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.