Nova Scotia Trip

[Top Gun]

We've talked about putting together a trip to Nova Scotia, possibly for next year. While visiting Canada recently, my buddy Peter Couillard of the Ottawa PD remarked that he has a good contact for lodging in Inverness, which is midway along the Cabot Trail, noted for spectacular views. He was kind enough to send me the link(s) and I attached them here.

http://www.macleods.com/index.html

[Doc Edkin]

Robin and I just returned from a four day swing through Nova Scotia. The national BMW rally was in Essex Junction, Vt. so it was a natural to come home via the Cabot Trail:) We camped at the BMWMOA but moteled it the rest of the way with a couple from Michigan who stayed with us before the Vermont rally and used our place for a night before riding back to the Detroit area. Our first night out found us in Saint John, NB right on the Bay of Fundy. The next day was a real G&H session with rain all the way up to Baddeck, a neat village at the foot of the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton. (Best Pizza in town is at the Yellow Cello. . .where they have beer, wine and music every night). There is a lodge there called the Silver Dart which is very bike friendly (nice rooms, level parking, food, and a bar). We stayed there for two days using the Silver Dart as a base camp for rides around the Cabot Trail (ride it counter clockwise to get the full effects of the steep outer drop offs) and a tour around the magnificent lakes of Cape Breton. From there, we headed for the Marine Trail which runs along the Eastern coast. On the way down, we stopped in Sherbrooke Village, a preserved 19th century fishing and boat building community where all the workers dress in period costumes and tell you all the important information so you know something after you leave. We stayed at a place in the small village of Port Dufferin where there was a restaurant and bar attached to the motel. The whole region is undeveloped so motels, night spots and gas stations are very infrequent. The next day was a push through Halifax to the Lighthouse Trail and Peggy's Cove. . .a postcard perfect fishing village with lighthouse, harbor, and water edge lobster hut. A few hours there and then we rolled on to Luenberg which is one of the few tourist oriented villages other than the ones I already mentioned. The steep side streets make getting around on the back edge of this place a tough riding test. Most roads are in rough shape and even the main highways are like our state highways at best. The whole of the Cabot Trail, for instance, needs to be resurfaced causing you to pay less attention to sights and more attention to rough spots and pot holes. I was last in Nova Scotia in 1973 and little or nothing has changed. We left Luenberg for Yarmouth and a lodge right next to the ferry launch. Just down the street is Rudder's, a good restaurant and brew pub with a view of the harbour. We took the Cat to Portland Maine the next morning which is a high speed six hour run. The ramp into the boat took out one bike and is a little tricky as is the slick steel floor you secure the bike to using straps they supply. About 40 bikes were on the run at a cost of $303 for the bike and two people! One guy did a round trip with his car and family at a cost of over $800. The ferry ain't cheap. Food, drink, and a small casino help to pass the time on the ride, however. We got through customs at about 3:30 after a long wait and pushed down through Worcester to I-90 and home before midnight on Friday. One rain storm in Mass. was the worst I've ever been in. Driving rain, high winds, and what seemed like total darkness made a nearby rest stop very welcoming. The whole event passed in an hour and the rest of the ride home was in good weather with a nice sunset thrown in. In all, we logged about 2,800 miles. Nice way to get home from Vermont!

[Red Bull]

Sounds like you had a good time. Did you wear that silly wrestling sweat jacket to keep "out" the heat? Only kidding. After our return trip home from O.C. Maryland, I don't care if I ever see another trip home in the rain. Your description of the N.S. roads and the ferry cost really dampened my eagerness to visit. Memphis sounds appealing for our next spring venture though. Hope you and Robin enjoy the rest of the summer. Sounds like you have had a nice one so far.