Annapolis Leather Barn

I can't seem to stop riding back East. This time I hard assed it 2000km in 2 days to arrive in Sussex,NB to join my good friends Mike and Christine of The Annapolis Leather Barn for a ride. along with their friends, customers and fellow bikers. We headed out from the new Annapolis Leather Barn Location in Sussex early Saturday and made many stops along the 8 hour ride to pick up more riders enroute to The Leather Barn in Annapolis Royale,NS. Mike and Christine chose the off the beaten path route to catch scenic views of the two provinces. We ended at the Fire hall in Annapolis Royale where we danced and partied most of the night away. While partying with us, Mike and Christine decided to sponsor us in support of Cruise For Crones the next morning. So with a couple hours of shut eye, (and serious hangovers) we all peeled out for Halifax. The gang at Cruise For Crones was happy and surprised to see us and glad to be a part of BikerTv's upcoming season, courtesy of The Annapolis Leather Barn. Thanks Mike and Christine.

Atlanticade

Well, Mother Nature pee'd on it again, but that didn't stop 4 thousand bikers from headin' to Moncton, NB to participate in atlantic Canada's fastest growing motorcycle event. Only in its 2nd year, Atlanticade is a well organized 5 day event. While in Moncton I participated in a ride put on by Atlantic Motoplex. We all traded in our HD's for Yamaha's and headed for the village of Aylma where we were treated to the biggest lobster diner I'd ever had, courtesy of Yamaha Canada. The HOG Wild biker breakfast was put on by Toys For Big Boys and hosted by myself, followed by a ride with the Moncton HOG group. The Delta Big Biker BBQ consisted of great food and some kick ass Rock n' Roll by "Junkmale." I checked out the G-Bourke burnout contest, that was smokin' ...literally, The show n' shine, Vendor Village, Veterans Honour Rally and The Iron Horses parade were also highlights. I even met a biker Ferret, which was a 1st for me. Last but certainly not least was the Northeastern Bike Building Championship where a fine display of Canadian Built Customs were proudly displayed. Congratulations to The Rat Shop for their winning entry! Many thanks to Atlanticade Chairman Dale Hicks.
See you at Atlanticade 09.

Inuvik....Finally!

That was a whole lot of bad road! I've earned a new title "BERMINATOR!" I did some cheering and whooping it up when we rolled onto the paved streets of Inuvik! It seams funny that a few weeks ago I was in Ottawa for a ride with 1800 riders. Now I found myself in Inuvik, NWT. for a ride of 9 including myself and BikerTv producer Tom Mann. Our reason for riding to the top of the world was to take part in The Ride For Sight. The small but hardy group of riders are some of the few bikers in Inuvik. Although small, the group has raised a substantial amount of money for the fight against blindness. The ride led us to a campground where we were treated to a steak diner and a few laughs by the Ride For Sight Crew! We had such a good time that we didn't return to Inuvik 'til 1:30 am. although because of the solstice it looked like 1:30 in the afternoon....weird! We had a great time with these folks and the hospitality was much appreciated! The new season of BikerTV featuring our "Rugged Road Trip", including "The Ride For Sight" will air early in the new year. check out http://www.rideforsight.org/ to join a ride near you!
Heather A.K.A. The Berminator

Summer Solstice

The Dempster highway crossed The Peel river and the Mackenzie rivers. The ferries had just started running for the season. In the winter months you drive across the ice. The crew from the ride for sight met us at the ferry and escorted us to Inuvik. It's 24 hour daylight this time of year in the NWT. I was thinking that first impressions are lasting one's as I was returning to the group where we had parked along the roadside. After having a pee in the woods, I announced loudly "That's the first moon this place has seen for a while! .....Summer Solstice my Ass!" After getting aquainted with the ride for sight guys and having a few laughs we got rolling again. Next Stop Inuvik, NWT.

Fort McPherson

Fort McPherson is an interesting town with not much to do. The local girls gathered around to check out my clothing and blond hair. They seemed quite interested in taking our bikes for a spin. Luckily the RCMP headquarters was down the road and they kept our Yamaha's in their garage for the night. We were staying at The Innes North which had a community kitchen. when we hit the local grocery store, we were amazed at the prices! 2 litres of milk was selling for $21.00! We grabbed some spaghetti fixin's and passed on the onions.I was tempted by the $18.00 honeydew melon but decided I could live without it!

The Arctic Circle

What an amazing feeling to be standing at The Arctic Circle! Not many get to ride up here. I hadn't seen any other riders along the way so I was surprised when a group of four riders from Mississippi pulled in. You never know who you'll meet on top of the world! I had packed warm gear galore in anticipation of frigid temperatures but It was 23 degrees Celsius there that day! The Dempster highway is the only road in Canada that crosses the Arctic Circle. Next stop Fort McPherson.

Eagle Plains

We were happy to see The Eagle Plains Hotel and I was looking forward to a shower and a hot meal. I was just getting moved in to my room and notice our ice bag fly by the window. It was a huge raven, stealing food from the back of our support truck. Not the wildlife I expected but we had seen a huge Grizley bear earlier that day, running along side of us and managed to capture some footage of the big guy. It had been along day on the Dempster highway. The ride was more of a challenge than I'd expected. My Super Moto had street tires which aren't optimum especially for a 120 pound lightweight like myself. The road surface consisted of alot of loose gravel. I spent the whole day floating along looking for bare dirt. Can you say Hydroplane boys and girls!?

Inuvik NWT or Bust

The pavement ended here! Ahead of us lay 700km of gravel, mud and rocks. The Dempster Highway starts 40 km from Dawson City, Yukon and ends at Inuvik NWT. The road is built on a gravel berm that ranges from 4ft to 8 ft high. Without the berm the permafrost would melt and the road would sink into the ground. We'd heard many stories of travellers unfortunate mishaps along the way but we weren't deterred. The route promised beautiful mountainous scenery, crisp arctic air, wildlife and adventure....to say the least. Next stop, Eagle Plains.