Sunday, 11 June 2006

Wolfville to Kempt Shore

Ironically, I didn't sleep too well in the B&B; maybe the bed was just too comfy, or maybe I was missing the sound of the rain. Breakfast was nominally at 8:30, when we got to meet the only other guests, a Dutch couple over on holiday. Brian, ever the host introduced us all, and after all the chatter, breakfast was running late. I don't think I've ever had a breakfast that has had such a long-winded presentation. (Must have been tedious for Tom and Gail to sit through it all again) Not only a full explanation of the courses; fresh fruit salad (not tinned!) followed by cereal and then French toast with real (expensive) maple syrup, and then optionally toast with a selection of preserves - but a description almost down to the ingredients and method of manufacture. 4-star service at a 2-star price. [Brian - lighten up!] It wasn't until 10.20 that we managed to escape Brian's clutches and his jokes about helping with the washing-up. It had all taken so long that I was almost hungry again already.

It was a little sad saying goodbye to Tom and Gail, it's been fun bumping into them. (I did see their car later that morning at a winery they were touring, so I left a note on their windshield wishing them bon voyage. They thought that I needed a nickname and were calling me "Wheels", but I decided that it didn't sound right with 'Melville' and that I would need to change my surname to something like McManus. "Wheels McManus" sounds good.)

The day was pretty cool again after yesterdays nice balmy temperatures. From Wolfville I cycled 6 km to the historic site of Grand Pre. (Big field) where they have an exhibition of Acadian life and how the French speaking Acadians reclaimed land from the sea with dyke building, creating a fertile agricultural area called the Grand Pre. The Mi'kmaq Indians were hunter gatherers and not in competition with the Acadian settlers. There was also a short 20 minute film about how beastly the British and New Englanders were to them, ending up with the enforced deportation over 8 years of about 10,000 people around the 1750's.

From Grand Pre I cycled out to the Gaspereau River Road to avoid route 1, and I cycled on through Avonport to Hantsport where I stopped for a lunch of pan-fried haddock. As I had had a late start to the day, because of the extended breakfast, and because I'd had a few short cycling days, I felt that I needed to put some distance under my wheels. With the cool cloudy conditions this wasn't too difficult although the roads continued to be quite hilly and tiring. By the end of the day I was probably only about 15 km from where I started in Wolfville, but I had to cycle about 70 km to get there circling around the Avon river as it empties into the Minas Basin. You can tell that the rivers around this area are all tidal by the tell-tale steep muddy banks, bare of any vegetation. With the tidal range being so great here, tidal bores are commonplace in several rivers.

I dodged the rain for most of the day, but I did get one 20 minute drenching towards the end of the day - but this turned oout to be fortuitous. I stopped at the Avon Emporium - a hardware/grocery store/cafe/post office - to dry off and have a cup of tea. The owner phoned ahead to the campsite for me. They had to open up especially for me, and turn on the hot water as I was once again the only person there and only their second customer of the year. ($15, showers free) With all the recent rain, it wasn't a case of find a dry spot so much as find the least wet!


Distance: 69.5 km
Cycling time: 3:52
Total distance: 1441.2 km