I left a good job in the city
Working for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleeping
Worrying 'bout the way things might have been
Big wheel keep on turning
Oh the proud mary keep on burning
And we’re rolling, rolling
Rolling on the river
Working for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleeping
Worrying 'bout the way things might have been
Big wheel keep on turning
Oh the proud mary keep on burning
And we’re rolling, rolling
Rolling on the river
- Tina Turner - "Proud Mary"
St. Damase to Atholville – Day 60
146kms / 90 miles
As the countown begins we are all starting to really ‘savour’ the final days of the t
rip. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been biking for 60 days. I was commenting this morning just after breakfast how lucky we are to have had this opportunity and experience and how rare it is to live in such a ‘bubble’. I can’t believe how much we laugh over the most basic things. This morning it was over Ian who cleaned out his panier which he’d been carrying around for the past 2 months. In it he pulled out an old soggy mouldy map, some rotten apricots, a giant lock for his bike and a passport that was so green with mould that it was barely legible. He did not (and likely will not) hear the end of that for a while.
Today was the first day that I can actually say was absolutely freezing. It was very, very windy this morning and I felt fortunate that my tent pegs managed to stay in the ground throughout the night. It was also chilly – about ten degrees – which is quite a drop from the temperatures that we’re used to and would have expected for this time of the year. I layered up and gathered all of my things to get ready for another day on the road.
The morning was a bit daunting as there were some big hills to finish off the trend that we’d started yesterday afternoon with the monster climbs. It was hard to get going with the cold wind but once we warmed up things seemed to get a bit easier. We had a fantastic downhill but the bumpy pavement made it a bit harrowing. I managed to get up to 60kms/ hour but could have done more had the pavement been a bit smoother. Andrew and Ian did have a race and Andrew managed to teach Ian a thing or two about the element of surprise and the art of drafting.
We had our second breakfast rather late in the trip this morning – in the town of Amqui we stopped at a restaurant called ‘Madame Jojos’ which served up a fantastic breakfast. Tony and Darlene found it after they bumped into the town mayor during a stroll around the town looking for a place to eat. I had the biggest breakfast on the menu and then two coffees to try and get warmed up. It did help somewhat and provided a good base for the rest of the days ride.
Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate today. Although it didn’t rain it stayed dark. windy and overcast for most of the day leaving us all feeling tired and lethargic by about 7pm. The ride would have been a gorgeous one if the weather had cleared up. Unfortunately it didn’t clear and threatened rain for most of the day as thick grey clouds blew over our heads.
One of the highlights of the trip was our cycle along the Matapedia River. The road was in great shape but was missing one essential element - a shoulder! The ride was a bit of a harrowing one with the busy traffic but still very enjoyable with rolling hills and lush green forests running along the river. The area is famous for fly fishing.
We left the beautiful province of Quebec and looked for a sign indicating that we’d reached New Brunswick. Generally the signs appear right away but New Brunswick didn’t appear to have any sign..! We were a bit distressed by this and Andrew began to complain that New Brunswick was too cheap to have a sign when we rounded a bend in the road and found the biggest, brightest and most creative sign ye
t..! We were officially in New Brunswick!! Another province and a new one for me. I look forward to all the sights that New Brunswick has to offer. The first indications were positive – great roads, a good shoulder, gentle climbs and a big sign. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.......
Just before we reached Sugarloaf Park we saw a Dairy Queen and decided to stop for an ice-cream to congratulate ourselves on surviving yet another day on the road. I am definitely getting a taste for Oreo flurries. We were all exhausted – I’m not sure if it was the terrain, the dark day, the cold or the wind.
Dinner was ‘seafood stirfry’ which was a lot of work for the Galley Crew especially given the time change today. Erik made some amazing apple cider which warmed my stomach as I headed off to bed – so tired and was looking forward to a good nights sleep.
As the countown begins we are all starting to really ‘savour’ the final days of the t
rip. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been biking for 60 days. I was commenting this morning just after breakfast how lucky we are to have had this opportunity and experience and how rare it is to live in such a ‘bubble’. I can’t believe how much we laugh over the most basic things. This morning it was over Ian who cleaned out his panier which he’d been carrying around for the past 2 months. In it he pulled out an old soggy mouldy map, some rotten apricots, a giant lock for his bike and a passport that was so green with mould that it was barely legible. He did not (and likely will not) hear the end of that for a while.Today was the first day that I can actually say was absolutely freezing. It was very, very windy this morning and I felt fortunate that my tent pegs managed to stay in the ground throughout the night. It was also chilly – about ten degrees – which is quite a drop from the temperatures that we’re used to and would have expected for this time of the year. I layered up and gathered all of my things to get ready for another day on the road.
The morning was a bit daunting as there were some big hills to finish off the trend that we’d started yesterday afternoon with the monster climbs. It was hard to get going with the cold wind but once we warmed up things seemed to get a bit easier. We had a fantastic downhill but the bumpy pavement made it a bit harrowing. I managed to get up to 60kms/ hour but could have done more had the pavement been a bit smoother. Andrew and Ian did have a race and Andrew managed to teach Ian a thing or two about the element of surprise and the art of drafting.
We had our second breakfast rather late in the trip this morning – in the town of Amqui we stopped at a restaurant called ‘Madame Jojos’ which served up a fantastic breakfast. Tony and Darlene found it after they bumped into the town mayor during a stroll around the town looking for a place to eat. I had the biggest breakfast on the menu and then two coffees to try and get warmed up. It did help somewhat and provided a good base for the rest of the days ride.
Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate today. Although it didn’t rain it stayed dark. windy and overcast for most of the day leaving us all feeling tired and lethargic by about 7pm. The ride would have been a gorgeous one if the weather had cleared up. Unfortunately it didn’t clear and threatened rain for most of the day as thick grey clouds blew over our heads.
One of the highlights of the trip was our cycle along the Matapedia River. The road was in great shape but was missing one essential element - a shoulder! The ride was a bit of a harrowing one with the busy traffic but still very enjoyable with rolling hills and lush green forests running along the river. The area is famous for fly fishing.
We left the beautiful province of Quebec and looked for a sign indicating that we’d reached New Brunswick. Generally the signs appear right away but New Brunswick didn’t appear to have any sign..! We were a bit distressed by this and Andrew began to complain that New Brunswick was too cheap to have a sign when we rounded a bend in the road and found the biggest, brightest and most creative sign ye
t..! We were officially in New Brunswick!! Another province and a new one for me. I look forward to all the sights that New Brunswick has to offer. The first indications were positive – great roads, a good shoulder, gentle climbs and a big sign. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.......Just before we reached Sugarloaf Park we saw a Dairy Queen and decided to stop for an ice-cream to congratulate ourselves on surviving yet another day on the road. I am definitely getting a taste for Oreo flurries. We were all exhausted – I’m not sure if it was the terrain, the dark day, the cold or the wind.
Dinner was ‘seafood stirfry’ which was a lot of work for the Galley Crew especially given the time change today. Erik made some amazing apple cider which warmed my stomach as I headed off to bed – so tired and was looking forward to a good nights sleep.
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