East coast adventure

We celebrated the end of the summer by driving to Halifax to visit Valerie & Richard. Bob, Michael & I loaded up our bikes & away we went at the end of August.

Predictably, we stopped by Cornwall and Grand Falls & stayed at the same B&Bs we used the first time we drove to the east coast! The accommodations in Grand Falls was quite comical if not memorable. We took over "The Loft" which is the fancy name for the attic room. It had a queen sized bed and 2 single sized beds along the sloping part of the ceiling. The minuscule shower is in the center by the chimney, the sink is on the other side of the chimney, and the toilet was located in one of the cubby closets on the other side of the shower! We had to practice going back & forth to find the safest route as it was easy enough to hit the sloped ceiling even for my height! Nobody sustained any head injury. The full breakfast was worth staying, though.

Anyway, we got to Halifax safely. We had a short visit with Richard before he left for Victoria, B.C. .

After 3 days on the road, we were more than ready to hit the trails; so we rode for about 60 kms. on the BLT the following day. Here is a description of the trail by the "Found Locally" website:

Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea Rails to Trails (the "BLT Trail")
902-876-2055
This mixed-use trail follows several streams and winds through a "Granite Uplands" ecosystem, with a mixed second-generation forest, along lake shores and past inland bogs providing access to the narrow lake. Vegetation is tolerant of poor drainage, and includes black spruce and larch, while drier areas are home to spruce, hemlock, and pine ecosystem. There is an amethyst vein in the granite at Six Miles Falls. The trail is popular with pedestrians, cyclists, skiers, ATVs, and snowmobiles.


After about 20 kms, we stopped at the Train Station Bike & Bean for coffee and some delicious carrot cake. A wide multi use trail with scenic views, Richard highly recommended this trail.
One of the lakes on the trail: time to admire the view while we have a water break.

The next day, we brought lunch & headed towards the St Margaret Bay to cycle the rest of the Rails to Trails route. The trails narrowed and not as maintained as the BLT but it had beautiful views. That was about 50 kms.

This is one of the streams we crossed while we were on the trail. Click on the picture to magnify.

The Labour Day weekend was spent with some friends in PEI at their bay-side cottage in St. Georges. There were 13 adults and 3 children (not counting visiting friends and relatives). Where did we all sleep? There were 2 cottages, 3 trailers and 2 tents. A lot of reminiscing, eating, listening to guitar music by the campfire, and playing board games like Scrabble. With the temperature on the chilly side, we declined swimming, canoeing and sailing. It was a good visit that Richard missed.

While the boys headed back home, I stayed with Valerie. I rediscovered my walking muscles using the trails around their neighborhood. The Bulk Barn also become my favorite destination. I learned a few crochet pattern (great crochet books borrowed from the library just a block away from V&R's apartment.) I also learned how to use the Wii Fitness. Now, I sort of miss that instant feedback. It was a privilege to be with Valerie when she had her ultrasound so that was really the best part of staying longer. The technology to view this living being while it kicked its legs and wave its hand just blew me away. (I'm using "it" here for simplicity; I don't mean to offend anyone.)

We visited the LYS (local yarn shop), relished a Mediterranean platter for two, feasted on the excitement of the Farmers Market visually & audibly and generously sighed our oohs and aahs at the Dahlia display at the Public Gardens. Halifax has always something to offer, anytime.

Check out the size of that Dahlia; it's almost as big as Valerie's head!

The choice to take the train back home was mine. Beside minimizing my carbon footprint, I wanted a train adventure. It took 29 hours from Halifax to Brantford so when the vistas became monotonous, I was able to finish reading a book and progress my crocheting project (a prayer shawl) to almost completion. Still, I'd have to think twice before doing this again in the near future.