IFMR "Atlantic Canada" Tour Update

IMPORTANT ADDED INFORMATION FOR TOUR RIDERS

It's only a few short weeks until we start the IFMR "Atlantic Canada" tour in Montreal on June 24. The tour is fully booked, except for any IFMR members and other Rotary riders and friends who may join us for short periods along the tour route.

We also have important information about tour details to pass along to you, so please read and save this entire post and let us know if you have any questions.

RIDERS COMING FROM THE U.S. MUST HAVE A CANADIAN NON-RESIDENT VEHICLE INSURANCE CARD FROM THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY. Under rules recently implemented for border security, you may be asked to show this non-resident vehicle insurance card when you enter Canada and you may be denied entry if you do not have it. Check with your insurance agent before you leave home and make sure that your existing vehicle insurance policy will provide liability coverage in Canada and obtain the necessary Canadian non-resident vehicle insurance card from your agent. This can often been done immediately or within a few days. But if you fail to do it and do not have the card when you get to the border checkpoint, you could be turned away and denied entry. THAT WOULD BE BAD!

RENTAL BIKES CAN NOT BE RIDDEN ACROSS THE BORDER Due to insurance restrictions and border security rules now in force, it is no longer possible to rent a motorcycle in Canada and then ride it into the US, or rent a motorcycle in the US and ride it into Canada. Several IFMR riders discovered this unexpectedly in the 2008 IFMR "Great Lakes-Great Times" Tour, which was originally planned to cross back and forth over the US-Canada border several times, which was easily done in the past. However, the tour route had to be changed at the last minute to limit travel to the US side of the border.

FERRY CROSSINGS REQUIRE INDIVIDUAL ADVANCE BOOKING SEVERAL WEEKS IN ADVANCE WITH INDIVIDUAL CREDIT CARDS. We will make two major ferry transits during the tour -- one across the St Lawrence River in Quebec and the second across the Bay of Fundy from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick. The ferry companies have indicated that they do not accept 'group' reservations and that separate reservations must be made in advance for each vehicle and its passengers, requiring passenger names, credit card information, and vehicle type and license tag number. Credit cards will be billed at the time the reservation is made; but reservations can be cancelled prior to departure and a refund will be issued without charge. "No shows" will be charged C$25. We have all the information needed in order to make the reservations for group members, except for the license tag numbers of riders on their own motorcycles, which we will need you to send Vince Byrne (vbyrne@ns.sympatico.ca) as soon as possible so we can make ferry reservations.

IFMR-MONTREAL TOUR POLO SHIRTS WILL BE DELIVERED TO YOU IN MONTREAL (OR WHEN YOU JOIN THE GROUP AFTER MONTREAL) AND MUST BE PAID FOR IN CASH (C$40 or US$36). I regret this minor inconvenience for collecting payment for the polo shirts you have ordered; but IFMR-NA does not currently have a way to collect this via credit card billing.

CHARGES (ABOUT C$25) FOR EVENING TRAVEL BY BUS TO/FROM THE "LOBSTER SUPPER" ON PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND WILL BE PAID BY THE QUALITY INN AND INCLUDED ON YOUR ROOM CHARGES WHEN YOU CHECK OUT. Individual charges for the "Lobster Supper" itself will be paid at the Lobster Supper site, either by cash or credit card.

BEGINNING THE NIGHT BEFORE THE TOUR DEPARTS FROM MONTREAL THERE WILL BE A BRIEF RIDERS' MEETING TO DISCUSS THE PLANS FOR THE FOLLOWING DAY'S ROUTE AND ANY OTHER ITEMS FOR THE SAFETY AND COMMON GOOD OF THE GROUP. All tour riders are expected to attend every Riders Meeting, whose location and time will be announced by the tour leader. If you have questions at any time, don't hesitate to ask tour guides Bob Shriner, Vince Byrne, or Bill Smith, now via email or in person during the tour. We want this to be a safe, enjoyable, and EXTRA-ORDINARY trip for the entire group.

BILL SMITH WILL LEAD A DAY-RIDE TO THE FAMOUS MONT TREMBLATT SCENIC AREA NORTHWEST OF MONTREAL ON MONDAY, JUNE 21. Riders wishing to make that ride should be at the Imperia Hotel parking lot, gassed up and ready to go at 9 AM. The ride should be back to the Hotel Imperia by late afternoon.

THERE WILL BE A GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING AND FELLOWSHIP DINNER IN THE IMPERIA HOTEL ON SUNDAY, JUNE 20, AT 6 PM. The meeting/dinner, which will follow the opening ceremony of the RI Convention, will be held in a reserved section of the Imperia Hotel Bistro and will also include the inauguration of the next president of IFMR-NA. Individual dinner orders will be selected from the menu and individually billed. All IFMR members and guests are invited to attend.

The remaining time between now and Montreal will fly by quickly. We are in the final stages of making reservations and planning stops along the route. Everyone I've talked with or exchanged emails with is as excited about the tour as Bill, Vince, and Bob are. And we looking forward to seeing all of you in Montreal, or when you join the group after we leave Montreal. In the meantime, if you have any questions please contact tour guides Bob Shriner, Vince Byrne, or Bill Smith.