Bangor to Monpelier

I downloaded the SPOT tracks to a Google Map so you can follow my tracks on the way home. The link is here.

Today was going to be a fun day since the ride will include the  Kancamagus Highway (112) in New Hampshire. This designated as one of the scenic highways in the US because it travels through the White Mountain National Forest, which includes Mt Washington, the highest peak in the Eastern states.
Got on the road early at 9 am and arrived at Conway, the gateway to 112 by 3 ish. It was clear from the roads leading to Conway, that the White Mountain area contains a large number of roads that would provide excellent motorcycle fun. During the trip out, we followed highway 2, which skirts the northern edge of the White Mountains but there are numerous roads that traverse the park in several places.

Kancamagus Info

112 is very similar to the Blue Ridge Skyway with twisty,hilly sections and lush mountain forest - following creek bed sections. I was following a pair of Harley riders when suddenly they made a right turn onto a paved road. They were locals so I though, Hmmm, wonder where they are going. That was a good choice. Turns out the road, which is barely marked on maps, Bear Notch Road (closed in winter), is a well paved road that snakes through a pass and connects to hwy 302 in a town called Bartlett. WOW. I turned around and on the way back, got behind a slow moving vehicle so when the first dirt road came along, turned on to it. These roads were marked on the GPS as unpaved and created a network of side roads through the mountain forest. Another great discovery that put the GS through it's paces. The uphills were steep enough with switchbacks, that any loss of momentum would create a difficult situation trying to restart the bike on such a steep section. The near bald Pirelli Scorpions managed to keep sufficient traction on the steeper sections that in the end, it was nothing. Fully loaded, the suspension had no problem keeping up with the ruts and rocks. Good thing the area was so remote, cause anyone hearing me whooping it up the hills would that thought a nut case was let loose - just like Cipi hollering down the Dragon's tail. Imagine my surprise, when hitting the peak of a steep section, bumping into a Honda Odessey slowly inching down the road. I stopped to ask the driver if he was lost, and no, he planned to take this road - does it get any worst than this?. After advising him that he was on the easy section and about to hit the steep stuff, his jaw dropped and I left him to decide whether to proceed or back up - a tough decision. The road signs do say that the roads are usable by vehicles and motorcycles. They should have been more clear to specify all wheel drive. I would take an all wheel drive jeep or subaru on that road, but not a family van.

Got back to the main highway for a spectacular drive to Lincoln, which marks the end of the 26 mile section. The remaining section of 112 had some good altitude and several interesting side roads (116), but it was getting late and I did want to get to Lake Placid if possible. Made it to Montpelier by 6 and used the dinner break to plan next steps. Cell coverage returned and Julie SMS's me that her mom was in the Hospital with breathing problems. So by the time I got all that straightened out (after several days, Doctors decided that change her heart medication), I decided to stay in Montpelier. Lake Placid was 3+ hours away, and I wasn't keen to drive the mountain roads at dusk, when the deer come out.

Conclusion: This section of New Hampshire and Vermont are spectacularly beautiful. The entire region deserves more time to explore and enjoy - certainly with the riding buddies for a 3-4 day weekend, or with Julie. Perhaps trailer the bike to a resort and then explore a bit each day.

Shuttle day to Bangor

The radar shows a solid wall of rain at in the US east coast moving towards the Maritimes. I will get wet today.

Today is shuttle day. I am driving from Windsor to Bangor Maine. First step is getting to Truro. There are 3 major route possibilities from Windsor, with the recommended, least time route taking you back to Sackville via 101, and then up to Truro via 102. ?? Why??, when Highway 236 or 14 cut right across the diagonal. Once you get on the roads, it's clear - both highways curve like a drunken sailor ALL THE WAY. Not good when you want to get there fast, but great fun when you are taking the bike. Either of these roads are on the must run recommendations when in Nova Scotia.

236 also takes you past the Shubenacadie River, which offers surfing via the tidal bore. The river places a venturi effect on the massive Bay of Fundy tide and creates waves for surfing or kayak surfing.

From Truro, the ride was just plain highway cruising all the way to Bangor. The winds were not as bad Truro to Moncton but the road was getting boring the third time around. I had a little fun diverting down 111 from Sussex, to the sea road and then to St John. That is some wilderness with few houses along the stretch. There is hilly terrain and winding roads, which makes this a must ride as well. I found a covered bridge on one of the side roads that made the diversion worth while. This blog will be updated with photos and GPS locations when I get a chance. I forgot about the time difference so it was really late by the time I got to Bangor. Long day but pleased with the distance covered.

Blomidon Provincial Park

River side to Windsor
Started the morning early - sky was sunny and clear - a good sign. Pack the bike and … can't find the GPS. Unpack everything, unload each bike, retrace my steps from yesterday (I had sat outside by the BBQ reading) - nothing. One last check of the room before going to the desk and asking if anyone turning a GPS (desperation move), lift the tank bag, and there it was. When I got off the bike, I attached the GPS to the tank bag handle so I wouldn't forget it during sign in. Whew, I had visions of navigating with just the maps, which really don't have a lot of detailed information.

Quickly returned to Lunenberg to see how it looks in clear weather. The bay is very scenic and the town is painted in vibrant colours that really must be seen in full sunlight. Then, it back to Halifax along the coastal route. The ride is a lot of fun because traffic is minimal. On stop on the way is the Bayswater site of the SwissAir flight 111 memorial and interment site. Yesterday, I had stopped in at the Peggy's Cove site. Both of these communities played an important role in the recovery of the aircraft and it's passengers and crew. As an aircraft nut, I remember reading about the recovery and the event has stuck in my mind.
Originally, I had planned to ride back to Peggy's Cove as well, but the traffic was way too heavy. It was close to 11am and coffee was on my mind, so I drove down Peggy's cove road a few kilometres to the White Sails bakery. Their coffee gives Starbucks a run for the money and fresh baked goods are excellent. Highly recommended for anyone travelling in the area. I also took a photo of the lagoon against a sunny sky, as compared to the storm wall that was there yesterday. On the way back to the main road, there was another Cumulonimbus (thunderstorm) cloud building in the distance. The system seems to be following a constant line. This early in the day - that cloud was going to be a probem.

Off to Dartmouth to buy chain lube from the Honda dealer that I spotted the prior day and then to Andrea's for a quick visit. We had lunch - and guess what, the storm that I and seen earlier dropped rain on us as well. We chatted and caught up on "stuff" and then Andrea took me for a quick tour of Halifax. She also frequents the White Sails bakery - small world. Andrea recommended a few side trips to Wolfville and Blomidon provincial park. This is the Bay of Fundy area with some of the highest tides in the world. Just outside of Halifax, another monster cloud was building over the same spot. It looked like my more northerly route would miss it, but what is it about that spot? It must be a big storm because an aircraft was steering around it.

Wolfville is home to Acadia University. They have a quaint campus in but with school out, not a lot of activity in town. On the way to the park, I experience my first evidence of how big the tide really is, with several boats sitting in the mud beside a pier.  The provincial park is famous for it's red cliffs and large tidal beach so I had to walk out to the edge. The pictures say it all. Quite a walk in my Klim pants and motorcycle boots. The cliffs are the end of a long chain of a mountain (hill actually) that runs along this entire coast. I found a dirt road, called mountain road, that went to the top of the ridge to a road that goes to the end of land here. Followed that to the "Spit". There, the tide depth is even more evident (see the pictures). The tide was rolling in and you could actually see it building a bit of a front as the water rolled in shore. There were some people exploring out by water's edge, so I hope they realized tide was coming in. It can be really fast and if you are on a high spot, you can get surrounded quickly. There are warnings everywhere there is beach access.
By now it was 7pm, and I was hoping to get to Truro for the night. Started back and stopped at a great over look of the valley (see pic). By the time I got back to Wolfville, it was clear that I was not going to easily make Truro since the GPS route wanted me to go back to Halifax. Julie confirmed that there were hotels available but it was a 2 hour journey at least. I was getting tired - started the day at 5am, and pulled over in Windsor, just before cutting off at 104, which bypasses Halifax, and low and behold, there is a Super 8 in Windsor. Done for the day. Plus, they have laundry facilities so my clothing is ready for the last run to TO.

Dartmouth to Yarmouth (not)

Got up at 5 am to update the blog and then thought a nap before the trip would provide a bit of a recharge. Woke up at 9:40, so it's clear, this day wasn't going to be as productive as others. First stop: Peggy's Cove - 'cause you've got to see that when in the Maritimes. Passed a guy and his girl on a KLR while negotiating the streets to find Prospect road. He drove up to me at a red light further down the road and asked where I was going. When I told him, he said "follow me, I'm going there as well". So now we have a group ride with a local. He pulls over at a variety store on Prospect road, so I follow. He introduces himself as Trevor, (I forget the ladies' name) and advises me that he is getting something to eat, so I wait, and wait … and it's getting hot in the Klim suit. I'm thinking of bolting when he finally emerges and announces that the line up in there was longer that expected. We get back on the road and I can't help but notice how scenic this area is; exposed rock, with green shrubbery, moss, blocks of stone balanced precariously, like modern sculpture in random areas. It truly lives up to it's reputation as a place of nature beauty.

Peggy's cove is BUSY. The village is quaint with no modern buildings other than a visitor centre that blends nicely into the area. Met several bikers there. One couple, the wife was pregnant and due within a week - she was hoping that the ride would induce labour. Another group of riders was suggesting great rides and commented that yesterday's highway 387, also known as the road to no where, was a government boondoggle to support a paper mill that was never built.

As I entered Peggy's cove, i noticed clouds building over the other shore - right where I was heading. The pregnant couple sitting on the rock were watching lightning bolts from the cloud. The next stage of the ride was going to be wet. I started looking for places to stop and eat during the storm and started getting desperate as the black wall approached, and then, around the corner was the bakery in Seabright. The rain started just after I ordered the hot sub, and since there were only two tables in the bakery, I had the Klim plus OR hat, so I ate outside. First the rain was light, and the light show interesting with loud boomers. Then it got heavy. By the time I went back into the bakery for a date square dessert, my suit was dripping. Met a couple (retired dad and daughter) who were riding a 400cc enduro with no rain gear, since they were travelling in a motor home.

The rain cleared, so I hit the road again. These roads are amazing with great scenery and few passing zones because the road curves so much. There are a lot of bikes on the road in spite of the wet. The cars are a pain though because they drive so slow. At 3pm I was a long way from yarmouth, so I hit the main highway - 255km to Yarmouth. I figure on hour on the highway would allow me to get back on the fine riding coastal road. Within a short time, the dark cloud wall from a massive new storm is in front of me again. The wall of rain clearly visible over the sea. Decision made to divert to Lunenberg where the sky looks less intense. I get there and while sight seeing, it starts to rain. Then to top it off, chunks of hail - the storm did look intense. I got the small stuff. Apparently, some areas had significant hail damage. While talking to Julie, we get a few bit lightning hits and immediate loud thunder booms - one of them clears the street of the few remaining sight seers, who are taking shelter under awnings.

Now it's getting close to 5 - there is no way I'm going to make it to Yarmouth tonight and there is no place to stay between here and there - this is a rural area. There are only quaint inns in Lunenberg - and expensive, so I ask Julie to find me a place. She books a room at Comfort inn in Bridge water 16km away (thanks Julie). On the drive there, I notice that the road is littered with leaf clusters and branches. Further down the road is an entire tree freshly downed - and there are more of these cells on the road to Yarmouth, so yes, that's it for today (and this stage of the trip)

I had planned to ride the entire coast the next day and find my way back to Dartmouth to visit Andrea. They I would head home. There isn't enough time to do that so tomorrow, I'm heading back to Dartmouth and then starting the trip home. Andy is having a birthday party for Karlee and I want to be there.

I'm a bit disappointed over the prospect of missing the best roads in this part of the maritimes, but hey, need to leave something for the next ride. Plus, my back tire is getting really low on tread, and I have Mount Washington and Lake Placid to look forward to.

PEI to Dartmouth

One can't visit the Maritimes and miss the shores of Nova Scotia, so now it's off to Dartmouth to see that part of the world. There was no traffic over the bridge - which is much better than what will likely occur on Monday, when everyone starts leaving the island. You pay the toll on the way out - like Hotel California.

The route followed the coastal highway from Tidnish on Hwy366, to Pugwash on Hwy 6. Drove by the Tim Horton camps for Kids at Tatamagouche, NS - great location by the sea. Had lunch at Pictou where many of the restaurants were closed for Canada Day. Had a smoked meat sandwich while watching the canada day activities on the wharf. Across the bay, was the Northern Pulp mill, belching white smoke across the sound as the cold air from the sea cause the smelly exhaust to drop to water level and swirl with the waves. The restaurant proprietor stated "good thing the wind is not from the south - that smoke would clear out my patio". Now that's a healthy neighbour - but the mill brings jobs to an area that doesn't have a lot of alternatives.
I jumped on 104 to 347, which was the target road. This is a very winding road that leads to the highway 7 coastal road. 347 is remote - there are few homes along the entire route and it provides the quantity of twisties desired by motorcyclists. As a matter of fact, there were more bikes than cars on this road.  The scenery changes dramatically in this part of the Maritimes. It feels like Muskoka with hilly sections and lots of pine forests. With the temperature getting over 30C, the smell of pine in the air was refreshing. As Highway 7 moved closer to the coast, air temperature started to drop, which was a relief in my Klim hot box suite. Just before the coast, Sherbrooke was celebrating Canada day with a parade. I seem to have arrived just as the parade was done, but was the centre of attention from a lot of people, still in their chairs lining the streets - You're not from here, are you? Still, it's wonderful to see entire towns celebrating the day.

Celebrating - again, I wanted to get off the road before inebriated celebrators started driving home, so the run along #7 was done at high speed. Saw a sign that advised me that Dartmouth was still 200km away - that's a problem on a bike that gets approximately 280km to a tank, and my last fill was 120km away. Due to sparse population, there were not very many (none) gas stations so far on the road. The first few that I passed in the smaller towns were closed for the holiday, or sunday, or both. Started to ease off the throttle and drive in 6th as much as possible to conserve fuel. I had visions of camping on the side of the road, or in the parking lot of a gas station when Sheet Harbour came to the rescue. They had 2 major stations that were open, so, with a full tank, I could blast all the way to Dartmouth. This road is very fun to drive and is a must ride for any biker visiting the maritimes. Since the coast is rocky, there are lots of hills as well. The sea scape looks like muskoka with pine covered islands so the ride was very scenic. After so many days on the bike, the concentration is starting to tire me (guess I'm getting old). The throttle wrist is also getting sore, so I was happy to roll into Dartmouth, explore a bit and find a room. There are too many sketchy looking guys in this area so I arrange to park the bike right in front of the lobby. Tomorrow, off to Peggys Cove and the coastal road south of Halifax.

575 km today. Bike has 13,008 km. The impact of choosing the twisty roads is that the standard distance from Charlottetown to Dartmouth is 320 km.

PEI east side

Today was the day to explore the east side of the island. First I met with Andrea at a local conservation area that is popular with dog walkers. She and Chris were taking their 3 dog entourage to romp in the fields of a 60 acre park. It was great to meet Chris and to catch up with Andrea. Chris kindly recommended several locations that are popular with the locals, so I set out to the Dunes, right beside the Brackley provincial park, accessible by dirt road (with free access). It's clear that beach is one of the words that must be used to define PEI. This is one spot of many that has beautiful sand and almost no one there. One item of note is the purple bottomed jelly fish are in the water and washed up on shore. Not sure if this is a permanent condition, but I wouldn't want to brush up on one while swimming. A local said that they do sting a bit but it's not that painful.

Another facilitating fact: This beach has "singing sand" Singing sand is defined as sand that emits a sound when walking on it. There is a beach on the west side that is advertised as singing sands, but I couldn't find it while driving on that part of the beach, but then hey, I experienced it first hand, un promoted, on the local beach.


Next runs were up the coastal highway. The day was very sunny - and would stay that way all day long, and starting to get hot. This is when ATGATT (All the gear, All the time) is a difficult model to follow from a heat perspective, however, this leg of the tour included many dirt roads, so the potential of picking stones out of raw skin made the decision to go full gear easy. Loved those roads.
Today, it was clear that something was different at the harbours. There were lots of people hanging around, drinking a pop or beer, music and general party mood. Also noticeable, were the piles of lobster traps. I later found out from an old timer, while having lunch at the local restaurant at Naufrage harbour, that today is the last day of the lobster season. It seems that the bounty was plentiful and the fisherman took in one of the larger catches. That's probably good for the local economy. That motivated me to go out and get my own lobster for dinner.

I visited several beaches and light houses. From a biking perspective, this felt just like riding along the shores of Lake Erie. The road winds in and about the water, close enough but only visible on occasion, fairly flat terrain and cliffs that drop down to a beach. A nice ride to do, but not a motorcycle destination. The fun comes from the dirt roads, which is great for a GS, but not a regular road bike. Summerside hosted a big Atlanticade motorcycle event that draws 10,000 bikers from all over north america from June 28 to July 2. That explains why there was no accommodation on that side of the island. Summerside is near the North Cape and ironically, while the weather was hot and sunny on the east side, big thunder clouds were visible in the north. Andrea advises me that the Mellencamp concert was delayed due to rain and lightning. My choice of sequencing the ride worked well this time.

Thinking of all those lobsters in the record catch, make me hungry for a pet lobster. Got this cutie as a take home pet, but the guy at the store gave it a hot bath and it got a sun burn. So much for the pet, yummy for the meal.

PEI is a shallow island. Most of my coastal rides in the North were near sea level. The east side has "cliffs" that rise 20 to 30 feet from the sea. These are mostly made up of the red sand that makes farming so productive on the island. Erosion must be a problem here. With all the shallow sections, I can't help but wonder about the impact of global warming and rising seas. There is no doubt in my mind that PEI will loose a lot of land to rising seas. Only time will tell.