Epilogue

It's now a couple of days that we are home again and friends and family have asked questions such as "would you do that again?" or "why did you do that?", and the answer is not a quick one.  Why did we, or better I ever got the idea to travel with the motrcycle to Alaska?  Was it perhaps that I watched to much of the Discovery Channel's series "Alaska, The Last Frontier", was it perhaps Ewan McGregor's and Charley Boorman's "Long Way Round", I don't know.   What I do know, is that sometime last year after our return from Nova Scotia the idea was on the table, and since no resistance from my wife came up it manifested itself in a steady planning and preparation process.  Not sure about the endeavor itself with my new bike, which was considerably heavier than my old one, and still I didn't feel one with it, I asked the question sometimes myself.  But I was determined, and knew that I will "beat the beast" and that we will be friends at the end of the day.  Now there have been many opinions and views on why one travels, and I would be lying in not admitting that some sort of adventure was also part of it, but it was foremost the opportunity to travel across the United States of America and Canada and to see a huge part of those two countries.  Even so we had been traveling the US a lot already, the western part still has a great attraction to us and so it was clear that we would spend a lot of time in the West and "rush" through the East and Central portion of the country.  The motorcycle by all means of transportation is still the best suited vehicle to travel.  Not only that this vehicle will immediately spark interest from strangers when you park it and opens conversations with local people as to where you come from, where you're going, why and how long, and much more, it also lets you be much more connected with the environment you traveling through.  And I don't mean that you are not sitting in a protected cabin when it rains, but the elevated seat position allows for a much better view of the surroundings, one smells the air unfiltered, one feels the wind, one is "in touch" with the land.  It provides a unique and direct experience, one perhaps only a cyclist can share too ( by the way, those people are my heros who do journeys like that by sole muscle power).  The motorcycle also let's you bond with other riders much easier, people who come from where you're going, or have a nearby or the same destination as oneself, we share information about the road, the weather, gas stations and places to rest, conversations never ever happen when traveling by car.  We ride together some distance, split, and perhaps meet again somewhere at a later time, a loose bond of people sharing the same passion of traveling by motorcycle and enjoying the wast country wer're riding in.  We also decided on tenting as much as possible, and only using a motel in extreme need or when unavoidable, not only to keep our budget in check, but of the opportunity to interact with people and to share our experience.  And it has been the right decision and a great experience, meeting people not only giving you advise and tips on what to see and where to travel too, but meeting people in the midst of pouring rain offering you their hospitality to have a hot shower and to dry out, to join them for dinner, and without any thoughts of personnel advantages, just plain helpful and friendly, a virtue not very often found anymore in our hectic business world.  Those people, total strangers when first met, we became instantly friends of a special kind, a special bond only this kind of travel provides.  Of course we have seen a lot of those two big countries, different landscapes with glaciers millions of years old, forests with trees several hundred or close to thousand years old, wildlife of different kind on the ground, in the water, and in the air.  We have seen great country, we have seen great emptiness, we have seen great cities, we have seen small settlements, poverty and wealth, and so may other images which will be in our memories forever.  We have experienced dimensions we had no idea of how big is Big, how far is Far, how wide is Wide.  We also have met people living in this country, First Nation People, Farmers, Vacationers, ordinary people making their living one way or the other, Adventurers, Gold Miners, and many others.  And it was interesting listening to their stories, where they came from, what they were doing and how they see their country, a place we only visited for a short time, of which we only could get a climpse, a snapshot in time.  Even so the museums in many of those towns provided a good view into past and development of the place, the stories told gave a different aspect and personal touch to it, and made it much more connected.
Now as we have returned one asks has all this changed the traveler.  And the answer is "of course it has", otherwise we have traveled with closed eyes.  It has opened our eyes to be more sensitive to our surroundings, to respect nature, to be more in harmony with your environment. It showed us that less can be more, that riches are not measured in collaterals, that happiness is in the simplest things.  We also achieved some things we are pretty proud of ourselves, personal achievements of special significance, and that combined with the impressions of the total journey, the answers are definitely Yes, we would do it again, and It was a great idea to do it.

“... we’ve come this far, & people’s faces have changed & people’s houses have changed, & people’s beliefs may have changed, but ultimately we’re not any different from one another, you know? we all love our kids, we all need somewhere to sleep, we all need some food… we’re not all that different.”  - Ewan McGregor, Long Way Round

Ralph & Elke Mayer, Granby, CT 2014

PS: Stats and other Info still to follow

Mile 12422

When we woke up yesterday morning in Rigaud, QC it was difficult to get motivated to explore the surroundings of Montreal being just a couple of hundred miles away from home.  So finally we surrendered to the feeling of "now it's time to go home" which has been growing since a couple of days as we moved along the US border, and went onto the Highway towards the border.  Hwy 40, then Hwy 30 onto 15, crossing into the US and we were in Vermont.  A quick cross over lake Champlain, then Interstate 89 onto 91 and we were rolling home.  And of course one thing could not be left out, we got drenched entering Massaschutes.  So a perfect day.
The bike is now parked in the garage awaiting a good cleaning and a top to bottom service, our gear will be cleaned and stashed away, and we will take the next days easy and reflect on the trip we just finished.  This will take awhile and will be certainly another and final entry to this blog.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”  -  Ernest Hemingway

mile 12045

We got up this morning with some drizzle on our heads as we packed the tent and a plan to run South to Toronto in order to follow the shorelines of the Great Lakes.  But at breakfast some people were telling us that a storm/rain front with torrential rain is coming down in the South and West.  So we changed our plans and remained at the current level and moved East, hoping to avoid the rain.  We left Parry Sound, ON and rode toward the beautiful Algonquin Provincial Park and Ottawa.  But as we started the rain had moved East enough from the Southwest and we ran for the first hour or so in rain.  But as we moved further to the East we outran the rain and once again the beauty of the hundreds of little or bigger lakes in the this part of Ontario showed up.  This is definitely a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, specially if you enjoy kayaking or canoeing.  But there is little time to enjoy the scenery as we need to hurry.  The sky behind us is getting darker, and it did hit us again close to Ottawa.  So we circled Ottawa and found a place to dry up again in Rigaud, QC.
Unfortunately no pictures of today, only memories of a certainly beautiful countryside here in Ontario, at least of that we could see through the rain.

"If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride."  - Author Unknown

mile 11663

We continued our way along the shores of Lake Superior to Sault Ste. Marie with the intend to stay there for some days and explore the surroundings, as we liked very much the country riding towards it. Along the way we visited nice beach places like Pancake Beach or Agawa Rock, and the shoreline and adjacent lakes really called for a longer stay.  So we settled down on a nice camp site in Sault Ste. Marie, went for a swim,  and made it an easy afternoon and leisure evening.  Today we explored the town and after about an hour we were through town and didn't find anything worth to explore in more detail (not to say Sault Ste. Marie has no attractions, but none which attracted us) so we drove a little headless around until we decided to venture on East.  Camp was broken down quickly (also because some dark clouds had moved in and rain was in the forecast) and shortly after lunch the bike was packed and we were rolling again.  A wise decision as it turned out, as we left the rain behind us and drove into sunshine.  We continued Hwy 17 East, then turned South on to Hwy 69 toward Toronto.  Once again this brought us through beautiful countryside with nice forests and idyllic lakes, and we both were happy that we left.  Camp was found in Parry Sound and after all, the day turned out all in all as a good one.

The ultimate bike trailer, Motor Inn parking lot, Wawa, ON

Agawa Rock, rock paintings and formations

Agawa Crafts, the ultimate TT (tourist trap)

Guess who??  After nearly 12,000 miles carrying the hammock, it finally came to use

mile 11168

We continue our way East and have finally left the Canadian Badlands and the Prairie, heading Southeast to the Great Lakes.  And what a change in scenery it was, as we left Manitoba and entered Ontario, turning South and following Hwy 71 and Hwy 11/17 and the hundreds of little lakes to Thunder Bay.  This is paradise for everyone who loves to hunt and fish, but for us it is just plain beautiful nature, reminding us of very much of Arcadia NP in Maine with its forests and lakes.  And even so we didn't see any Moose, we saw plenty of smaller game and many of birds.  We continued to make our way along the shoreline of Lake Superior and through many of First Nation Territory, before we found a nice place to rest in Wawa (ever heard of it?).  The plan is to continue the shorelines of the Great Lakes (weather permitting) as we work our way East.  So far the forecast is for sun or cloudy skies, but riding has been good with nicely undulated roads, and long, smooth curves, and traffic really very moderate.  None of all the bad things all told us about riding the Trans Canada Highway(s).

Murals in Kenora, ON

You know from where the wind is blowing, near Emo, ON

Along Hwy 17 to Marathon, ON

Aguasabon Falls, ON

Near Wawa, ON

“Another glorious day, the air as delicious to the lungs as nectar to the tongue.”  ―  John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra