Day 1 - Sun July 31 2016

Day 1 - Sun July 31, 2016

Our first overnight stop is Cornwall, ON

571km - 6hr 45min

Best Western Parkway Inn

Covered 571km from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Cornwall, ON.  Had heavy rain as we departed at 9am, but the weather cleared by the time we reached Newtonville (Gansel Beach).  Saw no trains on the CN line but then again we did have the line in sight the whole time.

Karen did an excellent job driving with the trailer, so with that one day of training under my careful attention she is good to go for the trip.

Visited the VIA Rail station in Cornwall, have not been here since 1975 or 1976, looks like they have fixed the place up, glad to see.  Was here once for a Summer BBQ at the home of the VP CN for Public Affairs (I think his name was Garth ???), anyway back then there was a 7am commuter train into Montreal from Cornwall, not today.

VIA Station Cornwall, ON

VIA Station Cornwall, ON

Karen and I found one of the best restaurants in Cornwall (yes there is fine dining in Cornwall) the place is called Eight Zero Zero Resto Lounge.  5 star and there was a two member jazz group playing, dinner was fantastic.

So that ends day 1.

Load out complete - Ready to roll

Trailer (Albertross) loaded now ready to go. 

Trip Patch Released

TRIP PATCH RELEASED

Every motorcycle trip requires an official trip patch, so below is the patch which I designed for this year's trip.

Trip Synopsis

ATLANTIC CANADA MOTORCYCLE TRIP 2016

Trip Synopsis
This is a 29 day trip of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.  It is a combination of motorcycle and vehicle with a support trailer in tow (called the Albatross).  This combination allows for all weather operations and still maintains the spirit of a motorcycle adventure tour.  It also allows to ride on the Motorcycle on days when we are touring, ie two day stops.

The planning for this trip started in November of 2015 and the final design took well over 30 days to complete and book the required accommodations and ferry trips, etc..

Web Site 
This trip has its own web site with the trip which is this blog and the live GPS [Location] information.  GPS is updated every 10 minutes while we are moving.

Key Location Highlights, include:

• Gaspe Peninsula
• Farillon National Park
• Perce Rock
• Chaleur Bay
• Bathurst CN/VIA Station
• Fundy National Park
• Confederation Bridge (linking New Brunswick to PEI)
• Charlottetown, PEI
• Caribou-Wood Island Ferry
• Cape Breton Highland National Park
• Cabot Trail Motorcycle Excursion
• North Sydney to Port aux Basques Ocean Ferry  (site of old Pinetree Line Radar Site)
• Corner Brook
• Gros Morne National Park
• Gander (site of old Pinetree Line Radar Site)
• St. John’s
• Argentia to North Sydney Ocean Ferry (18hrs)
• Fortress Louisbourg National Historic Site
• Nova Scotia Southeast Coast Road (NS#7) via Ecum Secum
• Dartmouth (site of Ken’s first home in Canada)
• Halifax + the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site
• Peggys Cove Highway #333 (site of Ken’s parents Summer Home)
• Peggys Cove Lighthouse
• Historic Lunenburg
• Annapolis Valley + Fort Anne
• Digby
• Whale Watching at Westport on Brier Island
• Digby to Saint John, NB by Ferry (the old CPR Route)
• St. Andrews-by-the-Sea (Ken’s second home in Canada)
• Historic Railway station in McAdam, NB
• Fredericton, NB
• Saint John River Valley 
• Covered Bridge at Hartland, NB
• Riviere-Bleue River Valley
• Smallest International foot bridge (Canada – US) at Estcourt, QC
• Kamouraska on the St. Lawrence River
• Gananoque, ON
• 1000 Island Boat Tour including Heart Castle