Blog

I'll be blogging a short one tonight as I am on the ferry to NFLD and dont have a lot of time as there is a time limit on the computer.  After our night in Halifax (Actually stayed in Lower Sackville) we headed to New Glasgow.  We made it about 130 km before jumping in the van and heading back to Halifax to meet with the minister of health.  The meeting went well and we were able to talk about PKU and other rare disorders.  John took the lead and was able to explain the needs of patients in Nova Scotia.  The minister seemed genuinely interested and admitted it was the first he was hearing about PKU.  It is hopeful that he is able to review Nova Scotia's current coverage and hopefully make some changes that will further assist those in NS with PKU.  After the meeting we dropped Diane off and headed back to the spot we had stopped before.  We rode the extra 12 km into town and got a hotel.  The Tara Inn generously donated a room for us that night so thanks to them for that.  We woke up early and headed to Port Hawkesbury.  We did not actually need to go as far as Port Hawkesbury so once we got into Cape Breton we got a hotel just off the highway we would be taking to North Sydney.  The ride was about 119km and it was nice to have a shorter day.  The wind was all over the place but did not affect our time to badly.  One cool thing that happened at the hotel was when we arrived.  We met a lady who was likely the only other person checked in, maybe a few more, but she asked if we took donations for PKU and we said yes.  She then informed us that her cousin has PKU and made a 100.00 donation.  I forgot to even get her name but she was from Ontario and if you end up reading this blog, thanks again.  We woke up early today, and were on the road before 7.  I think that was our earliest start to date.  After scouting out a route last night we decided to take the main hwy for the first 43 then turn on to some country roads and then take a less busy highway.  We wanted to give ourselves enough time to get lost and still make the ferry.  Thankfully we did not get lost and arrived in North Sydney 130 km later and in time to grab some lunch.  The ride today was great, the scenery was incredible.  If you ever have a chance to bike Cape Breton you should not pass it up.  There were a few challenging hills as well whcih was not to bad.  I think they were easier because we were heading to the ferry and its near the end.  When we got into town we went into a restaurant called the Lobster Pound.  This place was great.  Svend and I had Chowder and John had the soup and sandwich.  The chef came over to ask us what we were riding for and he indicated that he had met Clara Hughes when she came through on her big ride.  He then told us our meals were on the house, except for John he had to pay because he was only driving the van.  We all had a good laugh at John's expense.  Oh and the chowder was fantastic.  We are now on the boat and Im hoping to get a good sleep for the final stretch tomorrow.  Hopefully I dont get sea sick.  Depending on when we land we may head to St. Johns tomorrow but there is a chance we will break up the final distance to two days depending on when we get off the boat.   Im leaning towards finishing tomorrow but we shall see.