Nova Scotia Eastern Shore

The ferry ride is a pleasant one. I did not book a cabin. There are few passengers and there is lots of room to stretch out on the furniture. 

The ferry arrives on schedule at 3pm in North Sydney on July 18. After a quick bite to eat at the waterfront we book a room at the same motel we stayed at a few weeks ago. The owner complains about a slow tourist season, they should be fully booked every night but they are not. 
On the road early again on July 19 and we cover the same distance as on the way up and spend another night at the Battery Provincial Park in St. Peters. This time we have enough energy left to visit the tidal lock in the canal that connects the Bras d'Or Lake with the Atlantic Ocean. 

For the next day we decide to travel highway 104 instead of highway 4, which we followed on the way up. Found the surface in better condition and there is a 2 feet wide paved shoulder most of the way. Once we reach the Port Hawkesbury and Port Hastings area, a fierce wind is blowing from the west. This area is a real crapshoot to get through on a bicycle and this headwind does not make it any easier. Once we are on the Canso Causeway we are blown repeatedly onto the roadway by the sidewinds. We don't want to end up as roadkill, safer to walk the rest of the causeway. We are in luck! There is a boat going through the locks and they open the bridge, stopping all traffic.  Now we have lots of room to sway and jump on the bike again.

 Right after crossing the causeway we leave highway 104 and start our trip along the Eastern Shore. This is much nicer! Instead of busy traffic we now see one car every half hour. That night we make camp near Sand Point across from a small lake. Shortly after the tent is up we are approached by a man on an ATV. It is the land owner. He has no problem with us camping on his land but warns us about a black bear that is a frequent visitor to the area. I will keep my air horn close by during the night.
We really like this part of Nova Scotia. The scenery is great and no traffic to speak off. With no major highways nearby it is dead quiet at night.

Next day we make camp at the edge of a graveyard at East New Harbour. That was a first for us and nobody challenged us!
For a few days now I have discomfort in the front of my lower left leg. Must be the muscle or tendon that pulls the foot up. Once we reach Sherbrooke I decide to schedule a rest day for July 23 to give that leg a break. Walking is more painful than biking for some reason. This will also give me time to visit the historic village for which Sherbrooke is well known. Because walking is painful, they allow me to use my bike to go through the village.

All the buildings in this village are on their original foundations and that makes this village a bit unique. There is a blacksmith shop, boatshop, furniture shop, tailor, drugstore, post office and more. The drug store also has a photo studio upstairs. How about lugging this 1860 AGFA camera around?

Judging from the number of billboards I have seen, there is a lot of opposition to proposed open pen fish farming on the Eastern Shore.

With rain in the forecast for the night of July 24 we check into a motel in Sheet Harbour. So glad we did, it poured most of the afternoon and during the night. It was not until 8am next morning that the rain finally stopped.
The last night of our trip we camp wild just off the Musqudoboit trail.

On July 26 we leave highway 7 for highway 207 at Porter's Lake and get onto the Salt Marsh Trail just past Seaforth.

Called Lucy and she started biking from the other direction to meet me.

After a trip that lasted 51 days we meet on the Salt Marsh Trail, have lunch sitting on a bench with a great view of Cole Harbour. Together we bike the last few kilometers to  our home in Colby Village. When we get there, my odometer reading is 3235km.