Day 70- The Countdown Begins

I woke up at 5 AM, a little groggy after two days of sleeping in, but eager to begin tackling the final stretch. I packed and ate quickly, and Richard and his mom were up in time to say farewell. I thanked them again for everything, and I was on my way. I will see Richard often this fall once I move to Halifax in September, so I am quite happy about that.

I cruised out of Dartmouth in the pre morning-rush calm; enjoying the lack of traffic and the cool air. I also got to wear my snazzy new biking shirt, so that was nice too. There was uncertainty about whether or not I would be allowed to bike on the highway 107 out of town, but I didnt want to take the significantly longer secondary route, so I opted for the shorter route and took my chances. No one cried fowl, and I soon made my way onto the highway 7, which will be my route for many KM along the eastern shores of NS.

It was a wonderful ride, though very challenging. I climbed up and down endless hills with my freshly loaded bike as the road snaked along countless harbours and bays along the coast. I passed dozens of little coves, fisherman's wharfs with their boats and lobster pots, and classic maritime homes with their brightly coloured wodden shingle siding. Everything smelled of salt water, seaweed, and the occasional cluster of roadside flowers.

This went on for hours on end, as I altered between rapt attention to the beautiful scenery, and a disassociated state where my.mind wandered far and wide; allowing many difficult KM to melt by with reduced mental strain. It was well after 3 PM before I became just as mentally weary as physically, and I knew it was almost time to stop for the night. I was beginning to draw near the next town, Sherbroke, so I decided that would be by endpoint for the day. Nearly two more hours of difficult hills and hot weather later, I finally reached town. My legs and my knees were aching from the effort, so I couldnt wait to stop.

I made my way across town to riverside campsite, and set up shop for the night. The site is really quite pretty, shaded under birch trees beside the river as it is. The price was low too.

I clocked a whopping 192 KM from Dartmouth today, putting me comfortably on schedule for reaching North Sydney in time for my 6 PM booking on the ferry to NFLD this Friday. Its another one of those triumphantly exhaustive days, where I am quite pleased with myself for what I accomplished. A little rest  goes a long way.

Only 4 days of actual biking to go!