PEI TRIP SUMMER 2024

 “…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

The Confederation Bridge connecting PEI to New Brunswick.

    The next two days will be primarily interstate or Trans Canada Highway. Today from North Rustico across the border back into the states, and then on to Bangor ME. The Spyder really excells at this type of riding. You just sit back, set the cruise control, enjoy the blue tooth radio and stop around 150 miles to gas up, and take a little break if needed.

This was another,  newer “board walk” in Cavendish.
Obviously Cavendish is a very active vacation spot.

    The trip from North Rustico to Bangor ME is around 360 miles. With any luck I should be in Bangor by 3 pm or so. A part of this equation is that I will regain the hour I lost on the way to Truro. The route will take me over the Confederation Bridge to New Brunswick and down to Moncton where I will pick up the route I took to  Truro back through St John to St Strephen where I will cross the border back into Calis ME, and then back to Bangor on Route 9. 

US customs in Calis ME crossing from St Stephen NB.

    I did arrive in Bangor at 3:30 and checked into my motel. Later find some dinner and then rest up for tomorrow. 

An overlook on Mount Desert Island

    The last day of the trip is around 600 miles, past Boston and New York, the down the entire length of New Jersey to Delaware. Leaving Bangor at 6:30 am traffic on I 95 is exceptionally light. In the first hour I fell in with three Gold Wings and rode with them past Augusta.

The sign is about the Bar Harbour Museum. 

    The fastest way south is to go right through Portland ME. Normally I avoid going through cities but it only to about 15 minutes to get through Portland. This route also saves quite a few miles. Stopping at 150 miles allows me to take short breaks, with a longer break at lunch. The big thing is to stay alert and focused.

    Once again I take the outer beltway around Boston, then west on I 90 to I 84 south right through Hartford CT. Continuing on I 84 to I 684 to Saw Mill River Parkway that brings me out right at the Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge. 

The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge over the Hudson River.

    After crossing the Governor Cuomo Bridge I continue west to the Garden State Parkway. From here it is 144 miles down the entire length of New Jersey to the Delaware Memorial Bridge, and from there a half an hour or so home. Traffic is always heavy so you have to keep up with traffic and pay close attention. This is not a fun ride but it needs to be done to get home. In the end I pulled into my driveway at 6:35 pm, just about exactly 12 hours after leaving Bangor. A great trip that took only 1 week but full of contrasts of cultures and how people live from Delaware to North Rustico PEI. In the neighborhood of 2,000 miles. The bike was great on the trip, and now looking forward to the next adventure!

Near Seal Harbour on Mount Desert Island.

PEI TRIP SUMMER 2024

 “…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

At the ferry from Caribou NS to Wood Islands PEI.

    I had a reservation for the 8:30 ferry, and they wanted you there 40 minutes prior to that. I had a 45 minute ride to Caribou, so I needed to leave by 7 am. To do this I got up at 5 so I could get cleaned up and packed to leave on time. 

Notice the red soil of PEI. There is plenty of that on the bottom of the Spyder!

    The trip to PEI was 71 minutes. I sat in the lounge and completed two entries in the blog. My goal was to explore the eastern half of PEI, and then on to where I was staying in the middle of the island. On arrival I set out to ride along the southern coast of PEI. The road doesn’t go right along the coast but through forest, farm land, as well as the coast. 

The restaurant in Montague where I had a very nice lunch.

   The weather was great as I rode through countryside. As it was approaching lunch time I decided to stop for lunch in Montague. After lunch I rode to the East Point light house. While sitting there a gentleman came over to the bike and really looked it over. It turns out he was from England and he, along with his wife and some friends were visiting. He owned and older model of the Spyder in England, although he lamented that he and his wife didn’t get to ride very much. We talked about bikes for a while and parted with his promise to get out to ride his Spyder more. 

The East Point Lighthouse.

    After seeing the East Point Lighthouse I decided it was time to head to North Rustico where I would spend the next two nights. The route would be along provincial route 16 to route 2, then on to route 6 which runs right to North Rustico. It was a fairly long ride, often scenic and much of the time through trees. I was staying at the North Rustico Motel, Cottages, and Inn. I arrived there around 4:30 to find the proprietor, Dwight Houston waiting for me in the office. Dwight proved to be very personable. He set me up with a very nice cottage. 

My wonderful little cottage in North Rustico.

    I went into town to have dinner at a local restaurant. After dinner back to the cottage to enjoy the deck on the front while having a cigar and some excellent Irish whiskey. Tomorrow on to the western side of the island, and the completion of my task to replace the Eugene’s General Store hat. Hopefully!

The inside of my very comfortable cabin. Very nice!

PEI TRIP SUMMER 2024

 “…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

Cape Bear lighthouse along the southern coast of PEI

     Today I will ride north to Calis ME, and then cross the border into Canada. The trip should be under 400 miles. I have made a “date” to meet my good friend Wendell Barnhill’s family for dinner at 5 pm at Murphy’s Fish and Chips in Truro Nova Scotia. Normally not a great challenge, but crossing an international border, possible traffic issues, and losing an hour of time ( moving from the Eastern Time Zone to the Atlantic Time Zone! ) put my arrival time somewhat in doubt.

Breakfast at Jordan’s for the second day in a row…not as large as yesterday…
but notice the blueberry muffin!

    In order to make my dinner date in Truro I got up at 5 am and the bike was packed by 6 am. This gave me to opportunity to go to Jordan’s for the second day in a row. Great breakfast! The fastest route to the border is route 9 from Bangor to Calis. This route is pretty direct, and I will be using it on my return trip. It is much more fun to take coastal route 1 from Ellsworth to Calis. This is longer but I figured I could still get to Truro on time.

A picture of the red cliffs along the southern PEI coast.

     I had a wonderful ride up route 1to Calis. At times the pine smell is quite strong as you ride through many areas of just trees. You also ride through many small Maine fishing villages. Very scenic. I arrived in Calis and pulled into the lot where the duty free store is. Right next store is a convenience store and gas station. I gassed up, and then pulled the bike up to the duty free store. HOWEVER it didn’t open until 10 am. I sat there for thirty minutes waiting for it to open. As the clock was approaching 10 a gentle man walked by and told me the store often opened late, or didn’t open at all! There was a second store about 3 miles away near another border crossing. I went there and purchased by cigars and whiskey. The gentleman running the store told me that the person who worked in the other store had called in sick and the store wouldn’t be opening at all that day! Boy am I glad I didn’t wait around! 

A view out over the ocean along the coast of PEI.

    One of the features on the Spyder is that you can go into settings and change from Imperial (miles, mph) to metric. I have ridden in Canada for years on motorcycles where you had to squint to see the speed in mph. The Trans Canada Highway has a speed limit of 110 kph. I set the cruise at 115 kph, and during my time in Canada I universally set the cruise 5 kph over the limit. I wasn’t the fastest vehicle on the highway, but I don’t think I’m going to have any uncomfortable conversations with the RCMP. 

PEI is an island so it has a lot of coastline, but it is very
agricultural with potatoes being the main crop.

    The route I take to Nova Scotia across New Brunswick runs from the town of St Stephens, just over the border from Calis ME, to St John, then to Sussex NB and on to Moncton NB, then on in to Nova Scotia to Truro. Generally not really scenic with many kilometers through forest. There is little traffic, except through St John. Still it is a long distance from St Stephen to Truro.

Where you can catch a ferry to Iles-de-la-Madeleine.

    I was hoping to get to Truro by 3 pm so I could check into my room and change clothes for dinner. With the loss of an hour I arrived at the motel by 4:15, which gave me time to drop my bags in my room, and then leave for dinner. I got to Murphy’s Fish and Chips by 4:50! I was very proud of myself for being 10 minutes early!

Wendell’s family blowing out the candles on his “birthday” pie.

    When I planned this trip it just happened that I would be in Truro on that particular day. My very good friend Wendell Barnhill lived in a little town near Truro called Debert NS. He passed away a number of  years ago but my wife and I have maintained friendships with Wendell’s children. This Tuesday would have been Wendell’s birthday. After an excellent dinner of fish and chips the woman who runs the restaurant gave us a “birthday” pie in Wendell’s honor. If you were to go into the Murphy’s Fish and Chips in Truro you would probably notice a number of examples of stained glass. This was a hoby of Wendell’s and he gave a number of pieces to the store. He was a very special person.

Valerie Barnhill Boudreau and I after dinner saying our good byes.

    After dinner and saying my good byes to the Barnhills ( and Boudreau’s! ) I rode back to my motel. Tomorrow on to PEI by ferry. Can’t wait!

Wendell on June 28 2015 outside his home in Debert NS.    

 “…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

Absolutely tremendous blueberry pancakes, prepared by Mr. Jordan himself!

     THE favorite place to get breakfast in Bar Harbour in Jordan’s Restaurant. They open at 5 am, and have the best blueberry pancakes I have ever tasted. This, along with two excellent sausage patties, formed a great breakfast.

Lots of interesting places to visit!

     Today would be about visiting Acadia National Park, and generally exploring Mount Desert Island. The park itself offers many places to stop, take pictures, and enjoy the beautiful views along the coast. Perhaps the most dominant feature is Cadillac Mountain. From there you can watch the sun rise inch by inch early in the morning, or watch it set at dusk. A wonderful place I have enjoyed many times over the years. Now if you want to go up to the summit you need to make a reservation. I arrived at the entrance to Cadillac Mountain around 8:30 this Monday morning to find several cars in line waiting to be let past the ranger stations. How busy can it be on a Monday at 8:30 am? Apparently, 24 hours a day, you need a reservation. 

Sunset on Cadillac Mountain. This picture was taken several years ago and
there were clouds on the horizon, but you get the effect.

     I spent the day riding around the park, and then through several of the small communities on the island. I stopped numerous times to take pictures…of course with the bike in the foreground. I found a particularly nice spot and decided to get out my chair, enjoy the view, and have a cigar and read for a while. Once again the uniqueness of the Spyder led several people to stop and talk for a while. The gentleman in one couple shared that many years ago he had ridden motorcycles, and that he was the same age as I. We talked for 20 minutes or more. The people you meet on the trip make it special.

WONDERFUL place to sit and enjoy the view.

     By mid afternoon I returned to my room to rest for awhile, probably recovering from the previous day’s ride? Around 6 pm I headed out to a restaurant I knew for dinner. I have eaten here several times over the years, stretching back 30 years or more. The dinner was delicious, the view of the water great. After dinner headed back to the room to watch some tv and think about the ride tomorrow.

Dinner at the Chart Room.

 …its about the journey, not the destination…

The Spyder loaded and ready to go.

     This summer I decided to replace the hat that I bought at Eugene’s General Store in Tignish Prince Edward Island. Any excuse to go for a ride, right? From my house I can make a one week trip to Prince Edward Island with two nights in Bar Harbour Maine, and two nights on Prince Edward Island. Additionally I would stop to visit friends in Truro Nova Scotia for a night, and on the ride back I would spend one night in Bangor Maine, simply as part of the route back to Delaware. 

Oner of the wonderful views on Mount Desert Island

     When you go on a motorcycle trip you pay close attention to the weather. Generally the weather looked okay for the trip, but there are no absolutes. An advantage to the Spyder is that with three wheels I feel it is safer to ride in the rain. This would get tested on the first day of the trip.

One of the many lakes on Mount Desert Island.

     My plan was to get up at 6 am and leave by 8 am. In fact I was on the road by 7:40 am. The plan was to get on I 95 in Delaware, cross the Delaware Memorial Bridge and then get on the New Jersey Turnpike. Take this to where it meets the Garden State Parkway. Up the Garden State Parkway to where it ends at the New York Thruway, I 87. Then I 87 to the Mario Cuomo bridge, on to the Saw Mill Parkway, I 684 to I 84 through Hartford CT to the Mass Pike to the beltway around Boston to l 95 then up into New Hampshire to the Maine Turnpike up to Bangor ME, and then out Alt US 1 to Ellsworth ME, and on out to Bar Harbour. In all around 620 miles. A long day in the saddle. 

The paint job on the Spyder,  which was on the bike when I bought it,
 brought universally positive comments.

     As I crossed over the Delaware Memorial Bridge it was cloudy up ahead. Traffic was moving right along at  70 mph, with some driving much faster. About mid way up New Jersey I hit some light  rain. This would continue almost all the way to Boston. This was the first time I had ridden the Spyder in rain like this, and found the protection excellent. I believe my lower legs and feet much better protected on the Spyder than on the Gold Wing. This, along with the stability of having three wheels, made riding in the rain no big deal.

The Spyder’s unique profile make to really stick out in traffic.

     Traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike to I 495 around Boston is always heavy. The Spyder is powerful enough to be able to sprint ahead to traffic, and its look and size make it very noticeable. I had an EZ Pass on Velcro on the dashboard so going through tolls wasn’t a hassle. From Massachusetts into New Hampshire went without a hitch, and the short time in New Hampshire went quickly. 

Just outside of Bar Harbour is a place where you can pull over and enjoy the view.

     When you finally cross over into Maine you still have two and a half  hours to Bangor, then just over an hour to Bar Harbour. By this time it was approaching 6 pm. As I passed through Ellsworth ME I decided to get dinner. From Ellsworth to Bar Harbour is another half an hour or so. I arrived at the Anchorage Motel around 7:45 pm. Around a 12 hour day, but I had a place to sleep right in the middle of Bar Harbour. Time to settle in and enjoy the rest of the night.