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How I bought a motorcycle and drove the coast of Canada in a week

I am called Emily Campbell, I'm twenty-five, and I work as a reporter for the morning news service on the radio. I grew up in Calgary, far away, but I have been living in Montreal for six years. In parallel with the work I study at the university. This year, I bought my first ever motorcycle, the Honda 1983 Nighthawk 450; He is older than me, costing a thousand Canadian dollars - an old clunker, but he drives just fine. I was lucky with him: for nine years he stood in some kind of barn with absolutely no movement, so his run was much lower than he could have been. I went on it all summer without any problems, despite the fact that there are terrible roads in Montreal, all in the pits.

A few months after the purchase, in September, my friend and I organized a seven-day motocamp along the eastern coast of Canada. Our trip began in Montreal, then we drove through Fredericton, St Andrews, Halifax, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Romeus - and returned to Montreal exactly seven days later. Since I just got on a motorcycle, I wanted to understand what I was capable of - and also, of course, to see that part of my huge country, in which I had never been. The main thing in this journey for us was the road itself and the surrounding landscapes, and not the cities that we drove through. We were cold, a strong wind was blowing, but the landscapes were so breathtaking. We deliberately chose small roads and avoided the highways, because it’s safer and more beautiful. At the same time, we had several dangerous moments - for example, once the unsuccessfully reconfigured truck drove me into the oncoming lane. Fortunately, nobody was driving at that moment, but if someone was there, it would be scary. My friend has a classic 1976 Honda CB. He is already a very experienced motorcyclist, I do not know how to drive like him.

And even when you travel on a motorcycle, you can’t take a lot of luggage with you - there’s no place to put it. At the same time it is necessary to carry with you all the necessary equipment. The place is only for spare jeans, T-shirts and underwear. On this trip, I had two saddle bags, but by the end of it they were completely worn out, and we had to tie them up with a rope.

Montreal - Fredericton

We left Montreal for Fredericton. The first day was the hardest, we drove thirteen hours with very short stops to eat and refuel. That day I was tired, as never before, and insisted that we should not arrange more such long hauls - because it is simply hard to physically endure. After thirteen hours on a motorcycle, my whole body ached, because when you ride a motorcycle at a speed of 130 kilometers per hour on the highway, you struggle with a headwind, straining your arms and your whole body. At the same time you can not relax for a second, because it is very dangerous. No matter how good your defense is, if a truck that you just didn’t notice, as is often the case, cuts you off, it's all over.

I do not regret anything. Sitting on a motorcycle, you seem to join the club. Now every motorcyclist I see on the road greets me somehow - at least just lifts my fingers from the handle. So we admit to each other that our paths are not the same as everyone else, that we are alone with nature and there is no iron cage around us. We are united by a different attitude towards life: on the one hand, we are ready to risk it, and on the other, we appreciate it because we want to live as we like. We deliberately chose life in nature and the opportunity to drive around the whole country.

In Canada, there are several different cultures that have developed around motorcycles - on the one hand, these are biker gangs, like Hell's Angels, that are associated with criminal activities. On the other hand, there are just dads from the suburbs who sit on their cruisers to feel free. There are also those who are called "kafereyserami" because they move from one cafe to another. For us, a motorcycle is rather a hobby and ordinary trips around the city. And, of course, on a motorcycle you look much cooler than without him. I have such a tight schedule every day that riding a motorcycle is a way to remember that I am only twenty-five. It truly frees up.

I was just happy when I bought my bike - before that I had been riding in the backseat of my friend’s bike for years. In Canada, such girls are called “riding bitch” - and when I just got on my motorcycle, I made myself a t-shirt with the inscription “Nobody's bitch”. In Canada, there are a lot more male motorcyclists than girls. They call me much more often than when I just walk down the street - but it doesn’t really bother me, because I can start at a traffic light when they are still squeezing the clutch, and this is very cool.

A long ride on a motorcycle is a very special feeling due to the fact that you are completely alone with yourself. You hear nothing but the noise of the road, even if you travel with someone together: you cannot talk, but you can only think about yours, hour after hour, locked up in your helmet. You can not afford to worry about something seriously, because you need to keep attention on the road. It is like a meditation - you have to think about yourself. I didn’t miss people during our trip - there is only one motorcyclist on the road.

During the trip, we often stayed in motels that look as if they were brought here from the 80s. They are unusually arranged: just call before arrival and book a room. You don’t need to communicate with anyone: you drive straight to the entrance to your room, pick up the keys from the mailbox - people here trust each other - and go to bed. True, the beds there are bad. In the morning you pay at the counter and leave. It seemed to us that it was right: since we were traveling on motorcycles from the 80s and 70s, we should live in the same conditions. We used paper cards - at least so that all these people of the older generation, who spoke to us at gas stations, did not laugh at us, because they themselves rode the same motorcycles in their young years. In addition, in the Canadian province, the mobile phone catches badly, and it’s impossible to follow the route through it.

Fredericton - St Andrews

In Fredericton we spent the night in a huge mansion outside the city, which we passed through Airbnb - and we never saw the owners. It was very strange: we arrived, settled, showered in their bathroom and left in the morning - and did not meet anyone. By itself, the city did not interest us - the road was more important to us. After Fredericton, we came to St. Andrews - a very beautiful place on the shore of the Bay of Fundy. There is the highest tide in the world (and the lowest ebb tide) - the water rises and falls, exposing the shore for many meters. At low tide, we really wanted to get to one island in the Bay of Fundy, which can be reached only when the bottom of the bay is exposed. On it you can drive a car - and we decided to drive on this wet bottom of sand and gravel on motorcycles. It was a very bad idea: we almost got bogged down. But the pictures came out beautiful. Then we drove a little along the coast and found ourselves on a rocky beach in someone's private ownership. There was absolutely no one there - only the sea, rocks and forest - and we decided not to bother with bathing suits and climbed into the water straight naked. The water was icy — it’s still the Atlantic Ocean — but we still got a dip.

When I was in St. Andrews, at the insistence of my mother, I met a friend of my father — I had not spoken to my father for many years since he began taking drugs. He now lives in a rehabilitation center. This friend remembers him young - they were then boys from rich families and amused themselves to the fullest. It was difficult for him to talk about it, but for me this conversation was important - such a catharsis.

St. Andrews - Halifax - Prince Edward Island

In Canada, older people like to go to the east coast: here is very beautiful nature, nice people - but at the same time it is quiet. There are no parties here. We drove to Halifax - a beautiful, but very quiet city - and we thought whether to go along the Cabot trail — this is a very famous route that runs around the center of the peninsula. It is very beautiful there, but at the same time the route itself is difficult - there are many cliffs and sharp turns. We decided not to go on it and instead went straight to Prince Edward Island, about which all Canadians read in childhood in the book “Ann from the Green Roofs”, which takes place right there. It was strange for me to know absolutely nothing about a part of my country - although I feel a relationship with all Canadians. The island is small, but very beautiful, and there are excellent seafood. In addition, the stones there are red, so all the beaches and roads are pink. It looks fascinating. Prince Edward Island is a separate province, although very few people live there. The main source of income is tourism, so everything on this island looks somehow especially nice.

When we arrived there, friends advised us to a music festival within walking distance of our motel - and it turned out to be just a concert in someone's yard. They installed an excellent audio system, lit a fire, about 45 listeners gathered, and everyone knew each other. One musician from Toronto played country folk, there was another musician from the Yukon - they just drove through these places and agreed to play at this concert. The atmosphere was amazing, very warm, and all the guests took care of us - even gave us rugs when we froze.

Prince Edward Island - Quebec - Romeuski

The next day we arrived from Prince Edward Island to Quebec, and from there we left for Romeuski - this is already in the interior of the province of Quebec. Perhaps it was the most beautiful part of the trip: I had never seen anything like it. We drove through New Brunswick, and we had to make a big detour because the road was blocked — some country star had an accident. In the evening, we reached Rimouski and ate lobster for dinner, which the city is famous for. Lobster is eaten with Putin, a french fries appetizer with salted cheese and gravy. A rather strange combination of delicacy and fast food, but we even liked it. Putin is an unofficial signature dish of Quebec, and they usually eat something like this at three in the morning, having drunk a lot.

It was the end of the journey, and we were already sick of each other. My friend was very tired of the trip and on the fifth day of our trip, he simply did not want anything. I understood him - but we had two more days to go to Montreal, and I had to tell him that he could suffer if he wanted - but this is not at all necessary. And that the last two days of our journey can go much nicer if you make an effort.

For me, this journey was a way to test my own skills and ability to drive a motorcycle. I would really like to ride a motorcycle in South America - I have already spent seven months there, but it seems to me that it would be even better on a motorcycle.

Photo: PackShot - stock.adobe.com, onepony - stock.adobe.com, personal archive

Watch the video: How we drove COAST TO COAST for $350 - How to Road Trip (March 2024).

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