Advice; East of G. Lakes and Nova Scotia ???

[skaboots]

Am headed to the Nova Scotia, New Foundland area(s) Aug. 3rd. from Elko, Nv. Wife unable to get the 3wks off and will be flying into Halifax on the 10th for 5 days then returning via airline on 15th. Then i will dink around Canada back to Mt. and turn south. :p

Question; :confused: travelling (semi-fast) I-80 to I-90 to 95 to New Bruns, N.S. Is there anything i need to avoid or know east of Nebraska on this route ? i.e. is there anyone that lives in the Nova Scotia area that has the same info ? I have secured a room @ a B&B just about 8mi. from the Halifax airport for the 10-11th but would like to know the best riding, non-crowd places in the area for the couple of days my wif' will be there and, a really nice place to hole up for a night (the romantic thing)....i want her to enjoy as much as possible !! :D

[Rick-L]

travelling (semi-fast) I-80 to I-90 Is there anything i need to avoid or know east of Nebraska on this route ?

Tip no. 1:

Watch your step on the Ohio Turnpike (or anywhere in OH for that matter), they are pretty strict with their speed laws and you can expect to see a full presence of patrol cars at any hour of the day.

[barber]

You can go around Cape Breton inside of 5 days.Just spend one night on the Trail.I went 2 years ago in June and the weather was terrible the natives said i should come July,August,September.If it starts raining it will rain for many days.Only ride the roads starting with 1 or 2 with 1 being the best.None are real good but avoid roads starting with 3 they will knock your mirrors off.Don

[skaboots]

never realized the roads were indicated like that...pretty smart and good advice. Can you circumnavigate the island in 2/3 days just running the loops, staying 1/2 nights ? We are wanting to see the main province also... ;)

[ajs]

You can circumnavigate both Cape Breton and mainland N.S. in 3 days but that would be steady and hard riding. See my response to a thread from GHOST55 of May 12/07 regarding Nova Scotia and motorcycle choices. If after reading this you have any questions pm me and I will respond. HTH
Austin S.

[skaboots]

thanks ajs, that has great info... :D

[Ghost55]

Just returned from a twelve day, 5,500 mile trip to Nova Scotia. If you go up I-95 thru Maine, do it in broad daylight, and then use extreme caution. Moose are a real problem in that area. I went up 95 at night and two moose strikes ocurred just minutes ahead of me, plus seeing some off on the shoulder. Traveling in daylight is no guarantee of safety either. A local at a gas station cautioned us to be very careful, as a motorcyclist was killed at 1:15 PM the week before because a moose ran out in front of him.

Agree with the comment above about secondary roads, most are brutal, and you are surprised some are even open for travel they are so bad. The three of us in my party all broke headlight bulbs on these roads. The famed Cabot Trail is also not in great shape in spots, but a very pretty ride in places. We spent the night in Baddeck when we road it.

Also be aware that everthing is very expensive in NS. Gas is $5.00/gal, cigarettes $10.00/PK, and beer $8-$10/six pack.

[skaboots]

thinking about cutting north of Detroit thru the Port Huron entrance then thru Toronto and east. Canada is getting more and more expensive, this will probably be our last trip there for several years (too bad), just about as cheap to take an Eidelweiss trip in the Alps or China, etc... :rolleyes: I have talked with a few people saying the same... :D

[jhsonderb]

thinking about cutting north of Detroit thru the Port Huron entrance then thru Toronto and east. Canada is getting more and more expensive, this will probably be our last trip there for several years (too bad), just about as cheap to take an Eidelweiss trip in the Alps or China, etc... :rolleyes: I have talked with a few people saying the same... :DEntering Canada through Port Huron/Sarnia is a good idea in my opinion. Canada routes 402 and 401 east bound are both decent slab with traffic running at a pretty good pace, around 75-80 mph even though the posted speed was 100kilometers per hour if I remember right.

You also might want to consider dropping back down into upstate New York just east of Kingston, Ontario and plan a route through the Adirondacks for some twisties. You could continue east through Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and re-enter Canada via I95 at Houlton, ME into New Brunswick, If you stayed on 401 through Canada toward Montreal you would be going farther north than need be and would probably run into congestion near Montreal.

Have a safe ride.

[skaboots]

this is great, keep em coming guys...my plans are ever evolving. :D I think i can do allot of this in the time constraints to get to the Halifax airport. Heading back (after sending baby off from Halifax to Elko) i am thinking of doing allot of exploring in a WNW direction of upper Canada... ;)

[luke_connolly]

Saria's not a bad place to cross the border...the lines getting into Canada are shorter than those going the other way. Going through Toronto (HWY 401) or Montreal (HWY 20 or 40) is always a pain IMHO (I've done it A LOT on bike and in cage). Traffic, construction, trucks, blah. However if you take that route, once you get past Toronto the 401 is good as far as a 4-lane slab goes, all the way to Montreal (turns into 20 in Quebec). The same is true from Montreal to Quebec City on the 40 (Once you get past Montreal). In general, any secondary road in the northeast should be approached with extreme caution at night due to the risk of hitting deer. I've heard the same is true in Newfoundland, with moose being the target of choice.

Luke

[skaboots]

:( well i feel miserable, my trip was canceled Mon. morning due to a project at work coming in August...my wife and i are going to fly for a week the 10th-15th and rent a car :v: . I will however keep the info because there is next year to start planning for...i will pretend this is going to be a probe mission for info on next year. :p thanks allot guys !! :D

[DaveRT]

Have done the Cabot Trail many times (over a dozen). First timers should go counter-clock wise around. This puts you on the outside next to the ocean and great views. Clock wise is great also. I have been going clockwise for a change and I think I like it better. Great restaurant at the end or start of the Cabot Trail for lobster. The Lobster Galley I think is the name. Very close to Halifax is Peggys Cove. Great views, good area roads and another great place to eat lobster.
We went to the National Park in Louisburg. Reconstructed Fort Louisburg and town with all the people in costume. Like Williamsburg VA. Worth the day if you can spare it. They all could be romantic if that's what see needs.
We live in the Boston area. We travel to Portsmith NH and take the Cat (highspeed ferry) to Yarmouth. This way we can be in NS in 7 hrs. if all goes well. Have fun. :bmw:

[DaveRT]

:( well i feel miserable, my trip was canceled Mon. morning due to a project at work coming in August...my wife and i are going to fly for a week the 10th-15th and rent a car :v: . I will however keep the info because there is next year to start planning for...i will pretend this is going to be a probe mission for info on next year. :p thanks allot guys !! :D
:( Bummer I think we posted at the same time.