Nova Scotia Entry

June 1 – Georgetown Harbour PEI

To get away from the stifling heat of Thailand during this time of the year look no further than the refreshing Maritime Provinces of Canada. Since Sunday the temperatures have not broken into the teens. June 1^st we spent taking in the sites of the island but the frigid temperatures had us back in the hotel by 3 p.m.

Eric through the forest

Rustic P.E.I.

A Used To Be

Today was the litmus test for man & gear. The bikes are happy rain or shine. We started out tranquil enough with cloudy skies, 6 degrees but dry, save for a bit a spitting. I checked on the Internet to see the departure time of the ferry to be 11:15 a.m. By 10:30 we already pulled up to the booth only to find out that the departure time of 11:15 was from the other side and our ferry was only leaving at 1 p.m. The lady at the booth guided us to a restaurant called Brehaust in Murray Harbour 15 km down the road, where we could spend the time waiting.

The place turned out to be a great find with hospitable staff and good home cooked food. When we finally made it on the boat the heavens opened up and remained that way until River Bourgeois. The wife of a friend of Erics who passed away several months ago invited us for dinner and a bed, which we accepted with both hands. With the knowledge that we would run into foul weather, I made sure to buy waterproof boots and ended up with a pair of highly touted ICON Reign Waterproof Motorcycle Boots. If you like to lounge around the house with motorcycle boots they probably are waterproof. Other than that they are useless.

A Balancing Act

My feet would not have been wetter wearing flip-flops. Few things are worse than riding in a 6-degree downpour with wet feet and hands for several hours. The most important thing was that our core temperature stayed at an acceptable level. The otherworldly beauty of Nova Scotia left us (for now) literally cold until we got to the house where Erics friend Delores welcomed us with a stiff drink and lasagna a la maison.

The panniers proved to be watertight as did the Cabella drybag. It is quite sobering to see the trees just starting to bud on June 2.There is a good reason why I spend most of my time in Thailand.

Delores home is right on the shore of the Atlantic with a view to kill for. I will post some photos on Thursday when the weather is supposed to be better. Her son caught a tiny lobster with a line and a mackeral from her back yard.

“That’s not a lobster; it’s a mobster” says Eric

An ideal setting once you are inside the house today. Because tomorrows weather is still bad; we are getting the bikes serviced in Sydney for oil & filter about 110 km from here and will stay another night.