Corn, corn, and more corn

The last two days have been more about putting on miles than sightseeing but there has been some great scenery. I’ve been trying to take secondary highways which take me through some small towns and cities. These routes are full of stop signs and traffic lights so it can be slow going but much more interesting than the freeways. I thought the canola fields of the prairies were vast but the corn fields in southern Ontario and all across Michigan, Illinois and Iowa are amazing.

Saturday night I rode quite late and found a lousy hotel in Windsor that was likely available by the hour if needed. I slept with my clothes on and was on the road very early. I found my way through Windsor and crossed the Ambassador Bridge into Detroit and used the freeways to get going west. By the time I got to Chicago it was 92F and the traffic was horrible, It took me three hours to navigate through Chicago. Finally stopped just outside of Oregon Illinois for the night.

A great day Monday with some good early morning riding along the Mississippi in the palisades. Nice curvey roads until Iowa where the roads became long and straight but the endless cornfields are beautiful. My nose dectected a great many hog farms along the way too. Sioux Center tonight and off to Rapid City South Dakota tomorrow. Should be fun they next few days because Sturgis is this weekend and there should be plenty of bikes around.

Back in Action

Got the leak fixed by 10:30am. It was the drive shaft seal. They noticed the rear brake pads were done but had no stock so I rode to Quebec in search of brakes and a tire. Found a shop that had a decent tire and ebc pads, and was off again by 3. I managed to ride 650km and almost made up my lost time. I'm stopped over just west of Montreal.

Minor mechanical delay

The bike has developed an oil leak that needs attention so I'm spending the night in Edmundston N.B. so I can get it looked at tomorrow at the Suzuki shop in town. I've already been there and they think they know what it is so hopefully it will be quick, easy and cheap to fix.

The ride to here included torrential rain and gusty wind mixed with sunshine. Riding across the Confederation Bridge was quite an experience with the wind. I needed to catch up a bit so I rode the Trans Canada most of the day.

I plan on getting to Montreal tomorrow if the bike is fixed

Spent the last two days riding the beautiful Cabot Trail on Cape Breton. The ultimate motorcycle road with undescribable vistas. Nova Scotia has been wonderful and I sure hope to return someday soon to spend more time here.







Last night I hiked about 25 minutes from my campsite to the Keltic Lodge to have a nice dinner. I started with an amazing crab cake and a pint of Keith’s. Then a lobster pot pie that was very tasty and served with a large lobster claw on top.




Tonight I'm in Winsloe just outside of Charlottetown PEI. It really is red like they say.

Thinking of Dad in Nova Scotia

This is an incredible place. I took my time today and followed a portion of the scenic south shore.





The number of bays and coves is incredible, each with it's own charm.
Dipped my boots in the Atlantic, then visited the Swissair 111 memorial at Peggy's cove. A completely different landscape than the rest of the province I had seen thus far, not what I expected but a great surprise.











Had lunch just south of Halifax and hoisted a beer thinking of my Dad. I always wanted to visit the place where he spent time as a young man in the Navy. I found Halifax harbour and some Navy vessels hoping it was close to the place where he found himself getting into trouble.



Cabot Trail on cape Breton tomorrow!!

July 25, It's raining again

The taps turned on full force ast night and I woke at 5:30 with it still raining. I could not wait it out as I had a reservation for the ferry from Saint John to Digby at noon. I put my tent away soaking wet and hit the road at 7 allowing myself 4 hours travel with an hour to spare in Saint John. It rained and rained until I got to the border at which point I read a little sign that said "you are now in the Atlantic time zone" OH Sh*@ I lost an hour! So I had 70 minutes to ride 114km and I was in line at customs wondering if I could make it. The highway was perfect and I set the cruise for 120kmh. Got to the ferry at 11:55 and rode right on.
A nice 3 hour cruise

The North coast of Nova Scotia near Digby Gut





Motel for the night in Bridgewater. Set my tent up in the room and all my wet stuff hanging everywhere, quite a sight.

July 24 East Coast

Woke up early this morning to some fog. It was so humid that my clothes did not dry and the brake rotors on the bike were rusted. 20 degrees at 7am so the wet jacket didn't matter much. Rode as close to the coast as possible but the coastal highways are busy and constant stopping in towns and villiages. I tried the interstate eventually and rode through ( or rather under) Boston. This is why my spot tracker stopped sending its feed so there is no path to follow today. The tunnel under Boston is fantastic, a result of what they called the "Big Dig".
After Boston the interstate became a parking lot for over an hour while cars moved through the toll plaza. Toll roads everywhere. Eventually I got moving again and changed back to the coastal highway. Mostly cloudy and overcast today so not many photos but I did have a great ride through some notable spots like Salem and Portland.

Tonight is at the Timberland RV park in Trenton Maine. Tomorrow New Brunswick