[bungie4]

Well it's Turkeygiving up here north of the border, usually, October is craptacular. Not this holiday though, sunny and a low 70's, colours .. sorry, colors are popped, popping or about to pop depending where you go.

So yesterday I took a ride with Kim (BMW 1000RR) are Shelly (Busa) down to Parry Sound. Unfortunately I didn't take many pics. But I ended up riding nearly 600km. My god the FJR is a great mile eater.

I know this because today, I rode the WeeBR (Honda CBR250R). Usually the longest ride for that bike is about an hour. Not today. Were going minimalist touring. I threw a bottle of water and my camera in the tail bag and headed out.

Right, where to go?

I stopped by Tim Hortons to see where everybody else was riding too. Turns out, Parry Sound - BAH! I was there yesterday. Guess I'm going to follow my nose. Were in search of color.. East it is, North of Algonquin Park!

I had 3 bars left on the tank, wonder if I can make it to Verner before filling up? I ended up past there to Sturgeon Falls and I still wasn't on reserve. No point in pushing my luck so I stopped and topped it up.

I was in no hurry today, running 5 over the on speedometer. Through North Bay I turned Northeast on 63. Colors were passed peak by a few days but still really nice. Dammit, I forgot to hang my camera around my neck.

I stop and think, hey, look at this.. nice!

Ass wasn't burning yet and I'm a good 175km into it. I could tell though, it's not far off. I gotta say, it's really pleasant running by yourself, at or below the speed limit just sort of burbling along.

A few miles later a stopped at the intersection of 63 and 533. 533 could be one of the best roads in Ontario. Could be. Its rough as all hell for the first and last 10 miles. The bit in between is fantastic. Ever see pavement with washboard? Thats the first and last 10 miles.

Press on toward Temiscaming, the sign says 22km to the border. Er, provincial line. If the French-Canadians had their way, it would be a border. It wasn't long before I came up beside the Ottawa River which runs all the way to, uhm, Ottawa. About 350km away.

Temiscaming won't be far. Temiscaming's main employer is Tembec, a big pulp and paper mill. Back in the day, they used to float logs down the Ottawa. I was getting hungry by this time. So I stopped at a gas station for some snacks.

I had passed a little park on the bank of the river just up the road so that spot got the nod for my picnic grounds.

My view for lunch.

Beside me, the mighty WeeBR waits patiently.

When I turned around I noticed the welcome to Kwee-bec sign. How the hell did I miss that.

Time to head home, the tailwind I was enjoying was now in my face. A few hundred yards across the dam and I got the companion sign.

Then back down the river.

Just outside of Temiscaming on the Ontario side is the bustling metropolis of Thorne. Whats so special about Thorne you ask? One of hottest girl ever who had me wrapped around her finger got a job at Tembec and lived in Thorne a few years back.

I took this just for her. She's living 500km to the south in London now. So I posted this up on facebook so she can remember just how far she's come (married with kids now). Hopefully this will remind her that it really is a Thanksgiving.

Last pic of the day beside the river

I basically bee-lined back to Sudbury after this except for a gas stop just as I got around the corner from the house. The trip out to Temsicaming I finally broke a 100mpg! Running the speed limit with a tailwind WOOT! 101.97 mpg. Official. I gotta find a license plate that says 100mpg!

The ride back into the wind netted 93mpg. Awesome.

My ass is sore though, I can't stand up on this bike like I can with the FJR. But I managed. What a kickass little bike. But its no FJR when you want to make some miles.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian and American friends. We really do have a lot to the be thankful for. Especially on days like today.

 

[Ibex250R]

Not today. Were going minimalist touring. I threw a bottle of water and my camera in the tail bag and headed out.

Right, where to go?

Ride on! Nice pics, and thanks for sharing.

 

[topherguns]

THANK YOU for the amazing pictures. If it wasn't for family dinners all weekend in town, i would have been right behind you on the roads. South wood road from Orillila to Perry Sound is a nice ride.
If Tuesday turns out to be a nice day, I'll be on the roads right after work..

 

[xxxxxfoobar12]

Thanks for sharing. Beautiful landscape. Do like the name WeeBR. Gonna have to use that myself.

 

[CBR250R]

Bungie,

Wow. Great photos and ride report! Makes me miss the Sudbury region. Another thing Thorne was known for was an alpine ski area. I have an interest in old abandoned/lost ski areas and have been unable to locate where this hill was locate specifically on Google Earth. I assume it was somewhere along the ridge next to the river - but it is a pretty long ridge. According to my 1980 copy of The White Book of Ski Areas it boasted a vertical drop of 670 ft.

Hmmm. If you are eager to take another ride today - would it be too much to ask to ride out towards Onaping and take some photos of the A.Y. Jackson lookout at High Falls? Maybe take a photo of Windy Lake seen from the top of the highway hill on 144? Ride through the provincial park perhaps and take a few more? A photo of the ski hill when riding back from Levack? That place is still home to me.

Mike

 

[bungie4]

Okay, another spectacular day north of the border. I have stuff to do, lots, but when Indian summer calls. You don't do stuff. You ride. So I slept in a bit today then headed out for another ride!

I head west, then south toward Manitoulin Island. Unfortunately, I just didn't have as much time as I wanted. Hey, I've got a roast to cook!

I past Old Nairn road and I've wondered about it for years. Nice road, but ends abruptly after about 5km. Hey, I have a job, I explore (see my tag line).

First stop was the old firetower look out in Willisville.

Same spot, looking ... east.. NO! west!

Onward from there continuing south on Hwy 6 I decided to go scope out Whitefish Falls. The only other time I've been there was for lunch at the Red Dog Inn. Good food. Weird the place has a restaurant though, can't be more than 250 ppl living there. But it's literally 2km from the previous pics.

First pic is the off the one lane bridge looking toward the Lake of Bays.

Just around the corner from there is a pull out where you can take a peek at the towns namesakes, Whitefish Falls.

The water level is really low, but you can see the falls in the pic under the bridge over Hwy 6. Remains of the old mill to the right.

"Oh all right already", the WeeBR seems to have a bit of an atitude and wanted her picture taken. You know how the pretty ones are.

Looking to the left down the river

I then followed a gravel road down to the Lake of Bays. Ever stupid, their is no public access to look at the lake. So I found a likely spot, parked the bike, and bushed it with my helmet on to snap this pic.

Dammit, it was getting late and I still have to get back to put the roast on.

I did however stop to take some pics of the Willisville rock cuts.

The shoulder is really narrow here so no time to dawdle otherwise I'm get rear ended by a drunk Indian.

Well thats it. I stopped for a smoke in Espanola and bumped into a guy riding an old Beemer. He was out for a day ride, I seem to remember meeting him once before. Turns out I had, since then he's bought an ST and one of those big Beemer dirt bikes. He's done the TransLab, been to Prudhoe Bay since I last spoke with him. Cool.

So he rode back to Sudbury with me. He was really interested in the CBR. Riding side by side down the 4 lane coming into town he pulls up beside me and gases the big two-lunger a couple of times. Oh, okay, I pin it. It accelerates pretty smartly up to about 75 and then starts running out of steam. So I tuck in and run it up to 150km/h, about 95. I slow down and he pulls up beside me, laughing his ass off and giving me a big thumbs up. LOL!

Not bad for a lil two-fitty.

The roast is in the oven and I've got about a half hour to wait. My fav, roast beef, roast potato's and some beans and carrots. I didn't stop for lunch so I'm _starving_.

Hope you enjoy the pics, I know I had a blast the last 3 days over the long weekend taking them for you. It's not the Appalachain high country, but it's still pretty **** fine!

 

[CBR250R]

Great photos Bungie!

Mike

 

[bungie4]

Great photos Bungie!

Thanks but their just some snaps. I'll try and get up to the AY Jackson Lookout tomorrow after work for you. Funny, that usually my first stop for fall colours. This year I'm late getting out and peak has past.

 

[bungie4]

South wood road from Orillila to Perry Sound is a nice ride.

The entire point of our trip to south was to show Kim and Shelly Southwood. I was on it about 3 weeks ago. But in between then and now they've put hot patch down on some of the bumpier sections and left all the little bits all over the road. It's dangerous on a bike if your cookin' at all.

Lots of leaf peepers out too.

 

[Kalboogie]

Great shots! And what a weekend it was! Blue skies against the fall colours! I did a day trip from ottawa to Calabogie on sunday...Just gorgeous!

 

[TheMente]

I'm moving to Canada soon

 

[Redline]

Lovely mate, thanks. I can almost taste the fresh air.

 

[bungie4]

Great shots! And what a weekend it was! Blue skies against the fall colours! I did a day trip from ottawa to Calabogie on sunday...Just gorgeous!

I'm jealous of you living so close to Calabogie. I really need to get the WeeBR out there, especially the run along Centennial Lake Dr.

 

[Ibex250R]

Now that's the way weekends were meant to be spent! cool pics Bungie.

 

[rorkstar]

What kind of tail bag do you have?

Beautiful pictures, I miss fall weather / colors!

 

[bungie4]

What kind of tail bag do you have?

Beautiful pictures, I miss fall weather / colors!

Coretech. Not to big, not to small. I'm still debating whether to pick up the saddlebags for it.

The fall colours didn't last long up here. Right after those rides the rain/wind set in. Looks like nature is prepping for the long white.

On a sadder note, I put the CBR in storage on Saturday. Still have the FJR available until they call for accumulations just in case we get a nice day or two between now and then.