Real cowboy !

We saw real cowboys  this morning when we were driving south on highway 22 from Turner Valley.  It was so cool, one was driving the cattle into the underpass and the other was waiting with the herd.  He was on a big black horse, had a beige cowboy hat, light colored chaps, and a red plaid shirt.  I should have stopped to take a picture, I have never ever seen a cowboy on a horse out in the fields!

highway 22

Creston, BC

Highway 22 is another great road to travel, 110 km/hr, not a lot of traffic, rolling hills, lots to look at and the sun was shining!  We turned on to Highway 3 west of Pincher Creek not far from the Frank Slide.  From there it was the typical highway ride, a lot more traffic than 2 weeks ago but the scenery made up for it!

We stopped in Creston for some cherries, as we drove thru town we saw an outdoor pool at a motel and decided to stay!  Some beer, cherries, outdoor pool and we were happy bikers!

Another night without a martini – 2!

427/9040 kms

Big sky ALBERTA!

We left Moose Jaw on Highway 1 heading west to Swift Current, the sun was already warm on our backs when we pulled out on to the highway.

There was not a lot of traffic, the land had a few more hills than Manitoba and it there were herds of horses and cows mixed in with the crops.  We went thru Swift Current and then took the Crowsnest #3 highway to Lethbridge.  Just west of Lethbridge we headed north on highway #23; it was absolutely gorgeous.  Talk about BIG SKY ALBERTA, we saw it!   New black top, rolling green hills and long curving corners.  What a ride!!!  We followed 23 to High River and then highway #2 to Okotoks.  We had been to Okotoks about 5 years ago and we were amazed at the number of new houses and malls that had been built in that short time!

We took 22 to Turner Valley where we stayed with my cousin and her family.  It was a great break from the hotel life that we had been living!  A home cooked meal!!!  Whahoo! 

No Martini tonight -1!

 763/8613 km

MOOOOOSE JAW, SASK



 

Another sunny day on the road, the perfect temperature for travelling; I didn’t realize that Highway 1 started at the Manitoba border along with the Yellowhead highway.  The Yellowhead turns North somewhere around Regina while the Highway 1 goes all the way to Vancouver.  The highway could definitely use some new pavement, there are large frost heaves, dips and rough patches.

The land is so flat, you can see for miles but all you see is a patch work of fields; green hay, yellow canola, green sunflowers with yellow heads and a few trees mixed in with hay bales.   From an airplane it would be beautiful to see!

We both were amazed at how big Regina has grown in the past five years, we checked a hotel before the bypass and were surprised it was $150, plus taxes.  We decided we would just keep going to Moose Jaw, it was only another 71 kms west.



We headed over to the Boston Pizza where they make excellent Martini Drinks.

720/7850 kms

Manitoba!!!

Thunder Bay, Ontario in the morning and Steinbach, Manitoba 716 kilometers later!  It was a glorious, sunny morning when we left the hotel, Highway 17 west wound its way between the lakes and up and over the many hills.  I would never call them mountains but they did make the ride more entertaining.   A lot of Semis use this highway and everyone travels a lot faster than the posted speed of 90 kms/hr.  The trees all seem to be stunted; the spruce look just like those on the Christmas cards. Still haven’t seen any wildlife yet.

We veered away from Winnipeg to go to this little town; a Days Inn had a billboard which bragged about a pool, hot tub etc….. wouldn’t you know it they had NO rooms!  We are in a little Motel down the road, and there is no hope of finding a Martini in this town. 

716/7130 kms

Thunder Bay on a bald tire!

Highway 11/17 - Lake Superior, Ontario

Last night we noticed that steel was actually showing thru on Al’s rear tire; he had checked it back in Minnesota and had thought he would be able to get home on it.  Not so, I guess the high speeds on the freeways along with the heat took the toll on it.  We are going to leave early for Thunder Bay H-D to get a new one.  Hopefully they have one in stock, this being on the Lake Superior Circle Tour I am confident they will have something that will work!  The Circle tour seems to be very popular with the bikers; they drive completely around Lake Superior in both Canada and the US.

We left before 7 and it was very COLD, I stopped to switch to my winter gloves and then a few kilometers up the road I pulled over again and put a sweater under my heated jacket.  Poor Al, his heated jacket wasn’t working and by the time we pulled into White River he was cursing more than usual.

Windex Martini

This road has lots of curves and hills; the scrub forest reminds me of Northern BC, it is a great ride even at 80 kms. We got to the H-D shop before 3 pm and they did not have his wide white wall so he put the same tire on as what I ride.  We decided to stay here and that was a good thing because we went to Naxo for dinner and had the 2^nd best meal of the trip.  The Martini drinks that Penny made me were very yummy; I think I preferred the Southern Sunrise!

Southern Sunrise!!!!

587/6414 kms

Wawa, Ontario



Wawa, Ontario

We left Sudbury following the highway 17, heading North, the roads were wet but the wipers were not flapping time so we crossed our fingers and hoped for NO rain.  I had my new Gators on so I knew my feet would be dry at the end of the ride.

On the map the road looks like it is following along the shore line of the North Channel of Lake Huron but in reality you only get fleeting glimpses of the majestic lake.   This road reminds me of Route 66, there are a lot of motels, gas stations and stores that have been closed and boarded up probably due to the lack of tourists.  It seems that the area is known for hunting and fishing; there are signs everywhere warning “do not drive at night” and big pictures of MOOSE.  I was hoping to see one of the majestic creatures down in a swamp but no such luck.

There were lots of little hamlets along the route but nothing too exciting, we headed North at Sault Ste. Marie or as the locals call it “The Soo”. We stopped for gas in Wawa, around 4:30 and thought we would have to keep going to find a room for the night.  Lucky for me, to get to the town you had to exit the highway and travel for another 2 kms, and there we found lots of hotels with rooms available.  The town was actually on Wawa Lake, and was known for the fishing and Canadian Geese, there were off road trails going in every direction.  There are bridges alongside the highway for the off road riders.  

Unfortunately for me, I was not able to find a BAR that would make a martini!  I am now running a deficit of 1, tomorrow night we might have to catch up!  Al's bike turned 180,000 kms today, that is reason to celebrate!

531/5827 kms


Lake Superior, Ontario



Red Roses to the biker angels and fairies!

I would like to send a dozen red roses to the Biker Angels and Fairies who were watching out for me this morning!!  We were on the road by 5:30 hoping to miss some of the chaos of traffic heading to Toronto, when we got on the freeway it was 5 lanes of traffic going 120 km/hour!  I had written the route out on a piece of paper and taped it to Al’s windshield; when we got to one of the exits I went the wrong way and we were headed back to Port Huron.   We were lost!  I took an exit, stopped and tried to regroup, there were lineups everywhere to get on to the freeway.  A woman at the gas station told me an alternate route, but before we left to try it I noticed that my clutch lever was loose again!  Off we went, probably about 10 minutes down the road I tried to stop at an intersection and I had NO clutch!!!   I got off the road and we used the GPS to find the closest Harley shop, 15.8 kms away.  Super Al took over my bike, I wrote the route on a piece of paper, put the emergency flashers on and we headed down the road, riding the shoulder.  I was the pilot bike while Al tried to keep my bike rolling, he ran a red light when no cars were coming, he took a right turn at a red light and pulled a U turn to continue in the direction we were going, and he walked the bike to keep it rolling when the lights were red.  It was a very stressful hour but not nearly as stressful as it would have been if we had still been on the freeway, in the middle lane going 110 km/hr when I lost the clutch!

We made it to the dealership and they got it into the shop right away; within 30 minutes they had diagnosed the problem.  It was a broken clutch push rod in the transmission, burnt out bearings etc.  They only had some of the parts, they machined the ones they didn’t have and within two hours we were able to head out into that crazy traffic again, by then it was about 11:30.  A few people had gathered around and gave us advice on how to get the F___k out of the city, the easiest route.  I wrote the instructions on paper, taped one to Al’s windshield, one to mine and we made it to Barrie.  By this time we were starving, we never ate before we left the hotel and it was 2:30 when we finally stopped.  I am ashamed to say that when we got gas we ate at MACDONALDS; 1^st time in over 20 years L.  Another 200 kms down the road we stopped at TIM HORTONS, another place I haven’t eaten at for a number of years!!!!  The choices are very limited!  No wonder they are so FAT!

We made it to Sudbury by 6:30 after riding in a drizzle for the last 150 kms. The Martini was SO good tonight, I toasted to another safe ride (sorry I forgot the camera)!  Last night we had just put a new Fairy Bell on my bike!

Caramel Macciachto

1 oz Caramel Baileys

1 oz Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka

1 expresso Coffee

Shaken with ice to a froth, topped with caramel drizzled across the top.

553/5296 kms

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We made it!!! Niagara Falls !!!

Niagara Falls, Ontario

We made it! After 8 days of travelling across the North American continent we arrived at the Niagara Falls, it was very spectacular to see, you could feel the thunder as it has “the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world, with a vertical drop of more than 165 feet (50 m).”    The three ring circus that surrounds it is unimaginable, more people than Disneyland, with arcades, amusement rides and every food vendor you could think of.  

We arrived after travelling 300 kms on the busy highways, I shut my bike off and when I went to start it the bike would not start!!!  We found out where the dealer was, I pushed Al on my bike across the parking lot to get it started and we headed to Niagara on the Lake to get things fixed.  We were there for two hours in a nice air conditioned store while they sorted things out.  The regulator was replaced and we headed out only to have to turn around and go back after I realized my clutch was not working right.  Another minor adjustment and we were on the road again to find a hotel, a cocktail and a swim!

We are enjoying our Mike Hard Lemon Aid on the deck of our hotel room, 

We went to the Don Cherrie’s Sports Bar for a pre-dinner cocktail, there was another Rookie Bar tender; I had to coach her on how to make the Martini on their menu.  It was the

Cherrie-tini


2 oz Cherry Vodka

1 oz Triple Sec

Splash of Cranberry Juice all in the shaker and poured into a chilled glass.

The second martini was in the dinning room and I didn’t have to coach this bartender.  It was the French Kiss!!!

Both of these drinks were very yummy, the French Kiss being my fave!!!  We had a great dinner to celebrate as we watched the boats in the marina and the sun glowing on the Toronto skyline.

363/4743 kms

 


French Kiss Martini



 

 

Cherri-tini



From our hotel Lake Ontario, looking to Toronto

 which is right on the shore of Lake Ontario, looking across to the City of Toronto.  We toasted our accomplishment, and listened to the gulls and the singing of the sail boat riggin.   

Falls Ave, Niagara Falls, Ont



Vroooom on Interstate 75



Mackinac Bridge, Michigan



Mackinac Bridge, Michigan

Unbeknown to us, the bridge was 2 blocks from our hotel, we turned onto highway 2, ½ a block we took the I75 exit and we were at the view point before the toll booth.  Here is the link to the bridge facts; it is very interesting.  http://www.mackinacbridge.org/facts--figures-16/

From there we stayed on Interstate 75 South, stopping at the Gaylord Harley Dealer, and two or three rest stops along the way.  It was smoking hot with high humidity; I was sweating like a pig in my leathers!  I was definitely over heated when we finally got our hotel room; I was shaking and very red in the face, I got into the cold shower right away.

We stayed on the Interstate 75 until Flint, where we switched to Interstate 69 heading East to Port Huron. We were 70 kms from Detroit with 4 lanes of traffic travelling 70 mph!!!

The landscape is mostly scrub forests of Oak, maple and Juniper bushes.  After the bridge we were inland so we didn’t see the water again until we took the wrong exit and ended up at the River frontage in Port Huron.  The huge freighters go up the river St. Clair from Lake Huron to Lake Erie.  I never imagined the lakes to be so huge, it is like looking at the ocean, you can’t see the other side, there are white caps on the waves, with large sail boats and yachts cruising.

We were at the River and a couple volunteered to give us directions, he talked to me for 15 minutes about all the things to do at the Falls, directions to hotels, information on the St Clair River etc…. Al was talking to his wife, who said they were teachers, he asked what he taught, she said “college, that is why everyone gets a lecture”.  Too funny!

Looking at Sarnia, Ontario across the St. Clair River in Michigan

I have not left the room since I took my cold shower, I definitely don't feel well.  I will have to catch up on the Martinis tomorrow night!

499/4380 kms

Boring!

Lake Superior

We were undecided this morning if we were going to ride south to Manitowoc, Wisconsin to take a ferry across Lake Huron or if we were going to ride the long way around.   Al was talking to one of his friends, a biker buddy from Green Bay, he looked like the FRIDGE, from the Green Bay Packers!   A really nice black guy, with a raspy voice and an accent, he recommended the Highway 2 route.

 Of course we are still riding on the old faithful Highway #2, although a lot more cautiously than the day before. When I was blogging outside the office last night people were riding up in the dark looking for a room, they told us the cops were out in full force down the road from us because a woman was killed when a deer ran out in front of her bike.  Those deer can be deadly and we didn’t want to meet one this morning.  After a 1 ½ we stopped to eat and I called the ferry, it wasn’t open yet; they sailed at 2:30 each day and we would not make it.   We decided to not get the ferry!

The terrain reminds us both of the west coast, Ukey and the Tofino area; scrub bush, short trees and water.  The road travels thru Wisconsin and Michigan and is otherwise boring except for the different road kills; 2 fox, lots of racoons and some kind of muskrat!  The road is one straight stretch, a slight curve and then another straight stretch and another curve……anyone can ride here!  There seems to be more bikes than cars travelling this route.  The road is not right alongside of the lake, you only get glimpses of the lake until Dunne Shores, where we drove alongside the Lake Michigan for 10 miles.  It was a beautiful, sandy beach; we stopped and went to the water’s edge to touch the water!  I will probably never be back to see it again!  This must be a big fishing destination; all of the stores advertise BAIT; crawlers, leeches, worms and minnows! 

Why do bikers wave to each other – I hate it!  I want them to stop!!!  I do not wave to Toyotas when I drive my truck!!!

We are in St. Ignace which is just before the Mackinaw Bridge which is 5 miles long between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, hopefully we can stop to take a picture!  If we stay on the interstate highway we could be at the falls tomorrow!

No martini tonight, there are no bars close to us and they don’t serve alcohol in the restaurants L

617/3881 kms

Lake Michigan



Lake Michigan



 

8 dead skunks, 4 deer and a couple of racoons

8 dead skunks, 4 deer and a couple of racoons for road kill, it was a good day!   We travelled thru North Dakota, Minnesota, and landed up in Wisconsin for the night,  at Iron River, after travelling over the Missouri River, the Mississippi River the Red River and Lake Superior.   What a journey!   It was amazing, the golden fields of grain, the Sunflower fields with all of the heads facing the sun, the cows, the scrub forests and the lakes.  A little bit of everything!   The Richard I Bong bridge over Lake Superior was the best of all, I want to go back and do it again it was so spectacular. I made up for the lack of Martinis, I had three tonight  and I had to teach the bartender how to make them.  What a concept, I got to choose the liquors and invent the concoction and they were all good!  Whahoo!

Ashley's 1st concoction

Sandy at the Boogies Iron River Saloon didn’t know how to mix a Martini so I

Sandeeès Martini

1 shot of Raspberry Vodka

1 shot of Apricot Brandy

1 shot of Orange Juice

1 shot of Cranberry Juice

Shaken vigorously with crushed iced and served in a HIGHBALL GLASS with ice!!!

  

As you might have guessed I have caught up with the Martinis, I had to coach Ashley she didn't know how to mix a Martini, (she does now)  the next one was from Ashley at the Battle AXE SALOON, way too much fun, a guy was hitting on me, he had lots of money, $1000 nds, he said!

1 shot of Cherry Kran Absolute Vodka (gotta get it at the Duty Free)

1 shot Triple Sec

1 shot of Cranberry Juice

And a splash of soda, shaken vigorously in  a shaker full of crushed ice, served in a fancy glass, no garnish  necessary!!

Ashleyès 2^nd Martini

1 oz Malibu Rum (which I am getting a taste for)

1 oz Absolute Wild Tea Vodka

1 oz Orange Juice and a splash of Soda – shaken with crushed ice and served in a fancy glass!  Whahoo!

Ashley's concoction

637/3264 kms




 

Sandy's  Concoction

 gave her instructions.  What a concept, choosing from a bar full of alcohol…..

Fort Mac of the Mid-west



Wolfe Point, Montana



Seven locomotive engineers have blown their whistle for me so far this trip!!!  They are awesome; the trains are definitely the heartbeat of the mid-west!  The railroad ties are being replaced across Montana, they have had two derailments this year already.  The trains with backhoes on top of the rail cars are dropping the ties beside the tracks and I guess the crews come behind them and replace the existing ties.  The trains are moving steadily with car loads of rock, grain and what ever you can think of, even freightliner trailers.

We are in Devils Lake, North Dakota; we actually stayed in the exact same hotel 5 years ago when we road to Winnipeg to watch volleyball!  It was a very interesting ride today we went through the Fort Mac of the Midwest, it was overwhelming the number of big trucks, bunk houses and crew trucks that we saw.   They had new wells and rigs drilling along the highway and signs on the side roads directing to the different rigs.   The girl in the bar had told us that the oil workers had taken over the hotels in Williston but I never imagined the magnitude of the industry.  There were 20 acre fields filled with travel trailers and fifth wheel trailers that the crews are living in, along with entire camps that probably house at least 1000 guys.  We saw at least 10 of these camps which have all the food services as well.  We had to get gas and it was a line up to the pumps; inside the guys are all buying the yucky food that they sell under the lights.  On the highway it was one big rig after the other, surprisingly the traffic flowed really well and everyone was polite!

We stopped at Rugby which was 100 km from here and they only had one room left, it was smoking!  The GPS came in handy; I searched motels in this town and called ahead for a room.  It took the guessing out of the last few miles.

 

We missed the turn to Towner, ND

We went for dinner and discovered that the liquor laws are very different in this state.  No alcohol in the restaurants and the only bar we found was at the bowling alley, wahoo!  So sad L no martini, they had all the ingredients but he wouldn’t make it!  I would have taught him the technique but he didn’t have a shaker!

635/2627 kms

102 degrees at 7:15 pm

Up and out the door by 7 am, the sun was shining and the temperature was already climbing.  We rolled through beautiful ranch land with different patches of color, round hay bales, cattle, horses and deer.  It was 23 kms to the Carway border crossing to Montana; no traffic just big sky!



Havre, Montana



Saco, Montana



The road wound up to Babb, and St Mary’s where the old red convertible cars were lined up to haul the tourists up the Road to the Sun.  Unfortunately there was a huge mud slide and the road was closed to traffic.  Lucky for us it was not our planned destination.  We continued south to Browning where we had breakfast, they took Canadian dollars at par!!  New concept for Canadians!

From there we followed highway 2 East through Cutbank and Shelby, stopping in Havre for a beer.  It didn’t come close to quenching our thirst, as it was over 90 degrees and climbing.  There was a County Fair in Havre but it was too hot to stop for the entertainment, we pushed on to Chinook.  Al was pulling over to buy water and I didn’t see his signal, it was a near miss!   OMG the adrenaline was rushing.  We went to leave the gas station only to discover my brake was seized, it took a bit of work but it finally released only to leave me with no back brake at all!!!!  It was a scary ride to Malta where we stopped at the hardware store to buy a wrench and some brake fluid.  We rode to all 5 hotels and not one had any rooms available! 

On the road again, the plan was to check out the lonely hotel 50 miles down the road in Saco; it was a dive!  Cheap thou $48!  We had another beer at the local bar and the girl serving us told us to phone ahead to Glasgow for a room.  The railway workers were out in full force and taking up all the rooms!  She called ahead and we had a room waiting when we got there, my brake was working again, there were martinis and all was well!

Sam's Super Club in Glasgow had a very large Martini Menu for me to choose my poison from.
Tonights martini was a "Bikini Martini"
1 oz Vodka
1 oz Malibu Rum
1 oz Orange juice
1 oz Pineapple juice
It was all added to the shaker for a very refreshing drink!


623/1992 kms

Dry town - no martini!



Dragon Fly Cafe - Salmo, B.C.

We rode East from Trail on Highway 3, there was a mist on the Columbia River and the sun was peeking thru the clouds as we climbed the mountains to Salmo.  We stopped for breakfast at the Dragon Fly Café, it was a great interlude, our waitress was very chatty and told us a lot about the area.  It was busy with customers coming in and out for their java fix of “Kicking Horse Coffee”.  My favourite kind of stop!

We continued on to Creston, Fernie, Pinchers Creek, Alberta for lunch and then at Fort Macleod we headed south on Highway 5 to Cardstone.  No martini tonight, this town is DRY!!!   We were told that we could drive the 14 kms to the border, cross into the USA, buy our liquor at the duty free and then return to our hotel in Cardstone.  We didn’t do it!

It has been a while since we have ridden this highway and I had forgotten how beautiful it was.  The rivers, mountains, alpine meadows and then the rolling ranch land dotted with the Windmills.  They have had a lot of rain this year and everything is very green, the deer and livestock are definitely enjoying the grass.

We have been surprised at the volume of traffic it is way down compared to other trips.  The camp grounds are empty; there are not any big lines of cars waiting for an opportunity to pass.  The economy must be a lot worse than we realized; we have seen three very large sawmills that are no longer operating.  They had huge dry kilns but now everything is quiet.   Where have all the jobs gone? 

Pizza and Cream, Cardstone, Alberta had great pizza, ice cream and a restaurant of old memorabilia.  Black and white tiles on the floor, every table had a juke box with the phone, lots of Elvis posters and pop bottles.  I am too young to remember it but Al walked down memory lane!!!

553/1369 kms

Where did all the traffic go?

Windy Osoyoos

On the road again........at 7 am we were heading into the hills for Princeton.  The sun was bright but the air was very fresh in the mountains, chilly I might add!  The hashbrowns at Billy's were exactly as I remembered them, yummy!   We took off a layer before we got back on the road to Keromeos, the air was definitely getting warmer.  Osoyoos was a very windy, cloudy town; we stopped quickly in Rock Creek to avoid the huge rain drops coming our way.  After a half hour latte we were back on  highway 3 headed to Grand Forks, it was too early to stop so we continued on to Christina Lake, Rossland and finally Trail.


Rain and thunder in Rock Creek

We found a hotel with a pool on the outside of town, it was very refreshing after the ride.  The walk to town took a half hour, I didn't remember my camera until we were crossing the Columbia River!!!  I was not going back for it so.....no martini picture tonight.

Wendy at the Arlington Bar and Grill made me the Grand Marnier Frapple - it was very good and definitely one to make at home!
1 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
1/2 oz Kahlua
2 oz of Orange Juice

Pour into a shaker full of ice and shake vigorously before serving in a chilled glass.  Wendy had 3 olives on a skewer as the garnish but it did not seem appropriate.  I think an orange wedge would be better!!

484 /816 kms


Unbelizeable Martini in HOPE, BC



Our Ferry left the Departure Bay dock 3:10 and we arrived in Hope at 7:30 pm, the tempature was 27 degrees!!!  The traffic was so easy, no pile ups, no line ups, the HOV lane just motored right on thru.  We are staying at the Park Motel, where the owner is so kind and helpful!  We strolled to Main street and 3rd where we found Joe's Place, and the Un-belizeable Martini; such a surprise for HOPE!!! 

331 kms

Un-Belizable Martini