Mount Thom to Halifax
134 km. Overcast, with periods of light to heavy rain
Winds – low to mid twenty km/h, with gusts, headwind
Hurricane Bertha, in the Atlantic Ocean, originally a category 2 storm, is the cause of these winds and rain. Fun. It should be getting better in the next few days.
I have gone the furthest South for this part of the trip. From now on, it is North-West (basically, with detours, of course).
The spot I stayed at last night turned out to be quite good. No bears, so I was fairly safe (I wasn't sure when I went to bed). When I was packing up, I felt a few drops of rain. Luckily, it didnt' turn out to be anything, but I still had to hurry since there was no fly on the tent.
The tire felt soft when I left, so the first thing to start the ride was to change the tube. Just part of the process. The ride itself to Truro (30 km) was decent – nice pavement, and ok winds. In Truro, I was able to do a bunch of work to have all my papers in order so I can start work in 3 weeks or so. The lttle things I am stressing about are slowly reducing. Now, I can just think of the people who I wish I could be around them to help them out in their current shituations. I hope my thoughts sends them positive vibes. Courage, et j'arrive bientot pour essayer d'aider.
Rest of the ride – on/off rain, with downpours here and there. Nice scenery from Grand Lake (30 km before Halifax) and beyond. Pavement decent only in that last part, but the bit from Truro to there was quite rough at times. With the rain today, not much opportunities to take pictures of things. I didn't even find a “Welcome to Halifax” sign with the highway I took into town.
I made it at Ian's place, a cousin of my new landlord. (en passant, un stress de moins maintenant, gros merci). Feels a bit like frat boys, but behaved. Good steak dinner, with cooked spinach, tomato, and a (new to me) seed called quinoa. Apparently, the oldest seed there is. It is quite tasty, and very healthy. Fun times at the table to, talking about trips, surfing, which direction to do the Cabot Trail, etc, over a few beers. One of the hot topics today was differentiating between a causeway and a bridge. Does the latter consist of an overhead suspension system, or can it rely strictly on piers. I believe I have the answer now.
After a few beers, we headed out to the hot spot for donair meat. We each had a donair pogo, with the (what I call) maritime donair sauce (sugary garlic sauce), and I ate a small donair on top of that. The spot is known to the locals as the best location for the meat.
Tomorrow, rest day, I will be a tourist for the touristy spots. But, besides the Keith's brewery, I found out there is 4 micro-breweries. So, when I'm done with the touristy stuff, and went to the “ok stuff” beer, I will head to the “good stuff” beer joints. Of course, I will eat a bit here and there.
So, I will report back to you in a day or so.
So long, from your favourite traveling Chia Pet (TM).
p
(pics uploaded, up to date)
Introduction
Allo, hello, tere,
Some old lines/puns: Pierre qui roule, rock and roll, the rolling stone (gathers no dust).
Who: Pierre, Ottawa (ON)
What: Cross Canada travel.
When: After a few days rest in Tofino, British Columbia at the beginning of May, 2008, hit the road around the 4th. The 1st time-based goal is to arrive in Ottawa in mid June, race in a 24-hour mountain bike competition, and head back on the road a few days later. Finish the trip in St. John's, Newfoundland, at the end of July, 2008, before returning home to Ottawa to start being an adult again.
Where: Canada, West to East, via Toronto, Ontario. Detours: Val Gagné and Manitoulin Island (ON), Gaspé region (QC), and Cape Breton (NS).
Why: Visit this beautiful (and fairly big) nation of ours. See family and friends. Taste the cuisine of different parts of the country and enjoy the various beers and wine along the way. Experience anything the villages and cities along the way have to showcase. Lose 50 pounds and be buff.
How: By bicycle (her nickname: Dzie, pronounced D-Zie).
Extras: According to mapquest, a drive from tip to tip (via Toronto) would be 7710 km (85 hours of driving, 2 ferries). A flight would only be 5400 km (9 hours flight time, with switching planes 2 times).
* I do occasionally feel I am following the footsteps of a few great ones (whom I've also had the honour of riding with), who have done this trip in the past - Al, and especially Tanya. I do hope that I can bring in some new pics, new stories, and not rehash stuff that those amazing folks have done before me.
** I imagine I'll be a bit lonely at times throughout the trip, where I highly request and encourage comments from you guys. It'll be my way of having some conversations with you. I'll try to update the blog every few days.
Disclaimer: Most of you guys know me. In my posts, there will probably be a mixture of bizarre stories, silly jokes (like the weight-losing bit a few instances before), some references to music lyrics and movie lines. I will do my best to entertain, but sometimes, I might miss the mark on being funny or entertaining (hopefully not though).
Posting messages: Readers with a gmail/blogger account - you know what to do. Readers who do not: post a comment as anonymous (but put your name at the bottom of the comment please). The occasional personal messages can be sent to pierre.l.perron@gmail.com
Ciao,
p2
Some old lines/puns: Pierre qui roule, rock and roll, the rolling stone (gathers no dust).
Who: Pierre, Ottawa (ON)
What: Cross Canada travel.
When: After a few days rest in Tofino, British Columbia at the beginning of May, 2008, hit the road around the 4th. The 1st time-based goal is to arrive in Ottawa in mid June, race in a 24-hour mountain bike competition, and head back on the road a few days later. Finish the trip in St. John's, Newfoundland, at the end of July, 2008, before returning home to Ottawa to start being an adult again.
Where: Canada, West to East, via Toronto, Ontario. Detours: Val Gagné and Manitoulin Island (ON), Gaspé region (QC), and Cape Breton (NS).
Why: Visit this beautiful (and fairly big) nation of ours. See family and friends. Taste the cuisine of different parts of the country and enjoy the various beers and wine along the way. Experience anything the villages and cities along the way have to showcase. Lose 50 pounds and be buff.
How: By bicycle (her nickname: Dzie, pronounced D-Zie).
Extras: According to mapquest, a drive from tip to tip (via Toronto) would be 7710 km (85 hours of driving, 2 ferries). A flight would only be 5400 km (9 hours flight time, with switching planes 2 times).
* I do occasionally feel I am following the footsteps of a few great ones (whom I've also had the honour of riding with), who have done this trip in the past - Al, and especially Tanya. I do hope that I can bring in some new pics, new stories, and not rehash stuff that those amazing folks have done before me.
** I imagine I'll be a bit lonely at times throughout the trip, where I highly request and encourage comments from you guys. It'll be my way of having some conversations with you. I'll try to update the blog every few days.
Disclaimer: Most of you guys know me. In my posts, there will probably be a mixture of bizarre stories, silly jokes (like the weight-losing bit a few instances before), some references to music lyrics and movie lines. I will do my best to entertain, but sometimes, I might miss the mark on being funny or entertaining (hopefully not though).
Posting messages: Readers with a gmail/blogger account - you know what to do. Readers who do not: post a comment as anonymous (but put your name at the bottom of the comment please). The occasional personal messages can be sent to pierre.l.perron@gmail.com
Ciao,
p2
Monday, July 14, 2008
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