November 1976 we honeymooned in Nova Scotia, touring in a 1972 Chevy Vega GT... The Vega Motortrend's 1971 car of the year with 80 horsepower, mag wheels and a sporty appearance that was only skin deep. These cars were plagued by assembly line sabotage by employees unhappy with automation - there was no need, the cars quickly deteriorated with no extra help. We probably had a Kodak Instamatic camera too but photos of our honeymoon have disappeared.
48 years later we slabbed New Brunswick on its very fine divided limited access highways heading east to Moncton, then on to Whycocomaugh, Nova Scotia. From there up the western side of the Cabot Trail (I'm a clockwise kind of guy ... Some do it the other way, up the eastern side first.)...
This third week of September 84 degree dry weather is uncommon. Motor homes and smaller recreational vehicles were around but in easily steered around numbers. Many tourists don't seem to get on the roads until10AM. At 8:00 the roads were unclogged with tourists or wildlife. Limited by lack of recent practice and hard rubber distance Gold Wing tires we enjoyed the turns and corners, uphills and downhills and ocean views unhampered with fog. Leaves were just starting to turn - this was the slack time when traditional summer vacationers were back at work or school but leaf peepers hadn't yet arrived in numbers.
We did the 185 mile Cabot Trail in less than 2 days stopping for the night in Ingonish although people could easily spend much more time exploring Cape Breton. From our home in Bangor this was a 1,400 mile round trip - our longest in four years. 350 miles was our longest day. My 71 year old knees appreciate a stretch stop every 100 miles which I guess I always tried to aim for when I was a younger smoker (tobacco free 30 years now). My wife, who only 3 years ago appeared to be quickly approaching the end of mobility did amazingly well. A private hot tub at the cabin in Ingonish undoubtedly brought her some relaxation.
Since our last visit hotel reservations were made without guessing what sort of hotel we would find. The 1976 trip to Nova Scotia featured a hotel full of roaring drunks and little sleep for us. I prefer Tripadvisor for ratings, prices, and reviews. Our road map remained packed away and the Zumo XT performed flawlessly keeping me apprised of curves, metric speed conversions, and directions. Every hotel or restaurant we sought was in the XT's vast data bank. Our phone (T-Mobile) works well at no extra cost in Mexico and Canada. The bike performed flawlessly as it always does.
File photo....
48 years later we slabbed New Brunswick on its very fine divided limited access highways heading east to Moncton, then on to Whycocomaugh, Nova Scotia. From there up the western side of the Cabot Trail (I'm a clockwise kind of guy ... Some do it the other way, up the eastern side first.)...
This third week of September 84 degree dry weather is uncommon. Motor homes and smaller recreational vehicles were around but in easily steered around numbers. Many tourists don't seem to get on the roads until10AM. At 8:00 the roads were unclogged with tourists or wildlife. Limited by lack of recent practice and hard rubber distance Gold Wing tires we enjoyed the turns and corners, uphills and downhills and ocean views unhampered with fog. Leaves were just starting to turn - this was the slack time when traditional summer vacationers were back at work or school but leaf peepers hadn't yet arrived in numbers.
We did the 185 mile Cabot Trail in less than 2 days stopping for the night in Ingonish although people could easily spend much more time exploring Cape Breton. From our home in Bangor this was a 1,400 mile round trip - our longest in four years. 350 miles was our longest day. My 71 year old knees appreciate a stretch stop every 100 miles which I guess I always tried to aim for when I was a younger smoker (tobacco free 30 years now). My wife, who only 3 years ago appeared to be quickly approaching the end of mobility did amazingly well. A private hot tub at the cabin in Ingonish undoubtedly brought her some relaxation.
Since our last visit hotel reservations were made without guessing what sort of hotel we would find. The 1976 trip to Nova Scotia featured a hotel full of roaring drunks and little sleep for us. I prefer Tripadvisor for ratings, prices, and reviews. Our road map remained packed away and the Zumo XT performed flawlessly keeping me apprised of curves, metric speed conversions, and directions. Every hotel or restaurant we sought was in the XT's vast data bank. Our phone (T-Mobile) works well at no extra cost in Mexico and Canada. The bike performed flawlessly as it always does.
File photo....
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