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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: nick949 on May 19, 2016, 07:22:01 PM

Title: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2 (complete)
Post by: nick949 on May 19, 2016, 07:22:01 PM
Heading back up to northern Quebec for a North Road redux.  All is well so far.

(http://thumb.ibb.co/nES0aa/20160519_111003.jpg) (http://ibb.co/nES0aa)



(http://thumb.ibb.co/c6eDva/20160519_185453.jpg) (http://ibb.co/c6eDva)

Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: oldbike54 on May 19, 2016, 07:31:16 PM
 What wonderful pics Nick  :bow:

 Dusty
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: leafman60 on May 19, 2016, 07:35:13 PM
Hey, man.  We're with you!!

All hail the Great Falcon!
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: nick949 on May 19, 2016, 07:40:22 PM
Hey, man.  We're with you!!

All hail the Great Falcon!

So far, so good. 700 kms today. About the same due north tomorrow should get us to the North Road.
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: leafman60 on May 19, 2016, 07:46:57 PM
Please update the ADV Falcon thread!!
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: nick949 on May 19, 2016, 07:58:31 PM
Please update the ADV Falcon thread!!

I can't do it from my phone. I will, and the FB page when I get back.  But feel free to copy in the meantime.  :boozing:
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: leafman60 on May 19, 2016, 08:02:06 PM
Ok ok
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: nick949 on May 19, 2016, 08:43:04 PM
Not Kansas.
(http://thumb.ibb.co/k6f8Tv/20160519_092433.jpg) (http://ibb.co/k6f8Tv)



(http://thumb.ibb.co/h9yHMF/20160519_204448.jpg) (http://ibb.co/h9yHMF)
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: leafman60 on May 19, 2016, 08:59:24 PM
Hey, please tell us where you are as you post pics so we can follow you on the map!

Is the Mighty Bird doing well?
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: canuck750 on May 19, 2016, 10:13:16 PM
WOW!

pretty early to be heading north, snow forecast in the upper elevations in the rockies this weekend.

thanks for posting

Jim
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: nick949 on May 20, 2016, 03:59:39 AM
At a campground outside Amos last night. This morning we head for Matagami then north on the James Bay Road towards Radisson. We turn east towards the village of Nemicau after 274 kms from Matagami.

You wont hear any more from me for a while. Out of cell range.  The bike is trundling along well at a steady 90 kph.

Nick
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: DonT on May 20, 2016, 06:53:21 AM
I am reading your book right now as well. . .
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: kidsmoke on May 20, 2016, 07:27:30 AM
this thread is wonderful and wholly unsettling at the same time.

somehow it suddenly seems criminal to be sitting at a desk while surrounded by walls....
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: twowings on May 20, 2016, 09:01:54 AM
Not Kansas.
(http://thumb.ibb.co/k6f8Tv/20160519_092433.jpg) (http://ibb.co/k6f8Tv)



(http://thumb.ibb.co/h9yHMF/20160519_204448.jpg) (http://ibb.co/h9yHMF)


You're right....THIS is the one in Kansas:

(http://www.kansastravel.org/05cathedral2b.JPG)

http://www.kansastravel.org/cathedralofheplains.htm (http://www.kansastravel.org/cathedralofheplains.htm)
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: nick949 on May 20, 2016, 03:54:44 PM
Currently in the Cree village of Nemescau.
(http://thumb.ibb.co/gmOFaa/2016_05_20_16_50_16.jpg) (http://ibb.co/gmOFaa)

(http://thumb.ibb.co/e0uMFa/2016_05_20_16_50_50.jpg) (http://ibb.co/e0uMFa)

(http://thumb.ibb.co/diW1Fa/2016_05_20_16_51_59.jpg) (http://ibb.co/diW1Fa)
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: leafman60 on May 20, 2016, 03:58:05 PM
Much better than - A Story Worth Living.

This is REAL.
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: twowings on May 20, 2016, 04:07:16 PM
Looks like the weather is cooperating with you!  Ride on.... :thumb:
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: RANDM on May 20, 2016, 04:16:38 PM
Go you good thing.
 :thumb:
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: smdl on May 20, 2016, 08:58:32 PM
Glad you brought roadside assistance along, this time (Hi, Norm!).  Have am amazing ride, you guys! 

I'm so jealous -- just got the cast off my left arm, and got two of the bikes (Stelvio and Eldo) ready to ride, but I just don't have the strength to operate the clutch yet.  I've got about five more weeks of bone healing, and hope my physio will have the range of motion back by then.  Bottom line:  I'm only surviving by living vicariously through you guys.  Go get 'em!!

Cheers,
Shaun
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: nick949 on May 21, 2016, 10:24:57 AM
Thanks folks. In Chibougamou now having coffee having just completed riding 410kms of the North Road, riding on marbles. Alls good.
(http://thumb.ibb.co/k8SNov/20160521_071328.jpg) (http://ibb.co/k8SNov)

(http://thumb.ibb.co/h42Yva/20160521_071356.jpg) (http://ibb.co/h42Yva)

(http://thumb.ibb.co/mpamFa/20160521_071341.jpg) (http://ibb.co/mpamFa)
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: Ion66 on May 21, 2016, 01:19:17 PM
Wow! Now that's an adventure!
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: nick949 on May 21, 2016, 06:51:55 PM
Just for Leafman60....I'm now in Rouyn-Noranda. Long hard day. 250kms of pucker making gravel followed by 516 on empty paved roads. The falcon is flying well....but slowly.

Nick
(http://thumb.ibb.co/geZVaa/20160521_140131.jpg) (http://ibb.co/geZVaa)
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: oldbike54 on May 21, 2016, 08:15:14 PM
 Great sign Nick  :thumb: I love the term "First Peoples" , makes sense .

 Dusty
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: nick949 on May 21, 2016, 08:15:56 PM
Triumphant where I ignominiously stalled last time around.
(http://thumb.ibb.co/cXJOva/2016_05_21_21_14_03.jpg) (http://ibb.co/cXJOva)
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: sign216 on May 22, 2016, 06:01:26 AM
I'm a late-comer to this thread(s).  Is he going north on a vintage single?
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: oldbike54 on May 22, 2016, 08:55:44 AM
I'm a late-comer to this thread(s).  Is he going north on a vintage single?

 Nuevo Falcone , where have you been  :huh:

 Dusty
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: leafman60 on May 22, 2016, 09:04:07 AM
Just for Leafman60....I'm now in Rouyn-Noranda. Long hard day. 250kms of pucker making gravel followed by 516 on empty paved roads. The falcon is flying well....but slowly.

Nick
(http://thumb.ibb.co/geZVaa/20160521_140131.jpg) (http://ibb.co/geZVaa)



Awesome, Nick.  Keep it up!

You're over the hump now!  Lots of people following you.

I have GS friends ready to trade for a Mighty Falcon now.

.
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: nick949 on May 22, 2016, 09:37:31 AM
Back in civilization. In Mattawa in the Ottawa Valley. Only 4 hours from home.
(http://thumb.ibb.co/i1BF8v/20160522_084754.jpg) (http://ibb.co/i1BF8v)


Nick
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: cruzziguzzi on May 22, 2016, 11:34:35 AM
(http://thumb.ibb.co/nES0aa/20160519_111003.jpg)

It's interesting to note that were the pic in B&W, it'd be pretty tough to date. A vintage helmet would make it more so.


Looks like too much fun. Way to "smell the roses" Nick!

Todd.
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: nick949 on May 22, 2016, 05:18:56 PM
Home!  :thumb:  The only time the bike stuttered was when I ran out of fuel.  Even pouring rain between Val 'Dor and Rouyn-Noranda didn't dampen its spirits.

The speedo cable broke, so I was using a GPS based digital one on my phone. I saw 70 mph on a flat road with no wind assist. A personal best, although most of the time I was cruising between 55 and 60 (90-100kph).

Norm and I returned by vastly different routes (we like to ride our own rides - he rode back through La Tuque and Montreal - I headed west then looped back along the Ottawa River), yet we arrived back within 10 minutes of each other.

I'll do a map and some more pics eventually.

Thanks for the support and encouragement. These old clunkers aren't just for shows and sunny coffee house runs  :evil:

Nick
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2 (complete)
Post by: oldbike54 on May 22, 2016, 05:24:04 PM
 So no wolf or bear attacks ? :laugh: Good job Nick  :bow:

 Dusty
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2 (complete)
Post by: nick949 on May 22, 2016, 05:56:35 PM
So no wolf or bear attacks ? :laugh: Good job Nick  :bow:

 Dusty

Only saw one bear - standing in a clear-cut looking at us pass. Nice big fella.  Where we camped there was wolf shit and fresh bear scrapes, but we weren't troubled.

Nick
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2 (complete)
Post by: leafman60 on May 22, 2016, 09:19:03 PM
Great run, Nick!

Looking forward to a highlighted map, pictures and some captions.

Folks, Nick has once again illustrated that one doesn't have to have a $25,000 motorcycle bristling with electronic gadgetry and high horsepower to assault the outback country.

Nick's exploits are REAL, genuine. Though not slickly filmed with flying drones or followed by support van staff close behind, Nick experiences the true joy of getting out there alone and traversing some rarely-seen territory. His exploits are an inspiration to the true Adventure Motorcycle Riders of the world.

Cheers to The Mighty Falcon too!  (Hey, 70 ain't bad on that bike with knobby tires!)

.
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2 (complete)
Post by: canuck750 on May 22, 2016, 11:18:42 PM
Nick has proven what some of us have suspected for years, a cheap, simple and basic motorcycle is the best tool for riding the way off the beaten track roads. I would not choose a bike bristling with electronics, ABS, traction control and many, many other things that break down and bring the whole plot to a quick stop.

Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2 (complete)
Post by: Lotsahorses on May 23, 2016, 04:39:15 AM
Ride on,  Nick.  Ride on.   :bike-037:
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2
Post by: sign216 on May 23, 2016, 06:34:56 AM
Nuevo Falcone , where have you been  :huh:

 Dusty

Nick,
I salute you.  Glad to see you are doing the trek "the old way."

Years ago I went to northern Quebec on my '58 BMW R50.  This was around the mid-1980's, and I was trying to reach northernmost limits of known Quebec.  One cold, dark rainy evening I stopped too long at a roadside tavern w a wine, and wet bike wouldn't start.  I was completely stuck, but a friendly French-Canadian farmer helped me push start the bike.  It wasn't easy, but we got the engine to fire and run.

That guy was a saint.  I wish I had his name.

Joe
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2 (complete)
Post by: nick949 on May 23, 2016, 07:15:58 AM
I'm saving the full story for a chapter in my next book but am happy to give you an idea of why I bother to ride those endless miles through endless tree. On some sections, you would have to get very creative. 'I spy with my little eye - a tree?" 'Yep, and there's another one.'

As the Nuovo Falcone is a bit of a slug and I didn't want to feel any pressure to ride beyond it's comfort zone, Norm and I rode up separately and met in Amos.
I stopped at a picnic place in La Verandre Park on the way up. Of course, I had the place to myself.
(http://www.adamsheritage.info/images/NorthRoad2/nr1.jpg)

We camped at a municipal campground just outside Amos. $34 for the site. Quiet and pleasant, although the frogs were loud.
(http://www.adamsheritage.info/images/NorthRoad2/nr2.jpg)

The James Bay Road north of Matagami crosses a number of rivers. I'm sure this one has a name, but there are so many............
(http://www.adamsheritage.info/images/NorthRoad2/nr3.jpg)

This one does though. This is the Rupert River which crosses interior Quebec for hundreds of kilometres. It was a major trading route during the Fur Trade era, and a main highway for the local Cree population for countless generations. This is 'scenic' water only.  Much of the original flow is now diverted by Quebec Hydro as part of the massive James Bay Hydro-Electric project.  The picture doesn't really convey just how massive and powerful it is even now.
(http://www.adamsheritage.info/images/NorthRoad2/nr4.jpg)

We camped where the North Road crosses the Rupert River (much further upstream) after diverting 10kms north of the North Road to find fuel at the Cree village of Nemaska (pop 700). This is where I was stopped by ruined tubes and tyre first time around.
(http://www.adamsheritage.info/images/NorthRoad2/nr5.jpg)

These gravel roads are interesting to ride on and demand your full concentration. Think - an inch of marbles on concrete. You choose your line by looking for the hard-packed areas.
The softer areas throw the front end around and cause a certain clenching of the nether regions. Then there are the wash-outs and sand pits which come up just as you're starting to gain a bit of confidence and speed...
(http://www.adamsheritage.info/images/NorthRoad2/nr7.jpg)

So it's good to stop and be gob-smacked by the sheer size of the land.
(http://www.adamsheritage.info/images/NorthRoad2/nr6.jpg)

and a link to a map:  https://goo.gl/maps/AL1toQ5y57q (https://goo.gl/maps/AL1toQ5y57q)

Nick (apologies if there are repeats)
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2 (complete)
Post by: PJPR01 on May 23, 2016, 07:59:32 AM
Wonderful story and adventure!!
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2 (complete)
Post by: oldbike54 on May 23, 2016, 09:02:48 AM
 W/O checking , you probably did the equivalent of the John 'O Groats to Land's End run . Might be time to visit a Cafe in England , the boys might tell you it can't be done  :shocked: :laugh:

 Dusty
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2 (complete)
Post by: backfill on May 23, 2016, 07:50:00 PM
Great job, Nick!  Glad to see you made it back without major issues.  I am looking forward to hearing all about it over a pint.
cheers,
Phil
Title: Re: North Road Northern Quebec.....No. 2 (complete)
Post by: smdl on May 23, 2016, 10:52:37 PM
Glad you enjoyed it, and made it home without incident!

Cheers,
Shaun