First Video - My Favorite Part of The Cabot Trail

Click here or on the image to see the video

Our ride to Nova Scotia was Epic Adventure 6. We started these journeys in 2012. Each trip has a "prize" destination. It's a focal point for each of us - and usually serves as incentive for the girls to ride. In '12, it was The Grand Canyon. '13 was Niagara Falls. In 2014, Yellowstone was the destination that had us all excited.

This year, the destination was The Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island. The Cabot Trail is a highway and scenic roadway in northern Victoria County and Inverness County on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.

Cape Breton Island presents unparalleled adventure for motorcyclists with twisty, cliff-hanging roadways carved over several mountain ranges and along its dramatic seacoast. It’s exquisite natural beauty has won several designations including the #1 Top Island in the continental US & Canada and #3 in the world by Travel and Leisure. Most famous for the Cabot Trail, voted Most Famous Road in the World by H.O.G. and #1 Best Motorcycle Trip by USA Today, The trail is found in the Cape Breton Highland National Park. 

The route measures approximately 185 miles and completes a loop around the northern tip of the island, passing along and through the scenic Cape Breton Highlands. It is named after the explorer John Cabot who landed in Atlantic Canada in 1497. Construction of the initial route was completed in 1932.

We scheduled two full days on Cape Breton Island - first, to increase the likelihood we would have good weather in a place where conditions are unpredictable. We also wanted to ride the Trail both directions - counter-clockwise and clockwise. Finally, because I wasn't sure this would be the hook for the girls some other years had provided, we planned a day for the ladies to rest on the second day. We selected a resort as our lodging place. They slept in, enjoyed a spa day, and then we took them sailing in the evening. But during the day - we rode.

We were blessed with great weather both days. We completed the entire circuit in the counterclockwise direction with the girls the first day. Due to pretty extensive construction on the Trail, on the second day, we opted to start out at the resort riding clockwise, head up the west side of the Trail until we reached the longest construction area, then turn around and ride back to Baddeck. In doing so, we were able to ride our favorite part of the atrial two additional times - up and down from the Canadian Veterans' Memorial and Cheticamp.

Most of the videos I create will be quick highlights of the sights we enjoyed. The video here is pretty much all of my favorite part of the Trail, edited only at places where we stopped to get off and get a closer look at the rugged coast of Nova Scotia. So be sure you have 21 minutes to waste if you want to watch it all.

Video is captured using a helmet-mounted GoPro Hero 5 shooting at 2.7K - not 4K. (Be sure to select HD playback when watching!) Stills are captured using a Nikon D5300 and a Nikon S9900.

Music credit to Steven Curtis Chapman, Rascal Flatts, and my daughter, Lindsey Bryant.

Enjoy the video. Then get out and find the roads less traveled. Open your eyes and your heart to see the handiwork of the one true God who fashioned it all. If you can, enjoy the journey with lifelong friends, and consider yourself blessed by meaningful relationships. I certainly am thankful for the opportunity to adventure like this, and even more by the friends I share the experience with.

Nove Scotia 2017 - Behind the Scenes

The epic adventure of 2017 is over. Conversation has begun about a new adventure next summer. Twelve months is a long, long time to wait.

So here's the back story... a behind-the-scenes look at how we plan and execute these larger-than-life adventures.

PLANNING
We plan. We leave knowing how far we are going each day, what we want to see along the way, where we are stopping for the night, where we are staying, and sometimes where we are eating and planning to get gas. Very little is left to chance.

PROCESS
The majority of the planning and routing is done by yours truly. It's a diversion for me... a distraction from real life... like recreation. And it's a process. We decide together - usually as the current trip is winding down - what we want to dream about for the year to come. Once a destination or region is chosen, I sort of "rough it in". I pick what I call the "prizes" of the trip... the destinations that few see... and then find roads in the region I call "the road less traveled". We look for the most challenging roads we can find with the intent of riding them as fast as we dare.

Then I start reverse-engineering the trip, determining what else we might want to see in the region and on the way and how much time we'll need to get from place to place. I get ideas and opinions from the other guys via text message. If we have a really tough decision to make, we'll set up an online Go-To-Meeting video conference. But that's the exception, rather than the rule.

I plan for the better part of the year. The plan is put in place using Garmin's Base Camp. I email a .gpx file to the guys along with a VERY detailed Ride Summary. The summary includes dates, departure times, miles to be traveled, and sights to be seen along the way.

Once finished, the research continues. If I find something else we might want to see or do, we tweak the plan, almost up to departure time. And I review the plan in painstaking detail, zooming in on the route to make sure waypoints are exactly in place... making sure I haven't routed us on unpaved roads... looking for places to eat... I even project gas stops when we are in more remote locations.  That's the planning part.

BASE CAMP
Many despise Base Camp - and I did, too, for a long time. I tried and failed to figure it out three times, I think. But I finally got it. It finally clicked for me. And now, I can't imagine using anything else to plan. I highly recommend you persist and master Base Camp if you do highly-detailed planning.

SOURCE INFORMATION
I poke around in a lot of places for information about destinations and the best roads to ride. I use Butler Motorcycle Maps, motorcycle road websites, tourism websites, HD and Road Glide Forums... anything I can find to help me find the best roads and attractions.

LODGING
We don't camp. And we don't stay in cheap hotels. It's expensive - but we have chosen to stay in fairly-nice name-brand hotels. Most of the time, we use Hampton Inns. If we're in a place - like Nova Scotia - where there aren't many name-brand hotels - I use sites like Trip Advisor to get reviews and see pictures of places. When we're ready to book, I send the information to the guys and we each book our rooms individually.

We don't share rooms. We did that the first year, and decided that after being together all day, we needed some solitude at night. And some of us catch up on work or emails. Some write blogs or upload pictures to social media. I have to update routes and email .gpx files before I sleep. And some of us snore. So we each get our own room - and I like it that way.

ELECTRONICS
I use a Garmin Zumo 665 for navigation. Every one of us has a GPS, and I send the day's route out to the guys each night. We had a bad experience in 2013 when the tail gunner missed a turn and ended up far, far away. We were worried. He was frustrated. (Now, we tell the story over and over and laugh hysterically - but that day in the summer of '13, it wasn't funny). So everyone has the route. And we because the different systems will interpret the route differently at times, we are in constant communication regarding where we are going as we ride. Speaking of communication...

COMMUNICATORS
This year - for the first time - all of us were connected to the "pack" using Cardo Scala Rider PackTalk units. What a game changer! It's fun, and we talk about a lot of things. We laugh. But it's safe, too - especially when we are in traffic. We're able to coordinate lane changes, discuss when we need gas, keep sleepy riders engaged in conversation. This year, we had as many as twelve people in communication using Cardo's Dynamic Mesh Communication. Once we got our "pack" set up, it worked almost flawlessly. We got a bit of wind noise occasionally, and some static if there were a lot of power lines. But the units connected as soon as they were powered on without having to do anything. Range was great. We rode in a lot of rain, and none of the units gave us any trouble. We even hooked up a PackTalk in the chase car. I could not have been more pleased with the performance of Cardo's Product.

SATELLITE TRACKING
I use a SPOT Gen3 tracking device on our long adventures. I do this in part for safety reasons - so if I drive off the road in a remote place, those tracking my progress can direct help to my last-known coordinates. I also like to be able to keep visual record of our ride. Finally, a lot of friends and family follow us on our journey. I provide a link to our ride track, or they can use the SPOT app and follow along. I use functions of the tracker to send a one-touch notification when we take a break for lunch, and I use another one-touch notification to let folks know when we reach our destination for the night. Here's the final ride track, as reported by the SPOT tracker.

DAILY RIDE TRACKING

This year, for the first time, I used a cool app called Rever. At the beginning of each ride, you can start recording the track. Rever maps the ride, records miles ridden, ride time, top speed, average speed, and elevation. It has to be running the entire time you are riding in the background on your smart phone - but I really liked it. Here's an Rever screen shot.

SMART PHONE

Speaking of Rever... I have my iPhone 7 Plus mounted on my handlebars, easily accessible. I have Rever running in the background, and use my phone to stream music to my Cardo PackTalk and to control my helmet-mounted GoPro. If necessary, I check the weather on my phone, and can make and receive phone calls if necessary.

CAMERAS

And since I mentioned the GoPro... I travel with three cameras (actually four this year). I wear a helmet-mounted GoPro Hero 5 to capture video of the good stuff. I look like a dork, but the video is priceless to me. The GoPro Capture app allows me to start and stop the video as desired. I have one battery in the camera and two always charging in my tour pack.

I love to take still pictures, so I travel with a Nikon D5300 for use when I have time to get the "good" camera out. I also have a Nikon S9900 around my neck if riding solo, and my wife shoots with it if she is riding two-up with me. I take a lot of memory cards and charge batteries every night to be sure I'm ready to shoot at all times.

COMFORT

I use an AirHawk R seat pad for added comfort. I have heated grips, and both my wife and I have heated jackets. Highway pegs are a must, and I use a rider backrest. Finally, for years, I was in search of the perfect cupholder. I finally found a Ciro3D product that works great for me, and load the holder up with a Yeti 20-ounce tumbler that keeps water cold all day.

FINAL WORDS

This is the final post of 2017. Next, I'll edit some video and try to find time to create a Shutterfly photo book. But I don't have much time. The discussion is in high gear for Adventure 2018. We're going north. And west... to the Canadian Rockies. And I can hardly wait.

Nova Scotia Days 15, 16, and 17 - The Long Ride Home

I'll make this short and sweet: we were a long way from home, we had maximized our time in Nova Scotia, and we knew all along we were just going to put our heads down, hit the super slab, and get home as fast as we could. Apart from the friendship and laughter, there wouldn't be much fun in this part of the journey. Even meals were sacrificed. We ate at McDonald's once. And another Subway. Whatever it took to keep us moving... knocking down the miles... trying to reach our daily destination goals at almost any cost... we were willing to do.

Day 15 started with our ride on The CAT, a high-speed ferry with service between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and Portland, Maine. The catamaran, powered by four engines (one not working on our journey) travels 212 miles in 6-1/2 hours. The boat, which carries some 700 passengers and more that 200 vehicles, is really nice. Seating and dining areas were comfortable. Movies played during the trek. The food was just barely okay - but being able to eat both breakfast and lunch on board was time-efficient for us.

Finally arriving in Portland mid-afternoon, we had to clear customs. We then started south. We added a visit to a Harley-Davidson dealership in New Hampshire into the ride plan to get a part to be used if Randall's shifting mechanism failed again (and another T-shirt!) then continued south with our sights set on Clinton, New Jersey. Slowed by rain, we ended up stopping 30 miles short of our goal, in Parsippany, New Jersey. Our decision was based in part on the lateness of the hour and in part because we could save about $30 per room on our hotel. Wet and tired, we went straight to our rooms and called it a day.

Only a security fence separates us from our ride.

Lined up and ready to load.

The ramp to the vehicle deck.

Tied down and ready to sail.

These bikes are good friends!

Bikes are crammed in like sardines.

Leaving the harbor (harbour, in Canada) in Yarmouth

Dining area on board. Our travel seats were much nicer!

Food was okay.

I'll let Randall or Steve caption this one.

Old Glory flies - and we're back in the United States!

Day 16 was another no-fun day, with our target destination Maryville, Tennessee, just south of Knoxville. We rode hard, and made it to Maryville around 9 PM. I messaged Eddie and Pam Binning, long-time friends of Randall, Trent, Matt, and me to let them know we were going to be oh-so-close to them, and got an immediate reply from Eddie: "Where should we meet you?" I called, came up with a plan, and Pam and Eddie had a table set up and ready for us at a Maryville Tex-Mex place. It was great to see these dear friends - and this meal served as the annual "last supper" for our band of riding brothers. The Hilton at the airport was our home for the night. We met briefly to develop a plan for our last day together and called it a day.

On Day 17, "home" was the goal. We prayed together one last time - and this old man cried. I had spent almost every waking hour of the last 17 days with these guys I have grown to love deeply. We share more than a common interest in motorcycles and touring. We do more than laugh together. We DO life together and share some of the most intimate parts of our lives with one another. The bonds, developed with most of them over nearly 30 years, run deep. In a day when virtual relationships are the norm, the friendship we enjoy is something to be cherished. Even now - as I'm recalling and writing - one of my riding brothers sent a message letting me know he's praying for me. And I get emotional again. Because these kind of friendships are a treasure. Those guys are 630 miles away, yet much closer than most people I interact with on a regular basis. My pastor often says our culture is characterized by relationships that are a mile wide and an inch deep. Not so with these guys. Underlying the laughter is a deep bond that I will cling to for all of my days. I'm not ashamed that I cried. Not one bit.

Our band of brothers.
From left: me, Junior, Steve, Matt, Randall, and Trent

GPS set to "home". One last time to pray - and then we're on our way.

SMH... If there's rain - I can find it.

So we rode together to Chattanooga. And then my friends went southwest toward Birmingham, and I went southeast toward Atlanta. I skipped lunch. Gas and Gatorade stops were conducted as fast as humanly possible. (I had to visit the restrooms on these stops, too.) Hotlanta was a HOT MESS - but I made it through, clicking the miles down, and rolled into my garage at 5:10 PM... tired, but feeling a sense of joy and accomplishment at having completed the course. We experienced a trip of a lifetime. We made memories that are forever etched into our hearts and minds. We deepened bonds of friendship in a way few have a chance to do. My life - and theirs, I trust - have been enriched by the journey.

 And then there's home. And I am reminded as I roll into the garage... as my very best friend come out to greet me... that home is a place where love abounds. The girl who said "yes" to me at an altar 33 years ago said "yes" when I suggested we sell a boat and buy a motorcycle. She said "yes" when I said I had an idea to ride all 48 states in three summers. She said "yes" when I said Nova Scotia was the destination for 2017. I think she says "yes" because she believes in me. I KNOW she says "yes" because she loves me and understands my quest for adventure and risk. She makes "home" more than a destination or an edifice. She makes "home" a place of love, acceptance, refuge, and security.

Charles Dickens wrote, "Every traveler has a home of his own, and he learns to appreciate it the more from his wandering." After 6004.9 miles of riding and another 300 or so traveled on ferries - I am safe at home. And I appreciate it more from my wandering. Yes... I am a grateful man. I am grateful for my wife and family. I am grateful for my travel friends. Most of all, I am thankful for Jesus, who loves me and who blesses me beyond measure.

Short and sweet, huh? I guess I got carried away. Long rides. Long blog posts. And now, a long wait until next time. When we go north. And west.

Dirty - but in one piece. Just over 60K on the clock now.

The final ride track, as recorded by our SPOT Gen3 satellite tracker.

** This is the final ride update. I'll write one more post for other motorcycle touring folks describing some of the planning and execution tools and processes.

Nova Scotia Day 14 - Hanging Out in Yarmouth

In the original ride plan, this was to be our ferry day - getting up early to get to the ferry landing, where we would begin the journey back to the United States via the Bay Ferries Limited vessel called The CAT. All was well with this plan until the 2017 sailing schedule was released, and we found the ferry doesn't sail from Yarmouth on Wednesdays. This left us with a choice: hurry through the ride down the coast and cut the entire adventure a day short, or stay the course with the ride as designed, idle for a day in Yarmouth, and then start the trek home. We opted for the latter.

In the second plan for this day, I had us routed up the coast from Yarmouth toward Digby, just checking out more of the Nova Scotian coastline. Finally arriving on Day 13, we were confronted with a couple of realizations. First, we were road-weary. Next, we had a motorcycle in need of repair, and didn't want to go off riding while our brother Randall was left to work on his 2014 Ultra Classic CVO. So we devised a welcome plan for the rest of us:

1. Sleep in.
2. Go to see the Cape Forchu Lighthouse as planned, but use the chase car.
3. Do laundry.
4. Take a nap, resting up for the long push home.
5. Have an earlier-than-normal dinner and get to bed early.

This plan was well-received by all. Janet and Henry were gracious to drive us around. We dropped off  dirty clothes at a local laundromat and were off to the lighthouse. We were greeted by an all-too-familiar friend: fog. We could see some of the beauty we expected, but were disappointed nonetheless to keep encountering our vision-obscuring companion. The images below provide an idea of what we experienced.

Making our way down from Point Forchu, we picked up laundry, grabbed some lunch, got our first good look at The CAT, and then returned to the Rodd Grand. We said goodbye to our chase car drivers, Janet and Henry, who were returning to Digby to continue their vacation adventure, then retreated to our rooms at the Rodd Grand Hotel to rest. Waking up from my nap, I noticed that the fog had lifted and the sun was shining. I quickly texted the guys to see who was interested in a quick ride back to Cape Forchu to see the light unobstructed by fog. Much to our dismay, as we drove up to the cape, we found fog again to be the order of the day. Oh, well.... we made the best of the situation. In my haste to leave the hotel, I left both of my cameras in the room - so the pictures I captured were taken with my trusty iPhone 7 Plus. I was less than happy with myself.

Downtown Yarmouth

Our first look at our ride back to the States

You can't pay attention to signs like this one and get the good views!

Dinner to cap off our day made for a very short riding day, but the rest was welcome and served to prepare us all for the long days to come as we set our sites on home.

Last day using the Garmin Zumo 665 with kilometers as the unit of measure.
That top speed of 16s would be impressive is MPH instead of KPH!

Nova Scotia Day 13 - Lunenburg to Yarmouth

Day 13 dawns in Lunenburg, and we know we're in the home stretch of the journey. I think it's safe to say everyone is tired now. We're still having fun. Laughter still characterizes many of our moments. But we're approaching the limits of what our bodies and minds can endure. We know there is more to see... more to experience... and we press on.

The sunshine of Day 12 has yielded to light rain and low-hanging fog. The plan is to continue to skirt the eastern shore of Nova Scotia on the Lighthouse Route. Our route takes us to the LeHave Ferry, where $7 CAD gets us across the winding LeHave River. One of the last remaining cable ferries in Nova Scotia affords us a 5-minute journey and a perfect view of life on the river. We see clear sky across the river.

A quick left turn lands us at the LeHave Bakery, and stop highly recommended by riders who have gone before us. The bakery did not disappoint. And this was a welcome blessing, as breakfast in Lunenburg had been quite a disappointment. Our earlier departure meant nothing in the sleepy little town of Lunenburg was open except Subway - hardly a culinary delight. With this being the case, the traditional breads and pastries made from locally-grown fresh-milled grains satisfied our longing for something tasty. This quick stop was extended as we enjoyed a refreshing "re-breakfast".

The stop at the bakery allowed us an opportunity to get a feel for life on the river in rural Nova Scotia. And the fog started to roll back in, as it seemed to do at will and without warning.

It was here the day started to take a different turn. One of the good bikes (those would be the Harley-Davidson machines) had indicator lights suggesting a possible engine temperature problem. Knowing we had a long, hard push home coming, Randall decided to head back to Halifax for service. The chase car accompanied the wounded machine while the rest of us continued south, concerned about our brother's well-being and plan.

Leaving the bakery, we ventured out to the LeHave Islands. These idyllic islands, like most of the coast, have a long history of settlement and many older homes remain today. Five of the islands are connected by bridge or causeway to the mainland. Fishing is still an important part of island life. Many homes have their own wharves. The LeHave Islands are hilly, mostly forested, and ringed with rock piles and beaches.

Leaving the islands, we set our course toward the real target. We were, after all, on the Lighthouse Route - and lighthouses were the order of the day.

Port Medway Lighthouse

An unschedule stop at the Fort Point Lighthouse was followed by a visit to the Western Head Light, pictured below. While in search of the perfect vantage point for a photo of the light, I picked up a nasty little hitchhiker who remain undetected until we reached our hotel in Yarmouth. We were also treated to a sighting of a couple of harbor seals, barely visible in the photo.

Though the weather was changing rapidly, we paid a quick visit to the coastal town of Lockporte...

... and then started working on getting re-connected to Randall, Janet, and Henry, who had been able to have Randall's bike serviced in Halifax and were making their way toward a late lunch-time rendezvous with the rest of the group. Our lunch destination was the Sea Dog Saloon, and just after we arrived, I heard the welcome sound of Harley-Davidson exhaust music. Randall and the chase car arrived just as we were ready to walk from our parking spaces to the restaurant.

Our last significant adventure of the day was to wind along the coastal road to the end of Hawk Point Road where we would visit the Cape Sable Light. This is the tallest lighthouse in Nova Scotia, located at the most southerly point in Atlantic Canada. First, though, we checked out the monument located there, the mud flats revealed at low tide, and the big red chair. We should have looked for the lighthouse first, as you can "see" if you click the link below to a short video.

Cape Sable Light video

We shortened the end of our day a little when we encountered another challenge with Randall's bike. This time, the shifter stripped some splines or something. After an attempt to repair the bike on the side of the road - in the rain - we set out on the most direct route to our hotel in Yarmouth. Quite the skilled rider, Randall was able to use his right hand to manage the clutch (left side of the handlebars) while using his left hand to reach down and shift. He managed to nurse the bike to the hotel, where he could work on it in a safe, dry place. And so ended our day... in Yarmouth, staged for the ride back to the United States.