Nova Scotia in July

[TheAxeman]

We are planning on traveling around Nova Scotia at the beginning of July but don't really want to be tied down by making reservations in a particular spot for a particular day so I was wondering if accomodations are readily found in July or are we going to be sleeping next to the bike. We usually like to stay at mom and pop type of hotels where we can park right outside the door. Is there alot of that in Nova Scotia or is it extremely forested and rural...

 

[twowheelnut]

You'd be taking a big chance, IMO. Last time I was there we had a hard time finding lodging. We had to double back to Moncton in NB to find a room. That was 15 years ago, so I can't imagine it being any easier now. Make sure you hit PEI and the Cabot Trail around Cape Breton! Simply beautiful!

 

[Canadian FJR]

Depending on where you are traveling you shouldn't have a problem. A few of the remote areas might be slim pickens. What dates are you planning to visit. We might be able to meet up for a coffee.

Canadian FJR

 

[Ignacio]

I did get hassled at the border near Montreal once for not having reservations. They made me go see a woman inside that had a prediliction to speak French, and admonish me for assuming as an American one can just pull off the road and get a hotel.

Maybe it was the fact I was trying to get into the nation of Quebec and not Canada....

I hear those Nova Scotians aren't quite as tightly wrapped......

 

[twowheelnut]

I hear those Nova Scotians aren't quite as tightly wrapped......

True dat! From Quebec eastward, those are some fine, down to earth folk for sure! Very open and generous, much like northern New Englanders. Only they talk funny: shedule v. schedule and all, wot!

Edit: Tim Horton's Rules!!!!

 

[TheAxeman]

The tentative plan is to leave here around June 30th, travel up to Burlington VT for a day or so then cross over to Bar Harbor and catch The Cat ferry out of Bar Harbor ME and spend the rest of the week traveling around NS. Then probably take The Cat back to Portland ME instead to save us a little time getting home. Of course its a holiday in both Canada and the US so if lodging is going to be a problem I may just rent a place in NS for the week and use it as a base for day trips instead.

Canadian FJR are you going to be in NS at that time?

 

[twowheelnut]

You're gonna boat it outta Bar Harbor? Shame. You're gonna miss The Airline. Woot!

 

[gypsy]

Axeman you will definitely have to book the Cat in advance at that time of year. Keep in mind that starting this summer the Cat is running every other day from Bar Harbor and Portland...in N.S. it is always Yarmouth. If I were in your situation I would book a three nights in Lunenburg/Mahone Bay and 3 nights in Baddeck and do day trips from both places. Also at least 1 day/night in Halifax. I will be happy to give my 2 cents on road trips if you like.

I will be around at that time. I am leaving later in July to head to WFO in Reno but the first two weeks I will be in N.S.

gypsy

 

[Powerman]

I went last June and didn't have any problems without reservations.

Do book the ferry in advance. The Cabot trail was great. Still a little cold for a Southern boy, but comfortable.

 

[FJRski]

Make reservations, at least in the more rural areas. We have traveled up that way several times. You need to start looking early if you don't have a place lined up. Or be prepared to drive. With reservations you can feel comfortable arriving late. You can always cancel AFTER you find another place, just watch the cancellation penalties.

 

[FJRPierre]

You're gonna boat it outta Bar Harbor?  Shame.  You're gonna miss The Airline.  Woot!

Jeeze the Airline (ME9) <_< As desolate today as it was in the sixties! Quite a ride though when you're a teenager!

 

[twowheelnut]

You're gonna boat it outta Bar Harbor?  Shame.  You're gonna miss The Airline.  Woot!

Jeeze the Airline (ME9) <_< As desolate today as it was in the sixties! Quite a ride though when you're a teenager!

Or and old fart in a really fast car! Course that action prolly contributed to the demise of my first marriage... :blink:

 

[TheAxeman]

Thanks for all the input....I have to boat it out of Bar Harbor unfortunately because of time constraints at work (hate that word). I noticed this AM that there was an article about a similar ride in RIDER (?) magazine this month. I just got a quick look at it while I was in the "library" this morning. Looks like he picked up a Gold Wing in NYC and rode to Cape Breton. Got a response on one of the Honda boards that said to definitely use a a credit card for Hotel Stays etc...because the exchange rate will be tallied exactly instead of rounded up or down by the hotel.

 

[gypsy]

Unfortunatly the exchange rate isn't what it once was. I live in Canada but get paid in US dollars. That used to be a really good thing when the rate 1US = 1.50C now it is 1 = 1.16. That is a big pay cut. Also not good for the Canadian economy in the long run.

I hope everyone is feeling sorry for me now!!

gypsy

 

[Canadian FJR]

I should be in the area the first of July. I might even be able to show you the proper lines around the Cabot Trail. Stay in touch. B)

Canadian FJR

 

[boogahboogah]

Took a non-planned trip from Yarmouth to Lunenberg to Halifax to PEI to New Brunswick & then back thru Maine in 2003, early August.

In every reasonably sized town in NS and PEI (I forget about NB) , the Canadians are nice enough to run Hotel/B&B finders services. I forget what their name for them is called... Usually college kids or old geezers, but these folks are just there to help you find a hotel room that you like. Free service, also good to get the local rap on things to do, places to go, good restaurants, etc. They are there just to help you find a place to stay. The one in Lunenberg directed us to a B&B run by some pretty wild (for Canadians) ex hippie ex corporate types. We got along great, shot the breeze for hours & hours, and got told some great stories we wouldn't have heard any other way. The one in Halifax got a room in a great hotel at a discounted price in just the right part of town.

The way we travel when touring is: ride till you don't feel like it anymore, look for a place to stay, find the best restaurant, then crash & do it all over again. The only thing we plan in advance is the major stops & even then they are pretty flexible.

When in PEI, we just found the PEI 'Potato Museum' by dumb luck. While a bit cheesy, that sort of stop is, for us, one of the things that make MC touring all the more memorable. I now know more than most folks about the history of the potato & it's travels around the world.

Oh, and if you hit PEI just right, you'll be treated to miles & miles & miles of light perfume from the flowering potato plants...

 

[rickcorwn]

definitely use a a credit card for Hotel Stays etc...because the exchange rate will be tallied exactly instead of rounded up or down by the hotel.

Good advise but I'll add... check with your CC company to see if they add fees for changing money like that. I got notices from some of mine about new fees and some of them were pretty stiff.

 

[Jabba]

Keep in mind that you now need a passport to cross into Canada~ A new rule that's just one more piece of evidence of how the world has changed. Great trip you've got planned- I'd like to put in a plug for Fundy NP on the way back down if you decide not to use the Cat in both directions. (Bar Harbor is REALLY worth a couple of days, btw). Fundy is a nice overnight along the way- seeing how the town changes with the tides is something you'll always remember- and the place is lousy with hummingbirds too. Neat spot. Have fun!

 

[gypsy]

Jabba that requirement is not yet in effect. Won't be until end of 2007 that you will need a passport to ride (end of 2006 if arriving by sea or air). Also the requirement is actually not to enter Canada but to get back into the US. Our foreign service is trying to negotiate a way around this. There are many people who live right on the border on both sides and this would constitute a hardship for them. I even read of a school bus in Idaho that has to enter into Canada and then back into the US to get the kids to school. There are also recipricol agreements along the border that have kids from one coutry attending school int he other. And sports leagues that stradle the border. On occasion government types think something makes a lot of sense without looking into the details. And that shocks all of us, right?

From US Customs & Border Protection website:

Important Note: The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will soon require all travelers to and from the Americas, the Caribbean, and Bermuda to have a passport or other accepted form of documentation to enter or reenter the United States. The program will be rolled out in phases. The proposed timeline is as follows:

* December 31, 2006: Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

* December 31, 2007: Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.

gypsy