At the end of some horse shows, all the horses are ridden into the arena and lined up. The winners are presented with their spoils, then the blue ribbon horse gallops around the exterior of the ring. Being that horses are herd animals, this causes a ruckus and all other horses follow suit. Since the horse doesn't know winning from losing, all give a spirited go at the gallop part. Some even add a nice buck for good measure. As the riders all depart the lodge 2, this same excitement is in the air. Bruce has iced his ankle all night long, but remains to be seen if he will ride out of the lodge today. There might not be enough flexion to get the foot into the boot. But he too wants to follow the herd, and with one final push the foot is in the boot and we are off!
For the second time in the trip, the track today has was altered dramatically from its' creation. The day 1 hero section was omitted, after it appeared a tornado downed a large quantity of trees. Someone attempted to cleared the first KM, but even they gave up. A few other riders ventured about 4 more KMs, then quietly retreated to the main course. Today, we were suppose to head due south out on a Skidoo trail. Apparently, the trail is mostly suited to a pontoon boat as it was a muddy quagmire. Deemed pretty much unridable, the Rallymaster changed the final day to this map.
For the second time in the trip, the track today has was altered dramatically from its' creation. The day 1 hero section was omitted, after it appeared a tornado downed a large quantity of trees. Someone attempted to cleared the first KM, but even they gave up. A few other riders ventured about 4 more KMs, then quietly retreated to the main course. Today, we were suppose to head due south out on a Skidoo trail. Apparently, the trail is mostly suited to a pontoon boat as it was a muddy quagmire. Deemed pretty much unridable, the Rallymaster changed the final day to this map.

The track today is 85KMs of high speed gravel out of the lodge. Followed by tarmac into Mont Laurier. From there, we will ride day 1 track 1 in reverse back to Ottawa. As we stop for gas in Mont Laurier, the ER is right across the street. However, Bruce is not wanting to take part in meeting new friends there. Instead, we decide to cut out the second track and just tarmac back to the truck. So we end riding all of track 1 (113 miles) which is about half of the 235mi total. And even though the trails always look different when you reverse the direction, I am happy to know that we at least got to ride it once.
We once attended a training class with Jimmy Lewis. He advised that you should never hit anything larger than your fist at speed, lest you risk rim/tire damage. I think the last 1000 miles, I did nothing but apparently aim for potholes and rocks. Yet, somehow, the bikes look remarkably unscathed.
Yet, we make a decision that we should forgo the last section of trail and opt for a nice smooth ride home. Our decision to ride the road home was perhaps not a sound one. We thought that it might be actually smoother, but what we found out was that the trail might have been a better option.
We once attended a training class with Jimmy Lewis. He advised that you should never hit anything larger than your fist at speed, lest you risk rim/tire damage. I think the last 1000 miles, I did nothing but apparently aim for potholes and rocks. Yet, somehow, the bikes look remarkably unscathed.
Yet, we make a decision that we should forgo the last section of trail and opt for a nice smooth ride home. Our decision to ride the road home was perhaps not a sound one. We thought that it might be actually smoother, but what we found out was that the trail might have been a better option.
A well-lived life will require a bit of orthopedic intervention. The x-ray shows some previous evidence of that motorcycles are dangerous. Not be be deterred, its' now got 2 new "friends" to bond with. The 2 new breaks will soon have some Titanium also. I swear, the cremation box is going to be worth a fortune in Titanium alone.
I am person rooted in measurable, repeatable data. To that end, I will monitor his improvement using this chart:
Ending this journey as we end every journey, its' time to think about what the next bucket list ride might be. I am not sure if anyone noticed the paper place mats at dinner. They were a the local Skidoo trails. Anyhow, below is the entire 33,000 KMs of the Skidoo trail system. Granted, a good portion will not be suitable for any bike, let alone big bikes, but it does give some boundless inspiration for future rides.
In closing, I'd like to point out that even with just one good foot, the Rallymaster was not the first into the lodges. The gauntlet has been thrown down and the threat to add another 100KMs to the already ridiculously long rides to give the Rallymaster some more time "to reel us in" has been noted :-)
In closing, I'd like to point out that even with just one good foot, the Rallymaster was not the first into the lodges. The gauntlet has been thrown down and the threat to add another 100KMs to the already ridiculously long rides to give the Rallymaster some more time "to reel us in" has been noted :-)