August 30 Still on the train

Summary: 1933 km
19 days (including rest days)

Quebec City 5:00 am. Feel awake but sure seemed I woke up a lot from a fitful sleep. My legs wouldn’t settle and I had to keep moving them. I guess the result of not using them for a day – they are used to 100 km days! At least the chronic cougher in front of me stopped coughing when he slept.

Walked to the service car and met a non stop talking know-it-all. He knew everything about pipelines, refining, fracking, Irving’s ( even went to school with KC’s sons!), and the McCain’s. Could only last for 1/2 an hour then had to leave.

Montreal VIA station

August 29 Train ride home

Dist 2.63. Time 00:09:36

Thought I would see how far from Bryn & Sylvia’s the VIA train station is. Not far, the ferry ride was longer in distance and time. Bagged the bike and the friendly VIA lady helped! Not in Cobourg are they this helpful.

The train is full

August 28 Halifax

Dist

And today it is raining. Luckily. Just a drizzle and it should stop but overcast for the rest of the day. Rode across the Argus bridge across the Narrows where the great explosion of Dec 6,1917 occured. This is still the largest single non-nuclear explosion event ever worldwide. Stunning views N S E W.

Rode up to the citadel and it was open (usually tourist sites don’t open till 10 – 11). Spent 2 hrs in there just too much to see. By now no rain. Rode on to Point Plesant Park a very nice park with gravel pathways. Met a family from Peterborough who just dropped of a daughter at Dalhousie U and they took the photo of me with the Atlantic in the background.

At lunch I dropped into a McDonald for a burger and to connect to the wi-fi so I could update my blog. Stayed quite awhile watching a group of hoodlums around my bike listening to 2 Chinese students texting in Chinese. Then to the ATM where I noticed my rear tire was soft. What the heck! I pumped it up and hope it holds until the train station tomorrow. I now think the tire is old and the fibers inside are poking the inner tube as I ride along. Then to the

My hosts Bryn & Sylvia

Kieth barrels

Me at the Atlantic coast

oldest cemetary in Halifax and finally to Alexander Kieth’s for the brewery tour. A much anticipated event. I told then I biked from Winnipeg for this! They must have hired Dalhousie theatre students they put on such a performance. Best brewery tour ever. Rode back over the bridge with better views since it was now sunny out.

August 27 Wolfville – Halifax

Dist 98.5. Time 05:18:40
Ave 18.5. Elev gain 913

Got up real early to get a good start before the heat. First panic was I couldn’t find the keys to lock the door. Had to un-pack it all to find the key. Locked the door and slid the key in under the door.

Very nice to ride in the pre-dawn hours. Got to Dartmouth by 12:15 after only 5hr 15 min Dist of 98.5 km. Found Bryn & Sylvia’s no problem. Beautiful heritage house (1888) in a nice trees section of town. Went in the back and as promised the back door was unlocked so I left my panniers in the kitchen and had a rest.

Rode to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry across the bay. Part of the transit system and ticket good for transfers on busses etc. A quick 10 min ride across then rode to the Via train station to check it out. The tourist info for maps and then the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Great museum and then for a tour of HMCS Sackville a decommissioned warship.

HMSC Sackville hedgehog

Argus MacDonald Bridge

align=”alignnone” width=”225″] HMCS Sackville bell[/caption]

August 26 Wolfville

Dist 88.75. Time 04:45:38
Ave 18.6. Elev gain 909

OK today was supposed to be an easy rest day, easy peddling around enjoying the country-side and visiting wineries. Check out the map the easy ride from Wolfville to Cap Spit has a mountain in the way! And at 14% a very steep one indeed. The views of the Bay of Fundy were stunning from the look out. The road ended after 35 k at Cap Spit with a 5 hr walking trail continuing on. Saw lots of raptors today; a beautiful bald eagle, ospreys and hawks of some kind. Took a different route home but had to do the mountain again.

Now I’m enjoying a pint while I write this. The free wi-fi and AC makes it worth it.

Fundy low tide

Car and Texaco

August 25 Annapolis Royal – Wolfville

Dist. 107.96. Time 05:00:04

Ave. 21.6. Elev gain 512

Great riding day again: not a cloud in the sky, tail wind, road has some problems though. I was flying. In kentville for noon. Nova Scotia has a 1 m law so just about everyone is giving me a wide pass.

Arrived in Wolfville in time for lunch. After some confusion in which I knocked on the wrong door the friendly owner took a break from piling logs and pointed me in the right direction. At the girl’s (Dale & Jean’s girls) apt house the landlord and electricians were testing the alarms. So much for sneaking in un-noticed! So while waiting I set up the tent in the sun to dry it out.

After a short break I rode my bike around Acadia U founded in 1838. Wow what a beautiful campus. And around Wolfville and area for fun and after 15 k I ended up at a pub called Patty’s Brewery. It was hot today…that’s my excuse! Ditzy waitress serving and a professor beside me reading. Nice town. Think I’ll stay here tomorrow and ride around a bit to cape Spit and try the vineries and see the sea (Minas Basin and Minas Channel ie Bay of Fundy).

Acadia U.

Acadia U.

This is the life – sipping a local brew, chatting with a prof and updating my blog! Signing out for tonight.

August 24 St John – Annapolis Royal

Whale watching

Dist 40.91. Time 02:08:25

Ave 19.1. Elev gain 415

Pleasant easy start to the day. Had a nice leasurely brunch and then Dale Jean and Lauren drove me to the ferry terminal to catch the ship to Digby NS.

The ferry ride was 3 enjoyable hours. Water was dead calm. Saw lots of poposes and seals and when I was on the port side a whale breached on the starboard so I missed him.

The ride east along the coast was gorgeous: not too hot, not too cold and not a cloud in the act. Scenery is stunning. Got to Annapolis Royal and stopped at the tidal power plant. Very neat (engeneering wise). And then to the Dunronin campsite. $35 for a tenting spot is not cheap! Lots of RVs and only one other tent. Us tenters bonded and went too the pool together. This is a very pleasant campsite even though it’s expensive and I can’t plug in my devices (all the RV sites only have 480 V plug ins).

August 23 Quispamsis

Dist 22.79. Time 01:08:54
Ave 19.8. Elev gain 296

A rest day at Jean and Dale’s place in Quispamsis just outside St John NB. The plan was that at 9 we would meet friends by the ferry. Off the 3 of us went and at about km 4 I had my flat. No tools so Dale helped me with a patch and CO2. Forward about 500 m and roll right onto the ferry. Met Rob and Stephanie on the other side and continue on and about 1 km on I had another flat! This is turning into an interesting day. So we tried one of Dale’s mini racer tubes and it blew as we were inflating it. We had to call Rob back from a few kms ahead. Luckily he had a repair kit and we did a patch job. Then we continued on to farmer’s market for brunch.

Jean and I on the ferry

My bike was having all kinds of shifting problems so we brought it back to the bike shop where they installed a new deraileur and cogs. Great bike shop called Bikes and Beans. The test ride gave a great ride with no shifting problems.

In the evening went to Dave’s house for his 50th birthday party. Got to say maritimers are a friendly bunch!

August 22 Fredericton – St John

With my mechanic

Reversing Falls

Reversing Falls

Dist 139.4. Time 07:27:27
Ave 18.7. Elev gain 1151

You can see by the elevation gain that it’s quite hilly here. They are knocking me out. Nothing but forest on this stretch, a black bear ran across the hwy and the car behind me chased it along the fence line.

Finally got to Dale and Jean’s. Still lots of hills. Dale brought me straight to the bike mechanics. 3 of them worked on my bike: levers, brakes, chain, tape, cables, deraillaiurs etc.

Great treat to see jean and Dale again after all these years (18). Our kids have grown. Oh what memories

August 22 Fredericton – St John