Day 21 - Shediac to Borden-Carleton (PEI)

83.7 km - Total so far 1,609.40 km

RWGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/15203833
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/g12189741225

After yesterday's thunder, rain and wind storms, what a glorious day we had. With the wind to our back, we covered the 65 kilometer to Cape Jourimain with relative ease. We rode on mostly quiet roads and on occasion, Hwy 15 with it's wide shoulder.  

Back to our preferred snacks, peanut butter and jam on tortillas.

We noticed this rather large nail against Hélène's tire,
thus avoiding another early morning flat repair.

In Cap-Pelé there is the roadway, the shoulder (where Hélène is) and further to the right the bike path! 

The real eco-mower. It keeps the lawn short and fertilized
at the same time.

Our first glimpse of PEI, from near Murray Beach on the 955

Your neighbour has a large boat in his dooryard, well get two
 and throw in a small one as well

Fellow cyclists, on a tandem, going to St-John's, London and finally Istanbul

Not our first sighting of the bridge, but the first where we could
see enough to photograph.

From NB road 955, you turn East onto NB road 16. We pedaled for about 500 meter before the bridge came into view and we got to appreciate just how intimidating this thing is. For almost 2.5 kilometer, we got to stare at how steep the rise of the road is to meet the bridge deck. With the strong crosswind, it would have been crazy to even attempt to go up the ramp, let alone try to pedal across. We finally made it to the off ramp that took us to the bridge shuttle departure point.

  

Stopping short of the off ramp waiting for Hélène to catch up after
stopping for a picture. Just look at that intimidating ramp to the bridge.

Conferation Bridge, 12.9 kilometer of curved concrete, metal and asphalt

From the time we got to the shuttle departure point, we waited about 45 minutes. At this time, they are not really geared up for bicycles, so the driver had to go pick up the trailer to haul the bikes. The whole process was pretty quick and we took advantage of the time to take many pictures of the bridge. There is a fee but you pay only on the way off the island.

The tandem of the other cyclists being loaded for the bridge crossing.
Our bikes are already on and our luggage is in the back of the truck

On the bridge, the second of two bumps up before we get to PEI.

Yogi Bear, the campground mascot. Boo-Boo Bear is no where to be seen.

The camp shuttle complete with bubble generating machine.
There was a weight limit for passengers 

We took an 'official vehicle only' road into PEI, so we never got to see the usual 'Welcome to the Province' sign. We will have to take the picture on the way out as we did for Quebec. 

The weather for the next few days calls for sun and clouds.

We are well settled at our campsite. With Yogi around, we just have to make sure we don't leave a picnic basket out.

52.01 miles - Total so far 1,000.03 miles 

Day 20 - Bouctouche to Shediac

42.3 km - Total so far 1,525.70 km

RWGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/15170659
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/g12166928993

Note (morning update):  The storm was only heavy rain in Shediac no wind damage that we can see from our motel room.

Good choice we made to stay put in Bouctouche last night as we discovered today there was not much to the village of Cocagne. In Bouctouche, we swung by the post office and left a card to thank the post mistress and staff for their help the day before. 

At the mall yesterday, we were told that we could not follow Hwy 134 South continuously and there was a detour that would take us over a bridge on Hwy 11. On Hwy 11, the bridges predate the reconstructed highway so you won't find the same wide shoulder on the bridges as that found on the roadway. While the traffic moves away from us on the bridges and its is safe, it does take some nerve to pedal on them.

We saw the sign "Road Closed". We have often seen this sign, ignored it and safely made our way over the closed section. This time, we were not that lucky. See photo below. We had to follow the detour and ride over the bridge on Hwy 11.

The sign should have said "Road Closed - No Bridge"

Interesting to note that the writings of Antonine Maillet
spawned a business that put Bouctouche on the world map.

It just so happens that Friday's are both garbage and large boat moving days. We encountered lots of both on the way to Shediac. 

One of the many boats we saw on the road towed by the
same blue truck

The bridge that gave "Shediac Bridge" it's name. One lane only 

and we were on it all by ourselves

This blue heron made himself hard to photograph. Whenever 

Hélène aimed the camera at him he looked right at her, exposing

little to photograph.

The world's biggest lobster in Shediac

We got to Shediac around noon under cloudy conditions. We spent time at an open Information Centre (that had not been warned about Hélène's possible appearance) and chatted what was available in terms of accommodations/camping near the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island. There was not much with the closest campground being 15 kilometer away. We headed to a restaurant to look at Google Maps and decided what our next step would be. It did not take long before the skies opened and the decision was made for us. There has been an ongoing thunderstorm since about noon and it is still raining. We decided to take the afternoon off and retreat to the nearest motel and sit this rain out. Forecast for tomorrow is sunny. 

The video below was taken from our dry and cosy motel room.

You can bring anyone or anything back to your motel room as
 long as it is not a lobster!

There won't be a summary video for Week 3, instead we bring you the Hélène Helene Cooking Video.

As we were having supper tonight, the CBC show Land and Sea was on. The topic was on New Brunswick one industry towns and the impact on the community when the industry closes. Dalhousie was one of the featured town, whose one employer Bowater paper mill closed in 2012. The town has not recovered from the closure and may never. We were at the Tim Horton's in Dalhousie a while back and we could feel that the mood in Tim's was unlike anything we had experienced before. To make things worst for the town folks, the Tim's is across the road from where the paper mill once stood. Another town mentioned in the video is Port Hawksbury. We have to go through there to get to Cape Breton.

26.28 miles - Total so far 948.02 miles

Day 19 - Black River Bridge to Bouctouche

87.60 km - Total so far 1,483.40 km

RWGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/15152172 
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/g12151183773

Let me tell you it was quite the day Maggie Muggins! We had a restful night in our tree house but were shocked when we got up this morning. Through the screened window and door, we could see many voracious mosquitoes just waiting for us to step outside and bite. We felt like hostages and had to carefully plan our escape.

Lugging our panniers up and down the stairs in mosquito
country was a lot of fun

Not much to see on Hwy 11. We motivated ourselves by pedaling from
one moose sign to the other, having started at 75 km sign the day before.

After 30 kilometer on Hwy 11, we were able to pull off and take a well deserved break at Tim Horton's. This is where we ran into Zoel, a resident of Richibucto, who told us about the unusual shaped church and his yellow Mazda Miata. After that kind of local insight, we had no choice but to make it a stop on our travels. As we finished taking our pictures, Zoel just happen to be on his way home across the street from the church. Thanks for the tip Zoel.

The Catholic Church in Richibucto. Each arch has stained glass panels

Zoel's cool looking yellow Miata convertible 

In Richibucto, if you are gonna keep a boat in your dooryard,
it has to be a big boat

Daniel chatting with one of the locals in Richibucto and casually
mentioning that he had been speaking with Zoel (the gentleman apparently knows Zoel)

This big boat is either going to the wharf or to someone's dooryard

3 Mast Memorial Ship, Ruxton

After Richibucto and Rexton, we were on our way to Bouctouche. Bouctouche is famous for at least two things that come immediately to mind: the home of La Saguine and the birth place of K.C. Irving. For us, Bouctouche will always be fondly remembered as the place that helped us pack and ship home Hélène's trailer. From the kind folks at the local Ford dealership, Kent Motors, who looked through their recycle bins to find us a box big enough to fit the trailer and also the Postmistress, who worked the numbers to give us the dimensions needed to have our package accepted for shipping and delivery by Canada Post. By near closing, we had built a box small enough to hold the trailer, panniers and a few items no longer needed. 

Trimming our custom built box so that it meets
Canada Post dimensions 

The trailer boxed and ready to be handed over to Canada Post
10 minutes  before closing time.

At the grocery store, we ran into a lady who deals with many visitors that are here to spend time at the Pays de La Saguine. She got all excited when she found out that Hélène was a Franco-Ontarian and not a Quebecoise. 

Packing up the trailer took a significant amount of time and we decided to stay in Bouctouche and not complete the 20 kilometer to our planned stop for the day, Cocagne. When I phoned the local motel to make reservations and mentioned we were on bicycles, the clerk replied that she had seen us eating outside of Ponzi's, the best sea food joint in Bouctouche. It was nice for a minute to feel like a celebrity.

BTW - If you are looking for yummy guedille (lobster rolls) or scallops, Ponzi's is the place frequented by and recommended by a local I chatted with at the Mall. 

54.43 miles - Total so far 921.74 miles

Day 18 - Tabusiniac to Black River Bridge (South of Miramichi)

89.20 km - Total so far 1,395.80 km 

RWGPS https://ridewithgps.com/trips/15128291
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/g12130002245

Our campground last evening was 4.5 kilometer from the main road and not 2.5 kilometer as indicated by Google. We had a restful evening and the low temperature of 4 degrees Celsius during the night kept the mosquitoes away.

The plan today was to get to Camping Miramichi located South of the town of Miramichi. The ride today was more mental than physical as there was precious little to see but asphalt and trees. We stopped for a picture in Neguac that is considered the North American capital of those whose family name is "Savoie".

The "Savoie" clan was started by one individual named "Francois Savoie"

The most exciting thing we saw on Hwy 11 all day, a
big sign with flashing yellow lights

A large fixer upper on a corner lot, former court house
for $149,000 in Miramichi. It has been on the market for 10 years.
Some conditions apply

Ritchie Wharf. Crews were busy getting ready for the tourist season

Because there was little to see or do on the ride today, Helene suggested that instead of stopping a Tim Horton's or a like establishment, we have a picnic. In Miramichi, we stopped at Ritchie Wharf and had ourselves cheese amuse-gueule, oatmeal and a cup of tea. We will always remember as it is the place we had to do a a 20 or so kilometer detour as bicycles and pedestrians are not allowed on the main bridge on Highway 11.

Your blog writer making grilled cheese amuse-gueule

A tall ship look alike. There was no description whatsoever on site of
what we were looking at

Hélène on the detour bridge having a rest and looking back fondly(ha!, ha!) at Miramichi

We finally got to our campground at about 5:30 pm and opted to spend the night in a tree house instead of our tent. 


55.43 miles - Total so far 867.31 miles

Day 17 - Grande Anse to Tabusiniac

84.80 km - Total so far 1,306.60 km

RWGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/15104220
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/g12109137196

Let me start off by offering advice. If you want to leave your campsite early after your overnight stay do not pick a campground located at the edge of a cliff that overlooks a bay where fishermen are hauling in lobster traps and where seabirds are your close neighboors.

Taking picures and recording videos disrupted our normal routine of breakfast, packing the tent and loading the bicycles.

The temperature went down to 5 degrees last night but we were kept toasty warm wearing merino wool and bundled under our home sewn quilt.

Fishermen gathering their lobster traps. This boat in registered
in Moncton, NB

Hélène preparing our first post Experiment breakfast of oatmeal. 
No more dehydrated eggs for the rest of the trip.

A few of the neighbours walking about

A fishing boat welcoming folks to Grande Anse

This proud Acadian felt that simply having a flag was not enough

We pedaled inland today so that we could stop in Paquetville Village, home of Edith Butler. On Hwy 11, Hélène and I noticed a moose warning sign and recounted how we had never seen a live one go by. At that moment, a young moose crossed the road very nonchalently. Unfortunately, we were not able to draw out our cameras in time. You will have to take our word for it!

A road sign in Paquetville Village, we will take the route to St-Isidore

We stopped for a snack at La Rotisserie in Paquetville Village. The restaurant had a large picture of Edith Butler hanging in the dining room.  We were also going to swing by Rosaireville (hometown of Lisa Leblanc) but opted not to. On a Google picture search of Rosaireville, all I could find was a small green sign "Rosaireville". Our recent experience with those green signs is that there are but a few houses to be found there, therefore not worth the detour.

What is a burning issue in some parts of the coutry does not
appear to be so here in New Brunswick

Unusual looking bird houses for sale.
 I can't spot a cat birdhouse can you? 

The wharf in Tracadie - Sheila

One really big Blue Heron, I think.

We are well settled in a very nice campground in Tabusiniac. It is well off the road but most definately worth a stop. We got to visit with neighbours who travel in a VW Rialta camper (bigger than our Westfalia). We are now getting ready to have supper in the community building away from the mosquitoes.

We we asked what food we craved for as the Experiment concluded. It was salad. You have no idea how tasty that salad was after 12 days of re-hydrated food. We had salad again tonight for supper and I can say for sure that it will be on the menu until the end of the trip. The Cheezies were good with a beer but they did not fill the spot like the salad did!

52.69 miles - Total so far 811.88 miles

Day 16 - Pointe-verte to Grande Anse

80.50 km - Total so far 1,221.80 km

RWGPS:https://ridewithgps.com/trips/15088761
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/g12090924117

It was a cold night in Pointe-Verte and we had to sleep with our wool underwear, socks and those with less than a full head of hair, a tuque. We left the campground under cloudy conditions with a view to pedal to Bathurst and then decide on our destination for the day. We had discussed leaving out the Acadian Coast if the weather did not improve and pedal directly to Miramichi.

By the time we reached Bathurst, the weather was now partially cloudy with the sun making a serious effort to make its presence known. We decided to chance it and head to Grande-Anse. Glad we did.

The sun shined brightly for the entire afternoon without a cloud in the sky. The head winds came right off the bay and it was pretty chilly. The ride was well worth it as we were treated to stunning scenery. We could clearly see to Gaspésie and could easily spot the villages along the Quebec coast. The water in the bay changed from blue to a deep steel blue colour by the time we reached Grande Anse. We tried to take pictures but they fall well short of capturing the spectacular scenery. 

   

Along the route some homes paint the power posts in front of their house,
 in Nigadoo all of the posts are painted in the colours of l'Acadie.

Our first trip to the grocery store for food.

The view for most of the way once we headed East from Bathurst

We are up a little higher now and the cliffs have appeared.

Grande Anse, door to the Acadian Peninsula

The cliffs down the road from our campsite, note the colour of the water

No Stella but never the less cold 

For this first post Experiment day, we fared well. We had to stop to eat as well as purchase food and this took up much time. It is so much easier when you have two warm meals a day and snacks in between. We will be getting back to snacking between meals shortly. We made solid progress in spite of the headwinds we experienced this afternoon. We are glad all that previous headwind training we got in Quebec paid off. 

We have to quickly get back the tide is rising (photo taken below our campsite)

50.02 miles - Total so far 759.19 miles