Feature Destinations
Barber-Motorsports Museum Birmingham Alabama
Cape Spear Newfoundland
44 Days, 10 Provinces, 17 States, 17,995 Kms
After several cross country trips and adventures south of the border somehow my journey didn’t seem complete without checking out Newfoundland and a couple, three to be exact States off my to do list. I also longed for an extended motorcycle ride where I could just spend weeks on my bike with enough time to “be Jeff” and reboot. I decided that in the summer of 2025 I would make it happen with my ultimate destination being Cape Spear Newfoundland, the most easterly place you can travel on the North American continent. Clearly I don’t need much of a reason for an extended bike trip. Everyone thinks the Prairies are boring but all adventures have there pros and cons and I personally enjoy the variety. As bike trips go riding from Kelowna to Newfoundland is pretty much a straight ride until you get to the east coast where roads like the Cabot Trail and the local scenery makes things interesting. My first destination was Old Quebec City, I’ve wanted to return there for some time and I really enjoyed my visit as always. It feels like a little bit of Europe right here in Canada.
Most trips across Canada are done via the Trans Canada Highway but there are other routes and this time I took the Red Coat Trail. It follows the railway line further south and travels through many small communities. I seem to be drawn to the iconic things along the way like the Wawa Goose.
“Quebec City is a walled city with culture, great food, poutine and a pretty decent Guinness”
In past visits to PEI the ferry was the only way across but now there’s a bridge and I just to ride across it and take an (expensive) ferry back across to Caribou Nova Scotia some roads are “just because you can” roads that must be ridden. The Cabot trail is one of the more scenic rides and the perfect way to spend a day waiting for the boat to Newfoundland. I have to say I lucked out on the weather as I was expecting more rain.
The ferry to Newfoundland takes about 8 hours on the shorter route from North Sydney to Port aux Basques and seas were calm. I arrived on the island and my first impression was it reminded me of Hawaii with lush green mountains off in the distance not what I was expecting for a place they call the rock. I’m not sure why but It’s interesting how different eastern Canada feels compared to western Canada. The Island is also quite large at 900kms from the ferry landing to St. John’s if you take the direct route. I felt a sense of urgency to get there but a place called Twillingate was my first destination with a Hobbit like name and situated on iceberg alley.
Twillingate was a picturesque, colourful oceanside village with friendly people and a nice pub. There was a small iceberg in the bay and remnants of others washing up on shore. It’s hard to imagine this ice might have started it’s journey in Greenland and could be thousands of year old. People were collecting it on the beach for their coolers.
It was awesome to arrive at Cape Spear the most easterly point in North America and home to Newfoundlands oldest lighthouse it felt like the end of the earth and marked one of the main goals of my road trip.
“Cape Spear felt like the end of the earth and marked one of the main goals of my road trip.”
St John’s was my next destination and I was surprised to find a large campground in the city and a historic pub district including places like The Duke Of Duckworth. It would have been easy to stay a few more days here but my mind was already working on another destination. I arrived here a week sooner than expected and decided that I would leave the island early if I could adjust my ferry booking. My new plan was to head south once I was back in Nova Scotia and cross the border to finally see the Space Shuttle Discovery and visit the last two States (actually three States) I hadn’t been to. It was not a favourable time to visit the US due to the political climate but this would probably be my only opportunity to complete these goals. I also knew it would be crazy riding a motorcycle through some of the busiest cities in North America but it wouldn’t be an adventure without a few challenges. The ferry leaves from Argentia NL and takes 16 hours to reach Sydney NS. It’s a modern boat that feels like a mini cruise ship and you can get a cabin if you book months in advance but I preferred the lounge area.
Back on the mainland it was time to redirect and set course to rendezvous with the Space Shuttle Discovery. I was at
the last launch in Florida and I was determined to see it once again, close up this time.
It’s amazing how many states and major cities are crammed into the western US and immediately after crossing the border at St Steven NB to Calais Maine I had that familiar out-of-country sense. I don’t know why it always feels so different but I guess it is a different country? I knew this adventure would have me riding through some of the busiest cities in the US, I had already been to many them on past trips so my mission was to just ride. I wasn’t planning a lot of sight seeing on the way but there are always something interesting like submarines in the park in Portsmouth New Hampshire. This typical small town has plenty of character, good pubs like the Gas Light Company, a nice harbor town with efficient parking patrols. A strong US dollar makes a parking ticket sting, speaking from experience.
For the next few days I focused on riding the last few states I had not been to including passing through Providence, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware and major cities like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. I did my best to stay off the Turnpikes and Interstates but sometimes you just have to commit and deal with unexpected toll booths that resemble NASCAR pit stops and let me tell you riding through New York City in the heat and rain is a motorcycle riding experience you won’t soon forget.
It took a few interesting days but I made it to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, Air and Space Museum in Chantilly Virginia home to many cool aircraft like the SR71 Blackbird, the Enola Gay B52, and of course the Space Shuttle Discovery. Was it worth the journey, no question for me I’ve have always had an interest in space travel and science, and it was a personal goal to see it launch and to visit it again. It always feels amazing to complete a goal or several goals as on this trip…..mission accomplished and I am grateful.
This trip has taken many turns along the way and part three is to head north to Ontario and visit my hometown Toronto and family that I haven’t seen since I left on my life redirect 30 years ago. It would also be good to get away from the major centres and head back up through Upstate New York.
“Heading north through West Virginia with country roads playing in my head”
My journey north took me through the scenic roads of West Virginia taking in a portion of Highway 50 along the way, this highway runs completely across the US from east to west, in the west it’s know as the “loneliest highway” (for good reason) it made me think that riding the whole length of it would be a great trip in itself, but this time it was north to Pennsylvania on Highway 219 a nice secondary road and my favourite type of road passing through rural villages and towns. In Bradford PA it passed by the Zippo Lighter Factory and I made an abrupt u-turn to stop and check out the Museum. Needless to say I now own a cool brass Zippo lighter. These random stops at iconic places make some of the best memories. Next was York State where I stayed in a tourist town I once went skiing near in Ellicottville not far from the Canadian Border.
I grew up in Toronto and left a long time ago in search of a smaller town, closer to nature and far away from tall buildings. My reason to return on this trip was to catch up with my dear friends in the city and family in cottage country. The only thing I really missed is a famous Peameal Bacon Sandwich at the St. Lawrence Market and good Greek Food so my cravings have been satisfied for a while. Not much of a place to ride a motorcycle (another reason to move) but not as crazy as New York. If you haven’t been to Toronto it is a great city to visit. From Toronto I headed north in the pouring rain, destination Port Sydney Muskoka. I have many great memories spending my summers “up north” as we would say and after so many years it was nice to see somethings haven’t changed, even the General Store is still standing.
With Cape Spear, Discovery and a stop over in Ontario compete it was it was time to think about my route back and to head west again. I contemplated returning via the direct route on the Trans Canada but so far most of this ride had been about the destinations more than the roads and a quick study of my map showed that by crossing the border, again, at Sault Ste. Marie I could target all the amazing mountain passes in the Black Hills, Montana and Wyoming. The centre of my tires looked quite worn by this time so it was time to work on using up the sides.
“The centre of my tires looked quite worn by this time so it was time to work on using up the sides“
There never seems to be a lack of giant iconic things along the way, I was determined to see the Sudbury Nickel and I also discovered the worlds largest Loonie in Echo Bay, Ontario and Big John near Vucan and the City of Norway in Michigan. Yes these are real towns and sadly I didn’t get a picture of the Viking Ship. For some reason crossing the plains through Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota heading for South Dakota does not resemble the Canadian prairies at all, there’s more terrain and communities to pass through and the distance does not seem as far if you stay on the back roads and off the Interstates. I took primarily Highway 8 and Highway 14. It’s great country out there with places like the Shafer Saloon offering cheap beer, good food, live music and a house full of friendly locals especially on Karaoke night. I often get asked what happens when it rains well you take to next sunny opportunity to dry out your gear sometimes behind a gas station.
The riding gets interesting as you approach South Dakota but by the time you do you will have noticed many, many signs along the way for Wall Drugs. You owe it to yourself not to miss this spectacle a great place for lunch or to hunt for Jackalope’s. It’s a tourist attraction and town you won’t soon forget.
The Black Hills of South Dakota offer some amazing riding opportunities with roads like Iron Mountain, the Needles Highway the road to Spearfish and more. There are also many landmarks such as Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument currently being carved out of a mountainside. I stayed in Hill City in a rustic cabin motel with its own mini wine bar in the compound. I have to say that I didn’t think I would be impressed by the Crazy Horse project but the museum there is world class but I wound in what future decade the carving will be done.
More to come but at this point my tires are starting to get a good workout….
Barber Motorsports – 25 Days, 15 States, 11,455 Kms
In 2018 a three week window of time opened and up and after some quick calculations I determined that it was enough time to make a run to the famous Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham Alabama. The goal was to visit the museum and finally make it down to the deep southern states with New Orleans as the turn around point. When I mentioned the trip to my riding buddy in typical fashion his only question was when are we leaving. Knowing there would be some long hard days ahead I decided to upgrade my mount and I found a pretty clean Honda 2009 ST1300 and bought it sight unseen over the phone. A few weeks later we were pushing or way through heavy rain towards Missoula Montana and Cheyenne Wyoming.
Our journey took us through the Ozark Mountains to the historic town of Eureka Springs Arkansas. It was still raining when we left the next morning but this is an area that’s definite worth a re-visit. You never know what you’ll find out in the back country of the US we passed through Twist Arkansa the town where BB King’s famed guitar Lucille earned its name after a dance hall brawl. Memphis was next on the agenda and we spend the night checking out the clubs on Beale Street. No trip to Memphis would be complete without a trip to Sun Studios and Elvis’s place to check out his house and rides.
Nashville was next on the list of places to visit and after a quick stop for provisions at Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Nashville of course is known for its country music scene and it did not disappoint. Broadway Street is lined with clubs featuring live music on multiple floors including Roberts Western World where Robert, dress like Elvis, performs daily.
It was a long day and night in Nashville and we even managed to spend some time centre stage at the Grand Oly Opry. From Nashville we headed south to Birmingham and the Barber Motorsports Museum. What great collection of motorcycles and worth every kilometre to get there and spend a day wandering the the many floors and halls. All of the bikes are in pristine condition and there’s track there as well. New Orlean’s was our next destination and we picked up a section of the The Natchez Trace Parkway a scenic byway that seems to have been made for motorcyclists.
Arriving in New Orleans the temperature was hovering over 40 degrees with the humidity was around 100% so needless to say you have to use mind over matter to keep your cool while dressed in riding gear and sitting on a very hot bike. It’s just something you have to be prepared for down south…it’s hot but fortunately the French Quarter is cool in a different way. Another great spot for live music and culture.
After a couple interesting days in N’Olins as they say it was time to plot a course for home that would get us there while avoiding most interstates. It was a great trip through the back country of Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington. We had an un-planned layover in Abilene with an un-fixable rear tire but you have to expect the unexpected on a road trip it all part of the adventure. The trip took 25 days with an overall average of roughly 600kms a day camping most days.
