I am sorry to report that the intermittent and low band width of wifi in Newfoundland and Labrador has made it quite difficult to do postings.  The last one I did covering the ride from Alma to Sidney and on to St. John’s NB, which took considerable time to compose and upload photos, got lost in cyberspace and couldn’t be recovered.  That was a final straw so I have reverted back to Facebook posts which are much easier and direct.  Sorry I can’t provide a running commentary on this amazing ride through the Atlantic Maritimes and beyond, but such is life.  We have to go with the flow and make adjustments to challenges as they come along.

We are now in Mary’s Harbour, Labrador.  Interesting area.  Quite barren but impressive in its wide open spaces.  Obviously it wasn’t too long ago (10,000 years ago) that it was covered by the Arctic ice shield.  We have just recently (Red Bay), said goodbye to the paved portion of the Trans Labrador Highway (affectionately referred to as the TLH) and are now riding on gravel.  We have a 250 mile jaunt tomorrow to Happy Valley Goose Bay LB which should be challenging, especially if our threatening weather turns to rain.

Will upload a few photos so you can get an appreciation for the expanse of Labrador and the TLH.

If you want to follow us on our trip, please visit me on Facebook.  Again, I am sorry that I couldn’t continue to keep posting.  Thanks for joining along on this amazing adventure.  Until then – – – Au revoir.  Je vais vous sur Facebook <We are getting near Quebec :)>

We left the Ramada Inn for our scoot ‘down east’ shortly after 7 (Dennis, our ‘road capt’ likes to get an early start).  We would have left earlier except yours truly overslept due staying up until 3 trying to figure out the posting format for this blog.  I made the mistake of upgrading which gives more options but with that comes complexity that runs afoul with my low tech capabilities.

We continued along Rt 1 through Sullivan near where I went to camp as your lad at Buckskin Camp for Boys on Donnell Pond.  It was there that I spent time with a Maine guide, George Harriman, who took me fishing to most of the ponds and lakes in this area  and taught me so much about life and self-reliance – – – George Harriman epitomized Emerson’s essay on Self-Reliance.  This is definitely a byway that is less traveled.  You pass modest homes in the woods with lobster pots and pickup trucks packed outside and folks advertising in their yards of what they can do for you, like one chap who’s handmade sign read – – -“Land surveyor, water testing and septics”.  Now that is a guy you want to know!

We passed over some of the iconic Atlantic salmon fishing rivers in the NE – – – Narraguagus, Pleasant, Machias – – – who’s salmon runs are but a trickle of their former greatness.  A sad testimonial of changes in our world today.

But the good thing for me is to see that things in this part of the world have not changed that much, except maybe for the blueberry farms.  The blueberry fields used to be these open fields with Maine granite boulders interspaced with low-bush blueberries.  And all the blueberries were picked (raked) by hand with a blueberry rake.  Not anymore.  Blueberry farming has gone mainstream and mechanized.  The granite rocks have been removed and the hybrid low-bush blueberry bushes are now harvested by machines.  Blueberries have definitely gone agribiz.

On our way ‘down east’ John and the gang wanted to visit the most eastern city in the US – – Lubec, ME.  So at Whiting we turned off Rt 1 and went really ‘down east’ to Lubec – – – a small town situated at the western end of the bridge which crosses over to Canada’s Campobello Island.  (Like the reverse of Pt. Roberts in WA where you have to go thru BC to get to Pt. Roberts)  Campobello Island is at the entrance to Passamaquoddy Bay and where FDR spent considerable time at the family retreat on the island which dates back to 1883.  The Roosevelt’s 34-room “cottage” was acquired in 1952 by Armand Hammer and his brother who eventually donated the estate to the US and Canadian governments as an international park.

The most easterly point in the US is actually at Quoddy Head at 44-48.9 N, 66-57.1 W.  There is a  stately lighthouse on the point that was first constructed in 1808.  We took the twisting road out to the head to see the lighthouse and stand on the most easterly point in the continental US.  At the time the tide was running hard into Passamaquoddy Bay and the Bay of Fundy – – – an amazing sight see and experience.  It is easy to understand why there has been talk for so many years about generating electricity with this tidal activity.

Eventually we got to the border at Calais, ME and crossed over without incident into Canada at St. Stevens, New Brunswick.   One of the first things that struck me was state of Rt 1 in Canada compared to the US Rt 1 in Maine.  The Canadian Rt 1 was a 4-lane modern highway while Rt 1 in Maine is a twisting, 2-lane rural road.  Granted the Canadian Rt 1 leads west from the sizable city of Saint John but still the change is dramatic and noticeable.   We had to make time so we picked up the pass going east up the Bay of Fundy to Penobsquis where we turned SE over the hills through Fundy National Park to the small town of Alma on the Bay of Fundy.

There is not much in Alma except a few motels, gas station, general store, post office, bakery and a couple a couple of eateries.  Most notable is the dock with a number of scallop boats that fish in the Bay of Fundy for the famous Digby scallops.  It was tide was just starting to go out when we arrived in the afternoon with these boats floating high up along side the dock.  By sundown the tide had gone out, the bay was dry and all these boats were resting on the muddy bottom.  The interesting thing to John and me were that these boats were resting in a somewhat level position.  Seems they devised a novel system of a “drydock stand” that they lower alongside the outboard hull midship and with a rope from the rail to the dock.  Then as the tide does down, this “drydock stand” settles into the mud and provides a platform on which the hull can lean so that it stays upright.  A very ingenious, inexpensive and effective means to allow boats to come to the dock, offload and remain at the dock at low tide with tipping over.  My hat is off to whomever come up with this innovation.

The stay in Alma was very pleasant.  Most of us had the local scallops for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the nice change from lobster (We are really suffering!!)  The only place that was open early was the bakery at 7.  This of course was later than Dennis wanted to hit the road but we had to have our morning coffee so Dennis reluctantly agreed to mustering at 7 at the bakery.

So what happened to Bobby?  Well it seems he was doin’ a pig and some chickens for a charity and had to be goin’.  So we said “See ya.  Have a good ride and you safe thea”.  And Bobby jumped in his truck and rode out of sight.  I feel like I know Bobby and can could stop by any time.  Yessa!

So I continued on and rode through Thomaston.  Thomaston has a special place for me as this where my great grandmother and her family hailed from.  Some where sea captains which probably explains my connection to the sea.  Near by here in the small town of Friendship I spent a memorable summer during my youth in a cabin on Pleasant Point with my good friend Doug Miller and his family.  I can recall in the evening sitting on a wharf listening to Bill Seavy and Ansel Drinkwater talking about the day’s lobster fishing while they whittled pegs that they would inset in a lobster’s claw joint to keep it closed.  No PETA in those days!

Shortly after Thomaston I rode through Camden and the stately homes and inns on High Street that were largely built during the 18th and 19th century.  Obviously Camden enjoyed considerable prosperity then and is favored now.  It also is where you find the stately Knox Mansion – Montpelier built in 1795 and now a museum (see the photos below).  General Knox served as chief of Artillery during the Revolutionary War and then as the nation’s first Sec. of War, when he retired to Maine to develop his land claim known as the Waldo Patent.

After Camden I passed through Rockland, which by the way is where Frankie O’Hara is from.  The O’Hara’s own the large fish processing plant on the waterfront.  Rockland is also the homeport for the schooner Heritage on which I spent a week with my daughter Karyn and she set the record for the number of lobsters eaten at one sitting – – – SEVEN!!  The crew gave here the name “Lobsta Gobsta” and wrote a song about her epicurean feat which we sang in the morning when we were hoisting the sails.

The rest of the ride along Penobscot Bay to Bucksport and then on to Ellsworth was delightful and relaxing.  Such a beautiful part of Maine.  In Ellsworth I met the rest of the gang at the Ramada Inn, also on High Street but not quite the same as the stately homes on High Street in Camden!

I am going to post this blog post now before I try my hand at uploading some pictures.  I don’t want to lose this post again!

 

Well, we all made it to Boston one way or the other despite the heavy rains yesterday. John came earlier  with his wife Patti to ride around New England for a few days before our ride started.  I understand they had a nice scoot around New England until the heavy rains caught up with them in Kennebunkport, ME.  Chris and Jerry made it in Weds evening after circling Logan Airport for an hour until the rain subsided enough for the plane to be able to land.  Unfortunately they arrived to late to pick up their bikes yesterday.  Meanwhile, after having to delay my departure from Seattle a day, I took the red-eye last night and arrived at 7:30 this morning sleepy-eyes but ready to ride.  “Hardcore Dennis” on the other hand rode for six days from Seattle and never encountered any weather until he got to Boston and the serious rain caught up with him.

Since Dennis and John had their bikes and were ready to ride, they took off right after breakfast and headed for our first destination, Ellsworth, ME, via Rt 1 along the coast and Bar Harbor.  I went directly from Logan Airport to Boston Harly and met Chris and Jerry there when they opened at 9am.

The plan was to get our bikes and start on our way.  Well, that was not to be.  Seems there was one complication – – – – MY SCOOT WOULD NOT START!  How could that happen?  I had purchased and installed a brand-new battery the week before I left and had my bike completely serviced.  Well, no time to do any diagnosis as time was awastin’ and Dennis and John were well on their way.  It is what it is!!  So for $215 the helpful folks at Boston Harly nicely changed out my ‘new’ battery with a ‘newer one’ from their stash, and we got on our way.

With excellent sunny conditions the ride from Boston to Ellsworth went reasonably well.  Chris, Jerry and myself got a late start so we jumped on I-95 and rode up through Portsmouth NH and on to Portland, ME.   The only thing of note were the number of ‘smokies’ out enjoying the good weather.  Jerry likes to ride somewhat “free style” so when a state patrol started to pace him several car lengths back, I thought “Uh Oh, this is not good”.  Fortunately, Jerry behaved himself and the officer moved on.

I was a little weary from my redeye flight to Boston so got off the interstate for a short break.  Since Jerry and Chris were riding ahead of me, they didn’t see me turn off so they kept going.  I thought – – no problem – – –  “Bye bye – – – see you in Ellsworth”.  I wanted to go the coastal route north of Portland anyway, and this leg was not so long – – – – not a problem.  Sent Chris a short text advising of my changed route to the Ramada in Ellsworth.

Taking a leisurely ride along Rt 1 through Brunswick, Bath, Wisscasset, Thomaston, Rockland, Camden, Searsport  and Bucksport to Ellsworth is much much more interesting and satisfying than freeway speeds along I-95/295.  Time was not an issue and I was a bit tired so I stopped often, enjoyed the quaint towns and coastal vistas and got to chat with some interesting folks along the way.  Like the carpenter I met at the gas pump in Nobleboro.  Bet you never heard of Nobleboro.  Well, I hadn’t eitha’ ’till I met Bobby.  Seems things have picked up a bit around Nobleboro.  Bobby is doing OK now.  Not gettin’ rich mindya but doin’ OK.  He couldn’t believe I was ridin’ all the way to Labrador.  Said he wished he was goin’ with me.  Asked him if he might know my friend Frankie O’Hara.  Well, yesa’ he did.  Seems Bobby had done the galley in one of the O’Hara’s boats – – – mahogany, mind ya’.

(Too be continued once I figure out how to retrieve the last part I wrote but lost trying to download some photos. 😦   Ah, the frustrations of technology when one hits the wrong button!)

The bikes left Hanson Brothers Shipping on July 24 (see below photo) and arrived on schedule at Boston Harley Davidson in Everett.  Step one completed successfully thanks to Chris’s yeoman efforts lining up a shipper and taking care of the logistics – – – – THANKS CHRIS!!

 

 

 

 

I leave on the red eye to Boston Wednesday night so am focused on getting last minute items taken care of and my bags packed for the trip.  My list keep getting longer which is not a good sign.  Most important is to make certain that I take my passport, or else I will be doing a lot of solo riding around New England!  John has already arrived and picked up his bike at Boston Harley and is now enjoying  some of New England two up with Patti.  Chris and Jerry will fly back on Wednesday and pick up their bikes.  If all goes well, all except me will rendezvous at the Residence Inn in Chelsea Wednesday night with an early departure Thursday morning to begin our ride north.  I arrive at Logan Airport at 7:30am Thursday and will go directly to the Harley dealer to get my bike and head north solo.  Plan to meet up with the others in Ellsworth, ME that evening.  Stay tuned and ride with us.