Wednesday, July 31, 2013

I think we are in Saint Andre, Quebec

This morning, after a continental breakfast, we packed up and left Woodstock, NB    My tour guide wanted to show me the covered bridge at  Hartland, NB


This is the world's longest covered bridge at 1,282 feet


Here's a side view where you are able to see how long it it.    It was designed for one lane traffic so you have to wait your turn


We took a rest break here and even my Pink Crocs are enjoying time in the warm sunshine.   Much better weather today than the past few

Not many photos today as our goal was to get out of New Brunswick and into Quebec


We crossed another time zone so we gaineed an hour, which meant that we arrived in plenty of time to relax and wash up before dinner.   That is the St Lawrence river in the background


As soon as you cross the border into Quebec, all english signs disappear and I have no idea what the warning signs say.  I thought that this country was supposed to be bilingual.   I must say that our waitresses have been struggling to speak english while we try to order our food.   Everyone one I meet has been saying "bon jour" and I just learned that I should return with a "'bien"

short post today as I am struggling to maintain my internet connection.  Most times I get the wifi signal but says "no internet connection".  I have no idea why, but I must thank my tour guide for getting me on-line.  My windows explorer just froze and I had to resort to google chrome.  Earlier Google chrome didn't work either.

tonight we are in Saint Andre (I think)  .   Tomorrow we should be in Quebec City


Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Shediac, NB

Last fall I was following the adventures of Kedgi and when I was planning my Atlantic trip I had the desire to meet him so he invited me to visit them when I reached Shediac and he promised to feed me home made lobster rolls made by his partner, Angele.    You can read about his adventure to South America HERE

We had been exchanging emails and he had the bright idea to meet me "on the road" somewhere in PA as he had just purchased a new KTM and was anxious to put on some miles so I also started a RR: Ride Report which you can read here.   His plan was to ride around Lake Superior and be back home in Shediac before I arrived but he was delayed with bike troubles which he posted here..  We missed each other by about an hour as he was heading West on I-80 the same night I arrived at State College, PA

We left our campsite early Monday morning to the sounds of the dreaded rain and packed our tents WET
and headed over the Confederation Bridge in gusting winds which made riding challenging.  I had to slow down and I thought it would help to be in a lower gear


Kedji (Dwight) was waiting for us but we thought we should go to the visitor's centre and snap a few photos of the worlds Largest lobster


I went into the gift shop and was snapping photos of the scenery


and snapped a few more of the Lobster


and finally we decided to leave and as we headed back to our bikes, a shiney, new KTM appeared and parked next to us


it was Dwight.  He was following our spot tracker and knew where we were so he headed over to meet us


we took a few photos of each other


and then he led us "home" for the evening


we unloaded our bikes and stored our stuff in his garage


he also set up some chairs so we could drape and dry out our tents.  Notice the new Super Sherpa in the background.   Dwight made us feel so welcomed.  He invited a few friends over to meet us and put on the BBQ for hamburgers, hotdogs and Lobster rolls


sorry, only photos of the most delicious lobster rolls made by Angele


they went fast and soon there was only one left.  So when no one was looking,  I took it  . . .


It was really, really good.  This morning it was time to pack up our things and head out, but not before a healthy breakfast prepared by Angele.  MMMmm,  ham & eggs, toast, coffee and yoghurt


and Dwight helps out with route planning as we head West


we follow his suggesting to take a nice backroad which led to a cable ferry


we arrived at the end of the road as the cars we just rolling on so we rolled on too and before you could even put your kick stand down, we were already floating away from the dock


I only managed a couple of photos and were were nearly on the other side


This shortcut eventually joins up with the highway but soon we stop to consult our maps and it starts to rain


and I dig out my rain jacket.


as we fill our gas tanks the sky opens up and becomes a waterfall and we are forced to take refuge in the gas station to wait it out


in a few minutes there is a short reprieve so we head to the local restaurant to have lunch


and we are hoping that the rain will be less violent when we finish our meal..  As we continue Westward the skies clear and it becomes hot and humid


and tonight we are in Woodstock, NB


Sunday, July 28, 2013

Sunday at Charlottetown Farmer's Market

Camping in the rain is a challenge.  The rain has been following us for the past few days.  It rained so hard on Friday morning that we decided to stay another day in Cavendish to wait out the storm.  Saturday was another long day on the road in varying conditions that we decided to change locations and head towards Charlottetown.   3 hours by Google Maps turned into another 7 hour day so the decision was made to find a motel and not have to worry about packing up a wet tent the next morning

Try as we might to find a suitable (ie: cheap) hotel met with little success.   The first few we tried were fully booked.  It seems that the St Johns Mosquito baseball team was in town and all the rooms were taken.  So we wake up to a morning sunrise the next day


in familiar surroundings.  It's a lucky thing we have alternatives by bringing our camping equipment


We head into town and walk about the main streets and find that today is Farmer's Market day on Queen street


There were stalls set up with vendors selling locally crafted items


There were several musicians entertaining the tourists


and more places to have an ice cream


Many of the buildings have been refurbished to modern standards


after strolling the waterfront and a few side streets for a few hours we mounted our bikes and headed for Wood Island and saw some interesting staging areas along the way


and eventually ended up at the Historic lighthouse


a relaxing day in Charlottetown, PEI


More Postcards from PEI

The weather is iffy but there are always a few hours during the day where you can do a bit of exploring

   Pink Crocs enjoying some beach time on Cavendish Beach  (famous for its red sand)

    Some big feet you've got there

   there seems to be  miles of sandy beach to explore

   and more rugged as you continue northward

   Part of the scenic drive along the water

   typical landscape of the area/roads

   No cow climbing allowed  (somehow I thought of   xxx)

  I managed to have the Best Ice Cream in Canada


Saturday, July 27, 2013

Postcards from: North Rustico, Prince Edward Island

The day started with heavy rain and with the rivers of water on the road, we thought it prudent to wait out the rain in the hopes that it would simmer down.  I was also thinking that I didn't ride this far to hide in my tent so I decided to just bare with it and put on my gear, and headed East in search of photos.   It was nearly noon when I rolled down the highway

The following are just some of the photos I took today in North Rustico Harbour

    My BMW R1200R with Lobster traps in the background

   Fishing boats lined up on the dock, waiting . . .

   Lobster traps with the lonely boat, at anchor

    Decaying Boat shack

   Local restaurant and gift shop

   Looks like an original abandoned building

    Interesting sign

   Old Lighthouse which is still in operation


Today we move to a different location on "The Island"