12 July

450 miles later and I'm home, that last leg seemed the longest; 2,800 miles in the truck and 3,500 miles on the bike. Good to be home after a great ride!

11 July

The ride from Bethlehem PA was rough, lunatics and accidents everywhere; glad I was in the truck. Made it to Greenville SC and called it a day.

10 July

Riding time is over, put 3,500 miles on scooter. time to load it back on the truck and head back to Fla.  Couldn't remember how to put the security system in travel mode?!?!? Googled it, that didn't work, called the local HD dealer and he was a complete jugghead, said my FOB battery was dead; he must have worked at Heritage at one point. Ended up disconnecting the battery and finally got on the road; first stop, Bethlehem PA.

9 July

It was an early start today, 0615, and it was a very cold 40 degrees. Just got up, showered, packed and left Antigonish Nova Scotia…no breakfast. It seemed to get colder and colder but my new gortex rain gear works as a great wind breaker too. One of my gas stops was a small town outside of Fredericton New Brunswick which just so happened to be the same one I stopped at when I left Fredericton back on 30 June. The bonus here was this station had two pumps on the middle of a rocky/dirt lot but also has a small general store that had a little grill inside. They whipped me up some fried eggs, bacon and English muffins that were just like home cooked. Yum! With a full tank and a full belly, and for some reason the temperature went up a good 15 degrees, it was a pleasure to get back on the road. Coming up to the boarder I was hoping it would be a quick entry, even used my Mil ID to hopefully quicken the process. So I hand it to him and he goes “I got one of these.” So I played the what service were you in game and my last guess was Navy, bingo, and when I said AF he rolls his eyes; what a sausage head. So he takes my ID hold it up, looks at it and then at me, back and forth about 20 times, then asks for my license and does the same, then I had to take my glasses off (even tho all my pics have them on). I almost asked him if he wanted me to get my camera out, there’s another pic of me there. Then there were the 20,000 stupid questions. What a jerk. It didn’t take long to realize I was back in the USA, people wondering in and out of their lanes, everyone in the left lane and on cell phones etc…welcome back to the USA. Headed on down to Bangor ME and called it a day. Tomorrow it is on to Clinton MA to end the riding time and begin the drive home.

8 July

The internet said Nova Scotia was going to be foggy with a 30% chance of rain but when we pulled in to port I saw this big yellow thing surrounded by a big blue sky, haven’t seen a sky like that in quite a while; the Cabot Trail is next. The Cabot Trail is absolutely amazing, another bucket list suggestion. It has it all, mountains, ocean views, twists and turns etc. I actually saw more on this one ride than I have for the past 7 days. Saw a moose by the edge of the road (got a pic) saw a bear by the edge of the road (kept driving by) and when passing through Aulds Cove saw a ton of Pilot Whales (got a pic but really needed a zoom). Seems every time I pulled over for a pic I ran into this same group of riders; two Goldwings, two Goldwing trikes and a Can-Am Spyder bike. They were all late 60 to 70 years old and tearing up the trail; the Spyder rider told me he has been riding since 1945. The trail has ended and I’m now in Antigonish Nova Scotia and will begin the ride back tomorrow. It has been an unbelievable ride. I will post pictures randomly as I head home.

7 July

Good bye Newfoundland

7 July, The Ferry

7 July

Swimming pic and the Irish loop

7 July

Woke up this morning feeling totally beat, yesterday’s ride was actually 6 hours vs the 4 hours I previously posted. Six hours to go 165 miles, that’ll give you an idea how much fun that was. I was glad when I got to the Inn she let me check in early, I really had nowhere to go and there are no overhangs here or bridges to take cover under. I figured she let me in cuz I looked like a wet rag but when I told her where my ride started from all empathy went out the window and she just said “you’re crazy”! I was glad there was a restaurant right next door that I could walk to and I kid you not another server classic moment, you can’t make this stuff up. A couple with a child comes in and the guys said he would like a Bud Lite (Why?? The Newfoundland beer is awesome) and the server says we don’t have Bud Lite. So he asks what they have and she rattles off all these brands and in the middle of her beer recital she actually says “Bud Lite”! The guy says to her you just said Bud Lite and she simply replies I guess we do have it?!?!?!?!? WHAAAA!

A couple of days ago (I forgot to add) I was riding towards Witless Bay and saw kids swimming in a lake; I just had to turn around and stick my hand in the water…so I did. You’d figure since I had been told repeatedly that the weather here had been on the 30’s right up until last Sunday the water would be freezing; it wasn’t, actually felt good.

Also on a previous post I mentioned riding Newfoundland should be on every bikers bucket list, and maybe it should, but looking back I heard over and over again how lucky I was with the weather. I didn’t give it a second thought until I got to Argentia to catch the ferry back and there are a lot of bikers going back and I spoke with most of them and I can’t believe how many have been disappointed with the weather. Somehow I was very, very, fortunate to have had good weather for every day but the last. So come and ride but be weather-ready and be sure you are very good at riding/handling the bike you bring over cuz you will be challenged with weather, pot holes and moguls!

The ride to Argentia was uneventful until I came around a corner to see a vehicle with his two wheels on my side of the road, so I hugged right and got by. At least if he hit me I’d be in good hands cuz in was and ambulance! I got here 2 hours early but it worked out good cuz once I got here and got in the terminal it started to rain. So I’m on board and should be departing in 30 minutes. If the weather in good in Nova Scotia we get to port I will ride the Cabot trail and stop in Antigonish for the night…keeping my fingers crossed.

Can't post pictures, internet on the ferry is weak

Stats

Was poking around my blog and found a stats page, I have followers from USA, Canada (lot's of Canadians), Russia and Germany.

7 July

Today began like most, a typical Newfoundland mauzy day. Unfortunately that lasted for about 60 miles then it turned out to be a 4 hour ride with rain, fog and severe cross winds, not particularly fun when riding up an over mountains and along the edge of cliffs. Longest 4 hour ride of my life, I guess I had it too good for too long. So Cape Saint Mary’ Provincial Park is out unless tomorrow is a sunny day but I hear it’s going to rain tomorrow too. Checked in to the Inn and they have washer and dryers, that’s real good!

5 July, George St

Well tonight I had to hit the infamous George Street (Pub Alley). Stopped in to a place called O’Reilly’s and had some fish and chip. Cod was never at the top of my list for fish but this dish was delicious. The meal washed down with a couple Rikard’s White’s was a perfect end to the day. Tomorrow is the last day of riding the island; I’ll be riding what they call the “Irish Loop.” It is named this to reflect over 400 years of history by Irish immigrant settlers. This area has the world's largest puffin colony, the world's southern most caribou herd, the oldest continuous permanent settlement in Canada, some of the world's oldest and rarest marine fossils, and a unique culture that strongly reflects the settlement of Irish immigrants over the past 40 years. From there I’ll continue around the Avalon Peninsula to Saint Brides for my last stop in Newfoundland.

5 july, Cape Spear

The next stop was Cape Spear, the eastern most point of North America. There is also a lighthouse and there is a gun battery there to protect the entrance to St Jon’s Bay. It’s a great ride out, so glad to be out of the mayhem of St John’s (I’d rather ride a unicycle through Boston during rush hour traffic than to have to scooter through St John’s daily). Of course this meant a ton of hiking again, I was half one upo the trail and these two kids bolt pass me all the way to the top…the little #*&%@##. It was once again spectacular views form the top, still haven’t seen a whale. On the way back down I saw a Newfoundland “puppy.” Beautiful dog. The last picture is a bunch of wooden boats making uo a miniature fishing dock scene, just showed up...have no idea why,

5 July, Quidi Vidi Brewery

This morning started with another continental breakfast, at least they have hard boiled eggs. Today I’m heading to the Quidi Vidi brewery and take the tour. It was the 1000 tour and it begins in a big room with a view of the bay and they start pouring samples; it’s been many, many years since I started drinking in the AM. The tour was very interesting and I think the first time I’ve ever toured a brewery. It was over by 1100 and they handed you a bottle of beer of your choice on the way out the door. I opted for Premium Lager and I’m enjoying it right now. As I was riding away I saw this beautiful 1938 Buick sitting in the driveway. So I turned around to check it out and the owner came out and we chatted awhile. He bought the car in North Carolina and brought it here. ($$$$$) He also mention he just retired yesterday, used to be a mechanic on Harley’s and Argo’s (An amphibious all terrain, off-road vehicle used here in the Province). He also told me the Harley dealership (the one I was planning ion visiting later in the day) has moved…so he saved me a lot of azz pain. The weather is getting HOT again!!! Did you noticed Dinah' family beer in the pic below

$ July: Signal Hill

Some Pics

4 July

It’s impossible to read the skies here; it always looks like rain in the morning. It was overcast again and a cool 60 degrees for the second day in a row, that makes for great riding. Heading to Elliston, the root cellar capital of the world, found me riding a road that was pot hole free but had moguls! I can’t count how many times I was launched off my seat; it was as if I was trying to break the bike as one would break a wild horse. It was so foggy you couldn’t see these dang things coming. The fog continued to get thicker and thicker and the temp dipped to 55. At one point the yellow line disappeared because the road was repaved and the color of the new road was the same as the fog all around me and I couldn’t tell where the road started and ended, it was one big gray world and it almost felt as though I was airborne. Thankfully it only lasted a few seconds but that was plenty long enough to give a mighty yank on the old pucker string. So between the fog, the moguls, the dipping temperature and watching out for Bullwinkle, it made for an entertaining 80-90 KM. Further down the road I came upon a construction site and thought I was back home, six guys standing around one shovel. The weather started to clear and it began to warm up some. Pulling over for gas a couple of locals on a Honda come over and we chatted for a while. We ended up talking about the ferry and they said with the Tuesday ferry cancel cuz of mx problems all the trucks were backed up and getting on board would be a challenge, not what I wanted to hear. Thankfully Ruth made some calls for me and they guaranteed my reservation and room, we’ll see. Back on the road again and straight into more fog; I was told in Newfoundland you can experience all four seasons in one day, I’m starting to believe it. Finally made it to Harbour Grace; another small fishing community. There are two old churches here, the Immaculate Conception which was built in 1889 and St Paul’s, the oldest stone church in Newfoundland. After lunch here it was on to St John’s. Nearing St John’s it became apparent the small town, country road riding was over. Riding through St John’s is like riding through any major city, ain’t no fun no mo. Riding through town based on how I remember the map because Garmin once again is doing nothing for me (I’m going to Gronkowski this thing before the trip is over) brought me to the end of Water St where I had to bang a hard left straight up a hill, and I mean straight up, and on the top of the hill I see a yield sign…nope, ain’t happening. I ride through and see traffic coming from three directions so I keep hard right and fortunately that’s exactly where I needed to go. I will avoid this intersection the whole time I’m here. After checking in I decided to go to Signal Hill which was the reception point of the first transatlantic wireless signal by Guglielmo Marconi in 1901, as well as the site of harbour defenses for St. John's from the 18th century to the Second World War. This place is huge and like the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse it requires 6 gazillion miles of walking and all I have are my boots and I’m getting tired of hiking…ugh! Signal Hill is quite impressive even with its miles of hiking. Heading back I passed a place that claimed the best streak in town for $20.00 so I stopped in. the steak was real good the server…well let’s just say the beat goes on, they don’t understand the concept of serving.

4 July. HAPPY 4th!

Wow, went back and read my blog from last night cuz I barely remember posting it…was real tired, what a grammatical nightmare. Hope they all aren’t that bad. I’m adding the pic of my meal last night since I mentioned it. I also didn't mention how this is the fourth day in row where the server either couldn't explain the items on the menu or my plate. They tell you “I don’t know” with such a big smile like it’s ok I don’t know eh. So I asked what those two round biscuit looking items were and she said “I don’t know, maybe meat pies.” Whaaa, meat pies? They were a biscuit of sorts but looked like they were baked without baking powder and didn’t rise…chewy but good. This morning it’s a make it yourself breakfast for me. Gladys, the inn keeper doesn’t live in the house, it’s a B&B occupied only by the customers so we have a run of the entire house to include the kitchen and laundry etc. (I just mailed my dirty laundry hone yesterday to lighten the load, wouldn’t you know it). She told me breakfast is at 0800 and asked me if that was OK, what am I supposed to say? I told her I’m typically an early person so she said here’s what we’ll do. I’ll have the coffee made so you can come downstairs, turn it on, take your shower then come down and have your coffee and make some breakfast, the refrigerator is full, is that OK? That works for me; so here I am enjoying my coffee and a bagel. Their breads here a delicious, not sure exactly what it is but they are good. So today I’m leaving Bonavista and heading to Harbour Grace then on to St John’s. Saw the ferry is back running; keep your fingers crossed for me.

3 July

Got up bright and early since there was next to nothing for blinds; the sun is up at 0500 here and sets at about 2130. But that’s fine, I like early. Showered and packed the bike taking my time waiting for 0730 breakfast. Turned out to be another continental breakfast with the option of scrambled, fried or over easy eggs, I got scrambled, or I should say I asked form scrambled. What I got were eggs that looked scrambled but were sitting on the pate in water??!! There was actually water on the plate and the eggs just swimming around; they had no taste. So I had my coffee and a partridgeberry muffins and got on my way, I had to go through Gander so that means I had to stop at one of the two H-D shops and make the obligatory T-shirt purchase (try and find another like it) and there was a 883 and a 2012 Ultra Classic on the show room floor, that’s it. The Ultra had a sign on it selling for $26.295!  This is not the Limited or a CVO, guess shipping is very expensive. From here I was to go to the Silent Witness memorial which is a memorial dedicated to the crash of the Arrow Air Flight to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The aircraft had stopped to re-fuel in Gander and crashed after takeoff and was destroyed by impact forces and severe fuel-fed fire. All 256 occupants on board sustained fatal injuries. But when O got there, another gravel road, the road was washed out and didn’t look like a good idea so I didn’t press my luck. From there I rode until lunch and although I avoid chain type restaurants this was the Mary’s Diner, they are everywhere, was the only thing available. I decided on the fried chicken and when I asked what the 3-piece consisted of she said a leg, a wing and a thought. A what? Is that like the tip o day, a thought? After a little discussion it was concluded that is how she says thighs. So I asked if she had breasts and immediately realized that come out wrong. Well if I wanted breasts that would be an extra $1.95, life in the big city. Gotta say the chicken was quite good. While eating say a guy with Patriots hat on, he said he was originally form Newfoundland but lives in Ontario and was visiting his parents to celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary and his Dad’s 75^th birthday, so he’s a good son and a smart sports fan. On down the road I was getting gas and this dude comes screaming into the gas station dang near coming to a skidding stop and this guy is on a Crossbones and in full leathers with a 2d Armored Calvary patch on the back. He comes over and shakes my hand and talks non-stop for what seemed like an hour, old Beaumont can talk!  But when he pointed out the “beach bars” he put on his Crossbones he lost me…ugh, looks horrible. How do you take off mini apes and put on beach bars on a Crossbones? He was interesting that’s for sure. Finally made it to Bonavista, a small fishing community the looks much like Gloucester. While here checked out the Lighthouse and the Dungeon, a wall of rock with two holes carved through by the ocean. For supper stopped in a place recommended by Gladys from the B&B and saw it had outside tables which is good cuz it’s still hot. There were two ladies sitting there and they looked Amish cuz of their headgear. So we chatted a while and I asked what the deal is with potatoes here? When potatoes come with a meal you get two lumps about the size of a quarter. So we kept chatting and I asked for their recommendation and of course all is good. I chose the roast beef and when I said that she said I’ll cook that right up for you. She was actually the cook sitting outside taking a break in the breeze. When I got my meal, there was no shortage of potatoes and it was delicious! After eating I went back to the B&B to wash the bike down AGAIN!  It will have to come apart to clean it when I get home. Well tomorrow is St Johns and I’m hoping the ferry from Argentia gets fixed or I’m screwed. They canceled all trips to Nova Scotia today, keeping my fingers crossed.