The Next Big Thing

To the best of my knowledge, the drive-by of the RCMP vehicle while I was setting up last night was the only appearance said vehicle made. Again, to the best of my knowledge. In some ways I think his original observation of my presence was a good thing – it was kind of like I was under police protection for the evening. Not that I think that I needed it.

What I really needed was an umbrella to cover my tent. No, I didn’t have any major (or minor) leaks last night, but it was another wet night and early morning. That combination once again lead to the unavoidable packing up of a wet tent. I’m unsure how much it rained last night or if it was just heavy fog that moved in that soaked my tent. If it was rain, I didn’t hear a drop.

Despite rising early, I wasn’t in all that much of a rush to hit the road – not because I didn’t want to get on the bike but because Shelburne is only 95 km from Yarmouth. Barring any unforeseen issues, I figured today would be a somewhat easy day. With that in mind, I had a leisurely breakfast at Tim Hortons while I uploaded yesterday’s update. With the update completed and breakfast consumed, it was time to go. By 9:15 I was on my way to Yarmouth.

The first 20 km of the ride were pretty easy – a little hilly, but generally easy. The biggest challenge I faced was visibility. Not that the fog was that dense, but it was thick enough that keeping my glasses clear proved to be a losing battle. You know it’s bad when I could see better looking over my glasses rather than through them – and my vision without glasses is remarkably poor.

With the 20 km mark approaching I decided I would stop for some water and some sort of food. I’m starting to get the hang of this eating and drinking thing. It just so happened that at that time there was a diner along the highway. Breakfast at Tim Hortons was only an hour ago but since it was only a Bagel BELT I decided I’d go into “Anchor’s Away” for a real breakfast. I’m hoping that my arrival was at a particularly slow time because the place was completely empty when I arrived. And it stayed that way the entire time I was there. But the woman who worked there (perhaps the owner) was very friendly and the “Hungry Man #1” breakfast was excellent. Definitely a good place to stop.

With my stomach full I returned to the road. As it turns out it was a very flat road. The hills of the first 20 km were gone and the ride became VERY easy. As a bonus, the fog had cleared a bit while I was enjoying my breakfast. It was still very overcast but at least I wasn’t pedalling in a cloud.

To say that the remaining 70 km were uneventful would be a gross understatement. It was probably one of the easiest rides of the trip. I stopped a few times along the way for the required sustenance – including putting a pretty big dent into jar number five of peanut butter, and rediscovering some M&Ms I had forgotten about. Yes. Me! Forgetting M&Ms! It was a very pleasant surprise.

By 4:00 I had arrived in Yarmouth. My research indicated there was an Visitor Information Centre downtown so that’s where I headed. I made a quick stop along the way at another fruit and vegetable market where I was able to get a few more local pears – the last batch were SO good. Oh, on a side note, as I neared Yarmouth, the clouds that had hidden the sun for the entire ride had moved on and it was now a bright and sunny day. My hope was that Visitor Centre would have space to set up my tent to at least dry it out.

The Yarmouth Visitor Information Centre is one of the bigger centres at which I’ve stopped. That probably has something to do with the fact that it’s right across from the ferry terminal connecting Yarmouth to Portland. The centre is still under renovations but it’s still an impressive building. Apparently it was supposed to be ready back in May but it’s a BIT behind schedule. Anyway, the centre is staffed by two very friendly women who were able to answer all my questions but had no official comment on my plans to set up my tent. Just to be clear, they did not, in any way, give me permission do so. But they did mention that they closed at 7:00.

In addition to not telling me where I could set up my tent, they were able to help me book the next step of my next big adventure. Unofficially, I’ve been planning this for awhile. However, as I didn’t know how everything was going to work out – including whether I would like travelling in excess of 4,500 km by bike – I didn’t want to make this an official plan. Until now. So, I am now booked for passage on tomorrow’s ferry from Yarmouth to Portland. Where will I go once I get there? Well, with summer fading away and autumn moving in (and bringing with it cooler temperatures) I’ve decided to extend my exposure to warm weather as long as possible. So, I’m heading south. Far south. Florida south. I have to be back for work come January so I figure (ie. hope) that gives me lots of time to get down there. My main goal is to return to Quest Air for some hang gliding. As you may or may not be aware, I drove down there back in March. I think it would be kind of cool to drive and pedal there in the same year.

So, there you have it. The next big thing. Look out Florida, Mark’s Midlife Crisis is coming. Oh, and for those interested, this part of the trip is only about 2,500 km.

Today’s Totals:
Distance travelled: 102.44 km
Time on bike: 4:32:54
Maximum speed: 47.02 km/h
Average speed: 22.50 km/h

While my average speed was the highest it’s been since leaving Halifax, it does not indicate a return to race mode. Rather, it’s simply evidence of the easy ride I enjoyed today. I may have only been on the bike for 4.5 hours, but the the trip took about seven hours. Clearly, a leisurely pace.