Nova Scotia 2017... The Journey Begins!

After a year of planning, the adventure is underway. Our destination this year is Nova Scotia, where we will ride Cabot Trail – widely regarded as one of the most beautiful motorcycle roads in the world. Adventures abound along the way, and I'll detail those as we make our way north.

On this first day of our ride, I set out riding solo. Five riders from the New Orleans area - Randall, Trent, Matt, Steve, and Steve, Jr. - met me in Cherokee. Another couple - Ben and Tami - will connect with us in York, PA, and the girls - Annette and Elizabeth - along with our chase car drivers, Henry and Janet, join us in Portland, Maine. Today's destination is Cherokee, North Carolina – a ride of 8-1/2 hours covering just over 500 miles. The solo ride is devoid of the friendly banter made possible by our Cardo Scala Rider Packtalk communication systems. There's something to be said for the solitude of a solo ride, but I get sleepy at times. Some phone calls along the way helped to break up the monotony.

We all arrived safely at our hotel in Cherokee. I encountered rain five times along the way, but only one shower caused me to consider donning rain gear. I chose to grab a bite to eat before suiting up, and the rain stopped - so I stayed pretty dry. God is good! It seems the other guys rode through rain much of the day. And you know... rain or shine... God is still good... all the time!

Today, I chose to ride interstate to Macon, GA. I mean, there's not much to see in Florida unless taking the coastal route, so I opted for speed. After Macon, I traveled on US 129 and US 441 most of the way, which was somewhat more scenic and much less boring than interstate riding. Nearing Cherokee, we all began to get a glimpse of the mountains we'll enjoy tomorrow.

Day 2 will take us to the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We'll exit the Parkway at Maggie Valley to visit the Wheels Through Time motorcycle museum before continuing on the Blue Ridge up to Boone, NC. This is the completion of the Parkway for us. We rode from the northern terminus to Boone in 2015. After tomorrow's ride, we will have explored the entire stretch of this scenic road.

Day 1 summary:
WEATHER: Everything from blue skies to light showers.
MILEAGE: 508
RIDE TIME: 8.5 hours

Ready to head out from Winter Garden, FL

And the journey begins!

Riding US 129 to escape the interstate...

... and enjoy some pleasant scenery.

A quick stop at Tallulah Point...

... reveals this canyon, but not much of the falls.

One of many... many... many gas stops - this one in Cherokee, NC.

This seems to happen way to often on these trips:
Low fuel indicator illuminated...
... this time, with 33 miles remaining to empty.