Wow, we’re coming up on the last two days of our trip! How does that happen? It feels like just yesterday we were loading up the bikes, hitting the road and meeting a rainstorm in NY. Well…here we are Day 8, if we’re talking the start of the trip in Vermont/New Hampshire, or Day 9, the day we started out, well…either way, we’re still here in Tatamagouche, well, at least for breakfast!
PSM and I were up early, go figure…so, we got dressed and decided to walk…the 800 meters into town, yes, you heard right, the 800 meters into town. I am so looking forward to getting back to the states, I can do feet and miles, I’m terrible at meters and kilometers! The only conversions I can do is 5k [3.1 miles], 10k [6.2 miles], 15k [9.1 miles], and do you know why… those are all race lengths I have participated in! After that, I’m done! ha ha
Well…PSM and I took a lovely walk into town, and along the way we did see the strangest thing…a house on stilts…yup, you heard right, a house on stilts…they were raising it up from the basement. When one of the guys saw me taking a pic, he said “yeah, never thought I’d see that ever either!” interesting…It really was a lovely little walk, started off on the cooler side and very quickly heated up, yeah, we made it to the brewery in about 5 minutes and quickly turned around and went back to the hotel!
Since it was still early, we got a cup of coffee for PSM and a chai latte for me, and an oat bar and a strawberry/rhubarb bar, y u m! We relaxed a bit, then had one last stroll around the place while we waited for everyone else to get up. I really loved this hotel, so serene and peaceful!
We loaded up the bikes, headed to the Chowder House in downtown Tatamagouche, not a very long trip to get there. The place is a favorite with locals, the food was ok, what they got right, and it was open, the best part! Our bodies were fueled, then we headed out of town, stopped at the petrol station to fuel our bikes, then we were on our way!
We had a lovely ride along some wonderful long and winding roads, stopping once in a while to look at the view. Our goal for the next big stop was the Bay of Fundy. Per Google ‘The Bay of Fundy lies between Canada’s Nova Scotia and New Brunswick provinces, and touches the U.S. state of Maine. It’s known for extremely high tides, as at spots like New Brunswick’s Hopewell Rocks. These eroded “flowerpot” formations stand in water or on dry land, depending on the time of day.’
When PSM and I first met, I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday weekend, he wanted to go to The Bay of Fundy…did I know what that was? Of course not! But we were going…we took the ferry from Portland, ME to Yarmouth, NS, same place we docked this time, but the last time, we went up to Hull’s Harbor, part of the Bay of Fundy, so we could see the tidal pools and walk out on the ocean floor. Ah-Mazing!!!
This time, where we stopped…the computers all went down, so we couldn’t get in. All good, almost the entire ride we were riding along the Bay of Fundy…you just had to look to your right and it was dry where it should have been wet! Stunning!
We pulled over for petrol and to use the facilities and MMH and I were wearing short sleeves and we were loving life. Somewhere on the ride, after we crossed the province line into New Brunswick, someone turned off the heat and cranked the AC! What?! We were ffffrrrreeeezing! I had goose bumps on my goose bumps! It was crazy!
I was SO very happy to see the hotel! Never so happy! That sweatshirt came out quicker than you can say bonjour! We were now in St John, New Brunswick , Bienvenu, welcome! Merci beaucoup! We checked into the hotel, a few of us decided to go to the local Harley Davidson dealership, gotta get a t-shirt after all! We were mis-informed…it wasn’t a dealership, it was a motorcycle shop that had bikes and some gear, but not a Harley place. Back to the hotel we went!
CDH and MMH went off to meet family and that left PBP, PSM, LDL, and I. I found the Pub Down Under, it was literally down under the hotel, go figure! Away we went! It was close, we didn’t have to get back on the bikes and my sweatshirt was enough!
The place was packed, bikers and non-bikers alike, those coming off the Cabot Trail, those heading towards it. We had some food and drink, talked to other bikers, made some friends, and regaled each other with fun stories, just took it easy and talked about what time to get started in the AM, we were heading back to the U S of A.
Everyone went back to their rooms, I caught up with a few people, then I came upstairs to talk to you and now friends, I am finally warming up! I am going to get into bed and pretend to sleep, it’s time to ride home tomorrow, not sure how far we’re going to get, but we’ll be home by Sunday.
Baddeck, NS was fabulous, the Cabot Trail… stunning…the Cabot Trail Motel…relaxing…but it’s time to bid all that farewell…and where are we headed to? Why Tatamagouche, NS of course! Yeah, I hadn’t heard of it either, but now…love it! Come ride with us!
One last sunrise, in Baddeck, don’t get dramatic! and one last walk to the water from the Cabot Trail Motel, that view! We loaded up the bikes and headed into Baddeck for one last meal in this town.
We went to another place on my list, the High Wheeler Cafe & Bakery, it wasn’t open early enough yesterday…resort towns, I tell ya! What a charming and tasty place to have breakfast! Good bagels, made in house, and being from NYC, I am a bit of a bagel snob, I’m ok admitting it! I had a very good chai tea latte and also ordered some of their specialty cookies, oat cakes with peanut butter, covered in chocolate…someone in the line raved about them, so of course, we needed some! We had a lovely breakfast, good conversation, route discussions, looking at photos from the day before and then…it’s time to hit the road.
We ride for a bit on the Cabot Trail and then we are on other roads. It’s a beautiful day, we’ve got some sun, warmth, cool breezes, it feels great. After a few hundred miles, we are in Tatamagouche! Ok, now it’s toasty! but we are at our destination, the Tatamagouche Brewing Company, perfect! It’s an open space, very dog friendly, they have tables made from barrels from Glenora Distillery, how cool is that. They have drinks, food, stickers, and magnets, what more do you want?! We chat with other bikers hanging at the brewery and then it’s time to get back on the bikes for the very long 3 minute trek to the hotel!
We are staying at the Train Station Inn, rooms available May through October, it was meant to be! The 5th most unique hotel in the world really is! It was built in 1887, in 1950 it was a bustling hub, in 1974 Jimmie LeFresne saved the train station from demolition, he had loved the station as a kid, worked there when he got older and bought it in 1974, in 1989 the Train Station Inn opened and it’s still running today!
This place transports you when you roll onto the property, you’re at a train station, and we get to stay here?! I would say all the little touches, and there are, but it’s the bones that make it. The 9 train cars, the lounge car, and the dining car, the greenery, the garden, the signposts, every detail!
There are nine train cars you can stay in, some sleep 2, some sleep 4, some sleep 8, the options are endless! We were in Caboose #10, we had a living room with a fold-out sofa, a kitchenette, a loft area with a table, a decent sized bathroom, and an enormous bedroom with a king sized bed, I think it was actually California King! We rolled and rolled and rolled and never touched each other! ha ha, the bed was huge! I can’t wait to sleep in it tonight!
But it’s not time to get in bed, there is exploring to do! The cafe with breakfast, lunch, baked goods, and beverages, the gift shop, the train memorabilia, the outdoor bar and seating area, play area for the kids, everywhere you look there is a trinket or treat to grab your attention!
We met in the lounge/conservatory car, chatted for a bit about the day and the hotel, and tried our peanut butter-oat cake-chocolate goodness, they had melted in the saddle bag, go figure, but I had put them in the freezer so they were a treat! We also shared them with some kids who were in the lounge with us.
We were able to go into the dining car a little earlier than our reservation, and settled in for a treat! Drinks, starters, a wonderful salad with goat cheese and edible flowers for me, dessert, and great conversation with us and then the people sitting behind us, who were celebrating their friend getting married. It’s nice to talk to someone in your same age group who’s getting married, we don’t meet that many people in that situation, it was fun!
We left the dining car, everyone else went to the bar to get some drinks while it was still open, I went to the cafe and got myself an evening chai latte, and PBP went to get his tin of Left-Right-Center, we were in for a fun evening!
LCR, I know it’s Left-Right-Center, but when you abbreviate, it seems to work better for LCR! PSM and I learned to play last year on the bike trip, we haven’t played since, it’s a lot of fun! It’s a dice game, we played with $3 for each person, you roll the dice and follow what the outcome is. L > give the person on your left $1, R > give the person on your right $1, C > put $1 in the center pot and if you get a dot…you don’t have to do anything. Now… you might have nothing left and someone rolls the die and you end up with something!
We were having a great time! PSM and I both said we’ve never won and guess what… PSM won a round and O M G! I won 4 rounds! I couldn’t believe it! It was fun, when I won one round, if someone needed the $3 to start, I gave them the $3, then each round was like that, it was so goofy and when it was over, I won the pot! We can’t say we never win anymore! Looking forward to the next time!
And now friends…it’s been a very long day and tomorrow…we say adieu to Nova Scotia, leaving one province for another, New Brunswick, here we come! So to you, my friends, I say g’night!
Slept well, at least I think so, up before the alarm again, go figure. Am I just excited or is this just par for the course for me? Both? No idea!
Well, first, got the text about 630a, “LDL and PBP reporting for duty. Luggage cart is in the hallway.” It’s nice, we arrive at a hotel and someone grabs a luggage cart and we all pile our stuff on it and take it to our rooms, and most of the time our rooms are near each other, works out nicely. Then in the AM or at least the morning we’re leaving, it happens in reverse. Team work to make the dream work! 7a meet for breakfast, KSU 730am. We’re never quite on time, getting to breakfast, pretty close, KSU, mostly!
One thing that we noticed and thought was funny…a bunch of people that were on the ferry with us were at the hotel, a lot of people decided they didn’t want to go any further with the weather, even in a car, and decided to stay at that hotel, some people, it was their destination. So we got to talk to a few folks, it was fun.
First stop…petrol station next to the hotel. The pump did not take a credit card, so first, you select the amount or Fill, pump, then you go in and pay. That is some honor system! Next stop…well…last stop is going to be Baddeck, but along the way, who knows, hopefully somewhere in Nova Scotia!
Our first stop was Bubba Mcgoos & Bistro, right near Peggy’s Cove, which was our main destination here in Halifax. Did you know that Halifax is one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbours in the world? I didn’t either until I looked Halifax up, isn’t that interesting?!
Well, Bubba Mcgoos looked interesting, there was a gift and fudge shop downstairs, upstairs, it was 18 and up, we’re all over 18, we went up! The only people there were the staff, but we went up again to a nice seating area with a beautiful view, I know it would have been more beautiful if it wasn’t overcast, but still beautiful. We were all pretty cold, I brought my rain gear in with me so I could warm up and then put it on.
It was beers for everyone and a very hot tea for me, you knew that, didn’t you? I also was fortunate to have a bowl of vegan chili and some delicious corn bread. For a cold day like today, that was absolutely perfect, forget that it’s JUNE people! We had a lovely lunch, good food, good conversation, lots of laughs, and as we were finishing, two other tables filled up, how nice.
Bubba Mcgoos & Bistro
When we left Bubba Mcgoos, rain gear on, we rode on to Peggy’s Cove and lighthouse. It was spectacular and somewhere along the route, Mother Nature decided to smile upon us! The sky was bright and blue, the clouds were fluffy and white, and it was just perfect!
We walked out on the rocks towards the lighthouse and the water, there were several signs “Warning: Injury and death have rewarded careless sight-seers here. The ocean and rocks are treacherous, savour the sea from a distance.” Wise words, a little jarring, but wise. And so…of course I had to lie down next to the sign, on one of said rocks, in a fainting manor. I respect nature, Mother Nature, and the sea, no worries about me!
Peggy’s Cove
We wandered on the rocks towards the water, but never getting that close. I have to tell you, there is nothing like this, close your eyes and just hear the wind, the water crashing on the shore and the rocks, and the smell of the sea, and the feel of the wind and sun on your face, what more could you want?!
I’m sorry I didn’t take a longer video.
After Peggy’s Cove, we got back on the bikes, I took off my rain gear, I was pretty confident I would be ok without it for the rest of the ride, and I was just fine. We made it to the Cabot Trail Motel, a lovely place across the street from the water, with a wonderful view. When we got there and checked in, the check-in was in the restaurant, we were lucky enough that the restaurant was still open and could and would take us and feed us!
The food was ok, they had hot tea, I was happy. We talked through the day, talked about what the plan was for tomorrow, KSU [Kick Stands Up] at 930, we’ll get some breakfast on the road.
Now it’s time to get to our rooms, unload our bikes, for a few days, wahoo! take warm showers, put on jammies, talk to you and get some sleep! Alarm is set for 845a, just to be sure we get up and get ready, think we’ll really need it? Nope, better safe than sorry though!
I don’t know about you, but 500 miles is a good number and I think I might be tired! G’night!
Who’s alarm was set for 330a this morning? Mine was! PSM’s was! CDH’s was! Any other takers? Nope…not on your life! the bed is comfy and the covers are cozy, the room is warm, and dry, my feet are toasty, nope, you go on without me! I’ll look at your photos! ha ha
Obkb, alarm went off at 330a this morning, only bad part…I think I fell asleep about 1am, go figure! Well, the alarm went off, PSM and I were up like a shot, teeth brushed, face washed, meds taken? Don’t remember…on the bikes and met up with CDH at 347a, we were off! We got to Acadia National Park with everyone else heading up to watch the sunrise. The park ranger only wanted to see my ticket to get in, you had to reserve your spot to get into the park at that hour to watch the sunrise, but I pulled everything else out! My National Park Pass, compliments of my wonderful husband, some girls get jewelry, not me, I get national park passes and motorcycle accessories, works for me! I had pulled out my ID, ready to go! He said, you’re on a bike, as long as you have your reservation for the sunrise, you’re good. well…alrighty then.
We rode up a wonderful winding road, following a car that could have gone just a wee bit faster! I don’t know if you ride, but it’s not easy to ride slowly, 25 is tough, slower is tougher! But…we made it up the mountain, I had opera playing through my headphones, Pavarotti, it was spectacular. Imagine something classical and powerful playing in your ears as you are climbing a mountain and the sun is starting to peek through the clouds. Can you see it? Oh my.
We got to the top, parked, and walked out onto the rocks and found a place to stop, watch, and just marvel at what Mother Nature and the Earth have to offer and oh wow, did they offer! We watched as the sun started to rise, it was going to be here in no time at all!
One of the things I was most excited about, being up there, and one of the reasons I wanted to go…my baby sister, GES’, birthday is today! So…I got to make her one of my special birthday videos, but…from the top of Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park! I hope she likes it!
Here’s a video I took, you can hear how the wind is whipping all around us, but wow, yeah, I don’t know what else to say! Apologies for some of the jerky movements, I zoomed in and out a few times and once I was really zoomed in! Sorry you can hear us talking a few times, hope it didn’t totally ruin the experience. But I hope you can get a feel for what we enjoyed!
I remember watching the sunrises and sunsets when we lived in Hawai’i, there were times we purposely got up to go somewhere and watch it and others, I just stood on the lanai, I was usually up anyway. This made me think of those times and made me smile, especially experiencing it with PSM.
Looking out over the water in places, it didn’t even look like water, it looked like snow patches, just the way the water was, and the light played on it. I love taking pictures of other people’s pictures, see what they’re seeing, feel what they’re feeling. This was such an amazing experience, I would do it again and again, and I would not have missed this for the world!
A little after the official sunrise and just after 5am, we rode back down the mountain, more classical music in my ears, back to the hotel. CDH went back to his room, and we went back to ours, to try to get some sleep, we were going pack up our bikes, check out of the hotel at 10:00am and head to breakfast.
After PSM attempted to sleep, he actually nodded off for a bit, I was quite pleased, I would love to say I did the same, but nope…so, we got out of bed, got dressed and headed into Bar Harbor, down by the water, where we were last night. We thought we would get some coffee and tea, maybe a pastry, it was about 7/730am and we weren’t going to be eating breakfast for a few hours and we were awake.
The town was quiet, only a handful of people were out, but it wasn’t dead, by any means. We got coffee and tea, and a pastry, at a local coffee shop, I’m not even going to mention the place, everything was awful. The coffee and tea were off, and the pastries definitely did not taste like they were made fresh, and on site, despite the claims on the wall.
While we were walking around, we got a text from KDN, he wasn’t feeling well, he started feeling ill yesterday, so he and KK were going to head out before we met for breakfast and head back to Boston, they weren’t going to join us for the Nova Scotia portion of the trip, they were always going to ride with us to Bar Harbor and then take off. Looking forward to the next trip with them! Safe travels home guys!
We sat with a nice couple and chatted, they were waiting to go on a boat tour, and we watched the people lining up to get on a whale watching tour. [I don’t know if this is the one everyone was waiting for, but at least you’ll get an idea of what’s involved!] We walked around the town, it really is charming. I haven’t been here since I was just about 16, I biked the Coast of Maine, from Bath to Bar Harbor with a group, what an experience, needless to say, it’s been a while. PSM, on the other hand, has fond memories of visiting Bar Harbor and even camping out in the parks. I would love to go back one day to stay and explore a bit.
As we were walking back to the bikes, I stopped in one of the shops to pick up my magnets and stickers for Bar Harbor, I already started in Vermont, not stopping now! We headed back to the motel, packed up our bags, loaded the bikes, and headed to the office to check out. Then we waited for everyone else to gather and we headed back into Bar Harbor to the breakfast place I had picked out and…PSM and I saw it when we rode in earlier, so we knew just where to park!
I put our names in, there was quite the wait, and hung out across the street for the 20/30 minutes until our table was ready. We talked, laughed, planned the day, talked about what was to come and I remembered….I went to Walgreens and bought some Dramamine and some cough drops. I learned a long time ago, I don’t always do well on some bigger boats, as much as I love being on the water, it’s not always a good thing! Especially if there’s bad weather! And…good thing too, we needed them!
After breakfast, we went to the local coffee place and a few folks got coffee, more specifically espressos that they were craving. Then, after a bit, we headed for the ship. We were taking The Cat ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, NS. After we checked in, we sat down in the waiting area, the nice thing was we could be inside because the weather wasn’t pleasant for bikers! While we were sitting there we filled out our declaration forms, the funny thing was, they had one pen there because they had lent them to people yesterday, but didn’t get them back!
As we sat there, other bikers came in and sat in the same area, we shared the one pen we had! We talked about the trip, where we were going to be riding, the plan for when we land, and we got to know the other bikers. Eventually, it was time to board the boat, we rode on, secured our bikes and headed up to the main part of the ship. While we were down there, we realized the weather would not be conducive to us riding from Yarmouth, where we were docking to Halifax, where our hotel was. So… group decision, I found a hotel in Yarmouth, a Tru by Hilton, I called the Diamond Desk and made a reservation for 3 rooms, this was the easiest thing to do.
We headed upstairs and then I called the hotel we were booked in and cancelled the reservations. All good for everyone else, my reservation somehow was non-refundable, but I made the same reservation as everyone else. I was too tired to fight, and no one ever called me back, chalk it up to a loss. I won’t ever be staying there again!
We settled in, I realized I forgot my charger and asked the purser if I could go down to my bike and get my charger, he was kind enough to escort me down. I told him I would not have asked if we were already out of the port, but he was wonderful and I learned much about him! I got my charger, headed back upstairs, and drinks were waiting for me! I immediately took a Dramamine and handed them out to anyone who asked. I could also feel the ocean, so I asked PSM to get me some potato chips, I knew it would help. He got me sea salt & vinegar, don’t like those, but they were salty and tangy and just what I needed, along with the water and ginger ale.
The boat set sail and we were off. Some people went to the back of the ship, I stayed right where I was, facing forward. When we found our spots, I made the statement that I will compromise almost anything for someone, but I must sit facing in the direction we were traveling, just a heads up if you end up traveling with me! The waves were hitting the boat, the rain was coming down, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve been in.
The boat was nice, there were two decks below for vehicles, inside, there was a bar at one end, with some food, the other end had a cafe, no alcohol, in the middle there was another snack bar and lots of tables and chairs everywhere, and some bench seats, plenty of room. One thing they didn’t have…charging ports, glad I was able to get mine!
There were TVs in the area we were, car racing was on, but in and out as we lost signal. In the middle of the ship they were playing movies. A pretty comfortable situation overall. When we did this before, we were on the overnight ship from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth, it was a 12 hour trip, there was a full dining room with sit down service and staterooms, which we had and I was so thankful for, if you know what I’m saying!
At one point, I put my hood down over my eyes and I was out like a light, just the way I like it! Ignorant of what’s happening around me! After I woke up I went in search of a rest room and on my way back, found the gift shop for a magnet and a sticker, go figure! Back to our group where everyone was starting to wake up and come back to life. Oh, I forgot, there was a guy playing guitar for most of the trip, he wasn’t great, but he kept us entertained! And my wonderful husband tipped him as he finished. Such a good egg!
When the boat docked, we headed back down to the bikes, got them unhooked and ready to ride. They have a very smooth and efficient process to get you on and off the boat, along with the tie downs, a well oiled machine, so to speak. When we were finally able to ride off the boat, we got into the line to go through border control into Canada. We had to wait a bit, they had 4 lanes, car > car > bikes > bikes. The downside…they were on strike so only a few people were working. Some people got made because they thought they were letting all the bikes go at once, nope, it was car > car > bike > bike. Now…some of us went by 2’s because we live in the same household… relax!
When we were all through passport control and assembled outside the gates, we rode the 7 miles to the hotel, checked in, got permission to park our bikes right in front of the windows, under the awning, to help keep our bikes out of the rain a little. We then went to our rooms, coordinated on food for the evening, pizza: simple and something everyone can agree on [maybe not our stomachs, but simple and tasty!] we also ordered a salad and CDH and MMH went out to get beverages.
We met down in the lobby when the food arrived, gathered, ate, talked, laughed, and watched the Celtics game, they are in the playoffs and everyone in the group, except for me are from Boston, so… Celtics fans! I’m not anti-Celtics, I have fond memories of Larry Bird!
When I finished eating, I wished everyone a good night so I could come and talk to you and everyone else stayed downstairs to watch the game, enjoy! Plan first…breakfast at 7a, KSU, Kick Stands Up, at 730a off to Baddeck in the AM! Mother Nature, please be kind tomorrow!
Good luck Celtics, I’m outta here!
Happy Birthday GES! I hope today was as fabulous and magical as you! Your big sister loves you so very much!
We woke up before the alarm, go figure. Maybe we were just a little excited, not looking forward to riding in the rain, but ready to get going! We were expected in Vermont about 12p, plenty of time!
Breakfast…the most important meal of the day, as you may have heard! A quick breakfast including the perfect waffle, and then we’re off!
We rode through NY State, mostly on the highway, so we could get to where we need to be, stopped at the Central Region New York rest stop. There are some really nice rest stops along the highways and this one was one of them. Not a lot of food options, but the restrooms have plenty of stalls and they are clean. Coolest part….where else can you purchase cookies and milk from a vending machine?! This rest stop you can! The rest stop itself is bright and very nicely decorated to really shine a light on the Central New York Region. And…can you see PSM standing in NY and Canada all at the same time? Bonus!
Next stop, Vermont. Well, we went a little ways and a stop here and there, but the next major stop was Vermont, well…a really nice rest stop in Vermont. This one felt like a barn and had lots of ‘Vermonty’ stuff! A display for local foods, only native to VT, beverages, crafts, artistry, and a ginormous wooden dog named Norman, isn’t he fabulous?! A much needed break, they didn’t have concessions, but there was a fundraiser happening, so we were able to get some snacks, for a donation, score!
Since we were in Vermont already, we were on track to get to the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT and meet KDN and KK. We got there in plenty of time, somewhere around 1230p, they should have gotten there about that time, they were coming in from Boston, about a 2 hour drive. We got there and we waited…and waited…and waited…we ordered some appetizers and drinks while we waited, I love a brewery that offers hot tea! Warmed me up!
The Harpoon Brewery is a nice place, very open and welcoming, lots of open space, oversized lawn games, fire pits, a place for a stage/music, all the good things you want in a brewery. The staff was very nice, our waitress was great, turns out that the brewery is employee owned, gives it a different feel and outlook.
They finally arrived and we caught up, ordered lunch, laughed, talked, teased, and had a great time, it’s as if no time had passed! The last time we were all together was last year on our trip out west to South Dakota, promise, I will tell you all about it…after this trip! We fell back into the good feelings and comradery that is always there when we get together. I’m so thankful they accepted me when I came along, it’s great to be with friends, especially ones who have something as fabulous as riding motorcycles in common.
After a while, we were fully, satiated, and happy, time to put on the rain gear, it’s coming…back on the bikes, stop for gas, then back on the road, it’s about a 3.5/4 hour ride to Lincoln, NH, where we were spending the night.
We had some rain, oh boy, but we made it to Lincoln after a few stops, I think I told you, we ride about 100 miles, stop, fill up the tanks, take bio breaks, and give our bodies a chance to rest for a moment. When we got into Lincoln, we went straight to one of their favorite places, CJs Sports Bar & Restaurant, a place they always go to when they get together. It’s a cozy place, you walk in through the hotel and go down the stairs, first thing you see is the Max Occupancy sign: 120 People or 20 Moose, NH is known for its moose, and you better move out of their way!
We sat, ate, reminisced, told stories, chatted, laughed, made fun, and started all over, picked up from where we left off in Vermont. We talked about the game plan for tomorrow, we knew that when we got to the house, there would be some hanging out, talking, and drinking, but we would not be much longer for the world of the awake persons.
We left CJs, someone picked up provisions, then we headed to the house. It’s a great place, I think I’ve told you about it before, PSM and his brother bought it together and it’s a place they have been going to for years, it’s where PSM took me on our third date, where I first rode with most of his friends, now our friends, friends and family stay there, I brought my sister’s family, we spent the month of November there two years ago, it’s a great place, less than a mile from Loon Mountain and about a mile from the town of Lincoln. I actually spent some time there myself when I was on the project in Boston, 2022.
We got to the house, changed out of our wet things into our jammies, threw some stuff in the dryer, and sat in the living room to talk, but…as I mentioned, that didn’t last long and we all headed to our respective sleeping spots, we have a long ride ahead of us in the AM. So…I will say to you…
So…last year, I haven’t had a chance to tell you about this trip yet, but PSM and I went on a 3-week motorcycle trip with some friends, and made new friends. We enjoyed the trip so much, we talked about the next year’s trip while we were on that trip. And here we are!
It’s almost a year later and we are in planning mode for our 10 day trip for this June. We would have loved to be able to take a 3-week trip again, but some folks don’t have the time this year to take 3-weeks, but there’s always a next time!
So…what are we doing this year? Well, let me tell you… and you know I will give you a day-by-day of what we’re doing, complete with photos! I tell you just about everything now, don’t I?! Ok, so…JD is our ride captain, he plans the routes and found the hotels, maybe one day he’ll let someone else help with that! ha ha.
My job, as cruise director, Julie McCoy, that was the nickname they gave me on our trip last year because I ended up in charge of figuring out where we were going to eat meals, dinners, at least, communicating these details, along with the meet time to head to dinner, and KSU, Kick-Stands-Up in the mornings. And don’t know I love it! I might need a name badge, or at least a t-shirt with that name on it!
So… we are starting in Middleborough, MA, well, some of us are, since we’re coming in from Lebanon, PA, if we don’t ride to Middleborough, we’ll meet everyone in Bar Harbor, ME, this is about a 6 hour ride and 360 miles. Our plan is to watch the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, you know that means an unseemly hour of the morning, I can’t wait, then ride to the ferry terminal in Bar Harbor to load our bikes and persons and sail 3.5 hours to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. When PSM and I were in Nova Scotia years ago, we found out it translates to New Scotland, when you look out over the landscape it looked like Scotland to those who named it, and after being there two years ago, I couldn’t agree more!
Our trip is along the Cabot Trail, so every stop is going to be a part of that, passports at the ready! When we land in Yarmouth, we are going to ride about 4 hours and 193 miles to Halifax, Nova Scotia [NS], I am so excited about seeing Halifax again, I loved it and wished we had had more time there! Then, day 3, yes we are only up to day 3, can you believe it?!…from Halifax, we ride to Baddeck, about 6 hours and 270 miles.
Days 4-5, we’re going to do day trips on the Cabot Trail, even staying at the Cabot Trail Motel. Day 6, we ride Baddeck to Tatamagouche, NS for the night where we get to stay in train cars! Cannot wait! Then Day 7, Tatamagouche to St John New Brunswick, about 5 hours and 200 miles. Day 8m we ride about 6.5 hours and 300 miles from St John New Brunswick to Freeport, ME, and we’re back in the US! The last day, sadly…day 9, we ride from Freeport, ME to Middleborough, MA, about 5 hours and 180 miles. Most likely, PSM and I will go from New Brunswick towards PA and then make our way home by June 16th.
I just sent out a spreasheet for us to keep track of everything and as I was filling it out/in, I was getting more excited! I cannot wait to share the trip with you, a daily recount, and as I promised, chock full of pictures!
But for now, dear friends, I am going to bid you a fare fondwell, wait, what?! no, that’s a fond farewell and bid you goodnight!
And…I have to tell you, I am so happy that I started sharing with you again, I have really enjoyed the past two months! O M G! It’s been two months and I’ve shared so much, being as consistent as I can, I know I’ve missed some days, but I’m not as worried about that as I used to be. But we’re talking again and that’s what matters!
Peaches Prattlings 