total km: 7624.33
Turtle Power!We’ve decided that we have to do more cycle touring after this trip because we’ve only just perfected all of the tricks of the trade in terms of cheap living. Squatting is a good start, but squatting right next to trucker stops where showers are available is like staying in an all inclusive free of charge. We had to pay for the showers of course, but the provision of free wireless internet and the use of the lounge with cable T.V. while waiting for the shower to be cleaned (a regular occurrence to keep them up to standard) made it seem free.
Squatting now requires no effort whatsoever. In fact, we really do enjoy it more than staying in a campground. We just realized that we’ve gone two solid weeks now without paying for a night. We love it.
Our ride was short today, but it wasn’t quick. We set off on a late departure into the wind and soon discovered that Katie’s stomach was less than thrilled with its breakfast. We took it quite slow and easy to avoid making things worse and decided that it was definitely time to break our squatting streak. Katie was in need of a couple of days off in doors, with a real bed and access to a hot shower. Out came the trusty Lonely Planet and the cell phone. Only moments later we had contacted, literally, every Halifax/Dartmouth hotel, hostel, and B&B listed in the guide book and found that not one of them had any availability. It’s mid week in late September. Why Halifax is the place to be right now, we couldn’t tell you. Once again, it seemed like we might be making our own campsite.
Thankfully, our luck turned as we neared the city. First it was with the spotting of a toonie on the busy Highway 118 shoulder, which, in turn led to the pulling over and spotting a beautiful scenic bike path directly adjacent to the busy Hwy 118.
We happily took this path most of the way to the tourist info center where we quickly discovered that there are, in fact, far more accommodation establishments in Halifax and Dartmouth than just the ones listed in our guidebook. We are now staying at a very affordable Dartmouth B&B. We’ve just enjoyed our hot showers and are eagerly looking forward to enjoying our real bed.
Sunset over the "Lion's Gate Bridge" twin that links Dartmouth with Halifax.B&K
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