250 miles of Nova Scotia by bicycle

My trip to Nova Scotia in August 2007 was more than a little fun. I flew into Halifax a day prior to the start of my trip which included meeting up with my group for a 4 hour van ride northeast to island of Cape Breton. Halifax is a quaint sea side port city. As most cities outside the United States, it was very clean and pretty. As always on my trips, I learn a lot about the area including history and current events. There were a lot of old churches. As a matter of fact the oldest wooden church in Canada is there in Halifax. It was in surprisingly good condition, considering the age as well as being right there on ocean coast.
The trip consisted of a bicycle ride around the famous Cabot Trail. By the end of the trip including the additional side riding trips the ride covered almost 250 miles. The first couple of days we only rode approximately 35 miles, just to get everyone acclimated to our bikes.
Fortunately the weather was very cooperative. As a matter of fact it was quite warm for a couple of days. All of the folks on the trip were city folk and they were absolutely amazed with the farm animals at a farm that we stopped at to take pictures. The family was very friendly and invited us all to their home. They had horses, cows, chickens and sheep. I think it was the first time for some of the group to see these animals up close. As we were about to leave the wife brought us some freshly made cookies for our trip.
I was amazed at the level of fitness of the folks in the group for the most part. The ‘least fit’ of the group was the youngest of the group. He was about 30 years old and a professor at MIT Boston. This was his second bike trip in NS. The oldest of the group was a 66 year old retired architect and his 65 year old wife. I remember on the day of the long ride (approximately 63 miles) we had to ride up a mountain highway. Although it was published in the ride description, I do not think anyone knew how steep a 17 degree incline really is. I knew it would be near impossible as our conveyors are on an 18 degree incline and they are hard just to walk up. The only one that made it all the way without stopping and pushing the bike up the hill was Bruce, a 48 year old marathon runner, he said he almost did not make it. I gave it my best but had to get off and push the last mile or so. Bruce and I rode together a lot. I felt bad as he would take off with me and leave his wife behind, but she was ok with it as she was in the pack with the others. They were all in absolutely magnificent fitness condition. I was truly amazed at the ability of the 2 sisters (61 and 63 years old). Bruce and I hit it off really well.
It was so funny, during the 4 hour trip back to Halifax, Helen (Bruce’s wife) said “you know Tony and Bruce did so well this week on this ride… I bet they could win ‘The Amazing Race’”. I agreed and said “you know you are probably right”. After I was back home for about a week I get an email from Helen saying that they had contacted ‘The Amazing Race’ to get us enrolled. I told Carol that after being at home and getting back to the real world life, I am not so sure that this whole ‘The Amazing Race’ thing was such a good idea, especially with them trying to sign us up. After all, how could I take off work for that long? After a few more days, I got another email, stating in order to qualify all participants have to be American citizens or at least reside in the US. Since Bruce and Helen live in Calgary, I was off the hook. But sometimes I sit and ponder…. What if?
I suffered with back problems for several months after the trip and I am sure it was as a result of all the miles and hours on the little bike seat. But fortunately I seem to have recovered. A lot of fun and truly an adventure I will not forget. Nor will I forget the people and friends that I made along the way. I hope them all good health and happiness. I wonder if I will ever see any of them again. If not, at least they have all become a part of my dash.