2011-06-18 The Icehouse Smoothie ride

I'd arranged with Trevor to be in Burlington at Guelph Line and the QEW where he was meeting John to pickup the 2002 KLR that he'd just purchased, although I was there to get a used Corbin "No-dip" saddle for my KLR.

John helps Trevor load the bike while Christian supervises.

Richmond Hill - Burlington - Appleby Line - Cheltanham Badlands - Forks of the Credit - Gravel sideroads and home.

The Corbin "No-dip" saddle. I now tippey toe on the bike. 

I'd bought it online off of Trevor ages ago, but as he was in Tillsonburg Ontario, I just never found the time to collect it, and when John and Sarah found out that I was riding out to collect it, they invited themselves along for the ride, although they were late getting up and met me in Campbellville at the Icehouse restaurant.

Let me tell you, if you were forced to live on one side of the city or the other, Halton is a great, hilly place to be with twisty roads, gravel and some great food.

The Icehouse Restaurant, a popular bike spot out at Guelph Line and the 401.

We left the Icehouse and headed south to Appleby line and climbed the escarpment, then back down the south side of it. Sarah was a bit concerned about that inside lane tight hairpin down the south side, but enjoyed the experience. I hope I can convince them to do some riding in Pennsylvania with me this summer or fall, where there is plenty more of that.

Passing a large charity ride on Guelph Line

 So the concept now was to head north through Lowville and end up at the Cheltenham Badlands just south of Belfountain on Olde Baseline Road East off of Mississauga Road. I used Google Maps to create a fun route, then GPSVisualizer to load it as a track onto my Garmin 60Cx GPS, so all I did was follow the blue line. It's so much easier than allowing that foolish auto-routing tool to take you off on Adventures By Garmin™.

The Acton Quarry

John and Sarah. Hot hot and wondering why I did a U-Turn to get this shot.

Mississauga Road looking north.

Boston Mills

I haven't lost them yet, must try harder!

The Cheltenham Badlands

Same place, Blackberry shot so I can compare. What do you think?

Alberta? Nope right here in Ontario. Two of my very special friends, John and Sarah. Thanks for a great ride guys!

I was quite happy until Sarah pointed out no motorized vehicles allowed. :(

Everyone needs some loving. 

It's a popular stop today.

1983 GPZ 550

Some of us use ice cream to recharge our engines in Belfountain, other's use Gatorade.

An older BMW, but still out and about. What is this one?

More and more bikes cycle through the parking lot. The shade under the trees is popular today.

Can she make it  on the hairpin at the Forks of the Credit?

There she is!

Sarah's first time at the Forks of the Credit

In the fall this is so beautiful.

John and Sarah were heading North through Hockely Valley and home, but my destination lay further south in Richmond Hill, so I turned off on Escarpment Road, a fun hilly gravel sideroad that goes on for a fair distance south of Highway 9, and I caught up and passed a Yamaha FJR riding two up on the gravel. He was pretty capable on that bike and maintained a good speed.

The view from up here looking South-south-east.

Here they are catching up and passing me while I played at Paparazzi. 

The road gets hemmed in by the trees, and I am loving the shadows now and then.

So I was practicing a different cornering technique today, to tip the bike in but stay high in the saddle upright while throttle steering around the corner. It feels weird, but I'd slightly better control with it. I'll play around some more and see what happens. As always, I was saying "Get your head up!" to prevent myself from looking at the ground as I tend to do when off road or in some rough and hairy gravel situations. If I get my eyes up and look through the hazard, over it. I tend to ride right through it in the path I want as opposed to the path the bike wants to go because I hit three potholes and never saw them because my eyes were looking at the one twenty metres back. I try to challenge myself each time I'm out. Sometimes it can be a challenge just starting the bike. ;)

Now we're talking, lane and a half gravel road heading god know's where, but in the correct general direction. The KLR was owning these roads!

I have to stop and take pictures of rivers and creeks. I'm OCD that way. :)

Notice how neatly groomed they keep the golf green as compared to the other side of the fence?

The fun begins just a wee bit down the road.

Suzi is happy to see me!

But her ball suddenly becomes much more interesting. :(

I'll see you out there again, have fun and keep the rubber side down.