Posts about planning and preparation for the upcoming motorcycle trip
My diving/motorcycle friend Dave Allen wants to do his first group ride to Big Bend in March with Lone Star BMW riders, so I’m going to go along.
Should be a fun ride. Staying one night in Alpine, one in Terlingua, one in Fort Davis before returning home. I’m hoping to talk some folks into running across the border to Peguis Canyon since I missed out on doing that the last trip.
Days on the road: 3
Day mileage: 200
JF total mileage: 2653
Gale total mileage: 1121
States/Provinces: Tennessee, North Carolina
We left Pigeon Forge around 9:00 and rode through Great Smoky Mountain National Park to Cherokee where we started the Blue Ridge Parkway. LOTS of curves, incredible scenery and views, many tunnels. Windy and cold in the mountains – that is NOT a complaint. We’re both so glad to be out of the heat.
This first part of the Parkway is very mountainous so it was slow going. Now that we are out of the heat we can start camping and Julian Price Memorial Park had been recommended to us at the park ranger station – it’s absolutely gorgeous camping.
Parks Canada offers a Discovery Package that includes both National Parks and National Historic Sites for $84.40.
http://www.pc.gc.ca/voyage-travel/carte-pass/index_E.asp
Below are lists of the parks and historic sites that $84.40 will get us into on this trip. Parks or historic sites that are already on out to do list are listed in blue.
National Parks of Canada Pass
New Brunswick
Fundy
Kouchibouguac
Newfoundland and Labrador
Gros Morne
Terra Nova
Nova Scotia
Cape Breton Highlands
Kejimkujik
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Québec
Forillon
La Mauricie
Mingan Archipelago
Saguenay-St.Lawrence Marine Park
National Historic Sites of Canada Pass
New Brunswick
Carleton Martello Tower
Fort Beauséjour
Monument Lefebvre
St. Andrews Blockhouse
Newfoundland and Labrador
Cape Spear
Castle Hill
Hawthorne Cottage
L’Anse aux Meadows
Port au Choix
Red Bay
Ryan Premises
Signal Hill
Nova Scotia
Alexander Graham Bell
Canso Islands
Fort Anne
Fortress of Louisbourg
Grand-Pré
Halifax Citadel
Kejimkujik (Day Use only)
Port-Royal
Prince Edward Island
Green Gables House
Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherst
Québec
Artillery Park
Battle of the Châteauguay
Battle of the Restigouche
Carillon Canal
Cartier-Brébeuf
Chambly Canal
Coteau-du-Lac
Forges du Saint-Maurice
Fort Chambly
Fort Lennox
Fort Témiscamingue
Fortifications of Quebec
The Fur Trade at Lachine
Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial
Lévis Forts
Louis S. St. Laurent
Manoir Papineau
Old Port of Quebec Interpretation Centre
Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse
Saint-Ours Canal
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal
Sir George-Étienne Cartier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier
We’ll be riding through another big historical event. Vermont is celebrating the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain coming to Lake Champlain Valley. You can check out the history and activities at http://www.champlain400.com/
I’ve already been warned that traffic will be heavy through this area. This should make it even more interesting.
