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There are times when sitting on the couch in front of the TV seems infinitely preferable to rolling the motorbike out of the garage for a ride or putting the boots on to go for a hike, yet it’s rare that one regrets the effort. In this collection of motorcycling road trips, garage misadventures, bike reviews, and reminiscences, I try to convey my joy of riding, even when things don’t always work out perfectly. Life is short. The time is now. Do it while you still can.

What would you do if you materialised inside an alien starship? It’s 2049, and NASA-sponsored physicist Edward Virr is on the cusp of man’s greatest breakthrough – the ability to fold space and travel faster than light. He personally tests NASA’s futuristic prototype fold ship with a hand-picked crew. But as disaster strikes the first mission, Ed begins to suspect that he isn’t the only one developing the new technology. Discovering there’s a lot more at stake than first contact, Ed soon realises that Earth’s very survival depends on his ability to solve a crime of galactic proportions.

The crew of your starship are being systematically slaughtered. What do you do? The galaxies ruling council have lost two ships, thousands of light years distant on the outer fringe of the Milky Way. A civilian exploration vessel and the military ship sent to find it have disappeared without a trace.

There is a fine line between optimism and stupidity. Sometimes I wonder whether I cross that line too often. But what is life without a little risk? It's too easy to sit back and avoid all jeopardy and discomfort, and I suppose that's all right as long as you're comfortable with a life without spice. Life is short enough without wasting it away on the couch.

My well-travelled 1972 Moto Guzzi Eldorado turned 50 in 2022, shortly after I turned 70. With more than 100,000 miles under her wheels, the old Eldorado has traversed Labrador, visited the Arctic Circle in the Yukon, and explored most of the isolated roads in northern Ontario and northern Quebec. Along the way there have been one or two roadside mishaps—some amusing, some annoying—but she has always managed to get me home. How would she fare on another epic journey? Somehow, an early season ride to photograph some of Quebec's covered bridges turned into a marathon.

As we age, it would be so easy to let the "what ifs" intrude. What if it rains? What if my bike breaks down and there’s no cell phone service? What if my joints hurt, my backside aches, and I get cold and miserable? I’m too old for discomfort and uncertainty. There is a multitude of ways we can talk ourselves out of doing the things we’ve always loved.

From one of the 20th century's greatest voices comes the complete volume of his short stories featuring Nick Adams, Ernest Hemingway's memorable character, as he grows from child to adolescent to soldier, veteran, writer, and parent—a sequence closely paralleling the events of Hemingway's life...

The Panther M120 was the last in a line of large, single-cylinder motorcycles built by the Phelon and Moore Company in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire. As a teenager, Nick had two Panthers. His first big motorbikes. Although he enjoyed them at the time, he did not treat them well—a source of regret for over 50 years. His affection for those old, single-cylinder sloggers never left, and when the opportunity arose to acquire one later in life, he jumped at it.

Join Nick as he hikes the length of Wales, hitting all the high spots. Then follow him up the spine of England on the Pennine Way, through brutal February weather. Lastly, follow Nick across the North York Moors at night, then on across the country to the Cumbria coast. As if the snow, rain, and endless miles weren’t enough while hiking, jump on the back of the motorbike and ride from Scotland to Devon via Norfolk, dodging hypothermia, then through the Lakes, the Pennines and Wales.

No matter how we travel, and whether we realise it or not, we're all searching for moments — those little events or experiences which stay with us long after the majority of the tour, ride or cruise has faded into a vague memory of places, meals and hours on the road. They don't happen on every trip and your moments are likely to be very different to mine, but if we are lucky, those are the jewels we return with.

A skull from the fur trade era has been unearthed. Who would bury just a skull, and why? An archaeology crew has been dispatched to see if they can find some answers - perfect excuse to get the motorbikes on the road and combine some work with pleasure. A short ride to see where the skull was found turns into a much longer expedition to track down the rest of the skeleton, eventually encountering the remains of an eighteenth century voyageur on the banks of the Nipigon River.

Familiar roads. Familiar Places. It's easy to get stale riding the same old routes. Sometimes it hardly seems worthwhile to pull on all that motorcycle gear, start the engine and head out. Why bother? It is easy to tire of the road. Cold weather and occasional roadside troubles are all part of the pleasures of riding. Don't let the little things get you down. Sometimes all it takes to overcome the feeling that you've ridden all those roads too many times is a slight change in perspective and attitude.

Spencer Dickson was a city boy, so when he decided that a housing development on a large tract of forested lakeshore was an excellent new business venture, he was in for a shock. Before he could unleash the bulldozers there were environmental and archaeological studies to complete. "You mean I'm going to have to pay for a bunch of tree-huggers and hippies to stomp around on my property, finding stuff that's going to cost me yet more money?" he said. Under Steve Dawson’s leadership, the archaeologists soon confirmed Spencer’s fears.

An historic trader’s cabin has been found in the woods in Northern Ontario and archaeologist Steve Dawson has been asked to investigate. Disturbed by the unpleasantness he and his co-worker Theo experience there, they quickly finish their work and move on, camping at Shekarkistergoan Lake, where they encounter the deeply unsettlingly, vigorous ghost of Charles Janvier, an 18th-century voyageur with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.

Despite a lifetime of healthy outdoor activity and a diet no worse (or better, for that matter) than the next man’s, in 2017, at the age of 66, Nick found himself under the knife for triple bypass surgery. Would this be the end to hiking adventures and long motorcycle trips to remote parts? Not a chance! Recovery from open heart surgery is a long, slow process. But with plenty of help, some dedication, lots of careful walking, and heaps of good luck, it is possible to return to a fully active life.

During the spring of 2020, the whole world was hiding from the Covid-19 virus. In Ontario, we did not experience the complete lockdowns which were enacted in parts of Europe, where people were required to stay in their homes with quarantines rigorously enforced by the police, so it was still possible to get out riding, as long as one was sensible and took appropriate precautions.

Old or unsuitable motorbikes, distant places, poor weather, and gravel roads, these are the common threads in Nick’s motorcycle travels. He’d been hoping to ride out west a couple of years ago until a little heart trouble intervened. Two years later, a short "shake-down" trip morphed into a 9000 mile journey across the continent. Trouble free? Not exactly. Riding a 1972 Moto Guzzi Eldorado, a Suzuki Burgman Scooter, and a 1976 Moto Guzzi Convert (automatic), and ever optimistic, Nick heads for the Canada’s distant horizons.

Canada is blessed with thousands of kilometers of empty roads which seem to wind on forever through forested hills and between still blue lakes. What better way to explore them than by riding 40-year-old Italian motorbikes, famous for their dodgy electrics and sparse dealer network? Forty-year-old bikes, aged rider, thousands of kilometers of virtually unserviced empty roads in the middle of bear-, wolf-, and blackfly-infested wilderness - what could possibly go wrong?

The Road to Missanabie is Nick Adams' second collection of motorcycling road tales. Join Nick as he heads for the horizon in northern Quebec and northern Ontario on his old Moto Guzzi bikes, enjoying the vastness of the northern forests, the quiet of northern lakes, and the generous and friendly company of the people he meets. Things don't always go according to plan, but unexpected hiccups and delays along the way just add to the adventure. If you enjoy hearing about motorcycle travel, old motorbikes, and the wilderness you're sure to enjoy this.

Darker with the Dawn uncovers the history and deeper meanings behind Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds' most well-known songs from "Tupelo", "The Mercy Seat", "Red Right Hand", "Stagger Lee", "Into My Arms", to "Higgs Boson Blues" and beyond. The book explores Nick Cave's life in music drawing upon his inspirations of the Bible, Greek myth, and literature, as well as his enduring passion for gospel, blues, and progressive rock.