From Digby to Halifax

Peggy's Cove
















Peggy's Cove lighthouse and waves.















Memorial - Flight 111 at Bayswater N.S.


















East Pubnico Harbour

Hello from wet Halifax,

I guess if you're going to be stuck somewhere Halifax is probably not the worse place to be. Since they're calling for rain all day, with winds to boot, I've decided to spend a down day catching up, planning for the next few days and just relaxing.

Last Saturday even though the weather wasn't very nice, overcast with showers, I rode to Grand Pré and visited the Parcs Canada site where the deportation of the Acadians started. This, and Port Royal, which I also stopped at on my return trip to Digby, are two sites with particular meaning for my family. Our ancestor Pierre-Alain Bujold (1668-1708), chirurgien et notaire du Roi, arrived at Port Royal, where Champlain had established a fort in 1605, and married Elisabeth Melanson in 1693; they had 6 children. The name Bugeau appears on the plaque in the reconstructed church in Grand Pré commemorating the Acadiens who were "déporter" starting in September 1755.

The weather for the last two days was perfect for riding, sunny on Sunday when I travelled from Digby to Bridgewater hugging as much of the coast as possible via routes 1 (the Evangeline trail), to Yarmouth, and up the eastern seaboard on routes 330, 309, and 3 going through such places as The Hawk on the tip of Cape Sable Island, Lower East Publico (where from the pier you can see a fairly large wind farm), Shag Harbour (none in sight), Port La Tour, Allendale, and Liverpool. The Bridgewater Days Inn is a nondescript motel with tiny windows; just as well since there are no views. WARNING!! If ever in Bridgewater and you're given a recommendation for a meal at a seafood restaurant called Waves, DON'T. The fish and chips, which comes with two coatings, crackers and batter, both of which are equally bad, is served with frozen french fries, a pink creamy coleslaw concoction, "homemade" tarter sauce and lemon, which I have to ask for and comes in thin slices, is next to inedible. However, the Propeller Ale is cold and good.

Yesterday's route was very beautiful. My first stop was Lunenburg where I spent a few hours visiting the well appointed museum on the waterfront. Thanks to an excellent presentation by one of the guides I now know more about the Atlantic lobster than I care to admit, including how to differentiate between a male and a female lobster; now that will come in handy if ever we meet up with a 40 pound beast diving in the Atlantic. The exhibits on the fisheries off the Atlantic coast, and related matters like shipbuilding, sailmaking, quiltmaking, are all very well set up and there are knowledgeable guides to answer any questions. After la good unch of mussels and bacon-wrapped scallops, I continued my treck along route 3 through Mahone Bay, a postcard perfect setting, and Chester, to route 329 and Bayswater where I stopped at the first of two monuments (the other which I also visited is near Indian River at Whalesback near Peggy's Cove on the other side of the bay) to the 229 passengers of Swissair Flight 111 who perished in Margarets Bay. It's a relatively simple and moving monument that lists the names of those who died in that horrible crash on September 2,1998.

I certainly can see why a side trip to Peggy's Cove is a must. The cove itself is nice, with it's narrow opening to the sea and it's weathered sheds and colourful fishing boats surrounded by traps and other fishing gear; but the real showpiece is the smooth rocky coastline near the lighthouse. The continuous crashing waves and sprays of foaming salt water just capture you're attention and you find yourself watching the show for minutes on end.

From Peggy's Cove I make my way to Halifax, and the Commons Inn where my great assistant Jane has reserved a room for me, via Route 333. Pierre-Alain and Michèle, this is a biker's dream route: great surface, twisty, and some pretty impressive views along the way.

In Halifax, following a recommendation from Nancy Carter at CANARIE, I have dinner at the Bicycle Thief. While the service is a tad slow, which you tend to nitice more when you're eating alone, the salumi appetizer with a glass of Valpolocella, and the whole herb stuffed wood-fire grilled branzino with a glass of Petit Chablis, are excellent. This is definitely a place to return to, it has a Batali feel to it.

Tomorrow it's on to Antigonish.

À plus tard.