We’re at the end of the year, and it’s our day to look back at 2018 and bid it either a sad farewell or good riddance.
At CMG, we like to do both, so join Zac, Willy, Costa, Jeff, Dean and Mark now in remembering our best and worst motorcycle experiences of the year.
ZAC
The Best:
The best ride of 2018 was the day my friend Matt and I rode around Cape Breton’s Bras D’Or Lake. Everyone talks about how great the Cabot Trail is, but Matt and I discovered there’s plenty of top riding on the other side of the island, too, and the roads are much less crowded (might have something to do with the potholes?).
Sometimes on that day, it felt like hours went by without seeing a car. Sure, the cages were there, but we were in the zone, finding fantastic twisting roads we hadn’t known about before. The next day, we rode the Trail and had a great time there as well, but there was just something about the discovery of new riding country that made the rip around Bras D’Or Lake stand out. We were both riding instead of working or mowing the grass, and our only concerns were gas, food and coffee — not necessarily in that order.
Sitting on a bench in a turnout that overlooked the lake, soaking up the solar radiation during a brief break from riding, I felt like I had the best job in the world, and Matt agreed with me. As a dad with young kids, it’s getting harder to find time to make those trips happen, but when they do, I feel like the luckiest guy alive. Most of the time, anyway.
The Worst:
There was one moto-expedition this year that left me feeling like I’d been beaten with the classic Stick of CMG Misfortune, though.
Through a series of unfortunate events – a monsoon, malfunctioning GPS, almost running out of fuel, a low-speed crash, and finally a destroyed chain – I failed in my attempt to finally complete the full 500-km length of the Fundy Adventure Rally (the previous year, I completed the 250-km Scavenger Loop). I didn’t even finish the first leg (although it was pretty close).
Now I’ve got to tackle it again for 2019. Time to spoon some fresh knobbies onto the DR350, and maybe chase off a few Christmas pounds to give my suspension a break.
Oh, my. Is that a 1980 RD400G I spy in Costa’s garage? I had a ’79. It’s “The One that Got Away” and I kick myself for that several decades later.
Trane, you got that right. It belongs to a friend.
Hey Willy, the next time you are in Warroad, check out a place called “The Shed” on the south side of the highway in town. It’s an amazing collection of cars by a local businessman. It’s even worth a special trip just to see it.