26 MOTORCYCLE MOJO SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019TRAVEL NOVA SCOTIA
it. I pulled in and saw a sign that said
Motor Vehicle Licensing or some such
thing. I didn’t really register that the
building wasn’t a general store, as I
know that many rural general stores
often do just about everything. The
building looked like it was closed, so I
peeped through the window. It wasn’t
a general store; three motorcycles sat
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look like any motorcycle dealer I’d ever
seen either. I didn’t know what it was.
I checked the door, and a note said to
go to the shop in a separate building
behind.
New Friendships Made
I peeped into the window of that
building and immediately jumped
backward, startled by a leaping German
shepherd, its frantic barking and
junkyard persona not making me feel
particularly welcome. The dog’s name
was called, and it retreated. I opened
the door and entered with trepidation.
There, I met Holger. He was repairing a
motorcycle. I told him that I needed to
get out of the lightning storm and dry
my visor. The dog ambled over and said
hello in a more friendly way. Although
he was a German shepherd, he was a
pussycat. He liked the attention I gave
him and we became fast friends.
Holger is a pre-eminent motorcycle
mechanic who is well known in
Germany, as I found out later from his
friend. Back home, Holger had been
responsible for setting up the Yamaha
Racing Team’s motorcycles. He was
well respected and had owned his own
motorcycle dealership in Germany
before he came to Canada.
And so begins my story about the
unforeseen – some may think unfor-
tunate – events that made my trip to
Nova Scotia so interesting and gave
rise to the adage I would soon come to
associate with moto-touring.
Adversity Breeds the Best Stories
When you are motorcycle touring,
you wouldn’t normally consider rain,
sleet and thunder and lightning to
be welcome additions to your trip.
Great roads and clear days are what
you probably expect. Now, I’m not so
sure. At the end of the day on a canoe
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across. You talk about getting lost on
the mosquito-laden, bushwhacking
portage that took you twice as long as
it should have and made you paddle
well into the evening. Adversity is what
gives you stories to tell – so, too, with
motorcycle touring. Adventures are
boring when everything goes according
to plan.
My best stories almost always arise
from how an obstacle was overcome or
are about the event that wouldn’t have
happened had a setback not occurred.
The ensuing event is invariably better