Day 19

Okay, first things first there are a few things I wanted to post yesterday but forgot. Every state and province always has a motto, most of them extremely cheesy or mild. "Live Free or Die" is the state motto for New Hampshire, which makes it the coolest state there is by that token alone! Secondly, and Stan can attest to this, it frustrates me to no end when paying at the pump for gas with a credit card and it asks for a zip code. Being from Canada we obviously use a different system for our postal codes. I learned yesterday that if you enter the 3 numbers we have in our postal code, followed by two zeros, the machine actually accepts that as a zip code. It's worked the only time so far I've had to do it which really makes it easier to get gas three times a day! On that note, it's sickening how much cheaper gas is across the border. I've been paying on average right around $1.45/litre for premium gas in Canada but the minute one gets across the border it drops to around $1.05/litre. That saves me around $9 for a full tank and would have saved me around $200 on this trip so far!!

Anyway, back to today. The sun was up and shining brightly by the time I awoke, ready for another day in the saddle. The plan for today included a lot of interstate riding, not ideal for seeing scenery, but I need to start putting in a few decent days as I've got a service job appointment in Jamestown, ND on Friday afternoon and also have plans for Sunday in Swift Current.

Traffic wasn't too heavy as I hit I-89 for the first 35km or so, making it a nice way to start the day. At Burlington I turned south on US-7, and then took VT-22A south once I got to that junction. From there it was US-4 to Glen Falls where I got on I-87. The scenery was nice once again riding through the countryside, lots of farm land with rolling hills. Of course the speeds are pretty slow on the non-interstate highways which makes it harder to make miles.

After getting on I-87 I decided to just stay on it until it hits I-90 and take that west. It was already after 2pm once I got on I-90 with around 400km left to go. The riding is pretty easy on interstates but there's so much traffic around here that one has to be careful all day. A bike can get lost in all the vehicles and trucks so I make sure I keep an eye on my surroundings all the time. At least there were nice rest stop locations, with wi-fi, bathrooms, and even markets and fast food joints. I was a little surprised at the cost of the toll on I-90, over $12. I don't recall ever paying a toll on interstates out west, must be an eastern thing.

It was around 7:30 by the time I got to my hotel in Williamsville, NY close to Buffalo. I spent the evening doing some planning as I need to be in Jamestown, ND for a 3pm appointment. The bike has been running great so far, just keeps humming right along. I passed the 10,000km mark for the trip this afternoon, ending the day with 10,362km travelled. Once again, not too many pictures today.

Tonight she get's a roof over her too, well deserved I'd say

The route today, except I went all the way down I-87 to I-90 at Albany, NY

Day 18

Wow, where to start? Today was a beautiful day, could not have better riding weather if you ask me! I started the day in Saint John, which left me with a little over an hour to get to the USA border. It was a cool morning but the sun made it feel really nice, as did Kutless playing on the stereo. I sometime forget I even have the capability now to play music, which is often a good thing, but today it was nice to hear some worship music.

It was a quick and painless border crossing once again, a look at the passport and a few questions was all it took. A few cars a head of me a family was pulled aside and had to go into the building, so I was wondering what would happen with me.

I was looking forward to the day's ride, but was a little concerned about the large amount of turns and small back roads I'd be taking. It's a bit of a change getting used to not working from a metric system, and it wasn't just simple interstate riding today. The bulk of the day was on smaller roads at 50mph or less, taking right around 11 hours to ride 728km, stops included.

Once I crossed the border it was amazing the amount of bikes I met, I saw more bikes today than in the first 17 days combined, not a word of a lie. I'm sure it helped that the weather was perfect and it was a Sunday. I took highway 9 to Bangor, and then hit the interstate south to Augusta. That's when it got interesting, as the next 300km or so was all on back roads through the heart of Maine, New Hampshire, and into Vermont. That is some amazing country to ride through, and someday I'm coming back to this area to spend some time here instead of just riding through. Rolling hills, tree covered mountains, and winding roads make for a spectacular experience.

It probably helped the experience that it was a Sunday as everyone was out enjoying the day. They were quadding, boating on the lakes, biking, on lakefront beaches, watersking, and BBQ'ing. The smells of campfires and food being grilled added to the relaxation of the day, as did all the scenery one could take in at low speed. Unfortunately I didn't take a lot of pictures today, as there often weren't good spots to pull over. I've often heard that the fall is a good time of year to come through here, and now I know why, it would be breathtaking I'm sure.

After checking in at the hotel I spent some time outside trying to track down an annoying rattle that I've heard the last few days. I never could quite tell where it was coming from, but finally found it today. It's from the aftermarket doors I put on the lower fairings, not exactly a surprise as I was not happy with them when they arrived in winter. At least I know now where it's coming from, and it's nothing important. In the process I got to talking with 4 guys from the Boston area, and we talked riding and bikes for almost an hour. They were pretty jacked at the length of the trip I'm on, and it did kind of put into perspective how much I've seen so far. It really is a dream come true to be taking these bike trips, only problem is the more I do it the more I want to. I guess that's a good reason to get up and work once I'm back at home!

There are worse things to look at first thing in the morning:)

Covered bridge right behind the hotel

Route I took today

The pictures today are disappointing as they don't really capture what I saw today due to the lack of stops I was able to make.

Day 17

Today marked the beginning of my journey back west, although it wouldn't be a big mileage day as I planned to spend some time at The Rocks Provincial Park on the Bay of Fundy, home of the Hopewell Rocks and the highest tides in the world. It was an easy ride there from Halifax on the Trans Canada, right through downtown Moncton. I'm looking forward to putting down some miles over the next week, although there are a few things I'd like to see as well, namely the Niagara Falls and the Harley museum in Milwaukee.

The Hopewell Rocks, which I've seen in pictures and on TV like many of you, are really impressive in person. I was fortunate enough to arrive there at around 1:00pm right at low tide. Walking down among the Flower Pot rocks area and seeing how they've been shaped over the years was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. There were interpretive guides ready with a ton of info, some of which I actually listened to. I spent a couple hours just wandering around and taking it in, with many other people doing the same. It started raining again, so I made my way back to the bike for the 180km or so to Saint John.

I took the scenic route to Fundy National Park which burned a little time. The NP may be interesting if one had the time to do a lot of hiking, which I didn't have. All the walking at the Hopewell Rocks was good enough for me, as some of the inclines were fairly steep, especially after all the time I've spent sitting on my butt the last 3 weeks or so.

It was a little after 6pm by the time I arrived in Saint John, and following the check-in at the hotel, I walked down the street for some dinner. Once I came back I did a little looking ahead at the next week, getting a feel for how much I will need to ride per day to get back to Swift Current for what looks to be Saturday night. The first half of my vacation has gone by quickly it seems, as the days all kind of start blending together. I'm probably also quite close to the halfway point in mileage by now as well. It will be nice to gain back the hours I lost coming east, we can always use more time in a day when vacationing!

Mud flats on the Bay of Fundy

The people down there look pretty small!

They call this the Lover's Arch

Looking at the stairs coming down to the beach

Looking across the Bay of Fundy to the western shorline of Nova Scotia

Day 16

Woke up this morning with a headache, a bit of a sore throat, and still tired despite getting 7.5 hours of sleep. I guess that happens weather you're on a vacation or not. It caused me to start the day a little slower than usual, drinking and extra cup of coffee hoping it would take care of the headache.

Once I got the bike loaded again I headed for the Halifax waterfront. I was told to check out Pier 21, which is where over a million immigrants to Canada passed through between 1928 and 1971. It was also used for troops going to and from Europe during World War 2, when immigration all but stopped during the war years. It was an interesting visit, putting into perspective a little more what an amazing country we live in, and how it's seen in the eyes of many people around the world. When it comes down to it, most of us would have ancestors that came over from many parts of the world. 

After that I worked my way south out of Halifax for a couple hours of meandering down twisty back country roads. Now I don't dance, and know nothing about it, but when I'm riding winding roads on my bike that's as close to a dance as man and machine can get. Once you get some open road with no traffic slowing you down, one can get into a nice rhythm.

I worked my way down a part of the eastern coast, getting my last look at the Atlantic Ocean, before making my way across to the western part. There's a lot of wineries and farms, at least the part I rode through. It's also home to the town of Windsor, which claims to be the birthplace of the game of hockey.

Not feeling all that well, and becoming increasingly tired, I shut down the day a little earlier today to get some rest. I'm looking forward to seeing the Bay of Fundy tomorrow, followed by crossing the border into the US to see some sights there. After exchanging some text messages with my friend Stan earlier today I realized how far the trip back will be. I'll be in five different time zones by the time I get there to spend a few days with he and his wife.

Looking into the harbour from Pier 21

Getting my last look at the ocean, from St. Margaret's Bay

Day 15

With the trip to Newfoundland cancelled, it was time to start heading south and then eventually back west. I took highway 4 south out of Sydney, and it was actually a decent road for the first half of the way to Port Hawkesbury, but eventually it too got quite rough. That made my decision for me, and I decided to take the Trans Canada to Halifax instead of looking for a different route. When I got to Truro the sun finally came out, staying for the rest of the day. I was a little grumpy up until that point, tired of overcast skies and cold temperatures. As I neared Halifax I passed a bus full of school kids. A waving arm caught my attention, and there's 6 or 7 of them staring out the back with one of the little girls waving. I waved back, which caused a flurry of more waving kids with ear to ear grins. None of the grins was as big as mine, those kids put a smile on my face that lasted for a few kilometers. Something so simple can put smiles on faces, and from what I've seen the world could use a few more smiles. 

It was a little after 3pm when I checked into my room in Halifax, after which I made some personal business calls. Having those matters taken care of after what felt like forever, I jumped on the bike and started for Peggy's Cove. By this time it was rush hour traffic, the 50km ride taking the better part of an hour.

The power of the water crashing onto the rocks at Peggy's Cove is pretty awesome, one can walk right to the water's edge on the rocks. I spent over an hour there, taking some video and some more pictures, before sitting down high up on one of the rocks and just letting my mind wander as I gazed out to the horizon. Had the hunger pangs not brought me to reality I may still be sitting there.

The ride back into Halifax was a nice winding road, perfect biking road. I was confident that I knew where I was going, but after I got to the city I made a few turns that I thought were wrong. I was too stubborn to stop and take a quick look at google maps, thinking it couldn't be that hard even though I've never been here before. Long story short, I got good and lost before finally coming to my senses and stopping to look at a map. I'll probably never know exactly where I was, but it wasn't anywhere close to where I should have been. I finally got myself back on track, stopped for dinner, and then headed back to the room.

I'll spend tomorrow riding around Nova Scotia and spend another night in the area somewhere before heading to Saint John on Saturday, with a stopover to check out the Hopewell Rocks. There weren't too many pictures today, besides the ones from Peggy's Cove.

The camera didn't even break when I took this photo!

Day 14

After a good night of rest I woke up ready for another day of sightseeing. I took my time getting ready for the day as there isn't a whole lot I wanted to do today. I spent some time doing my morning devotions and then packed up the bike and checked out of the Silver Dart Lodge. It's a pretty old place, but the rooms are clean and well maintained. 

I spent a lot of time taking pictures yesterday, so today I felt free to just ride, and it gave me a chance to push the bike a little. I'm always surprised how nimble this big touring bike actually is, for it's size anyway, and I had the floorboards dragging multiple times today. Doing that on a fully loaded touring bike is exhilarating, because you have to lean it way over to make that happen. 

In Cheticamp I stopped for a bit of breakfast, meeting a fellow biker I met while getting gas in Moncton a few days ago. He did mention at the time we might meet on the Cabot Trail, but I hadn't thought of that again as I figured that wasn't very likely.

After Cheticamp I didn't stop a whole lot until passing Pleasant Bay. Spotting a few bikes at a look off I decided to pull over to take a picture and maybe have a chat. Two of the bikes left after a few minutes, but one guy stayed and we ended chatting for about half an hour. He took a lot of interest in my trip, having never been out west, and I shared what I could to help him out for a future adventure. 

Once I reached Cape North I took the ride out to the small village of Bay St. Lawrence, probably about 15 minutes each way. The weather was starting to move in, so I chose not to take the gravel road to Meat Cove. Chatted briefly with two couples from New York and one couple from California. By the time I got to Cape North it was starting to rain and it was time to try out the new rain gear, which seemed to work fine. I'm a little disappointed that the pants didn't come with suspenders, as they are a little big, something I thought they had when I bought them. They kept me dry though, so that's all that matters.

Another road I didn't take was the coastal loop through White Point to Neil's Harbour. The views were nice, but the road was in awful condition. If there's one negative thing about this trip (other than the constant crappy weather) it's the terrible condition of some of the roads. In the National Park they're great, but the a lot of the roads more off the beaten path are the worst I've ever been on. Hopefully some of the tourist money will eventually go into fixing the asphalt, especially on a road as beautiful as the Cabot Trail.

I took the Englishtown ferry on my way to North Sydney today, as that cut down my travel time and would get me out of the rain sooner. After boarding for the 500 foot or so crossing I began to take off my gloves to get my wallet and pay the $5.25 fare. The man collecting money told me not to worry about it, waiving my crossing fee, and starting a sequence of generosity for me.

I got to North Sydney way to early, around 5:30, 6 hours or so before my scheduled departure for Newfoundland. As I had a coffee and something to eat I was checking the weather for the two days in Newfoundland, and it didn't look good. The forecast was calling for 20mm of rain tomorrow, with high winds, and another 10mm for Friday. The thought of spending all the time getting there and back just to ride in rain and daily highs of around only 10 degrees, and missing a lot of the scenery because of it, didn't sit well. The forecast to the south and west looks good, so I made the decision to cancel Newfoundland from this trip.

It wasn't an easy decision, I'm so close now and may never get here again, but I'm just sick of fighting this constant rain storm that's following me around. The hotel agreed to waive the cancellation fee and after calling to cancel the ferry trip, knowing that it would cost me $50, the guy waived that without me even asking. Rooms were available in Sydney, a 25km ride from where I had stopped, and so the plans all fell into place. As I sit here now the rain storm is raging outside and I'm okay with the decision I've made. I'll regret not seeing some of Newfoundland, and maybe sometime in the future I can fly out and ride the Rock, taking more time than I had planned for now. 

Tomorrow I'll head south to Halifax, spend a day or two getting to Saint John, then after that I start the trek back across the continent on a route through the USA. I'm due for a string of good weather, so hopefully that will follow me for a while as I leave the rain here in the east.

This was literally the end of the road, it goes right onto the pier and then it's done. Those two bikes were the couple from New York

Coming back with the day's catch