It has been an Interesting Week - 3 Corners Complete!!!

It has been a Week since my Last Corner

As I mentioned in my earlier posts, I have been fighting an electrical problem with my rear lights. After three straight days, 1,300 miles and 22-hours of riding the lights have been working without a problem. It looks like the loose wires that I found on Sunday were the problem.

Monday, August 12th, 2019 - Waterford, WI to Port Huron, MI

I woke up early and was working on my blog, when the bedroom door opened, and my great-grandson Bennett came to make sure I was up. Alexa followed about 5-minutes later. This is the very best wake-up call ever. I got dressed and packed my bags to get ready to go. After a quick breakfast with the kids, I started loading the motorcycle for the trip.

I snapped a picture of the family with the bike, but the kids didn't like it because the sun was glaring in their eyes. They wanted to see the bike move. I was getting ready to start the engine when they reminded me that my leather jacket was still in the house. So, I finally got going and as I was pulling away and waving goodbye, I realized my eyes were tearing up. I really enjoy them.

I drove through downtown Chicago running into some traffic in the downtown area. I wasn't delayed much and made a quick dash to Northwest Indiana to visit my brother Bill. I was only able to spend about 45-minutes with him since it was going to be a long day. I will get a chance next month to see him and my other brother when I return for my High School Class Reunion. Five years ago, when I was riding my first Four Corners, the entire schedule was centered on that Reunion.

I stopped in Sawyer Michigan for gas and some lunch. Around 100-miles later, I pulled off the highway to visit a little town outside of Battle Creek called Ceresco. This little town is where our Aunt Mary lived and where my mom spent much of her teen years there. We used to visit every summer. I drove by her house she built on the corner of her farm. The original farmhouse was still there but there were several newer outbuildings. The dairy barn was destroyed over 30-years ago. It was nice to reminisce about growing up. I also drove past the Baptist Church where my Grandfather was the pastor.

As I drove up I-69 towards Lansing, I recall the long 8-hour drives from Wurtsmith AFB to Hobart Indiana when we came home when I had a three-day pass or on leave. So today my mind was occupied reliving my past.

I was about 10-miles from my destination when I hit rain. It had been cloudy but warm all day. I was fortunate to only brush the edge of the storm, so I did not get too wet. My GPS directed me to what I thought was my hotel. However, there were two sister hotels which switch names. I then had to manually put in the proper address to find the correct hotel.

I covered 425-miles in about 8 hours. I am positioned to cross into Canada tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, August 13th, 2019 - Port Huron, MI to Cornwall, Ontario

I decided while I was planning the trip, to do the border crossing around 9:30 AM in order to miss the rush hour. I grabbed a simple breakfast at the hotel before heading out. I crossed the Blue Water Bridge which crosses the St. Clair river to the south and Lake Huron to the north. I was able to clear the border area in around 10-minutes. So, my plan worked.

In Ontario, the major highways that head through Toronto on its way to Montreal had full-service rest areas with food courts. I stopped at three of these over the course of the day. During the 2016 trip that I made, I was talking with a couple and mentioned where I was headed. They recommended that I take the 410 Tollway in order to bypass downtown Toronto which is always congested. They were correct, and I have never encountered traffic on this route.

I normally stop and spend the night in Kingston Ontario which is where the Great Lakes end and the St Lawrence Seaway begins. This time since I started at the border, I decided to drive a couple of hours closer to Montreal. I really want to get an early start to make it through before rush hour.

The hotel clerk recommended a pizza place called Philo's in Cornwell. It may be the best pizza that I have ever had. I made sure to let the front desk staff to know how much I appreciated their recommendation.

Today, I covered 450 miles in about 9-hours arriving at the hotel around 8:00 PM

Wednesday, August 14th, 2019 - Cornwall, Ontario to Madawaska Maine

I had some difficulty sleeping so I only got about 4-hours, so I was ready to go on-time this morning. The temperature at 4:00 AM was 56 degrees. I put on the leather jacket and something to cover my neck and face. I cleared the Montreal metro area by 5:30 which was still before sunrise. It got very cold, so I stopped and got gas and pulled out the cold weather gear. This consists of a hooded sweatshirt to wear under the leather jacket. I also have a pair of heavy gloves that cover the sleeves so cold air does not get up the arm. I also turned on the handle grip heaters to help my fingers stay warm. The reason that I did this was the temperatures had dropped into the 50's, which is very cold when riding. I had to stop about 90-minutes later because I was frozen. I stopped and filled the gas tank and got a bite to eat. The lack of sleep must have caught up with me as I dozed off for a while at a corner table. I continued for a couple of hours in the cold-weather gear. 

I decided that every time I stop for a break or change gear, I will fill up the gas tank. If I don't require any further changes, then I can ride for 3-hours until I need gas again. I cleared the US Border crossing around noon. I completed my documentation for the checkpoint. 

This corner is different from the others since the community built a park to commemorate the fact that they are one of the corners of the Continental US. Each time I visit there are a few more items that have been added. Much of the park has engraved paving blocks on the walkways and benches. They have a small welcome center and gift shop. In my three previous passes I have arrived late in the day after the founder and his wife have left for the day. This time the park was busy, 3-4 cars and several motorcycles were there.

The founder, Joe LaChance showed me the details of the park. He stated that they have a number of volunteers in the community that help with the upkeep of the park and the town council has been supportive as well. The council was skeptical at first, thinking that it would bring in outlaw biker gangs. After some convincing, they approved the project and the rest is history.

I continued to Caribou to spend the night and have dinner at the hotel. Today was cool the entire day so I needed to wear the leather jacket the entire time. I covered another 450-miles over a 10-hour period. Tomorrow I head for Hartford Connecticut.