Eff the Polar Vortex - Gulf Coast Wandering | GTAMotorcycle.com

Eff the Polar Vortex - Gulf Coast Wandering

J_F

Guest
had a narrow window to escape the awful S. Ontario spring
with basically no planning and riding solo
took off today slabbing it south for some warm riding weather

I81 south to Wilkes-Barre, 528 kms
not a bad first day considering the nasty conditions
3 degrees on departure, pouring rain once reaching Watertown
a bit of irony there, and generally cold and crappy, 8 and wet
all the way to the PA border

reached Binghampton and the rain stopped
15 minutes later the sun came out and temp went to 17

one crappy day and then it's smooth sailing
24 and mostly sunny Friday morning
will slab it another day to Roanoke
where it's supposed to be clear blue skies and 26

will get onto some more scenic roads after VA
and slow down the rest of the way to the coast
 
thanks MD....
I left B'Ville as you were getting there
if you go again, should have a coffee....seriously
 
the one on Front St?
been living there 10 years
never graced the door
funny how that works eh?

Yes Auberge de France...they have a French chef from Provence and he’s really good. Also the stuff is not overpriced. Great lunch spot for me then I usually head north from there on the bike or over the bridge to Prince Edward County.
 
You're on - I like the whole Prince Edward County area. What I don't like is riding into the sun in the morning to get there and into the sun in the evening to get home.

Last time I went that direction I booted out of Sauga mid afternoon and had a lovely stay in Peterbrough at an Air BnB....wasn't that when we hooked up JC?
 
You're on - I like the whole Prince Edward County area. What I don't like is riding into the sun in the morning to get there and into the sun in the evening to get home.

Last time I went that direction I booted out of Sauga mid afternoon and had a lovely stay in Peterbrough at an Air BnB....wasn't that when we hooked up JC?

Pretty sure it was. Let it warm up a bit and we’ll sort something out.

Edit. 3 am? You on Oz time?
 
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Safe travels. Share some pics when you get back.
 
Yes, you reached that magical border of where the polar vortex (the old name used to be jetstream, or polar jetstream - that strong westerly wind affecting our weather 24/7) is at the moment. These past months it was very low into the mid USA and hasn't lifted further north much in that time. In Europe it is blowing much higher latitudinally so they had 24C earlier this week. At times that 'border' even runs diagonally across North America. I once flew from Toronto in May when it was a lovely 15C to San Diego where it had been less than 7C the whole week. The day after I landed, it magically warmed to 22C. All courtesy of the jetstream (polar vortex).
 
another long I-81 slab day, 632 km, and some bad traffic episodes
made it to Salem VA, a bit south of Roanoke

think I'm gonna switch jobs and become a weatherman
zero pressure to ever get it right
forecast was 26, overcast, with sunny breaks
bottom of PA and into VA it was 32 and not a cloud in the sky
had to ditch 2 layers and switch to the summer gloves that I hadn't realized were with me

anyway, FJ-09 has done pretty well slabbing it ~1,100 km in 2 days
it's parked safely, chain is lubed, ain't gonna discuss if it was cleaned first :)

booking.com dished me a deal on a HoJo on the mountain overlooking the town
walking into the lobby, was overpowered with a wonderful curry odour
flashback to to my Brampton childhood for a brief second
super cute Indo-American gal was very nice and a bit flirty
said has family in Ontario, they are everywhere!
but she could not secure me a plate of that yummy smelling food
as the owner is hosting a private family event

so it's gonna be delivered pizza I guess, and a few Yeunglings imported from PA

that's it for the Interstate *****
gonna mosey across the old Lee Highway tomorrow
much slower pace and time for beaks, photos, history
end the day in either Chattanooga or Nashville

maybe put up a pic or 2 tomorrow
these days slabbing it have provided nothing memorable
but very nice weather :) ......cheers boys
 
btw, you wine geeks
you going PEC carousing again when it warms up
I wanna come along
I'm far less of an azzhole in real life
honest injun
 
Yes, you reached that magical border of where the polar vortex (the old name used to be jetstream, or polar jetstream - that strong westerly wind affecting our weather 24/7)

don't even try..:rolleyes:

bottom of PA and into VA it was 32 and not a cloud in the sky
had to ditch 2 layers and switch to the summer gloves that I hadn't realized were with me

Reminds of a spin down to PA ...9 c leaving Mississauga, 6 in the hills south of Buffalo, 33 on 120 near Renovo...

We're all living vicariously - need pics of GREEN!!!

I don't see even local rides until mid week :(
 
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btw, you wine geeks
you going PEC carousing again when it warms up
I wanna come along
I'm far less of an azzhole in real life
honest injun

screw the wine...most of it is nasty. Quite a few breweries worth looking at though. Jealous of your weather as we wait to see what this ice storm will look like tomorrow.....that's if there is a tomorrow lol.
 
Hunker down

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yeah....guessing that's Sunday, when the storm comes through
it's looking like a washout, rolling across the Lee Hwy today
should be easy to stop and shelter for 24 hours if it gets nasty today
 
made it to Smoky Mountains - Pigeon Forge TN
gonna hunker here for 48 hours
locals tell me that system coming through could spawn tornadoes

Tennessee is much greener than VA
strange the difference being so close

will wander and snap a few pics tomorrow

btw, old Lee HWY is tough to follow
GPS was confused by it
followed the instructions for 2.5 hours of non-sense back roads
that were actually beautiful and took the corners off the flat spot a bit
ended up back at I-81, 45 kms as the crow flies from where I started
gave up and pounded the freeway down here to Smoky Mtns

how's winter treating ya'll :)
 

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