Our first ride in Nova Scotia was not in the enjoyable category. We followed the 4 lane highway for 70 miles, which was ok at times because it allowed for a shoulder. The unfortunate part came with the uphills, allotting two lanes for the automobiles and leaving nothing for us but a mere white line right on the edge of the pavement. One passing car full of guys yelled something out the window that ended with the word "fuck" while another car coming toward us went well out of their comfort zone to give us the finger. What is with people and their hatred of bicycles? To be honest, those are not the people who get to me. The ones that get to me brush by us and more often than not are driving a Dodge Ram. Again, why? I grip my handlebars and tighten my body to avoid losing my wheel traction and ride through the thick gravel that is tough to keep balance.
The first nights sleep was along the highway with the sweet lullaby of the swooshing cars lulling us to sleep. The ground was soft and we were well hidden, making for another surprisingly good nights rest.
Hitting the turn off from the highway at Cape Breton Island, we hopped on a bike path that was once railroad tracks and runs between the road and the water. Our next night of camping was one of our best yet... like it was meant for our tent. A circle of mowed grass on a cliff overlooking the water surrounded by overgrown shrubbery. After watching the sunset over the ocean, the lapping of the water and the light drizzle of rain made for an amazing nights sleep. This is why I love what we do.
Riding quite a long distance, Ryan's foot starting bothering him. It has even started to turn green and blue and he limps quite a bit when walking. Ouch. We took a slow day once we arrived in Port Hood which worked out perfectly because a 5 hour soaker of a storm came in and sat right above us. Luckily we found shelter with a grocery store diagonally across the street and a campground with showers for $1 just two blocks away. We easily managed to waste away an afternoon eating, reading, showering and resting Ryan's foot.
It's tough to cough up the money for these campgrounds that charge anywhere from $30-$40 per night. We are on our last bits of money and would much rather spend it on food. Although tempted to stay put in Port Hood where the campground has a hot tub (that was broken and would have sealed the deal to stay there) and a pool (that was more than likely filled with pee because it was overflowing with children during the afternoon storm), we waited for the clouds to part and the sun to shine around 6:30pm before making our way a few more miles north.
The town of Mabou is known for its Celtic culture, we stopped outside the community center to hear the local musicians play their fiddles. We both feel we are missing some of the cultural experiences traveling as we are lately, go go go. Because of this, we will take a few days up in Cape Breton Highlands National Park to enjoy some time exploring the land by foot. We have not had a whole day off the bikes since Buffalo, five weeks ago. It's time. I am getting the daydreams of pillows, kitchens, showers, weekend trips, and just sitting around watching a movie or the wonderful Olympics that we are sadly missing. I know, I know, poor me, right? I shall stop complaining. We just need a bit of a break to appreciate our freedom.
The first nights sleep was along the highway with the sweet lullaby of the swooshing cars lulling us to sleep. The ground was soft and we were well hidden, making for another surprisingly good nights rest.
Hitting the turn off from the highway at Cape Breton Island, we hopped on a bike path that was once railroad tracks and runs between the road and the water. Our next night of camping was one of our best yet... like it was meant for our tent. A circle of mowed grass on a cliff overlooking the water surrounded by overgrown shrubbery. After watching the sunset over the ocean, the lapping of the water and the light drizzle of rain made for an amazing nights sleep. This is why I love what we do.
Riding quite a long distance, Ryan's foot starting bothering him. It has even started to turn green and blue and he limps quite a bit when walking. Ouch. We took a slow day once we arrived in Port Hood which worked out perfectly because a 5 hour soaker of a storm came in and sat right above us. Luckily we found shelter with a grocery store diagonally across the street and a campground with showers for $1 just two blocks away. We easily managed to waste away an afternoon eating, reading, showering and resting Ryan's foot.
It's tough to cough up the money for these campgrounds that charge anywhere from $30-$40 per night. We are on our last bits of money and would much rather spend it on food. Although tempted to stay put in Port Hood where the campground has a hot tub (that was broken and would have sealed the deal to stay there) and a pool (that was more than likely filled with pee because it was overflowing with children during the afternoon storm), we waited for the clouds to part and the sun to shine around 6:30pm before making our way a few more miles north.
The town of Mabou is known for its Celtic culture, we stopped outside the community center to hear the local musicians play their fiddles. We both feel we are missing some of the cultural experiences traveling as we are lately, go go go. Because of this, we will take a few days up in Cape Breton Highlands National Park to enjoy some time exploring the land by foot. We have not had a whole day off the bikes since Buffalo, five weeks ago. It's time. I am getting the daydreams of pillows, kitchens, showers, weekend trips, and just sitting around watching a movie or the wonderful Olympics that we are sadly missing. I know, I know, poor me, right? I shall stop complaining. We just need a bit of a break to appreciate our freedom.
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