Clockmakers Inn, 74th Crusaders & Amazing Kids

The Clockmakers Inn has a history that reaches back to 1894 when it was built for a wealthy sea captain named Rufus Curry who passed away in 1934. 

His wife stayed in the house until 1946 and for the next 10 years this French Chateau styled home was a nursing home called Windsor Manor.

Today the home is a Bed & Breakfast that has been renovated from top to bottom. Every room has its own bathroom, there is Wi-Fi and air-conditioning and all of the modern conveniences like cable TV are available. And yet, history lives on here.

From the original woodwork to the gorgeous grand staircase and stained glass windows this Registered Provincial Heritage Property truly is a testament to the care it’s been given by the Dunham’s.

In total, the Clockmakers Inn offers 8 rooms for guests, with some of them being suites that include kitchenettes! It’s not pet friendly but they do have a business they work with called the Hound Tales Inn that will take your pooch over night.

There are 5 fireplaces and 24 rooms and a wrap around veranda that is simply magnificent in it’s size and the comforts it offers. There is a carriage house where the young Dunham’s live and immense grounds that offer a fair amount of privacy because of the way they are planted.

The house is filled with antiques and hand paintings and it is a marvelous place to stay. The beds were comfortable; the hot water for the shower plentiful and strong, the room was well appointed and breakfast was hot, tasty and plentiful.

The only thing that I did not particularly enjoy was the one child, probably around 3 or 3 1/2 years old, leaving his toys all over the stairs; it made for treacherous stairs with so many people going up and down as they were checking out.

Grandma was doing her best to keep a rein on him but you know what little ones are like.

I had truly enjoyed my stay here. My only regret, as with every other place I have really liked, is that I only got to enjoy it for a bit and then not to it’s fullest either.

Packed up and ready to head out, I gave Darren a quick call to let him know I was leaving.

I was meeting him and one of the other CAV guys, Ollie, in Greenwood for an interview with a reporter from the Aurora Newspaper.

It was an over cast day and it felt like we were in for some rain.

And oh did we get rain!

We had decided we were going to stop in to the 74th Crusaders clubhouse. There was a scooter rally on so we knew the clubhouse would be open. We got there and about 3 minutes later the skies opened up, man was I glad we were done with the gravel road to get into the place!

We hung out had a coffee and I met so many great people – the guys from the scooter rally were seriously crazy people.

I met Joey and Jim and Dave and so many others that I can’t remember their names but they all had one thing in common – they were kind beyond belief. This is a hard working riding club that does some major charity work in their region and it’s too bad that Mother Nature didn’t hold out for us a bit so I could really see the campground they have built here.

The club rents it out to others when they aren’t using it and it’s been the site of weddings and family reunions and crazy scooter rallies!

When the rain finally let up from its absolutely torrential downpour, we jumped on the bikes and headed for Yarmouth. We didn’t stay dry for long.

It poured and the wind howled and it was positively NASTY! There were places we were down to 30 and 40 KPH and it felt like it took forever to get to Yarmouth.

In fact it took over 5 hours to do what should have taken 2 – 2/12 hours! 

We had picked up a couple more CAV members about two hours out of Yarmouth where we had to beg at the Tim Horton’s to let our friends little dogs come inside to warm up and thaw out. The young man on duty called his manager, explained the situation and as long as the dogs we constantly being held and not making any noise and we sat in the back, by the door well away from any food we were OK – so that’s what we did.

After a bowl of soup where everyone was taking turns holding the dogs so we could all eat and warm up, we plodded back to the bikes. Riding in this stuff was no fun but we had no choice, I had to be in Yarmouth where my room was, regardless of the fact there would be no ride this night.

Just outside of Yarmouth PackRat was waiting for us at the Afghanistan Memorial at the Yarmouth School.

We spent some time admiring the gorgeous monument – there wasn’t any point thought in trying to dig out the camera.

We rode in to Yarmouth and got me checked in. It was decided that Darren – Willie as we call him would stay with me since I had two beds – it was simply too nasty for him to be riding back to Greenwood.

Everyone went their separate ways but were told that Mr. B and some of his kids were going to drop by and visit us. Willie and I took turns getting disrobed from soggy wet gear and into something dry and warm.

While he had a hot shower and changed, I went to the front desk to find out about take out etc and then remembered, I have wine and cheese. With the help of the front desk gal, she and I scrounged some bagels from the breakfast room to have with the wine and cheese I had gotten the day before, she even found a corkscrew – funny how that happens huh! This was going to be our supper. I asked about laundry facilities and she said no problem, we can dry some of your gear for you.

With that I went back to the room and was assaulted by the smell of stinky wet leather. We had our boots on the heat register and it was turned up on high and the room was beginning to feel like a sauna.

I dropped off the bagels and the corkscrew and headed back to the desk with the stuff that could go in the dryer.

The wind was just howling outside. I kept going to the patio door to check on the bikes that were parked up front under the canopy. We might as well have had them in front of the room because the wind was coming from the exposed direction and they were soaked anyway!

At about 7:30 we got a call that someone was here to meet us – it was Mr. Joe Bishara and students Sam Turpin and Carly Churchill of the Maple Grove/Yarmouth Memorial Club.

In their own words, here is who the Memorial Club is and it’s history:

The Maple Grove/Yarmouth High Schools

Memorial Club began as the “Memorial Committee” in the fall of 1985. It was started by teacher Joe Bishara in response to the apathy and indifference that was being shown towards veterans, seniors and our war dead by both adults and students.

Initially the club consisted of twelve students and their interest was in erecting a monument at Maple Grove Education Centre, in Hebron, Yarmouth Co., N.S. to honour our wardead and Veterans. With the full support of the school principal, Gary Archibald, and under the guidance of Joe Bishara, enough funds were raised by the student body in only three months to erect the monument in May of 1986. The official dedication and unveiling took place in November of 1986, with a large number of veterans and members of the public attending.

The project is the first of its kind in Canada, where students raised thousands of dollars to erect a monument on school grounds to honour the sacrifices of our veterans and perpetuate the memory of our valiant war dead.

Over the years the Memorial Club has grown to average almost 150 junior and senior high school members annually. It expanded to the Yarmouth High School in 1993. The members have written their own constitution, prayer, and pledge. The success of the club stems from the initiative of its members. They decide which functions and events they will take part in. Members of the club volunteer their time by taking part in approximately fifty functions a year. Their volunteer work teaches them the true meaning of respect, sacrifice, volunteering and especially leadership. The average dedicated member amasses over three hundred hours of volunteer service each year.

The Memorial Club could not survive without the full support of the administration and staff of MGEC and a parent support group which organizes fundraising events, event details and chaperoning trips and club meetings.

As I listened to these passionate, passionate young people talk about being in service to their fellow man, the visits to the veterans, the fundraising, the sacrifices they made considering their ages, I was dumbfounded.

There needs to be this kind of initiative in every school across this country and it is my hopes to start spreading the word to schools and students far and wide by helping to build a web page that teaches people everything they need to know on how to start the same kind of program in their region. I am working with Mr. B and Sam on this project.

After the kids and Mr. B left, Willie and I spent some serious time talking about these kids and how could we help get them some recognition – they truly have no idea just how outstanding they really are and they should have all gotten Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for what they had accomplished.

I had a rough night’s sleep listening to Willie snore in the other bed, I was beat but I just couldn’t settle down, thank goodness the next day was going to be a down/sight seeing day – off the bike for a bit I’d be able to really wind down.

From Charlottetown PE to Windsor NS

After staying up late with the gang from the Military Police National Relay Ride for Blind Children, I headed to me room at the Comfort Inn Charlottetown.  The bed was so inviting but It was 3 am before I was able to shut the lights out.

When the alarm went of at 6 am I was groaning. I wanted to stay put in my nice comfy bed, but that wasn’t happening.

I jumped in the shower and let the water beat the crap out of me. I had a wonderful breakfast in the lobby and then headed back to start the laborious process of repacking the bike.

I was heading to Springhill Nova Scotia to hook up with Medric on his the Long Walk to Sanity. His cause is another recipient of 1/3 of the money I would raise on this Conga and I didn’t want to miss him.

I had another picture perfect day of riding ahead of me and I was riding solo for the first time since hitting the New Brunswick border. It was an odd feeling, I must say. I had been enjoying the company.

I pulled into the Spring Hill Nova Scotia Timmy’s and called Medric to see if I had arrived in time to catch him. I was in luck. Next thing I know, Mike Smith and a few of the local riders pull up to meet me. Mike informed me that he’d be riding escort to Windsor with me! Woo Hoo.

A couple minutes later and I see Medric and Thai coming up the street. It was so good to see him. Thai is the service dog that changed Medric’s life for the better; in fact he says she saved his life. PTSD service dogs use their training and natural skills to help a victim become strong again, and Medric was strong, filled with fire and passion to help others find the sanity he had found.

Our time together was short; I had to be in Windsor for a fundraising ride and registrations were beginning at 5 pm. Mike’s buddy, Harvey who owns a tattoo shop in town decided he would join Mike and I. I was asked if I wanted to go on the major highways or take the road less travelled, you know what my answer was.

The guys took me through some of the prettiest riding in the region – and we stopped at a memorial park that simply took my breath away.

The Veterans Memorial Park in Bass River.

There are three gardens in the park, The Garden of Sorrows, The Garden of Remembrance and the Garden of Hope all separated and yet joined by the Cettic Cross in the middle.

The Garden of Sorrow has barbed wire all around it and resembles a First World War trench. From the Garden of Sorrow, you move to the Garden of Remembrance, there are trees, shrubs, daisies, lilies and forget-me-nots. There are benches all around the central podium where the names of those who served mark each stone.

Then you enter the Garden of Hope, with its bright colors and international flavour. 

The Doctor who founded and designed the park, Karen Ewing had messages she wanted to deliver and she did it in the most caring and loving of manner.

There is also a memorial to service animals that I thought was a gorgeous final touch.

I didn’t want to leave this place, but I had to, we needed to be in Truro to meet up with a couple of gals from the Valley Shifters that would be joining the Conga into Windsor.

After saying a brief prayer for all who have made this country the amazing place is it, we saddled up and were off.

A ways up the road, Mike pulled over and asked if we had time to stop for a drink and an ice cream, we were making good time so decided a hydration stop wasn’t a bad idea. I decided to text the gals to see if they waned to join us, but they opted to stick with meeting us at the Irving. At least they knew we were in the region!  The Masstown Market is an immense place and is home to Captain Cob’s Crazy Corn Maze.

Of course when we were there the corn maze was just growing, sometime I’d like to be there at the right time of year – it’s supposed to be one crazy, crazy maze.

This place also happens to be a favorite stop for area riders. There’s tons of parking, lots of food choices and great ice cream. A large cone and some water was what I indulged in and when that was done it was time to head out again.

Well just as luck would have it we stopped at the wrong Irving, through texts we finally figured out where we were supposed to meet up and headed for the other Irving with the Totem on a road fraught with construction.

We met up with Carla and Jane of the Valley Shifters. With time running short, we didn’t sit and visit long, after all, we were going to be taking the road less travelled which meant we needed to get on that road if we were going to be in Windsor on time.

The country the ladies led us through was filled with curves, hills, farmland and trees and under the bluest of skies we all had grins on our faces!

We pulled into the Clockmaker’s Inn, my home for the next two days. Sean, one of the owners, met us outside, at first I think he was scared that all five riders were planning on staying there.

I explained to him who I was and that the other four were my escorts! He gave me a quick overview of the place – which I was dying to explore but that would have to wait until much later. Bags dropped off, keys in hand, off we went to go and find Sue Cole and Joe Gregoire, the people who had put the ride night together for the Conga.

Once we were all together, we took the coupon for a 15% discount that Sean had given us for the Spitfire Arms Alehouse and have some supper. It was going to be another late, late night for me.

The service at the Alehouse was rather slow, probably because we opted to sit outside on the patio. The food was good but pricey so I was glad we had that coupon!

While we were finishing our meals, the first of the bikes started rolling in for the event. Carla, Jane and I shared hugs as they had to head back to Truro, Mike and Harvey had to head back to Springhill too so a few more hugs and I was off across the way to the Tim Horton’s to get set up for the ride.

Sue handled the registrations and cash, I got Rita out of her saddlebag and went around introducing she and I and getting photos with as many of the riders as possible.

Greg Marr had agreed to be the ride captain for the evening and he and I discussed my needs for filming and speaking to the riders. 

Just before 7pm and kickstands up, I got all my cameras ready to go on the bike. Close to 30 bikes headed out for a ride that would wend its way through town and out to some nice twisty riding. We stopped at the parking lot of a Kwik Way convenience store on the edge of town where I talked to the riders and their passengers about the plight of our veterans and service personnel.

It was so rewarding afterwards to have so many people hug me, thank me for sharing what I knew and some of the vets in the group talked to me about their situations and thanked me for helping to spread the word.

It was an amazing feeling, and it reaffirmed why I was out here putting in these killer long days.

We saddled up and headed back to the Tim Horton’s where I thought we’d all be parting company – come to find out there were other plans in store for me.

We were going to be heading to Greenwood for a meet and greet with some CAV members and so that I could get Blacky in for her oil change first thing in the morning at Hammersmith Auto. 

         Video - My sidekick Road Trip Rita 
     meets a ton of Nova Scotia Riders

SO, a quick stop in at the hotel to let them know I’d be back in the early after noon and we were back on the bikes.

A day to relax and a ride to Mabou and Antigonish...goodbye Cabot Trail

Day 31

With the weather being as crappy as promised I took advantage to down size and edit pictures, get caught up on some writing and emails. It was a quiet and peaceful day with Angela and Patrick scarcely around. I revelled in taking some time to myself to just sit on the deck and admire the birds and the tranquility.  Motorcycle Retreat…no better description for this place!

A peaceful and serene place

I had some camembert and crackers I had purchased the day before for my supper…after the lobster feed of the night before I was scarcely hungry and I took my tired but happy and contented bones off to bed.

Day 32

The morning started of very over cast, foggy and gloomy but you could see the skies were attempting to clear. Angela and Patrick filmed a motorcycle awareness video with me, I finished packing up my gear and stowing it on the bike just as we heard Daniel Ross’s bike begin the ascent up the driveway.  After two years of conversing by email I was to finally meet the man behind Cabot Trail Biker and the fabulous Tee Shirt!

After Daniel had a tour of Patrick and Angela’s Retreat, we bid farewell, shared hugs and off we went.

I really had a hard time leaving the Middle River’s Cabot Trail Motorcycle Retreat. This is one special place, run by very special people. Please check out their web site and if you are thinking a trip to ride the Cabot Trail is in your future, may I recommend that you try this place for your accommodations at least one night…book well in advance because this place has become very popular and has a lot of repeat guests!

Middle River's Cabot Trail Motorcycle Retreat
Phone: (902) 295 1087
Email: info@ctmcretreat.com
Web Site: http://www.ctmcretreat.com

Patrick had suggested that Daniel and I take the back highway to Mabou, the home of the Rankins and so we did, what a wonderful twisty little road, this whole place is so darned pretty.

Red Shoe in Mabou

Red Shoe Pub for tea

We stopped at the Red Shoe Pub for tea, this pub is owned by members of the Rankin Family and is filled with all sorts of memorabilia.  Daniel gifted me with a Red Shoe Tee Shirt and pretty soon we were heading outside. We ran into two riders who had just come off the trail and were heading to Daniel’s store in Antigonish to pick up their Cabot Trail Tee Shirts. We had a great conversation about the shirts, the riding and the scenery and then parted ways leaving them to their lunch and us heading to Daniel’s store. My Schedule was tight on this day and due to the heavy fog that delayed our departure we were running about 2 hours behind – I was supposed to be seeing the kids from the Bike Klub in Moncton.

The Dark Sky

We pulled in to Daniel’s shop and he took me on the grand tour. I met his gal Betty, she is the admin for Ross Screenprint and I was introduced to so many other really nice and friendly employees and I kick myself that I can not remember all of their names.  After the grand tour of his business and us going back outside to film his motorcycle awareness PSA and I had Ali call Marc Mazerolle to let him know I was leaving. After Daniel and I were done filming, Ali called me back to say that Marc had to cancel because it was getting too late in the day and between summer jobs and weddings, the kids couldn’t wait that late in the day.  While I was sad that I would not get to see the kids this trip, I was grateful not to have to push myself and to drink in the last of the Cape Breton region before heading back in to Moncton. 

Embroidery machines hard at work

With some new found time one my hands, I decided to stay and have lunch with Daniel, his wife was gracious enough to share their anniversary with me by letting Daniel show me around. We stopped in at a great little restaurant and had a bite to eat and Daniel got a call from his wife about his son’s hockey game time…so like any good bike trip, plans change, kid’s come first and off went to stop in at Alex’s hockey game where I met Daniel’s wife Shauna. 

At the Hockey Rink

But not before Daniel and I could discuss some business and he has agreed to start producing the Belt Drive Betty line of clothing here in Canada.  I am extremely happy about this alliance for as with Alanna from ArtaTude out of Hinton AB, where I get all of my hand out promotional materials, I am now hooked up with another biker in business to get my clothes made!

If you are looking for great Tee Shirts, hats, hoodies etc, why not give Daniel and his team a try!

Soon Daniel and I would part company

Ross Screenprint Ltd. 4053 South River Rd. Antigonish, NS B2G 2H6
(800)905-3388 Sans Frais
(902)863-4630 Phone
(902)863-6448 Fax
www.rossscreenprint.com

After a bit, we headed out on the bikes to where Daniel and I would part company and I would continue on to Moncton…

motorcycle canada

A Lobster Tour in Baddeck & the Cabot Trail

Day 30

We all got up early as Angela and Patrick were riding me out to Baddeck to meet their friend Brian, better known as Beastie.

Patrick and Angela - Patrick is on the pink bike...

We boarded the small fishing vessel and headed out to feed the eagles and bring up a lobster trap.

It was so impressive to watch the eagles fly in and scoop up the fish that was thrown out to them – they are such a magnificent creature.

An eagle snatching up the fish

The scenery around the Bras d'Or Lakes and Baddeck is nothing short of spectacular.

The town of Baddeck from the boat

The town of Baddeck from the boat

Angela caught the buoy for the lobster trap and Beastie hauled it in - there were a coupe of crab and a small female lobster in the trap.  Patrick had tried to snag the buoy but was unsuccessful!

Beastie measures the lobsters that are caught, weighs them and then releases them – his tours are highly educational. Beastie also fishes for a living and has a license to catch lobster – we purchased some from him for our dinner later that night.

Catching the buoy for the trap

A couple of crab and a small lobster

Skipper Brian AKA Beastie

She's 9" long

Yup, she's a girl!

I took the helm of the boat for a while and surprisingly I never crashed us into any rocks or other vessels so it was all good. After docking the boat we went for breakfast and I thanked Beastie for the excursion. 

One of the many lighthouses

The Bell Mansion

I was so impressed with the professionalism and information this man had to offer. His passion for what he does not only as a fisherman but as an educator is very evident and I can guarantee you that if you take a tour with him not only will you have a lot of fun and see some truly impressive sights but you will also learn a lot about lobsters and the creatures of the water.

For more information on Cape Breton Lobster Adventures visit: http://cblobstertours.com/

After breakfast at the Yellow Cello Café we headed out for the Cabot Trail – we planned to take the trail in a counter clockwise direction. With Patrick in the lead, me in the middle and Angela bringing up the rear… off we headed. I was excited like a little kid! The Cabot Trail is a bucket list item for me that I was going to get to sort of cross off my list – you can be guaranteed of one thing – Sooner than later, I WILL BE BACK to do this ride again!

It was an over cast morning, cool but not cold as we headed out. As we rolled along the curvy and winding road, we settled into a nice pace of about 80 Kph and 3-4 second intervals between riders. I am not much for group riding, but riding with these two was a treat. I was able to use my whole lane, the way I like to ride, I never had to worry where anyone was, I could see Patrick’s face in his mirror and Angela was always visible to me in mine.

I was so comfortable riding this road, could we have gone faster, sure, but I wanted to drink in every ounce of scenery and both Patrick and Angela were fine with that.

John Roberts Leather Works

 Our first real stop was John Roberts shop, Leather Works. John is Glenn Roberts of Motorcycle Mojo fame’s brother! John’s talent with leather is amazing, from the leather pails of days gone by to exquisite purses and belts, this man’s talent is a visual experience!

After spending a wee bit of time in the store, we mounted up…next stop…15 minutes up the road to Wreck Cove and fuel.

Moose having breakfast

There were lots of bikes stopped on the side of the road watching 2 moose eating breakfast, we discussed the fact that this was an ideal morning for swamp donkeys to be present and that we had best stay hyper vigilant in watching for them.  It became foggier as we road up the Smokey section. Going up the mountain, about 9 and a half minutes into this leg of the journey we encountered a moose crossing the highway just in front of Patrick.  We tightened up the grouping as the riding got foggier so that we could keep each other in view and continued on our way towards the Cape Breton Highlands National Park and Coastal Waters Restaurant to get lunch and a Cabot Trail Biker Tee Shirt.

About 23 minutes into this stretch of the ride, Patrick is passing a tent trailer that had pulled over and a guy in a silver car passes Patrick while he is passing!

We pulled over shortly after that and Patrick expresses that he would have liked to chase the guy down but discretion won the day and cooler heads prevailed. Out here on this magnificent road, with these amazing views are not only the natural and infrastructural hazards to deal with but there are tourists who stop suddenly in the middle of the road to see something or perhaps to avoid a danger and there are those who have to race through everything! 

Man some people’s children anger me! 

At Coastal Waters Restaurant and Pub, we stopped for lunch and decided on our next stop. Since Patrick has taken the time to ride the area since moving here from Toronto, he took me to what he felt were some of the most gorgeous sites because we all knew tomorrow’s forecast was for rain and I would only get this one opportunity to ride the trail! Next stop was to be at one of the light houses.

Coastal Waters - THE place on the trail to get your Cabot Trail Biker Tee

We had another impatient driver about 15 minutes into this leg of the trail. There were two riders ahead of us and this car decided to pass the three of us and get in between us and the other riders. The car was following so close that the driver was constantly riding his brakes. We all experienced some frustration with this driver, of that I am sure.

We pulled off of the highway and ventured into this tiny fishing community to go see the light house which is right next to the Chowder House Restaurant in Neil’s Harbour.  What a gorgeous, gorgeous spot!

Neil's Harbour

 We spent a few minutes taking in the beauty, taking some

photos and talking with a fellow rider and then we were off…next stop, White Point. I was wishing the weather would break and it finally looked like it would up ahead as we entered White Point. This is another achingly lovely spot.

Over the next fourty minutes of riding it went from foggy to misty to ominously over cast to bright sun shine. Finally it looked like Mother Nature would cooperate for at least a while!  Bay St Lawrence was the next stop, I wished I knew more words that could better describe just how incredible the views are in this region. Spectacular, gorgeous and phenomenal hardly come close!

Bay St Lawrence

We stopped at the Mountain View Lodge for a snack and a coffee/bathroom break and then headed back out on the road. By this time the weather was amazing albeit getting windy, and the views from the different look offs became, each, more inspiring and breath taking than the next. As we headed towards Pleasant Bay, I settled far behind Patrick because, sorry buddy, when you aren’t the lead dog the view never changes and these curves and roads needed to be shown off!

Pleasant Bay

The Pleasant Bay Look Off provides a magnificent view - simply fabulous!  While the road is not always in the best of condition and it forces you to really pay attention, the government here has done one thing very well…created beautiful places to pull off and take in the panoramas!

A short scoot up from the first look off for Pleasant Bay was another giving one an entirely different perspective! 

The Mackenzie River Valley Look Off afforded one the most fabulous view of the valley.

The Sky Line Trail was one of the most impressive things that I had seen to this point and yet with all of the beauty we had already seen, Patrick promised me the best was yet to come!

Sky Line Trail

We headed out yet again and stopped up the road only a couple of minutes later – rounding the one curve it was as if the whole world opened up before you like an oyster bearing it’s pearl.

And another two minute putt up the road we stopped yet again. It is amazing what a half kilometre or two can do to the view and the perspective. With the wind just howling, we set off again…Our next stop, only a four minute or so ride gave us the backwards view of what we had just ridden – another perspective and equally as gorgeous to the eye!

At the last Look Off before Cheticamp we stopped again and my word, even with the wind howling the way it was you just wanted to drink in all of the magnificence you could.

The last Look Off before Cheticamp

An exquisite church in Cheticamp

By the time we arrived in Cheticamp it was getting close to dark and the wind was horrendous. We stopped for fuel and headed back to Middle River where lobsters would be waiting to be eaten. We experienced our first rain of the day on the way back to the Motorcycle Retreat.  We parked the bikes and headed for the house where sure enough we had fresh cooked lobsters waiting courtesy of Beastie and while no one else dug in, Angela and I sure did.  It was the most perfect ending to a most wondrous day!

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