Odometer: 38580km The morning was warm, there was heavy dew on the ground and the sun was peeking through the trees. While Sylvain went to work on his training cycle, I got myself some milk and fruit, and went out by the stream to eat. In the next half hour I was lost in a bit of a euphoric state. I was about as relaxed as I get. The quiet was almost measureable, with only the sounds of the stream rambling over well worn roocks and a few birds in their morning song. I found myself trying to soak up more than I possible could, sort of like force feeding. It was one of those special moments. I am pretty sure, back in my twenties, this was the sort of place I had in my mind ... read more

Odometer: 37747km Another day focussed on riding. I left Fredericton on the old road that tracks the west side of the St. Jean River. Anything I've read about this route is understated - it is magnificant. There are lots of homes along the river, but there are also many parks for public access. I tried to find a location along the road that provided a view to show off the valley, but I didn't have any luck. This road joins the new highway up the river and I went from absolutely no traffic to a very busy highway, with traffic made up mostly of large trucks. Riding behind a semi-trailer on a motorcycle is not much fun. The wind stream off the back of the truck buffets you from side to side and I avoid that ... read more

Odometer: 37375km Good grief. Seventeen above, pouring rain, visibility down to half a kilometer and more promised for tomorrow - all of this forced me to make a decision to move on. One challenge with the type of travelling I'm doing is that I have a certain duration and budget planned. Hanging around for one or two extra days waiting for improved weather is not an option. Sightseeing on a motorcycle when it is pouring rain is also not something I will ever do. As I rode through the fog and rain, I passed some cyclists out on the road and I considered myself lucky. They looked miserable and, having done that before, I'm sure they were. The wind was blowing very hard. I heard that The Confederation Bridge closes if the wind is too strong ... read more

Odometer: 36741km The Cabot Trail displayed everything promised. Vista after vista caused me to quietly exclaim inside my helmet. Seemingly organized rocky shores interspersed with narrow, sandy beaches met my expectations of what this coastline would be like. Inland there were lush trees giving way to scrub spuce and other hearty bushes reaching down to the shore. The road was a bit of an engineering wonder. Sometimes cutting through rocky outcroppings, sometimes twisting and climbing on the edge of a steep hill, and sometimes winding haphazardly along the coastline, it always offerred motorcycle riding fun. The tough part was handling the rough road. Although there were some new parts that had been recently paved, many of the older, twisty stretches had surpise potholes and bumps, all of which forced me to ride without taking the liberty ... read more

I planned this as a day trip out from Halifax. I went to Lunenburg first. When I arrived in this well known ship building town and the present home to Bluenose II of course I went to the railway museum and then spent time listening to the organist in the Zion Evangelican Luthern Church. Alright, don't consider me too daft. When I arrived I was actually just biding my time. The cloud cover was heavy and I wanted to wait for brighter light before going to the waterfront with my camera. At the museum I learned a lot about the railways in Nova Scotia. I also was treated to a rather quirky presentation of the way railway operation was in the province before most of the tracks were ripped up. This presentation was done witha model ... read more