For me the Roaming rally always starts the day the previous one ends. That is the day I first want to ask the one true question, "is it June yet?". Unfortunately we always need to wait several months until riding season starts winding down before we can plan for the next trip to Canada. This time it began with a new rule, You must be on a team. That of course implies there should be a team name.Thanh, Rudy and I all agree'ed that naming the team after Rudy's imfamous yellow Crocs seamed to make sense and so was born the Crocs team. The next phase in this adventure came when Thanh sold a sexy little custom GS to Ted. This of course meant an extra bike had to get to Canada. Trailering up had worked well in the past two years so I agreed to haul the extra bike up with me. A few months later it was warm enough for Thanh to ride it from NYC to NW CT so off he set. Unfortunately the rally gods had tricks to play even in the off season and the bike suffered a un repairable flat along the way. A bit of trailer action and the GS made it to my house. After an all too short visit we packed Thanh off to the train station for the return to NY. There the GS sat for months while I sorted the flat then stared at it thinking I should really ride that bike. I would not risk scuffing Ted's new toy so I just left it there for a few months to mock me feeding it some 12v once in a while to kep it healthy. Then came the discussion of whether or not someone should drink something named after the first sound they make after drinking it. I speak of Screach of course. Some other riders in CT agreed that the Canadians should leave RUM making to the Caribean. To that point they put up a bottle of RUM chosen to prove the point. This would ultimately prove a stumbling point for me and at the same time save me from distroying a bike in the woods. Thus the bottle of Pyrat XO Reserve in the fancy case was added to the list of things I needed to haul to Canada. Before that list was done it included someone's extra wheels and tires and someone else's tools as well. So eventually the rally drew near and it was time to get the Bike ready. Three days at the BBA had shown some points that needed sorting so The KLR got new tires and the rims trued, new brakes, new chain and sprockets with a lower gear ratio, Prograssive springs and a new rate synth fork oil, plug and air filter, oil... I shoveled the mud out of the bash plate and smashed it back into shape,,,, ummm, again! Then on went the Military back packs I had sourced for the 2012 RR. It was as ready to go as ever it would be. While putting the rear wheel back together I heard a sound in the Cush Drive bearing but after cleaning around it I thought it was OK. I ordered bearings but would not get them until after I returned. So with it sounding ok after wiping off the seals I put it all together and began loading the Jeep and trailer. And so off I went to Canada
So hundreds of miles later I get to the border. Ted calls and says btw, the USA Export office at Ogdensburge closed at 5. You wont be able to export the bike until Thursday. Thats a problem since I need to do that to get it into Canada.I took a shot at crossing at Thousand Island tellign them that I was keeping the bike with me and returning to the border to export it when the office opened in tghe morning. After a vehicle search, background check and a zillion questions I get this. The title is at Ogdensburg so we cant help. Go back across into the US and head to Ogdensburg, which of course I know is closed. So back into the US I go and up the 35 mile river road to Ogdensburge. There I told them I was going to ride in Canada with some freinds. 20 seconds later I was in Canada and headed to Rideau River Provincial Park. They actually have phone booths up there Upon arrival I unloaded the bikes in the swamp of a camp site I had been assigned to. Heavy rain for weeks has done it damage to this area. After putting Ted's new bike on display for when he arrived. Next I decided to go pick my own camp site. Unfortunately I am so efficient that I already had the tent set up. I set it on the trailer and drove it to what I thought was a nice site along the Rideau River . I was so happy with the redneck rv I had made that I left the tent there and drove it like that to the group site the next day. Ted thought that was nifty and tried it with the car. If you want a proper Redneck RV you need a truck or trailer. Ted killed one of the tent poles and needed to duct tape it together At the group site things started getting serious. People were using the last day, and the camp facilities, to get ready. Some very serious equipment started arriving too making me wonder if I had brought a KLR version of a knife to a gun fight. Then registration and the imposible to pass tech inspection. After that we were grilling food and then the rum got opened. That is where things started to go pear shaped. You see I dont really drink things like rum. I will have a few beers but I am not a hard liquor kinda guy. Still that rum was way better than I expected. By the end of the night the bottle was empty. Not by me but by many. When we woke up the next morning and I did not feel good, a lot!
Looks like a lot of fun! I love the redneck RV idea. That's a nice looking GS too. I look forward to the rest.
That is Deadly99's new toy. I was the transport to get it from its previous owner in NYC to Canadda. My bike is the KLR.
