Although I've used Automap to lay out the trip, I'd still appreciate any helpful hints, must sees and any other tidbits you'd care to share.  Our general plan is to cross the northern U.S. at about 300 miles or so a day, reducing that to about 180-200 miles a day in Canada.  That's so we'll have time to smell the flowers AND take a few pictures along the way. 

Several ferry rides are planned, across Lake Michigan on the SS Badger from Manitowoc, WI to Luddington, MI for starters.  Next ferry is across Lake Champlain from Port Kent, NY to Burlington, VT with a further stop at Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory for a taste or two. 

We'll traverse the Bay of Fundy through New Brunswick, cross to Prince Edward Island via the Confederation bridge and then come back to the mainland on the Wood Islands ferry before heading to Port Hastings.  From there we'll head north on the Cabot Trail stopping in Cheticamp, NS before heading south again.  Our final ferry ride will be from Digby, NS to St. John, NB before heading back to the states.

We hope to ride U.S. 1 down the Maine coast with a stop in Bar Harbor finally reaching Saco-Biddeford Maine.  Then it's back across New Hampshire, Vermont and New York before dropping down into Pennsylvania to ride the Grand Army of the Republic highway (U.S. 6) across most of the state. 

Once through Ohio we hope to see the Duesenberg-Auburn-Cord museum in Auburn, IN before getting serious about heading for home -- at that point a couple of days away. 

Sixteen days in all on the road, about 4500 miles to ride and hoping for good weather, but prepared for the worst. 

Any ideas you'd care to share?

Ray Nielsen, in Minneapolis and going for a breakfast ride tomorrow.

Maybe 2 tractor-trailers, a bus...maybe 50 cars and 15 motorcycles, and the auto-deck was nowhere near full. ((note: if the crew sees bad weather, they will strap the bikes down)) We had a room reserved and after a brieft nap (and shower) we went to dinner (the salt air must encourage the taste buds...) and it was so cool....all the other bikers were at one big table...the recognised us (even after all the dirt was removed) and we were part of a teriffic group. Did the gaming room thing and the next morning, after 4 hours sleep...if that, parted company. Never saw these people before...never saw them later, but for that nite...one big party.

Cabot Trail: from Yarmouth, we did the Southern route first, then came back the Northern Route. Somewhere along the Northern Route we stopped at a pretty nice "bed & breakfast" for 3 days.  Included in the price was "whale-watching"....lemme tell ya, them guys are BIG.

Anyway...that's about all I can add....I hope that b&b is still there.Check it out in the touristy booklets.

Here's an article from (another) magazine about the Nova Scotia trip:  http://home.tiac.net/~rflaford/novascotia.htm

You'll have a great time.  WONDERFUL roads, FANTASTIC VIEWS, and very friendly people.

Bob

I am a major lighthouse fanatic so this trip is definitely on the top our list for next year.

I hope you have an awesome time and when you get back you can share some pics with us.

NJScooterGal

2008 Silverwing, aka Sir Lancelot of Swoyersville.

Mahone Bay, just north of there is the"most photographed" place in Nova Scotia.

The Citadel in Halifax may be of interest. It is an old fort, right in the middle of downtown.

Our day at the Cabot Trail started out VERY foggy. The trek to Meat Cove was very worthwhile. The dirt road is hard-packed & easily navigated by my HD Ultra & my friend's K1200LT. Another very interesting stop would be the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck. We got there late but did a quick walk-through prior to them closing for the evening.

Most of our trip was spent in Newfoundland. (Fantastic!!!)

Have a good time & share your experiences upon your return. I look forward to reading it. 

Ride Hard or Stay Home

'06 ElectraGlide Ultra Classic

'00 DR650SE                                

'94 Pacific Coast

My two sons were on dual purpose bikes, a KLR 650 and a DR650, which were made for the Nova Scotia roads.  My Suzuki Boulevard M50 definitely was not.  The roads in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia were in poor condition with lots of irregular pavement and bumps and my derriere suffered because of that.  I can recommend a bike with long travel suspension if you ride the Cabot Trail and surrounding roads.

Much of the Cabot Trail was too far inland for good ocean views, although the northwest corner of Cape Breton Island offered some spectular scenery -- especially in the Cheticamp area.  Gas was plentiful and that was a consideration for me with a 150-160 mile range.  The DP bikes could add another 75 miles to that easily.  Gas prices were in the $5.11 to $5.49 per gallon. 

I was disappointed in not finding fresh lobster available -- apparently it's somewhat seasonal and where we stopped it just wasn't on the menu -- this being througout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Maine. 

With three bikes I expected some problems, but only one surfaced -- the Suzuki DR650 needed a new chain on the return leg through New York.  A Suzuki dealer in Troy, NY had a new chain installed in just over an hour and only charged us a half hour's labor rate. 

My Boulevard used over 2 quarts of oil while the DP bikes were still full at trips end.  I did get better mileage than the two DP bikes though, just over 50 MPG overall with a low of 47 and a high of 54.

We lucked out with 15 of 17 days being sunny with rain for only 2 days in New Brunswick and Maine.  Mornings in the Maritimes were quite cold, often in the 40 degree F range in the early morning hours.  Afternoons were sunny and pleasant.

Low points were the border crossings back into the U.S. -- congested and slow moving, but with no problems.  We entered Canada twice, rapidly and easily.  Another low point was Lake Placid, a village of some 2600 people and several thousand tourists -- all trying to make a left turn on the two lane road through town!  It seemed to be the most yuppified town I've even seen and that includes Sedona, AZ.  Steer clear at all costs!

High points were the ferry rides, at least for me.  We crossed Lake Michigan from Manitowoc to Luddington, MI on the SS Badger a 60 year old boat that had just been repaired before we arrived.  Lake Champlain was crossed from Port Kent, NY to Burlington, VT right into rush hour traffic.  Thankfully Burlington is fairly compact and we cleared the city with minimal delay.  U.S. 2 was closed, forcing us back onto the Freeway instead of allowing a slower pace on back roads.  From New Brunswick we took the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island before taking a ferry back to Nova Scotia at Woods Island, crossing the Northumberland Strait to Pictou, NS.  The final ferry ride from Digby, NS to St. John, NB was the longest at 4 hours.  Luckily ALL these ferry rides were across calm water, something my seasick prone son appreciated. 

The return trip across NH, VT, NY, PA, OH, IN, IL, WI was a bit of a drag as the country is flat, the temperature was high and as usual the vacation ended BEFORE we got home. 

Still, it was a nice time with my two kids, something we had never done before and probably won't do again, given my age and health.

Ray Nielsen, in Minneapolis and sitting on a comfortable chair!