Video & Photo Ride Report of 2010 CFR

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yamafitter

Reigning NERDS Granite Lane Gold Medalist
Joined
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Location
Bowmanville, ON
OK, so I am new to the tour type rallies. In fact I spent Friday & Saturday bouncing around on my dirt bike in the rocks in Madawaska which is not too far from BugR's.

Being new to the game I have to make decisions and since retiring I only allow myself one decision a day to reduce the stress factor.

Day 1 decision - what do I ride to a FJR Rally?

Here are the choices:

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That red thing in the background has far too many wheels plus its not mine.

The WR would be OK if we hit any construction or off-pieste terrain (forewarning)

Well, it is a FJR Rally so I think we'll load up the rapid transit beast.

So that takes care of the transport now what does one wear to a FJR Rally?

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I like the idea of the extra protection in case the other hooligans attempt to stone me for being so slow.

However one must abide to some sense of fashion (unless your FJRGuy) so its the Rukka for me.

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OK your all looking at the grass / weeds in my backyard. I'm far too busy either off-roading, riding or pedalling my bicycle to be bothered with it.

Usually I let it get about another foot higher, get some animals and then charge admission for a jungle hunt.

I also know some farmers and can buy 'Round Up' by the barrel.

But we digress.

We now have transport and clothes so now what do we need for the bags?

When travelling in Canada one can go anywhere with one of these.

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A cup of Tim Hortons coffee & a breakfast sandwich and we are good to go!!

How about something for the apres ride?

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Disclaimer - This is a photo prop. The original soldier did not survive the entire trip but gave a fine account of itself during battle.

OK. Now we are set for an adventure. Next post - the ride but I did promise some video and I don't think its fair to make you wait so try this link to YouTube.



Enjoy the ride. Later.

 
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Jeebus... Who's that slow fooker in front of ya? :rolleyes:

Thanks for posting that up. Looking forward to the dirt vid!

BG

 
Thanks for the video! Very good music as well.

Pam and I made it out to 347 for a bit of it.... just enough to know I want to go back again sometime. :fans:

 
Nice video Bill.. Why, you even made the Geek look good!

Thankfully ya didn't decide to film the ride home and my "asleep at the wheel" incident :blushsmiley: At least it kept me focused the rest of the way.. :lol:

Looking forward to doing the Boogie,Stomp, and whatever else is in the area with you again soon. :good:

Hey and thanks for lunch! I'm going to get me one of them cards.

:jester:

 
Jeebus... Who's that slow fooker in front of ya? :rolleyes:
Thanks for posting that up. Looking forward to the dirt vid!

BG
The dude leading was holdin' y'all up....... Great video, Bill. Perhaps if the camera was hard mounted it would show more of what that road was really like....... I'll have to get me one of those one day.

 
Perhaps if the camera was hard mounted it would show more of what that road was really like....... I'll have to get me one of those one day.
I brought mine and didn't take even one second of video. Course, I was nearly always leading... dumbasses - you don't put the guy without any sense of direction in front!

 
Perhaps if the camera was hard mounted it would show more of what that road was really like....... I'll have to get me one of those one day.
I brought mine and didn't take even one second of video. Course, I was nearly always leading... dumbasses - you don't put the guy without any sense of direction in front!

Ah ya done good Steve! Imagine what would have happened if I'd have lead.. :huh:

:jester:

 
OK, now for the ride.

Yzerman19 (Ray) and myself had made previous arrangements to meet at the Tim Hortons (where else would you meet?) in Bowmanville and team up for the ride to BugR's.

Here is the route we followed:

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Being of Polish heritage I don't do anything the easy way. The route took us north out of Bowmanville, along the south shore of Sugog Lake & over to Lindsay. from there it was up to Bobcaygeon and then over to the bottom of the 507. There was fun to be had on the 507 and then we skipped over to County Rd 3 up to Hwy 118 along the shore of Loon Lake. From there we took the back way into Wilberforce for an early lunch where Ray stuffed homemade Strawberry Shortcake into his head.

With bodies and bikes refuelled it was up Elephant Lake Rd to the Peterson Rd to get over to Maynooth and then we ran some 500 series to get over to Griffith for the start of the Calabogie Boogie. We stopped at the corner gas station in Calabogie and met one of the other attendees who was going to head down the 511 for some extracurricular activities.

We were now close to our destination for the evening. I had supplied Ray with the Garmin gdb file for this part of the ride. We get to River Road and Ray turns right where my GPS clearly said we go left. What a dunce :nono:

I chase him down and tell him he is going the wrong way. We turn around and now my GPS is happy but Ray's Zumo is telling him I'm nuts. He pulls me over and we have a discussion :nhl_fight:

It appears that the gps route I supplied Ray was correct and the file I loaded into my own Garmin was wrong :poster_oops:

Did I mention my Polish heritage. I do have pausible deniability in this however since the original plan was to stay in Renfrew instead of Chris & Diane's place.

A quick stop at the corner beer store and we rolled into Chris & Diane's abode.

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Let the bench racing begin.

Chris' FJR is still recovering from the Alaska trip and was in no condition to run on the roads of La Belle Province on this trip.

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There was also the usual tinkering going on.

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Once the rest of the group arrived we were off to the Lighthouse for dinner and then we retired to the riverbank to relax for tomorrow.

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Next Post - Hot Laps of Downtown Ottawa.

 
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First offical morning of the CFR. Let the cat herding being :yahoo:

Chris has the coffee going so we are off to the perfect start. Everyone makes it over to the Lighthouse for breakfast and then it is time to saddle up. :scooter:

Here was the route:

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Chris had planned to lead us but as usually happens when you are the chief bottlewasher that plan had to change and Bungie was put in the lead. I rode in the sweep position and had the opportunity to watch the carnage unfold.

Problem one was the closed ramp leading onto the Parkway. No Bungie, the driveway into the apartment building garage was not the ramp. Neither was the parking lot for the Shoppers Drugmart Mall. In Bungie's defense the Feds in Ottawa do a fine job of camouflaging the ramps to confuse would be terrorists and tourists.

Chris had given Bungie the GPS directions to the park that has some nice views of the Parliament Buildings. I don't know Ottawa very well but I do know that the spot is on an island out in the river on the way over to the Quebec side. Bungie, how come we are not going over the bridge? Oh, I see! It's time for a practise lap of Downtown Ottawa. We see the front of the Parliament Buildings, The Supreme Court Building, some of the embassies, other federal buildings, a few museums & galleries but no island. Lap One complete. Lap 2 featured some downtown road construction and taxi drivers that had zero respect for a bike's space on the road. For Lap 3 we did make it across the bridge but not the island. Lap 4 took us back across the bridge and back into Downtown Ottawa. I'm getting DIZZY!!! :sick:

Lap 5 and its back over to the Hull side and we finally stop.

RATS - I was just ready to put in a hot lap for qualifying :hyper: .

After a discussion :nhl_fight: it was decided it was time to get out of Dodge.

FJRGuy took over lead duties to clear us of downtown Hull and we were now on route to Tremblant.

It was lunchtime when Bungie lead the group to a restaurant that he knew just past the turn north for the 323 Nord.

Once fuelled up it was a nice steady ride and we arrived at our destination.

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Next Post - Bench Racing & the first offical ride of the CFR.

 
It's time to unpack.

Bustanut is extremely happy that Dolly had a safe journey from Michigan.

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Some of the other attendees also start to gather.

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Some think that Bustanut is an ugly cuss. That's only because you haven't met this guy.

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That is one of the gang from the dirtbike ride the weekend before. No, he is not bleeding. He just got a mouthful of mud when he got roosted in one of the many mudholes on the day. It's just a different kind of fun. I do love being the rooster but not the roostee.

Others have previously posted on the gathering that night (see BikerGeek's report) and have done it far more justice than I can.

That brings us to Tuesday's ride. Most of the gang were set on taking the far ride over to Parc Mauricie which by all reports was a fantastic ride. Unfortunately I recently had my knee replaced and was still a little stiff from the dirt biking I had done that weekend. Ray was planning a slightly abbreviated route and along with Mr & Mrs BikerGeek we set off in our own little group. Here is the route for the day:

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We did intertwine with some of the group but then our group branched off and we had the roads to ourselves. I found out too late that the GPS files provided were not compatable with my maps and the Garmin was bound and determined not to send me the way that the organizers had planned. I therefore took up my customary sweep position with Yzerman19 in the lead. Afterall it was his route.

Everything was going fine until we started looking for a secondary road to take us back over to the 125 to the start of the 347. Do you know those cottage roads where they start off nice and smooth, turn into gravel and then the trees start to close in on the road? We pick up Ray's Excellent Off-Pieste Adventure at the point of no return.



Next Post - The lonely ride.

 
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Chris had planned to lead us but as usually happens when you are the chief bottlewasher that plan had to change and Bungie was put in the lead. I rode in the sweep position and had the opportunity to watch the carnage unfold.
Mea Culpa.

No street signs indicating the turn on to the Parkway! Turn left on to Booth Street to get to Victoria Island. Got it, Left Turn Lane. Big sign that says NO FUCKING LEFT TURNS! WTF!

We all know what happened next :D

Hey, we saw Ottawa, the government buildings and we didn't lose anybody (WOW!).

Great meeting ya bud, next time, you lead :D

 
Mea Culpa.
No street signs indicating the turn on to the Parkway! Turn left on to Booth Street to get to Victoria Island. Got it, Left Turn Lane. Big sign that says NO FUCKING LEFT TURNS! WTF!

We all know what happened next :D

Hey, we saw Ottawa, the government buildings and we didn't lose anybody (WOW!).

Great meeting ya bud, next time, you lead :D
Sorry to having some fun at your expense but you have to admit it was pretty funny going past the Parliament Buildings a few times. :grin: I should also note that I did offer a defence on your behalf and blamed it on the Feds and their lousy road signs. Like you said it was amazing we made it out the other end unscathed. :biggrinsmiley:

As far as leading goes I used to be a leader of men and that is why I am retired. Plus the fact that I only make one decision a day to reduce my stress level. After the first corner its every boy / girl for themselves. :friends:

 
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Sorry to having some fun at your expense but you have to admit it was pretty funny going past the Parliament Buildings a few times. :grin: I should also note that I did offer a defence on your behalf and blamed it on the Feds and their lousy road signs. Like you said it was amazing we made it out the other end unscathed. :biggrinsmiley:
As far as leading goes I used to be a leader of men and that is why I am retired. Plus the fact that I only make one decision a day to reduce my stress level. After the first corner its every boy / girl for themselves. :friends:
S'Okay, I'm a good sport about things and your absolutely right about the first corner.

"You can hang a left, or hang a right.

The choice is yours to do as you might,

The road is open wide to do your bidding.

Well its easy to go, along with the crowd

to find that all that you say ain't allowed.

But thats the way to find what you've been missing,

there's miles and miles to put it back together"

© Judas Priest - Heading out the Highway

 
I forgot to add a few photos from the Tuesday ride.

On the way back up the 327 I stopped and set up to get some shots of Ray & Sooze & Andy.

Here is one of Yzerman19

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SoozeBG & BikerGeek99

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Yzerman19 had found a new development and there was a sweet road that lent itself to some more photo ops.

As usual Yzerman19 in the lead.

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Closely followed by SoozeBG and BikerGeek99

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It was then time to put the bikes away for the day and start up the bench racing. Bustanut didn't have much to offer in the way of bench racing stories due to a bout of 'altitude sinkness'. He and the Missus did get out a bit to try and blow out some of the cobwebs from the night before.

The racer types made it back from Parc Mauricie shortly after our return and regaled us with tales of their exploits.

The sane folks came back some time later but still throughly enjoyed themselves in the parc. Now I have to go back and see what all the fuss is about.

After the baraque I joined the girls in the hot tub for a bit of socializing while the racer types made plans to head into town to catch the ballet. Judging by the giggling and tomfoolery going on the the parking lot at 3:00 AM it appears the ballet was culturally enlightening for the boys.

At breakfast the next morning most of the "fast" crowd were not all that fast about getting out of bed never mind going on another big ride. The rest of the folks that had gone to the parc also had most of the sting taken out of them.

BugR and the group had gone to all the trouble of laying out a nice loop to the west and I just hate having anything like that going to waste.

Here was the route:

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I met up with some of the other attendees at the gas station and followed them down the 323 until the route took me west. From here I was on my own. In between the GPS and the map I was staying on course and made it over to the 309 where I started heading back north towards Mont Laurier. A local dairy farmer had this out front and it made me think of Bustanut so I stopped and took a photo:

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I also stopped at this rest area beside a small lake.

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I was supposed to turn onto the 311 but I missed it and continued up to Mont Laurier where I found a Tim Hortons so all was not lost. After refuelling the bike and myself I went in search of the 311 and found the road where it intersected with the 117.

By riding the 311 south I was able to get in a sighting lap which sets us up for the last video I have of the CFR.



After looping around back to Mont Laurier it was back down the 117 towards Tremblant. Traffic was definately increasing due to Saint Jean Baptiste Day coming up. on returning it was time for the group shots and the closing banquet.

L'amour en La Belle Province

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Next Post - The ride home

 
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I'll add on to this Ride Report!

Early Monday morning, hmmm, where should we ride to today? Ahh, north, ya, head north.

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An early morning ride through central New Hampshire

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And then Vermont

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Approaching Lake Champlain there were 20-30 power poles that had platforms for eagles. Every pole had an osprey nest and almost every nest had one or more ospreys in or on it.

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We chose to ride up the islands in the center of Lake Champlain; highly recommended.

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The islands are mostly farm country with some older homes still remaining.

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Lake Champlain Trivia I

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Lake Champlain Trivia II

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At one time not everyone was welcome... In fact throughout early American history there were a lot of people that weren't welcome.

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Immediately after leaving the Lake Champlain islands is the border crossing. We chose to cross at the very small and quiet Lacolle customs. A few canned questions, some smiles, good wishes and in seconds we were off.

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From the border until Montreal was in sight it was all farm country.

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We next discovered the official flower of Quebec -- the Orange Banded Barrel plant. Let me tell you, they grow everywhere in great profusion.

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Next I discovered that I no longer could read, and all units of measurement became incomprehensible. I now know how the world must seem to a five year old.

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I recall seeing huge fields of "bobbing ducks" -- oil well pumps in the south/central parts of the US. This is eastern Canada's answer. The number and size of the power towers is staggering.

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An awesome big bridge with the city of Montreal lurking awaiting us on the other side.

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Hot Wheels track, only life size.

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Welcome to Montreal. There is no way to avoid it. Temperature in the upper 20s, average speed of .5 kph and time slowed to the point of stopping. The enjoyment meter plunged to a near zero reading.

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But, payback abounds just outside Montreal.

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As the day comes to an end, we enter the quit and quaint Mont-Tremblant Village where we will be staying.

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On Tuesday we explored as much of the area as we could. This day's traffic jam was an entirely different matter from the previous day.

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Dirt. Km after km of dirt. FWIW, the dirt was far superior to many of the ¿paved? roads. There are roads that go places, these are highways. There are roads that carry local traffic, these are ground up asphalt that turns into dirt, which after ~20 km turns into dead ends. Garmina got ill and was of no use, in fact we had to put her out of her misery and turn the GPS off.

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We kept coming across titanic construction projects. The scale of the destruction/construction is amazing.

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A number of CFR participants stopped by the Village for a short social gathering with us. We appreciate people taking the time to stop by for the meet 'n greet.



After everyone left we took a ride up to the Wyndham Cap Resort. We found a bunch of people with motorcycles and thought we would stop by and join them for a while. At first it seemed we had made a mistake --

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

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After they discovered that we weren't after their beer they became a quite friendly group.

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After pillaging the local village a group of CFR riders returns to the nest. The Queen arrives and the squires jump to her service.

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Alas, too soon we have to return home. Fittingly, it was a dark gray day. Though it threatened most of the day we never got rained on.

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Who knew --

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And, an Area 51 too!

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All routes go through Montreal. During the day all routes through Montreal have a similar theme...

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Across the river Styx with farm country in sight.

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Arriving at Champlain Customs. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. A fearsome, stern interrogation with a constant background aura of threatening. Welcome to America.

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Anyone that made last years Green and Whites Ride knows this place. Hopefully this year some new ride participants will get to know this place too!

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Concord, NH just over the hill, home is only a hour away.

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We enjoyed the heck out of our trip. It was super to get to meet so many new people at Wyndham Cap. There were so many things to see that went unseen. So many places to go that went un-gone. And so much French food that needs to be sampled. We will be back!

 
We enjoyed the heck out of our trip. It was super to get to meet so many new people at Wyndham Cap. There were so many things to see that went unseen. So many places to go that went un-gone. And so much French food that needs to be sampled. We will be back!
WOW!!! Very nice Ionbeam. Great to see you and Helen again. Hoping to see you on the White Green Ride :)

 
L'amour en La Belle Province
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Oh my.

Alan, you really need to more ride reports. Very good, samething with Yamafitter!

Oh, btw, the hydro towers... Quebec supplies nearly half of the Eastern Seaboard with hydro electric power. Your an engineer, you should take a ride up and check out any of the Manic generating stations. Or, for the grand daddy of them all, run up the Radisson to James Bay.

 
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