Day 1 Stratford, Ontario to Phelps, New York

After riding 5552 kilometres (3450 miles if you prefer) we have returned from an incredible road trip across Canada from Stratford, Ontario to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and back. Our route to Nova Scotia was through the US via New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. After this through New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island and into Nova Scotia. Then on our way back, we rode through Canada via New Brunswick, Québec and finally back into Ontario. It was an incredible ride and a great way of ticking off those states and provinces. I have kept a diary through my blog which I will be publishing so if that’s something you are interested in, click the subscribe button so you don’t miss it!

With that introduction out of the way, lets get into day one of 13 of the trip.

Before any big trip, it’s important to check the motorbikes over, service them and of course a nice clean and polish. Mitch’s bike is the Yamaha V-Star and mine the Suzuki Boulevard (the best one). I absolutely adore my bike, even more so after this trip. She rode like a dream. Very comfortable, great handling and never missed a beat… well almost (I’ll tell you about that when the time comes).

Annoyingly, before we set off I noticed that I was missing a bolt from the back of my seat. Not a huge problem and nothing to stop the trip but it was something I needed to get sorted when I had the chance.

We left the farm around 7:45am and before even making it to the end of the road, I had to put my bike on reserve. Not a great start but fuel is usually the first stop before a big trip anyway so we figured it was no big deal.

We followed Google Maps assuming we would find a stop along the way… 40 kilometres and eight white knuckles later, we finally found a petrol station. We decided that experiencing that amount of anxiety so early into our trip was just silly, so seeing as my bike does around 100 kilometres less in fuel than Mitch’s, we bought a jerry can to avoid there ever being a ‘next time’.

After stopping for a coffee, we crossed the border on the Lewiston-Queenston bridge. There was a bit of a wait because we were sent to secondary to activate our tourist visas. The border patrol officer who helped us was a really nice guy, he was a fellow biker so was really interested in our trip and the bikes. I love how the motorcycle community really brings people together no matter where you are, it’s great to get support when you’re doing something big. Although I did have to tell him off for calling my bike small!

With us now legally in the US we rode off shouting into our headsets U-S-A!!!! Within twenty minutes of riding we had two people give us thumbs up and two people tell us to ride safe and have fun. Whenever I’ve gone to the US, the people have always been so kind and friendly to us. Also there was no tailgating or speeding which if you read my last post, is a real bugbear of mine here in Ontario. Sorry Canadians of Ontario, I love you guys but not so much on the road!

We had a quick stop at Devil’s Hole, for some photos and to hydrate. It had gotten really hot so we didn’t stop for too long. When we pulled over we had a couple of people approach us to ask about the motorbikes and our trip. The motorbikes are a great conversation starter and we get to meet people who are genuinely interested about our travels.

The next stop was at a service station for a Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts because you know, we were in the US after all!

After a long day’s ride with a total of 418 kms and 7 hours and 15 minutes in the saddle, we were relieved to arrive at our first stay at Cheerful Valley camp.

The owner of the camp site definitely lived up to the cheerful name. She greeted us so warmly and was very helpful with getting us checked in, she even delivered our fire wood to our tent with her golf buggy. Our camping spot was a beautiful, quiet area under a willow tree with a stream running just behind it. It was so peaceful and pretty.

We set up our tent for the first time and let me tell you, it was the most stressful part of the entire day. We did it whilst bickering in hushed voices so as not to disturb our neighbours and then unpacked our bikes in heavy silence. If anyone is questioning their relationship or thinking about getting married, here is a great bit of advice for you; set up a tent with your partner and see if you still like them afterwards.

Both feeling a bit stressed and tired out our mood was quickly lifted by these two hilarious little girls. They approached me with a bucket each to ask where they could find bugs, specifically worms. I opened my mouth to answer but before anything could come out one of them demanded, “Are you going to kidnap us?” I laughed and replied “Abolutely not” to which she said to her friend “See I told you. Mum said they might kidnap us so to leave them alone but they’re not going to!” I awkwardly laughed and then saw the Mum across from us hiding in her hands and shaking her head. Poor mum, kids really know how to drop you in it don’t they?

After disappointing the girls by explaining that worms live underground and you wouldn’t be able to find them without digging, I returned to our camp and started dinner. We had our first of many packets of super noodles, a cup of tea and headed to bed.

I am at my happiest when exploring the world on my motorbike, it’s a true passion of mine. That night I wrapped myself in my sleeping bag feeling very happy and excited for what was to come. Barely able to keep our eyes open, we made a rough plan for the next day then drifted off to the peaceful but unfortunate sound of rain.

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