Mackinaw City, Michigan 2012

Mackinaw City at O’Reilly’s pub and I definitely need this beer after a long day of riding, first how’bout I finish the details of last night in Ottawa? I thought it might be an early night since I finally had dinner around 10:00 and finished my story for the night, but just about the time you figure it’ll be an early night, bar time sneaks up on you. After I finished getting my pictures of Mary, Louis, Emily and Kevin at the Keg, I took my laptop back to the hostel so I could party the night away without carrying it around and worrying about losing it. I did contemplate calling it a night after the beers and drinks I did have at the Keg, but I figured I better see what the other bars had to offer and again as in years past, a pretty busy place. Some of the bars weren’t as full as they normally are and I guess they tell me it was because of the blues fest which was in town. One of these days when I go through Ottawa I’ll have to check what they have going on for the weekend so I might be able to join the party. Well, I guess I had to start a party of my own, or at least introduce myself to a group partying it up at the local brew house that I did have a good time before moving on to the next bar and seeing what I could scare up. I figured I’d hit some of the bars on the way back to the hostel that I visited a number of them one of them the Irish pub I’ve been to a number of times and I think I may have taught the bartender a new drink. I order a Black and Blue and he had no idea what it was until I told him it was Guinness and Labatt’s Blue. Well according to him, the Canadians refer to that as a half and half. I did move upstairs for the live band and no cover that I partied it up there before they kicked us out. Again, the thoughts about an early night definitely slipped away quickly so we’ll have to see what kind of early start I get because I know it’ll be a long ride.

The night was different in a room of 4 beds with 3 other guys, but no different than the nights I was normally in a room of 6 and I did forget to get the story about what happens in the coed rooms. I did ask on my way to bed, but whatever it is, they weren’t talking at the front desk. Because I was the last to get in, or at least was only there for a night compared to the others in the room who had already been there, I got a top bunk which is really easy for me to get in and out. It was a good thing I made it before heading out for the night cuz otherwise I would’ve just slept been sleeping on a mattress without much other comfort and after a day of riding a good night of sleep always helps. This morning didn’t turn out to be an early start either. It’s one of those things when you wake up in the morning and know that it’s earlier than you’d otherwise get up and have to use the bathroom, but am on the top bunk in a room of guys that you don’t know and have a tough time getting in and out of the bunk that I just laid there for a bit until the guy under me got up that I figured it was a good time for me to crawl out. I did check the time and it was only 7 that I figured I could sleep for another hour and still get a good start. Well, guess you really fell asleep and didn’t get up an hour later, you got it, it was more like an hour and a half that I still had some packing to do and showering before hitting the road. 

I eventually got going about 10:00 and needed gas as soon as I could find a place since my travels to the hostel warned me that I’m almost out of gas only to find that Ottawa is no different than other large towns that gas close to downtown is really hard to find. By the time I got out of town and took an exit that showed it had gas, it’s surprising how far you still have to drive before you find the gas. I guess I didn’t have to worry because that early wasn’t the time for me to run out of gas and I can’t say that I should’ve learned my lesson so many other times not to run out, but I do have a story about that after all. 

I did manage a donut and Mt Dew for a little something for the long ride ahead and thanks to the phone map it let me know I have about a 12 hour ride ahead of me. Now it being me and I like getting places fast, I figured I better hit it hard, but it turns out to be so hard to do on these Canadian Transcontinental highways because they are just the 2 lane versions and not interstates like the states. There is nothing worse than having to deal with speeds up and down and waiting for the passing last to make a move, but I guess I really don’t have much of a choice. It is a beautiful ride, but I’d still rather have 4 lanes instead of 2. It started out a bit cool that I needed the light jacket for the morning part of the ride and that should’ve meant I’ll take it off for the next gas stop since things are heating up, but I didn’t quite make the gas stop. I forgot about some of these long wilderness stretches and my luck was I was on one when I noticed the gas getting low. The only problem is you can’t go back that all I could do is trek on and hope for the best, but ended up on hill short. Yep, outta gas on the side of the road and all I can do is hope some one will stop and stop soon. Fortunately for me, there was a couple on a bike that I had passed awhile back coming by that they stopped to see if I was ok to find out that I was out of gas. Well, they told me to hold on and they’d be right back with some gas since they had to stop for some themselves that I just sat and waited. I was very fortunate Jacque and his wife stopped and he was back with a couple of liters of gas to get me to the gas station and it was only another hill away of being able coast in when I ran out. Jacque wouldn’t take any money for the gas and he said he’s had American’s be so friendly and help him out that he said you can tell your friends how friendly and helpful the Canadians are and if you’ve read any of my other travel stories, you know I have many about the friendly helpful Canadians, Aye?

Back on the road with more of the speed variance waiting for a passing lane and now I have the damn cruise control on my bike not working...sometimes. It seems once these bikes get a few miles on em, they just seem to fall apart, but then again, cruise control on a bike isn’t normal. Once I do get it engage at the speed I’ve been trying to run it’s back on the brakes for the slower traffic and that wished it was sooner passing lane. Ok, I know if I’m going to make this kind of trip I don’t get to bitch, but I don’t have a passenger for this trip who’d be doing that for me. The one thing I did forget to do today was get something to eat other than the donut, but I had places to be and wanted to get hear as quick as I could. The rest of the trip was uneventful, no more running out of gas, thank God, that I did make the border only to have to wait in line for over an hour before making the gate and it was much easier for me getting back into the states than what Canada almost turned out to be the night before. Once I did make it across, I ran into the Canadian chicks in the car in front of me and they asked me why the guys on bikes in front of them went individually instead of together, only for me to tell’em that’s how you do it. Nothing more than a little chit chat, but you know what I’ve always said about those Canadian women...willing...ok, you go the picture. 

Once across the border and it’s a quick trip to Mackinaw City that I really need a shower, food and beer and not necessarily in that order and oh can someone throw in a back rub? Ok, maybe I’ll have to find that myself. Well the dive motel I normal stay at is closed this year and up for sale that I had to find another motel and found the Econolodge to be much more of a pit which made the other hotel seem world class in comparison and for $75 to boot. I guess now that I’ve had my shower, which made me feel like a new man, dinner next door which was just what I was looking for, fried chicken a beer in front of me and more partying to do tonight, it might not be too bad so stay tune and I’ll fill you in when this adventure comes to an end tomorrow. Oh yeah, and that I met this chick Heather at the bar on the way through. She thought it’d be a good addition to my story even though she’s the married bartender helping me with drinks tonight, and right now I could still use that back rub. The other thing about Heather is she set me straight on what a half and half were. Remember my night in Ottawa and the bartender telling me that a Guinness and Labatt’s was a half and half, well, since Heather has worked in many Irish pubs, according to her that is a black and blue and a Guinness and Smithwick’s is the half and half. I guess there is a difference in name when it comes to what you call a mix with Guinness no matter whether from 

Canada or the States. All I know is they are pretty good drinks in my book.