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.

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

                                                                    Summer Trip 2023

Downtown Mount Gilead Ohio on a sleepy Saturday morning.

        Today will be a ride that I’ve driven many times over the years. My wife and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary next summer, so I’ve been driving to and from Galion for over 40 years. Instead of taking interstate highways both ways I’ll reward myself with a ride through the countryside from Galion to Zanesville OH, as I did at the start of the trip. The route takes me through wonderful small towns like Mount Gilead and Mount Vernon, and then very nice roads from Mount Vernon to Zanesville through hilly, curvy eastern Ohio. A great way to start the day.

I rode through Mount Vernon as people were setting up for the usual 

Saturday Farmer’s Market in the town square.

        The temperature was 51 degrees as I left the Sleep Inn in Galion at 7:15 am. Very quickly through Galion I am out in the beautiful Ohio countryside with very little traffic. The air is fragrant on this cool, crisp morning. Into down town Mount Gilead, then around the obelisk in the center of town and eastward towards I 71 and OH 13. I 71 goes down to Columbus so I don’t want it. I continue east until I hit OH 13 and take that into Mount Vernon. Apparently there is a farmers market in the town square in Mount Vernon each Saturday. I stop to take a couple of pictures, the south out of town until I hit OH 586 toward Martinsburg and Fallsburg. The road goes up and down over hills, and has a number of sweeping curves that are wonderful to ride through. After 25 miles or so OH 586 runs into OH 146 that takes me into Zanesville.

The Farmers Market in Mount Vernon is quite a substantial enterprise. 

The park in the center of town is beautiful.

        I ride into Zanesville to the intersection with I 70, where I gas up before getting on the interstate. Since I don’t have a working fuel gauge I’ll do this the old fashioned way. I know I can go 150 miles on a tank ( often having 2 or 1 1/2 gallons left ) I’ll stop every 150 miles. This means one or two extra stops, but that is a small price to pay to avoid running out of gas. Once on I 70 it is around 75 miles to Wheeling WV, and then another 75 miles or so to New Stanton PA where I’ll get on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I stop in New Stantion to top off the tank, and the bike has gotten 41 mpg on that tank and I had 2 1/2 gallons left. A comfortable safety margin. 

Inside the Eat ‘n Park in Somerset PA.

        It is around 30 miles to the Somerset exit where there is an East ‘n Park restaurant where I usually stop for lunch. After that is a long ride on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Harrisburg PA. Just short of Harrisburg I reach 150 miles on the tank. I stop at a service area to gas up, and since the day has warmed up, to take off my long sleeve shirt and apply sun tan lotion. This will be my last gas stir until I get near home. It is around 30 miles to the exit on to PA 283 to Lancaster PA. This is another 30 mile ride, and then east out of Lancaster on PA 340 to PA 896. South on 896 to New London where I top off the tank. It is 7 miles to my home and when I pull into my driveway my wife is waiting with the garage door open. I pull the bike inside. 17 days, just under 6,000 miles; a trip of many  contrasts of cultural differences, architecture, agriculture, and geography. A great trip. The reward is a kiss from my wife, a cold beer, and then we go out to dinner. A perfect way to end a perfect trip.

In the garage, safe and sound, my wife holding a cold beer. What could be better? 

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

                                                               SUMMER TRIP 20223

Classic drive in movie treater in Huntington Indiana.

        Today I only had 200 miles to ride to my next destination. An easy day today. When I set out there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was chilly enough for me to wear my rain jacket, my “buff,” and to have the heated grips on medium. US 24 out of Logansport is a 4 lane highway. The only respite from “interstate” like roads today would be sections of US 224. Along this route traffic was light, but this would be the exception for the day. Only 200 miles, but a lot of it with traffic.

At the Ohio state line.

        My wife was “born and raised” in Galion Ohio. It always feels like a homecoming when I come to Ohio. At this point I have been on the road for 16 days, and I’ll be home tomorrow. I have ridden over 5,000 miles, and tomorrow will be 500 more. Heck of a trip.

Notice all of the trees in the background. You didn’t see that in 

Montana, Wyoming, or western Nebraska.

        I have no gas gauge but I will stop for gas every 150 miles for the rest of the trip. When I fill up today I had gotten 145 miles on 3.5 gallons of gas. That is 40 mpg, and I still had 2 1/2 gallons of gas left. That is a good safety margin. Lunch was at a Subway about 70 miles from Galion. A little over 1 hour to ride. I ended up in my motel room by 3 pm. Tomorrow 500 miles, 10 hours in the saddle. 

The rich, green, fertile farm land of Ohio.

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

Up and out this morning by 8:10 am. Rich, agricultural Illinois.

        This is another 300 mile day. Usually at an average of 50 mph results in 6 hours of riding. Interesting by 9:10 am I had ridden 63 miles, far above 50 mph. Once again the route I took ( US 34 to I 74 to I 474 to US 24 east ) often finds me riding with very little traffic. If I am near a big town, an industrial town, there will be some traffic. Once away from population centers the riding is wonderful, little traffic. 

Little traffic in the Illinois countryside.

        Something that becomes more and more apparent to me is the number of trees I see. There were trees in Montana and Wyoming, but they usually meant a town, or a house. Now, as I ride east in Illinois towards Indiana there are tree covered hills, forests on each side of the road. VERY different than Montana and Wyoming.

At the Indiana border. 

        The morning went well. Easy riding. After lunch things would change. I had been keeping an eye on the fuel gauge. I had gotten 43 mpg on a tank in Montana. Then the mileage went back to 36, 37 mpg. On the first tank today I got 39 mpg. After lunch, as I watched the fuel gauge I saw I was getting very good mileage again. THEN…as I was riding through Watseka IL I noticed the fuel gauge going down to zero. I then saw that the temperature gauge was at zero also. I’ve been through this before. I had blown a fuse. I pulled over to the side of the road in the shade to investigate. I took off the seat and the left side cover so that I could take off the fuse cover. The tail light fuse was blown. As I looked in the cover there was only 1 fuse in there and it was the wrong amp. Luckily there was an Autozone right up ahead. I  bought a pack of various fuses, replace the blown fuse with a new one….and it blew. Not good. I plugged in another fuse, turned the key and the fuse blew again. This is a problem.

More and more crops, and more and more trees. 

        OK.  I checked what was out. No fuel or temp gauge, no lights on the dashboard, not driving lights, no tail lights. BUT…I DID have headlight, brake lights, and turn signals. I could ride home like this as long as I didn’t ride at night, which I didn’t plan to do. OK on to Logansport IN. I lost an hour as I rode east, from the Central Time Zone into the Eastern Time Zone. I got to my motel by 5:30, checked in, went out and had dinner. I got back in time to watch the preason Eagles/Browns game. Tomorrow an east 200 mile day to Galion Ohio.

When I went out to the bike it looked like rain. I followed it all day but never got wet!

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

US 34 just over the line in Iowa. Lots more agriculture now than in north western Nebraska.

        Omaha is a pretty big city. LOTS of traffic lights, and, of course, people. Very different than Wyoming or Montana. Getting out of Omaha took some planning, but, after about 1/2 an hour I managed to cross over into Iowa. Once again my chosen route got me away from a lot of the traffic. 

Western Iowa is very hilly, but lots of crops..

        The riding today was very good. Although the roads are very straight, there are some elevation changes as  you go up and down over the hills. One of the things I really like about traveling like this is seeing the little towns along the way. An interesting aspect of this trip is how the architecture has changed. In South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming there were lots of apartment houses, and single houses that looked like pre-fab houses, obviously new. As I rode across Iowa there were many more houses than before riding across from Wyoming. When I was in Nebraska as I got closer to Omaha there were more and more houses. Now in Iowa this continued. 

Central Park in Corning IA. The bike IS in the picture!

        Since I only had 300 miles to do today I decided to take a break around 10 am. I approached the town of Corning and decided to ride in and find a city park. I did; Central Park. It had lots of benches, a pavilion and a fountain. A surprising aspect of this was that as I sat there reading I could hear oldies music, as if one of the houses was playing the music too loud. After reading for 1/2 an hour I decided to get back on the road. As I walked back to the bike I realized that light poles had speakers on them and that it was the town playing the music. How American. 

The Pavilion in Central Park, and a view of down town Corning IA.

        I had ridden around 100 miles by then and decided to ride 50 or so more get lunch and fill up. This brought me to the town of Osceola IA. After gassing up I asked the clerk in the convenience store if there was a family restaurant in town. She gave me directions to Nana Greers Family Restaurant. I enjoyed my lunch there, especially the desert.

Apple pie ala mode…with about a PINT of ice cream on the pie!

        I had about 3 hours of riding left. US 34 proved a very good road. I rode through the agricultural richness of Iowa, the land growing less hilly as I approached Burlington IA, my destination for the day. Arriving there I gassed up again having traveled 153 miles since lunch. By 4:45 I was at my motel. Tomorrow across Illinois, into Indiana to Logansport another 300 mile day. 

The monument in Corning dedicated to those who served to protect America.