The temperatures dropped to 35 F (2 C) over night and for the
first time I used the mummy sleeping bag as the name suggests.
The wooden platform was exposed to the cold from all sides, with the wind chill factor it truly felt like freezing and neither of us got a lot of sleep.
I woke up with a funny feeling - my eyelids felt like glued together and a look in the mirror gave me a fright – I looked like Rocky after fighting
Apollo Creed. Some bugs must have made into the tent feasting on the only spot
exposed in the sleeping bag.
We broke up camp and went towards "Relais Routier" at km 290 to fuel
up and continue West on the North Road to finally hit the James Bay Road.
We thought we were out of luck when the sign at the gas
station said open from 12pm to 4pm, thank god a restaurant around the corner
was open for a welcome 2nd breakfast. Actually breakfast was out at 10 am, but who wouldn't enjoy a cheeseburger and fries at that time?
I was checking my First Aid Kit for something to help with
my allergic reaction to the bug bites when a nice gentleman from the Cree
Nation approached me, asking where we were from and where we were heading. After
explaining the situation he told us to continue 10 km to his community –
Nemaska – to get fuel there, return where we were and head North to Project Eastman -1; from there would be a shortcut and signs to the James Bay Road saving us a couple of hours.
The road he mentioned doesn’t show on the GPS or Garmin Map SW; reluctant at first we did as suggested.
In front of the restaurant, ready to head out for fuel in Nemaska, I noticed something dripping on Georges rear wheel, hopefully nothing too serious given where we were.
Just when he stuck his finger in to find out what it was, I saw the little stray dog running around marking his territory.
I was almost done laughing at the gas station 10km down the road and for the rest of the trip George never offered enough for me to keep this story between the two of us.
The shortcut road turned out to be in similar conditions as the one planned. The sign at one of the breaks made clear that shooting was prohibited here - whether from within or outside your vehicle. Hmmm, ok....
Once at James Bay Road we had to go South first to get fuel
again and some lunch. At this point in time I should mention that George and I
were determined to eat healthier on this trip – well, it was cheeseburger and fries
for breakfast, fish and chips for lunch and pizza for dinner. Those of you that don’t ride
motorcycles – you won’t believe how many calories you burn on a trip like this
one - I think...
At the gas station at km 381 - the only gas station along the JB Road - we met a guy from Conecticut on a V-Strom 650 who
just came back from where we were heading. We exchanged some "where to" and "where
not to" go – direction North should be smooth sailing and no speed traps. So we
put the cruise control at 75 mph and had fun carving up to Radisson.
Radisson is a pure working town – lots of jobs at Hydro
Quebec there, but nothing you would have to travel that far for. Lucky to find
accommodation at all, we ended up sharing a room in a motel – what a dump! A
couple of beers and a bag of chips made
it acceptable We were really tired after only 306 miles, freezing at camp the
night before and a good amount on dirt roads.
We had to call the motel receptionist from the bar - bar, motel and restaurant all adjacent in one building, and I wish I had my GoPro running walking in. This was like a movie set, it was dark, the only light coming from some neon signs around the establishment and I was greeted by the peroxide blonde bar tender in her leopard leggings, cigarette in one and a beer in the other.
Right next to her at the bar an obviously frequent visitor singing along with a tune from the 80s coming from the jukebox. All this completed by the indigenous man about to fall asleep at his table with 3 empty cans of beer in front of him.
I think the bar fly had a crush on George and asked if we were "bikers"? Here I am, decked out with my BMW Enduroguard suit, boots and a helmet in my hand. Yes, honey, we are bikers, what gave it away, hmm?
George had to promise we would not go back in there, I knew there would be trouble.
We really didn’t know what to do next day – Radisson wasn’t
really something to write home about, we wanted to go and see Chisasibi and dip
our feet in the Arctic Ocean, but the outfitter on the Trans Taiga would be out
of reach, if we tried to get there the same day … decision, decision…
Odometer
reading
Today:
306.8 miles
Total:
1232.2
miles
Thomas
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