From Cheticamp to The Rock (Day 6)

 

I got up a little later this morning – around 0700 – and took it slow and easy.

Several riders from the CMC 011 joined us at the motel on Tuesday night – Brian, Joe, Mike and Dave – and we all went to Restaurant Evangeline for breakfast and we then said our goodbyes as they were off in one direction, while we would be off to ride the Cabot Trail and then carry on towards North Sydney to catch the ferry to Port aux Basques.

We eventually had our gear packed, our bikes loaded and said our goodbyes to Greg and Cathy around 11:00 and headed directly for an off road trail that Greg’s handyman, Paul, told us about.

A 2 meter wide double track of crushed rock and pit run, this was just as technical as the Meat Cove Trail that I went up the day before, only this time it was Big Ethel’s turn to take a nap.

I think she was startled by the young cow moose that was startled along the way only moments before.

 

Likely a yearling foaled last year, she was quite panicked by our 3 large bikes, and although we tried to give her lots of room she remained about 100 meters ahead of us all the way back to the highway. Thankfully she did not run onto the road.

Such an amazing creature, she stood close to 5 feet tall at the haunches – imposing, to say the least.

We made our way back onto the road and retraced out track from the day before, riding the Cabot Trail from Cheticamp to Meat Cove for a second time and continuing on to Ingonish where we took a break at a beach and I walked knee-deep into the icy water. It felt great on the ankles, I have to admit.

After our short break we headed back out on the road with North Sydney in our sights.

Some of the scenes along the way:

Harley taking a nap in a gorgeous setting;

A helping hand;

Our fearless leader;

The road, and the scenery, continued to take my breath away. I could not possibly describe the pristine beauty that is the east coast of Canada and hope to convey it to you in any accurate measure,

but as an example:

at one point while descending on a very curvy, very steep stretch of the Cabot Trail we came around a super-tight hairpin, our bikes revving 4500rpm in 3rd gear, engine braking and foot pegs scraping, and then crested a small hill.

Before me was an image of such raw beauty that I found myself thanking God as my eyes filled with tears.

The beauty that was laid out before me simply overwhelmed me and my heart, and my soul just filled with joy, and with love and gratitude.

This little slice of heaven is called Neil’s Harbour, and it is just outside of New Haven.

It will take your breath away.

Neil’s Harbour

After an ice cream stop and a quick rest – and a chat with an adventure couple from Fort McMurray on a pair of BMW’s who were basically doing the same trip as we are – (without the Trans-Labrador Highway portion) – we got back underway to the previously mentioned beach at Ingonish.

We arrived in N. Sydney around 7:00pm – picked up some supplies at Walmart – had a bite to eat at McDonalds - and headed to the ferry.

We boarded as soon as we arrived at 9:30pm and once again ran into the couple from Fort McMurray.

Sleep, unfortunately, did not come easy. The ferry sailed at 11:30pm and we were seated in what amounted to movie theatre seats – great for a 2 hour flick, not so great for a 7 hour sea ferry ride.

2 cups of coffee and a quick bacon-and-egg breakfast got us enough energy to hop astride our steeds and disembark the ferry, but none of us was feeling what you would call fresh…

The view as we pulled into Port aux Basques dock on the ferry

Up next – Coming home for the first time

Riding the Cabot Trail

Our first full day of riding on the Cabot Trail was nothing short of spectacular. I am not really going to be able to do the experience any justice by trying to describe it, so I will let some pictures do that job.

Suffice to say that this is probably the most incredible motorcycle riding – as far as being picturesque, technical, and jaw-dropping that I have ever done.

Don’t get me wrong – I loved the Rockies and Canada’s west coast – I plan on returning there next season – but this is a whole other level of incredible. The vistas, the twisties, the whoops and hills and sweepers – and the people – all combine to make Cape Breton a motorcycle nirvana.

We rode the Cabot Trail clockwise as far as Meat Cove – a must see location for motorcyclists and adventurists alike – and even attempted a really gnarly atv trail that leads all the way up to the top where an old light house used to stand.

Well, one bike went down, and the lighthouse is no longer there, so after riding part way up on Big Ethel simply as a point of ‘it’s there, I gotta’, I turned around and we headed back to the Trail to continue with our day. We ended up turning back towards the Cornerstone Motel as the skies were getting pretty dark and ominous looking, and twisted the throttles a little wider for the return trip to the motel.

Some pics from the day below:

Mike’s bike, Harley, taking a nap on the Meat Cove Trail

The view at Meat Cove

Sunset in Cheticamp

Mike and Jeff on the Cabot Trail

The Cabot Trail

 

Up next…From Cheticamp to the Rock

Hello, are we reaching?…

Have I mentioned that wifi is spotty? That in general, the internet service east of Quebec kinda sucks?

Ya, well…it does.

So I have been keeping a hand written journal. And I am now almost 60 pages in…

So, let’s catch up a little, shall we?

When last we spoke, I had just arrived in Cheticamp at The Cornerstone Motel owned by my friends Greg and Cathy. I will continue from there - adjusting the post dates to reflect when these should have gone up...

Greg and Cathy bought the property in Cheticamp 2 years ago after basically selling everything they owned and leaving Ottawa in a leap of faith to pursue their dream.

The motel, and the home that also sits  on the property, were run down and in disrepair. Both were in need of some love and attention.

And from what I saw over the 2 days while I was there, Tripper ‘n Tomboy are exactly the right couple for the job.

Part of the Canadian Motorcycle Cruisers, or CMC, riding family, Greg (Tripper) and Cathy (Tomboy) had a dream of opening a motorcycle-friendly motel somewhere scenic and where the niche existed to be filled.
They looked throughout Ontario and found nothing that made them feel home, or that did not require a minimum half-million dollar investment.

So they thought outside the box.Or at least, outside of Ontario...

If you want to own and operate a niche-market enterprise like a motorcycle-friendly motel, why not look to motorcycle-traveller hotspots?

The Cabot Trail is as hot a motorcycle-traveller location as you are likely to find in Canada, and the Cornerstone Motel was just sitting there, waiting to be found.

The new owners of this beautiful little piece of Cape Breton Island are bikers. Both share a passion for experiencing the open road on 2 wheels, and they will, therefor, no doubt be successful in their endeavour.

 As a matter of fact, though not yet ready to operate at the full capacity of 17 rooms, the 11 rooms that are ready were all sold out both Thursday and Friday nights.

Greg and Cathy both had a smile, and I am sure they shared a moment in private – the realization of a dream – as they hung the No Vacancy sign.

Well done my friends. You deserve the best, and your hard work is bringing it to you.


I encourage you, my few faithful readers, to please stop in at the Cornerstone Motel in Cheticamp should you ever find yourself there. And if you know anyone who is planning on riding the Cabot Trail, there is no better staging location. The motel sits literally 500 meters from the entrance to the park.


And two of the view just as you enter the park, less than 3 minutes from the motel…

Next up…riding the Cabot Trail…

Nice trail you made there, John Cabot…

Well, we arrived in Cheticamp last evening and my motorcycle tires have rolled over the first few kilometers of the Cabot Trail. I have seen only the beginning, yet I already find myself stunned by the beauty of Cape Breton.

We took an early morning ferry from PEI – the Wood Islands / Caribou crossing to Pictou, Nova Scotia. And as it happens, so did 4 other riding buddies from Ottawa. Brian, Joe, Mike and Dave, all members of the CMC 011, are on an East Coast Adventure of their own and like us are headed to the Cornerstone Motel in Cheticamp. These 4 cruiser-riders opted not to follow us from the ferry for some reason though…which is probably a good thing, since we rode about 40 kilometers of off-road trail to get here

Our first dirt of the adventure – yee hawww!!!

I don’t think that I have mentioned this yet, but there appears to be more off-road – atv  type trail on the east coast than there is asphalt. It’s absolutely a dual-sport dream! Every highway seems to have a twin-track running parallel to it, veering off through the forests and splashing through water crossings – just awesome. If I needed any excuse to come beck east, riding this network of trails would do it.

The Cornerstone is a motel that was purchased and reopened by an amazing couple – also CMC 011 members – 2 years ago.

Greg and Cathy took a real leap of faith and sold everything that they owned and left Ottawa to realize their dream. Now, 2 years later, Greg sounds like he has been born and raised on the east coast and the motel is turning out as they hoped. A wonderful, motorcycle-friendly spot right on the Cabot Trail, I highly recommend that you use this as a staging area should you ever decide on an East Coast Adventure of your own.

Well, I just woke up from yet another great night’s sleep – Big Ethel has been stripped of all her gear and is ready to sashay through some sweet little dance steps – so I think it’s time to turn this up a notch and see just how far my jaw can drop.

Here is one shot to give you a taste, this of last evenings sunset

John Cabot – thanks dude.

Today is the only day that really matters. Here’s hoping that yours is beautiful.

Joe

Playing in the mud, and finding serenity…

We awoke to a gorgeous morning, the sun burning off the haze and the air already warming at 0700.
After a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs we hit the road towards our first destination of the day – Hopewell Rocks at the Bay of Fundy.
Having never been there before, I was eager to see this natural wonder, and I can assure you that I was not disappointed.
We walked down to sea level and spent some time gazing at the rock formations before I went right down to the water and stood in 6” of Fundy mud. I just can’t seem to stay out of the stuff…if I see mud, I gotta get in it, lol.
Being as small a world as it is, it was not overly surprising that we should run into some friends from Ottawa.
It seems that the 75th anniversary Motor Maids Convention is happening in Moncton this week, and a couple of ladies from the CMC 011 were also traipsing through the mud at Hopewell Rocks. As it turns out, there were probably in the neighbourhood of 50 Meter Maids there, which was actually really cool to see.
We eventually left Hopewell and headed towards Port Elgin where we got on a little 2 lane following the shoreline, shortly arriving at the base of the Confederation Bridge where we turned on our action cams and filmed the crossing.
It is a really long, and fairly high bridge, and it is interesting to cross, but as I said to the guys it would be more interesting if it had a steel-grid deck, lol.
Arriving on PEI, Michael had a plan in mind and opted to take the lead. A short, but beautiful ride later saw us in the small seaside village of North Rustico, and Michael led us to his destination – some seaside rental cabins complete with 3 beds, a deck and a BBQ.
It took all of 3 minutes for us to decide to head into town in search of a grocery store, and in very short order the grill was sizzling and smoking with the wonderful smells of barbequed steak.
We all ate well, and now, at 2100, find ourselves in our own, individual places of contentment and serenity.
I can tell you, finding yourself in a seaside fishing / tourist town on Prince Edward Island means serenity is at your doorstep. I am very, very happy at this moment…
Some pics from today:
Hopewell Rocks

Playing in the mud…

North Rustico

Tomorrow we head to Cape Breton Island along the coastal route of Nova Scotia.
Ok, my belly is full,…it’s time for a walk.
Hope you are enjoying the journey so far…

Joe

There may be some rain…

Day 2
The morning started off as well as the evening ended yesterday.
A hot shower followed by homemade waffles with fresh strawberries, some orange juice and nice strong coffee was the way today started.
Have I mentioned that our hosts for night #1 were amazing

The fact that a steady rain was falling by 0800 was almost insignificant.

We got underway at 0915, and Claude-Olivier decided to hop on his VFR and ride with us for the first hour or so. He led us along highway 289 through Pohenegamook to Riviere Blue – and at one point we were less than a stones-throw from being in the USA. Highway 289 runs right on top of the border for a few hundred meters….I made a mental note of that for future reference, lol.

By the time that we got to Edmunston, NB the rain had stopped, and within 20 minutes the warm air had all but dried us out completely.

We stopped at the Tourist information centre just inside the New Brunswick line and I picked up my first Provincial sticker to place on my Pelican Case. Ya, I know…technically I should have picked up a Quebec Provincial sticker, but really – I am in Quebec all the time, so it just didn’t seem to count.

We stopped in Grand Falls New Brunswick to get gas, have a coffee and visit – yes – the Falls.

Actually a very scenic spot, we snapped a couple of pics and then got back underway. We got on highway 108 and proceeded to make our way clear across the province to Shediac. Some incredible scenery and a couple of deer were the highlights of the journey – that is, until the skies opened up on us. We rode through an absolute torrential downpour for 15 minutes or so, just long enough to get soaked again, before the sun came back out and proceeded to dry us off. Well, almost, anyway.

When we were an hour or so out of Shediac the skies dropped on us once again, and this time there was no quarter given by Mother Nature. The water fell in sheets and collected on the highway in what felt like 2” deep puddles, washing up over our boots and soaking our feet in a near constant assault. At one point we pulled over under an overpass, hoping to wait it out, only to discover that we were travelling in the same direction as the rain. There was nothing to do but grin and bare it, so that is exactly what we did.

How did my $100.00 one-piece BMWMotorrad rain suit fare in the onslaught, you ask?
I cannot say. Because I did not put it on in time to try it out. By the time that we stopped under the overpass to take a minute to gear up we were already so soaked that it would have been nearly impossible to get into my new rain gear.

Oh well,…I will try to be better prepared for the next downpour.

One would think that the rain would have been the low-point of the day, but no,…not today. We arrived at the address of our host for the evening only to discover that ‘Bob’ was not home. Soaking wet, camping was, for me at least, out of the question. There will be ample opportunity to camp in the wet and the rain while on the Tran-Labrador highway, I am sure – so while the option to sleep in warm dry bed exists, I am going to take advantage of it. As an aside, my travelling partners did not loudly object to staying in a motel, and that is where we sit now, chowing on pizza, chatting about the day, and planning for tomorrow.

Here are a couple of pictures from today – one of the first ‘Fail’ of the adventure – Michael lost one of his auxiliary driving lamps on a really bumpy stretch of road.
The other is self-explanatory – trying to wait out the rain, unsuccessfully of course…


Tomorrow is a bit of a ‘FREE-DAY’ and we plan on heading down to the Bay of Fundy to check out the tides. Other than that, well, I guess we will find out tomorrow.
I hope that you are enjoying the adventure so far…God knows we are
Joe

A Bitter Sweet Symphony, this Life…

Quebec
I don”t know if epic adventures always start this way, but it seems that for me the opening couple of hours set the tone for the entire trip.
And what an opening it was.
I left Ottawa at 0715 in crisp 12 degree temperatures with a bright sun shining and promising to warm the day.
I rode the 417 east, planning to get off at highway 138 and head towards Cornwall where I would grab the 401 to Lancaster. Because that was the route that I often travelled when trying to make Lancaster quickly.
This morning, however, I kept on riding right past the exit for Cornwall and instead got off at the McCrimmon road / highway 34 exit, journeying back some 32 years as I headed south through Alexandria, passing my old high school – Glengarry District – and thinking that it used to be so much bigger.
The smell of fresh cut hay made me nostalgic – thinking of boyhood adventures on local farms with childhood friends – but only for a moment.
The perfect beauty of the moment was too much for old memories to stand against, and they were quickly returned to their rightful place, certain to return again whenever I need them.
I arrived in Lancaster at 0830, parking at the Tim Horton’s to await the arrival of my travelling companions – Michael Fritz and Jeff Luttmer.
As far as starts go, this one was perfect.
The 3 of us hit the 401 around 0930 and made our way towards Montreal, taking the new toll highway 30 that brings you around Montreal without needing to fight with the sometimes god-awful traffic.
Even so we still managed to pull somewhere in the neighbourhood of 6 U-Turns. Let’s face it – travelling across Quebec can be challenging at the best of times, and if you are at all familiar with Quebec construction you know that the best of times was in the early ‘70’s. Since then, the construction has been pretty unbelievable.
Lady Garmin got so tired of trying to re-calculate that I am sure I heard her say something like ‘screw this, you’re on your own’, lol.
Navigational errors aside, it was a great day of riding. We stopped when necessary – lunch in St. Hyacinthe, a couple of gas stops, and by 1735 we were pulling into ADV Flagman’s driveway where we were to be put up for our first night on the road.
As good as the day – and the ride – had been, I was not prepared for the reception that awaited us.
Flagman – known to the rest of the world as Claude-Olivier, and his wife Annie met us in the yard as we pulled in and directed us to park our bikes in a garage that is easily big enough to turn into 3 apartments.
Annie cooked up an incredible supper of chicken brochette, rice and broccolli, and we found ourselves thinking that it might be better to stay for 2 – or even 3 days…this was much more luxurious than we expected our Trans-Lab highway adventure to be…Annie suggested that if the deck got built at the back of the house, we were more than welcome to stay – and Claude-Olivier even mentioned how close the nearest lumber store was, hahaha.
Claude-Olivier and his family could not have been more generous hosts. I am typing this at an impromptu work station set up for me by Annie, with the help of their 2 adorable kids. I find myself feeling like I have a debt on the books – and should Flagman and his family ever find themselves in the Ottawa area and in any need, that debt shall be paid.
I should mention that this guy is a little bit of a motorsports fanatic. He is currently designing / building a trials-bike course, has held enduro races on his personally laid-out enduro course, and has plans to build a motorcross track in the back field.
Flagman Motorsports Park may not be far down the road…
My words have not done justice to the friendship and hospitality shown to us by this incredible family, and this has been a completely new experience for me. Hundreds of ADV members have likely had similar experiences, and that is a testament to who we are, we band of inmates who find our peace and purpose all really only making sense when we are on 2 wheels, flying through the gravel – over the sand – in the mud – through the twisties – on our motorcycles. Our home-away-from-home 2 wheeled tickets to adventure. And to life.
What an amazing, amazing day #1.

I hopelthat this too-late-and-too-tired-to-post entry a least conveyed a little of what today was like.
Did I mention that it was amazing?….

Joe