June 25, 1989
Bar Harbor to Comeauville, NS
Today marked the fulfillment of a longstanding dream of mine. For many years I have nursed a longing to visit Nova Scotia for some reason. The arrival was not a disappointment.
We awoke early, about 5. We needed to be back at the ferry dock at 7, so we both were primed to sense the dawn. We arrived at the terminal shortly after 6 and settled down for an our until loading commenced.
The MV Bluenose is actually a cruise vessel. It has slot machines for use after the ship leaves the three mile limit, a restaurant, a movie theater, and an entertainment lounge. We enjoyed a relaxing six hour voyage in which Rachael watched Empire of the Sun, I read a lot of my book (Richard Ford's The Sportswriter), and we sat in the lounge listening to a pair of folk singers. As we neared Yarmouth the sky clouded over and it began intermittently drizzling. By the time we reached port it was fully overcast and the streets were wet. After passing through customs we visited the visitors center, collecting camping and lodging information as well as a pair of patches for Nova Scotia.
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Leaving the port, we headed northeast along Highway 1, the Evangeline Trail. The evening's ride was spectacularly beautiful - one of the loveliest stretches of country I've ever seen. It follows the shore, offering frequent views across the Bay of Fundy and Saint Mary's Bay. The land is broken continuously by ponds, streams and marshes. The flowers were incredible - glorious fields of lupine, irises, clovers, and others unfamiliar to me.
The entire length of the highway is fairly uniformly populated, with rustic dwellings that blend gently into the landscape. The population here is principally Acadian, and its influence is in evidence everywhere - Acadian flags are flown, French appears to be the dominant language, and the culture is subtly distinctive - many people are sitting on their front porches for example, nd the pace seems slower. All of the drivers are considerate, slowing down and providing a wide berth for us.
It is a shame that the weather did not match the scenery here. We struggled against dispiriting headwinds the entire way, and intermittently got drenched by showers lasting only a few minutes. At one point we got totally soaked when a large truck raised a giant wave over us while passing through a puddle. To compound the difficulties, we had to stop to repair another flat on Rachael's bike.
We stopped for the night at an amazingly inexpensive bed and breakfast in Comeauville. An Acadian home, it was a totally pleasing rest stop - we were well received, well fed and well rested.
Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 561 miles (903 km)
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