Truro, NS to Shubenacadie, NS

Another pretty day. Since we had been up late the night before, we slept a little later than usual. About 9am we started moving. We had decided the night before that we wanted to go to Burncoat to see the bore tide in another neat place. We figured it would be there about noon, so we had plenty of time.

After getting packed, we went to Tim Horton’s for breakfast. Tim Hortons is a fast food restaurant chain prevalent in Canada. It seems that Tim Horton was a big hockey player who did well and started the restaurants when he got out of hockey. The restaurants range from small drive-in only places for breakfast to others that are pretty big and offer sandwiches, soups, salads in addition to breakfast items.

After breakfast, we started towards Burncoat, which we thought was just a few miles away. It turns out that it’s much further than we thought. The tide also runs much faster than we thought. Long story made short, we missed it! Damn!

As we were riding along the river towards Burncoat, the river was essentially empty for a long time. Then we went a short way where we could not see the river. When we spotted it again, it was much fuller with water. We couldn’t tell if it was due to there just being more water or due to the oncoming tide. As it turned out, it was the tide.

So, we jumped back on the bikes and raced back about 18 miles to a bridge where we hoped to see it. Again, too late. We missed the bore tide in this much larger body of water.

While at the bridge, we talked to a young man who was filming for a local TV station. He was bored, so he asked us some questions that were very thought provoking. Like “What advice would you give young people?” and “What do you think is a place I should go when I can?” He was a very impressive young man.

When we left, we decided to start looking for a place to stay for the night, somewhere in the area since we wanted to see the bore tide again. After consulting with a small tourist help station, we headed out to find something suitable.

After a bit of riding, we found Tidal Bore Rafting Park, an outfit near the river that has cottages, a restaurant, and various excursions on the river playing with the bore and the water. Pretty neat. So, we stayed there.

We rested a bit and then put the gear back on and got on the bikes, headed to Burncoat to see the low tide. Since we knew the restaurant would be closed before we got back, we decided to stop at a local grocery store for something for dinner. A pizza sounded good, and we found one, along with some beer and wine.

From there, we rode to Burncoat, walked down to the river, and saw it at low tide. From the low water mark to the high point is about 50 feet! We took some pics and left for the cabin and dinner. The pizza was very good.

So, that was the day. We rode about 135 miles for the day.

Tomorrow—Bore tide, Peggy’s Cove, and back to Halifax

Goose River, PEI to Truro, NS

Another beautiful day. We woke to completely blue skies; not a cloud in sight. I woke at 7am, earlier than I had wanted, but could not go to sleep.

We had borrowed coffee from our hostess, Ms. Warren last night, and Linda had prepared the coffee, so I turned the coffeemaker on and made coffee. Since they were not up yet, I sat on the deck and looked at the ocean about 200 yards away. It was so quiet; nothing could be heard but nature. No cars. No horns. No sirens. Just quiet, which was very nice.

In a while, they got up and we had coffee and biscuits out on the deck. A friendly dog came up to be petted, so Gary and I took turns petting him. He ran from cottage to cottage to be petted as people came out of their cottages. Seeing his excitement as we scratched and rubbed him made me want one for myself. I need a motorcycle dog!

After breakfast, we packed up and got on the bikes, heading west. Our ride today was fairly uneventful. The roads carve through farming communities and harbors. They must grow a huge supply of potatoes. They also must make a lot of milk, judging by the number of huge dairy farms we passed.

Finally, it was time to head south towards the Confederation Bridge that connects PEI with New Brunswick. It is the toll bridge ($17) that allows you to leave the island. It is eight miles long and crosses the Northumberland Strait. It’s an impressive bridge. The riding was easy; the wind was from the south, so we were riding into it. Had there been big easterly or westerly winds, it could have been difficult on the bikes.

Our destination today was Truro, NS. It is at the head of the famed Fundy Bay, and is the place where the highest recorded tides are found. Tidal surges of about 45 feet happen daily, and the Bore Tide occurs when the high tide overruns waters in the bay. We had seen a bore tide in Alaska, and want to see one here. The next bore tide is supposed to happen tonight at 12:30am. I believe we’re going to try to see it—hopefully the moon will be bright enough to let us see it.
Today’s ride was 262 miles. Total mileage for the two weeks on the road is now 3,190 miles.

PS. We wanted to see the bore tide, and did. We went out to the end of Tidal Bore Road (a fitting name) and watched it come in. It was pretty neat; they had placed 4 picnic tables at the end of the road for viewing. We were first there, so we grabbed one and sat to wait. About 30 minutes before it was due to arrive, some flood lights turned on, lighting the waterway below us.

As the time drew closer, we could hear rushing water, sounding a little like surf without the breakers. It got louder and louder as it got closer. Finally, it arrived, a small wave of water over the other water. It was not big, but still impressive. Then the waterway started filling up with brown, muddy water. In about 30 minutes, we had seen what we came to see, so we left.

Tomorrow—Another Bore Tide and who knows.

Strait of Canso to Goose River, Prince Edward Island

The day started with rain showers. Lots of them! So, we piddled around with breakfast at the motel and taking our time with getting packed up.

About 10:30am the rain stopped up, so we quickly got on the bikes and headed west towards the ferry for Prince Edward Island. By asking the right questions, we learned that it costs to leave PEI, but not to go onto the island. But they charge to leave the island! Isn’t that wild. And the good news is that leaving the island via ferry would have cost us about $60, but leaving the island via bridge (which we plan to do) will cost $17. So, we’re getting our first bargain of the trip.

From the Straits of Canso to where the ferry leaves is about 86 miles or so. We headed due west fot the ferry landing. Traffic was light, and the showers did not pick up again, so it was a good and easy ride.

We knew the ferry left at 12:30pm, so we wanted to make that one if possible, because the next one would be two hours later. But we had no idea whether or not we’d make it in time.

Just a few kilometers from the landing at Pictu, a rush of traffic from the opposite direction started, so we knew the ferry was unloading. And, we had an idea that there would be high demand because today (Monday, August 03, 2009) is a national holiday (Natal Day), and people would be ending a long weekend.

As we got to the ferry landing, they pointed to a lane with no vehicles in it. The other lanes were full of cars, trucks, vans, RVs, busses, and big trucks. We had no idea if we’d make this ferry or not.

After waiting in our lane about two minutes, they waved us forward. They put us in the lower deck with the big trucks, which was fine with us. What luck! We made the 12:30 ferry with no delay or problem.

We tied the bikes down and went upstairs to wait out the 75 minute ride to Wood Islands. The ferry ride was uneventful.

Once in Wood Islands, we went to the Information building to find a place for the night. The people were helpful, but not as helpful as at Cape Breton Island. Lori at CBI was very helpful, making recommendations and actually making our reservations earlier. At PEI, they would answer questions, but we had to use the Internet to find possible places and then make the phone calls.

After a bit of searching, we found a place that met our criteria. A cabin on the shore, with water in-view of the cabin, and at least two double beds. We found Warren Cabins near St Peters Bay on the north shore of PEI that met our criteria. So, we found and secured lodging.

After that, we basically rode east, then north, and then west to the cabin. It met our needs.

Some unique things about PEI. It is an agricultural area, at least on the northeast portion. . Potatoes are grown, along with wheat and some other crops I couldn’t determine. This part of the island is almost flat, with deep red soil. It appears that people own farming land to the ocean’s edge, with no road right against the beaches. The beaches are sandy, but the land drops straight off to the beach, and above the beach is deep, loamy red soil. The waves on the beach are very small, making me wonder why, with so much water out there. Looking at the maps, now I think I understand; the St Lawrence Bay is big, but there is a fairly narrow opening between Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island, providing a large protected area. Nothing like this in North Carolina!

We found food at a restaurant about 10kilometers away; a good dinner of fried clams, seafood chowder (I’m getting addicted to the seafood chowder up here) and a salad. Because the restaurant does not serve breakfast, we bought biscuits with jelly and butter while there and borrowed coffee from our hostess.

Oh, and there was one very concerned moment. When we arrived at the restaurant, I noticed that the loose ends of my RocStrap straps were down and entangled with the rear axle of the bike. Not a good thing; down in that area, they could do real damage to the rear brake assembly. I tried pulling them out, but they were clearly wrapped around the axle mechanism. I then rolled the bike backwards while Gary pulled. Thankfully, they came loose. That could have been a huge problem if they had gotten tightly wound around the rear wheel/axle.

After dinner, we went over to the nearby docks to see any fish being brought in. We were told that someone had caught a 600 pound Tuna that would be brought in very soon. No boats had any fish, so we rushed back to the cabin to watch the sunset over the ocean. Beautiful.

When we got back to the cabin, it was almost sunset. So, we rushed to the shore, where there were some chairs, and watched the sun dip into the ocean. It was very pretty. One neat factoid; once the sun touches the sea, it is gone in almost exactly five minutes.

After sunset, back to the cabin for the night.

A good day, with interesting things going on most of the day and a sensational sunset over the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Mileage for the day was 188 miles; an easy day in the saddle.
Tomorrow: More of PEI and who knows??

Cape North, New Breton to Strait of Canso

Ok, I have Internet access tonight, so I'm doing several posts. I've been without it for 3 previous nights, and I'm behind in posting. I've written something for every day, but sometimes I can't post as I want.

Today was another good day. We got up and rode to the convenience/gas/grill/bakery store about a quarter of a mile to the south for breakfast. They had coffee and pastries, so we had a blueberry turnover and coffee. Not bad!

From there, we headed south on the Beach road to White Point. It was reached by riding a curving road that terminated at a boat launch in a small village. Well, village is too big--it was just several houses and some fishing shacks. At the end of the road was a trail leading towards the water. So, we got off the bikes and started walking down this penninsula towards the water. We walked for about 25 minutes or so to a very beautiful place.

The trail curved and changed elevation, first going uphill, then downhill. I can't fully describe it, but if you close your eyes and picture Scotland, I think you'll have some idea of what it looked like. Green everywhere there was land, but rolling up and down to the cliff's edge, where the green stopped and the rocks began. Just beautiful.

Just before we got to the point, we came across a cemetary; a cabled off place with several headstones and many rocks. One plaque said "The Unknown Sailor". I did not count the stones, but I would guess there were maybe a dozen stones, with two definite headstones there. Above the cemetary was a white cross to mark the cemetary. Somehow it was very fitting; a rugged, rock strewn shore, and a peaceful place for the bodies to rest.

We walked on to the end of this piece of land, and I had to get my feet in the Atlantic Ocean. So, I climbed down to the water (not easy, but not dangerous) to a layer of rocks ground round and smooth by the never ceasing waves. Then down to the water. Got my boots wet and put my hand in it; not as cold as I imagined it to be. Now, I've dipped my hand in the water of the Atlantic Ocean as far south as Key West and as far north as White Point, Cape Breton. That's about as far as I'll probably ever go. Of course, I have dipped it in the Gulf of Alaska, probably my northernmost point, but in an other body of water.

Walking back, I felt serene, knowing I had been to a very special place where not a lot of people have been, and where some will remain forever.

We continued to ride south (about 5 miles) to Neal's Harbor. There, we found another lighthouse and another chowder restaurant. So, we had lunch. Mine was a fish chowder, which was very good. We ate at a picnic table out on a point just 150 feet or so from the ocean. The sunny skies, coupled with a sea breeze, the waves crashing on the rocks below made for a delightful lunch. I could have stayed there the rest of the day. The place was perfect!

But we needed to make some time, so we headed on southward, towards the south end of Cape Breton Island.

The rest of the day was unremarkable except for the motel. We got the last room at the Cove Motel near the Canso Causeway. On the water, it was the first regular motel since leaving Halifax. It's nice to have in-room coffee, a real restaurant, coin washer and dryer for a change. The meal was excellent, and I'm a happy camper tonight.

We rode about 188 miles today. My mileages are pretty inexact; I'm too lazy to go out to the bike at night to get actual mileages, so don't hold me to correct numbers.

Tomorrow--Over to Prince Edward Island

Whitehead, Cape Breton to Cape North, Cape Breton

What a day! It started with a great breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and an orange marmalade scone. All very good. Especially after a dinner of peanut butter crackers and peanuts.

The hosts, Linda and Dave Monro were very friendly. We talked about the house, 101 years old that had belonged to her grandfather, having been built by her great-uncle. They have lived in it for 10 years after Dave completely remodeled it. He did an excellent job in his work. Each bedroom has a floor that is painted a different color.

After talking and visiting with them for a while, we packed the bikes and hit the road.

It had rained overnight, with some continuing drip from the heavens as we traveled north. After a while, the roads started to dry, and the temperatures climbed from 62 to 67 degrees. Not a bad start for a ride!

We rode to the causeway leading to Cape Breton Island, home of the famed Cabot Trail. I had heard about the Cabot Trail many times, and wanted to see what it was about. It reportedly was created by Henry Cabot long, long ago, and is in the Cape Breton Highlands.

As we rode along, the views are stunning. The St. Lawrence Bay was on the left side of the road, many miles wide. At places along the way, you can just barely see wisps of land on the other side. A few ships, mostly cargo-style dotted the waters.

We finally came to the Cabot Trail. What a road! It is in the northern part of the island, with mountains that run to the sea. The road is carved out of the side of the mountains, winding its way back and forth and up and down for many miles. Gorgeous vistas of mountains and seashore and blue skies. Just stunning!

At one point, Gary and his wife spotted two moose in a roadside ditch, but by the time I got there all I could see was the tail end of one as it entered the woods.

Speaking of wildlife, we’ve seen very little on this trip. I’ve seen two turkeys, one deer, and one moose. Of course, there have been some other common animals like squirrels and crows, but I’ve been disappointed at the quantity and diversity of wildlife on this trip.

We had reserved a room at Cape North, the MacDonald Motel, so having a place to stay was not a problem. We rolled into the motel at around 6pm, unloaded the bikes, and got back on them to ride to Meat Cove, a place where some riders on the big ferry had told me was a neat place to go. They spoke of a long, winding road that terminated in several miles of dirt road. At the end of the road is the Chowder Hut, a place that we were told had good food.

So, we did the road, 28km long, with the last 8km in dirt. While potholed, it was not a hard ride. At times, the road was almost directly overhanging the ocean.

At the Chowder Hut, the view was fantastic. We had dinner on the deck, overlooking Meat Cove, the northernmost spot on Cape Breton Island. How neat is that! As far as you can go, with great fish chowder overlooking the ocean. A perfect way to end the day.

After dinner, we rode back to the hotel for the night. A very very good day indeed.

Today’s ride was 225 miles.

Tomorrow—more of Cabot Trail and off Cape Breton Island towards Prince Edward Island.

Halifax, NS to Whitehead, Cape Breton

Today was a good day. We slept late (I woke up, the first awake, at 8:30am. Slept well, but it was somewhat drug-induced. Had the free breakfast and packed the bikes. Packing was a bit of an ordeal for Gary and his wife; they had to leave some of Gary’s things in order to have space for her things. They had arranged with the hotel in advance to leave a suitcase of unnecessary items there so they could repack when we return to Halifax next Thursday.

After a bit of negotiations, the bikes were packed and we hit the road, headed northeast towards the coast. Initially the roads were busy and tricky, but soon we found the road we wanted and rode along at speed limit speeds (which are in Kilometers per hour here).

The road was good; curvy and up and down, making the riding interesting and preventing sleepiness that sometimes encroaches. Speed limits ranged from 50K/hr to 90K/hr, depending on where we were. Generally those speeds correspond to our 35 to 55 miles per hour, and seemed reasonable for the surroundings. An easy riding day.

The temperatures were wild on the ride. Initially I was almost hot wearing the mesh suit. Not too far along, we noted fog coming in off the water, and the temperature plummeted about 10 degrees in a matter of a couple of miles. Then in just a bit, we ran out of the fog and the temperature started rising again. Essentially what I learned from observation is that the closer to the ocean, the more likely it will be foggy and cool. Move inland off the water, and it was very warm. Interesting…

The roads we used generally followed the eastern shore of Nova Scotia. A few times, we cut off the “bigger” road (equivalent to a state road in NC) and took a smaller road towards the coast, hoping to find something interesting, like a cute village. Usually, we ended up on a dead-end road!

Found a good lunch in Sheet Harbour. We all had a steak and ale pie, which turned out to be delicious. It was a dish with a baked pastry top and stew beaf/gravy/beer stock under the top. Sounds weird, but it was very good. Probably the third-best meal of the trip!

We continued northeast following the coastline. We noted a lighthouse along the route, at Port Bickerson, so we headed off to find it. We did. Off the main road off a secondary road at the end of a dirt road! The road was right along the shore, at times the ocean was 20 feet away from the road.

The lighthouse was so different from ours in NC. It was a building on top of which is a light. We toured what they had there and took some pics. A neat place!

At one point we were riding along, and I could see on the GPS that we were approaching a ferry that crossed an inlet or a river. So, we pulled up to the landing, rode onto the ferry and paid the attendant $5 for the ride to the other side.

It was beginning to get late, so we started thinking about dinner and a place to stay for the night. We passed one lodge, thinking another would be just up the road a bit. After some riding, I spotted another place, a B&B with cottages off the main road. Just a bit down the road a sign pointed to a dirt road and we found the Foxberry B&B at Whitehead. They actually had one room (the green-floor room) with a single and a double bed.

Unfortunately there was no place for dinner, so we had a diet coke, cheesecrackers, peanuts, and a small piece of raspberry Danish for dinner. But breakfast will be great tomorrow morning!

Today’s ride was about 180 miles.

Tomorrow—north to Cape Breton.

Halifax Waterfront

We spent the day in Halifax, down on the waterfront. Our first adventure was to find parking. We wanted to go to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic down on the waterfront, so we found the building and then a parking lot down the street.

The lot was one of those where you park and then go to a kiosk to deal with paying. It offered payments in $3/hour or $12 maximum for 24 hours. We didn’t know how much time we’d need, so we opted for two hours and $6. Then to the museum. What we couldn’t determine from the information at the lot was whether the fee was for one bike or one space.

At the museum, Gary asked a guy selling museum tickets whether or not the payment would cover two bikes in one space or whether we needed to pay for each bike. The attendant said the parking lot guys were pretty strict and might ticket or tow one bike if not paid. So, Gary went back and bought two hours of time for his.
After two hours, we went back to the bikes to buy more time. Not knowing how much time we needed (still had more museum to see, needed lunch, and needed to see a ship, we decided to buy the rest of the day for an additional $12 per bike. So, we spent $18 each for parking! Ridiculous, but we didn’t know what else to do.

The museum was great! Pictures, articfacts, model ships, boats, everything nautical was in the building. We didn’t see everything; it would take all day to see it all. With the museum was a real ship out on the dock. You could go onto the Acadia and tour the entire ship. Very interesting and worth the time to see it.

It rained on and off all day. Some of it was showers, but some was real rain. According to the locals we talked to, it has rained all summer. Apparently all of the northeast part of the Americas has been wet, hurting tourism and spirits.

We needed to exchange some money, so we found a bank. We both thought the exchange rate was $1.20 Canadian for every US Dollar. We got $1.08 per dollar, disappointing, and making it not worth the trouble to do it.

Had a great lunch at a local pub. I had a roast beef and swiss cheese sandwich and a bowl of Mussel soup. The soup was delicious, some of the best I’ve ever eaten. I wished I had ordered just the soup, although the sandwich was good, too.

We left the waterfront area to find a cemetery where some of the bodies from the Titanic are buried. It took a while to find it, but we did. A sad place indeed.
Then back to the motel for the night.

A good day of doing touristy things in Halifax. Rode maybe 20 miles.

Tomorrow—More of Nova Scotia.