P.S

After breakfast in Lake Placid, while we were putting our helmets on,  Kelly and Ed walked by.
It was great to see them again for the third time on our trip and we wished each other safe travels and exchanged email addresses.  You never know who you'll meet....

One more overnight

Once again, the scenery was amazing , riding through the Green Mountains of Vermont, seeing the back roads in which there are a lot of humble dwellings.  Mixed in those seemingly lonely houses were some large beautiful farms. I could see that in the smaller, unknown towns and villages people have moved out ( vacant homes and businesses), due to the economy.  One place that we noticed, a place to stop in for lunch, was a great business.
the Red Hen Baking Co. on US Route 2 in Middlesex, VT.


Home made, organic foods and locally sourced products are used to make this a destination for a light, healthy lunch.
Off came the rain gear and packed away for the next leg of our journey.  Stopping in at Green Mountain H.D.
was great fun because we ran into a couple we met on the Cabot Trail.  Kelly and Ed from Barrie, On,  were making their way home too and planned on visiting Lake Placid, NY.  This was also our last stop before going home,  as it was the perfect way to round off our adventure , in the Adirondacks.
Ed and Kelly told us they would take the ferry to Lake Placid,  we hadn't thought of that option yet.  After looking at the GPS and map,  the ferry was the best way for us given the time of day.  It would take 2.5 hours to ride around Lake Champlain OR half the time taking the ferry.  So, on the boat we go....

On the ferry crossing Lake Champlain,  and the Adirondacks in the
background (loving the birds resting on the rocks). 

On our way to Lake Placid we took more back roads which landed us in Wilmington, NY, the home of Whiteface Mountain, only 20 min from lake Placid.  

We didn't know about the rugby and lacrosse tournaments going on during this week.  That was quickly revealed to us as the NO VACANCY signs were on all the motels. We just kept making our way to Lake Placid and finally an inn!

The Wilderness Inn " roughing it in style" they say.

The Hemlock was the name of our cabin....it was great, everything  in it and  no one  around.
We would come back again, and really use it to it's full capacity. It was the northern version of  our cabin in Tennessee!!

I know,  who hasn't seen trees,  I just loved how high these were and  that they were our canopy at the cabin.  


Oh,  and the meal at the Wilderness restaurant....amazing, the best,  we will go there again even if it's just a day trip.

This is the patio at the restaurant, we sat in the bottom left corner.  The inside was very clean and fresh!  With a Christmas theme. 

In the morning all we had to travel to make it home was 3 hours.  We took the most scenic way home that we could and once we crossed the border we continued our ride with the country roads.


After 5072 km,  three new tires, a couple of rain encounters oh, and a lost exhaust baffle ( ask us about that one!!) we made it  home safe and sound...and it's good!!!

Hard to say "good bye" , but there's no place like home!!!

While making our way home through the White Mountains (New Hampshire), Green Mountains (Vermont) and Adirondacks (New York), internet connections were nil to none.  It could be because we stayed in smaller motels and cabins :)
Coming into New Hampshire was an amazing sky with the threat of thunder showers, but they stayed away.

The day started out perfect as Jim and I mapped out our first stop at the Bangor H.D. before going on to New Hampshire. The plan was to try to get a new rear tire for Jim's bike this time...it was also wearing down.

Ends up the dealership is only retail and we had to find one with service.  The next closest is  Seacoast H.D. , in North Hampton N.H  supposedly only 2 hours away.  We arrive at the dealership 4 hours later,  we were thankful they could take the bike in the shop as this time of year is crazy busy. Now the service guys tell us it should only take 2 hours to fix....4 hours later we are on the road.  North Conway is where we found our place to sleep and eat. 

Great spot to stay, in the mountains...although the sign says wi-fi,
we couldn't get it!




Our view from the inn

This was on our way to the restaurant down the street, the clouds were very ominous!!

Short and sweet

We were up and on our bikes by 7:30, stopped in at Tim's for a quick coffee and short breakfast then on our way to Bangor,  Maine.  The plan was to ride as far as we felt comfortable,  which ended up being all the way,  over 860 km.  Once again our accommodations are very clean, cool and comfortable , perfect place to rest up for tomorrow when we will look for the scenic route out of Bangor to New Hampshire.

The scenery today was more subtle than all our days so far...we stopped for this picture on Hwy 1/9 , half an hour from Bangor.
Hopefully we'll get to see some different landscapes...although, riding in the countryside is always calming.

Cabot Trail--Cape Breton Highlands

The weather allowed us,  and thousands of others to follow the Cabot Trail without getting wet!
Today was all about our ascent and descent on the Cabot Trail through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  The route starts about 17 km from our hotel in Baddeck, NS and exits in Cheticamp,NS which is a beautiful little French Acadian Village. There are many artisan shops with crafts, quilts and home baking offered for anyone wanting a little piece of Acadian culture.  Of course,  lobster and sea creatures are on the menu at every cafe and restaurant...we kept our seafood tasting minimal with white fish variety.

From one of the  lookouts

The ocean is so beautiful...can't see it in the photo

Funny thing today was that all the people we happen to talk with were from Barrie, Ontario and a couple from Toronto...all separate places!  

The whole day was spent on the Cabot Trail,  then once we got back to base camp, Jim and I went to the laundromat , had a really delicious deli sandwich at the Yellow Cello Cafe, which was while we were waiting for the clothes to dry. Oh, then we fueled up as there is a gas shortage in Nova Scotia due to power outage at  one of the refineries in Yarmouth.  

Tomorrow is the start of our journey home through the states beginning with Maine...who will we meet there???

Today it was Jim's turn to look "fluffy" in his rain pants :)

Singing "Beautiful Day"....

This morning the sun was shining on us as we left Summerside, PEI and crossed the Confederation Bridge back to New Brunswick. What a different view than that of when we arrived in the rain. Bright was the word of the day,  and the sun stayed with us for our ride to Nova Scotia.

When we stopped for our coffee and breakfast, we ran into a few fellas from Newfoundland on their way to the U2 concert in Moncton!! They were very nice and we could barley understand the what they were saying.

Back on the road,  Jim and I  enjoyed the mountainous terrain of Hwy 104 passing Truro,  Antigonish, and on to Hwy 105  into Cape Breton , NS.  We are at the Inverary Resort  on the Bras d'or Lake and it's beautiful!! 

Our motorcycles parked in front of our room

Looks rainy tomorrow, but we are hoping to travel the Cabot Trail...if not Saturday then Sunday before heading on to Maine.  

Too beautiful for words!

The day started with cloud cover, but NO rain!!!!  Whew...we were so happy to pack up our bikes and stay dry!  We changed hotels at 11:00 am  from the west end of Summerside, PE to the east side, a 10 min drive.
Once settled in our new room, as we got ready to go to Charlottetown, we met a couple in the room right next door.  Turns out they are from Smiths Falls, On and were packing up to head back home.  A chatty but ultra friendly man,  Brian, could have been the resident tour guide! His wife, Chris is just as friendly but more reserved. I had to get a picture because we would never be able to describe what they were driving--behold the "Pinnchero".  A complete original build by Brian.

Rain, rain, PLEASE go away!

This has been the most rain Jim and I have traveled on our motorcycles to date.  It was raining when we woke up and never let up, but we were completely decked out in our rain gear.  The temperature was warm enough that we didn't have to plug in our liners.

The plan today was to get on to Prince Edward Island taking Hwy 11 and stopping in Miramichi, NB at the Harley dealership.  My bike needed a new front tire, not as urgent as the rear one was,  but Jim wanted to play it safe nonetheless.  Our stop took just over an hour and we met a great retired couple on their bikes! Better known as "Mama Bear" and "Papa Bear",  they were also on their way to PEI for summer vacation. Such  friendly and energetic folk to run into,  what a pleasure!

So here is where we really start the rain dance...all the way to PEI and right to our hotel.  There were humongous puddles to battle and foggy glasses.  At one point we pulled over under a bridge because Jim saw lightening and it was coming down way too hard.  It only took 15 minutes of shelter and we were back on the road.

Despite the wet weather, we are having a fantastic time --lots of laughing!

We crossed over to PEI via the Confederation Bridge...all too heavy in rain to see anything.  Just off the bridge are several destination signs and Hwy numbers,  we took the Summerside turn and this is where we'll dry out and have a big rest :)  

  WOW, the hospitality is once again, over the top ...clean room, home cooked dinner, and helpful staff.

Through Gaspe, Perce and to Dalhousie, New Brunswick

Today we rode mostly with cloudy periods and some sun sprinkled in between. It was a very relaxing day of riding even with the usual summertime construction slow downs. Up on the northeast tip of the Gaspe Peninsula,
were more outstanding winding, hilly roads, Forillon National Park or Land's End...lots of fun and beautiful!
Continuing along HWY 132, we stopped in Perce, QC and had to visit Perce Rock. We didn't take the boat tour,  but walked along the shore and the dock! I absolutely love the scent of the sea breeze and the sounds of all the birds.

WHOA!!the wind almost took my hair right off.

Our day was very peaceful and we saw so many quaint, colorful, houses with seaside flowers blowing in the breeze. The time went so fast because of all the interesting little villages all along the shore. 

We are staying at the Best Western in Dalhousie tonight, Alice, the front desk manager, is exactly what I pictured in "down east" hospitality!! She gave us premium parking for our bikes--sheltered at the front door.  With love and warmth, Alice told us everything the hotel offers and showed us the dining room . I love that she takes her job so seriously!!!  I think it's raining right now, oh well, we have rain gear  for tomorrow :) 

I could never tire of this view!

See you all soon!!

Have tire, will travel!

Monday July 25  (couldn't post on Monday due to no internet)

Our morning began with nervous butterflies as we got ready to beat the crowd at Harley Davidson, Cote-du-Nord, QC. (Baie-Comeau) We were ready by 7:30 and went for a coffee and light breakfast, then waited for the doors to open so we could bee-line it to the service counter.
Here is where I,  Caroline,  pull out all the stops with my french!! Asking the sweet young man if there was any chance a rear tire is in stock to fit my motorcycle. Jim and I try not to look too panic- stricken, as Gilles delicately tells us there are no tires at the store and parts only get delivered on Wednesday :(

As the service team try to pull ideas together, they come up with a non-Harley tire that may work but it's at another store down the road and may take 1/2 hour to arrive and still no guarantee of it fitting. At this point our only choice is to hope for the best and say "go for it" .  Keep in mind, we must catch the ferry back to Matane, QC which leaves at 2:00 and then 8:00.  The tire is a fit and we are out at 11:00 to catch the ferry!!

Still having to wait for 3 hours to board, we find out there are no reservations left for getting on the ferry...we can only wait in the "non-reservation" line and again we make on at the last minute. Once we are on land again it's 5:00 and decide to ride for just over an hour then find a motel.  Turns out our plan got reworked as there were no vacancies.

But,  OH THE SCENERY is worth every moment .
After resigning ourselves to the possibility of riding all the way to Gaspe, we come upon a beauty of a Motel called Hotel- Motel Bon Accueil, in Riviere-la-Madeleine on HWY 132. Not only is there a room for us,  but the rate is  $75., it''s very clean, plus the best meal we've had in a restaurant in a long time. We also have an outstanding view of the St. Lawrence.

There's always plan "B"

Jim spotted a really quaint restaurant for breakfast...it offered great hospitality and fresh homemade bread with homemade strawberry jam!  A perfect way to start our day which was to take us to Gaspe.  We rode for 20 min along the shore at the beginning of the Gaspe Peninsula, but had to stop to add an extra layer.  The breeze off the St. Lawrence is very chilly at 8:00 am.  I had to stop and try to get a picture of the shore, and then Jim made a discovery!

My rear tire is worn out...YIKES...we ride on to the next city/town and it happens to be Matane, QC.
Hoping to locate a Harley dealership close by (ha-ha-ha), our HD directory shows a dealership in Rimouski and Baie-Comeau. I spotted the ferry to take us across to Baie-Comeau (better to spend 2 hours on a boat than risk riding back to Rimouski over an hour away) and we got there at just the right time. 11:00 am.
So, we get to sail across the big river and enjoy the view. Once we dock, back on the bikes to 305 Boul. LaSalle. It's Sunday and they're closed but open at 8:30 tomorrow morning, I'll be waiting at the door :)
Well, we can say we spent the night in the home town of former Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney!!

                                             Plain worn out!! My tire that is.

Through Montreal, Quebec City and beyond!

First things first, on the road at 7:00 am with our bikes loaded up!! As you can see, Jim's got most of our gear --I have the most important things, sleeping bags and my new tiny blow dryer ;D

So, we rode through Montreal which is great to travel early on a weekend!! Passed by Quebec City on HWY 20  and stopped for lunch on HWY 132 in Montmagny, Quebec.  It was a great restaurant, with other riders stopping in to eat as well.  We decided to stay on this scenic route for the duration of the day and it was gorgeous!!  There was a BIG storm brewing along the St. Lawrence, black clouds and huge winds...we doubled back about half and hour or so to escape the rain.  We ended up stopping on the side of the road (no gas stations to be found for cover), to put our rain gear on. As we headed east again,  the storm left us and we were back in the sunshine,  woo-hoo!  Riding to Rimouski was our goal and we are just shy of there.
The picture here is across from where we are staying tonight and our dinner was yummy!! We are at the Motel  Le Barillet, and the scenery is so pretty!! Love, y'all--sleep tight.

Another trial--with a picture!

A little "sweetsie" for the evening! To help with the packing :)

2 More Sleeps!

This is a trial run of our new blog...stay tuned for what we hope will be an amazing adventure!!
We are beginning to pack for the trip, or should I say lay our things out in the living room to add or delete
important items...must NOT forget rain gear!! I'll try to get a picture of the bikes before we leave.