Capering on the Cabot Trail

Me at the entrance to the legendary Cabot Trail, conveniently located right next to our motel. :)

Today we started our very first motorcycle vacation.  Not a motorcycle vacation where we actually packed our luggage on our motorcycles and drove them to our destination; we are not that dedicated.   Instead, we loaded our motorcycles on our trailer and drove up to Nova Scotia!

Checking the weather on the way, we saw that the forecast was clear until Wednesday, and then it was supposed to rain.  Since we are doing a bit of a plan-as-you-go trip this time, we decided to scrap original plan, which was to end the trip riding the Cabot Trail, and instead head straight there while the weather was good!  So last night we parked our trailer and slept at a little motel near Baddeck, and this morning we headed out on the Cabot Trail!

Beautiful sunrise over the lake, view from our motel window! We arrived at
night, so we didn't know we had this nice view.  The motel's slogan is
"A View with a Room" so we did have a hint...  :)

A little sailing school in the lake. 

Gavin and I on the Cabot Trail.

Lots of rocky outcroppings with beautiful pink and grey rock.

A little rocky peninsula with lovely views.

On the Cabot Trail.

The Cabot Trail is said to be one of the best motorcycle rides in the world.  It runs 185 miles around Cape Brenton Island and through Cape Brenton Highlands National Park, and is supposed to be as close in scenery to the highlands of Scotland as you can get without actually going to Scotland.  It hugs the coastline for much of the trail and also dips inland through some small mountains and lush, green forests.  There are many beaches and hiking trails along the route, but we opted for mostly just enjoying the drive, especially since motorcycle boots are NOT comfortable to hike in, and wet hair is awful in a helmet!

The trail was full of motorcycles, of course.  I think Gavin and I with our little Honda Shadows had the smallest, least “dressed up” bikes of any on the trail.  There were dozens of custom Harleys, vintage Honda Goldwings, and the occasional Ducati.  Most were cruisers packed with luggage or decked out with custom paint and accessories, etc.  And most were friendly and waving to us as we passed; one of my favorite things about riding motorcycles is the “motorcycle wave,” where motorcyclists will wave at any motorcycle going in the opposite direction.  It makes me feel like I’m in a cool club.  :)

Toward the end of the ride, Gavin and I, not having cushy touring bikes, started to get REALLY tired and sore – our bikes aren’t made for going long distances comfortably, and we ourselves have never rode more than about 2 hours at a stretch.  J  Plus, the last bit was a highway – and we never ride on highways.  So we got to ride at highway speeds for the first time on our bikes.  Gavin told me later that he got his bike to 75mph for a second just to try it, after he had been complaining all day that I was driving “too fast” when I was only going the speed limit all day…  :)

We tried to get to the top of the island to see Meat Cove, but soon after this
picture we were stopped by a gravel road. But it is about the journey, and
there was plenty to see on this one!  :)

Also on the way to Meat Cove.

An action shot, me riding up one of the mountains. Fun curves!

Gavin on the Cabot Trail.

The west side of the island - you can see part of the trail in the distance!

Me and my bike.   (and helmet hair)  :)

We went back to the motel to shower, and then went do dinner at Baddeck Lobster Suppers, a big, kitschy all-you-can-eat dinner catering to tourists, but according to our guidebook had the freshest seafood.  We arrived around 8pm and had to wait a while for a table, but once seated we got to have unlimited seafood chowder, mussels and rolls while we waited for our main course of grilled salmon.  The mussels were some of the best I have ever tasted – no sauce needed to make them palpable to my Midwestern sensibilities; they were served with only minced garlic and melted butter! After our huge meal, we also could have unlimited dessert, so we had a piece of apple pie and chocolate cake.

Delicious mussels!  :)

We headed back to our motel and checked the weather forecast.  We saw that it was supposed to start thunder-storming in the early morning, so we loaded our bikes on the trailer and covered them with their covers, then went to sleep.  Tomorrow we will head out of Cape Brenton Island and down to Halifax!