Windsor to Bay of Fundy

Got rear wheel on Spyder and left Halifax by noon to head to Windsor to see Natalie and get Triumph serviced at Bros Cycle, the Regan family store (Bruce, Debbie, Natalie and Matt). Erik used to work with Natalie and we enjoyed lunch in Windsor with her. Their dealership features Triumph, Polaris, Royal Enfield, and Stihl. Great service and nice family. Crossed New Brunswick on twisty roller coaster roads mostly in good condition but when we hit a rough spot they just patched it up by throwing fresh tar in the holes. Erik dodged it on the bike but of course I couldn't and the Spyder spit it all over me and back on the bike. Ugly! Scenic farms and red beaches and rivers at high tide. Made a tactical error by not checking the map well enough and booking our hotel too faraway for a reasonable day of driving so we ended up in the dark watching out for moose and deer and pulling into the motel at 10:00. We promised we would not do that and we were lucky. But here safe and sound now and ready for low tide in the morning. The weather held up for us though and the riding was good.

Halifax

Left Cheticamp with regrets until we hit the next little town, Inverness. Golf course on the ocean dunes and empty beaches. Uncle Brian and other serious golfers would love it here. Then on the Ceilidh Trail the home of Celtic music down the southwest coast of Cape Breton. What fabulous roads these are! Took the #7 from Antigonish to Sherbrooke then followed the Eastern shore to Halifax. This trip took forever because around every turn was another photo op. dead tired by the time we pulled into Halifax. Today we took the Spyder in to get a rear tire and with any luck it will be done tomorrow. Toured the wharf, Pier 21 (Canada's immigration story), and Peggy's Cove. Perfectly clear sunny day and that is truly the weather needed to see this national treasure. Hear from so many people that fog obscured their view. Photos do not capture the ethereal essence of this place.

Cabot Trail

The ferry crossing was smooth but the boarding and waiting was painful. Scheduled to leave at 4:30 pm, we departed at 3:00 am. Partly weather at Porte au Basques, and partly work to rule as we now understand...... Glad we chose to arrive before dark and wait at the bare-bones terminal as someone did hit a moose on their way in at night. Crossing was smooth and prebooking our berth was the smartest choice we made on our trip.
Cabot Trail lived up to every expectation. Erik had a blast on the tight curves with the awe inspiring ocean views. We entered the Trail on exit 11 before Baddeck and did it counter-clockwise affording us the most stunning scenery with the ocean on our right. We did see a moose. We caught every possible weather pattern but luckily the drenching rain only lasted 10 minutes. Fog was mostly distant. Temperature was quite mild. A great day to ride. We are in Cheticamp for the night right on the ocean and enjoyed lobster and crab dinner listening to traditional Acadian fiddlers. This little fishing/tourist town just outside the Park boundary is a "must-stop". Life does not get any better than this.

Argentia ferry aug 18

Guess what? The ferry was late and the day was drizzley so mostly it was hurry up and wait. But we ran into many of the people we have crossed paths with as we toured, and now we are all sitting here and waiting for the same ferry. Fate! But we are in luck, the ferry is here and the seas seem calm.

St. John's with Phred and Christina

Slept in today! Needed it. Then went shopping on Water St, met Christina and Phred at Classic Cafe for breakfast. Erik took Phred's advice and had salt fish and brewis and scrunchions as well as toutons with syrup. Really enjoyed it. Think tomorrow we might go back to Monty's for pea soup and dumplings and fried ham sandwich again. Might be a chilly ride back to the ferry again.
Phred is a third generation St. John's native and his grandfather came back from WWI and built a settler's house on Signal Hill. Phred took us to all his highlight spots in St John's and we got a personal history to go with the town. It was a very cool way to understand the character of the city. Then we headed to the Nfld's oldest lighthouse and the most easterly place in Canada, Cape Spear. Also the Gut, where Christina and Phred spent their honeymoon. What a gorgeous little inlet. All these places were strategic in military history in old and recent times. German u-boats tried to come in this Harbour and the American navy was stationed here to keep them out. The bunkers and cannons are still there to bear witness. Across the Harbour was a metal net to catch torpedoes. Effective. Earlier in history this was manned by the British to defend from the French and they would hang French soldiers by the Battery on a hill where they could be seen by all St. John's. Met Delia and Stu from Brooks for fish and chips at Kelly's on George St. Fabulous day.

St. John's

The ride from Bonavista to St. John's was spectacular and the Cabot Trail will have to be incredible to beat this. The only glitch is the quality of the secondary highways in spots. Many of these are like lanes and very patchy and rutted. Very hard on the Spyder with its low undercarriage which bottoms out occasionally. Loving St. John's! Went to Signal Hill and the adjacent park. There is the best system of hiking trails here, designed for multi levels of ability, and catering to both historical and ecological interests. The ocean views are outstanding from almost every corner we turn. Window shoppedon Water Street and George Street and ducked into a couple of pubs to listen to maritime musicians. Staying right on the harbour and a piece of advice, book a room in advance. We had to move to 3 different hotels to get rooms. Started at the Battery, by Signal Hill overlooking the water, then to the Quality Inn right on the harbour on a road called Hill O'Chips. Tomorrow we are a little out of downtown. Catch the ferry back to Nova Scotia on the 18th and will miss Nfld. We dined at the Keg and Erik had his best meal on the Rock. He has been trying all the local meals and delicacies but has not been too enamoured with cod's tongues and cheeks, hamburger gravy and chips, pea soup and dumplings and fried dough and molasses. Everything is served with chips and our carb levels are alarming. Will welcome salads and vegetables again. It is all about what you get used to....
Talking to a couple from Ont. who also stopped in Trinity. I could have sworn I saw Gordon Pincent there in the park, and they confirmed it. He is filming there. Cool.

Trinity and Bonavista

Thought we'd hit rain today but we only got a few minutes worth. Lucky again. Exploring the East Coast of Nfld. and in Trinity and Bonavista, both historical fishing villages with stories of exploration dating back to the 1500's. The ride was also stunning with vistas to die for and twisty interesting roads, mostly in great condition, except for a few patches and a little construction. Started to run into those bright hillside postcard villages today, the ones you see on ads for Nfld. Staying in a remodeled Heritage House, Harbour Quarters, which used to be a general store. It is an amazingly posh suite overlooking the Harbour and we are getting very spoiled. We are running out of time though and missing places Erik hoped to see. We missed Fogo Island and may not get to St. Pierre, the island off the coast belonging to France.