Day 87 - Bras d'Or, NS (Extra Rest Day)

August 8 (Saturday)

Start Time: N/A

Stop Time: N/A

KM Travelled: 0 on the Bike

Elevation: 0 on the Bike

Special Stuff: Bike shops open on weekends

This morning I'm feeling much better overall. My headache is gone and my eye and stomach are starting to feel better.

I spend time finalizing my Newfoundland route and securing a campsite for Monday night. I feel good about staying in a private campground where I hope to be able to secure my food and toiletries in a bear cache. Newfoundland has bears ("American bears" which are quite a bit larger than the black bears that we have back in BC.), but apparently they are uncommon in the area that I will be travelling through (thank goodness!).

With my planning all wrapped at 9:30 am, I head out to take a look over my bike - which was exhibiting some shifting issues the last few days. I scrub off some dirt that had caked on the derailleur and reposition the chain that has fallen off in the process. I take it out for a spin down the road, and my heart sinks as I find that I can no longer change the gears on my back cassette! The gears on the front chain ring shift just fine. Basically, I only have two gears, neither of which will work going uphill. I can't possibly finish the ride with only these two gears!

With this new information, I immediately jump into action mode because I know that many bike shops are closed on Sundays and Mondays. I find a bike shop that is open until 1:00 pm and interrupt Brian (who has been busy working for the last hour) to see if he can give me a ride to the bike shop 20 km away (I'm still not feeling comfortable about driving).

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I arrive at Framework Cycle and Fitness and get in line for service. I overhear the staff person telling the customer in front of me that they do not have mechanics doing bike repairs on Saturdays (eek). When it is my turn to the front counter, the team knows who I am (from my phone call earlier) and they brace me for the worst case scenario - that my bike may need work that cannot be completed before they close at 1:00 pm. The person at the front counter takes my bike out back - and I hover around nervously waiting for a preliminary diagnosis. 15 minutes later the manager comes out and gives me some surprising news. The cable which controls my shifting has completely exploded - apparently this can happen with wear and tear. The great news is, they can probably replace it within the next hour. I'm beside myself with relief that the problem can be solved by this skillful team of bike enthusiasts.

2 hours and $35.00 later, we are back at the campsite and I'm all set to continue on with my bike journey tomorrow. Brian and I talk through the previous day's journey and I realize that by some amazing stoke of luck, I managed to get to the campsite on a couple of gears that were in the mid to easy gear range. I only revealed the problem when the chain came off and I put it back on in a more difficult gear. Oh man, what a crazy morning!

After Brian finishes up his work, we pack up and prepare ourselves for tomorrow's departure. The ferry does not leave until late in the afternoon, but I will be leaving in the morning to ensure that I have ample time to work through the arrangements of getting my bike onto the ferry. Brian will be parking the trailer in North Sydney and will then be heading off to Halifax to get the truck serviced and to catch a flight to St.John's, Newfoundland.

There is a feeling of excitement in the air as we anticipate the final leg of this 3 month adventure.