Day 104: Grahams Road, PEI -> Pictou, NS

Date: Sunday, August 27, 2023
Start: Grahams Road, PEI (Staying with family)
End: Pictou, NS (Caribou/Munroes Island Provincial Park)
Distance: 112km

I woke, showered, and packed up.  It was time to hit the road and get back to crossing the country.  With only two more planned visits before it would be done, it felt like I was so close...but with almost 2000 kilometers left to go...so far.

My cousins made me breakfast and I took the time to enjoy both the meal and the good company.  When it was over I took my time because I honestly did not feel like I wanted to leave.  But as always...Onward!

I said my goodbyes, shared some hugs and high fives, and snapped one last picture.  A big thank you to my cousins/family who hosted me on PEI.  My aunt and uncle have twice given me a place to stay on this trip, and my cousins in PEI have been following the entire trip and been great supporters.  I only see them periodically but relish every chance I get to spend time with them.  I'll be back sooooooooooon!!!!!!!

I rang my bell as I rode out the driveway.  It was time to - as Tom tells us - get to it and at it!

I rode back to the highway.  A storm had passed over the day before and absolutely soaked everything.  It was also incredibly windy the previous day.  Thankfully all of that was done!  The winds were mild and the rain was over.  It was overcast and cool and I was able to ride quickly without getting too warm.  It tried to rain multiple times, but never managed more than a few raindrops or heavy mist.  That didn't mean that I stayed dry however...it only meant that the day was either extremely humid or borderline raining.  I felt...soggy.

I rolled along the highway for a few hours until I reached Charlottetown.  There isn't much to say about this section of the ride except that PEI is FAR more hilly than you know.  Riding along the coast of New Brunswick had been quite flat.  This was probably closer to "normal" terrain in terms of elevation changes, but that didn't make it any easier.  In fact, I found it surprisingly difficult.  My suspicion is that staying up until 1:30am and then waking at 6:30am is not the right way to prepare for a day of cycling.  And so I had to dig deep and push myself to keep going!

I also didn't take many pictures because there was so much moisture in the air and it threatened to rain at any moment.  My phone remained in a dry place!

Once in Charlottetown I stopped at a grocery store for lunch.  I grabbed some bananas and chocolate milk and ate outside.  Someone noticed me and came to chat.  Turns out he had biked from Sherbrooke, Quebec to Montreal only two weeks before.  We had done the same route at almost the same time!  We exchanged notes on our trips and he recommended routes through Nova Scotia.  I thanked him and jumped back on the Confederation Trail to go into downtown Charlottetown.

My goal was to reach Province House, the legislature of PEI and the building that hosted the Charlottetown Conference which led to Canadian Confederation.  So imagine my disappointment when I rolled up and found it was under renovation.  Surrounded by a wall and inaccessible...I would have to settle with this picture!

I rolled through Charlottetown and jostled with all the tourist traffic as I tried to find a coffee shop to grab something more to eat.  My appetite knew no limits today!

I crossed over to the Stratford side of Charlottetown Harbor and found a coffee shop there.  After ordering I waited 20 minutes for a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich.  I'd only intended this to be a quick stop, and so I hoovered it up and hit the road again!  This time the highway dropped down to the coastline and so I cycled along to pleasant water views and farmland all around.

My ferry to Nova Scotia was set to depart at 5pm and I estimated that if I pushed I might make it there JUST before it was set to sail, so I didn't stop and didn't take a lot of pictures.  I enjoyed the scenery as I ground out more kilometers and up and down and through small town after small town.

I arrived at the ferry at Wood Islands, PEI at about 4:46pm.  There were all kinds of vehicles unloading as I approached and I knew I might miss it.  Lucky for me, I was JUST in time to walk on as they started loading everyone!  I bought my ticket and boarded.

PEI was now over!  As I boarded the ferry my odometer read 8534km.  This meant I'd biked a total of 173km on PEI.  I do plan to return one day and bike the entire island from tip to tale, but I'm anxious to get this trip over and that accomplishment will have to wait for another day.

8 down, 2 to go.

On the ferry I made for the cafeteria and ordered a burger and poutine.  Again, I couldn't seem to eat enough.  I sat inside and watched as PEI slipped away and we made the approximately one hour crossing.  I blogged a bit and also ordered myself an ice cream Sunday.  There was no end to my hunger!

Nova Scotia sat in the distance and grew closer and closer.  After just over an hour, we were about to dock.  I walked back down to the vehicle deck and readied to de-ship.  When the time came, I walked off and - just like that - was in Nova Scotia!

Unfortunately I was denied any kind of welcome sign.  No picturesque Nova Scotia sign for me to remember the landing by!  I stopped at a picnic table and called a nearby campground with good reviews, but they were full.  So I opted for the nearby provincial park which thankfully was only a few kilometers away.  It was almost 6:30pm the sun is setting at almost 8pm now.  I need to get used to shorter days!

After only about 5km I arrived at the campground.  I had noticed that the roads seemed to be freshly soaked, and sure enough the parks staff told me they'd just had a hard rain pass through.  I'd missed the rain, but this meant that everything was thoroughly soaked: picnic tables, grass, everything I touched was sopping.  The parks staff were happy to hear about my trip and offered to store my food for me as raccoons had been a real problem.  Not wanting to get burgled again, I left my food with them!

I setup my tent, showered, and immediately settled in for bed.  Remember all that rain just before I arrived?  Well it evaporated as the sun set and I fell asleep surrounded by a heavy fog.  Everything was damp or wet.  It was cool, but not cold.  But the world was humid and nothing could escape the moisture.

I hadn't slept enough the night before, and so enjoyed almost 10 hours of sleep.  I woke once to and stepped out of my tent at about 1am to find the sky was alive with more stars than I have seen in years.  I took a few minutes to enjoy the spectacle, and tucked back in.

PEI is now over.  Nova Scotia and Newfoundland remain.  I plan on taking another couple of detours in Nova Scotia and the long way across Newfoundland, so while it's very close...it's also very far away.  I could be done in about 4 days...instead I might take as many as 14 to finish the trip!  The fatigue is real, but the spirit is still strong and I'm determined to see more and enjoy every moment of it!