Last ride of the year Oct 15 2015

[PaulG]

It's a Thursday morning, bright and sunny with a temperature forecast for 18 degC.  After dropping the wife off at the subway station, I arrive home and go over all the things I have to do: finish scraping the rust and painting the patio furniture (just in time to put it away), take down the portable gazebo and put up the portable garage for winter, mow the lawn     ...   I think it's best I get out for what will probably be the last video ride of the year and see the fall colours.   

By the time I get my shit together it's noon which gives me about six hrs. to play with.  I tried this two weeks before with a buddy from work.  He had to cancel at the last minute, so I went out on my own only to see the weather close in and go from a sunny breezy day to low cloud, the temperature dropped to about 10 degC, and blistering westerly wind and rain. I was was about 90 min NE of Toronto and I bailed and came home and shivered on the couch.  The weather forecast this time of year is hit-and-miss.  I don't know why weather forecasters are even gainfully employed from October until May around here.  You can count on the weather being shitty 3/4 of the time, whatever's left is a bonus.

Anyway... my route takes me through the farmland and rolling hills NE of Toronto and eventually getting into cottage country in the Muskoka region.  The weather as usual begins to close in again just like the previous attempt at the exact same spot.     It was like I was passing through the boundary into Mordor.  The wind switches from a southerly breeze bringing sunshine and some warmth to the NW, bringing that low hanging cloud dragging tails of rain like giant sky rats scurrying above.  I can't win.  At least the temperature hasn't dropped so much and I have all the gear.  When I come into Kirkfield the rain turns from a managable drizzle to a steady downpour so I pull into a gas station to put on the rain suit.

Now my rainsuit is older than my FJ.  It's a single piece PVC unit that still keeps me dry in the heaviest of downpours (except for the usual weeping down into the crotch -    - that doesn't sound like the way it should does it.)  It does seem to have shrunk over the decades so it's a little tight.    Actually it's the armour in the shoulders - yeah that's it!   Once I get it up that far it gets hooked and I can't squirm it up any further.  I asked the guy next to me who was filling his car for a hand, and he willingly obliged.

I also changed from my nearly-as-old leather gloves into a set of duck hunting gloves.  I had read an article last year about how the writer lamented of never being able to find a set of completely water proof motorcycle gloves.  Being in the motorcycle journalism industry he had tried dozens of types with little difference.  A friend suggested the duck hunting gloves since they go out in all weather and in water so they must have something that keeps them dry.  I got a Bass Pro gift card this spring for my 10yr sentance at work so off I went and bought a pair of decoy gloves.  No they are not armoured, but they are warm and dry and cinch up almost to the elbow.  When I first bought them I watched TV while I had my arms immersed in a bucket of water for a 1/2 hr. to make sure.  Plus they are in camoflauge of course.   

Now that I have digressed too much once again...  I head north on Hwy 35 for a bit then cut off at Moore Falls (it's on the map but I never saw it), and continue north on Deep Bay Rd.  I took this route because - as usual - I had never ridden this road before.     That section of Hwy 35 is actually quite nice, but this was something completely different.  Google maps does not have the definition to really show the twistys on these types of side roads as I found out.  The conditions on these tertiary roads range from abysmal to rideable.  Throw in the rain and wet leaves on the road and it increases the pucker factor a little, even at "aceptable" speeds.





Upon reaching Minden, I was going to continue on Hwy 35 to Carnarvon as my map said both roads joined up, but they didn't.  After riding in circles for a couple of minutes, I see Bobcaygeon Rd. continues north to Hwy 118 which is where I was going anyhow.  Don't know why they call it Bobcaygeon Rd., as it is about 70 km NW of Bobcaygeon and doesn't even go there.

So away I go, and once again the map belies the nature of the road.  Very narrow, twisty, bumpy, and with a very prominent triple crown in many areas.  This was particularly puckering as you had to pick your line on the inside of the crown, which meant getting very close to the "shoulder" - i.e. trees at the side of the road - or risk being too close or into the opposing lane.  You do not want to wipe out here as you could be 10 ft. from the road and nobody would know... until they see a bear dragging your carcass down the road next spring.   





Upon reaching Hwy 118 I headed west towards Bracebridge.  Hwy 118 is a nice cruise normally as it traverses the lower Canadian Shield east-west from Bracebridge to almost Bancroft, a distance of nearly 150 km with long sweepers and good scenery.  But that's for another day.  I only travel west for about 35km to Uffington Rd. and head south to start the finish leg of my loop.  This section I have ridden before and again another narrow twisty road full of leaves, some harsh bumps, but no triple crown - most of the time.

It twists down to Doe Lake Rd. to go west, then Housy's Rapids Rd. south, and onto Black River Rd. east to Chisolm Trail south.  These last two are packed drirt/gravel, and Black River Rd. was one of the smoothest of the day.  This is where the video ends, as it was now a straight burn back home to get back in time to pick up the wife at the subway station.





Since leaving Minden the rain had lessened quite a bit and eventually eased off by the end of the video.  After gassing up and a coffee, the weather seemed to be breaking up, and there was even a hint of sunshine.  But the closer I got back to Toronto the weather closed in again to that dull grey drizzle.  But I got home safe and sound and dry by 6:30pm.

Though not the ride I had hoped for, it wasn't that unpleasent.  My usual mantra of "it's only water" kicked in and since the temperature was agreeable it turned out OK.  Now back to the yard work and winter prep so I can get the old FJ stored.  And make up that wish list of parts from RPM... Until next year....




https://youtu.be/xRuKU-4sCZs

[PaulG]

Oops. I thought the map pics were supposed to post within the document not at the end, when I use the attachment option.  Usually I link it to photobucket.