Glad I'm Inside Today

This is what parts of my home town look like this morning ... Glad I'm inside with no place to ride today!

Photo @PennyLeeScott #ygk #onstorm

That's All She Wrote ...

Just over 3,500 km and back home again. Took the scenic route until the construction became too unpredictable then headed to the Trans Canada. Beat the rain and the dark. Unbelievable, no more than two drops of rain on the entire ride - and this is what real wifi feels like (insert smiley here!) And that's all she wrote, for now.

I Thought I Was Going To Catch A Sunset ...

A cool morning, it rained again last night, but the sun was shining so I continued up the scenic route, following the river. At Grand Falls the sky started to darken so I moved over to the Trans Canada to make a little time, always hopeful to stay between the clouds. And I did. And the sun came out again, even if the heat didn't.

I headed off the highway once again to ride one of my favourite Canadian roads, hwy 132, along the St. Lawrence River. 

Every time I pass her, I have to stop to say hello. There is something about her that I love. I think it's her attitude or maybe it's the goose on her shoulder. And I was riding out of town, on my way to Quebec City when I stopped, made a U turn and decided to stay. Maybe it was a premonition or maybe just coincidence. I splurged on a nice room and set off to explore Saint-Jean-Port-Joli.

This is a replica of the Iron Screw Steam Ship, Canadian, before, "She lie wrecked on L'Avignon Rock near the Pillars, about 50 miles below Quebec."

And here's what she looks like today, at the bottom of the river.

I suppose I could have gone further, making tomorrow's ride a little shorter but instead I stopped and watched the storm roll in. I expect I would have been fine but ...

It was a spectacular sight. I thought I was going to catch a sunset and instead, like a storm chaser, I watched the storm roll across the water, mesmerized by the clouds. I stayed a moment too long and had to run for it!

 

No sunset, but a beautiful sight just the same. And the forecast for tomorrow, sunny skies. That will make the extra 100 km easier to take. Looks like the storms are behind me now.

Another Beautiful Day For A Ride ...

It was a hot one today, I'm not complaining, but I was down to the mesh well before lunch (that's clock time not belly time.) I decided to meander along the river. Between watching for wildlife and potholes I really didn't get to see much of it though. I stopped to take a photo of the trans-Canada going overtop.

And of course I had to stop to take the mandatory photo of the bike in front of the Hartland Bridge (longest covered bridge in the world.) Another beautiful day for a ride, but not a day without issue. The issue; a stinging critter of the bee variety made its way down my neck and stung me several times before I could get stopped, flush it out and kill it with great satisfaction. 

Sometimes When Plans Change.....

I took highway 6, the sunrise, scenic route from Pictou to Moncton. It was a route that followed the shore, but saw little water. Mostly it meandered through farm lands and forest. But that was okay. 

Some times when your plans change, you see the most amazing things. The Bay of Fundy is known for the highest tides in the world and those tides have a big impact on rivers that drain into it. Moncton is on the Petitcodiac and I arrived at near low tide ... A deep dry river bed, or so it looked.

Then the tide changed and I watched the tidal bore push the water back up the river. The wave crest was large enough for a surfer. Amazing!

Now, since I'm headed home I have decided to treat myself to hotels (faster pack up in the morning for sure.) The good news here in Moncton, for under $100. I have a beautiful room with a den, kitchenette and a king size bed with not three but five pillows. The bad news is, it's in what you might consider a dodgey end of town ...so I didn't wait for high tide, I wanted to be inside before dark, and the sun was setting!

On To Nova Scotia

Waiting in line to be, it would seem, swallowed by a large Northumberland ferry.

The tiny opening to the straight that had to be maneuvered through by the capable captain.

Leaving the Island behind...

One last look back.

 
Pictou Nova Scotia ...

Last Day On The Island

It is my last day on the Island. Part of the reason for coming to Anne's Shore was because of the free admission to all National Parks in celebration of Canada 150. I've made a point to ride this scenic route 3 times, just to get my monies worth.

 

These fishing boats leave from North Rustico harbour and head into the gulf, parallel to the scenic drive for a bit, so today I followed them for as far as I could.

Shades Of Bobskoot

It was a beach kind of day. Everybody thought so, even the million jellyfish who had floated into shore. Only the bravest of soles were daring to step foot into the jellyfish stew at Cavendish this afternoon. I was not one of them. Being a bit lazy, I wandered down to the shore only half intending to stay and gathered more than a few looks wearing a bathing suit top and snow pants bottoms.

I deemed the beach too busy and not bathing suit worthy so headed back to the bike for a shoreline  ride instead.

I've had a bit of a change in plans today. After meeting up with a group of riders from Nova Scotia I've now officially become a wanderer again, with no destination. I also have decided that it's much more fun to ride an unloaded Star than a loaded one (must be the age thing.) So I'm going to try to lighten the load before I take a trip on the ferry boat. But tonight there are shades of Bobskoot in my head as I wander around the campground looking for a wifi access point and grumble about the poor internet service at this campground.

Oh, right, this is the place that gets 4 stars for the availability of food and zero stars (make that minus 10 stars) for wifi service.

Some things never change. That's goat cheese, pears and a balsamic reduction on my pizza. (And that's iOS making the photo ginormous!)

A Little Bit Of Nothing

Im obviously not on an epic journey so I'm going to call it a rejuvenating trip and today was another rejuvenating day. Riding kilometres, 36: walking kilometres, 15.2: destination Charlottetown: reason, lunch.

It was rather quiet in Charlottetown, considering it's an epic year for Canada and the city is considered the birthplace of Canada. Perhaps the city was just having a rejuvenating day like myself.

Pikes Quay, lunch on the patio with Elizabeth.

And in case you are on holiday, like me ... and may have forgotten what day it is, or possibly what year it is ...

Or is it?

Places I've Never Seen Before ...

A friend of mine was telling me how she thought she'd d rather go to new places than keep going back to the same old place every time. She has a point, exploring new places can be exciting, but going back to the places you love can be relaxing. I think I have both here on the Island. 

I enjoy knowing the good places to stay, knowing where to eat, and seeing family. It's restful, but at the same time there is no way I will have ever seen everything there is to see on the Island.

Today was a picture perfect motorcycle day and I headed east to a place I've never seen before ... Panmure Island ... an island that belongs to the Island. It is home to the oldest, working, wooden lighthouse. It was scheduled to be replaced with modern technology until a group of volunteers took it over to keep it guiding ships through the straight as it has since the 1800s.

As a side note on camping ... I dam near froze to death last night. Down here it's not the cold, it's the damp. I had just about every piece of clothing on I could find and had the riding jacket on top as an extra blanket. So on my way back from exploring new places I stopped at a familiar store and bought an emergency blanket. If it can keep a hiker alive in the mountains, maybe it can keep a motorcyclist alive in PEI.

More scenes from the beach...

When the tide goes out, the clam diggers come out.

Time For The Walking Shoes To Earn Their Passage

Breakfast was eaten in the campground pavilion. Out of the rain I pondered what to do on my 'non riding' day of rest. You already know the radar image wasn't good, but the storm must have moved south. The sky didn't clear, but the rain stopped. The bay was calm; the only ripples, caused by the tide, were gently drawing the water back out to the straight.
I decided it was time to make my walking shoes earn their passage.

And now I'm sitting in front of a most beautiful campfire, thanks to a neighbouring camper, on a chair (having much less RV envy now) with 33,471 steps (25.5 km). Now that's  what I call a day of rest.

Scenes from the beach.