But WAIT ! There's More, My other Riding Buddy . . . The Scoot Commute Part One:

Just when you thought that my trip was over and I said goodbye to my Kingston Riding Buddy . . .

There's MORE,   never before seen exclusive photos of my Montreal Riding Buddy.

It started early on the morning of August 2nd, 2013.   Our bikes were patiently resting waiting for another sunny day.  Notice there are only 3 riders but 4 bikes are parked, the mighty Vstar* on the left.

Eggs were being poached "freeform" style, just like we do them at home

There was Homemade Hollandaise Sauce being prepared from scratch by our host using a lot of muscle power.  You've got to keep that sauce moving or it will turn into scrambled eggs.   Notice Mr Scoot Commute used a lot of Low-Cal butter

It was not time to plate these delicacies.   How did he know that I love Eggs Benedicts ?  and fresh toast smothered with butter

Now comes the easy part, to gobble it all down.   Looking at these photos make me hungry.   I love Eggs Benedicts . . .   Thank you to Scoot Commute and Mrs Scoot Commute for such a delicious parting meal for Vstar*lady who had to be on her way back to Kingston to attend to her Mother

Here we are  gearing up and getting ready for the road with Scoot Commute in the lead .  He wanted to make sure Vstar*Lady made it safely to the freeway entrance

Here is a short video as we are heading West towards the Freeway to Kingston



We were joking later that we wanted to make sure that  Vstar*Lady left town

It was sad to see my Kingston Riding Buddy leave alone without me

But now that the Cat's away  .  .  .

It was now time for my host to head into town and give me a tour of Montreal

There is no way I  could ever describe where I had been or where I was but luckily he wrote about it     click here

And here is Part One:   Riding with the Scoot Commute, a tour of Montreal



Again I did not shorten the straight sections as I wanted you to get a feeling for the Commute from Beaconsfield to Downtown Montreal, and also ride with us through that long tunnel

Teaser photo of the home of the best deli sandwich in Canada,  Schwartz's

Notice the long line.  No, we didn't eat here, we were too hungry to wait.    More to come in Part two with my Montreal riding buddy,  The Scoot Commute

Vstar*Lady: My summer of 2013 Riding Buddy - Finale

I had a great time last year (Summer 2013).  My riding buddy and me.   It was a daunting task for me to ride across the Country, mainly by myself.   I left Vancouver and was alone, talking to myself until I met up with my two riding buddies in State College, PA.  (actually Bellefonte, PA)   That was 8 days and 3,212.8 miles later.  I was so happy to see my two riding buddies,  ScootCommute (from Montreal) and Vstar*lady (from Kingston) .  After a day of relaxation the three of us continued to Portland, ME together where ScootCommute had to return to work and Vstar*Lady and myself continued onward to PEI

It was so nice to have company and someone to lead the way but now I had to return home and start heading West.  Just the thought brought tears to my eyes that I had to leave my riding buddy behind

    Vstar*s  lake

and learn how to fend for myself again and to think how many miles I had to cover to get back to the Pacific Coast.  

We had one last day ride together to Prince Edward County and I was really enjoying our last day together .  It was a warm summer day and all the time I wished that it would never end, but it did.  Oh how it would have been nice to stay another day but she had other commitments to attend to

I had a chance to explore her world and also meet her neighbours.   It was a nice break from living in a crowded urban city.   I enjoyed being in rural Battersea.  Notice I had the place nearly to myself.   (notice under the trees)    I think this was my last camping day until I reached Crescent City, CA

The morning had finally arrived for me to leave.   I rose with the sun

It's not yet bright and the garbage men are already at work.  I quickly packed up and loaded up my bike ready for an early departure.   As with all of my days I like to leave at 8am and grab a breakfast sandwich an hour or so down the road.

Imagine my surprise when I was treated to a breakfast of champions by Vstar*lady.  It was a great surprise.  Bacon & Eggs, Pancakes, toast and special coffee from her new machine.   I can't thank her enough for going out of her way to make me feel like I was at home

There are not enough words to express my gratitude.  All I can say is thank you for everything.  Thank you for leading me all the way from ME, through NB to PEI and  back to PQ .   Thank you for taking this summer to show me the way to places that I have never seen before.

Here is part three of our ride to Prince Edward County




This was my view for about 2-1/2 weeks . . .

and I can't wait to do it again . . .      Thank You for everything,  till we meet again

Vstar*Lady: My summer of 2013 Riding Buddy - Part TWO

This is a continuation of part ONE    here

I had a great time riding on new roads, and being able to experience new sights just following my tour guide.  We saddled up after breakfast and headed south

I had no sense of direction as I had never been to Prince Edward County before.   We turned left, we turned right, I had no idea where we were but I was in most capable hands, following an experienced rider who knew where to go.   

 We traveled through a few small towns and I was struggling to find their names but we didn`t stop so I have no idea where this photo (above) was taken

After our whirlwind tour of Kingston we managed to head back to the Creekhouse in Battersea for our meal.

    Battersea,  General Store

While we were waiting for our meal I went outside to snap a few more photos

    Marina,  Battersea, Ontario

    Covered boat houses

    Creekside Bar & Grill    (info)

The sun was setting fast but it was warm and we opted for an outside table on the patio

I had a great time with my welcoming committee as we talked and dined the night away.   Sorry for the harsh setting sun

I`m a sucker for Sheperd`s Pie with Garlic Toast.   It was the perfect end to a warm summer day after nearly a full day of riding and I got to meet her neighbours too

Here is part Two,  continuation of the video in the previous post

I`m  NOT  lost.   I'm exploring . . .        (thanks Sonja) 

Vstar*Lady: My summer of 2013 Riding Buddy - Part ONE

I have thanked all of my hosts but now it's time to thank the one who made my trip possible.   During our iMBC2012 meeting in Hell's Canyon Oregon.   (some info here) ,  Vstar*lady mentioned that she wanted to ride to the Atlantic ocean during the summer of 2013 so we hatched the plan to ride across the country to Portland, ME to meet a few bloggers and then head north through New Brunswick and end up on PEI: Prince Edward Island

    My riding buddy:   Vstar*Lady, on her *Star                                                      August, 2013

I was just tagging along and she was leading the way.  I can't thank her enough for showing me the way and putting up with me.   I was finally on my way home and we had one more free day to show me around.  I had expressed interest to ride into Prince Edward County which I had seen on Motorcycle Experience.

                                                                                                      August, 2013

We managed to ride to the end of Hwy 33 where we had to wait for the ferry to take us across

Did I mention that the ferry ride was FREE

On the ferry somehow we managed to get the best seats on board, right in front

There was even time to fill our stomachs at  Lake on the Mountain

Notice that this is bike heaven.   Lots of bikes, more bikes than cars on this day.  Here is where we went

It was a hot day and we had to stop to get our bearings

When we got back to home base Vstar*Lady gave me a whirlwind tour of Kingston

Here is a short video,  Part one





To My Riding Buddy,  Vstar*Lady   Thank you.   I am forever in your gratitude and I can only hope that one day we can do this again . . .

Gulp ! Snow has arrived

Saturday morning I had to brush off my windows before heading for breakfast

Just a skiff of snow, not much but we had a weather snow warning.    Later in the day it started to snow, lightly at first, continued all night, and by the next morning it was still snowing.

Our AWD has regular tires and my FWD has snow tires

There is NO traction on wet, slushy snow so we stayed put at home all day

It's not a lot of snow as compared to  WI    Here and  Here too.    

to get white snow in your photos you need to add  + 1.00 /+1-1/3 EV  exposure compensation to your settings, or go to scene modes and select  "Snow" mode.  Otherwise your snow would look grey

    Awesomeness+  courtesy of Google+

The following photo was captured in full  sRGB colour mode and converted to monochrome.   It was set +1.00 EV and then shot bracked +/- 2.EV      ie:  3 shots  RAW and converted to HDR, and altered the levels curve and tweeked the contrast a bit to bring out the texture in the snow

    B&W monochrome HDR   "Our Street"

Oregon: My final stop before heading home

August 16th, 2013:   I was on my final leg heading home after my long ride.   I didn't have too far to go,  At only 261 miles, it was one of my shorter days but I left at my usual time around 8 am

The day didn't start out very promising.   It was overcast, a bit cool and raining as I made my way north.  Soon I was to be in familiar territory.    It started to rain a bit harder so I stopped at a gas station and fueled under their canopy.   Shortly after, the rain turned to mist as you notice from the above photo the marine layer was coming off the ocean

As I was briskly making my way north I noticed a sole rider heading south on an orange motorcycle.   He waved and I didn't give it another thought, but later I found out that it was   this person .

I went over this historic bridge and soon I arrived in Reedsport, OR where I needed to find a washroom so I headed to the Chevron but ended up at the MacDonald's instead  (which was just behind the Chevron).  It was too bad that I was not visible from the road as that sole rider which I noticed earlier was Troubadour and he headed north to Florence to wait for me.  (his version here)      He thought that he would surprise me and we would ride to Corvallis together but I was tired of the traffic and turned right at Florence

My original plan was to camp one more night at Waldport on the Friday night so that I could say that I camped on both Coasts, the Atlantic & the Pacific but he had to instruct for Team Oregon on Saturday so I camped in Crescent City instead.   The plan was to visit Trobairitz and Troubadour on Friday night and then leave early Saturday after coffee at Coffee Culture  .   Prev posted here

I eventually arrived at my home for the night

I can't thank my hosts enough for all they did to make my stay comfortable, just like my home away from home.   I had my first Vegan Pizza and we talked the night away.   There is never enough time when you are having fun and you don't wish it to end but the next morning we got an early start as Troubadour had to be on the road by 6:30am to set up "the range"

Not long after I saddled up and we headed for coffee where I got to meet a few of the regulars.  Now I can put a face to their name(s)

and we managed to snag a couple of spots right in front

It was too bad that Troubadour was busy we were not able to spend more time together.   I really appreciate having friends when I am so far from home.   You almost make me feel like I am family

    Family portrait,  John Day Fossil Beds, Oregon                             July, 2012

    Trobairitz & Troubadour                                                  July, 2012

    John Day Fossil Beds                                                    July, 2012

Thank you for everything,   I love you both . . .


PS:  This pretty well wraps up my Cross Country Tour from last Summer 2013, and my series of thanking all of my hosts along the way.   I had a budget for this trip and I was well under what I thought it would cost but it could not have happened without the gracious hospitality of those to took me under their wing, and managed to feed me a meal or two without compensation, no matter how hard I tried . . .  I just don't know what to say except,  thank you.  

I am thankful for the opportunity to have met many of you who were just names on a blog and you don't know how fulfilling it is to be welcomed and have so many friends all over the country who welcomed me with open arms.   I am humbled

Lunch in Auburn, WA and Carnation Cars

Well, what do you do when there is a Motorcycle Show in Seattle and you missed the One in Vancouver ?   You get up early and head for the Border  (USA & Cdn Border Crossing at Pacific Highway) 

Lucky thing we are Nexus registered and can bypass most of the lineup

Soon enough it is time for our first stop at the Skagit Valley Mall

where it was the Grand Opening weekend of the Hobby Lobby.   We don't have any Hobby Lobbys around here but we do have Michael's .  

They have lots of knick knacks and dust catchers here and I managed to find some car parts

and the highly coveted PIG POPPER

It wasn't long before I found the motorcycle section

and the camera department.   I love old bellows cameras

too bad this was only a prop.   It it were a realy one I would have been tempted to buy it.

After a couple of more hours on the highway heading south we ended up at one of our destinations for the day . . .  Auburn, WA

Auburn is just a bit South and East of Seattle where we were planning to have lunch

There were several other Corvette Clubs there.  They came from Spokane, WA,  Portland, OR, the Tri-Cities , Shelton, Anacortes, Bellingham and the Marque Club of Seattle.   This was a lunch hosted by Corvettes of Auburn .   We were starving by the time we arrived at 12:30pm as we hadn't had breakfast yet and my stomach was hurting

This is a restoration shop and they moved their cars out and set up tables under the hoists

They have several cars under reconstruction

I met several people we hadn't see for many years.  I used to be the US liason between our BC clubs and had arranged many meets in the past but have not gone to any of their events for some time.

After lunch and saying our goodbyes we headed to Carnation WA (Used to be known as Tolt)

to visit a place that was discovered by other members of our Corvette club.  Looking through their window, this is what you see

I thought it was a car museum but all cars are for sale

Lots of Porches were there, mainly replicas

Notice the MG Bug-Eyed Sprite on the right, behind the Harley.   I nearly bought a bug-eyed sprite many years ago for $600.  This was before they weren't worth anything.  Then I noticed one of my dream cars.  This is a  replica of a Porsche 550 Spyder

Yes, it's for sale and was the one James Dean was killed in, but his may have been haunted (read here)

This is the 3rd  Porsche 550 Spyder I have seen in the past 20 years.   They are hard to find but there are currently two for sale on eBay right now.   I can't help but to admire the sensuous curves (but I quickly snap out of my trans)

Yes, there are bikes there too and all are for sale.  I had to rub my eyes and do a double take when I noticed this SC Yenko Camaro

AW,  it was only a replica

more bikes,  nothing special, just used old stuff needing a lot of TLC

The Porsche 356 Speedster (Bathtub) was formerly my dream car

I used to have a collector car but now I prefer something more modern and reliable but it doesn't hurt to look & touch

It starts to rain and time for us to head home back to Canada where we have a decadent meal

Tender prime rib on a bed of mashed potatoes, vegetables and yorkshire pudding topped with carmelized shredded onions.  I can tell you that this melted in your mouth and was delicious.   I could have eaten two portions.   Tonight was not the time to be keeping track of your waistline and I still had one unused notch on my belt . . .   and then the dessert came . . .

some kind of toffee sauce but this just melted in your mouth.  Very light and tastly, with ice cream of course.  My mind kept thinking that I could diet tomorrow . . .  and I washed all of this down with Cola.

Sunday while out and about I saw some of my scooter friends

I've been AWOL as I don't do Facebook so I never know when they meet, nor where they go.  Nor do I ride on Sundays so I have just given up on the local scene.

It's nearly Spring here with our warmer temperatures.  Many of these riders ride year round