I just got back from a ride from Bangor around the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. This was a prelude to the Cabot Trail ride next week. First off the Trophy performed flawlessly. What a machine!
A lot of the getting to Cambellton, New Brunswick is a ride through the North Woods. Nothing wrong with that but seeing trees close-up for mile after mile gets a bit old. However the scenery got better when we started the counter-clockwise trip around the peninsula. Campbellton to Gaspe is very developed as a tourist destination. Many of the towns reminded me a bit of Bar Harbor, Maine if that means anything to you. There was a lot of slowing down in many small towns and watching out for the tourists. The scenery and interesting roads pick up at about Perce. The two-lane roads began to get more curves and elevation changes and the villages become a bit more rare. The north side of the peninsula has spectacular sea cliffs, scenery and interesting roads. It is also much more sparsely populated.
Throughout much of Canada you know you're in a different country, but it's pretty familiar. Quebec is a different story. No bilingual signs, menus, etc. However communication wasn't too difficult.
The roads were in overall good condition, but there were stretches of construction. The weight of the Trophy fully loaded with two people was not ideal on the gravel (sometimes on steep grades) but was managed. Traffic was light on the north side. Each little cove had a town, all with magnificent churches.
The return from Rimouski to Bangor was more interesting than the path up to Canada. More interesting scenery in the farmland and hills of the interior.
Each day brought with it some rain, just enough to dampen our rain suits but not our spirits.
I heartily recommend Gaspe for a motorcycle tour!
A lot of the getting to Cambellton, New Brunswick is a ride through the North Woods. Nothing wrong with that but seeing trees close-up for mile after mile gets a bit old. However the scenery got better when we started the counter-clockwise trip around the peninsula. Campbellton to Gaspe is very developed as a tourist destination. Many of the towns reminded me a bit of Bar Harbor, Maine if that means anything to you. There was a lot of slowing down in many small towns and watching out for the tourists. The scenery and interesting roads pick up at about Perce. The two-lane roads began to get more curves and elevation changes and the villages become a bit more rare. The north side of the peninsula has spectacular sea cliffs, scenery and interesting roads. It is also much more sparsely populated.
Throughout much of Canada you know you're in a different country, but it's pretty familiar. Quebec is a different story. No bilingual signs, menus, etc. However communication wasn't too difficult.
The roads were in overall good condition, but there were stretches of construction. The weight of the Trophy fully loaded with two people was not ideal on the gravel (sometimes on steep grades) but was managed. Traffic was light on the north side. Each little cove had a town, all with magnificent churches.
The return from Rimouski to Bangor was more interesting than the path up to Canada. More interesting scenery in the farmland and hills of the interior.
Each day brought with it some rain, just enough to dampen our rain suits but not our spirits.
I heartily recommend Gaspe for a motorcycle tour!
