Maine, Nova Scotia, new Foundland

Been working on my plans for LobsterSTOC My plans are to pull out 7/26 and back home 8/6. looking at slabbing it to New Hampshire, try to ride up Mt Washington (weather permitting). check out Vermont. Ride on to Rockland ME for the Lobster Festival on Wednesday. My wife is flying up to meet me at Rockland ME. for the festival then she is flying back home Friday.
Stop Friday night to see the guys at LobsterStoc, pull out Saturday head for N.S. Spend 2 days there riding around. Jump on ferry Sunday night or Monday to Newfoundland. Come back to N.S. Tuesday or Wednesday. Beeline back home. Sounds simple at least for now. Subject to change at any giving moment..

Any suggestions??

Hi Doug:

Newfoundland is very beautiful, and is a delightful place to ride, but there are a few things you need to know if you have not been there before:

1) It can be quite cold and wet at times, even in June and July, so pack appropropriate outerwear.

2) Moose on the highway are a significant hazard, especially at dawn and dusk. Be very alert.

3) Taking the ferry to NF for just one or two days sounds like a bit of an ordeal... it's not a short ferry ride by any means, and the ferry crosses open ocean (it can be a rough ride in stormy weather). It's also not cheap. There are two ferry routes, one from Sydney to to Port Aux Basques, and another from Sidney to Argentia. What you may want to consider is going to the island on the former, and coming back on the latter. That would enable you to tour the whole island, but, that needs at least 5 days to do at anything other than 'Iron Butt' speeds.

4) Relative to the rest of Canada, Newfoundland is an expensive place (fuel, lodging, food, etc.). Keep that in mind when budgeting. The ferry charges are also not inconsequential.

In short, if your schedule doesn't allow you sufficient time to spend 5 to 7 days in Newfoundland, I suggest you drop it from your plans and save it for another year.

Michael

Your time is off Doug.

1 or 2 days riding in NFLD is a little light. You might spend more time on the ferries than you do in the province. The Port aux Basque ferry takes 6 hours one way. The Placentia ferry takes 15 +. The riding isn't amazingly twisty - you're there to experience the culture, the people, the moose, the Gros Morne park, the many peninsulas and coastlines, the fishing villages, the screech etc. You need a week minimum IMO - many spend a lot more than that

Lobsterstoc to Sydney is about 500 miles I'd guess which is ceratinly doable in a day if you stick to the slab where you can. Once off the slab there's lots to see but it gets real slow going thru fishing villages and meandering along the Bay of Fundy - a fascinating wonder of the world. Passing it by or other places like Hopewell Rocks would be too bad. You need a few more days in NS, IMO

And while in NS you have to do Cabot Trail which you can do both ways (recommended) in one day - if you get ok weather. It could just as easily be pea soup fog tho where you see nothing. Head up to Meat Cove. Its worth it!

It was good to meet you at OHSTOC.

Jeff



EDIT: I didn't see Michael's post before I hit send. Sounds like we're saying something similar. Cheers

Just so you know, North Sydney to Port aux Basques is a 6 hour transit, one way on the ferry....

Here are the schedules http://www.marine-atlantic.ca/schedule.asp and pre-book if you are going to go. Otherwise you might sit dockside for a while.

I'd suggest you pick one or the other (i.e. NS or Nfld) and spend your time there. NS has lots to see <shameless plugs to follow> like Lunenburg, Louisbourg, Halifax, Peggy's Cove etc and it will give you lots of decent twisty roads to explore. The Annapolis Valley (Wolfville, Kentville, Kingston etc) has things to see, like lots of wineries.....

Cape Breton can easily consume a two or more days, i.e. Cabot Trail, Baddeck for the Bell Museum, Fortress Louisbourg, etc. depending on what you want to see/experience.

Just a FYI, Halifax to Sydney on the slab is 4+ hours. Amherst to Sydney on the Slab is about 4+ hours. Yarmouth to Sydney (if the ferry from Maine is still running) is about 7 hours on the slab. And don't forget it is a haul through New Brunswick to get to NS .

Ping me if you'd like more information.

What part of Nova Scotia are you going to? It will take you about a day just to get to Cape Breton from Maine, and that's the quick boring route through New Brunswick. I would skip Newfoundland and spend more time riding around the Cabot Trail....ride it both ways, it's worth it. You will easily burn up a couple of days in Cape Breton not counting the other parts of Nova Scotia. Don't forget Meat Cove....worth it if you could spend the night. You will be surprised how big Nova Scotia is and how much time gets chewed up once you are there. Then there is the ferry to Newfoundland....either morning or night one? Don't expect it to be on time? Don't ride at night in Newfoundland, there is more moose per square mile up there than anyway I know. I rode a mile at night back to the campground I was staying and saw 4 moose during that time and trust they don't move especially for a motorcycle. We rode last year from southern tip of Nova Scotia up to Peggy cove and Halifax....Peggy's cove worth the trip. That burned up more time that I thought and still didn't get to see everything.

I figured you are probably trying to hit everything at once but you are probably better off just picking a few places like just NH, Vermont and Maine to explore and you still will not see everything in a week. I took a week a couple years back to go to Newfoundland and again never got to see half I wanted to, boat was delayed a day, rained other days. Gros Mourne took a day(well worth seeing) I have done that on some trips and tried to cram in way too much and would have rather spend more time on places I was at than try to fit in a whole lot more.

Good Luck and have fun in whatever you decide!

CYYJ said:

In short, if your schedule doesn't allow you sufficient time to spend 5 to 7 days in Newfoundland, I suggest you drop it from your plans and save it for another year.

Michael

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+1-------------------

Thanks for the info
5-7 days in Newfoundland? Wow.. So plotting some routes.. Yes I probably will drop Newfoundland. NS for sure,, and weather permitting.. I've seen lots from here to Ny, thus slabbing it to NH.

Doug:

One route you might want to consider is to go back to the USA via the ferry that runs from Yarmouth (at the very south-eastern end of the Nova Scotia peninsula) to Portland, Maine. That might enable you to more thoroughly tour Nova Scotia, which is a very interesting province, without having to do a lot of backtracking. Depending on what you finally decide you want to see, it might also save you up to about 800 miles of additional riding.

The image below shows the ferry route. It sails every day during the summer. The service is subsidized by the province of Nova Scotia to promote tourism, hence, it's not that expensive. I've never been on it, so I can't give you any personal advice about it. But I have taken lots and lots of ferries with my ST in the past (everything from Europe over to Africa a couple of months ago, to New York to Southampton England 10 years ago). It's never a problem to tie the bike down on the ferry.

Here's a direct link to the ferry company website: novastarcruises.com.

Ferry Route

Planning a trip to the East Coast myself and will be in the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI for 8 days, but I will have the missus on board, so rushing through is not an option, with two days spent in both Halifax and Louisbourg. YMWV, of course, being solo, but if you can spare the time to slow it down and see less, it should be worth it.

I always wonder why people ride to such beautiful places... and then don't spend the time to see the beauty that surrounds them.

scootac said:

I always wonder why people ride to such beautiful places... and then don't spend the time to see the beauty that surrounds them.

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Have you ever had a job? Only so much time to ride around my friend. Or just don't go..

I got 12 days planned. to see Maine. and NS. that should be plenty.. 800 mile days aren't uncommon.

Doug - If you have the time, definitely stop at the Bell museum in Baddeck. It's well worth the time if you have it. You do what I often have to do - 'compression touring'. As you said, it's that or nothing and it sure beats nothing ...

http://www.unclephil.us/Canada2011Day11.htm

Just three points:

Make sure you have the proper documentation to enter Canada and return to the states: a US passport or passport card.

A Canadian Motorcycle Insurance Card(get one from you agent/insurance company) and extend the dates just in case you get delayed.

Check and see if your Medical Insurance will cover you out of the country(probably not), if not, then pick up some Travelers Medical Insurance from your agent for the trip.

Happy Trails

OhioDeere said:

Have you ever had a job? ....... 800 mile days aren't uncommon.

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Yes, been working 50+ years.
Read my sig line.

A Louis L'Amour quote.

Do what you can Doug, there's always next time. Have fun and post your trip if you can. Ride safe.
Lyle

'Compression touring' the only way to fly for the non-retired. Enjoy Doug

ST-DocLizard1 said:

Just three points:
Make sure you have the proper documentation to enter Canada and return to the states: a US passport or passport card.
A Canadian Motorcycle Insurance Card(get one from you agent/insurance company) and extend the dates just in case you get delayed.
Check and see if your Medical Insurance will cover you out of the country(probably not), if not, then pick up some Travelers Medical Insurance from your agent for the trip.
Happy Trails

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Great advice. Matter of fact I had forgotten about the insurance card so I need to get a 'fresh' copy of mine!

Uncle Phil said:

Great advice. Matter of fact I had forgotten about the insurance card so I need to get a 'fresh' copy of mine!

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Glad to help out.