PEI

Took the long route to Charlottetown, along the coast via Shediac and the coast road 133. The lobster and oyster business is visible everywhere - yum. Traffic was light but I suspect that the evening rush over the Confederation bridge to Charlottetown was going to be much busier due to the extensive Canada Day plans in the city. The sky was clear, sun hot - best weather of the trip.

One of my co-workers lived in the area for a while, so I explored the city and surrounding areas according to his recommendations. The city is small, but it has a heritage and a vibrant youth culture.

First stop, Brackley beach. Of course, the GPS takes me on the fasted route, which includes a jaunt along Ling Rd. one of PEI's may red dirt roads. The Beemer was happy to be in it's environment and hummed along at 80kph, wiggling a bit on the loose stuff. Brackley is a provincial park and there was a line up to get in, so I checked out the Dunes gallery and then decided to follow the coast road to Cavendish, home of Green Gables. Green Gables is a government tourist shrine - OK I guess, but not for me. Continuing and exploring the coast road was a ton of fun with twists and curves all the way. The wind picked up a lot and pushed the bike around a bit, but the lower speeds kept it safe. The roads kept coming and eventually it became clear that the north cape was within striking distance. The road from Alberton and Tighish Harbour to the north cape were particularly fun, with a few dirt road side trips thrown in.

The North Cape has a wind farm that generates 10 megawatts of power. The light house is still there and a restaurant serves government cafeteria food using expensive ingredients like lobster. Didn't have time to eat since the sun was setting and I had a two and a half hour ride back to Charlottetown. That was planned down Highway 2, which runs right up the middle of the island. Had numerous opportunities to run the LED driving lights during complete darkness on the unlit highway - works as expected. Lights up the road ahead, plus to the sides so you can safely operate at 100kph. Not sure what it looks like for on coming traffic, but I never got the angry flashes from opposite traffic (the lights were turned off before the other drivers could be blinded). Got back by 10:30, 558 km day, 12,091km on the bike.

My cousin's daughter is visiting a friend's parents in Charlottetown, so we will spend some time tomorrow.

Transition Day

We finished the Cape rides today, which also marks the point in time where Jonathan has accomplished his objectives for the trip. His hand has developed numbness so he has decided to return to Kingston. By the time he returns, he will have travelled 3,500 km - not bad for seventh time septuagenerian.

The ride completed the Cabot trail and we took the ferry back to hwy 105. The weather was sunny and warming for most of the ride to Canso canal (that is where the cape joins the mainland). We hit a bit of fog on the last mountain serpentine road, and had a double bummer because we followed a transport truck down the hill. So, it was slow/brakes on all the way. Actually, there was a learning experience - the truck took up both lanes in each turn, similar to what you can see on some of the tail of the dragon videos. An aggressive motor cyclist or cager would be in for a big surprise if they met up with that going up or down the hill.

We decided to make a dash for Moncton. For Mike, it was a chance to see if he could convince the BMW dealer to find a slot over the next few days to perform the 10K service and install a new rear tire, and for Jonathan, it was the jumping point back to Kingston.

The weather traded wind for rain. When we crossed water, whitecaps told us the winds were at least force 6. Jonathan estimates that crossing the flats, winds were gusting to force 7 - 30 knots (31 to 38 mph). The bikes looked funny leaning heavily to counteract the wind and every time a truck passed us, we would wobble to counteract the change in wind plus the dirty air coming off the trucks. At times like these, it would be nice to trade the light weight touring bikes for a big fat Harley or a fully faired full touring bike. We survived with a bit of stress.

The Atlantic BMW dealer is a BIG disappointment. BMW really emphasizes that the GS bikes are THE Adventure bike, but apparently, when you are actively adventuring, you need to make service appointments 2 weeks in advance. Interesting challenge since one can't predict where one will be based on weather, road condition etc. Adventuring is unpredictable. Julie tried to make an appointment earlier in the week but couldn't give then a day, so they did nothing. When I arrived, long story short, one week from now was the best they could do.

In their defence, BMW only lets certified technicians work on the machines, and those are rare. There is even a shortage in Toronto, and my dealer is booking regular service into third week July, but, for certain conditions i.e. my bike, he will find an opening. Atlantic BMW could have found that opening if they tried.

I called my dealer and Cray (the Motorrad guy) advised me to ride it, be safe and have fun. No worries if I bring it back with 15K km. The tire is still a few mm above the wear bar, so I'll ride carefully and it will be bald when I return.

Jonathan was tired so we took a room in the same Comfort Inn from day 2, had a home cooked meal at Jean's (again), short walk and called it a day. Drove 529 km.

Tomorrow, Jonathan starts his return to Kingston an I'm off to Charlottetown to travel PEI. My cousin's daughter lives in Dartmouth but is spending the week end in PEI so I may try to catch up with her.

A foggy day made good

The day started out cloaked in fog, thick enough, that riding would not be fun, and that you would get soaked from the micro moisture droplets that make up the cloud. And it was cold. We packed the bikes and while standing and surveying the scene, Jonathan announced that we're staying one more day because he would rather watch the football game and read his book, than travel half blind, cold and wet. I don't blame him, we covered a lot of hard driven km, and I was a bit tired as well.

I took the advantage to explore. There was a "road" that I saw on the 3D map at the park entrance (the norther tip of the Cape is a provincial park), so I headed back to the tip of the cape. Used the opportunity to explore all the coves that we blew by yesterday. I also took some of the back roads, off the main highway trail that big the cliffs and lead to what I can on only assume are cottages, cause they can't be regular homes or else their inhabitants would be cut off during winter storms. Also, I would never want to drive one of those roads without chains and an all wheel drive. It doesn't make sense - way to much effort to live in a remote location.

Near the end of one of those roads, I found a  30 foot tall Buddhist shrine dedicated to an individual (didn't write down his name). The things you see while travelling.

On the top of the cape, after hiking the boardwalk that surrounds a bog, I had just got the bike to speed, and was doing my customary scan for moose and bear (we were warned at the gate that moose and bear were active on the highway - the rules are stop for Moose, I don't know if I would stop for a bear), and I noticed that there was a boulder awfully close to the highway, on the shoulder. As the bike came closer, the boulder moved and turned into a large wolfe. This guy was the size of a large German Sheppard with a grey/light brown coat. He was staring at me as I approached and then just before I passed him, he burst into a full run … to chase me! Is that what all wild dogs are conditioned to do? Do I look like food? Perhaps he was defending himself? Either way, at 90kph, he had no chance of catching me and I caught him in my rear view mirror heading back to his spot. He hadn't travelled more than 10 feet. I remember thinking that if that wolf is going to sit there and chase vehicles, there would be a reddened pile of fur at the side of the road on my return trip. Fortunately, that was not the case.

Interestingly, it was warmer and sunnier on this side of the coast. Even the mountain top was warmer than Ingonish.

I got to blast up the steep survey roads that transitioned from the coast to the plateau. Second time around allows a little more speed as one corrects for errors made the prior day.

In another stop along the way, there was a pebble road that lead to the rouge settlement that was established by these red cliffs. A Portuguese community settled here because the fish stock were massive. They set up a fish canning operation and a ward, but abandoned it after 50 years. On the way back to the highway, check both ways for traffic, and accelerate on to the highway. My visor was still up and as I was reaching to lower it, a farking MOOSE bolts across the highway, right in front of my, and bolts through the thick bush on the other side. I know that the BMW makes a loud barking, snarky sound, as the parallel twin winds through the power band, and that probably startled the moose. Not sure who was more scared, him or me. What a trip - at least I didn't hit him. He would have had my antlers (pick you trophy parts) on his wall.

Got the the visitor centre and, to my disappointment, the road, which cut right across the point and finished from the park gate, to a location near the Keltic lodge, was not a road, but the park boundary. LOL, that means I am going all the way back around. This time, with no stops, I made it in 35 minutes - made so much good time, that it was spent exploring more.

A satisfying day. Had dinner with Jonathan in the restaurant in town (great seafood) and then returned to the Lodge to watch the sun go down (the clouds need to clear for that - good news). Got some interesting shots of the sun set and moon).

Tomorrow, back to Moncton to see about a new tire for the bike and the 10K service which is now overdue.

The Cape ride

Today we spent all day on the Cabot trail. We started by heading up Highway 105 to the east side. The change in scenery is very noticeable once you start on the Cabot trail, turning north off 105. The trail starts winding, following the terrain, which is characterized by step mountain sides and distinct cut valleys that follow the rivers that create the valleys themselves. Just as a river meanders, so do the valleys. The terrain is uniquely Cape Breton, so I can't compare it to anywhere else. Steep mountains, carpeted by lush pine and deciduous trees creates an exquisite nature themed perfume along the ride. It's like the mountains in Pennsylvania, only the mountains are way steeper. To the guys from the Dragon trip, you would love this as well. Not as many curves and up and downs but when it's good, the quality is very high. The roads are mostly in good condition with some swampy sections that where the road a bit rough. Visually, you feel like you're in some distance country, with colourful villages and fishing wharfs along craggy cliff shoreline. Where creeks/rivers cut their way down the mountains, the shoreline widens to create a beach and hairpin roads are needed to wind down to the river bed, and then up to the plateau. Many of the roads are steeper than anything from the Dragon trip. The shore road is inhabited, so unbridled rip snorting high speed runs would not be tolerated. Slow down, enjoy the ride and soak up the scenery.

Winding roads through the mountain passes

The North shore drops were particularly steep. I wanted to get to Meat Cove, the most northerly point that one can drive to, but Jonathan knew the last section was on dirt road, so he spent the afternoon at a family restaurant. I knew this was going to be interesting when 5 minutes into the ride, the temperature started dropping from 25C to 12C. The temp drop was accompanied by a fast moving fog that flowed up the mountain creating white fingers on the outside edge, that found their way through gaps in the peaks. Climbing up the road, half blind from the cloud, I had to dodge locals who took up the whole road because sections were in such poor condition, they would zip to the other side of the road, rather than risk the dips in the road. The fog create a layer that obscured half the village of St Margaret Village yet it was funny to see cars with vinyl dinghies and bike racks drive into to town, looking for a place to beach. It was way too cold for those activities. One van had two girls in bikinis, rocking to the music, windows closed, (obviously) heater full blast. I guess you need to make summer when nature doesn't comply. The road to Meat Cove beckoned from the cliffs opposite St Margaret. This road followed precipitously along the edge of the cliffs and can be seen in my photos.

St Margaret harbour. Notice the road to Meat cove

The cape road was just as steep as the major Cabot trail sections, without the fame and quality of pavement. Eventually, the asphalt turned into a dirt road but didn't loose the steepness. I restarted the bike with ABS off, so that it could actually stop on the steep downhill dirt sections. The views were spectacular all the way to the campground at Cape Mud. I took the road to the start of a trail head that lead Low Lands Cove - but that ended up being a hiking trail.

Meat Cove had two brand new bridges, so obviously, it means a lot to the provincial government. There is a resort, camp ground and family restaurant at in this remote location, in addition to several residences. I don't know what they do in Winter since there is no hope in hell that a wheeled vehicle could make to those location with snow on the ground.

The beach was spectacular with cliffs that show just how severe the vertical tilting forces shaped this area.

On the way back, it started to rain, so the road became a bit slicker. I became more comfortable with the bike on dirt roads, and was able to speed up to third gear, while the bike made it's own tracks through the gravel and dirt. Once you get used to the floaty, squirmy feeling, the bike demonstrates just how much it likes these conditions. I ended up following a couple in a fancy car, who would not let me pass. Later, when we got onto the pavement, I had to stop and turn ABS on a gain. In spite of this, I caught up to the couple again and still, they did not let me pass, so I blew them away on the first minor straight away but had to brake hard to keep from flying off the cliff at the next curve. From then on, it was full blast back to the restaurant, where the patron and proprietor was surely getting to know the good Dr. J since I was away for at east 90 plus minutes. I got enough twists that ride to last for a long time.

Caught up to the doctor who was ready to go. He had done his research and announced that the Keltic Lodge at the end of the park in Ingonish is where we would stay. By that time, I was tired and the rain was starting to settle so we made a mad dash for the final section of the Cabot trail to the resort. That part of the trail is boring (compared to the north shore) - kind of like highway 60 in algonquin.

For those who are "just touring", Cape Breton is a must ride/must see trip. It truly is a different experience on a bike, plus getting there involves an opportunity to drive through the mountains in New York, Vermont and Maine. They you need to follow sea side roads that follow the cliffs - that's a rough thing to do.

The Keltic Inn is government owned and sits on a long spit that reaches out into the ocean. All sides are pounded by wind and waves to create a spectacular setting for a golf course and resort. We got a room (2 cots in the laundry room - just kidding) and settled in. I jumped on the bike to get cigs, pepsi and Gibsons' finest to replenish supplies. Jonathan was tired from the curves so he took a nap, admitting (with a grin from ear to ear) that curvy roads are a lot of fun.  the  A local musician, who grew up with a musical family, the youngest of 7 kids, played guitar and sang while we ate. Jonathan was familiar with many of the songs and sang along. Great way to cap the day

I started to rain and has continued to now (i'm hitting the sack) Tomorrow promises rain so we might do zodiac adventures, and explore the area which is supposed to be a blast. Although, with the cold weather, they might not go out since Jonathan and I may be their only customer.

Made it to the cape (breton)

Feels like there is not a lot to record for today.

Made a dash for the cape, drove 512km and got a booking for a room by afternoon. Unloaded a bunch of gear in Port Hawksbury, had lunch and then did a mini tour up the coast. Great twisty roads that had Jonathan grinning (Mike as well) and spectacular views of the ocean and Cape Breton cliffs.

The beemer needed a chain adjustment and cleaning which rewarded me with a service now indicator (just a coincidence with total accumulated km). We met a couple that was also planning to ride the cape ... with their young daughter riding pillion. They had just finished a tour of Mexico on their KLR's and were doing a family road bike tour.

I had a chance to spend some miles on gravel roads with the bike and it behaved magnificently. Kept it below 80kph, and it wiggled a bit but generally it behaved. I was able to apply throttle and push out the back end - it behaves very predictably. On panic stops (just testing) it squirmed a bit but ABS works well. Full throttle, swings out the arse end but it behaves predictably. I do like the bike.

Tomorrow, we make a dash for the cape. Forecast is not good, but we'll grin and bear it. Today was sunny all day, as the low tracked down from Quebec to Maine. Bangor had a lot of rain. 

Rain ... lots of it

Today was dominated by ... the wet stuff. There was a huge Low pressure zone centred right over Portland Maine that was moving north ever so slowly. This brought lots of rain right into our path from Wilkin Maine, along highway 2 to Bangor and Highway 9 eventually to Calais Maine, where we crossed at St Stephens. The roads were all scenic 2 lane highways that meandered through classic north east towns and villages situated on a river by some falls to support the earliest industries. Some of the towns have found news ways to survive while others are barely hanging in there. You can tell by the quality of the streets and condition of stores on main street.

Once in Canada, we threw on some extra layers because the temp dropped to 15C and continued to trudge through the rain. Highway 1 to St John, through Sussex, to hwy 2 to Moncton. We are drying out at the Comfort Inn just outside Moncton.

Had lunch - clams at a home cooked restaurant just out side St Stephen, overlooking the sea. Jonathan reminisced that he sailed 20 miles past this point on a sailboat voyage back to Europe many years ago. An old timer wandered over to our table to announce that he remembers touring when he had his BSA. Wished I never sold it, but my wife reminded me I was getting old. We shared a few laughs and he went on his way.

 With the cold, we had to stop in several locations for coffee or soup to warm up. Everywhere people were observing that "isn't it a bit wet to be out on a motorcycle???" Yes, but we are having fun  ... sort of. It truly is a ton of fun touring on a bike. The rain and cold make the trip more challenging but frequent stops help fight hypothermia. The real bitch is fogging visors and rain drops that stick to the visor, reducing visibility to dangerously low levels. Combine that with transport trucks going way too fast, and crazy motorists who pass you at 60+ kph above the speed limit ... in the rain, and it gets really interesting. I had two events where the front tire slipped on tar road snakes, hidden under 2 inches of water that covered the truck ruts on worn sections of the highway. That brings you to attention quickly.

While we entered the maritimes, someone changed the clocks on us. Good thing we went to dinner early. Only did 563 km due to reduced speed on the wet roads. Tomorrow, we are off to the start of the Cabot trail. 

Rainy start to day 2

The weather radar doesn't look too great this morning, but what the heck, that's what adventure touring is all about. Perhaps today won't be such a long day if we end up soaked and cold. This system is centred just north of Bangor and everything is rotating around it.

Fun ... Wow.

Full Day 1, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine

We started out early 5:30 and were on the bikes by 6:30. First dawn had a red sky - and you know what that means, Sailors be warned. The sun was shining through a rain storm just as the day started. It seems that there were steams of cold air pushing rain in narrow bands. Turns out those bands would case us all day. It was strange driving through near 30C temps and then within minutes, pushing through 18C cold blasts. Lots of high level moisture and anvil clouds.

Having said that, we missed most of the rain although it was persistently in the distance, with sounds of thunder, lightning in the distance (while we were in the sun), dark clouds and rain slick roads in varying  states of drying.

We crossed New York state into Vermont via lake Champlain and worked our way down on 89 to make time, and then Highway 2 east for a scenic trip with stops in Mont Pellier, capital of Vermont, Mexico Maine and ending up in Wilkin Maine. Rain caught up to us in the last part of the trip, entering Mexico and then all the way to Wilkin.

Vermont roads are spectacular, similar to Pennsylvania, only the hills are much higher. It does seem though that the towns are not maintaining the parts of the roads that belong to them, so the federal sections are in great shape but municipal sections are literally falling apart. Did more gravel than Jonathan cares to do on his Suzuki Bergman. The 800GS of course just ate the gravel sections right up. We made a wrong turn at one time and while Jonathan turned his Suzi around to get back on track, the Beemer just went over the curb, through a field and back onto the road.

Dinner was order in - Italian, that was one of the best Alfredo/Cabonarra every (really). Ordered a few beers to the room since it was too rainy to make it to the beer store. In bed by 10, no doubt, an early start. Looks like we will be at the Atlantic tomorrow.

Total km= 713

Adventure away

Escaped from TO much later than expected due to a meeting that went long. Will have some work to follow up on the trip. Traffic on the 401 was murder so I took 407 to 7 just past Oshawa. By the time I hit the 401, it was 7:30 but traffic clears up after the cottagers turned off at hwy 35. Made it to the marina by 9:50 because traffic allowed a 120kph pace. The good Dr had a Rogan Gosh waiting, a cold beer and a quick change of plan and off to bed. We get up at the crack of dawn and hit the road early. We'll bypass Montreal and head through NY state and Vermont to Nova Scotia. Next update, tomorrow.

2012 Salty Dog tour

Today is the start of the 2012 Salty Dog Tour of the Maritimes.

In the fall of 2011, our friend, Dr Jonathan (our son is named after him) advised Julie that he was thinking of touring the Maritimes on his bike. Julie was thinking: Hey, Mike is getting a bike, wouldn't it be cool if he joined the good doctor on the trip (that cemented by plan to get the Beemer).

After work today, I will fight the weekend traffic and head up to Jonathan's house in Kingston. On saturday, we hit the road. The current plan is to either follow the north shore to Baie Comeau and take the ferry to Matane and then travel south through New Brunswick. Or, we may take the south shore ... that's the nature of this trip. We are heading in a general direction to the Maritimes and whim will direct us each day. We have from June 23 to July 8 to decide our path with the only definitive being a slow ride along the entire Cabot trail.

On thursday, Jonathan asked if I have a tent, just in case we don't make it to a hotel - plus that makes it a real adventure. Did I tell you that Jonathan is a certified adventurer? He has sailed single handed from England to North America several times including a date with a hurricane while sailing in the 27 foot "Mary Poppins".

I will do my best to post blogs each day, and if possible a photo or two. It will depend largely on where we have access to bandwidth.

Time to get to the office for one last day of work.

Camp Ooch to Windsor

I had to be in Windsor Friday the 15th, 10am to participate in Elizabeths MBA convocation. The options were to head back to TO, get to bed early and then travel to Windsor with a 3:30 AM start. Since my schedule called for a 7 am meeting with our CEO, I decided it was going to be a mad dash to Windsor.

Leaving camp at 3:30, we (me 'n the bike) rode 141 to Bracebridge, which was a mistake due to tourist traffic, then we hit Highway 11 for the big roads all the way to our destination. Got my afternoon lull (falling asleep - it can happen on a bike as well) by Barrie, close to 5pm. Stopped at MEC to buy socks and other stuff for the Maritimes trip, and bumped into a friend of a guy I worked with 35 years ago - small world, but he is a BMW owner and I wasted too much time on bike talk. Back on the road by 6 and got caught in the Toronto rush hour at 400 to 401. Took the 400 extension to Jane and tried to get back on at Weston. Summer construction and rush hour made that a 45 minute detour. There as no break to be had. By the time I got back on the 401, rush hour had eased so it was only crazy busy (not stop and go) to Woodstock, where I had to stop for gas. Can't believe that the first gas station only had regular, and no premium.  Put in 5 bucks to get me to the next station. It was starting to turn to dusk but my energy levels and concentration were still good. Had a quick subway, called Julie to find she was just past London, so they weren't too far ahead. It was also getting cooler so I put on a long sleeve shirt and shut down all the ventilation on my badlands suite.

Drove and drove and drove in the dark, with very heavy truck traffic - those guys are either steady just below the speed limit or crazy. Fedex, some of your drivers are a$$holes. Had to pull over just past Chatham cause the brain was starting to get dull. Do some stretches, drink water and wake up. Didn't want to hit the RedBull 'cause I needed to sleep for the 7am conference call.

Managed to test the new 3,000 lumen driving lights, that I bought to increase visibility. Standard BMW driving lights low beam is safe for 60 kph and high beam is good for 100kph. The LED lamps give an extra few hundred feed of illumination and provide visibility to the side of the road, but they blind on coming traffic, so I needed to use them carefully. When they are on, my bike is no longer invisible.

Made it to Windsor at midnight. Starting to get very tired, but also happy that I survived an 820km day. That is a personal record - wonder how long it will last.

Monster Weekend of riding:

Thursday June 14, 2012.

The Ride started on Thursday at 5 AM to prepare for the trip to Camp Ooch. Took the back roads starting with highway 27 to Barrie, and then old Barrie Road to Orillia. The ride was slightly cool, 11°C, but not a lot of traffic and a nice sunny morning. From Orillia, the goals was to take some back roads to see a bit of Northern Ontario. It turns out that the GPS took me into the middle of nowhere.

Lesson # 1: A GPS is just a navigation aid. Don't use it in place of a map.

The GPS simply does not give a proper sense of where you are in relation to the rest of the map. As you zoom out, the GPS looses details.

It runs out that I haven't figured out how to use the GPS using a route downloaded from Base camp, the Garmin mapping program. It seems when you get off the route, the GPS tries to establish a new route, and that will take you on a brain dead path. Garmin routing uses math, not understanding of your ride requirements.

It turns out that I ended up on the road that I was looking for: Sparrow road. This takes you across the Trent canal by Sparrow lake and then winds through the Ontario interior to highway 69.  I should have stopped for photos because the scenery is spectacular. The road, which is narrow and winding, passes through true precambrian wilderness and few people ride the road so it's isolated. One problem - the road has sand on the pavement in many places, making for a hairy ride on the bike if you push it into corners. This is likely winter sand that hasn't washed off yet, or it's an attempt to prevent bikes from using the road at speed, in which case - it works.

Because the GPS doesn't show your position relative to the big picture, and because the routing math does not align with the kind of trip you want to take, I was guessing which road to take. In fact, at the end, the GPS route took me in the right direction, past Bala ( was really confused why it would take me there - but that was because I didn't have a map, and the map would have explained it all) and then via Muskoka road 26, to Brackenrigg road, Windemere road and finally Deebank to 141, just south of Camp Ooch. That was some fine riding. New pavement, winding with all the scenery you expect from the Precambrian shield.

Two full bus loads of Rexall staff, volunteered to help prepare Camp Ooch for it's opening. We painted picnic tables, benches and other equipment, raked/cleaned the breach, painted the moose, back filled the outdoor stage after the electricians laid new cables to illuminate the steps. Camp Ooch is an oasis for kids with cancer. They have an incredible facility in the woods to ensure that the kids can put their cancer treatment to the side and be kids again for a week.

Camp Ooch info

Then, it was off to Windsor to celebrate Elizabeth's accomplishment and attend her MBA convocation. Leaving at 3:30PM, this was going to be a balls to the walls forced march to Windsor.