Closing Thoughts

We hop on the plane early tomorrow morning for the long series of flights back home. Ending a trip like this is always bittersweet. We've really enjoyed the adventure but are tired and ready to get home to see family, friends and critters, and start taking care of things at home. It has been an absolute pleasure to be able to travel again after nearly three years of hiding. I'm sure where not done with this whole pandemic just yet, but maybe we are figuring out ways to live with it?

For Lorie and I there is just nothing as pleasurable as riding our bike with all of our stuff from one place to another, fully self-contained. It is such a different, slow "view" of the countryside that we find alluring. We always meet people when we're on the bike and enjoy many long conversations. The bike always starts a conversation, and there is always time to talk. Maybe over coffee during a morning break, maybe when we stop to have a bite for lunch, or at dinner. The mode of travel and the people we meet leave us anticipating the next trip.

We have ridden around 2,550 km (about 1,600 miles). That's an average of about 100 km per day, though several were longer and several were shorter. We have climbed over 20,000 m (over 65,000 ft). And we've done it all at a remarkably slow pace! We've had all sorts of weather, from perfect warm sunshine to blistering winds and nasty cold. After all of that, I have some thoughts:

Nova Scotia: this is a province that is all about the ocean. Everywhere, everyone and everything focuses on the seas that surround this land. Fishing, lobstering, crabbing, scalloping, seafaring, it is just impossible to even think about NS without the sea being central to it. Nova Scotians are wonderful, warm people. They have welcomed us into their homes, shared their meals and families with us, offered to drive us to Ceilidhs down the road when it is too rainy to ride, and even to drive us to our next destination when the weather was really fowl. Lobstermen are happy to sell us a lobster or two when the markets are closed for the season, and proud to tell us what to do with the lobsters. On the road they are careful with and generous to cyclists (happy honks, always a wave). 

If you visit NS, which you should do, visit at the right time. If you're coming by car, then April through September should be good. Expect bad weather in the shoulder months, but mid-June through mid-September will be glorious. And who cares about bad weather when you're in a car? Expect serious crowds in July and August, we are told.

If you're on a bike, don't come before mid to end of June. Early May was much too early. I think that we knew it when we arrived, but that was our travel window and we don't regret it. First, very little is open in May (this goes for the entire province, except Halifax). Second, it can be very very cold. Expect freezing temperatures overnight and in the morning. Third, most days are very windy. For some reason explained only by bad luck and physics, the wind is always in a cyclist's face. Fourth, the black flies and mosquitoes are pretty thick until mid-June, ish. We got munched pretty good a few days when the wind wasn't blowing or the rain wasn't falling. Even riding slowly up hill didn't keep the black flies away. We tried to ride fast enough to avoid them, but some things we just couldn't do. So if you are cycling, come later in the summer. They say that Cape Breton is beautiful in September when the leaves change color. That might be a good time to ride the Cabot Trail. Be sure to plan way ahead and make reservations if you're not camping because it is pretty booked up that time of year and there simply are not that many places to stay.

Food: seafood is the one word that covers it. Haddock, crab, and of course lobster and scallops. Too much of it is deep fried in my opinion, but it is always very fresh and delicious. Outside of urban Halifax, this isn't a fancy foodie place; the food is prepared in traditional ways. That's part of what makes this a beautiful province as it retains what it has always been. Craft beer is happening here as it is everywhere else. You can find a craft brewery in nearly every village with more than 10 or so inhabitants. Wine is burgeoning, too, and you should go to visit the Annapolis Valley to taste the local wines made with grapes adapted to this climate. Wolfville is a wonderful, if touristy town. We'd go back there any time.

The entire seaside is awesome. The Bay of Fundy is one of a kind in the world. Lunenburg is magical. Peggy's Cove is worth a stop.

Halifax: this is the urban center of NS with a growing population and reputation as a foodie place. We didn't try any of the fancy restaurants, preferring to cook at our apartment, but from the look of things along the wharf, the restaurant scene is going full on! We heard some grumblings about the rapid rise in the price of housing. A few locals didn't hold back in complaining that people from Ottawa (mostly from the Hamilton area) are flocking to NS and pushing the price of real estate through the sky, making it unaffordable for everyone. There is even a big real estate company called EXIT Nova Scotia -- folks cashing out and moving to parts unknown. Cynical, I guess, but who knows. I jokingly said to one guy that "Ottowans are to Nova Scotia what Californians are to Oregon." He laughed and said that he was glad that I said it because he couldn't.

Prince Edward Island: everything that I said about NS goes equally for PEI, except that the good weather window is shorter (July and August) and the extreme temperatures and winds are worse in the shoulders. The Northumberland Strait freezes every winter starting in mid-December and lasting until March or April. Summer is the best time on PEI, I think. And skip Charlottetown altogether -- it isn't worth your time.

Isle-de-la-Madeleine: our foray into Quebec. The archipelago is charming and the people are wonderful. Expect to speak only Quebecois, or at least try. During the summer it is probably a mad-house, but in late May it is perfect (weather exceptions apply here). If you're cycling, just watch out for the drivers!

That's all I can think of. I still have some bike disassembly to attend to. 

We're looking forward to seeing all of you back home. Until then, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.

End of the Line, Halifax

When the blog left off a few days ago we were hunkered down in our little cabin just north of Peggy's Cove while the rain poured down and the wind lashed the nearby ocean. We did find the courage to walk about 400 m across the road to a tiny little Acadian restaurant that was, oddly, open. We were soaked when we got there and were the only customers. But the guy who ran the place was wonderful. He regretted that he'd sold his last 2 pieces of "Rappie Pie" a few hours earlier (a traditional Acadian meat pie that takes a few days to prepare) but talked us into a delicious meat pie. He entertained us with stories of his family and how he came to run a little restaurant in Peggy's Cove while we swilled down a few beers.

Acadian meat pie

The rain and wind were relentless most of the night and it was tough to sleep. The little cabin shook with each monstrous gust. We wondered whether we'd be able to ride to Halifax in the morning. But about 0300 the wind stopped and the rain abated, and this is how it looked in the morning.

What a fast turn around!

Since we had no food, again, we swilled some instant coffee and headed toward the actually village / harbour of Peggy's Cove, just a few km down the road. It is a very picturesque spot and is easy to see why it is the single biggest tourist draw in Nova Scotia. 

Peggy's Cove

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse

We were there a few minutes ahead of 0800 and the parking lot was already filling with tourist buses and cars. We skipped the cafe and $10 for coffee seemed a bit too much. With Halifax only 50 km away, we took off with the big city in our sights. Our route:

 

The final 50 km flew by and we got tucked into our AirBnB place downtown right away. We then dashed over to the local bike shop and grabbed 3 bike boxes to pack our bike in for the flight home (I'd called the bike shop earlier in the week and gave them a heads up -- local shops are always very willing to give away bike boxes).

We have a few days so we set out to explore a bit. 

We even found a negroni. Nice.

The Old Town Clock

Halifax skyline looking from a local ferry

The waterfront

Old Town Clock, again

Downtown from the Citadel fortress

Entry to the Citadel

Halifax is a very vibrant, walkable and approachable city. It is much smaller that we'd expected and it has a very small downtown area. There are a couple of universities and it has a nice feel.

One more blog post to wrap things up tomorrow - I will summarize my thoughts on the trip and Nova Scotia and offer my opinions, as I usually do at the end of a trip. We are packing things up and taking the bike apart and all that kind of stuff. And the US just today canceled the requirement for a negative COVID test before boarding the flight to the US (we're trying to recoup the $150 each of us paid for the test that we were supposed to get tomorrow).

Peggy's Cove

We are one day's ride from Halifax. Today we rode from Chester to just a few km north of Peggy's Cove. We could have made it all the way to Halifax but we have this extra day and decided to stay here in what they say is the most picturesque and touristy spot in the province.

The weather showed local fog and mist until about 1300 and steady rain after that. So we took off from Chester fairly early to beat the rain. And we made it, maybe 30 minutes ahead of the rain. Good timing. But we still got plenty wet with all of the fog and mist.

It was a pretty ride along the coast but in a lot of places we couldn't see very far.

Along the route. The Atlantic looking decidedly pacific

Approaching Peggy's Cove as the weather closed in

The rocks in front of our cabin in Peggy's Cove

No sooner had we unloaded the bike than the rain started. It is falling in buckets. Glad we're tucked into a dry place, but alas, we have no food. There's a restaurant open about 3 km down the road and we will probably walk to it later. Here's a quiz: would we get less wet by walking or riding? We found a couple of umbrellas, so I think we'll go for the walking option.

Here's our cabin -- it is just a few meters from the bay.

Small, but dry...inside, at least

Here's a video taken from inside the cabin (not sure if it will upload -- the interweb is pretty slow here).

The hourly weather forecast calls for rain until about 0500 but drying after that. By 1000 it is supposed to be sunny. Could we be that lucky? To ride into Halifax in the sunshine would be a real treat. But we'll deal with whatever we get and be happy about it. Our last ride day is tomorrow. Bittersweet, for sure. But we're tired and are looking forward to the end point.

I'll follow up with one or more wrap up posts from the big city! Until then, stay dry.

Ride Day 23: North to Chester

It seems like there's a price to be paid in Nova Scotia for enjoying a day like we had yesterday. This morning the sunrise was clear but it was obvious that a storm was coming. We checked the weather and saw that the forecast has changed and a storm is moving in from the south with heavy rain and high winds. Luckily our route today is short, only 50 km. I think that our legs are feeling tired. Chester is our end point on the day.   

We had wanted to have a leisurely morning but with storm warnings being posted at Lunenburg we decided that the best approach was to leave as early as we could. We hadn't gone 10 km before the rain started. It wasn't that cold and the wind wasn't bad, but pretty wet. Oh well, it was well worth the fine day yesterday.

A beautiful morning in Lunenburg. The Bluenose even headed out for a sail with what
looked like a group of high school students

They have great bumble bees here!

Clouds are filling in but no rain yet. It came soon enough.

Quite a lot of our route today was on a rails-to-trails route. It was actually pretty nice and it was good to get off the roadway for a while. We'll see how it is tomorrow after a lot of rain.

We were in Chester before long and got tucked into our accommodation - just a room in a BnB that is totally contact-less check in. Not sure if there's anyone else around for the night. Chester seems like a nice little harbour with a lot of history, but it is pretty bleak out so we may not find out that much about it.

There is a brewery in town, so we stopped by. Tiny but a nice stop. 

Tanner Brewing, Chester NS

A memorial to a local who was a famous navy guy

Along the rails-to-trails route

I'm hoping that the inclement weather blows through before tomorrow morning.

A Few Short Days to Halifax; Lunenburg

 

If the weather here in Nova Scotia were anywhere near as nice as it was yesterday, on a daily basis, then I truly wouldn't have much to complain about. It was absolutely gorgeous. Sunny with nary a cloud in the sky, warm and no wind.

Having made the east coast two days ago we are now heading along the east coast in a generally north, northeasterly direction. We are taking it easy since the distance isn't that great and we have time. And it feels kind of nice to ramp the daily ride distance down a little bit. Yesterday we first rode to the small coastal harbour called LaHave and waited for the ferry that would carry us across the LaHave river. LaHave has a nice bakery and they have good coffee.

Riding along the LaHave River, which is influenced by tidal flow at this point

Sailboat moored on the LaHave

General store and bakery in LaHave

Lots of goodies and good coffee

The ferry terminal is just up the road from the store and the ferry departs every 30 minutes. We were soon on the north side of the river for a short ride up the coast to Lunenburg.

The LaHave ferry on its way

About 20 cars, 1 truck and 1 bike

One of the many small bays long the very scenic road to Lunenburg

Lunenburg from across the harbour

Here's our 2-step routes. An easy ride except for one short hill that was maybe 100 m long and both Lorie's and my GPSs registered the gradient at 21 percent. That's the steepest we've ever gone up with this bike. We made it, barely!

  

Lunenburg is the most popular tourist destination in Nova Scotia and it is easy to see why on a day as beautiful as today. Historically, Lunenburg was a fishing village. Today, the old buildings have been restored and painted in beautiful bright colors and house a lot of restaurants and shops with all sorts of things that nobody really needs. But the town is a delight. Our apartment is right on the waterfront and has a grassy area in front of the expansive windows that give a perfect view of the harbor. We put lawn chairs out and just sat there all afternoon watching the boat and people traffic. It couldn't have been a better way to pass a lazy afternoon.

Lunenburg

Old, well-maintained and gayly painted houses

The Bluenose (a replica) is directly across the dock from our apartment

Part of the main street

As we watched the town go by a light breeze picked up in the afternoon and several sailboats took the opportunity to raise their canvas.

The view from our apartment

The view from the grassy spot where we spent the afternoon

Some refreshment to help pass the time

The town's moto

Lorie's dinner, a lobster roll. It was good but not as good as the one she had in Victoria Harbour

Our path continues north and today we're off to Chester, another picturesque historic fishing village about 50 km north. 

A day to Search of Digby Scallops, and another day to head to the East Coast

 Our stay at the Icelandic Horse Farm in Bridgetown NS has been wonderful. The family that owns it echos so many of our experiences, both in terms of life and lifestyle that we connected immediately. They are wonderful people who we've really enjoyed. And their animals are a joy, Bobby the sheltie who likes to bark at me, Maggie the sheltie who is as sweet as could be, and the tiny puppy Ischka who has stolen Lorie's heart and convinced her that she wants an Icelandic Sheep Dog. Oh Oh.

Ischka

Maggie watching our bags

Bobbie, as close as he'd get to me...

Ischka gets two photos because she's so sweet

Days off from riding are simply too busy to do blog posts. After tons of coffee and food with Dan and Lizi we took off with the bike unloaded to the relatively nearby fishing village of Annapolis-Royal to search for world famous scallops. It is probably worth mentioning that the dashed lines on the map mean that the road is gravel, or more likely, a dirt path. It is only about 15 km to Annapolis Royal and 15 km back but the weather was pretty wet. That's not a deal breaker though, as we've become rather accustomed to wet. It was Sunday and we knew that not much would be open in town, but we had 4 hours to kill before the restaurant opened. So we did everything one could do in a tiny fishing village on a rainy Sunday afternoon. We went to the German bakery and had coffee and pastries. We went to the local brewery and sampled their beer:

All the breweries in NS are into donating money to Ukraine and calling out Mr. Putin for what he is

We love the artwork on these cans. "Huyla" roughly translates to "dick head"

Great beer

Behind the pisser in the men's room

We went to the local wine tasting room, and then to dodge a particularly ambitious rain storm we went into a museum that was a military fortress for many hundreds of years. We learned a lot about the tragic history of the Acadians in NS at the hands of the British. The Acadians were well accepted by the aboriginal inhabitants in the late 1600s and 1700s because they did not seek to take land, but instead reclaimed wetlands for agricultural use. But the British did what the British have always done and did the great purge (aka genocide) that sent the Acadians to (eventually) the lands that would become Louisiana, and a terrible cost to the Acadians. The natives didn't fare much better but were deposed to small sections of land.

Fort Anne, Annapolis Royal NS

Wine tasting on a rainy afternoon

Fortunately, Acadians have returned to much of NS and the other Maritimes and are working hard to maintain their heritage. Here's their flag:

The Acadian story is fascinating.

After the wine bar we still had another hour to kill, but the rain had stopped so we found a bench to sit on. Miraculously, the clouds parted and the sun came out. Must be a message in there somewhere, eh? 

Annapolis Royal looks better when it isn't raining 

Local art

Looking south toward Digby, the source of our dinner

We sat down at precisely 1700 and ordered our scallop dinners. I have always loved scallops and the Digby scallops did not disappoint. It was well worth the ride and the wait.

Our restaurant

Digby scallops #1

Digby scallops #2

It was getting a bit late and we had 15 km to ride home, so we hit the road. We had a strong tailwind and made it in no time at all.

Tide on the way in

Next Scene: this morning.

We had a good sleep and after a hearty breakfast we bid adieu to our friends at the Iceland Horse Farm, heading all the way from the west coast of NS to the east coast. Turns out this was our longest day on the bike and there's a big hill betweenxt the west and east coasts. But the weather was civilized, if a bit cold, and we made 125 km and 1500 m of climbing in good time (the phrase "good time" being used entirely relative here). We arrived in Bridgewater, which is just a stone's throw up the LaHave River and which is a lovely old village. We're knackered but have decent accommodations. A shower made us feel a lot better and as soon as I'm done with this blog post we're heading out to find some grub.

Once we made it to the top of the climb we rode across a long, high plateau. There were a bunch of beautiful lakes and the scenery was awesome.

They're pretty but probably invasive...

A high elevation lake

Another one

The LaHave River

I hope that a white bike doesn't mean the same thing in NS as it does in Oregon...

It feels bittersweet to have made it to the east coast. We know that we have only a few short days of riding before we make it to Halifax, and all that comes with that -- packing the bike up, getting ready to head home. But there are adventures ahead of all that, so stay tuned and be well.