After last month's experience in Richmond, Kentucky, Heather and I were eager to do another rally south of the border this summer. We settled on a rally held in Angola, Indiana by the Great Lakes chapter of VROC (GLVROC). At 500+ km, this was going to be only a one day ride. A few weeks ago, we got word that the rally was being moved from Angola to Swanton, Ohio which was even closer for us.
The plan was to leave Friday after work, stay overnight in Sarnia, get to Swanton on Saturday afternoon and leave early Sunday morning. This was also going to be our first trip with a sleeping bag which we'd probably need on Saturday night. We packed light and strapped the tour pack to my motorcycle while Heather took the sleeping bag.
Leaving with a securely strapped in sleeping bag.
We left at about 6:30 pm towards Stratford and made our first stop in St. Marys at a local Tim Hortons. From St. Marys, we took more back roads until we got on Highway 402 in Strathroy. We rode on 402 all the way to Sarnia while also watching a sunset.
In Sarnia, we made our second stop today at a Canadian Tire gas station shortly after 9 pm. While there, we also looked for a hotel. That's where our plans started going awry. We selected Comfort Inn but arrived to find no vacancies. It seems that this weekend was the annual Bay Fest with KISS headlining tonight's performances. The receptionist at the Comfort Inn told us that we'd have a very hard time finding a room in Sarnia.
On to Plan B. We went back to the GPS to look for hotels across the border in Port Huron. I called a Hampton Inn and managed to book a room. The GPS said that our destination was mere minutes away, but I'm sure it doesn't account for toll booths and the usual border activities.
Because of all the drama, I forgot to take the leather club vest I was wearing. I was told previously by more experienced riders to hide the vest in order to avoid more questions than needed to be asked. Luckily, the lady at the booth was very friendly and funny and we had no problems at all. She did tell Heather, however, that I told her that Heather was the troublemaker and she was carrying all the booze. Nothing like a late night humour from a border guard.
We finally checked in at the Hampton Inn at 10 pm. They are not as busy as Sarnia, but they're not far behind as there is a weekend Antique and Classic Auto Show in town. A very busy weekend, indeed, on both sides of the Blue Water Bridge. We will probably take our time leaving tomorrow as there is a chance of rain and thunderstorms for most of the morning.
In Sarnia, we made our second stop today at a Canadian Tire gas station shortly after 9 pm. While there, we also looked for a hotel. That's where our plans started going awry. We selected Comfort Inn but arrived to find no vacancies. It seems that this weekend was the annual Bay Fest with KISS headlining tonight's performances. The receptionist at the Comfort Inn told us that we'd have a very hard time finding a room in Sarnia.
On to Plan B. We went back to the GPS to look for hotels across the border in Port Huron. I called a Hampton Inn and managed to book a room. The GPS said that our destination was mere minutes away, but I'm sure it doesn't account for toll booths and the usual border activities.
Because of all the drama, I forgot to take the leather club vest I was wearing. I was told previously by more experienced riders to hide the vest in order to avoid more questions than needed to be asked. Luckily, the lady at the booth was very friendly and funny and we had no problems at all. She did tell Heather, however, that I told her that Heather was the troublemaker and she was carrying all the booze. Nothing like a late night humour from a border guard.
We finally checked in at the Hampton Inn at 10 pm. They are not as busy as Sarnia, but they're not far behind as there is a weekend Antique and Classic Auto Show in town. A very busy weekend, indeed, on both sides of the Blue Water Bridge. We will probably take our time leaving tomorrow as there is a chance of rain and thunderstorms for most of the morning.
Alone and quiet in the Hampton Inn parking lot.
SEASON STATS
Today's trip: 211 km - 131 miles
2009 to date: 5,072 km - 3,152 miles (59.7%)
2009 goal: 8,500 km - 5,282 miles
To obtain goal: 3,428 km - 2,130 miles
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WATER TOWERS
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