The motel in Baddeck was like a mini-reunion from the ferry ride. Two 85-year-old men from Michigan were in the room next door, two moose antler racks in the rear of their pickup truck from a hunting trip in Newfoundland. The truck had been parked next to my motorcycle on the ferry deck, and at breakfast a couple who’d sat in front of me on the ferry came up to the table to chat about motorcycle travel. Baddeck is obviously a destination for the ferry passengers since it sits roughly 30 minutes from the ferry.
The weather was substantially warmer when I got on the road, though it was a bit overcast after several sunny days in Newfoundland. My instinct said to head for St. Stephen's and the Maine border, since I've got a specific number of days to get to New Mexico, but since Prince Edward Island was nearby, I decided to ride through the island on the way. I caught the ferry at Caribou, New Brunswick, which is free, with the caveat that you must pay upon leaving Prince Edward Island either by bridge or a return ferry. If Prince Edward Island is trying to build its population by trapping people on the island who can’t afford to pay to get off, they might re-think the plan, since folks who don’t have $40 Canadian might not be the clientele they want…
The trip took about an hour and a half, which I used to plot locations to see on the island, then spent the rest of the time sitting in the wind and people watching. I've certainly had my quota of ferry rides on this trip.
Just off the boat sits Woods Island Lighthouse, which I checked out before heading northwest for Charlottetown. From there I planned to go on to the National Park and loop around the northwest side of the island, with plans to ride back to Nova Scotia on the Confederation Bridge. Though I had no idea what to expect on the island, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was quite agricultural and rural, passing a lot of farms. The landscape was rolling hills with lots of hardwoods that were beginning to change color.
St. Dunstan's in downtown Charlottetown
Unfortunately clouds had rolled in and sporadic rain by the time I reached Charlottetown. My weather app showed continued rain on the island in the afternoon, so I scrapped my plans for the National Park and the northwest coast. I just have no desire to ride in the rain where I can't get off and walk around and take photos. Disappointed, I headed for the Confederation Bridge then back to the mainland of Nova Scotia. The bridge is listed as 13 km long and you must pay a toll, $19 Canadian for a motorcycle. Luckily I had enough Canadian pesos and didn’t have to live homeless under a 9 mile bridge. I was also lucky that the winds and rain I’d experienced a little earlier were not an issue on the bridge. I’ve had some serious wind experiences on the bike in the past and I’m not afraid to say I take it seriously.
The overcast and rain continued the rest of the afternoon until I reached Saint John’s, which seemed especially dreary and industrial. I booked a hotel with good reviews, but was extraordinarily run down on the outside and in a grubby neighborhood near the freeway. The interior was under renovation and nice, but it had long, confusing hallways with multiple doors and no elevator, which sucked having to carry gear up stairs and so far down hallways.
I didn't sleep well that night nor had I the previous evening, and I was feeling it when I headed out from the hotel the next morning. It was gray, drizzly and overcast while I rolled towards the border of Maine. The fog was very heavy at times and the drizzly rain continued. There was little desire on my part to seek side or coastal roads since the visibility was so bad. Disappointing, but again that's part of motorcycle travel…
Google had shown the quickest route to my friends place south of Québec by routing me through Maine, then back across the border into Canada. Rain came and went until I made the border crossing outside St. Stephen, which only had a few cars, and after a few questions by the border patrol officer I was back in the USA.
Heavy fog and sporadic rain continued until I reached Bangor, and grabbed lunch at a downtown coffee shop. Bangor looked like a pretty cool town and I woshed I had a bit more time to enjoy it.
Even though the weather was pretty bad, the vivid colors of fall were showing much stronger in Maine than they had in New Brunswick.
Tomorrow, I cross back into Canada again!