It was only Remembrance Day weekend, and even though I already had a trip planned for the end of November, it was already F this shit o'clock in Corner Brook. I wasn't about to sign up for an entire seven-month winter sentence from November to May.

So by virtue of driving 2.5 hours down to the ferry in Port-aux-Basques, sleeping on the floor of the passenger lounge for the 7-hour crossing to save money, then pulling my golf bag through the streets of North Sydney up to their mall bus stop, I went from the above atrocious scene...

...to a much more glorious and normal life for mid-November.

It's $36 round trip to take your bike on the ferry, making it really tempting to skip out on any bike work and just ride the whole thing right on to the boat.

Except saving the $36 always seems to win.

So as I was reassembling my bike here at Coxheath, a woman cut through and asked about all my gear and explaining that I'd come from Newfoundland just for the weekend because of the horrible weather, she was very impressed with my resolve.

With the ferry landing at 7am, it was still only 1130 by the time I finished up at Coxheath, so after a pint and some internet surfing at the nearby Breton Brewing Company, I rode down the street and over the Sydney River to my local Taco Bell.

This is one of the worst Taco Bells though, but after months and months without it in Newfoundland, it's still so good.

Afterwards I'd board the bus and grow concerned as I tried to stick my BMX into the bike rack where the tire spaces aren't designed to accommodate 2.4-wide tires. I was eventually able to jam my bike down far enough, but if we keep getting wider tires to further cheat on nose manuals, BMX is really going to limit our bus travel.

Dropping off my bags at the hotel, I went behind a graffitied and boarded up building to see if there was any way inside, but instead found this damn good wallride.

And so, there was a bit more riding to the day.

Lunch was at a mediocre Chinese spot where I kept a close eye on my bike, before I explored even more of this city that I've already covered pretty well on foot.

My bike was helping with popping behind buildings and down alleys though.

Accommodations were once again at the Royal Hotel, a building from the 19th century with antique decor and very reasonable pricing. This hotel is such a lifesaver compared to the nearby overpriced chain hotels, while also not being any bit of a sacrifice. I actually prefer the style of the Royal Hotel to the nearby Holiday Inn or Cambridge Suites or whatever it is.

Sitting in my room before tonight's hockey game, I put on some 2 Chainz at a reasonable level, sat and chilled looking out at the murder of crows overtaking the nearby trees. This was most excellent.

Having shared quite a few visits to the Centre 200 on this website already, there isn't much more to say. Tonight though, I was feeling extra infatuated with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles as they now had Ottawa Senator Egor Sokolov, Brooklyn Kalmikov & Czech Ivan Ivan.

Unfortunately they still lost to Charlottetown, 3-2. There was some consolation though, as I spotted Frankie MacDonald leaving.

I almost always end up at the Steel City Steakhouse after Screaming Eagles' games, since it's the only decent dive and/or bar in the area, in my opinion.

I decided to mix it up this time and go for a Schooner at the Legion, where I found a dark, dank basement hall with sweet wood chairs and a single old timer changing the hockey game to whatever he wanted without asking me. It was fantastic.

The next day I biked some more, including breaking a bunch of spokes trying to 360 some stairs in front of city hall. Following that I walked the North End, which is maybe Sydney's most historic area and one I hadn't really checked out on foot previously.

This afternoon's game was much more exciting to me, as I always enjoy when Quebec teams come to Sydney and it interrupts life at the end of the Earth where everything always feels isolated and predictable. Today the Drummondville Voltiguers were in town.

While I may cheer for Cape Breton a bit because they provide me with QMJHL hockey and they're nearby, I definitely don't cheer for them when they're playing quite possibly my favourite QMJHL team.

Except these weren't my Maxime Comtois/Joe Veleno/Dawson Mercer Voltiguers anymore. The Screaming Eagles took the matchup 8-3.

The Royal Hotel did me another solid by storing my heavy pack and golf bag while I went to the game, which saved me on a second night of accommodations in Sydney.

After grabbing my bags and taking a $30 cab ride from Sydney to North Sydney, I was then in the ferry terminal with lots of time. Waiting for my boat, I couldn't believe it as I reached up to change the TV from the news network to something good, and it instead got stuck on something awful. Bah!

Returning to Newfoundland on a holiday Monday, there was no rush to get back to Corner Brook, so I instead headed towards Rose Blanche, stopping in Burnt Islands to hike the Harvey Trail after it came much recommended from my friend Kim.

I have to admit the Harvey Trail was pleasant, although I still think I should come back to redo it on some sunny day. Still though, I thank Kim for the motivation.

Anyway, with a rare sale on ferry tickets, it was only $49 round trip for me to sleep on the floor and sneak my bike on the boat, which was $49 well spent.