Destination unknown...?

[the Ferret]

interesting pics rotor, especially the maritime one. Had to laugh at the gas pump not taking your credit card. keep on (safely) keeping on

[Cormanus]

Thanks for the pics and story rotor. Ride well.

[rotor]

Day 11: Everybody does it...

As I was leaving from under the shadow of the Rockies, all my friends said: if you get that far, you must ride the Cabot Trail. Why, I inquired? So you can tell us what it is really like...

Well, a conformist that I am, and since I was already there, I did. Look below and judge for yourself:


Is it just another road by the sea, with plenty of turns? Make up your own minds:


Or, more:


Blue skies behind me, blue skies ahead:

Is this the compensation from above for the dark, diluvial woods of Northern Michigan five days ago?

I was not there alone:

(But, to be honest, I was expecting more motorcycle traffic).

In summary, what can I say?...:

Tough gig to be sure, but somebody's got to do it...

Where next? Can I get any further from home?

[rotor]

Those are beautiful places, and your photography is very good!

Thank you. Here is one more from the Cabot:

For those interested, on this trip I carry a small but quite capable P&S, a Canon S110, such camera fits easily in my riding jacket pocket. Five years old, they go for under $100, used. Will do everything required for images shown on computer screen, and can produce quite good prints of up to 30x40 cm.
Day 12: By land and by sea!
The evening before:

Well, the final destination of this little trip is now painfully obvious: To go where the road really ends. After Cabot trail on motorcycle, the logical next step is across the Cabot Straight by a ferry.

In the morning, I'm in the Newfoundland ferry boarding line:


On the ferry:

The only bike on a center-stand!

Well, there is only one road out of Port aux Basques, and that is the one I'm taking tomorrow morning. Such a big island, so few days to explore it.

[redbirds_imp]

Great pics and write up Rotor, stay safe.

[riggies_imp]

Checkerboard CBs are the best looking ones to date, in my opinion.

[misterprofessionality]

i feel strange asking this, but is it truly a smarter idea having your bike tied down on the center stand as opposed to the side stand? it seems much less stable that way, please correct me if i'm wrong.

[SportsterDoc]

Interesting. Wife and I went by ferry to Orcas Island this week and none of the bikes were tied down. Very smooth crossing. Later going to Port Townsend was a bit choppy and smaller ferry, but bikes also were not tied down.

[Cormanus]

I've taken my bike over Bass Strait 3 times now and they are always tied down. They will not let you put it on the centre stand either.

Great photos, rotor. I'm enjoying your trip vicariously.

For those asking, rotor's evening ritual is very light oiling of the chain using a technique he has described elsewhere on the forum. And also [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=12805&pid=208639#pid208639]here.

[rotor]

Day 13: first day on the island

Morning in Port aux Basques is miserable. Fog and drizzle, occasionally turning to full rain for the first 220 km. Around Corner Brook it improves, there is a few minutes of sun, but only enough to be able to see the snow in the gullies on the mountains to the East of the road:


But the rain seems to be done for the day, and the rest (of the 350 or so) kilometers to the Rocky Harbour is entirely pleasant, if somewhat chilly ride:

Actually, 430 from TransCanada to (and somewhat past) Rocky Harbour is not unlike Victoria to Port Renfrew. (But then, any road winding by the coastline has it's charms, even in drizzle and 12 deg. centigrade).

Next? depends on the weather, and there is no promise of any improvement for at lest next two days...

p.s., I'm making note of practical questions asked (e.g., the eternal dilemma: on the side-stand or on the center-stand on ferries - heck, where I come from, wars have been fought over that one and will try to address those in a practical-lessons-learned-from-the-journey-and-hard-data story-concluding post - if there seems to be any interest).

Checkerboard CBs are the best looking ones to date, in my opinion.

Tanks. Unfortunately, on the pictures in this thread, there is almost always some ugly piece of luggage or piece of gear on it. And I am often simply to lazy to lift the old girl on the center-stand for the photo. And rarely do I have time to wait for an unsuspecting passer-by to press into service of pressing the shutter button if I want the rider included