The CGB Book - Part 3 of 12 - Nova Scotia

7/26/2019 The CGB Book - Part 3 of 12 - Nova Scotia

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If it was easy, anyone could do it!The story of the 2013 Craig Gives Back-2-Back

Cross-Canada Bicycle Tour


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NOVA SCOTIA

DAY #9Monday, August 12, 2013Oh, my Bob!

Day#9:120kmsNorth Sydney, NS to St. Peters, NS

First order of business was to send Laureen for coffee and muffins while we got the bike readyand decided what we did not need and would send straight home with Laureen. We were toldthat our next night would be at Bras d-Or Lakes Inn in St. Peters as they hadgenerously waivedthe cost of a room. Our next night after that would be in Antigonish and a friend had offered topay for our stay at Maritimes Inn. This was good as Bob did not currently have a tent or a

sleeping bag and the ones he would were the ones Craig had in Newfoundland and they had yetto arrive home. Simply put, if Bob is not able to sleep outside in a tent then he has to stay at amotel, and if Bob is staying in a motel, Im not sleeping on the ground! I gave Laureen all thecamping gear to take home with her and we would save ourselves carrying the extra weight for acouple days.

So day number one with Bob and the weather was sunny and warm. So far so good. Our goalwas a stop at the Sydney YMCA for a planned 10:30am reception, and then finishing the day at4:30pm at the Home Hardware in St. Peters. We had 120kms to cover and some challenging


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hilly terrain down the east side of the Bras d-Or Lakes. I checked my navigational device alsoknown as my iPhone, and noted the suggested route and told Bob what road name we had towatch for. Now we could have travelled the more simple and straight route on the main highwayfrom North Sydney to Sydney River, however just a few weeks prior a female cyclist was struckand killed on that route, so I opted not to tempt fate and chose a more scenic, thoughcomplicated route through secondary roads. We had plenty of time, until we got lost that is. At

this time I kept my iPhone in my bag as I did not have a holder for my handlebars. I would lookat the map, tell Bob what road sign we needed to look for and off we would go until I got thefeeling we missed our exit, and then I would find a new route. Well of course Bob is not going tosee the road signs as he as retinitis pigmentosa, and I get talking and forget to watch the roadsigns myself, so it was not long and we were getting closer to St. Peters not Sydney and wewere still on the wrong side of the river. So twenty extra kilometers and some good steep hillslater, we finally arrived at the Sydney YMCA. A crowd of children was gathered on the frontsteps to cheer and the Cape Breton Post newspaper was there to record our grand arrival. Wehad to circle round the block and arrive a second time so the newspaper could get the picturethey were looking for. Inside the YMCA both Bob and I got to speak to all the kids and they hadalso provided some cut fruit and beverages which we greatly appreciated. Now we had to hit theroad to make our reception at the Home Hardware in St. Peters. Andre Gallant, GeneralManager for YMCA Sydney told us he was going to bike with us to ensure we exited the Sydney

area safely and we were more than happy for the escort and the company.

Now even before we had started the trip, Andre who is an experience cyclist had emailed merecommending we consider changing our route from the east side of the Bras d-Or Lakes, tofollowing the Trans Canada Highway along the west side of the lakes. I chose the route fromSydney to St. Peters for a few reasons, it is shorter, it was the route recommended in the book Iused to help plan the trip and it avoided the Seal Island Bridge. I dont like heights and I havenever liked that bridge and did not relish the idea of crossing it on a bicycle. Also on the otherside of the bridge is Kellys Mountain which is a 250metre climb over 7kms, or an equivalentclimb of the most challenging hill in Newfoundland, Corner Brook which is a 240 metre climb over8kms. Looking back Andre was right to suggest this route as it also had a good paved shouldercompared to no shoulder for most of our route even though traffic was much lighter and ourroute also had a 10km section under major construction.

So first we stopped at Andres van parked near the YMCA and he invited us to drop any bags wedid not need to make our bike lighter and faster. He was going to bike out with us for no morethan 10kms then head back and pickup his van and be our support vehicle almost the entiredistance to St. Peters. I was surprised, grateful, but also nervous as this was Bobs first day onthe bike and I had no idea how he would make out. This could be embarrassing and I was notsure I wanted someone around to see!

There is a program you can download on your iPhone that allows you to let others know yourlocation. Craig and I had iPhones and also Amelia and Warren with the Halifax branch of theCNIB had iPhones and Amelia was able to track our location by the location of our iPhones. Craigwas back in Pictou healing so his iPhone was in Pictou. My iPhone was now in the back of

Andres van and it was sitting in Sydney while we sped off to St. Peters. Amelia is going to seeour little dot sitting there on the map and time ticking away while the deadline to be at thereception in St. Peters drew closer. Oops!

We were making good time with Andre and when he turned to go back and pickup the van, westopped for a couple granola bars. Back on the bike and we hit our first hill. Unlike the otherroute option on Cape Breton Island our route had numerous hills to climb, however not that highcompared to Newfoundland, but steeper. We got to hill number two and Bob had a musclecramp and had to stop pedaling. We stopped and got off and walked up the rest of the hill, got


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back on the bike and Bob was ok again on the next hill. Next thing we know we had reachedRitas Tea Room in Big Pond and I offered to treat Andre to lunch. We had a great lunch, a nicebreak from the bike, but Andre would not let us pay. He was totally looking after us today. Wethanked him again and again and he said he is happy to have to opportunity to do so. He wouldlike to do what we are doing, but since he is not able to dedicate the time it would take to do thecomplete trip across Canada, he would spend the day with us and help out in any way he could.

When the three of us stood up to leave Ritas Bob suffered a major muscle cramp and I told himthat was it and he would ride inAndressupport vehicle the rest of the way.

I biked solo again for another 20kms while Andre and Bob would stop and wait for me thenspeed on ahead to wait for me again. We were making good time, but then Andre said theconstruction he had warned us about was just ahead and it would be impossible for us to bikethrough it. He refused to take no for an answer, and we helped him secure Janus inside the van.He was not wrong, and the construction was severe with a deeply rutted mud road and largecoarse gravel. We would have had to get off and push the bike the entire distance if we hadattempted it. The construction lasted for almost 10kms and he dropped us off at the PotlotekFirst Nation Reserve approximately 10kms from our final destination. Believe it or not we stillhad four good hill climbs before we arrived in St. Peters. I am a conservative cyclist, especiallyon a tandem as I have responsibility for to safety of two persons, so I am careful regarding road

and traffic conditions and how much speed I allow Janus to gain on downhill grades asrecumbent gain speed quickly. As we sped downhill towards the fourth and final climb, we werecutting it close to arriving on time, we were tired and I wanted to gain as much momentum aspossible so we flew down the hill over broken pavement at over 70kms/hr!

St. Peters is a beautiful town at the St. Peters Canal which allows passage for boats enteringfrom the Atlantic Ocean into the Bras d-Or Lakes or travelling the other way. When we arrived atthe Home Hardware, there was a small crowd, a fiddler playing and a barbeque. We werewelcomed to the town and Bob and I both spoke to the crowd to share the message ofCraigGivesBack.

It was great to now have the hills of Newfoundland and Cape Breton behind us, but my ankle feltterrible. Walking I could feel the tendons rubbing against each other and I did not know if Iwould even be able to pedal the next morning. It was not so much painful as a sickening feelingas the tendons chafed against each other, and I was not optimistic it would hold up much longer.

Another interesting thing about Bob is he is not a fan of fruit and vegetables. He will eatpotatoes in just about any form and also cooked carrots, but that is the limit. We had a greatmeal at the Inn and Bob scrapped the vegetables from his plate onto mine and I was glad tohave them. Bob enjoyed his meat and potatoes. Bob reminded almost twice daily of his dislikeof vegetables, so might hear about it again too!


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DAY #10Tuesday, August 13, 2013Welcome Lloyd and the other Craig!

Day#10:103kmsSt. Peters, NS to Antigonish, NS

We awoke to another beautiful morning. The staff at the Bras dOr Lakes Inn put on one of thebest breakfast buffets I have ever had the pleasure to eat! The Inn Manager and his wife evencovered the cost of our breakfast. We did not overeat as we still had to fit on the bike, but wewere well fed and the food was amazing. The Inn is owned by a certified chef and we thankedhim and the staff before we departed.

Todays goal was to travel just over 100kms, but we also had two stops along the way. Wewould first stop at the Home Hardware in Port Hawkesbury where they had organized a barbequefundraiser for our charities, and then off to the rotary in Port Hastings where long-time friendand member of the Historical Society, Rila MacLean had organized a reception.

We set off early from St. Peters and headed southeast to Port Hawkesbury with the sun on ourbacks. We had not been cycling for more than an hour when a car pulled off the road and as weapproached I recognized my good friend from Sobeys head office, Jean Day who was with hermother. She and her mother were on their way to Halifax by coincidence had seen us andwanted to stop and say hello. No doubt after following my struggle to get across Newfoundlandshe was happy to see me safe! It was actually Jean who had done all the work to get us acomplimentary accommodation at the Bras dOr Lakes Inn, and we thanked her and shared howmuch we had enjoyed our stay.


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After Newfoundland and Cape Breton, the hills of Nova Scotia were no challenge, and Bob and Imade good time getting to Port Hawkesbury. They had a roadside welcome sign at the HomeHardware, Welcome Craig and Lloyd. I joked to Bob that they spelled his name incorrectly!We met most of the staff who were just setting up the barbeque and after a short stay we wereoff again to the reception in Port Hastings, as I had promised to be there right at 1:00pm.

I had essentially grown up in Port Hawkesbury, having lived there for over ten years of my lifeuntil I left after graduating from High School. I had no relatives living here and my friends hadmoved on, so I had only been back a couple times over the past thirty years. Biking downReeves Street, I could see many changes, but also so many things that had not changed at all. Ihad many good memories growing up in this small town. It was safe, friendly and for a youngkid that loved to bike and cross country ski, I could find an adventure anytime. Big cities aregreat for adults, but for kids you just cannot beat growing up in a small town.

We cycle around the Port Hastings Rotary and stop at the Historical Society building, and we areimmediately greeted by long-time family friends Rila MacLean and Yvonne Fox. There was musicand a microphone for me to speak to a small crowd and then Rila insisted we get a tour of themuseum. Now we all know how styles change and what is fashionable today will not be in a fewyears. Well I do not know why Rila had my old high school yearbooks, but she did and had gone

through finding all my pictures. When I was in school long hair was the style and I wore largeglasses. I asked Rila never to show these pictures to anyone else! We were treated to an icecream before we departed and then we were off and crossed the Canso Causeway from CapeBreton to mainland Nova Scotia, or as I would say when growing up in Cape Breton, We weregoing down to Nova Scotia.

The sun was shining and it was a warm and relaxing afternoon. We had plenty of time to arrivein Antigonish, and likely could have made the trip from St. Peters to Pictou County in one day,however a long day for sure. The terrain is rolling, but not overly challenging which was good asI had put Bob through the wringer yesterday on the hills of Cape Breton and what was hismaiden voyage on a recumbent bicycle.

As we climbed one of the hills I saw a car pull off on the shoulder of the road and two personsexited the vehicle and appeared to be waiting for us. Now I was used to this as not only had ithappened earlier today, but it happened with regular occurrence right across Newfoundland.Sometimes people just wanted to say hello, and sometimes they wanted to make a donation.We would explain that we were not setup to accept donations, but there were ways to make adonation to the charity of their choice. Most would give the donation to us regardless and tell usto use it for food and lodging.

Well the two persons waiting by their car for us, had not stopped to give a donation, it was amuch, much better surprise than that. Curtis McDonald was a long-time United Church ministerand a great friend, but he also was the minister for two of my sisters weddings and me too.Now by coincidence here he was with his wife Bev on the side of a road in Northern Nova Scotiato say hello to a couple of cross Canada cyclists. It left me smiling for the rest of the afternoon,

until we had almost reached Antigonish and finally my aching ankle gave out.

We were within a few kilometers of our final destination for the day and the ache in my anklewent to a sharp pain, and I could no longer place any pressure on my right foot. I was pedalingwith one leg and this time Bob was the one carrying the load as we limped into Antigonish. Rilawho had arranged the reception back in Port Hastings had wanted to donate the cost of a nightsstay at the Maritime Inn Hotel in Antigonish, but when she called to book the room they decidedto donate it. The best thing about it was that it was close to the highway so Bob and I did nothave too far to go with only three out of four legs operational!


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The issue with my ankle was not our only worry that day as there was a squealing noise comingfrom the rear of the bike and it wasnt from Bob! It looked like Bob had wrecked the bearings ofthe rear bottom bracket which is the axle the pedal arms are attached to. I joked that he wasonly on the bike less than two days and he broke it already. We contacted Clint at Pictou CountyCycle and he thought he had a crank in stock that he could quickly replace with the defective

unit. We hoped the crank would last until we got back to Pictou County tomorrow and also thatBob did not break anything else!

Once settled in the room, we could not rest for long as we had a date! The Hendersons spendmuch of the summer at the campground in downtown Antigonish so their boys can attend hockeyschool. Gena Henderson had contacted us earlier in the day and had offered to pick us up at thehotel and take us to the campground for a barbeque. The food and company was wonderful andfunniest thing was Bob for the first time in his life had salmon. Bob as you remember is a meatand potatoes guy, but the only options were salad or salmon, so he chose the lesser of two evils!Poor Bob!

Speaking of evil, Bob is typically always sporting a ball cap and therefore his scalp was not usedto spending long days in the sun. Neither does he does not have an excess quantity of hair on

the top so a double threat that leaves him susceptible to sun burn. Cycling helmets are not solidto minimize weight, but also to allow air flow, and it is through the venting in Bobs helmet thathe received a good old fashioned sun burn. The portion of his skin that was covered by thehelmet was a nice, geisha girl white while the rest of his scalp was a bright fire engine red! Thepattern of white and red made Bob look like he had horns, and he was to get quite a bit ofteasing over the next few days.

Back at the hotel I spent the evening massaging and icing my ankle. I hoped it would last longenough to get back to Pictou tomorrow.


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DAY #11Wednesday, August 14, 2013I never get to have any cake!

Day#11:77kmsAntigonish, NS to Pictou, NS

Today is a big day, not due to the distance we have to bike as we only had to travel less than80kms. It was a big day as we would be returning home after travelling over 1,200kms andbeing on the road for ten days. We would have three nights in our own beds and then we would

leave to travel the remaining almost 7,000kms of our tour.

By morning my ankle was feeling somewhat better, but it would never make it all the way toPictou County without some help. I dug out the First Aid Kit and after watching a video onYouTube showing how to tape up an Achilles tendon, I set about using what we had whichincluded both medical tape and duct tape. It did not take too long and after I admired myhandiwork for a minute, we got ready and were off again.

Unfortunately no one had stolen Janus through the night, and it was still locked to a post outsidethe front entrance of the hotel. We headed down the road looking for a Tim Hortons forbreakfast and coffee.

You know when you see someone and you know that you know them, but since they are not in

their usual location you cannot remember who they are or why you know them. This happenedwhile Bob and I ate breakfast at the Tim Hortonsin Antigonish. Finally I could stand it no moreand when I walked by the stranger that I knew I knew, I said hello and then almost instantly Iremembered that this stranger is the man who had been my optometrist for nearly 30 years, Dr.Ron Haines! I would see him again for an eye appointment after our bike tour was finished andwe talked about our chance meeting and we had a good laugh over it.


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We soon left Antigonish behind us as we headed down the highway in very, very foggyconditions. When they built the Trans Canada Highway between Antigonish and New Glasgowthey failed to take into account that someone someday might ride a bicycle on it. Most of thedistance is on the original highway which has yet to be twinned so there is oncoming traffic andpassing lanes are spaced out strategically. Unfortunately when the road widens to accommodatethe passing lane, the paved shoulder disappears which is kind of unsafe. The pavement does not

even transition smoothly to the gravel shoulder as it had eroded and there was a good six inchdrop off. In the heavy fog we did not have a clear view of traffic approaching from behind andthis would be a serious safety issue if a vehicle was overtaking another in the passing lane.There would be little room for the vehicle on the right to move over to avoid us, and with thedrop off to the gravel shoulder we could not simply bike off onto the shoulder to make room forthe vehicle. We ended up getting off the bike and walking it up the gravel shoulder until thepassing lane disappeared and the paved shoulder reappeared. It would remain the only time inour trip across Canada that we had to get off our bike and walk for our own safety.

We were scheduled to arrive at the Stellarton Home Hardware at 12:00pm sharp and we werealmost an hour ahead of schedule. We stopped at the top of the hill overlooking Stellarton andwaited by the side of the road. While we waited, a car stopped and out climbed my good friendand loyal supporter Bruce Murray. He was here to get a few pictures of us and then had to leave

as he was going to video tape our grand arrival.

We received a text that a fire truck would be coming to meet us so we watched for what wethought was a big tanker, but it was much smaller and at first we were not sure if it was for us ornot. We were on the side of a divided highway so to reach us it would have to go a fewkilometers towards Antigonish and take an off ramp and get back on the highway to Stellarton.It had chose the option to turn off on the on ramp at the bottom of the hill below us and thenstopped and waited. It was getting very close to the time we were to arrive, so we got on ourbike and headed down to see if the truck was there to be our escort. It was and we were off toStellarton with a fire truck escort!

There is an off ramp from the divided highway that swings around to the right and takes us rightpast the head office for Sobeys-Atlantic offices where I have worked for over five years. I wasamazed to see the entire grass median filled with my fellow employees who cheered us on as wesped by. We continued on to the Home Hardware where another crowd was waiting to greet usincluding Craig, my wife and Bobs wife. I had lost nearly ten pounds since I last saw my wifeten days ago and she was taken aback by both how thin I was, but also I did not smell the besteven though I had been washing my clothes by hand as often as I was able.

For clothing I wore merino wool for shirts as it keeps you warm even when it is wet, it driesquickly, but the most awesome thing is it is antimicrobial and therefore can be worn for daysbefore it stinks of sweat. For receptions such as the one today, we kept on hand aCraigGivesBack polyester t-shirt. The problem with polyester is it smells of sweat veryquicklyless than a dayless than the time it took to bicycle from Antigonish to Stellarton. Wehad to keep them on as the newspapers were there to take pictures and get stories, but we felt

sorry for the many friends and relatives that came to hug us and welcome us home!

So as almost always is the case, I end up doing interview after interview while everyone else eatscake. My fellow employees had brought a beautiful cake for us to enjoy and I did not even havetime to have a single piece, and now we had to leave again and bike to the Home Hardware inPictou, Craigs hometown. I was not as worried about eating cake as I was making our bike aslight as possible for the remainder of the trip. My ankle had survived the trip from Antigonish,but was still not feeling much better than yesterday. I am not into having extra weight on thebike if it is not necessary especially with my wonky ankle and all the cars present that were going


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to follow us to Pictou. I unloaded everything including our four litre water bags and tossed theminto a car. We had not only a police escort for the next 20kms, but also a herd of cyclists thathad shown up to accompany us. It was exciting to have such a large escort!

My ankle was giving me some pain, but it was tolerable and I was anxious to see how fast wecould go with the Janus with no extra weight. With all the bags and gear the Janus becomes

very heavy and every pedal stroke takes effort to maintain any speed. With it now light and agileit is like a gazelle. Recumbents may not be the fastest bike going uphill, but on the flat andparticularly downhill they can fly. We raised some eyebrows of our upright friends as we racedalong, sometimes reaching speeds in excess of 30kms/hr. It did not take long to cover the20kms to Pictou.

In Pictou again a crowd was waiting and again Bob, Craig and I spoke, sharing our stories andthe purpose of our ride. I had a lot of friends to talk to that came out to welcome us home, andthat included Ed and Kora who had travelled to Newfoundland to see us start our trip in St.Johns. Also with them was their son Chase and daughter Reese who was my wifes god-daughter. Reese had been diagnosed with leukemia before her first birthday and she was forcedto fight for her life. It had not been much longer than a year since she had received a stem celltransplant after weeks of chemo treatment and it was so good to see her healthy and happy.

After finishing at the Home Hardware we put Janus in the back of Craigs fathers van. Bob waspicked up by his wife Laureen and I went straight to Back To Basics Physiotherapy where myfriend Phillip Ruiz would inspect and evaluate the damage to my ankle. To be honest I halfhoped that he would give me the same diagnosis as Craig had received and the tour would befinished. It had been a hard trip so far both physically and mentally, but deep down I did notwant it to end. I had trained and worked hard to make all the necessary arrangements, butmost of all I did not want to let down and disappoint the people that had helped us and believedin us.

Phillip shook his head and chuckled at my tape job, but admitted it did the job to get me fromAntigonish to Pictou. I did have similar as what Craig had, but my tendonitis was not as severe.Phillip gave me the usual ultrasound and TENS treatment. He taped up my right ankle, takingthe time to show me and explain how it was done, as I would need to do it myself later duringthe tour until my ankle healed. Phillip was confident that with the treatment and my ankle tapedup I would start to see improvement as early as the next day. Now I had to rush home and getcleaned up to attend a barbeque that my good friends the Bruce and Christina were hosting inhonour of team CraigGiveBack!

All of our friends were gathering to hear our stories and Bob, Craig and I were the guests ofhonour. Craig and I were now sporting matching tape jobs on our ankles, his on his left leg andmine on my right. Craig got a drive to the barbeque with his friend John MacMillan who was alsoCraigs triathlon partner. I started to talk to John when he pulled into the drivewayand parked,but as Craig got out of the passenger side door he stepped off the edge of the pavement and hiscane and a can of beer went flying as Craig spun around and fell backwards. We rushed to

check that he was ok and help him up. I retrieved his cane which was fine, but the can of beerwas a casualty. He said he thought everything was still working and was fine, so we headed upto the deck to enjoy the barbeque and the company of our good friends.

It was not too long and Craig started to complain that his thumb was aching so he was given anice pack in case it was sprained from his fall. The rest of the evening went quickly and beforelong it was time to leave and Bob and I were anxious to spend a night in our own beds. In themorning Craigs father Phillip was driving Bob, Craig and I along with Janus to Halifax for areception and media interviews at the Home Hardware in Lower Sackville.


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DAY #12Thursday, August 15, 2013Wheres Craig?

I woke up in my own bed in my own home for the first time in two weeks. No time to sleep intoday as Craig, Bob and myself had to be at Payzant Home Hardware in Lower Sackville in time

to be ready for a 10:00am meeting with the press.

Craigs dad, Phillip was driving the three of us the one and half hour drive, but when Philliparrived to pick me up I looked in the van and saw Janus, our tandem bike in the back and Phillipand Bob in the front. Where was Craig?

When Craig fell at the barbeque last evening it turns out he injured himself more than he realizedat the time. Last night the pain from his thumb increased and the swelling increased. Hismother Eileen took him to the emergency department at the Aberdeen Hospital. It had becomeso swollen that they could not determine by x-ray if it was broken, though they suspected it was.Regardless he would have to have a cast on his right arm and he would not be leaving with meon Saturday when the CraigGivesBack tour continued. So was Craig out and Bob back in?

Bob manages three H&R Block offices. Two seasonal ones in Tatamagouche and Musquodoboitand a year round office in Pictou, though the Pictou branch is only staffed one day a weekoutside of tax season which of course it now was. Bob was willing to continue to fill in for Craigand cleared it with his boss. Now it looked like Bob would be with me until Ottawa, unless whenthey removed Craigs cast and an x-ray determines the bone is broken and then a new cast willbe put on his arm and will not be removed until we would reach Calgary. We would cross ourfingers and hope for the best. I had a sister in Ottawa and it should not prove too difficult to getCraig there and Bob home if everything works out for the best with Craigs arm.

We arrive in good time at Payzant and setup Janus outside the entrance to the Home Hardwarestore. There is a microphone and we all address the small crowd and after the Home Hardwarepresents a donation to our three charities, we provide interviews to the local media. Bob and Ihad not intended to bicycle as we were enjoying the day off. We did not take bicycle helmetsand Bob wore flip flops and I wore sandals and bandages over the back of my leg from the top ofmy calf to my foot. I just wanted to rest my ankle, but there was a city councilor who wasadamant that he get to see the Janus in action. He was so excited to see such a marvel ofbicycle engineering he was not going to let us leave unless he was satisfied that this crazylooking bike actually worked. Well there was no way Bob could bike with his flip-flops on so Ijumped on the bike and took a couple laps around the parking lot. Luckily it was acceptable tothe city councilor and we were allowed to leave!

We had one errand to run prior to leaving the city, so over to Mountain Equipment Co-op weheaded. From my chance meeting with the Wormans in Newfoundland and the new knowledge Ireceived in regards to lighter equipment, I now knew a couple of changes to our gear that had tobe made in order to increase the odds of us actually making it to Victoria before there was snow

on the ground.

We started the trip with two old sleeping bags my wife and I had since we were married twenty-five years ago and they had a polyester fill. They were warm, however polyester does notcompress very much and they each filled one pannier. I needed to replace these with ones witha goose down fill. The positive is for the weight they are warmer, but even more of a benefit iswhen stored they can be compacted down to a size smaller than a football!


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We also had large cheap and not so comfortable foam sleeping pads, and we needed somethingsmaller and more comfortable and we found air inflated pads that were just large enough toinsulate from our head to our knees. The important thing with a sleeping pad is that it providesinsulation so the cold from the ground under the tent does not absorb all your body heat, and nomatter how warm your sleeping bag is you will shiver all night long. Our new sleeping padswhen not in use could be compressed into the size of half a loaf of bread. With a change to just

two items we had not only reduced our weight on the bike, but reduced the space by more thanhalf.

We left Halifax and drove straight back to Pictou County Cycle in New Glasgow were we droppedoff Janus to get the rear bottom bracket replaced. Then we were all back home by lateafternoon and able to spend a relaxing evening at home with my wife and our hairy kids Loli andZephyr.

DAY #13Friday, August 16, 2013Bob, dont bother unpacking!

Craig came out to our house for a visit to show off the new cast on his arm. Andrea had actuallygot to see him yesterday and was the first person to sign his cast. He was pretty depressed

about not being able to head out with me on Janus tomorrow when we departed for PrinceEdward Island. We knew time would pass quickly and that would mean it would not be longbefore he got his cast off, but also of course we would be moving quickly west across thecountry.

Even though we did not have to bike today, it was going to be a busy day and not actually a restday as originally planned. First I had to head into Pictou to Back To Basics to have my anklechecked one last time before I left on Saturday. My ankle was definitely feeling better and thesickening feeling that I had felt in Cape Breton was completely gone just as Phillip had said itwould be. They gave me the ultra sound and TENS treatment once again and this time gave meinstructions on how to tape my own ankle, as it would have to stay taped up until it finally healedand the tape would only last a few days each time. They were so good to me that they gave meenough tape to last as long as the next two weeks. Phillip even remembered they had a smallbattery powered portable TENS unit and gave it to me to take on the trip. Phillip would notaccept any payment and said for me to consider it his donation to our tour. We have such greatfriends in Pictou!

Now I had to get Janus back from the bike shop in New Glasgow. Craigs dad Phillips assistancewas requested again and of course he agreed immediately, so we set off in his van and picked upJanus and delivered it back to my house. Even though Janus is ten feet in length, it is heldtogether by a large pin in the center, and if this pin is removed the bike becomes two five footsections. The two sections have to be folded over each other due the hydraulic disc brake cablethat runs back to the rear wheel and could not be separated, but regardless it makes it so mucheasier to handle and when folded it actually fits inside the rear of a passenger van.

Now that the bike was home and assembled, I had more work to do prior to our departure in themorning. During my ride from Badger, NL to Pictou, the items Craig and I had shipped backfrom Newfoundland had arrived home and was packed in a box in the basement. I had to gothrough these items and ensure we took what we would require with Bob now being on the bike.I also had to go into Craigs house and pickup some gear that Bob would require and Craig hadbrought back from Newfoundland with him.

Craig and I had a budget for completing the trip which included purchasing the bike and allnecessary equipment to allow us to make the trip safely and successfully. We purchased rain


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gear and also clothing such as merino wool sweaters and gloves. We could not afford topurchase another full set for Bob, so between what clothing Bob already had and what Craig wasable to share, we put together enough items that Bob should be able to stay dry and warm.

Then I had to re-pack the bike and make sure everything fit in our panniers. Other than our fourpanniers, the only other bags on the bike was our food bag which contained only granola bars

and jujubes and the very important bag that contained spare bike parts and repair kit. Even ourrepair kit I had gone through and removed any items not absolutely necessary to make it as lightas possible. Our good friend Randy Sutherland had manufactured a number of smallcomponents that would not be easily available in Canada and I selected only the ones I felt werecritical in that our bike would be inoperable if they could not be replaced.

The bike was now as light as we could possibly make it. The only items of considerable weightthat we refused to give up were our four litre water bladders. On a hot day you can go throughalmost a litre of water an hour and we did not want to run out of water in the middle ofnowhere! We also each carried two water bottles under our seats and we would place pills ofelectrolyte in them to help prevent muscle cramps, especially on hot days.

We had one final relaxing evening at home, and in the morning the four of us would head off to

Prince Edward Island. Thats right, four of us as my wife Andrea and Bobs wife Laureen wouldbe travelling in a car as our support vehicle for the next two days. And where theres a supportvehicle there is room for as much gear as we can take off our bike, making us lighter and faster.Ahhh, the good life even if it will be short lived!


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Top left:Day #9Bob meets me in North Sydney, Top Right:Day #10A reunion with longtime friendsRila and Yvonne in Port Hastings, Middle left:Day #10Somewhere on the road meeting Bev and Curtis,Middle right:Day #11A big welcome in Stellarton, Bottom left:Day #11Fellow cyclists join for theride from Stellarton to Pictou, Bottom right:Day #12Craig has a setback

The CGB Book - Part 3 of 12 - Nova Scotia

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