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!

Tiny Bubble Tour - Day 9 The Right Way

This morning started out with a walk...it has been more than a few days since Larry and I went for a walk or walked far to go to breakfast or supper.  Generally when we are travelling by bike, we make an effort to find some place close but far enough to get a little movement.  We really haven’t had that much walking in so this morning I suggested we do a walk much like we do at home...at least 30 mins.

Our supper in Alberton last night was good and we got to walk out on the wharf but at the end of the day we were pretty zonked.  Because we were in bed fairly early, we were also up at a good time.  We had agreed to have the continental breakfast (which was FAB) and be on the road by 9 am or shortly after.  We were both awake at 6 a.m. so after some discussion we decided on the walk up the road and back...sneakers on, watches synced and we were off!  

We love to travel by bike because you get to see more things, feel more things and smell more things (not always good).  Walking gives you an even better opportunity to get all of that as well...especially things you might miss as you ride by....such as what we discovered this morning.....you know things like a teddy bear in a tree, or a whole yard full of sculptures made from left over metal.....the bear in the tree though....lol

 After the walk we headed to breakfast and had a lovely chat with the other half of the married team who manage the hotel.  Jim works on the desk and his wife looks after housekeeping and the dining room.  With COVID they can’t put out a buffet so she puts everything you ask for in a cardboard lunch box...yogurt, fruit, juice, muffin, coffee...there was quite a selection.

After breakfast we headed up to the room to finish packing our stuff, loaded and took off.  We headed for North Cape where there is a wind mill farm and what seems like the end of the earth..or a least one of the ends. The air was cool which was welcomed and we spent a little bit of time exploring (or in my case the exploring was in the gift shop lol...).  This was Jerry and Thys’ first visit to North Cape and they seemed to enjoy it as well.

We then headed off in the same direction back to Alberton to catch the road we needed to get to on the next part of our journey.  Along the coast we had a great ride but as we headed more and more east, it got warmer and warmer.  Before long the air temp was reading 28C which shows cooler than the actual temperature because we are moving.  

Our first real stop was North Rustico Harbour to the Blue Mussel Cafe for lunch.  Highly recommended by some friends, it was not disappointing.  Better yet is that they don’t take reservations but they do have a “waiting” list which you can sign up for on line.  That way you do’t have to wait long when you arrive and you can take a walk around the harbour while you are waiting as you will receive text messages telling you that you are at the “top of the list”...we had a huge lunch, which is not something we normally do.  Luckily for us, our next hotel was only 40 minutes away. If you are very in PEI, you have to go....open all seasons except winter (I think), they have a high turnover of tables and you only wait for as long as you put yourself on the wait list.

We headed out for Charlottetown for the night and arrived at the Rodd just around 4 p.m.  We arrived to find out we had been upgraded to the King Suite....sweeeeeet.  But really....who needs this much room (as I sit in the living area typing this and Mr. J is snoozing in the bedroom).  This is a great old hotel which still has a lot of character, walking distance to a ton of great restaurants and easy to get in and out of......and if that wasn’t all, we didn’t make one wrong turn today!  We certainly got things done the right way today......except for suppper...we didn’t make reservations but that is not much of a story because we very seldom doing anything like that.

Tomorrow we head for the ferry to spend our last two evenings in Baddeck with Jerry and Thy.  Sad to see this trip coming to an end....I won’t say alternate ideas of how to extend the trip were planned but they were certainly discussed!.....just seems like the right way to go as well!

Tiny Bubble Tour - Stop, Relax and Go...3 day condensed version

Sometimes it is just hard to get the time, the wifi or the energy to type the blog when you are on a road trip.  In this case it was energy and time mostly...more energy or lack there of due to the insane heat and humidity.

So here is the condensed version of the last three days.

Day 6 - The Road to Hell

We left Grand Pre and Beach Breeze on an early start with the intention of stopping for breakfast along the way.  We all know the road to hell is paved with good ones, and as fate saw it, we found and travelled that road...ending up a Tim’s for breakfast.  Now nothing against Tims but we had set out with the hopes of finding a nice little Mom and Pop where we could sit inside and enjoy a “comfort” breakfast.  We were happy mind you considering the road to hell even had a Tim’s.

We managed to find a pretty nice route to take us to Truro, where we made a stop for lunch at Jerry’s brother and sister-in-laws, Bev and Mike.  The whole family was there to greet us and it was really great to be around a large family gathering.  They welcomed us (sweaty and all) and fed us a great lunch of salads and grilled chicken and shrimp.  Also made some new friends with Luna and Charlie...their two dogs.

Our next stop was a promise to Thy that if we saw a Sunflower farm we would stop...5 minutes after leaving Mike and Bev’s...we found the farm!  We waited as Jerry and Thy made their way through the garden...sunflowers safely stowed in my top case and we were off again!

We headed out with a stop in Tatamagouche (yes at  brewery) for a light beverage and then on to a stop in Amherst before arriving home.....We had just enough road dust to make getting home the best part of the day.  A shopping trip to the market for Thy and I, salads were made and steaks were grilled and we were all ready for sleep.

Day 7 - Looking for Mud in all the wrong places (you can sing it!)

The next day, saw us up early.  Thy made me a fabulous soup for breakfast which is traditional in Vietnam.  I could have soup like that every morning for breakfast and now I will have to start making my own.  Luckily she was very generous in showing me how and telling me the secrets to a good soup base.  We all headed out in the car to Hopewell Rocks to show Thy and Jerry the “ocean floor”.  They are both amazed by the difference in low and high tide and this was the best place to not only show them the difference but to read the hows and why at the information center.  We take these things for granted when we live here and we simply couldn’t explain it all to them, so it was a bit of an education for us as well.  

While on the rocks, Jerry happened to to see a couple of small kids having fun in the mud...not to be robbed of an opportunity, he decided it was worth a try as well (despite all the prior warnings).  He damn near got stuck and none of us were looking to rescue...support (and by support I mean cat calling and laughter) was provided from a safe distance.

 

We then headed to Alma for lunch and then back to the ranch where Thy showed me how to make Sushi and spring rolls.  I can’t wait to try and will need to FaceTime her when I get ready to do it !  We then headed out to see Con and Terri at their place.  We got to play with Winston until Theo arrived.   Then it was pass the baby..Theo is just adorable and a bit of a tease with a wicked sense of humour...seems to run in the family.  

After feeding the cows we headed home to have the sushi and rolls prepared earlier and by this time it was quite late.  

Day 8 - Did you say COWS?

We didn’t need an early start so we just packed up in the morning as we were getting ready to leave.

After a great breakfast soup this morning (different soup again!) we hit the road and headed for the island. Luckily we stopped for a bum break at the gas station as we were not sure how long the line up would be to the island for Covid check in.  The ride across the Confederation Bridge is still one of my favourite rides....you can see forever and it feels like you are floating above the ocean.  The line up for the residents of Atlantic Canada were not nearly as long as the line ups for everyone outside of the Atlantic Provinces...even with that it was sitting in 38 degree temps waiting to get under the big tent.  We quickly made our way through and pulled into the village for our Cows Ice Cream because you can’t come to PEI without stopping for Cows.  We road to Alberton, our stop for the night, arriving a little earlier than planned so we had lunch at the Albert and Crown before heading to the hotel.  Out of the sun, into a cool  shower and it is now “catch up” time...and for those of you who really thought they were going to to get the condensed version....well you show know better than to set such expectations.  

Supper tonight and off to explore the Island tomorrow.  Good night Anne!