Byron the Biker Bear

Byron's mission is to get out there with the wind in his face, guiding the bike and looking for caches.  If you see Byron on Bernadette (my 2005 BMW R1200GS) or in the window of The Edge (my SUV), take note and log a "discovered" indicating "the 411".

In 2010, my dad and I participated in the Ride for Dad 10th Anniversary Cross-Country Tour.  This was put on by The Ride for Dad charity which raises funds for prostate cancer research and education.  The Tour celebrated the 10th anniveersary of this charity, which holds annual rides in different regions each year, usually in May and June. 

For the 10th anniversary, the Ride celebrated by holding a tour that went from St. John's to Victoria, visting many Canadian Forces Bases along the way.  My dad and I decided to do the Ontario leg.  From Barrie, we travelled north-east to Ottawa to hook up with the ride.  We then went south to Kingston, over to CFB Trenton, up to CFB Borden (near our home in Barrie), then north to North Bay, the Soo, Marathon and Thunder Bay.  We parted ways with the Tour, and followed Highway 11 back through Northern Ontario to Barrie.  All told, we did 5,000 KMs on our motorcycles!

As part of their fundraising, the Tour was selling various mementos, including this stuffed bear.  Decked out in riding leathers and looking kinda fuzzy, the bear reminded me of one of the Ride's co-founders.  So, "Byron the Biker Bear" was born.  Byron travels with me whenever I look for caches. He has visited many caches in central Ontario, and went with me on a 10,000KM driving/riding odysey through the central and southern United States in March and April of 2011.