Go East Old Man!

Just as I swung my leg over the bike this morning it started to rain. I’d been told that the weather was set fair for the holiday weekend. I guess nobody told Halifax! To be fair, it wasn’t anything to get excited about but it set my mood for the early part of the ride. After the best part of a week in the Bluenose Motel, it was almost like leaving home all over again. A deep melancholy descended on my souls as I rode out of town, not helped by the fact that I went the wrong way! I made the basic beginners error of setting my Sat Nav for the destination without checking which way it was taking me and as I had it set to avoid tolls and interstates I was heading due north towards the north coast of Nova Scotia before it decided to head west. Once I spotted the problem and rerouted it didn’t take long to get back onto the right road.

I always find starting a solo journey a bit tough. When you have a travelling companion you seem to spark off each others enthusiasm. Alone, my thoughts invariably turn to home and those I have left behind and won’t be seeing for quite a time. With this trip being my longest yet those thoughts came home to me especially hard. There is also that anticipation of the unknown, exciting certainly, but also just a little bit scary and even after all the trips I’ve done it is still there. No way of knowing what lies ahead, where I will stay or who I may meet. Whilst that is all part of the reason for travelling, it doesn’t mean I am immune from such thoughts.

The rain didn’t last long and it was not enough to wet my clothes or the road; just a few spots every now and then on my visor to let me know it was still about. I ran north as far as Enfield which I then realised was in the wrong direction! So I swung right onto the 277 then the 224 which dropped me back on the coast at Sheet Harbour. It really wasn’t a problem as it was still a great road to ride with hardly a vehicle to be seen. From Street Harbour it was just a case of staying on the coast road. Much of the road was in a fairly poor state of repair but The Beast just wafted over the bumps and craters, after all that was what she was designed for!  I pulled it to buy some food supplies, not much but enough so I had something for supper when I finally stopped. As I came out of the little supermarket there was a group youngsters admiring and taking photos of the bike. As we chatted, one of them said that I had timed my arrival just right as only a week or so ago they still had at least a metre of snoe laying around… Spring it seems has arrived. I set off once more but noticed to my dismay that the ignition warning light stayed on even at normal running speeds. I feared the worst, as last time it happen was in Greece and the alternator coil had blown. I thought I’d better at least have a quick look before the battery ran flat; not a pleasant thought on my first days riding and in the middle of nowhere! I also noticed that the GPS was running on it’s battery instead of off the bike circuit so first thing was to check the fuses. Sure enough the second of the main fuses I checked had blown. That was quickly replaced and off I went. Mat all my problems be so easy to fix.

Picturesque really doesn’t do justice to the scenery; it was a bit like the British Lake District but on steroids.! Lakes, rivers and sea all mixed in with more trees that you could shake a twig at. Clapper board houses painted in every imaginable colour; tiny harbours thronged with fishing boats old and new; with a nice twisty road that was not to narrow, not too wide; perfect picture postcard scenery. Stopping at the side of the road for yet another photograph, a police car came flying down the road with all his flashing lights on and stopped abruptly beside me. My heart did that little flutter that I’m sure everyone feels in such a position! I walk up to meet the officer as he got out and shook his hand. Hi, I said, everything OK? With a big grin he asked if I lost anything, No, I replied. Are you sure, perhaps a black bag and a tripod? Oh hell! In my enthusiasm to be on my way after fixing the fuse I’d forgotten to refasten the bungies on the top box. The black bag only contained my shipping bags so it would have been a nuisance rather than a disaster. However it was a salutary lesson to check things properly before setting off

Canso, you don@t go any further East without getting you feet wet!

My target form the day was Canso. The little fishing village which stands furthest East on the Canadian mainland. I made it easy enough by about 3.30pm but to tell the truth there was not much to hang about for as the temperature which had struggled to stay on double figures all day had suddenly started to drop. I had past a camp site on my way into Canso, and whilst I intend to wild camp for most of the trip to help keep cost down. I decided that I would chance it for tonight as it was my first day on the road. The site was fine although at $25 a bit steep especially when a huge RV with four people was only being charged $30!