Drugged up on Gravol, I did get some sleep.  Far from a good night – but definitely some shut eye.  Sleeping in all my gear on a seat is a far cry from comfort.  At the very least if I don’t splurge on a bed next time, I’d be bringing a sleeping bag.

View from my window as we pulled into the harbour:

Getting down into the hold to release the bikes after docking, we had the pleasure of finding out the Harley that wouldn’t start last night, wouldn’t start this morning either.  The Wings and I pushed him out to the ferry ramp, before health and safety sent us back.  We weren’t to go out of the boat without hard hats on.   Probably a smart idea, but we had to leave the bike blocking traffic, run back to put on our helmets before pushing him off.  We got him  rolling down the ramp and let go…  But he decided to bump start it part way through and stopped at the bottom.   Being the only one who hadn’t headed back, I got to push him around to the concrete.  Gets the blood flowing in the morning anyway.

We disembarked – and wouldn’t you know it, all the Harleys took off.   Abandoned their fellow brand rider to the parking lot.  Just the Wings and I pulled over to lend a hand…

After three of four runs, the three of us were done.  I really hadn’t planned on being so sweaty this early on such a cool day.  Legs were still recovering from the earlier hikes and try as hard as we could, it wouldn’t turn over.  I think our suspicions were that he had popped it into 1st rather than 2nd for the start.   The back tire was locking up rather than turning the engine.  Fortunately, some truckers took pity on us since it was clear we didn’t have any juice left.   They eventually tied the straps to the front forks and bump started it that way.

Getting of the ferry, things were a bit grey.  But even without the sun, it was some great territory.   Loved the mountains and the mist.   Too bad I didn’t have the camera set up in a way to pull it out and take pictures on the road.    I looked for a place to pull over, but I guess the views were too commonplace and no one cared.   I didn’t stop until there was a bit of a backup in traffic where a pickup had blown a front tire and spun around a few times.   I stopped with the others, but realized I wasn’t about to be much help and continued on my way.

Blue skies and puffy white clouds as I pulled into Gros Morne.

I ducked into the Visitor Center to try to get some suggestions on how to best spend my time on the Rock.  The girl was fairly honest in saying that as a park rep, her goal was to get me to spend as much time in Gros Morne as was reasonable.   Eventually, the weather made the decision – the next two days were to be a bit grim, and if I wanted to do any hiking, best do it today.

One of the easier hikes with the best rewards was the Baker’s Brook Falls.  I took that one… It was relatively flat until you got to the water.  I had forgotten about my little morning adventure with the Harley and my legs were burning by the time I made it to the end.   Took some pictures and had a nice talk to a Dane who was coming back to Gros Morne for the 3rd time – he was spending a good 10 days just in the park.  My hit and run trip felt rushed again.  Relaxing at the end of the trail in the sun helped slow things down.

Heading back, my tummy started to rumble.   And really not in a good way.   I foolishly didn’t pay it much mind and kept going.  Well, not entirely, I picked up the pace a little just in case I needed to be back at the trail head.   This did make me count the blessing that probably a good 3.5 out of the 5k trail was boardwalk.

I did bump into a few folks who warned me of a moose up ahead.  So this time, I didn’t rush into things quite as much and got to grab a decent picture.  Moose!

Once it became clear he was going to just keep munching on the greenery, I moved on, attempting to ignore the building urgency in my gut.  Stopping for one of those “it’s too scary to keep walking” moments, I thought I might as well grab a picture.

I continued shuffling along, and kept an eye out for the distance markers and potential paths out of sight.   Trail markers were not promising, I had almost halfway to go -2km.   And eventually, there wasn’t much I could do.   In a relatively forested section, I bolted 20 feet off the trail, hid behind some trees and did my business.  There’s a book in most of the bookstores titled “Who pooped in the woods?”.  I’m sure “the asian guy on a motorcycle” isn’t one of the entries.

This was a fairly stark reminder it was necessary to do my laundry.  The campgrounds at the National Parks didn’t have laundry services in Gros Morne, but there was a KOA in Norris Point.  I checked in for two nights and cleaned myself up.

With Mendy unloaded, I thought it might be fun to go for a bit of a ride and headed out to the Tablelands and Trout River.  As one of the few places on Earth where the mantle is exposed, Tablelands was very alien in comparison to the rest of the park.  I only did the short hike since the day was winding down and I’d rather not ride after dark with the risk of moose at dusk.

Quick ride out to Trout River before turning around and heading back to the KOA.

The KOA was one of the nicer ones I’ve been to.  Aside from the gravel road making me a touch nervous, this park beat most of the National campgrounds.  Lots of space between sites, lots of trees, good shower facilities and not much more expensive.

Snacks and camp fuel at the store was naturally overpriced, but at least it was in stock.  The lady at the counter asked me if I was buying the Coleman fuel to start my campfire.  I’m pretty sure the last time I used camp fuel to help start the fire, my dad lost his eyebrows.   Us kids had dumped some fuel onto the kindling and were attempting to throw  lit matches into the fire pit.  After watching us fail repeatedly, my dad went right up to the fire, crouched down and put the match in with his hand.   Giant fireball and some burnt hair later, we naturally got yelled at…  I still maintain that there was a reason we were standing a few feet away trying to throw matches.

Slow start – as far as I could tell, the North Sydney ferry just wasn’t very far away and I had booked the evening sailing.  Puttering around my site, I did some receipt book keeping at the picnic table.  It was almost like camping as I relaxed and the squirrels and birds invaded my site.  Since I still ached too much from hiking the night before, I didn’t have much ambition.  If anything, just to get to Coastal Waters in Ingonish – one of those Food TV/You Gotta Eat Here restaurants.

I had their “Big Lebowski” burger with a side of mushrooom soup.

Good burger, if a touch messy:

After lunch, it was time to head south on the Cabot Trail.  Interestingly enough, that section was quite a bit more entertaining.   Nice tight twisties – too bad there was traffic.  If there was ever a reason to go do some sections twice, that would be it.   Great views, good roads.  Great combo.

Heading towards North Sydney, I wasn’t quite paying attention and ended up on the Englishtown Ferry.  Small toll – $5, but the bigger problem was probably missing out on some decent roads.  On the plus side, as I got closer, I realized I had time to swing out to Louisburg.  Not great weather but still a nice little stop.   The Parks Canada system really loves their recreations and reenactments.  Kind of follows those old TV commercials about the history of Canada.

Local regular turkey.   Strutting his stuff in front of the crowd at the main fort.  There must be something about turkeys I don’t know about because the tourists seemed awfully spooked and most of them jumped if he sneaked up on them and would run away.

Managed to pick up some groceries well ahead of the time I needed to be at the terminal.  As is typical with most of the grocery runs so far, I got greedy.   The big mistake this time was picking up the 6-pack of coke – in plastic bottles.  Financially, it’s a good deal.  Less ideal when you’re trying to cram random bottles into bags and crank down on the cases just to get them to close.  A few did end up getting shoved into the bungee net.

The plan to grab a bite to eat outside the terminal was a bust.  The ferry is a little bit dysfunctional and inconsistently strict with security.  But effectively, once you’re inside, you’re not really allowed out.  You can walk out with your ID and ticket, but it’s a fair hike and my bags were overflowing with food anyway.  I had another great meal of huddling beside the bike and eating out of cans and packages.

Advisories suggest arriving 2h before departure in the busy summer season.  Given my original scheme of eating, I was at the terminal a good 3 hours before boarding.  Plenty of time to be bored out of my skull. I guess since people know they have a captive audience for a few hours, they took advantage by providing some entertainment.

The bikers kept trickling in – but almost all Harleys and Goldwings.

Nice folks and we had a nice chat.  I think the couple from furthest away was Alberta.  They shared in the whinging about following instructions and showing up so early.  I still felt a tad out of place as I was the only chain drive and back to the gills with gear – including those aforementioned bottles of coca-cola.  It wasn’t until much later in the evening before 3 sport bikes showed up.

Boarding process apparently doesn’t make sense to anyway.  They let a few lines of cars before sending the bikes after.   And even then, it was a lot of sitting around.  Worst part was, the very first bike in line was a brand new Harley that had starting/battery issues.  So he had to leave it running while we waited in line.  Uncomfortably loud for me being directly behind it.

We all got strapped in – I learned a few new tricks about the equipment they provide for tying down.  But this is a typical comparison shot – Mendy overflowing with equipment, covered in filth – next to a nice shiny, polished cruiser with maybe one extra bag tied to the luggage rack on top.

Buttoned down, I went up stairs, found a seat next to the window and tried to get comfortable.  They charge extra for berths – so they don’t allow people to sleep on the floor between rows of seats and there’s no way for the arm rests to go up so you can lie down on a row.  I could at least put my feet up on the window sill and tried to get some shut-eye.

Had to backtrack into town in the morning to get gas, so wandered back and grabbed some food as well.  Bologna was a meat I hadn’t seen offered in a while, so I went for that.

Looped back to grab proof I made it into Cape Bretton:

Western coast reminded me of the old Sea to Sky – just cleaner and less busy.

Went on the short ‘bog’ hike along a boardwalk:

Detour up to Bay of St Lawrence:

But overall, Cape Breton Highlands Park and the Cabot Trail was a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be.  The roads were good – relatively clean.  But not really all that spectacular.  Definitely worth riding if you’re out in the Maritimes – but I don’t see enough of a draw to drag me back out here across the country.

Got me a campsite in Ingonish before heading up to Neils Harbour for some lunch.  Another non-decision with the Fisherman’s Platter at Chowder House:

Fried clams/clam strips were terrible.  Definitely peaked on that one.  Scallops were good, as were the steamed mussels.   And everything tastes better with a side of butter!

The scenic route up along the coast was a better ride than the Cabot Trail.  Roads weren’t as nicely maintained, but more interesting overall.   Better views too.   From what the old timer said back at the restaurant, views were better 25+ years ago before the trees grew in…

Looping down past Ingonish, I went on the Middle Head hike.

Partway through, I realized that the previous day’s hiking had taken it’s toll.  Hip flexors and feet ached and I was not making good time.  Once I got to the point, I pulled up on a rock and took a nap…  Zonked out, by the time the people I passed on the trail caught up with me, there was a kerfuffle about a dead whale near the point.  Spent some time looking for it, but no luck.

Getting back to camp, I lubed Mendy’s chain and sat around staring off into space, trying not to fall asleep.  I had picked out another site with a fire ring(more expensive), so I needed to go back to town and pick up some wood.  But my laziness(and wakefulness!) was rewarded as a guy came by in a pickup a little while later to sell wood.  $5 for an ‘armload’.   Not the driest wood, but cheapest this trip.

I still wish I was camping, and not just road tripping with a tent.   The camp fire makes up for a lot, but usually just means I’m putting off updating the blog.   More procrastinating than actually enjoying the fire for it’s own sake.  And with the ridiculously dinky little elevated fire rings, it’s actually rather difficult to burn a load of wood a night.  I would have had to a lot more hatchet work to finish everything off, but as it was, I let it burn out and woke up with half a log and some kindling left for the next guy.

Had a very hard time getting up out of bed.   Comfy bed, basement room with effectively no lights.  Very cave-like environs led to a bit of a comatose sleep.

Eventually made it upstairs and relaxed in the living room over coffee and caught up with the past decade.  As the discussion went on, more people dropped in for morning coffee and plans were made for the afternoon evening.  As with all meetings, it was very much the  ‘pooling of ignorance’ as everyone seemed to have a very different piece of the picture.  In the end, the gist of it was that a few groups were going to leave in the late afternoon, which meant dinner would be served early.

It was to be a traditional Acadian meal of Rappe Pie.  There was some bantering about whether, as a guest, I should be given special dispensation to eat something else(ie, left over pork chops), or if it would just be more entertaining to watch me choke it down.   I couldn’t see how it could be bad, but anything described as “chicken jello” or wallpaper paste could take a turn for the worst…

Since we figured it was a civic holiday and everything would be closed anyway, we might as well hop in the car and take a tour of Clare.  I got a bit of a history lesson and education about the pace of life.  I definitely see the appeal of retreating back to family and slowing down for a spell.  Can’t say I’ve ever had that opportunity, North Van just isn’t much of a change of pace.

To introduce me to ‘good’ fried clams (and potentially to give me something to eat before the Rappe Pie), we stopped by the “Roadside Kill(Grill)”.  The fried clams were very, very good.  Much better than the ones I had in PEI – although sitting out on the patio in the sun beats indoors looking out the window at the grey gloom.

After a few more stops, it was time to go home and sit down for the traditional meal.  Not quite as ‘sit down’ as the night before, but still a full table.

My plate of Rappe Pie:

It really isn’t the most appetizing looking dish.  I could definitely see a fair population being uncomfortable with the appearance and texture.  No problem for me – I’d say it’s just like baked, starchy chicken congee.  I had seconds and will definitely try to make it myself at home.  Very solid comfort food.

But, eventually, it was time to move on.  If I had been thinking, I probably would have turned down that one beer.   Fortunately, the sun was out and I didn’t have far to go.  It was a pleasure to be with that family and I was sorry I was going to miss the 2nd Annual Christmas in August(where the highlight is the burning of last year’s tree).

Kejimkujik was a nice park – not quite what I was expecting.  Set up camp and wandered out to the evening program.  The Dating Game with the birds of Keji.   And so we were back to the low production values of the Canadian park system.  Plenty of imagination and the kids seemed to love participating.  But the AV and computer mishaps were all back.  I guess it’s an exchange for an interactive program instead of a canned movie production.

Up and at them to Cape Bretton!  Some discussion as I loaded up the bags pointed out I was probably losing a good day of riding to all the packing/unpacking.  I hadn’t thought about it that way – and I think if it were earlier in the trip, I might have gone to MEC or REI and ‘refactored’ the bags.   But I’m so far in that changing things and losing stuff is a higher risk than the time I’ll likely save now.   Something for the next trip…

Riding in the morning wasn’t bad in Halifax itself, but quickly got gloomy near Truro.  Nothing bad, just a little on the cool side.  Would have been perfect with the rain liner in, but not bad enough to make me bother.  Cleared up by the time I was in Antigonish – but I hit awful traffic, as forewarned.  Single lane/alternating traffic meant lots of time sitting in the sun waiting to go.  Combined with a McD’s breakfast – I went in to take advantage of the free coffee – I was quite sleepy.  Not exactly a good combo while riding.  Gonna have to cut back on McD’s food.

Pulled over after the Canso Causeway to ingest some caffeine.   Also got some nice pictures from the Visitor Center:

Back at Peggy’s Cove, I had seen a flyer for wool/sheepskin goods.  I decided that since it was on my way, I’d stop in and check things out.  Eventually settled on a sheepskin to use as a buttpad.  Not sure how useful it will be, but even if it was awful, I figured it’d make a nice souvenir.

Mendy’s staring to look very cluttered:

Arriving in Cheticamp fairly early, I decided to set up camp and do one of the recommended hikes – The Acadien Trail.  Great views up at the top:

Definitely worth the effort getting to the top.  This being me, it was still rather late in the day, so I put on a pretty good pace getting up to the top.  And chose an even faster one going back down.   This meant I was mostly looking at the path rather than around me looking for wildlife.  Rounding a corner, I blundered into a moose!

Fortunately, it wasn’t mating season so he wasn’t all that excitable.  He munched on a few more things before wandering off.  I hoofed it back to the bottom and called it a night, intending to repeat things and go hike the other end of Cape Breton.

I made it to the shop a little early, and being a bit of a family run operation, they waved me down to the garage and they got to work.  I was a little surprised that they would take me since Ducati’s like to be different and the rear socket is a bit unique.  They were confident and sent me up to the main shop to have a coffee.   But it wasn’t long before the mech called the owner back down for some help.

Much like my previous experience in San Antonio, it doesn’t like to let go.  3′ breaker and 4′ unistrut only managed to torque the socket itself.  Mendy ate a sprocket and still wouldn’t let go of the back tire.  Not exactly giving me confidence about my emergency aluminum socket in my toolkit… Anyway, the internet was consulted, calls were made, tools were purchased.   It did take 4h, but they eventually got the job done.  And now, they’re geared up – so any Duc riders in the area, feel free to swing by Halifax Motorsports!

Since it was well after noon before I got on my way, I was starving.  The one thing I should have in Halifax is apparently one of their Donairs.  I dutifully made my way to Pizza Corner, before realizing that location of King of Donairs was closed.  Since I was downtown and found free parking already,  I dropped by MEC to pick up a few things before making my way back to Quinpool to visit KoD.

Halifax Donair:

Not my favourite Donair.  Meat flavour was similar to the ones in Barcelona, but the sauce was too sweet.  I was informed later that eating it with Mountain Dew was a cardinal sin and I was to try it next time with a Pepsi.

Up to the Halifax Citadel in time to catch the cannon firing competition.  Kind of entertaining to watch the chubby guy run between the gun and the ammo – looked like his pants didn’t fit and were falling down as he hoofed it back and forth.

Walking around, there seems to be a lot of pride in the fact that no one dared to attack the fortification.  I get the feeling it’s untested rather than undefeated.  Eventually, the British just pulled back and gave it up since they had more ‘important’ things to defend back home.  Big step in leading to the Confederation of Canada tho’.

I made my way down Young Ave – what could be a really big gated community in the middle of the city.  Nice area, especially close to Point Pleasant Park.  Nice little beach, if oddly situated right next to the container shipyard.  Similar to Portside Park back home, I guess.

Heading back to Bedford from the city wasn’t much fun – traffic.  I suppose it was rush hour, but I had kind of hoped there would be less of it.  On the plus side, my route took me past the Alexander Keith’s Brewery:

Didn’t go in or anything and traffic cleared up after the Dartmouth ferry.  I knew one of the bridges was a toll bridge, so I took the 2nd one – but that’s a toll bridge too.   Tons of fun trying to sort out  $1 in change, hold it without dropping it and get to the gate.  Then the machine didn’t like it.  I fished some rejected change from the return slot and tried again – no dice.  Fortunately, I had created such a line behind me that the booth operator just waved me through.

Back at the house, we had to come up with a plan for dinner.  Since I had ruined my friend’s plans for going downtown to eat a Donair, we opted for lobsters instead.  Giant fancy pool with a fountain for the lobsters to hang out in.

I suppose it is only expected that these guys are much friskier than the ones we have out west.  Not sure how long it takes for them to get shipped to us, but they can’t be anywhere nearly as fresh.  We also had to go pick up some things at the grocery store.  Guys being guys, we saw steaks on sale and added that to the menu.  Now it was Surf and Turf…  All meat, no veggies.    The corn was on sale too, and we briefly considered that but realized you’d end up with a dozen ears and so we gave up.  Meat and bread.

Back at the house, there were some adventures in attempting to boil water.  Normally, cooking a bunch of lobsters indoors tends to stink up the house.  If there was a propane tank, we’d go outside and use a cooker.  But all the tanks were empty and since the bbq line was hooked up that day, it was important we put it to use.  Especially since the girls were going shopping and we would have ‘plenty of time’.  After wrapping the bottom of a pot in tin foil, we tried to grill the water, then using the infrared broiler.   Succeeded in burning the tin foil(at least we saved the pot!) but couldn’t say it was a win.   Naturally, the girls came back to discover we had accomplished nothing – not even boiling water.

They did eventually get cooked on the stove top.  The four of them chilling out in a giant bowl:

I think after all these meals of Lobster, it’s finally starting to grow on me.  When comparing Lobster to Dungeness crab back in Vancouver, you would really have to get screwed over by your fishmonger to end up with a crab that’s less fresh than the lobster.  I think that’s really the deciding factor – eat local!

Not having very far to go, I had a fairly lazy morning.  Packed up the bike and went further into the park for a hike along the Snake Lake trail.  Either the map didn’t think it was important to note that the last bit of road was gravel or I wasn’t paying attention again.   Either way, a stressful bit of dirt road woke me up good and proper.

Trail was rather nice.  Lots of birds and insects.  Ran along the edge of two lakes –

Keji:

Snake:

Taking the 8 down south was fair bit of fun – fast little mountain roads.  Nothing serious but not boring.   Gassed up outside Liverpool and was told to go Transatlantico.  Nothing spectacular, but decent for a deep fried meal.  I probably should have opted for the salad instead of the poutined fries.  And I’ve probably peaked for fried clams – time to move onto something else.

Stopped by Peggys Cove since it’s one of those ‘must stop’ locations.  If I had written down noes, I would have stopped in Lunenburg to see the Bluenose construction instead of just driving through it.

Peggys Cove Lighthouse:

Very nice place, if a bit desolate and harsh.

Then into Halifax – which really isn’t far at all.  I managed to duck into Halifax Motorsports on my way past.  It was technically after hours, but the doors were still open and I was able to set up an appointment for the next morning.   Rear tire for Mendy sorted out – one less thing to worry about(or so I thought).

I made it to my friend’s “dream home” in Bedford.  Got a nice tour – lots of construction left to go.  But still beautiful – a bit hilly, but that comes with the territory if you want the views.  Sounds like the end goal is the finished house and a boat in the harbour they can see from the front door.  Makes me a bit jealous – but something to look forward to and a very good reason to come back to visit(maybe in a decade or two?).

After dinner, we went down to the Halifax waterfront and caught the buskers.  We waited for a good hour for the Dragonmasters from New Orleans to set up and do their thing.  Pretty talented b-boys, but as last minute replacements, their gear wasn’t up to the tasks.  They were pretty hard up for some good lighting, but they put on a good show.

Took a quick tour of the waterfront and grabbed a Beaver Tail.  Traditional street party food!

We got back to the house and had a Long Island Iced tea for a night cap.   I think that drink will always remind me of Pub Golf and the AMF in Florence, Oregon.  With that, it was definitely time to go to bed to make my 10am appointment the next morning.

I woke up before my early alarm, but went back to sleep.   Probably a bit of a mistake, since when I did wake up, it was to a wall of fog.   Everything was damp – and without enough time, I didn’t really have the luxury of wiping it all down.

Still, the prep work the night before helped me get on the road in 45mins.  Things on the bike could have been packed a little better, but more than adequate.  Unfortunately, the weather made things rather stressful.  Minimal visibility.

There was fog everywhere, but you could see where the trees had blocked the worst of it. Very clear lines and beginnings of walls of fog.  Going the speed limit was something I wasn’t all the comfortable with…  Not something that bothered the truckers.  I pulled over for a truck, but just no way I could keep up.   Made me a touch nervous about being on the road and getting run over…

Fortunately, the fog was sparse inland and the sun even poked through and I made good time.  It got thicker again as I got closer to the ferry terminal, but I made the 8am ferry with a few minutes to spare.   Plenty of room, and I got my first experience at tying Mendy down for the ferry ride.  With her occasionally refusing to cooperate and lock the steering, it can be uncomfortable just getting off.  Winching it down with tie-down straps isn’t a great feeling either.   Still, what’s done is done and upstairs for some breakfast:

Ferry ride really isn’t all that long.  Barely enough time to eat, walk around the boat and take pictures before it was time to go down and release Mendy.   Gassing up in Pictou, I took the coastal route.  Nice windy bits of road, kind of makes me wonder what 236 would have been like – the turn off looked great, but I thought it more important to get a feel for the Bay of Fundy.

Gassing up again, I realized that I should probably shouldn’t show up empty handed.   (Technically, I had the Hershey magnet and chocolate bar.  But it was pretty melted.) I looked for a liquor store before realizing it was Sunday and they probably weren’t open.   Fortunately there were signs for wineries along the way.   I ducked off to the Grand Pre Winery, and ended up at the Historical Site.

Beautiful place:

Got to pick up some more Canadian history.  In the struggle of empires, it’s always the peasants that get run over.  From the British perspective, it probably was easier to expel the Acadians from the land rather than sort out who was or who was not loyal.  They had a rather neat multimedia movie/hologram presentation.  Definitely one of the better ones this trip – brings the Canadian Park AV standard up a few notches.

But in the process of my education, I managed to drop my Discovery Parks pass…  Lots of wandering in the hot sun to retrace my steps and find it again.  Uncomfortable and sweaty, I got back on the road to go 3 blocks and onto Grand Pre Winery.  Very nice place and made me reminisce over the Napa and Kelowna wine tours of years past – “I love paying tolls.”

They didn’t have anything on reserve at the winery – everything on their shelves was available at the gov’t liquor stores.  But their top seller, the Tidal Bay is often sold out so I picked up a bottle.  And because it’s a touristy kind of place, my BCAA card got me 10% off.  Score!

I made it outside of Digby before needing to stop for gas.   Grabbed a cup of coffee at Timmy’s and then crossed the parking lot to McD’s.  They had a sign for the McLobster –  it’s in season!

Not the best lobster I’ve had this trip, but it was also the cheapest.   I suppose you get what you pay for.  Checked it off the list, no real need to ever eat it again.   Especially since almost anywhere they’re going to have this, there will be better lobster available for not much more.

By this time, the grey fog and clouds had rolled in.. It was looking to be an ugly night.  Still a couple of wrong turns before making it to the address I was given.   Rolling into the gravel driveway, I parked the bike and the inhabitants of the house came out to ask what I wanted.

I guess my superb communication skills had neglected to include a few salient points.  That I was alone and on a motorcycle.  After that little detail was explained and a little back story filled in, I was invited to join their mini family reunion. (The bottle of award winning wine helped too.  Yay booze!)

Even though less than half the family was there, it was still a nice sit-down dinner of pork chops.  After so many meals by myself, this was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.  Three generations, sibling bickering and cousins goofing around, it was just a great energy.    Very grateful to be included.

After chatting over dessert and a few beers, playing Rummikub with all three generations of family and watching some TV, it was time to retire to my friend’s old basement room.  Very good day – nice mix of riding, catching a slice of east coast life and meeting a friendly group of people.   Couldn’t ask for much more.

Early morning, early start!   And with the bags off the bike, I decided to take Mendy out encumbered with only the top case.   Sport Mode with Rider + 1 luggage suspension makes for a less daunting ride.  Handling is better and I can afford to be a little less vigilant when coming to a stop in parking.

Up to North Cape and getting the riding portion of the day out of the way.  Stopped in Alberton for some breakfast and saw some RCMP officers.  I was tempted to ask them what the speeding situation was on the Island.  Having been close to run down a few times going at the speed limit, and now riding without all that extra gear, I was moving at a more… spirited pace.   Still nothing compared to the locals in their pickup trucks, but definitely quicker than the posted limit and sustained.

North Cape was nice, if a little remote:

And another reminder my reading comprehension on this trip isn’t at a level where it should be.  For some reason, I thought the Tip to Tip route was out to the West Lighthouse and not the Northern one.  Fortunately, reading the interpretive trail boards directed me to get my certificate here.  Unlikely the certificate will survive the trip home, but hopefully the ribbons make it.

West coast of PEI is different, and a fairly nice ride.

Unfortunately, not many gas stations on the ring road.  The light came on and I figured I’d bump into a bigger town sooner or later.  By the time I passed Cedar Dunes, I was starting to regret my decision not to pack all my gear with me.  Or, at least, maybe carry my jerry can.  Reception was a little spotty, but Google Maps did direct me into O’Leary.  I took the first ‘direct’ route… And it was, naturally, a gravel road.  But made it through with just a little sweating and gassed up before heading up towards Cavendish.

Little detour to the birthplace of Lucy Maud Montgomery:

Cavendish is the tourist trap of PEI.  All the usual haunts are there – water parks, go karts, mini golf, Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, etc.   But to make it PEI, lots of places were named after things from Anne of Green Gables books.  Since I figured a beach was always a beach, I went to the Green Gables area instead.

Green Gables House:

Lover’s Lane:

It’s an interesting location – essentially a historic park, centered around an entirely fictional character.  They aim to be true to the era and the character, while just accepting the fact that it really was a fantasy that made it all possible.  In most ways, I thought it was better than the US historical parks – but I suppose that’s also to do with the fact that the source material is available in print rather than just conjecture.

The ‘nature’ portion of the park was quite nice.  Just past Lover’s Lane is a loop that runs past the golf course.  Reminded me of day camp in Richmond as a kid.  Couldn’t tell you why, it just does.

Walking around made me hungry, so I grabbed a snack at the cafe:

I also went to the gift shop – I probably should have taken a picture of myself with the red pigtails.   But I had just passed the ranger making an ass of himself for the japanese girls.  Not an act I was going to follow.  Situations like this make me realize it when it’s best to travel with friends and family.  Silliness recorded for posterity.

Wrapping things up at the park, I went to Charlottetown and Province House.  Birthplace of Confederation and all that.  I got into downtown, found a parking spot and fed the meter.  Fairly pleased that it was so cheap… Until I looked around and realized that it was a weekend and parking was free anyway.  D’oh!

Where the papers were signed – minus PEI.

Some folks had a wedding and were taking pictures.   Pretty sweet location for such.

Charlottetown’s night life isn’t exactly bumping.  But they do have a few pedestrian only streets that are quite nice.  Patio dining and live piano/band playing on the street.  Maybe it picks up later in the evening, but I was getting tired and had an early morning to catch the ferry.

The internets directed me to Gahan’s for a quick bite.   I opted for the fish’n’chips in a paper bag.   Decent place, good vibe.  But as a brew pub, I think I really needed to have a beer for the full experience.  Some other time, maybe.

Cow’s ice cream – first location.

In honor of the London Olympics, I ordered the English Toffee.   Rather disappointed – I guess it wasn’t very popular.  Mine had shards of ice in it.

Back to camp, I shuffled things around to give myself an easier time in the morning.  Loaded up all the cases and prepped the roll.  Morning should be just be tying the roll on and packing up the tent before racing for the ferry.

Up early and packed the bike, but not an early start.   Just too tempting to hang around and chat.  Actually ate breakfast and picked up a few more books for my wish list, but eventually, it was time to part ways.

Picture with the little one before I hit the road.

Confederation bridge is really, really long.  Side walls are a bit high, hard to get a good picture over the edge.

Missed a few exits, but eventually made my way over to Island Chocolates and ordered the Factory Coffee – warm chocolate lined cup with their house coffee.

Sat down and enjoyed the drink with Rupert, a Newfoundlander.   Everyone thought he was my dog, although a few people put it together that motorcycle gear and a giant dog don’t mix very well.

Great place to hang out, very motorcycle friend.  Owner’s son had recently gone on a 1400km trip, but tales of my trip made his relatively local trip look short.  But he was gearing up for a long trip down to South America.   Something I’ve thought about doing for a while, but never got around to it.  Wish him the best!

After dropping into PEI National Park and setting up camp in Stanhope, near Dalvay, I started on their scenic drives.   A few missed turns later, I ended up Georgetown.   Saw a couple of bikes pulled over in a gravel lot and figured it was good a place as any to grab some lunch.

Fried Clams – a little more like oysters than I thought they’d be.  Nice afternoon in the sun and trying to get through Anne of Green Gables on the Kindle.

View from the restaurant.

East Point Lighthouse

They have a “Tip to Tip” program to get people to travel the Island.   Didn’t even know about it until I got there, but figured, why not?  I was likely to ride the scenic routes and a certificate would be nice.

The roundabout way around the east put me at Greenwich an hour before sunset.  Well, to be fair, it didn’t.  I missed the turnoff to the park and had to turn around.   And in my rush, I left my map pouch open.   Buzzing my way to the park, I felt something hit my leg, just to see stuff fly back in my mirror.   Lost my Tip to Tip ribbon, my Discover Parks pass and most of my maps.   Had to backtrack and pick it all up…

The hike is rated for 1.5h, round trip.  My history has shown that if I hurry, I could probably get it done faster.  But since I needed to make dinner when I got back to camp, I decided to pass.  Next time!