We woke up to a beautiful morning (Clouds are good!). And, if you recall from day 4, our campsite was right on the edge of the beach.

Read the first three chapters of Nadine & Mark’s epic Maritime cycling adventure here (1), here (2), here (3) and here (4)

Here’s the morning view from our tent at the Old Shipyard Beach campground. PS: I really didn’t want to leave!

I’ve been dreading the write up for Day Five. It was an emotionally complex day on many levels. Even though a fair amount of time has passed since our tour ended, the memories and emotions from Day Five are still quite fresh in my mind.

So, point form to keep it simple (and much shorter):

- Mark’s father passed away three years ago, the road on Day Five went right into the town where he was laid to rest.

- This was the hardest day of the tour with the first forty kilometers known as the mini-Cabot Trail (for those not familiar with the expression – read: hilly!).

- I wasn’t feeling well.

The Day
Start: Spencer Island, Nova Scotia
End: Hilden, Nova Scotia
Distance: 146 KM
Weather: Cloudy, high of 25C (ish)

I made a decision not to ride for the morning, hoping to shake whatever was bothering me. Mark set off on his own like a trooper. A fellow cyclist and I grabbed a ride with Paul-the-sag-guy – who has to be one of the most interesting people I’ve met in the long time. We talked for several hours and I managed to get an opportunity to see the tour from a different perspective.

I am happy to report that there were no emergencies while I was part of the sag crew. In Parrsboro – about 40kms from the start – my fellow sagger and I decided to explore the town and find a place to eat while Paul worked (waited for everyone to check in or ride by ). We had a nice walk to the restaurant. However, note to self – next time you ask someone ‘How far?’ – don’t forget to specify that you’re walking. Five minutes by car is MUCH longer by foot!

Paul dropped us of at Great Village, I was feeling able to make the 50kms to the campsite. We’d just passed Mark, so I waited for him and we rode the rest of the way together. (ps. He had a nice visit with his father.)

View from the top of a ‘hill’ on the road to Parrsboro.

The good thing about this day: Mark already had 90+kms behind him, it was nice that he was a ‘little tired’ – I was able to keep up without a problem! Mark was reasonably tired when he got in, but I really believe he could have kept riding. He’s a machine!

After setting up our tent, Mark’s mother and our daughter (8) picked us up for supper. They’d just dropped off our son (10) with his cousins who were on their way to PEI for a few days of camping. It was really great to see them, but it was really difficult to say goodbye. Four more days to go!

Bring on the Valley!

Along the same lines.....

• September 2, 2008 -- Cycling – New Brunswick Adventure – Day 3 – Fundy National Park, NB to Amherst, NS (160km, 110km or 50k)
• September 10, 2008 -- Cycling – Maritime Adventure – Day 4 – Amherst, Nova Scotia to Spencer Island, Nova Scotia
• August 19, 2008 -- Cycling – New Brunswick Adventure – Day 1 – St. Martins to Fundy National Park – 108 km
• August 12, 2008 -- Cycling – New Brunswick Adventure – Pre-Tour – Day 1 – Saint John to St Martins
• April 17, 2010 -- Philanthropic Pedaling – Cyclists to Bike Through Italy to Aid a Rural Village in Namibia
• June 29, 2009 -- Prince Edward County – Cycling in and Around Picton Ontario
• June 8, 2009 -- Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour – Ottawa to Kingston
• September 26, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 12 – Kinderdijk – Dutch Windmills
• September 25, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 11 – Utrecht to Gouda
• September 24, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 10 – Groningen & Drenthe Day Trip