Gone Camping to Evangola State Park

With summer in full swing, Heather and I decided to get away from town for a couple of days by going camping. Since we bought our tent in 2009, we've only used it a couple of times that year, but with four campouts planned for this summer, this weekend would be good to get into the swing of things. I selected Evangola State Park in Farnham, NY as our destination mainly due to its close proximity to Woodstock as well as its affordable rates, although we paid a weekend premium as well as an out-of-state premium. Also, the weather looked optimistic with a sunny Saturday and a sunny Sunday.

We still worked today as we only took half a day of vacation time for this trip. And before we got home, we took care of some business, mainly acquiring some US dollars and going to a Drive Test centre to finally take care of our M licences. We weren't able to update the licences before because it can only be done at a Drive Test centre and their hours of business mirror our working hours.

Our bikes are loaded and the day-old grass is looking good.

Once we were home, we finished up packing and loading our motorcycles with a tent, sleeping bag, camping chairs etc. We didn't leave until 3:45pm with light rain coming down. To save time, we rode the 403 and QEW to the border in Fort Erie although the on-and-off rain and the evening rush hour through Hamilton and Burlington made for an uncomfortable ride. We stopped in Niagara Falls for a light supper at Tim Hortons and gas and then made another quick stop in Fort Erie to prepare our documents.

Our campsite at Evangola.

Surprisingly, this proved to be the easiest time we've ever had crossing the border. The agent in the booth only wanted to know my destination and plate number and he even asked less questions of Heather. From Buffalo, we took Highway 5 to Evangola which is merely 30 minutes from the border. We arrived at the park at 8pm which gave us just enough time to set up our tent in daylight. Having not done it in a couple of years, we took our lumps setting it up but it'll be smooth sailing in the coming weeks. We turned in at 9:30pm with overcast skies and generally gloomy weather.

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Point Pelee National Park

The warm weather is here and we're trying to take every chance we can to get a ride in before our short riding season ends. Today's destination was Point Pelee National Park - home of the southern tip of Canada. And it would not be a short ride as it can take as long as three hours if using only the back roads. We chose to split the ride between back roads and the 401.

The ride started at 8am sharp. We zipped along the 401 for the first 70km of the 210km trip and then slowed the pace down by riding through the countryside. While on the 401, I noted to myself that I have little regard for gas consumption by keeping up with traffic at a healthy 108-112 km/h, but when driving to work I'm afraid to go faster than 105 km/h for fear of wasting too much gas.

A sunny Saturday morning in Woodstock.

Our first stop came in Wallacetown where we bought gas and enjoyed some refreshments. From there, we followed Highway 3 which, after Blenheim, was literally running a couple hundred feet away from Lake Erie. On a warm morning like today, a cool breeze from the lake was a pleasant complement to the heat.

Snack time in Wallacetown.

We arrived at the gate of Point Pelee National Park at 11am. After paying the $7.80 admission fee (each), we made our way to the Visitor Centre. Once there we changed into a more beach appropriate attire - shorts instead of pants and Crocs instead of motorcycle boots.

Point Pelee National Park Visitor Centre.

As no cars are allowed past the point of Visitor Centre, a shuttle takes tourists on a 2km, 7 minute ride to within 500 metres of the Tip. Not knowing there are at least two ways of getting to the Tip, we chose to go through a forest, all the while swatting mosquitoes.

Artist's rendition of the Tip.

The real McCoy.

The Tip is the most southern point of mainland Canada which narrows as it disappears under the waves of Lake Erie. We stayed there long enough to take in the sights and take a few photos. Returning from the Tip, we found a safer, wider path.

Standing at the tip of Canada.

By the time we returned to the Visitor Centre and were ready to leave, it was nearly 1pm. A few minutes after leaving the park we pulled into Paula's Fish Place for lunch. My cod burger was just excellent. We left the restaurant at 2pm and arrived home at 4:45pm.

Paula's Fish Place's patio.

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We're 'M' Licenced

We finally decided to complete the final step of Ontario's graduated motorcycle licence system. The M2 licence we currently have is only good for up to five years and Heather had only a handful of months to complete the M2 Exit test. We thought it'd be good to take the test early in case we weren't successful on the first try and so we signed up to do it this weekend at Fanshawe College in London.

The first step happened Thursday evening during a three-hour session where the two of us plus another five hopefuls were put through the M1 parking lot test. After we all passed, we spent the next hour or so in a trailer reviewing all components of the M2 Exit test such as: left turn, right turn, roadside stop, through intersection, merging onto a highway etc. Our instructors, Owen and Devin, did a very thorough job to make sure that each of the students was well prepared for the upcoming test.

The class re-assembled at Fanshawe on Saturday morning at 7:45am. The riders were equipped with radios, as Owen and Devin would give us instructions on where to go and what to do from their truck. During the practice rides, four of the riders would ride in front of the truck with the other three behind it. On the third and final practice run, Heather was saddled with leading the group and although she was initially nervous, she did a fantastic job of navigating through the busy streets of London.

When it came to the actual test, three local riders were asked to take their test on Sunday while the out-of-towners were scheduled at 45 minute intervals beginning at 1pm. Adam from Aylmer was set to go first, Heather volunteered to go second thus forcing me to go third and George from Dorchester would go last.

Fighting the nerves, we both passed the ride and Heather even beat my score by registering only 13 demerit points while I had 16. What a relief it is to finally have a full M licence!

I think I passed.

Port Stanley Ride

It was a beautiful morning with not a single cloud in the sky. Thanks to an e-mail alert earlier in the week, I knew that the Waterloo Wings were heading for a ride to Port Stanley today. They were to leave Kitchener at 9am. I told Doug, their road captain, that Heather and I might meet them there.

It wasn't until 10am, but we were on the road. I had planned a route with many water towers along the way. We stopped in Otterville and Tillsonburg and finally Port Stanley before reaching our destination. Once in Port Stanley just before 11:30am, we pulled into a Mac's parking lot and I was about to call Doug when we saw the Wings ride right by us. Heather and I hopped on the bikes and rode towards the beach and found the group in front of Mackie's, a local diner. There were four bikes that came from Kitchener including Kevin with Maysey, Mitch with Jane, Todd with Wendy and Doug.

The gang at Mackie's in Port Stanley.

We all had lunch inside where it was cool and comfortable. After lunch we took a stroll to the beach. When we were ready to leave, the Wings rode towards Port Bruce for ice cream while Heather and I chose to have ice cream at Broderick's in Port Stanley.

We left Port Stanley at 1:30pm and decided to ride the rest of the way without jackets as the day was getting hotter. After making a few more tower stops and a gas stop in London, we finally made it home just before 4pm.

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