Help me plan my East Coast trip

[Dsquintz]

Essentially my plan is to take about 10 days this summer. probably sometime in the month of july/early august. Unfortunately i don't have an official time frame for this trip. My plan is to tour the maritime provinces visiting some of the major sights/cities(and of course the famous cabot trail!)

The days to me dont seem to long as google-maps bases the time on speed limits so depending where im going i can probably shave some travel time off, lol. anyways here is my tenative plan

Day 1:
http://g.co/maps/du8pn
day 2:
http://g.co/maps/s7r4m
day 3:
http://g.co/maps/s9g8k
day 4:
http://g.co/maps/d5d8p
day 5:
http://g.co/maps/x89z8
day 6:
http://g.co/maps/2xd5m
day 7:
http://g.co/maps/bjrfj
day 8:
http://g.co/maps/ghuqz
day 9:
http://g.co/maps/fyhaz
day 10:
http://g.co/maps/w3hpv

Firmed up route
thanks all for looking!

[Dsquintz]

hings I plan to bring/storage

tankbag, saddlebags, bungee nets, backpack

Clothes:
textile jacket
gloves, helmet, riding shoes
4 t-shirts
2 jean
1 short
socks/boxers
1 pair shoes
frogg togg

Documents:
Drivers license & Health Card
Passport
travel insurance
debit/credit card
vehicle insurance/registration(as well as copies of both)
maps
emergency contacts
pen/paper

Electronics:
Samsung Galaxy
Gopro
Laptop
extra batteries/memory card/charger plugs

Tools:
wrenches
allen keys
tire repair kit
chain cleaner/lube
duct tape
zip ties
air pump/pressure guage

misc.
first aid kit
hygiene stuffs(shampoo, toothpaste etc.)
non-perishable foodstuff
tylenol
headphones
camelback(hopefully)

[stevie t]

Ditch the back pack...bring some zip lock baggies....have fun.

[Rotten_Ronnie]

Bring a sweater or heated vest. It can get stoooopid cold out that way.

I've gone out that way about five times to visit my sister on PEI, try to keep the slab down to a minimum, it's mind numbing. You can get a $20 cruise control called "Go Cruise" for the boring bits, and don't leave home without a throttle rocker or a cramp buster. You can thank me later.

Ease up on your schedule, I've found that I can't stand trying to make it to a booked motel, so I fill the tank, make sure the GPS knows where some "must ride" roads are, then I head out and tell Wendy "I'll see you when I see you."

Have a look here and take some extra time through the states on the way home... (cheaper gas, meals and lodging)
http://www.motorcycleroads.us/regions/nh_white.html
Hurricane mountain road.
Kancamagus Highway

Vermont for example has SR 100, 220 miles of sweepers...
http://www.motorcycleroads.us/regions/vt_green.html

If you only go one way around the Cabot, go counter clockwise, it puts you closer to the scenery, and visit Meat Cove on the tip of Cape Breton. Once around the trail with photo stops and playing dodge and weave with motor homes can be a really long day.


This is my Cabot Trail to Halifax section. Coastal Highway 7 is a hoot!




Ottawa to Fredericton? head down through the states, it's more scenic and culturally different than what you will experience on the transcanada. I'd skip Fredericton, head down through Sherbrooke QC and take Route 2 through to Bangor, cross at Calais/St. Stephen and ride the NB coast into St John. Farmington ME is usually where I overnight enroute from Toronto.

Check my blog and you'll find maps and what not from my trips out that way. 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006... :P

Anyhow, it's your trip, just remember about the throttle rocker and the sweater. http://throttlerocker.com/

[Wadadli]

This is my Cabot Trail to Halifax section. Coastal Highway 7 is a hoot!

I agree - great suggestion

[gwelfmike]

I have done this trip about 45 times, ( my mother is from Glace Bay NS and my ex is from Wolfville NS )

IF you want a cheap good place to stay on Cape Breton Island, check out the University of Cape Breton Island Summer Stay, it is cheap, clean and comfortable. It is in Sydney NS.

Also, since you are on Cape Breton Island, you have to stop here for at least a meal and a tour, it is also a great place for to stay, http://www.glenoradistillery.com/,

The ride is better from Ottawa to Quebec City if you take highway 40, and cross over in Quebec City then catch 20. It will take you about another 20 minutes but it is less congested and more scenic. The Google maps time estimation is very conservative, so this is a very relaxed pace on the leg of your journey.

and of course while on Cape Breton Island



A & K Lick-A-Chick
386 Park Road, Cape Breton, NS B1Y 1N3
(902) 736-9496 () ‎

It was a lasting impression on a 12 year old boy from Ontario......

[Rotten_Ronnie]

Any route that avoids Montreal is one I'm interested in.

I hit redline on the KLR last time I went through there.

[gwelfmike]

I do not know the big deal is about Montreal, I would rather drive in Montreal than in GTA, in Montreal everyone drives like Gilles Villeneuve.

Any route that avoids Montreal is one I'm interested in.

I hit redline on the KLR last time I went through there.

[Rotten_Ronnie]

I do not know the big deal is about Montreal, I would rather drive in Montreal than in GTA, in Montreal everyone drives like Gilles Villeneuve.

If he drives bumper to bumper with his brake lights on, that's montreal for you.

[gwelfmike]

at about 120 kph..........

If he drives bumper to bumper with his brake lights on, that's montreal for you.

[Dsquintz]

lots of great tips in here! unfortunately with work I will probably be able to get MAX 10 days(im hoping for 11 so i can have a floater day if something goes wrong and i get stranded).
i'm not overly concerned with the States for travelling but i figure it might be more refreshing then slabbing through the trans canada home.
I'll have a look at that one way of travelling through the US to st. johns. looks like a mighty fun ride.

[gwelfmike]

If you do travel through St. John NB, look at taking the ferry from Digby to St. John NB, then you get to ride through the Annapolis Valley in NS,

lots of great tips in here! unfortunately with work I will probably be able to get MAX 10 days(im hoping for 11 so i can have a floater day if something goes wrong and i get stranded).
i'm not overly concerned with the States for travelling but i figure it might be more refreshing then slabbing through the trans canada home.
I'll have a look at that one way of travelling through the US to st. johns. looks like a mighty fun ride.

[Dsquintz]

If you do travel through St. John NB, look at taking the ferry from Digby to St. John NB, then you get to ride through the Annapolis Valley in NS,

i looked at doing that originally. but the ferry takes way to long across the bay of fundy i actually found it(according to google map times) shorter to ride the bike from st johns to halifax by nearly 2 hours. so i scratched that idea. although the ferry would probably have some great sights

[gwelfmike]

We would stay overnight in Digby and then take the first morning ferry from to St. Johns, but we started out in Wolfville.
It worked out to be the same time, but in a car or a motorhome we saved a lot in gas. If you decide to take the ferry on a bike you dont need a reservation too.

i looked at doing that originally. but the ferry takes way to long across the bay of fundy i actually found it(according to google map times) shorter to ride the bike from st johns to halifax by nearly 2 hours. so i scratched that idea. although the ferry would probably have some great sights

[slipchuck]

When you take the Calbot trail make sure you go in the clockwise direction as you will be able to see the best scenery ahead of you.. The other direction you will need to look back more for the best parts. Was there in the 1980's and we just happened to go in the right direction according to locals.
Have a great time

Cheers

[Dsquintz]

so ive done a good revamp of my route to include some of the suggestions of you guys and to make certain things work for me.
still deciding if I should even keep my route to sydney Cape Breton in the itinerary...is there anything worthwhile there(even if its food)

Still trying to figure out what bike necessities to bring. Throw-away rain suit(depends how the weather is looking leading up to this), Tire repair kit, an assortment of allen keys and wrenches(or ratchet/sockets?), tire pressure guage...other than this im at a bit of a loss. any suggestions?
also need to test-fit everything that im bringing on the bike and then somehow make it efficient
aside from that it's alot of the little odds and ends which arent really needed like mount for my phone & 12V usb outlet for GPS useage if my maps fail lol

[azia]

My partner and I did a East Coast trip last summer end of July to early August. We took two weeks with the weekends on either end. We went from Toronto through Quebec > Maine > New Brunswick > Nova Scotia > PEI then back through New Brunswick to the the start the Gaspe Bay to stay with family for a few days. So our actual maritimes trip was around the length you're looking at.

Gear:
I brought one sweatshirt, wore a thin textile jacket with a light quilted vest that zips in, and short gloves with perforated top. If I had one piece of advice? It's to bring something warmer. I was NOT prepared for the difference in temperature and was literally shaking atop the Cabot Trail where it dipped to 3 degrees. Then on the return through Montreal, it went up to 38 degrees.

We camped so space was a premium but sounds like you'll have a bit more to work with. Consider bringing a pair of glove liners and a honest touring jacket.

Sightseeing:
We planned too ambitiously. Even though our rides would only be a few hundred kms a day, we didn't give ourselves enough time in each place. Finally we had to decide to cut out the western side of NS. Quantity seemed a good idea until we were on the road. Then we realized what we wanted was quality.

Do go through the states...if only for the totally weird convenience store junk food to try out. Like....beer and clamato tall boys. Lol. Oh, and the Chain of Ponds is quite nice going south on the 27. If you're heading that way, visit Mont Megantic in Quebec. Great mountain view at the top and you can see over to White Mountain in lake placid area.

I have some photos on flickr if you're interested - I think we have some of them mapped. Happy trip planning!

[Dsquintz]

just redid some of my route. this seems a bit better for me. I found a service dealer in summerside PEI so i will most likely stop there to get oil change etc. I had planned to get it on my short day from moncton to st. john but it lands on a sunday and nothing is open in that respect so ill take the sunday to relax a bit and maybe visit family just outside of moncton and use it as a gimme day if i get put off schedule for whatever reason. the only thing i may change is skipping my stop in sydney since ill be going to the northern part of the cabot to my hostel.

Does anyone have suggestions on what else I should be bringing? in particular regarding tools etc?
also any sights or places to eat? i plan on stopping off at catch 22 in moncton(saw it on 'you gotta eat here") as well as st. ann's lobster dinner in PEI.
peggy's Cove near halifax, hopewell rocks.

[Rotten_Ronnie]

I take my CAA card and Visa.

Each trip I made was different, the last one being across the trans labrador highway to Newfoundland, and I needed only my regular bike toolkit with a tire top up air compressor, but I could have stopped at a station for air as well. I estimate I had 20 lbs of tools and spares but used only a pound to tighten my chain and repair a broken mirror and my exhaust end cap. I'll pack less for the next trip.

90% of your trip is in cell coverage unless you are a rogers customer in Bell Aliant territory.

Do take your bike toolkit, and during regular maintenance add what you use to the kit. Definitely a tire pressure gauge.

If you really want to research and build a comprehensive kit, check out the ADVRiders.com toolkit thread, but it'll get awfully heavy very quickly unless you exercise restraint.

What type of bike are you doing the tour on?

South of Hopewell rocks is Cape Enrage. See the bay and the lighthouse, as well there is a covered bridge near Germantown.

Make sure to look at the tide schedules or Hopewell rocks will be a long wait.

Your day one and day two routes bore me. Superslab the whole way, so make sure your mp3 player will last ten hours plus, and start as soon as the sun is up so you'll end your day before full dark.

Do you have a throttle lock/cruise control/cramp buster? Get one for those long boring highway stretches. I mentioned it twice as I think it very important.

[Wingboy]

I have done this trip about 45 times, ( my mother is from Glace Bay NS and my ex is from Wolfville NS )

IF you want a cheap good place to stay on Cape Breton Island, check out the University of Cape Breton Island Summer Stay, it is cheap, clean and comfortable. It is in Sydney NS.

Also, since you are on Cape Breton Island, you have to stop here for at least a meal and a tour, it is also a great place for to stay, http://www.glenoradistillery.com/,

The ride is better from Ottawa to Quebec City if you take highway 40, and cross over in Quebec City then catch 20. It will take you about another 20 minutes but it is less congested and more scenic. The Google maps time estimation is very conservative, so this is a very relaxed pace on the leg of your journey.

and of course while on Cape Breton Island



A & K Lick-A-Chick
386 Park Road, Cape Breton, NS B1Y 1N3
(902) 736-9496 () ‎

It was a lasting impression on a 12 year old boy from Ontario......

+1 for the Glenorra.Awesome place.