Day 6: Well, riding into a Tim Horton's about 3 hrs from the Saskatchewan border after being in the saddle for about 6hrs, I run into a fellow rider (Lorne) who is coming back from a trip through the US and Northern Ontario and he is heading back home to Saskatoon about 8 hrs away. I was planning on going through Sask. taking the trans Canada # 1, but after talking with Lorne, we decided to ride together through the Northern Route through Saskatoon. Well, we had a rough start as Lorne hit a patch of sand trying to enter the Highway...He took a good hit on his leg, and his bike needed some TLC for about 2 hrs. We had to repair a cut in his rad hose...Needless to say we patched his Yamaha FJR 1300cc bike up and rode on. Thanks Lorne for putting me up at your place, and I am great-full to you and your beautiful family you have there. Be safe and be well my friend.

Day 5: Rode for almost 7 hrs today.....The start switch on the bike is starting to go....hmmmmm.People at the campground are nice, Free Firewood!!! Not happy with my playlist today.....just as well, was hard focusing on the windy conditions and 2 hrs of rain.....had to stop and dry my feet off and wring out my socks....its ok, fresh boots with no socks did the trick :)   Pics to follow once I find a hotspot tomorrow.

Well, what a trip so far...the people I have met are amazing. After camping for the 3rd day, I stopped to take a few pictures at this place here which tells me all the rivers and streams from here on flow to the Arctic Ocean. Funny thing was about 45 mins before I seen a mother bear and her two cubs. I was afraid to stop and get off to take the pictures so I revved the Vstrom to about 8k RPM for a couple seconds to scare away anything around me......then 1 min later, this man (Rudy) appears out of the bush

Next thing I know, he offers me his home for as long as I like complete with an awesome breakfast and lunch the next day.  Then Rudy and I went hunting for a bear which I clubbed to death using my bam bam club :)  (Rudy had to take the bear down, as it was getting a little too close to his Grandchildren! )
I honed my IT skills fixing their tried and true computer, which I know they were very grateful....just as grateful as I was for running into Anna and Rudy's hospitality!! Rudy is one of the most innovative, well educated and spiritual man I have met and his sharp eye and mind is truly astonishing. I will miss them both, but reflecting on our experiences. Some random pics from the great adventure so far:

Peek a Boo, its Day 2!!

 Back Rest Designed by Me!!!

 What a Lunch Anna!!!

My girl doing a wheelie on the center stand!

I could almost fall asleep with the great tunes in my ear, Timmies Coffee in my water bottle, cruise control set to 115 and singing loudly at the countryside around me... (You know that feeling you get when one of your favorite songs comes on and nobody is around and you just let loose with the hips, head and arms swinging away to the beats???  Glad I have a dancing partner with me as I pitch the VStrom from side to side with the music in my ears!!!  People passing bye must think I am a nut case :) )

I wanted to Thank Kathy and Garth for the Spot Device and the Dry Pak as they have been both greatly needed. The Spot device is for peace of mind (and a great way to see me blip away across Canada and the USA. The Dry Pak came through as I get a little rain and a huge thunder storm on my 3rd night camping. Thanks Guys!!, your the best!)

I think I spotted me a Hatteras :)

Next Stop, Manitoba....

Day 1: Made it to Blind River in time to get my tent up and and then had a couple cold ones with Frank, owner of Riverside Tavern....Frank let me setup wherever I wanted on his river front Tavern...better pics in the morning :)

'Pit Crew'

Ready for the night at the Riverside!

Granite Everywhere!

My 'Pit Crew' Thanks guys for putting up with me every time I have to 'MacGyver' something on the VStrom to get it ready for my trip!

Setting Sun, Long Shadow...

Good night for now...I will try and do a write up on my 1st day later on when I have more time.....

The day is finally here.....barely any sleep as I was organizing and packing most of the night.

This will be my 'rough' route across Canada!

Time to load up the Vstrom and see how she handles all the extra weight!!

Here it is all dressed up and ready for the adventure!! As Garth and Kathy would say 'Happy Trails' :-)

So I spent Friday getting my Sheep Skin seat cover sewn up custom (Thanks to Lu and her mom!!) then all day Saturday putting on fresh brakes all around and cleaning the chain up....Getting closer to countdown! Got me a new Tank bag to hold my wallet/phone/keys and water for the trip, looks like a road warrior, no?

Link to Follow along on my current location (Thanks Garth and Kathy!)                                      Where am I now?

Well, where to start..... Having spent allot of time and effort getting my VStrom ready for the trip, I do believe that its finally ready for the long haul. the last thing I need to do is mount the custom 'highway pegs' on her and she is good to go. I will upload a picture when I am all loaded up for my trip in a couple weeks time.