Wilsons Sandbox

Hi Ken: Greetings from the other end of Massachussetts. You'll need to keep moving through Maine and Quebec if the black flies are out! Quebec City is one of the nicest places you can stay, and there are awesome places around there -- on the Isle D'Orleans, and out to some amazing waterfalls, which should be outrageous that time of year. If you are cheap, like I am, you can stay at the youth hostel next to the Chateaux Fontanac, which has a commanding view of the St. Laurence River, the Isle D'Orleans and the Champs D'Abrahim, the site of a huge battle or three, one, I think, against the Americans. Quebec City is the only walled-in city in North America and if it wasn't for the SUV's, you'd swear you were in Europe. It's the cheapest European vacation you could ever take. From there, it's only three hours along the St. Laurence to Montreal. A little further west are the Laurentian Mountains, which have some great roads and great sites, and from there, I'd suggest eschewing the Northway and taking a side cruise through the Adirondacks. The area around Lake Placid is gorgeous. Vanceboro? I spent every summer of my childhood four miles by water up Lake Spednic. I understand there are now roads that run along the lake. That might be interesting, but I've also heard they did a lot of clear-cutting, so that might NOT be so interesting. On your way back, you are welcome to stop in the Berkshire Mountains. I'll take the liberty to say that the KLR 650 Berkshire Chapter would be happy to say hi, offer a camping space and compare notes. (Both of us.) Sounds like a great trip. I'm planning a similar trip heading up to Montreal first, then up to Quebec City and straight down through southern Quebec and Vermont. If I can, I'm going to time it with the Jazz Festival in Montreal. Just to see the students from the Circe De Soleil doing their thing on the street corners is worth the trip. Last time I was there, there was a fellow who moved from a six-foot unicycle to a ten-foot, to a 15 foot unicycle without getting off, and jumped rope, juggled flaming torches, and had the crowd laughing so hard people staggered away to breathe. Jonathan Foust Housatonic, MA Message: 17 Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 02:12:40 -0000 From: "ksveader " Subject: Planning trip in North East: HELP I am planning a trip on my 94 KLR in early May, from about the 8th through the 19th. I will be in Camden ME on the 9th 10th and 11th and want to be in Montreal the next weekend. I plan on stopping in Vanceborough ME along the way. I plan on camping out mostly. I am interested to here what any of you recommend as points of interests and things to see along this general route. I was thinking of stopping in Quebec City, as I have never been there, as well as sliding into the Maritimes. I plan on coming through NY state on the way home and seeing where some British Soldiers died. This will be my very first long distance motorcycle trip. I am looking for advice, as I said, on things to see, what to take, how to prepare my bike, whatever. Riding companions are greatly welcome! Ken kveader@e

I was thinking of stopping in Quebec City, as I have never been there, as well as sliding into the Maritimes ........................... The East Coast has some good fast 2 lane roads and Quebec City is very cool for a walking tour in the "old" city. A little like being in Europe. Bobb Todd '97 ST 1100 '95 DR650 IB # 125

OK folks, even though it doesn't feel like it right now, we are just around the corner from spring, then after spring comes summer. A lot of you are going to be out and about in the great outdoors. Don't forget to protect yourself with anti-bug juice and get a blood test for Lyme Disease. The four tests you need are 2 Western Blot tests, and 2 ELISA tests to determine if you are a carrier. I guarantee you, you do not want this disease and you certainly don't want your wives or children to get it. I have been sent a report that validated the earlier released report that Lyme has mutated and CAN be spread by mosquitoes, fleas, biting flies, ticks, sexual activity of either kind, sharing of drug needles, placenta to unborn child passage, breast milk to child passage. What is even more curious and it causes some concern. I received an e-mail the other day from a woman that has Lyme Disease and had worked at a Military Installation, when she was in the service, that stored Lyme Disease right next to Anthrax. She alluded that the Russians had it as well. All it will take is for this disease to be released into the wind and other carriers will be created, sort of like the old Swine Flu fiasco? The social system and medical community, and our wonderful government, did not want to pay the financial cost of immunizing everyone. So what did they do? They released it into the air in San Francisco and in New York. That way our bodies would fight it and build up immunities to it. But that did not help the hundreds that died from that junk. I'm not saying there is a Lyme Conspiracy, but it does seem strange that the disease could jump from ticks to these other insects so quickly. Many animals are susceptible to this disease also. Including our favorite dogs and cats. Makes me wonder what would happen if an infected insect bit a chicken or a steer, then got sold to the consumer? Would the consumer catch it? Probably not because the spirochete can't currently survive temperatures greater than 104F. Please, be safe and not sorry. You do not want to live with what I and my wife do every day of our lives. Oh, by the way, even worse news, the Nation's blood supply has not been screened for Lyme Disease. The CDC is keeping very mum about this, because they can't protect us, and they can't guarantee that they can cure us. If caught in the early stages, it can usually be beat. However, if you are misdiagnosed diagnosed, as I was, and you end up six to seven years into the symptoms, chances of cure are slim and recuperating from the problems this animal created inside your body are even slimmer. So, please, be careful. Take precautions, close up those boots, use an active insect repellant, always check yourself and your family after riding offroad for a while. Just to make sure. I promised to keep you folks updated, and I have. The rest is up to you. If anything more happens, I will pass it along. Jim Sherlock jim_ama585601 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]