Getting Close

We leave in just a few days and it has been hectic getting everything ready for such a big trip.  The biggest (and most rewarding) chore is designing the route(s) and looking for interesting things to see and do along the way.  I have spent endless hours pouring over maps and navigation software programs for the best possible and doable travel each day.  J. Carolyn has worked locating interesting things along and near our routes.  I know from experience this pays huge dividends once we are underway since we don't have to worry about our route, hotel or what we plan for each day.

In doing this we've found and incorporated many new and hopefully interesting stops especially in the UP of Michigan that we either did not know about or did not have time for when we were last up there.  And of course we will revisit some favorites along the way.

What we've done so far:

Routes created - check
Hotel reservations (and some deposits) made - check
Ferry reservations made & prepaid - check
Research POIs to verify they will be open as some are not open all 7 days - check
Online tickets booked for some of the most popular attractions - check (hate to miss out on     something)
Passports up to date - check
Medical travel insurance procured - check
Detailed packing list created and test packing made - check
Motorcycle serviced and critical items inspected/adjusted - check

So for now we just relax and wait.  Easier said than done, lol.

About this trip.

In 2010 we traveled to Nova Scotia, Canada, and thoroughly enjoyed the trip.  So much so we wanted to go back.  And on previous occasions we have ridden in the Upper Peninsula "UP" of Michigan.  Again a very nice area and especially attractive to motorcycling.  So our idea this year was 'why not combine these two great trips' which is exactly what we are doing.

Our plan is to leave on July 5th, traveling the most direct route to the western side of the UP and then traverse it to the east side and enter Canada at Sault Ste. Marie.  We'll travel across Canada stopping in Sudbury, Ottawa and then a couple days in Montreal.  From there we'll head to Bar Harbor, Maine, where will will take the Cat ferry to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.  Then several days exploring Nova Scotia including Halifax and of course Cape Bretton Island and the Cabot Trail and Prince Edward Island.

This should take three weeks with lots of stops and sites along the way.  Hopefully we'll have some spectacular photos to post so stay tuned.