Here's all of of our trip report blogs

Day 8– New Liskeard to North Bay – 158 km

Shane Mahoney, August 8, 2011

The last 24 hours have been a combination of ups and downs.  I had resolved myself to the fact that I would be returning home without my bike and either flying or taking a train.  I had forgotten yesterday on the side of the road that I had BMW Roadside Assistance and came to find out this morning that they would not only ship the bike to Newmarket, but would also  provide me with trip interruption insurance of $800 toward getting home, lodging etc…  I’m glad it was $800 because when I looked at flights from North Bay to Toronto a one way ticket was $620.  I had tried to reserve a rental car but none of the companies would do a one way travel because they all own their cars and don’t have agreements in place to return them.

Thank God that Dan and Rob the mechanics from Goldfleet Subaru were there to assist.  Both of these guys were there first thing this morning and having never met me, were instantly willing to help to identify the issue with the bike.  Dan had a circuit tester and was able to identify that the fuel pump was done.  I had never asked them for help, they just jumped in and wanted to help out.  It really says a lot about the people we’ve met in Northern Ontario as compared to the lack of assistance we received in Quebec.  Both of these guys worked hard for a few hours with me to not only completely disassemble the bike, but were there to put it back together when we thought that there was no solution.  Super nice guys and I wish I could have done more to thank them for their efforts.

I was apprehensive when we left because I was not 100% sure that my hammer and screwdriver solution to the fuel pump would work but am convinced that the issue was bad gas and water in the tank.  After emptying the tank last night I did some research online and the recommended solution was to add Seafoam to a new tank of gas as well as octane booster.  I headed to Walmart and found what I needed and added everything to a fresh tank of 91 Octane gas.

I took the bike for a couple of test rides once it was fixed and everything seemed to be working fine so we packed up the bikes and headed south to my Uncle Danny’s place, shortly after 1:00 pm.  The roads were very nice and the scenery outstanding.  It seemed that at every turn we passed by another beautiful lake and this continued for over 100 km’s.  The weather is much warmer now and the road traffic is something which takes some getting used to.   Driving south we passed truck after truck as well as cottagers with their boats heading off early to their weekend retreats.  Winds were fairly strong as well so we kept our distance between each other as a combination of winds and semis moved us both all over the road.

We’re now in North Bay and will head home tomorrow.  I am excited to see my family and have the same sadness when a trip like this comes to an end.  John mentioned to me yesterday as stood on the other side of the road in a lightning storm that this trip has been far more eventful than our trip to Costa Rica.   We also know that the end is near by the smell of our bags.  With all of the rain, dust dirt and sweat our remaining clothes have been completely contaminated by foul odors and we’re now sniff-testing everything before we put it on.  

I spoke to a very close friend of mine today on the phone and he asked me if there had been any blow-ups between John and I  during this trip, as there were on the Costa Rica adventure.  To answer this, there hasn’t been any.  I think that John and I know each other s habits and likes/dislikes that we each make compromises and take things as they come.  Both of us are early risers and it seems that we are in sync when we know we have something big or challenging ahead of us, and have no problem getting up early or riding late into the day in order to meet an objective.  I’m sure there are small things that I do that piss him off (GPS) and there are small things that frustrate me with him (when he’s hungry), but these are small issues now and part of living every day on top of a motorcycle.  I feel very lucky to have met John as a riding partner and someone who not only shares the same sense of adventure, but truly shares the same yearning to explore areas on a motorcycle that few other people have been to.  He’s asked me a couple of times over the past few days…”Where’s next?”  I think we’ve agreed that we may add some riding partners in Alison and Jenna and have them join us for an adventure through the Northwest Territories and Alaska next year.  They don’t know this yet but I know that Alison will be game and I’m sure that John will be able to convince Jenna.

Day 7 - Matagami to New Liskeard - 417 km

Shane Mahoney, August 5, 2011

What a day today!  Things started off okay and we got on the road just after 9:00 knowing that we had a short ride ahead of us, or so we thought at the time.  The weather was sunny the entire morning and we stopped in a small town where I decided to fill my bike with regular unleaded gas from a no-name gas station.  Its been very difficult to find premium gas throughout this trip, it was actually more readily available in Central America.

Heading southwest through Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec we were skirting along at 120 km/h and my bike just shut down.  There was no throttle whatsoever and I had problems downshifting so I decided to just pull in the clutch, pull over, and we started trying to figure out what the issue was.  There were black clouds coming in quickly and we could hear thunder in the distance so John called CAA and we figured we would have it towed to New Liskeard where my Uncle Danny was and have a look at it there.  The tow truck took almost 2 hours and we got caught in a thunderstorm on the side of the road with torrential downpours and lightening striking all around us.  We were so afraid that we were going to get hit that we crossed the road and hid out in the trees.  Interesting part is that in the two hours we waiting not one vehicle stopped to ask us if we needed help.  Well done Quebec.

We got to New Liskeard and I immediately began tearing the bike down and thought that it might be the gas.  We emptied the gas and got the premium fuel and although the bike was turning it just wouldn't fire.  We found a guy in town that I spoke to on the phone and everyone was afraid to touch it because of the computer and lack of diagnostic equipment.  We settled down for the evening and I had resigned myself to the fact that I would be shipping the bike home.  We slept in a vacant warehouse and just put our air mattresses and sleeping bags on the ground and I was out by midnight.

This morning when I got up two mechanics arrived and we began stripping the bike down to its bare bones and testing everything,  We finally figured out that it was the fuel pump after a few hours but when I spoke with BMW they said that they were backordered 7-10 from Germany and that there were none in Canada.  I began making arrangements with BMW to get the bike and me home when I got a call from John Parker at Budds BMW.  He told me to try removing the fuel pump cover and cleaning any debris out which I did to no avail.  Then one of the mechanics mentioned that I should try just tapping it with a hammer because there might be something stuck in the pump and voila!  The bike started instantly and I have test ridden it a few times without any issues.  So we're back in the game now once John wakes up.  He and my Uncle Danny were up til 3 this morning laughing and taking pictures of me when I was sleeping while putting all kinds of "props" around me...pretty funny pictures.

Off to North Bay today and home tomorrow.  Can't wait to see my family.

Day 6– Radisson to Matagami – 643 km

Shane Mahoney, August 4, 2011

We got up shortly after 6 and immediately began packing up the camp site.  It took us nearly an hour t get everything packed and loaded onto the bikes.  Just as we finished the rain started and while we were; lucky it held off while we packed our gear it wasn’t encouraging due to the fact that we had 600+ km’s to go.  We gassed up the bikes and had breakfast before donning the rain gear for our journey south.  About rain gear:  there is a Murphy’s Law attached to it; when the clouds look ominous and you put it on it never rains and when you do put it on and usually stops right away.  The latter happened to us and before we knew it we were riding in clear skies.

On the James Bay Highway there is only one gas station on the entire 620 km road and that is at KM 381.    We met a couple of other motorcyclists at Relais 381 and they had just come from the North Road.  Both pairs did it over close to 2 days and it made John and I feel pretty good that we did it all in one day.

John was feeling tired most of the day and decided to ride slow and so we separated for a large part of the way south and would meet up every 100 km or so.  The road itself has a ton of potholes and sinkholes so you had to be alert in order to avoid them.   Heading further south we left the Boreal Forest and the short dark coloured trees and passed through several areas that had fallen victim to forest fires before coming it to rolling hills with much larger trees and dense green bushes that lined the sides of the road.

We knew we would have to stop and use our reserve tanks before getting to Matagami and so I decided to stop at a historical kiosk, fill up and wait for John to arrive.  As I pulled in I turned the bike around and put the kickstand down and immediately it began to sink in the soft sand.  What happened next was a slow motion America’s Funniest Home Video as the bike slowly fell to the ground and I walked around it swearing my head off for knowing how stupid it was to even try parking it there in the sand.  Because of all of the weight on the bike I began removing my gear and the gear off the bike in order to be able to get it upright again.  Just as I started to unload a trucker passed and seeing the bike on the ground he stopped, backed up and asked if everything was ok.  I asked him for a hand getting the bike upright again and we were able to lift it back up.

John arrived shortly afterwards and was upset he missed the bike dump so we just re-fueled his machine and kept on going for the last 125 km’s.  We finally saw a bear in the middle of the road and the truck in front of us slowed down and it ran off into the bush.

We had planned on staying at km 38 at a campsite recommended by another biker in Radisson but it was close to 6:30 and neither of us wanted to set up camp again after such a long day.  We knew as well that we would have to set up and then travel 80 km’s back and forth to get some more food and gas and decided to stay in a motel for the night.  We found the Motel Matagami, got a room, and then had a good dinner with some actual vegetables.  It was great to not eat processed or canned foods again having survived on it for the past week.

Day 5 – Radisson to Chisasibi – 246 km

Shane Mahoney, August 4, 2011

We got up a bit later than normal this morning after a long night of laughs…I’ll leave it at thatJ  The one funny part is that after I went to bed (with my bear spray and bear bell), John decided to pretend he was a bear and shook my tent while growling but guess what…never heard it.  He told me this morning that he was shaking it so hard he could hear the bear bell but I guess there was no way I was getting up.  It actually made me happy because if it was a bear that was going to maul me why would I want to be awake for it?

We have decided to pass on doing the Trans-Taiga for both time and safety concerns.  We were told last night that the Trans-Taiga is quite a bit better road than the Route du Nord but it would still eat up 3-4 days doing the 1,500 km’s on gravel.

We headed south and then west to Chisasibi and the weather in Radisson was nice (sunny and 20 degrees) when we left but as we inched closer to James Bay the temperature dropped 8 Degrees to 12.  It made for a cold ride and it was slightly overcast and foggy as we pulled in there.  In order to get to James Bay we ended up having to take another 20 km long gravel road which was in much better condition than the previous ones we had ridden but it had washboards the entire way which only became soft when you hit 80 km/h.  Getting closer to the Arctic Ocean we came across a lady and her 3 kids standing on the gravel road.  I waved and kept riding until John told me through our mic system that their car was in the ditch.  I turned around and went back to ask if they needed help and also asked her what happened and she told me she just lost control on the gravel and that a tow truck was on its way.  It was a subtle reminder to both of us how easily that could happen and I’m sure that we were going far faster than she was.

We got to the bay and the area was filled with fishing boats, ski doos, and sleds made for ice that are pulled by the snowmobiles, yet nobody was there.  We took some photos and John actually took his shoes and socks off and walked into the Arctic Ocean.  I put my hands in but his feet were freezing for quite a while afterwards.

We then headed back to downtown Chisasibi to have some lunch but there are no restaurants.  Instead we headed to the downtown community centre to find out more about Cree history.  The building itself is a huge steel teepee and we happened upon a cafeteria inside where had lunch.  Most of the people in there gave us inquisitive looks and spoke in Cree with each other. 

Upon leaving the cafeteria we were looking at the cars in the parking lot and this being such a small community they view marriages as very important events, to the point that they have decals made and the names of the people married and the date of the marriage is on the back of their car.  Wouldn’t you figure that there was one with Allison and Shayne…somewhat ironic.

We headed back to Radisson and John and I rode separately as I wanted to take in some of the sights and John actually ended up seeing 2 caribou, which I unfortunately missed.  So far we’ve only seen 2 foxes, a couple of porcupines and a rabbit.   The interesting part about the rabbit is that he’s much larger than the ones I’ve seen at home and he had no fear about coming up to our picnic table and checking us out.

Day 4 – Relais 381 to Radisson – 246 km

Shane Mahoney, August 3, 2011

Today was a slow day as we woke up a bit later than usual and took our time packing up.  We were both sore from the previous days ride and had a big breakfast before we left.  The weather was also not good with rain and a temperature of 11 Degrees.

As we headed north the rain got worse and it got very cold, very fast.  We stopped at most of tourist observation points and took some pics and used this as an opportunity to warm up a bit. 

After we arrived in Radisson we decided to find our campsite and setup everything before heading in to town to get some supplies.  We found a nice site with electrical and the facilities are really nice.  When we went in to town we needed to get firewood so we went to 2 gas stations and neither had any.  At the last gas station we went to I asked the guy “Where can I get some firewood?”  His response to me in a frenglish accent was “…in da wood!”  I wasn’t sure if he was kidding and he proceeded to tell me that I can just go 2 km’s up the road and cut any tree down I wanted…

So we had no wood and when the campsite office opened up at 3:30 I went down and she told me that they had no wood but that I could cut anything down at the campsite.  I had to ask her to repeat herself because I knew if I told John this he would go to town with the axe, which, is what exactly happened….all night.    When John was setting up the tarp for our covers he decided that he would use the tie downs and secure them to the bike.  Needless to say he cinched the one to my bike so hard that he pulled it right over on to the ground…

We had a great dinner eating 4 cans of Campbells Chunky Soup and John then ate 4 cans of tuna.  The sky had cleared later in the day and once the sun set after 10 the stars lit up the sky.  We didn’t see the Northern Lights but should be able to tomorrow night as the weather is supposed to clear.

Day 3 – Chapais to Relais 381 – 517 km’s

Shane Mahoney, August 3, 2011

We got up at 5:30 a.m. and began loading the bikes and getting things ready.  The weather was perfect although the temperature had dropped down to 13 Degrees.  We had a quick breakfast and finally got on the road at 7:00.  We stopped in Chibougamau to top up all of our gas tanks and spare ones that we were carrying along with extra water and some sandwiches for lunch.

We got to the entrance of the Route du Nord where there is a tourist information office and decided to do a last minute check on the bikes, lower our tire pressures and oil the chains.  Luckily we did as John’s rear tire pressure was 11 psi.  We were both concerned as we thought he might have a slow leak which wasn’t good considering where we were heading.  In the tourist office we met a nice lady and she gave us some maps and asked us about our bikes and travels.  When we mentioned that we had ridden to Costa Rica she said to us that she would rather ride there than to take this road…

We got onto the gravel and the change was instant.  It was not the crushed gravel you see at home but larger rocks that were extremely loose and deep making the bike move around a lot.  We tried staying far apart but the dust was unbearable for John at first and he was getting rocks kicked up from my bike to every part of his body.  The bikes were okay at first but the conditions quickly changed close to the 50 km mark.  The grader had been through and left a fresh cover of 4 inch deep loose gravel which felt like driving a car through deep snow.  The front and back tires were moving all over the place and we figured out that the only way to correct the front tire from losing complete control was to get on the throttle, lighten the front end and let the back tire do the work.  This worked fine for straightaway’s but the road was filled with turns and huge hills which made things very tough.  Going downhill put extra pressure on the front tire and even though we were already going 60-70 km/h the front tire was moving all over the place and there were several hairy moments where I was sure I was going down.  We stopped at the 100 km mark and I was stressed as the riding was extremely difficult and we still had 300 km’s left.  We saw dark clouds up ahead and this dampened my spirits even further knowing that the rain was about to come.

The road improved slightly for the next 50 kms, then the rain was coming close so we decided to stop quickly, eat our sandwiches and put on our rain gear.  This is when things got hairy.  The road quickly worsened and the potholes now became 8 inch deep water ruts all over the road and we couldn’t see anything because our visors were fogging up and were covered with rain drops.  This is when we both got into dirtbiking mode and just started wheelie-ing through the puddles because this was the only path through the gravel which wasn’t like riding through sand.  It quickly took a toll on us as we became tired quickly from riding standing for so long, concentrating so much on the road and our bodies taking a beating from the ruts and bumps. 

The rain stopped at around the 200 km mark and neither of us felt that great, particularly knowing that we had another 200 km’s to go.   We took off the rain gear and decided to ride a little further apart in case the lead rider fell because it was next to impossible to use the brakes with the bike sliding around all over the place.  As we left I made sure all of my gear was securely fastened thinking it was not if, but when, one of us took a hard spill.  The conditions were just so bad and things went from bad to worse as the rain made the road a soft sand which made the tires dig in. 

As I approached a turn at the bottom of a steep hill I came around the corner and saw deep single tracks moving in a large “S” pattern and my stomach sunk.  I came out of the corner and saw John still on his bike stopped at the side of the road and he said to me “Dude, I have no idea how I did not go over the bars there…”  He lost the rear end of the bike and had his handlebars cranked counter steering and just gunned it and luckily the tire finally grabbed and he was able to regain control.  Shortly later I had a couple of close calls as well and had to keep reminding myself to stay loose and not to get nervous and ease up on the throttle, which proved to be easier said than done.

We got to the Rupert River and pulled in to see how the river had been affected by the Hydro Quebec dam further north and there was a Hydro Quebec truck parked there.  As we took off our helmets millions of flies and mosquitoes swarmed our heads and a young lady approached us and asked us to take a survey on the Rupert River?  She worked for Hydro Quebec and they flew her and 2 other people in and they sat at this Scenic Point for 12 hours a day for 21 days straight meeting between 7-10 people per day.  She told us that we were the 6^th and 7^th motorcyclists to past through this season which gave us a boost of pride knowing that we were travelling a fairly extreme route.

We left and headed northwest to Nemiscau which is a Hydro Quebec dam and at km 286, filled up our tanks and upon paying were told that there was a new highway that had just been built that would remove 140 km’s from our route to Relais 381.  After getting some directions we were sent to a security gate where the officer took our names, told us to head down to the stop sign, make a right, turn left at the lights and head 94 km’s and we would be on the James Bay Highway.  At this point we were both exhausted and due to the fact that this road was new, and rarely travelled, was very difficult to ride because it had the soft sinking rocky gravel on top.  We stayed in 2^nd Gear and moved along at 60km/h just trying to make sure we kept the bikes upright.  With less than 30 km’s to go we came to a “T” in the road and went to the right and soon saw a truck coming.  I flagged the guy down to ask if we were going the right way.  He looked at me and told me that we had taken a wrong turn and were now 120 km’s from the Highway.   To say I was upset would be an understatement and breaking the news to John was even harder.  He had us follow him for 2 km’s where he made a series of turns then told us to just stay on this road and we would get there.  My legs and arms were so sore from riding standing up for the last 300 km’s and everytime I sat down to give them a break I felt like the bike had a lot less control. 

We came to the LG2 dam and actually rode our bikes across the 1km gravel road on top of it which was somewhat surreal.  Neither of us could believe that the security teams here were just letting us ride through this massive powerplant that supplies a large portion of electrical power to the Eastern Seaboard of the US & Canada.  We came across another security guy and he assured us we were going the right way this time and we rode into the setting sun at 110 km/h standing up through the soft gravel.  It was somewhat surreal because when we slowed down to 80 the bikes felt much looser and travelling at the higher speeds we controlled the direction of the bike simply by shifting our weight and giving more or less throttle.  The last 30 km’s before the road the rain set in again and we were both so tired that we didn’t even stop to put on our rain gear as we didn’t have the energy to do it.

We finally got to the security control gate, soaked again, and the guard told us to go to the left and we would get to Relais 381 where they had a motel, restaurant and cold beer.  When I asked about a room he told us it was $121 and we were so tired that we broke down and paid it and got into our military style room with shared showers and bathrooms.  This was all we wanted as our bodies had now been on the bikes for 13 hours straight with not more than a 15 minute stop each time.

We pulled into Relais 381 and stayed in the truckers camp and when we went over to get some food and our cold beer the person behind the desk told us that we were in a “dry camp” and no alcohol was allowed.   Again, breaking this news to John came with another serious “WTF……!!!!”  It actually didn’t matter because once we got the bikes unloaded John was asleep before 11 and I am here writing this listening to him snoring like a chainsaw.

Today was by far the most difficult day either of us has had in terms of riding conditions and physical fatigue.  We are seriously re-considering the Trans-Taiga as it will take us 4 days alone to do this part.  During the last 2 days we have been on the bikes a total of 24 hours and we are both physically and mentally exhausted.

Tomorrow we will set our feet and bikes in the Arctic Ocean.

Day 2 – Ottawa (Orleans to Chapais) – 882 km

Shane Mahoney, August 3, 2011

The morning started late as we still couldn’t figure out how to get Chris’ bike going.  He went down to the shop to get a new battery but they said it was charged and despite several attempts to bump start the bike he and Brock were out.  We felt bad for the both of them as we were looking forward to riding with them.

We got on the road just after 10 a.m. and decided to make a quick trip downtown to take some pictures in front of the Parliament Buildings.  The changing of the guard was taking place and we got asked by a friendly RCMP Officer to move our bikes which we did.

We got slightly lost leaving to get into Gatineau, Quebec and had a 50 km circular detour due to GPS issues which didn’t make John happy at all.  We got everything sorted out and began our trip North along with a ton of other people towing their boats, ATV’s and dirt bikes to their cottages.  Traffic was bad for the first 200 km’s but got better after we passed through Matawiki.

Riding got really great as we entered Fauna Veradury.  The roads were outstanding and the scenery even better.  The temperature was a nice 23 Degrees and through the rolling hills we came across lake after empty lake.  We made very good time through here cruising at 130 km’s.

As we approached Val D’or we exited Highway 117,and got on Highway 113 and headed north towards Chibougamau which was another 335 km’s and it was already close to 6 pm.  This is when we really began to get the feeling that we were in remote territory.  Signs on the side of the road said in French that this was an extremely isolated area for the next 185 km’s.  The sign proved to be right as we barely saw any other cars, no other houses and no signs of any other life.  We passed the 49^th Parallel and the Moose Warning signs began to appear every 30 or so km’s.  We also noticed that the trees really began to change.  They became much thinner and were extremely close together and took on the resemblance of 75 foot asparagus’.  The road was lined on both sides with nice purple flowers and when we did actually end up stopping the silence of everything was amazing.

We pulled in to Chapais shortly after 9 and found the Motel Clossi.  The sun was going down and we had been riding a ton and didn’t feel like setting up our tents.  We unpacked the bikes, and heading out for dinner, found a great place for Poutine; Fritte Maison, awesome!  Got to bed shortly after 11 p.m. knowing that tomorrow would be a big day as we left the asphalt and started our ride north on the infamous Route du Nord. 

Journey to James Bay 2011 - Day 1 - 455 km

Shane Mahoney, July 30, 2011

We got off a bit later today than expected but lucked out in terms of the rain leaving us.  The forecast was for thunder showers all afternoon but the sun and humidity came out strong just after noon.

Helen, Ron and Amanda stopped by as we completed our last minute preparations on the bikes and got our gear together.  It was great to see everyone and the both of us were anxious to get moving as the humidity made our riding gear nearly unbearable without moving.

After we got the bikes on the centre stand reality quickly set in as to how much gear we are packing and the weight of the bikes.  It's been a while since we've ridden bikes under this much weight and it made things a little awkard at first.  I lost some of the aggresiveness and was very careful as we progressed to the highway, tested the brakes and made sure everything was secure.

Once on the road we proceeded east on the 407 until Highway 7 and met up with a lot of cottage traffic as well as wind.  The humidity began to dissipate as we progressed further north and the ride was fantastic.  Our riding stamina is not the same as it was but I'm sure we'll be back in fine form in the next few days.

We got to my cousin Chris' place just before 8 and had some fun with his kids and had a great dinner put together by Heather.  Chris had a few bike upgrades/mods that needed to be done and this is where the fun has started

John: Cutting in.... I've been up since 4:45 a.m. it is almost 12:30 am saturday morning, I need bed....bed , or some more beer.  Chris has been supplying us with a great compilation of Euro beer mix from the local LCBO.  Wait till we get to QC, beer on every corner.  Woot woot. 

I also have to comment on how much I hate GPS, sorry I mean I hate how much Shane trusts his GPS.  We were driving down the 407 east.  As we approach McCowan road, Shane pipes up. "JOHN ITS TELLING US TO GET OFF AT MCCOWAN RD."  John : "WHY THE HELL WOULD IT SAY THAT, IF WE TAKE 407 TIL IT ENDS THE 407 TURNS INTO HWY 7"  Shane: "I DON'T KNOW MAN, IT'S SAYING EXIT, WE SHOULD EXIT"  John :  F*#K SAKES!!!!!   (25 minutes later the magical GPS takes us to the end of the 407 where it transfers into HWY 7.  Which would of taken us 5 mins. if we stayed on the 407)  I had nothing to say.  Guy trusts a computer programed by a tech in Japan, instead of the 30 yr old who grew up in Southern Ontario?? 

That is my GPS rant over ;)  Day of riding was great, our bikes are running well, looking forward to hitting Parliment Hill tomorrow a.m. then heading to some northern town in Quebec to camp. 

....A recycling bin full of empties later, we are still in the garage and Chris' bike is torn apart and we're thinking its a dead battery which occured after they did a gas tank swap...oh, and now Brock's bike has a battery terminal snapped off in it, as they tried to remove his battery to trouble shoot that it was infact a toasted battery on Chris' bike....bike maintenance at 12 a.m. at night after mucho cervesa not so good ;)  Sorry Chris, I know you are mad, but this is funny shit!!

On the road tomorrow at 7 again, if Chirs' bike is running, for an 800km day....

Journey to James Bay 2011 - Trip Preparation

Shane Mahoney, July 12, 2011

We are just over two weeks away from departing for our adventure to James Bay and riding the infamous Trans-Taiga Highway.  We have begun cleaning our gear, getting some new farkles and discussing the journey.  We leave on the 29th and will head to Ottawa where my cousin Chris will join us for a day or two, then he'll be heading back home. 

This journey will be nearly 5,000 km's with over 2,000 km on gravel which should be a big challenge.  Additionally, there are very few places to get gas when you're that far north so we'll be carrying an extra 25 litres between the two of us.

The bikes are going in for service next week and with some last minute trips to Canadian Tire and Mountain Equipment Co-op we should be good to go.

FINAL POST - Day 22 – Branson, MO – Home

Shane Mahoney, March 8, 2010

I started writing this just outside of Indianapolis but thought it should probably be finished after getting home and seeing my family.  Feels weird to be in a vehicle surrounded by metal with the ability to look around, pay very little attention to the road and not worry about farm animals running out into the freeway.

Over the last few days I’ve thought about what my final posting would be and how I would describe this trip to those that ask me when I get back to work on Monday.  Throughout this trip I have become accustomed to expect the unexpected and simply accept that you can’t control things around you particularly when you’re in a third world country.  Would I do it again?  I don’t think I would as this was a once in a lifetime experience that at times I both loved and hated but truly realize that the dangers associated with this kind of trip far outweigh the importance of my family and friends.  To say that every day was an “adventure” would be an understatement as everyday for us tested us in ways that we could never have imagined, nor could we have prepared for them in advance.

As I look back on the last 23 days I know unequivocally that I could not have had a better riding partner in John.  We had our times throughout the trip where we snapped at each other, mostly going south, but we came to accept each others’ differences and opinions without passing judgement on each other.  As we got further into the trip we each had our daily responsibilities, whether it was unloading the bikes, organizing the hotel, bike security, daily bike maintenance, documents and customs, and we knew what each of us had to do as we really became a good team as the adventure evolved.  To experience this kind of adventure with someone else and to share the same fears, concerns, joys and awe-inspiring moments has been one of the best parts of this experience for me.

I will definitely miss hearing John every morning starting up his intercom in his helmet, as we got on the road before dawn, and saying to me “Gooooooooooood Morning Shane Mahoney, are you ready for an adventure today?”  Despite soreness, aches and pains it always put a smile on my face knowing that we were in this together and that much of these aches and pains were also shared by John.  John has had his motorcycle license for less than a year and I can say without doubt that he is the best person I have ever ridden with.  How many people in their first year of riding go to 8 countries and ride 13,000 km’s?

I read some emails earlier today that I couldn’t access on the road and many people asked why John didn’t write any of the blogs.  I wanted John to write some of them as he has a knack for story-telling which is usually very funny, whereas I like to just write and typically lack in my comedic abilities.  He did proof-read most of the blogs before we sent them to my Dad for posting and it was good to have his insight into some of the things that I might have missed. 

As a closing note, thank you to everyone that sponsored us, that sent us messages of encouragement and tracked us along the way.  There were some very lonely days for the both of us and your encouragement really meant a lot.  It was a life changing experience in so many different ways and the amount of support we received from people close to us, and not so close to us, has been humbling to say the least.  The money you donated is going towards an outstanding cause and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have done to support us.

We could not have done this trip if it were not for our families and whether it was before the trip or throughout the trip they were always there for assistance and support.

Thanks,

sm