Waking up well rested made me wonder about sleeping outdoors in general. You know you’ve had a great sleep in a tent if you simply don’t want to get up. In contrast, there have been times when I just couldn’t wait to get up -irrationally checking my watch every 30 minutes between hazy episodes of sleep to see if the dawn was any closer to arriving. This usually happens when a) the tent has leaked overnight in the rain, b) you are cold and shivering all night and have hardly slept, c) you were kept awake almost all night by a frog whose constant croaking sounded louder than Barney Gumble’s obligatory belching (cue eerie foreshadowing music), d) you are sleeping on the ground, or on a thin air mattress that produces the hip pain equivalent of a jumbo Mr. Freeze ice-cream headache, or e) all the above. So when it comes to tenting, I disagree with Shakira – it really is important to provide a comfortable surface for where your hips do lie. O.K. – I must admit that last line was one of the worst puns ever. I would have included a smiley face, but it would have eaten up my quotient for photos for this segment of my trip report.

The plan for today was to ride into Wawa, ON, fuel up, raid the Subway restaurant (a 12″ sub fits nicely between 2 Powerades inside my Honda Hydro Pack Tankbag) and then make my way inland along Highways 101 and 129 before heading on some backroads towards Elliot Lake and Mississaugi Provincial Park before nightfall. A total of about 450 kms. I was excited about this ride because the last time I’d camped at Mississaugi was with my family in our Starcraft tent trailer when I was around 10 years old. I was curious to see if I might recognize some of the landmarks in the park after more than 30 years. I have fond memories of climbing a trail that led to a pretty spectacular clifftop lookout (and a scary incident that left an impression on me and my siblings) so I was hoping I might be able to retrace those steps again. I seemed to remember there being a log book at the top that I had signed – and though I knew it was a unlikely to still be there – I secretly held out some hope that I might be able to find my entry – written in kid print handwriting. Ah nostalgia.

The ride from Obatanga Park to Wawa was a brief 50 kms or so. I filled up at the Esso and the attendant remarked about how “sweet” my bike was. He seemed particularly impressed when I mentioned that it sips an average of 92 mpg on the highway. From Wawa I made my way along Hwy 101 with my next planned stop at Syd’s Esso in Chapleau, ON. While the speed limit on this section is 80 km/hr, the road is essentially empty so the ride is peaceful and relaxing. And with the CBR125R you can ride sitting straight up at 90 km/hr easily and comfortably.

Near Chapleau I ended up stopping at the Arctic Watershed sign to take a break and re-adjust my seating arrangement. I was really starting to get uncomfortable and something needed to be done. I removed my gear from the back of the bike and decided that I would re-attach the cot and tent poles directly to the tailbag rather than the passenger grab rail. When attached to the grab rail, the poles ate up precious seat space because I couldn’t move the tailbag all the way back to the rear of the passenger seat. This left me with little room to sit on the bike – and to make matters worse – the section that I was sitting on was rather narrow as was well. This change made all the difference – I could actually hear the hallelujah chorus echoing through my head. Although previously my bum had become uncomfortably numb, now there was no pain – it was receding. If you decide to carry gear on your bike, my suggestion is to make sure that you can at least feel the front edge of the passenger seat up against your hind quarters when you sit back as far back as you can, or when you are tucked down into a racing position.

Here is a photo I took after re-arranging my gear. You can see the CBR in the background.

When I made it to Syd’s Esso in Chapleau the attendant there really seemed enamoured with the bike. He looked at me and then the bike and commented “It must really be fun to be riding that out on the open road”. I was actually stunned by how accurate his insight had been and regretted that my reply was a weak “Yep – it sure is”. Not wanting to appear disinterested, I chatted with him about my trip and the bike. Everyone seems surprised at how affordable this bike can be to purchase. I got the sense from him that I was living his dream. Then again – at that age I would have felt the same way….

My next stop would be a supposed gas bar at Aubrey Falls, about 150 kms south of Chapleau on Hwy 129. I was thrilled and relieved to discover that the gas bar did indeed exist. It was situated just before a really twisty portion of the highway. The first time I had driven on the southern portion of Hwy 129 a number of years ago – I actually wondered if I had somehow taken a wrong turn. The road really does change that dramatically. It begins to resemble a paved cart path. And…….there are some small steep hills – one in particular has such a precipitously steep backside that if you are travelling at 80 km/hr – you WILL achieve liftoff and “yump” much like Bullitt in his Mustang on the streets of San Francisco.

I decided that it would be a good time to take a break and eat lunch so I pulled over to the side of the road and blazed a path through some bush so I could eat at a rock that jutted out into the Mississaugi River. With few cars traveling this route – my view was incredibly scenic and my lunch remarkably peaceful. I was also unbearably hot in full riding gear. This was the hottest I felt through the entire trip.

Here is the view from my rocky perch on the Mississaugi River.

I soon turned off Hwy 129 onto Hwy 554, then 546. Hwy 546 was a really interesting experience. Much of the route is very picturesque – meandering along the Little White River. But it is also really bumpy so you really need good suspension to avoid unsettling the bike when riding over mid corner frost heaves. You also need to be extra careful as many of the twists and turns have sand on them – and the road isn’t very wide. On one particularly twisty corner I met a large dumptruck heading towards me that left only about 2 metres of space for me to negotiate the inside of the corner. Not sure if the driver simply didn’t see me – or if they just didn’t care. Maybe they just felt entitled to occupy almost the entire road surface.

I eventually stopped along the road and took a break along the river.

I knew Mississaugi Provincial Park was now getting closer and my day on the road was coming to and end. I managed to pull into the park around 6pm. I was disheartened to find no staff at the main gate and some cryptic note with instructions to register at the Park Office. After riding all day I really wasn’t in the mood to search for the office. However, with a little luck I found it and selected a spot for the night. Once again – I picked a walk-in site situated on the lake. Only – I wasn’t informed that this site was in a swampy area of the lake…..

Here is my bike parked at the short trail leading into my site.

Within a few minutes of arriving at my site for the night – I heard a strange sound coming from the bush across the road from where I parked my bike. The noise the animal was making sounded very guttural – like it was grunting, knawing its teeth, and coughing up a hairball at the same time. It didn’t sound like the kind of grunts that bears normally make – but then again – it didn’t sound like Puss ‘N Boots either. I decided to walk across the road and peer through the bush to investigate but I found nothing. Then just as I took a step back – out of the corner of my eye I saw some shape emerge from the foliage a short distance away. To my surprise – straight from 70′s Sanford & Son T.V. fame -it was Redd Foxx. I needed to get his attention to get a good mug shot so I worked my best vocal impression of one of my cats tossing a major hairball (imagine the sound of plunging a toilet mixed with priming the fuel bulb from the portable tank of an outboard motor mixed with the Ah huh, Ah huh, chorus of KC & The Sunshine Band’s “That’s The Way I Like It” for a sense of the sound I was aiming for). He turned around with a WTF?!? kind of expression on his face and I snapped the shot.

Photo of quizzical WTF look from Redd Foxx

I quickly set up my tent and put away my gear. I knew I only had a couple more hours of daylight but was determined to explore the lookout trail anyway. And I was leaving early the next morning so if I was going to do the trail – it had to be now. A staff member at the office told me that I had probably climbed the Helenbar Lake Lookout Trail based on my description and recollection. My trail map recommended that hikers set aside 4 hours to complete the trail loop but I knew I didn’t have that much time so I decided to walk at a brisk pace and see where it got me. Just before I set out, I attempted to call my dad in Guelph to tell him about my day and reassure him that I was still in one piece. However, I couldn’t get a signal on my Blackberry. I figured I might get a signal at the lookout by taking advantage of the 400 foot gain in elevation above the campground. I made sure to bring my camera, my trailmap, and headlamp just in case things took a turn for the worse.

Click here for Part 4…

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Despite having had a pretty crummy sleep due to the super loud and horny frog, I was really pumped for the next leg of my trip. I setoff around 7 AM and headed towards Elliot Lake, about 25 kms away. Sometimes when you are riding – everything just feels right. The sun is shining, the road is empty, hilly, twisty, the air is crisp and cool, and the scenery is inspiring – filled with distant hills mirrored in crystal clear blue lakes. This aptly describes my ride into Elliot Lake that morning. I had a perma-grin on my face the entire way. Maybe I was just feeling “Towelie” high due to major sleep deprivation – but I felt great either way.

The last time I had been to Elliot Lake was about the same time I had last camped at Mississaugi Provincial Park. My family had also camped on a small ridge right along the main road just entering town from the north. I was eager to see how my memories of this trailer park compared to the view today. I also thought about JohnR. I briefly considered trying to contact him through the forum with my Blackberry while at Mississaugi Park. It would have been nice to meet up with a fellow forum member who knew so much about the CBR125R and to chat about his setup including his full Giannelli exhaust and Athena Big Bore Kit. However, after realizing I had no cell signal in the park, I gave up. As I was nearing Elliot Lake I also laughed to myself thinking that it would be incredibly Twilight Zone-ish if I were to somehow see him while riding through town. Elliot Lake has a population of about 14,000 residents and it takes about 2 minutes to traverse the downtown section. The likelihood that I would see him was well – unlikely. But it was amusing to imagine nonetheless. As I was holding onto that thought and entering town, I spotted a black CBR600RR in the distance. As the rider approached I stuck my hand out and offered a slow wave and in kind – they waved back. But as we were about to meet I suddenly realized that it was a CBR125R. My slow wave suddenly turned into an energetic thumbs-up sign as we passed each other. I glanced in my mirror to see whether they were about to turn around, but the rider turned onto an industrial road, so I continued into Elliot Lake. I was stunned. Could this have been JohnR from the forum?!?!? No. To accept this would have been just too bizarre. There must be more than one CBR125R in Elliot Lake. What would the chances be that I would pass by another forum member – within such a narrow time and place? I laughed to myself again wondering about this unlikely possibility – but checked my watch just the same so I’d have a time reference. It was 7:20 AM. I was still deep in contemplation when I passed by the trailer park on my left and forgot to scope it out. Doh.

Two days later I was on my dad’s computer in Guelph and decided to message JohnR and ask him if he had indeed been the rider I’d passed earlier. I felt surprisingly sheepish doing this because it felt kinda like meeting a Torontonian living in Thunder Bay and asking them if they happen to know “John from Toronto”. But I thought I’d give it a try anyway. Yep – it was him. His reply? “Yes it was me, I was on my way to work. I thought it might be you because of the gear and the windshield. If you changed your exhaust it would look like mine.” When he passed me he said it looked as though he was looking in a mirror. Really. What are the chances?

Elliot Lake is really a beautiful little place. I recall thinking to myself “I could live here”. I fueled up at the Esso, re-supplied my tankbag with another two Green Squall Powerades and then enjoyed a really nice morning ride towards Hwy 17 (Trans Canada) just 30 kms down Hwy 108. I wasn’t sure if my next stop in Espanola actually had a Subway – but come on – is there any place that doesn’t now have a Subway? They are more abundant around the great lakes than zebra mussels. I faced a pretty strong headwind for my short stint on the Trans Canada. I was tucked-in most of the way to maintain a speed of 100km/hr but the CBR kept pace even loaded up like a pack mule. How can you not love a motorcycle that you spend so much time hugging? Behaviour has a strong influence on attitudes. Not the other way around. When you spend so much time hugging the bike – hunkered down in a crouched position, with your entire body wrapped around it’s small curvy frame – how can you not feel some attachment to the little overachiever – to like it more? Like a border collie hauling a loaded dogsled – it might not be the top dog for the job – but I can always rely on it to give me its best, never faltering or failing to surprise me with its willingness – eagerness to do what I ask of it. And when the destination arrives – you love it even more for the herculean effort and the small amount of fuel (or small can of Alpo) it asks for in return.

My sister was recently talking with her husband about why anyone would ever want to ride such a small bike on such a grand journey. He was smitten by the adventurousness of the trip – but had a hard time wrapping his head around my motivation. It didn’t make it easier that his dad rides a large Honda Shadow. But my sister got it. She said that Mike was probably doing it for the same reason that Buster Keaton chose the little speeder to see and experience Canada in one of his last movies – The Railrodder. Wow. She reely hit her mark on that one. Her line even gave me chills right now typing it out. There are certainly much bigger choices when riding the rails. But would this movie have had the same impact if he had opted for a large locomotive? There is something enticing about a small bike doing something that it shouldn’t be able to do. Will it make it? Will you make it? Buster experiences these sorts of challenges on his trip. It really makes you want to root for the hero. And by moving more slowly it really allowed Buster to achieve his goal. To really see Canada.

Here is some information on the Railrodder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Railrodder

Watch The Railrodder here:

http://www.nfb.ca/film/railrodder/

The ride from Espanola to Little Current on Manitoulin Island is very scenic. The topography around Willisville, ON changes dramatically, as the LaCloche Mountains of Killarney extend their reach through the area. I would have liked to have stopped and climbed up to where the old Willisville fire tower stood, but was a little pressed for time. Still, I am a little regretful that I never took any photos around Willisville. I then made my way over the swing bridge at Little Current and then headed south on Hwy 6 towards South Baymouth. I made my first stop at a lookout situated only about 15 kms south of Little Current.

Here is the view from the lookout.

And here is the historical plaque located at the lookout.

To my surprise, I ended up arriving in South Baymouth with a full two hours to spare. I quickly found out (as did a few others) that you don’t enter the large terminal building to pay for the crossing. You simply drive your bike right up along the lanes heading toward the dock and then pay at one of the booths. I paid through Interac and was told to proceed to the front of the line where the pavement was labelled with a large “motorcycles” stencil. I then remembered what Keith (A.K.A. KFSRQ) mentioned on the forum about motorcyclists being treated like royalty on the Chi-Cheemaun. I had brought along my ratcheting kayak tie down ropes too. Thanks for the tip Keith! These things were gold. I think I was the envy of everyone who had to tie their bikes to the ferry deck rings with the provided conventional-type ropes. It took me only a few seconds to attach and then secure my bike. The ferry staff instruct you to secure both sides of the bike up high (e.g., handlebar area) with each rope and then attach them to the deck rings on either side of the bike.

Here are my ratcheting tie down ropes.

http://www.orsracksdirect.com/thule-855.html

Here is the border collie humbly nestled beside the siberian husky. In behind to the far left is Burt Reynolds behind the wheel of his Pontiac Firebird getting ready to film a scene from Smokey and The Bandit 4 – Brews Control. His goal will be to haul 1 million cases of Labatt 50 from South Baymouth to Tobermory on the Chi-Cheemaun without being caught by the coastguard for illegally hauling old guy beer.

And here is what you see ahead of you when you park your bike.

Motorcycles have the privilege of being the first motorized vehicles to board the ferry as well as being the first to disembark, as Keith has mentioned. Once on the ferry it was nice to take a break and relax. I took a few photos from the deck. One of them surprised me. Most anyone from Thunder Bay would recognize the following photo as our beloved Nanabijou – The Sleeping Giant that lies across the bay from our harbour. But they would be wrong. This one was snoring between South Baymouth and Tobermory.

The profile of the sleeping giant from Thunder Bay? Nope.

What course would my adventure take once I reached the hallowed ground of Southern Ontario? Stay tuned to find out.

Click here for Part 6…

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What can I say about the Chi-Cheemaun ferry experience? I enjoyed it so much that I took it again on my return trip. If you have never ridden a motorcycle on the Chi-Cheemaun you need to. Riders arrived from everywhere. It felt like a voyageur rendezvous at Old Fort William Historical Park. And all were friendly and interesting. It is rare that you find strangers that you connect with so readily. The feeling of camaraderie and kinship I experienced that afternoon was inspiring. One fellow from near Lake Placid, NY described his favourite ride ever – a tour of the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. I’ve been fascinated with highpoints for quite some time so I asked him if he had climbed some specific highpoints I knew of around Lake Placid. Of course he had. Should I have been surprised? Nope. These folks were clearly well-rounded in the adventure realm. It was a humbling experience. But their influence also made me want to keep riding -to learn and discover more – to continue touring with the WeeBR.

Two best friends – one of whom was riding a Suzuki DR650 out of Ottawa and the other a CBF1000 from Toronto were on their annual summer tour. They were friendly and fun to chat with. One of them has his own blog so I made a point of visiting it after my trip. His report and photos nicely capture the spirit of the ferry experience and the appeal of riding on Manitoulin Island. If you want a laugh – click on the link below to access his report and read his caption under my CBR125R photo about two-thirds of the way down the page!!

http://motorcycle-junkie.blogspot.co…anitoulin.html

Once off the ferry I expected to be part of a great big convoy rocking through the night – or at least down Hwy 6 in the midday sun. But I was alone once again. I guess the others were taking their time – exploring Tobermory’s treasures. I couldn’t fathom that. As I began riding, I soon noticed that someone had cranked the heat on again. Now, even the wind at my back felt warm. I was stopped for construction around Lion’s Head, ON when a young dude controlling traffic looked at me like I was wearing a black snowmobile suit. I guess, in a sense I was. “How can you wear all that gear in such hot weather – you must be cooking under there?” I replied – “Yes, I am. Could you please remove the BBQ thermometer from my ass, I think I’m done”. Well, at least that is what I wanted to say. Instead I reassured him that once I was moving again, I would be fine.

I actually enjoyed the straight roadway along Hwy 6 down through the Bruce Peninsula. I was making good time and hoped to reach Hanover, ON where I would be staying – by late afternoon. As I was coming into Hanover, I encountered what would be my nemesis on this part of the trip. Detour signs. The coup de gras this time was that the sign blocked the main road entering town – the main porthole to my destination. I’ve never seen so many detours. I think there were even detours of actual detours – meta-detours if you will – there were so freakin’ many. My Mapquest printouts were rendered useless. A GPS enabled smartphone would have been handy. Instead, I took out a piece of detailed paper from my tankbag called a map. I needed directions. As luck would have it, there was a Honda dealer across the street so this was a natural choice. But there were detour signs there too at every entrance. Actually – just joking on that one – but in my current state of frustration – and from my experience thus far – this is what I was expecting. The guy at the parts counter was really helpful. He gave me a Hanover map and provided useful directions and landmarks to ensure I reached my destination. He also gave me a small amount of brake fluid – gratis – as I noticed I was a little low. When I told him I was from Thunder Bay, ON he told me that he has always wanted to move to Dryden, ON. I said “Cool. Have you been there before?” and he said “No.”

I had another reason for visiting Hanover. My friend Peter and I grew up together in a small town called Onaping (pronounced AWNAH-ping) about 35 minutes northwest of Sudbury, ON. Peter and I rode dirtbikes together throughout our teens. I wanted to surprise him. I didn’t tell him ahead of time that I would be arriving all the way from Thunder Bay on an 125cc motorcycle. He didn’t even know I had a bike. He was pretty surprised to see me in all of my gear when I showed up at his front door. He was also relieved – he and his family had been trapped in their neighbourhood for 3 days because of detours – and they needed emergency food and water. I unloaded the bike and suggested he take it out for a spin. It had been a few years since he’d last ridden. He purchased a Kawasaki KLR250 to ride into work but sold it a few years ago. As a teen he owned a 1980 Honda XL185 and then later purchased a new 1990 Honda XL250. What would he think of the CBR125R? He suited up and took off like he had been riding it for years. About 20 minutes later he returned. He commented on how much fun he had on his short test-ride and was surprised by how well it handled. It was then that I noticed he wasn’t getting off the bike. The one thing that stood out the most for him was how smooth it was -everything felt very fluid and mechanically precise. Dual-sport bikes don’t feel this smooth. The fuel-economy was the piece de resistance. He wasn’t giving up the bike. I urged him to take another spi…….and he was gone again. I think he was already planning how he could fit the purchase into his budget when he returned, dragging a detour sign from my left rear signal light. He wanted one. I reassured him that he should be able to find a used one for a great price as everyone seemed to be selling theirs to pick up much bigger bikes. Would they forget how much fun their CBR125Rs had been?

Well I eventually arrived in Guelph the next day. I had actually made it from Thunder Bay to Guelph. I think my dad was relieved to see me too. I felt like kissing the CBR. But before the beer would flow – and it would eventually flow like Mississaugi Park tap water – I had an appointment to meet with GoFaster in Brampton to install my racing camshaft. I figured I could benefit from just a little extra power up top for my loaded up highway runs. My plan included keeping my 14T sprocket so I could cruise between 105-110km/hr sitting up, even with some headwind and up some hills. It was an interesting experience watching GoFaster work his magic – deftly and methodically dismantling the CBR. Once everything was done we fired it up and it sounded great – but it began to stall at idle. After some systematic tinkering yielded no clues – a quick throttle body idle adjustment had the CBR idling properly. Now here was the TSN turningpoint. Doesn’t Murphy’s law state “If anything can go wrong, it probably will” or something like that?

About that time it started to rain and thunder outside. I was hoping that GoFaster would take my bike out for a spin and compare how it felt to the other bikes he had outfitted with the same camshaft. But he declined – and I don’t blame him. It was late – and the rain was coming down pretty steadily. And he had no reason to believe there might be an issue with my bike. I took a brief test run down the street and back and found that it bogged down low which seemed unusual. But I expected some trade-off anyway for what I had hoped would be greater top-end pull. The next day I sent GoFaster an e-mail suggesting I bring the bike over again. However, he was away for the next few days so we weren’t able to meet up.

I was able to meet up with KillerKeith though. At the last minute I had posted a message asking if any of the S. Ontario riders could show me a cool riding area near Guelph. Keith was available and suggested we explore The Forks (of the Credit River). Keith, being the intrepid adventurer that he is – had never been there previously but both of us were eager to give it a try.

Here is Keith keeping us on-course. He said he was just checking the directions on his GPS equipped Blackberry but I think he was really looking for a Timmy Ho’s.

We finally made it to The Forks just outside of Erin, ON. Like much of the standout scenery on my trip – the area really changes dramatically here as the road winds down into a scenic valley along the Niagara Escarpment. This is no Tail of the Dragon – there really aren’t that many turns – but still – this place is a little gem for riders. A tastey morsel. I decided to film us taking one of the more extreme corners.

Here is Keith on his Ninja 650R.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpQtg_lrZaw

Here I am doing my best impression of a reluctant and tentative circus bear riding stiffly around a circle under the big top. I swear I was a human compass inscribing a perfect circle in this clip. Dork alert!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDSKQHPzLsA

And here is Keith on the CBR. He commented how nicely it corners compared to his 650R. It also engine brakes nicely downshifting into second as you can hear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjWscD7f1Ac

Thanks again for taking me on that ride Keith. Hope you like the videos!

After having spent a few of days in Guelph, it was time to return home. I had a long trip ahead of me and more photos to take. I wanted to keep my promise and capture some scenic views I had missed the first time through. As it turns out, I would actually meet JohnR in person on the trip back too.

Click here for Part 7…

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