Day 26: Pictou, Nova Scotia

Day 26: Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada

July 8, 2016

Miles: 35

Tatagamouche to Pictou


We got up around 7:30am.  Breakfast was served only from 7:30 to 8:30, so we wanted to make sure we didn't miss it. Breakfast was take-it-or-leave-it style - you either ordered the bacon and eggs with toast or you got nothing.  We opted for the bacon and eggs.

I never get tired of 'the lonely diner' shots

View of breakfast and of the view

I thought breakfast was fine, but Di's palate is more discriminating and she ate very little of her breakfast.  She was worried about hurting the cook's feelings, however, and placed most of her remaining food on my previously empty plate so it would look like we each ate at least a majority of our meal.  I didn't know cooks were that sensitive.

We went back to the hotel room and watched Le Tour and Wimbledon (go Roger!) for a while and were ready to hit the road a little past 10am.  It was cold, probably 14 or 15 degrees (less than 60F), and it was windy and cloudy.  I put on two shirts, but even so, very soon after we started I had to pull over and put my raincoat on.  And I was still cold!  It was to remain cloudy and cold all day, so we were relieved we weren't going to suffer from sunburn or heatstroke.  In other words, no use complaining about the weather (at least out loud).

Today we would be riding on the Sunshine Trail.  The Sunshine Trail is really just Rt. 6, a road that follows the coast.  I imagine that on a day without a biting, cold, wet wind coming off the water and with the sun bouncing off the dappled waves of the sea would make the name Sunshine Trail less ironic, but sadly, today was not such a day.

Di and some scenery from the Sunshine Trail

The Sunshine Trail was very pretty.  We had water on one side of us and farm land on the other.  The road wasn't heavily populated, but there was a consistent spread of houses along the coast.  The houses were all modest and very well could have been Summer cottages only.

The Sunshine Trail affords a multitude of scenic vistas

Greenery does one's heart good

At first I couldn't figure out what this piece of equipment was used for, then I realized it is just an elaborate scarecrow.  It certainly scares me.

After riding for 10 miles or so, we came upon a sign advertising gluten free oat cakes.  Di is always lured by signs displaying gluten free wares.  Also, we were cold and our fingers were freezing, so stopping seemed like a great idea.  The oat cakes were made on site at the farm, which impressed Di.  Additionally, the oat cakes were covered with dark chocolate, which really impressed me.  We bought a half dozen and ate them in the semi-warmth of the vendor booth.  They were very yummy!

Di looks overcome with expectation for good tasting gluten free food

The young woman who sold us the dark chocolate with gluten free stuff added said we could find a place to eat in River John, which was four or five miles up the road.  We arrived in River John and it looked to us like an abandoned movie set.  There were houses and stores, but they were all dark and quiet and nobody was about.  It was very confusing.  Finally, a woman emerged from a store called the Stagecoach Emporium and I went up to her and asked if she was open for business.  "Open for business!", she laughed, "this is a private residence!"  "But you have a sign over your door that says Stagecoach Emporium", I said.  "Oh, that sign has been there for years.  We just never got around to taking it down."  With that she chuckled once more and went into her house.  They're funny here in River John.

Di on location in River John

All was not lost, however, because what do folks do when their town has no restaurants or stores?  Why,  they put the big chair in the center of town, of course.  So there it was, inexplicable to us but no doubt reasonable to the folks of River John, the big chair.  Naturally, we sat in it (what else is there to do in River John?).

Di in the big chair.

Me next, me next!

Ah, I'll not soon forget the times we had in the big chair in River John.  Hard as it was to leave the excitement of the big chair behind, we jumped on the bikes to go in search of coffee.  I didn't think I would find good coffee, but I needed to cradle a piping hot cup so I could warm my hands.  A few miles up the rode we came upon a gas station with crappy but hot coffee, so my dream was realized.

Crappy but hot coffee can at least warm your hands

The owner of the gas station asked us about our bike trip and said that is seemed like a lot of work.  "What's your backup plan?", she asked.  "What do you mean?", I replied.  "You know, if you don't feel like riding anymore, how do you get home?  You have friends that will come and get you and bring you home?"  "Uh, no, we have no backup plan", I said.  "A bike trip like that, you got to have a backup plan", she said.  "If it was me, I'd have a backup plan."  I looked at Di, then at the crappy coffee, felt my cold fingers and said, more to myself than to Di, "Maybe we should have a backup plan."

At this point we had 33 kilometres to go and it was already 1:30pm, so we resumed riding.  We weren't making particularly good time, but we were only riding 33 miles for the day, so we had ample time to get to Pictou.

Thars sheep in them thar hills

We stopped with 8 miles remaining to rest and drink water.  I say this to explain the presence of this picture:

Di and Steve took a break at this site on July 8, 2016

We then rode the remaining 13 kilometers (isn't the lack of a measuring standard  annoying?) to Pictou and arrived around 4pm.  In Pictou you pronounce it as PicTOE, which rhymes with "you know" (as in "Its pronounced Pictoe, you know").  Today is the first day of the Pictou Lobster Carnival! 

Some towns have their big chair, other's their carnival

We checked into the Braeside Country Inn and quickly got ready to go in search of dinner (Di was hungry).  We walked through the carnival and decided that we would be better off searching for better food in town.  Di settled on the (Not) Your Mama's Kitchen, which offered fresh food from local farms.  Di ordered the chicken sandwich (sans gluten laden bread) with fries and I the fish cakes.  We both got the salad with strawberries.  The food was spectacular!

Di's happy food face

The restaurant had good vibes

Di was so impressed with the food that when the cook looked over at our table, she gave him the thumbs up sign.  A short while later Kirk, the cook and also part owner with his wife Diane, came over to say hello.  We told him the food was delicious and we were so happy we had found his place.  He told us he and his wife had moved to Pictou from Halifax and had opened the restaurant only five months ago.  They are both strong supporters of the local farmers and he said word of the restaurant is slowly spreading and business is steadily growing.  Good luck Kirk and Diane, you guys prepare a mean meal.  Di's and my empty plates were a testament to that!

Kirk and Di

Definitely will return to (Not) Your Mama's Kitchen next time we visit Pictou.  No doubt.

View of Main Street, Pictou

We walked through the carnival on our way back to the hotel.  We decided not to stay at the carnival because the carnival offers rides, food, beer and live music and we don't want to go on rides, we ate already, we drank beer already, and we can hear the music quite clearly from our hotel room. Too clearly, in fact, because the carnival is right outside our room.

There's the carnival, as seen from the window of our room

But, no worries, the music is scheduled to end sometime between one and two in the morning.  Given that we are still tired from yesterday's ordeal, we'll probably have no trouble sleeping right through it all.

Tomorrow we go to Prince Edward Island (aka PEI, a landmass not to be confused with Pei, an architect).


Some parting shots from the carnival: