Cape Breton Motorcycle Trip Sept 2023
FORWARD
First, some info on the origin and planning of this trip.
When I was a small boy, studying the geography of North America I was exposed to the unique characteristics of not only the US states, but also the Canadian Provinces. I remember being in middle school and completing a whole project on Labrador and Newfoundland (the two most remote provinces in the far north east of Canada). I also remember studying the "Maritimes," Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. I remember tucking this curiosity for these regions into my deep brain to be explored later as an adult. My small brain automatically wanted to see the contralateral version of the PNW region I was born and raised in. Was it a parallel experience, or an alien one? How did the Left Upper compare to the Right Upper region of the greater North American Continent. One thing I have done with resounding success in my life is carry the illuminating torch of curiosity that is born in childhood onwards into every phase of my adulthood.
THE PLAN
Philosophizing aside, I started to formulate this trip in concrete terms after my return from Morocco. So in the spring of 2023 I started doing research and writing lists.
Planning phase included picking the correct bike, the correct season, the correct gear, and the correct route.
The Bike needed to be robust, comfortable, with adequate suspension for rougher Canadian backroads, and capable of carrying luggage for 1-2 weeks on the road. A Triumph Tiger 800Xc was selected for this.
The Season would be as soon as reasonably possible, late summer 2023. September
The Gear, largely already squared by my current inventory.
The Route was compared with two friends who I knew had done the route previously, both had done a loop through cape Breton about 10 years ago. Both had taken 2 weeks. One solo, one with a passenger.
THE PLAN: ADDENDUM
Much to my surprise, my girlfriend Alyssa, said she would love to ride on the back of my bike up to Canada for thousands of miles for 1-2 weeks. I did my best to warn her how terrible the whole thing could be. But she insisted she was ready for anything, as long as I was there to keep her company.
The Tiger 800 still made good logical sense with this additional luggage/passenger requirement. So I sourced a used 2012 Tiger with high mileage and lots of wear from NYC. I cleaned it up, and started getting it ready for the many miles ahead. I took it on several weekend trips over the summer both on and off road in an attempt to lure out any hidden problems. I was successful, unfortunately.
In August, it started to have starting problems, after attempting to diagnose and repair the problem I took it to a shop. They said it would be a 3-4 weeks turn around to rebuild the stator. When I learned this prognosis my trip was in 2 weeks. I was leaving Sept 9, Saturday.
So in a mighty hurry, I searched the classifieds for a bike that would be reliable, comfortable, and utilitarian. I said "Adventure style bikes are out.", "This is now a sport touring trip."
I remembered riding my friend, Ted's, BMW F800GT many years ago and being thrilled at this smooth engine and brisk response, even with luggage. I found a 2008 BMW F800ST with moderately high miles, but was well looked after. It had all the touring luggage, side boxes and top box, had fresh oil change and the previous owner threw in a new drive belt.
I picked it up on Saturday, put tires on Monday, registered it on Tuesday, Put belt on Wednesday, Test road on the Thursday night weekly city ride , and then loaded it up and departed for 10 days on Saturday morning.
NOTES FROM THE ROAD
(transcribed from hand written notes taken on course with additional details added for completeness)
9/10/23
- This notebook was purchased in Portland ME after feeling inspired to journal by the Mark Twain Museum in Hartford Connecticut.
- Today is 9/10/23, So I will recap days 1&2 of travel before pushing forward.
- Firstly, Understand this trip was planned since the spring of this year, unfortunately the Tiger 800xc broke and is waiting on a stator. So I bought a BMW F800ST last Saturday to ride instead. Very last minute!
- Day 1 (9/9/23)
- We woke up pre dawn for a sunrise departure, We had a can of La Colombe coffee to wake up. On the highway at 0645.
- Expressway all the way from Philly to Northern NJ. Very Foggy, Soaking gloves and Constantly wiping off visor. Mild, 75F.
- 100 miles to Breakfast at Nyack. Just at the E side of the Cuomo Bridge over the Hudson.
- Ate Diner Breakfast, ok burrito, very good sausages.
- Bad news after breakfast, The bridge was closed E Bound. So we had to detour 50 miles north then back east through Taconic region.
- Gassed and water off the Taconic highway, then aimed for the Conn/Mass Border.
- After many miles, we needed a stop.
- As I was riding (I was) looking for a stop near Hartford Connecticut. I knew it was a bit hectic for traffic and wanted to just get through it.
- Saw a sign for the Mark Twain House/Museum and crossed all lanes of traffic to just make the exit on the left had side (of the freeway).
- A great detour! The Museum was full of many great writings and displays. All for free! Only the guided tour of the inside of the house cost money.
- spent a good 2 hours there.
- Hot, getting 85F or more (I saw 89F on the temp gauge when leaving).
- Blasted a bunch of highway to "Food & Books Traveler Restaurant." It was a fun roadside diner on the border of Mass/Conn Diner full of books with a cellar bookstore beneath.
- Spent 2 hours eating and reading books. Was nearly 6 when we left.
- Rain, spotty at first. But growing scarier into a full blown T storm as the sun set.
- Hard to see (at) dusk w/tinted visor and buckets of water.
- We both had full rain suits and managed to stay dry. No Leaks!
- The heavy rain on the highway in the dark spooked Alyssa good. (Spooked me too because of the tint).
- Arrived at hotel just northwest of Boston just after sundown and were in bed early.
- STATS: -343 Miles, Saddle time 6.5 hrs, 3 tanks of gas, 1 burrito, 1 pizza, 1 rhubarb crumble.
- Day 2 (9/10/23)
- Another early start. This time on the bike at 7a. Quick coffee and cookie in lobby of hotel first. Then on the road to Portland, 1.5 hours.
- Breakfast on the water in Portland, easy ride. Stopped at Maine Border for a photo or two.
- Yummy breakfast sandwich but a bit pricey. Very touristy, we left just as the tourists were flooding in at about 11a.
- Another hour up the highway to Augusta ->a nice surprise! The art Sturgeon fish were so cool.
- Grabbed a to go coffee from a diner and walked over the river to see the fort! "Old Fort Western" 1754.
- A British colony fort. Neat.
- Then back on the highway another hour or so (boring).
- Bangor ME for late lunch 2p
- Bangor is the most depressing city. many, many transients and unhoused people. Very few normal people on the streets in the center of old town.
- Stopped in a marvelously decorated "Bazaar" vintage shop. It was called the "Red Rabbit" and had many skulls & odd rabbit related art.
- Had some overpriced and very boring ramen across the street.
- The ramen egg was so sad and not delicious.
- No More Freeway!
- Rt 9 all the way to border
- Somewhat curvy, scared of deer. Very remote for 90 miles between Bangor and Calais.
- Stopped before crossing (border) at McDonalds to get oriented and get ready to lose US cell service.
- Alyssa also took some time to work on her schoolwork. shes crazy, and is taking an online neuroscience class w/PENN while traveling.
- Lovely border guard who gave us the warmest smile after checking us in.
- CANADA
- 3 miles into town and a cute little motel. Well restored and kept up. "Scootic Motel."
- Fun Fact: We are now in the ATLANTIC TIME ZONE. EST +1.
- VERY early start tomorrow.
- STATS: 336 miles, Saddle Time 6:55, 1 Breakfast sandwich, 1 miso Ramen, 1 double cheeseburger.
9/11/23
- Day 3
- Early Start. So early! Had to be at the dock for the St. John ferry at 7am.
- But, we were staying 100km away.
- So, up at 0445a, on the bike at 540.
- Navigation suggested a ride time of 1hr. However, it was pitch black predawn conditions with rain and some of the thickest fog Ive ever seen.
- My tinted visor was useless so I used my glasses I brought just for this purpose. Because of this, speed was limited to 50-60mph on freeway.
- Morning workers were still blasting by at 75mph into the abyss. Did not need any coffee, was wide awake.
- Luckily, since we got out 15min early, we just barely made the ferry line at 0705.
- Rain gear leaking just a tiny bit. Ferry from St John to Digby was fun.
- The Workers had Alyssa walk on separate from me because the ramp was quite slippery. I rode on no sweat and strapped the bike to the ship and then sloshed my way up to find my likewise suited up and wet partner.
- Eventually I found her by the canteen after wandering into the crew deck first.
- The canteen had a cheap and cheerful breakfast fare.
- It was nice to sit and relax for 2hr. No views. Just rain.
- Rain continued when disembarking.
- Digby looking very dreary when we arrived, map check then rode to the main event.
- The main event being whales of course!
- It was a drizzly 1hr ride down the spit to the Petit Passage.
- Thats where the whaling tour was. They had a full cafe and gift shop. cute small business. Had coffee, ice cream, and haddock fish sandwich.
- Alyssa bought me a cute red toque, we were 2 hours early to the tour after lunch. So we enjoyed our coffee respite.
- Weather cleared up during lunch. Sunny views across the passage.
- But by the time we loaded up the tour boat, the fog had rolled back in. The Crew was casual and kind.
- 45 min ride out to the very southern tip of the bay of Fundy to see the HUMPBACKS that like to stay there.
- Bay was absolute glass. We perched on the open top deck the entire ride.
- So peaceful with the fog and the breeze. Not too cold, but using hat and rain jacket to stay dry in the dense fog.
- We arrived at the whales to find the other tourist boats where there as well. One Zodiac with 15 people and another 40-50ft trawler type boat like ours.
- The Whales were fabulous. 4 Humpbacks all staying close together in neat formation.
- Led by their Elder, "Sockeye" a whale with an underbite and a white spot just behind his blow hole. He was ~50 years old. Once we drifted more with the engines off he came up to both the left and right side of the boat. Very unafraid, and breathing at the surface to show us his size and features.
- One small child on the boat kicked off his crock shoe and we had to whip the boat around to fish it from the ocean (funny).
- We spent 30-40 min with the whales, then departed for the point of origin. No rain, No sun, just fog.
- Alyssa was so happy. She worked to collect whale data in northern Iceland during college. Her love and knowledge of whales is deep.
- Nice weather ride back to town. Setup camp and then went to a fancy dinner at the classiest hilltop restaurant that was open on a Monday. $$$ But good dessert and had to have what are known as the scallops from the scallop capital of the world!
- Asleep in tent by 1030p
9/12/23
- Day 4
- Awoke to a dry tent. The best good morning when camping. Packed up camp while Alyssa got ready. Out of camp at a reasonable time, 0830.
- But feeling well rested. Gas then into the wilderness of the interiors of southern Nova Scotia on the way to Lunenburg.
- After 1 hr on the wet foggy roads stopped in a small village, Caledonia. Had coffee and fruit, and bought a few post cards. Saw a cool research station on the side fo the road, "Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute."
- Second 1 hour stretch slower due to construction on culverts.
- In city of Lunenburg before lunch. Walked a bit around this Unesco site.
- Very nice, excellent lunch, fish and chips at brewery(shipwright brewery). (sesame oil in mayo aoili was divine with fish)
- Then visited a lovely free museum of an old original colonial house. (Knaut-Rhuland House 1793)
- Weather clearing in afternoon. Backroad along coast to Mahone Bay for a nice view in the blue sky break.
- Even caught a bit of a sun burn.
- Back on freeway for 1 hour into Halifax. FAST PACE. Rugged and Beautiful
- At hotel (Lord Nelson Hotel) by intuition and guesswork on offline map. Got so close, right in front of the hotel! Impressed at my guesswork.
- We showered, rested, and then went out for dinner.
- Wonderful Turkish platter for dinner, then walking to local sites.
- In dark and fog we covered the citadel and the Queens landing/Marquee on the water.
- Alyssa saw the cow store and got cow items.
- Lovely lighting and architecture near maritime museum. So atmospheric. Too tired to stop at a Pub, in bed 1030.
9/13/23
- Day 5
- Woke up fairly early and went for a morning walk in the Victorian Gardens. Then got a coffee at a cute Vespa/TukTuk stand. Then walked to beautiful public library. Then went to a few vintage shops. Alyssa got some very nice purple leather gloves.
- We check out at noon, then grabbed sushi down the street before leaving the garage.
- We hit one more thrift store on the way out of town. Alyssa got some black jeans because her white jumpsuit was getting worn/dirty/stretched out.
- Then we just cruised up the highways to Cape Breton.
- ~3hrs with 3 stops. Rolled into camp just before sunset. (Whycocomagh Provincial Park)
- Crazy mosquitos! Hid in Tent. Listened to podcasts. Very cozy. (Literally could not leave tent, mosquitos ravenous and in multitudes, crawling all over the screen trying to get to our juicy blood inside the tent. Mosquito Prison)
- Day 6
- Woke up in tent before sunrise. Misting thick, soaking wet and mosquitos still bad. Rain gear. Didnt get on the road until 0830. Went to cozy cafe a few miles up the road in Beddeck. Then went to the most excellent Alexander Graham Bell museum from 0930 to 1145.
- Much Later start to the day than I wanted. But the museum was very good. Mad rain, just the soaking wet mists. All the way up the East Side of Cape Breton. Had matching chowder and milkshakes in Ingonish.
- The nice park ranger lady let us drive through without paying because the weather was so terrible. (She also warned us of coyotes spotted up on the pass over the island)
- When we finally crossed the top of the island, the western side was clear and beautiful and warm. we stopped at a DIY whale museum and learned they study 50-60 whales who live off the northeast cape of Cape Breton.
- The cliffs and coastal drive up and down between the whale museum and Cheticamp was incredible and gasp worthy.
- Rolled into Cheticamp for dinner at about 5p
- Learned a lot about how its the last francophone enclave in Canada. Pop 3k people. The pizza shop was a locals joint and everyone spoke french. It was very cool.
- I think it was Alyssa's first ever banana/coconut cream pie dessert :)
- Unfortunately, we didnt leave until 630p and it was already getting dark with rain starting again.
- We had 85km left to get back to camp on the cabot loop.
- Riding the last hour in increasing rain with dusk/night was very difficult and tiring.
- It was on an interior backroad on the island. High beams could barely cut through the rain and blackness.
- Then we had to do aerobics to dive into the tent and strip off rain gear simultaneously while it came down harder.
- Mixed day, but overall worth it.
- Interior of tent stayed dry.
- Actual Time back at camp was 8p. Asleep before 10p.
- Only 200 miles, but very tiring day from dealing with the rain gear and slippery roads.
9/15/23
- Day 7
- Woke up to more steady rain beating on the tent. It eventually slacked off at 0830 so we hustled to pack up everything while it was only misting.
- Low Spirits today.
- Alyssa was just generally damp and was not a fan of putting on pre-wet rain gear from the previous day(neither was I to be honest).
- But shes no wimp, We just sat in near silence(as opposed to chatting over the helmet walkie talkies) as we rode the 2 hrs back west out of the mega rainy Cape Breton region.
- After those tough two hours, we emerged to blue skies and Tim Hortons in New Glasgow for an 11am breakfast. Beautiful midday ride to Sackville for a late lunch.
- A small college town with a great cafe and decent thrift store. Got a vintage button.
- Back on the bike and made great time to our Airbnb in St Martins on The Bay of Fundy.
- The town is a scenic drive and the backroads were fun and dry. Only 3 restaurants in town. Luckily our airbnb served dinner as a restaurant as well as being a guest house.
- Had Poutine, went for a lovely walk on the beach to see the world famous tides(It was quite low).
- Room was clean and cozy.
- Mosquitos all over the beach
- Hurricane Lee will be here tomorrow.
- So I think the new plan is to skip Bar Harbor, thus missing the worst of the storm. Stay in Bangor instead. We just need to get a last minute hotel :(
- Today was highway cruising mostly, 322 miles (500km!)
- Saw 2x eagles, 1x fox.
9/16/23
- Day 8
- Woke up at 0630 am to the lights and fan flickering and shutting off.
- Our little beach village of St. Martin had just lost power from the Hurricane that was just making landfall.
- It was a bit windy, but not too bad. On the bike and out by 0830. Rain picking up.
- Stopped for gas at the next village over and their internet was down, so cash only. Used our last bit of Canada cash. The other 5 dollars I had used for tolls.
- We made it about 30km before the storm really got intense. Just a few miles past St. Johns we got hit with a huge gust of wind like driving along some water in a turn on the freeway. It pushed us over a whole lane and I could feel my control slipping away. Luckily we passed through this onslaught and I was able to regain full control.
- I immediately took the next exit and we sat under the awning of a closed business for boat prop repair.
- We sat for about 2 hours waiting for the winds to calm just a bit. We sat and listened to podcasts and I watched the radar.
- Eventually we suited up and went back out. it was still so stormy. The rain was hard and steady. But the wind was so scary. Mostly side and tail winds up to 70mph.
- At times the rain water was moving faster along the ground the same direction I was on the freeway. Very dangerous conditions, luckily there was very little standing water.
- Looking and feeling terrible, we stopped for a long recovery lunch at Tim Hortons in the border town of St. Stephens.
- The storm let up a tiny bit more and we left at about 3.
- Easy Border crossing, gas and then our plan b for the trip home. A motel 95 miles away in Bangor ME.
- We blasted (I mean blasted) 70mph all the way through the Maine wilderness highway and the storm. Felt more like a normal winter storm with a few scary gusts.
- No stops, just crushed the rain to get to a warm shower.
- Poor Alyssa got very damp b/c her scarf soaked up all the water.
- The motel is sketchy and cheesy, but its perfect for our needs. I walked a block away and got a Little Ceasars pepperoni and soda. Then we Watched Cable movies and ate pizza. A fun night in :)
- DONT RIDE IN HURRICANES
9/17/23
- Day 9
- Had a nice sunrise at the hotel. They also had yummy waffles to make. Cold and clear today.
- Gas up and leaving by 830.
- At 920, just about 35 miles into our 300 mile day, we get a puncture in the rear wheel.
- I pull over at an exit at a town luckily.
- Pittsfield, ME.
- My OEM BMW patch kit was old and the rubber cement was dry. So luckily we only had to walk a 1/4 mile to autozone. GOt a plug kit, plugged wheel and used co2 canisters to fill wheel a bit. Rode into town and realized I had a problem. The plug started leaking! Spent the next 2 hours patching and test riding the bike between air pumps in town. Plug seemed to hold after 4 attempts. So I bought a bicycle pump and we had Dunkin since it about noon.
- Went back to the highway and the plug lasted about 20 miles then popped right out. Pulled out to a weigh station, inserted another plug. Back on road.
- Rode slower, 55mph, with hazards. Plug made it about 40 miles. Had to pull over to service station on the Maine Turnpike. Tried to patch it one more time. Googled shops in Portland and sweated in the sun 80f.
- Limped into an auto parts store in Portland. Pulled out all the leaky plugs and put in 6 plugs all at once. A last ditch effort.
- A guy(Luke) with a motorcycle shirt walked up to us and asked if we needed help. I said, "ya, but what we really need is a new tire." He said he might have a way to do it.
- He called his friend moto friend (Nate) who had a shop just outside Portland. He had an old tire in the exact size!
- So he said to meet him there at 515p (It was 4p when we were outside the autoshop).
- So we rode to get a bbq sandwich then on to the shop. I brought all the right sockets so getting the wheel off was a snap. Tire off and on again in 40 min!
- Even Torqued it to factory spec. :)
- Luke and Nate were so nice. Mainers are so gosh darn helpful. My brain was so roasted from the day. I had to tell Nate in VT that we could not make it to see him as planned. SAD
- Alyssa found us a motel by the beach in Old Orchard Beach. Its just south of Portland.
- Sleepy little resort style strip. She is doing studying and a quiz on the laptop. I am falling asleep.
- 400 miles to home tomorrow. Yeesh
- Oh yeah, the Maine guy wouldnt take any money from me. So i bought a T shirt from him.
9/18/23
- Day 10 (Final Day)
- Woke up early, 6a. Because we knew it would be along and rainy day.
- Had Coffee and leftover Tim Bits in hotel. Then left Ocean Orchards.
- Rain, Heavy. As soon as we got on the freeway. Terrible conditions, very hard to see from all the mist from semi trucks.
- Really pushed hard for miles, went 3 hrs (heavy traffic around Boston) and stopped for gas and food at the Mass/Conn border(150 miles in). 45 minute stop.
- Next leg was even rainier!
- Southern Connecticut Parkway is nice because no semis allowed. But heavy rains still.
- Water pooling on road and saw across the median where a tree had fallen onto a Prius. Scary.
- Alyssa fell asleep. On the bike. Slumped up against my back, I could feel her heavy and limp. But I thought she was just relaxing and leaning on me. Crazy girl, she was like that for 10-15min. (She told me she had dozed off when she woke up and started speaking again on the helmet radio).
- Collision on parkway caused more delays. Pulled off to have a quick break and burger. No gas this stop. Still raining.
- Back on bike, Rode through NYC and past the Bronx (Alyssas home). Crossed the George Washington Bridge then expressway traffic jam getting around Newark area for another 10-20min stopped.
- Got off at Thomas Edison service station and had a red eye coffee and gas.
- One more traffic jam just north of Philly. But the rain finally stopped.
- Finally arrived at 6pm.
- 398 miles, 10 hours traveling, 7-8 hours of riding in rain, high stress day, would not do again, have to work tomorrow though.
- Grateful.
2500 (+/-15) Miles in total
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