All day long they work so hard
Till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways
And wearing, wearing a frown
You hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody sa-ay
That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
- Sam Cooke - "Chain Gang"
Petit Rocher – Saint Louis de Kent – Day 62
Till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways
And wearing, wearing a frown
You hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody sa-ay
That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
- Sam Cooke - "Chain Gang"
Petit Rocher – Saint Louis de Kent – Day 62
149 kms / 92 miles
I was up super early for Galley Duty this morning which was a bit of a challenge as it’s still dark at 6am. I was in a particularly good mood this morning as the forecast has ZERO percent chance of rain. This is a VERY good thing as it seems like ages and ages since we’ve had a completely sunny day. There was still a chill in the air but I certainly didn’t mind. It’s the second last Galley Duty..! Hooray..! We were cleaned up and the truck was packed by 8:15 – it’s taken some time but we have finally got the ‘Galley Duty’ routine down pat and it is relatively stress free.
There was a Tim Hortons in Bathurst and we met Ian there. Brendan had cycled on due to some lingering knee problems which will hopefully clear up in time for the Cabot Trail. I am starting to become concerned about my Tim Hortons / morning coffee / vanilla cappuccino addiction as I actually have massive cravings at around 10am. Fortunately the cravings were satisfied!
We continued to follow Route 134 which was incredibly busy and had potholes the size of small swimming pools straight through Bathurst but missed a left turn so overshot the mark by about 15 minutes of uphill cycling. Fortunately Andrew had the wisdom and the intuition to ask for directions otherwise we would have ended up on the other side of New Brunswick. We turned around and retraced our steps and continued East to enjoy a blustery cross-wind coming in from the north and lots and lots and lots of sun.
Turning onto Highway 11 was a wonderful feeling – I love highway riding particularly when there is a nice even, smooth and freshly paved shou
lder. There were some hills but because of the tail wind and the condition of the pavement we hardly noticed. It was wonderful until I started to feel as though I was bouncing on the back end of my bike… I initially thought it was because of the pavement but then started to suspect that something was amiss…
I slowed down and applied the brakes and looked back to have my biggest fears confirmed – I had my FIRST FLAT at kilometre 6606!!! I must admit, I have been jinxing myself for the past 3 weeks by regularly stating that I have not yet had a flat and that my bike tires have fantastic charma but I knew that inevitably the flat would happen and I prayed that the circumstances around it would be favourable. Fortunately Andrew was there AND fortunately it was not raining AND even more fortunately it was sunny so while Andrew pumped up my tire I could work on my tan..!!
Actually, it was a great learning experience – the flat was the result of a miniscule staple which had penetrated the tire and kevlar lining and punctured tube. Ian and I removed the staple and patched the tube while Andrew worked on putting the new tube in. I have racing wheels on my bike so the tubes can be temperamental to put in. Unfortunately I didn’t have the strength to pump up the tire to 100psi and Andrew did it for me which made me feel a teeny bit guilty especially considering it was about 30 degrees by this point and we’d been trying to fix the tire for about 30 minutes. I promised him beer and ice cream at the end of the day as payment for his services.
After working on the flat we continued on for about 5kms of incredibly bumpy roads due to construction on the highway and I began to notice that the back wheel was starting to feel soft again. We stopped and Andrew gently touched the valve and it broke off. Yikes… Apparently the hand pumps are tricky on presta valves and they are easily damaged. I pulled out the tire that Ian and I had patched and we installed that tire. As we pumped it up the valve broke off of that one as well. Oh dear… The entire incident happened without any swearing and any tantrums (almost, I had to bite my tongue..)
Andrew had one spare tube which we installed and pumped very, very gently… if the valve broke off of this tube then we’d be in BIG trouble as between the two of us we were out of spares and still had about 70kms left to bike. We discussed the options and decided to pump the last tube to 50psi then try to cycle to Miramichi, about 20 kms away, and see if there was a bike shop there to buy tubes and then attempt to pump my tire up a bit harder. It felt weird to be cycling on a soft back tire but it was certainly better than walking..!!
We pulled into Miramichi and stopped at Walmart hoping that they’d have a cheap spare which would hold us over as a last resort until camp. Unfortunately they were sold out and recommended that we try Canadian Tire. After a pit stop at A&W for burgers and a liquid refreshment we continued to Canadian Tire who were also sold out of my size tube..! Yikes..! By this point it was already 5pm and we still had about 50kms left to cycle. We decided to take the risk and continued via the sidewalk over the Miramichi bri
dge which was incredibly high. It would certainly cause some heart palpitations for anyone afraid of heights..!
Fortunately we made it all the way to camp without any more flats..! The ride out of Miramichi through to Saint Lewis de Kent was a lovely one – some rolling hills, great pavement and the weather totally cooperated with sun and blue skies. It was about 25 degrees which I have decided is the perfect, perfect cycling temperature. The tailwind also remained consistent throughout the afternoon which was a real treat. It was nice to pull into the campground at around 6:30 where everyone was enjoying a fantastic lobster dinner..!
I was up super early for Galley Duty this morning which was a bit of a challenge as it’s still dark at 6am. I was in a particularly good mood this morning as the forecast has ZERO percent chance of rain. This is a VERY good thing as it seems like ages and ages since we’ve had a completely sunny day. There was still a chill in the air but I certainly didn’t mind. It’s the second last Galley Duty..! Hooray..! We were cleaned up and the truck was packed by 8:15 – it’s taken some time but we have finally got the ‘Galley Duty’ routine down pat and it is relatively stress free.
There was a Tim Hortons in Bathurst and we met Ian there. Brendan had cycled on due to some lingering knee problems which will hopefully clear up in time for the Cabot Trail. I am starting to become concerned about my Tim Hortons / morning coffee / vanilla cappuccino addiction as I actually have massive cravings at around 10am. Fortunately the cravings were satisfied!
We continued to follow Route 134 which was incredibly busy and had potholes the size of small swimming pools straight through Bathurst but missed a left turn so overshot the mark by about 15 minutes of uphill cycling. Fortunately Andrew had the wisdom and the intuition to ask for directions otherwise we would have ended up on the other side of New Brunswick. We turned around and retraced our steps and continued East to enjoy a blustery cross-wind coming in from the north and lots and lots and lots of sun.
Turning onto Highway 11 was a wonderful feeling – I love highway riding particularly when there is a nice even, smooth and freshly paved shou
lder. There were some hills but because of the tail wind and the condition of the pavement we hardly noticed. It was wonderful until I started to feel as though I was bouncing on the back end of my bike… I initially thought it was because of the pavement but then started to suspect that something was amiss…I slowed down and applied the brakes and looked back to have my biggest fears confirmed – I had my FIRST FLAT at kilometre 6606!!! I must admit, I have been jinxing myself for the past 3 weeks by regularly stating that I have not yet had a flat and that my bike tires have fantastic charma but I knew that inevitably the flat would happen and I prayed that the circumstances around it would be favourable. Fortunately Andrew was there AND fortunately it was not raining AND even more fortunately it was sunny so while Andrew pumped up my tire I could work on my tan..!!
Actually, it was a great learning experience – the flat was the result of a miniscule staple which had penetrated the tire and kevlar lining and punctured tube. Ian and I removed the staple and patched the tube while Andrew worked on putting the new tube in. I have racing wheels on my bike so the tubes can be temperamental to put in. Unfortunately I didn’t have the strength to pump up the tire to 100psi and Andrew did it for me which made me feel a teeny bit guilty especially considering it was about 30 degrees by this point and we’d been trying to fix the tire for about 30 minutes. I promised him beer and ice cream at the end of the day as payment for his services.
After working on the flat we continued on for about 5kms of incredibly bumpy roads due to construction on the highway and I began to notice that the back wheel was starting to feel soft again. We stopped and Andrew gently touched the valve and it broke off. Yikes… Apparently the hand pumps are tricky on presta valves and they are easily damaged. I pulled out the tire that Ian and I had patched and we installed that tire. As we pumped it up the valve broke off of that one as well. Oh dear… The entire incident happened without any swearing and any tantrums (almost, I had to bite my tongue..)
Andrew had one spare tube which we installed and pumped very, very gently… if the valve broke off of this tube then we’d be in BIG trouble as between the two of us we were out of spares and still had about 70kms left to bike. We discussed the options and decided to pump the last tube to 50psi then try to cycle to Miramichi, about 20 kms away, and see if there was a bike shop there to buy tubes and then attempt to pump my tire up a bit harder. It felt weird to be cycling on a soft back tire but it was certainly better than walking..!!
We pulled into Miramichi and stopped at Walmart hoping that they’d have a cheap spare which would hold us over as a last resort until camp. Unfortunately they were sold out and recommended that we try Canadian Tire. After a pit stop at A&W for burgers and a liquid refreshment we continued to Canadian Tire who were also sold out of my size tube..! Yikes..! By this point it was already 5pm and we still had about 50kms left to cycle. We decided to take the risk and continued via the sidewalk over the Miramichi bri
dge which was incredibly high. It would certainly cause some heart palpitations for anyone afraid of heights..!Fortunately we made it all the way to camp without any more flats..! The ride out of Miramichi through to Saint Lewis de Kent was a lovely one – some rolling hills, great pavement and the weather totally cooperated with sun and blue skies. It was about 25 degrees which I have decided is the perfect, perfect cycling temperature. The tailwind also remained consistent throughout the afternoon which was a real treat. It was nice to pull into the campground at around 6:30 where everyone was enjoying a fantastic lobster dinner..!
The campground is lovely and has all the amenities for a wonderful, relaxing rest day – internet, plenty of laundry machines, washrooms close to our campsite, a pool, a town with a bar near by… perfect..! We had a super relaxing evening catching up on laundry, emails and looking at routes for the coming days of cycling through the Maritimes. It was a very productive evening made even more enjoyable thanks to the great weather and the knowledge that our journey was nearly complete..!
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