Drive to Halifax

Angry Seas: Leaving PEI

The winds continued on Prince Edward Island. I had a few hours of driving ahead of me and I was on the road by 10:30 headed for Halifax. I stopped before the Confederation Bridge to fill up. The winds were so strong, I had to turn my back to pump gas. Cups, paper, boxes and other debris would periodically float by. Two woman with backpacks casually walked past. I have no idea where they came from or where they were going.

A few minutes later I was waiting in a long line to cross The Confederation Bridge at Borden-Carleton, PE. All trucks and large campers were being blocked from crossing the bridge. I took my receipt after paying the 50 CAN toll to cross back remembering what the woman at the bar said to me last night. She said, It’s free to come to the island, but you have to pay to leave. The officer at the tollbooth told me the truck would be blown right over in these high winds. At one point the road is 200 feet above the water. It actually feels even higher.

Setup In The Wind

A few hours after leaving, I found my way to the West Halifax KOA. They gave me a site near the entrance to the campgrounds and right on the water. I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay more than one night. The campground was mostly larger campers with a few no frills tent sites.

I’ve never setup a tent in gale force winds before. I realized I needed rocks just to hold down the tent corners. Anyone watching may have been entertained with my struggles. I decided to not setup the stove or anything else. It would be impossible to cook in this wind.

The showers were close by. Surprisingly, they were large clean and had really hot water. I embraced the warmth.

Halisi Cafe

Suzanne: Owner of Halisi Cafe in Sackville, NS

I asked the front desk at the KOA campsite if there was a library nearby. I was directed to the Sackville, NS Public Library a few miles away. On my way I saw a cafe and thought I should get a coffee. When I came in, a woman was eating pasta and I realized, I hadn’t eaten much. I ordered a turkey and cheese sandwich which was so good. They also had wi-fi, so I decided to hangout here instead of the library. I had a large table to my self with an outlet behind me. All I need for my daily blog.

The woman at the table realized I was not a local and asked me where I was from. She asked me how the meal was. I said that it was very good and that everything was so tasty. I said I liked how it was prepared. She said that everything here is prepared with love. She told me she came here a few times a week just to support the cafe as others did in the area. Several others came in over the next couple of hours ordering food. One couple said that they had a sandwich last week and wanted the same thing because it was so good. They couldn’t remember what they had, but it was really good.

I talked to owner, Suzanne about here business. She opened it in 2020 with her husband and she bakes, prepares meals and makes great coffee. Some one had ordered gluten free deserts for their mother’s 70th birthday party. Suzanne offered me one with my second coffee. She must have felt sorry for me sitting at a table typing and she came out and offered me another desert. I ordered a blueberry muffin as well, which like everything else was perfect. Suzanne’s mother-in-law sometimes helps with the baking.

Halifax

I headed into Halifax, 35 minutes away. The sky on the way into the city was like something from a Maxfield Parrish painting.

I was going to have something to eat and go see a live show somewhere. Unfortunately, the winds persisted and I decided to go back to the campsite, get a good nights sleep and be on my way early the next morning. That proved difficult as well.

Jon Cyr Music

Back at the campsite, It was around 8:30 and I could hear live music. Maybe I would get my live music fix after all. I finally found the source and there were about 100 campers in front of the “Pancake House” stage. The artist was performing country hits. He was pretty good, some thought he was way better than that. There were crazy screams when he’d finish a song. Jon was either playing or talking. He never stopped talking except to take a drink of a never empty beer, or from the vodka or scotch bottles on stage donated by campers in the audience. At some point in the show, someone brought Jon another beer and encouraged him to chug it, and he did.

The reason for this concert was to raise money for a local family that was real need of support. The show was on Facebook and people online and at the campground were donating money. Jon also talked about a cousin that passed and Jon had raised over 25,000 CAN to support suicide prevention if I understood it properly.

I was talking to the guy beside me. He was from the Boston Area. I learned that his son was the guitarist for The Dropkick Murphys. This is a well know band in the Boston Area but they perform all over the world.

As the show continued, there was a young boy sitting in the front row. He was clearly having trouble sitting still and Jon asked him if he was having trouble sitting because he had to pee. The boy shook his head yes and Jon told him to go pee behind the stage. Two songs later, Jon announced that he needed a quick break and disappeared behind the stage as well.

This was my queue to get back to the tent. I was surprised how strong the winds were. The tent was bowed when I slipped into my three layered sleeping sack. High winds take away any warm that may be generated in the tent. So, I pulled the sleeping bag over my head and drifted off.