Title: Day Eight – Leaving Nova Scotia
Date: August 25, 2007 11:07 AM
Category: Bike
Tags:

We headed up the coast to a little last night to a little town that doesn’t actually appear on my map. It had a pretty decent fish and chip store and some of the best clams I’ve had. The real treat for me however was in observing the eight or ten bikes passing me on the short journey there. This was the highest concentration of bikes I’d seen while in the province and I guessed the roads North of my hostel would prove fun. The only problem is, my journey takes me south and west, around the coastline to the PEI Ferry just past Pictou.

Returning that night, I loaded MapQuest. There was, possibly, an alternate route around the coastal road. It was significantly longer but given the alternative was to ride either highway 104 or route 4 again, I chose the road less travelled adjusting to include a brief stretch of the 104 in order to avoid being lost once again in New Glasgow.

Mapquest tells me it’s 133km to Pictou which should take me about 1hr 41. I’ve been consistently beating the timings my GPS gives me, but this is going to be a tough one. Passing could be tricky and it’s now 9:55. I have to be at the ferry by 11:15 and my engine isn’t even started yet.

Hastily loading up the bike and throwing on my gear, it is however another great day for riding. In fact, it’s basically been like this the whole time: save for the first day, all the rain has been at night with mostly cloudless sky and a nice, moderate 20 Celcius or so.

Heading out, the dogs that greeted me yesterday decide it would be only too polite to see me off. The only problem is, they don’t seem to be turning back. Out the gate, they’re still with me. On this gravel, I don’t really fancy speeding off but as they continue to track me, perhaps now a half kilometre from the house, I realize that is just what I have to do. Rolling the throttle on, the back wheel slides a little but holds. It’s familiar acceleration to anyone that has ever ridden a dirt bike, but to the uninitiated, it can be alarming. Then again, dirt bikes are so much fun, I can’t believe there are any uninitiated out there.

With the dogs gone and me going well above comfort speed on the gravel on a sports bike I quickly hit the road. Commit time. It’s 10:01 according to my clock, which I know to be a little fast, but I can either race and win a place on the 11:15 ferry or lose and have to wait until 1:15 for the next one. Thinking that a good book and my trusty DS will make that time fly, I head right.

The bikers that passed me yesterday weren’t wrong. This is a nice road. No, a great road. It winds, it rolls over hills. It has smooth corners and just enough straight to build speed. It twists and turns with alarming regularity, but then I hit St George. This is the headland and the road looks to thread very nicely up and down a fantastic cliff when a pickup truck decides it would be fun to pull out in front of me.

To be fair, I wasn’t really close enough for it to anything more dangerous than a slight more aggressive breaking maneuver, but there was nothing behind me and he could easily have waited. Damn Killjoy locals. Anyhow, I’m now stuck behind a pickup over one of the funnest roads I have ever seen.

As we round the headland, at what I can only describe as being too sedate a pace as the children crammed in the back keep looking back at me and smiling, the pickup turns off. Throttle open, I’ve now a few extra minutes to make up. According to the GPS, I’m not going to be there until 11:39. I’m ahead, but not by much. Probably not enough, but the road ahead is open and I’m on a very fast bike. What’s a man to do? Opening the throttle, I pick up speed. Some more locals motion for me to pull a wheelie but I decline and tuck in as best as a tank bag will allow. That’s the second time this has happened: The locals must really be starved for entertainment.

Past the headland, until the junction with the 245, the 337 continues to impress. Aside from the cape, this is easily the best road I’ve seen since I’ve been here. Antigonish looks to be a decent place to be a biker. But sadly, after the 245 intersection, this joy fades a little. To be fair, it certainly does not become a bad road, but it does straighten out somewhat. As it loses elevation too, there tend to be more villages too, but no matter. Straighter roads means a higher speed, which means I’m also making time on Pictou.

As I pass through Merigomish, I’m seeing I will arrive at 11:28 now. I need thirteen more minutes or I’m waiting a long time. Shortly after, it’s the 104 again. Two lanes should mean fast, but I saw a cop here the other day and I don’t really want a ticket so I slow down, just a hair. Truth be told, it’s busy too. After seeing less than ten cars all morning so far, I’ve just passed that many at the last passing lane.

Part way along the 104, just outside New Glasgow, the GPS decides to pack in again. Maybe there is something in the air here. Slowing and moving to the inner lane I’m approaching a sign that I swore was the turning I needed, but it’s not listed as the ferry. I decide that one of only two routes to PEI must be signposted from the major East-West highway and press on. A few KMs later, I’m rewarded, but that slow down cost me. I’ve only got about 15km of highway left and I’m scheduled to get there at 11:23. It’s or die time.

This road is straight, and I mean straight. It’s also completely open with no real hiding places. There’s also few cars on it. I guess PEI is as popular as I’d thought it would be… It’s risk, but I tuck in and open the throttle, fourth, fifth and into sixth I’m pushing the speedo onwards. 150, 160, 170, 180 and the throttle is still open. There’s a caravan being towed up at least 1000m ahead and the road looks like it might narrow soon. As I pass the caravan, I look down and see 215 on the speedo. While I’ve just broken my own open street record, I realize I’m doing over 2.5 times the speed limit too. Time to slow, but not too much. The GPS tells me I’ll be there at 11:17 now and it’s not too far. Still above 150, I cross the straits and road once again is totally straight. It goes nowhere else and this is open land so why would it go anywhere else.

As I crest the rise just before the ferry, the GPS is telling me I will be there at 11:13. It is 11:13. I’m here and I’m pulling onto the ferry ramp with minutes to spare. Well, a minute to spare. Before I can remove my helmet, the deckhand is passing me some tie downs and it feel like the engines are starting up. I’m also just behind my family, who arrived here not two minutes before me. If it wasn’t for that pickup on the St George stretch, it could have been them I was overtaking at 215… They would not have been pleased.

Tying down the bike, I strip my protective gear and load it in the truck. Time for an ice cream.

The journey to PEI is uneventful to say the least. Very calm waters look like a mill pond and there’s no breath of wind. The 30 or so KM rolls by slowly, punctuated by junk food and bad coffee. In an hour, I’m ready to ride again.

Disembarking, I couldn’t be more surprised by the contrast between the two provinces.

As I slowly follow cars out of the ferry terminal, I’m hopeful the narrow, straight lanes will open up and give way to something a little more challenging. Am I ever wrong. Firstly, the cars don’t seem to dissipating, which given that there’s only really two roads, East or West is perhaps not surprising. Clearly, everyone else is heading to Charlottetown.

This is however supposed to be highway 1, the main arterial route through the province. I can count on one hand the number of passing places between here and the capital and when they exist, there’s sufficient cars that there’s always old gipper being overtaken by someone only slightly younger, going only a few km/h faster. I should also add that PEI is an agricultural province, boasting some 102% utilitization of the land. Apparently they get the bonus points for using the sea too. Given this though, the roads are all depressing straight, occasionally making a somewhat sharp left or right to respect some land boundary. These infrequent corners clearly give the locals a conniption fit however and you can tell you are near one by the way the brake lights ripple down the line of cars snaking towards it. As you can tell, I’m not really enjoying this. I don’t think anyone could.

The scenery isn’t much to write home about either. While the the initial view is quaint, you quickly realize it doesn’t change either. Vaguely picturesque farmhouse is passed by vaguely picturesque farmhouse, occasionally punctuated by a gas station or small village of equally vague picturesqueness.

Past Charlottetown, things do improve slightly. There seems at least a little elevation to contend with and a few less cars too, but the roads are inherently similar. There seem more bikes out here too, but no-one looks like they’re having that much fun. Few wave back either.

Continuing up route 2, things are improving further. There seem to be a few turns at least now and the thinning cars mean I can actually lean over a bit too. Past Tracadie bay, things start to get a little twistier too. Compared to this morning however, I am not impressed so I forge on toward my destination. While the scenery gives way from agriculture to aquaculture the view at least improves. This is getting towards to more well known side of the island. Pressing on, I’m passing back in time to the late 19th/early 20th century. Past North Rustico, an almost picture perfect fishing village, I’m clearly on my way to see Anne of Green Gables and shortly after, I arrive there. I’m in a cottage literally sandwiched between her home and the avonlea theme park, neither of which I plan on visiting.

Killing the engine, I’m another 280km down and I’ve done 1848 altogether to this point. Dispiried, I realize I’m now here for three days. The place isn’t that bad, in fact, the pool, cottage and amenities seem first rate. The problem is the biking. Sure, my arms are stiff, but I want to find a decent road here, something good about the place for those of us with penchant for two wheels.

Tags: No Comments