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Cape Breton 2012

6K views 51 replies 14 participants last post by  GEOBREW 
#1 ·
I left Mount Desert Island at 5:30am, on Saturday, May 26, 2012. 626 miles later, I was having supper in my room, at the North Star Inn, in North Sydney, N.S. (Cape Breton). [Do Not Ever Bother To Ride To GLACE BAY! What a waste of time!]



On Sunday, May 27th, I left North Sydney at 6:30am (EST), and I arrived, 304 miles later in, Antigonish, NS for the night. I rode through the "Highlands" and out to, Meat Cove. I camped at "Whidden's Park" in downtown Antigonish.



This morning, I rolled out of Antigonish at 6:00am (EST), and was back home on Mount Desert Island at, 2:15pm. I rode 454 miles in that time frame.



Are there photographs?

You betcha there are! I am going through 487 of them now!

Are there videos?

You betcha there are! I have some of what it is like to ride down to the beach at Meat Cove, and what it is like to ride out of that region. I also have some footage of what it is like to ride over MacKenzie Mountain, in the Highlands.

Day One - 626 miles
Day Two - 304 Miles
Day Three - 454 miles

Total Miles - 1,387.4

Detail later.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Me and the wife have traveled some of the same roads. It's one of the nicest areas that we have been too. The people are very friendly and the views are outstanding. I can't wait to see your picts! :beatnik:
 
#3 ·
A little more about today's ride.

This morning, after eating two granola bars, and having three "swigs" of Gatorade, I left Antigonish at 6am. 145 miles later, I arrived in Sackville, New Brunswick for a "potty stop", fuel stop, and a little sustenance.

There is a Tim Horton's, McDonalds, Wendy's, an Esso station, and a Irving station at the Main Street exit of Sackville.

I like fueling up in Sackville, because it "leap frogs" me into the US, where the price of gas is cheaper.

I had a cup of coffee, and two plain donuts.

After a 40 minute stay, I left Sackville at 9am. I arrived at the US / Canadian border, (The new, "commercial" Calais crossing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!), at 12 noon. I fueled up at the Irving Station that is located at the Jct of Rt 9 and Rt 1, having ridden 202 miles non-stop.

During the above fuel stop, I did not get off my motorcycle. I stayed straddled on it, and "jiggled" it, from left to right, to purge the air out of it. I was fueled up and rolling in less then 3 minutes.

From that fuel stop, it was 110 miles to my home on Mount Desert Island.

That is how I "roll". "Feed" the motorcycle during the day, and feed me at the end of the day. I can cover quite a bit of ground that way.

For dinner tonight?

Grilled and seasoned, pork tenderloin. Seasoned, sliced red potatoes. Sliced carrots, simmering in butter and a little brown sugar. Broccoli crowns, and sliced white button mushrooms, simmering in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Oh yeah, and a couple of glasses of, Pinot Noir, that I brought back from Nova Scotia.



B.L.
 
#6 ·
AAARRGH!

Aren't you supposed to tell the locals when you're heading into their hood?!

I spent the weekend doing over 800Km drive the OTHER end of the province! Had I known I might've had the chance to check out one of the coolest Stroms ever Transformered (
) then I would have ventured up the other shore. C'mon BL, throw a guy a bone!

(Glad to hear it was yet another great trip. Looking forward to the pics!)
 
#10 ·
I made the decision to leave on this trip, Friday morning, while I was at work. I came home, packed up, and left early Saturday morning. There was really no planning for the trip, other then taking a good long look at the weather window. Things looked "golden" for a ride through the Highlands for Sunday morning. I nailed it perfectly. The ride to North Sydney was a "positioning" ride to set me up for Sunday. It was a long, fairly boring ride. The ride home was the same as well. The whole thing was to re-ride the Highlands and commit more of it to photographs, and my memory. I was surprised at how much I remembered from my 2010 trip there!

B.L.
 
#14 ·
Things looked "golden" for a ride through the Highlands for Sunday morning.

And it was! I'm just $hittin' on ya. It's just funny to hear you guys visiting our little corner of the world. I love playing host and love showing off our beautiful province even more. Feel free to give me the heads-up anytime you're heading our way and don't have a set schedule/route. I'll show all the best places to ride and even better places to eat! I can sit you in front of some of the best seafood you've ever seen... even though you live on the coast as well! ;)
 
#9 ·
If all you are doing is, "making time", then yes. Route 9 is known as the "airline".

When I owned my Kawasaki ZZR 1200, I used to "fly" the Airline! Doing 120mph at times.

When you get to the jct of Rt 9 and Rt 1, fill up at the Irving station there. Then ride 5 miles south to the rotary, that will lead you to the "Commercial Border Crossing". Cross there.

From that border crossing, it is 197 miles to Sackville, New Brunswick; just a couple of miles short of the Nova Scotia border. It is an easy, "off / on" for fuel, food, etc.

From Sackville, it is 145 miles to Antignoish.

You will most likely hit some crosswinds once you enter into Nova Scotia. That's why the windmill farm was erected....... If it is bad enough, you can ride on the leeward side of a tractor trailer to get you through that section.

B.L.
 
#22 ·
Like between 4am to 8am. You can scoot along before "the others" wake up and get rolling. Then it is doable.

B.L.
 
#27 ·
Knotzilla, I took a look at Google maps, to get an idea of where you are riding from. I used your avatar location of St. Catherines, Ontario as a starting point.

By just plugging in St. Catherines, to Sackville, the below link is what Google spit out for directions.

St Catharines, ON, Canada to Sackville, NB, Canada - Google Maps

I do not know what kind of a rider you are, and what kind of distances you can ride in a day. I'm kind of grasping at straws here!

But, from what I know of this trip, you are giving yourself two days to get from "home" to your brother's place in Sackville. To me, the truly memorable part of the trip will be riding with your wife, wherever you two decide to go.

The trip to get there, is a little bit for you, but it is also to "beat feet" to get there in time. Will weather be a factor to you? Is riding in heavy rain an issue to contend with?

I took Google's route and I adjusted it some. It is a mix of interstate, back roads, and scenic roads. The mileage is less then what Google originally calculated, but the route that I laid out, will take you longer.

Here is the link: St Catharines, ON, Canada to Sackville, NB, Canada - Google Maps

If I were doing this ride, my thinking would be to leave VERY early on the 23rd, and making sure that I got myself to Eastern New Hampshire by nightfall; Western Maine would be better. In one of those two locations, you are certain to make Sackville by dinner time, provided that you leave early on the morning of your second day of riding.

In my mind, Day One is a "positioning day". Do all that you can do to get yourself positioned for Day two. More of a day to be a "shock absorber" between Day One, and when you reunite with your family. It's the "Your Day" of the trip.

If you would like, I can show even more rural routes through Maine, and the border area of New Brunswick.

B.L.
 
#29 ·
I took Google's route and I adjusted it some. It is a mix of interstate, back roads, and scenic roads. The mileage is less then what Google originally calculated, but the route that I laid out, will take you longer.

Here is the link: St Catharines, ON, Canada to Sackville, NB, Canada - Google Maps
So close and not see Bear Notch or Hurricane Mountain roads? Only adds ~30 min to the trip, per google.

St Catharines, ON, Canada to Sackville, NB, Canada - Google Maps
 
#28 ·
As I have mentioned previously, the important part of my Cape Breton trip was "Day Two". Last night, I finished resizing the photos that I want to keep from that part of the trip, and I uploaded them to my Photobucket account.

If you would like to see those photos, follow this link: Login to a private Photobucket.com album

You will need the password: "2012capebreton", to be able to access the album.

The story, that fills the "gaps" between the photos will be written at a later date.

I hope.

B.L.
 
#31 ·
Spectacular pictures Black Lab, can't wait to get there. I'II take some time pouring over the maps this weekend as to your suggestion of a different route through Vermont, New Hampshire instead of route 2. Taking 2 days to get to Nova Scotia is doable but in reality I will stretch it out to 3. I do not have a set time I have to be there, so might as well enjoy the scenery along the way and at the same time give my body a break. I'II outline my route in google and post it, Thanks
 
#32 ·
Then, if you have more time, take in roads like the Hurricane Mtn Road, Rt 113 in NH, Rt 153 in NH, Rt 16, north of Errol, Maine, Rt 27 / 16 from Coburn Gore down to Kingfield, ME, The Hole In The Wall Road, between Solon and Athens, Maine........... There is a whole bunch more.

tmcgee, I learned last night that Rt 630 is washed out again this year. It's still a "no go" for now.

I too will go back and take another look at the route. Now that I know that you have a little more flexibility to your schedule, that leads to a little more creativity!

B.L.
 
#33 ·
Great shots BL! Makes me proud to be from all that... time for a day trip around the Trail!:thumbup:

Next time you're coming this way, I want to know about it. I know you're a bit of a loner when it comes to riding but I wouldn't have had any problem imposing myself upon you for a at least a chance to buy you lunch and talk shop. :yesnod:

Thanx for the pics!:thumbup:
 
#34 ·
I will check in with you.

Here was the deal, it was a long weekend here in the US because of the Memorial Day holiday. I was seriously debating riding to New Jersey to visit my father and other family members. I was heavily leaning that way!

But, literally at the last moment, I changed my mind, (based on gut instinct), and lit out for Cape Breton. I was packed for New Jersey, but rode to Cape Breton instead.

My "plan"(?) worked beautifully!

B.L.
 
#38 ·
When I took my trip to Cape Breton, I shot my usual "boat load" of photographs, but very little video footage. The main reason I didn't shoot much video footage was because, there was a very nice scratch on the lens of my camera.

The scratch didn't affect too many photographs. But, if I switched the digital still camera over to "Video Mode", that scratch would be right there, in every frame, as if it was a big "hair" clinging to the lens of an old 8mm movie projector!

I knew the scratch was there before leaving on my trip. But, I didn't have the time, or the money to replace the camera before departing on my adventure. "It is what it is.", I said to myself, and off I went!

However, not knowing when I would be able to return to Cape Breton, (This was my second trip. My first was in 2010: Memorial Day Weekend Ride 2010), I decided to just go ahead and shoot some video for my own personal, "Motion Memory Book". Due to the scratch on the camera's lens, I didn't really have any intentions of ever doing anything with the clips, largely because of the quality of them. But, I started fiddling around with them the other night, and some of the images started to "gel" for me.

Then came the music. As most people know, Cape Breton is the "heart" of Celtic music here in North America.







I don't own very much Celtic music. But, there are some melodies that I have enjoyed listening to over the years. I dug around in my ancient, and very sparse CD collection, and found what I was looking for. I put that music to the images that I had begun playing around with. I decided to share the results with you folks here.

The video is kind of boring! Most of it is focused on my journey to Meat Cove; largely what it is like to ride out of Meat Cove.

For the uninitiated, Meat Cove is the "Northern Most Community" on Cape Breton Island, (BTW, that old sign is now gone, due to the road construction that is going on, to repair the huge washout that occurred a year ago.).

Meat Cove is located on the map below.



Below is the video of that portion of the trip, (There is a little bit of riding through the northwestern section of the Highlands towards the end of the video.). Again, the quality isn't that great; it's a project that I did for myself.

B.L.

(PS: My new replacement camera arrived today! No More Scratched Lens!)

 
#39 ·
Wow B.L. that video with the music was just fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing. I think you should send a link to the Cape Breton Chamber of Commerce or the Nova Scotia tourist office. The video is a fabulous tour of the Cape and not the touristy parts either. I loved the view of the house with the clothes hanging on the line and the coast and ocean behind as you rode past. Priceless!
Now you have to tell me how you get to film all those angles including rear view without falling off :confused:
 
#42 · (Edited)
What a great video Barry. I was thinking of heading to Cape Breton this weekend and between your video and what looks like some good riding weather I think my mind is made up.
The first time I went to Meat Cove I was just a teenager and the road was pretty scary...a lot narrower and no guard rails.I remember actually stopping my car and walking around a corner to see if the road was still there.A good 35 plus years later I finally returned in 09 on my Strom.
There is something about Cape Breton that draws me and I go at least once a year to visit friends and explore the Island. I camped in Meat Cove on one of my trips last year.What a place to wake up to and enjoy a cup of freshly brewed coffee.I watched a flock of Gannets diving for their breakfast for over an hour...a first for me and it beat the hell out of Breakfast TV.
I am not sure if you are aware of the dirt road that runs through the interior of Cape Breton (Hunters Mountain) but I think you would probably enjoy it. There is a place up there called Cape Clear. An awesome spot well worth seeing.
If you get back this way and want the directions or a guided tour just let me know but you have to leave the Rhinoliner in Maine.

http://www.stromtrooper.com/canadia...u-have-done-canada-post761573.html#post761573
http://www.stromtrooper.com/canadia...u-have-done-canada-post761572.html#post761572
 
#44 ·
Great photographs and information!!!!

I badly, Badly, BADLY wanted to spend the night in Meat Cove on this trip! I didn't want to leave, it was so gorgeous there; warm, sunny, just perfect! But, the campground wasn't open, and hardly anyone was around. Two young men were doing some yard work around the "Snack Shack", and really paid no attention to me. I was a little early in the season for camping there, but I am guessing if I pressed the issue, I probably could have stayed.

Next time I will!

The inland dirt road system is beckoning me........

B.L.
 
#43 ·
Your timeing is perfect BL, I'm trying to plan a return trip to NS this September. The last time I went there was in 1976 on a Honda 750K...We had a great trip and I've always wanted to return....It's been so long I didn't really know where to start. After reading and watching this post it gives me a starting point...........who knows, I might even bump in to Danny C. I hope so.........TD
 
#47 ·
If you do this, the Salty Fog Rally is the way to go. I've done it three times and plan to go again this year. A very relaxed week away. Details coming soon. It's a rolling rally and has been a real treat. Small group, about a dozen.
 
#45 ·
Good one!

Thanks for the ride report. Now I'm all awash in a sea of nostalgia. I was born in NB and grew up in NS. Left when the old man got out of the RCN in '63 and we moved to Ontario. Haven't been back on two wheels since '86 when I took my girl friend down to show her off to the family as a potential spouse. They approved and we're still together. She is an expert pillion mate, BTW. Like to get back for a visit before I fall off the perch.
 
#48 ·
Unsung route across Maine

I do not know if anyone mentioned Maine Highway 6. I was heading east on US-2, and northeast of Bangor I rode ME-6 all the way to Canada, then took the path of least resistance to Fredericton, where I lived in ... um, 1944.

ME-6 is less busy than ME-9, according to my sample of one use of each.

ME-6 has very wide shoulders, so the deer have no room to hide near the highway. I am sure I was near deer; how can one not be while in Maine; but I saw none on ME-6.

And there is a fine duty-free store where you can buy booze before facing Canadian price$. Enjoy your ride, and please consider spending at least a day in Louisbourg.

Keith
 
#49 ·
Enjoy your ride, and please consider spending at least a day in Louisbourg.
Ten thumbs up. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

And visit the playhouse for their evening performance!

I've been twice and plan to do it again in September.
 
#50 ·
I do not know if anyone mentioned Maine Highway 6. I was heading east on US-2, and northeast of Bangor I rode ME-6 all the way to Canada, then took the path of least resistance to Fredericton, where I lived in ... um, 1944.

ME-6 is less busy than ME-9, according to my sample of one use of each.

ME-6 has very wide shoulders, so the deer have no room to hide near the highway. I am sure I was near deer; how can one not be while in Maine; but I saw none on ME-6.

And there is a fine duty-free store where you can buy booze before facing Canadian price$. Enjoy your ride, and please consider spending at least a day in Louisbourg.

Keith
Keith is right, Rt 6 from Lincoln to the border is a real nice ride, a good alternative to Rt 9. I ride that road at least a few times a year..And like he said watch for moose and deer........TD
 
#52 ·
Heading up there in Sept.

I'm planning the Cabot Trail trip for Sept. I was thinking a whole week, but now BL makes it seem like that might be overkill! I too will be taking many photos, but most of mine will involve tripods and golden hours, so maybe my plan of slow and steady enoying the Provicial Parks along the route will be the way to go. I have a route for day one and two planned, but then its up in the air. Here are links to those two days. Please anyone with any knowledge of the area feel free to chime in on my selection roads.

Day 1 Augusta, ME to Five Islands Provincial Park, Colchester, Subd. A, Nova Scotia, Canada - Google Maps

Day 2 Five Islands Provincial Park, Colchester, Subd. A, Nova Scotia, Canada to Battery Provincial Park, Richmond, Subd. B, Nova Scotia, Canada - Google Maps

Day 3+...? Who knows!

brew
 
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