Halifax, at long last

Well, its done. I did it. Its over. I'm in Halifax, the recently decided end to my odyssey. I'm relieved, excited, surprised, and many other emoticons. Relieved that I no longer have to worry about wind ruining my day; excited that I biked over 2000 km; surprised at the fact that I was able to do it. I mean, it wasnt easy, there were many times I wanted to quit, and I have truncated the original plan significantly, but still, I mean, it wasn't THAT hard. I'm going to spend the next couple days enjoying the city, and seeing as much as possible: Dalhousie, the Citadel, the Alexander Keiths Brewery, the waterfront, all of it. And on foot, not on my bike. So, rather than try to sum up the experience in a few contrite phrases, I have prepared a list of things I really liked, and things that I could have done without on this trek (hey, thats the name of my bike!) I present to you, loyal reader, my Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down (which I ripped off from the Silhouette)

Thumbs Up to:
-Making it to Halifax
-all the support from family and friends, could not have done it without you, especially my Mom and Dad
-my bike, for having minimal mechanical problems the whole time
-friendly drivers, who gave me lots of space on the road, more so than was neccesary
-Tim Hortons, my shelter from the storms
-Quebec Hostels, which were beautiful for the price in both QC and Rivier-du-Loup
-CBC Radio 1, for giving me the news on the road, and also for being the only English speaking radio station in Quebec (the province)
-people who let me stay at their place, giving me food, showers, and a bed, couch or floor to sleep on (you know who you are!)
-random helpful Canadians, like Floyd the Hobo in Cornwall
-Highway 2 in New Brunswick, for having the widest smoothest shoulder I rode
-doing shots in the kitchen of Shed Cafe with Ross
-Spicy Garpar wings- I cant explain, you just have to try them
-St Hubert Chicken- its even better than Swiss Chalet
-Pauls thermarest, which kept me comfy while camping
-two nights of free camping!
-Grand Falls (its not just a name)
-Mrs Campbells chocolate cake
-the St John to Digby ferry- talk about a classy ship
-UNBSJ residence, which was nicer than most motels, and way cheaper
-riding with random people in different cities, like the scottish guy in Quebec

Thumbs Down to:
-wind
-rude drivers who didnt want me on 'their' road, despite the fact that its the law (i got called a butthead today, by a grown man! I though 6 year olds used that word). Luckily, these were few and far between
-towns that dont have Tim Hortons- you call yourself Canadian!?
-Fredricton Hostel (didnt realize Hostel was code for halfway house: sketchy!)
-losing CBC Radio 1 between QC and Riviere du Loup- where did you go?
-french pop music- its like our pop music, but worse!
-Quebec side roads, which havent been patched or repaved in 60 years
-Dave's sleeping bag, which was not nearly warm enough for this weather (though I still appreciated you lending it to me!)
-getting lost in cities

I think that gives you a good idea of what kind of things made up this trip. One of the best things I have taken away from this trip is that biking is a great way to see areas in a way that you might miss in a car. I got to see moose up close, ride through some beautiful parks and forests, and stay in some cool places. I am very excited to take my bike to different places around the world and explore them too (next stop, Ireland). However, I definitely want to do some less ambitious trips for a while (maybe 7 to 10 days), and definitely with other people as well. Though there are lots of ways to stay distracted on the road, its always nice to share the ride with someone else. Thanks to all for following my progress, and I hope I will see you all on the road soon.
Sincerly, Matt Gibson