Super Quarter trip to Newfoundland, xcountry part 1

This story started last summer while after I sold a little street legal GP racing bike. It was an RG250, replica grand prix racing motorcycle with lights; Suzuki 2 stroke with a power valve. It was was a reel hoot to ride but it was uncomfortable to ride and of course, it was polluting the air because of the nature of 2 strokes. I sold it after 2 weeks. Now I was in the market for a similar high performance light motorcycle. I saw the honda CBR 250 for sale in Vancouver but it had the same crotch rocket low bars. I eventually got a comfortable Ninja 500.
While giving into my addiction again, I was casually looking at bikes for sale when I saw a Honda Jade 250 advertised as coming soon in Vancouver. It actullay was not here but might some day be imported to canada as a grey market bike by Windbell motorcycle shop in Vancouver. I checked out its specs and after some long hours searching for information on this very rare bike, I found out enough to know that I wanted one of these. Same motor as the cbr 250, Light weight, high performance, high reving (16,000 rpm red line) but with a comfortable and , as the Japanese concept document says, flexible frame. They call it the Super Quarter: 250cc = one quarter of a liter and it goes like super bike when it gets over 10,000 rpm. Oh well too bad , none for sale anywhere in the big Canadian Cities or Seattle.
A few weeks later I saw one advertised in Vancouver ! I called but buddy had brought it to Windbell to sell. He was cautioning me about buying it because it was stalling, the battery kept going dead , it wouldn't go into neutral with engine running and there are no grey bike dealers on Vancouver Island. I didn't care. I wanted it. I got it.
Windbell sold it to me as is. They fixed the stalling. The battery going dead is random and its easy to push start and neutral can be found from 2nd gear. I fixed it up a bit, road it 1000km to see my daughter Karita and my grandughter Lija up in Dunster and back the 1000km. I loved riding it so much I decided to ride it to Ontario to see my sister Kathy and my mom, then to continue on to NFLD to see my sister Barb and brother Brian. I was going to fly but what a waste of fuel that would have been compared to the challenge and thrills of riding so far... a quarter the way around the world !1/2 way round trip !

Judy and I are hosts in the Willing Workers On Organic Farms (wwoof) organization. We host wwoofers, usually young travellers, to stay with us as part of our family in exchange for 5 hours of work, 5 1/2 days per week. I decided to contact all the hosts within 50 km of my route to see if I could stay with any them on my way across the country. The response was great. So many hosts replied that there is no way that I couild see them all in my planned 6 week adventure. I used Google, My Maps to plot where each host that responded lived and copied there wwoof website listing and all e-mails into the pins on the map. Otherwise I would not have been able to keep track of all the information. To aid in logistics I splurged and bought an iPhone, with telephone internet, e-mail, maps, gps and I also loaded Jade workshop manual into it.

All the time bent over the computer with bad posture agrivated my already comprimised back. A constant irritating pain developed between my shoulder blades. The arthritic hip got better by using tumeric and ginger, but the pain was bad enough in my back I thought I might have to cancel. The chiropractor didn't help but after 5 physio trreatments it seemed to get a little better. So I said to Judy "whats the difference, pain here or pain riding my bike ?" So I continued with preparations. I tried a windshield but it caused too much buffeting. I put a tank bag on and it blocked the wind enough by itself, especially after tilting it forward by placing a tupperwhere container under the back of it. I ordered a helmet muffler from England. Its a piece of neophrene that seals off the bottom of the helmet to keep out some of the wind noise . I find the wind noise more irritating than even the sore back or burning butt. I also put on a new rear tire, twice because I put it on backwards first time. Then the next day, with my duffel bag bungeed on the back, off i I
I made it to Ben and Rebecca's first day. Ben is Judy's x who lives in Hinton. the next day I made it to a wwoofing host in Pincher Creek. I was so great to be back in my old stomping grounds of the foothills sw of calgary. It was a long day and after missing the first host, I felt it was too late to turn around and visit him. He was also an organic beef farm and a friend of .the host where I was going to stay. I didn't get there in time for dinner but that was o/k because I was snacking on trail mix all the time and I was trying to lose wieght anyway. .He has a beautiful ranch in the Waterton. Biosphere Reserve which he was instrumental in creating. I left early in the morning.
I was high as a kite; leaving the foothills and into the green prairies that I fell in love with back in the late 80's. The lil Super quarter was howling beneath me at over 10,000 rpm with such enthusiasm it sometimes would tingle my spine with laughter. There were also lots of tears. Sometimes I thought I would have to pull over to dry my eyes. All the nastalgia of being back to this area of the world brought back memories of Kyle, my middle child who died last year.
I made it to another host north west of Regina, after dinner agian. The farmers in Regina are having a hard time this year due to the floods this spring and early summer. It was sad to see greenhouses full up with stunted dead and near dead bedding plants that never made it into the ground. I stayed in a funky cabin in the woods. It was comfortable enough but a rat in the cieling kept me awake till late. I don't need a lot of sleep so after doing my early morning neck, upper back , mid back and lower back exercises, I was off again.
Next stop was a wwoof farm CSA (community Supported Agriculture). Customers buy containers of vegetables that they pick up twice a week. It was really great to be invited in by such a nice family. I stayed in my tent as they had their sons friend visiting from out of town, with his mom. We had many hours of talking while we worked the next day in the garden. I stayed 2 nights.
The following night I made it to Thunder Bay to another wwoof organic beef farm. Thunder bay is economically depressed and to support the farm, like most small farms, the father had to leave for out of town work. He had just arrived home that day from 3 months away was working into the night trying to get the hay in. I briefly met the host and several wwoofers as the sun was setting. I camped beside the pasture. I was finished exercises before sunrise. I said goodbye to my host as she was finishng up milking the goats and chatting with a nieghbor. I saw her young son riding a bike uphill with 2 large buckets, morning chores, as I rode off into the fog around 6:30 am. I made the mistake of followinmg a truck int he fog down the dirt road. Once I got o pavement and the fog lifted that I realized me and the bike weere covered witha fine mist of mud that the truck had sprayed up onto me. It was a bit depressing. The poor farmers. So many of them have such difficult lives. I still had 2 days to go to get to Kathy's. After Thunder Bay the scenery started to get nice. I forgot how beautifull the ride around lake Superior is. I didn't have any host nearby that night so I talked to a muscular woman that had a commercial fire wood busssiness. She told me a good place to camp. I was near Sault Saint Marie. Pizza for dinner. I was so hungry I ate the whole thing, minus 1 peice that supplimented my breakfast. In the morning I heard a pitter of rain on the tent. I got up and covered up some ex[posed stuff on the bike., went back to bed and tried to sleep a bit more, to no avail, like usual. I was finish exercising and out of tent by about 5:30, just as the rain stopped. South of Sudbury I had to stop and walk around one of the extremely beautifull wetlands that I had seen. I phoned Kathy on my iPhone and told her I'd be there around supper. The wet land did not let me down. I saw lots of evidence of beavers and saw a pair of Sand Hill Cranes very close. I soon had to walk fast, almost a run to stay ahead of the deer flies that only managed to get 2 pieces of my flesh. Its was fun running over the mossy Canadian shield picking routes between the squishy sections. I got back to my bike and stopped in Perry Sound for and chips. I thought I would have to stop for a nap but the old adrenalin kicked in and woke me right up as I followed a car that passed me at 140km/hr. I usully rode at 120 but sometimes on the boring sections I'd set my throttle to 130 or 140 with rubber bands and lean forward into the wind, grabbing the speedo and tack, sort of like bicycle areo bars. My favorite is riding the twisty side roads at speeds around 100.
Ontario was full of cops and the speed limits, even on the 4 lane sections was only 90. I had to hit my front brake hard 4 times to avoid tickets !
I made it to Kathy's ahead of the rain. The following week I spent in Orrillia at Kathy's. We helped poor old mom Mom move into a nursing home, from her retirement home. The residence has staff trained in alazhiemers.
Lance took us out on his recent purchase that he got a super deal on : a sail boat, big enough to sleep 6, tightly. He is a natural sailor. It was really warm and humid so it was nice to go swimming in lake Coucheching every day.
I bought a piece of foam and carved it to fit on my shoulders behind my helmet to help prevent buffetting. I brought my leather riding pants into a leather shop to get a new clasp and velcroe to cinche them up tighter to fit my new leaner body.
After a loveley and sometimes emotional visit with Kathy and Mom I headed off into the humid heat to Grandvalley, the place of my ancestors homesteads. My aunt Glenna is the only one left there. I had nice lunch with her and looked at letters my father had sent to his brother from many countries that he worked in; Lesotho, the Philipines, Mexico, Guatemala, Indonesia and Columbia. He was last living there when he got hit riding his bicycle diagonally across USA on his way to visit me in 1995. The same year I was hit by a car and left with some irritating disabilities which causes me constant pain. Dad didn't survive.
Later that afternoon I rode to near Orangeville to stay with a hosts at an intentional community: Whole Earth eco village where one of our us wwoofers, Kate, is doing an inteternship. Boy they work hard, weeding 10 hours a day.But they all seem to love it.
I sleeped in my tent again , because it was too hot upstairs in the big old farm house. I had some granola in the morning in the communal kitchen. and sped of into the rising sun towards the Thousand Isalnds where my brother Bruce was spending the weekend at his girl friends cottage. I had a couple fun nights there and had some exciting rides on his Jet Ski. On Sunday I had a fun ride up to Ottawa, just ahead of the rain that only had a chance to spit on me. It poured ran shortly after arriving to my old elementary school buddy, Mike, home. His son died on 5 weeks before so we had a lot to share.
The next night I stayed with my high school friend Jim's home.
Then off to Montreal to see another x wwoffer, Christine and to buy a warmer sleeping bag. I got out a little late and hit a 30 km parking lot that they clalled a highway. I had to lane split to keep Jade's motor cool, untill the cops beeped at me and waved thier fingers at me. While riding in front of them I almost lifterd the back wheel in the air when the traffic stopped while i was distracted by cops behind me and the Montreal skyline. Pay attention Ross ! I was glad to get up into the hills northwest of Trois Rivier. I was lucky to be accepted by this wwoofing host. She has the nicest, most beautiful little farm ever. Nice neat yards, gardens and nice coulorful painted buildings with cows goats chickens and pigs. She has rented out some of the land for a couple of CSA farmers. They are somewhat of a co-operative, sharing responsibilities with the host. You will have to see pics to appreciate the beauty. I did my 4 or 5 hours of wwoofing in the gardens, and will gladly accept the opportunity to stay there again.
On the northern route that I took towards Quebec City I fiound the greatest little mexican resturaunt ever. It was on a hillside, almost a cliff looking over a backwater. Below the narrow open are dining area is a organic garden. I was mesmorized by the beauty of the young waitress and the entire artistic beauty of the reasturaunt. The meal I ordered was just as good. It was fun talking to the owner who, like myself, has travelled to Mexico many times. I took a little side trip to visit another host. His gardens were fabulous for a first time gardener. He wanted me to stay but I realley wanted to make some miles after not getting far the past few days. I followed another local biker for an hour or so. It was fun because he also liked to ride at a sporting pace and was not afraid to bend the rules when it came to time pass the lumbering autos and trucks. I found a good camp spot through a gravel pit near Quebec City. I didn't have enough water. I walked through the woods towards where I thought there was a creek. I was afraid of getting lost. The battery on my iPhone gps was dead so I broke sticks to point my way back. I found slew only. To hopefuly sterilize the slightly yellow water, I sliced up a bunch of ginger into it, gave it a good shake and when I opened the water bottle it foamed up so I figured it worked. I was still a bit afraid to drink much.
I always wanted to visit Quebec City. Now I don't like carfull cities but I spent a couple hours on the Plains of Abraham . The good ethnic resturants were not open yet so I took lunch further down the highway towards New Brunswick. The wwoof host I phoned there was just going out the door for a birthday party and did not want to host me on short notice. I rode off after having chips and a salad. The route I picked ent east through the middle of NB. It was very straight with quit boring bush. I was told it was deadly highway because of moose so I camped on logging road half a click from the highway. Soon after doing my nightly exercises and putting my head on my rolled up shirt pillow, a truck started beeping, I guess to scare the moose of the highway. I thought the sound would pass but it just kept on coming. The sound traveled so far in this flat scrub forest land. It sound like he was driving completely round my tent.
The next day while hanging out at a gas station, I asked someone what I should not miss in New Brunswick. He said the nude beach, Parlee Beach. Another pot bellied cigarette smoker started complaining about harper, how his government is letting the boat people from Somalia enter our country. He was so angry that I thought he would have a heart attack right now. Parlee beach was great ! The Atlantic is so warm. Perfect. Nice soft sandy beach for miles. It was a long weekend and the beach was full; lots of babes in tiny bikinis but it was not a nude beach. Buddy was pulling my leg but I a great time anyway and also has a shower, included with the $10 parking fee. A local guy told me I could make the 7 pm sailing to NFLD in 3 1/2 hours so I raced off through Nova Scotia passing many host farms that had pleasntly invited me to visit or stay. He was wrong. It was more like 6 hours and the best ferry for me to catch was the next day at 12:30. I phoned another host near Sydney and his family was glad to offer me a room and nice bed. Before going there I went over to the Cabot trail to a commercial wwoof host for a visit. It was large lodge with nicely manicured group camping and yurts near the ocean and forest. I swam across a river to a natural barrier between it and the warm ocean. I could see down the beach miles in both directions and no people...in the height of tourist season! I am going back there on the way back. He wants me to fix his tractor's mower.
At the host's where I was going to stay I picked a large bowl of wild blue berrys for them. Interesting place. He was an alternative looking professor of archeology. On their farm they have, goats, donkeys, dogs, 2 cats and pigs that root deep into the ground; great for preparing new garden beds. The next morning I left for the ferry. It's always fun to talk to the other bikers while waiting. Some of them laughed joyfully at my tiny bike. Many thought I am nuts. Whats really nuts is riding a bicycle across Canada. So here I am. I made a dusk and night drive through the cold moose infested highway heading north to Corner Brook. I was lucky enough to see only one moose on the pavement. The car's brake lights ahead that I was following me warning. Its still something I usually avoid: driving at night.
It has be great to see the rest of my brothers and sisters: Barb and Brian and his common in law wife. I serviced my bike yesterday and today. Later Brian and I had a nice swim in a creek full of waterfalls. For the first time today I thought I need to get going. Its a long way home.