Below are two interesting articles written about my trip and how it impacted my career.
http://findingclarity.ca/747/zen-and-the-art-of-career-advancement-greg-powell/
http://findingclarity.ca/732/the-rules-of-the-road-career-lessons-i-learned-on-my-motorcycle/
I have been very fortunate with my Honda Varadero, the only repairs that I have had to do to the bike that were not a result of normal wear (i.e. brakes, chain etc) or accidents (rim and mirror) was my front shock seal that went after 77,000km while riding in Terra Del Fuego and back in May my rear taillight bulb burnt out.
Now that I am back in Canada, working and have some cash again I thought it was time to give the bike some much needed attention, starting with a long overdue oil change. Since I had recently moved to Sudbury, I took the Varadero into Northstar Recreation, the local Honda dealer, for an oil change and inspection. I was embarrassed at the state of my oil, never had I let my bike go this long between oil changes, my only excuse was “too busy”. The inspection done at Northstar revealed that my chain was in bad shape, again “too busy” to be oiling and tightening it properly. Being “too busy” was costing me some money now.
The people at Northstar Recreation in Sudbury were a great bunch. I got the usual excitement about my trip when I first arrived at their shop, especially from the sales guy Perry. Perry is a big Varadero fan and adventure rider, I think he now holds the record for the person who took the most photos of the stickers on my bike. The service guys were great as well, and my bike was secure in the shop without any wait. Repairs were done, on time and at the price I was quoted and everyone friendly and fun to talk to, a refreshing change to the usual customer service we get here in Canada. Then came the comments about my front rim.
I knew the front rim was in bad shape; after all it had been welded 3 times, that pothole in Colombia had done a real number on it. http://www.gregsadventure.com/index.php/2011/12/respect-for-potholes/ I really did not want to change it, I felt it gave the bike special character, I was attached to it, but I also knew it was becoming unsafe. The mechanic at Northstar was not pushy about it, but he gave me his professional opinion which given his experience was hard to ignore. I don’t have issue with taking risks when it is just me riding, but recently a few people have wanted to go for rides with me and I would not risk the safety of others, so a new rim, brakes and rotors were ordered.
The day I went to pick my bike up was the day I was going on my Roadside Attraction Ride. Never a dull moment. I knew there was a problem when the owner of the shop came over to talk to me, this was supposed to be a regular service issue so there was no need to the owner to get involved. The owner, Dave, informed me that in the process of fixing my front rim that they cracked my oil pan, and that in 35 years of fixing motorcycles he had never had this happen! Why did I have to be the special one, I was packed and ready to do a 1,600km ride and now I had an oil leak? Dave seemed genuinely concerned, wanted to make it right and seemed surprised when I did not get upset. Somehow I was going on that ride, a solution would need to be found ASAP and JB Weld was the solution, we were going to patch the oil pan and fix it properly after the weekend. JB Weld held during my trip and the new front rim made the bike feel like new.
Northstar Recreation promised to “make things right” so I left the bike with them for a few days. When I picked it up today I discovered my bike had a new oil pan. Talk about making things right!!! I spent a fair bit of time at Northstar the past couple of months and watched how they treat customers, they treat everyone special and with great respect. I wish others in the service industry could spend some time at Northstar, things would be a lot less frustrating. I am leaving Sudbury this weekend and moving back to Toronto, but I just may make a 400km drive for my next oil change so that I can be treated like a customer.
After leaving Northstar I headed toward work and watched as my odometer turned 90,000km. Stopping to take a picture I had a good look at my bike, new front shocks, new rim and rotors, new front brakes, new chain and sprockets, new tires, tail light is bright, and now a new oil pan. The bike starts like it did on the day I bought it. I think I will keep it for another 90,000km.
Links
Northstar Recreation www.northstarrec.com – Need service and want to be treated like a customer, go to NORTHSTAR.
After a fun night at one of the two watering holes in Hearst it was time to get back on the road. Just outside of Hearst I turned left onto ON-631, another amazing road. While riding the 631 I was flooded with memories for the ride to Yukon as well as the Cassiar Highway in BC. The 631 was fun to ride, long corners, hills, sharp twists, lakes and rivers and overall the road was well maintained. The 631 was well over 150km long and my mind was racing with memories of my adventure across the Americas that ended just a few months ago. I still miss the open road. Being on a schedule is very different for me.
At the end of ON-631 was a giant thermometer and Winnie the Pooh, just waiting to be photographed. Wawa had giant geese and Sault Saint Marie had so many roadside attractions that I could not even find them all, but the mean looking Moose holding a hunter was one of my favourites. I was having a lot of fun; it was like a scavenger hunt on a motorcycle.
Riding along the shores of Lake Superior was amazing, one of the most scenic places in Ontario that I have ever visited. I have now added to my “bucket list” to circle Lake Superior on a bike. It feels good to have an adventure in the works and I thought about it a lot for the next few hours, until a giant red chair distracted me. I was starting to get dark and with all the deer in this area I wanted to make it home before nightfall to avoid getting it by one, but I still had more attractions on my list including the final one – Sudbury’s Big Nickel. I made it to the Big Nickel just after the sun went down which made for a cool night time photo.
When I first started planning this trip I thought it was really corny, but then the corniness of it made it fun. Once on the road and the feeling of a scavenger hunt started to come over me I became determined to see as many of the roadside attractions as I could and have fun doing it. In the end 49 Roadside attractions were visited over a total of 1,639 kilometers.
I have been working in Northern Ontario for the past couple of months and riding opportunities have been limited to “to and from work”. Using my motorcycle as a commuting vehicle was driving me crazy, it somehow seems unnatural. I had no adventure in the works but was getting tons of great opportunities : “Greg; Meet me in Mexico in October”, ‘Dude – make an excuse to come to Australia so we can ride together” “There is an extra bike waiting for you here in BC, come on out” or the most tempting offer of all – “Greg – Vladivostok to London, 2013 – you in??”
I needed to plan an adventure, but I also need to work: looks like I will be a “weekend warrior” for a while. I found this really cool website listing all kinds of large roadside attraction throughout Canada, there are tons of them in Northern Ontario so I decided to plan a trip and visit as many as I could over a weekend. It’s not as exciting as crossing two continents but hey, an adventure is what you make it. After some excitement with motorcycle maintenance I was finally on the road, (albeit a little behind schedule) on my first “adventure” since returning to Canada.
My first stop was going to be a giant fish in Marten River. I left Sudbury along highway 17 then turned north on what turned out to be one of the best motorcycling roads of the weekend, highway 575 to Field, Ontario then turn north on Highway 64 until it ends at Highway 11. A two minute ride south on Highway 11 and the first roadside attraction crossed off the list. Whoohoo. It was now dusk, poor lighting for photos and deer crossing the road in front of the bike made me decide to not push it further and call it a night.
Day two was going to be a 500km ride to Hearst Ontario and about a dozen large roadside attractions. A tugboat, railway car, cow and a truck on poles, I was having fun and then the rain came. Taking shelter under a giant Bison kept me dry, but I had to ride in the pouring rain if I was going to get to the Skidoo Tree, Lumberjack and Polar Bear before the sun went down. All was going well until the bike got caught in a “Tractor Beam” from the Spaceship in Moonbeam Ontario, but the bike was finally able to break free.
Continuing North, I really started to take in the beauty of my province, it had been years since I had been this far north and had forgotten how beautiful it is. A landscape covered in thick forest, where every once in a while the road has been cut through the thick rocks of the Canadian Shield. Tiny towns, each with their own roadside attraction briefly interrupt the landscape, making the ride interesting and providing a chance to get off the bike and stretch. Finally arriving in Hearst to what was the largest roadside attraction so far, two giant moose fighting off 2 giant wolves. I was fighting fatigue and was glad to call it a night, tomorrow would be a long day.
(part 2 to follow soon)
Links
A listing of Large Canadian Roadside attractions http://www.roadsideattractions.ca/
While riding up in Sudbury about a month ago I met this cool biker chick riding a Triumph Bonneville. After the initial exchange of compliments on each other’s bikes , biker chick Sarah told me of her plans to ride solo from Toronto to Vancouver taking all Canadian roads. I told her about my 10 month trip across the America’s, beer soon followed.She is seeing Canada the way it should be seen.
Check out her blog, it is a great story with some great photos. She is in Alberta now . http://biketobc.tumblr.com/
After spending so many months riding solo it felt very strange to be pulling out onto the road with so many other bikes. When my friend Sean emailed me a few weeks ago about the Hero’s Highway ride I told him he could count me in, I would be there rain or shine. I could not think of a better way to spend a Saturday, riding motorcycles, climbing on Military equipment and supporting people who deserve support but don’t always get the support they deserve.
Arriving early was a great idea! The Soldiers were every eager to give us a tour and explanation of the equipment they had on display and a Canadian C-130 Hercules made a low flying pass as a thousand motorcycles revved their engines. Talk about creating excitement!
We left in groups of 50, pulling out of Canadian Forces Base in Trenton and heading towards Toronto along the Hero’s Highway. Over 1,000 bikers came out to show support for our Canadian Soldiers serving overseas. It did not take long for the groups of 50 bikes to get bunched up, we were riding as a group of several hundred by the time we were only 50 kilometers into our 200 kilometer ride. It felt amazing, we passed under bridges covered in people waving the Canadian Flag and giving us the thumbs up. It was a great show of support all the way to Cherry Beach in Toronto.
We all arrived at “The Sound Academy” in Toronto for the closing ceremonies. Some of the speeches were too long, the personal stories of fallen soldiers were too short but the live music was nice and loud. It was also here that I met the lovely and very sweet Theresa Longo – aka; Miss Italia North America 2011 -12, Miss Budweiser Honda Indy 2010, 2012 SUNshine Girl Swimsuit Edition , 2010 SUNshine Girl Calendar (Miss December). I invited her for a ride on my motorcycle; she accepted, I gave her my number and I have been waiting by the phone ever since. She must be busy.
Links
Hero’s Highway Ride http://www.heroshighwayride.com/
Theresa Longo http://www.theresalongo.com/
Adjusting to life back in Canada has been interesting. I landed on April 2nd and sometimes it feels like I never left and yet other days everything feels strange. I get familiar products from familiar stores even though I live in a different area than I did before. Seeing old friends and family is always nice but there are many new faces in my life now which is always interesting and exciting.
It took almost four days to clear my motorcycle out of Canadian Customs. The most difficult boarder to cross was returning home. Our systems here in Canada work, but they just take time, 3.5 days to check a VIN number on a motorcycle seems ridiculous but all I could do was wait. The guys at Air Canada Cargo were great, helped me with inflating my tires and gave me lots of space to work on getting the bike ready to drive home.
The riding has been different, short day trips returning to the same home each night is not what I have become used to, but the rides have been fun. Visiting the only covered bridge in Ontario or rides past what seems like endless farmland may not seem as exciting as Terra Del Fuego, but they somehow were. I think it is the company I have had on these rides. I had the privilege of taking a friend on her first motorcycle ride, something I love doing but rarely have the opportunity. The smile on her face when we first stopped told me she had fun, I didn’t have to ask but did anyway. She wanted to come for another ride and even mentioned learning to ride herself. The trip to the covered bridge was with another rider on a Ducati Monster. Stopping at a farmers market and photos of a bridge were something that would have bored me before but this time I really enjoyed it. I was in good company.
I was planning to do an Iron Butt motorcycle challenge with the only rider I knew who was tough enough to do it – my friend David. David passed away suddenly last week. I have never lost a friend before and it has been difficult. There are periods where I feel the overwhelming loss of my friend and riding partner, and how I miss the conversation and laughter, followed by the realization that life goes on and that I have tickets to see BB King next week – so I should invite the pretty girl. I have to say to myself “what would David say if he were here” and then I usually end up smiling so hard my face hurts and I soon feel better. David lived life 100% and served as an example of how I want to live and how I want to be remembered. I still plan on doing the Iron butt ride, in his memory. Rest in Peace my friend.
A quick internet search revealed tons of motorcycle events in Ontario this summer. I signed up for one already “Hero’s Highway Ride and Rally” in June, and there are a few more on my list. It will be a summer of discovery in my own backyard. I have new people to ride with now so I spent the better part of this morning planning a few interesting rides, I will go solo if I necessary. I am not a journey across the Americas anymore, but I will always be on a journey.
The Final Ride …. In South America anyway …. for NOW!!
It was cold the morning backed my bike out of the hostel and on to the street in Buenos Aries. As I was attaching the panniers on the bike my fingers started to get cold and I started to consider getting out my warm gloves. The gloves were at the bottom of the boxes and I decided to leave them where they were, after all it was only 30 kilometers to the airport and I could tough it out. I had to take my bike to the airport and prepare it to be shipped back to Canada. With mixed emotions I turned the key and started the bike, this ride would be my final one in South America, bringing to and end over 8 months of incredible adventure.
The route to the airport was easy, straight, left and take the ramp onto the autopista and follow it until it ends at the airport. Just as I pulled into the street the sun came out and started to warm things up, the sun on my face felt good. Not far into my ride the street turned to cobble stone and I found myself making an unplanned turn down a random street. I love riding on cobble stone, we don’t have any in Canada, and before I knew it I was just riding in circles on cobble stone streets, enjoying the final ride in the sunshine. I was riding slow and people started to honk at me, in a hurry to get to work I guess, but I paid no attention and just kept enjoying the scenery of old European style buildings, cafes and cobble stone streets. Realizing I was only delaying the inevitable I reluctantly made my way to the autopista and headed for the airport.
The process for shipping my bike at the airport could not have been easier. They ship a lot of bikes from here and everyone helped point me in the right direction, I didn’t even have to ask for directions as all the airport workers just pointed me in the direction I needed to go. Once inside the cargo bay I had a large space to work in to prepare the bike for safe shipment by disconnecting the battery, removing the windshield, mirrors, panniers and additional lights. The pallet was already waiting for me when I arrived and with some help we rolled it on the pallet and strapped it securely in place. A final inspection of the VIN number, some basic questions, wrap the bike in plastic wrap and I was done. I won’t see my bike again until I land in Toronto April 2nd.
“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. “ Greg Anderson
Links
Shipping a bike out of Argentina? Use Dakar Motos they make it easy http://www.dakarmotos.com/argentina.htm
“Don’t go there its dangerous” – stranger on the street when I told them I was going to La Boca.
I am so tired of hearing this “Don’t go there its dangerous” and then the rants of all the bad things that are going to happen to me. Ever since I pulled out of my drive way 8 months ago I have been bombarded with warnings of my inevitable death. Nobody trusts their neighbour, in the next place I will surely die, but first I will be tortured. One day I will die, but first I will live.
“Don’t go there its dangerous” that expression makes me want to go even more. I always go, I always meet the best and most interesting people and I am always warned against the next place, but never the place I am in. I ask people “what happened to you when you went there” and the answer is always the same “I have never been there”.
La Boca was a fun and interesting place bright and colourful with lots of street shows and endless opportunities to be entertained. I felt safe, so many tourists, all bussed in because they were afraid. I walked the 30 minutes from my hostel and got a blister, I need new shoes, next time I will ride over.
I’ve parked the bike and am being cosmopolitan for a while.
