…and time to ponder life.

Sometimes you just need to be alone and clear your head. Saturday was one of those days for me. A bunch of friends had decided on going on a great group ride on some nice country roads and up through Algonquin Park. Personally I just needed to be alone though.

I started out around 7:30am and as I arrived at the meeting point for the group ride, I saw the group of 20 or so bikes parked in the lot of Haugen’s Chicken just outside Port Perry. I just kept going, only glancing as they were preparing to depart. I continued heading northeast towards the ominous rain clouds on the horizon.

As I pulled into Bobcaygeon, I saw the roads were wet indicating recent rainfall. I figured it would be a good time to take a break and while listening to the Thunder off in the distance, it was also time to throw on the rain gear. The timing was perfect as the rain started falling just as I was mounting my bike again. Rain doesn’t bother me and at this point it wasn’t falling hard. It was actually quite peaceful listening to the wind in my helmet and the tick tick tick of the rain drops hitting my visor.

As I rode on, I was able to spend some time thinking as I watched the lightening off in the distance and hearing the thunder behind me. I was riding between storm cells. As I turned north on the 507, I once again passed my group of friends as they were refuelling. They obviously passed me while I was stopped earlier. Once again, I continued on, just wanting to ride alone. 30minutes later they caught up to me and I made a detour to Haliburton for gas, which made for another good chance to stretch and ponder life. Although it was raining slightly and the cloud cover was heavy, it was still lovely overlooking the lakes.

I carried on my way and continued along the route knowing that I would eventually pass them again. It wasn’t anything personal, I just needed to be alone with my bike. There really isn’t anything like riding a motorcycle and the peace that comes along with it. The sights, the sounds even the smells. Spring is always a great time to ride as the forests begins to rejuvenate from the winter and you can smell the trees coming to life once again. You can even smell the road when transferring from asphalt to tarmac.

At one point while stopped on the side of the road, taking pictures of a nice lake, I heard the sound of a couple bikes approaching. It turned out to be a couple friends of mine (James and Margot) who had been riding with the larger group but decided to turn back. We chatted for a bit, took a few pictures and we went our separate ways.

As I neared Algonquin Park I once again passed the same group of riders where they had stopped for lunch and once again, I continued on. It was becoming common for us to pass each other just as much as riding in and out of rain clouds. Once in the Park I was certain the weather had turned for the better and the sun would stay for good. Turns out that only lasted for about 40km and I had to stop to put my rain gear back on…for good this time.

Showers followed me on and off but stopped for a while in Mindon, which seemed like a good time to eat and refuel. Despite the rain, it was still a great day riding. Up to this point anyway. I could hear thunder off in the distance getting louder and more frequent, coming from the southwest, which was the direction I was going. I prepared myself for what I expected to be heavy and continuous rain all the way home. What I got was far worse.

As I approached Kirkfield, the weather got bad to nearly biblical proportions. The wind picked up to over 60km/hr with gusts up to 100km/hr and this was only the beginning. The crosswinds increased and I slowed my pace as I fought to stay upright as branches and debris was being blown across the road. Turns out I rode into “tornado warning” conditions and at one point was blown clear across the road into the opposite lane. It happened twice more, once into traffic. I was lucky to pull my bike back over in time to avoid hitting a car head-on.

I took shelter at a small gas station and came across a couple other riders who had been there for about 30minutes and was lucky to of missed the worst of it. Once things settled down a bit, the three of us continued on together for the added safety that comes with riding with a small group in case something went seriously wrong.

Finally reaching home 12hrs later, tired, sore, shaken, I was left thinking that even though life can be bad, rides like today remind you how great it is to feel alive…especially on a motorcycle.

The tranquil calmness, the twists in the road, the intense demands of fighting mother nature. It’s all part riding and it provides a feeling unlike anything else.

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The Mississauga News
By: Louie Rosella

March 19, 2009 12:20 PM – Police are looking into witness accounts that the driver of an SUV illegally entered a busy Mississauga intersection yesterday before crashing into a motorcycle, sending the driver and his passenger to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Peel Regional Police said today that the motorcyclist, 30, and his female passenger, 22, are expected to live following the rush-hour collision at Hurontario St. and Eglinton Ave.

Motorcyclists from across the GTA are outraged. Several will be at a rally tonight at the intersection because they believe there needs to be increased awareness among drivers of larger vehicles to be cautious sharing the road with motorcyclists. Police will also be at the rally.

“The weather is warming and more and more riders are on the roads. This tragic incident should be a reminder to all that cars share the roads with bikes and that we must all be aware of each other,” said Shaun de Jager, an avid motorcyclist who organized the rally. “There is no excuse for paying anything less than 100 per cent attention to the road and our surroundings.”

The motorcyclist was airlifted to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto after his Suzuki collided with a Honda CRV at about 5 p.m.

Peel Cst. J.P. Valade said the man’s condition has improved. He has serious leg injuries, but is expected to survive.

The passenger was initially taken to Credit Valley Hospital. She was also transferred to Sunnybrook. She, too, is expected to live.

The 62-year-old female driver of the SUV was not injured.

Officers with the Major Collision Bureau are investigating whether the woman entered the intersection improperly, believing she had an advanced green light to make a left turn.

The accident brought traffic to a halt, as police closed off a large area surrounding the intersection. Lane closures lasted well into the night.

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Saturday was nice but ended up being colder than we would of liked but today was brilliant! Once again the sun was shining but this time it was actually warm out. We lucked out with temps rising to a balmy 9degrees celcius, which meant that bikes were out in droves.

Susie and I had a late start to the day due to a late evening out the night before. However, it only took a couple of phone calls and we lined up some fellow riders to head out with. New rider Aaryn on her Kawi 250 and very experienced Vlad on his Bandit 1200S met up with us for a leasurly ride up to Port Perry.

As a new rider, Aaryn is still apprehensive about riding on the highway at speed, so we stuck to riding just under the speed limit allowing cars to freely pass us by. We weren’t in any rush anyway and it wasn’t long before we got off and took to the slower, more relaxed country roads.

The ride was still a chilly one despite being so nice out. Eventually I figured we could use a break when Susie mentioned her hands were getting cold, which allowed me to throw on an extra layer of clothes and for her to switch to warmer gloves. It also provided Vlad and I to get to know each other better since it was the first time I had actually met him in person despite having talked to each other several times via email or various online forums.

Eventually we arrived in Port Perry and were pleased by the sight of no less than 30 other motorcycles parked at the local Tim Hortons, all in various groups taking a break from their rides.

All types of bikes could be seen from custom cruisers, Harleys, a large showing of SuperSports, various Touring bikes, a couple Enduros and even a white Ural complete with sidecar. Much of our time there was obviously talking about bikes with other owners including one fellow who parked his minivan beside us and left his wife and son to enjoy their lunch inside, while he talked to us about motorcycles and some of the trips he had taken. I made a point to give him my contact info in hopes that we could continue our conversation another time so that he could join his family.

Eventually we had to leave, once again due to time constraints, and we began our journey home. We kept to the back roads and as we rode, Susie and I both started getting fatigued. Exhaustion was catching up to us and Susie even started nodding off behind me. Although we didn’t really ride all that far today, we were both feeling it and were glad to get home. I’m sure we will both sleep well tonight.

Soon the weather will be far nicer and we will be able to get out more often and really soak in all the joys that riding brings us. Not much longer…

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