Where's Hayden today???

[Hayden]

Aug 23 Rissers Beach to Truro NS 416 miles

Im up early and pack. I want to get a move on as I need to get off the Island today and on my way down the east coast. I bail at 8 and traffic is nill for the first couple of hrs. I follow Hwy 3 which is the Light House Route along the coast. I have been on this since Halifax and I make some adjustments to hit big hwy for a while inbetween interesting coves. I come to the town of Shelburne around mid morning. History is an understatement here. Seems it was founded in the early 1700s by those pushed out of the American Revolution still in favor of British rule. They were called Loyalists that fled the US and settled here in NS. Many of them were freed blacks and the town peaked at 16K in its hay day. It became a ship building and fishing harbor. Very interesting place with a memorial along the water that recorded eveyone lost at sea since the early 1800s to 1991.
I strip down to shorts, put on the tevas and walk around the town for a good while. Man this place is cool but all the buildings are historic and they want their money to walk though them. After pics and a walk through the whole town I head on to Yarmouth NS.

I hit Yarmouth and find the port. I want to check on the Ferry over to Bar Harbor Maine. It would save me a day of riding. I get sticker shock when I check. Over $200 for me and the bike. Naaaaa I can just ride the 370 miles out. I grab some fish and chips on the way out of town and its all haul road here on out for the day. I do stop in Digby to check that ferry across the Bay of Fundy. Hummmm $90 but an 8 hr wait. Naaaa Ill keep going.
I make it to Truro for the evening. I take the last exit before the toll road and find an RV campground. A Cult like RV place I would say. I walk in to check it out and its music night. A whole group of old guys pickn everything from Banjos to guitars with a harmonica in there somewhere. Hey Im down with it until I go out to set up camp Tracy. I take the bike up the road and see what I got myself into. Oh boy its a cult alright. These RVs dont move. Hugh decks built on to everyone of them. Leantos built on the sides of them. Latus work with plants etc. Mikes voice pops into my head. "Bad things happen to nice people like us in a place like this". A saying I made years ago when we happened in to something simular in the mountains of NC. Geeeesh........how do I pick these places?????
I go through the routine of setting up camp and head down to see the rest of the music. I catch the last song. Ok....... I think I need a drink. I go back to camp and hit the scotch. The bottom of the bottle seems to be in the air more that sitting on the table. The bugs are so bad it drives me into the tent. I just want out of here.
I get ready to get in the tent and I look over to the last RV that is setting about 60 yards away. They have a big fire going and someone is setting out side in a chair. I look! I look agian. GOOD GOD is that guy really looking at me with binoculars????? Holy crap he is. He sets them down next to the chair and leans back. Ohhhh man I am sooooo going to die here!!

[safiri]

Mike's voice pops into my head. "Bad things happen to nice people like us in a place like this". A saying I made years ago when we happened in to something simular in the mountains of NC. Geeeesh........how do I pick these places?????

GOOD GOD is that guy really looking at me with binoculars????? Holy crap he is. He sets them down next to the chair and leans back. Ohhhh man I am sooooo going to die here!!

T,

Next time we do a trip together, I pick the camping spots! ... wait, that place in NC was one I was leading us to. Doh! Banjos are playing in my head while reading this.

Keep it coming!

[troy]

You got a pretty mouth, T.

[Hayden]

Turoe New Brunswick to Agusta Maine. 473 miles.

Rain, rain, rain...............Headed out early from the RV campground Hell. I wanted to get a move on before anyone woke up to see who I was and hold me there forever. Its raining..................heck, imagine that?? Packed up and out of there I head the way I came for gas.
I find a station that also has a place to eat. I sit, order up and whip out the Atlas to plan a route. Load it up on the GPS, finish my breakfast and hit the road.
Its fast toll road for most of the day. Raining like crazy. Im mostly by myself this morning and come up on a 18 wheeler. I want around but its blinding spray behind him for 20 yards. I go to pass and nail it up to 80 mph to get through the spray comming off the tires and to clear vision agian. I get about half way around him and I notice red lights comming on fast. OH CRAP I slam on the brakes as Im about 4 feet from the back of another 18 wheeler that is next to the one I am passing. Geeeesh, I cant see anything. I back way off and access the situation agian. I think I wet myself but I cant tell. Im wet already and more just wouldnt be noticed. I am kinda warm down there though.
The trucks spread out and its much easier to see whats going on now. I pass and on down the road I go. No more of that today please...............to whom ever is listening???

Saint John comes into view and the gas light is on. I need a break and regroup a little. I have ponds in my boots and I squish even though Im not walking. I pull in and get gas. Once the bike is full I pull off a boot and a sock. I ring water out of my sock as a van pulls up. A VERY CUTE girl steps out and says, Oh no.....hope you dont have far to go. I look up.............good god why are there not any girls like this at home???? Late 30s blond/brown hair a buck O five and just.....WOW
Nope I have a long way to go I say. Im from KS. OH REALLY, well Im from Charlotte NC. Now what are the odds of NC meeting KS in New Brunswick she says. Hummmm more likely on the Basketball court I think but you got me? We talk while she fills up and I ring more water out of my socks. Just as quick as she showed up, she's gone.
I'm on the road again to St Stephens to cross the boarder into the US and no more Canadian money to deal with. I get to St Stephens to cross and hit a traffic jam. 1 and half hrs later I have moved 3 blocks. BUT!! its not raining. Its now hot and Im sweat'n up a storm in my rain gear. I see a harley guy get off his bike about a half block in front of me. He heads to a bar next to him. HEY!!!! I shout!! Grab me one too He comes over and says hi. Wait, Your american Eh?? Yes I am. Your in the wrong place eh. You need to go down the river a bit to the other crossing. You will get through much faster. WELL CRAP Off I go down the river. I wait at the other crossing for 45 mins and Im through. So much for NB, now its all Maine for a while.
I hit Bangor Maine and its pretty warm. Rain gear was shead at the border and Im down to a mesh jacket. I end up in Augusta Maine at another RV campground from hell. What is it with RV places that have RVs that dont move ever!! Again, swimming pool like the last one in Turoe. Elaorate decks and concrete structures to boot. I take a deep breath, here we go again.
I check in and talk to the gal for a while. In comes a guy with an atitude, 3 girls on his tail.

Him. Hey! Someone hit your bike out there in the middle of the drive!

Me. Thats ok. Thats why I ride that POS BMW and not a Harley. I dont have to worry about all that expensive chrome getting dinged up.

You could have heard a pin drop in the room. The look on his face was priceless. Confused as all get out because I was wearing a Harley Jacket and riding a BMW.
I say good by to the lady that checked me in and she chuckles as she says good night. I open the door to leave.
WELL!!! Looky there! That dam BMW picked its self up off the ground. Those darn BMWs I tell ya. They are tough as nails. I say this pretty loud and with pride in my voice. I dont dare look back.

I tuck myself in for the night next to a big tour bus that keeps my brain working on how they got that thing in here without killing a few trees. Its 80 degrees still and no sleeping bag tonight.

Hayden

[Hank Moody]

When are we going to see the pictures???? And when are you going to pick the girl up? Come on this old married man needs some entertainment

[Hayden]

Im getting there dude. I had someone break into my storage unit when I was gone so I have been dealing with that for about a week now. Im done pretty much so I will get back the story.

T

[Hank Moody]

Im getting there dude. I had someone break into my storage unit when I was gone so I have been dealing with that for about a week now. Im done pretty much so I will get back the story.

T

That sucks, are all of the bikes okay?

[safiri]

Im getting there dude. I had someone break into my storage unit when I was gone so I have been dealing with that for about a week now. Im done pretty much so I will get back the story.

T

That sucks, are all of the bikes okay?

Dude, he keeps the bikes in his bedroom. He sleeps in his storage unit. Gotta get those priorities in order!

[Hayden]

Hey now........I dont sleep in the storage unit anymore. 4 months was long enough. Although this time I wish I was there.

Bikes were not touched. Ended up nothing of mine was missing. You see when I walked up on them the last time they were cutting locks off out there, I didnt know what they were doing. They were on the back side of the building. They took off and I realized after they left that they were up to no good. I felt that they would be back so I rigged my door from the inside with 2X4s etc so when they cut the lock off again they still could not get in. It worked. I figured they would be back some time later after this incident so I just moved everything out of there. This is a walk in unit that they were trying to get into. I am now in the process of rigging my 2 big garage units so they cant cut into those also. They are cutting the latches off the doors instead of cutting the locks. We are welding up heavy duty latches now.

I thought about rigging up my shotgun with a string so when they open the door....KAPOW but sure as heck they would probably send me off to prison and let the dead thief be hailed as a victim of crime.

T

[Hayden]

Aug 25th Auburn Maine to Cape Cod 343 miles

Im up early and look at a map for todays route. Im in Auburn instead of Agusta I find out and I went farther than I had thought yesterday. Sitting in a daylight donut place I eat my muffin and plan, still thinking about the Bus I slept next to last night and the physics that went into shoe horning that thing into the woods.
Route finished, I jump on the bike and turn on the GPS. I have to back track for a bit. Hummmm I dont think so. Lets wing it on some back roads to get to the route. Its slow going and the route I planned isnt any faster. Im making my way to the Kancamagus Hwy in New Hampshire. Kinda like the Blue Ridge Parkway if you will. I pass many lakes and towns with tons of traffic this sat morning. People cant move out of my way fast enough and all I want to do is hammer down and have some fun on twisty roads. But alas it is saturday and locals are in slow mode.
I make it finally to NH. Its now hot an muggy. I start on Hwy 102 that is the Kancamagus but stop first to get a pic of the park interence sign. Another Dakar goes by and I look to wave. He doesnt see me behind the sign. I work my way through the White Mountains of NH with a big river to my right along the hwy and big rolling peaks to take my attention off the road. Some quick reaction and (or) adjustments in corners take place as the apex goes by and Im pondering the views. Ok a stop is in order
I pull over in a popular place to stop by the river and there is my Dakar guy standing in the lot. He heads over to say hi.
Hey man, how are you doing?
Thats all he had to say. The song Tub Thumping pops into my head.

I get knocked down, I get up again............over and over.

Dude has to be from London for sure. We talk for a bit and I ask him where he is from. New Hampshire he says. Ummmmm ...........before that I mean. The accent is supper thick.

London!

Well imagine that. I peg it. He says he goes by Icewalker on ADV and the Chaingang forums. Hummm ...........believe it or not I have seen the Name Icewalker on Adv. Just one of those that stuck in my head I guess. We talk for a bit longer and part. I have milage to make.
I move on down the road and cross paths with Icewalker a couple of more times as the day goes on. Not that we talk but just see each other go by as I take pics and stop at the overlooks.
Finally the stream on the back side of the ridge looks to inviting. I stop to dunk my HOT feet in the water. OH BOY THAT FEELS GOOD. Maybe a swim is in order. An hour and half later I suit back up from my swim and move on. Im really going to miss that stream about 3 hrs from now for sure.
I make my way through the rest of the White Mountains and hit I 93 to Boston. I haul ass to make up for the slow morning commute though the mountains. Boston comes into view and it seems the hwy is going to take me right to down town. COOL, Boston looks neat. Pretty soon Boston is gone. Ummm what happen there???? I 93 actually goes under the whole city. The tunnel is a mile long I guess and I come out the other side with Boston in the rear view mirror. So much for seeing the city!! OHHHHH Stopped traffic...........galfler dont fail me now. Lots of front brake and sliding rear I come to a stop. I look up. Sign says 80 miles to Cape Cod. There I sit.


At this point I have to stop and mention other things that are going on. MY body at this stage of the game is protesting loudly. My stomach is all sorts of messed up. Dont know what it is? My back and the sleeping pad at night argue constantly. Sleep is what I look for all night long and my back wants to know why I didnt bring Shela? (inside Joke) My broken tail bone from Arkansas last Sep is the biggest problem. Its ready to go on strike and wants a new contract. It didnt sign up for this and it can really make me immobile for a bit. There are positions that I move to standing up and sitting down that my tail bone will just flat take my breath away. Whole body goes tense and I cant move my legs. Its starting to worry me a bit for sure. A quick reaction to a situation sometimes would be nothing of the like. Sometimes I cant even raise my foot off the peg. The trip could have been over right now and that would have been fine with me. 26 days on the bike ride 'n everday may have been a bit much.


Ok maybe time for a break. I pull over to get gas and see if traffic will settle after a while. I end up getting something to eat also. I cant sit as the tail bone wont let me so I stand at a high table in a Panara Bread place to chow. I hit the road after an hr to more traffic and just tough it out. It takes me 5 hrs to go 80 miles. Not including my stop to eat and gas.
I do stop agian on the way out to the cape to see about a place to camp. I hit the tourist info booth and make a call. I get the last camp site at The Dunes Campground just a mile from Prov. Town. I get there late and the fog has set in good. Its heavy in the air and you can almost taste the salt.
Comming out to the cape I made a transition on the Hwy. One mile was hot and Muggy, the next it was foggy and cold. It was so abrupt, it was kinda freaky. You could see the fog up ahead. It was like a thick sheet across the road. Cars dissapeared into it like driving off a cliff. Of course traffic slowed at this point and we never did hit a decent mph agian.
I make my way to the campground and all I want is off the bike. I can even hardly walk. I want a hot shower and to hear waves hitting the shore when I try to sleep. I set up camp in a nice sandy little area in the woods. The bottom of the Grants Whisky bottle is high up in the air. I have to have something to kill the pain and put me to sleep. It works. I sleep pretty good tonight and find something pretty disturbing the next morning.

[ajayhawkfan]

I sleep pretty good tonight and find something pretty disturbing the next morning.

I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next episode of "Where's Hayded Today" to find out what was so disturbing.

[KC]

It's the guy from Arkansas on his ATV just sit'n there watching you sleep! After the initial shock, you regain your composure and ask "Can I help you?" ...and he simply utters "NAAHHH"!!

[safiri]

It's the guy from Arkansas on his ATV just sit'n there watching you sleep! After the initial shock, you regain your composure and ask "Can I help you?" ...and he simply utters "NAAHHH"!!

"Naaahhh, already have!"

[MacWildcat]

Just have to ask.....is the "broken tailbone" a code word after sleeping on the porch in Arkansas? I'm sleeping inside!

[Hank Moody]

Just have to ask.....is the "broken tailbone" a code word after sleeping on the porch in Arkansas? I'm sleeping inside!

No, I believe that was a failed wheelie on a worn rear tire.