The Wharf Rat Rally - doesn't give a Wharf Rat's Ass about Earl

That was the caption on the buttons that the rally coordinators had made up to sell - they sold out really fast too!

The rally is very small compared to last year. There are a number of reasons for that. The Economy, the increased cost to rent a booth and EARL. My conservative estimate is 3,000 bikes and there are only a few vendors, maybe 40 including the custom bike builders and the "VIP" booths like mine. The vendors report that business has not been that great and they too attribute that to the economy and the fact the Earl kept so many riders away.

The organizers have been slammed with all kinds of changes to their plans - the school is now prepared as an emergency shelter for people so bikes are left out in the elements - Earl is at the time of writing still a hurricane and here in Yarmouth we have seen high winds and lots of rain.

None the less - every attempt was made to entertain the riders who did come and while the beer garden was hardly used and the music was not all that well received the Wall of Death, Beanr'e and the Sea Dawg the Magic Man were big hits as were the demo rides by both Harley and Honda, the Hub City Stunters and the FMX stunts. I have not been to see the two stunt shows yet nor have I had the chance to see the demos but I did see both demos in Moncton at Toys for Big Boys...

Here are some of the random shots I have from the rally so far...

My booth with all of the Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Information, the Stanford Inn's Offer to Riders and of course our special printed edition of the paper - some tees and hats to sell to help with gas expenses and the conga donation bucket - if people flipped me a few dollars to help with expenses I gave them a Free Subscription to the paper...it all helps!

Day One Pictures (For me day one was Thursday Sept 2nd)

Beer Garden with the harbour in the background

Privateer Harley-Davidson

One of the builders from Quebec

Day Two Pictures: Friday Sept 3rd

The Canadian Lone Wolves show me their good side...

My friend Sweet T at the memorial booth for her hubby Bob Davidson the Tattooist who was a big part of the regional riding community. Bob passed away from a heart attack

A much busier street on Friday than it had been on Thursday but still a far cry from what last year brought

The vending area of Water Street - a rather small vendors market compared to previous years

These unique bird houses didn't go over well even though they were widely admired - I think most riders will be waiting to see if they have room in their saddle bags or tour packs...

Tammy & Daphne of the Comfort Inn in Yarmouth - these gals and their staff KNOW the meaning of customer service. Because of them, when Earl was scheduled to hit the area, the ensured my bike had a safe place to stay at the Shell station - thank you JIM!!!! (Jim is also a rider and he allowed not just my bike but two other Comfort Inn Customers rides to be stored next to his in the "empty" bay of the station)

Luc Le Blanc and his Family - Luc owns Kent Kounty Customs

Strip Club Choppers!

The Town Crier from Annapolis Royal - Peter Crofton Davies & his Escort Valerie Davies

The Town Crier from Annapolis Royal -

One of the gents from the Wall of Death

Kendra - a quirky, funny and warm Floridian who rode with Beanr'e...I love the tail girl!

Beanr'e in the go cart in the wall of death - HELL YAH! Go Beanr'e

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Mailman shows off those sexy legs

Beanr'e being chased by the bike..

Sea Dawg the Magician entertains the crowd..

Mailman shows off those sexy legs of his while Joe looks on...Yes the people who travel with Beanr'e are all characters!

While the rally itself is smaller and less organized than in years gone by - the riders are what make the whole thing fun and interesting. The backdrop of Digby Harbour, the hospitality of the business people and the Nova Scotian's (which is legendary) was fantastic...

Once the new team that is organizing the rally has a chance to gel I am sure things will rock yet again and of course hopefully by then the economy will have recovered and Mother Nature will be gentle and kind again....

The volunteers like Terry, Victoria, and so many more who busted their humps - thank you - you made all of the small stuff stay small by looking after we vendors,"VIPS" and customers with so much grace and dignity. You are a credit to the rally and the community.

Well - today is Saturday - Earl day and I am taking advantage of a down day to get the books caught up, the blogs done and the last newspaper before my holiday begins - finished...I will have another update after tomorrows day of wandering around!

Until then - ride safe..

motorcycle tourism | little black book

Two hours to be a tourist

On September 3rd - my second day in the Digby area I finally had the opportunity to get out and about for a bit.

I had an interview with Jim - one of my tour guides from the 2nd...Jim is a DJ for the local station in Yarmouth - CJSL the Wave 95.5 and I decided that I would visit a few things in Yarmouth and get to know the city better and then I wanted to retrace the route the guys had taken me so I could take some photos...

I rode around town a bit and went to the water front....

The Yarmouth Waterfront is very attractive

Water Front

The old buildings in town - many are very well preserved and retrofitted - being used as shops and offices.

The beautiful Frost park ...

The beautiful Frost park ...

I had the pleasure of visiting the Firefighters Museum. The amount of history in this small building is stunning and the quality of the displays - impeccable...

The Military Stature on the main street

Firefighters Museum

The office equipment of the day - notice on the left top corner the fire bell

The oldest steam pumper - 1863 Amoskeag

I enjoyed the time in the museum - there is so much to see in there and they span over 100 years of fire fighter history. You Fire Fighters who ride really need to make this museum a must do - get it on your bucket list boys and girls!

For more information on the Museum visit: www.firefighters.museum.gov.ns.ca

Church Point

No visit to the Yarmouth - Digby area is complete until you have

visited Church Point

St Mary's Church is the largest Wooden Structure

It took two years to build - 1903 to 1905 and took 1500 volunteers to erect

The wooden walls are covered in canvas and white washed.

The church boasts 41 stained glass windows that were shipped from France in crates of molasses to protect them.

French Canadian artist Louis St Hilaire painted 9 religious symbols on the ceiling - one of them reportedly represents a motorcyclist

The organ boasts 999 pipes and is one of 6 models in Canada - it was built by the Casavant Brothers of Quebec

The church is a registered museum and has two rooms that hold the artifacts of previous priests and other religious artifacts of the time.

The alter was originally in the old church that had been built in 1820 - the alter was built by Father Jean-Mande - the original priest who founded the parish in 1799

The collection is stunning and in very good shape

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I don't have much information on the next church - St Bernard - it was the architecture and the extreme contrast to St Mary's that caused me to want to stop in

This church is constructed with 3' thick granite walls

That was the extent of the tourism stuff I was able to do in the two hours I had to be a tourist - the Yarmouth region is SOOOO pretty and the ride along the coast line is nothing short of stunning.

Until next time - ride safe..

motorcycle tourism | motorcycle tourism canada

Digby or Bust!

The Bay in St John NB

I left Moncton New Brunswick at 6 am on September 1st - destination - St John New Brunswick and the Bay Ferry to Digby.

The matress I saw on the beach - how that ended up in the water I am uncertain ...

I must tell you folks - St John is disgusting. It is official - in my books anyway - that the roads in St John NB are the Worst in all of Canada - worse than ANY place - I mean that from the bottom of my heart. And the Bay Ferry - what a money grab - disgustingly filthy bathrooms at the terminal - worn out carpets on the floor on the Ferry and the cleanliness left lots to be desired there too and the same price for a motorcycle to cross as a car or pick up. $90 one way fare - 3 hour crossing.

RIP OFF - complete and TOTAL!

Shameful - had I known that's what it was going to be I would have ridden from Moncton to Truro and into Digby - seen some fabulous country and saved myself $40 and still been in Digby before the ferry. Another one of those lessons one sometimes has to learn the hard way.

In the Quey for the ferry with a couple - she was from Quebec and he was from Switzerland and behind me is the gang from Conneticut I hooked up with and Ian from

Sylvan Lake...Beanr'e and his crew came in a bit behind us...

Beaner'e and some of the crew ...

Nova Scotia is in sight....

Ian from Sylvan Lake AB, myself, Beanr'e and his crew from Florida all enjoyed each others company and road off the ferry together to the rally head quarters. About 18 of us riders in total. Ian found a place to stay here in Digby. I talked to the organizers of the rally for a minute - they were too busy to deal with me and the shipping concerns I had (DHL lost 4 of the 13 boxes and Grey Dog was really slow in getting the paper delivered - but this morning they finally arrived) - they (the rally coordinators) were trying to get volunteers sorted etc...so I headed off to Yarmouth and my motel at the Comfort Inn.

What a treat - after a day filled with frustrations and disappointments the gals at the Comfort Inn made this road weary girl's day. A hose and rags for Black Betty and a fruit basket for this Betty - man - I felt welcomed and wanted...after 6,300 KM to get here - it was one of the best feelings in the world. Melissa and Tammy were awesome on the front counter.

They showed me on the map how to find where the local riders hang out and after Black Betty was cleaned up and respectable again (thanks to water and a shine with some Hogswipe) we headed for down town Yarmouth. There I ran in to three of the local riders who took me on the most scenic ride along the coast - my only regret was that I had no camera with me as I had already unpacked the bike - I will remedy that later! (Maybe even tonight if I am not too tired when I get back to Yarmouth) I want to thank Jim Grattan, John Ryan and Fred Emin - you guys are great tour guides!

Any how - after a fantastic coffee and sandwich - great company and a fabulous ride back to the hotel I was pleasantly  surprised by a knock at the door. There was Tammy Muise from the front desk - she had printed off some tourism information for me about the Firefighters Museum and the local area churches - we had been talking about what attractions were in the area - she blew me away with her thoughtfulness.

Comfort INN

The hotel chain - the Comfort Inn - they have been fantastic and so very consistent in the amenities and customer service they provide and I am so deeply grateful to have them as one of two major sponsors for the this trip for the Foundation for Injured Riders, Rights & Education

The parking area - man I LOVE the patio doors...and the breakfast area - hot eggs, waffles, cereals, bagels...breakfast is the MOST important meal of the day and I sure have appreciated the good start to the day!

Well - folks - that's the update for now - I will have a report on the Wharf Rat Rally for you all later in the week....until then - Ride SAFE...

motorcycle nova scotia | canadian bikers