And they're off...

It never rains but...

8:29 a.m. Monday morning and The 3 Beemer Amigos (T3BA) are off to Arkansas.

It's never a good thing when the first challenge of your motorcycling day is donning your rain gear without breaking into a sweat but, sometimes,"needs must".

It rained pretty much all day, right up until we pulled in to Franklin, PA just before 5 p.m. but we are still managing to smile, albeit a little wanly.

Here's Marie-Anne "refurbishing" a damp boot.

Meanwhile Ivan was hard at work on a total re-pack, in anticipation of another rainy day tomorrow.

That's me, your trusty blogger, testing out our new selfie stick. I haven't figured out the Bluetooth trigger yet but Ivan solved that problem with an old but good solution, "Just use the timer!". 

For those of you following our journey via the InReach Satellite link (see Link in right column) we are pleased to report that "normal programming has resumed" after a period of technical difficulty (more likely user error) which had us riding around in the ether for a couple of days.

Monday madness in Mississauga

Living, as I do, near the sleepy little village of Lanark, Ontario 

( Pop'n 800) Monday morning traffic in Missisauga came as quite a culture shock, let me tell you.

By 9:30 a.m. we had been on the road for a full hour and clocked an unimpressive 43.6 km.

Thank goodness Ivan knows the territory like the back of his hand so he was able to lead Marie-Anne and I around the worst of it. All I know is, we left the highway at Ford Drive and rejoined just before the Burlington skyway and that I will be forever grateful to the riding instructors at Humber College who taught me the basics of slow riding, and instilled the importance of practice so I'd be ready for days like today.

My key learning for the morning, "there is always at least one, and quite possibly two vehicles lurking in your blind spot". Vigilance is essential.

For Ladies only

As a follow-on to my earlier post I just want to issue a safety warning to all you lady riders out there. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES attempt to use the Aerostitch Roadcrafter onesy in conjunction with an automatic flushing toilet. It is a RECIPE FOR DISASTER. If you choose to disregard this advice, at least make sure you have a firm hold on both sleeves!

Along the Allegheny

Despite the poor weather the ride South on US 62 was delightful. The road hugs the banks of the Allegheny River, criss crossing a couple of times too. The trees are just starting to change colour, so anyone with time on their hands in about 7-10 days could likely enjoy a spectacular display of fall colours on this route.

Upon reflection

Despite our slow start, border crossing, and poor weather we clocked 445 km.

The staff at the Quality Inn, Franklin invited us to park our bikes right up on the sidewalk, by the main door, and under cover for the night. Guest laundry soon had our damp togs put back in order, ground floor accommodations are perfect, and there is a decent restaurant on-site.  

This is now a T3BA approved destination!

Next up

Tomorrow we head for North Vernon, IL which is just a stones throw past Cincinnati.  Unfortunately we are expecting another wet day. The Weather Network gloomily predicts "100% likelihood of precipitation" along our route, but it's due to be comfortably warm, and brighter days are forecast later in the week.

We plan to "KEEP CALM AND RIDE ON".

At least the morning traffic should be a tad lighter.