Saturday was nice but ended up being colder than we would of liked but today was brilliant! Once again the sun was shining but this time it was actually warm out. We lucked out with temps rising to a balmy 9degrees celcius, which meant that bikes were out in droves.

Susie and I had a late start to the day due to a late evening out the night before. However, it only took a couple of phone calls and we lined up some fellow riders to head out with. New rider Aaryn on her Kawi 250 and very experienced Vlad on his Bandit 1200S met up with us for a leasurly ride up to Port Perry.

As a new rider, Aaryn is still apprehensive about riding on the highway at speed, so we stuck to riding just under the speed limit allowing cars to freely pass us by. We weren’t in any rush anyway and it wasn’t long before we got off and took to the slower, more relaxed country roads.

The ride was still a chilly one despite being so nice out. Eventually I figured we could use a break when Susie mentioned her hands were getting cold, which allowed me to throw on an extra layer of clothes and for her to switch to warmer gloves. It also provided Vlad and I to get to know each other better since it was the first time I had actually met him in person despite having talked to each other several times via email or various online forums.

Eventually we arrived in Port Perry and were pleased by the sight of no less than 30 other motorcycles parked at the local Tim Hortons, all in various groups taking a break from their rides.

All types of bikes could be seen from custom cruisers, Harleys, a large showing of SuperSports, various Touring bikes, a couple Enduros and even a white Ural complete with sidecar. Much of our time there was obviously talking about bikes with other owners including one fellow who parked his minivan beside us and left his wife and son to enjoy their lunch inside, while he talked to us about motorcycles and some of the trips he had taken. I made a point to give him my contact info in hopes that we could continue our conversation another time so that he could join his family.

Eventually we had to leave, once again due to time constraints, and we began our journey home. We kept to the back roads and as we rode, Susie and I both started getting fatigued. Exhaustion was catching up to us and Susie even started nodding off behind me. Although we didn’t really ride all that far today, we were both feeling it and were glad to get home. I’m sure we will both sleep well tonight.

Soon the weather will be far nicer and we will be able to get out more often and really soak in all the joys that riding brings us. Not much longer…

Saturday marked the first actual ride of 2009 for me. It started out pretty early around 8:30am when my girlfriend Susie and I hopped on my bike and headed out for a proper breakfast. Both of us looking rather plump from all the layers we were wearing, which were certainly needed as the temps hovered around minus 6degrees celius.
After breakfast, we made a quick run up to Markham where we were hoping to meet some fellow riders who expressed some interest in tagging along. Alas, nobody showed so it was just Susie and me for a nice, although chilly country tour.

Eventually the cold tempuratures took their toll on us and we had to stop for 30min to regain sensation in our fingers. I know all too well what it’s like to get hyperthermia while riding and I certainly didn’t want either of use to endure that today.

Our ride eventually continued through Orangeville and then onward to Creemore where I planned to stop for lunch. Along the way we ended up taking some especially beautiful roads and had my fingers not been so cold at that point, I would of loved to stop to take some pictures. I had to remind myself to concentrate on the road, which was still covered in sand with barely 2ft wide sections of actual pavement to ride on through the corners. It was at this moment that I was glad that I didn’t have anyone with us who was new to riding or rusty from the off season. Without a doubt, mistakes on this road would have been costly to both body and bike.

Eventually we arrived in Creemore and were grateful for another chance to warm up and for a bite to eat. For those who haven’t been through this town before, it is very much a town that time forgot and reminisce of a town from the 1800’s…less the horse drawn carriages. We stopped at “The Mill Street” restaurant which is right across the street from the Creemore Brewery (founded in 1987). If you are a beer fan, they offer tours of the facility several times a day, which would be worth checking out.

From Creemore, we began heading home. Being a little pressed for time, we needed to take the most direct route, which I trusted my handy GPS to figure out for us and as expected, it choose the 400. This was an issue because riding at highway speeds in those cold temps meant getting very cold, very quickly. I found that it was more tolerable when we tucked in behind a truck but the turbulent air from the truck and the cross winds made for a very rough ride with the bike skittering around beneath us.

Eventually we had to get off and I decided to head east on HWY 9 across into Newmarket. This allowed for a break from the cold highway speeds and a chance to warm up at a coffee shop. 20min later, we were rolling again and made a final push home down the 404.

All in all it was a great day riding but all those stops made it a very long one. We only covered 300km but it was nice just to get out and actually ride again in spite of the cold. A Birthday Party at a club Saturday night will mean a late start to any riding on Sunday though.