Canadian Maritime Explored

Another Chapter in the exploration of the world from the saddle of a motorcycle

Documented by Bill Bennett

 

A.K.A. The “Sorry We’re Closed” Tour of 2006

 

 

Expedition Members:

Bill Bennett of Winter Springs, Florida

Kevin Naser of Papillion, Nebraska

            “Exploring  the Globe - one circle at a time”

 

 

 

July 6^th, 2006

Winter Springs, FL – Mt. Vernon, IL

(Big “K” Base)

 

 

During a previous expedition to explore the Americas, Kevin Hedin, another notable motorcycle mounted explorer, noted that there seems to be a cycle-cosmic relationship associated with the first song heard emanating from the stereo at the very start of the excursion.  Last year, it was Joe Satriani’s “Get on your bike and ride”. This morning at 05:00 when I pulled my Honda GL1800 out of the garage, it was Joe Walsh’s “Life’s been good to me”.  What more can be said for the start of another expedition to chart the remote corners of the continent?

 

Recently I read a book where a couple of Hollywood types rode motorcycles around the world.  Since this was their first long distance voyage on a motorcycle, they put pen to paper and described what I consider to be the life cycle of your mental attitude during an extended ride.  Something I have personally experienced many times.

 

When you first start out, there is a certain amount of discomfort with everything.  You are still getting the feel for the equipment, wondering what you forgot, trying to detect that noise that doesn’t belong, asking did you leave the iron on, did you remember to kiss the dog and pet the wife goodbye, and wondering about the weather ahead of you.  In the second phase you settle into a groove where you are comfortable with the equipment, but the whole adventure is still foreign and new.  In the third phase, the adventure is normalcy, and you feel like it is your day to day role in life and it is good.  Phase IV, it’s over and time to start planning for the next one.

 

At 9:33AM on day 1, I suddenly began to smile upon the realization that I was already in phase III.

 

Now About the weather:

Leaving out I was concerned over the weather reports from the previous evening.  A cold front (in July?) was moving through the Southeast US.  It was expected to bring some rather non-motorcycling friendly weather with it, especially in the afternoon when the heat of the day is in it’s full cook mode.  Temperatures in the way too wee hours of the morning started in the low 80s and quickly raised to the upper 80s and even 91 a few times.  That is, until I reached Birmingham AL.  From Dothan to Birmingham, it was obvious that I was passing through the front.  Temperatures dropped a little and the sky turned to overcast. 

 

Just south of Birmingham, I finally got some rain.  Since a fuel stop was becoming mandatory, I pulled in, fueled, put on my full rain gear that doesn’t allow air flow, and headed out into a 100% total lack of rain.  Climbing out of Birmingham I topped out in the hills and found the temperatures to be 81 or so.  There was not a single cloud in the sky ahead or to the West and silly me wearing my rain gear!  It remained that way for the rest of the day (except I did remove my rain gear).  Temperatures from Birmingham to Mt. Vernon were nominally 77 F.  Just a perfect day for riding.

 

 Of course the biggest story of the day, is in the name of the base camp…”K”.  By all measures, this day’s ride was over a 1000 miles.  That’s why I’m just a short distance east of St. Louis Mo.  I have actually had longer clock duration rides & more stressful rides, but today all the planets aligned to make the weather, traffic, and my back side all in favor of a good long ride. Still a thousand miles on the interstate is still just an interstate run.  Beats working, but not something you want to do for 2 weeks.  Of course many an Iron Butt rider consider a “K” just a warm up.

 

Motel is pretty cheap ($48) and got what I paid for, but it does have the necessary bed & plumbing fixtures (almost) so it’s a good place to stop.  As I was checking in, the city water guy was telling the manager they had to shut off the water for an hour to fix a big water leak down the street.  That was 3 hours ago…still no water.  With the local water situation, my only option for dinner was to force a Hardees’s burger down at the only open restaurant.

 

 

Odometer Stats:       1045.3 miles

Odometer Start:       35215            

GPS Stats:               1002.5 miles

Route:                    Turnpike, I-75,I-10,US231,I-65,I-24,I-57

Motel:                     America’s Best Inns

 

 

July 7^th, 2006

Mt.  Vernon IL – Papillion, NE

(Bennett Base)

 

No water till past midnight. Even then it tasted really bad, and I’m from Florida.

 

Started out this AM in moderate temps that continued same all day.  Mostly 82-83F and mostly sunny.  Since a great deal of mileage was completed yesterday, I could forgo the mind numbing interstate in favor of the stimulation of the highway.  The run up US51 was a drier version of the run made last year with Team Get On Your Bike and Ride.  The highway is open and lightly traveled making for an easy run past the numerous prisons found along the route. 

 

Running west out of Springfield was an easy run on the interstate, the only complaint being the interstate speed in Illinois is 65.  Crossing the mighty Mississippi, US 36 is four lane with a stretch of two lane for 50-75 miles.  This may be slower than the interstate run from St. Louis to KC, but it much less stressful and avoids the cities.  Arrived at mom & dad’s with enough time to get a home cooked meal.

 

Odometer Stats:       575.7 miles

GPS Stats:                551.6 miles

Route: I-64,US51,IL29,I-72,US36,I-29,US75

 

 

July 8^th, 2006

 Papillion, NE

(Bennett Base)

 

Spent the day running errands and hanging with the old folks.

 

 

July 9^th, 2006

Papillion, Ne -  Colfax IA

(Interstate Base)

 

 

Kevin had a family thing this morning and required some time to finish odds & ends before leaving.  When I arrived at 17:00 he was riding his lawn mower.  This worried me greatly as this seems like a hideously slow way to get to our intended destination, Nova Scotia.  Much to my relief, Kevin chose to mount a more suitable form of transportation to make the ride…a Triumph Tiger 955.

 

Made a small run just to get out of Dodge along I-80 to Colfax Ia.  Typical Interstate run.  Des Moines did not look like it had changed very much since Mary Jo and I left it in 1991.  The west side had some new development but along I-80, it was pretty much the same.  Checked into the Comfort Inn in Colfax. The only real option for dinner was a not so gourmet dinner at McDonalds.  Finally, a chance for a small cigar to celebrate a small ride.

 

Odometer Stats:  175.0

GPS Stats:                   167.9

Route:               I-80

 

 

July 10^th, 2006

Colfax IA – Mentor, OH

(Drew Cary Explodes Base)

 

Got an early start at 08:15.  Nice cool day with lows in the low 70s.  Mostly 72, did see as high 88F for a brief moment.  It was a good thing it was cool for when we obtained the longitude of Chicago, we hit to our amazement and deep surprise, construction (yes, that was sarcasm).  We  enjoyed a nice couple of miles of truck sandwiches and clutch walking of the bikes.  Tolls in Chicago were only $.60, but the Indiana Turnpike (I-80) was $7.25 and the Ohio Turnpike (I-80) was $5.00+. 

 

Being an interstate run, it was typical straight lines where the drivers created a stupid rich environment.

 

One interesting thing; along the Ohio Turnpike they had “animal detectors” for the deer.  A sign lights up that says animal detected.  The state utilizes microwave type motion detectors, similar to the ones used around the protected area of a nuke plant.

 

After getting settled into the Comfort Inn (again), we went to the Smokey Bones next door, but it had just closed (22:00).   We fought hard to resist the next dinning option, but our only choice was the Hooters next door.

                                                                                    

Odometer Stats:       691   

GPS Stats:                664.9

Route:                    I-80, I-90

 

 

July 11^th, 2006

Mentor, OH – Cobleskill, NY

(Why Motorcycle Tires are Round Base)

 

 

During the night, many an unusual noise was heard.  Mostly from Kevin or myself snoring or otherwise creating bodily noises as a consequence of the evening meal.  However, at aprox 03:15 both of us, along with the entire motel, were awakened by a very “wake your sorry butts the hell up right now” bang.   As fire alarms were going off elsewhere in the building, our questioning attitude led us to decide on vacating the building.  Several fire trucks showed up as did a solitary police car (about 10 min after the fire vehicles).  We were let back into the motel about 20 min later. 

 

As explained by the desk clerk upon check out, someone who did not get enough celebratory fire works in on the 4^th, decided to keep the spirit of the Independence Day celebration alive by detonating an M80 in the stair well.  Said person was caught and said ass wipe spent the evening in jail.  As an added bonus, said butt head will be seeking employment elsewhere, as the company he was traveling for decided this was not appropriate representation of their company.

 

 

Finally got up and out the door about 10:00, after doing some route figuring.  Headed up OH Rt 2, for a while but that was a bust.  Nothing but stop lights, low speed limits and congestion for 30 miles. We can get that anyplace. Did note that they grow a lot of flowers in this area.  With the pace of traffic I guess you can watch them grow.  Also passed the Perry nuclear station.  Is this some kind of cosmic balance to the universe in progress?...Flowers and nuclear power together.

 

We obtain US 6 to head easterly across the great state of Pennsylvania.  Having spent a tragic portion of the last 2500 miles on the interstate system, it was a great relief to me to be reminded of why motorcycle tires are round in cross section.  The running was decent with rolling hills in a wooded terrain motif.  The traffic was moderate, and some accelerated passing was required with consequential enjoyment, but the road did have stretches that allowed you to get in to a steady groove.  The towns had some very interesting and nicely done homes as well as traditional town squares.  One town had a brand new courthouse building that was of the old town square architecture, but new with a dark glass exterior that made for a very effective look.  Temperatures were generally in the upper 70s all day, but did get to 84F at one time. 

 

We didn’t make great time on US 6, but it’s been documented that the time differential between using a 2 lane highway versus the interstate is not subtracted from your allotted life span.

 

Once we achieved the New York state line, the riding was quite easy.  The temperatures were cooling into the lower 70s and the highway & interstate were not congested with 4 or more wheeled vehicles.  There was a brief detour for a while on the interstate, but it did not create any difficulties.  Very pretty country around these parts.

 

We finally settled on a ma & pa motel, run only by pa.  Nice place and cheap ($65).  The diner next door is owned by pa, but leased to some Greek (?) guy.  When we got to the diner to eat, it had just closed (21:00).  Pa was sitting outside and observed this.  He shouted to the waitress, to go see if they could do something for us…and they did (its good to have connections).  We got a couple of wraps to go, and the cook/owner even heated up some lintel soup for us.  No soup Nazi this guy.  Very nice of all those folks. 

 

Odometer Stats:       479.5 

GPS Stats:               460.0 (2846.8)

Route:                     OH2, I-90,US6N,US6 (Grand Army of the Rep), PN59, US220,                                  NY17,I-88     

 

 

July 12^th, 2006

Cobleskill, NY – Rumsford,ME

 (Wet Base)

 

 

Woke up to rain, got ready to go in rain, rode in the rain, and ended the day in…you guessed it, rain.  It was a steady rain all day.  Never let up except for a brief moment outside Burlington, VT.  Never got to the toad strangler level, but was a steady rain to keep us wet the entire time.  The run today was pretty nice despite the rain.  The scenery would have been spectacular if there wasn’t so much water on the visor.  Vermont fit the stereotypical image of it.  Some very nice and interesting homes along the road but more abandoned homes than I would have anticipated.  One thing is very noticeable; you can not be in a hurry in Vermont.  The speed limit is only 50 on the highway and seems that with rain, as it is in Florida, the drivers drop their IQs & their speed by 15 mph.  Between traffic and the roads, you can’t make good time.  Once we got to New Hampshire, the speed was increasable to more reasonable rates, but the bountiful DANGER MOOSE signs, give you pause on the use of more throttle.  With the rain the temperatures were on 66F to 73F.

 

Crossed into Vermont via the Ferry at Ft. Ticonderoga.

 

With the rain, we did a biker’s lunch consisting of a gas station sandwich and local version of exotic coffee consumed under the gas station canopy.  When we finally got to the motel about 7:50, we asked…”when does the restaurant close” having learned that this is repeatedly an issue on this trip.  And yes, it was an issue.  The restaurant closed at 8:00. We asked them to wait for us so we could put on dry clothes.  When we sat down at 8:05, we were informed that the stoves were already off as they didn’t think we were coming, but we could have a bowl of Lobster Bisque and salad. 

 

How freak’n early do you have to stop to get dinner in this part of the world?

 

No cell service.

 

Motel is the Madison Resort.

 

 

Odometer Stats:       361.1  

GPS Stats:               353.4

Route:                    NY30,NY8,NY9N,VT74,US7,US2              

 

 

July 13^th, 2006

Rumsford ME – Fundy NP New Brunswick

(High Tides and Green Trees Camp)

 

 

Decent enough start this morning at about 10:15.  Weather had taken a turn for the better as it was only gray and cool at 72F.  No rain, but the roads were still damp.  Made decent time on US 2 out of Rumsford ME.

 

It was really nice to be able to run the highway at speed limit speeds and to see out of the windshield without the “did I by some means take acid?” hindrance of water on the windshield.  At Newport, we stopped for lunch at a Burger King then continued on to Bangor.  We encountered some heavy rain for a brief moment just on the outskirts.  Deviating from the original plan to skirt around Bangor, we went through town instead.  It was easy going and gave us a chance to see the definitive Maine town. 

 

Took ME9 out of Bangor and it was pretty much a nonstop 2 lane run to Calais ME.  Open wooded country with plenty of gentle hills is characteristic of this highway.  I don’t recall a single traffic control device (stop sign, etc) for the entire way.  Traffic was light, but there are plenty of passing lanes and you need to use them from time to time.  Did encounter more brief showers, but nothing requiring a stop for full rain gear.  Temperatures were kept low by the cloud cover.

 

Crossing of border was uneventful and we weren’t even asked for IDs.  Maybe the smile that riding puts on your face makes gives you that Honest John Biker look.

 

 It was good to cross into the friendly spaces of Canada again.  The crossing was quick, but we did note a line of cars and trucks crossing back into the USA.  Maybe an hour backup of traffic.  In St. Johns had to pay 25 cent toll to use the bridge.  A real PITA on a motorcycle to dig out a quarter (yes the US quarter does work).  We encountered a couple more 30 sec rain showers while on Canada 1.  Fueled at Sussex NB.

 

Figuring that eventually we will have to use Canadian money; we tried to use the ATM but couldn’t get money with our VISA cards.  I did got some with the Am Exp card, but the machine jammed leaving me 20 Canada bucks short.  The last bill had gotten stuck in the machine, but I was able to get it out by reaching up into the machine.

 

At a rest stop on Canada 1, we talked with a guy from NewFoundland riding a GL1500.  His accent was something else, I do believe he was speaking english.   He said it was good riding up there in NewFoundland, but all two lane roads (but isn’t that a good thing?).

 

We have finally made a camp!  We are located in the Fundy National Park.  Fundy Bay is where the world’s largest tides are located.  We went into Alma NB for dinner at the Tides Restaurant (original name eh?) and YES it was OPEN!  Food was good and seemed like the first real dinner we had been able to procure on this trip.  The tide was out and you can see how much the level has dropped.  Boats that appear beached have piers above them by 40 feet.

 

Back at Camp we tried to make a fire, but all the kindling was way too damp to work so we decided the only fire we need was that at the end of a good cigar.   Finally open up my new box of Ashton Cigars and we enjoyed same.

 

Great night for camping and sleeping…cool but not too cold

 

Kevin really likes his little tent, so we have both tents set up.  If I had known he was that intent on using his little tent, I would have brought my smaller 3 sardine tent instead of the 6 man tent.

 

           

Odometer Stats:       387.5

GPS Stats:                365.7

Route:                    US2,I95,ME9,CAN 1

 

 

July 14^th, 2006

Fundy NP – Dunvegan (Cape Breton)

(Sort of Beach Camp)

  

After a good nights sleep, up and out at 10:15.   Rode out and observed the low tide again as we rode along the Fundy Bay coast. 

 

We have finally transitioned into Nova Scotia!  Rode a good portion of the “Sunrise Trail ” along the north coast of Nova Scotia on the Western Section.  (Why the Sunrise Trail when it’s on the north side ?) Crossed over to the Cape Breton Island via the Canso Causeway with some bit of adventure.  There was a “vehicle inspection” check point.  My ire, instead of the sun, was quickly raised as the only vehicles deemed in need of inspection were motorcycles.  A more traditional riding happy place tranquility was restored upon stopping at the check point and learning of the reason for the check point. 

 

It was the local constabulary’s way of dealing with a Hell’s Angles meeting taking place in Sydney.  As this is the only vehicle access to the island, it was a logical place to check for contra band.  We only had to produce a driver’s licenses and smile politely. The officers where very friendly and gave us some useful information about heading up the West side of the Island.

 

The scenic value of the riding has dramatically improved over the last few days.  The water views with distant headlands are very good, though not spectacular.  Riding the Sunrise Trail takes you within a mile or less of the coast, but not directly along it.  What’s unusual is the farms & farm houses you see right on the coast with the rolling hay fields.  In the states you would expect high price houses and condo’s long this type of coast line.  We did do a U turn at an entrance gate to what appeared to be a very high class gated community (perhaps Fox Hollow ? … actually on the map).

 

 At one point I believe we were able to observe Prince Edward Island.   The ride up Cape Breton following the “Ceilidh Trail “ (pronounced kay-lee…Gaelic for party or gathering) is even better as the road closely follows the coast line, but we weren’t able to enjoy the views as much as we would have liked.  Instead our attention was focused more than normal on the speed indicators what with a patrol car following us most of the way up Highway 19 to just before Inverness NS.  We ate at a little diner that was open.  Food was OK, service was lacking (at least it was open).  Also seems that there only two activities in this area…eating (as evidenced by the local average weight) and fabricating babies.  Of course, the winters are a might lengthy up here.

 

Campground looks like an RV park at first, but there is sheltered tent camp near the beach, but not quite on it.  Overall good place to stay except shower house is a bit of a hike.

 

Macloed Camp Ground

 

Odometer Stats:       356.2

GPS Stats:               342.3 (3908.2)

Route:                    Can104,366,6,104,19

 

 

July 15^th, 2006

Dunvegan (Cape Breton)- Isle Madame (Mosquito Hill)

(Wings R Duel Sport Camp)

 

Late start owing to breakfast and showers.  Cool Temps.  We experienced a very scenic drive around the “Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada” using the “Cabot Trail ”.  Did some side trip explorations of a couple coastal towns (Dingwell & White Point). 

 

Road side signs along our route advertised a restaurant in Neils Harbour and we were considering it as a possible lunch stop. However, upon arrival we found the tour busses parked at it to be a sign that it was not a venue we would greatly enjoy.  We chose wisely by continuing another few blocks and stopping at the non-advertised Sea Breeze restaurant. Lunch for this day’s ride was a Lobster sandwich, which I enjoyed greatly, and a Crab sandwich which I believe Kevin also enjoyed.  We have generally been eating a minimal lunch during the day, as day light is best used for riding.  We can eat anytime…provide you can find something open.

 

Nice views around the top of the cape, but heading down the East side we saw some of the most spectacular ocean views I can recall ever seeing.  The fact the side roads are very rough and the main roads are not smooth was soon forgotten. 

 

Taking some side roads we ran into a gravel road about a mile in length.  No  problem for traction management as it was pretty hard packed, but it shook the bike something fierce.  I was more concerned about the rickety bridge we had to cross, but after a couple of cars crossed, it’ strength was proven.  Generally when you have to suffer some sort of tribulation or challenge during a ride, such as a gravel road, you are rewarded for the effort.  Sort of a cycle-karma balance to highway surface conditions.  This road was not an exception. We were rewarded for the dirt & gravel by some very pleasing views of St. Peter’s Bay.  

 

Through the course of the day we transitioned to the “Bras d’Or Lakes Drive” and then to the “Fleur-de-lis Trail ”

 

The Plan of the Day was to work the back roads to the village of Arichat on Isle Madame where we thought a Providential Park was located.  Turns out the map is misleading (or just plain wrong) regarding the park.  However, there is a very pleasant phenomenon that occurs in Canada.  If you stop and pull out a map, within a few seconds some one will come up to you asking if you need assistance.  Must be some kind of tourist courtesy law.  A guy in a small grocery store parking lot saw us looking at the map trying to determine the next move and decided to obey the tourist courtesy law by providing some guidance concerning the local geography.  He said there was no planned camping on Isle Madame, but he could lead us to a place to camp.   We followed him a short distance and stopped along the water.  There was a steep jeep path up a grass & weed hill to a flat area.  He said if we didn’t like that, his house was around the corner and we could camp in his yard!

 

 

 

 

We decided to camp in this unique location (the hill), but dinner was once again going to become an issue as it was getting late.  We ran back to the main highway and stopped at Mr. T Pizza Subs.  Thought we would have a typical pizza dinner, but on the menu was an item called a Donair.   Being adventurous and uneducated as to what this is, we decided to try it…and liked it!  It’s hard to describe, but I thought of it as a Greek like seasoned meat & sauce on pita bread.

 

 

We returned to the camp site, and proceedede to try to get the Gold Whale, with trailer attached, up the hill. After a pre-job brief, it took quite some effort as the grass created a less than traction abundant surface.

 

Setting up camp we named the camp site “Mosquito Hill”.  If you need further explanation, then you wouldn’t understand anyway and probably should quit reading now. 

 

We have now had several days of excellent riding.

 

 

Odometer Stats:       273.0

GPS Stats:                261.1

Route:                    Can 19,Side to Dingwell, To White Point, 19,105,Bras d’Or Lakes                                Trail,320, 206

 

 

July 16^th, 2006

Isle Madame (Mosquito Hill) -  Waverly NS

(Tires Ain’t So Round Camp)

 

Very early start 8:15.  Temps a cloudy 66F.  Since the camping was primitive last night, our first obligation was to find a modern convenience.  While the stop we made initially presented visual clues that made us question its ability to address our very long overdue need, it was able to handle the duty with surprising little effort.  Again, if you need further explanation, then you wouldn’t understand anyway.

 

About 60 miles out from the Mosquito Hill and shortly after crossing the causeway from Cape Breton, I heard a bewildering noise that didn’t belong in my current version of the motorcycling world.  Shortly after that, I felt the bike become independent minded in it’s feel and subsequently diagnosed a serious lack of air in the back tire.  As this was an unexpected condition for this ride activity, we stopped the activity and assessed the equipment condition – a flat back tire.

 

Some road side work and we were able to plug the tire with success.  It pays to have an air compressor and tire plugs in your gear.  Didn’t hurt that Kevin has had some flat tire experience in his time.

 

We continued on toward Halifax on the “Marine Drive ” pausing from time to time to check and inflate the tire as necessary.  The tire didn’t present much of an issue other than the increased number of stops and some initial anxiety over the tire’s worthiness.  Of a greater concern was that it was a Sunday and we were out of liquor.

 

We met some riders at a two pump ma & pa gas station.  As is typical of Canada, they were a friendly lot and told us where to find a bike shop, camp ground, and dinner in Dartmouth (near Halifax).

 

Reaching Dartmouth we were able to find all three locations.  Sadly, the camp ground is a commercial affair, Shobies Campground, but will do for today.  We’ll find out about the bike shop tomorrow.  Dinner was a place called Mic Macs (reported a name related to the indigenous people).  Very good (and open).  Maybe it was good because we were hungry. 

 

The roads were great today in terms of visual stimulation, but continue to be rough on the kidneys. Kevin’s duel sport is looking like the way to ride the roads in these parts.  I experienced lots of bouncing of the trailer and particularly the corners are bad on these highways.  Must be the winters really tear the roads up. 

 

 

Odometer Stats:       306.4

GPS Stats:               291.0

Route:                    104,344,16,316,Melrose Rd, 7

 

July 17^th, 2006

Waverly NS (Halifax) – Radall PP (Port Joll NS)

(Friendship Camp IV)

 

 

 

About 9:20 we arrived at a very busy bike shop called Toad’s.   Despite the number of people coming in for annual inspections, they fit me in right away to replace the back tire.  Once again the tourist courtesy law was in effect as they were all friendly and good natured.  Toad’s is a muti-purpose motorcycle shop with a wide variety of bikes for sale or waiting service and is also known for their custom chopper builds.  Some very remarkable bikes are on display.

 

http://www.toadscycle.com/index.htm

 

 

 

Amongst the gang of cyclists hanging around was a guy named TJ.  He and another gentleman on a GL1500 with trailer showed us some places on the map to investigate further down the road. TJ even had us follow him to a Tim Horton’s for breakfast.  A very nice guy as is typical of the Canadian race, but he was exceptional when it came to the desire to communicate.  Must be a relative of Lolly from last years ride.  He had recently gotten out of the Canadian navy and is a CMA Minister (or the Canadian equivalent).  We were greatly appreciative of his help and companionship. With the tire change and breakfast with TJ, we didn’t depart till after 11:00. 

 

 

TJ gave us a couple of tokens for the toll bridge.  Kevin’s didn’t work for some reason while I had no trouble with mine.  Did some street work on the outskirts of Halifax then managed to acquire the outbound highway on the “Lighthouse Trail ”. 

 

Along the coast the weather was damp and foggy.  Made for very engaging views with the rocky coast lines. 

 

In 1998, a cockpit fire caused the crash of Swiss Air Flight 11 into the Atlantic near Peggy’s Cove.  Passing through this area we stopped to visit a very nice memorial established to honor the victims and recovery workers.  As usual, mindless tourists don’t seem to respect the solemnity place.

 

More highway runs after Peggy’s Cove.  The roads are improving, but there are still some rough spots.  Temperatures remained in the mid 60s with fog along the coast runs, but on the in-land portion of the highway the temperature reached 84F.  Made for very nice riding.

 

Stopped in Mahone Bay for Lunch/Dinner and consumed a very good Halibut.  Later intended to stop at the Kejimkujik NP, but couldn’t get there by the planned route and it didn’t appear to have camping in it anyway.  Finally stopped at the Randall Provincial Park.  More dirt road to get here and more mosquitoes & bugs.  Trying to make a journal entry with mosquitoes buzzing your face is a tad taxing.  Biggest problem is trying to swat at a mosquito without knocking your cigar out of your mouth or burning your arm on the cherry. 

 

Cool evening already.  Very Nice camp ground near the water with private roomy sites.

 

Odometer Stats:       227.6

GPS Stats:               210.6

Route:                    333,329,331,103

 

 

July 18^th, 2006

Radall PP (Port Joll NS) – Digby NS

(Lighthouse Base)

  

Great camping night.  At least a dozen stars were visible.

 

Very quite night, only heard surf and no noisy insect or birds called out till early morning.  I did count 4 mosquito bites in morning.  Left camp around 10:00 (you would think the trailer would pack it self by now) into light fog and satisfyingly cool temps.   We continued along the “Lighthouse Trail ” toward Yarmouth.  Nova Scotia lighthouses are small structures not the tall lighthouses of the East coast of the US.

 

Various back roads along the coast take you through fishing villages with plenty of docks, traps, and churches.  Most of the churches are of a traditional structure, simple wooden buildings with a steeple and black trim.  At one crossroads I saw two nearly identical churches across the road from each other.  Of course when I tried to get a picture of a typical church, I found a church with a green trim instead of black trim.

 

Along the east/south side of the lower island the geography is wooded, as far as you can tell with the generally foggy conditions.  I am reminded much of the north-west coast of the US.  Roads have improved, but continue to have some rough spots.

 

 

Stopped in Barrington for lunch at a Tim Horton’s.  Continued around the island.  Passed the site of the 1967 UFO event near Woods Harbour.   Views along this section have changed.  A more open coast line with less tree coverage presents its self for our enjoyment.  While the coast temps are still low (upper 60 low 70) the fog became much reduced.  Running along the Yarmouth to Digby highway a.k.a. the “Evangeline Trail”, is a nice run.  However, the numerous homes with driveways along the highway present a constant challenge to scan for motorcycling threats.

We had planned to run north of Digby, as recommended by the good folks in Halifax at Toads.  After a run north of Digby of about 35 miles Kevin noted that “it looks like Iowa with Ocean where Minnesota should be”.  Very true. Having covered most of the roads in Iowa more than once in our life times and disinclined to do so again, we turned back to run along the Annapolis Peninsula.  Due to some mis-directional turns, we took a small stretch of gravel road.  This road was not a problem, but the road it finally turned into was a formally paved road.  I say formally paved because there were more pot holes in that section then at a Ozzy Ozborn concert.  Fortunately it was just a small stretch.  Almost on cue, we were rewarded with some spectacular views of Fundy Bay when we reached the coastal section.

 

Checked into the Admiral Digby Inn, just a short distance from the Ferry to St. Johns.  Good thing as the Ferry leaves at 05:00 and we need to get up at 04:00.

Dinner at the attached opened restaurant.  Acceptable food but not great.

 

Odometer Stats:       298.6  

GPS Stats:               287.7 (4959.1)

Route:                    103,Little Harbour,309,3,1,Backroads to Hampton & Parkers Cove

 

 

July 19^th, 2006

Digby NS – White Mt. N.F.  (Gilead ME)

(Boarder Camp)

 

 

Got up at 04:00 to catch the “Princess Arcadia” Ferry about ½ mile away.  With 8 motorcycles and probably the same number of cars, you should be able to understand why this will be the last season for the ferry run from Digby to St. Johns.

 

Joining us on the ferry were a couple from Minnesota (she from St. Augustine, FL) on a HD with camper trailer.  We talked with them on and off and learned that he had just started riding a motorcycle at age 68.  He wishes he had started a long time before that, but it sounds like he is doing a pretty admirable job of making up for it by putting down some serious miles on his own exploration of North America.

 

The ferry ride was uneventful.  Highlight was the breakfast in the Cafeteria, which was acceptable food with some very good coffee.  For scenery you couldn’t see much from the Ferry due to darkness and/or fog.   After breakfast and a stroll to check out the ferry, took a little nap for a while in passenger lounge.  We arrived in St. Johns about 8:15 or so. 

 

I immediately took an erroneous turn out of the ferry station, with Kevin dutifully following, and had to pay the toll to cross the river in St. Johns.  Took a slightly different route to cross back over and obtained Can 1 to St. Stephens for the border crossing.  Crossing into the USA was no problem, just the usual where you from, did you buy anything questions.

 

Crossed the border back into the good old USA and headed down US 1.  Took a little side trip to Jonesport ME to check out the coastal views.  Quaint little fishing town.  Ate lunch at the “Tall Barnies” restaurant where we served by a waitress with a classic deep Maine accent.  

 

US 1 was a good until just north of Belfast ME. Then it just became a normal busy highway.  There were occasional nice views but the traffic, construction, side traffic, etc. was precluding us from enjoying it like we wanted.  Might be we require some recalibration after all the time in NS, but in general US 1 isn’t that much fun south of Belfast.  We altered the route to pick up more secondary roads where the traffic was lighter and in doing so increased our enjoyment.  While it was better running, there are enough small towns or other traffic areas to create a condition for slowing down every 3 or 4 miles.

 

Established camp in the White Mountain National Forest.  After making camp, we headed back toward the small town near the camp ground.  The first place we stopped had several cars, but surprise, surprise, we were informed that it had just closed.  Moved on to another town and an open pizza joint where we enjoyed same .      

 

Nice camp site, no facility other than latrine but that’s normal for a National Forrest

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

I wore my summer jacket for the first time since the rain days earlier in the trip.

 

 

Odometer Stats:       418.5

GPS Stats:                383.4 (Didn’t include the dinner run)

Route:                    Ferry to St. Johns, Can 1, US 1, ME 3, US202,ME41,ME 219,ME26, US2, ME113

 

 

July 20^th, 2006

 White Mt. N.F.  (Gilead ME) – Kingston NY

(6 State Base)

 

 

Broke camp and headed out about 10:15 in pleasant mid 70’s temps.  We kept to the back roads most of the day, which turned out to be a most excellent call on our part.  Riding through the White Mountain National Forest, rural NH, VT and Mass & Conn was an excellent day of riding.  We passed through 6 states altogether.  The riding was superb.  Mountain areas of the National Forrest transitioned into the rolling woodland of the other states.  Many of the homes along the highway were nicely done and worthy of observation.  Buildings in NH & VT were stereotypical of what you expect for the boat load of small towns with New England style architecture.  Traveling through NH & VT the traffic was modest, with other cars on the road, but not to numerous.  In Mass it was heavy traffic through most of the state, easing up when we reached the Conn line.  Didn’t mind the traffic this time as it seemed to be part of what you would expect out of the sate of Mass.  Entering into NY we passed several horse farms in hilly country while exploring back roads.  Passed a place called “Relatively Stable” stables. 

 

The riding all day was great and probably overall one of the best riding days of the trip.  Max temp was 84, but that did not seem hot.  Over the past two days we’ve seen kids and a few adults sun bathing on the lawns.  At a scenic waterfall near the highway, there were a lot of people in the water enjoying a way to cool off.  In Florida, people would have on light jackets in this kind of weather.

 

We had originally planned to camp in the Adirondacks Park of New York, but we got into the city of Kingston, NY toward sunset, and had not eaten all day (as was a normal practice).  We decided that eating at the Sky View steakhouse would be good idea to solve the hunger problem, but we need to clean up a bit, so we checked into the attached motel. Clean up is a relative term as we didn’t have the desire to shower first, we were highly focused on our hunger.

 

Dinner was Prime Rib, which was just OK nothing note worthy.  However, the desert was cheesecake which was very good.  Rooms are nice enough, nothing special, but ok for the $100/night.

 

Odometer Stats:       374.7  

GPS Stats:               361.4

Route:                    ME113,NH112,NH118,NY25,US4,I-89,NH10,VT9,US7,NY199

 

 

 

July 21^st, 2006

Kingston NY – St Marys PA

(Wet Again Base)

 

 

Today…the crappiest traffic of the trip (excluding Chicago which is the synonym for crappy traffic).  It was just the quality of the drivers today gave the impression that the local driving instructors are pretty scarce or under trained.

 

Our route took us through part of the famous Catskill and Adirondacks areas of New York.  These areas where nothing special visually, especially compared to the previous days ride.  Highway 6 across Penn was just an OK run by non-interstate standards (most everything beats the droll offerings of the interstate).  The route had plenty of scenic possibilities, but traffic and the general feel of the route was not what we look for when trying to optimize our ride enjoyment.  Still it isn’t a bad ride and you can make speed in general, just have to watch the other drivers (but when don’t you?).

 

We hit rain at Wellsboro PA for an hour.   As we ate dinner at a Subway’s in Kane PA, we noted the dark clouds where once again around us.  Still, this was our last night so we were keen for one more night of camping.  Drizzle was coming down when we entered the Twin Lakes Park just south of Kane.  The campground was very full, but after some effort finally found a suitable campsite.  As we dismounted the bikes, the rain started coming down by the bucketful and I saw a few frogs donning life jackets.  After several minutes, it became apparent that this was going to keep up for quite a while.  The lighening that accompanied the rain also motivated us to reconsider the camping option.

 

Returning to the highway we headed south into Johnsburg PA hoping to find a motel.  Not seeing a motel we elected for the easy option of asking at a gas station where we might find one.  Hum…seems that there are no motels in that city.  We had to continue on to the Comfort Inn in St. Mary’s.  The sun set between the campground and St. Mary’s resulting in us riding in the dark and rain (not a recommend practice, and one which I strive hard to avoid)

 

 

Odometer Stats:       396.5            

GPS Stats:               380.5

Route:                    NY28,NY30,NY17,US17,PA187,PA6,PA321,PA255

 

 

July 22^nd, 2006

St Marys PA – Blythewood SC

(Interstate Blows Base)

 

 

No need to worry about trying for an early start as we had to wait to leave until about 9:30 or so, due to a substantial thunderstorm in the area.  Even after the wait, we still left under wet conditions and it pretty much stayed that way for about 100 miles.  Kevin and I finally split toward our respective motorcycle garages at I-80.  I headed East on I-80 and he West.   As always, it is grand time when traveling with Kevin, and this excursion was no exception.

 

The skies lightened up after a while.  It was probably around the 200 mile mark of riding before I could call the skies a steady shade of blue, but all along I could see areas of rain showers off in the mountains.  Fortuitously, my route took me around those showers.  None looked very significant, so no big deal.  Just as I checked into the motel south of Columbia SC it begin to lightly rain.

 

Today was…sigh…mostly an interstate run.  Missed going onto I-70/I-76 which is also the Penn turnpike so took US 30 instead.  Good thing as that section of interstate that I missed is a PITA toll road.

 

While an interstate run, the scenery was very good.  Hill country most of the time, and even bits and pieces of the Blue Ridge Parkway were visible.  All in all a good day of riding.  I hope Kevin enjoyed his interstate run as much as I did, but knowing I-80, I seriously doubt it.  Coming out of VA into NC on I-77 there is a very fine view of the flat lands of NC as you transition down from the mountains of Virginia.

 

All day the traffic was constant.  While not heavy, it was never light, causing you to work the traffic to stay safe.  There was always another vehicle about that needed watching.  And this being Saturday, I think I’m glad I didn’t make this run on a week day.

 

Dinner was a Mexican Restaurant next to the Motel.  Motel is cheap $70/night.

 

Odometer Stats:                 

GPS Stats:     672.8 

Route:           US255,I-80,US322,I-99,US30,I-81,I-77     

 

 

July 23^rd, 2006

Blythewood SC – Winter Springs FL

(Home Base)

 

 

Left under cloudy skies, but no rain.  Temps in mid 70s.  Being a Sunday, I had hoped for a quite easy Interstate run, but that was not to be the case.

 

Heading down I-26 south of Columbia, I noted a blue cloud of smoke on the other side of the highway.  Within the cloud was contained three motorcycles of the HD brand.  One of those bikes was having some type of directional control issue as his bike was pointing perpendicular to the roadway in the direction of the right shoulder, then very quickly he was pointed in the direction of the median, then once again at the right shoulder.   Guess he had enough of this flip flop and proceed to make a slide into the ditch.

 

I can make light of this situation as the rider was already up and staring at his bike with what I perceived from the far side of the interstate as some genuine disgust.  This gave me the indication that he was ok.

 

I’m surmising that something let go in the engine and liberated a sufficient quantity of motor oil so as to give the back tire a through lubrication reducing the coefficient of friction between tire and roadway.  Something that really is not conducive to keeping the rubber side down when piloting a motorcycle.

 

Continuing down I-26 the traffic was medium at best.  Once I reached my “favorite” interstate, I-95,  the traffic became heavy and stayed that way the rest of the trip.

 

At the Georgia/Florida state line I started to encounter a guy on a BMW in the traffic flow.  He was a tall thin guy and the bike was tall and narrow. With his ¾ helmet on, it almost made it look like he was riding a scooter.  You expect to hear “you meet the nicest people on a Honda” commercial.  Course it was neither a scooter nor a Honda.  Finally chatted with him for a few minutes at a rest stop when the threat of rain required a transition to the rain jacket.  Turns out, he had recently quit his job at a Boston area University, and was moving to south Florida to teach at Florida Something U. 

 

When the sun came out to visit during the I-95 ride, the temperatures increased and I saw a high of 94F before Jacksonville.  The temperature was greatly reduced when rain heavy enough to contemplate the usefulness of an ark came down.  Of course it started on the north side Jacksonville bridges, where previous experience has taught me I can expect flooding on these bridges.  And of course, there was some sort of fender bender so traffic was stop/go just after crossing the bridges.  Then more rain, another fender bender, then more traffic…repeat until frustrated.  In other words it was the worst that the interstate has to offer and I got it all.

 

Still, it couldn’t spoil the grandness of the entire trip.  

 

Did not have any problem finding dinner once I reached home, as it is always open.

 

Time for Phase IV…

 

Odometer Stats:       463.2 Ending Od 42748      

GPS Stats:               446.8 Total Trip 7204.0 </