Thursday, August 8, 2013

Starting to head home

It was difficult to have to leave my Mississauga (Toronto) hosts, Ed & Dianne  (blog link here)  I don't think you could find finer people who went out of their way to make me comfortable and give me the keys to their home.  Dianne is a most excellent chef and I think they had to widen their doorways so they could roll me out this morning.   Ed decided to keep me company nearly to London, ON before we parted ways


I think I have fallen in love with his bike.   He as a newer R1200RT and it fits me perfectly.   I even offered to trade straight across with Nu2me but he didn't take the hintl.  It's all his fault because he let me sit on it

Not many photos today as I needed to put on some miles to relieve some of the distance stress.  I decided to enter the USA through Sarnia


these are the overhead signs as you near the border.   There is a toll to ride over the Blue Water Bridge.  $3.50 for cars or bikes.  I didn't know this as I approached so I had to pull over to the shoulder  to make my funds available for easy access


this is the approach to the bridge


as you near the summit you can see the structure


and here is an inside view


and the view from the front of the line as you approach the customs agents.  There is not much traffic here

I had a destination in mind and my intent was to just keep riding until I got there but I got mixed up when I got near Detroit and lost my bearings.  I made it to a Macdonalds so I could use their WiFi to see where I was but there was NO WiFi.   My maps are not that detailed so I had to find help

eventually I got sorted out and stopped at a little town called Columbia City, Indiana.  There is a Wal-mart here and a CVS pharmacy.  I went to a chinese restaurant and had a combo.  

so here I am in a run down, decaying Motel for $34. plus taxes (=$36.).  It's clean, the a/c and showers all work


and I am also happy that the FREE internet works too.   I made sure to ask several times if the WiFi worked before I paid for my room


31 comments:

  1. There's nothing wrong with an old motel as long as it's reasonably clean and things work. The wireless Internet working is a nice plus. I've noticed that many MacDonalds and Starbucks no longer have free WiFi and use AT&T now. If you have an AT&T phone then its free, otherwise you are out of luck.

    Looking at an RT now, eh? The protection from the fairing and large windshield is nice even on the old models.
    It looks like you are skirting around Chicago this time. What is your return deadline?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard:

      an old clean motel is better than camping, especially if it is the same price. I find the wifi at McDonalds is very good. I can receive email, but cannot send

      Ed's RT seems to fit very well. I like the electric windshield. I only have one weekend left so I have to get back to the coast.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Robert:

      thank you but it is better with company

      Delete
  3. This will be an interesting thing to watch play out. All the way home Bob will have visions of the RT dancing in his head, especially in the rain as he imagines it's very nice fairing keeping him dry. By the time he gets home he'll be a little burned out on riding and will put away thoughts of the RT. But then when the riding bug bites again the the RT will slip back into his imagination and the little Bavarian RT elves will nibble away at his thoughts. Will he claim common sense and stick with Nu2me? Will he weaken and realize that he's only young once and if not an RT now, when? Stay tuned, kids!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doug, Bob is nothing if not fickle. Before the trip he was agonizing between the V-Strom and the Beemer, and didn't much like the Beemer. Even in State College, while he seemed to be a convert to Teutonic motoring, he was not in love with the turn indicators. By the time he got to Montreal, he was a Nu2me addict. Now I see he's getting all starry-eyed with all those fairings and electro-gee-whiz thingies on the RT.

      Watch, he going to hook up with Hell's Angel types somewhere along the way and he'll have traded Nu2me for some kind of loud-pipes-save-lives chopper, and he'll be wearing pink chaps and a Willie Nelson bandana.

      Delete
    2. David, for some reason I can picture Bob on some kind of hard tail bobber, glaring at the camera, his crocs died black. At the least it would make a great picture but I suspect the BMW RT is more likely. And as long as he's having a good time, he's got my vote either way.

      Delete
    3. Doug:

      I will soon be at a crossroads of deciding which one will be my last motorcycle. I like the power of my R1200R. My DL650 will be anemic now. I like the shaft drive, no messy chain oiling . . . but I don't want a heavy bike. My R1200R is very light and easy to push around

      Delete
    4. Bob, I checked the BMW website and the 1200RT is 233kg (empty) and the 1200R is 198kg (empty) plus the saddlebags, top box, and windscreen. Better start deciding which color RT you want! ;-)

      Delete
  4. Be safe on the ride home. Funny you landed in Columbia city, as I have a very good family friend that lives there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Martha:

      I stopped there so I could head south to Marion in the morning. what a co-incidence

      Delete
  5. Bob,
    Timing of your return home isn't looking good for me with your distance south. Hopefully we'll have a better chance next time. Enjoying much being able to follow along with your Spot.

    Have fun on your way west and don't hurry tooo fast 'back to the barn' and miss much of what will be along your path.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coop:

      sorry to have missed you the first time when I was heading east. I didn't want to duplicate my route so that's one reason I chose I-80

      I have to hurry a bit as I only have one weekend left and if I am too far away I get distance stressed. I need to get back to the Coast, and then I can dawdle around for a few days. From Oregon it is just a day ride home and I can ride at night

      Delete
  6. The weather's looking good ahead of you ... remember you will be gaining back all the time you lost so you don't have to hurry ;o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Karen:

      you are so wise. I was wondering why I had an extra hour the other day.

      Good weather today, warm but not sweating hot

      Delete
  7. I am surprised you are riding through the US again instead of riding through Canada and parts you might not have seen. Hope you get sunny skies all the way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From what I've been told, it's just too expensive to ride/drive through Canada due to fuel prices. A number of friends have ridden to the east coast and the almost universal path seems to be dropping south into Montana before heading east.

      Delete
    2. Trobairitz:

      hardly anyone goes East via Canada. too expensive, and not many gas stations north of Superior, plus all you see are trees and no services. Just what Richard said

      Delete
  8. Clean, A/C, a shower and internet makes a pretty decent hotel, really... I think we've all stayed in worse for more money. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lucky:

      It was run down with permanent residents with their broken down, dented, rusted out cars. Good thing I brought a bike cover

      Delete
  9. I thought you were riding across Canada too! Drat!

    Safe riding tho...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deb:

      as mentioned above, too expensive and nothing to see but trees, and long distances between gas stations. If you break down, no cell service

      Delete
  10. Bob, I had an 1150RT, 2004, as my second motorcycle....this was after Martha made the mistake of saying my Honda Shadow looked like a scooter from the back. :)

    That was truly the most comfortable and continental distance crushing motorcycle I've ever owned. But, it was big and heavy too.....oh well.

    Be safe on your way home, and if you happen to cruise by Colorado......

    dom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah yes, I remember Maria: she had such a stately presence...you think Dom looks like a moto-cop now in all his gear, should have seen him on Maria!

      Delete
    2. Dom:

      You do look like a moto-cop.

      I think the newer RTs are lighter. My R1200R is a good highway cruiser too

      Delete
    3. Bob, sadly, most moto officers I've seen hardly wear any protective gear save a helmet and a half helmet at that. The new RTs are about 50 lbs lighter than mine was....

      Delete
  11. Home is where the heart is Bob. Your lovely wife is waiting for your return. :) Hoping happy skies and nice roads take you on the journey. But don't forget to stop and smell a few roses!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lori:

      absence makes the heart grow fonder. Maybe she doesn't want me to return. I've been smelling too many roses and now I have to rush a bit

      Delete
  12. Replies
    1. Dar:

      I hope so too. Traffic is very aggressive down here. Must be the higher speed limits. 70 mph posted, and everyone is going over 80 mpg

      Delete
    2. Over 80 mpg! The only way I'll get that is by pushing the bike uphill and coasting down…

      It must be getting late while replying to comments.

      Delete