2012 RROC Fall Tour

2012 RROC Fall Tour
Michigan to Nova Scotia
1962 Bentley S2

		Sept. 15, 2012 I convinced my Mom and Dad to come with me on the Rolls-Royce Owners' Club Fall Tour this year. I drove the S2 from Detroit 720 miles to their house in East Greenwich, Rhode Island a few weeks in advance. We've packed up ready to head northeast up the New England coast an additional 600 miles to begin the tour in Amherst, Nova Scotia.
		We stopped by and visited family friends Sandy and Don in Rye, new Hampshire and had a bite to eat. (l-r, Sandy, Mom, Dad, and Don)
		Sept. 16, 2012 I neglected to take any worthwhile photgraphs at Jill and Dennis' house at which we stayed overnight in Rockland, Maine. They had an excellent suggestion for lunch the next day in Machias, Maine: Helen's Restaurant.
		I had two lbs. of steamers...
		..and coconut creme pie for dessert.
		We continued up Route 1 northbound for Calais, New Brunswick.
		Sept. 17, 2012 Our first official tour stop today was the Fossil Museum in Joggins, Nova Scotia. The fossils date back 350 million years in the exposed rock that is exposed by the extremely vicious tides in the Bay of Fundy.
		At low tide you can search for fossils on the beach which is completely underwater a few hours later as the tide makes it all the way up to the beginning of the cliffs.
		All manner of automotive treats meet the discerning eye in the parking lot such as this long wheelbase James Young Bentley S1...
		...a Bentley Continental Flying Spur and a vintage 3.0L Bentley.
		We then made our way south to Advocate Harbour to the south via several single lane bridges. The Cowley's waft on in their '56 Hooper-bodied Silver Cloud.
		A pearl of a restaurant in a very remote corner of the world.
		We flogged our cars up a steep series of dirt tracks to claim an exhilararing view of Cape D'Or and...
		....the light house that warns vessels away from her fearsome rip currents.
		Sept. 18, 2012 We departed the relatively Spartan (but tidy) environs in Amherst for a trek north to Prince Edward Island.
		We briefly invaded the Cumberland County Museum before leaving town.
		For many of the local attendees, Dick Tilden's 1926 3.0L Bentley seemed to be the favorite.
		Many of us cannot pass a Vineyard without stopping and this one in Baie Verte was no exception. We sampled the white, red, and blueberry wines and also the 46 proof maple brandy. To my taste, the red was the most drinkable with the maple brandy a surprising close second.
		After lunch in Victoria by the Sea on Prince Edward Island,we stopped in scenic Charlottetown on our way to the Wood Islands Ferry.
		The super rich Espresso ice cream at Cow's was outstanding. It has 16% milk fat one scoop is sufficient.
		Loaded up on the ferry, the S2's dulled visage betrays the need for a thorough cleaning. Still running strong, especially on Nova Scotia gasoline which does not contain ethanol. It even smells like real gasoline.
		As we roll up to the dock back in Nova Scotia, the sun begins to hang a bit low in the sky. The Pictou Lodge is holding a lobster boil for us tonight, sounds good to me.
		Sept. 20, 2012 Didn't take too many photos last couple of days but now we're headed into an area with excellent ocean vistas...
		...unfortunately it's raining.
		Nevertheless, the views are spectacular and the car continues to run well.
		We stopped here for lunch. I had the "cakes, cakes and more cakes option. One crab, one salmon and one haddock cake grilled to perfection with a mound of mouthwatering coleslaw on the side.
		The Keltic Lodge juts out into the Atlantic on a thin ribbon of land.
		The views are very good and the buidlings are beautiful. Unfortunately, the service sucks and I'll leave it at that.
		Sept. 20, 2012 Our trip from Inverary down to Louisbourg was fraught with peril. The cable driven ferry broke down so we had to take the long way around the inlet. Then there was the construction on 105.
		We made it to Lousibourg about 45 minutes late mostly without incident. Rod developed a major brake fluid leak on the way down.
		Louisbourg is an interesting place. It was a fortified town built by the French south of modern day Sydney in the early to mid 18th century.
		Our tour guide, whose family name is Sampson, comes from a long line of executioners. No joke.
		By the mid 20th century, Louisburg was in ruins. The government used the rebuilding of this site as an opportunity to retrain displaced coal miners as carpenters and masons. The period-correct work that they did is of remarkable quality.
		This is the onsite museum.
		And this is the main building.
		Sept. 22, 2012 I spent the morning with Rob at the Candian Tire to which he had his Silver Shadow flatbedded. Turns out that the left leveling valve shaft seal let go. I helped the mechanic figure out how to remove it and blank off the pipes so that the car could be driven safely without the valve until it can be rebuilt. We made it to our midday destination nevertheless.
		The grounds are lovely and really take advantage of the moist temperate environment. Lunch was great and the single malt eminently drinkable.
		My Dad particulatly enjoyed the tour of the distillery itself. Fermentation takes two days.
		Distillation takes five hours. Then the waiting begins: ten years in charred white oak casks.
		Sept. 23, 2012 At the Museum of Science and Industry en route from Port Hawkesbury to Wallace, Nova Scotia, one of the things I learned about was that Volvos were made here for a rather long time.
		It was about 72 degrees and 300% humidity in the museum so I retreated outside and installed new gauge lamps in the dash.
		Other tour-goers discussed the fine points of Crewe engines from 4.25L I6 Bentley Mk VI (r) through the 6.23L V8 Bentley S2 (l), with 4.9L I6 Bentley S1 and Rolls-Royce Si\ver Cloud in between.
		At lunch we watched a little boy play with the lobsters on the counter. Apparnetly they all have names.
		Further along the way, we stopped at Jost Viineyards. They make quite a few varieties although only the hardier grapes are grown onsite. They employ a variety of techniques to shoo away the birds including propane cannons and prerecorded sounds of hawks, owls, and chain saws.
		One of our tour leaders, Andrew is seen leaving with a large quantity of wine.
		Rather than pop for the $350+ rooms tonight at the Fox Harb'r Resort, some of us opted for more, err, economical lodging.
		Our final banquet at the Fox Harb'r Resort brought an elegant end to a great week in the Maritime Provinces. Now the 1200 mile trip back to Detroit...
		Sept. 25, 2012 We made it to Jill and Dennis' place in Rockland, Maine. Jill made her world famous shrimp cakes (for which I know have a recipe) and Dennis made his world famous Pinkies which is vodka, Grand Marnier, pomegranate juice and club soda on the rocks. I am sure Jill would like you to know that this is not her range top but the gas grill outside.
		Sept. 26, 2012 This is the best of four photos I took the next morning. Mom, Dad, Dennis and Jill (l-r) were fine I'm sure, but the photgrapher may have been a bit fuzzy.
		After having lunch with Don and Sandy again in Rye, New Hampshire and sending Mom and Dad on their way back to Rhode Island, I set out for New York. Rather than dip all the way down to the Massachusetts Turnpike, I chose some secondary roads that turned out to be fantastic and cut 50 miles from the journey. From Rye I took 111/101 to Manchester and then picked up route 9. This runs through the mountains and ski resorts all the way through New Hampshire and Vermont turning into route 7 in New York.
		Amusing tourist place near the Vermont-New York border.