Leaving Halifax was confusing, as the signage in Nova Scotia is very poor. So after biking on a terrifying road with cars speeding past me, missing my exit, and crossing over a 4 lane highway to turn around, I finally got on the road heading in the right direction. I was just passing through suburbs for the first 25 km, until I reached Head of Saint Margarets Bay. From there, the road followed along the coast, so I got some really nice views as I went through the small communities along St. Margarets Bay. I passed by a few beaches in Queensland that were packed because of the nice weather. The road then just went through a bit of nothingness while I continued on until East River, which had a really pretty picnic park right in the water where I had lunch.
From East River, the road started to get pretty hilly as it followed the shoreline of the Mahone Bay. It was pretty hot and the constant up and down was exhausting. By the time I got to Mahone Bay, I had already gone 100 km and had about 25 km to go. I saw a sign for the microbrewery Saltbox as I approached Mahone Bay, which I figured would be a good spot for a break. So I just pushed myself for those final 3 km by telling myself: 10 minutes to cold beer!
I sat in the shade at Saltbox and was still sweating so much. It was 5:30 PM and still somehow 35 degrees. I’ve been told that this heat is very unusual for Nova Scotia, but it’s been unrelentless. Saltbox had a lobster beer, which, as much as I like both those things, initially sounded pretty gross to me. But they let me try it, and it was actually delicious, so I ordered one of them. It was so nice to sit down and relax with a cold beer, but eventually I had to will myself to get up and continue onto The Ovens.
I had two options, to either continue along the shoreline, or to cut straight down. I chose cutting down, as I’d save about 5 km, and then realized I made a terrible decision, as the road was full of extremely steep hills. I was running low on energy as I approached a monstrous looking hill, but there was an intersection just before it. I was really hoping that intersection would be my turnoff, as my legs did not have much left in them for yet another huge climb. Thankfully, as I got closer, I saw that it was my turnoff, so I was spared at least that one big hill.
After that it was pretty flat, winding along the coast, passing cottages, until finally I got to the turnoff for The Ovens, and then just had 1 km of an unpaved bumpy road to reach the campground. Once I was there, I took advantage of the pool at the campground and had a dip to cool off. I pitched my tent looking out over the water and collapsed with exhaustion once I was done dinner after such a long day.
The next morning, I had breakfast by the water and then went over to hike the caves. The town was built following the discovery of gold on this beach in 1861. The gold rush only lasted a few years though, and by 1867, the town had all but been deserted. You could walk down to some of the caves, and hear the waves crashing inside them, which was pretty cool. As I was walking along the caves, I saw the Bluenose II sailing just off the shore.
After the caves, I packed up camp and set off towards Lunenberg. The city is a UNESCO heritage site for being the best preserved British colonial settlement in North America. The houses there are all painted different colours which was cute. When I got down by the water, the Bluenose II was back in the harbour, so I saw it close up. Thor and Heather were telling me though that it’s really like the Bluenose III. Apparently the 2nd version was pretty old and dilapidated and needed to be replaced, but the government was only willing to provide funding to restore it, rather than replace it. So they pretty much rebuilt it from scratch, reusing a couple small pieces of the original skeleton, and are still calling it Bluenose II. I also saw the oldest salt boat in the country, which is a boat where they preserve the fish with salt immediately while on board. So it was a very historical morning.
There was a bike trail that ran almost parallel to the road I had been on when I came, that was an old railroad track, so it was quite flat. I had avoided it when coming, as it wasn’t paved, but after all the hills in the area, I figured I’d hop onto it at least until East River. When I came out of the trail in Chester, it started to rain, and there was a small shop and museum there that had been a former railway station. I went in and the friendly women working there let me eat my lunch inside to get out of the rain. When I was ready to go, I geared up, and went out to brave the rain. Just before leaving I ran into a couple outside the station that I had passed earlier on in the trail. I started chatting with them and they told me they were from Truro. When I mentioned that I had just been there and stayed with the parents of a friend from Truro, she asked me who my friend was. I told her, and it turns out she worked at the high school my friend went to and knew him. So yet another small world connection on this bike trip.
I hopped back on the trail and continued on in the rain until East River. From there I got back on the road, as the worst of the hills were over, and I can get more momentum going when I’m on a paved road. It was a pretty miserable ride back from there, as it was just pouring. My raincoat was quickly soaked through, and I could feel puddles in my shoes everytime I pedalled down. When I finally got back to my cousin’s place in Halifax, I was really glad to be able to jump into a hot shower and sleep in a real bed, rather than trying to pitch a tent in the pouring rain. I’m happy I went out to Lunenberg and The Ovens, but it was pretty far in each direction—coming back was my longest day yet.
Halifax—The Ovens
Distance: 124 km
Elevation: 1,175 m
The Ovens—Halifax
Distance: 129 km
Elevation: 1,102 m
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