A non-plan? A plan? Whatever happened to just wandering? If I had an unlimited amount of time, it would be easier to just wander. But I will be in Nova Scotia a few days less than two weeks, so I think I need to define an eastern limit to my voyage. I'll be starting in Yarmouth, the port of entry for the ferries from Maine, and (what I believe is) the westernmost point in the province. The tidal bore in the Bay of Fundy fascinates me, and I would love to ride far enough to the east to experience the effect once again. That may be pushing it from an overall mileage standpoint though; my bike may decide that she needs to curve back to the west before my wheels roll by the edges of Minas Basin.
Which way should I travel, counter-clockwise or clockwise? Counter-clockwise may be smarter since if (when?) the road happens to be on the coast, there will be no ribbon of road between me and the water. Of course, based on my experience last year on Prince Edward Island where the road didn't usually hug the coast - maybe the direction I head doesn't really matter. Right now I'm leaning towards a clockwise wander.
I plan to wander following both the Evangeline Trail and the Lighthouse Route. It's entirely possible that I may hit the western edges of the Glooscap Trail too. There are things I'd like to see, places I'd like to visit. Possibilities? The differences between the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean. Lighthouses, of course. And Digby Neck, protruding into the Bay of Fundy on the northwest edge of the province. Bear River, a village that is home to many artists and galleries. Annapolis Royal, and on to Wolfeville. Across the province to the lighthouses along the Atlantic coast.
I'm going to try to avoid the mistake I made on my PEI trip, which was to not plan for a rest day at the beginning of the tour. When I fly to my tour I usually don't travel (by bike) on the first full day at my destination. I use that time to reassemble my bike, take a short ride, and just generally relax. I'm not flying to Nova Scotia, but a 5-hour drive can take a toll too. I'm not sure that I want to spend an extra day in the Yarmouth area though, so I may start riding and take a non-riding day relatively early in the trip. Or I may just attempt to take a few shorter mileage days. (My camera should help with the shorter days, since I know I can use a lot of off the bike time clicking away!)
When I look at the ferry schedule, it's quite possible that the ferry I take will help me decide on the first day as a light day or as a full touring day. Since I plan to travel over the waters on a Thursday, I have two choices of departure times, 8AM, or 4PM. The ferry ride is advertised as under 3 hours, so I'll make the assumption that the 8AM ferry will arrive at about 12PM, and the 4PM ferry at 8PM. Yes, I know I said three hours, but I'll be leaving from the Eastern time zone, and Nova Scotia lives in the Atlantic time zone. So based on the time at my departure and arrival points, the clock will show that I was traveling over the water for four hours.
Right now I'm leaning toward taking the the morning ferry. I'll use the afternoon for a relaxing (that is slow, and low mileage) exploration of the Yarmouth area, including the Cape Forchu Lighthouse. I'll stay in Yarmouth for the night, hopefully finding a nice B&B for a quiet evening. The next day will be the beginning of my real wandering.
(And yes, you're absolutely right, those non-plans could change between now and the first week in September!)
Tell me, in a world where we are accustomed to maps oriented with the top of the map pointing to the north, why do you suppose this map as published is tilted?
Even though the orientation is different than my preferred map orientation, this should give you an idea where I'll be wandering - from Yarmouth, the port of entry of the ferry from Maine on the western tip of the peninsula, along the Bay of Fundy heading north and east towards Wolfeville, south to the Atlantic Ocean, and west back to Yarmouth. Of course I could also traverse this (somewhat) circle in the opposite direction.
Map courtesy of Natural Resources Canada, the Atlas of Canada
