We're not dead yet!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 6:57PM Matt makes it sound like we died on our trip (re: Matt's postmortem). Of course, that's somewhat fitting as it looks like I'm a corpse on a picnic bench. Thanks, Matt! ;) So let's see. What sort of trip summary can I come up with? My apologies in advance; mine won't be as neatly organized as Matt's. And certainly more long-winded.
It was somewhat amusing that we decided to do this trip after replacing our bikes and not before. Suddenly we had "high performance bikes" that were new and unfamiliar to us. They had bigger engines, but smaller gas tanks and demanded high-octane fuel. And then there was Matt's little "incident" with my new bike that resulted in road-testing my newly installed frame sliders and bar ends and a trip to Mount Sinai's emergency room. Yes, life got very exciting, very fast.
Prep work and pre-planning were certainly made less tedious because we split up the work. Matt worked on the route while I worked on researching accommodations and sightseeing. Matt gets all the credit for making sure our bikes were prepped (how sexy are those windscreens and frame sliders!) along with researching and acquiring the majority of our bike luggage. I must say, having luggage on the bikes was a bit of an eye-opening experience. It probably took us easily 45 minutes the very first time we loaded up the bikes. By the end of our trip that came down to 5 minutes or less. Where did I fail with the luggage? I over packed! But that's not unexpected if you know me. I have a much better idea of how to pack less and pack more efficiently for next time. Really! I mean it!
I have absolutely no doubt our Frogg Toggs and H2Out gloves made our rain days far less disgusting than they could have been. Although we weren't 100% dry, they offered us far greater comfort than if we were without these items. Our Scala units were absolutely fantastic. The only time they let us down was on the two really long days (Gananoque to Portland, and Trois-Rivières to Toronto) when they ran out of juice, and really, that was our own fault. The second long day wasn't so bad because we were on our way home and riding on familiar roads. That first long day? Wow. We were riding in the dark, in heavy rain, at the end of a really long day, in the silence of our own helmets, on unfamiliar roads. I found it to be mentally exhausting. In future, we'll know to figure in some riding time with the intercom turned off to ensure that we'll be able to use them throughout the day.
Oh right! The trip: I had a wonderful time. Despite all the rain, the construction zones, and our impromtu off-roading moments. It was an awesome experience. Touring on a Ducati Monster was pretty comfortable. Of course, I think I have a bit more padding on my seat and my butt than Matt. Hahaha. =)
Will we go to Nova Scotia again? Yes! Will we go on more multi-day bike rides? Yes! Hmm. When and where? Give us some ideas! =)
Nova Scotia 2009 in travels
Reader Comments (3)
I think you two should definitely do a trip back out west again :)
Fo shizzle! The ride through MB/SK/AB will be killer. When we do this, I think we'll try cutting through the US.
Yes down here! AMG. Big Sur and Highway 1 is awesome for bike rides... maybe I'll have my bike by then, and I can join you for part of the way! :P
Hoho