Rain, Rain, Go Away...

We've spent the last few days in the Halifax region of Nova Scotia, trying (unsuccessfully) to track down a Yellow-crowned Night Heron, replenishing gear and supplies, and exploring Halifax.

Drying the tent and tarp on
a rare dryish afternoon

Unfortunately though, the rain has put a bit of a damper on our Nova Scotia experience, since returning from Prince Edward Island. We've spent several of our riding days drenched to the core, and one particularly wild windy night in a Provincial Park picnic area. We hadn't planned on staying in the picnic area (you aren't really allowed), but when we got to their campground it was fully closed, getting dark and pissing rain. And Nigel had a flat tire, broken brakes, and loose handlebars. My hands were so stiff I couldn't shift my gears or even tie my bootlaces!

Cycling through the fog on the
Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge

There were no closure warnings on the parks road signs leading up to the campground. This may not be a problem for people in cars, but for folks on bikes, it takes some effort to turn around and come up with a new plan. This has happened twice in Nova Scotia so far (though the first time we were only after a shower so that was ok)! So our options for the night were to camp illegally at a government picnic area or on private property. We chose the government land. The cops did show up in the morning, but when they saw Nige trying to fix his bike, they just left again. As it was still gusting wind and raining, presumably they felt sorry for us! (Or just didn't want to bother getting out of the car for such a trivial violation)

Anyway, the forecast is set to improve, so here's hoping we get some sun so we can enjoy the rest of this beautiful province!!