My original plan was to take a leisurely ride to Sydney (Nova Scotia), separating the 1,500 km ride into two 8-9 hr rides. I'd leave on Sun and ride to Moncton New Brunswick. On Monday, I would have a whole day ahead of me to possibly do a little touring up in Cape Breton (Cabot Trail). I'd arrive on Monday night by 9 or 10pm and get in line for my confirmed midnight ferry. This would allow me to get a bunk and get some sleep. The ferry would dock in Port aux Basques (Nfld.) by 7am on Tuesday and I'd look forward to a full day of touring. Seemed like a plan.

These plans are now scuttled. The weather has been unstable the last few days. As it stands, several severe thunderstorm watches are in effect for my planned travel area. I wait out a whole day, not knowing if I should take the daunting Weather Channel warning advisories seriously or not. It seems to me that they are always crying wolf. On the other hand, if the warnings do pan out, I would be much safer off the road. Compounding this dilemma is the fact that the weather systems are much milder in my area. I look outside and can only guess at what weather is developing 3 hrs out.

As the day goes by, it occurs to me that my recent tours have mostly involved bad weather. I find myself thinking that one day I'll set out for a tour and the weather forecast will be for sunny and mild in the coming weeks. What's more, this will be in the midst of a dry spell. That would be nice! I'm sure that this will happen eventually. It's bound too. It just doesn't seem like it will happen during this trip.

Though there are now reports of hail the size of golf balls having hit some areas, the worst seems to be over. In fact, it seems to be heading diagonally Northeast, toward Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. On my path, but ahead of me. I can live with that. Analyzing the radar weather maps as best I can, I decide to chance the weather.

It's now 3:30pm (Monday). If I don't arrive at the ferry terminal one hour prior to departure, my reservation will lapse. I call to possibly change my reservation. Can't be done. They can put me on a waiting list. Or they can confirm me for Thursday.

I need to get moving. Given some road construction, it'll be a 16-hour ride, not counting gas stops. I'll also lose one hour in the Atlantic time zone. If I hit the road by 4pm, I'll arrive in Sydney by 9am Tues morning. Just in time to see the ferry pull out of dock!

Well. . . I'll just do the best I can.