Guy
Boutin's Motorcycle Touring and Travel Pages
Adventures in Sport
Touring with the Honda ST 1100, 1300 and the BMW 1200RT
Exploring North America...One Road
at a Time
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Guy
Boutin's Motorcycle Touring and Travel Pages
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Day 4 It was a quiet night. I slept in the bed next to the snoreless John Cooper. A good choice when it comes to room mates. Neat, orderly, laptop you can borrow, and the joker sleeps without a whimper. We are taking the train to Agawa Canyon today, there will be no riding, and I was thankful. All of a sudden my once comfortable stock ST seat, is giving me a stiff butt. It has never bothered me before. The only thing different is the extra 15 lbs I picked up this year. I was plagued with lower leg problems for 9 months the past year, and was unable to run my customary 3 daily miles, but I kept right on eating like I was. The extra weight has really dragged me down this summer. The good news is the problem has cleared up, and I was back to running/walking soon after returning from California, and hope to trim back down before Xmas, but for now I'm paying the price of over indulgence. Coop says we have to be at the train station around 8am, not a problem, it is located across the street from the motel. Still full from supper, I skipped breakfast, but I did come down and drink a glass of juice with the others. Coop and I went over and picked up our train tickets, and took our seats on car number 4. I had the window seat. It was another cloudy day. Its been a long time since I rode a train, over 40 years at least, so the train ride was fun. It is a 3 hour ride through the woods, past the lakes, rivers to the canyon. We crossed a couple of high trestles, and cameras snapped everywhere. I had brunch in the diner with JerryR and Coop as we clicked clacked through the forest, train rides have a soothing sound to them. After thousands of miles of bike touring, it felt odd to be able to watch the scenery without worrying about what was in front of you. The train ride was a good way to have a lengthy conversation. Talking on a bike is kind of hard to do. We arrived at the canyon around lunch time and disembarked on foot. We spent 90 minutes or so enjoying the landscape. I followed the others to the scenic overlook at the top of the canyon wall. Several hundred feet, and hundreds of stairs wind their way along the edge. It was a helluva climb. I found myself sweating profusely as I worked my way to the top, the extra weight was really killing me now. I climbed more stairs then on fire department exercise or drill. The view at the top was worth the climb. The overlook allows you to witness the slow moving water as it leaves the canyon for the surrounding wilderness. The area is green and full, and I tried to picture what it must be like here in the fall. I forgot my camera in the room, and as a result I don't have any pictures of the canyon. I blame it on Coop for rushing me. I followed Mark and Brenda to the other landmarks of Agawa Canyon. Thankfully, none required anymore stair climbing. I checked the 2 waterfalls in the area, and when we left the second one it was time to head back to the train. The whistle blew and it was "all aboard!!" I asked Mark what happens if some joker gets left behind, he said, "he just waits for the train to come back the next day." The canyon is in a very remote place, and I didn't notice any highways going in or out. Back on the train we dined on deli sandwiches courtesy of Marcus and Brenda. I propped against the window, and watched the endless sprawl of trees roll by. They had a hypnotizing effect on me and my eyes grew heavy. I dozed off for about 30 minutes, and the power nap felt good. We returned to the station about 4pm and walked back to the motel. Now, seemed like a good time to work on my PIAA lights. Coop and I took the seat and panels off and go to work. With the wiring exposed I found a crimped wire near the relay. The bind seems to have worn a bare spot after all these miles but we don't know for sure without a tester. I have power to the switch, but the guys tell me that doesn't necessarily mean everything is ok. Without the needed tools, we are not going to be able to make fix. I will check again when we get to Wawa. Supper was a excellent Italian restaurant a few miles from the motel. I had the chicken parma. The whole gang was there and it was a lot of fun. I was disappointed Rob Hart had to return to Toronto this morning. It took a while to calm down after the wild taxi ride back to the motel, so I got on Coops laptop and caught up on things. Thirty minutes later it was lights out. I was glad to be off the bike today, and I'm looking forward to touring the area with the group tomorrow.
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