In 2017, I took a two-week motorcycle ride as we were just starting Twisted Road. That ride had many "firsts: " my first overnight ride, my first solo trip, my first time speaking to fellow riders about what we were building, and my first time feeling like I was a rider.
That was followed by my Denver to Vegas Ride in 2018, then the California Coast in 2019, and then my ride around Lake Michigan in 2021.
Well, it's been three years, and a lot has changed. I sold my 2010 Moto Guzzi V7 Classic and purchased a Moto Guzzi Griso. I've got a kid in college and more grey hairs. So when the parents' weekend started approaching, I decided the best way to travel to see him was on two wheels.
His college is in the Catskills, and my first thought was to ride from Chicago through the south side of Lake Michigan, through Detroit, through Toronto, a short stop in Ithaca (to see my old college friend), and then to his school in the Catskills. But something wasn't right: the first two or three days would suck. Chicago, Indiana, and Michigan aren't known for their great motorcycle roads.
As we all know, the Tail of the Dragon has 318 turns in 11 miles. Well, it's been said that riding in Chicago has 11 turns in 318 miles. It's flat and straight.
I then remembered how beautiful and peaceful it was to ride the Upper Peninsula (aka the UP). So I decided to head north into the UP, then Canada, Ithaca, and Kingston, NY.
It was exactly what I needed. Here's a bit about my journey.
Ride prep
Luggage
There was a little bit more preparation for this trip versus my past rides. For starters, I was on a different bike. My old moto had hard Hepco and Becker side cases that unlocked from the bike for easy transport. I spent too much time looking for similar bags for this bike but the moto had a very high aftermarket exhaust, and I wasn't sure what bags would fit. I considered the trade offs between hard and soft luggage and opted for soft bags.
I already owned a Kriega 30L Dry Bag, and with their modular system, I knew purchasing two additional bags would be ideal. But their cases were so expensive. At $135 per bag, I would be out $300 after taxes and shipping. I looked for other options and found the Rhinowalk Moto Pannier Bag on Amazon. It seemed like a Chinese knockoff of the Kriega, and for $35 a bag, it was hard to beat.
These two bags integrated perfectly with my Kriega bag, and the modular nature of this system was huge. It was so simple to clip my new bags to the 30L drybag - I don't think there's a need for hard cases.
Phone Mount
I own a RAM Mount, but I've found that removing and attaching my phone to this device was cumbersome. As I often stop to take pictures, I decided to research the differences between the RAM Mount and the Quad Lock and quickly realized that Quad Lock's strength is Ram Mount's weakness. I purchased a Quad Lock and attached it to my bike. It was perfect.
Riding Pants
I always thought that I was being safe by always wearing a full-face helmet, moto gloves, boots, and a moto-jacket, but when a close friend of mine recently dropped her bike, and got a hole in her knee and road rash all over her body, I decided to get riding pants. This wasn't a difficult decision - I always felt like my Klim Induction Jacket was so comfy. It's lightweight and the armor is unobtrusive. So I researched Klim's riding pants and quickly landed on their K Fifty 2 Riding Jeans. I was so impressed with the fit and comfort of these pants.
Tire inflator
The morning of the trip, I did a quick bike inspection and saw that my rear tire had low air. I had purchased this tire inflator a few years ago, so I quickly filled up the tire and checked it ten minutes later. The tire pressure was unchanged, so I figured that I had a slow leak. I had new Michelin Pilot Road 6 GT installed just four weeks ago and hadn't ridden the bike since, so a tire issue was very unlikely. Perhaps there was an issue with the valve assembly? I decided to pack the tire inflator and check the tire pressure each morning. Sure enough, I needed to top off the rear tire every day before riding.
Emergency GPS
A few years ago, I purchased a SPOT device which alerts emergency service and rescue teams if I ever get in trouble. Fortunately, I've never had to use it.
Day One: Chicago to Escanaba, MI (I-43 North to SR 41 North, 296 miles)
The ride to northern Wisconsin was fairly uneventful and peaceful. The temp started out at 75 degrees, which soon escalated to 85, but as the day went on, and I headed further north, the temp dropped to 65. These swings were pretty big, and I was able to keep warm with a simple long-sleeve shirt I could layer on and off.
Along the way, I stopped in Sheboygan to get a coffee at the Weather Center Cafe. This was a cool little spot on the water and it was a good break from the riding.
That evening, I stayed at an Econolodge in Escanaba, which was so gross I won't even include a link. But I had a burger for dinner at Mo's Pub, which was delicious
Day Two: Escanaba, MI to Blind River, Ontario, Canada (SR2 East to I-75 N, to the Trans-Canada Highway, 237 miles)
The second day started out a little chilly as I headed north. The road was extremely peaceful as I rode along Lake Michigan. As I headed deeper into the North Woods, I was overwhelmed with the smell of pine. I crossed into Canada and the border patrol officer had a ton of questions for me. Where are you going? Where are you staying? What kind of work do you do? Do you have motorcycle insurance for Canada? Are you planning to ride at night? I finished her interview and carried on, stopping for breakfast at the Breakfast Pig in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
I then continued on to my Airbnb, located in Blind River, ON. This place was a welcome change from the prior motel. After a hot shower, I walked a few blocks to JR's Pizza and then to Brydge's Variety store for some snacks. I brought it all back to my Airbnb and settled in for the night.
Day Three: Blind River to Noble, ON (Trans-Canada Highway the entire way, 231 miles)
OK - so this is when the ride starts to be exceptional. Most of my ride was taken on the Trans-Canadian Highway, but I finally was able to get off of this and onto some more local roads. By the way, obeying the speed limit in Canada can be tricky. At times, the speed limit was 90 kph (55 mph), but I found myself up around 130 (80 mph). This Trans-Canada Highway is more sparsely populated than highways in the US, and it's really easy to speed without knowing it.
But the trickiest conversion of all was buying gas. Many Canadian gas stations required me to pre-pay for fuel, so when I went inside and the clerk asked me how much fuel I wanted, I just said, "Around 4 gallons," and he was completely lost. The pricing was in Canadian Dollars per Liter, and as an American who is used to $/gallon, I was completely clueless.
The Airbnb I stayed at in Noble was so serene. It was basically a cabin on the water, and when I say a cabin on the water, I mean literally, a cabin on the water.
Luckily, I brought an REI collapsible chair on my trip, so I unpacked it, set it up, and smoked a nice cigar on the lake.
Day Four: Noble, ON to Carrying Place, ON (Route 400 to 141 to Bracebridge, then 118 to 28 to Bancroft, then 62 south to Carrying Place, 211 miles)
The ride to Carrying Place was the best riding day in Canada that I had. The smell of burning fire, followed by the smell of fallen leaves welcomed me as I rode. None of the ride was on the Trans Canada Highway, and the roads were quiet, tree-lined, well paved, and empty. My first stop along the way was at Oliver's Coffee for a cup of Joe and an apple fritter (my favorite breakfast pastry). As an aside, my local Dunkin' Donuts changed their Apple Fritter recipe a few years back, which really pissed me off. Rant over.
OK—so Oliver's was cash only, and because I didn't have any Canadian money on me, they decided to accept US currency at par, which means there's no conversion. So if the coffee and fritter cost $5 Canadian, they took my $5 US. So I paid a 50% premium for breakfast. Ah, capitalism.
When I left Oliver's, I needed to refuel, so I went to some random gas station and filled up. For some reason, the hose didn't shut off properly, so gasoline splashed on my bike, gloves, and helmet. I stunk. Using a paper towel, I cleaned up the best I could and then rolled my bike away from the fuel pumps as I thought, "if this thing goes up in flames, I don't want to blow up the entire town. I might have a chance if I'm 20 feet away from the pumps". I started it at the edge of the parking lot and rode off.
I stopped in Bancroft, a small town in Ontario, and got warm at the Muse Gallery and Cafe. The place has Hungarian pastries and food, and I ordered Nana's Daily Special, the Hunter's Stew.
It got colder as the day went on and was in the low 50s by the time I got to my Airbnb.
I didn't shower at my last place, so I was really looking forward to getting to this location and cleaning up. The Airbnb was built by the owner and her husband using straw as insulation. She's extremely talented and built all the furniture and sewed the linens. She also loves pottery, so she made all the bathroom tiles and the bathroom sink. I took a hot shower, ordered some sub-par takeout, and crashed hard.
Day Five: Carrying Place, ON to Ithaca, NY (401 east to I-81 South, to 13, through Dryden, to Ithaca, 233 miles)
OK, this is when it started getting really cold. When I got on the bike, it was 39 degrees out. I noticed that the seat was damp, so I started wiping it with a towel from my Airbnb, but it didn't absorb the dampness. I then realized that it wasn't condensation - it was frost.
I loaded the bike and started riding. It was really cold, so after around 40 minutes, I stopped at Canadian Tire to buy some gloves and do a little math. At 39 degrees, riding at 85 miles per hour, the wind chill brought the temperature down to 27. I don't mind the cold, but this was tough riding weather.
When I got back into the US, it just felt different. I tried to figure out what it was, but I couldn't identify anything really. The landscaping on the side of the highway was a little cleaner. The road was wider. Maybe it was just the feeling of being back in the US? I still can't figure this one out.
I then rode to Ithaca, which was one of the most picturesque rides on my route. The roads were windy with many hills, and the leaves were changing color all around us. I met with Adam, one of my closest college friends, who was proud to show me that he's now growing his own weed.
Adam looked like he hadn't aged at all, and he reminded me that he lost all of his hair when he was 20, so of course, he looks the same. He told me that I look older, which I do. We sat on his porch and had scotch, cigars, and some of his homegrown, and we discussed life, kids, money, careers, and marriage. I hadn't seen him in a few years, but we hadn't missed a beat.
When he asked if I had any favorite restaurants from my time in Ithaca, I was ecstatic to go back to my old haunts. But this would prove to be impossible. The Nines Pizza? Closed. Thai Cuisine? Closed. The Chapter House? Burned down in a fire.
He suggested the Ithaca Ale House, and we walked there in the brisk weather to grab some burgers. We picked up some munchies and ice cream, ate a bunch at his place, and then crashed for the night.
Day 6: Ithaca, NY to Annandale-on-Hudson, NY (79E to 41E to 206E to 10E to 28E to 209E to 199E to 9G N, 170 miles)
When I groggily left the room the next morning, Adam was standing poised with his phone, ready to take a picture of the two of us. I showered, packed, loaded the bike, and started my ride to Bard College in the Catskills, NY.
Bard was beautiful. The campus is 1,000 acres, and I this was my first time on my son's campus. He showed me around, we grabbed a great dinner in Kingston at the Ole Savannah Southern Table and Bar and then crashed at my Airbnb.
This place was stellar. It was located right on the Hudson River and was tiny. 450 square feet with everything I'd ever want. Beauty, a fire pit, seclusion, and the water. I will be staying here again one day.
The trip was really exceptional. 1,400 miles, good food, cigars, a fire pit, solitude, old friends, and my kid. What else could I ask for?
