"When Piggies Fly" Part 3: An Autumn Coddiwomple

* Part 2 starts on page 11*

* Part 3 starts on page 19 *


Part 1: Me & Mrs Trip Cross the Pond.



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...The Plan was...

We would leave first thing on Friday...but you're right...that was yesterday. Ride north, via the P2B route across Connecticut and Massachusetts, and then north through Vermont on the Puppy Dog Route. That would be mainly dirt and gravel almost all the way to the Canadian border. Too bad that didn't work out......
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IN! I always enjoy your trip reports!

I don't know when this hair-brained scheme was hatched... probably in a ride report somewhere. But the more I looked into it, the more possible it became. The stars aligned... and who am I to argue.
For the last couple of years, Air Canada has been offering a special summer rate for shipping motorcycles, as long as you buy an accompanying passenger ticket.
There's a few destinations, and its about a thousand bucks: bunch of paperwork involved, Dangerous Goods certification, etc. There's pretty good information out there by this point from other travelers. The closest departure point for us was Toronto. Then I came across Motorcycle Express. They would fly us out of Montreal, much closer to Rhode Island. They were a little more, but they handle all the paperwork and those costs are included. We purchased airline tickets where they directed us... Air Transat based in Montreal. We'll fly on the same plane as our bikes.
But what really finalized the deal is the arrival of Norwegian Air at our own little Rhode Island airport. Its 15 minutes from home. There are now direct flights from Dublin, Cork, Manchester, and Edinburgh. For, like, $129. How could we say no? So that's what we'll do. Fly with our bikes from Montreal, ride around for a few weeks (exactly where to be determined), then leave our bikes with an inmate named "WheatWhacker" at https://motofeirme.com/ and then fly home from Cork. Our little piggies will be there for next time.

"But Rhodie, didn't you just leave your bikes in Tucson?" Yes, we did... all snuggled up tight for the Summer.
So here's their doppelgangers:



They are set up exactly the same as the ones out west. As a matter of fact, Mrs Trip's bike is sporting a bunch of parts from her original bike that broke in Death Valley, and then again in Idaho....Tank, cowling, windscreen, and seat; grips, shock, and springs... underneath the old parts, it's a 2011 with about 600 miles on the clock.
Mine is a 2006. About 6,000 miles under it's belt. They are spotlessly clean at the moment... the way they will need to be to pass Irish Customs... no dirt or bugs allowed!
And this is where the plot thickens. I took the bikes into Razee Motorcycles... my go to guys for all things Moto. My bike had been making a distinct tapping for a while, despite the valves being in spec. They fixed the tappet, but noticed wear on the valve. "Next time you bring that in...we need to fix it..." they said. I explained there is no next time: "Let's fix it now" We're cutting it close with the holiday, but they ordered the parts. Worked on it Wednesday, noticed the wear on the cam chain guides. Tick, tick. We're leaving on Friday... but I want it done. The parts got delayed. They reordered them for Saturday delivery. With any luck, they have them now. Button that up and we'll hit the road. I'm grateful to those guys for going all out and getting it done. But the anxiety of sitting here waiting for it is tough... and we have to roll in the morning! I had allowed a leisurely 4 days for a tour of New England on our way to Montreal, but now we'll do it in 2. The dirt is out, we'll ride pavement the entire way... but the bright side is...less cleaning in Montreal when we get there!

...and tomorrow morning.... we'll be off! "Red sky at night, sailor's delight" A good omen for pleasant riding weather....



Our Spotwalla page:
https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=151c85958483e773af&hoursPast=0&showAll=yes

sounds like an interesting start to a trip. I am in again.

This piggie is in...

Oh my, when you mentioned going to Ireland I thought you were just flying over (i.e. no riding TW's). This is way epic!!!!

Wezitar, Crashes, and drdubb, glad to have you guys along... and you too, Admiral. While "epic" remains to be seen, so far it's been a logistical tour-de-force getting everything lined up, and we got a real scare that my bike was not going to make it. So I'm glad to report that everything is working fine, and we're now half way to Montreal...rode just about 200 miles today. Couldn't ask for a more pleasant day...crystal clear blue sky, and about 75 degrees F. Ahhh!

I'm in. Be nice to see some photos of the homeland.

Off on our big adventure...



Thompson, Connecticut



Corn knee high on the left.... bullrushes tower overhead on the right





Royalston, Massachusetts. This town is beautifully preserved.













You're surrounded by history in New England.



We had lunch in Bellows Falls, Vermont



Chester, Vermont is known as the "Stone Village"...from all the buildings built of stone in a distinctive style....





Ended up in Rutland, Vermont this afternoon. Feels good to be on the road again...although my butt is sore... it takes a few days to get used to it again....
Tomorrow... it's on to Montreal.

I subscribed too, this should be good. Have a wonderful trip.

Looks like it's going to be a fun ride and a fun read, I'm coming along, too right here.

Will be watching this one. By the way; those were not bull rushes, they were fragmites a very invasive weed of a plant. They grow so thick they choke out native plants and are very hard to eliminate.

Blind Warrior, Bad Luck, Turkeycreek and B10Dave.... glad you guys can join us. Dave, that's interesting about the fragmites... what jumped out at me was how tall they were... 10 feet or more.

I forgot to mention an interesting note: that yesterday's ride covered 5 different states: Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Tough to do that short of an iron butt anywhere except New England!

Well, I guess I'll get in on this. I am subscribed to your other report thread. I aint decided if I am a TW fan or not, but I think you guys have one of the coolest methods going. Dump the bikes somewhere and fly out to play as time permits. Brilliant.

I am mid ride myself and just passed through your neck of the woods. Not fan much of Massachusetts etc, but rural CT and north of there was pretty decent!

Enjoy reading about your travels and your pictures. Very curious to see if the method you use here works as well across the pond!

Ride safe and enjoy!

I am pleased to see you off on a new adventure. You are inspiring me to take my TW farther from home.

Bigbore4 and Bobbrecken, thanks for posting!

I'm suffering from excruciating boredom here today. Long hours hanging out at the Montreal airport. The last couple of days, we've been cursed by bad wifi... I can't upload photos....and what good is a ride report without pictures? So just a quick update. We arrived in Quebec on Monday. Spent the evening, and then the morning cleaning the bikes. Sorting our gear. Checking the paperwork. A little more bike cleaning...
Dropped them off yesterday with the freight forwarders: we went there in the morning, but were told to return after 1:30, when the guy who handles bikes would be in.... and it turned out, he was more concerned with the fuel levels than anything else. I'd been told no more than 1 gallon, but they insisted no more than a 1/4 tank... which is less. Ours were the first bikes he's encountered without a gas gauge. I explained about odometers and resetting and counting miles... he rolled his eyes and shone a flashlight into the tanks... "looks kind of full to me." So I drained more from the petcocks into a jerry can one of the guys had. They'll tender the bikes to the airline... and I've been dreading a phone call all day if something is amiss. So far, no call.
Waiting, waiting.... we don't fly until 10:55 tonight...and I hate a red eye.....We'll arrive groggy in Dublin tomorrow morning.

I guess I'll have to follow along, I have a bit of a TW across the TCAT dream going.

Where will you stay in Dublin?