Maritime Provinces

My intimate tides…

I started my tour of the other Maritime provinces.
Starting with the ‘Cabot Trail’.

Having arrived in Nova Scotia and having left my friends, on August 17th, I decided to go first to Sydney.  I am very happy to be heading towards the Cabot Trail.  But first I have to fix my gears as soon as I find a bike store.  My gears don’t change anymore, so I did 30 kilometers in low gear!  Phew!… lucky I was able to get this problem fixed for some time actually.  I still managed to get from Port Morien to New Harris.

August 18: New Harris to Black Brook Beach.
I leave at sunrise and stop at sunset this time …
What a landscape! It was very hot!  Fantastic sunrise and sunset!

August 19: 24 kilometers from Black Brook Beach to Cape North.
Few kilometers… but I am burned…
I stop at the first campsite to rest… There are some funny domes, a bit pseudo-futuristic.  I spend a hard night there !… far from the stars…  I was stung by a wasp !…

The next day, August 20th, only 10 kilometers to the hospital of Neils Harbour and back to Cape North.
As I have to take Benadryl (not that I want to, but my reaction is extreme), I stop in a wonderful hostel, the Cabot Trail Hostel, where I can cure myself in all tranquillity.

August 21 & 22: 135 kilometers.
I got back on the road quickly, but since Benadryl makes me sleepy and tired, I’ll be honest, the rest of my trip on the Cabot Trail was a bit foggy!…  Haha!!!
Luckily, I have pictures that depict well this mythical road often seen and used in many car commercials.
My little engine starts to be out of breath but I continue thanks to these breathtaking landscapes!

August 23-25: On the way to another island.
Leaving the Cabot Trail, from Inverness to Antigonish, I rode 260 kilometers, a good part of which was on a beautiful bike path in the Glengarry and Port Hood area.
My goal: to reach Caribou, New Brunswick, where a ferry will take me to Prince Edward Island.


Prince Edward Island.

August 26 & 27: 116 kilometers.
I arrived on this beautiful red island.
It is late, I took the last boat of the evening.
My body is tired. I did not expect such a long wait before being able to cross these covidian customs. In the queue, I fall asleep, I can’t take it anymore. It’s been 8 days since I left the sailboat and I’m pedaling. I really need a break.
Finally I passed the sanitary control and I pedal in the deep dark to find a place to sleep. It’s so dark even my two lights are hardly illuminating me.
Too bad, I camp and fall asleep quickly.
When I wake up, I feel the fatigue of the trip, I remember the last vacations spent with a person I love very much (a faithful friend now).  Then I change my plans and decide to drive to the Confederation Bridge.

I won’t be riding all the way around PEI and that’s a wise decision, there are so many miles to go.
I am happy with my decision.
The thick fog, the smell of the island intoxicates me, I drive.
Suddenly, the sun… and so many happy images unfold in my head…

Epilogue

You will understand that my ‘tour’ of Nova Scotia was limited to Cape Breton Island and a bit more!…  And that I only made a detour to Prince Edward Island…  That’s how life goes sometimes…
My challenge is also to learn to respect my physical limits and to make the right choices.

You will not be left out, New Brunswick was waiting for me…

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

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