Better Late than Never...a few photos from PEI to St. Johns NFLD

Prince Edward Island

We were both excited to cross the Confederation Bridge but to be honest it was quite anticlimactic.

It`s just a big bridge, with big concrete walls and ocean on either side.

We decided to check out Charlottetetown but after a couple of hours we felt we had seen all we really wanted to see so we headed out of town and headed for the north shore.

It was soon clear that the best part of biking PEI was the fact that if you wanted to go across half the island within a few hours you could.

Cavendish, home of Lucy Maud Montgomery and Prince Edward Island National Park was our home for the night.

We were quick to get mobile in the morning and as one of the big highlights for Joanna`s Canada Tour we went direct to Green Gables.

Not sure but I think it was all she had hoped it would be, for myself having never read the books or seen any of the movies the most interesting part was while touring the original location of her house we entered a book store run by her decendants where her niece gave a moving description of the family and town history.

Anyhow, after four fabulous hours we moved on to the park, we followed the parkway along what seemed like endless red clay cliffs capped by soft red sand beaches.

We found a back way into our campsite, broke down camp and started along the north shore of PEI.

That night we started looking for a place to crash around 7pm only to find that everything seemed to be booked.

B&B`s, hotels, even campgrounds, we finally decided to make haste for the large campground in the National Park.

They had 138 sites, we got the last one...no services, no fire ring, no problem we`ll take it.

The next day we woke to relentless rain but still toured the sweet beach where we did a little shell collecting and even found some local wildlife(crab.)

We continued along the north shore for a bit winding in and out of coves and following the beach line before heading for the eastern shore.

As we rode along, we had sent a text to Charlotte, our friend and former boss who used to live in PEI. Joanna stopped at a driveway to get out of the traffic while she checked her phone and I pulled in just ahead of her to see a man standing in his doorway saying something I couldn`t hear over the traffic.

As Joanna read the text we realised that it was an offer to stay with Charlottes dad for the night, and after a bit of confusion we realised what the man was saying `Hi, Im Charlottes dad, are you two from BC?`. We had coincidentally pulled over in her dad`s driveway, so we went on in for a solid night indoors.

In less than perfect weather we rolled out in the morning headed for the Wood Island Ferry to N.S.

We got off the ferry rode 8km and grabbed a campsite for the night.

To Halifax and Back Again

Leaving Moncton we travelled 70km to Amherst, stopping along the way at Fort Beausejour, near Sackville. Just as we pulled into the site the rain came pouring down, so we took the opportunity to check out the indoor museum, which explained the battles between the French and the English in the area. Fort Beausejour became Fort Cumberland when it was taken over by British Forces, and remnants from each part of the forts history can be seen. During a rain-free break we walked the grounds and explored the old barracks and casements. We waited a while in a picnic shelter while the rain came down again, then made a bolt for a campground.

The next night we camped just outside of Truro, after 100km of riding. We were lucky that a fellow camper in Amherst had suggested we take the scenic highway over the main road. The scenic route turned out to be the old highway, and still had large shoulders and was fairly smooth, with very little traffic. Roads in Nova Scotia tend to be less than ideal for cycling.

Another 100km brought us to Halifax, where we met up with John, a connection through warmshowers. It was a late night (no surprise there) so we ate, and went straight to bed. The next day was rainy and cloudy so we grabbed some breakfast, and went to the Halifax Citadel.

The citadel was built to be as intimidating as possible, to ward off attacks on the coastline. Apparently it worked, because after construction, it never was attacked. It is now restored, and staffed to show what life for a soldier was like, including the noontime canon which is fired everyday except for Christmas.

After the Citadel we took a walk by the harbour, and I was very excited to run into Theodore, and I naturally had to stop to take a photo.

We stopped by the old Keiths brewery for a late lunch, and sampled the Keiths Family of beers. A very nice way to spend the afternoon!

Since we were in the area, we also decided to check out Pier 21, the pier where around 1 000 000 people first came in their process for immigration to Canada. Families came with promises of a new future, some returned to their home countries with disappointment, many troops left to go to war, and some came home (some with brides and babies). It was really interesting to hear stories and see photos of the many years the pier operated, and there was a great movie presentation that is definitely worth checking out.

After putting it off for quite some time, we knew it was time to deal with our tent issues (the broken pole from back in Percé). Going into the Atmosphere store, we discovered that they didn`t have any of the same tent to replace the part, so we went back to Johns, grabbed our tent, and went back to do an exchange. We ended up with a new North Face Minibus tent, which actually worked out well for us.

With some sunshine coming our way the next day, we took the opportunity to check out Peggy`s Cove. Leaving some of our heavier belongings at John`s house, we took the scenic

50km route, walked through the Flight 111 memorial site, took some classic Peggy`s Cove photos of the lighthouse, and travelled another 20km to Shad Bay, where we stayed with Greg and Kourtney (friends of John).

Greg and Kourtney have a beautiful house on the water, where they teach yoga and kayaking lessons. When Greg offered to let us borrow a canoe the next morning we were very excited to get out onto the water. We have seen a lot of great things from the bikes, but it was definitely a nice break to paddle for a few hours instead of pedaling.

We paddled along the shoreline and checked out some cool rocks and shells beneath the water. We also found some clusters of rock islands covered in birds.

Making our way back to Halifax (about 25km) didn`t take long that afternoon, and we rode through Point Pleasant Park, watched boats coming in for the night, and saw more of the strategic lookouts for the city.

In what is becoming all too classic style we rolled into Moncton around 8:30pm quickly set up the tent, stuffed our stuff inside it and headed out on the town looking for some food. We struggled to find anything open after 10pm but we could hear the concerts of the multicultural festival and we figured where there is noise and people there must be food, so we headed that direction. It was a super cool vibe with the multicultural festival combined with all the athletes cruising the downtown streets. There were multiple stages with live music and booths set up everywhere. Being a little tired and awfully hungry we just decided to grab some pizza by the slice and head back for the tent. The following morning Vince and Elaine we headed to saturday market for some fresh food so Joanna and I tagged along. They got fresh veggies and bread and stuff while we had the most heavily iced cinnamon buns I`ve ever seen never mind eaten, kinda wrong but also right at the same time. By the time we got back from the market Joanna and I had to head straight for the track. It was the second last day of competition and there were many finals including the mens 800 and a bunch of others. We baked in the hot sun sucking popsicles and drinking gatorade.

The following morning Vince and Elaine made us a scrumptious omelette breakfast that set us up for another day wa

tchin

g the world class competit

ion. After ou

r overload of sun the day before the cloud cover was welcomed at least by us. It was the final day of competition and was all finals. The day was fast and furious with multiple events going at all times at all areas of the stadium. We left after the closing ceremonies knowing that we`re both in the best shape we`ve been in in years all the while feeling extreamly out of shape watching these athlete`s. It was an exciting couple of days combined with a reality check all at the same time. Also after being completely out of T&F for almost ten years now some things still haven`t changed, the Kenyans still dominate the distance events and the USA still dominates the relays. The Kenyans were actually spectacular winning the overall medal count. That evening Elaine convinced us to have some Thai Wheat beers, we were suckered into it and chlaked it up to carboloading for the trip towards Halifax.

Bay of FUNdy

We were still tired from our long 180km day into Moncton and a wiser group of cyclists would have taken a day off but that we are not and we had already planned on being in Alma the next night, so we instead took a chill morning. We slowly packed our things, had breakfast at Hynes Family Restaurant (which doesn`t look like much from the outside, but has great food) picked up some stuff from the local bike shop, then just when we were about to leave realized that the World Junior Track and Field Championships were being held in Moncton for the week. We made a small detour via the ticket office to pick up tickets for when we returned to town and by the time we had finished all errands combined with our lazy morning we finally headed out of Moncton around 3:00pm. The 90km to Alma in theory should have been relatively easy, but with our late start, relentless hills, and fatigued muscles, it felt like a VERY long day. We finally rolled over the last hill into town around 8:30pm, just as the sun was setting. We pulled into Cleveland Place B&B, where Jane had given us a place to set up our tent through warmshowers, we made some dinner (pesto pasta), showered, and fell asleep. The next morning Jane made us delicious waffles with fruit, and bacon. Mmmmmm. During breakfast we began to chat with her B&B guests, Julie and Adrian, who offered us a ride to Hopewell rocks in their rental car, which worked out perfectly for us, as it was pouring rain outside. Hopewell Rocks is a collection of flower pots along the Bay of Fundy. During high tide most look like tiny little islands that you can kayak between then as the tide recedes you can walk on what seams and is referred to as "walking on the ocean floor." It is a perfect spot to really see the amazing tides of the Fundy Bay. We also later did some hiking around Fundy National Park, just some short little walks to water falls, old mine sites and historic covered wooden bridges. As we came back into town we stopped to see the Alma harbor with huge docks and fishing vessels literally sitting on the ground. The fishermen can only leave or return while the water is high enough for them to reach the docks, this means timing departure and arrivals based tides which change everyday making each workday different than the last. We spent our last night in Alma learning the fine art of drinking black russians and playing euchre, our gracious teachers Adrian and Julie even "let" us win the final winner take all game. The following day was a beautiful sunny day and we made the 90km trek back to moncton stopping to grab the low tide pictures of Hopewell rocks (your admission is good for two days.)

Campbellton to Moncton

In the morning we watched in amazement while the family of 6 packed up all of their belongings into the back of a truck and a trailer. They were in a bit of a hurry to get to Quebec City, where they had family from France waiting for them already so they were getting a bit of a boost ahead.

After saying our goodbyes, we packed up our own things and hit the road heading for Bathurst. Less than a kilometer out the door I looked back to see Joanna sitting down next to her bike on the side of the highway. More then slightly curious I turned around and rode back down to where she was, her chain had broken. With a slightly useless emergency multi-tool chain breaker I removed the broken link then re-assembled it only slightly shorter. This took over an hour of

fumbling around with tiny chain pieces before success. Then with the increased chain tension due to shorter chain the shifting performance on the old drive train was extremely poor. So rather than risking the open highway we made the decision we had been putting off since we left and replaced Joanna`s drive train. This also meant one more day with our gracious hosts André and Charline. We were only able to get a chain, cassette and one front chain ring on short notice from the local Campbellton bike shop but this was enough to get us back on the road. So the following day we picked up the bike around noon and a little after one set out for Bathurst(again).

It was smoke`n hot and after about 100km we grabbed a campsite about five km north of Bathurst. It was a very nice campground with an arcade, pools, mini golf and even waterslides, none of which we used. But unfortuneatly it just so happened that we did have some young teenagers camped right next to us. So after drinking at the beach and other areas all day they brought the party back to their campsite 10 feet from our tent at around 11:30pm.

Even when people politely asked them to be quite the party lasted well into the am. So slightly groggy the next day and with temperatures in

the mid 30`s we rolled through Bathurst and headed along the coast up the Acadian Peninsula towards Caraquet. After four hours or so in the heat we came to the Acadian Historic Village but with only 30min before closing we had no choice but to grab the nearest campsite and come back in the am.

It opened at 10am so we packed up early and were one of the first people through the door. The village is set up into three sections showing Acadian life in the 1700`s, 1800`s and then early 1900`s. Each home and building is fully set up as livable areas, where you can walk into every room, watch people cook and eat their own meals, work in their gardens and create handmade projects, such as square nails, linen aprons, wool blankets, etc.

We got a nice lesson on how to weave linen from homegrown flax, and saw one of the first Irving

Gas stations, which now can be found all over the area. The park is completely bilingual, which was great for us so that we could understand everything that was going on.

We finished at the village around 3pm, and Luke noticed that his back rim was done, so instead of carrying on as we had planned, after biking over 30km to the village and back we grabbed another campground just a few km from the one we stayed at the night before, and waited for the next morning when the bike shop opened.

The next morning we went to the shop, which didn`t have anything to help us, so we rode 40km to Tracadie-Sheila, where there was another bike shop and a used rebuilt wheel that would work for us. We went out for lunch at Subway while we waited for the shop to finish the bike, and left town again at 4:30. We biked on for another 60km to Oak Point where we got a campground for the night.

Wanting to make up for a little lost time, the next day we put in 177km (our longest ride so far) to get to Moncton, where we had arranged to camp out in Vincent`s backyard through warm showers.

Percé

Halfway down the last hill into Percé, I had to stop and take a break. I had been holding on to the brakes so tightly and for so long, that my hands cramped up and I was unable to brake at all. After a few minutes of resting and stretching, I was able to continue, but not before Luke came back trying to find out where I was, thinking there may have been another crash or breakdown.

As we pulled into town, we could tell from the amount of mist in the air that w

e must be close to water, but we couldn`t see more than a few meters down the road. Stopping in at the T

ourist Info, we discovered there were several campgrounds in the area, and we opted to take one right in town, so that we could check out the area for a few days.

This turned out to be a great choice, because the next day was bright and sunny, and we finally got our first glimpse of Roché Percé, a 450m long limestone island with a hole eroded right through, and another tower beside, which was once another hole but collapsed in the 1840`s. We decided to be true tourists, and take the boat tour around the rock, and over to Bonaventure Island where we spent the afternoon hiking and sightseeing.

Bonaventure Island was one of the first seasonal fishing ports in the area, and at one time had over 150 full time residents. Now, the entire Island is owned by the province, and has been turned into a provincial historic site. As well as having historic buildings,

and hiking trails, the island is also a bird sanctuary, with the worlds largest Gannet population (121 000). On the island you can also find hundreds of other bird species, including puffins, warblers, auks, gulls... a great place to visit if you are into bird watching! The island is surrounded by steep cliffs, and there are no predators for the birds, so they are able to build their nests and relax for the summer. Around the island you can also see seals and sometimes whales.

The next morning was rainy and stormy, and we decided to hang out for a little longer. The afternoon cleared up, and we were able to do a really cool hike up Mount Sainte Anne, the little mountain right beside town. Halfway up we got more great views of Percé Rock, and had a surprise when we hit the summit...

At the top of the 4x4 road and winding trails, we looked up to see a huge statue of Sainte Anne, as well as seating for several dozen people. Apparently the top of the mountain has been used as a place for worship and pilgrimages for thousands of years, and there is a church service help on top of the mountain each year. Sainte Anne is the patron saint of fishermen, and thus played a very important role for the Catholic settlers in the area.

The next morning we woke up ready to hit the road, so we packed up, and tried to head out of town. Tried being the key word here, as Luke realised as we were leaving the tent site, that he had a flat tire. It looked like a valve problem, so he pumped up the tire, resealed the valve, and we took off.

Since leaving northern Lake Superior we have not gone any great distances without major centers. As Luke grabbed his loaded bike he noticed that there was no air in his back tire.

It looked as though the valve of the tube was not sealing properly. He pumped it up, resealed the valve and all seemed good so we headed out. After a little over 7km, we stopped to get a drink, and Luke`s tire was low again, the valve was still not sealing properly, the tube was garbage. We began to be slightly concerned as we only had one more tube and it was an older tube that was previously patched. The concern was that we hadn`t actually realized until this moment that it was possible that although towns were almost continuous

it was unlikely that any centers were going to be big enough to have a bike shop for 2-3 hundred kms. So armed with only a patch kit and using the hand pump Luke pumped up our last tube and just before he finished...whoosh...the valve stem broke off. Un-patchable and at least for us un-fixable although we did try. As we sat there contemplating our lack of options a bus pulled up right in front of us, we asked if they take bikes, they said, "yes be back here tomorrow at 2:30."

So we grabbed a b@b across the street and at 2:30 the next day we boarded the bus for Campbellton NB, where we were lucky enough to WarmShower with André and Charline, and their two sons Zacharie and Martin. They also had another family staying with them, from France, who were biking across Canada, and then heading down to the tip of South America. This tour will take them 20 months, and the 4 children are currently 4, 6, 10, and 13. What an adventure! To check out more about the trip and their family, their website is http://cyclaubertein.com/.