Exploring Nova Scotia...

[ronin_01r1]

...on a KTM 625 smc. :cheers:

A few years ago, my friend (DSH) and I decided to visit Nova Scotia, on more or less a whim. We were on sportbikes, packed only a backpack, had no planned route in mind and headed to Bar Harbor, Maine to catch the ferry to Yarmouth. We planned a paultry 4 or 5 days to ride the entire way from NJ to Nova Scotia and back, and fit in whatever riding/touring we could once we got there. You can read more and see pics of our first trip here:

http://www.r1-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136100

Needless to say, we needed to get back there to do a proper ride around Nova Scotia, soak in the culture, see more of the beautiful views we got a glimpse of on the first trip, and dine on as much lobster we could find!

The route. We trailered the bikes fromt NJ to Sackville, New Bruswick and parked the truck/trailer at a highway McDonalds for the 8-9 days we would ride the bikes around NS. We would ride mostly along the shore line starting with the Northumberland Shore, cross over to Cape Breton and head towards the Louisbourg Fortress, head north towards Syndey and then around Bras d'Or Lakes, pass through Baddeck and then up towards the famous Cabot Trail towards Meat Cove and then continue on the Cabot Trail towards the Eastern Shore towards Halifax. We rode only a little bit of the South Shore to see the most photographed Lighthouse in the world and then headed north to Fundy Shore. We planned to ride around the entire coast, but dediced on the road to skip the Yarmouth area since we rode around that area last time and was running short on time. We continued our coastal ride on the Fundy shore and ended the ride back at the starting point of Sackville, New Brunswick.

Hope you enjoy my ride report!

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[ronin_01r1]

So true.

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Packed up and ready go.

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My ride. 2006 KTM 625 with a fresh set of Avon Distanzia SM tires. Perfect.

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DSH's ride - 1997 Ducati Monster 750. He bought this bike a couple days before the trip. It had only a few thousand miles on it and got it for a steal of a deal....from a friend who recently got married.. :-/

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We are ready to roll.

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The truck's radio is busted so we rig up PC speakers to a car starter battery along with an ipod.

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Getting through the tristate areas was murder...

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I forget which bridge it was, but on one of them we have a close call where DSH almost rear ends the car in front of us when traffic suddenly stopped. Luckily, there was a break in traffic in the next lane over and he was able to quickly shift lanes and avoid a big mess. I think DSH got the message that this big heavy old truck and trailer does not handle like a normal passenger vehicle. By the way, he has NYC driving tendencies so tailgaiting is a norm..

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We drive all night, taking turns through the night. Saw some wicked storms and lightening that would steak horizontally and light up the entire night's sky. That was cool. I was too tired to pull the camera out and try to catch one of these.

First gas stop in Canada! Woohoo!

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This had to be the nicest looking diner I've been to that was attached to a gas station. The waitress was friendly, and the food was good too. Unexpectedly she guessed we were Korean; she said she used to teach English in Korea many years ago and was hoping to visit again soon.

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MMmmm.....yummy. All gone in about 10 minutes.

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We fill up the tank and hit the road towards Sackville, NB. It rained all night long and was gloomy when we crossed the border...but we see clear skies ahead.

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[ronin_01r1]

Finally done driving.

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It can only get better from here, right?

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We need this in NJ.

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LOL...that was one monsterous fart!

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It drizzled a little bit but we suit up and hit the road anyway.

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Everyone's curious about the aux gas tank.

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One of many Provincial Parks we took a break.

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Lunch time.

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Now this is a lobster sandwich.

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This place is awesome. And the girls who work here are smoking hot!

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View from our table. We're happy it's not raining.

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Poop for sale!

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[ronin_01r1]

Still navigating our way along the Northumberland Shore, DSH spots a sign for Josh Vineyards. We decide to make an unscheduled stop. We were using Scala Q2 headsets to communicate on the road - they worked great!

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Trenton, NJ is where we grew up!

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Tonight's dinner was not so great. Not many choices in this area. Lonely Planet's guide didn't help much either. We settled on the Dine and Dash Diner. It was getting a little late so we wanted to eat and go find a spot to camp. We planned to look for Provinvial Land to camp for free after dinner.

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We found this spot...that little stretch of land that goes into the water. It was a bit breezy/chilly and we got weird looks from the people living nearby so we decided to look for another spot nearby.

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We found a little trail that was supposed to take us closer to the shoreline, where we hoped it would open up for some decent camping. The ride through the woods was easy enough...until we got to this bit of water. We should have left the bikes and left the bikes on the dry trail to see if it was worth crossing...but we didn't think to do that, instead we charged forward. Dumb. The mud was about 6 inches deep and there was barely any traction. We ended up walking the bikes through this....only to find the woods just got even thicker and less appealing.

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New Glasgow's provincial lands thoroughly kicked our butts.

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We decided to turn around and high tail it to the nearest hotel for the night. Night 1 camping fail. Oh well. We make our way back to a gas station down the road to assess the damage. The Ducati sufferred a bent exhaust and a tweaked shifter when it was tipped over in our off roading expedition. Luckily it wasn't serious and we managed to limp our way to the a motel for the evening. By the way, it seems all motels/hotels are $80+ for one night. A bit expensive for what you get if you ask me.

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[carl_g]

KTM!!!!!!!!!

Awesome photos thanks for sharing!

[ronin_01r1]

Day 2! Time for a fresh new start. We wash the bikes off, grab a few snacks and head out of New Glasgow and continue along Northumberland Shore's scenic shore route...

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It's a bit foggy, but the roads are dry and the pavement smooth.

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Very nice. I'd be riding a lot more if these roads were in my backyard...

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Our first lighthouse stop of the trip - Cape George Point Lighthouse. From this lighthouse, we were supposed to be able to see PEI if the fog weren't so thick.

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It's just so peaceful out here. Everything is so quiet. Seems a bit unreal.

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The road that goes in/out of this lighthouse has light gravel. It was a pleasure on my supermoto tires. DSH certainly learned to ride on gravel on this trip.

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Lunch time!

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Yes, we have finally arrived!

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DSH works on his shifter some more. Luckily nothing was broken.

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Time to eat!

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In case you want to check out the menu before you go.

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Gravy seems to be popular with fries so I give it a try. Their homemade gravy is awesome...

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Later we check out one of the beaches.

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[ronin_01r1]

We ride some more..

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Tried to keep most of our passes legal.

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It starts to drizzle lightly, but we're still in good spirits.

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Dinner!

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Deep Fried Pepperoni? When I thought pepperoni couldn't be any more unhealthy...lol...we had to try it.

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Woah. I wonder how often this gets ordered...

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We settle to split a pizza instead.

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We decided to camp at a Provincial Campground tonight. It's only across the water.

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View from our campsite.

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[ronin_01r1]

Day 3! Time to get up, pack up our stuff and hit the road...

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Shaping up to a very nice day.

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DSH takes the precautionary route and puts on the top of his Frog Toggs.

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Continue on the Fleur de Lis Trail..

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Nothing too technical. Just a nice scenic ride.

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Toad's Take Out. Sure, why not. Sounds like perfect road food. We haven't seen much else around here!

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It's called Donair.. It was similar to a gyro, but the sauce was very sweet...a little too sweet for my taste. I suggest you get the sauce on the side.

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We made it to Louisbourg Fortress Visitor's center. We planned to do the tour, but was advised that we needed a minimum of 4 hours to walk around and really enjoy it...and 8 hours ideally. We decided to skip it. Later on, we met up with other tourists who checked out this tour and they were raving about it. The "fortress" is like a big village where there are staff dressed up like they would've been in the past, doing whatever they would be doing...and they all talk in the present tense. Pretty interesting. We probably should've taken the time for this, oh well. It's pretty huge as it stands today, but we're told that they've only renovated about 50% of what it used to be.

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It was such a beautiful day. Perfect temps. A nice breeze. Great riding weather.

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Back on pavement...I'm sure DSH and his Ducati are happier now.

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Yes, much happier I can see as DSH picks up the pace.

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[xstortion]

Damn this looks like some good shit.

Nice pics :)

[ronin_01r1]

Next stop, the Cape Breton Miners' Museum! This is located in Glace Bay, a little north of Sydney.

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Our tour guide. He was a miner for 30+ years.

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They had horses that lived their entire lives in the mines...what a sad life.

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A 'crowded' beach we found along the way.

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Time to start looking for somewhere to camp...

....and after an hour or so of wandering around some farm field areas, we were hoping to ask a farmer if we could set up camp for the night, but no such luck....until, we came across a kid on a home made bike riding around. he came up to us, and we asked him if he knew anywhere we could camp for the night. he invited to his house where we spoke to his parents, and they graciously offered their backyard. Woohoo! The father worked overseas and this month he happened to be in NS. He works a few months in Russia, and comes back home for a month or two; he's an oil driller. This was very typical of NS life. The economy is weak and so many of it's workers are going abroad to find work. I read in my travel guide that for the first time in NS history, they had more NS citizens leaving the province than babies born. With the population getting older and much of the work force leaving to find wealth outside of NS...NS's economy has sufferred. But despite this, the people are truly some of the nicest people I've met.

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They had a nice firepit in the backyard too. Perfect!

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We got a great nights sleep and work up early in the morning to get started. We packed up quietly, and rolled out bikes to the street before starting up the bikes. We couldn't have asked for better hosts.

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[ronin_01r1]

It's already Day 4! I could really get used to this.

Bras d'Or Lake, located in the center of Cape Breton Island, this huge lake has some very unique marine life as it is part fresh-water, and salt-water.

We were starved and lucky to find this little gem in the middle of nowhere.

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I spot what I want for breakfast.

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We met some locals who were interested in our ride and wanted to give us a few pointers.

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Talk about fresh eggs...these were about a week old. They get them fresh from the local farm.

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Interesting collection of books for sale outside. $1 each.

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I spot a humming bird outside too. I haven't seen one so close before..

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Better luck from inside.

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The view from the Highland Village Museum in Iona, overlooking the Bras d'Or Lake. This is a living history museum where you explore Scottish heritage.

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The village starts off with this very primitive home.

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We're told the roof is the most important aspect to this home. Obtaining the wood to make the roof was scarce. Others would simply burn the roof, which would effectively render the home useless.

Also, the fire in these homes would be kept going for generations. It was a tradition to keep the fire going. She told us how the fire could have been going since her grandmother or even great grandmother.

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This one seems to be light years ahead of the first little home.

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Old school sewing machine.

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MMmmm....dinner.

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Roast pork. Yummy.

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She's showing off her advanced stove/heater compared to the other homes in the village.

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No wonder my bikes been feeling so sluggish! That piggy is a lot heavier than it looks! :lol3

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Piggy gets a lesson in Humility by DSH.

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I love the smell of fresh baked bread.

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Blacksmith shop

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[ronin_01r1]

Next stop, Baddeck! We're headed to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site via Bras d'Or Lake Scenic Drive.

I should've checked the Go Pro for bugs on the lens area..

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This area is very scenic...

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/641460120_vG5bW-L.jpg

...with nice winding roads...

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/641460305_xh8Db-L.jpg

...but on occasion, you've got to dodge a landmine or two.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/641460530_J4eZo-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/641461136_KLKxT-L.jpg

With no other vehicles on the road...we had the entire road to ourselves to select the smoothest line. :D

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There's a boat that takes you across to the other side for just a few bucks. I'd prefer a bridge that's available 24 hours a day.

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We arrive at the Alexander Graham Bell Historic Site. I expected something bigger. We decided to pass on this one since we've seen a lot of his work in the Philly museums, plus I'd rather eat and get back on the Cabot Trail.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/605995504_SKnE8-L.jpg

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But first, I need to recharge...

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I read good things about this place and really wanted to try it, but it wasn't 4pm yet and we were trying to make it to Meat Cove by tonight.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/605995599_3fCwD-L.jpg

Instead, we settle on this place.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/605995707_DDSPn-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/605995620_ehyhc-L.jpg

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Lobster sandwich and seafood chowder. Yummy..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/605995764_AWxoG-L.jpg


:cheers:

[ronin_01r1]

'nuff said.

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This lady was waiting for her friend to come back with his jugs of ocean water. They were planning to cook some live lobster with it. $5/lb for fresh lobster at the docks a little up the road from here. If I were driving, I'd be doing the same.

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[ronin_01r1]

Time for dinner. We for Neils Harbour's Chowder House. Supposedly serves the most authentic home-cooked clam or seafood chowder for under $4.

A simple operation where the focus is on the food. My kind of place.

Even with the horribly foul weather, this place was packed! It was probably in the mid 60s, windy, raining steadily. The food must be really great...or there's just no where else to eat around here!

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/605996650_gXtd6-L.jpg

Clam chowder was great.

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We both ordered crab legs since they sold out of lobster. Towards the middle of the meal, I remember why I don't order crab...it is such a pain in the @ss to eat. So much work for so little food. I should've ordered their lobster burger or the fisherman's platter to get sample of everything. Otherwise, the crab legs were great. Very fresh and tender.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/605967976_kmRAF-L.jpg

By this time, it was starting to get dark and raining steadily. Our final stop for today would be Meat Cove campgrounds.

[SPRHK]

Awesome recap Song. I cant wait to see the rest. It reminds me of Ewan McGregors trips "Long Way Round" and "Long Way Down". It makes my trip up through the Adirondacks , Canada, and back down through Vermont and Mass. see like a sunday ride in comparison.

[ronin_01r1]

We arrive at Meat Cove, finally...it is far from inviting.

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By the time we arrived, it was late in evening...I think about 9 or 10pm....imagine this place dark, raining lightly, but the rain is coming down almost sideways from all the wind. There are wind gusts that are probably 30-40mph, and we can hear the surf crashing loudly against the rocks below us. Temps were in the mid 50s, so we weren't so feeling cold. These are definitely not the ideal conditions to camp along the edge of a cliff...but we're stubborn and have our minds set on camping for the night. And we weren't about to ride back through the winding, hilly, muddy, gravel road back to the Cabot Trail to find something else. No one else is at the campground except one very comfortable looking RV... I could see lights inside the RV...I wonder what they must be thinking about us crazy bikers about to set up tents.

A young man comes out of his office/house. I tell him we're looking to set up camp. He suggests a spot farthest from the edge and surrounded by some trees to help with the wind. We shrug off his suggestion and decide to go for the spot by the flag.

He has a look on his face that reads: Are you fools crazy? And then he asks again, "Are you guys sure?" I should've known then to take his advice, but being the stubborn fools we are, we said we're sure.

He also tells us that unfortunately, he doesn't have any more cabins available, and mentions that there's one camping site past the flag pole by the cliff, but that's off limits during stormy weather like tonight... I think, "Hey, we're not *THAT* crazy..."

As we pay for the spot, he asks us if we have really good tents, saying we're going to need really good, strong tents to withstand the windy, rainy conditions tonight...but lucky for us, the temps should hold steady to where it was now...which was about the low/mid 50s..

I think to myself, "Uh oh..." and start to have concerns about my Wally World tent... I keep my poker face and just say, "yea, we'll be fine".

Setting up the tents....Oh my goodness, that was crazy with all the wind!! The wind definitely picked up since we first got there. Basically, as we got closer to the cliff's edge [read: our selected campsite], the stronger the winds... lol.. doh! The wind was so strong that I was afraid my tent was going to blow away if I didn't hold onto it with a deathgrip. Luckily, and rather strangely, a newly wed couple were taking a walk and saw us setting up the tents. They both thought we were insane to set up tents tonight and offerred a hand, which I accepted instantly! They helped anchor the tent down and put everything together. Thank God they were there to help!

Once we were finished setting up, DSH and I quickly retreated into our respective tents. A quick sigh of relief and then I started to organize my stuff to hopefully get some rest. I tightened the tent canopy as tight as possible to keep it from billowing up as the wind blew. Regardless, the wind would get under it and blow up the canopy and felt like the tent would lift up and blow away if I weren't in it! Crazy shit for sure, and I know these $20 Wally World tents were never meant for these conditions!

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I had to get some sleep so I put on 2 thin layers and then Aerostich windblocker and my hat and crawl into my down mummy sleeping bag, leaving only my nose and mouth exposed. About an hour or so later, I feel moisture on my nose so I reach out with my hands to feel moisture on my sleeping bag... Damn it. I moved the mattress and sleeping bag as close as I could to where the wind was coming in, hoping I would better avoid the moisture blowing in with the strong wind gusts....wishful thinking, but better than nothing.

When I realized that this was not working, I unpacked my rainsuit and put that on and crawled back into the sleeping bag. Man, that was uncomfortable... All I could do at that point was pray I would see morning....what a night. I swear, at the moment, if an REI rep was there selling $1000 mountain tents, I would've instantly said "SOLD!"

Somehow I managed to survive the night.. Woohoo! Day 5!

I took a long hot shower to try and warm up. Btw, they only have coin operated showers and no change machines, so make sure you bring some with you.

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It's starting to warm up, and there's a nice breeze.

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I'm sure DSH's Monster has seen more rain, mud, gravel, and general dual sporting conditions in the past few days than most other Ducati Monsters will see in their lifetimes, lol.

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Sh!t, I left my gloves by the fire too long... Sigh...I really liked these gloves.

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I sacrifice them to the fire and do a little fire dance for no more rain this week.. :D

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Woot! I survive Meat Cove!

Ok, now we're packed up and ready to roll... we're both starving too.

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:sun:

[ronin_01r1]

Day 5 continued...

We got back on the Cabot Trail and continued our way Westward.

This is one of my favorite pics from this trip:

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/605999430_YgmzB-L.jpg

Our next stop would be Pleasant Bay to check out some zodiac whale watching.

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I'm told these suits are similar to those worn on shows like National Geographic's Deadliest Catch. Sweet...

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Our zodiac... if you're prone to getting sea sick, these zodiac tours are much better than the full size boats.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/605972173_rmDpU-L.jpg

Our captain.

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It was a gorgeous day.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/606000178_WpDji-L.jpg

By the way, for every pic you see with a level horizon, I have probably a dozen lop sided ones! lol.. :lol3

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Cool...they were so close!

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Good thing our suits are fully water proof!!!

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Next stop....Dinner! We decide to go to the Rusty Anchor.

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MMMmmmmm......fresh mussels.

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...and Lobster Roll w/fries.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/606001556_VfLMB-L.jpg


After a satisfying dinner, we continue on the Cabot Trail looking for a place to settle down for the night. We flip through our travel guide and choose the Corney Brook Campground.

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Very cool beach.. This fresh water stream flowed into the ocean..

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It's only been a few days we've been on the road...but it seems like the my daily routine is another world away. I could seriously do this for a long, long time...I could get used to this.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/606002144_TruzM-L.jpg

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DSH spent quite a bit of time building this...

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/605974219_RY8dL-L.jpg

We were surprised to see this camper again...it was the same one we saw at Meat Cove, and then later at the whale watching parking lot, and now here.. We chatted with the foursome traveling by RV. They recognized our bikes from Meat Cove so they came over to say hello. They thought we were crazy for setting up tents at Meat Cove...lol. They invited us into their RV for some wine where we chatted for an hour or so. They were from Germany and were on a 3 week road trip which started in Montreal. Wow, now that's a roadtrip!

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/606002224_nFLVq-L.jpg

We didn't cover a lot of miles today, yet I feel thoroughly exhausted. We say goodnight and turn in for the evening.

[ronin_01r1]

Day 6! Only a few days left...time flies when you're having fun. :cheers:

Breakfast at Cheticamp. Seemed like a traffic jam in this town compared to the number of cars normally see on our routes! It was a nice little down by the water. Very heavy Co-Operative influence. First time I saw the "CO OP" sign at the Sackville McDonalds, I thought it said "coop" as in "chicken coop". I thought it was a strange name for a grocery store, lol.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/606002296_yLLQU-M.jpg

CO-OP Artisanale Acadien

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Smell of fresh bakery is intoxicating... :drool:

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I can't remember the name of this meat pie but it was very good. We both ordered on a local tour guide's personal recommendation we met on our way inside; she and her tour group was just leaving. Breakfast this morning was great.

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Next stop, Les Trois Pignons Museum.

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You can see the drastic improvement and history of Hooked Rugs here..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/606002424_nhtPR-M.jpg

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Some of them were very detailed...all hand made.

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Nova Scotia became a power house producer of premium hooked rugs.

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Very cool... must've taken 100s of hours.

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A couple of angels we are... :D

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We decided to see what else Cheticamp had to offer...

...and stumbled upon this:

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This was an unplanned stop. I was hoping to pick up a cd of the coal miners' choir group. The group from the RV last night mentioned they went to the coal miners' concert during their NS tour and they all loved it. Everyone in the group were real coal miners. They sing the songs they used to sing to get through their day and other songs about coal mining. It sounded corny at first, but they played us a sample. I thought they were really good...and the lyrics are quite interesting/funny too.

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Unfortunately, they didn't sell anything. This nice gentlemen explained that they considered opening a souvenier shop but reconsidered it since there is already another a shop down the street. They didn't want to "be in competition" with them. The reason definitely took me by suprise, coming from the states where competition thrives and drives others out of business w/o a moments thought... This line of thinking is probably based on NS's long history of CO-OP's. He suggested I try the shop down the street, but I decided to skip it hoping to just download it from itunes when I got back home. Unfortunately, I found out that itunes doesn't have it! Damnit.

If anyone know where I can buy a copy, please let me know. If anyone lives in Nova Scotia and can help me buy a copy of this CD, please let me know. Thanks!

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This is cool little museum. It's free, or you can leave a donation.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/606002934_3Po4c-M.jpg

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Next, we continued south to check out North America's only single malt whisky producer. Glenora Distillery. Here we are rolling in.

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It's a pretty small setup compared to the last distillery I visited, which was Buffalo Trace in Kentucky. I was also surprised to find out they charge for the tour. I thought it would be free like the Buffalo Trace tour. I think these tours are a great advertising tool. Assuming the product is good and the tour convincing, we would be new potential customers and a spokesman for our circle of friends back home.

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They had live music at the bar while we waited for our tour to start.

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I was expecting something much bigger so this felt like we were chilling in someone's backyard or maybe a restaurant.

We killed some time taking random pics.

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Our tour guide. He seemed very knowledgeable, but not very enthusiastic about the tour.

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I wouldn't want to get stuck in there...

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Tour guide tells us not to get too close and breathe in the fumes because he's had others in the past pass out and fall in! LOL...what a sight that would be.

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where the magic happens..

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Of course we get samples...

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Their displays need some work.

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We take a quick, short break after the tour before we hit the road..

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Bye bye Glenora!

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The NS natives say there are truly 2 seasons in Nova Scotia: Winter and Contruction. We did see quite a bit of it..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/641390854_vpECa-M.jpg

...but the construction doesn't last long. We say goodbye to Cape Breton Island and make our way south toward Guysborough.

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And we decide to eat some dinner before we run out of choices... It was about 6pm. We learned from past experiences to not wait too long since restaurants don't stay open as late as many do in the US.

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lol...I wonder how new members are initiated into this gang.

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Dinner... mmm...

Tried their seafood chowder. It was OK. The ingredients were definitely very fresh, but flavor was not as strong as some others I tried.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/606003548_rWzhD-M.jpg

The garlic bread was awesome.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/606003565_AZb96-M.jpg

My buddy ordered haddock. He described his order as comparable to a microwave dinner! lol.. It doesn't look *that* bad. But it looks a bit too healthy for roadtrip food. I'm happy I ordered pasta...it's hard to mess that up.

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Anyway...we hit road again, looking for a place to stay. We decide to get a room for tonight. Last night was really cold in the tent...temps must have dropped to the mid/upper 30s. I started to get a runny nose today so I wanted to get a hot shower and get a good night's rest.

We took a quick break here to admire the sun set.. The pics don't do it justice.

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We continued along the Eastern Shore until we found some lodging.. It started getting late and the temps really started to drop once the sun finally set. It took us quite awhile to find something too. There were plenty of campsites though.

We had a little setback when we came to one of those river crossing via ferry...but they were closed for the evening! This was a little past Goldboro. Arrgg..that's annoying. Build a bridge people! Anyway, we had to make a big detour to cross via land. A couple hours later, we found ourselves approaching Sherbrooke, and was hopeful to find a place since we were seeing quite a few lodging signs.

We check into St. Mary's River Lodge. It was a nice bed and breakfast place. They were nice enough to give us a small discount since it was late at night and we were planning to get an early start the next day. Everything was very clean.

What a long day... I really needed a good night's rest at this point.

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[ronin_01r1]

Day 7...!

I want to hit the snooze and sleep another 5 hours, but there's not time for slacking off. We got up and had a healthy breakfast, free courtesy of St. Mary's River Lodge.

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Getting ready to ride...

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Scenery is still impressive. The water look gorgeous. I want to buy a nice boat someday.

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Next stop... Willy Krauch's smoke house. It has the reputation as having the best smoked fish in Nova Scotia. Pretty high honors for an area so rich in seafood. We weren't hungry yet but we decide to stop anyway.

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She was so nice and answered all of our smoked-fish noob questions.

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So much to choose from! I just want a little bite from each.

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We finally decide...

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Time to taste for ourselves.

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WOW. That is some tender and juicy fish!!! I couldn't believe it. I'm not a big fan of fish, but this was really good.

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Ok, we hit the road and push for Peggy's Cove today.

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Next stop, LUNCH. We flew by this place, but we thought it'd be worth a U turn...I'm glad that we did.

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It's a small cozy place. Everything is homemade. Perfect.

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MMMmmmm......

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Vegetarians are missing out on some great food.. I wish I had room for another one.

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We hit the road again. Our next stop is the Citadel National Historic Site in Halifax. It's an 18th century fort situated in downtown Halifax. Very cool.

This place is HUGE.

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Lots of interesting displays.

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Trapped.

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Hmm...I wonder what's down this way.

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Don't you guys have some work to do?

http://songyi.smugmug.com/photos/606004784_JxWhC-M.jpg

Did I mention this place is HUGE???

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Check out the rails to aim...nice.

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About time you guys went to do something useful. A fort this big doesn't run itself! ^_^

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Watch out for the flying arrow! It might push you over the edge.

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Too warm for leathers today.

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Very impressive collection of weapons...

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.....next stop, dinner at Peggy's Cove!

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We eventually settle on Fisherman's Corner based on some local's recommendation. We're told their fish and chips are the best.

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I'm starved. Dinner is served. The batter on the fish was AWESOME. Super crunchy with very tender fish inside.

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Very generous portions of fresh, juice lobster... Yum.

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BURRRP. That was tasty.

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Very satisfied with dinner.

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The world famous Peggy's Cove is next! :sun:

[ronin_01r1]

...Day 7 continued.

Peggy's Cove is just a few minutes ride from Fisherman's Corner.

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Our guide book said this is lighthouse is the most photographed lighthouse in the world. I'm surprised to see that they're renovating in the middle of summer...why not before tourist season starts? ...unless it's just taking a really long time.

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Lots of cute couples there just hanging out.

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We spent the next hour looking for a free place to camp. The locals said there's a spot where they've seen others camp there. This time, we didn't just charge ahead with our bikes like we did the first night in NS. This time, we parked the bikes by the road and walked the path to see if it was doable for both bikes. Unfortunately, the path was easily walkable but not so good for the street centered Ducati. We decided to continue riding up the road to a regular campground.

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We set up our tents and got a fire going. The fire wood was a little damp so I dipped a cloth rag into my auxillary gas tank and tossed the gas dripping rag into the fire pit. Instant heat. I was expecting it to get chilly again tonight so I made sure to wear a few layers. I didn't want to get sick the last couple days of the trip.

[ronin_01r1]

Day 8....Our final day of the trip!

We tried to get an early start today. It's going to be a nice, long day of riding.

We decide to have breakfast at another local's recommendation: The Finer Diner. It's just a few minutes from the campground.

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Our original plan was to continue along the shoreline towards Yarmouth and then north towards Digby, check out Brier Island, and then head west toward Truro. Since we're running short on time, we decide to skip these portions and head north (via backroads) toward Truro from the Peggy Cove area. We would continue on our preplanned route from there westward to Parrsboro and then up towards Amherst...and then highway slab it to Sackville...

Our first good look at the famous Bay of Fundy.

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We headed to lonely planet's recommendation of the best place to watch the changing of the Bay of Fundy tides - Tidal Bore Road. I was suprised to see quite a few people just hanging out there watching the dried up bay. It's obvious these people had plenty of time to kill... I didn't even take a picture since it was pretty lame...like watching paint dry. lol.

So, we decide to head to Truro for a late lunch - Murphy's Fish and Chips. They had better be damn good to be better than what I had at Fisherman's Corner the other night.

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World Famous....that's quite a statement.

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MMmmm.....looks good so far.

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I'd say it was good, but definitely not as good as last night. The fish was definitely very fresh....but that's the case with most seafood in this area! The batter was not as crunchy as Fisherman's Corner, but otherwise it was good. I wonder what makes them world famous. We had to ride through quite a bit of Truro traffic to get here...I wouldn't go through the trouble next time.

After lunch, we continued west until....Five Islands Provincial Park.

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If you're looking for a campground, check out this place. Looks like a great spot with nice views. I would've stayed here if we weren't pushing for Sackville by tonight.

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Not much of a beach though if your looking for a warm sandy beach to lay around on. The views are great though, and the water looking inviting.

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We unexpectedly hit some AMAZING roads...they were as smooth as glass and no debris at all, no traffic, nothing...just us....except the occasional "attacking moose" sign. lol.

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Miles and miles and miles.....it just kept on going! I couldn't get enough of it.

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Our next break would be this nice little pier..

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We're at a fork in the road...time to decide if we should take on the trails of Cape Chignecto Provincial Park. If we go left, we go through trails. If we go right, we take the asphalt detour around the Park. I was definitely up for the trails; DSH, not so much. The dirt path was promised to have some amazing views from the mountain side looking down on the Bay of Fundy. So, afte a quick chat, we decided we should at least check it out.

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Starts off easy...

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...but not for long. The rocks are starting to get bigger and bigger, but we continue pushing.

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And then, it started to get really bad. The rocks were the starting to look like baseball / softball sizes...and some were bigger than that. We really started to slow down through these trails. We were only about 25% of the way through. DSH had a tough time with his Ducati Monster. We decide to turn around and head back for the road.

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...we ride on through the night, and finally arrive at Sackville, NB around 10pm. By the time we finish loading the bikes into the trailer and change out into more comfortable clothes, it's close to 11pm. There's nothing else open at this hour so we stick to McDonald's.

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After dinner, we took highway back through NB to Maine, and just followed the GPS back to NJ. We would take turns driving through the night and taking naps in the passenger seat. Many, many hours later...we finally find ourselves back in NJ. Bleh.

It's finally over. We're home.

Hope you all enjoyed my ride report! :cheers:

[SPRHK]

Awesome Job!!!! I just hope my ride this weekend is as adventurous as yours....:ride:

[Cakes206]

WoW...amazing stuff Song!

[Ant]

That was amazing! Great write up! Can't wait for your next trip.

[ffejtable]

Looks like a great trip... I love reading these things, and as mentioned previously. much like the Long Way series... Exactly the reason why I got myself a touring bike..

[John712]

You know what I just noticed? I killed well over an hour in this thread!! Well worth it, freaking impressive! Looks like you had a really great time. Awesome pictures great write up's! Thanks for sharing guys!

[ronin_01r1]

Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed the ride report. Good stuff...I'm starting to rack up the miles on the thumper.

[NYCSTRIPES]

That looked amazing, thanks for sharing the pics! The food looked like it was a good time all in itself...lobster 3x a day!

[Marker54]

Thanks for sharing your trip! So well detailed, and the amazing photos...I really enjoyed this thread! Good job man, post up your next trip!

[Jon FZ1]

Nice post, but I'd skip the trailer next time. I got all psyched thinking this was a LD ride, but when I saw the trailer I laughed.

[~Donna~]

A+ on this thread. Your pictures were beautiful and your little mascot was adorable! Now that's a road trip!:)

[ronin_01r1]

Nice post, but I'd skip the trailer next time. I got all psyched thinking this was a LD ride, but when I saw the trailer I laughed.

I would've loved to ride the entire way if I had more vacation time...wandering through the Adirondacks and the backroads of VT, NH and ME into New Brunswick...but I didn't have 2 weeks. The first time we went to NS, we rode our bikes via all highways to Bar Harbour, ME. That made for one boring ass ride. For this trip, we wanted to maximize the time in NS, which is what this trip was all about. I definitely wouldn't have minded the additional miles...vacation time was a big factor.

[Respect_My_Authorita]

I would've loved to ride the entire way if I had more vacation time...wandering through the Adirondacks and the backroads of VT, NH and ME into New Brunswick...but I didn't have 2 weeks. The first time we went to NS, we rode our bikes via all highways to Bar Harbour, ME. That made for one boring ass ride. For this trip, we wanted to maximize the time in NS, which is what this trip was all about. I definitely wouldn't have minded the additional miles...vacation time was a big factor.

:thumbup::thumbup:

[JimRBlue]

A fantastic write up.. Looks like a fantastic trip and some amazing memories were had. Nice job!

[skid vicious]

awesome ride report. great pics! looks like you guys made some good memories up there. too bad you didn't take any pics of the smoking hot girls in the diner though. :banghead: come on man!:lol:

[ronin_01r1]

awesome ride report. great pics! looks like you guys made some good memories up there. too bad you didn't take any pics of the smoking hot girls in the diner though. :banghead: come on man!:lol:

ya i know.. :ohmygod: felt too bashful to ask. :moocow:

[skid vicious]

ya i know.. :ohmygod: felt too bashful to ask. :moocow:

bah! don't ask, just take the pic:arrr:

[Cakes206]

bah! don't ask, just take the pic:arrr:
Hows that "Chicks of Home Depot" book comin along?

:roflmao:

[skid vicious]

Hows that "Chicks of Home Depot" book comin along?

:roflmao:
Not too well. Apparently they frown up guys with cameras hiding in stalls inside the ladies room.;)

[Lazarus]

Dude excellent post. Thank you for taking the time out to share that with us.