Cyclostravaganza 2007, Day 7: Shelburne NS to Summerville NS (thence to Chester NS)

(Sable River, NS: the foam at the river's top was moving fast, but the surface was mirror-smooth.)

The rain overnight was very, very heavy. There was some infiltration at the edges of my tent. I was glad to have bought paper-towels the night before, as they helped with drying things out. I took down my tent and hung it between two trees to dry. It took me a long time to get everything packed up and to get going - it was probably 11am by the time I got going. By this time, breakfast was but a distant memory.

I stopped at a Subway restaurant in an Irving gas station on the edge of town for lunch. I was chatting with some touring motorcyclists, comparing and contrasting our two-wheeled travels, when they pointed out I had a flat tire. This was the second flat on this trip; both were on the front tire whose tread pattern seemed perfectly designed to trap shrapnel. On the bright side of things, if you had to choose the place where you'd get a flat tire, a gas station is one of the better places. After I fixed the flat tire, my brake decided it would rub - and I was pleased as punch with myself when I managed to fix that, all my previous attempts at brake adjustment having done nothing but make things worse.

On the downside it was now very late, some time between 1pm and 2pm. I called Gretchen and asked about possibly exercising a get-out-of-jail-free card later that afternoon, since at this point it would be nearly impossible to make it to my goal of Chester, some 160km away, solely by bike power.

I cycled east, mainly on route 103. There were a few stretches where I would have had the option to take the old road (#3) but I was pressed for time. In most places, the 103 was the only option. Much of the ride was inland, but there were occasional glimpses of the ocean, and some very nice bays and coves. It was a beautiful day, nice and warm, sunny, and the sea was a gorgeous azure blue. While inland, there were many brooks and rivers. Some were rocky and rapid, some were wide and broad (as at Sable River, pictured at the top of this posting and just below), but all were very dark-coloured, somewhere between the colour of coffee and that of tea.



I made it as far as Summerville, exit 20, where Gretchen's husband Bruce met me on the highway. We loaded my bike into his big plush vehicle, and we drove back to Chester NS, about 100km away.

We had fish and chips for supper at Bruce and Gretchen's cottage. Later that night, the sunset over the water was stunning. It was great to sleep in a real bed again, and to be among friends who spoiled me.

(Chester NS as seen from the deck of Bruce and Gretchen's cottage.)

DAILY RIDING STATS
MXS    43.7
AVS    19.9
DST    56.93
TM   2:51:14

Cyclostravaganza 2007, Day 6: Arcadia NS to Shelburne NS

(Almost all my baggage, stuffed to the max, except the bento-box tucked inside one of the others.)

A day of rain: there was some rain as I was getting going, some rain or and off all day long, and torrential rain upon arrival in Shelburne at the Provincial Park. (Finally I would get to stay in a provincial or state park!)

It was a somewhat unremarkable ride today. I had started out on Route 3 from Arcadia through Ste-Anne-du-Ruisseau and on till Argyle, but the scenery was nothing special, so I switched to Highway 103 to minimise distance. I would really have liked to explore the Pubnicos, Shag Harbour, and Cape Sable Island, but I really didn't think I had enough time. I thought about going into Barrington, but the signs made me change my mind. Even though I had a tent with me, the promise of a tent meeting at 7:00 PM did not appeal to me.



There was a beautiful scene in Clyde River; the water was as glass, mirroring perfectly the meadows, trees, and sky.


As I was almost pulling into Shelburne, I got another message from Gretchen to check how I was faring. I declined the offer to pick me up - it was hard to resist the offer of a halibut dinner! - and told her I was doing fine. Message sent, and the rain started. Aaargh! The provincial park was rather attractive, and I set my tent up in the rain.

I set off into town for supper at a Chinese-Canadian restaurant. The food was good but nothing outstanding; however, I liked the fortune: "Taking a chance at something new in the near future will pay off." Hmmm, I was thinking about canoe camping that day...

I continued on to the grocery store for breakfast fixings, and paper towels to sop up any infiltrations that hopefully wouldn't happen. I passed by a wonderfully funny sign on a convenience store:


I stopped in town and admired some beautiful 18th century (I think) houses and buildings on the waterfront. It was sunset, and the views were stunning of the harbour and looking across to the provincial park where my campground was located.

DAILY RIDING STATS
MXS    54.9
AVS    22.7
DST    91.05
TM   3:59:58
DEP 10:45 AM
ARR  5:45 PM