2008 Lake Superior Loop: Days 1 & 2 - Grand Rapids to Toronto

My dad was gracious enough to let me borrow his cycle for my trip, despite the disaster that took place last time I used it last summer. The Great Saddlebag Fire of 2007 (never forget!). I'll spare everyone the suspense and happily report that a similar catastrophe did NOT take place this time.

His larger bike (an 1100cc vs. my 535cc) would give me more room to pack gear, a longer fuel range, and some extra power to sustain longer highway-speed jaunts. I spent several hours perfecting a packing system. Fitting ten days worth of clothing, camping supplies and a fly rod took some creativity, but I felt confident in the set up and what I decided to pack. The only thing I was missing was a paid of waterproof riding gloves that weren't delivered in time for my departure.

After saying goodbye to Laura, again, at about 9:00 Thursday morning, I headed east to Toronto. This was the most boring ride of my life. 350+ miles of nothing but flat, straight superslab. With the exception of a bomb threat and subsequent two-mile backup at the border crossing and trying to navigate Toronto rush hour traffic after having my map blow away on the freeway, the day was uneventful.

After arriving in Toronto, I linked up with my parents and we headed over to the groom's parents' house. We were treated to Helen's famous Greek cooking and hospitality. Unfortunately, I was lame and fell asleep while the rest of the guys were out at the bachelor party.

Saturday was the wedding and I regrouped with friends that I hadn't seen in over ten years. I was young when we lived there, but they were great years. We developed a close group of friends, experienced Toronto's world class city life, and spent a lot of time in Ontario's outdoors. Memories quickly rushed back after seeing the familiar faces from my past life.