I give the bike its last oil change, and in the late morning I leave Halifax. After 60 miles, at Truro, I get another puncture. With great care, I fix it, and then, near the causeway to Cape Breton Island, I get yet another.
On the causeway I pay a toll of 25 cents, and another 30 miles takes me to Walter’s home. I spend a day with the family and have a drive around. The day is cold but clear. The house is small and two-story. Water is hand-pumped at the kitchen bench, and cooking and heating water are both done on a central stove. The stove, which burns wood and oil, also serves to heat the house.
I stitch and patch my spare tube, with great effort to do a first-class job.