GPS, rain - what could possibly…

My GPS started acting up this afternoon around Lewisporte where, no matter how many times I tried to get it to direct me to a restaurant where I might have lunch, instead it brought me to obscure out-of-the-way places with no dining establishment anywhere in sight. After a number of attempts I gave up and got on the highway to Twillingate. And then out in the middle of nowhere, there it was, Chelsea’s Fish and Chips stand and fresh and frozen fish and seafood shop. Now while I’se a guy who likes salt, the result I am convinced of a genetic mutation passed down from my raw salt cod loving mother, whoever prepared the filling for the lobster roll I ordered had no conception of restraint when it came to using a salt shovel. Either that or the small pieces of lobster had been well marinated in brine. 

After lunch the forecasted rain for which I had prepared myself by donning my new high visibility yellow raincoat, and that had held off until then began to fall; it started slowly but increased steadily as I neared Twillingate. And that’s when Lucy, of GPS fame, started really acting up sending up, down, and around corners as I searched for the Withsha B&B. You just know that the combination of rain and crazy GPS instructions can’t but lead to mayhem. So it was that riding down a steep hill on a wet road approaching a stop sign at a  T-intersection I applied too much front brake while leaning to the right, and the next I knew my motorcycle was resting on its side in the street; with me, unhurt, saying to myself: SAY WHAT?  After a few not so soto voce choice words I realized I would need help to put Mahmotó back upright. Just then 4 little girls, no more than 6 or 7 years old that I had waved to just a few seconds earlier, who had  seen the mishap occur arrived at the scene and asked if I was ok. I reassured them that I was but that I’d need some help to put my motorcycle back on its wheels. As they moved in to help I added ‘’maybe by someone a bit bigger than you’’. Wide eyed they froze in place. Was that disappointment or relief that I saw on their faces?  Because at the same time a young man who had  assessed the situation and pulled over his car on the other side of the intersection came running over and, in the light rain, we were quickly able to get the motorcycle back on it’s wheels. I was very grateful for his assistance and thanked him profusely. 

The rain was getting heavier as I continued to search for my B&B, which I eventually found where it had been hiding all along. There was no damage to the motorcycle, just a few scratches on the engine guard to remind me of a story involving rain, a GPs, four beautiful little girls and a generous young man in Twillingate. 

For dinner I had pan-fried cod with mashed potatoes and a bottle of Iceberg beer at The Great Auk Winery in Twillingate. 

All is well; Retirement Rides 2025 continues tomorrow. What new experience awaits me?

Day 7 - a long ride

 The weather was perfect for the long ride, over 500 kilometres from Port-aux-Basques to Burlington on the Baie Verte Peninsula with a side trip to Seal Cove.

There was a bit of construction on the TCH but not enough to delay the trip. While the main highway is in great shape, the secondary highways I have sampled so far could use some TLC. 

Tonight I am at a B&B in Burlington that has a small restaurant where I had a decent pan-seared cod dish for dinner. Here are a couple of pictures of the view from the front of the B&B. 

The plan for tomorrow is to ride to Twilingate. 

À ferry ride to Newfoundland

 Today was a down day from riding as it involved a day-long journey from North Sydney to Port-aux-Basques on a ferry. Today was a special day for Marine Atlantic because as an official sponsor of the St.John’s Canada Games it welcomed aboard the games flame for the crossing. 

As part of the celebration Marine Atlantic put on a really nice and tasty spread of delicious nibblies, including cod croquettes and mini sliders, and smoked arctic char on tiny pancakes and melba toasts, cookies and chocolates  for all passengers. There was plenty of food for all passengers on the ship. Well done!

The crossing was very smooth and I was able to get in a series of naps along the way. 

Tonight I had a nice plate of perfectly prepared pan fried cod with scrunchins, mashed potatoes and vegetables at the St Christopher’s Hotel’s restaurant, along with the obligatory bottle of  refreshing Iceberg beer.

 I am looking forward to tomorrow’s ride up to the North shore of Newfoundland, one of the destinations of this year’s ride. 

The Cabot Trail - a must do adventure

 You may have guessed from the title that today was largely spent on the Cabot Trail, a place I have visited before but that I could not pass up as part of Retirement Rides 2025. When I left Antigonish this morning it was sunny and the temperature was a pleasant 17 degrees; but as I climbed further up on the Cabot Trail on the northern tip of Cape Breton the air became distinctly cooler dropping to 12 degrees. As I have explained in previous years posts, unlike a car that encapsulates you through space, on a motorcycle one is always in and part of the environment. As such a rider immediately feels changes in temperature and winds; and believe me, 12 is much colder than 17.

The well maintained winding roads and the views along the Cabot Trail are amazing.

And when it is time for lunch what could be better then a dozen freshly shucked oysters and some iced tea at the Rusty Anchor Restaurant where many bickers are stopped 

Tonight I am in an out of anywhere hotel in Sydney resting up for tomorrow’s next leg of the journey. See you soon!

Great places

Tonight, at the end of the fourth day of Retirement Rides 2025 I am in Antigonish Nove Scotia, some 1,575 kilometres from home. Today was a nicer day for riding because the temperature which had been well above 30 for the first three days was near a more comfortable 20 degrees. The traffic on the secondary highways I rode as soon as I crossed into Nova Scotia at Amherst was light and there was very little roadwork to slow me down. You’ve got to love a route that takes you through such great  places with names like Pugwash, Malagasy,Tatamagouche (my favourite), Pictou, and Merigomish; all these  before you arrive at the site of the 1861 Cape George Lighthouse  

with this panoramic view of part of the Northumberland Strait.

And here, just like on old postcards, are some fishing boats tied to the dock at the Toney River Harbour.

It’s now time to retire for the night. The odyssey continues in the morning  

Still heading East

 It was a great day of riding today as I travelled to Lakeville, a suburb of Moncton, from Grand Falls after a really good breakfast served by the charming Thérèse with the beautiful Acadian accent at Coté’s B&B. I travelled on Route 130 and 105, which are right next to the St John River, to Fredericton. The Beechwood hydroelectric dam is on the St. Jon River  

After bombing out at two other establishments, the first a local brewery that, get this, only served beer, and a second that simply did not exist, I managed to have a nice small Mediterranean Pizza for a late lunch at Rustico, a newish restaurant in downtown Fredericton. 

After my meal I got a bit lost finding Highway 2 to Moncton. Since Fredericton is not that big and Highway 2 is the main highway (the Trans Canada Highway indeed), it takes some doing to somehow lose site of it; but I did it. In any event I did locate the right on ramp and was able to  complete this leg of my trip to the Wild Rose Inn.

Picture taken yesterday

 I was able to upload this picture using my IPhone instead of my IPad.  Hopefully this work-around will do. 

Day 2 of Retirement Rides 2025 - A Third Province

 When I left Lévis this morning after a nice buffet style breakfast at Hotel l’Oie des neiges, the temperature was already at 24.5 degrees, hot enough to change out of the denim shirt I had on under my riding jacket into a t-shirt.  That turned out to be the right call as the temperature rose steadily to 34.5 degrees by the time I arrived at the charming B&B in Grand Falls, New Brunswick. The relatively short ride, 418 kilometres, allowed for ample time to ride on sections of secondary highways with much nicer views. Apologies for the moment as it seems that I can’t upload pictures on my blog. I will try to fix this problem shortly  

Grand Falls is a nice small city but it was challenging finding somewhere to have dinner in the end I settled for a oh-hum burger and fries at Jack Fries on Broadway Boulevard.

And then, heeding the suggestion of local biker I met, I purchased and installed a set of deer whistles on my bike; unlike duck calls say,  they are intended to ward off, and not attract, those crazy animals that jump into the paths of oncoming vehicles. I don’t know if they work but I can report that no deer ever lurched out in front of my previous bikes after I had kitted them out with these devices, so there!

Tomorrow I continue eastward. Hopefully it won’t be as hot.

 

 Welcome back; welcome to Retirement Rides 2025, the 14th such trip on a trusty BMW touring motorcycle  

I hope you have all been well and I am glad to have you aboard for what I hope will be a interesting ride. I have worked out an itinerary that, unlike in other years, the upcoming segment I will reveal on a, hopefully, daily basis.

On the news front, I spent all of last week in Montreal at the inaugural Académie chorale d’été led by the amazing choral conductor Jean-Sébastien Vallée at McGill’s Schulich School of Music.  A group of very dedicated choristers and student choral conductors from across Canada, and elsewhere, came together to learn and perform some beautiful music. I am sure that the memories and the soundtrack we worked so hard to perfect during the week will accompany me on the trip. 

I set out early this morning on the first day of my journey. The temperature, that has been a warm 24 degrees when I left home climbed steadily over the course of the day, and by the time I arrived at the hotel in Lévis it had reached 32 degrees. While being stuck in the blazing heat in stop-and-go traffic on a 10 kilometre stretch of the highway leading to the the Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Tunnel that goes under the Fleuve Saint Laurent in Montreal was no fun, the rest of the journey on Autoroute 20 was more enjoyable even if it’s a route I have taken before. 

I am about to step out and forage for some evening sustenance. And then it’s early to bed to rest for more exploration tomorrow.