EP Bike Trip #2: Peggy's Cove, Part 1

Some time back in July, after I had completed one of my long bicycle rides, I set a goal for myself of being able to ride to Peggy's Cove and back in one day. The distance from my home to Peggy's Cove is roughly 43 km, with a lot of rolling hills. Since that means I would being doing twice my regular distance if I wanted to get back home, I knew I would have to do a fair bit of training first.

My original plan for the "training ride" this day, was to go to the town of Prospect to photograph the quaint fishing village there and then ride back, so that I would get used to having to make a second long ride in the same day (I felt exhausted for the last fifteen kilometres of my Crystal Crescent Bike Trip). However, on this day the wind was a little bit strong, and I started to get upset about it. I was so fed up with battling the head wind, that I decided to try and make it all the way to Peggy's Cove so that I could enjoy the tail wind on the way back.

A couple of days earlier I had seen a petition in one of my local bike shops (Cyclesmith) seeking a paved bicycle lane on the popular Peggy's Cove route. I signed it because any infrastructure work that makes moving easier for riders of bicycles and harder for drivers of cars is a great plan in my mind. Today though, when I got on to Prospect Road, which leads to Peggy's Cove, I found out why everyone wanted to have the bicycle lane.

On the road to Herring Cove, via Purcell's Cove (Purcell's Cove Road) there is a short bicycle lanes for part of the journey, but for the most part the road is wide enough to accommodate both car and bicycle, although not comfortably or conveniently. The road to Peggy's Cove though is ridiculously narrow. I suppose the actually driving lane isn't too bad, but there is absolutely no shoulder whatsoever, which means riders are forced to ride in the lane with the cars when there's barely enough room for the cars. Often I found myself riding on the thin, rough wash-boarded strip of "road" just off to the side of the lane which made for a bumpy ride.

The problem with bumpy rides and road bicycles, is that if you do not have your tires fully inflated it can cause a pinched tube quite easily. I found this out the hard way, after I ran into a small pothole. "Pfffff...." went my front tire immediately (the fourth flat tire I have suffered in the last 8 or so days), and I was left standing there on the side of the road just before the community of Hatchet Lake, with an unusable bicycle.

I thought I saw a garage just up the highway, and I was right, so I decided to walk towards it. When I got there though, the mechanics said they couldn't help me because I didn't have my adapter with me (road bicycle tires have a different shaped valve than a normal mountain bike style tube). Luckily I had brought a sandwich with me though, and after having some lunch I resigned myself to my only remaining option: hitch-hiking back to Halifax.

This was my first time hitch-hiking, so I wasn't sure how long it would take to get picked up, but I have driven past a number of hitch hikers in my day without picking them up (now I feel remorse...), so I had an idea of how it was done. It wasn't as bad as I thought, and after twenty to twenty-five minutes someone turned around to pick me up. Unfortunately they couldn't get me all the way into town, because they were rushed for time, but they did drop me off at a Canadian Tire not too far away from my home.

I went inside the Canadian Tire and bought myself a new bicycle tube. One of the young kids working there helped me change my tube, and he was quite interested in hearing about my hitch-hiking story, as he had never done it before and thought it must have been quite a scary experience. Unfortunately I remembered after the fact that I didn't have my adapter with me and none of the bicycles Canadian Tire sells use a Presta valve, so I couldn't pump my tire up. So after all that wasted time and effort, I was still faced with a roughly hour long walk back home, with a bike that still didn't work properly.

When I did get home, I pumped up my tire and was pleased to see that it looked like a wheel. However, about two hours later I came back and found it flat again. I took off the tire to check for any sharp objects that were still poking through the inside, and found that I had actually torn a hole in the side of the tire, which had pinched the tube as it tried to force its way out. I ended up having to buy a new tube and a new tire. After some deliberation I thought it was best to spend a few extra dollars and buy a more expensive, but thicker, tire that looked and felt much more suitable for taking on potholes and glass from stupid rednecks who chuck their bottles out of their windows (note: this happens far far less in Nova Scotia than in Alberta).

While a lesser ea-pea may have taken the flat as a warning from the road gods to stay away, I was only more resolved to make it to Peggy's Cove, and so I set about preparing for my return attempt in two nights time. (Part 2, to come soon...)

EP Bike Trip #1: Crystal Crescent Beach

Welcome to a new feature on Ea-Pea Dave's Terra Nova: the EP Bike Trip.

As I may or may not have been clear about in my FAQ section, I do not own a vehicle and so I ride one of my two bicycles to nearly every single one of the Points of Interest, Monuments and Festivals/Events that you read about on my website. However, Nova Scotia is not just Halifax (believe it or not), and so at some point I knew I would have to venture out to bring you more great historic sites, interesting places and/or festivals. While there will definitely be situations in which renting a car will be most appropriate, for a good portion of these places I hope to be able to make a solo trip using, you guessed it, my bicycle (I may yet attempt to move a mattress or transport a Christmas tree using my bicycle just to prove it can be done).

Since I have been on and plan to go on many more long bicycle rides, for the purposes of this section an EP Bike Trip will be classified as any trip in which the total distance travelled is over 50 km, and there is a specific purpose for taking the trip (i.e., to visit a certain place or attend a certain festival).

With that introduction, let there be no more further ado. EP Dave is pleased to present to you his first ever EP Dave Bike Trip to Crystal Crescent Beach (be sure to have your Google Maps ready so that you can follow along).

My journey started, as all my journeys do, at my house in the centre of Halifax. I travelled south, around the North West Arm, via the Armdale Rotary, and then up Herring Cove Road to Spryfield. Just past the Canadian Tire, I turned right onto Sussex Street and continued on Old Sambro Raod, through Long Lake Provincial Park, until I came to Doyle's Lake (between Harrietsfield and Williamswood).

Doyle's Lake is really not much more than a large swamp, but all the green plants growing in it made some unique patterns in the dark blue water. It also provided an opportunity for me to squat on the shoulder of the highway, refill my water bottle, and eat some blueberries I had packed for myself. Unlike Alberta highways though, the Nova Scotia highways I've seen so far don't really have shoulders. As a result, I was never more than two metres away from any of the whizzing vehicles that passed by me while I ate and rested.

By this time I had been travelling for nearly an hour, and about fifteen minutes later I was starting to feel fatigued. I had no idea where I was at this time, but when I came to Grand Lake (above) I could sense that I must be getting close.

A few minutes later I reached Old Sambro, where I turned right onto West Pennant Road, followed by a left onto East Pennant Road, and then another quick left onto Sambro Creek Drive. I followed Sambro Creek Drive along until I came to the gravel road at the end which led to the parking lot of Crystal Crescent Beach (Coote Cove, if you're looking on your maps right now).

As you can see from the pictures above, the sky could not have been more clear, which apparently is rare for this part of Nova Scotia. Not having brought a towel along though, I found a nice large rock on which to sit down and ate my lunch.

After not waiting the requisite 30 minutes, I went for a "swim" in the lake. However, upon touching my toe to the water my body immediately went "staticy" and then clenched up in right angles. I then dropped over dead from my cramps (just like in the cartoons!) After I had recovered, I waded out to about armpit height before quickly returning. It may have been hot on the beach, but it was ice cold in the water. Nonetheless, I could say I had swam in the Atlantic Ocean.

I climbed back onto my rock seat where I sunned my pasty white torso until I had dried off sufficiently to put back on my socks and shirt. I then headed back out on the road for the rest of the return loop, which would actually be ten kilometres longer than the trip to the beach.

I knew I would fatigue quickly on the trip back home, having already travelled some 25 km and still having 35 km to go, so I stopped in at the Kwik Way convenience store at the corner of West Pennant Road and Ketch Harbour Road (Mr. Mishoo's Take Out on your map), to stock up on a single Snickers bar and to treat myself to a scoop of blue berries and cream Farmer's ice cream. I also made sure to stop at the beautiful Little Cairn Cove, alongside West Pennant Road, again for some more pictures (below).

After 15 km of scenic cycling along Ketch Harbour Road I came to Herring Cove (below), where I stopped to refuel on my aforementioned Snickers bar.

After a fifteen minute rest it was back on the bike to tackle the hilly Purcell's Cove Road, past the picturesque Purcell's Cove, with its equally lovely Spectacle Island, and then on to Halifax.

After passing York Redoubt National Historic Site (about which I will soon be posting), I finally limped in to Melville Cove, where I dismounted and enjoyed a waterfront stroll along the Northwest Arm, before finishing the last few kilometres to my home.

Total Distance: Roughly 60 km.