Nova Scotia or Bust!

[paulfj03]

I was lucky enough to be able to go on this ride as it was to be my longest, for sure. The itinerary and logistics looked awesome to me and yet nerve racking, as I had only met 1 of the 6 other riders, and I would be riding my 21 year old bike (92 FJ) and depending on my maintenance skills. Thanks to an invitation from fj johnnie, I looked forward to the big ride.  Based on the route he was looking at, the ride to and from Parrsboro, NS would be 1800kms one way without any visits/detours/tours along the way.  At the end I tallied 4,427kms, or 2750 miles. A long ride for me...

I was to ride with a Bandit 1200, a Boulevard 1500, a honda 599, an 86 GPZ 900 ninja, a 90FJ, and another 90fj. The group would head from the Niagara region of Ontario across the border there, and then east below Lake Ontario, while I would ride to the border from Napanee at the east end of the lake and cross there.




I was in contact in advance of the trip with Doug (carsick), Travis (Travis398), Bob w (weymouth399), and Glen (RACER111V), and was hoping to connect with them again while I was down there... I thought it would be great to see them and have each join us in the ride if they could, and even show us the good roads on our route, and good places to eat....  . It worked out perfect as Travis and Doug took some time to meet up with us along the route at the beginning. A week later, on our return trip, I was also able to see Bob and Glen at the track, eat, watch some good racing, get some good laughs and pictures too. In Nova Scotia, a friend of the group was waiting for us with his 1990fj as well.  He had a beautiful route planned for us on a road which the locals call the 'Mini Breton', along with a visit to Cape D' Or.  The city of Boston was on our agenda, as well, on the return ride near the end of the week.  The group had a buddy there too awaiting our arrival. I knew that would be neat to be riding right downtown Boston!

The experience is something I really miss, now, as the route, the people, and the trials and tribulations were so much more than I expected. The 'trials', for me would be a slow leak in my front tire for 2 days that I had to top up during the rides. .... That's it!!! A can of slime (thanks Bob) fixed that right, and got me home. Otherwise the 92FJ shined! The list of good times and laughs is huge!

------------------------------------------

On Sat the 20th I was to join the group in Rutland, Vermont, which was probably 6 1/2 hours of riding from Napanee. The Rain poured hard at 6am when I wanted to get away.... so I delayed 'till 7:15ish before even pulling the bike outside. I managed to get away between the downpours and lucked out all the way to Lake Champlain.

Since Doug (carsick) lived on the east side of Lake Champlain I wanted to make a detour so I could meet him for a quick tour through the mountains in Vermont. I hadn't been through Smugglers Notch before and this would be a great time to ride it. He had told me of another couple places and if we had time we could ride them too... After we were done, I would still have another 1 to 2 hours ride to Rutland.

So, I crossed the border into Ogdensburg, NY and took #37, which was dry by then, along the ST. Lawrence River past Massena. Hwy 37 is a NICE 2 lane hwy that has been redone and I made good time there and enjoyed the views. Eventually I rode onto hwy #11 which took me to the top of Lake Champlain where I fueled up, grabbed some vittles, and called Doug.



I was 375km into the trip.. taking a picture of my odometer at fuelups made it easier/faster to figure out mileage totals later...




Ooops... I had made better time than I thought!!!!... I was probably 2 hours early and caught Doug off guard.... Hehehe. He was probably still in his superman jammies! After telling him that the weather was looking great except for a small dark cloud off in the distance, we decided on a time to meet just north of Smugglers Notch.

Well, I set off and... Sure enough... I kept heading in the direction of that dark cloud... And... It kept getting bigger and darker and uglier and..... then dumped everything it had on me. I was sure it was from Napanee. Doug had to ride through that too.  By the time we met, though, it was clearing and drying up.

Smugglers Notch was a neat ride as the windy road narrowed as we neared the top. We took a couple pics there and headed down the other side. Nice twisties. We then rode onto the Appalachian Gap.










NICE roads there too. After a few pics at the top and the twisties on the way down we stopped for a drink and to decide on where-to-next.. I was on the bike for 8 hours by then, so I decided it was best to start the last leg down to Rutland. It was only 45 mins from where we were. Doug decided to come down too to meet the group. Even the ride down on the highways was twisty.... And we made good time. What a treat that ride was Doug! Thanks!

So I finally got to meet the bunch I would be riding with for the next 7 days!!! It was great to see johnnyV (V for the Viagra Region) again. As they recalled their ride for the day their sense of humour came out and it wasn't long before the jokes and laughing started!

At one point we all had our helmets on in the hotel room trying to pair our scala radios. I wish I had taken a picture of that!!  They had the G9s and I had the older G4 so I didn't get set up properly to talk with them while riding.... Just yet. We would just try again tomorrow after the ride to Bangor. We all decided to get on the road early as the weather looked great and we would be riding on some awesome roads on the way to Bangor. Travis had mentioned that he could meet us early afternoon at the rest stop 4-5 hours into the ride, and then lead us on a nice detour, so the day looked like it would be a great one! From the jokes and laughing, I could tell that the group had been friends for a long time....and... it was going to be a great time!!!



A nice bunch of steeds!

[fjman]

Nice Trip  how was the performance of the bike?

[Capn Ron]

I fell in love with Nova Scotia!  The scenery...the roads...the people...Wow, the maritimes have a special place in my heart.  If only it wasn't raining 6 out of 7 days a week!   

Cap'n Ron. . .

[The General]

  Great report. Many thanks. - Destination, Commitment, FJ, Rain and a few Mates- doesn`t get any better.

[paulfj03]

Nice Trip  how was the performance of the bike?

Awesome! just awesome!!!  What an all around great bike!!!  It can carry lots with ease, and still keep up with the spirited riders! (I should travel lighter) .... It was comfy too.  Every now and then an idiot light on the dash would come on ... flashing....  "C'mon!! Is that all you got??"  .... or....   Wake me up when we get there!"

I had a slow leak in my front tire... Otherwise the 92 just shined!

I fell in love with Nova Scotia!  The scenery...the roads...the people...Wow, the maritimes have a special place in my heart.  If only it wasn't raining 6 out of 7 days a week!   

Cap'n Ron. . .

+1... I have had better luck with the weather there, too.

[fj johnnie]

 Yes the FJ's ran well. Not a single complaint from a single FJ. The guys riding them however, well that's a different story right Paul ? We had one that moaned a little about certain things. Gravel roads, no massage parlors along the way, not enough frappacino mocca whatever fancy boy drinks along the way. Too many hours in the saddle. But after toughing it out the moaning was reduced to a whimper. The scenery, the friendships , the roads , the beer , the food. Wags had no idea what he was in for. Traveling with 4 super sarcastic people .A big shout out to Suzie on her 1200 bandit. She drove with us men and complained not once . About anything. Ever. We had an awesome trip and I am sure we will do another trip next year. Wags has more details to follow on the rest of the trip.

[paulfj03]

Yes the FJ's ran well. Not a single complaint from a single FJ. The guys riding them however, well that's a different story right Paul ? We had one that moaned a little about certain things. Gravel roads, no massage parlors along the way, not enough frappacino mocca whatever fancy boy drinks along the way. Too many hours in the saddle. But after toughing it out the moaning was reduced to a whimper. The scenery, the friendships , the roads , the beer , the food. Wags had no idea what he was in for. Traveling with 4 super sarcastic people .A big shout out to Suzie on her 1200 bandit. She drove with us men and complained not once . About anything. Ever. We had an awesome trip and I am sure we will do another trip next year. Wags has more details to follow on the rest of the trip.

yeh!!!!   That's for sure!! Hahaha!

During the trip. We had to ride through good SOLID RAIN....  A few times..., gravel roads knowing the leader had no idea where he were going (LMAO), high winds, and longer days in the saddle than expected. BUT, we endured:). With a group of 7 riders, making good time on the road should be hard to do. We did pretty well!  As the issues popped up we dealt with them without slowing down.....

Smokey (& the Bandit) did just awesome keeping up with us!  She did well just to put up with us, let alone ride along...!

You, 'GP', '4cross', 'flyboy', and 'smokey' & 'Zigzag', were a hoot to ride with ! Everyone had a great sense of humour!

GOOD TIMES!!!



We gotta do that again!

[Firehawk068]

Just Awesome!
Thanks for posting......................I love reading these ride reports............and the pictures!......Pictures are a must!

[paulfj03]

The GPZ 900 Ninja is actually an 85.  Not an 86 as I stated earlier...

A nice bike!

[Firehawk068]

The GPZ 900 Ninja is actually an 85.  Not an 86 as I stated earlier...
A nice bike!

Now all he needs is a shot of him chasing an F-14 Tomcat down the runway, with Kelly McGillis on the back!

[paulfj03]

Now all he needs is a shot of him chasing an F-14 Tomcat down the runway, with Kelly McGillis on the back!

Really??  ....GP! ... you dawwwwg!!!


The pictures are now flowing in, now, so I can move ahead with the report. We did have this picture in the hotel room at the end of the evening...

This is us getting ready to watch another rerun of Motogp.


Really, we were pairing our scala radios.... " ....Can you hear me now?......... Can you hear me now?"
That's our story and we are sticking to it!!!

[Bob]

Excellent story... my idea of a great trip!

[fj johnnie]

 Notice how 4cross is drinking beer with his helmet on? Also if anyone wants to know how much stuff an FJ can carry and still hit 200 k ask Wags. I think he needed a periscope to see over his tank bag!!!

[paulfj03]

Notice how 4cross is drinking beer with his helmet on? Also if anyone wants to know how much stuff an FJ can carry and still hit 200 k ask Wags. I think he needed a periscope to see over his tank bag!!!

   

[paulfj03]

Monday July 22 : Day 2: From Rutland, VT to Bangor, Me

On Sunday morning we got an early start at 730am as the ride to Bangor was a long one. The weather looked much better and we were looking forward to the twisty roads and the scenery of riding through the mountains. The most direct route would have been to head north to highway #2 and ride it all the way to Bangor, Maine. That was described online as being approx. 6 1/2 hours of riding without breaks and fuelups. Naturally, the consensus of the group was to try to stay off the highways, or interstates, as much as possible to be able to enjoy the riding. A plan to ride through some state parks in the White Mountains area would only add an extra hour, or so , and add some really nice roads that were part of the North East Summer FJ Rally routes in the past.






Perrrrrrfect! Just what the doctor ordered. We could head east on #4, catch I91 north for a short bit , then cut off towards Lincoln, NH on the #112 -the Kancamagus Hwy through the mountains heading east. Its name somehow got changed to the 'Kankerfungus hwy', the 'Scankamangus hwy' , etc.. hahaha! We would ride on it through New Hamphsire to Fryeburg, Maine where would we would turn north on the #113, and ride to #2. We were hoping that somewhere around there that Travis could meet up with us and suggest a restaurant for good eats and a rest. From there if he could join the posse and show us some good routes on our last 3 hour jaunt, it would make the day perfect!

Well, he did, and what an enjoyable day it turned out to be!!!!!

Bright and early we set off from Rutland, Vermont , on #4 east. The weather was just perfect and we were all stoked for the ride. We were probably on #4 for a good hour or more to start. Wow! What an awesome road to ride on a bike!! That road turned out to be one of the better ones for the day. The pace, I thought was great... not too fast, not too slow... it seemed like we all enjoyed that pace... we could make decent time, too, as the traffic was light for the most part, and it was fairly easy to get around.

From there we rode onto I91 North. It went fairly quick as the scenery was quite nice and the traffic was light. Our leader at the time, '4cross', had his GPS leading us to the exit and then across to Lincoln. It was funny to watch him point to the exit we were supposed to take while humming along at speed..lol ... Oh well.... there were lots more exits... We took the next one and got on a road that was supposed to take us to Lincoln, NH. That road turned out to be an awesome road ! Maybe, in that area, all the roads are that good! We had fun on that one and we spread out a little bit as the traffic was light ... and Lincoln came sooner than expected. Good Times!! Then it was time for a stretch and a fuel up.




Gp had to check his carbs as his bike was missing a bit and he wanted to see if he could find dreaded rust in the bowls. He could access them easily and drain them to see. Sure enough, there was. He knew what to do as he was pretty much ready to go when we were. However, the problem was not solved yet, and the miss would return.... He sure didn't slow down much though. We trekked onto the Kankerfungus hwy, and looked forward to the ride to Maine through the mountains.

Because of the traffic, however, the ride was a little too slow for us. The hwy was packed with campers and tourists. The scenery was beautiful, but the condition of the road and the traffic was disappointing. We were only 40 mins to Fryeburg, Maine where we were to take #113 north. With a quick message off to Travis to update him of our progress, we set off. 113, as expected , was a GREAT run! With very little traffic, we sported along it nicely! The video posted by Glen in the NESR 2013 thread is the road. At the end of it at hwy#2 we stopped and exchanged big grins.

We headed East on #2 through West Bethel (NESR campground location), then Bethel, and then I kept my eyes peeled for the Sunday River Brewing Co. that was to be our rest stop and restaurant.



GOOD CHOICE, Travis! A nice spot! Right on the highway. Travis showed up within 15 mins(?). Pretty good timing when he had a long ride himself. His 1100 was nice to see too. It was the first red and white FJ to see on the trip and it didn't disappoint!!











After a good break, meal, a stretch or 2, and some pictures, ... Travis led us on a nice ride off the main drag without losing travelling time. The routes were #43 and #148. FUN! The scenery may have been nice, but it would have been blurry!! The roads weren't straight , or level!  I was more focused on keeping Travis' rear tire in sight! My Camel (FJ) shined here as it handled well with the load on it and still had a lot of snot under the hood! So, I realized that we were taking a longer route to Bangor, but without losing time...lol.

Eventually, with only an hour left to Bangor, Travis had to start his trek back home with an hour's ride, himself. Thanks Travis! What a sweet tour!

I wish I had taken more pictures of that ride, but I had just met and rode for the first time with the group... so I didn't want to expose my picture happy habit just yet ! lmao!! What a great group to ride with! Just my speed...

We rode into Bangor and found our Hotel pretty quick; The Hampton Inn. We unpacked, and headed to Walmart in hopes of finding a battery for GP's GPZ... We had luck there getting what we needed, and opened up shop right there. A local who happened to walk by us saw the 1990 FJs and got really excited. He had one too.. figures eh? He had a good chat, wished us luck on the trip and went on his way. 







A rollback waiting to happen!



Without a charge on the battery GP's bike fired to life easily and .... that meant that we didn't have to push!!! Cool!! By then we were having alot of laughs having a great time!  ..... an awesome end to an awesome day!