Travel to Eastern US and Canada 2006

I left Topeka July 17 and had trouble right away as my K-tag would not work. I had to stop at the east terminal and they said the tag was invalid. I paid the toll and will check on it when I return. My Sirius satellite started acting up for a short time. I suspect it was not getting good reception and did not have further trouble with it. All this before I got to Kansas City. The last trip I went on I lost my motorcycle cover before arriving at Kansas City. There must be bad karma in that area.

This was the hottest day of my trip with temperatures reaching 103 degrees. I stopped often soaking my vest in water and drank lots of water. They were predicting rain for that night but it didn’t there. It was much cooler the next day. I stayed in Geneseo, IL, just east of Moline and traveled 483 miles that day.

I was dreading traveling I-80 going through Chicago but traffic wasn’t bad at all. I ran into my first toll road and would come across many more on this trip. That is particularly difficult on a motorcycle. You have to stop, put it in neutral, dig for money often taking off a glove to do so, and then put the change back. A couple of times I dropped some change but just left it. One time the lady said she would pick it up and gave me another coin.

I arrived in Muskegon, MI and stayed with my Aunt and Uncle Rita & Neil Punches. They had a storm Monday night and were without power. They did have a generator to run some lights, refrigerator and freezer. I told them the last time we visited them 25 years ago there was a power outage a few miles down the road because we had trouble finding fuel for the car.

I had a good visit with them and their three children, Linda, Brian and Greg and some of their children and grandchildren. They have such a nice place and I enjoyed seeing all their hunting trophies. They travel worldwide in their hunting endeavors. They have lived there for as long as I can remember. Rita had baked a blueberry pie and made potato salad the day before I arrived. She grilled some excellent steaks from a 4-H beef so we ate really well for not having power.

The next day I headed north to the Mackinac Bridge, another toll. This bridge goes across Lake Michigan to the west and Lake Huron to the east. I took several pictures in this area. I traveled north to Sault Ste. Marie and entered Ontario, Canada. This is by Lake Superior. I carry a passport and do not find it difficult to cross the border going into Canada or coming back out. I get a Canadian non-resident insurance card from State Farm before I leave and it’s good until your policy expires.

In Ontario I traveled Highway 17 that follows the coast of Lake Huron. This is a pretty ride. I rode about 670 miles this day. It was more than I planned but I had trouble finding a place to stay around Sudbury. A storm also went through east of there Monday night and many were without power to the east. I finally found a place east of Sudbury. The motel was not great but it would do. The last two days riding the maximum temperature was 86 which is not bad.

On Thursday morning I left headed southeast. It was 61 degrees when I left. I rode through about 200 miles of storm damage and there were many trees down. There were many power company trucks repairing the lines and cutting trees. A town of North Bay had the most damage and this is why I had a hard time finding a place to stay. Many left this area and went west to motels.

While coming through Michigan and Ontario many people were along the rode selling blueberries as this was prime time for them. I did not stop for any but had Mary been with me we would have.

I came back in the US in New York. I stayed along the Canada – New York border and came across Lake Champlain at its northern point. If you come down the New York side you have to cross on a ferry. It was a pretty ride coming south through Vermont by the lake. As I got closer to Vermont the temperatures rose to 93. I arrived at the rally at Burlington about 5 PM, registered and found a place to set up my tent. They were very close together but I did find a shady, level place.

There were over 9,000 in attendance at the rally. I went to several informational meetings on Friday and looked at all the exhibits. I was able to get out of there without buying anything. I woke early Friday morning a headed down to find a shower. They had several and I found a semi-trailer set up with showers where I didn’t have to wait long. It was hot that day and I took another shower that night. I was going to attend a meeting the next day but woke up about 5 AM when others around were stirring. When that many are camped some come in late and others out early so there is little quiet time even though I was camped in the quiet area. I decided I had enough and would move on. There was heavy dew so the tent was packed wet. After I packed I rode down where they had food vendors and ate breakfast. I took off about 6:30 and headed northeast up Hwy 2 through Vermont, New Hampshire and into Maine. It was cloudy and foggy in the mountains of Vermont and nice day to ride. There were lots of towns to go through. I stayed ahead of storms all day and arrived in Bangor, ME just before the rains started. I had called ahead to a Super 8 for a room. It was too rainy to go out so I called for a pizza for delivery.

The next morning it was raining and it rained most of the day. It was never a hard rain. It did stay cool, in the low 70’s. From Bangor I took Hwy 9 to Calais, ME where I crossed into New Brunswick. I took Hwy 1 through Saint John, another toll bridge, and crossed into Prince Edward Island over the Confederation Bridge. The bridge is 13 kilometers long and is quite a sight to see. It was completed in 1998 at a cost of $1 billion Canadian. There are no toll booths when you enter but you have to pay a $16.25 toll for motorcycle when you leave. The bridge rises to nearly 200 feet over the shipping channel. I came off the bridge to a visitor center at Borden Point.

I had my entire route loaded and planned in my Garmin 2610 GPS but things don’t always go as planned. Several roads were new and the GPS would not be able to find them. I had planned on taking the west coastal drive but ended up going direct up the middle of the island. The island is pretty flat and excellent for farming with one of the major crops being potatoes. There were many stands along the roads with new potatoes for sale. The fields were in full bloom and very pretty. The ground is red in color and to see the contract of the green crops growing was very pretty. I rode on to the northwest portion of the island to Tignish. There I found Our Lady of Angels Convent that was finished in 1868 and when the sisters of the Congregation-de-Notre Dame in Montreal first took up residence in the present structure. The people of the area constructed the convent, building it of brick manufactured right in Tignish. Classes were taught at the convent until January 1966 when the building closed its classrooms. The convent closed it doors for good in 1991. It was converted to the present Tignish Heritage Gardens and remains a historic site. It is a bed and breakfast and a nice place to stay. That evening I ate scallops Alfredo and it was excellent.

Scallops are mollusks with two hinged shells (bivalves) which filter their food from the surrounding water. Scallops differ from oysters, clams and mussels in their ability to "swim" short distances by the rapid snapping of their shells. This ability develops an oversized muscle referred to as the scallop adductor. The adductor muscle, shaped similar to a marshmallow, is the primary edible portion of the scallop. Sea scallops are the largest and most readily available commercial species of scallop. Sea scallops are harvested off the coast of northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. They are usually shucked at sea so that only the meats are brought to shore. The size of these scallops range between 20-30 meats per pound and they are easily grilled, broiled or used in recipes. They are available fresh and frozen.

After a quiet night of sleep and breakfast at the Inn I headed for North Cape. This was only about 20 miles and had many points of interest. The first thing I noticed was that each house had a boat up on dry dock and lobster traps in the yard. The wide boats are used for lobster harvesting. It was off season for them as I was right in the middle of when they gather them. At one bay I took pictures of the boats and lobster traps. Each person has there own colored buoy markers that identifies their traps even though many different ones are in the same area.

The next thing you see are the wind generators on the Cape and this is one of the windiest areas in Canada and they generate 3 percent of the islands electricity there. It was not very windy while I was there. It is also an experimental area so there are different kinds of wind generators. Then there was the light house to keep the ships from running aground. While I was there I noticed men with work horses by the ocean. The horses pulled a large rake or scoop. They were gathering red seaweed and loading it into small trucks. One group had a 4-wheel drive tractor and gathered it that way. The beach is rocky. I asked what they used this for and this is what I found. It is made into a white powder.

Carrageenan extracted from red seaweeds. It is named after Irish moss, also known as Carrageen moss), which is called carraigín in Irish. It was originally isolated from this alga in 1844.
They are widely used in the food and other industries as thickening and stabilizing agents.
For example, they can be used in:
Desserts, ice cream, milk shakes, sauces - gel to increase viscosity
Beer - clarifier to remove haze-causing proteins
Pâtés and processed meat - Substitute fat to increase water retention and increase volume
Toothpaste - stabilizer to prevent constituents separating
Fire fighting foam - thickener to cause foam to become sticky
Shampoo and cosmetic creams - thickener
Air freshener gels
Shoe polish - gel to increase viscosity
Biotechnology - gel to immobilize cells/enzymes

People are very friendly and willing to visit with you. I could not distinguish any accent and most were like us. If you met someone on the street from PEI or Nova Scotia they wouldn’t be any different than us. Many emigrated from Ireland, thus the potatoes. PEI is known as the million-acre farm. Another thing I noticed was the many churches of all denominations. All were well painted and mostly white with a steeple. Many places you come across French speaking persons and signs are in English & French.

Monday, July 24 was raining and mist and in the low 60’s warming to mid 70’s. I traveled from Tingish to North Cape then back southeast to the Confederation Bridge. I paid the toll and crossed back into New Brunswick. Some of the roads were not too good. I hit two potholes in PEI and once it knocked it into neutral. I had to re-adjust both mirrors. I entered Nova Scotia about noon. It continued to rain off and on. Gas in Canada is about 60 cents a gallon higher than the US. I found a motel close to the Cabot Trail and prayed for better weather tomorrow. I want to take some good pictures as this is to the highlight of the trip. The room was going to be $90 and I groaned and asked if she had any cheaper. She said, “Well since it is raining I may not be a busy so I will take $70”.

I woke to sunny blue skies for what looked to be a perfect day and as it turned out it was. It was in the 60’s in the AM and 70’s PM. The trip along the coast is gorgeous with blue sky, puffy white clouds and blue water. It just goes on & on. At Ingonish I had my hand held GPS loaded with a Geocache spot and I had brought from Topeka a travel bug Dalton and I found on Burnett’s Mound. I took this bug to Georgia in the spring but when I went to leave it I couldn’t find it. I had a hole in my pocket and it was in my pants leg. Anyway I found the cache and left the travel bug. I took a lot of pictures and then headed back out of Nova Scotia. I stayed in Amherst, NS.

I called Mary tonight and she is lonesome for me. I said she probably misses my housekeeping and cooking. I will begin the trip home tomorrow. It will probably be about 2,000 miles. So far I have ridden 3,462 miles.

On Wednesday, July 26 I left Amherst, NS in a rain. It had been thundering for an hour and I thought I was going to miss it. It didn’t rain long or hard. Temperatures were in the low 60’s. There is a two hour time difference once you cross into New Brunswick. I hadn’t gone far when the cover on my tank bag looked like it could come off so I pulled over to fix it. I had only gone about 3 miles when a state highway truck ahead of me pulled over and the driver bailed out waving for me to slow down. I went about another mile and a state highway truck was blocking the passing lane and motioned for me to slow. I could see water across the road. It was 3 or 4 inches deep where I drove through but I was glad I had to stop to fix the bag which gave the workers time to get set up. If not I may have hit that water fast and that could be a problem.

I had to pay the bridge toll again at Saint John. Then when I got on I-95 in Maine I had to pay a toll 4 times coming down the turnpike. Traffic was really moving there though. Today I started out in NS and went through NB, ME, NH, MA, and Rhode Island. I rode 618 miles. I called Garry Hinkley, a friend of mine in Maine, but he was just going to a meeting so I didn’t get to visit with him. I was going to see John Goggin, another friend, in Fredericton, NB but decided I didn’t want to go north but head for home.

After traveling all day and afternoon temperatures about 93, I was ready for a place to stay. I came down I-95 through Maine then got on I-495 to by-pass around Boston. Before I got to Providence, RI I headed southwest on Hwy 6. I was driving through cities at that time but the traffic wasn’t bad considering it was quitting time. At Smithfield, RI I spotted a sign for the Hilltop Inn and rode up the hill to it. It did not look great but I inquired about a room. As usual the first response was $70 and then he had one for $50. I took it and he followed me in the room and sprayed some deodorizer on the carpet. It wasn’t great but it would do because I was hot & tired. I unloaded some things and took a shower. When I came out three police cars pulled up and one officer went to the manager. He was with him a long time and I talked to one of the other officers. I said, “Did I pick a bad place to stop”? And he said, “We have been called out here 3 times this past week and are tired of it”. He told me not to leave anything of value on my bike and wanted to know what room I was staying in. I went to eat and when I came back they were still there and knocking on another door further down. An older white guy and younger black girl came out and she didn’t have much on. I went back in my room and later there was a knock on my door. There was a guy sitting out in front of his room when I pulled up and he wanted to know if I wanted some wine. I said no that I had some beer. Anyway it was him at the door wanting to know if I wanted some company. I said, No I am tired and going to sleep soon so I can get an early start in the morning”. He left. I took my big knife out of the sheath and left it open on the night stand.

I didn’t sleep well as the air conditioner would run then kick and be quiet, then a minute later kick back on. Finally about midnight I took some aspirin and went to sleep. I swear I felt a big roach on my pillow and threw it off but I never seen any. I woke up at 5:30 and took off at 6 AM. I survived the night.

On Thursday, July 27, I continued southwest on Hwy 6 & 66 into Connecticut and around Danbury I got on I-84 and traveled southwest through New York. This was pretty country riding through the New England states. As I was coming down I-84 I arrived in Pennsylvania. I wondered what happened to New Jersey. This was the last state I needed to say I have been in all the lower 48 + Alaska and I didn’t want to miss it. I had been in the airport but I don’t count that. So anyway I turned around and went to the PA Information Center and picked up a PA map. The guy working at the center said I had traveled in New Jersey for about ½ mile as I came down I-84 so that was good enough for me.

I continued on I-84 to I-81 near Scranton, PA and took it to I-80. I ran into quite a bit of construction in PA and traffic would come to a halt. I ran into rain and it cooled from 93 to 73 and felt good. I stopped and put on my rain clothes. I finally called ahead to a Super 8 in Brookville, PA and made it there in the rain. It was $50 the same I had paid for the rat hole the night before and this was a nice motel. I met another guy from Ohio that had been to the BMW rally. He stayed Saturday and said they really had a storm and lots of rain so I was glad I left when I did.

I called Jerrod and asked if I could stay with them in St Louis Friday night and it was okay. He looked on the Internet and said it was about 680 miles. I took off the next morning about 7 AM eastern time in the rain. It was cool and stayed that way until about noon. Somewhere around Akron, OH I took I-76 south to I-70 and took that into St Louis. It was hot, in the mid 90’s, and I ran into rain about 1 ½ hours from St Louis. I didn’t even stop to put on rain clothes and the wet felt good. The temperature dropped to 78 for a while then right back up. I made it to Jerrod’s about 5:30, grabbed a beer and took a shower. I rode 710 miles that day. After dinner we went to Ted Drewes for ice cream. It is hard to go to St Louis without visiting there!

On Saturday, July 29 I headed west on I-70 for home and arrived in Topeka about 12:30 to 96 degree weather. This was the hottest it had been since the day I left 13 days before. Good ole Kansas!

I traveled a total of 5,683 and did not have any major problems. The BMW ran great and my butt held out! I spent $357 for gas and burned 114 gallons for an average of 49 mpg. Motels cost $560 so I spent about $100 a day traveling. It was a great trip and I met my goal of picking up New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to have visited all the lower 48 states and also added three more Canadian Provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. I have now been in 10 Canadian Provinces and 49 states and the District of Columbia. Not all are on a motorcycle, but most are.

For some reason this trip felt safe to me. Traffic was not as heavy as I expected in the east. No major close calls and even though I rode in the rain it felt safe most of the time. I did pull over a couple of times if the rain got to heavy. I did feel the ABS work once when I had to brake for a dog in PEI. All motorcycles should be equipped with automatic braking systems. (ABS) If my Yamaha would have had that when I was in Alaska I probably would not have crashed.

Don’t know where I will head next but some day I want to travel back to Alaska.