Wandering Retirees

We were up this morning at what felt like the crack of dawn to get ready for the ferry from Yarmouth, NS to Bar Harbor, ME.  The ferry departs at 9:30 am ADT, but they ask you to arrive for check in about 2 hours earlier.  The crew is very careful how the ship is loaded and needs to know who is present in order to balance the load.  For passengers it’s a lot like getting to the airport: hurry up and wait in line, try to relax and hurry aboard when called.  Boarding and securing the bike was quick so a coffee and sweet soon in hand.  

The ferry ride was 3-1/2 hours like the trip the other way and really comfortable.  We were pushed off from Yarmouth at low tide so there wasn’t a lot of room to maneuver.  This big Catamaran used auxiliary thrusters to turn itself within its own boat length, then thrust ahead toward the channel out to sea.  I loved watching that!

When we arrived in Bar Harbor at noon EDT, we rode ashore and cleared Customs and Border Control.  Then it was heading south out of town through heavy tourist traffic on Maine Rt 3. Because we are trying to avoid the remnants of Debbie, we stuck to highways to make time.  Our route covered 225 miles about 5 hours.  The weather was good until it started spritzing at the end.  Tomorrow promises to be lots wetter.  Full rain gear for sure.

We met a number of neat people today.  One that stands out is Kevin who rode his big Harley from northern Ontario to see family in New Brunswick.  Since he’s in the neighborhood, he decided to visit Nova Scotia and Newfoundland for the first time.  Meeting on the lower ferry deck while tying down our bikes, we compared some favorite rides and spoke proudly of how filthy our bikes are.  Sounds odd to see it in writing, but in the moment we shared the belief that it’s good to accumulate a bit of schmutz from heavy use.  If beauty is in function, then our steeds are gorgeous.

We also met up with Dale again. Dale works for the ferry company and was helpful in finding Hank’s phone on our outbound trip. Dale is a hoot and loves his job. Today he drove the golf cart of “walk on’” to the ferry hold. As a passenger on the motorcycle, Connie road in the golf cart.

We are heading out to eat in a second, so saying good night and farewell for now.