Aug 20 Day 81 122kms Bedeque PEI – Cabot Beach Provincial Park

It was cloudy all day until about 5:00pm then the sun came out & it was a beautiful afternoon into the evening. 

I did a small loop of the west side of the island. Took lots of pictures. Stopped for lunch at fish fry along the side of the road. Visited with everyone at the picnic tables, a family from Ottawa, a couple from France (with the wife sister who was from BC) visiting their daughter that lives in PEI, and family from PEI – the husband works in Fort Mac ( they were living in Fort mac until they lost their rental in the fires last year). 

I guy who I had met on a trail in Quebec came over and said hi too – he wasn’t on his bike but he remembered me. His wife & kids are his support in a motor home so today they all came to PEI in the motor home. 

Finished the day at the provincial park at Cabot Beach. Glad the weather was nice so I can camp, they are very few options for accommodations and most are booked. I was lucky to get a room last night. 

Aug 19 Day 80 115kms Moncton NB – Bedeque PEI

I Left Melissa’s around 8:00am in the rain and it continued to rain all day. Went down to Parlee Beach – the water is so warm but it wasn’t a good day for swimming.  

Took the wrong road today for awhile – added a few kms to the day, should have know, the road was inclining for way to long to be headed towards the coast. Got back heading east and straight for PEI. 


Crossed over the Confederation Bridge in a shuttle because bikers are not allowed to cycle across. So saved myself 13kms on long wet day. 

Ended my day at a little motel – to dry out & warm up. 

Aug 18 Day 79 102kms Coles Island (at T & T Campground) – Moncton

Watched the fog lift off the river this morning while the geese were swimming. Very peaceful. 

Packed up to head to Moncton- a warm showers host home tonight. 

The road went through a lot of farms, dairies, and some what looked like crown land with quad trails – so I’m thinking some hunting area. 

Took a back road, very quiet, needed something to eat so went off route a bit to a huge truck/car stop. Grab some grub and sat down at a picnic bench with this lovely couple Ken and Marie – they were heading to the tall ships in Fundy almost wanted to throw the bike in the back of the truck and go with them, they offered. While we sat, visited and had our lunch we listen to a little bit a Newfoundland, a man was playing his accordion and singing. 😊

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Once I got into Moncton, I had one short stop then to my host’s house. On the way there I saw this lady who was walking on the sidewalk, she said to me, “you must be almost done for the day? Do you got a place to stay? We have put up bikers before.” Wow people are so kind, thanked her & chatted a while. 

My host was great, her name is Melissa she’s a teacher and very proud of Acadian. We decided to go out for dinner together so I cleaned up showered and she had to finish doing her garlic and some gardening work and then we headed out to this wonderful restaurant. It’s an old heritage house, The meals are served in three courses, you have a couple options on which serving you can order. it was amazing we had a waitress but the chef brought out her food. 

It was delicious then after dinner Melissa showed me the Aberdeen Cultural Centre – The Festival of Acadian Rock was happening upstairs, an art gallery though out, another wonderful restaurant, it’s a place were she has worked and very much enjoys. She was so easy to talk to, she was telling me how she has volunteered all over the world with different organization. She said it’s so much better than traveling or backpacking because you really get to see how the people live, something I might think about doing in the future. After we went over to her sisters (three house down from her) I really enjoyed meeting her family & friends, it was nice evening chatting but I had to call it a night so headed back to her house and crashed. 

Aug 17 Day 78 94kms Fredericton – Coles Island (at T & T Campground)

Well today I can really tell that I needed that rest day. Feel so much better today on the bike. Oh, I found a private bathroom downstairs in the hostel with a shower so that was good this morning. Ya sharing a swinging door between the showers & the toilets in a co/ed bathroom wasn’t going to happen. 

Fredericton 

Walking/bike bridge leaving Fredericton 

Fredericton from the walking bridge

Got a new mirror then hit the road, wind at my back, so I was making amazing time. Took the 105 -which is a secondary road, alone the river for most of the day. Very beautiful, more little churches, farms and homes along the way. 

River really shallow in the middle

A potatoe

 The river must have flooded not to long ago, there was few time that debris was up onto the road.

Switch onto the Trans Canada Highway for the last part of the day. It was just like the Highway in the Prairies -wide shoulder, double lanes and the wind at my back. 😊

I was at the campground by 2:00 which was great, lots of time to chill. Most of the site is seasonal camping. They own a golf course too. I’ll make some dinner soon then a walk. Wind is blowing like crazy, glad it was at my back today. 

Aug 16 Day 77 26kms Mactaquac Provincial Park – Fredericton

The park beach from the Bridge 

The bridge from the park beach

Rest day – booked my flight home☹️ Booked my hotel for the flight. Arranged for a bike box for the flight. 

Crash on this small portion on the trail, wasn’t expecting the already bad trail to get worse- hit the rock- shoe didn’t unclip in time- went down- broke my mirror (loved my mirror- was hard to find one that worked with my shifters)

Got the bike serviced – great store Savage’s Bicycle Center- they had me write a story in their book of cyclists. Neat idea. Really cool staff – Matt gave me some route tips. 

Stayed at the hostel – not cool like the ones in Montreal and Quebec City. Old rundown building- I had to go to the Campus to register & get my keys then the hostel is off campus about four blocks, I’m the only woman here, only co-ed bathroom (showers) on my floor. Seen a couple single toilet downstairs but no shower. Then tomorrow have go back to the campus-all uphill to get my deposit back & return keys. Not my thing 
Feeling rested 😊

Aug 15 Day 76 134 kms Perth-Andover to Mactaquac Provincial Park

Well I won’t say it was a good day but it wasn’t all bad. Made some route mistakes that cost me a lot of time. When I Left Perth I decided to take the TransCanada trail, it’s more of an ATV trail so after about 27 kms and an average speed of 13km/hr I got back on the road. 

Stopped at this little convenient store to grab some meat and cheese to go with my bread for lunch. Walked in and it smelled so good, it was a bakery too and she just made fresh cinnamon buns. I had to get one, it was still warm when I ate it. went back to the park I just passed to have my lunch. A whole preschool class was selling lemonade, so I wanted to get a cup, it actually tasted pretty good I think the teachers made it. The kids were pretty darn cute, after I bought and was drinking the cup of lemonade a little boy told me,”We’re selling lemonade!” Lol  

Something a little neat, my sandwich meat was the exact size of my Nan bread perfect sandwich. 

Headed down to Heartland to see the longest covered bridge. It’s only a one lane bridge but you can still drive across it, I didn’t, wasn’t even sure if bikes were allowed. 

This route I would call the graveyard route I saw so many graveyards today but there was one that I just had to stop and take this picture. Too funny, guess they got a few empty plots. Lol

Then my day got long, I should have stayed on the 105 highway I was on but there was a “shorter” route to the Provincial Park on my google maps- so I decided to take it. Mistake. Don’t even know if it was shorter in the end but what I do know is there were so many hills. Short steep ones, long gradual ones, long steep ones, just too many hills. They slow me down so much I starting to worry about daylight. I ran out of water with 10km to go but got into some construction and was talking to the flaggers and he says “Do you got any water ?” I said ” no I just ran out” so he grab me a couple of cold bottles, awesome !! I did get into the provincial camp around 8:15. I Had time to set up the tent and as I was heading to the showers and it was getting dark. 

The first part of the road was like the logging road, a paved logging road. Very little traffic and kind a isolated, saw my first moose. And coming into the campground saw a couple of whitetail does with their fawns.  

Long day, over 8 hours on the bike – dinner in the tent, finish this blog then to sleep. 
Nite

Aug 14 Day 75 114 kms Saint-Jacques to Perth-Andover

Woke up to children chatting away in French, they were in the next campsite. Didn’t know what they were saying but I enjoyed the little voices. 

Was on trail only for a bit this morning other then that I traveled the Highway all day but very little traffic. At one point I was leaving Grand Falls on a trail when a guy who had turn off the road honk at me to let me know it was a terrible trail, it would be better to stay on the road. Glad he took the time to let me know. 

My view across the river for most of the day was the State of Main – beautiful. Still lots of churches & huge graveyards, these today had flowers on almost all the tombstones. Kind of pretty. 

Stopped at Grand Falls, which had been damed so there was nothing grand about the Falls. But they did have pictures of them in spring when there’s more water flowing. After I went down the the gorge – quick trip down – neat to see – lots of steps (401) so good stretch for the legs off the bike. 

Ended my day at a campsite – grab some groceries – so many chip/burger shops ( that where supper would have been the closest) but grab a salad, watermelon & some bread instead. Listen to my iTunes, ate, & planned tomorrow.

Aug 13 Day 74 122 kms Rivière-du-Loup – Saint-Jacques

Today started off cloudy with a little rain, thought it was going to be repeat of yesterday but as I got further away from the St Lawrence river the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful day. 

I had wait till Canadian Tire opened at 8:00am – I bought a heavy duty bike lock for the cities, not knowing where the hostels would have the bikes stored but both hostel had an inclosed private area for the bikes so I never used the lock – it was $45 & I’m sure it weighed 10lbs. Glad to get rid of it. 

Good climb out of Rivière-du-Loup today, once I was out of town (2km) I was on the Petit-Temis Interprovincial Trail (La Route Verte #8) The trail is 130 km to Edmundston. It was a inclined for the first couple hours but easy to peddle then the rest of the day I flew, average speed 25 km/hr & up to 30km/hr at times. The whole route has ample picnic tables, toilets and there are camping site the first half of the trail. Just beautifully done.

I’m in a new time zone again -Atlantic Standard Time. Only one more to go. 

In my 7th Province Now too – crossed in to New Brunswick!!!! I’m in the Maritimes. Cool

I’m camped just out of Saint-Jacques (just before Edmundston) at the provincial park. It is set up with cycling site for only $11.00 for myself. Free showers too. Awesome!! Really nice park with Botanical Gardens right next door. Maybe I’ll check it out in the morning. 

 

Nice to be able to speak English without feeling like I should know more French. Everyone I had to deal with spoke English in Quebec, sometimes not really good but we may it work, and once I use the Google translate on my phone to explain what I needed and the lady wasn’t offended she thought it was kind of cool. Not one person was rude to me the whole time I was in Quebec. 

But I do have an amazing smile and eyes & a face that expose my thoughts- which were alway genuinely friendly. I never prejudged anyone and I went into every conversation with a good attitude. I will learn more French. 
Good night 

Aug 12 Day 73 95kms Saint-Jean-Port-Joli to Rivière-du-Loup

Kind of a head down day – it was raining & windy  so had my hood up so it creates binders in my peripheral vision.  

The St Lawrence river looks  like the ocean now, very wide. It looks like it’s has tides.  

Booked a room for tonight, need to dry out the tent from last night & me too. Tomorrows weather looks better. Last night in Quebec.

View from my motel

Aug 11 Day 72 94kms Quebec City to Saint Jean-Port-Joli

Breakfast-loaded the bike-checked out. 

Took the ferry across the St. Lawrence River to Lévis (where the British attacked the French). 

There is a beautiful view of Old Quebec from there. 

Stopped to buy some cheese and bread

Then rode the 132 all along the River to my campground tonight. More charming villages, the houses were getting a more nautical theme. The St. Lawrence River is salty now it smells different. 

The little town I’m in tonight is really really cute, it’s full of artists. It has a lot of little stores with different artists selling their wares. 

Only Two more sleeps in Quebec- wow.