Heading up the Coast

June 22nd, 2007

Broke camp at Rissers Beach this morning and packed everything up on the bike.  It rained pretty hard again last night so i had to pack the tent away soaking wet.  I was however, able to get a campfire going last night before the rain set in.  I’m no boyscout I’ll tell you…it took me almost an entire box of matches before i got the thing going.  I felt like Tom Hanks in Castaway trying to get that fire started.  I had seagrass, driftwood… everything — but instead of rubbing two sticks together, I had a box of wooden matches from the Capital Grill in Boston…

Anyway, I packed things up and headed on my way.  This was one of  those “two-parts” days.  You know, when the second half of the day feels completely different than the first half of the day….

It started out cold and misty as I headed up the coast following the “Lighthouse Trail” (if you didn’t know, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have a series of scenic routes “Trails” mapped out on their tourist maps.  It’s really good marketing because some scenic routes are much better than others — but it gets you to follow the routes just because they sound cool).  The Lighthouse trail took me by Peggy’s Cove (just southwest of Halifax).  This place is incredible.  The whole area is this “coastal barren” – stunted green vegetation and stone outcroppings.  It’s beautiful in a very odd, haunting way.  It almost seems like someone made it as part of a movie set… and the cold air and fog were just added to enhance the effect.  This area is memorialized as the crash site for Swiss Air flight 111 (back in 1998) which I only have vague memories of after reading the memorial stone marker.  Probably adding to the aire of the place.  Peggy’s Cove itself is a real-life fishing village (again, like a movie set – but real).  The village takes advantage of its appeal by offering self-guided tours through the tiny village and of the lighthouse on the breakers.

 

Leaving Peggy’s Cove i continued into Halifax — my plans to enjoy a peaceful lunch were destroyed due to a small mishap involving me, my bike and the pavement (I’ll eloborate in another post)

Part two of the day began after leaving Halifax.  The sun came out and the mist went away.  The route heading east is know as the Marine Trail and was an absolute joy to ride. Lots of great views, good pavement and lots of nice sweepers.  I liked this road better than the Lighthouse Trail.  Maybe because the sun came out.. i’m not sure.  The end of the day brought me into Sherbrooke, NS.  Sherbrooke is a living history museum — restored as a village in the late 1800. I got there after 5pm and everything was closed… but you could still ride through the village on the dirt roads.  it was a neat feeling having the place to myself.