Trip retrospect.

This trip was an experience of a lifetime. Denise and I enjoyed it so much, we could just have kept going. We missed the kids and couldn't wait to see them both. This trip was a test to see if we could live on the road for 2 weeks, and I must say it was fantastic. We both can (and will in the future) longer and more extensive trips.

As for the gear we picked prior to the trip, we were spot on with our choices. We had everything we needed and never during the whole trip did we miss anything that we should have packed. Our camping gear worked great, and we took just the right amount of clothes. We always had clean clothes, and only did laundry once after a week. With the gear we had we would be able to do a much longer trip without taking any more gear.

We covered 4125km in 2 weeks. That was too much distance covered in too short a period. Next time we will do less distance in a 2 week period or try to have more time to do a trip of this length. We passed interesting places but did not have the time to deviate from our route and explore a bit more. We planned on doing the Cabot Trail in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, a must do for any motorcyclist, and just ran out of time. I guess that will have to wait for another day. We were 30 minutes away from Mount Washington in New Hampshire, and did not have the time to explore the area. I think in future doing 150km to 250km a day would be a more realistic goal and give us the freedom to explore more, and take some interesting side roads off the main route.

Camping. I am still in two minds about it. If the weather holds, it is always a great option. First off, you can save a lot of money on accommodation, and we both like the freedom of camping. Being outdoors in summer is also great. We both also find that you have a lot more privacy while camping. When you step out of your hotel or motel room, you are with other people. The only private space you have is in your room.

When the weather turns on you, camping can go pear shaped very quickly. Packing wet gear in the morning sucks big time. When your gear gets wet, you need good weather the next evening to give your tent some time to dry out. Camping is also time consuming. Getting a campsite is not always easy, and you can spend a lot of time driving around to find something suitable. The campsites are usually on the outskirts of town, and going into town and exploring and enjoying the night life is most of the time not practical. Packing up your gear in the morning also takes longer. On average it took us an hour longer in the morning before we could get going when we were camping.

On our trip we found that Ontario's accommodation is the most expensive. I personally think the most expensive in the whole of the American continent. So until we win the lottery, camping will always be in our future.

As for the bikes, they both performed excellently. The F650 was exceptional, on any kind of road. The KLR was great, seeing that it was loaded a lot heavier than the F650. The KLR had a bit of a hard time riding on the interstate highways. When it was revving high for and extended period of time it burned some oil. I knew this beforehand and took some motorcycle oil with, and topped it up when needed. Not a big deal.

Sharing the road with other vehicles. Drivers in the US are better than drivers in Canada, hands down. They stick to the speed limit, and generally are better, more relaxed, and more disciplined drivers.

Driving in Quebec is not as bad as everybody would like to tell you. Although Quebec drivers have a bit more aggressive driving style, they are generally better drivers and we did not have any issues with them. They kept their distance behind us, which is really important for a motorcyclist.

And then you get to Ontario, especially South Western Ontario. Here you have to be on the lookout for idiots all the time. They are always in a rush, aggressive and on their cell phones.

I have to agree with Herman's thoughts and wanted to add some of my own. I really loved the trip and Herman and I get along so well that most things we do together are fun. We have a balance where we allow each other to have our freedom even when we are doing things together, and it works for us.

Herman leads most of the time, mostly because he has the GPS, but in future we are hoping to get another GPS for my bike to switch this challenging role. It can ge difficult to check GPS and traffic and signs all in the middle of a busy Interstate, while taking care not to lose the bike following you, not to mention a little dangerous.

We would definitely do a blog (or website) again for our next trip. We would try to have more money as a buffer in case anything goes wrong.

Costs on this trip were what we budgeted and we were under on food and gas, we were over on accommodation, but overall we ended within $100 of our original budget - not bad for a first trip. We were spot on with "other", but this was mostly because of self control and limits on what you can take on a bike.

Accommodation was very interesting. We stayed in two really good motels - the Moose Creek Motel in New Hampshire, and the Skip Shipp Motel in New Brunswick. Their pricing was very similar. The three cheaper motels we stayed in, were what we expected and were adequate. The camp sites in New York State and Nova Scotia were much nicer than the site in Ontario, with more amenities. We stayed at the Coastal Inn in Dartmouth and that was a really great price and a good clean room with continental breakfast included and a small kitchenette in the room. They advertised a special rate if you stay at one of their other hotels in the Maritimes, but when we went to the next Coastal Inn in Fredericton, they did not know about this offer. In Port Hope we stayed at the Comfort Inn, which was the most expensive room we booked (we took a suite for our last night) and even though the room was great, the upholstery and carpet were more stained than the cheapest motel room we stayed in. Overall I can honestly say that the accommodations depend a lot on your own attitude.

It is really important to find someone you can trust and who has the same expectation from the journey as you. Try a few short trips before you pick a partner for a long trip where there is no escape. My riding partner is the best, but unfortunately not for rent or sale. Make sure you can ride your bike on all terrain for even just short distances. You will be challened with roads that you don't expect. I love my F650 and will recommend it for all types of terrain.