Crossings Tour - Newfoundland to New Brunswick

Yesterday we took off across the province through the back roads of New Brunswick, touring our friends from Newfoundland on roads they have not yet travelled….through the countryside of Petty, Sussex, Hampton and the Kingston Peninsula we enjoyed the twists and turns all the way to the ferry at Carters Point where we crossed over on the Grand Bay/Westfield ferry.  

We were able to enjoy all back roads with only a little bit of highway riding as we hopped from one area to another.  We made a stop in Lepreau Falls.  A little known but amazing spot.

The falls is fresh water fed but the bottom of the falls is salt water fed.  There are actually three sets of falls, two of which are further up river..these are the major falls.  Larry’s Mother grew up around here and he still has family who live here.  We did make a quick stop to say hello while there.  Always good to see family.

Magnolia Tour - July 21

 It was a long days ride, but apparently an even longer blog day.  Sorry that I missed my last post for our July trip.

The last day of riding before heading home was the one we dubbed the Magnolia Tour.  Maine is home to two shows on the Magnolia Network that are favourites of ours……..Cabin Masters and the Lost Kitchen. We headed towards Bar Harbour with stops at these locations in mind.

First stop got us to Manchester, home of the Cabin Masters.  Upon arrival we were greeted by Ryan, who was hanging lights up around the building…..Great fellow and just as funny in person.  That’s the cool thing about them.  When we spotted Ryan and Ashley they were doing normal things that most of us would do around our homes….including Ashley inspecting her husbands work hanging the lighting!  They seem to be the same in person as they are on tv which makes them very approachable and honestly the big reason we enjoy watching them.  It was lunch time so we had lunch in the “Wood Shed” and bought a couple of stickers and tree ornaments, and then off to the next stop. 

Next stop was one we were really excited to find….get it…”find?”….the Lost Kitchen has become a favourite in our house and a hope….if you haven’t seen it check out their story….amazing space in the very middle and heart of Maine.  

Erin French has created an oasis with food instead of water, as the “Maine” attraction.  We had an opportunity to walk around the property and visit the gift shop.  I am always amazed by people who can make simple changes look like a natural design.  Being here felt like that.  

We will be submitting post cards for reservations this year…many of them, in the hope of coming here to share in one of her beautifully creative dinners.

We spent some time here just relaxing in the sun and wishing we had someplace on the bike to take so many things with us.  We settled on a couple of cookbooks, some jams, and some seasonings….seemed appropriate.  Needless to say, we got a little “Lost” ourselves.

From Freedom we headed to Bar Harbour….our last stop before heading home.  It was hot, lots of tired riders.  It was an early evening, after a feed of lobster of course.

It is so nice to be able to ride to Maine again.  One of our favourite spots that is close to home.   Always a favourite and now more reasons to keep coming.

Out of the Bubble - New…….again!

What a day!

Outside of every restaurant we want to visit being closed “that day”, the day was awesome….great roads, hot temperatures but lots of new experiences in an area that we though we had spent a lot of time.

We could spend a week here and not cover all of the roads we now want to travel.  The AutoRoad for Mount Washington was closed to motorcycles (or so the web site said) so we decided we would run the roads around the White Mountains….beautiful vistas and amazing roads were what we found…that and an amazing restaurant in Conway.

We started out on the number 2 highway and then moved over to the 16….down through the valleys and up through the mountains, the roads were smooth and fun!

A couple of stops along the way included a fabulous back drop for a mid afternoon snack and some shade…We were able to spend a little time here taking in the beautiful views (and a bum break)…we continued on until we came across the “PLUME”.  This site is very similar to Watkins Glen, in that you have to hike in a little….unfortunately we did not come equipped for said hike but it is now on our list of “to do’s”. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch in Conway (amazing family restaurant) where they also took our jackets and put them in the cooler….OMG, did I love a cold jacket!

The day ended, as it began…hot!…the Simons climbed Mount Washington but this hot chick, and her side kick decided on a dip in the pool while we waited for their return.

Out of the Bubble Tour - What is Old is New Again!

So we have taken the Bubble on the road again, this time with a trip to the south….south of the border.  Just a quick trip to a favourite spot - Mount Washington in New Hampshire, specifically the Mount Washington Auto Route.

Our trip began as usual, departing home, crossing the border and an overnight stop in Bangor.  I was surprised how the expectation of everything remaining the same, not changing or at least thinking that the time since our last trip would not have changed much.  Airline (Route 9) has been completely redone and is a really great road and ride.  Despite the heat of the day (exception being the very cool fog in Saint John and Pocologan) it was a comfortable ride as the sun did not make a full appearance.  Today we travelled 450 km so after a few glasses of wine, we were done (some of us more than other).

We headed for Gorham this morning…this will be our starting point for the next two days.  It was a different ride today than it was yesterday.  We had similar heat but with a nice chaser of SUN!

The road, though familiar in spots seemed more unfamiliar.  Not sure if it has been the passing time but my recollection of of our past travels just didn’t seem to align with what I was experiencing, except in a few places…a building, turn, a river or restaurant.  Maybe it was the heat!  Either way, we were happy to be back to our fun place and we are looking forward to the climb tomorrow, and because we are staying in the area, we are even going to get a chance to ride AROUND the mountains…..I look forward to the views again…………

Tiny Bubble Tour - The Bubble Bursts

I know I am a couple of days late getting to posting our final day.  That’s because it is always hard.  Going home is not the hard part because there is always lots to look forward to, family, the garden, the dog…..no it is just hard leaving friends, friends who are more than just that…they are family.  We always seem to say the same thing on that last day….we don’t live close enough.  This is so true of those treasured relationships we have with a very small handful of friends.  I always thought communes may be the answer to making the circle, or the bubble smaller.  The beauty of the close friends we have is that is seems like forever as we wait to spend time together and once we are in the same place, it is like no time has passed at all.

After another great breakfast together, we said our good-byes to Jerry and Thy in Baddeck.  They were departing to catch the ferry.  We would leave not long after to head back to New Brunswick.  That’s the part that is always hard.  You just want to hang on to all the moments you can.

We finished packing our shit (that’s what it felt like) got on our bikes and headed out.

Most of the ride was on the highway as we rode towards Pictou to pick up the side road that takes us to Amherst.  There was a ton of traffic, probably as much traffic as there had been on all three rides on that road combined in the past weeks.  Once we got on the road to Tatamagouche heading to Amherst, the road traffic diminished and we could enjoy the roads and the ride.  A quick stop at the Tatamagouche Brewery for a refreshment (for non-alcoholic beer) to get some reprieve from the sun and humidity, another stop at Amherst on the side of the road under some trees for some water before we finally made it home.  One of the things we do on the road is celebrating milestones….no pun intended.  Larry turned 128,000 kms on his bike and I turned 90,000 kms on mine…now there was great discussion as to whether my bike would turn over to 90,500 exactly as we rolled in the driveway.  This had been our entire conversation from the border, all the way home….there was much discussion back and forth about whether we would be over, under or bang on….all I can say is that the odometer is on the very edge of turning to that 90,500 by mere fractions….I know it won’t even make it out of the garage without turning over to that number.

Fractions….fractions….

The whole week had been a battle of staying cool, and ensuring we had enough fluids.  The temps were hot and the air humid..not the best conditions for  riding day in and day out.  It certainly is draining which is why we try to keep the distances short with lots of opportunity to hydrate.  Still it can be very draining so having two days in Baddeck was just what we all needed to ensure a safe trip home.  It also provided a an opportunity for us to enjoy each other’s company and get some much needed rest.

So we are home, we have collected the dog, weeded the garden, mowed the lawn and need to connect with the girls.  It was a great trip and I can’t help but reflect on the good fortune we have been blessed to have such good friends and the opportunity to do these rides and share them with our family.  Until the next ride….stay safe, love the one your with and look after each other.

Tiny Bubble Tour - Day 11 I got nuthin’

 I got nuthin’

That’s about what we did today.  We got up, went to breakfast, had a nap, went for a walk, had lunch, had another nap and a short swim….all this followed by supper, wine and sleep….

I got nuthin’…except a few pictures.

Tiny Bubble Tour - Day 10 Bubble Time!

This morning we were preparing to head to the ferry to take us back into Nova Scotia.  We messaged the folks to let them know we were packing up and waited for them by the bikes.  Despite having a cup of coffee already, Jerry still seemed not quite awake…”dressed in his boots and coat but forgot his pants” kinda space lol.  After he loaded his bike, he went into the hotel to check out and forgot to take the baggage cart…not something easily missed.  As Larry and I had a bit of chuckle over this, I thought I would just return it so that he didn’t have to make a second trip….just to see if we could brighten up his day, I found a bedazzle sticker on the cart which I quickly affixed to his tank bag…that should give him something to smile about!

The big dilemma was whether we eat at the hotel or eat on the run…we went for on the run!  We got gathered up, checked out and headed out of Charlottetown on route to Belle River to catch the ferry.  Despite giving Larry a granola bar hoping to hold him over, we didn’t even get to the TCH before stopping at a Tim’s to get breakfast.

Once done here I indicated to everyone that it was non-stop to the ferry…we were already late for the one hour check in and I didn’t want to miss the boat…so to speak.  Bubble time!

We arrived at the ferry in lots of time to have a bathroom break and load.  It was very relaxing sitting down to enjoy some snacks and then spend some time on the deck.  It wasn’t long before we were at the other side and heading out to the highway to ride to Baddeck.  For some odd reason we were tired.  Not sure if it has been the heat, the days or not eating regularly but a nap would have seemingly looked to be in my future.  Until we arrived though, we had to keep the pace and get to our next stop…Bubble time!

Generallly we don’t ride past stupid o’clock.  That’s the time we allot for when we are tired, sore or just too hot to continue….when we are not giving our full attention to the ride.  Today’s stupid o’clock arrived early and about 100 kms from where we were staying for the night.  This is why we don’t generally make reservations until the day of and in this case we were not breaking this rule we had given ourselves.  Singing, stupid laughs, stretching legs, dance moves…all are distractions from thinking about how tired you are and how far you have left to go.  The good news is that we really didn’t have a lot of riding today and we arrived early around 4 pm.  Since we didn’t eat much on our stops we knew we were looking forward to a good meal and lucky for us there was a restaurant on site.

Larry made a reservation for 6:30 pm and was trying his best to keep me on time.  He was so good at it, we arrived for our reservation at 5:30…apparently the boy doesn’t know how to read time lol…Bubble time!

We had a great meal.  The food was stupendous and now the real Bubble time is looming.  Sleep beckons and the good news is we are here for two nights…I don’t have to get up early or leave….looking forward to a nice long sleep.  Bubble night!