Mackinaw City Michigan

At O’Reilly’s and the action is already in full swing, that is since having dinner and a few drinks that everyone is starting to get wild wondering why I’m working at this hour. Amanda with her name tag on her sleeve so she doesn’t forget her name because she keeps asking me why I’m working since it’s after midnight and to let you know just how drunk she must be, it’s only 10:50. Ok, just found out my mistake because although I headed far enough west as I thought to enter my central time zone, I’m back in Eastern time just here in Mackinaw City. I guess I’ll get my hour back tomorrow once I get home because although I’m having problems with my bike, which I’ll get to, it’s only about an 8 hour trip from here according to mapquest. Time to get this done so I can join the rest on the other side of the bar, but one thing I already miss, those Canadian women.

Ottawa city turned out to be a blast later at night and with bar time being after 3:00 it can get real crazy. I ended up at one of the other Irish pubs talking to a number of different people and one of them happened to be from Wausau Wisconsin about 45 minutes from where I grew up in Colby Wi. Anyway, he and some of the others were in Ottawa for a day of work so will be heading home tomorrow, but once on the company tab in a foreign city, it’s time to have fun. Don’r remember their names, but that’s not the point, it’s what a small world this is running into someone close to your hometown in a foreign country. Sure it’s just Canada, but remember Canada is foreign to most and Quebec even more foreign. The hostel stay was different since it was a jail cell with 6 beds, but I think I had enough beers to help me sleep well and someone from Ottawa was telling me last night that they have a deal that if you can sleep on the haunted 8th floor for a night by yourself, you get the night free. Apparently no one has been able to do it, but in a solitary confined cell that’s haunted I might even have a problem with that. I did ask on my way out this morning and was informed that they stop doing that a while ago. if only I would have asked when checking in, I might of been able to persuade them otherwise.

There was no problems sleeping last night and just to help out my cell mates, I did make sure to put a breathe rite strip on. For any who have read about some of the other hostels I’ve stayed at in the past, apparently I’ve pissed off a few with my drunken snoring. Well, this morning I did ask one of the other guys in the room, but he was from Quebec so didn’t understand english and for those wondering about that in Canada, Quebecian’s, if I can call them that, don’t speak english and everything in Quebec is French, not bi-lingual like the rest of Canada does for those Quebecian’s. In Quebec there’s no English signs, but the number of French signs in the rest of Canada I’m sure costs their government a cent or two, that and their national health care program. I could tell you more on that from what I heard from so many Canadians talking about it, but I don’t discuss politics and religion, it leads to to many arguments and wars.

I did feel a little uncomfortable once I woke up this morning in the cell crawling out of the top bunk and probably waking up a few, but hey, that’s part of what you get in a hostel. I did meet some of the other cellmates and they were from all over, one guy from Japan and another from Germany as well as the Quebecian I told you about and as for Brian you I met last night, he’s from Ottawa, but apparently his wife is pissed off at him that he’s staying in the hostel instead of heading home to her. It’s a longer story, but he just got back from Afghanistan and is dealing with some of that which has put him into rehab for becoming alcoholic.

Ok, now to the travels. No problems getting things packed and when all I have to pack is my cloths and put them on the bike, it makes things much easier than tearing down a tent and packing the sleeping bag and tent, besides I wouldn’t of been able to enjoy downtown Ottawa like I did. A quick shower and I was on the road earlier than most days, not as early as others, but for me, early and that’s so I can get to Mackinaw city before the day is done. Well, the roads in Canada aren’t the double lane freeways, so although they have a number of double lanes for the uphill sections which allowed me to get around the slower folks, there was a lot of passing, that is until I ran into problems with the bike. On my way to Sudbury with the idea to check out the rock formations so many have told me about, the bike wouldn’t go over 3000 rpm without sounding like it was going to die. That meant I could only do about 70 mph and when I see the signs marked for 90, i just want to open it up. Ok, 90 kph which is apparently close to 55 mph, but it did keep me from being able to hit it hard to pass vehicles in the passing zones. That meant I needed to find a Harley shop before it closed so that’s where I headed to in Sudbury. The mechanic was already working on an out of towner bike that wouldn’t have time to get to mine that I decided to call my personal mechanic at the St Croix shops and after going thru a number of things which included replacing the spark plugs, not luck trying to diagnose over the phone. The mechanic in Sudbury did take my bike for a test drive and he said although it’s having problems, there should no problems limping it home, which is just what I’m doing. As for the spark plug change, before pulling the old ones I bought a new pair for the mechanic to tell me I didn’t need them after all since the on the bike looked ok so I returned them only for find out from my St Croix connection that I should change them anyway, I’m sure the casher wasn’t that happy with me, but she seemed ok with it, maybe it was my smile or better yet, she’s one of those hot Canadian women.

Well, the rest of the trip was interesting getting here, but that’s only because I couldn’t open up like I’d like to make up some lost time, but I did make it while it was still light and a good thing too since all of the hotels/motels are either full or outrageously priced that tonight, I’m tenting it. Have the tent setup a couple of miles down the road that I’m here at O’Reilly’s to have some food and my sleep medicine. beers. That brings me to Klaus and Jordan amongst others around the bar that I’m talking to as well as Amanda about working in the bar. That’s part of how I get my story out here, writing while taking in the surroundings that it’s about time to sign off so I can do a little more partying before snoring myself to sleep.