Nova Scotia Fresh Air Inspectors Investigate the Cabot Trail

C-Stain · 10-12-2011, 03:55 PM

Nova Scotia Fresh Air Inspectors Investigate the Cabot Trail

YellowKnife said it best this afternoon. You can have money, or you can have time. You can’t have both. As my employment status has recently changed, I all of a sudden have lots of time on my hands in my new position as a Fresh Air Inspector. The hours are long, the pace is grueling and someone has to do it.

We had heard reports that there were instances of not so fresh air in the Cabot Trail area of Cape Breton Island. So, armed with this information and being environmentally conscious, we set out for a 3 day Inspection Tour of the Cabot Trail on our low carbon foot print motorcycles.

We set about on Monday with SlowPhil in tow, who would only ride with us to Truro. Because of this and the sensitive nature of HIS J.O.B., we thought it best not to take pictures of him.

Our first stop of the day was at the Walton Lighthouse on Nova Scotia’s NoelShore. While we did find some larger vehicles in attendance, the air was truly fresh and the sights quite enjoyable.

We continued on. Surely, there was foul air about! We set out towards the community of Old Barnes and stopped at Lighthouse Road. Something was amiss…there was no lighthouse! Plenty of fresh air though. The missing lighthouse will need to be reported to the Coast Guard. Not our department.

Just doing my job, ma’am. Looking for Fresh Air!

Our day ended with a meal at Vi’s Restaurant in Whycocomagh, NS. The moon was almost full, the sky was brilliant and of course, the air was fresh.

Once the appropriate accommodations were acquired at the Whycocomagh Provincial Campground, we began some Smog Testing by lighting a fire and checking wind currents. Here is photographic evidence that YellowKnife actually was doing his job.

More to come for Day Two.

C-Stain · 10-12-2011, 07:20 PM

Day Two

Local Meteorologists put the overnight temperatures at 6 Celsius. We had accomplished one of our tasks and determined that the overnight Fresh Air quotients were definitely high. We motored to Baddeck for fuel and breakfast before starting our random inspection of:

Our hats must be tipped to the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure as the roads from Baddeck to Saint Anne’s Bay were truly spectacular. Great curves and incredible views.

We investigated this flock of ducks for potential violations, but they were found to be clean.

As the morning progressed, I was contacted by dispatch and asked to setup a Fresh Air Inspection Station just south of CapeSmokey. While I was enjoying a Bear Claw and a coffee, I thought I spotted a potential offender. I gave chase.

(Click below for video)

It turns out, it was only Yellowknife. The pursuit was abandoned and instead, like a true BMW Rider, he found the best coffee in the highlands.

We had lunch in Ingonish and promptly polished off some Fish and Chips, made from freshly caught Haddock.

The views continued to be stunning…and the local environment proved to be a difficult area to find any not so fresh air.

As the afternoon continued, Yellowknife thought that we might be able to slow the pace down and perform Road-Side inspections for Fresh Air. He even found some hardware in the bushes to help make the job easier.

We set up our inspection station, but the only things we found were a V-Strom and a GS Adventure. With their small carbon footprint, they weren’t candidates for any infractions of the Fresh Air laws. We continued on.

Stopped by McKenzieMountain for more inspections.

As we proceeding down the FrenchMountain towards the village of Cheticamp, we stopped to question a local about possible Fresh Air infractions.

He stonewalled us…

But we continued our questioning.

Getting nowhere with the suspect, we put his name (would you believe he gave us the name of Bullwinkle?) in our Database and pressed on for PleasantBay. There is a replication Crofter’s Hut there that needed to be inspected.

Yellowknife proves its not the bike, but the rider. And this rider, apparently, can go anywhere.

Still finding nothing but fresh air, we were satisfied with the results of our inspection and continued up the FrenchMountain.

Cheticamp was on the horizon and the day was starting to wane. We stopped for another inspection just outside Cap Rouge and soaked up the views and the Cabot Trail Money Shot.

The rest of our day saw a quick coffee at Tim Horton’s, a Canadian staple and then a push off Cape Breton Island to Antigonish for the night. The majority of our Inspection was complete and we were happy to report back to the home office that, indeed, the Air along the Cabot Trail was Fresh.

Rashnak · 10-12-2011, 07:27 PM

what a spectacular road- you can almost taste the fresh air.

tuffstuff · 10-12-2011, 07:37 PM

Beautiful report - I miss Nova Scotia so much!! We are thinking of going there next summer and my man has never seen it! Can't wait to show it off. Great pics! Glad you found so much fresh air!

Aargee · 10-13-2011, 02:24 AM

Nice breath taking pictures

CanadianX · 10-13-2011, 04:19 AM

Sorry to have missed this one, looks like a great ride. Might get there before the snow.

C-Stain · 10-13-2011, 06:17 AM

Day 3

We slept at the Coastal Inn in Antigonish, a facility that had a motorcycle on the sign. Must be a good omen, right? Large, drive up rooms, continental breakfast and right on the highway for $89 plus tax. Not too shabby.

The fall colors were more spectacular in Marshy Hope then we’d seen in CapeBreton. A stop by the highway was made to take some photos…

We continued on until we reached New Glasgow and had another cup of coffee. It was a cold start this morning with the temperatures hovering around a balmy 1*C. Yes, my heated grips were on the 100% setting.

Jumping off the slab in New Glasgow, we took the Pictou Road to Truro. There was one interesting spot that I just had to stop at and take some pics.

Across the road was quite idyllic as well…

And that was all! We rode a little over 1200 Km in three days, camped a night, one night in a hotel and had some decent food along the way. Yellowknife and I traveled well together and I’m sure this won’t be our last trip!

C-Stain out.

yellowknife · 10-13-2011, 06:58 AM

Makes me want to turn around and go back again. Thanks for riding along with me - it was a blast.

YK

KLRUSERIOUS? · 10-13-2011, 07:16 AM

Yeah, I have never had the pleasure of doing that route on a bike but I have done it in a car with the wife and am looking forward to trekking out there on my ride on day.

fredgreen · 10-13-2011, 07:53 AM

What....No Meat Cove, it has the freshest air known to man. Oh, I forgot, you don't have a KLR to get you down the 8 km of dirt....

Just kidding Craig, looks like a great ride, too bad I couldn't make it, family commitments.

BKMLWR · 10-13-2011, 10:09 AM

nice report, rode around the trail in 1982, still looks the same.....

C-Stain · 10-13-2011, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredgreen

What....No Meat Cove, it has the freshest air known to man. Oh, I forgot, you don't have a KLR to get you down the 8 km of dirt....

Just kidding Craig, looks like a great ride, too bad I couldn't make it, family commitments.

You were missed! Next time...

I was cold...and you know those BMW guys...heated vests and all....that's why we dropped the Meat Cove component!

tmills · 10-13-2011, 01:24 PM

Looks like fun sorry I missed it but that work thing got in the way. Hope to see you on the road soon

Canadian FJR · 10-13-2011, 03:48 PM

Great ride report. The leaves should be starting to turn over the next couple of weeks, I better go for a ride.

Canadian FJR

easyriver · 10-13-2011, 04:49 PM

Great report C-Stain. Tnx for sharing some pics of our beautiful Province with the outside world.

10-12-2011, 03:55 PM	#1
C-Stain ^OP Unreasonable Joined: Jul 2009 Location: Middleton, NS CANADA Oddometer: 2,230	Nova Scotia Fresh Air Inspectors Investigate the Cabot Trail Nova Scotia Fresh Air Inspectors Investigate the Cabot Trail YellowKnife said it best this afternoon. You can have money, or you can have time. You can’t have both. As my employment status has recently changed, I all of a sudden have lots of time on my hands in my new position as a Fresh Air Inspector. The hours are long, the pace is grueling and someone has to do it. We had heard reports that there were instances of not so fresh air in the Cabot Trail area of Cape Breton Island. So, armed with this information and being environmentally conscious, we set out for a 3 day Inspection Tour of the Cabot Trail on our low carbon foot print motorcycles. We set about on Monday with SlowPhil in tow, who would only ride with us to Truro. Because of this and the sensitive nature of HIS J.O.B., we thought it best not to take pictures of him. Our first stop of the day was at the Walton Lighthouse on Nova Scotia’s NoelShore. While we did find some larger vehicles in attendance, the air was truly fresh and the sights quite enjoyable. We continued on. Surely, there was foul air about! We set out towards the community of Old Barnes and stopped at Lighthouse Road. Something was amiss…there was no lighthouse! Plenty of fresh air though. The missing lighthouse will need to be reported to the Coast Guard. Not our department. Just doing my job, ma’am. Looking for Fresh Air! Our day ended with a meal at Vi’s Restaurant in Whycocomagh, NS. The moon was almost full, the sky was brilliant and of course, the air was fresh. Once the appropriate accommodations were acquired at the Whycocomagh Provincial Campground, we began some Smog Testing by lighting a fire and checking wind currents. Here is photographic evidence that YellowKnife actually was doing his job. More to come for Day Two. __________________ TransLab a Go Go 2011 Nova Scotia Fresh Air Inspectors Investigate the Cabot Trail "Second star to the left and straight on till morning” ― James T. Kirk

10-12-2011, 07:20 PM	#2
C-Stain ^OP Unreasonable Joined: Jul 2009 Location: Middleton, NS CANADA Oddometer: 2,230	Day Two Local Meteorologists put the overnight temperatures at 6 Celsius. We had accomplished one of our tasks and determined that the overnight Fresh Air quotients were definitely high. We motored to Baddeck for fuel and breakfast before starting our random inspection of: Our hats must be tipped to the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure as the roads from Baddeck to Saint Anne’s Bay were truly spectacular. Great curves and incredible views. We investigated this flock of ducks for potential violations, but they were found to be clean. As the morning progressed, I was contacted by dispatch and asked to setup a Fresh Air Inspection Station just south of CapeSmokey. While I was enjoying a Bear Claw and a coffee, I thought I spotted a potential offender. I gave chase. (Click below for video) It turns out, it was only Yellowknife. The pursuit was abandoned and instead, like a true BMW Rider, he found the best coffee in the highlands. We had lunch in Ingonish and promptly polished off some Fish and Chips, made from freshly caught Haddock. The views continued to be stunning…and the local environment proved to be a difficult area to find any not so fresh air. As the afternoon continued, Yellowknife thought that we might be able to slow the pace down and perform Road-Side inspections for Fresh Air. He even found some hardware in the bushes to help make the job easier. We set up our inspection station, but the only things we found were a V-Strom and a GS Adventure. With their small carbon footprint, they weren’t candidates for any infractions of the Fresh Air laws. We continued on. Stopped by McKenzieMountain for more inspections. As we proceeding down the FrenchMountain towards the village of Cheticamp, we stopped to question a local about possible Fresh Air infractions. He stonewalled us… But we continued our questioning. Getting nowhere with the suspect, we put his name (would you believe he gave us the name of Bullwinkle?) in our Database and pressed on for PleasantBay. There is a replication Crofter’s Hut there that needed to be inspected. Yellowknife proves its not the bike, but the rider. And this rider, apparently, can go anywhere. Still finding nothing but fresh air, we were satisfied with the results of our inspection and continued up the FrenchMountain. Cheticamp was on the horizon and the day was starting to wane. We stopped for another inspection just outside Cap Rouge and soaked up the views and the Cabot Trail Money Shot. The rest of our day saw a quick coffee at Tim Horton’s, a Canadian staple and then a push off Cape Breton Island to Antigonish for the night. The majority of our Inspection was complete and we were happy to report back to the home office that, indeed, the Air along the Cabot Trail was Fresh. __________________ TransLab a Go Go 2011 Nova Scotia Fresh Air Inspectors Investigate the Cabot Trail "Second star to the left and straight on till morning” ― James T. Kirk

10-12-2011, 07:37 PM	#4
tuffstuff Livin' Life Joined: Nov 2009 Location: Earlysville, Virginia Oddometer: 410	Beautiful report - I miss Nova Scotia so much!! We are thinking of going there next summer and my man has never seen it! Can't wait to show it off. Great pics! Glad you found so much fresh air! __________________ Motivated Women, Motivating Women www.mollysforum.com

10-13-2011, 06:17 AM	#7
C-Stain ^OP Unreasonable Joined: Jul 2009 Location: Middleton, NS CANADA Oddometer: 2,230	Day 3 We slept at the Coastal Inn in Antigonish, a facility that had a motorcycle on the sign. Must be a good omen, right? Large, drive up rooms, continental breakfast and right on the highway for $89 plus tax. Not too shabby. The fall colors were more spectacular in Marshy Hope then we’d seen in CapeBreton. A stop by the highway was made to take some photos… We continued on until we reached New Glasgow *and had another cup of coffee. It was a cold start this morning with the temperatures hovering around a balmy 1C. Yes, my heated grips were on the 100% setting. Jumping off the slab in New Glasgow, we took the Pictou Road to Truro. There was one interesting spot that I just had to stop at and take some pics. Across the road was quite idyllic as well… And that was all! We rode a little over 1200 Km in three days, camped a night, one night in a hotel and had some decent food along the way. Yellowknife and I traveled well together and I’m sure this won’t be our last trip! C-Stain out.** __________________ TransLab a Go Go 2011 Nova Scotia Fresh Air Inspectors Investigate the Cabot Trail "Second star to the left and straight on till morning” ― James T. Kirk

10-13-2011, 06:58 AM	#8
yellowknife Is In Canada Joined: Dec 2009 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada Oddometer: 633	Great Report Makes me want to turn around and go back again. Thanks for riding along with me - it was a blast. YK __________________ New France New Scotland (Nova Scotia)

10-12-2011, 07:27 PM	#3
Rashnak Lorem Ipsum Joined: Jun 2008 Location: Seattle Oddometer: 9,695	what a spectacular road- you can almost taste the fresh air.

10-13-2011, 02:24 AM	#5
Aargee Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Sep 2011 Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Oddometer: 185	Nice breath taking pictures

10-13-2011, 04:19 AM	#6
CanadianX Oh!? That is deep. Joined: Dec 2010 Location: Ontario Oddometer: 758	Sorry to have missed this one, looks like a great ride. Might get there before the snow.

10-13-2011, 07:16 AM	#9
KLRUSERIOUS? Farkle-whore Joined: Mar 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Eh?!?? Oddometer: 2,243	Sweet thread Yeah, I have never had the pleasure of doing that route on a bike but I have done it in a car with the wife and am looking forward to trekking out there on my ride on day.

10-13-2011, 07:53 AM	#10
fredgreen Eatin dirt Joined: Jun 2009 Location: Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, Canada Oddometer: 316	What....No Meat Cove, it has the freshest air known to man. Oh, I forgot, you don't have a KLR to get you down the 8 km of dirt.... Just kidding Craig, looks like a great ride, too bad I couldn't make it, family commitments. __________________ And on the second day the Lord said " Let there be Nova Scotia....with dirt roads", and there was much rejoicing. My ride report: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=701602 http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=724831

10-13-2011, 10:09 AM	#11
BKMLWR Wondering around... Joined: Feb 2009 Location: North Carmel Oddometer: 3,597	nice report, rode around the trail in 1982, still looks the same..... __________________ Sometimes I get off the bike before it has come to a complete stop.... Another Proud Small Scale Faker...... Praise You In This Storm LifeSong

10-13-2011, 01:24 PM	#13
tmills Adventurer Joined: May 2011 Location: Truro, NS Oddometer: 58	Looks like fun sorry I missed it but that work thing got in the way. Hope to see you on the road soon

10-13-2011, 03:48 PM	#14
Canadian FJR Adventurer Joined: Nov 2008 Oddometer: 94	Great ride report. The leaves should be starting to turn over the next couple of weeks, I better go for a ride. Canadian FJR

10-13-2011, 04:49 PM	#15
easyriver Adventurer Joined: Nov 2008 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada Oddometer: 82	Great report C-Stain. Tnx for sharing some pics of our beautiful Province with the outside world. __________________ Always choose the most difficult path, its sure to be the right one.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: .
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode