🏍️ Cycle North Fall Ride 2025 — The Kancamagus Adventure 🌲🇨🇦🇺🇸

9 Days • 2 Countries • 2516 Miles • 5 Great Friends • Countless Memories

This fall, the Cycle North crew set out for our annual ride — chasing twisty roads, new sights, and the kind of stories that only happen on the road.

Day 1:
We rolled out from Shelby Township, MI — Bryan on his Yamaha XSR700, Alex on his Husqvarna Vitpilen 701, Dave on his MT-07, Elliot on his Ducati Scrambler, and me (Charlie) on the Bolt. Our first stop was Wild Cat Safari Park east of Toronto — where we crashed for the night surrounded by lions, tigers, and a friendly donkey named Mikey 🫏.

Day 2:
Rode into Montreal for a night out in one of the coolest cities in North America. We grabbed the local favorite — a smoked meat sandwich from Schwartz’s Deli — and explored the city lights before resting up for the miles ahead.

Day 3:
Things got interesting. Somewhere in route to Covered Bridge Campground, one of my ammo-can panniers ejected itself onto the highway. After some roadside problem-solving and delays, we met up with Steve (Yamaha R7) from Boston at Basecamp Brewing. Good friends and cold beer fix just about anything.

Day 4:
We hit Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast (6,288 ft!) — a true bucket-list ride. This day had it all: perfect roads, views, and the legendary Hurricane Mountain Road recommended by locals — tight turns, steep climbs, and nonstop grins. We cooled off in a mountain river, shared some Moxie, and laughed until the stars came out.

Day 5:
Through White Mountain National Forest to Ben & Jerry’s for a well-earned ice cream stop 🍦. We checked out the “Flavor Graveyard” before hitting The Alchemist Brewery for a round — but then disaster struck. My other ammo can launched itself off the bike after a pothole and took out Bryan’s oil filter. Oil everywhere. Thankfully he kept it upright, and Dave & Elliot hustled 30 minutes into town for supplies while the rest of us turned it into a roadside hangout (complete with Frisbee). We patched up and pushed to Lake Placid for a hotel and some rest.

Day 6:
Cruised into Watkins Glen in the Finger Lakes and set up camp. Easy miles, great weather, and good food.

Day 7:
Explored Watkins Glen State Park, swapped bikes to see what everyone’s been wrangling all week, and soaked up some of the best riding roads in the region.

Day 8:
Hit Watkins Glen Raceway to catch some vintage cars in action, then carved through rural Pennsylvania and stumbled upon Highway 666 — yes, it’s real, and yes, it ripped. We ended the night in a random campground with A/C sheds (because somehow it was 80° at the end of September).

Day 9:
Stopped in Toledo for Tony Packo’s hot dogs and one last celebratory ice cream stop. Just as we thought the ride home would be easy — the skies opened up. Nine days of dry weather ended with a proper Midwestern downpour to wash it all off.

---

Why we do it:
Rides like this remind us what Cycle North is all about — pushing limits, building stories, and sharing the road with people who make every breakdown, detour, and rainstorm worth it.
Here’s to the next adventure. 🧡🏍️ #CycleNorth #RideTogether #KancamagusHighway #MotorcycleAdventure