnt it suck to think when you are on the last day of a trip, and it is gonna end and you dont want it to? i know i had more days off the comming week. heck, i didnt have to be to work till next tuesday a week away. but i still didnt want this to end. all good things come to an end. we awoke to a warm breezy morning in the copper country of the upper penninsula of michigan. we ordered one cinnamon roll cut in half to share for breakfast cause, that is all you need. for those of you who have never had a hilltop roll... you have to go there and get a fresh made one. they are simply amazing. they are the size of your head, and full of apples and cinnamon, frosted with white icing that will give you a sugar buzz for days. we ordered 4 to be shipped to an undisclosed location for future consumption. AND THERE BETTER BE TWO OF THEM LEFT FOR US, WHEN WE GET HOME. LOL! we also took one chocolate chip and one peanut butter cookie for our break snack for later in the day. after cleaning the bikes one more time, and gearing up, it was time to head for the soo for the final drive home. we rode straight through ishpeming, negaunee, marquette, autrain, and christmas, with no stops till munising. trying to get ahead of "schedule" so we could spend more time at taquamonon falls. upon arriving at munising, lynne and i both dreaded the next 60 miles or so as it is mostly straight and boring with no real sights to see. as we left town a speeding explorer blew by us like we wernt moving. so, i followed his lead, about a quarter mile or so off his rear and sped accross that 60 mile stretch in alot less than 60 minutes. LOL! we made it a game so we could pass this obstacle of our making. albiet safe, but a speedy trip accross the flats of the UP. getting into newberry saw us reduce our speeds and set our sights on the last 100 miles or so to go in our journey. we made the trek up 123 to the falls, and had a nice relaxing rest there at the falls. the tourists looked at lynne and i like we were some crazy ass power rangers, dressed in our leathers at near 90 degrees for the walk to the falls. i would rather sweat than get a skin graft was the motto for the trip. most people understood but, a few couldnt figure it out. those cookies we bought at the hilltop earlier in the day, went well with the ice cold bottle of water we had under a large pine tree with a nice breeze cooling us off before the last leg of the trip was to be started. off to paradise we go. we went through paradise and then south to the scenic lake drive to brimely. with our last views of the big lake. in brimley we pass a police officer looking us over pretty good. then shortly after we come accross a fellow oncomming sportbiker who decided to honor us with a stand up wheelie while wearing no gear. OUTSTANDING! is all i could think. LOL! i did motion to the top of my helmet to warn him of the cop that was only a few hundred feet in front of him. not sure how that one played out as we kept on keepin on. with one last detour for construction, we ended up on 28 for a short while, then a 7 mile blast down i75 to the soo. we rode into the casino with close to 1300 more miles on the bikes, than when we started. alittle poorer, and alot richer for the experience, if you know what i mean. i felt so good from our accomplishment, that i decided to just load up and drive home right then and there. 280 miles on the bikes for the day about 40.00 bux, and 275 in the truck to get home, about 90.00 bux.... crappin with homefield advantage, and sleeping in your own bed, PRICELESS!!! Hope you guys enjoyed the story as much as we did living it. if you have never did this, or thought about it. it is a must do for your bucket list. there are lots of things to learn and see right here near home. and the best part it would be just as fun in a car as it is on the bikes. well, ok, almost. ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildbill Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 outstanding glad you had fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowTouringGuy Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 Hey ! What a great report skiddoboy And I loved your pix as well. Sounds like it was a great trip around the big water for you and snobuny; glad you enjoyed it so much. It really shows in your posting. What do you think about a trip around the lake on a sled ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted September 11, 2008 Author Share Posted September 11, 2008 although i think it would be fun on a sled, the logistics for border crossings, and low snow in several areas north of the big lake, and lack of a trail system, near thunder bay... it would be a tough row to hoe. you would need to set up fuel stops in areas, and towing the sleds in areas. plus we avg'd about 300 miles aday and it still took 5 days. on a sled in the more rugged areas, there would be no way to cover that kind of ground. if people were thinking of this first i would think twice, then go out west LOL! no really, if you were thinking about it, you would need ALOT OF CONTACTS, AND PLANNING. and about two weeks riding time. this isnt a seat of the pants lets see where we can ride to type of an area. all of the canadian side is mostly wilderness, towns are few and far between, miss a fuel stop or break down at -30, could cost you and your partners their lives. not to be taken lightly if thinking of a trip of this caliber. i know people have done it in the past but it is quite different now, with so much of northern ontario in an economic pinch. a gas stop that was there a few years ago may be long gone now. ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 Great Post and glad to hear you are mending well. Brings back a lot of memories as I grew up in Sault Ontario and recently my son attended Lakehead University so that was a semi annual trip for a couple of years. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowTouringGuy Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 i know people have done it in the past but it is quite different now, with so much of northern ontario in an economic pinch. a gas stop that was there a few years ago may be long gone now. ski That's one of the reasons I was inquiring. About 3 years ago we ran in to some guys at Laurentian Lodge who were in the middle of a trip around Superior. Their's was a two week ride. Since then I know there have been trail closures and economic issues. What was a probability then is much less a possibility now. Thanks for your thoughts. Sadly, I agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 From what I heard when Moosifer was up there, sleds were definitely NOT welcome in TB. Apparently, there were tow companies with flat beds that would load sleds and transport them across town for you. Too bad. Would be an interesting experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 crappin with homefield advantage LOL ratt there! LOL! So tell me - did you fess up ahead of time that the Canucks would hafta git some college kid crew to follow you up with a sprayer of bleach to clean the jism off of every rock outcropping along the way? I'm thinkin' that they should'a charged you camping rate for daylight hours too. LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UsedtoSkidoo Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 FRIG!...........Im jealous. Sounds like a great ride. Thanks For sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted September 17, 2008 Author Share Posted September 17, 2008 going back in a couple weeks for a fall color tour (alot smaller version), anyone interested. all oc'ers welcome. i know a few OC brother and sisters ride bikes and would love this ride. pm me or answer up here. figuring on leaving from the soo, riding to chapleau, then to wawa, over night, then ride back to the soo. could add a day in for side trips to see more sights. sudbury/north bay riders could meet us in the soo on a saturday am to start this ride. food for thought. ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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