Days 73 - 75 Coast to Coast it's all been done!

Charlottetown -> Pictou

I was sad to leave Charlottetown, I enjoyed it immensly but I knew I needed to keep going! Huge thanks to Nancy and Gareth for having me stay with them for my 2 nights on PEI I had a great time! I got to see Green Gables, the beaches and the red cliffs, what a beautiful province!

The ride to the ferry terminal was pretty short just over three hours and fantastic scenery so I enjoyed every minute of it. I got to the ferry terminal with plenty of time to spare so I relaxed and had a snack while I waited. The ferry was nice, pretty small compared to BC standards but had a cafeteria and seating upstairs so I read my new L.M. Montgomery book (yes I had to buy one after a visit to Green Gables) as we chugged across the straite.

From the Nova Scotia side I only had about 10km to go before I hit the town where I was staying. Pictou was small and picturesque except for the big plant across the bay which ruined the otherwise unobstructed view. I checked into a quaint old inn in the middle of town and then set out to look for something for dinner. Quite the spectacle was going on when I reached the street, a parade of fire engines all with sirens screeching! I still don't know what the occasion was but there sure were alot of them and they were LOUD. They looped around the town before heading off to scare the next neighbourhood! I found the restaurant which had been recommended to me by a local and headed in for a bite to eat. Another diner sight greeted my eyes and I chose the only veggie options on the menu, a veggie sandwhich and caesar salad. I guess maybe if you eat meat and your teeth are removable you might like this place but for me it was a dud. I finished quickly and headed back to my room for the night.

Pictou -> Truro

I left late in the morning to another drizzly day. Nothing much to talk about on the ride, pretty dreary cold day with not much to look at. I arrived in Truro before my host had returned home so had a tea in Tim Hortons while I waited. Not long after I was back on my bike heading for Matt's (couchsurfing host). A shower and a change of clothes and I was feeling much better. Matt and his roomate Omar were great company and we had fun exchanging stories and just hanging out. They got a kick of how squirmy I was once I found out the rat they had in a tank on the floor wasn't the pet but the meal for their pet python Monty. They assured me he probably wouldn't be eaten that night since he had already survived 5 days. Of course they were wrong and just minutes after I found out, the rat was in the belly of a very full snake! Yuck! I couldn't even look in the direction of the tank, snakes just aren't a particularly friendly or cuddly pet. Despite the snake in the corner I still had a decent sleep. I guess when you are tired nothing can really keep you awake at night!

Truro -> Halifax

The Last Day!!!!!! How amazing to finally be finished!!! It actually didn't really feel real, it still doesn't, just feels like another rest stop before i'm back on the bike. Maybe once i'm on the train heading home it will set in.

The ride was dreary to start with another misty day. The first couple hours weren't very fun except for the little local bakery I discovered with cookies still warm from the oven! They were a hit, I'd never had date cookies before but let me tell you they were delicious! The day picked up after the cookie stop and the clouds started to clear. By the time I was heading down into Halifax it was a sunny evening. I rode across the Macdonald bridge from Dartmouth into the city that was my final destination! I arrived at Therese's and of course quickly hopped into the shower. I had dinner with Therese and her boyfriend Adam and then we were joined by Wanda, the P4P coordinator, and Susie, a P4P rider from Nova Scotia. We had a good time exchanging stories about the different parts of the ride.

Yesterday I met Wanda for lunch at a local cafe before exploring the downtown a little. We then did a wrap up interview for the Sierraclub website, you can view it here. The interview was fun and classically Nova Scotia with the bagpipes in the background and it kind of finalized the trip for me! Now i'm down in Lunenburg staying at Wanda's farm for a few days. On Friday I will be taking the ferry from Yarmouth to Portland and from there making my way to Boston where I will take the train across the states to Seattle! I will be back on Pender on the 14th! 3 and a half months and a hell of a journey later!! Thanks for reading my stories, I hope you enjoyed them and learned a little something!!! xxoo