Riding The Arctic Highway - The Inspiration

It all came sprang from this book.....

Written in 1975, it's the story of the road built up the spine of Norway, the last 900 miles of it above the Arctic Circle.

 At it's most northerly point it comes within 19 degrees of the North Pole.

Lots of motorcyclists ride it, primarily to get to Nordkapp - The North Cape - the most northerly point of Mainland Europe and that's good enough reason. But you know I'm a bit of an anorak so when I read the book it was the road's history that hooked me - it has to be up there with Route 66 and the Trans-Canada highway even if a bit shorter than both.

In all the trip will include France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland and will be about 5000 miles. Do it in June - as I hope to do - and the 1800 odd miles above the Arctic Circle will be ridden in total daylight - if the midnight sun can be called that!

Coming with me?

Post Trip contemplation!

Having ridden around Beaverton these last couple of days - been driven really I should say - it seems impossible that I have actually completed the trip. It doesn't seem 5 minutes since I set off, wobbling my way south on Highway 12, getting used to a top heavy bike and riding on the wrong side of the road.  Now nearly 9000 miles, 14 states, 4 provinces and 2 countries later I'm practically in a daze with flashes of recollection  hitting me causing me to step back and say "wow, I really did see that!"

It is only after it stops that you realise what pace you were actually travelling even though it felt leisurely at the time. And what level of anxiety must have been there just below the surface - was the oil going to cope with the heat range, were the tyres going to hold out on the dirt roads, would the bike run on 89 Octane fuel with 10% ethanol when it should have 95 Octane straight - oh there was never any real danger though  there could have been a lot of inconvenience and discomfort if things had gone wrong. But they didn't. The bike never missed a beat in all those miles, in snow, desert heat or torrential rain. I've broken a bit of plastic, scratched a bit of paintwork and a tail light bulb has gone - some advert for Honda eh!

I transported spares - the service interval is 8000 miles - oil, coolant and puncture repair kits around North America and used hardly anything. Worn a pair of boots out, lost a couple of socks (unfortunately not one pair) and bought - and had bought for me - a couple of "celebration" tee-shirts.

I've met some truly wonderful people, some for the first time, some who it's been great to see again. I've not encountered one incident of aggression or even close to it and, until I rode down towards Beaverton on Sunday through the "going home from the coast after the weekend" traffic  I've hardly seen any bad or crazy driving.

I've had a couple of  genuinely humbling experiences, both on the same day actually and which at the time I struggled with and therefore didn't include in my blog. But to fail to recognise them would belittle the achievements of the young men involved and that would be unacceptable.

My reason for going to Thunder Bay was to see the Terry Fox Memorial. Terry was a cancer victim who had his right leg amputated because of the disease at the age of 18. In April 1980, at the age of 22 he set off from the Atlantic Coast in Newfoundland on a “Marathon of Hope” across Canada on the Trans-Canada Highway – all 5300miles -  to raise money for Cancer Awareness. Running 26 miles each day he had passed through 5 Provinces by the time he hit Ontario in June. Then, at mile 3,339 recurring cancer forced him to give up and sadly he died a year later. However he inspired the Canadians Nationwide and some $24 million donations flowed in. This memorial and the highway he ran on are dedicated to him. I’ve been trying to think of something to say to put my feeble effort into perspective – but there’s nothing there.

There was also a view-point at the base of Terry’s statue but as I showed you earlier the clouds had closed that in which in a way made the visit even more poignant.

Later on that day I visited a waterfall at the Aguasabon Gorge. The last entry in the visitors’ book were a couple of names followed by “Coast2Coast4Cancer Ride”.

A few miles further on I caught up with a car with hazards flashing and a sign repeating the Coast2Coast Run Message. In front of the car was a young man on a cycle. He turned out to be Justin Danecke who had lost a family member to Cancer and had another diagnosed with the disease. He was cycling right across the country for charity.

 

 

 What a tremendous thing to do. I’m embarrassed to go on about my jolly. Well done Justin – and if anyone is minded to support him then go to http://convio.cancer.ca/goto/coast2coast4cancer

Would I do it again, like a flash, so much more I could have seen and done - except for the Prairies perhaps - as I think it was Andy told me by the Winnie-the-Pooh statue, quoting his father after his one and only ride across them - " I've  ridden across the Prairies twice, once for the first time and once for the last time!

 

 

Sunday 2nd June - I've done it!

Started writing a "normal" blog day but really it didn't flow because it wasn't a normal day, can do that later. 

 

I was more anxious this morning than I have been all the trip - felt I was so near to completing this wonderful journey without any mishap or incident and that it possibly couldn't last.

 

But it did and although I set off in heavy rain it soon cleared and I had a great ride for in the sunshine, over rivers and through lakeside towns for 199.7 miles 'til I reached the end of my journey - Beaverton, Ontario, 3pm Eastern Time -  and this reception...







 

8927 Miles completed - A dream realised.

             For once I don't know what to say,

                         other than thank you for being with me......

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



Saturday 1st June - Lake Huron and the North Channel

I am feeling absolutely shattered tonight and don’t know why really. I have only done 230 miles after a very late start – it was throwing it down all morning and I really don’t have that far to go til I’m back at Lyndsay, Reece and Dacry’s at Beaverton so saw no point in getting soaked IF it was going to clear up later – but I have done a lot of exploring and socialising.

It did stop eventually although it came back quite heavily a few times during the day. I've gone on a lot about the rain and then looking at the photos it mostly seems dry and bright - well explanation is simple, not a lot of point taking photos in the downpours and fog I've ridden through - this, for example was the "view" from quite a famous Viewpoint...

    good eh!

First deviation was over to an Island I hadn’t even heard of or picked up in the map – St Joseph Island accessed up to 3 years ago by a ferry but now by a new bridge.

 

Just though I’d have a look and am so glad I did. It is absolute paradise. My ignorance would have put it in Lake Huron but it is apparently in St Mary’s River and at 99,000 acres it is the second largest freshwater island in the world - Manitoulin Island, the largest (which I didn’t get to) is just next door as it happens. It just has everything, except people and traffic - rolling hills, pastel coloured wooden clapper board houses, forests, fields, beaches, coves and harbours. I must, I will, go back. Spent half hour or so talking to the harbour master and a guy doing his garden near a church I visited both of whom, of course, sang the islands praises. Trouble is none of this was in the planning so already a bit behind schedule.

 

And the real selling point.....

 

Visited the museum – Closed of course – but looked around outside anyway.  And there was a new slant - yes of course all the old houses, schoolrooms etc. which I won't try your patience with - but, now pieces of rock, sorry Puddingstone! 

 

 Admit I thought – yeah right – when it said it isn’t found in any other places, but apparently it isn’t.

Puddingstone with different constituents is found in a few, very few, specific places, but each has its own unique make up – this one contained pieces of jasper.  Another example is Hertfordshire Puddingstone, found in Herts, England funnily enough. 

Will say one thing about the Curator though, he or she has a real eye for a treasure....

 

Back on the mainland I rode east to Sudbury and Parry Sound where I would eventually turn South for the final leg.

What the Americans can do with Cadillacs the Canadians do in a much more subdued form…

 

I came across a meeting at this round barn attended by people from a community similar to the Amish – I admit I don’t know what they were. Felt ok photographing some of their buggies but it didn’t seem right to photograph them without asking permission and they all seemed to be socialising.

 

When you see the size of some of the rivers feeding the lakes you realise why the are so large..

 

 

This is the Mississagi. I know some rivers in Europe look as big but they of course empty into the sea.

I bumped into this group of paratrooper vets at a coffee stop – yes a Tim Horton’s.  Now these are guys that jumped out of aeroplanes to kill people and look how they are dressed - believe me now about the weather? Anyhow it was good to see Harley riders wearing more protective clothing than I was.  I mentioned it to the black guy front left and his opinion of his west coast counterparts can’t be repeated here.

 

In Blind River there is the Loggers Memorial, a life-size bronze sculpture of 2 “rive drivers” walking on logs to clear a log jam which is a tribute to the contribution loggers have made to Canada’s development.

 

A bit outside Blind River I had to swerve to avoid what at first I thought was a piece of shredded lorry tyre - the roads are littered with the stuff. But when I saw what it was I couldn’t then leave him in the road. I went back and had a sickening couple of minutes as 3 or 4 cars shot past, him, 2 actually straddling him. I actually chased him and shot off the road at a surprising speed and never once said thanks. It is a Snapping Turtle - didn’t want to put Froggy near him this time as he didn’t look particularly friendly - and he didn't give me chance - so no sense of scale but his shell was about a foot long.

 

Got to Sudbury and decided to call it a day as my concentration going and feeling quite tired – had been through lousy weather again and traffic had been much heavier than previously – really had to keep up with it rather than pulling over and waving it past.

Mixed feelings as last full day if things go to plan – but I sense fatigue setting in a bit and that is when the wheels come off - figuratively if nit literally.

Let’s see what the last day brings.

Friday 31st May - A wild Goose chase to Saulte Sainte Marie

Another grey damp morning greeted me. I therefore dressed ready for a day like yesterday – warm but wet – and set off, fortified – not – by a continental breakfast that most on the continent of Europe where I guess the phrase came from – wouldn’t recognise!

The Trans Canada turns inland at Marathon before hitting the shores of Lake Superior again at Wawa – I kid you not, a town so great they named it twice.

First stop would be White River, home town of the real Winnie (as of the-pooh!) and on the way I hoped I would see some more wildlife.

Well I didn’t, I saw rivers, and lakes and islands and bridges but no wild-life.

On arriving in White River I was immediately met by signs advertising its connection with Winnie-the-Pooh  but not a lot else.

 

I was re-reading my blog today and realise that I am going on a lot about how disappointed I am in some of the towns. Been thinking about this and it is something to do with the fact that the towns are, or were, company towns. People didn’t just move here, the towns were created by companies purely for the purpose of business, be it railways, portage, steel, paper, timber etc. The company found the spot on the lake shore and then got people to move there to work for them. In a lot of those places the original industry or service has diminished so the township is trying to re-invent itself to survive.  There is now sailing, fishing and hunting with all the big flashy advertising boards with bronzed people with white teeth having a great time. In reality though, at this time of year, that isn’t evident and all that there is is the decaying infrastructure. A bit like our steel and mining towns – without the sailing, hunting and fishing of course – unless you count our carp ponds!!!   The shore line though, and I think this is where my disappointment lies, is not beach or promenade but either the factory or port or the remains of the factory or port.

Anyway, back to Winnie, if you want the full history this is a good link http://www.whiteriver.ca/article/winnie-the-pooh-6.asp  I was a bit concerned about the soldier that donated Winnie to London Zoo but apparently he did survive the First World War and returned – without Winnie – to Canada.

It was good fun though and I met a couple at the statue, Annette and Andy – they took my picture – who had come over to Canada  from Ireland and England, in Andy’s case from Sheffield in 1957 when he was 5.

 

The town was trying to start a Railway museum I think but was stretching the criteria a bit – sorry, but this is hardly TWO trains guys …

 

Then on again to Wawa and the World Famous* (*see below) Goose!

My moose hunting skills had increased significantly now having seen the one yesterday. I now realised they liked the more lush greener grass at the side of the road and outside of the conifer forest. So, although I searched creeks etc..... 

                                       I kept my eyes on the grass verges most of the time. Which is why it took me a while to realise that this floating driftwood was moving just a bit too purposefully.

What a sight, how lucky am I, a bit far away I know but was able to follow it all the way across the lake and out the other side.

 

Then on to Wawa and the mystery of the Wawa Goose. Didn’t actually think there was a mystery as I rode south. Had heard that there was a big statue of a goose there – Wawa means goose in the native language – and that it was erected in 1960 to celebrate the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway in this area. Was therefore very excited – I know it doesn’t take a lot – to see the unique statue looking down at me through the rain and mist.

 Number 1 The current Official Wawa Goose.

Then rode on into Wawa to try and find somewhere dry to eat and, well..

Number 2  Dodgy Goose

geese are a bit like buses obviously, none around and then along came three at the same time – although admittedly I think number 2 is a bit of a ringer, looks more like a pigeon.

Number 3 Original Official Goose

After a bit of research I find that number 3 is the original goose, but being made of chicken wire and plaster it wasn’t built for the Canadian winters and was replaced in 1963 by number 1 which took pride of place at the entrance to the town. It has been rescued from storage/dump and put up by new owners outside their store. 

 No idea what the background to number 2 is but I wouldn’t give up the day job if I was its creator.

So much pleasure from a goose!

and to think in Arizona I wished for rain.....

Not much else to say about the day really other than it continued to reveal wonderful scenery and views as I rode along the shoreline of Lake Superior and through National Parks. The fact relating to The lake are staggering – surface area of 31,700 square miles, distance around it 1300 miles, maximum depth 1,276 feet. It is the largest freshwater lake in the worlds and holds 10% of the world’s surface fresh water. Probably the first thing I’ve come across this trip which is the world famous….

At one point I crossed Chippewa Falls which are apparently at the exact halfway stage distance wise of the Highway. A long way east of the longitudinal centre of Canada isn’t it which shows the winding nature of the road here compared with the straight slog across the Prairies.

By the time I pulled into my overnight stopping place, Saulte Saint Maria - and even this place had its Moose...

 

                            the sun had come out and it was wonderfully warm evening. 

Don’t know if I will see it tomorrow but there is a bridge here which crosses to the USA over the St Marys River which joins Lake Superior with Lake Huron.