Monday, 05 June 2006

Digby to Granville Ferry (Nova Scotia)

Monday morning - it just comes round so quick. The morning was damp, grey and cloudy, but at least it wasn't raining. I packed up my things and cycled back into Digby to find somewhere open for breakfast. I wasn't looking promising as everywhere seemed shut, but at the last, the Fundy Restaurant was open. British cuisine may be a bit of a joke compared to say French or Italian. After all what did we give the world (apart from Ros Bif!) I'll tell you what, the good British breakfast. You can't beat it. What's the most important meal of the day? At least back in the days when people actually worked for a living as opposed to sat on their butts for a living. Not that I could normally face a big fried breakfast too often at home, but now... I'm just responding to my body's needs...

It was nice to be back on the bike after yesterdays enforced rest day. I was trying to avoid using the main 101 highway, so from Digby I heaed inland to Acaciaville and then back to the coast at Smiths Cove. This wasn't easy given that my [free] map isn't very detailed and the roads were unpaved. Luckily, just when I needed some help someone came along in a car and offered directions. From Smiths Cove, again to avoid the 101, I took a long detour inland following the Bear River to a little village also called Bear River, where I stopped for some divine cherry cheesecake and a pot of tea.

From Bear River I was heading back to the coast on a rather hilly road. I crossed Hwy 101 again and rejoined route 1 through Cornwallis, Clementsport and Upper Clement, arriving in Annapolis Royal in the early afternoon. I met Tom and Gail from Florida on the wharf and they invited me to join them for lunch, which made for a pleasant and sociable change. They insisted on paying too, so I can't smell too bad yet!

After spending some time in the library I emerged to find that the weather had taken a turn for the worse; a light misty drizzle was falling and it had turned much chillier. I headed across the Annapolis causeway to the Tidal Power Plant (The only one in North America) and Visitor Centre. From there I just went the short distance to the dreadfully named 'Dunromin' campsite at Granville Ferry. ($26.45 inc. tax) Most of the site seems to be waterlogged after 3 days of rain but I managed to find a relatively dry spot down by the water of the Annapolis River.

Distance: 57.9 km
Cycling time: 3:45
Total distance: 1099.2 km