I was up fairly early (for me), and on the road by 8:30. The weather was cool and foggy - a typical Nova Scotia summer morning - and I made great time. The countryside was virtually empty except for the occasional cluster of houses. It was a gradual climb through rather bleak forest all the way to the settlement of Lansdowne, which was quite a distance from the resort. From there the road headed down into Pictou County toward the Northumberland Strait.

The sun came out in an hour or so, and the landscape took on a gentler more prosperous look after the bleak interior. I stopped at a gas station near Rocklin for directions, and on the advice of the woman at the cash register followed a very pretty road around Loch Broom. I got into Pictou about noon, just in time for lunch.

Pictou's rather grim Scottish roots were quite apparent on the main street, but it certainly didn't lack character. Scottish settlers arrived here on a ship called the Hector in 1773 and the town was busy building a replica of the famous ship. It was launched in September 2000, and there are photos and a video of the launch here.

I rode around town looking for a place to eat finally stopping at a small stone house, built right to the street, with a sign announcing 'Smith's Home Cooked Meals'. For a former Maritimer this was both a welcome and a warning. My childhood flashed before my eyes as I walked through the door, and some deeper part of my brain was jolted into consciousness by smells of steam and vinegar.

The inside was dark and homely, with a look that could be described as 'early dinette'. The daily special was a Ham & Potato Scallop, and despite the heat of the day I felt I had to have at least a small serving ($3.75). It was good if very plain - just cooked ham and a slightly vinegary potato scallop. I'm sure the recipe hasn't changed in a century. My journal records it as 'a dour culinary experience' but enjoyable nonetheless, and a welcome reassurance that wraps, pasta and tex-mex have not yet conquered all places and cultures. One of the women seemed to spend most of her time peeling potatoes in the kitchen. She said she peeled 100 lbs a day, and had her arm in a splint to prove it.

The next ferry to Prince Edward Island was at 1:30 pm, so I had to eat quickly to make it to the ferry terminal at Caribou. Like most ferry terminal approaches it was a wide, straight, featureless road, which made the heat seem even more intense. I got on board, after talking to a couple heading the other way. They were from Port Angeles, Washington, just a few ferry rides from my home in Vancouver, and were on a tandem. They were spending a few months in the Atlantic Provinces, and were heading for Newfoundland via the Argentia ferry from Sydney, NS.

The ferry to PEI was free (it's always free to get onto 'The Island' - they charge you to leave). I bought a sandwich and a cold drink and, feeling a bit heat-strokish, looked for a cool place to sit down out of the sun. There was a jazz duo in the lounge at the rear, and I listened to them for a while. The boat was full of tourists and holiday-makers - the tourism industry in the Maritimes seems to be doing better than ever.

On the other side, I stopped in at the tourist bureau at Wood Islands to make a reservation at Lord Selkirk Provincial Park, and set off via a back road route. The bright red soil of PEI was wonderful to see again, and in places the roads were lined with masses of black-eyed susans. This has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth, but I suppose I could be biased. I stopped at a big, white-painted, wooden church in Belfast to sit in the shade for a while. It was surrounded by a large and opulent cemetery and I sat under a tree and just enjoyed the peace.

I reached the campground (C$15) at Lord Selkirk Park just as it was clouding over again, and a few sprinkles of rain came down as I was setting up the tent. It had been a long hot day, so I cheated and bought a sandwich at a nearby store instead of cooking, and then lay down for a while. By about 7:30 however I was feeling energetic enough to go up to the corner for 'a beer' at the local bar. I ended up talking and playing pool (badly) with some of the locals till 11 pm, and had at least six (!). They were bottles, not pints, but I still suffered greatly the next morning.

"Take it easy...you're in the Maritimes!"
- supermarket jingle from the 1960's

Distance for the day 101 km
Total 180 km