Day 26 - Arriving in Halifax by bike

Day 26 - distance 95 km (Truro to Halifax)

Riders: Sheila, Meg, Dan, Leslie

The last two days were polar opposites. The second last day was rainy, cold, and somewhat miserable. We had sunshine, blue skies, and a beautiful ride into Halifax on our last day of cycling.

Dan, Sheila, Meg and Leslie leave Truro

We biked through rolling hills, along sparkling lakes and it was smooth riding, until as luck would have it, only 65 km away from Halifax we had a major mechanical issue: a broken chain! Victor showed up with tools and he and Dan repaired the chain. Fortunately we covered that repair in our pre-trip bike clinic.

Broken chain

Chain repair

We arrived in Halifax via ferry from Dartmouth and were greeted by Victor and Leslie's sister, Christine. We found our way to the nearest bar and ordered a couple of celebratory pitchers.

Meg, Les, Sheila and Dan arrive in Halifax

Les and Sheila celebrate!

In some ways "the end" was like most other days--it wasn't like finishing an endurance event or race where you are utterly spent when you arrive. Instead, we arrived feeling like we have every other day, a bit tired and very hungry. But what made this day different was the feeling of culmination and accomplishment. Collectively all the days of cycling led us here to our final destination.

Says Sheila, "I spent the quiet biking hours on the last day reflecting on the trip, thinking about the highs and lows, the challenges and the rewards. I tried to remember each place we had stayed at throughout the trip and found I couldn't. Too many campsites tend to blur together. But I remember the spectacular views and the tough climbs that it took to get up to those views. I remember the cruising tailwinds along the St Lawrence and the cold rain of New Brunswick. I thought about how much of my country I was able to see, and how few people get to see it by bicycle. So different than travelling by car or train; by bicycle you smell the smells, taste the air, and meet the people. That was wonderful and I felt extremely lucky."

Distance from Ottawa to Halifax by bike

We covered a total distance of just over 2230 km from Ottawa to Halifax. The trip took us 26 days including 3 full rest days with no biking. We are so thrilled to have not only met, but surpassed our $5000 fundraising goal for Easter Seals Ontario. Thank you to everyone for your support.