Travels with haRVy

OK, so the trains weren’t so distant after all. It turns out that there is a railcar switching yard nearby and several cars apparently needed switching late last night. It was interesting… especially since we couldn’t figure out exactly what the noise was for a while. Luckily neither of us lost much sleep over it and we were up bright and early so Wayne and his crew could work on our projects.

Wayne’s “lower 40” where we boondocked overnight

Turns out that Wayne is a pretty interesting guy. He was an Olympic weightlifter in the 70’s and has a bit of a different outlook on life than most. He definitely believes in giving back as he has constructed several welded monuments to charitable organizations. His “tree of life” that commemorates loved ones lost to cancer sits in downtown Truro. A prototype of the tree also sits in his yard.

He does good work at reasonable rates too. Al’s reinforced bike and kayak rack was done and paid for by 1:30 and we were back on the road through scenic Wentworth Valley and on to Amherst. We splurged on a night at a full service RV park because we were in need of a pumpout and showers. This type of place is not our preference, but many of the smaller campgrounds and provincial parks are already closed for the season.

One of our neighbors tonight

Yet another beautiful sunset. We’ve had more than our share on this trip.

Sunny, windy & warm. 64 miles

Last night proved to be one of our quietest ever as not one single car came past after dark.

This morning we headed further west along the coast toward Halifax. The air was totally still as we drove past multiple lakes and bays displaying beautiful reflections on their glassy surfaces.

We turned north to go to Truro where Al wants to get some welding done at a shop recommended by our Colorado traveling friends Keith and Cheryl.

Wayne Smith of Wayneco Welding seems like a great guy. We are boondocking in his “lower 40” field tonight, so they can work on the project tomorrow morning. Except for the sound of distant train horns, it is surprisingly quiet here in this urban setting.

While in this full service city, we took advantage of the local library, the laundromat, and the propane supplier. Truro has a compact downtown area with everything you need within walking distance. The town also has some interesting historical architecture too. We probably would not have stopped here under other circumstances, but we rather enjoyed the afternoon.

Gloriously sunny and warm with temps in the mid-70’s. 119 miles

Yesterday we awoke to the cry of loons on the river, cloudy skies, and building breezes. We headed towards the southern end of Cape Breton Island in hopes of shortening our exposure to the effects of a cold front that is predicted to meet up with tropical storm Leslie later today or tomorrow.

The rain began in earnest in the early afternoon. We continued driving until conditions proved uncomfortable. Around 4 o’clock we pulled off the highway and parked at a small adjacent hospital to see how things developed.

We decided to stay put as long as necessary after the 6 o’clock news called for flooding rains until midnight followed by winds up to 120 kph. We were happy to be situated high and dry and clear of large trees. We ended up staying overnight and even had breakfast in the cafeteria. Thank you, Strait Richmond Hospital for being so gracious.

It rained really hard all night and we are happy to report that haRVy kept us warm and dry.

Once the winds abated (somewhat), we took off again, but the rain and wind soon increased once more. We took some time off the road to grocery shop in Port Hawksbury, where I felt like a kid in a candy store…kale, chard, bok choy – hurray! I am feeling mixed emotions about being back in civilization, but it sure is nice to have access to fresh produce and more healthy foods again. Most of the roads are considerably better too, but there is of course, more traffic. Everything is a trade-off.

The rain stopped and the sun began to shine, but the winds continued to be bothersome. We crossed the Canso Causeway from Cape Breton to Nova Scotia and stopped for lunch in Antigonish. To escape the northerly winds, we decided to head towards the southern shore on Route 7. With the winds at our backs we enjoyed sunshine across rolling hills, farmlands, and waterways. The rivers are all raging from the tremendous amount of rain and the lakes are obviously over their usual levels with many docks and fields underwater.

The coastal portion of this afternoon’s drive was, “like Maine but more” – more islands, more trees, and more bays. At day’s end we pulled off the highway onto Coopers Road near Tangier and parked at the end of the road next to the bay where we, once again, were treated to a beautiful sunset and the cry of loons.

We have managed to keep good attitudes over the past few days as we made travel decisions based on Leslie’s advance northward. In the end we are really glad we got out of Newfoundland where the storm made landfall this morning. The next few days are predicted to be gorgeous here and we look forward to moving on in more favorable conditions.

Cloudy, windy, rainy, sunny, warm. 154 miles