The Closing of a Chapter ...

 

There are many chapters in a person’s life, times that one relates to emotionally, and times that have made a significant difference in one’s life. For me, this spring means the end of two chapters. I am going to retire from my career of 30 years, and I have passed my VStar on to a new VStarLady.

Meet Tabitha, VStarLady 2.0. I wish her many safe and happy kilometres on the Star. After a very emotional hug, we said "Goodbye."

And goodbye, Star! I will miss you, but we have over 77,000 km of memories to smile about.

Is that the end of the story? NOT BY A LONG SHOT. You will have to wait for the sequel; when one chapter ends, another is sure to begin.

Annual Trek

Yesterday and the annual trek to the Toronto International Motorcycle Show. 

 Every year the feel of the show changes. This year it was, I felt, for the most part, a change for the better. Better quality vendors, less crowding, fewer scantily clad showgirls.

There weren't really any show-stopping moments, but I enjoyed myself.

I even made a purchase. No, not a new motorcycle - just a new tank bag to replace the one with the wonky zipper. Finally some motorcycle content.

Lost In The 60s On The Eve Of 2020

My house was finally quiet for a few hours and I was settled in for a peaceful dinner and a relaxing New Year's Eve. Even though my movie aficionado friend gave it a nose up review I planned on watching Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, an impulse buy from the local Walmart about a month ago. That was until I stumbled upon a classic.

Armchair shot of my TV screen

To tell the truth, I don't think I'd actually seen Easy Rider before even though I felt I must have. Sadly I still haven't seen the full show as I found it halfway through. What a social commentary for the time. And sadder still I did end up watching Pitt and DiCaprio too. Happy New Year to all ... no matter what decade you feel lost in today.

A World Covered In Ice

The area has been under a freezing rain warning for over 24 hours. There is both beauty and ugliness in this  ice covered world. 

The freezing rain warning was cancelled and reinstated an hour later. We're lucky, we still have hydro if not all of the trees we had yesterday. All is good as long as we are warm, dry, safe and sound.

Where Did The Year Go?

Happy New Year To All ... and here's to much more motorcycle content in 2020

Dust On The Tail-Pipes

Soon .... I hope.

Everything's Late This Season ...

The magnolia has bloomed ...

but the Star hasn't. The magnolia should be done by now and the lilacs near blooming, but not so this year. Everything is late. It has been an unusual spring: rainy and cold or cold and rainy. My thoughts go out to all of those dealing with high water and floods. 

I'm lucky, I know the star will shine again ... as soon as time and weather allow.

Has It Really Been That Long?

I opened up my Blogger dashboard tonight - last posted, August??? What, really???  (How do I log in, what do I do??) Then sadly I realized, there hasn't been any exciting moto-content to write about since August, and so I haven't. No wonder I'm out of practise. But it's finally spring and time to catch up. So here's a quick synopsis of what's been happening, (an admission that I am still breathing) with new spring motorcycle content! Promise, sort of!

August - a mini cottage vacation on one of the Thousand Islands and a breathtaking sunrise.

September - a new school year, a new car. I could handle some of the mechanical failures but when the air-con quit at 35 degree C- I confess, I bailed! Review of new car ... not only cute and sporty, proved itself to be a little pig in the snow when it needed to be. Good choice. (And the fleet colour is now white!) Also one of the last meetings of the Kingston Area Old Timer's Motorcycle Club at the Creekside.

October - rode the Star to storage. Great news, wires had been decimated by rodents again. (Can't remember, is this the 3rd or 4th time it needs at least a partial re-wire job because of the mice?) Still working on that problem, it is what it is, life goes on. Participated in the Battersea Pumpkin Festival Parade and Halloween with the grandchildren.

November - yeah, nothing happened but birthday after birthday.

December it was all about the cookies ... All of my friends and neighbours will remember the cookie event of 2018.

January - The motorcycle Super Show in Toronto - same old, same old. Okay one of the 'stars' of American Pickers was on site. Cool? Why?

February -  thaw, freeze, thaw, freeze. Global warming floods the fields, it's cold again, might as well make the most of it. Skating - Yipeee!  (Coop ... your Joni Mitchell connection was so timely)

March, Blackberry fails. Darn, I loved that phone and the photos it took were amazing ... but it's lived a good life. How the heck do I get the Samsung to make me as happy?

April, a walk about town with #2 son. What's this ... motorcycles sprouting in the flower bed, or is it the dead stuff from last year?  Yahoo, motorcycle content, finally, once again - IT MUST BE SPRING.

The 2.99 Solution

You might know already, but I have few complaints about my little VStar. Then again you might know that the biggest gripe I do have is checking the oil: having to stand the bike up straight, get down on my hands and knees (with a flashlight) to look in the little round oil glass window. It’s a two-person job without a center stand. (Grievance #2, the bike is too heavy for me to hold up straight with one hand whilst on my knees.)

Do you see where I’m going with this?

You got it … I was browsing through a Princess Auto flyer and there it was, the 2.99 solution. A Titan telescoping inspection mirror. Why haven’t I thought of this before?
Next problem, finding a flashlight that’s a little more portable and still does the job.

The Great Trail

Part of the “The Great Trail” (apparently now named,) and formerly named the Trans Canada Trail passes through my hood. I walked a portion of The Great Trail in New Brunswick and Quebec. Now, that I am home in Ontario, why not explore a little more of it?

Under a time constraint, I walked such a small part of it this morning, along Sydenham Lake. Tomorrow, I think I might just go a little further ... with a lunch!

Mother Nature’s Bike Wash

I don’t mind the rain so much when the bike is sitting on the driveway and I’m looking at it from the porch. It’s actually quite peaceful.

Job’s done and I didn’t have to lift a finger. Well, maybe not. When it quits wanting to rain I will give nature a hand. Until then it’s going to stay right there.

Home Again, And Just In Time

Where did the 11 days go. I’m home again, the tent has been dried and put away again, the bags unpacked and the travel laundry done. All that’s left to do is a good wash job for theVStar. Home again, and just in time to catch up with life.

It’s baseball tournament season and I managed to get back in time to see the final games of the Battersea Bulldogs. (At least for granddaughter one, missed number two’s tournament by a week.)

This is little brother trying to decide whether or not to give up his NHL hopes for a place in the Major Leagues instead. (That’s an inside joke, as he slept all winter with his hockey sticks. Wouldn’t go to bed without them.)

Barbara, home indeed was where the heat was, and still is ... even the lake shore looks burned.

But I Can’t Pass This Lady By ...

I took the scenic route this morning … funny though, I’ve shared this route so many times that I decided to simply enjoy it instead of stopping to take pictures for the blog.

But I can’t pass this lady by, ever, without stopping. Even though she’s aged since I first met her in 2010, something about the time of day or the lighting made her more beautiful than ever today. I simply love her attitude.

I did stop for one other picture. I found the trail head I had been looking for … yup, exactly 25 km from where I stayed. Today it wasn’t meant to be. I think this might be a hike to get at by car.

A View From The Top

Thunder and lightening woke me up very early and I finally gave up, got up and made some coffee at 5:30. The weather network was telling me the storm had passed. I wondered if anyone had looked out the window?

I got out my map and tried to estimate where the trail I was looking for might be (stall tactic). My estimate, somewhere in the Kamouraska area. My CAA map is Atlantic Provinces and Quebec, not really detailed, and Kamouraska is a very popular tourist area so thought I would look at hotel booking sites. Could stay in St. Andre again, no, I know the trail isn’t there. Look for cheap hotels and hope for the best. I missed by 25 km. I picked Saint Pascal, the trail head is closer to Rivière-Ouelle.

I finally found a map at the tourist information site, where the young man said, “But if you want to walk now…” And he convinced me to challenge the mountain (okay, maybe it’s not such a challenge, he says he recommends it to families with 5 year olds).

And this is what I found just 1.5 km from where I was staying.

A 1 km hike to the 150 meter summit. Considered an intermediate level hike, it was fairly easy as long as I kept an eye out for scraggly roots. And I confirmed I don’t like heights, so didn’t stay on the viewing platform at the top for long.

A view from the top of Montagne a Coton, and one last look over Kamouraska as the sun goes down.

Scrap Plans A, B, and C

“It’s not going to rain, I’m not getting wet! It’s not going to rain, I’m not getting wet! It’s not going to rain, I’m not getting wet!” Try out the power of positive thinking! Keep saying it over and over.

Plan A today, stop in Fredricton to do the riverfront hike from Hart Island Campground, along the St. John River to the city. Moncton, clear blue skies. Over the mountains ahead the clouds are forming … positive thinking, “It’s not going to rain, I’m not getting wet!” Email from a friend, ‘Big thunder storm last night in Ontario, looks like it’s headed your way.’

Plan B, scrap plan A, keep going, looks lighter ahead. &*%#! I HATE GETTING WET! Plan C, scrap Plans A and B. Pull off the highway. Woodstock New Brunswick. Get gas, check weather network, have coffee, ponder a plan D.

Hartland! The rain lets up a bit and off I go.

Yahoo, a place indoors to stay. Unpack, hang up wet gear, put on rain coat, go explore on foot.

And look what I found. Who knew? The Trans Canada hiking trail … if I keep walking in this direction I could, hypothetically, go back to PEI, or these places. Nope, raining again so back to look at the bridge (bridges).

Walk across the bridge.

Now that’s what I call a renovation. Stop (like all the locals) to watch the raptor cat eat a house.

Hey, a Tim’s on the hiking trail.

If I keep walking this way, hypothetically, I could walk home. Not happening. Go back to hotel to watch the weather network. No more room at the Inn, so the weather has to improve tomorrow. But for tonight – the view from here.