NNY biker takes the roads less traveled

Off the Wire News
General News 100,000 MILES: City man's wheels turn on long travel adventures riding BMW motorcycle
By CHRIS BROCK
TIMES STAFF WRITER
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2010
Carl E. Boler said he is often told, "Say ... I've heard about you."
He likes to think he's inspired those who tell him that.
"I just hope they're able to get out and do it," he said.
What Mr. Boler does may be the envy of anyone dreaming of a free-wheeling lifestyle; thoughts that may seem especially far flung during these frozen north country days.
His hobby hits home for him at certain times when he's thousands of miles away from his Thompson Boulevard bachelor abode, such as riding on the wild unpaved roads of northern Quebec aboard his BMW motorcycle.
"It's just me and the bike," Mr. Boler said, as memories of the trip came back while he flipped through photos of his journeys. "I'm having to fight the gravel and the elements. But you see things from a different perspective. And I'd realize: if I didn't have a bike, I'd have no reason to go here."
Mr. Boler has been going here and there, ranging from the western U.S to the eastern parts of Canada, for the past several years as a motorcycling adventurer. His ride of choice is a BMW. He averages 15,000 miles a year.
He recently received a 100,000-mile award from BMW Motorad of North America, given to riders who complete 100,000 miles on BMW motorcycles. He was given the award at BMW dealer Country Rode Motowerks, Fairport, Monroe County.
"Most people never see that type of miles in their lifetimes, let alone in a few years," said Ronald Stone of Country Rode.
Mr. Boler, 47, is an unusual recipient of the award in that he's done all 100,000 miles on one BMW. It now has 109,000 miles.
"It's a very good quality, well-built bike," Mr. Boler said. "They are also very comfortable. The BMW community tends to have all the gear on and we tend to camp out near our bikes."
His hobby started in 1998. "I had the need of doing something new and different," he said. "I didn't want to be in bicycling anymore, so I got a motorbike and I took to it like a fish in water."
His first motorcycle was a new Honda Shadow. "My experience up to that point had been a collection of bicycles and a 50 cc Honda Express scooter, which I rode at a startling 28 miles per hour," Mr. Boler said.
After putting 12,000 miles on his Shadow, Mr. Boler purchased a 1995 BMW model K100LT.
But it was the purchase of a book that really fired up his sense of adventure. After reading Gregory W. Frasier's "Alaska by Motorcycle," he purchased his current machine, a 2001 BMW "adventure" model R1150GS. He also owns a 1995 BMW R100RT.
"All of a sudden a light went off," Mr. Boler said. He wanted to make his motorcycling more than "drive-by trips."
"I wanted to slow down," he said.
By that, he meant stopping whenever and wherever the urge hit him. He packs his motorcycle with a tent, a folding chair, a small cook stove and other basic camping necessities. He sometimes stays in hotels.
"There's a lot of less-traveled roads out there," Mr. Boler said. "On the back roads, I like to meet the people. I've never had a bad experience. When I broke down, people offered me a place to stay. And I keep in touch with them. People are just nice — very nice."
Mr. Boler also travels a lot in his job. He is a field engineer for DRS Optronics, based in Melbourne, Fla., and often works at Fort Drum. The company is part of DRS Technologies, a supplier of defense electronic systems.
His goes on his bike travels during vacations. He said his job makes him especially grateful.
"I've been to active war zones and former war zones," he said. "The line of work I'm in has allowed me to appreciate what I have."
He took his first long-distance trip in 2001 when he traveled to the Canadian Maritimes. He also has been through the Rockies, the ice fields of British Columbia (Western Canada) and to the Florida Everglades. Last summer, he trekked to Labrador City, in the province of Newfoundland near the Quebec border. After leaving Watertown, his first stop for a night on that trip was 500 miles later in Les Éboulements, Quebec.
He said many people in the out-of-the-way fishing and mining towns in Canada were especially welcoming, eager to give a stranger tours of their communities.
He doesn't always travel alone on his trips. He sometimes meets up with friends who share a passion for BMW motorcycles and camping. He would like to attach a sidecar to his BMW so he can take his girlfriend's border collie mix, Sweetie, with him.
Mr. Boler plans two big trips a year and picks one. This year he'll either go to Oregon or deeper into Newfoundland.He's never had an accident. Mr. Boler said he's extremely safety-conscious, attending safety classes; lessons which transcend to anyone who might want to ride along as a passenger.
"I give them instructions on how to be a good passenger," Mr. Boler said. "I feel like I'm an ambassador, not only for BMW, but for our motorcycle sport itself."
Mr. Boler sends travelogues of his journey to his friends.
"I want my friends to feel like they're on the journey with me," he said.
Mr. Boler flips to a photograph of a young boy who spotted Mr. Boler's motorcycle at a rest stop in Michigan one morning. The boy is beaming as he grips the BMW's handlebars.
"This picture is worth more than what anybody can try to describe," he said. "It's the look on that kid's face."
Such joy, Mr. Boler said, is the basis for his travels.
"People get caught up in life so much, they forget what makes them happy," he said.
Mr. Boler is happy to keep on rolling, with no plans to slow down, albeit he will likely consider a different mode of vacation transportation some day.
"I see an RV in my future," he said. "I want to get off the ground because I'm getting too old for that."
Original article...
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20100213/CURR04/302139997