Lost with Mike
  • Scoot
  • Paddle
  • Pedal
  • Moto
    • The South >
      • Merchant's Millpond State Park, NC
      • BRP and a visit to Charlotte, NC
      • South Carolina and Back on my GS (2011)
      • Jaw-ja Trip #1 - Visiting my Nephew
      • Jaw-ja Trip #2 - Cousin's Wedding
      • "You rode 1300 miles for BBQ?!?" (2010)
    • Canada (eh) >
      • 2012 - Beards to Canada >
        • Day 1: Arlington, VA > Arlington, VT
        • Day 1-2 (Continued) Back to VA!!!
        • Day 3: Newburyport, NH > Sandy Cove, NS
        • Day 4: Loafing around "The Neck"
        • Day 5: Sandy Cove, NS to Antigonish, NS
        • Day 6: Antigonish, NS to Meat Cove, NS
        • Day 7: Meat Cove, NS to Port Aux Basques, NFL
        • Day 8: Port Aux Basques to Port Saunders
        • Day 9: Port Saunders to Big Brook
        • Day 10: Big Brook, NL to Trans Lab Hwy
        • Day 11: Trans Lab Hwy to Pinware River
        • Day 12: Pinware River, LAB to Norris Point, NL
        • Day 13: Norris Point to Blue Beach
        • Day 14: Blue Beach, NL to Port Aux Basques Ferry
        • Day 15: Sydney, NS to Sandy Cove, NS
        • Day 16: Chillin on the Digby Neck
        • Day 17: Sandy Cove, NS to No. Sandwich, NH
        • Day 18: Sandiwch, NH to Arlington, VA (Home)
      • Algonquin Park 2013 >
        • Day 1: Home to New York
        • Day 2: Chataugay State Forest to Brent, ON
        • Day 3: Brent, ON to Nipissing River Portage at Nadine Lake
        • Day 4: Nipissing River @ Nadine Lake Portage to first island in Red Pine Bay
        • Day 5: Red Pine Bay to Hogan’s Lake
        • Day 6: Hogan’s Lake to Catfish Lake
        • Day 7: Catfish Lake to Cedar Lake to Fredonia, NY
        • Day 8: Fredonia, NY to Brookville, PA
        • Day 9: Brookville, PA to Alexandria, VA
      • Think I'll ride to Montreal this weekend...
      • Ontario on a Whim
    • Maryland >
      • How to Hit a Tree, By ME!
      • Ruckus Stealth Camping in MD
      • Ruck'n around Southern MD
      • White's Ferry and some Maryland Backroads
      • 1000mi right near da' beach (2010)
    • New York >
      • Cornell, Niagara Falls and PA Coal Country (2012)
      • Finger Lakes trip to NY (2011)
      • New York City Trip (2011)
    • Pennsylvania >
      • Early Spring in PA
      • Michaux Camping
      • From a Wedding to "Where-da-fugawi?"
      • Pennsylvania Leaf Peeping (2012)
      • First Big Trip to PA (2010)
    • Virginia >
      • From the Mountains to the Sea in Ol' Virginny'
      • What the Fog? (Northern Neck, VA - 2013)
      • Uncle Bucks Ride to Eat and Snowy SNP
      • Charlottesville Area Ride
      • Serious Helmet Time in VA (2011)
      • Ruck'n Across Virginia (2010)
      • Impromptu Camping with 'DC Rider' (2010)
    • West Virginia >
      • Rella-Vous and Skippii Rescue
      • New River Gorge Ghost Town Exploration (2011)
      • Five States from Laurel Fork (Spring 2013)
      • A Little Dirt, A Little Clouds, A lotta Fun, WV (2012)
      • GS and an NSX? (2012)
      • Seneca Rocks Camping Two-Up (2011)
      • Panniers Only Club at Seneca Rocks, WV (2010)
      • Laurel Fork Fall 2010 on the Honda Ruckus 50cc (2010)
      • Dog Days Rally and Rella's Gift (2010)
      • Pops and Richmonders in WV (2010)
      • Rocket Boys (2010)
      • New River Gorge and Rella's (2010)
    • Cross Country 2009 >
      • Trip Preparation
      • Day 1: (Sept 3, 2010)
      • Day 2: (Sept 4, 2010)
      • Day 3: (Sept 5, 2010)
      • Day 4: (Sept 6, 2010)
      • Day 5: (Sept 7, 2010)
      • Day 6: (Sept 8, 2010)
      • Day 7: (Sept 9, 2010)
      • Day 8: (Sept 10, 2010)
      • Day 9: (Sept 11, 2010)
      • Day 10: (Sept 12, 2010)
      • Day 11: (Sept 13, 2010)
      • Day 12: (Sept 14, 2010)
      • Day 13: (Sept 15, 2010)
      • Day 14: (Sept 16, 2010)
      • Day 15: (Sept 17, 2010)
      • Day 16: (Sept 18, 2010)
      • Day 17: (Sept 19, 2010)
  • Photos
  • Articles

     
69'000 miles on a      Honda Ruckus named
La Tortuga

Back in the US(sr) of A!

8/31/2014

1 Comment

 

Intrigued by the opportunity to meet fellow Ruckus travelers Dan and Miles of the American Community Project, I set my sights on the US border. A glorious rainbow crossed the road as I neared the border.

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My pot of gold!

I cruised south and soon made it through customs. I can't recall how many crossings I've made in the past two months.

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Onward to Spokane!

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Kootenay Lake etc.

8/31/2014

0 Comments

 

Riding east out of the mountains, a glorious morning sun shone trough the fog and canopy. Beaver ponds and roaring creeks drifted past me as I sailed downhill.

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I reached the lakeside town of Kaslo and explored a bit. Their sternwheeler was once the pride of town, a real working girl, it operated until 1957!

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With the sun shining bright on my wet gear, I made haste to Ainsworth Hot Springs. After laying out all my gear in the hot sunshine, I went inside, changed, and lowered my bones into the hot pools. The outdoor pool was 99F and felt remarkable. After 15 minutes, I worked my way into the hot springs. Unlike many hot springs, Ainsworth is unique in that they flow from a cave within the mountain. Two chambers enter and link up in the steamy 104F darkness. Rope lights faintly illuminate fellow barbers swimming around the inky darkness like prehuman cave organisms from a sci-fi film. Stalactites and waxy limestone structures coat the walls and ceiling. Water drips down from fissures in the rock. I park myself under a hot waterfall, it's pressure directed at my sore neck muscles. This is remarkable! After 10-15 min in the hot pool, I exit and plunge into the 49F cool jacuzzi sized area. The shock sends pins and needles through my body, this must be good for me.

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I pack my dry gear and ride down to the ferry for a schedule. I make lentils and Cous Cous before heading over to Nelson to check out the town. The lakeshore is beautiful! A warm breeze carries me past lakefront houses of varying class and grandeur. Kayaks paddle the water among sailboats and pleasure craft enjoying the last few weeks of summer.

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I take a break in Nelson, BC for an ice cream and to check out the town. It is like a mini San Francisco, filled with hippies smoking freely in the street, gays celebrating the pride parade weekend and hemp shops selling natural fibers. I have a conversation with this disgruntled old man, upset the Catholics and "lesbian devils" are stealing all his money. I have no clue...he didn't make much sense. Great beard though!

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I arrived at the ferry as it was departing so spent an hour writing in my journal and siping coffee in the hot sun. Soon the ferry carried me across the lake to the eastern shore.

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Just a little crazy looking with this beard!
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A small but powerful storm was blowing across the water. At "full-steam-ahead" I just barely made it before getting hit. Wind whipped the water into whitecaps and tossed limbs from the trees into the road.

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Sights like this are why I ride. Simply amazing.

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A beautiful ride south down the coast.
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Sandon, BC and the Slocan Mines

8/31/2014

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The discovery of silver in the Kootenay Mtns, specifically Slocan Lake region, led the first mining boom in this section of Canada. The promise of riches and wealth drove many to these high mountain streams to work for their wealth. The town of Sandon was a classic boom town, filled with brothels, saloons and few churches struggling to maintain morality in a rough world. A devastating fire in 1900, and the decline of silver discoveries ultimately spelled the demise of this once prosperous town. During WWII, it served as a Japanese-Canadian internment camp circled around manual labor and terrible conditions. Most of the town had been destroyed or the land allowed to reclaim it. The three buildings here today are nothing more than reproductions, yet provide a glimpse into what it must have been like in the town.

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The oldest operating hydroelectric station sit high on the hill. Donated by the city of Vernon, this generator has been in operation for over 100 years! It was closed at the early hour but I tried to get some pics through the glass and around the building.

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Cruising across BC

8/31/2014

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Departing Kamloops, I welcomed the dry climate and sagebrush pastureland so unfamiliar to eyes accustomed to the "north". Men in cowboy hats worked their tractors down the road and women tended their gardens. The terrain slowly changed into rolling farmland surrounded by taller peaks. I couldn't help but imagine I was driving through the Shenandoah Valley with the round and square hay ales stacked in fields and under barns.

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I saw a slow moving bike ahead and immediately recognized it as a 50cc Piaggio scooter riding in my direction. I pulled a u-turn and caught up with the fellow traveler from Vancouver.

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The rain began around Vernon when I paused for gas. It continued to intensify as I rose higher into the mountains toward the Kootenay Mtns. The deluge swamped the road, coursing down the pavement in snaking rivulets churned milky white by truck tires. By the time I reached the ferry to Fauquier, my lower half was soaked. Wet crotch does not a happy traveler make.

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The rain continued until dark. I rode up to Nikusp for gas and some soup, then continued deeper into the mountains. I found a pull off for the old silver mining town of Sandon, following it up a smooth gravel road into the fog. A mine appeared on the right, the active Klondike Mine, then a series of derelict buildings. I set up across from town in a small pulloff by the river's edge.

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    Where is Mike?

    Mike Saunders

    In May 2014 I quit my job to ride a Honda Ruckus over 69'000 mi and counting. Wild camping most nights and cooking most of my own meals, I keep the costs low and the landscape changing. 

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  • Scoot
  • Paddle
  • Pedal
  • Moto
    • The South >
      • Merchant's Millpond State Park, NC
      • BRP and a visit to Charlotte, NC
      • South Carolina and Back on my GS (2011)
      • Jaw-ja Trip #1 - Visiting my Nephew
      • Jaw-ja Trip #2 - Cousin's Wedding
      • "You rode 1300 miles for BBQ?!?" (2010)
    • Canada (eh) >
      • 2012 - Beards to Canada >
        • Day 1: Arlington, VA > Arlington, VT
        • Day 1-2 (Continued) Back to VA!!!
        • Day 3: Newburyport, NH > Sandy Cove, NS
        • Day 4: Loafing around "The Neck"
        • Day 5: Sandy Cove, NS to Antigonish, NS
        • Day 6: Antigonish, NS to Meat Cove, NS
        • Day 7: Meat Cove, NS to Port Aux Basques, NFL
        • Day 8: Port Aux Basques to Port Saunders
        • Day 9: Port Saunders to Big Brook
        • Day 10: Big Brook, NL to Trans Lab Hwy
        • Day 11: Trans Lab Hwy to Pinware River
        • Day 12: Pinware River, LAB to Norris Point, NL
        • Day 13: Norris Point to Blue Beach
        • Day 14: Blue Beach, NL to Port Aux Basques Ferry
        • Day 15: Sydney, NS to Sandy Cove, NS
        • Day 16: Chillin on the Digby Neck
        • Day 17: Sandy Cove, NS to No. Sandwich, NH
        • Day 18: Sandiwch, NH to Arlington, VA (Home)
      • Algonquin Park 2013 >
        • Day 1: Home to New York
        • Day 2: Chataugay State Forest to Brent, ON
        • Day 3: Brent, ON to Nipissing River Portage at Nadine Lake
        • Day 4: Nipissing River @ Nadine Lake Portage to first island in Red Pine Bay
        • Day 5: Red Pine Bay to Hogan’s Lake
        • Day 6: Hogan’s Lake to Catfish Lake
        • Day 7: Catfish Lake to Cedar Lake to Fredonia, NY
        • Day 8: Fredonia, NY to Brookville, PA
        • Day 9: Brookville, PA to Alexandria, VA
      • Think I'll ride to Montreal this weekend...
      • Ontario on a Whim
    • Maryland >
      • How to Hit a Tree, By ME!
      • Ruckus Stealth Camping in MD
      • Ruck'n around Southern MD
      • White's Ferry and some Maryland Backroads
      • 1000mi right near da' beach (2010)
    • New York >
      • Cornell, Niagara Falls and PA Coal Country (2012)
      • Finger Lakes trip to NY (2011)
      • New York City Trip (2011)
    • Pennsylvania >
      • Early Spring in PA
      • Michaux Camping
      • From a Wedding to "Where-da-fugawi?"
      • Pennsylvania Leaf Peeping (2012)
      • First Big Trip to PA (2010)
    • Virginia >
      • From the Mountains to the Sea in Ol' Virginny'
      • What the Fog? (Northern Neck, VA - 2013)
      • Uncle Bucks Ride to Eat and Snowy SNP
      • Charlottesville Area Ride
      • Serious Helmet Time in VA (2011)
      • Ruck'n Across Virginia (2010)
      • Impromptu Camping with 'DC Rider' (2010)
    • West Virginia >
      • Rella-Vous and Skippii Rescue
      • New River Gorge Ghost Town Exploration (2011)
      • Five States from Laurel Fork (Spring 2013)
      • A Little Dirt, A Little Clouds, A lotta Fun, WV (2012)
      • GS and an NSX? (2012)
      • Seneca Rocks Camping Two-Up (2011)
      • Panniers Only Club at Seneca Rocks, WV (2010)
      • Laurel Fork Fall 2010 on the Honda Ruckus 50cc (2010)
      • Dog Days Rally and Rella's Gift (2010)
      • Pops and Richmonders in WV (2010)
      • Rocket Boys (2010)
      • New River Gorge and Rella's (2010)
    • Cross Country 2009 >
      • Trip Preparation
      • Day 1: (Sept 3, 2010)
      • Day 2: (Sept 4, 2010)
      • Day 3: (Sept 5, 2010)
      • Day 4: (Sept 6, 2010)
      • Day 5: (Sept 7, 2010)
      • Day 6: (Sept 8, 2010)
      • Day 7: (Sept 9, 2010)
      • Day 8: (Sept 10, 2010)
      • Day 9: (Sept 11, 2010)
      • Day 10: (Sept 12, 2010)
      • Day 11: (Sept 13, 2010)
      • Day 12: (Sept 14, 2010)
      • Day 13: (Sept 15, 2010)
      • Day 14: (Sept 16, 2010)
      • Day 15: (Sept 17, 2010)
      • Day 16: (Sept 18, 2010)
      • Day 17: (Sept 19, 2010)
  • Photos
  • Articles