Saint-Louis du kent to Murray Beach

My sister Paula and her husband came to Saint-Louis with a few friends to spend the weekend. She and Brian were waiting at the park gate when we arrived. It was great to see family.

Brian was trying to figure out why the flash was not going off.

A beautiful sunrise at Saint-Louis. It had a lot of red in is that is not obvious here. You know the saying, red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.
Everyone getting breakfast at Saint Louis.

We rode mostly on Highway 11which meant we did not get the scenery of the coastline. We were trying to beat the storm. We did get a look at the Murray River. The route on the cue sheet also had three detours due to bridges being closed. We were able to avoid the detours.

A breakdown on the highway.

The Restigouche River was so calm you could see the reflection of the houses in the water.

Everyone was hunkered down in the shelter to stay out of the rain. The truck was very late in coming, didn't get there until after 5pm. Everyone had a plan by then of how they were going to handle the storm. We and several others went to B&Bs or cabins on site. Those that stayed were going to sleep in the shelter with just their sleeping bags as the wind was to be so strong that a tent would not have been a good idea.


Day 64 and August 29th of our tour started with a very cool morning temperature of 2 degrees!! And also at 0600, it is still quite dark. But with a 148k ride ahead of us, cyclists wanted to get on the road so tent zippers were opening and tents coming down, being stuffed in bags and taken over to the truck for loading later. Of course the cook crew would get things going for breakfast. This morning, they were having trouble getting the propane stoves going. Holly got a great photo of the sunrise over the campground. We were off by 0730 with overcast skies. The weather forecast was not in our favour for today as we would be getting rain and winds this afternoon and also tomorrow so, getting away early, we hopefully would get to camp before all that started. Also, the cue sheets indicated a very scenic coastal ride today with gentle terrain but we were informed yesterday that there would be three detours on the route because of bridge work, so we chose take a more direct route to get to camp today. Had the weather forecast been for a sunny, warmer day, we would have done the scenic route right along the Northumberland Strait in spite of the detours. We took highway # 11 south then followed # 15 east and left onto # 955 to Murray Beach. Highway # 11 and
# 15 were great for cycling as there were nice wide shoulders and in good condition. The scenery on our ride was mainly bush and forest but our aim today was to beat the rain and wind so we didn't mind. Holly and I both use I-pods while cycling so the music entertained us as we cycled along. We did have a bit of a tailwind most of the riding on # 11 and # 15. However, light rain began falling shortly after we turned onto # 15 so we ended up putting our rain gear on and continued on. Traffic on the first two highways was heavy but not bothersome as the wide shoulders were there for us to use and stay out of the traffic's way. Shortly before getting to # 955, we stopped at a convenience store to get a coffee and use the washroom. We had decided to inquire about a B&B near the campground since the rain wasn't letting up at all. So we got a room at Little Shemoque Country Inn which is about 5k before camp. We got to camp about 2:30 pm and waited till 5pm along with the other cyclists for the truck to arrive. It is usually at camp by 2pm so I am not sure why they were so late but I am sure I'll find out tomorrow. We got tomorrow's cycling clothing and other necessary items to take with us to the Inn for the evening then cycled back to the Inn getting there around 5:30 pm. We had burgers and fries delivered there for our supper. As we were waiting for the truck to arrive, the rain got heavier although the winds hadn't picked up yet and after arriving to the Inn, the rain got heavier yet so sure am glad to be here. A few other cyclists got rooms at another B&B up the road. There were a few cabins at the campground so they were also booked by some cyclists. So, we're nice and cozy this evening, out of the rain. Tomorrow, we head to the bridge to cross over to P.E.I. Lets hope the rain has passed on by morning. The weather for the remainder of the week looks great for cycling the Cabot Trail and into Newfoundland. Wow, almost over!!!!

Petit Rocher to Saint-Louis-du-Kent Day 62

A beautiful sunrise at the campground in Petit Rocher. I have seen more sunrises this summer than I have ever seen in my whole life.

Our route took us through a proud Acadian village called Allardville. Most of the houses were adorned with
the colors. About mid August there is a great celebration not far from here celebrating the Acadian history.
The bridge over the Miramichi River. It was extremely windy at the top.


The view from the top of the bridge overlooking Chatham.

We had a very cold start to the day. The early morning temperature of about 5 C meant that many of us were cold through the night and got dressed in may layers. The wind blew all night long. We had a beautiful sunrise and we were promised sunny skies and a tailwind.

One of the cyclists had been speaking to a local resident who is also a long distance cyclist. He said he never bikes through Bathurst as the road is not very good. That was all we needed to hear. Terri and I took a slight alternate route. Our cue sheet indicated Route 134 but we chose to do the first 40km on Highway 11. It was noisy with all the trucks but the shoulder was great and the surfaces smooth. It ended up adding about 5km to our ride but it was worth it. We got back on Route 134 in time to see a nice little diner in Allardville where we joined others for a hot breakfast. We are travelling through Acadian country and the homes reflected their loyalty. Acadians are displaced French people who took up residency in New Brunswick when they left Quebec.

We continued on Route 134 until Miramichi. The area is pretty desolate with a beautiful forested landscape. The road was good but the wind seemed to hold us back somewhat. It gusted all around us with the occasional push on our backs. So much for sailing for the day.

We had some errands to run in Miramichi and once we were finished we went to Tim's for a bite to eat. We had a climb out of the city and once we were on the highway again we had a pleasant surprise. A tailwind made the last 50km go really well. Waiting for us at the entrance to our camp for the night and rest day was my sister Paula and her husband Brian.

Our camp is right next to the Kouchibouguac National Park. Terri and I will visit with Paula and Brian who will take us around the park and into town. We each had 3 ears of corn last night, homemade hamburgers and brownies. Tonight we are having STEAK and NEW POTATOES. Yes it is all about the food.

In discussions with a few of the other cyclists it seems that several are looking forward to the end of the trip.
Whether it is a psychological awareness that we are almost finished or we are just naturally tiring from the day in and day out cycling. We have 9 days of cycling left and have travelled 6691 km.

The rest day in Saint-Louis-de-Kent has been relaxing. Sleeping in till 7:30/8:00 is a treat. The sky was filled with stars last night so we were encouraged that the weather would be good today. It would have been a great day for cycling as the blue sky and cooler temperatures stayed with us for the day. I am working on the blog sitting in the screen room where Paula and Brian are camped. Well not camped really, they have a beautiful trailer with an indoor loo. We took a drive to Miramichi to run a couple of errands and stopped in at the trailer dealership. Brian is looking to upgrade. After we get our things organized for tomorrow's ride we will work on supper preparations.

This is the last rest day before the end of the ride but we hope to have access to the internet where we are staying between here and the end. We both have one cooking day left. Wish us good weather and safe rides to the end.

Atholville to Petit Rocher Day 61

Not a sign you are likely to see in Kincardine.

Sugarloaf Mountain as we leave Campbellton.

Crossing over Eel River on the way to Charlo.

A great break at Jacquet River. I could not convince the fellow who took this picture to si on my bike. I guess to those who are not used to it, it seems a bit unnerving.

Terri has been trying to get a picture of a logging truck since we started the ride. Now all we have to do is see a moose and then we can come home.

Contemplating life as he looks out over the Bay of Chaleur.

The view from our tent. The truck in the background is the tour truck.

The French Connection, Renee and Sylvie who met on this trip and I think will remain friends after it is over.

I was on cooking duty for breakfast and it was a bit difficult to get up given the time change. It was dark for quite awhile after I got up and everyone seemed to be moving a bit slower this day. It was either that or those tuna corn fritters we fed them for supper.

We had some sprinkling of rain throughout the night bu things were pretty dry this morning and surprisingly warm. We got out of camp and headed towards Route 134 which will take us east and then south as we head towards Saint- Louis- de -Kent for our rest day.

We had coffee at Tim's in Dalhousie and some people in the restaurant were telling us we had a big hill to do to get out of town. They were right. The grade was 11% or 13% depending who you talked to but it made my lungs scream. I was going 5 km/hr at one point and had to put my food down as the bike gets very twitchy at this low speed. I likely could have walked it at that rate but chose to continue. The one nice thing about the recumbent is that you can start again on the hill if you can get your feet doing a 150 cadence right away. I made it to the top but not before Terry. I don't think she even stood up. We are told this is what the Cabot Trail will be like but more of it and longer. Terri and I are discussing how we can lighten our load for those two days.

We had varying winds today. They seemed to swirl up around us every which way but fortunately not too many kms were a head wind. We were on Route 134 the whole way and for much of the ride it was pretty desolate. The road for the most part was good. We went through an area where there was a sawmill and then a lead smelting plant as well as a generating station. All this was within a 5km stretch on the road and then on either side there was no visible industry.

After a relatively short day of 101 km, we are camped in Petit Rocher along the Bay of Chaleur and it is incredibly windy. One cyclist and his wife had their tent by the water but moved it because they were afraid it would blow over. It will be a cool night
and we are promised a great wind on our back tomorrow with warm to hot temperatures. That will be appreciated for it is a 149 km day . We will then have our final res day for the tour. Most people will be cleaning their bikes for the last time before the end. We have done our laundry and I was fortunate to have the internet tonight. I will be able to have a nice visit with my sister and brother-in-law now that I am caught up on the blog.

St-Damase to Atholville Day 60

The mist on the lake when we got up in St. Damase.

A family of ducks shared our site. They were very brave, even goingup to the doors of the tents.

Such a beautiful site, fly fishing.

The water seems too shallow for boats. Apparently the boats they use are crafted in New Brunswick specifically for this area. Not sure if this is the type but we saw a few of this design all along the Matapedia River.

We just could not take our eyes off the scenery.

We saw a business that advertised Matapedia River adventures. This is likely one of them.

When we crossed the Restigouche Brunswick River this is the only sign we saw for New Brunswick so we thought we should capture it.

And then we saw this. Quite a bit nicer entrance than we had going into Quebec. Coming into NB also meant a time change, we lost an hour and it will be darker in the morning but light later in the evening.

We woke up to an extremely heavy dew this morning. So heavy that I refused to pack my fly with the rest of my tent gear knowing that everything would be wet when I opened it up at our next camp. There was steam coming off the lake and for the first 10 km or so we had to deal with a lot of land fog. If the ride into camp wasn't hilly enough the night before, we had more of the same going out of camp, for about 15km. That is tough on cold muscles. Not to mention the road surface was far less than perfect.

Our cue sheet had us mostly on Route 132 with a lot of little side trips through small towns. Basd on yesterday's ride and the poor conditions of the roads we decided to opt for the busier road but better surface. We were not disappointed at all as we had plenty of nice scenery and a great stop at McDonald's for coffee. Unfortunately there was a bus load of tourists as well so it took a bit of time to get what we wanted. I took a few minutes to connect with my sister and I am looking forward to seeing her on rest day. She promised us corn, steak and burgers. Knowing her we will be spoiled.

The most spectacular scenery today was on a 40 km stretch of Route 132 from St. Florence to the New Brunswick border. The weather was beautiful with sunny skies and about 25 C with a breeze. It actually felt a bit like fall weather but I found it excellent for riding. One of those days that could have gone n forever. I had to cook tonight so there a was a bit of time pressure. The Matapedia River is known for fly fishing and we did find a few fellows out there. The sun glistening on the shallow water made it look like the water was dancing over the rocks. We would like to have watched until they caught a salmon.

We crossed the border into New Brunswick this afternoon about 4:00 pm as we went from Route 132 across the Restigouche River and then onto Route 11 into the Campbelton area. Terri welcomed NB with a super butter pecan ice cream cone. A great reward for a good days ride. It feels great to be in the province where I was born and raised. Over the next few days I will be travelling through parts I have never seen before.

We are camped at Sugarloaf Mountain Parc and as I write this at 10:30 pm it has just started to rain. We have been blessed with several days of dry weather. I hope the shower is only just that. We road 145km today and have two more cycling days in this leg of the tour. We are all counting down now to the last 11 days before the end of the tour. People are starting to ask about plans when they return home. While riding today, it seemed unreal that we have come this far and that we will actually be able to say "I rode my bike across Canada"! WOW!!

Trois Pistoles to St-Damase Day 59

A large windmill project but yet not one of them was turning. Perhaps a new build??


This is interesting how the cloud is just sitting between two hills.

We travelled along a coastal road that ran parallel to the main highway. The view was more spectacular. You had little cottages along your right and the open water to your left. Many people have rental cottages along here. It is not busy and very nice to bike along.

There were lots of lawn chairs on the water side so you could sit and get lost in the view.

A distant view of the next little town we would cycle through. The tide was low when we were there.

A nice little cottage with a great view.

There ae additions and then there are additions!!


We started out today on the cool side but we could see the sun would warm us up. The 10% hill we had to climb going out of camp got the heart rate up early. We spent the better part of the 135 km on Route 132 which was busy by times but it had a pretty good shoulder.

Terri had one of the fellows check her pedals this morning because she was hearing a noise that did not sound good. It was his recommendation to head to the bike store in Rimouski, 56 km away and have the mechanic check her pedals and bottom bracket. It was an easy ride to there with only a few hills and we did not have the head wind we had yesterday. When we got close to the city we stopped by a gas station and checked the phone book, copied down the names and addresses of the four stores. As it turned out, the cue sheet had us going down the main street and we found on of the shops on this street. The bottom bracket needed to be changed and while he was doing that we went and had lunch (A&W). It was not too expensive and he also adjusted her cable slightly. Hopefully she is good to the end now.

Once leaving the shop we rode on a secondary road that ran parallel to Route 132. It was so quaint and quiet with lots of summer cottages and rental units overlooking the mightly St. Lawrence. It reminded me of what the towns probably looked like before the highway was built. We had this wonderful scenery and sun for all by the last 12 km. The air off the water was definately cool, felt like fall. The water was very calm today. Four people who stopped along the way to have lunch at a restaurant on the water saw a whale.

Our route today veered off Route 132 at a town called Baie-de-Sables where we went away from the water for the last 12 km. We actually saw only a very small part of the Gaspe Peninsula by looking at the map we picked up at the Tourist Information. It would be great to bike it all the way around. One could stay at the many Gites (inns) and relish in the local artists and interesting restaurants.

When we turned onto Route 297 that is when the fun really started. We were now climbing up the north side of the Gaspe. We had many hills, some likely more than the 10% we started the morning with. They were long and that last 12 km took us almost an hour to complete. Pretty tough even with an easy ride up to then. When we go to St-Damase however is was just reaching 6:00 pm and the bells of the local church were ringing. It sounded beautiful.

And then a dog came out on the road by me and a truck went by and struck it. It really stunned it and I am not sure how it turned out. Sad to say I could not go back, it frightened me too much. The truck did not stop either. I informed a woman walking her dog just a block or so from where it happened hoping she would see the dog or its owner.

We are camped by a small lake that is so calm you can see the reflection of the trees along the shore. They have canoes and pedal boats but our arrival at camp was too late to take advantage of either. We shared the campground with a family of ducks and you could hear the sounds of wildlife in the background. Tomorrow we head to New Brunswick where we will have a time change and can strike another province off our list. Our route map indicates it will be much easier terrain than we experienced in the last hour of today's ride. I hope so, I am on cook duty tomorrow evening.

Riviere Ouells to Trois Pistoles Day 58

The mightly St. Lawrence.

Who could pass this up for a morning tea?? Beautiful view of the St. Lawrence from the back.

Our front row seats for the beautiful sunset on the St. Lawrence.

And here it is!!!


The day started out very cool and there was not a spot of dew on the tents or flies. It was great to pack up in these conditions. It didn't warm up very much today with only a high of about 15C recording on my thermometer. Had to stop and put on layers today and kept them on most of the day. The sun shone but did not provide enough warmth. The worst however was the headwind we dealt with all day. Someone thought it was about 25 km/hr. It required a lot of leg work and determination not to let it get to you. It helped that it was only 117 km today. The last time we had this wind that kept our average speed down to 17.5 was through the Qu'Appelle Valley. The difference today was that the temperature was lower.

Most of our riding was on Route 132 which is a nice secondary highway with good shoulders and not too busy. Our cue sheet took us off the route a couple of times, we suspect for scenery reasons. The road bed was in such horrible shape you could not take in the scenery the way you would have liked because one had to keep a close eye on ruts, holes and bumps. Those on regular upright bikes find it is harder on the behind. They also feel every bump in their arms and shoulders. For me, the recumbent is such a long wheel base, there is a couple of seconds between the front tire going over something and them the rear tire. Yesterday Terri commented that it looked like I was riding a horse. I literally came off my seat on two occasions because of the bumps. Believe me even with watching closely, they can catch you off guard.

The scenery today was along the ever expanding St. Lawrence for much of the morning. We stopped at a nice "Auberge"(hotel/B&B) at about 24 km. We couldn't resist the spot, the building was so pretty and it overlooked the water. A woman stopped us inside and asked about our riding and she said the area is always windy as it is situated in a long valley (just like the Qu'Appelle Valley). She was there to teach painting. She likes touring by bicycle as well but has long since lost the notion to bring her bike to the Kamouraska area because of the wind. After a nice hot tea and toast we were off again to fight the wind.

Our lunch stop was a Tim's in Riviere-du-Loup. At that point when the cue sheet took us off 132 for a few km, we opted to avoid those side trips in favour of a better surface. We did witness lots of farm country and quaint areas and decided other side trips would only repeat what we saw. The mileage was the same either way. Our bikes are really getting jolted around. I have lost, but since replaced, a small screw from my shifter. Others have found racks loose and it is hard to say how many flats these rough roads have caused.

After being beaten up by the wind and the terrible road conditions we decided that even though a very good bakery was only 13km from camp we decided we deserved the stop. Unfortunately the cue sheet was off and the bakery was not where it said it was. Instead of it being on one side of the bridge it was on the other and also on the other side of a very busy highway. Those few who went said it was great but we opted to push on to camp.

We are camped by the beautiful St. Lawrence seaway. Terri and I had front row seats for the sunset. It was not quite as spectacular as last night but still wonderful. It has cooled off significantly. When we arrived at camp the sun was warm and the wind had died right down. One of the fellows from the states (California) swam ten strokes. He said he had a goal to swim in the Atlantic. He predicted that by the time he got to NFLD it would be too cold, so he took the opportunity today.

Our route tomorrow will take us along Route 132 again but we are expecting less of a wind and in our favour. We are looking forward to that.

Quebec City to Riviere Ouelle Day 57

This row of businesses/residences barely fits between the street and the rock wall that towers
behind them.

The view along he path to the ferry. At the top of this rock wall are the streets of Old Quebec City.


The ferry we should have caught going over to Levis.

The famous Chateau Frotenac in Old Quebec City.

The area of St.-Jean-Port-Joli is home to many artists. Some lawn ornament
s??
I thought this one would look good in Akerleyville, Paula and Brian???

Terri wanted to bring this home but it would not fit in her bike trunk.

One of the smallest churches we found.

Mike, I would like the house painted this color by the time I come home??

A beautiful sunset in Riviere Ouelle.

Can you believe those colors?


Rest day yesterday in Quebec City was not totally a rest day. We did not have any laundry but we had bike work, the blog and the drying of our very wet tents to contend with. The rooms we stayed in were quite small and we were expected to keep our bikes in the room. The recumbent would have taken up all the floor space so I managed to get a storage room to put it in. We had muggy weather the whole time we were there and with no air conditioning it may it very uncomfortable for sleeping. We in fact had a nap before supper last evening as we had slept poorly the night before. No cross breeze so even leaving the windows open did not help. We were glad however to miss the couple hours of rain last evening. Our breakfasts were in the cafeteria and the food had no taste to it. As a result, our rest day lunch and dinner was at the mall. We are looking forward to getting home to our regular diets, we really miss the fresh vegetables.

Our ride out of Quebec City was not near as stressful as the ride in on Thursday. As it turned out there were several cyclists that found getting to the campus nearly impossible by way of the map, some were fortunate enough to have met cyclists who rode them in. The streets in the city are hyphenated and they have been going through some name changes over the last couple of years. We were thankful the people we stopped to ask were able to communicate with us well enough for us to understand. It also helped that all we had to say was "Laval University". Our first turn this morning had a detour through some construction. For fear of getting lost we walked the bikes across the lawns until we could get on the road again.

Today was the first day of the whole tour that we rode in in the same clothes we rode out in. There was no need for layers and so no layers to remove. It was muggy this morning and threatened rain but we stayed dry all day. The temperature was around 25C at the high point. Not much air movement though when we stopped.

We traveled out from the university and down over the hill to the ferry over to Levis. There was a nice path to ride for much of this trip to the ferry. Terri and I were taking a picture of what we thought was our ferry only to see another leave the dock. We had missed the ramp to enter. The next ferry left about 20 minutes later. Once we were off the ferry we were on a bike path for about 7 km and then onto route 132 which we stayed on for the rest of the 142 km trip. The scenery was great, through some small towns and farm areas and with the St. Lawrence within site for most of the way. The water was very muddy and it looked like there was a lot of scum but it seems that from the recent rain, the water was just stirred up. The towns are strung out along this secondary highway. The road surface was broken up in many places which made the ride a bit rough at times but the traffic was good and we found overall the ride was very pleasant. Some very gentle terrain for most of the way so we could get some speed up. We had our lunch stop at a Tim's and then afternoon tea at a small cafe.

One very interesting town we rode through was St-Jean-Port-Joli. It is home to many artists especially sculpters. You saw some of their work in the pictures. We were not in a position to shop and did not take the time to get off the bikes and venture into any of the studios but could see a lot of their works from the road.

The province of Quebec has been able to make cycling a great sport for the average person. We have seen many cyclists out over the last several days and the ride along 132 would be great for a days outing. There was a sign forbidding anyone under the age of 12 riding without an adult. You also see many signs indicating that cars and bikes share the road.

Our camp tonight in Riviere Quelle provided a great sunset as you can see from the pictures. I was having my bike tended to by a couple of guys from the group so Terri went down to take the pictures. ( I have been having some trouble with my front brake rubbing and without any idea of how to adjust it, I had to ask for help today, seems to be good now)There are also very few mosquitos out tonight.

Our ride tomorrow is relatively short, 117 km so we should be able to get into camp early and enjoy a couple more leisure hours.