It was in the first days of our trip. Julie and I had set out to cycle around the eastern half of Nova Scotia, and we knew there was no campground that night. So, we were determined to find a place preferably on the seaside and quiet to spend the night. It’s not going to be very difficult that we thought…. Still, the ideal place was quite difficult to find. So, after a long day that seemed like it would never end, we finally found the place that without being perfect, would do. I was the one who first saw this baseball field (where there was obviously not much baseball being played) which had, in addition to a very nice view of the ocean, a chemical toilet!! We had a peaceful place, great views and a toilet, but still had the problem of water. After a hot summer day of almost 100km of cycling, all our bottles were dry, and we obviously had to find water before we could even cook our dinner. The nearest house being about 1 km away, we left our panniers near the tent and got on our bikes to go and do this much needed refueling. It was supper time and a young couple answered us very nicely but still, insisting right away on the fact that we should not make noise so as not to wake up the baby who had just fallen asleep. Those who were young parents surely remember this feeling…. Still, after a brief exchange of politeness in a very low voice, all our bottles were full, and we returned to our campsite/baseball field.
We were still eating our dehydrated “mean in a bag” when we spotted this big red pickup truck coming up the way from the baseball field to our small makeshift campsite. I looked at Julie with a look that said, “oops, maybe finally there’s a game tonight…?” But no, it was our young dad who had freed himself for a few minutes to bring us; hold tight, two Swordfish steaks, which he had just grilled on his BBQ and which he had caught himself that morning. Needless to say, this was out of this world delicious, and it was the definitely the best meal of the trip. Not only because it was fresh fish, but also because it was shared so generously and so spontaneously by a busy young dad with two cyclists who were just passing by. One of my most beautiful travel memories.