Motorcycle Ride of a Lifetime-Part II

After Fredricton we are off again to our first Island, Prince Edward Island to stay the evening in Charlottetown the capital of PEI.  I broke off from the group about 20 miles away and decided to explore the coastal region along Hwy 19 (Red Sand Coast).  This was to be my first ride along designated scenic routes throughout the Atlantic Provinces and I love riding along the many coves, fishing villages, and just along the water.  Whether it was the ocean, rivers, or lakes I loved that type of riding!  That night we enjoyed our first lobster dinner in Rustic, PEI about 10 miles away at the infamous Lobster House that features a 60 ft salad bar and all the mussels you can eat!  While I am not a huge lobster fan, I ordered one anyway and certainly enjoyed the unlimited mussels.  Deciding to catch a sunset I left going to the west and around PEI through Green Gables, Kensington, and ended up back at the hotel under darkness.
Of course back on the road the next day to Baddeck, Nova Scotia but this time we were on a 1.5 hour ferry to make the crossing from PEI back to Nova Scotia to the town of Pictou. We drove along the main interstates to cross onto another island referred to Cape Breton Island to get to Baddeck.  While Cape Breton Island was technically an island it had been joined to Nova Scotia via a causeway and was now considered part of Nova Scotia, much to the dismay of the Cape Bretoners!  Overnight in a great place just outside Baddeck called the Silver Dart Lodge.  Why the name Silver Dart Lodge I would soon find out why as I visited the Alexander Graham Bell museum nearby and Silver Dart was the name of the airplane that he invented about the same time as the Wright Brothers.  They beat him to the first flight by just a few days.  Alexander Graham Bell was a Canadian and the museum was a tribute to him as he lived most of his life in Baddeck.
Our next day had us on the Ferry heading to the Island of Newfoundland to begin the next 6 nights exploring and riding around "The Rock" as it was referred to.  Ferry departure was in the afternoon and with a 4 hour delay, we had plenty of time to explore and I made a ride around the Bras d'Or Lake with stops in places like Big Pond to enjoy tea at Rita McNeil's Tea Room.  It was another great ride to be explored alone and I ended up stopping at the infamous Louisbourg Fort before meeting the group at the ferry departure point.   I really believe if time allows you should take "The Long Way Round" to get to destinations and most of the group just went from point A to point B the fastest way they could.  Not my idea of a ride like this and I was certainly not going to participate.  I knew the meeting points, had everything programmed into the GPS, so I was safe and secure in my riding style.
With the 4 hour delay in departure, the 6 hour ferry ride, 1 hour to disembark....we are headed to the hotel in Port au Basques just a mile away with many others at 2am!  Of course 3am before we are settled into our rooms and we had another early start tomorrow!  Unfortunately when you rely upon ferry services to get to places even in Canada they have they issues.  My next blog will be about the next 5 days in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Stay Tuned!