Monday 28 June 2010

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud!

We had some problems on day 5.

First my GPS / Sat Nav stopped working. Many weeks of planning and entering the details into the sat nav system were wasted in an instant. Luckily, Paul has an identical Sat Nav, so this morning we transferred in route info to his device and he was able to lead me on my chosen path. Thanks Paul. I have contact Garmin to see how they intend to deal with this problem.

Second, England lost in the football World Cup to Germany. Let’s not say any more about this! We crossed the border into Canada and back again very easily to find a bar called Dooleys to watch the game. Here are pictures of Paul waiting to cross into Canada, me outside Doolwys and then the USA border....

























































Third, I lost a set of keys for my bike. This is not a problem as I have a spare set with me, but it was very annoying. I will ask my local dealer, Warr’s to mail me a new set.

Fourth, had an off road adventure on some dirt tracks and then a very rough and wet and muddy dirt track!! Let me explain....

We left Calais in Maine and headed east and then south. Not far into the journey, near a place called Pembroke is a place called Reversing Falls. This is a tidal phenomenon where the incoming tide gets pushed between islands and forces a river to flow the wrong way – uphill. The tide then turns and the flow reverses in dramatic fashion with lots of water flowing quickly through the space between the islands. To get to see this you have to ride 3.5 miles on a dirt road. This was no problem because we took it slow and there wasn’t too much loose stuff and it was only rough in a couple of spots.

We went and saw the reversing falls, took photos, admired the view etc

As we rode back to the main road the GPS Sat Nav system directed us back via a different dirt road which we started down. This road soon turned into a track which very soon went from bad to worse with steep sections, overgrown parts and dips that were filled with puddles. Not too bad, but then it got worse – much worse. The track was so narrow we couldn’t turn the bikes around so we carried on. This was getting serious – this was track that many would think twice about taking a dirt bike down and we were on full cruisers loaded with all of our gear! Paul led and got through relatively unscathed. I didn’t. Nearing the end of the track, there was a huge puddle about a foot deep. Paul had got through OK, so I went for it, but I hit an underwater hole and the front wheel dug in, so down went my feet. Trouble was, my feet went down in about 12-15 inches of the softest mud I have ever seen. The bike was stuck. The exhaust pipes were underwater but I managed to keep the engine running and managed to get out with a lot of revs, to find Paul around the corner laughing like there was no tomorrow!

I was soaked and the bike was covered in mud. My boots were full of sticky mud and after riding a short way hoping it would all dry out, it was obvious I had to stop and get changed.

Here are some photos to show you what it was like......

Paul on the first dirt road. Easy......




























Me after riding through the mud....























Emptying my boots....






















My poor bike....


























































Me washing my clothes in a lake to get rid of the mud....

11 comments:

Farmer Jim said...

It couldn't have been that bad...your white walls are still white. lol

biker baby said...

So...You haven't stopped playing in the mud yet? Oh well...that's what they make spray wash's for. It will be a memory that will always bring a smile to your face.

We took a weekend ride out to IA over Memorial Day weekend. after riding along the river, our windshields were covered with bugs. When we stopped for gas, I told Rich that between the two of us, we had enough bugs to make soup. The guy at the next pump looked at me like I was nuts. I think he believed I really wanted to make bug soup.

Unknown said...

Gary:

glad this wasn't your RED bike, so it's ok 'cause it's an adventure. You should have gotten a dual sport bike if you insist on dirt or no roads.

I liked the idea of washing your clothes. This way you only need one or two t-shirts. and if you find a very secluded lake somewhere, you could wash everything and wait in the sun to dry

bob
Wet Coast Scootin

ps: we have one of the largest inland fresh water tidal pools here, Pitt Lake. the river direction changes back and forth depending upon the tides.

FLHX_Dave said...

That's what I wanna' see! Road whoring at it's best. One thing I know about romping countryside is no plan goes as planned. All part of the glorious adventure.

Yeah, that last time I dumped my bike it was on a muddy road sorta under the same circumstances you described.

Thanks!

Axel said...

Well, enjoy cleaning your Hollywood ladies... although they still look better then this poor creature AHD is planing to help :)

Geoff James said...

It could have been worse.... Local newspaper headlines "Englishman arrested for indecent exposure in a public place" :-)

682202 said...

It can only get better from here.

SonjaM said...

Well, I guess the adventure begins when things happen that you don't expect. And you call THAT dirty? This is what my bike looks like when its clean ;-) I hope your ladies don't mind a little mud wrestling.

Gary France said...

Jimmy – LOL

BB – It was bad at the time –very bad, but we laughed about it almost straight away. I imagine that will stick with us for many years to come. I like the story about the bug soup – I will try to use it during my travels.

Bob – I think I would have cried if it had been my red bike. I had no choice but to wash those clothes and especially my boots in the lake just to get rid of the mud. Waiting in the sun will be a good thing, but not in the mists we have had in Maine for the past few days. Seeing tidal changes has been very interesting.

Dave – Our plans have got changed just about every day – great fun doing things as you want, not as you planned them. The trouble with mud on the bike is on the engine it gets into all of the nooks and crannies and then gets baked on with the heat. I washed 90% of the mud off in an hour, but the next 10% will take a very long time to get off.

Axel – I will take care of them and use only the best soap!

Geoff – that wouldn’t have been good!

Gordon – Apart from the mud, it has been very good already.

Sonja – No, they are far too refined for mud wrestling! You are right about the adventure – the things that are un-expected are what really makes it.

Jackie Blue 999 said...

A little note to my Hubby... :-)

I am so pleased to see that you are having a good time on your adventure. I am very proud of you and all that you have accomplished. My wish for you is that this trip helps you to fulfil a young man’s dream. Be safe Darling... Kz.......... "J", your little Wifette

Gary France said...

Thanks for your note Hun. So far the trip is meeting all my expectations! Kz. G