Tim And Micah To The "end Of The World"

[vfar]

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Thursday May 28

Alright, starting on Sunday at about 1pm my dad and I are embarking on our next big ride. 10 years ago he and I road from Conneaut, Ohio to California and back. I road an '81 Yamaha Virago 920 and he road a 1995 Kawasaki GPZ 1100. Before we left I had my motorcycle endorsement for all of 10 days and had never ridden on a highway. 16 days and 6,500 miles later I had been baptized by fire and was in love with riding.

Since that time he and I have done several small trips but haven't done anything like the Cali trip. Until now. We're using the 10 year anniversary as a great excuse to get out and stretch our legs again. So, on Sunday we are heading out for Nova Scotia. This time I'm on a glorious yellow 2000 VFR...he will be on his trusty GPZ 1100. We're estimating somewhere around 3,500 miles and will take 11 days for the trip.

All I know is, I'm a pretty darn lucky guy to have a dad I can travel with and share these kinds of great experiences...oh yeah, and a REALLY lucky husband that has a wife that understands the need to get out and feel the breeze on two wheels in various exotic locations.

So, in a couple of weeks, God willing, I'll have a ton of photos to share, notes to write, and reports to, well, report.

Here's to keepin' the shiny side up!

Micah

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Ok, first things first...the farkle and luggage

2000 Yellow VFR

Throttlemeister

Givi Monokey Cases

Marsee Mr. Pockets 20L tankbag

Chase Harper tail pack

30L Dry Bag

RAM Mount for digital camera, GPS, and iPhone

Secondly, being the art nerd that I am, I designed some t-shirts for our adventure. 10 years ago I drew up a simple design and had t-shirts made for us. We've both been wearing them since then. Since that time I've learned how to design and print shirts and was excited for the opportunity to make these. Here they are...

tshirts

There were a couple of other variations...in all we each ended up with 6 shirts...4 short sleeve and 2 long sleeve.

Day 1: Commencement

Sunday May 31

Akron,OH to Vestal, NY

410 miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source....570801&z=9

Today started with commencement for the high school I teach art at in Akron. My plan was to attend commencement and sit patiently while waiting to embark on a grand motorcycle adventure. The ceremony started at 10:30am and usually lasts 2 hours. I needed to meet my dad in Edinboro, Pa at about 4pm. It's around 2.5 hours from my place.

Well, at 1pm I was still sitting at the ceremony thinking, "COME ON MAN! GRADUATE ALREADY!" Finally at 1:30 the ceremony was over and I was free to go. Stayed around for a few minutes to congratulate a few kids and shot out of there.

The bike was already packed up and ready to go, I just needed to put on my gear and hit the road.

Got suited up, got the bike out, the day was beautiful, about 60 and cloudless.

I had a pretty hard time saying goodbye to my wife. The whole time leading up to the ride all I could think about was THE RIDE. But, when it came down to it I realized I was really going to miss sharing it all with Kim. Instead, she has had to suffer my endless photographs and stories. She is a patient and loving woman. :laugh:

Met up with my dad at about 5pm in Edinboro and got a good send off from my mom...including homemade cookies. Fab!

meet up with dad in Edinboro

Side note: By the time I got to Edinboro the temp had dropped to about 50 and I was feeling pretty cold. I didn't bring my liner for my JR jacket...instead I brought a Marmot windbreaker. This turned out to be a great move. The Marmot is water resistant for a little extra rain protection, warmer than my liner but still comfy on warm days, can be worn on its own when walking around town, and packs down WAY smaller than the JR liner. My dad has the same set up...ended up being both of our favorite pieces of gear.

Our goal was to make it to Binghamton, NY for the night. Nothing too exciting in Binghamton, just a way to trim off some miles before the real trip began. We took rt.86 across New York instead of taking rt90. Good move. 86 is nicely maintained, traffic was very quiet, and the scenery was nice. Road through heavily wooded areas and some mountains.

Along the way we needed to get some food. Somewhere around Belmont, NY we stopped at the lovely Iron Skillet for a quick bite of home cooked glory. I had the hot meatloaf plate followed by a slice of banana cream pie. Yums! My dad had a pot roast sandwich and a piece of lemon meringue pie. Morale booster!

Got to the Skylark Motel in Vestal, NY (just outside of Binghamton) at about 11pm. We were both pretty whipped and just looking for a place to lay down. Rang the bell at the front desk and a half-asleep old man came to the desk. Got the room secured, keys in hand, and he asks, "Do you want heat?" Well, I think we do, it's like 45 degrees out there. "Ok, let me get some for you..." A minute later he comes back with an ancient space heater in hand! Gives it to us and off we go.

skylark motel...bedbugs

Day 2: A Strange Encounter

Monday June 1

Vestal, NY to Burlington, VT

300 Miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source...1.2854&z=10

Started the day with a little breakfast at the Skylark Diner (why not support the whole enterprise). Great food. We both had a hashbrown and ham & egg & cheese sandwich on an english muffin. Quite good, and low fat!

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We took some time to consult the map to see the best way to get to Burlington from Vestal. Our hope was to take 87 north through the Adirondacks and then find a way over to Burlington from there.

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We had a great ride through the Adirondack mountains...so beautiful this time of year. Not too many drivers, very few RVs and semi's. I spotted a 6th gen VFR somewhere around Lake George...anyone? We took the Essex-Charlotte ferry from Essex, NY to Charlotte, VT. Great experience. It was $6 a motorcycle and we boarded a little ferry that crossed Lake Champlain. No straps or tie-downs. You just sit on the bike to steady it. The ride was very smooth and the lake was calm.

The roads leading to Essex were nice twisty backroads. All along the way were beautiful farms and old homes. Essex seemed like a really cool little town. I plan on going back at some point to spend a couple of lazy summer days there.

Some pics from the ride. Some of these are with my camera mounted on the handlebar stem. I really like the positioning for shooting photos and video...but realized too late that I have a blemish on my windscreen that is in pretty much every shot. Bummer!

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If you look closely in my sheild you can see my dad riding up ahead.

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The whole day it looked like it was going to rain, but we never got wet. The only sprinkles happened on the ferry and they were pretty minimal. We were pretty much dry by the time we got to Burlington.

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While on the ferry you have about 30 minutes to sit back and watch the scenery. Absolutely beautiful.

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Just about the time we were boarding the ferry an older gentleman approached us and said "Ohio, wow, that's funny." This is something that happens all the time when you tour on a motorcycle...and both my dad and I really love it. Chance encounters with people that never seem to happen when you are safely packaged in the confines of a "cage". So, my dad says to him, "Yeah, we're on our way to Nova Scotia." Guy replies, "I lived in Conneaut for a while, know where that is?" Both my dad and I were shocked. My mom and dad live in Conneaut and I grew up there. It's a town of around 10,000 people and not too many people have heard of it. Come to find out through a little more conversation, not only did this guy live in Conneaut, but was a classmate of my grandfather and is best friends with my cousin's grandad. He goes back to Conneaut once a year to see him. So strange...

Here he is talking to my dad...

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We arrived in Burlington, VT and made our way to a community campground on the shores of Lake Champlain. The ladies in the front office were hilarious. Absolutely classic campground material. Two old guys made their way around the campground on an old cushman making sure all 5 campers were safe and secure...and following the rules. Our neighbor practiced his fiddle and we got our tents set up. Classic. Hard to complain.

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Learned the important lesson of having a gps AND a good map today. The gps took us all over the place when we were on our way to the campsite. After we set up camp we asked the ladies at the front desk how to get back to town. They must have thought we were crazy. "Just go to the end of the drive and turn right. In about a mile you'll run smack into town." Oh. The gps had us do a route that looked like one of Billy's circuitous routes in a Family Circle comic.

Burlington is a really cool town...feels very European. Lots of pedestrian traffic, cool stores and outfitters, lots of college-aged people mingling. We grabbed a bite to eat at Greg's Pub. Nice little place where we could eat outside. We had a tasty fresh mozzarella salad with olives and tomatoes followed by an eggplant and meatball pizza. All washed down with a locally brewed sparkling crisp blueberry wheat beer. Again, hard to complain.

Ended the night with some journaling by firelight.

nightlight

[PhatPat33]

Great so far! Looking forward to the rest of the report!

[vfar]

Day 3: Spaceman

Tuesday June 2

Burlington, VT to Veazie, ME

300 miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source....570801&z=9

Last night at about 10:30 we decided to rethink our route across Maine to Bar Harbor. Initially I routed us on 302 down to rt1. We'd then follow the coast from Portland to Bar Harbor. Some of the VFRD inmates warned that the drive up rt1 from Portland to Bar Harbor was a day long ride itself and that it might end up being a little slow going. I remember from last summer, when my wife and I (both totally ill from food poisoning) drove that route and it was a bit slow.

So, we decided to take 89 to Montpelier and then catch 2 across VT and NH and ME. 2 would take us right to Bangor...and...wait a minute...I've got friends that live in Veazie, which is like 15 minutes from Bangor! We could totally flop at their place! AND, they're awesome people that I've been dying to find a way to hang out with again. AND, they've got a 3 year old son Dominic that is the cutest thing! YES!

So, at 10:45 I dialed Greg and Andy to see if we could stop by their place the next day. Quick note, I've only met Greg once and Andy twice. Andy is my wife's good friend from college and last summer was the first time either of us had really met Greg and spent time with him. We all hit it off right away, but I was still a bit nervous just calling them up and asking if we could stay the night.

Greg picks up, I tell him what's happening, and he says, "Holy cow! I literally was just thinking yesterday, man, I wonder if Micah and his dad are on their trip yet." Sure are, and we want to stay at your place. He says he wouldn't have it any other way and that they're looking forward to having us.

So, here we are, it's Tuesday morning, rained a bit last night but is dry this morning. Dad and I walk down to Lake Champlain to feel the water. Yup, wet and cold. We pack up and hit the road. We decide to stop in Waterbury to get some breakfast. Right off the exit we find a cute little place called Maxi's. Let me just take this opportunity to say, STOP AT MAXI'S AND HAVE THE PANCAKES IF YOU ARE EVER WITHIN 100 MILES OF WATERBURY. Holy cow. The pancakes were amazing. Linda, our waitress was great, too. She had some good insights as to what roads to take and avoid and was excited for us. Good stuff.

Back on the road, we jumped on rt2 and instantly realized we'd made the right choice. Twisty roads with lots of S curves and sweepers. There was almost no one on the road, so we could carve corners and moderate our own speed. Through VT and NH we rode through the White Mountains and Mount Washington. Breathtaking.

This thought over and over:

When you drive you look at the scenery.

When you ride you are IN the scenery.

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A lot of NH was like this...small resorts built around Mt Washington and the White Mountains. Many of the resorts were in disrepair, but most of them had been meticulously maintained. It felt like you were stepping back into the 1930s. If you've read any of Bill Bryson's books you understand his writing better when you're in this part of the country.

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mt washington pano

Rt2 across Maine was pretty nice, too, but lacked some of the punch of VT and NH. I think it had to do with the fact that the whole time we were riding through VT and NH I was thinking "Who lives here? And, how do I get my behind here?!". When we entered Maine the scenery became more familiar almost immediately.

After a long day of riding we pulled into Andy and Greg's driveway. Andy came flying out the door, arms extended. Greg was right behind and so was Dominic...complete with dragon wings. It felt so good to be welcomed like that. They made us feel right at home.

We spent the rest of the night sharing stories and playing with Dominic. He LOVED our helmets and quickly developed a new identity, "Spaceman".

spaceman!

At one point he came over to me with two beers in his little hands. "Oh, thank you Dominic!" Come to find out, Andy witnessed him going to the fridge, searching around, and finding the beers. She asked him what he was doing and he said, "Getting KimMicah and Kim (that's what he calls me and my dad) beer." What a kid!

He even let us play with his toys!

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Andy and Greg made grill-cooked burgers, salad, and some insanely good rhubarb cobbler. Oh my. Still thinking about it.

Great day with great friends. Thank you Greg, Andy and Dominic!

Day 4

Wednesday June 3

Veazie, ME to Bar Harbor, ME

90 Miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source...e=UTF8&z=10

Easy day of riding today. We got up pretty early, but weren't in a rush to leave. Had some breakfast and coffee and packed up the bikes. Headed out around 9am. Our thought was that we'd get to Bar Harbor, find a campsite at Blackwoods Campground in Acadia National Park, and then walk around Bar Harbor for a bit. We had the whole day to just relax and soak up the cool vibe of Bar Harbor.

Found a great campsite at Blackwoods. Again, no one was at the campground, we had it all to ourselves. Campsites were $20 and all the free firewood we could use! Sites were really spacious and the whole area was heavily wooded. I think even if the campground was at capacity it would still feel private. Great place.

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On the way back to Bar Harbor we took the scenic loop, which led us right to Cadillac Mountain. So, we made our way up the serpentine road to the summit of Cadillac. What a view!

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On the way down Cadillac my dad said, "Hey, let's pull over and film each other coming down the mountain!" Great idea!

Now, let me premise this by saying I'm not going to make any of you knee draggers proud. I'm pretty straight up the whole time. But, I think I would have approached it a little more aggressively after riding on the Cabot Trail...alright, maybe not. Don't judge me!

VFRD Video -> Full View • Download • Upload

Made our way back to Bar Harbor to get some lunch and chill. Found some lobster rolls with chowder at the Thirsty Whale. Washed it down with a blueberry ale made locally by Atlantic Brewing Company. Tasty!

After lunch we walked over to the "bar" of Bar Harbor. It is a HUGE sandbar, probably 100 yards across and 300 yards long. It connects Mount Desert Island with Bar Island. Later, when the tide started coming back in, not only did the sandbar disappear but the water level rose at least 12 feet! It was really pretty great to watch.

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Found some dinner at McKays...we both had beef roast over mashed potatoes. Goodness!

Made our way back to camp and spent some time talking with our neighbor (the proud owner of a turbo diesel VW Westy) and sitting by the fire.

Got a ferry to catch in the morning...

[vfrcapn]

Very cool getting out with dad & him onthe same bike. Looking forward to the rest of the story.

:fing02:

[vfar]

Very cool getting out with dad & him onthe same bike. Looking forward to the rest of the story.

:fing02:

Thanks man, it was a blast and we're already trying to figure out how to get out on the road again.

Great times and great memories.

[checksix]

Great story. Thanks for sharing it with us!

[timmythecop]

supercool to be on the road with your pop. What are those bags on his bike. Dont tell me they are Kawasaki items because I never knew they were offered. (Even if they are not factory, they sure look like it).

please continue to have fun.

[vfar]

Day 5: Sent by Walter

Thursday June 4

Bar Harbor, ME to Indian Harbor, NS

265 miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source....570801&z=9

Both dad and I were concerned that we'd miss our ferry. The first 1/3 of the trip was all planned around getting to Bar Harbor in plenty of time to board the CAT at 7am on Thursday. Well, we made it to Bar Harbor, it's Thursday, and we both got up at about 5am. Anxiety is the worlds best alarm clock.

Broke camp pretty quickly and made our way towards downtown in hopes of getting a Jordan's blueberry muffin and some coffee before getting on the big boat.

Success!

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Boarded the CAT at 7am and met some other motorcyclists. Always fun to be able to sit and compare notes, stories, and destinations with other riders. A couple from New Jersey told us we have to ride the Miramichi Bay route along the northeast coast of New Brunswick. For several days we really tried to figure out a way to do it on this trip. But, reality hit hard when we realized that somehow we HAD to be home Wednesday the 10th...and doing that route would add several hundred miles. As our friend Doug says, "You can't kiss all the girls." So, we'll get that girl next time.

The CAT is pretty plush. Tons of comfy chairs to sit in, a game room, movies on big screen tvs, food available, and a rear passenger deck to watch the world pass by. Strapping the bikes was easy...they provide tie-downs and there are hooks welded into the floor. The boat was really smooth and our bikes didn't budge one bit. The CAT is powered by 4-5,200 horsepowered diesel engines. The rooster tail looks like this...

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We arrived at Yarmouth at about 12:15pm...there is a 1 hour time change. We decided to ride rt3 for a while along the coast line. What's cool about Nova Scotia is that all of the highways (most of which are pretty small undivided 2 lanes) are accompanied by access roads that are much more scenic and twisty. If you were to ride the access roads exclusively it would take a long time to get anywhere. But, most of the time you can ride the highway and jump onto the access road once in a while. We did this pretty much our whole time on the island. Worked out great. And, this ended up being a theme on the trip, we were there at the perfect time. There was pretty much no one around because it was still a week or two before the season. So, the roads were wide open for us to ride at our own pace and to feel like we had the place to ourselves.

Some of the sights...

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We had a hard time finding something to eat for lunch. What a GREAT problem! The area was so untouristy. We rode around for several hours without seeing a plaza, a billboard, a WalMart, a stripmall, or anything else commercial for that matter. From time to time we'd see people sitting in the front yard and they would wave as we passed by. There was so little visual pollution that I really felt I had been transported to a different time, let alone a different place.

Eventually we came upon a place called Thomas Restaurant. Nice place...good simple food. I asked the waitress if she knew anything about Indian Harbor. We had seen that there was a campground there but didn't know much about it. She didn't know so she asked her mom. Her mom was talking to another patron, who overheard our conversation, and said, "Indian Harbor? My brother has some cottages there. You should look him up. Tell him Walter sent you and that he should give you a good deal." Now, Nova Scotia is pretty small, so it's not a huge surprise to end up talking to someone related to a person that lives in an area you are headed. But, Walter lives in Ontario and happens to be in NS for a quick vacation. So, weird.

After lunch we headed towards Indian Harbor. Rt103 was great...nicely paved and wide open. We jumped off onto rt3 about 15 miles outside of Indian Harbor. The next 15 miles of road were a motorcyclists dream. Elevation changes, tight twisties, all coupled with incredible vistas of fishing villages, bays and inlets and dramatic clouds. The temperature was in the mid 70's all day and dry.

We entered Indian Harbor and just over a hill and around a turn we saw Lovers Lane cottages. Up the drive and park the bikes. We see a lady walking towards us across the lawn. "Walter sent us! He told us all about your cottages and said we should come check them out." "Oh. Walter? My husband has a brother Walter. That Walter?" "Yup, we met him at lunch and he sent us this way. Can we see a cottage?" "Wow, how strange. Sure!"

So, that night we "roughed it" by sleeping in comfy beds after fixing a huge dinner of haddock, scallops, and pasta, watching the sun set and listening to the water break on the rocks just below our deck.

Life indeed is good.

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sunset at indian harbor

Day 6: To the End of the World!!!

Friday June 5

Indian Harbor, NS to Meat Cove, Cape Breton NS

360 miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source....570801&z=9

Rode from the amazing cottage at Indian Harbor this morning toward Meat Cove...hard to leave. But, there is a lot of great stuff ahead of us. Continued on incredible roads past Peggy's Cove and up the coast of NS.

In Halifax we caught the 102 to the 104 and headed northeast. Weather was perfect... a little warm at 78 but dry and clear. Let me tell you, words like "warm", "dry", and "clear" were not what either of us had prepared for. In fact, all of my research leading up to the trip showed that we should expect somewhere between 55/44 degrees and rain every day. I'm happy to say the temperature stayed up in the high 60's/low 70's most of the time and DRY. Not one day of rain while we were in Nova Scotia.

Met some riders at Canso Causeway. Very nice people. They gave us some good words of advice and best wishes. Warned us about the people of Meat Cove. First I'd heard anything like that. It ended up being a theme today. The closer we got to Meat Cove the more exaggerated people became in their warnings.

Along the way I learned about the quality of goods made by the local peoples...

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And was just in love with the sites...

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We caught the Cabot Trail and headed north going counter clockwise (thanks to everyone else that has done this ride before! Counter clockwise is the right way to go). At first the trail was really heaved and tough to navigate. Both of us almost bit it on the first couple of turns. Went in too aggressively and then freaked when the road was a mess in and out of the turn. But we got our bearings pretty quickly and got into it. The road cleared up shortly after Baddeck. Scenery was still a bit bland...heavily wooded and not much to see. But then we got to Big Smokey! and wow did things improve.

Road was perfect and the scenery was out of this world. Twisting roads with changes in elevation and angle and again coastline scenes that were like nothing I'd ever seen. Hard to look through the turns when you've got a masterpiece just to your right. I can tell my riding ability is improving - out of necessity - and that I'm trusting the bike more and more. The viffer has been bulletproof and just wants to give more and more all the time. The roads are so fun. Both of us have said so many times that there is no doubt that these roads were made for sport touring. I can't imagine being stuck on a cruiser on these twisties.

Turned off to head towards Meat Cove. Just as I had read, you have to take a 6 mile dirt road to the campground. What I didn't realize was that there are some pretty extreme hills along the way. As Holi on Red Dwarf says, "It's brown trowser time". Nothing like riding on dirt roads littered with good-sized rocks on a VFR fully loaded with gear...at the end of a very intense day of riding.

When we pulled into the campground I got distracted and went up an unnecessary hill. While turning around in heavy dirt and rocks I got myself into an awkward position and lost it. The bike was so heavy and my right foot just couldn't hold a grip. Bike went down in a blink. I rolled about 10 feet down the hill. When I got up the bike was basically tipped upside down. Dad helped me lift it up and then we rolled it to level ground (on a HUGE hill pointing toward a 200ft cliff that dropped into the ocean). I rode it down and parked. I was covered in sweat and absolutely disgusted with myself. Dad was great and stayed calm and joke a bit so that I would feel better. Scratched the Givi bag a bit...now it matches the other side. :fing02: And I tweaked the blinker on the right side. When I finally looked around to take in the site of Meat Cove, the place we'd traveled 1,600 miles to get to, I realized a couple of scratches couldn't distract me from taking it all in.

Our cliffside campsite...

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After we got set up we had to go down and take a dip in the ocean. This is a tradition my dad and I have...swimming in cold water. We always take a dip in Lake Erie on his birthday, which is November 3rd. There's something about it jolts you and gets your blood flowing. So, in we went. Water couldn't have been over 45. My legs started cramping as soon as I walked in. Took all I had to dive in, but we both did it. We didn't stay in too long. But man, felt good for a second.

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After we got back to camp another motorcyclist showed up on a GS1200. This thing was fully farkled with PIAA driving lights, aluminum cases, ADV stickers and I'm sure a bunch of other goodies. We introduced ourselves and shared our fire with him. His name was Doug and he came from Moncton. I told him about dropping my bike and he said, "Congrats!" in a totally sincere way. He explained that he'd dropped his bike so many times that it became a badge of honor rather than a point of annoyance.

Ate some chili (thanks Kim!), had a little wine (thanks German campers for the corkscrew!), and talked around the campfire. Fell asleep later to the sound of water smacking off the rocks.

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[vfar]

supercool to be on the road with your pop. What are those bags on his bike. Dont tell me they are Kawasaki items because I never knew they were offered. (Even if they are not factory, they sure look like it).

please continue to have fun.

Sure enough, those bags on his bike are Kawasaki factory bags for the GPZ1100. They look great on the bike. But, I think he might start looking for a set of Givis for our next trip. His are pretty waterproof, though they are a mix of fabric and abs. The big issue is security and the convenience of being able to pull them off and take them into the tent or hotel room.

Thanks for reading...more to come.

[vfar]

Day 7: It's the End of the World As We Know It...and Eventually I'll Feel Fine

Saturday June 6

Meat Cove, Cape Breton NS to Sea Foam, NS

300 miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source...728973&z=10

Woke up at 4am to the sunrise. Heard the sound of lobster boats and saw the beautiful sunrise from my tent door. This view is incredible.

Then I realize I didn't wake because of the sun or the boats but rather because Doug is telling my dad that our BIKES ARE DOWN!

"NO!" I hear my dad say and then hear him scurry from his tent and run over to the bikes. I pull on some clothes and shoes and run over to help. Sure enough, both bikes are on their sides.

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Was it the wind? Well, it was blowing pretty hard last night. My rainfly was flapping on the side of the tent all night. But, why didn't Doug's bike go down? Man, that's crazy.

After a bit of checking around we realized it wasn't the wind at all. Some locals decided to play a game of "Screw With the Visitors". There was a shoe print on each of our tanks. My dad's bike is really scratched up...the bike that he spent a great deal of time sanding, welding cracks in the abs, prepping and repainting. UGH! They messed with both of our ignitions...looks like they tried to bore it out with a screwdriver. Broke my left mirror off and bent the brake lever. Incredible.

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We all kind of just stared at the bikes and wondered what we should do. There are less than 100 people that live in the Meat Cove area. About 20 of them live right on the campground. They couldn't have done it? Could they? I did notice about 30 empty beers in the Chowder House cafe on site. We saw the police come in to the site around 11pm last night, but it couldn't have happened before then, right? We were still awake until about midnight. Lots of questions, but the reality is that there is no logic to random violence. And that's what this is...a violation. It just kind of took the air out of the trip.

My dad was being positive and made some good points. The bikes still ran...and they are paid for. Hard to swallow, but good points. Doug was great about just empathizing and being supportive.

We decided we weren't going to let it ruin our great time. We'd just traveled 1,600 miles to camp at this amazing spot and some idiots and their drunken game weren't going to stop us from enjoying it. So, after a short nap, we broke camp and hiked to the top of the northmost cliff. From there we watched everyone wake up and stir about, watched the lobster boats work and saw a bald eagle fly right past us. We brewed some coffee and ate some locally made gingersnap cookies. It was great.

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meat cove

This panorama is unfinished, but gives an idea of how vast the skyline is up there...

meat cove pano

By the time we came down we were joking about the whole thing and saying "Thank God they didn't toss the bikes over the cliff!"

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On our way out we ran into John, the campground manager. He's a scruffy local and all around good guy. I explained to him what happened. Told him, not sure what we would have done if we would have caught them. "Tell ya what I woulda done! I've got a baseball bat in me office and it woulda found the sides ah their heads!"

Thanks John. That actually makes me feel a lot better.

The road out of Meat Cove.

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As a reward for our good attitudes and survival of Meat Cove we got to ride some of the best roads either of us had ever been on. The western half of the Cabot Trail is incredible. Twistie after twistie. Some of the ascending s-curves had me almost looking backwards when looking through the turn. It was terrifying and exhilarating the whole day. Great stuff. That's what we came for. When we stopped after crossing the causeway I noticed my whole tire was nice and hot and ROUND! No more flat spot in the middle!

We made our way to Seafoam, NS, where we had seen there was a campground. Found a great site right on the water and searched out dinner. Had a bit of a hard time but eventually found Mammie's Pizza...a tiny little shack that serves some tasty pies. It was recommended to us by the sister of the owner, who we met at the local distributor. After dinner we decided it was time to do some laundry. Both of us had worn everything we had several times. We had to beg an exchange of paper money for some "looney" from some fellow campers...and then had to beg quarters to dry the clothes. The campers were really generous, with their looney and their humor.

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[wera803]

What a great trip. Sorry to hear about the bikes though. I have a hard time understanding how or why people purposly damage other people's property. I just don't get it.

[timmythecop]

Fardigan bastages. This kind of stuff really bothers me.

You actually showed them by brushing it off and continuing with a smile.

I hope i didnt jinx yer pop's bags by bringing them up. :wheel:

[Guest]

Great write up, really enjoying it.

Sorry to hear about the damage to your bikes. People from the East Coast of Canada are generally easy going folks, seems like this might have been a few drunken idiots.

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.

[TimC]

Sorry to hear about the damage to the bikes. I hope there is a special section in Hell reserved for idiots like that. :fing02: Kudos to you and your dad for keeping a good attitude through it all.

On a positive note...Have loved the story and pix so far. And I bet the pix here don't do the actual scenery any justice!

[vanion2]

Keep it coming. It has been a good read and some nice views! :fing02:

I guess it goes to show you that idiots are every where. Good to see you two kept a good attitude about it. Maybe you should get one of those disk locks with the alarm in it?

[vfar]

I totally owe the "keeping it positive" to my dad. He's always been able to take what could be a crappy situation and make it tolerable. That could have been a show stopper. Something tells me though, that even if they had stolen our bikes or tossed 'em over the cliff we would have been laughing by lunch time.

My wife has a Xena lock for her Buddy scooter and it works pretty well. I think I'll be picking one up before the next trip. Tell you what though, we still might not have heard them even with an alarm. The wind was so loud and the bikes were a good 50 yards from us. I guess the alarm would have scared them off though.

Tim, I'm glad you're reading this. I thought about you a couple of times while we were on the trip...remember you saying you wanted to get out west on your bike.

Thanks for reading everyone!

[V4 Rosso]

Thanks for reading everyone!

It is a joy to read. :biggrin: Great trip report and beautiful pictures.

[francois_payen]

I totally owe the "keeping it positive" to my dad. He's always been able to take what could be a crappy situation and make it tolerable. That could have been a show stopper. Something tells me though, that even if they had stolen our bikes or tossed 'em over the cliff we would have been laughing by lunch time.

My wife has a Xena lock for her Buddy scooter and it works pretty well. I think I'll be picking one up before the next trip. Tell you what though, we still might not have heard them even with an alarm. The wind was so loud and the bikes were a good 50 yards from us. I guess the alarm would have scared them off though.

Tim, I'm glad you're reading this. I thought about you a couple of times while we were on the trip...remember you saying you wanted to get out west on your bike.

Thanks for reading everyone!

Micah,

Great write up and pictures. I've been on the Cabot Trail twice and your pics look familiar, just makes me want to hit the trail again!

One thing you wrote about the Cabot Trail made me smile: when you mention you "wouldn't want to be stuck in those twisties on a cruiser" or something like that. The first time I rode on the trail, I was riding my '99 Shadow 1100, and for a good part of the day there was a couple ahead of me riding a Triumph Sprint. The whole time I thought to myself "Geez, they seem to be having a lot more fun than me in those turns, maybe I should try one of them sport touring bikes". So after that season I started shopping around and trying different bikes, bought my VFR and sold my Shadow the next spring. Riding the Cabot Trail is pretty much what caused me to buy my VFR!

...and about the bike mishap, I just don't know what to say dude...I moved to the East Coast 2 years ago and found that the people here are typically the coolest and friendliest you could ever meet...I really didn't expect to hear such a story of vandalism...Were there other campers on the site? Kudos to you for keeping your cool...I would've stormed through every tent at the break of dawn to find a matching shoe print...

[vfar]

Thanks for the note! Let me say this, EVERYONE we met in NS was super super cool. So welcoming and helpful. The bike mishap didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth about NS. In fact, now that I've got a new mirror on the bike and my turn signal fixed it's a distant memory. I really only remember all of the great people we met and amazing roads and sites.

That's great that the Trail made you buy a VFR! Confirms my theory. I'm sure it would be great on any kind of bike, but having the ability to squirt through the turns on a sporty bike feels so good. Really feels like you're flying. One of my favorite parts was just off the Cabot Trail on the Ceilidh Trail. Instead of following Cabot back all the way around you jump off at Margaree Harbor and continue down the coast. Also, I loved riding rt3 on the loop that takes you down from Stillwater to Peggy's cove and back up to Halifax. I'm sure it's a lot slower and more congested during tourist season, but we rode it three times (in search of wine and food) and it didn't disappoint.

There were other campers...4 total. 3 were from Germany and I'd talked a bit with them. Super nice and no way they did it. The other was a lone camper in his early 30s. Didn't get to talk to him but I'd be shocked if he did it. My guess is it was one of the locals that lived close by. No rhyme or reason. Just idiocy.

Hope to be back in your neighborhood sometime soon. Would love to come back and ride there again.

[francois_payen]

Thanks for the note! Let me say this, EVERYONE we met in NS was super super cool. So welcoming and helpful. The bike mishap didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth about NS. In fact, now that I've got a new mirror on the bike and my turn signal fixed it's a distant memory. I really only remember all of the great people we met and amazing roads and sites.

That's great that the Trail made you buy a VFR! Confirms my theory. I'm sure it would be great on any kind of bike, but having the ability to squirt through the turns on a sporty bike feels so good. Really feels like you're flying. One of my favorite parts was just off the Cabot Trail on the Ceilidh Trail. Instead of following Cabot back all the way around you jump off at Margaree Harbor and continue down the coast. Also, I loved riding rt3 on the loop that takes you down from Stillwater to Peggy's cove and back up to Halifax. I'm sure it's a lot slower and more congested during tourist season, but we rode it three times (in search of wine and food) and it didn't disappoint.

There were other campers...4 total. 3 were from Germany and I'd talked a bit with them. Super nice and no way they did it. The other was a lone camper in his early 30s. Didn't get to talk to him but I'd be shocked if he did it. My guess is it was one of the locals that lived close by. No rhyme or reason. Just idiocy.

Hope to be back in your neighborhood sometime soon. Would love to come back and ride there again.

...you're right, it must've been drunken local kids in search of excitement. There's probably not much to do when you're a teenager in Meat Cove. Oh well...

And I agree that route 3 (and route 7) along the coast are pretty cool. My next trip will be further east (Newfoundland), and at some point I'll go to Prince Edward Island too, mostly to check out the Confederation Bridge. If I ever get the chance to take 3 weeks or more off work, I'll try to ride to Utah, Oregon, California...

If you're ever back this way let me know. Timing wasn't the best when you took off for this trip as I was moving in my new place, but next time you guys can crash here in Eastern Passage (20 km out of Halifax).

[vfar]

Day 8: Winds of Change

Sunday June 7

Seafoam, NS to Woodstock, NB

320 miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source....915894&z=8

Alright folks, here's the the facts...I simply didn't take as many pics on the way back as I did on the way out. So, I'll show you what I've got, but to be honest it's pretty slim pickins...kind of like the dating scene in Meat Cove if you're an only child. Ok, sorry, that wasn't nice.

Dew was heavy when we got up this morning. Took our time getting packed up and had some coffee and cookies. Tent was wet when I packed it up, but not too bad. It'll dry out tonight.

On the road before most of the campground was awake. Nice to leave in peace.

We had some big decisions to make for our ride today. The original plan was to head to Fredericton, NB tonight. From there we would head to Quebec City, Montreal, Kingston, and then back to Conneaut. The problem with that plan was that a.)it seemed really out of the way, b.)it would be all slab, and c.)there were a lot of roads and towns we wanted to revisit that we'd encountered on the way to NS. So, we really weighed our options. We both wanted to see and experience Quebec City and Montreal. But, we were afraid that we'd only have time to simply "pass by" those places instead of spend any real time there. We had managed to avoid big cities the whole trip. We stayed north of NYC and Boston and didn't even stop in Halifax when we were passing by. There was something really nice about that. The other issue was that we'd avoided slab as much as possible and the prospect of spending 3 days on nothing but slab sounded awful.

So, we consulted the map and found that Woodstock, NB looked like a good destination for the night. There was a lot of slab ahead of us today, but a few fun off shoots we could do, too. We'd be a few miles from the grand ole US of A by nightfall.

It was Sunday and we thought it would be a cool experience to stop at one of the United churches for service. So, somewhere around Wallace we found a service that started at about 10:30...we were right on time. Met some great people and enjoyed the service. On our way out a lady wished us well and reminded us that it was lobster season. "You know, if you go down the wharf you can buy fresh steamed lobsters. Cheapest they've been in a long time." Sounds like a GREAT plan.

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Let's just say that the "before" pictures are a lot easier to look at than the "after" pics. Yikes. We destroyed some lobsters. We got a short tutorial from the guy selling the lobster...basically, take out the waste tube and have at it. While we were cracking stuff open with a leatherman and a couple pocket knives a fellow biker came over and said, "I just washed my hands, mind if I show you a few things?" This fine gentleman explained the many different places tasty meat could be found, that the bright red stuff was roe and was tasty and that the grey-green pasty stuff was kind of like a pate that could be spread on the roe. We ate ourselves silly, cleaned up the carnage, and jumped back on the bikes. Somehow I got lobster juice inside my helmet...cool for about 1 minute, then really really bad.

Everything was cool until we got past Amherst...the wind was instantly crazy strong. It was blowing from all different directions. The landscape was super flat and wind just whipped across the fields. We were at the mercy of the wind. Stopped at a McD's for a cup of coffee and a chance to calm down a bit. Nothing like wind gusts to get your heart beating. After a few minutes 6 other motorcyclists stopped in a for a break. We asked them about the wind and one of the guys said, "Oh yeah, the Fundy wind. That comes right off the Bay of Fundy and just absolutely blasts across the highway. It stops in less than a mile."

Ha! Yet another time that a fellow biker gave us good advice. Happened at least once every day. So, we jumped back on the bikes and headed towards Woodstock.

Just past Moncton we jumped off the slab and rode some side roads along the river. Just beautiful. Lots of bikes. Got a little lost but eventually made our way to the Cozy Cabins Campground. The attached motel looked like each room came with a complimentary body bag, so we opted for a campsite.

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Got the tents set up and headed back toward the highway to Murray's truck stop diner for some food and map consultation.

Headed back to camp pretty late and hit the hay.

[vfar]

Day 9: Old Friends

Monday June 8

Woodstock, NB to Lancaster, NH

380 miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source...ie=UTF8&z=8

Got a bit lost this morning. I blame it on Tim Hortons. The whole time we've been in Canada I've seen probably, I don't know, let's see, trying to be accurate, at least 5 ZILLION Tim Hortons and we've managed to eat at none of them. This morning our options were to eat at Murray's again...nah, or eat at Tim Hortons. So, we did it. And, it was pretty darn good.

Got back on the highway and instantly started going the wrong way. Headed north instead of south and missed our border crossing. After about 10 minutes we pulled over and realized the mistake. So, we decided to continue north and cross on rt110. Ended up being a good choice...almost like we had planned it that way. There was no one at the customs office and we breezed right through. Felt a little nervous because we had just spent all of our looney buying fruit, cheese and bread for lunch. That's right, we smuggled it into the US. Ha!

A nice welcoming sign, once back in Maine...

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We saw that we were going to be routed through Veazie, which gave us a chance to drop in on Andy, Greg and Dominic again. Pulled into their drive and Andy came running out of the house with her arms in the air while screaming, "YOU CAME BACK!!!!" Man she's awesome. Felt so good. We sat and shared stories and had some coffee and got back on the road. Greg was at the studio getting ready to blow glass and Dominic was at day care. Bummer. But, Andy gave us all the welcome we could have asked for.

Oh yeah, on the way into Veazie my dad was leading and I saw a big black cloud come from a truck that was up ahead of us. I thought the guy blew a tire. Then all of a sudden my shield fogged up with a million little dots of black. My dad pulled over right away. Come to find out, the truck had probably blown a piston ring and was blowing oil out of his exhaust pipe! We got covered in oil. The crazy part was that when we pulled over the truck was in the passing lane trying to get past a line of cars! That guy had a bad bad day.

We ate lunch on the river at a little closed-down diner. Pulled over, found a picnic table, and broke out our bread, apples, plums, apricots, and aged white cheddar. We feasted. Maybe one of the best lunches we had on the trip. Well, at least the best lunch we had that day.

We were just about out of Maine and I spotted dinner...

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Bob's BBQ. Used to be located in Portland, ME but the rent got too high. The owner was an absolute card. All I know is we bought a rack of ribs, strapped 'em to the back of my dads bike, and hit the road. The ribs had been grilled the night before and just needed to be heated up. Tonight's campfire would take care of that...

Rode through the mountains and used the gps to find a campsite. Indian Lake. Cute place. No one around. All to ourselves.

Dad heating up the ribs...

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Not sure the ribs were the best choice considering dad has had heart burn for the last 4 nights. But hey, you only live once.

We decided to sleep in a cabin tonight so that we could get things organized and get some good rest. Couple of long days ahead. Ended up being a good choice...rained hard all night and into the next morning.

Day 10

Tuesday June 9: Maxi's Or Bust

Lancaster, NH to Binghamton, NY

375 miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source...ie=UTF8&z=8

Raining HARD today.

43 degrees.

Hard to complain when this is the first day of rain we've had on the whole trip. Still not fun.

About 30 minutes into the ride my rear is completely soaked and my dad's hands are drenched. We are both wearing Joe Rocket jackets and pants. Both of us are pretty dry up top but the water has worked its way down our pants. My hands are pretty darn dry thanks to my Rain Off overgloves (thanks Kim!). My dad's hands are drenched thanks to his Held gloves. Ugh. Nothing worse than expensive gear that leaks.

The good news is that we are en route to stop at Maxi's again for breakfast. Pancakes and Vermont maple syrup on the way!

And, as luck would have it, our favorite waitress, Linda, was working! So, we wolfed down some tasty pancakes and caught up with Linda. Seriously, if you are EVER within 100 miles of Waterbury, VT you have to stop in and have the pancakes. I'll put it this way, they were just as good the second time.

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When we came back out after a long breakfast the rain had stopped. Still cloudy and gray, but not raining. Nice.

Continued west and caught the ferry from Charlotte, VT to Essex, NY.

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Neither of us like to backtrack, but I have to admit it was pretty cool to see recognizable things and feel like you knew what was coming.

Encountered some dense fog on 89...

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Spaceman...

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The last stretch of the ride was pretty rough. We really wanted to make it to Binghamton tonight. It would make the next day a little bit easier. So, with about 130 miles to go I decided we weren't stopping until we got to Binghamton. Usually we stop every 70 miles or so to stretch, compare notes, look at the map, and just relax. We're not going for any Iron Butt awards. And, might I add, at this point we've gone about 3,000 miles and are pretty saddle sore.

So, we pushed through the last 130 miles that night and didn't stop until we were at the exit ramp for our hotel. The awe-inspiring Econolodge of Binghamton, NY. My dad and I exchanged looks at the stop light that kind of said it all...eyes wide and face expressionless. We were both pretty pooped.

Got our room, unpacked the bikes, and took a quick dip in the pool. Felt so good. Had a quick bite to eat at Applebee's...yeah, the trip is coming to an end.

Day 11: Momma I'm Comin' Home!

Wednesday June 10

Binghamton, NY to Conneaut, OH

340 miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source....915894&z=8

Home stretch today. Have absolutely loved the ride and routine but am looking forward to getting home. Both my dad and I know that mom is going to have something delicious waiting for us at home. It'll be nice to sit at my parents house and reflect on the trip, look at the pictures and video and catch up with mom.

Hit the road around 9am and blasted down the highway. Stopped in Salamanca for lunch. Let's just say I wasn't a big fan of legalizing casinos in Ohio before stopping in Salamanca, and boy am I not a fan of it now. That town is the pits. Sorry if anyone reading this is from there or lives there, but honestly man, there was nothing but tobacco shops and a casino. Main street literally dead-ended into the casino. We finally found a place to get some grub. Hot dogs at a little drive up place. Salamanca is about as anti-Nova Scotia as possible.

The whole time we were riding today I reflected on the trip. It was like a highlight reel playing in my helmet. What a freaking amazing trip. Three years ago we decided we were taking a big trip to commemorate our trip to California. A year ago we chose Nova Scotia as the destination. Today we are finishing the ride. We did it.

How lucky are we to be able to take 11 days to trot around on our bikes? There are people that never leave their town their whole lives let alone ride 3,500 miles through amazing roads, sites, and locations...camp on the edge of cliffs, whip around hairpin turns at great velocities, eat fresh lobster with bare hands, and watch the sun rise and set over the Atlantic. How many sons have dads that desire to spend some much time with them? That get to share such great memories? That work so well together? That trust each other enough to venture off into the unknown?

I am truly a blessed guy.

Got into Pennsylvania and jumped on rt5 as soon as we could...our last bit of back roads before the end of the ride. I hadn't been on 5 in a long time and it was nice to see some familiar places.

Arrived back at the Kraus house, pulled into the garage, let our weary horses rest, and took off the riding gear for one last time. I was worried my Conti Street Attack wouldn't make it the whole way, and boy was I close...

6,500 miles to pay dirt...

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Mom had some awesome manicotti baking and we sat down and feasted.

Zipped home to Akron the next morning to see my wife and dogs. Good to be home.

Tim and Micah to the End of the World...and Back.

[vfar]

I'll look you up if I get back that way again...and, if for any reason you find yourself riding the wild roads of Ohio you're welcome to crash at our place. Cowboy Bob, Peaches, and Nicky will give you a warm welcome...and leave a little fur on your riding gear.

By the way, meant to mention how much I like your signature. Ron Burgundy is one of my personal heroes. If "San Diego" means what he says it means, you have to wonder what "Meat Cove" means?

[wera803]

What a great report Micah. Makes me want to talk my dad into buying another bike just so the two of us can do a trip like this. :biggrin:

[vfar]

What a great report Micah. Makes me want to talk my dad into buying another bike just so the two of us can do a trip like this. :fing02:

DO IT!

We've started talking about the next trip. He's got some friends in Nicaragua...one that has connections with a bike rental place. So, we're thinking, fly down there for cheap, rent a couple little 125cc dual sports and ride all over the country. Not on a VFR, but still pretty fun.

The issue is that my wife rides as well...so, she and I are going to plan some riding trips as well. We just picked up a KLR250 so that I can ride that when she's riding her scooter.

Before I can go on another big trip with dad, Kim and I need to take a big trip. Good problem to have. :biggrin:

Good luck!