What I did on my Summer Vacation :-)

I've recently completed a nearly month-long rental-car + mountain-bike tour of a whack of NS singletrack trails - ten different trail networks in all - and here is what I discovered;

Roots

Easterners must have developed the same kind of adaptive riding habits for wet root riding as we Westerners have for large, sharp rocks!  I had a {crash-course} in root-riding during my stay; but was figuring it out pretty well by the end of my visit.  For the most part - with the exception of the trail described below - NS trails are root-laden to a degree which forces one into a whole new style of riding.

The "Fight Trails"

Holy Shiite - what can only be described as a national treasure!  Granite whales, leading to granite whales, punctuated by brief bits of flat granite with the odd wooden bridging thrown in for good measure.  Traction isn't a concern up to about 60 degrees as the porous granite offers bite like a cheetah!  I hope that NS riders are aware of just how rare that kind of riding terrain is in Canada, if not North America.  I was so blown away by the Fight Trail Network that I found myself falling in lust with mountain biking all over again - this from a bike-bum who explores trails most days of the week throughout the year!  In my opinion, the Fight Trails offer the most flat-out fun riding of the many trail networks that I visited while in NS - and perhaps Canada as a whole!  (Pics below)  

Beer

Happened upon an establishment called Maxwell's Plum in Halifax.  60 types of beer on tap and amazing grub; need I say more ?

Kudos

I'd like to thank the Trail Flow crew for showing me around a bit while I was in their neighborhood, The Bike Peddler in Dartmouth for fixing up my broken parts in very short order and biketrout.com for supplying a tasty list of trails for me to explore while I was in-province.  I'll be back!

Flying

Blow the extra air-miles for a first-class airline ticket; you'll be pampered enroute, don't have to pay to have your bike shipped out, nor for oversize / overweight baggage.  That, along with 'special' menus, extra leg-room, comfortable seats and personalized service make it more than worthwhile.

Andrew Drouin
sweetsingletrack.ca
southokanagantrailalliance.com


Crazily challenging rooty trails in many areas




...and pretty nice in others




The 'Fight Trails' - The 40-degree slab on the right is the trail - and you stick to it like glue!




'Fight Trails' - I'm seriously addicted!




'Fight Trails' - Resting between the 'whales'




Speaking of whales - my family and I went whale-watching off Brier Island




I got lucky and snapped this amazing pic' of one doing a barrel-roll near the boat




The Bay of Fundy, near my parent's ranch - (((crazily high tides!)))




Same area, 'Cape Split' - Got my mom to do a 10 mile hike with me to the look-off!




The "Split" mentioned is this bit O' land, all on it's lonesome...




Met up with my good friend Peter Matthews (moved east in 2012) and rode some great trails




Some of the trails look a lot like the West Coast




But many of the lichen found out east are, to say the least, "unique" (Lobaria pulmonaria)




My sis' took me to what can only be described as "the most beautiful creek I've ever seen"




And I took her to 'On-Tree Adventures' - Zip lines punctuated by challenge sections




Don't know what he was thinking, but the pilot let me fly the plane for a while during an aerial tour of NS!




A Nova Scotia phenomenon - !!Megga-lawns!! (don't ask me why, but they're everywhere)




Horses at my parents ranch - believe it or not, they're more fun to ride than bikes!




Hummingbirds fighting outside my folk's front porch (high on sugar-water)




Andrew