Climbing steadilyThe morning definitely came earlier than desired today, especially after my sitting room conversations that stretched until 11 o'clock last night. I'm usually sleeping well before that, but chatting with some of my fellow travelers is always interesting. I was sitting downstairs working on my journal when I was drawn into a conversation with a couple from Mississippi and their friend from Maine. After they went to their rooms, my journal got a bit of attention. My solo stint didn't last too long; I was joined by a couple from London, and we shared some interesting conversations, including talking about the whale watch they did. My vision of whale watches is always aboard a regular (solid) boat. Their tour was on variation of a Zodiac with a metal bottom and inflated sides. All participants were given bright orange waterproof & floatable suits to wear - I suppose for warmth as well as for an unexpected swim. While I'd love to see the whales I suspect my inclination towards motion sickness would have won the battle on that boat. It sounds like they were just sitting, rolling on the waves, as they were watching the magnificance of the whales. Ah, but I was quite happy with my biking day even without visiting creatures of the ocean.
Bay of Fundy down the hill
Return? Climb once more
With all of that visiting, it was very late before I posted yesterday's journal entry and attempted to sleep. I say attempted because it took me a good two hours to fall asleep. I hate it when that happens. Hopefully that means that I will be so tired tonight that sleep will come quickly. And I think I'll try to finish journaling earlier. I know I could wait until the next day, but it's hard enough writing at the end of the day without leaving out some odd details (that I'd rather not lose); waiting for the next day just doesn't work for me.
Breakfast was excellent again. Good conversations added spice to my French toast topped with fresh blueberries. After breakfast I decided it would be a good idea to make a reservation for tomorrow night since there is only one place to stay at my target distance for the day. I'll be staying at the Whitman Inn in Caledonia. I have a place to stay and a dinner reservation too since the inn boasts the only restaurant around. The inn is about 4 kilometers past Kejimkujik National Park. Will I see the park? I really should stop there for a taste (even though I know I'll need a longer visit there), but it will really depend on how fast I'm moving. Only tomorrow will tell.
But today... It was quite chilly this morning. A very silly person left the windows of my room open and the heat off. Brrr! That hot shower felt very good. Between that and eating a good breakfast I warmed up quickly. When I checked the Environments Canada web site at 9 AM, the temperature here was 47 degrees (Fahrenheit, yes, I clicked the Imperial Units button. While I can convert kilometers to miles and back again, I'm still a bit brain-dead on the temperature conversion. I really need to get over that!). I wasn't ready to leave yet, so I didn't need to wear all my layers to ride. The temperature managed to jump to 56 before my bike and I rolled out the door, much more comfortable.
My goal today was a relatively short ride, a wander through Fort Anne, a visit to the tidal power plant, and a bit of rest. The rest is the only thing that is questionable (as in, I think I forgot to rest), but I think that's OK. First, I needed to make my bike happy. I headed across North Mountain on the road heading to Parkers Cove. The uphill on the Annapolis Valley side was longer than on the Bay of Fundy side, and in spite of its shallower grade I did cheat and use my two feet on the ground to get over the top. Yes, I know, one of these days I need to become a better climber, but for now an occasional walk works for me. And no, North Mountain is not very high, but even on a short mountain you know that you're climbing. It was a wild ride down the other (very steep) side, definitely assisted by my brakes. And yes, oops, I have to get back up that steep slope to get back to my starting point.
I headed to the west along the very rolling road that parallels the Bay of Fundy, and I could see the hills of New Brunswick off in the distance. Ah, there's a road that looks like it leads down to the water. Downhill glide, past an active fish processing plant, and then to the end of the road. There is another plant at the end of the road, but there is no activity in sight. A couple of abandoned buildings stand next to the water, but beyond that I can easily get down to the "beach". Not sand, very rounded (but not small) rocks lined the shore. Click, click! A few pictures jumped into my camera. Time for a snack, and then a start of my return voyage.
Rollers again, back to the turn to climb North Mountain once more. This is the steep side, with what I believe (based on a route description in the Bicycle Nova Scotia book) is a 12% grade. Riding, a little walking, riding. Ah, the top, time to head back down again. This descent feels shallower, so I started without assistance from my brakes. That ended when I hit 30 miles per hour. The road surface was making me a little nervous and I'm much happier with the feeling that I am in control (even if I'm really not!). My turn back towards Annapolis Royal came very quickly even at my slightly lowered speed.
Next stop, the tidal power plant. According to the information at the plant, this is one of only three power plants that generate electricity from the tide. The other two are in France (the most powerful of the three), and Russia (the smallest plant). It was a quick stop, but well worth the time to peruse the exhibits.
As I got closer to Hillsdale House, I followed a sign for a German bakery hidden behind a building next to the Historic Gardens. I noticed the sign my first evening here, but the bakery is only open during the day. A snack was in order, so I stopped and chose a sweet roll encrusted with cinnamon and hazelnuts. Definitely a good afternoon snack before I headed out again (on foot this time).
I walked the grounds of Fort Anne the first night that I was here. This afternoon gave me the time to go to the visitor center to learn a little about its history. There were two surprises. The first slapped me in the face as I started looking at the exhibits. There were discussions about New England (referring to the Massachusetts Bay Colony), New France (Quebec) and New Scotland (Nova Scotia). Now how did I miss that? I never equated the current name with New Scotland until I saw it in an exhibit this afternoon. Am I alone in that? My second surprise was the shape of the fort. Looking at the map of the fort, it's very obvious that it is laid out in the shape of a very big star, with its edges being triangles. I suppose I never thought about the shape of a fort in relation to its defenses. Apparently it's a fairly common shape for a fort. And it's kind of visible as you look at individual sections of the fort. You can see the protruding triangles, but without a bird's eye view it's really not possible to get the full image.
As I walked around the fort, my eyes were drawn to the sparkle of the water. The bright sunshine that visited all day today was creating shimmer and sparkle. I finally pulled myself away from the shore, time for a quick rest before dinner.
Dinner tonight was at Cafe Restaurant Compose. I had intended to go to a much simpler restaurant, but Monday is their off day so I was forced to go to a restaurant bearing the description "fine dining". It was a small place overlooking the water, and I was one of only two tables seated without reservations. I was amazed at how many people walked in and were turned away. As it turns out I was lucky because the food was just amazing. A plate of bread and "potted cheese" was delivered to my table almost immediately. My first reaction was "what in the world is potted cheese?". In my worst behavior, I stuck a finger into the cheese to aid in tasting. It turned out to be a very rich cottage cheese (think full fat, not my usual 2%) that was laced with garlic. Wonderful. I chose simple fare for my meal - a spinach salad, and sauteed scallops - and I have to say that the flavors of those dishes were beyond my imagination. It's too bad that it isn't closer to home; it could very easily become a favorite.
Wow - it really sounds like I spent the entire day eating! That's a big plus for touring, isn't it? If I power my bicycle all day then I can eat anything I want (at least while I'm on tour)!Tomorrow, I turn to the south and head up South Mountain and toward the Atlantic Ocean. It would be a long day to get there in one day, rideable, but long. Instead of pushing, I'm choosing to stop half-way. That way I'll be able to honor all of my camera's requests to snap photos. I expect to be in forested (or at least heavily treed) areas for the next two days, no far off vistas to view.
