On the one hand we have the Mods...

After you run out of triple digit roads, this is what you find.

...and on the other, the Rockies, errr... the Rockers...

In 1965, I was a boy of ten, living in the Edmonton community of Wellington and prior to that, Kensington... which in itself may have led one to believe there was some Jolly Old influence.*



The Beatles, the Stones, the Who...the Byrd's, were revolutionizing music, and in fact the world was changing and fast.  Rockers rode bikes from cafe to cafe, trying to break the 'Ton' without breaking the engine. (which often happened) while the Mods emulated the new order on their Vespa's and Lambretta's.



I was still several years away from having my very first bike, a Honda S (for Super or Sport) 90 but I was already hooked!  I'd ride my (pedal) bike to Klatt's HD off 95th street, Alberta Cycle on 118th and when I could get there, United Cycle on White Avenue.

I've elaborated in this blog previously  Kelly, my teenage neighbor fantasy girlfriend, whose boyfriend rode a CB 160 Honda with the mufflers hack sawed off at the header.  He was the "Arthur Fonzerelli" before there was an Arthur Fonzerelli.

How can a young boy, whose hormones were already bubbling if not raging not have a fantasy that included girls, British bikes and was riding on rural roads pushing my BSA to the Ton?

Fast forward 50 some years.

Triumph

Where has the time gone eh?  After decades in the M/C business and having ridden everything from 50's to Rocket Threes... I have in my living room  two vintage Passport step through scooters and and in my garage a SYM 300.  Sure I also have a vintage BSA and a more modern but still retro Triumph Thunderbird.

Hormones if not exactly raging are still quietly idling along with the occasional burst of WFO!

Okay, this is not a blog about sex, but it's very interesting that riding pushes many of the same buttons.  Go on, try to ignore it, it can't be done.

Sad.

It rained all night, I been listening to the rain which has been falling for more than 24 hours now.  Not much chance of riding off into the sunrise at this rate.



Last weekend I managed a quick trip on what should have been to sunny and warm days.  The forecast had called for 18C Saturday and 20 Sunday but under blue skies all the way from Saint John back to the Island.  I haven't had much opportunity to see William, Rick and Lisa with the various issues going on in my life but this weekend posed an opportunity.

When was the last time you've had to stop for a train, think about it?

I've been having problems with my right hip, bursitis I was recently told, so I chose my SYM 300 Citicom.  This Taiwanese scooter has the best weather protection of all my bikes and that includes the V Strom.  The windshield is close, there are guards for the hands and legs and lots of storage room even though I was traveling light.  Being a cross between a regular scooter and a motorcycle and the coolish riding at highway speeds it was a logical choice. Besides, I didn't plan on riding the entire trip on the THC... once past Moncton NB, I could begin riding the paved but rural country lanes and roads, which is exactly what I did.

Pretty as a picture...

No idea where I am??

I peeled off the main drag after a fruitless search to find my way around construction sites in the City to Motoplex (wanted to look at a BMW 800 there) and headed for the 'old road' up an along the ridge.  This route used to be the main cross Canada highway when I first traveled here in the mid seventies.  Lined with Motels, and gas stations then, it has mostly reverted to woods, the many Motels long gone into history.



Before long I was in quiet back country keeping my speed under 100kph, consistent with the rough quality of the pavement which see's little improvement now that it has been surpassed by the multi lane TCH.  The advantage of riding the old highway was less traffic and the many small towns along the route.

Riding the rural Maritime provinces, is a real sweet treat.  Case in point... riding to Lisa's place in St John (Rothesay) can be a 3 hour ride, or it could be a 6 (or more) hour ride.  Your choice.

Old Honda... older  BSA

I can ride to Cape Breton in an afternoon, Peggy's Cove 3 hours direct, Lunenburg 4 hours or 8, just choose the route you most like.

There are thousands of kilometers of coast, even some remnants of mountains (the Appalachians)


My GPS girl was having a fit trying her best to send me back to the highway.

Her exasperation's were pretty obvious to me, as she kept telling me to...

'Turn right, then turn right' or ' Turn around when possible'


Late in the afternoon I pulled off at the junction of ... but that's another story... :)

* Lots of early Brit settlement here.