After I left, I made Kennetcook my next destination, as the women at the interpretation centre had told me that there was a grocery store and ice cream shop there. It was so hot and so hilly, I just kept looking for the next town the whole day, chipping away at the kilometres I had to travel. I was so happy to get to Kennetcook, where I got my daily ice cream, and some supplies to make a wrap. I also found out that the water in Kennetcook is not potable. I was not about to buy a plastic water bottle, so figured I’d just stop at the next gas station I passed to fill my bottles, making use of my Steripen water purifier for the first time on this trip (the women at the grocery store and ice cream shop wouldn’t fill them since the water wasn’t potable).
Kennetcook is at the bottom of a valley, so leaving, I had to go straight up a hill without any momentum. I kept grinding away, looking for a gas station, but didn’t passed any for a really long time! At this point, my water levels were getting critical, so finally I stopped at someone’s house around Scotch Village. The woman who came out was super nice and filled my bottles and even offered me a freezie and to come in and rest. I was still trying to make it to Gaspereau by a reasonable hour though, so I carried on. The next city I’d be passing before getting to Gaspereau was Windsor, so I figured I could take a quick break there.
While I was in the Brooklyn region, I passed over the St. Croix River which was super pretty—the way afternoon light makes the water glimmer always gets me. Just after passing over the river though, I saw a few cars pulled to the side of the road and an RCMP cruiser. As I got closer, I saw a dead deer on the side of the road and a huge dent in a woman’s car. So that was kind of sad. I was getting close to Windsor though, which was good, because I was exhausted.
I figured that most stores will be closed tomorrow for Canada Day, and I didn’t know what the liquor laws in Nova Scotia are, so I wanted to pick up a couple beers for the end of today and tomorrow (because it’s amazing how motivating a cold beer can be at the end of a long day for those final 15 km). Once I got into Windsor, I followed the main road into downtown, and pulled into a big parking lot to lookup where I could get beer. Before I could pull my phone out though, I looked up and I had inadvertently stopped right next to a microbrewery. So that was definitely a sign. And Schoolhouse Brewery sold cans too, not just bottles, so I could easily transport them to Gaspereau. The woman there even filled up my water bottles for me. So at this point I was feeling refreshed and ready to tackle my final 25 km. Windsor seemed like a nice, cute city. They had lots of street art, and a great park overlooking the Avon River. I didn’t stick around for too long though, because it was already around 6, and I really just wanted to get to Gaspereau.
I crossed the river to get out of town, and while the scenery I passed as I kept going was nice, the hills just wouldn’t end, and I was so over them at this point. Also, the signage in Nova Scotia is really not good, so at a few junctions I had to stop and check my phone, which was annoying because it always seemed to be at the bottom of hills. Finally I got to Avonport, and I saw the signs directing me to the Gaspereau River Road. I starting going along there, and it was so pretty! Gaspereau is in the heart of Acadian wine country, and as far as I can tell, wine country is always super pretty. A lot of the rivers I’ve passed have had this red clay in them which makes them look super cool, I guess it’s the same water system as the Bay of Fundy, so it makes sense, as this is what the ocean bed at the Hopewell Rocks was like.
Finally I reached my destination—a friend of a friend, Nevin’s place. His house is just down the road from the l’Acadie winery, the first winery to produce sparkling wine in the champagne-style (creating the carbonation through fermentation rather than by adding carbonation at the end) I think in Canada, or maybe in NS. Nevin was telling me a bit about the history of the region, and the Acadians built all these canal systems when they first settled, which made it possible to farm here. They were expelled by the British, but the irrigation systems they built remained, and makes the winemaking possible today.
Nevin had some tenants in the house, so I pitched my tent in the yard, and once I was showered, was about to start making dinner. And then Nevin offered to take me into Wolfville to show me around a bit and to go grab a bite to eat there. I was so tired, the thought of not having to cook was the most amazing thing in the world. First he showed me around the farm next door where they have sheep (and a wool shop!), before taking me to a brewery in Port Williams which had an amazing view of the river. Turns out the region doesn’t just make wine—there’s a bunch of breweries and distilleries there too. I ordered the most decadent meal—a lobster poutine—and felt like the most indulgent person. And it was so delicious. The sauce wasn’t a regular gravy, it was like a lobster cream sauce and there were pieces of lobster in it too, and it was amazing after such a long day. So already, my time in this region has been off to a great start!
Total distance: 124 km
Total elevation: 1,085 m
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