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Cape Breton 2000 Rally Report by Mark Robertson
Cape Breton 2000 Rally Report
by Mark Robertson
September 4, 2000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cape Breton 2000 Rally is over and a memorable one it was. The turn out was small but the comradeship amongst us was very high; we felt like one, big family.
On Friday, the weather was very hot. Bruce Doucette, Danny Hennigar and myself were sweating in our leathers any time we stopped. We stopped in Auld's Cove just at the causeway to Cape Breton for a break when we noticed black clouds heading our way from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We took off again, hoping to out run the weather on our way to the campground. We made it to the campground nice and dry. Moments later, Bill Kingson and Tina showed up to greet us at the campground office (they had arrived a little earlier) and then the heavens opened up. It rained hard for about ten minutes and then stopped. That was it for the rain until Sunday morning. We set up camp with Tina helping us three guys set up our tents; she is quite good at it. She also did a great job making the campfire later that evening.
After setting up, Gary and Dena Granger showed up and we decided to have supper at the Restaurant that is on site at the campground. It was at supper that we realized that the seven of us was all that were going to make the rally. With Ron Lyman in the hospital, John Irish most likely not be able to make it until Saturday night and with no word from a couple of other Nova Scotia XS owners, we realized that it was just us that would do the Cabot Trail on Saturday. After a great meal, we went to our campsite for a great time, with a roaring fire and much rum and various brands of Canadian beer ( beer provided by Gary) consumed.
The next morning the sun arose and we were in for a wonderful day. We all had a great breakfast (excellent coffee) at the Red Barn Restaurant. From there, at 9 am, we all "saddled up" and took off on the Cabot Trail. The weather was perfect, cool and sunny as we headed through the Margaree Valley and headed for the coast. Most of the construction on the highway was completed so there were no delays. I was leading our group of six bikes and we looked fabulous as we streamed along the trail. When we reached the coast, the wind had picked up but the ocean and sky were blue and the surf was pounding the shore. Man it felt good to be alive! All the bikes (even Danny's Harley ha,ha) were running fabulously. Our first major stop was Cheticamp, a Acadian fishing town. We all fuelled up and then took a break at the only Tim Horton's Donuts on the trail.
A few miles out of Cheticamp the trail enters the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Here the scenery is breathtaking and the road quality improves and becomes nice and twisty and hilly as we start into the mountains. We stopped at a number of scenic lookouts and took lots of pictures. The temperature got cooler up in the highlands but our spirits were soaring. The turns got tighter and the grades steeper and we were having a ball. Dena Granger was the least experience driver of our group but she was having no problems on the trail. She keep up with the group driving her Suzuki 450 like a seasoned rider.
We took a 20 minute break at the Lone Sheiling nature walk site and Gary did a quick repair on his right turn signal light. The break was good but it was lunch time and appetites were strong. We went up the mountains again with long, steep grades back down to the north shore. I lead the group on a brisk run until we got to the Morrison Restaurant where had another great meal. We were never disappointed in any of the meals we had on this rally.
The trail wound along the north shore and then turned south along the east coast. The weather was still bright and had warmed up since the morning and the winds had calmed. I lead the group to Keltic Lodge on a point of land that give a great view of Ingonish Beach and Cape Smoky. We then drove up Cape Smoky and at the summit stopped at the picnic park. It was one of those rare days where the wind was light up there and the view was so clear that you could see for miles up the coast. Going down Cape Smoky we encountered the steepest grades and tightest turns on the trail. Engines were backing firing and brakes heating up as we proceeded cautiously down. I would hate to be in one of those big tour buses along this section.
We had a good run from here back to Baddeck with just two stops, one for gas as some of us were running low (not Omega which was getting great mileage) and once at a leather craft shop. Back in Baddeck it was after 5 pm and everyone went their separate ways after all agreeing to meet back in Baddeck at 7:30 for supper at the Yellow Cello Cafe and Pizzeria. I gassed up just outside of Baddeck and it was there that I met our 8th XSer, Leon Hebb from Windsor, NS. He had rode up that afternoon (was not able to leave on Friday) and although had missed the trail ride, wanted to join us that evening and on Sunday.
We had a wonderful time at the restaurant and I gave away small door prizes and Danny Hennigar gave away pins to our friends from the USA. We signed a get well card for Ron and a collection was taken up to pay for his T-shirt. The Grangers took both to present them to Ron on their way home on Sunday. The last door prize was for Best Joke and it was decided that one should wait until we were back at the campsite that evening because some of the jokes could be somewhat "adult" in nature to be told in a restaurant.
Back at the campground around a roaring campfire, fortified with much rum and beer, duelling joke tellers, Danny and Leon, went at each other. One after the other kept coming up funnier and funnier ( or were we just drinking too much ) jokes and in the end it was decided that Danny got the prize, a cloth patch with a joker on it proclaiming, "Up Yours!"
At 4 am Sunday morning I awoke to the sound of rain and the discovery that my tent was not waterproof. The weather had taken a turn for the worst and it was decide not to go to Fortress Louisbourg as had been planned but head out and return home. We went to the Red Barn Restaurant for a last, great breakfast together. Danny, Bruce, Leon and I would head home. Bill and Tina were staying to go to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum (I'm not sure of their plans after that) and the Grangers had already headed out for Yarmouth. After breakfast and a number pictures, hugs and handshakes we all left and the rally was officially over. It was a cold and wet ride most of the way home. I arrived home after 2:30, cold, wet, tired and dirty but feeling just great about this rally. It was shorten by one day and the numbers were not that big but it was great fun, sensational riding and I will never forget this one.
Cheers,
Mark Robertson
Milford Station, Nova Scotia
'84 XJ1100, OMEGA
by Mark Robertson
September 4, 2000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cape Breton 2000 Rally is over and a memorable one it was. The turn out was small but the comradeship amongst us was very high; we felt like one, big family.
On Friday, the weather was very hot. Bruce Doucette, Danny Hennigar and myself were sweating in our leathers any time we stopped. We stopped in Auld's Cove just at the causeway to Cape Breton for a break when we noticed black clouds heading our way from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We took off again, hoping to out run the weather on our way to the campground. We made it to the campground nice and dry. Moments later, Bill Kingson and Tina showed up to greet us at the campground office (they had arrived a little earlier) and then the heavens opened up. It rained hard for about ten minutes and then stopped. That was it for the rain until Sunday morning. We set up camp with Tina helping us three guys set up our tents; she is quite good at it. She also did a great job making the campfire later that evening.
After setting up, Gary and Dena Granger showed up and we decided to have supper at the Restaurant that is on site at the campground. It was at supper that we realized that the seven of us was all that were going to make the rally. With Ron Lyman in the hospital, John Irish most likely not be able to make it until Saturday night and with no word from a couple of other Nova Scotia XS owners, we realized that it was just us that would do the Cabot Trail on Saturday. After a great meal, we went to our campsite for a great time, with a roaring fire and much rum and various brands of Canadian beer ( beer provided by Gary) consumed.
The next morning the sun arose and we were in for a wonderful day. We all had a great breakfast (excellent coffee) at the Red Barn Restaurant. From there, at 9 am, we all "saddled up" and took off on the Cabot Trail. The weather was perfect, cool and sunny as we headed through the Margaree Valley and headed for the coast. Most of the construction on the highway was completed so there were no delays. I was leading our group of six bikes and we looked fabulous as we streamed along the trail. When we reached the coast, the wind had picked up but the ocean and sky were blue and the surf was pounding the shore. Man it felt good to be alive! All the bikes (even Danny's Harley ha,ha) were running fabulously. Our first major stop was Cheticamp, a Acadian fishing town. We all fuelled up and then took a break at the only Tim Horton's Donuts on the trail.
A few miles out of Cheticamp the trail enters the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Here the scenery is breathtaking and the road quality improves and becomes nice and twisty and hilly as we start into the mountains. We stopped at a number of scenic lookouts and took lots of pictures. The temperature got cooler up in the highlands but our spirits were soaring. The turns got tighter and the grades steeper and we were having a ball. Dena Granger was the least experience driver of our group but she was having no problems on the trail. She keep up with the group driving her Suzuki 450 like a seasoned rider.
We took a 20 minute break at the Lone Sheiling nature walk site and Gary did a quick repair on his right turn signal light. The break was good but it was lunch time and appetites were strong. We went up the mountains again with long, steep grades back down to the north shore. I lead the group on a brisk run until we got to the Morrison Restaurant where had another great meal. We were never disappointed in any of the meals we had on this rally.
The trail wound along the north shore and then turned south along the east coast. The weather was still bright and had warmed up since the morning and the winds had calmed. I lead the group to Keltic Lodge on a point of land that give a great view of Ingonish Beach and Cape Smoky. We then drove up Cape Smoky and at the summit stopped at the picnic park. It was one of those rare days where the wind was light up there and the view was so clear that you could see for miles up the coast. Going down Cape Smoky we encountered the steepest grades and tightest turns on the trail. Engines were backing firing and brakes heating up as we proceeded cautiously down. I would hate to be in one of those big tour buses along this section.
We had a good run from here back to Baddeck with just two stops, one for gas as some of us were running low (not Omega which was getting great mileage) and once at a leather craft shop. Back in Baddeck it was after 5 pm and everyone went their separate ways after all agreeing to meet back in Baddeck at 7:30 for supper at the Yellow Cello Cafe and Pizzeria. I gassed up just outside of Baddeck and it was there that I met our 8th XSer, Leon Hebb from Windsor, NS. He had rode up that afternoon (was not able to leave on Friday) and although had missed the trail ride, wanted to join us that evening and on Sunday.
We had a wonderful time at the restaurant and I gave away small door prizes and Danny Hennigar gave away pins to our friends from the USA. We signed a get well card for Ron and a collection was taken up to pay for his T-shirt. The Grangers took both to present them to Ron on their way home on Sunday. The last door prize was for Best Joke and it was decided that one should wait until we were back at the campsite that evening because some of the jokes could be somewhat "adult" in nature to be told in a restaurant.
Back at the campground around a roaring campfire, fortified with much rum and beer, duelling joke tellers, Danny and Leon, went at each other. One after the other kept coming up funnier and funnier ( or were we just drinking too much ) jokes and in the end it was decided that Danny got the prize, a cloth patch with a joker on it proclaiming, "Up Yours!"
At 4 am Sunday morning I awoke to the sound of rain and the discovery that my tent was not waterproof. The weather had taken a turn for the worst and it was decide not to go to Fortress Louisbourg as had been planned but head out and return home. We went to the Red Barn Restaurant for a last, great breakfast together. Danny, Bruce, Leon and I would head home. Bill and Tina were staying to go to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum (I'm not sure of their plans after that) and the Grangers had already headed out for Yarmouth. After breakfast and a number pictures, hugs and handshakes we all left and the rally was officially over. It was a cold and wet ride most of the way home. I arrived home after 2:30, cold, wet, tired and dirty but feeling just great about this rally. It was shorten by one day and the numbers were not that big but it was great fun, sensational riding and I will never forget this one.
Cheers,
Mark Robertson
Milford Station, Nova Scotia
'84 XJ1100, OMEGA