The Planet D Rides Ontario

This is the story of Planet D and their ultimate adventure: to go from being moto newbies to Riding Lake Superior (Ontario's bucket-list route), in just one season. 

Click here to find out how the team did on their Ride Lake Superior trip

And that's what this trip is really all about: learning to ride and becoming accomplished touring riders in the stretch of one Ontario riding season. As we've watched them progress from their M1, to their weekend training with Motorsoul Riding School, to this first real ride, we've seen an incredible transformation, and one that is far from over. If this trip was any indication, they're well on their way to developing the skills they need.

 

Before tackling Lake Superior, Dave & Deb needed to get some smaller trips in, and what better place to start than Ride Grey-Bruce—the perfect long-weekend riding destination for folks from the Golden Horseshoe. We took the time to follow along on their trip doing the Grey-Bruce Superloop. You can read Deb and Dave's write up on their journey here.

We had a number of new great bikes supplied from Honda Canada including a CB500F, CBR500R, and the two new CTX bikes, the CTX700 and CTX1300. Ginny Allen of Motorsoul Riding School was also in attendance to observe Deb and Dave and help them improve their skills.

Our trip would be three days and two nights. Leaving from Woodstock, Ontario we took quiet backroads all the way north to the Hoity Toity Cellars in Mildmay, Ontario, where we were greeted by owner Greg and regaled with stories of impertinent youth. After grabbing a couple of bottles of their 66 Pickup cider for our hotel later, we headed off to the Best Western in Walkerton. We've stayed at enough hotels in our time to know that this was a cut above the rest. Our dinner at Queen's Bush Pub confirmed that there was indeed something quite different about the Grey and Bruce counties.

We write plenty of articles about our trips, and we spend lots of time working with locals to find the best experiences for riders, but what truly set our experience in Grey and Bruce apart was the sense of community and friendliness that pervaded everywhere we went. We encountered truly genuine hospitality, and we're convinced that anyone visiting this region will get the same kind of warm, friendly, and humourous interactions that we received.

Our second day of the tour took us through much of the Bruce side of the tour loop—winding from beach to beach and coastal towns all along Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. We spent a ton of time at the Kindcardine Lighthouse learning about the incredible history of the Lake Huron waterway. On our way north, we stopped in at Sauble Beach for a quick lunch at Solas, just before a torrential downpour began. 

We made it to Lion's Head on the Georgian Bay side of the Bruce Peninsula, and took refuge at Taylor Made Bed and Breakfast, renowned for its catering to touring motorcyclists (and having the best breakfast on the Bruce.) We got a good night's rest while the rain pounded down on the roof above, and awoke to a breakfast of Herculean proportions. On the Bruce peninsula, there simply is no other option than Taylor Made.

Our third and final day had us ride down to Wiarton to meet Wiarton Willie, who decided that he wasn't into our chilly late spring weather, and stayed in his burrow. We did however get to see the many statues in the surrounding park exalting this prognosticating mammal. 

We left Wiarton following one of the best roads in the region, Grey Road 1. This wonderful winding road took us along the shorelines of Georgian Bay. We couldn't think of a better way to start the day than the pleasant flow of gentle back and forths and up and downs that led us to the Women's Institute Lookout—a place of epic scenery and epic history.

Our final stop with Deb and Dave was for lunch at Coffin Ridge Winery where we were treated to fine cheeses, cured meats, preserved fruits and veggies. While the remainder of our trip consisted of navigating the backroads to Woodstock, we returned the following day to shoot a couple of amazing roads in Grey County, most notably the Beaver Valley Road and County Road 119, both of which offered some of the best vistas of the trip. And with 119 bringing us right to Blue Mountain and the Scandinave Spa.

Click on the image below to view the entire Flickr album:

For more information on routes, accommodations and restaurants in Grey and Bruce counties, check out www.RideGreyBruce.ca

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