Day 47 – Miramichi, New Brunswick (Tuesday, June 23, 2015)

I had another good sleep and had a difficult time getting up. I had intended to get up a 5:30 but had slept in ’til 7.

There were no places that served breakfast close to the motel but I was told there were a few places to eat in Beresford. So I made my way to Beresford and stopped at Tim Horton’s where I repeated the order of two BLT bagel combos with a muffin and sorted out the route for the day.

New Brunswick does not cater to the bicyclist or the tourist.   The roads are generally in poor repair and the shoulders are often not maintained when the road is resurfaced. I believe the coast is beautiful but I had a long way to travel from Beresford to Miramachi and could not afford poor roads.

I settled on taking highway 134 out of Bathurst which seemed the most direct route but as I crossed an overpass I noticed that the highway 8 appeared to be well maintained with a better shoulder. I changed my course.

The trip from Bathurst to Miramachi along highway 8 was a burden. The wind was howling so I couldn’t hear my music, the geography was uninteresting, I missed the quaint towns and houses, and the smell of lilacs. It would be nice if I could sleep and put my bike on cruise control. My mind started thinking of things I’d rather do that did not involve biking.

There were a few positives:
It didn’t rain.
The road had an adequate but slightly narrow but good shoulder.
My bike didn’t breakdown.
And there was a roadside restaurant about 20km north of Miramachi which offered me a welcome break.

After lunch I ordered a pie partly to delay facing the remaining 70km.

I arrived at Miramichi Campgrounds around 4:30pm, had a shower, did my laundry, and cooked lentils with rice and vegetables. Yum!

While I was doing my laundry I met a friendly young couple who were moving back to Hamilton from St. Johns after a three year adventure. As it turns out he had cycled the trip from Victoria to St John’s.

Day 47 – Nigadoo, New Brunswick (Monday, June 22, 2015)

I had a very good sleep and woke groggy; not quite ready to get up. The time change to Atlantic time doesn’t help; it says it’s 6:30am but I still feel like it’s 5:30am. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be more in sync.

The Quality Inn in Campbellton had everything I needed for breakfast. This included scrambled eggs, bacon, typical cereal, yogurt, juice, bagels and best of all fresh fruit. I stock up on oranges and bananas which are a nice treat on the road. I had my fill and took to the road later than normal – around 9am.   I only had a little over 100 planned for today, the weather was cold and raining, and I had not plans in pushing it.

At about 10am I got my second flat tire of the trip. I discovered a piece of glass lodged in the tread.   It took longer than normal to fix because of my rain gear, and the important step of checking for a cause before putting the new tube and tire back on.  ‎

While I was working on my bike a few people asked if I need help. Pretty much everyone is bilingual in New Brunswick and it was nice to converse in English without any apology.  One of the would-be-helpers was a man in his 50s traveling with his wife on their full loaded bicycles from Montreal to Prince Edward Island. ‎

I had a strong head wind in the morning. That coupled with the cold, rain, and frequent hills made the going a bit tough.

There were no restaurants when I wanted to eat. Unfortunately I had passed two small restaurants earlier without realizing there were not going to be any further along.   Around 2pm the lack of energy started to affect my performance and was forced to stop and grab a few cookies, pop, V8, and a gatorade at a variety store.

The weather was unsettled with threatening rain so I stopped to get some supper about 9km from my destination at Parc Malybel.  When I noticed the forecast for tomorrow was once again rainy I decided to stay at the Motel H just north of Nigadoo. Again I am disappointed.‎

Day 46 – Campbellton, New Brunswick (Sunday, June 21, 2015)

Tough day.

Raining and cool. Cool enough to wear a sweater. You end up getting a clammy filling inside the gore-tex, feet are wet, legs are mostly wet. If you stop you get chilled.

At one point just after a rest stop my rear rack came apart. Ralph wanted to keep going but couldn’t because the rack was dragging on the ground behind him. To my surprise all the parts were accounted for and after reassembly and tightening things were as they were and we set off.

oh – and I saw a moose. I saw him standing on the road from a distance and managed to pull my BlackBerry out to take a picture. He was looking directly at me as I approached. At first he appeared curious and then defiant, perhaps taking a combative stance – or so I thought. Then he was spooked, turned and trotted off up the path into the forest.

I didn’t find a place to eat lunch. None of the local canteens beside road are open on Sunday. I was relieved at the end of the day and looking forward to a dry place to spread out and get some rest. I stayed at an unimaginative Quality Inn in Campbellton near the south side of the bridge to Quebec.

Day 45 – Berges, Quebec (Saturday, June 20, 2015)

Today was another day I managed to ride 200 kilometers.

The wind predictions were in my favor. I felt good physically and the temperature was in the twenties without any rain. I was determined from the outset to make the most of the conditions and aim for Rimouski, about 100km, by lunch time.

The day was as predicted and I arrived in Rimouski in good time. Rimouski was a highlight of the route on the south side of the St Lawrence.   There was a road which catered to bicyclists, and tourists.  The road wound for several miles along the shore through scenic inlets and stone beaches.

Because the wind was so good at Rimouski I made the decision to ride through to make up a day and aim to stay at Berges for the night.

At Mont Joli the road cuts inland away from the St Lawrence and through hilly country side.   I managed to make good time and arrived at Val Brillants Camping near Berges by about 5:30pm and had supper at a nearby roadside canteen.

Day 44 – Berthier-sur-mer, Quebec (Friday, June 19, 2015)

There wasn’t any breakfast offered at the Motel Beausejour so I set off around 7am on an empty stomach anxious to find something before hunger set in.

Luckily I found a Tim Horton’s in Montmagny and ordered two Bagel BLT Combos and a muffin. I figured that would cover me until about 1pm if needed.

As per the forecast the morning started with a strong head wind and tapered off in the afternoon. I planned to make Riviere du loup which would have been considered too short a distance with any tail wind.

Throughout the day I retraced the roads and trails that Katie and I took on the south shore in 2013 on the way to St John, NB.  The St. Lawrence River basin is a unique blend of water, flat fertile farmland, and outcrops of bedrock. I read on a plaque somewhere in North Dakota that a glacial lake existed in the area which is now prairie in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, and parts of Ontario. Apparently as the glaciers melted in the east the massive lake drained through what is now the St Lawrence river basin. Now as I ride I imagine, in fast motion, a great river of water rushing along and leaving the flat deposits; the farm land I see all around.

About 10km from Riviere du loup I am sure I was passed by “Big Calves”‘ sister who waved as she sped by me on her time trial bicycle. No two people could have such big calves who aren’t related. I was going to call out “Say hi to your brother in Calgary. I really enjoyed the trip through the States!” but thought better of it since there was a remote possibility I was mistaken and she was Quebecois.

I arrived in Riviere du loup at about 4:30pm and booked a room at the Comfort Inn instead of camping which I now regret.

Tomorrow I will be taking a new route toward the Gaspe. The weatherman says I will have good winds. We’ll see!‎