cape breton – HooHa Adventures

Thankful

Today is Thanksgiving Day. We are so Blessed and thankful for the amazing opportunities, adventures and love that we have in our lives.

We are so thankful to have a wonderful family and have the opportunity to have a bountiful meal and enjoy the blessings of the season

We are so thankful for having two Thanksgivings, one in the US and one with my family in Ontario, Canada each October.

We are so thankful for the opportunity to connect to family in Nova Scotia, and to visit my now 94 year old grandmother.

We are thankful for Jeffrey’s family and celebrations and good health.
We are thankful for traveling 4000 miles by motorcycle with epic views, amazing memories and the gift of one another.

We are thankful for Tim Hortons coffee. (‘Nuff said)
We are thankful for the clarity of the Upper Pennisula. When we returned from our epic journey, Jeffrey was informed that he was to lose his job. This was quite a blow, as he loved his job building and selling bicycles. He set off on his own HooHa adventure in September to find clarity and plan for the future.

We are thankful for Jef’s new job in bicycle component sales. Shortly after he returned from the U.P., he was able to find a new job in an industry he loves.
We are thankful for almost two years together. We are approaching our 2nd Anniversary on Dec 2nd. Almost two years ago, we pledged our love to one another on a tiny beach in St. Thomas.

We are so thankful for all that we have, and all with whom we share our love. We look forward to many HooHa Adventures in the future! Happy Thanksgiving! HooHa! Margi and Jef

Cape Breton History…. Bryden homestead and the Highland Village

September 15, 2013November 16, 2013 by HooHaAdventures, posted in Cape Breton motorcycle tour 2013

After Louisbourg, we headed to Iona to the Highland Village and stopped by my father’s childhood home.

Then a short visit with my Aunt Linda ….

(We plan to stay longer next time …)

Then, to the Highland Village. We met my Uncle Jim who is the operations manager and gave us a personalized tour of the village. It outlines life for our Gaelic ancestors who came from Scotland in the 1700s through to the 1900s. As you tour the village, the actors help you understand what their life was like for their ancestors who settled in Cape Breton. The village boasts original buildings which demonstrate the type of homes the Gaelic would be living in during each period, including a working carding mill, blacksmith shop and church. There are also animals on the property that would be representative of the animals the Gaelic people would have access to.

Off to the Little Narrows ferry … Next stop.. Baddeck, NS!

Cape Breton History… Louisbourg

September 12, 2013November 16, 2013 by HooHaAdventures, posted in Cape Breton motorcycle tour 2013

After the visit to Grandma, we headed to Louisbourg to see the Fortress and get a bit of Cape Breton history. We stayed at the Fortress Inn, a simple roadside motel with the basics.

We ate dinner across the street at the Grubstake. Very unassuming on the outside, but it was open in the 1800’s. We enjoyed a massive halibut steak special, and Digby scallops.

The next morning, we headed out to the Fortress. We paid the regular tour price, which lets you wander around on your own, and then we added the time travel option, where we paid another 7.50 each to have period actors take you around to the different buildings and exhibits. We were very impressed with the restorations, and the great history given to us by the period actors of the life of the French soldiers that came to Louisbourg, the servants, the Engineer, commissar and governor. I took history in school, but learned much more on the early history of Canada and how important Cape Breton was to North America, the export of fish and resources to Europe, and the history of our ancestors during this trip than all the years in school!!

After a full day in Louisbourg, we headed out toward Eskasoni and Castle Bay to tour my father’s childhood home and on our way to tour the Highland Village for our Gaelic heritage.

Truro, NS to Grandma Bryden

September 11, 2013November 16, 2013 by HooHaAdventures, posted in Cape Breton motorcycle tour 2013

In Truro we stayed at the Stonehouse motel and restaurant. It was a quick off the highway to a nice clean room with a nice Acadian restaurant, Cafe l’Acadie, where we enjoyed a great breakfast before we headed out. I enjoyed fish cakes and baked beans, a more traditional Acadian meal, while Jeffrey fueled up on eggs, bacon and toast.

We headed out on a beautiful day to Cape Breton, where the views became progressively more beautiful.

We took highway 4, the fleur de lis trail to Sydney, NS and enjoyed great motorcycle roads, picturesque views and splendid weather. I wish I could have taken photo after photo, there was so much to see.

We arrived in Sydney to visit my Grandma Bryden who is 93 years young. We had great conversations and I enjoyed introducing her to my husband for the first time.

We talked about family history and where our people came from, and I enjoyed learning about Thomas Bryden whose ship sank on the way to Canada, and he ended up on a ship with Scots heading to Cape Breton. The picture above is of my great grandmother, my Grandma’s mother, who lived well into her 90’s. Both Grandma and Aunt Cathy have been rich historians on this trip, and this has helped ground me to this land. Hooha! Jef & Margi

The Plan

August 10, 2013August 10, 2013 by HooHaAdventures, posted in Uncategorized

The Voyager...The New Plan — The Voyager…The New Plan

So, we headed out to a local dealership this week to outfit our Honda Shadow V Twin 1100 American Classic Edition with saddlebags, a new passenger saddle for comfort, and other accessories we might need for the upcoming journey. We started out up to head out to the dealership…. No dice. A few minutes later, we were on the road after Jef jumped the battery. Add a battery to the list. Oh, and a windshield. Definitely a saddle for me… 12 days of this might be a test…but, there are families that do most of their travelling on a motorcycle smaller than this one, so a bit of global humility may be needed. We arrived at the dealership ready to shop when I made the mistake of spotting a used motorcycle with everything we needed. Sat on it. (Uh oh) Test rode it… it was smooth and effortless at 70 mph…it felt safer (last straw). So, now it’s ours and headed to Cape Breton with us. (still deciding what to do with the Shadow….it’s so pretty and fun…) Now, The Plan is to outfit the Voyager with gear and plan our itinerary (loosely… It still is a journey). Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated!!! J & M

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