ken@ihuxq.UUCP (ken perlow) (07/29/84)
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Synopsis: My sweetie and I (both of us ride bikes) rented a
Kawasaki 550 LTD in Nova Scotia and put on 1400 kilometers
in 6 days. (All speed and distance in this review will be
metric, as the bike gauges, signs and maps were all metric.)
The scenery was awesome, the bike smooth, and the weather
--by freak accident--was great.
Bike info: It's a 4-cylinder, shaft drive. Au Nguyen was
right--it does sound like a sewing machine. A little vibration
around 90 km/hr, but just hummed at 80 or 100. Passed a manic
truck driver--2 up with full gear--easily at 140 in 6th.
The place we rented from was Micmac Cycles, Dartmouth NS.
They're a big Kawasaki dealership. Bike had 2000 km on it,
broken in but essentially new. They lent us a tank bag and
put on a windshield when Jean asked. (This turned out to be
a very good idea, as it was real windy, and we could take the
face shields off the hats for a better view of the scenery.
It was all gassed up, with a map in the clear pocket on the bag.
Price for 1 week: 260$ Canadian.
Travelogue: We got to Dartmouth (across the bay from Halifax)
late in the afternoon, got the bike, and set out for a spot one
of the mechanics told us about 15 km east of town, on a lake.
Camped on the beach. We then took in the south coast, the Cape
Breton highlands, a little bit of Prince Edward Island, and the
south coast of the Bay of Fundy. Most beautiful was the Cabot Trail
through the Highlands--sort of Big Sur and the Smokies rolled into
one. Must be done on 2 wheels--switchbacks, hills, babbling brooks,
the sea.
The Bay of Fundy has higher tides than anywhere else in the world,
spring tides up to 52 feet. When it ebbs, it's like somebody pulled
the plug, revealing great expanses of gooey red clay-muck. We watched
an estuary at full flood--the current (up river) looked about 10 knots.
There's not a lot of people in Nova Scotia. We were able to camp
anywhere we wanted along the south shore--just find a back road and follow
it for a while. This was not possible in the Highlands, which is a
National park, nor along the Bay, which is well-farmed and populated.
There were lots of official campgrounds, however, and they were never
very crowded. All the people we met were very friendly, especially
other bikers.
The bike was not the best, especially 2-up, for doing gravel roads.
To really get back into the woods, something sportier would have been
more fun, but we did appreciate the weight in high winds.
The weather was weird--it got very calm at night, and stayed calm
through mid-morning. But by afternoon it would be blowing 20-30 knots,
clear or cloudy. The one rainy afternoon was a long time in coming
on, and then only lasted a few hours, so we were ready. And thanks to
us, there is a whole new generation of mosquitoes for all of you to
experience. Thoughtful of us, wasn't it?
The roads were in excellent shape. The interesting ones (secondary)
are all 80 km/hr speed limit, which the natives all ignore, but we
didn't because we were too busy gawking at the wonder of it all.
The gravel roads are mostly clay, and very slippery when wet. The
only times we dumped were going slow on wet clay.
It would have been nice if they'd had a bike that was a little more
beat up. We both felt constrained to treat it with kid gloves, as it
had nary a scratch. Fortunately, the only scratches we put on were
on the engine guards (and they charged us 10$ for 'em). But the only
mechanical thing I had to do the whole week was tighten the lock nuts
on the mirrors.
Summary: Do it! We rented the bike because it was too far to ride
there and back and see it on a 2-week vacation. It would be even more
fun on one's own machine. All that beauty, and all so close together.
And to be back in the depressing flatness of Illinois, blechh.
I feel like Nova Scotia folksinger Stan Rogers' broken man on a
Halifax pier: "I wish I was in Sherbrooke now." Oh do I.
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*** ***
JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** *****
****** ****** 28 Jul 84 [10 Thermidor An CXCII]
ken perlow ***** *****
(312)979-7261 ** ** ** **
..ihnp4!ihuxq!ken *** ***psal@othervax.UUCP (08/01/84)
==== < FOR THE LINE EATER > ==== Hi Ken! Welcome to the best club in the world: those who've fallen in love with N.S. I've been there as often as I could, and last year I toured the Gaspe peninsula, coastal New Brunswick, and Cape Breton Island (did you get to see Louisbourg?). Dont worry about the ditance there and back, because I did it from Montreal on a Suzuki FA50 (49cc, 97kg.) for 12.70 in gas. It's great! The people are wonderful, the scenery breathtaking, the food delicious (try Fat Frank's, Les Deux Amis, The Clipper Cay...), and the feeling one of civilized peace. This year I'm doing Labrador and Newfoundland on a Yamaha XC180 scooter. The only trouble I had was when I was chased by a weasel in Sussex Parish, N.B.(That's why the faster bike this year). If you go again, take the St. John's River Valley during apple blossom season, or else #108 through the Plaster Rock - Rinnous Game Preserve. Watch out for Newcastle: worst paving I've ever seen. Also, Halifax has some deep sewer gratings that can surprise you. If in the Annapolis valley, see Cap Blomodin and stay at the Bread and Roses in Annapolis Royal. -C.Thomas Weinbaum von Waldenthal