It was a fine day for motorcycling so a buddy and I toured points east on the island. My ride started in Cornwall and after lunch in Montague, we visited Souris, St. Peter’s Bay. I continued on through Morell and Tracadie. Unfortunately our ride was cut short because my friend’s bike abruptly died at St. Peter’s Bay – more on that later.
Souris, the French word for mouse, was founded by Acadians in 1727 as a fishing settlement at the mouth of the Souris River. In the 1720’s-1760’s settlers experienced plagues of field mice in the surrounding area which damaged their crops. It is said that a French vessel passing by the bay in the early 1700s was forced to cut through the waves of drowned mice and so gave the name to the area. Consequently, a mouse is now the town’s mascot. Souris was incorporated as a town on November 14, 1910. It has been a shipbuilding centre, a mercantile haven, port town and a fishing village. It retains much of this history in its current state and Souris is now a popular tourist destination known for its beautiful sandy beaches, lighthouse and birdwatching.
St. Peter’s Bay is another popular scenic location. Located on the island’s north-east shore, it extends out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is also well known for its annual Blueberry Festival and Parade, which draws in tourists and locals alike. Sadly, St. Peters Bay has the distinction of having the highest casualty rate per capita in Canada for World War I and II, as well as the Korean War.
Just as we arrived in St. Peter’s Bay that our troubles began. My buddy’s Honda Trike conked out on Hwy 2, right across the street from Rick’s Fish and Chips. The bike would not turn over and we suspected the battery. After the battery cover was removed, I noticed the negative terminal was loose and hot to the touch. The terminal was tightened, we waited a several minutes and after a few attempts the bike started up. As soon as the throttle was twisted it died again, so we knew that we would need help. Fortunately my buddy knows a motorcycle mechanic, who is also his friend, and lives 25 minutes away from the bay. While we waited for him to arrive, I took a few shots of St. Peter’s Bay and those are the last few images in the gallery below.
After the mechanic arrived, he used a spare car battery to boost the bike and once again as soon as the throttle was twisted, it died. He deduced the culprit was a dead alternator, so that left us with the problem of how to get the bike to his place without calling a flatbed truck. A solution was worked out: place the extra battery in the bike’s trunk and then connect jumper cables to the bike’s positive terminal and chassis. With a bit of fiddling and some bungee cording, it worked! My buddy was able to get the bike over to the mechanic’s house and a new alternator was installed.
The following images were taken with a Sony A7III and decades old vintage lenses. For camera geeks, these lenses are the SMC Super Takumar 50mm f1.4, Olympus Zuiko 35mm f2.8 and a Soviet Jupiter 11-135mm f4.0.
