Nova Scotia Tour
Introduction

The flag of Nova Scotia.

This trip in late May and early June of 1998 was very different from my previous tours in many ways.  I traveled solo and self-contained.  Self-contained or "loaded" touring means camping and carrying everything needed for daily existence (food, tent, sleeping bag, clothing, cooking gear, etc.) on the bike.

Shortly after my Shenandoah tour in the Fall of 1997, I began planning a 3 week self-contained tour from Seattle, Washington to San Francisco, California along the U.S. Pacific Coast with my good friend Dave Baumgartner. 

Our plans changed abruptly in early May when my vocation collided head-on with my avocation. 

In early May, I received a job offer with another company.   Accepting this offer meant not doing the Pacific Coast trip in 1998.  I talked it over with my new boss.  He agreed to delay my starting date by 2 weeks so that I could take a tour someplace.  I accepted the offer and gave my notice at the old company.  My last day at the old job was May 22, (the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend).

I didn't want to fly with a bicycle on short notice.  I looked for destinations within one day's driving distance from my home in central Massachusetts to keep the logistics simple.   Looking at the Canadian Maritimes, I settled on Nova Scotia.  The Scotia Prince ferry out of Portland, Maine made getting to Nova Scotia very easy.  Portland is 3 hours driving distance from home and 2 1/2 hours from the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  This allowed me to spend Memorial Day weekend in Bartlett, New Hampshire with my friends from the Seven Hills Wheelmen bicycle club.

One of my toughest planning decisions was which bike to bring.  Although my Cannondale R-500 road bike has a triple chain ring, it's narrow wheels, tight geometry, lack of braze-ons and fender clearance made it an unattractive option for loaded touring.  I  had been contemplating a real touring bike for quite some time. However, I wanted to base my buying decision on practical touring experience.  On the financial side,  I would be going with out a paycheck for a couple of weeks.  On top of that, I had to deal with my trip expenses on short notice.  An entry level touring rig (Trek 520 or Bruce Gordon BLT) would have cost me well over $1500  for bike, racks and panniers.

The only components I bought specifically for this trip were the trailer, dry bag and mirror. My total expenditure was less than $300  Although, far from ideal, the combined rig was up to the task mechanically.  I dubbed this beast the "Poor Boy Touring Rig"

My last day at the old job was May 22, (the Friday before Memorial Day).   My co-workers took me to lunch and gave me several gag gifts including a deck of cards and a bag of clothespins to give my bike the proper sound during the trip.  After lunch, I said my good-bye to my co-workers, loaded up my truck and drove to my friend Steve Blum's vacation house in Bartlett, NH.

You will find links and resources for planning a bicycle tour of Nova Scotia on my Links and Rescources page.  I also wrote a review of the Bob Trailer.  Read about my adventure on these pages.

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Continue to Day 1.

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Introduction
Day 1 White Mountains, New Hampshire
Day 2 White Mountains, New Hampshire
Day 3 Bartlett New Hampshire to Portland, ME
Day 4 Yarmouth to Barrington
Day 5 Barrington to Sable River
Day 6 Sable River to The Ovens
Day 7 The Ovens to Chester
Day 8 Chester to Mount Denson
Day 9 Mount Denson to The Lookoff
Day 10 Cape Split
Day 11 The Lookoff to Annapolis Royal
Day 12 Annapolis Royal to Sandy Cove
Day 13 Sandy Cove to Brier Island
Day 14 West Port to Darlings Lake
Day 15 Darlings Lake to Yarmouth
Day 16, Yarmouth to Portland, ME
Nova Scotia links and resources.