The last ride

There are four kinds of roads in Nova Scotia.  Today, we rode them all.  The worst roads are the '100' highways, often divided and/or limited access, with fast cars and trucks and not much scenery.  A little better are dirt roads and rail trails which you can use to avoid the highways, or get to some cool spots otherwise unreachable. They are lined with wildflowers,  but you can only do so many miles on dirt.  We spent most of our time on the 'old' highways - the 1 and 3.  They've got good scenery with marginal traffic.  But the best roads are the 200 and 300 roads. No traffic (really!), stunning views and they take you to the best spots.  In my humble opinion, and for future riders, our best rides were on the 215 along the Fundy shore, the 309 and 331 on the south coast, the 312 and 219 on cape Breton. They also brought us to our nicest spots - Burntcoat, Sable River, Ingonish and Port Hood.  I'd say overall we spent 80% of our time within a mile of the ocean (and saw water about 25% of the time).  If someone knows another place where this is possible, let me know - we are going.

Today we rode the ferry back to digby and after a short ride out digby neck, we rode back through Acadian country to Yarmouth.  The day started hot and sunny, and fog rolled in after lunch dropping the temperature about 20 degrees.  There were some farms, big churches and a nice 'velo' shop, but the area reminded me of the poorer south coast.  Hopefully the renewal of the ferry will help.  Arrived in Yarmouth around 6:30 both sad, and happy to have completed the ride.  Jumped in the pool to celebrate - my only swim of the trip.  Tomorrow, before the ferry, we will follow Mark's tracks and ride out to Cape Forchu on the 304, which Mark has verified below as yet another beautiful Nova Scotia ride.

Top 10 things I want to remember:
1. Donna's Halifax travel difficulties, especially if Wendy or Mia land up in college here.
2. Jonathan taking an hour to pick out 2 suitcases.
3. Fog rolling in or burning off.
4. The rain in Maine.
5. The sight of Mt Smokey and thinking it would not be doable.
6. The people - the UFO museum tour guide, the old fart walking, the bookstore guy.
7. Lupines on the south and east coasts.
8. Poverty in Chéticamp and where acadians now live.
9. Seeing Amanda. She is something.
10. Real strawberries whenever you want.

72.9 miles, plus 4 to the ferry in saint john.  Trip total - 1000.2.  I didn't fix this number - it's actually a little more as I didn't measure some rides to dinners, stores.  10 metrics over 17 days riding.

Mark did the ride on Sunday, and the bonus Cape Forchu - here are his thoughts.  Expressive adjectives and all (I had to say something Lowenbrau!):

My final day began in Annapolis Royal a little on the late side due to some fog and drizzle. The ride from AR to Yarmouth is 140km, following RT.1 as a way of staying off the highway. The first 40 miles were not as spectacular as the previous three days, with a mix of interior riding, some farms, and occasional views out to the water. Terrific ocean views opened up starting in Weymouth, and continued into Yarmouth-- along with a stiff headwind, which slowed speeds considerably. 

Jenn and Donna will be sad that they didn't get to ride with THIS person from Montreal, as opposed to THOSE people from Montreal --- the picture tells the story. I met this person at a visitor center, and we rode together for about 30 miles. He had already ridden from Montreal to NS via New Brunswick and the Digby ferry, much of it on rail trails. Aaah, youth- no water bottle cages, toe clips, or waterproof bags. Just a sleeping bag, tent, and lots of dry food. Don't think he'll be in the Back Roads catalog anytime soon.

After a stop at magnificent Marivalle Beach, the final 30 miles was a lovely, languid, sunsetty ride into Yarmouth, for an 8pm arrival. No parade or champagne to complete the trip, but a delicious fresh fish dinner, topped by a piece of strawberry cream pie.

85 miles, and a hillier than expected 3600 feet of climbing.

BONUS MORNING

With the prospect of my butt sitting on a ferry for 10 hours followed by a two-hour drive to Boston, I set the alarm early for a quick sunrise ride out to Cape Forchu. It was a magical 15 miles, with the sun burning through the fog, and fabulous views out to the water, before reaching Yarmouth Light. It was poetic to see the Yarmouth-bound Nova Star ferry, which I would be boarding in an hour for the return trip to Portland, cruising in to harbor. 

15 mile ride, and a 3-mile run at the lighthouse, to conclude the trip and get in Day 395 of my PFC. TOTAL TRIP MILEAGE: ~870 miles

And a side-note as I write this while sitting on the ferry: my body is sorer from 3 hours of sitting than it ever was from 13 days of riding.

No wheels today

New Brunswick might be the last province most people want to visit.  BC has the mountains, PEI the beaches, Quebec and Ontario the culture (just joking about Ontario) but all that is here is Fredericton, Moncton, Edmunston and Saint John.  And this summer it has Amanda.  Saint John used to be a wealthy shipping port, home to Irving oil amongst others.  But with the demise of shipping a century ago, people seem to have abandoned a pretty city overlooking the ocean. If you ever make it here, be sure to check out the cool architecture and rockwood park, but skip the reversing falls.  Until it gets repopulated, there are wooden people all over town.  Walked around but didn't get into/onto a vehicle of any sort.  And for the first time, we stayed in the same place for 2 nights.  No packing up.  0 miles.

Back on a ferry

Woke up and headed west towards digby on the straighest, flattest road in the province.  After Berwick, the traffic went away and we rode through farmland along the Annapolis river. Donna let us stop for lunch after 48 miles in Annapolis Royal.  Jonathan would not have been happy.



Got a little hillier and we arrived in digby for the ferry, which is an extra 5 miles out of town.  Meanwhile, Mark is on the ferry back to Portland.  Excited to see Amanda in new Brunswick!  It was her getting a job there that was the germ for the idea of this trip.   70.9 miles.

Deja view

I now know every pothole, farm, rest stop on the Wolfville-windsor ride.  But the real deja vu is Donna's flight to Halifax.  Ten years ago, we were here camping and her flight was cancelled, delayed and then she ultimately flew to St John and drove.  This time, it was only cancelled and delayed.  As we didn't start riding till 2:45, we rented a car and drove to Windsor, avoiding 40+ unpleasant miles.  Air Canada - be prepared as you are getting the bill.  Rode on to Berwick, through the unattractive town of new minas.  Road was arrow straight and flat. Staying at a b&b, in a room named the 'love nest'.  Donna and I are a little baffled, as it has 2 single beds!  42.8 hot miles into a headwind.

And then there was one

Cycling is a semi-social sport.  You constantly have conversations, which are broken up by cars, hills and stretches where you ride alone.  But today was different, as mark and I headed in opposite directions. So left on my own, here are some random thoughts as I rode the mostly unattractive roads to the Halifax airport.

- you are more likely to see the following outside your average Nova Scotians home: a Canadian flag, a clothesline that is in use, their names (first and last) on the mailbox
- GPS is a randomly effective technology.  Garmin wanted to route me 50 miles out of my way because of a fire gate (and a bad dirt road), while Google thinks nothing of sending me up a 500' hill to save half a mile. But it does find some good back roads.  And yesterday, it correctly told us we had to go an extra 37 miles because there is no bridge over the Avon river.
- I was sad to learn that after the British kicked the French out of Acadia (and renamed it Nova Scotia) in the 1700s, they exiled all the acadians out, who then went to New England and Louisiana amongst other places.  Not sure I remember learning  it like that.
- 160 billion tons of water flows in and out of the bay of Fundy twice daily.  Enough to fill the grand canyon, more than all the river flows in the whole world. Can't we figure out how to get some tidal energy from this predictable event?
- was fun to spend 2 weeks with my Canadian friend in Canada (plus a week skiing this year).  Nothing bad to say about  Jonathan, Jenn or Donna but Canadians love being home. Thanks for waiting for me as I dragged the surly up all those hills Mark! Where we going next year - St Lawrence river from headwaters to Atlantic ocean?  California?  Europe?
- it wouldn't have been possible without the Halifax airport, so it gets some recognition here.
66.8 miles, most of which I'll be doing again tomorrow

Two posts are in order today. Here is Mark's:

The day is sunny, hazy, and warm. Mark rides through the farmland of the Annapolis Valley, avoiding busy Rt.1 and taking RT. 221 to Middleton and then 201 from Middleton. A pleasant ride, with open farm views much of the way. Hillier than expected on RT. 201. A nice stop at an old one-room schoolhouse turned into a small museum, also serving home-made ice cream. Arriving in Annapolis Royal, which seems the unofficial capital of the Anapolis Valley. I was here nearly thirty years ago with Jenn on a winter weekend getaway from Halifax. The Bread & Roses Inn, where I think we stayed (I'm cheaper now than I was then!) is still there and looks great. There are beautiful views to the river. Satisfying Jon's curiosity, there is a tidal power plant here, apparently the only one in North America. We are curious to find out more.

A sunny, hot, moderately hilly 75 miles from Wolfville to Annapolis Royal. 

A Mini-Canada

These were the words used to describe Nova Scotia by the woman who sat next to us while we were munching on bread and cheese at lunch in the otherwise unimpressive town of Brooklyn. Overall a beautiful ride from Burnt Coat in the morning, passing pastoral farmland with views down to the bay.  Also stopped at the no longer operational Kerosene lighthouse in Walton.

The stretch from Brooklyn to Windsor was unpleasant, but we got off the main road and added a few miles, which included a jaunt down go Grand Pre, a UNESCO site and the center of Acadia in the 1700s. Impressive visitor center and grounds. Very Canada as Jon would say.

The day ended in Wolfville, a pretty busy place (for Nova Scotia). Serendipity stuck again as we walked into a bike shop and were advised a different and quieter route through Annapolis Valley. Tomorrow, Mark heads to Annapolis Royal,while Jon rides to Halifax to pick up Donna.

A sun-splashed, warm, hilly, 72 miles, 3600 vertical.  By guest blogger  Mark.

And then there were 2

There are very few global natural constants.  Sunrises vary in time, boiling points change with altitude and weather can be extremely local.  But sea level is the same around the world. Except in Burncoat, where high tide is 40' higher than low tide. After a nice ride through (flat!) farmland west of truro, and a tearful farewell to Jenn in south Maitland, we found the shangri-la cabins, the only place to stay for 100 miles.  Our nicest cabin yet, and we did the nature walk out onto the ocean floor.  Check the GPS image!  No restaurants so its pb&j for lunch and BBQ for dinner.  37.2 easy miles.

Stage 2 complete

Looked out the window this morning as the sun was coming up over the beach, with the leaves rustling in the breeze.  After spending the morning walking on the beach, we turned south into a brutal headwind that didn't let up all day.  Nothing to do but put the head down, earphones with music in, and pedal. Fortunately it was a short, flat ride to Port Hastings and our taxi ride to Truro (avoiding 3 days of riding, partially along the t-can). Ate poutine as a reward for biking cape Breton.

Now staying at the nicest hotel in Truro (the Worcester of Nova Scotia) - the best western.  They do have a nice bike shop, so I replaced the cleats on my shoes which haven't worked in 2 days. Used the surly to its potential today, riding on the dirt rail trail where for 30km there were no cars, 4 walkers and 1 dirt biker.  Love my surly! Although it's heavier, going up hills with the granny, and down with the weight spread out make it the touring choice.  Jenn leaves us tomorrow and we head down the bay of Fundy, and through the Annapolis valley. 27.3 miles.

Time to do some miles

On our way south, with no big mountains to climb today.  We had typical rolling hills, and a tough headwind, so the miles seemed to go slowly.  We had a few pleasant surprise after leaving disappointing cheticamp - nice ride over to cheticamp island, riding along the bluff between mountains and the sea for the morning, an almost warm beach in Inverness with good porridge bread from a bakery right there (went well with our very warm cheese!) Staying at a cottage overlooking the beach in port hood, and tomorrow we leave Cape Breton and move to stage 3 of the trip.  66.7 miles

Mountain trio completed

Day 3 of our Cape Breton ride resulted in our successfully completing the third of three mountains along the Cabot Trail. Today's mountain was actually two mountains joined by a plateau (up Mount Mackenzie and down French Mountain), but who's counting? The climb was steep at 12% grade but we all agreed today was easier than yesterday's climb up North Mountain, which was longer and 13% grade, with more traffic passing alongside. On the other hand, yesterday we had extra motivation, hearing tourists shout out that a moose was sighted at the summit. We pedaled as best we could but missed the moose by about 60 seconds. And although everyone keeps telling us how plentiful moose are around the park, we have been referring to them as "the elusive moose" plastered on every National Park information kiosk but nowhere to be found.

If you haven't already figured it out...today's post is being written by Jenn, the verbose "Guest Blogger". So I've agreed to accept Jon's challenge for one post but have no fear...Jon will be back on board tomorrow. He needs a bit of a break to map out the next few days of our trip...he is sitting at the table as I write this, with map, phone, and pen in hand. You can stop reading as soon as I've become too verbose (which is about now). Perhaps we can persuade Mark to take a shot another day.

In order to end my blog without overstepping the 3-paragraph blog maximum, I have come up with a plan...bullet points! Here goes:

•Today's destination: Cheticamp - try saying that 3 times fast and see if you aren't giggling by the end. An Acadian town we had such great hopes for, but has largely revealed itself as closer to its unfortunate sounding name. We imagined something resembling a Canadian version of the quaint New England fishing village but instead found a lot of prefab housing and not a t-shirt shop or candy store in sight. On the other hand we enjoyed a fabulous pizza and discovered a French bakery (and certainly the town is authentic so that argues a point for not having endless gift shops).

• Top 3 phrases running through my brain today and everyday at the start of many hills: "Steady as she goes", "Shit", and "Good idea!" (That's when I see Mark reach for his water bottle and am reminded that I haven't been drinking enough).

• If it's sunny in Cape Breton just wait five minutes...it is guaranteed to change to fog (see photos of today's amazing Skyline Hike...could not see the ocean below).

I'd love to write more, but I know this is already beyond the limit so signing off for now...

Jon again: Other Jenn additions that she forgot as I'm trying to post this - meeting couple who live in Fisher hill Brookline, have kids at same schools, have Maine lake house near where Jenn grew up.
- the bike shop guy - only one on cape breton who did not have the cleat I needed for my shoes.
27.7 miles plus 5 mile hike

Halfway point.

At the furthest point away from home, and passed 500 miles for the trip today.  Another ho-hum day with ocean views, killer climbs, wildlife sightings.  I'd write more,  but hoping Jenn will take over writing the blog - she says we aren't providing enough details, and as some of you know, she is more verbose than Mark and I combined. 42.2 miles under clouds.

Onto cabot trail, and mt smokey

I used to think the metric system was pretty cool.  Everything in 10s, consistent terms in all measurements, accepted globally.  Then we encountered mt smokey - the first of 3 killer climbs on the Cabot trail.  When you have to climb 1000' in a mile and a half, you know that's insane and would never agree to do it (except donna of course).  But in metric, its only 300 meters and over 2.5 km.  So that sounds like no problem.  Especially if your bike and gear only weigh 27 kilograms.  Piece of cake.  WRONG.  But we made it!  Rewarded with this view from the porch of our cabin - no photos of the forgettable inside.  Some great views overall today, although we were inland more than we'd hoped.  More traffic, but if you give them a courtesy 'go on, pass me' wave, they usually return a courtesy honk. It's all good. Imperial stats - 64.4 miles, 3300' vertical. 

And on the 7th day, they rested

Spent the morning walking around Halifax (beautiful new library and old public Victorian garden), getting the iPhone fixed (sort of) and then picked up Jenn at the airport.  A long, hilly drive to North Sydney got us a little worried about the narrower roads and hills, or should I say mountains, we were doing next.  Tomorrow will tell.  Surprisingly good dinner at the black spoon bistro, and learned of the island tradition of hanging in your cars, socializing in parking lots.  Being on bikes, we could not partake.  Total miles - 1.2 from Avis dropoff to our B&B. 

Stage 1 complete

Arrived in Halifax late this afternoon and it's time for our second player exchange - Jonathan flies home and Jenn arrives tomorrow.  Nova Scotia is named for new Scotland - today we found out why.  Lots of hills.  We spent much of the day going either 5mph (up) or 20mph (down).   And they don't average out to 12mph (do the math). Went through some beautiful oceanside towns - mahone bay, Chester, Hubbards (where Mark became invisible, with both jonathans biking right by him, and us getting separated/lost on a road with no turnoffs).  Arrived with a shock to the sprawl/generic stores of Halifax burbs, but downtown is really nice.  Roads more crowded today, and lots more businesses.  I think people are willing to drive 90 minutes from Halifax, but no more.  Coincidentally the length of your average romantic-action-comedy movie.  Too bad, as there are some beautiful spots further away.  Perhaps when global warming submerges parts of the US, and makes the rest uninhabitable, Nova Scotia will be warmer and it will be developed.  63.6 miles, plus 2.5 miles doubling back and forth in Hubbards.

Happy Canada day!

It was a day of firsts - our first hike into Keji national park, our first hills, our first miles on an interstate, our first rain (about 1/10,000th as much as I got sunday), our first non-foggy sunrise, first traffic light in 3 days, our first cable ferry - which seemed to get further away as we got closer. Staying in Lunenberg, which is a typical touristy fishing town - nice restaurants, colorful buildings, and home to the Bluenose II, Canada's Old Ironsides. Ride got long today as we hiked and ate a late lunch, so only had done 20 miles of our planned route for the day by 2:30. Finished with 78.9 so it was a long afternoon. More civilization today along the route, and traffic increased to 1 car every 5 minutes (rather than once every 10) but still haven't seen any other touring cyclists. Spent about half the day inland, away from the water and on the hills. Onto Halifax tomorrow.
Late addendum - peculiar character of the day.  A used bookstore open at 10pm on Canada day, where the owner(?) with a British accent was practically buried in books.  Store a mess, but there are 3 bookstores in Lunenberg. Amazing.

Onto Sable River

Our day began with Jonathan's breakfast, which amused Mark and me for at least an hour. We had a May West - how Canadian. After leaving Barrington in the fog, we rode for almost 50 miles before we came to a store, a town, or anything more than 3-4 houses together. Mostly by the water, or in pine forests, the whole way was lined with purple, pink and white lupines. And dead porcupines. The fog burned off and we stopped in shelburne for a late lunch by the water. Then onto Lockporte where there's a nice sandy (freezing cold!) beach, and we had dinner on the pier by the harbor. Then it was 12 more miles to our chalet for the night, which was very nice. Highlight - meeting the 'old fart walking'. Her comment about cycling: 'it doesn't matter how good you are, eventually your face is going to hit the ground.'. Lowlight - a smashed iPhone screen. Miles 82.4