Road Warriors - Day 28

Day 28. Friday, August 13, 2010. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. Miles: 250. Total Trip Miles: 7,051.

This is Paul, from Vancouver, BC. He is riding his 1980 Honda CB 750-F to the east coast of Canada. I first meet Paul at a Husky gas station in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. We meet up again, two days later, at a Shell gas station in Winnipeg, Manitoba; and again at a Husky gas station in Nipigon, Ontario. Paul is camping in Provincial Parks and I tell him about the KOA campgrounds; he decides to try out the KOA in Sault Ste. Marie and gets a campsite next to mine. This proves to be a very wise decision.

In the morning, Paul’s motorcycle won’t start. I explain how we can push-start his bike and, after a couple of attempts--success! (Alright, I know some of you may be wondering, how would I know how to push-start a motorcycle? And the answer is that I learned a thing or two about push-starts, manual transmissions, and “popping the clutch” on an old, rusted-out, battery-won’t-hold-a-charge pickup truck during my misspent youth in Alaska.)

Paul and I ride into downtown Sault Ste. Marie for gas and breakfast; we find both at a Husky station. As luck and circumstance would have it, there is a Honda car dealership, right next door. After breakfast, we take Paul’s bike over to the Service Department at Great Lakes Honda.

Paul tells me I can go on without him while he gets his bike tended to, but I don’t feel right about taking off and leaving a fellow biker stranded. I tell Paul that I will wait with him until he finds out what is the problem with his bike, and if it is fixable. I hope someone would do the same for me if I had a mechanical breakdown in an unfamiliar city/country.

The service was super-fast and everyone we spoke with was so friendly and helpful. Honda Super-Mechanic, Bob, made the necessary repairs and had Paul’s bike ready in about an hour.


Despite our late start, we rode 250 miles to Sturgeon Falls, Ontario; found a private campground behind the Sunshine Motel and then rode into town for a stop at the LCBO (Liquor Control Board Ontario?) to purchase some Alexander Keith’s beer. Nothing beats cold beer at the end of a long (or short), hot, day of riding. Cheers!

Sunset at Sturgeon Falls campground.