Day 6 - Bar Harbor, Maine to Moncton, New Brunswick

Day 6 was a good day - and I needed that to be the case after the frustration of Monday.

First of all, due to fatigue from Day 5 and the late night coming out of Acadia National Park, we shortened the day and delayed our "go" time to allow everyone to get some much-needed recovery time. The big change centered around the mutual decision to count our time in Acadia as sufficient. We headed north at the start of the day.

Here's the deal: when we do these rides that are so far from home AND decide to ride the entire distance, coupled with the reality that we all have jobs and therefore limited time we can be away, we have to make some hard choices about what we can and cannot do. We have to make sure the trip is enjoyable. I mean, this is certainly the experience- but most of all, it's about fun and camaraderie. So as disappointing as it might seem to miss some beauty in ANP, the target is Nova Scotia. We headed north, and that was the right call.

We set out in nice weather and meandered along the coast of Maine, somewhat disappointed that we didn't see as much of the coast as we desired. The ride was fun, however, and the conversation was lively. A side note: we decided to start over with the creation of our communications  "Pack" and the Scala Rider devices worked flawlessly all day. We arrived early at our first destination, Eastport Chowder House, and had time to chat with some of the local residents and fishermen. We had fresh lobster for lunch. The food and the experience exceeded our expectation here. We were joined by an all-too-familiar friend during lunch - rain - and rode in the wet stuff for several hours.

We had to continue our push toward Cape Breton Island by getting across the border into Canada. The crossing proved uneventful and we set our sights on the Cape Enrage Lighthouse and the Hopewell Rocks. Time again became a challenging factor for us: we spent more time at lunch then planned for - because the  we were having fun! Then we took a needed break along the way because we were cold. A final challenge was a GPS / routing issue that cost us some valuable time. Once again, we amended the plan, blew past the lighthouse, and went straight to the Hopewell Rocks to insure we were there at low tide.

The Rocks were stunning. Located on the shore of the northern part of the Bay of Fundy, the area experiences some of the largest tidal variations in the world. At low tide, we were able to actually walk on the ocean floor and see and experience the magnificent rock formations. Words can't begin to adequately describe this phenomenon. I hope the pictures give you an idea of the wonder of the Hopewell Rocks.

Late in the day, we opted to ride to Moncton, our stopping place for the night, and ride straight to dinner with no stop at the hotel. After grabbing a bite, we retired to the hotel and called it a day.

In all, we rode 365 miles. Our day, from launch to landing after dinner, was just over 14 hours.

We made some pretty significant adjustments along the way - but we had FUN!

Border crossing

Downtown Moncton

Nova Scotia Day 5 - York, PA to Bar Harbor, ME

I'm posting this update as we head out to begin Day 7.  I'm way behind on writing because we've had some really long days. Day 6 was GREAT.  So don't despair as you read the update after our Monday experience. All is well!

DAY 5: Well this has been quite the day. We've known all along that Monday was about getting north... that the plan was seriously aggressive... but success would mean we were ready to begin the real adventures of this year's ride. The plan called for a hard 680+ mile ride from York, Pennsylvania to Bar Harbor, Maine. Reaching our intended destination would require an early departure, favorable traffic through the congested urban areas of the northeast, weather conditions that would allow us to maintain speed, a quick lunch, and a late night.

If that wasn't enough, the plan called for driving right past our hotel and into Acadia National Park to catch a sunset at the summit of Cadillac Mountain. 

We're spent - but we managed to get to Bar Harbor, reach the summit (sort of), and get back down the mountain to Bar Harbor. I'm writing at a table at Denny's because it's the only place left open. We're seated but can't get anyone to take our order. We have an early morning as we begin another aggressive day - and I can't quite say I'm having the absolute best time of my life right now.

Tomorrow will be better - right?

I have to keep telling myself today was not supposed to be as much fun as the previous days or the days to come. But we're here. We're safe. The girls have arrived. And yes, tomorrow will be better.

The not-so-much fun has to do with several things:

• The trip planner (me) might have planned too much of a challenge - and the journey was a bit much for some.
• Trying to get everyone connected to our PackTalk Pack as we were hurrying to stay on schedule proved troublesome. We're close - but "close" is never good enough for me. I was frustrated.
• I am growing increasingly frustrated with issues with my motorcycle. I had a new battery installed at my last service appointment, then parked it while on an Alaskan adventure. The battery tender isn't working. The horn isn't working. I noticed today the after-market amp for my audio system isn't working. I'm concerned that I might continue to lose electrical components- but for now - I'm pressing on.

It's late again. I need rest more as the trip progresses. No time for pictures today. But they'll come. I promise.

Tomorrow will be better.

Nova Scotia Day 4 - Staunton, VA to York, PA

Day 4 was a different kind of day. While these trips center around "together", we set off in three different directions as we departed Staunton, VA. Matt, who hails from Lancaster County, PA, set his sights (and GPS) on a direct course for home, where had opportunity to connect with mom, daughter Jenni and her family, a sister, brother-in-law, and aunt. Meanwhile, the Steves set sail for Gettysburg National Military Park, where Dad had an opportunity to expose Son to some significant American history. Randall, Trent, and I chose to ride, finding some enjoyable twisties and scenery on our way to York, PA.

We connected with Ben and Tami in York, as well. They are great friends and riding buddies who made their way from Orlando to join us for the ride north into Maine and beyond. Finally, Annette, Elizabeth, Janet, and Henry arrived in Portland, where they'll away our arrival there on Monday afternoon.

For Randall, Trent, and me, the day started in an interesting manner. I missed our first turn into a valley of sorts and it seemed our trusty GPS units were having a hard time figuring out how to get us back on course for the day. Some might say we were lost. But you know the old adage about motorcycle touring: "You're never lost. You'r just finding new roads."

Somewhat confused by the signage at the right, we decided to stop at a local business to review where we had been and where we were going using the Garmin Basecamp application used for planning. It seemed we were to continue on Egypt Bend road - but I just wasn't sure. Asking a store clerk her thoughts, she said, "Oh, you don't want to go that way. It's really narrow and curvy." I smiled. "Oh, yes, we do."

The establishment where we stopped proved to be interesting in itself. It was a diner with an attached Dukes of Hazard museum. I'll have to do some research to find why there would be such a thing, and why it would be here... seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Interesting, indeed.

Finally, we set out to continue the day's journey, thrilled by the experience exploring Egypt Bend Road. We concluded our day riding through some Civil War battlefield areas and then on to York.

It was a short riding day by our standards - just 258 miles... and right at the edge of the range of our Harley Davidson touring bikes. We decided to try to get as close to the hotel before stopping so we would be ready to ride on Day 5. And I cut it just a little too close...

I literally ran out of gas as we turned into the gas station adjacent to our hotel. We knew the station was there, as we stayed in this same hotel a year ago while in town to visit the Harley Davidson factory.

I made it to the pump, though - barely. I stretched the filler hose to it's limit and added 5.953 gallons of fuel to a 6-gallon tank. Yikes! I think we would be best served if I don't cut it so close in the days ahead.

The highlight of our day was a home-cooked meal with Matt's family. George, Matt's brother-in-law, is quite the chef, and we have no doubt the meal we shared this evening will be the best of the

entire adventure. The visit with Matt's family - and especially with Jenni, who was in our Student Choir in New Orleans some time ago - will prove to be a highlight for me.

On a not-so-fun note, I took my bike apart to to try to get the not-working-again horn to sound. Randall and Ben hung out to help, but to no avail. It's a long story - but things like that make me want to SCREAM.  Oh, well...


It's late again. I was waiting on laundry. It's all done - so I'm calling it a day. But first - a few more pics from the day:

Nova Scotia Day 3 - Boone, NC to Staunton, VA

No time for a detailed update tonight. After grabbing some dinner, doing laundry in the sink because there is no guest laundry here, making some needed adjustments to our route for Day 4 and Day 5 - I must sleep.

We rode 412 miles today in mostly good weather. We were out - from hotel in Boone, NC to hotel in Staunton, VA - for 12 hours and 5 minutes. That's long day. But it was a GREAT day. Suffice it to say the roads we traveled today were like adult roller coasters, characterized by challenging turns and frequent elevation changes. We ride them as fast as we dare, sometimes on wet pavement today. And we had the time of our lives!

There won't be many pictures from today because one can't very well manage a camera while white-knuckling the grips. I'll post a few later. And I'll post some video from the day when I get a chance to edit.

Here's what we rode today:

And here's an overview of the trip so far, as recorded by our SPOT Gen 3 satellite tracker:

That's it for now. MUST SLEEP!

Nova Scotia Day 2 - Cherokee to Boone, NC

Last year, we rode the Blue Ridge Parkway from the northern terminus to Boone, North Carolina. We experienced favorable weather and beautiful scenery in 2016. This year, we set out to ride the southern part of the Parkway, and I imagined scenes like those we experienced last year. This was not to be the case.

We departed our hotel on time at 8 AM knowing the forecast was for 80 to 90% percent rain beginning mid-to-late morning. With this being the case, we made a decision to forego our visit to the Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum in an attempt to get ahead of the precipitation. This turned out to make the circumstances better - but hardly ideal. We started the day dry but in rain gear.  We finished the day WET, and still in rain gear.  Wet roads and on again and off again rain were the order of the day. Even more significant was heavy fog on much of the parkway, obscuring the views we were anticipating. Of particular note was our view at the Mount Mitchell summit, where a blanket of fog was the order of the day. What should have been a beautiful panorama of the Great Smokey Mountains was... well... not that at all. We enjoyed lunch at the summit anyway, and enjoyed the camaraderie this band of brothers has come to cherish.

All was certainly not lost. At one point, I remarked that I had not laughed so much in a long, long time. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we are all connected in conversation via our Cardo Scala Ride PackTalk communication systems. While there is practical value in the ability to communicate, much of our conversation is just friends being friends... boys being boys... and I laughed so much at times I could barely ride. After some of the things we've encountered in recent days, I needed to laugh. Psalm 126:2 says, "Then our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The Lord had done great things for them.'"  Yes, we laughed so hard we could barely ride. But riding was the order of the day - and we did indeed ride.

Today was a short day by our standards - just 209 miles.  The museum and 20 carefully-selected scenic overlooks were the plan for the day. As mentioned previously, we skipped the museum. We bypassed a number of the planned overlooks due to low-hanging clouds that obscured any view at all. But all was not lost. We found other overlooks in places where the "fog" or clouds had broken. You'll see some of these expressions of God's handiwork below. We encountered a bit of excitement in the form of a mother brown bear and three precious cubs. Matt remembered a waterfall - Linville Falls - that was not a part of the plan that made for a pleasant hike and beautiful scenery. We're certainly hoping for more favorable weather tomorrow - especially given some very aggressive roads we'll be riding, including US 421, known as The Snake and a 32-mile stretch of VA 16 known as The Back of the Dragon. But even with the challenges weather presented, we still had a wonderful day together, and can't wait for another ride tomorrow as we continue to press north on our way to Nova Scotia.

Here are some experiences from Day 2, along with an introduction to some of the characters in our story:

The momma bear!

Another overlook

Linville Falls

Me

Six Friends

Randall taking in the beauty

Trent

Steve

Father and son - Steve with Junior

Under the Linn Cove Viaduct - a story for another day