Day 74 - Supernova Scotia

I was up early only to be approached by the fellow tending to the grounds around walmart and told the owner doesn't like people camping on the property. I was leaving anyways so boo to the walmart manager in  Charlottetown. Your damn store doesn't even carry milk, whats up with that?! Anyways, I got back onto the TCH and promptly left town. I collected a bit of the famous red soil found everywhere in P.E.I. and enjoyed the nice view of the ocean and distant Nova Scotia to the south. I spotted a few large birds which I believe were Great Blue Heron's and some of the goofy little suicide caterpillars I've seen all across Canada that love to cross roads.

I arrived at the ferry terminal at 1:20 just missing the 1:00 ferry so I had to wait around until 2:45. It was a nice time to relax and dry my tent as well as have the usual "where are you going, where did you start" conversation I've become accustomed to. Peoples reactions have always been funny. Back west when I told them I started in Tofino it wasn't too shocking but when they fond out I was going to Cape Spear their reactions were the same as it is now when I told them I started in Tofino. It feels like it was 5 years ago since I was in BC... time is funny like that on the road.

The ferry was $20 which included the transport I had to take across the bridge. They are clever in that you only pay to leave the island. I spotted a few seals along the way but no whales despite the captain announcing a few had been spotted somewhere ahead. On the other side I walked off my 4th ferry ride and set foot on Nova Scotia! I headed south on the 106 to get to 104 to continue east, but took a wrong turn on a giant roundabout and ended up in Pictou where they had an awesome fighter jet on display.

I eventually made it down to 104 and continued on east over the beautiful hilly countryside, snagging a small bit of metal in my front tire for a quick flat that was easy enough to fix. Those small little metal slivers have been the only things slowing me down this entire tour. A bit of scattered construction and some hills were my only obstacles as night came and I covered the remaining 60 km to my friends moms house in Antigonish where I would be staying for the night. Upon arrival I was treated to beer and lasagna and a nice soft bed for the night. What more can a wandering hobo adventurer ask for?

Day 73 - Happy Cycling

For some reason I couldn't get to sleep last night. I think the excitement of reaching P.E.I. today is really making me realize how far I've come. I'll be in Newfoundland in a matter of days and its starting to set in. Anyhow, I was up at 6 am and after a big breakfast I set off with Charles down 134. He showed me the various sights along the way including the J.K. Irving Centre in Bouctouche. We made great time doing 60 km with ease at which point Marthe caught up to us in the car and picked up Charles to return home. I bid the two farewell and set off towards P.E.I.

The tailwinds continued, pushing me along at a nice speed down to Shediac where I checked out the giant crazy lobster statue in town then continued along east onto 133 and turning left on 955 to ride along the coast and get a good view of the massive bridge to P.E.I. I eventually reached the visitor center near the bridge and had a gander through the museum before contacting the bridge transport and arranging a ride across (you cannot ride or walk it outside of a few yearly fundraisers).

The driver told me all about the bridge as we drove its considerable length. Apparently earlier that day it had been closed to large vehicles due to the high winds, likely from the passing storm Leslie. On the other side and after I was unloaded the driver bid me "Happy Cycling" as he drove off. I was tickled pink at this, its pretty much my mantra for this entire tour (and the title of a song I adore). I had covered 140 km at this point but the day was still young and weather great so I decided to push on another 55 km to Charlottetown.

Not far from the bridge and to my amusement I passed by a McCain factory. P.E.I. is famous for potatoes and the whole area smelled like french fries. Delicious! I pressed on down the TCH arriving into Charlottetown after sundown where, for the first time, I fell off the bike hard due to the crumbling shoulders but somehow came out without a scratch. I found ol' reliable walmart and set up camp for the night. Tomorrow its on to Nova Scotia!

Day 72 - Relaxing At 220 kph

It ended up raining in the early morning, probably from the passing tropical storm Leslie. Fortunately its passing was too far south to have much of an impact here, but I decided I'd take the day off anyhow. Charles dropped by around lunch with a giant lasagna then took off for his daily ride. Turns out he covers 7,000 km or more a year between running a pharmacy with his wife and generally kicking ass. After seeing Charles work this many kilometers into his schedule I feel I need to step up my game back home. When I finish this tour I'm going to have to hop on the road bike and put in some serious kilometers to keep in this new good shape.

I spent a while updating things using their computer until Charles got off work and took me for a tour around town in his truck. We checked out what I believe Charles said was the largest Acadian Flag and took a quick drive through Kouchibouguac National Park which is usually full of moose (not today, I am moose kryptonite). Hopefully Newfoundland will produce a few moose for me to gawk at.

After our little jaunt around town Charles then took me out in his Porsche Boxster and we drove incredibly fast. It was pretty amazing to ride in such a precision machine, she felt like she was glued to the road and accelerated at a frightening speed. I'm pretty sure this is the fanciest car I've been in and the fastest I've ever moved on ground. It was pretty frigging awesome. We checked out his pharmacy then returned home for some steaks. I met one of his sons when he stopped by then relaxed to some netflix before bed. Tomorrow I'll be hitting the road again and gunning for P.E.I.

Day 71 - Blinded By The Lights

It poured out while I was in my tent all night but fortunately stopped shortly after I wanted to leave. I ended up getting a reply from the couple in St. Ignace and despite the short notice they were happy to grant me a place to stay. The only downside was I had to sit around waiting for my phone to charge before I could check the email so I didn't leave until close to 2 pm. It was about 130 km to their house so I would be getting in late, but they didn't mind. The people you find on warmshowers are so accommodating!

The wind today was much more cooperative and I made great time traveling down 8 and 134. I passed through a few towns and usual wooded highways and the Centennial Bridge in Miramichi. The sun slowly sank down and painted the east a nice gold color until it was gone fully and I was left to deal with the constantly growing and shrinking shoulders. At times they were crumbled apart and it made for extremely unsafe riding. The night traffic wasn't too busy but the long straight stretches of road would have me blinded by high beams for a minute or more until the cars passed.

At one point a truck grazed by me coming way to far past the white line. There was no oncoming traffic so I had to wonder why he veered to the right so much, only to see him go off into the opposite lane as he went on up the road. Most likely a drunk driver, and it was a Sunday night too... After seeing this I got pretty shook up about passing traffic so I ended up getting off the shoulder every time I saw the lights of a car approaching behind me. It made for slow travel but it felt safer.

My little on/off shoulder routine almost got me thrown off the bike at one point when I hopped off the shoulder onto the dirt to get away from an approaching car only to hit a chuck of shoulder again and go flying back on. I bounced on and off the steep and cracked shoulder a couple more times but the bike held true and despite the busted pieces of shoulder everywhere I managed to stay on. I'm pretty sure the speed and weight of the bike were the only things that kept it from getting knocked over.

Despite the crappy roads I made it to the couples house by 10pm. I was greeted by Charles and Marthe at their giant house and fed a ton of food. It was late so we only chatted briefly and I was shown to the basement where I had an entire living room, bedroom, and bathroom to use! Charles welcomed me to take tomorrow off if I liked and set off to bed. My warmshowers hosts always make it hard to say no! I watched a bit of netflix and will have a great sleep tonite in my own little paradise.

Day 70 - Diesel Power

Woke up to cold and fog. Welcome to the maritimes I guess. A trucker walking by my tent asked me about my trip and commented he hadn't seen my tent there earlier when he drove by. He gave me a receipt for $700 worth of diesel he purchased in Dalhousie which should be good for a few free showers at the truck stop gas stations, as long as nobody wonders why a guy on a bicycle purchased that much diesel...

I was hit with a mild but steady headwind all day as I made my way down a mostly wooded highway 11. Chaleur Bay lurked in the east but hid behind the forest for most of the way. As evening turned to night the wind got nasty and I could barely push past 10 kph. Fortunately within an hour I arrived in Bathurst and set up camp by the walmart in town. I purchased all sorts of junk food including a box of cinnamon toast crunch. I think the smell from that first town I passed through here in New Brunswick implanted the idea.

I checked Deb and Carlin blog to see how they'd been doing and found they had stayed at a great place in St. Ignace, which was a days ride from my location, so I sent out a few emails through warmshowers to available places in the area including the one they stayed at. Here's hoping I can hook up with a place to stay for tomorrow!

Day 69 - Guy Smiley

Today should be my last day in lovely Quebec. I woke up to road construction and a noisy line of cars slowly taking turns passing through. I snaked my way through the road works for a ways and along a river that seemed to be favored by the local fly fishermen. Rolling hills and trees were the majority of the scenery as I made my way closer to the New Brunswick border. The sun set as I rolled up and down the lazy hills, enjoying the peaceful country atmosphere.

Shortly after the sun made its retreat I spotted a curious set of blinking lights on the other side of the road just  down a hill. As I got closer my suspicions were confirmed and it was another cyclist. He was wearing a colorful sweater and had a funny little head on the front of his bike. Out here in the middle of nowhere and in the dark he was quite the sight.

It turned out he was a gentle french fellow name Guy who was doing a tour around Quebec. When I commented jokingly that his spare tires looked like hula-hoops it turned out they were. He told me he usually carries around a unicycle and juggling pins as well. He claimed to be an artist of some sort but he looked more like he was from Cirque du Soleil. We parted ways and I couldn't help but feel happy that there were strange creatures like Guy wandering the earth.

I cycled on, reaching Matapédia and eventually the long bridge that crosses the border into New Brunswick. I found a nice "Welcome to Quebec" sign and stopped to take a picture of myself as a fox casually hopped out of the bushes by the sign and trotted off with a rabbit in its mouth. My week long journey through Quebec ended when I crossed the bridge and entered my first Atlantic province... New Brunswick! The ride through Quebec has been amazing and I really do love this province, please don't ever leave Canada!

Across the bridge and fresh into New Brunswick I was surprised to see that french was still the primary language on signs. The stretch after the bridge was a dark one with a grand total of one street light that I could see coming for half a kilometer. When I reached it the damn thing shut off leaving me in pitch black and turned back on when I was well out of reach. My kind of street light. A giant factory and little town eventually showed up and the smell was something like cinnamon toast crunch. I went on a little further into Campbellton and found a walmart to pitch my tent up next to and call it a night.

Day 68 - Fantastique Aventures de Vélos

After the half day yesterday I wanted to make good time today but the cold weather didn't lift and I was riding in 10° for the first little while. The fog had lifted but the wind was still chilly but as long as I kept moving I was able to stay comfortable. The route directed me off the highway and onto paths that cut along the coast through farms and along tractor roads. It was extremely hilly and made for slow difficult riding. Once I was back on 132 I decided I'd stay on the highway for today and ignore any diversions the green route took so I could make good time.

I arrived in Rimouski and traveled along the boardwalk through town while watching the fog roll over Saint Barnabe Island just off the coast. Northeast of town in Pointe-au-Père I was surprised to find a submarine pulled up on shore and setup for viewing. Unfortunately by the time I got there the place was closing but it was still pretty awesome to see from the outside. I had to laugh as two guys in full body snow suits on dirt bikes gawked at me in my shorts and t-shirt and jovially asked if I was cold. Next to the submarine was the first lighthouse I've seen since leaving Manitoulin Island in Ontario. With the weather and scenery this was feeling like the familiar Atlantic surroundings I had been away from all summer.

I carried along 132 as the evening approached and into Mont-Joli where I found a Petro-Canada gas station that had a shower and rest area for truckers. I tried asking the lady working the station if it would be ok if I got a shower but she spoke no english. After some hand gestures and, to my own amusement, repeating "Douche" the lady understood I wanted to use the shower. She insisted I store my bike inside and refused to accept any money for using the shower. After a much needed shower she once again refused to charge me for a coffee I poured up and even gave me a chunky soup and some bread to eat before shuffling me into the rest area to relax and watch tv for a bit. After that great meal I bid the lady farewell with a hug and peck on the cheek and set off into the night clean and hopped up on coffee.

In an hilly area out of town I encountered a pair of eyes I recognized as a cats but they sat unmoved in the middle of the road until I came within a few feet then just vanished. It was a bit unsettling as cats usually don't hold their ground that bravely. Lightning also flashed in the horizon and a few times I saw a glowing light just off the shoulder that would stop when I approached. I guess they were fireflies but it was all very unsettling. The darkness let my imagination run wild and my coffee powered legs pushed me on at a good speed away from the unseen monsters that surely lurked in the woods.

A few small towns passed by as I kept watch for a place to camp. A few areas I investigated turned out to be peoples yards. The houses in these areas sat on massive plots of land and I didn't want to find myself waking up in someones yard and unable to explain what I was doing there (in their language). Eventually I found a trusty rest area in Sayabec and set up my tent next to Lake Matapedia. After 9 hours of riding and 155 km I'm more then satisfied I've made up for yesterday.

Day 67 - The Grey

I was able to get a new wall charger for my USB corded devices at walmart. Its a good thing too as I was on my last battery for the phone which acts as my contact, navigation, and music device. I found a laundromat in town and got everything cleaned and charged which left me in town until 4pm. No worries, I figured I'd just do some really late night riding today.

Not an hour out of town everything turned to fog and cold drizzle. For the first time in my tour (not counting an hour I wore my rain pants in Sooke) I had to wear something other than shorts! I tossed on my long johns under the shorts (which looked pretty silly) and tolerated the cold wetness for another hour or so until the fog started rolling in really thick and I came across a rest area. The lure of a warm sleeping bag and some time to read was too much as well as the dangers of night riding in thick fog, so I set up camp over a small hill behind a tree and got out of the cold. I've made pretty good time the past few days so I don't feel too bad about taking a half day. I hope this fog goes away...

Day 66 - An Interesting Character

Today was more of yesterday. The weather and road conditions were great and I enjoyed the ride. Not far from the start I was stopped enjoying a drink and reading my book when a talkative young fellow chatted me up for a bit. He invited me back to his place for a few drink where we listened to absurdly loud death metal while yelling at one another in what was probably the most futile attempt at a conversation in history. His english was decent from what I could pick out between the music. He told me I could crash on the couch and avoid some bad weather heading our way but I decided I'd keep going and bid him farewell. Crazy diamond.

Bad weather never did hit and I had more stretches of dark road to enjoy after the sun went down. I made it to Rivière-du-Loup where the TCH cuts down south into New Brunswick (I'll still be going east tho). They have a walmart here so I camped in a busy area nearby. Tomorrow I can hopefully replace my stolen charger and pick up some supplies.

Day 65 - A Bridge Too Far

I slept undisturbed last night and left with no issues or anyone caring about my defiance of the no camping signs all around the area. I went on following 138 where many cyclists began to show up going both ways. I guess this was the QC crowd going for a nice ride out of the city. I crossed by two guys that were stopped to fix a busted chain, offering them tools and assistance but they actually had everything they needed so we parted ways. A fellow on a road bike offered to let me draft behind him by sort of pointing at his ass. Had I not been aware of drafting, this could have been a very odd misunderstanding. I waved him on and tried to explain that it would be a bit taxing for me to keep up with him on my much heavier bike.

The 138 detoured at one point and I saw two other cyclists ignore it so I decided I'd do the same only to come to an impassible half built bridge. We all sort of laughed about it when we ran into each other at the end and I decided I would find my own way around this mess. I wandered back and around to the side of the bridge and pushed across a muddy stream and over some train tracks and eventually onto the other side for some traffic free riding for a short time.

Eventually the farms ceased and Quebec City rolled up over the horizon. I didn't really plan ahead on what route I'd take through the city so I sort of just wandered along the least busy streets I could find and eventually looped around towards the bridge to cross the St. Lawrence.

I found myself on the road that crosses the bridge and had to wait for a break in traffic to hoist my bike over a guard rail to get on the pedestrian path. You typically don't want to ride out on the road across any decent sized bridge. The path was maybe 4 feet wide and used by people going both ways so I had to stop to let other cyclists and the occasional pedestrian by which gave me a lot of time to enjoy the fantastic view.

On the south side of the St. Lawrence  I was treated to a great bike path that ran right along the shore line and granted an amazing view of the city across the river. There were tons of people out enjoying the beautiful evening as the sun slowly set over the city painting the sky in orange and blue. I pushed on as evening turned into night at the 90 km mark and the city gave way to quiet roads and farm lands. Long stretches of road winded between massive farms and the darkness was pierced only by the light of the moon. Perfect.

At 130 km I found a paid camping area but after a little loop through the area I decided to pass and keep going into the night. I eventually found myself closing in on Montmagny where the St. Lawrence started to show off its growing width in the moon light. Before I hit the main strip of town I found a nice little area off the road inhabited by a few trees and a lonely sign advertising something in french I would never understand. I guess it may be a plot of land for sale for commercial use, but for tonight it will be my secret little home. 

Day 64 - Dark Times

I slept in a bit and woke up to the groundskeeper mowing the grass around my tent. He didn't seem to care I was there so I wasn't too concerned about it. When I went to retrieve my light in the little building it was gone! Someone had taken both the plug to USB charging piece and light! This has left me with no way to charge any of my gear on outlets until I buy another USB plug and likely no way at all to charge my back light. Fortunately I picked up two extra back lights in Toronto that run on batteries and attach to each pannier so my ass is quite literally covered.

I tried asking the groundskeeper about the light with little luck. I showed him my back light and he didn't seem to react so I guess my front light is gone. For someone to rob that out of a little religious building painted in pictures of missing people seems a bit ironic but what can ya do? I should be able to continue riding at night by using my headlamp for the time being.

The ride today was as great as yesterday with fantastic shoulders for safe travel along with sparse traffic and beautiful weather across the peaceful farm lands. In no time I had rode into evening and hunger crept up on me so I took a chance at another poutine with a side of coffee which turned out to be great (no post poutine issues this time haha). I also discovered you can get french girls to say anything! Just say parlez vous francais and pick something at random. Parlez vous francais "Lonely cyclist?" haha... I had a nice discussion with the store owner about my trip and set off to put in a few more kilometers while the coffee was working.

The night sky was free from clouds and the moon shone through so well that I could often turn my headlamp off entirely and ride by the light of the moon without much worry. A good 30 km or so of riding in the dark put me by a public rest stop / picnic area which make for great camping spots (if you don't mind ignoring the no camping signs) with washrooms that have running water and tables to eat at. It is here I'll set down for the night in a quiet corner out of sight.

Day 63 - Nuit Vélo

The skating rink ended up being a great place to camp. I got a good sleep and followed 148/158 all day and had to deal with very little traffic. At one point I stopped into a grocery store to find they have a system of returning recyclable cans to giant machines that crush them and tally up the value for people to spend in the store. Pretty neat little machines, I wish we had them at home! The small towns along the way were full of nice brick houses and very fancy churches, I'm not sure I can get away with camping in church yards here.

Around 9pm I stopped into a diner for coffee and decided to get a mini pizza to fuel my ride into the quiet night. The roads were great and the weather nice and cool under a full moon as I rode on another 30 km through sparse farm lands until I found a strange little religious display with a nice hidden grassy area behind it to camp called "Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-de-la-paix". The little building contained many lit candles that gave off a lot of heat and there were many pictures of what I assume to be missing people hanging on the walls. Turns out this was a little temple for Saint Thomas.

There was also an outlet hidden away in a corner which I used to plug my front light in to keep it charged for more night riding. The way today went I think I will be doing most of my travel through Quebec in the evenings to enjoy the change of scenery and get a break from the heat. If the roads and weather stay like this I'll make some great time in the next few days. Loving Quebec so far :)