Day 15 Thurs June 20 Victoria, PEI to New Carlisle, Gaspe, Que....Through Acadia

Over the Confederation Bridge and goodbye to PEI (Gaspe, here we come). This bridge that links the island to the mainland is 13km (8 mi) long and rests on 62 piers from 130 to 200 ft above the water.  I thought that I might have felt the wind but the ride was as comfortable as it was scenic.

We changed Venture's oil at Mulligans in NB.  The owner was very generous to allow Evan  to do this himself and provided us with a pan and funnel for the job. He was also a biker and recalled the time years ago when he was refused the same.  

At one of our rest stops along the Acadian Trail, heading north through New Brunswick along the Gulf of St Lawrence, we enjoyed some aboriginal art at a scenic rest area. 

--- the artwork

--- at the scenic rest area. 

Through the day, we rode across two other large bridges. One crossed the Miramichi River and the other which was even larger crossed Chaleur Bay to the Gaspe Penninsula. 

The bridge across the Miramichi River

Miramichi is a very popular fishing area, so Evan thinks this next picture that he took is appropriate. 

The ride along the southern coast of the Gaspe Pinninsula was even more scenic than we expected. Each town along the way seemed like a resort area. The town where we are staying has painted all of its fire hydrants down the main street and each one is different. 

During our ride, I saw 3 osprey nests perched high on hydro structures.

We will be In Gaspe for next few days. One of Evan's greatgrandparents ( Le Messieurs) spent time in Gaspe area when they emmigrated to Canada from Guersney  Island.  I was in the Gaspe area about 30 years ago so my memory of that trip is a bit rusty. This is E's first time here. 

 5,430 cum km

Regards to all,

Anne

Day 14, Wed June 19 Montague to Victoria, PEI.....Exploring PEI

After a hearty B&B breakfast, we bid farewell to our wonderful hosts and hit the road for a day of exploring.

We continued our ride along the east coast. Our first stop was at Launching Point where we watched fishermen unload their fresh caught lobsters. We were surprised to see a couple of young women working on the fishing vessel. 

Unloading containers of fresh caught lobsters...see the lobster tattoo on the person at the right

--- a big one

At our next stop, Spry Cove, we saw the rugged red coast line of the eastern shore which is uniquely PEI and is due to iron oxide. Then at Basin Head, we saw a very long sandy beach. In the distance, we saw a ferry that appeared to be in the sky due to the  variation of the blue colour of the water.

We rode on to East Point, the most easterly point on the island, where we had more incredible views. The lighthouse added navigation, which was particularly dangerous off this coast.

The East Coast Lighthouse built in 1867. 

We also had our picnic lunch at East Coast in this ship shaped cluster of picnic tables

At Shipwreck Point, we rode over a treacherous wooden bridge to the harbour and watched more lobsters being unloaded. That was just after we rode down a remote dirt trail to see some more panoramic views of the coastline.

Tricky riding down a dirt trail. I walked.

--- and through some bushes. 

By late afternoon, we rode inland to Charlottetown.  Along the way, we saw countless potato farms as well as many diary farms.

PEI potatoes

At Water Prince Corner Shop, we feasted on fresh PEI mussels from Malpeque Bay before we left Charlottetown.  They were the most delicious mussels that we have ever tasted.

We were hoping to try some Island  Cow ice cream ( to compare with Ben & Jerry's in Vermont) but we were full from our meal of mussels. At our last stop for the day in Victoria, we did enjoy ice cream sitting on the local wharf. 

In Victoria, we are spending the night at the "Orient Hotel" which was originally built in 1900 when the oriental decorating style, used in the hotel's interior, was popular. We are minutes away from the 13 km Confederation Bridge which we will cross in the morning.

Our B&B in Victoria, another listed historic gem

Close to our B&B in Victoria is the biggest tree on PEI. I'm standing in front to give some size perspective.

We can thank Jim, the biker we met on the PEI ferry, for his great suggestions for many of these sights that we saw today.

The weather was fabulous for us today.

4,855 cum kms

Regards to all,

Anne

Day 13 Tues June 18, Inverness County, NS to Montague,PEI...to the Island

We started the day riding the rest of the very scenic Cabot trail. After leaving Cape Breton, we rode along the Sunrise Trail on our way to the Canso Causeway and then, the ferry crossing to PEI. The locals call the Sunrise Trail the baby Cabot Trail and after riding it, we understand why. Along the way, we startled a deer who ran in front of us for quite a distance before turning back from the road into the bush. 

We also stopped at a lighthouse at St George in a beautiful setting overlooking the ocean. 

On the ferry, we met  another biker (Jim) who was an extraordinarily interesting person and also a passionate sailor. Because of his advice, we headed east on the PEI Coastal Drive. I was surprised to see a fox on the lawn on a rural property. I later learned that foxes are very common on the Island.

Arriving by ferry on PEI

While stopping for some local beer (Sir John A MacDonald) and talking to some local folks, we learned of a nearby B&B near Montague.

After getting lost trying to find the Knox Dam B&B, we finally arrived to find a real gem, not to mention an historic site. 

Relaxing at our B&B

A fish ladder on the B&B property.

It was a bright sunny day for our day of riding. 

4,450 cum km

Regards,

Anne

Day 12 Mon June 17 Baddeck to Margaree, Inverness County, NS....toes in the Atlantic

As forecasted, the day started out with drizzling rain in Baddeck. We spent the morning at the Alexander Graham Bell Museum.   I had not realized that he was an extensive inventor. Visiting his house in Brantford will be on my "bucket" list when I return home. 

A picture of The Silver Dart, Canada's first airplane, with Bell overlooking it.  

By the time we left, the drizzle had stopped and we were pleasantly surprised to see the fog lift and have sun for most of the afternoon.  We hit the road to ride around the Cabot Trail.  The scenery along the trail was incredible...ocean views, rugged shoreline, mountain vistas, s-turns. 

--- along the coast (with fishing boats in the background)

--- with rugged coastal scenery

--- one coastal  vista after another

--- and the highland roads and views were also amazing. 

 I put my feet into the Atlantic Ocean  as I did when we reached the Pacific Ocean two years ago on our Venture West trip. Yes, I am wearing rain gear to keep the rain away.  The Venture, Evan and I have now made it to the oceans on each side of Canada. 

At a stop at one of many whale watching outlooks, we learned from others that we were seeing a minke whale surfacing every few minutes. 

After riding most of the Cabot Trail, we decided to stop for the night at a cabin alongside a very picturesque lake (called The Lakes). 

4175 cum kms

Regards to all,

Anne

Day 11 Sun June 16 Sackville, NB to Baddeck NS....Father's Day

What direction??  After making calls to our fathers, we spent considerable time trying to decide whether to ride north to PEI, east to the Cabot Trail, or southeast to Halifax because there was rain in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday. In the end,  the lure of the Cabot Trail made the decision for us.

The ride there was again peaceful and scenic, turning to amazing as we entered Cape Breton, a biker's paradise!

Riding east towards Cape Breton

At Timmy's, after we topped up with coffee and food, Evan noticed a bit of oil dripping from our bike.  He met a local guy, Ted, who insisted on driving him to Canadian Tire to buy some oil.  So, the Venture got topped up also at the same stop.

Getting help from local folk at Timmy's

Crossing into Cape Breton over the Strait of Canso

Finally, joined by our shadow

Today, we experienced some new aromas  in the air which reminded us of the many smells we have experienced along the way, including lumber, fish, seaweed, cow manure, fresh cut hay and the smell of trees...one of the joys of biking.

We are staying in Baddeck tonight at the Inverary Resort where we listened to a local musician.

In front of our room for the night

--- more relaxing

---and all ready for an evening bonfire

3,899 cum km

Regards,
Anne

Day 10 Sat June 15 St. George to Sackville,NB ....scenic routes

We started the day with a wonderful breakfast at our extremely nice motel in St. George and before leaving the village, we spent time at a very scenic waterfall with a salmon ladder along the side of the gorge.

The roaring waterfall is in the background

With the salmon ladder along the side

New Brunswick promotes five scenic drives throughout the province and we manages to ride parts of three. Along the Fundy Coastal Drive, we rode into several remote fishing villages including Dipper and Chance Harbour. 

--- some good looking fishing boats

--- and this guy  in front of a small fish processor

--- with fish readily  available. 

We also saw several covered bridges along the way

Along the River Valley Scenic Drive, we saw beautiful vistas along with rich farm land.

A major highlight after riding through Fundy National Park was our walk down to the Flower Pot Rocks at Hopwell.  We experienced the tide as we had to leave the sand beach due to the rising water level.  There, the tide can rise up to 46 ft which is one of the highest tide areas in the world. 

Last but not least, we had our 4th continuous day of dry weather.

We are staying in Sackville, NB which is located on Hwy 2, close to the Nova Scotia border.

3,469 cum kms on 2 wheels

Regards,

Anne

A happy Fathers Day to all those fathers reading this blog.......