Ian Easton - North Vancouver BC - at the Counterclockwise Exit - Nice day for it - long ride to get here - way to go!
Ginnie Robinson, Judy Goral, Carolyn Janopoulos (CJ) all the way from Chicago - Manless! CJ Says "It was great on the trail meeting so many friendly people, they were suprised that we traveled so far alone!! What alone there were 3 of us! They always asked if any men were with us! Ah no I can find my way & ride my bike all by myself!!! The Cabot Trail was beautiful, & whale watching awesome! We love our shirts & people always ask where we got them! Who knows it may inspire them to go." Thanks ladies! Hope to meet you someday! - Daniel
Nice Bikes Ladies...and well dressed I might add... the Chicago Girls
PEI Biker Dudes - Riding for the Cure, Sept, 2010
I attached a photo (above) of the 9 of us from PEI who did the Ride 4 The Cure. What a blast and all for a good cause. This is our third year coming to the ride and it sure won’t be our last. – Jamie
Man, was I jealous of Todd's Hayabusa! ...I think these two were quick - the bike in the back is a Beemer 1300. Todd's going to get me a video clip of the Cape Smokey climb on his bar mounted recorder - stay tuned!
Click here to see a YouTube video of the Cape Smokey Counter Clockwise Climb, through the eyes of Todd’s Hayabusa. This is a 3 minute video, capturing my personal favourite part of the Cabot Trail. It is INSANE!
Todd’s comments (photo and video above):
Hey Daniel,
Glad you liked it. I could not get out of first gear on most of the turns, 2nd was the highest (on that stretch anyway).White Mountains were very cool lots of turns & tree colours were great to look at. Some of the corners you can run at 120- 180 K. However, the Cabot was still better – definitely the best ride I have ever been on. Would highly recommend the Cabot to anyone with 2 wheels. I drove it 5 yr’s ago with my family in the car and could not wait to come back with the busa. Next time we will definitely stay over vs. driving back to Truro (co-workers cabin). Thanks again and glad we met up. Your site is a great source of info – wish I knew about it before we came. Would be good if you could advertise at the Toronto Bike Shows in Dec & Jan. (see link below)http://www.torontomotorcycleshow.ca/index.php?id=12
Barb Nemerovsky and Deborah Todd on Cape Breton Island
Comments from Deborah (biker chick from above photo):
I went through Antigonish on the way to Baddeck from the PEI Ferry. I loved Nova Scotia and especially the Cabot Trail. We met many wonderful folks along the way. We were based in Baddeck at Inverary Resort. Loved it there being right on the lake. Food was great at the Lakeside Restaurant. We did the tourist stuff like visiting the Bell Museum. We took a sunset cruise on the lake from the dock at Inverary Resort and did lunch at the Rusty Anchor. All the views were spectacular. Everything I read on the blog was accurate. I did the trail counter clockwise. The rest of my crew went the other way. It was determined I made the right choice! If I had another day I would certainly have gone around again in the other direction.
I have friends headed your way next summer so will have them use your blog
Thanks for all the great advice.
Deborah
Evening cruise in Baddeck - You'll find something enjoyable like this to do with very little planning. Plan your mileage - it's a bike trip, then let this other stuff kinda happen 
This is a rest stop very close to Coastal Waters Restaurant. Deborah had a nice day on the Trail.
The West side or Cheticamp Side of the Island has these dramatic views. The views are, somehow, completely different going in the other direction. I know this one, so Deborah was traveling Counter-Clockwise. She'll have to come back for a clockwise rip!
NS Beach – bikers from Kingston – Havin’ a time!
See this place? Ok. It’s not Coastal Waters – Skip this joint – Coastal Waters is where bikers eat. Can’t even get Keith’s on tap there – c’mon fellow bikers…show Coastal Waters some lovin’!
- What a cool sky! Steve Beatty and his Bro tackle the Trail in 2010
- Steve Beatty enjoying PEI on the way back home….by the way – it’s way cheaper to hit PEI on the way home…you only pay to get off the Island and the bridge to New Brunswick is $17ish and the ferry from Nova Scotia is close to $40…adds up over a couple of bikes…keep in mind for planning.
Doesn't this photo make you want to just go? The Beatty bros - bikes are '88 and '07
Tracey getting one more stretch before the coastal twisties
Ready for the ride into Cheticamp
rob and tracey's gold wing
Rob and Tracey need to get a camera with a timer! Look at the weather they got!
- I drove to Meat Cove – they wouldn’t let me any further. Campers are partying big-time while stranded – I don’t think they ran out of liquor yet! If you click on the photo, you can get a close-up of me wearing the ‘Second Pair’ Sunglasses with the Original logo. Can’t get these for $25 – especially with the cool logo.
- If you go on a whale tour, This is the coolest – Limbo Cove. Fast Zodiak, Guys running it are bikers, you can even put your face on a Mermaid.
- Canadian Motorcycle Cruisers (CMC) members from Ottawa and Halifax, Join them for free at www.cmcnational.ca
- Pictou County friends – and we meet on the Trail! Enjoying a look off outside of Ingonish on the way to pick up their T-Shirts.
- All the way from Gatineau, and had to turn around because of rain, 5 kms into the Trail. They were the most defeated soles I’ve seen. Please come back and leave a couple extra days incase it pours!
- He brags that he rode from Saskatchewan but his co-pilot only joined in Halifax – She claims to be the sponsor! I saw them ripping around the Trail!
- Quebec! Man, lots of Quebecers ride the Trail – Way to go!
- Tell me about Cape Breton! At the info center.
- This info center is right as you enter Cape Breton. They are extremely helpful and love seeing all of us bikers!
- Manitoba! Long road trip – in his 10,000 click already this go! I want your job!
- Halifax Rider on a yearly pilgrimage to the Trail on a Gixxer
- A couple Quebecois capping off a 3 week vacation, 2 weeks in the Tropics and a Week on the Trail – Now that’s the life!
- A few Gold Wings, including a Tric, visit with my niece Erika in Arisaig
Ken Purcell and Friends
Al and Rebecca on a Gixxer
(above)Guy and Peter from NewFoundland & Labrador… Had to come to Cape Breton to show us all how to drink & laugh…Nice Bikes boys – hauled those trailers up the Cape Smokey Climb… my favorite part!
Very nice bikes from Quebec, Can. One of the guys is Mario Bernard from St-Georges, Beauce. They missed the restaurant though...we'll have to see them again next year so they can get their shirts.
Tonnes of Tric's this year - this is a beauty. From Quebec, Can. Cape Smokey Mountain
Vive le Quebec! Cape Smokey - Awesome!
Nice Bikes! These guys cruising counter-clockwise this time.
Got rid of the bros by telling them that there was cold Keiths inside and then got a photo with the ladies. Gotta love Biker chicks!
Big Crew from Portland, ME - hope to see them on my trip to Bangor (arriving Sept. 12)
All smiles!
Well fed, thirst quenched, have T-Shirt - off to ride the Trail...Life is good.
Couple Bimmers from Kentucky, USA. Biker chick has 43,000 miles on her 2006, hubby still has the shakes after coming within inches of a big Buck. Thanks for the beer!
This shot of Phil and Angie (Annapolis Valley, NS) is from my driveway in Arisaig, Antigonish on the Sunrise Trail. Let me know when you're coming through and I'll put some tea on.
Anna is an absolute sweetheart! Have her serve up a cold Keiths for you!
I have this dumb goal of delivering all the shirts via motorcycle...this was a bit much!
Christina Romaine (and Dan, Rusty & Michelle), Natick, MA
- These two were enjoying the nice weather on the cable ferry. They’re from Northern New Brunswick.
Rob Bistro, NY, USA Award Worthy Shot with a bar-mount Camera
What a Day! Check out the gadgets - Rob..Where's the kitchen sink?
Rob Bistro and Friends, NY, USA - Score Perfect Weather for 2 rips around the Trail
Hal and Chipp (Virginia, USA) meet Daniel outside the Coastal Waters Restaurant
Jason and Keith Finally finished coating the pavement
Fluid Top Up in Inverness
Leaving Keltic Quay for a Chilly Ride
I was with Rob Bistro and would like to share my thanks to you for all your help planning our trip. It was in one word “fantastic”. Great weather, people, food and ride. You should consider a article in “Backroads” magazine as they haven’t had a article on Nova Scotia in a few years. I love the shirt by the way and wish I had purchased 2 of them…
The food must have been good where we purchased the shirts as the restaurant was packed.
FYI
Editor@backroadsusa.com
Thanks again.
Harry Weber
Nice
Hey Glad to know you all enjoyed the trail.
we, (my wife and I and a friend) just rode the trail on oct 20 & 21st 2010. It is surely a piece of heaven on earth. too bad the look-off in cape smokey has more potholes than kellog’s got cornflakes, it is a sin to let it deteriorate like that, it is most likely from people pullin away too fast in a cage. I wish they didn’t…
anyways here is what i made: a small film of some pictures I took along the way.
enjoy
and,
ride safe
you can e mail me if you want.
I missed the ride for the cure this year for medical reasons but I went up the trail in some cold temperatures tho, even to meat cove to see the state of the roads, hmmmmmmmmm yeah not for touring bikes(gravel roads from hell) maybe dirt bikes but definitely not for heavy touring bikes.
we tackled it at night and I do not recommend it unless you have a dirt bike even then beware….stay away from meat cove people unless you’re in an old beat up 4×4 bike named F-250 super duty….stick to the beautiful Cabot Trail.
and I agree, climbing Smokey is way more fun than coming down. so I personally agree with you but I think we should do both just for different approach different angles, climbs and descents. and heyy it’s another ride.
Hi Sam,
Thanks for sharing this with all the fellow bikers. Funny that you mention the Cape Smokey Look – Off. That is a ‘pull-off’ the department of highways uses when they are salting the roads in winter and clearing fallen rock in the spring. They also encourage trucks to pull in there to check brakes or loads during travel. I was 2/3 of the way to get that paved and the area dedicated as an ‘Official Nova Scotia Motorcycle Rest Stop’, but the provincial park you can see from the site owns the back 14′ of the land and wouldn’t let the project happen. If you’re frustrated by that, please pass along your discontent to NS Provincial Parks division of Natural Resources. During my work on that failed attempt, I did learn that the NS Dept. of Highways loves bikes and anyone, really, that comes to do the Trail – and they work their asses off to get the road in shape. It’s an amazing stretch of road and I think they have an extra sense of pride in keeping it in good shape and safe. Next year (2011) will be the best condition it has ever been for riding. The very long construction in Ingonish (right before the T-Shirt restaurant – Coastal Waters) is going to be completed in December.
Also, to clarify your above statement, you were urging folks without dirt bikes to avoid Meat Cove (not it’s people). Thanks again! Daniel
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