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When Daniel Major was preparing for his recent motorcycle ride from Marathon, ON, to Newfoundland and Labrador, there was a list of essentials to bring on the trip.

His plan was to tent while he was on the East Coast. But of all the things one would need for such a trip, the most important for Daniel is his beloved co-pilot - and no, he wasn't referring to his lovely wife Marnie.

Instead, his seven-year-old pup Yakira was his ride-or-die for the trip. This little pooch not only has her own wardrobe for such an extensive trip, she has her own sidecar as well.

Daniel and Yakira are the adorable duo you may have spotted travelling across Newfoundland and Labrador just a few weeks ago. Daniel’s wife Marnie doesn’t share his love of bikes, but luckily the other little lady in his life sure does.

Daniel and Yakira have toured the country extensively on their motorcycle, with Yakira, the goggle-wearing pup, proudly sitting in her sidecar the whole way. Together, they wanted to check off Eastern Canada after two years of delayed plans due to the pandemic.

“We’ve been trying to get to Newfoundland, but we kept getting shut down because of COVID so this was two years in the making,” Daniel tells The Telegram from his home in Marathon.

“I’ve done all other points in Canada on a motorcycle – I’ve done the Arctic Ocean, Vancouver Island and Pelee Island – so I’ve gone as far North on a continuous highway and as far West and South. So East was all that was left," he explains.

"I wanted to hit every province and territory, including Nunavut, on a motorcycle and I finally have completed that after two years of waiting.”

How do you reach Nunavut on a motorcycle, you ask? Well, Daniel found a very creative way to do just that.

“I went up to Northern Quebec to a Cree community, which is pretty much on James Bay, and they directed me to a road. And that lead me on to James Bay at low tide - I was out 150 metres into the water on my motorcycle at low tide, and the waters of James Bay are technically part of the Nunavut territory.”

As you can imagine, travelling with a pet can get a little tricky, but for Daniel and Yakira, it was quite the adventure just trying to ensure she could get to and from Newfoundland comfortably, as most ferry regulations refer to dogs being in an enclosed vehicle - not their motorcycle sidecar.

The first ferry ride between Newfoundland and Labrador was a little more straightforward, Daniel explains, as it was a short distance and she was able to stay in her sidecar.

“She doesn’t have a problem doing that. I can go into a restaurant and two hours later come out and she is still sitting in her seat. I took her goggles off for the ferry ride and made her as comfortable as I could and she sat there in the ferry until I came back to pick her up.”

Preparing for the much-longer Marine Atlantic crossing proved to be more complicated, and involved about two months of “back and forth” between the dog owner and Marine Atlantic reps.

“Their policy was you rent a spot for a dog crate - which you must supply - and they have their criteria on the style of crate and size. Or your animal stays in the car. I wasn’t going to leave her (in the bottom of the vessel) for seven hours in a motorcycle,” Daniel says, adding that he understands it’s their policy, but it was still very frustrating as his situation was a unique one.

“I eventually got the crate figured out - Canadian Tire in Port Aux Basques brought in a crate for me and I was going to pick it up that morning, make the crossing, and when I arrived in North Sydney I would put a ‘Free’ sign on the crate and leave it.”

About a week before Daniel and his pup were preparing to leave for Newfoundland, he received a call from Marine Atlantic.

“(I was told) they are doing a new pilot project with pet-friendly cabins and that they had a cancellation. So I ended up with a pet-friendly cabin and Canadian Tire understood and provided a refund.”

Ensuring that his furry companion would have a safe and cozy ferry crossing was the only real bump in the road, so to speak.

Sure, the heavy rains when he arrived wiped out a $500 “waterproof” helmet communication system, the winds were so strong at times that Daniel had to change his driving technique to stay on the road, and he had to replace one tire with some help from friendly locals.

But Daniel is still in awe of those 14 days he and Yakira spent in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“We hit some amazing weather. What got me about the weather though was the wind in Labrador. And then coming down the coast from St. Anthony to Gros Morne – I’ve never witnessed wind like that or trees that look like that because of the wind," he says.

"I found Labrador just absolutely amazing. Riding in that country, you are just by yourself. There is no one out there – it’s incredible.”

That solitude and joy of being “out in the elements” was a big part of this adventure as the biking duo tented their way around the province.

“We stayed in provincial parks, federal parks, and in Labrador, we found a nice spot just on the side of the road. And the rest was private campgrounds - we would show up unannounced and ask, ‘Do you have a spot?’”

The other highlight of the trip for Daniel was the people he met along the way.

“The people were just really nice. When I was camped out in the middle of nowhere, I had a couple of guys show up to do a little fishing in the river (they were on their way home from Cartwright) and they were offering me their fish for supper. The people were great.”

While the locals that Daniel encountered were friendly and helpful to him, we all know the truth: they were just smitten with the “good girl” who made the journey with him.

“People often ask me how much training it took (for her to ride with me) and I tell them very little. She is very calm. She’s that kind of dog," he says.

"She wears goggles, which are designed for dogs, so she wears them with no problem. She has full rain gear and has a winter coat when it’s cold too.”

Daniel says there are more adventures on the horizon but he’s not quite sure what that will be just yet. When that time comes, you can bet his canine companion will be by his side.

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