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Nova Scotia 2015

Half way through the 501 miles today, I'm thinking three short days at home was not quite enough to repair the jet lag and find my center after our trip to Hawaii. Ugh.

Final thoughts on said trip....been there, done that, bought at least three t-shirts each. Always grateful for the chance to travel, but would not return to Hawaii...overpriced, over-hyped, and we have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world right here in Florida.

On the return trip home, Paul and I started our day in Honolulu with coffee on the beach just as the sun was coming up, we hopped on a plane at noon to head west, saw the sun set from First Class as we approached Catalina Island and LAX. Hopped on another plane, saw the sun rise from First Class as we approached Orlando....all within 20 hours. In between, my toughest decision was whether I wanted stir fry beef or potato gnocchi for dinner. Then I had to decide which KIND of dinner roll I wanted to accompany dinner. THEN after dinner, the flight attendant offered me an ice cream sundae w a choice of THREE different toppings! How cool is that? I'm always amazed that this all works; I mean I'm hurtling through the stratosphere being served ice cream sundaes....when I hear people complain about air travel, I just want to look at them and say, ' man relax and just acknowledge how flippin' cool all of this IS!' I hope I never loose the child-like wonder and excitement of things like airplanes, space shuttles, and my iPhone.

As always before a bike road trip, anticipation keeps me from a sound sleep. That and two cats piled on the bed! Up at 430a, bikes packed. Our goal is Portland Maine by Friday; 1500 miles. It's the only weekend Paul can see both of his boys. I understand how special it is to have both of your children in the same zip code at the same time...so I agreed to hitting the road with such a short amount of downtime. It takes me about a hundred miles to shake the knot of anxiety that accompanies the anticipation of a road trip. It's all interstate since we need to click off 500 miles a day to reach Portland by Friday afternoon...my least favorite kind of road trip. After our visit in Portland, we head up to Nova Scotia at a much more leisurely pace on secondary roads.

I first attempted this trip to Nova Scotia in '08 with an un-named partner (!?).... Got all the way to Bar Harbor Maine to the catamaran that runs between Maine and Yarmouth Nova Scotia.....only to find out my travel partner did not have his passport....I was fit to be tied. Needless to say...he had to go, and yes, we actually parted company somewhere in the White Mountains of Vermont after leaving Maine. AND, all future travel partners had to meet a strict criteria...do you have a current passport? Is usually one of my first questions.

The weather was hot and muggy, but the overcast skies made the heat more bearable. Traffic was thick but that is expected when you take off on a holiday weekend. The best bumper sticker I saw today  ( yes, I read bumper stickers, mud flaps, billboards, semi trailers, graffiti.....anything to keep me occupied on interstate travel)..... Seen on a Sebring convertible... "Tofu Slut!"....a vegan with a sense of humor?!



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