Maritimes tour (Newfie 2005)

[kbc68]

This trip began Friday July 15th ! I was riding on my own while my wife and daughter flew to Newfounland to meet up with my parents .
I went in work with the bike loaded and i worked t'ill noon and the headed for Montreal 5 1/2 hrs away , where i made camp . I elft work at this time so i could beat the city traffic heading home for the weekend !
This my first campsite just outside Montreal, it was a KOA.
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The next morning i woke up early pack up and was on my east on hwy 20
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I woke every morning at 4:30am and was on the road at 5:30am . I found this was the best way to make best of the day and go to bed just as the sunset with a cold KING CAN of BEER to put me out like a light !
This was my next campsite in Sackville New Brunswick as you can see i didn't take any pics i was making sure i was doing good time and distance ! I rode 1100kms (683miles)that day . There was one stretch where i almost ran out of fuel . I've been running tank to tank , so the fuel light would come on around 320kms(198 miles) the i would go look for fuel , but i caught between Fredricton and Moncton at a certain spot where there wasn't a stop for miles (i was getting nervous) the odometer keeped going round and nothing in site ,until i found a cutt off and went searching for a small town ! Well i went 386kms (239 miles) Incredible !
I was on what ever was in those lines a the time !
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Next morning i was up early again rode for 2hrs got off the trans canada hwy at Truro and had breakfast and filled up! I rode without stopping to Port Hastings this is a small town with a causway to Cape Briton island
This pic is riding toward the causway!
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Here's a few pics from the other side!
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As youcan see a cost gaurd boat heading threw the swinging bridge!
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Leaving Port Hastings i decided to take to stay of off the trans Canada hwy and take the back roads to the Cabot Trail !
These are some of the sites you'll see on route 19
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This is the beginning of the National park Head down the Cabot trail
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Poison Ivy here it is if you havn't seen it before it was posted at one of the stops
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This is one of those shots that makes this place famous!
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More shots from some of the hill tops that i would stop at !
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Now as you can see in this shot the large hills on the left that go toward the coast . I went of the main cabot Trial hwy and headed to a place called MEAT COVE , which is the farthest you can go east in North Amaerica on the Mainland !
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This is MEAT COVE , little camp site on the left !
It took me an hour and a half to get out here from the hwy and there was about 14kms of dirt road and hills to deal ! ( AHH who needs a GS )I love my RR)
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Back on the Cabot Trail
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Once iwas finished with Cabot trail i headed for Sydney where i had a hotel booked for the night . I wanted place to freshen up before may 14 hr fairy ride!
These are pics on top of Kelly's mountain looking over the Strait of Sydney harbour ! As you can see i unloaeded the bike at the hotel and raced up the mountian for some photos
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Next morning the fairy left for Argentia at 6:00am , so i had to be there an hr early to get aboard and strap the machine down.
As you can see i had some other BMW friends on the journey !
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Leaving Sydney as you can see nothing ,but sunshine and smooth sailing
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The boat was called th JosephClair Smallwood
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I didn't purchase a cabin , but for $30 i stayed in the lower level of the boat read and slept in the Dormatory bunks peace and quiet other the constant thudd of the big diesels pumping away !
I purchased a book written by Jack London SEA WOLF ! it Kept me well occupied (great story too!) I finished it on the trip back !
This is an evening shot just turning into Argentia !
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Once on the island i reuinted with my family and parked the bike and spent my time riding around in a CAGE >Well when you go solo and yoour wife takes your kid on the plane you have to make some sacrifices!
I parked in back of my dads place and covered it with my new RIGGS BIKE COVER ! YEHAA!
Here is some picks of NEWFIE!
St John's from Signal Hill famous for it's first morris code to England over the BIG POND called the Atlantic !
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My Daughter sneaking a peak around the TERRY FOX mile ) Memorial !!
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This Cape Spear another famous look out !
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Wave to England ,cause that's where you go from that point !
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Cape St Marys another awesome place to look at !
Road to the Cape
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This piece of rock with birds all over it actually is separte from the bluff
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This is GROS MORNE national park This place is called western brook
were walk in for 45 mins and go for a boat ride to see the Fordge !
This is Awsome !
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My Family !
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The journey home !
After arriving off the ferry back at sydney the boat daoked 12:00am .I headed for the hotel for a quick nap > I wasn't tired , but i can't risk running at night with fear of MOOSE getting in front of me .
Well at 5:00am itwas rianing with thunder and lightning , well time to get the rain gear on and get on the road hope i could ride out of the storm !
I rode for 3hrs still rainning hard with lots of thunder and lightning ! Stopped for breakfast ...fuel and road right to Montcton New Brunswick where i finally got out of the rain and into warm sunshine. From here i stayed of off the trans canada hwy and hit a back road route 126 to Miramichiand then on the 430 north , where i spotted a police car the didn't my 75 mph cruising speed ! Flashed his lights at me and gave me the thumbs down , so i slowed down and he moved on ! On this 430 route i hit some gravel parts which slowed me down to 40 mph this stuff was really loose and washy. My youthful dirt bike experinces keeped in tune with this uneasy condition ! which lasted for about 20 miles !. I discovered the road was used mainly for logging!
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The odd logging truck would go by and send a nasty cloud of white dust everywhere , so i would pull over the edge of the road shut down the engine to avoid my air filter from sucking this crap in as much as i could .
I found some cool bridge shots with cool rivers
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I got off this road and got on the route 11 heading toward Dalhousie ( little town ). I turned on to another route closer to the shore line of CHALEUR BAY on route 134.
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This a shot of this cool fountain in the town of Campleton just before the bridge to the Gaspe Penisula!
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This is my campsite at Caplan in the Gaspe Penisula
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This a beach looking over the Perce town"s point !
Look at the hills on the righ hands side the roads were just twisty and awsome ,I was , so pumped i couldn't be bothered to take pictures!
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This is the town of Gaspe . I filled with fuel and heaed for the national park to the light house !
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After i went around the park i went back to town of Gaspe and hit the route 198 and stopped at this little mining town of Murdochville
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After leaving the town the road was heading toward the St Lawrence River.
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This is route 132 heading west along the St Lawrence River it was very windy !
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This was my campsite just outside Quebec city !
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The next morning i headed for home , my wife and daughter were home 3 day's before me . I rode threw Quebec city taking Hwy 40 5:30am and was home 2:00pm that afternoon .
Durning this journey the i burnt $240 cdn of fuel and only burnt 3/4 of a quart of oil , we turned 5500kms (3417miles)AND an average speed between 120kph to 140kph (75 mph to 85mph ) average speed ! THIS
BIKE IS AWESOME ! fOR PERFORMANCE , FUEL ECONOMY HANDLING !
I hope you enjoy this as i have enjoyed the other GREAT rides of this web site !

KeV !

[bikerdudeQC]

Thanks for the report & pics. I've done all but the newfie part on my bike. A great ride!

[DJ Downunder]

Hoolie-doolie...what a great ride.

Thanks for posting all those pics and report...that's a ride you'll never forget.

Your pictures are fantastic...most are post card quality.

Brilliant...thanks

DJ

[kbc68]

The weather was awesome and for someone who dosen't speak french i felt a little out of place , but these people are fantastic willing to help out and always interested in the R1150R . I had two people tell me that they didn't realize BMW made motorcycles !

[Boxer]

Absolutely awsome pictures Kev! I really enjoyed the trip report. That looks like a place I'd like to ride to one of these summers.

How much does the camping cost up there? And how available are the camping sites?

[kbc68]

I booked ahead of time , only because i didn't know what to expect . I wouldn't of had a problem . The Gaspe had plenty of places to stop and camp even some really cool places close to the beach ! It is very touristy lots of campers and motorhomes ! Great place for them though. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia make it very easy toget from place to place ,cause of the trans Canada Hwy . Greats roads! Now Gaspe takes alot of time ! Due to the all the little towns ! It will take an entire day to make whole loop around !
Part of my plan was leave Caplan go around Gaspe and catch one of the ferries across the St Lawrence and head down route 138 into Quebec City ,but i didn't have enough time and plus i had to be home for the Sunday !

[kbc68]

Oh the camping ranged from $20 to $25 cdn ! Tent without electricity.

[Johnny B...MW to be...]

Thank to Kev for the posting with pics. Most detailed, enjoyed it a lot particularly cause I'm transfering to Moncton very soon...
Got a question for all. Thinking of buying a well dressed '02 R1150R (abs, hard cases, touring shield, crash bars, the works!) with about 30000km asking price of 10500$. Went to see it and was very impressed as I've been mainly looking at Triumph tigers, BMW 1150 GS and Aprilia Caponord models. I haven't had a bike in many years and I must say I fell in love with this one. My only concern was the rumbling engine (less than a Harley of course but...), I've never been on a BMW before and I expected a smoother sound like japanese models I've driven in the past. Is that normal? And what about the price? Hope to get your feedback. Thanks!

jeansimon, Gatineau-Quebec - Johnny B...MW to be???[/b]

[DSKYZD]

Phenomenal!

Trying to make plans to get up there this summer myself.


DSKYZD

[marko]

Fantastic and great pics
Well done. A great ride and great scenery.
(I don't recognize any of those places you say is Sydney though!)