Day 21: Yarmouth to Halifax, NS
Sun 30 Jun 2024
Miles ridden today: 204mi/328km
The actual nudge I got to head to Halifax was when I was considering buying the scoot from my old friend David. I had ridden on the passenger seat on a trip from his house in SF along to Half Moon Bay and then back north along Skyline, and told him "if you ever want to sell this bike, let me know". He wanted to, so I did my research, and stumbled across this review at https://canadamotoguide.com/.../road-test-2016-bmw-r1200rt/ that sealed the deal.
"BMW claims a wet weight of 274 kg, no featherweight for sure but much less than the full-dress touring barges, and once underway, it feels much lighter. Rumbling along at a B.C. freeway-legal 120 km/h (nope, I’m not rubbing it in, not me), the RT is quiet and so comfortable, you feel as if it’s 'Next stop, Halifax.'"
So here I am in Halifax, having come up from Yarmouth through the old Acadia country, where the kindly 18th century British cleaned the countryside of "those people" to make way for proper Englishfolks.
Throughout the night, I heard the wind just push the old 1860s farmhouse in Yarmouth around--creak creak creak shove shove--yet the bed was comfy and I didn't really wake up at all, it'd be too much bother. As it got light out, I wandered downstairs for coffee, and Reg and I just chatted about this and that--all the places he's been as a merchandiser around the country for Sears, or the Bay, or some other retailers in this alt-NA-universe that's Canada. Yes, he's been to Campbelltown, and told me how to pronounce Miramichi, as well as dozens of other locales I'd never heard of. I lamely volleyed back with stories from the many years I lived in San Diego and realized they weren't that interesting, hmph.
It was a waiting game for me this morning, as I watched the bands of rain slide northeast over us, so we headed out for breakfast and I considered what to wear. It's a very inconvenient temp out right now, 18C, do I wear the warm (waterproof) jacket and pants lining, or the thinner rainsuit? And do I wear the thin Underarmour T-shirt and undies, or the thicker Smartwool long sleeve shirt with Montbell leggings. I have never ridden in warmish humid weather, it just doesn't happen back West. Guess I'll find out what works.
After a stop at David's antique shop in Lake George, I headed up 101 from Yarmouth--fast and well engineered, the 100kph speed limit felt stupidly slow, but what do the cops look like here? Are there even cops? Yarmouth felt a little underdeveloped, like an old military base with lots of prime real estate just vacant, are there even people on this not-quite-island? The two lane highway had exit and entrance ramps and flyovers, but there wasn't much of anything else along the way, not even farms or frontage roads, just shortish conifers with branches on one side, heading up into the fog and down into the valleys.
The fog was really disorientating, a surprise, though maybe not much because there were very few straight stretches in the road as it gently or not-so-gently curved its way northeast. Sometimes the curves felt like they were engineered for 100kph... other times it felt like they were engineered for 130kph, not that I was going that fast, but none of the curves were signed, unlike Connecticut or North Carolina or New Mexico. If you're going fast in this part of Canadia, beware.
I'd targeted a Starbucks at a Superstore in New Minas that Reg alerted me to... two hours away, a good stop. I rode through increasingly plush countryside--farms and settlements and was I somewhere in the Willamette Valley? Getting very southern PNW vibes along the ride.
By the time I pulled into Superstore parking lot the temp had risen to 23C and I was just ugh, no, take off the rain suit and the wool leggings and shirt must come off as well, though I waited until I got inside the aircon store. There was a little seating area behind the prideful sushi counter, so sorry Superstore shoppers if you got an eyeful of a damp old biker taking off layers.
Then a quick hourlong ride from the exurb of New Minas to Halifax over a curious mountainy ridge in the fog, and boom, around past the Costco and down into downtown and the hotel. Suddenly I'm not on the edge of the world, down Quinpool Road to the hotel with gay pride crosswalks and feeling like I'm in some place in New Zealand more than Canada.
Checked into the hotel, wandered to the waterfront area for nibbles and allowed myself a couple of beers, then zzzzzz.
Once again, a good day... and riding in the (light) rain isn't bad at all... it's just a bit steamy if I overdress.