Bike Gaspe Day 30

Yarmouth to Kingston. We are really fortunate that Hans and Betty are giving us a ride home. We loaded our bikes on the bike rack that they brought from Kingston. By 7 am we were in line for the Cat, the fast ferry to Portland, Maine;  the ship got underway around 8 am. The ocean was very calm and the temperature around 15C. During the sail we took the opportunity to to listen to a description of the history of the Cat; it is now owned by the US Navy and operating by Bay Ferries. We were cruising at 35 knots but it was so smooth it didn't seem that fast. At 10 am we had a bonus- whales on the starboard side. The rest of the day was uneventful.  Upon arrival in Portland we waited in line behind 4 cars, cleared US customs and drove Hy 302 through Maine and New Hampshire to the interstate highways. From I-93 then I-91 we cleared Canadian customs and drove home. My efforts to not lose weight seem to have paid off as I might have gained a pound or 2 in the last month. This is the last entry in this blog for now.

Bike Gaspe Day 29

Shelburne to Yarmouth. 100 of 3025 km. We had a great bike ride today. We had a choice of the 103 or 3 as roads to start the day and opted for the 103 because it would be safer at that time of day. The morning was warm enough and the winds were gentle for the first 2 hours. We had headwinds for only about an hour until we made the turn northward at Barrington. There were a few hills before Barrington but almost nothing afterwards. Thus, the ride up to Yarmouth was quite easy. We took the 3 the last stretch into Yarmouth and were lucky to meet Kerry and Jeanna, a couple from Florida, who were riding a beautiful tandem bicycle up the USA coast through the maritimes, Quebec and Ontario and back to Florida. We arrived at our motel before 2 pm and showed and rested before taking a walking tour of the town. We are staying in the same motel as our neighbors, Hans and Betty, who are driving us home. We are taking the Cat to Portland, Maine and then driving to Kingston. 

Bike Gaspe Day 28.

Bridgewater to Shelburne.  113 of 2925 km. This was an uneventful day. We ate a good breakfast at the Best Western, got on our bikes and rode down the 103 to Shelburne. The road was good and we made good time for about 3 hours; then the wind came up and we worked against it into Shelburne. This is a sleepy small town with a more vibrant past than present. Apparently it was born out of the British Empire Loyalist immigration and for a while was one of the largest towns in North America. Today its retail sector seems to be dominated by a single mall, which is in turn dominated by Sobeys and the liquor store. There is a very nice waterfront that must be populated by hordes of tourists during July, August and September. But for now things were quiet; for example, the two largest restaurants are closed on Monday.

Bike Gaspe Day 27

Hammonds Plains to Bridgewater. 141 of 2812 km. Today we were back on our bikes, leaving Hammonds Plains after a quick breakfast. There was a surprise in store because just past Lucasville Road, there was a loud bang; when I looked back my rear tire had blown. After changing the tire and tube, I called Blair and took him up on his offer of a tire that he had taken off his bicycle. Only now I had it delivered. With the spare tire in a pannier, we got moving again. After Tantallon we got onto Hy 3 and rode along the seashore; there was only one problem.  We couldn't see the sea for the fog. Eventually the fog burned off and we had fantastic views along the water. After lunch we rode on Hy 103 because Hy 3 didn't offer us ocean views. As the day warmed up, we decided to stay in Bridgewater rather than pushing on. We got a great rate at the Best Western.  After Susie had a nap, we biked to Lunenburg to see the Blue Nose II. This added about 40 km tothe day's ride and explains our numbers above. They allowed us on the ship so we got a close up look at the wood, ropes and sails. It was a really in opportunity and we took a lot of pictures.  After returning from Lunenburg, we went for a swim in the motel pool and I used the water slide. It was 2 stories tall and did a loop in complete darkness; then it fired me out as if I were shot from a cannon. Good fun.

Bike Gaspe Day 26

Hammonds Plains rest day,  no biking today. Finn and Sull were off training on their respective sailboats and Krista was at the yacht club as well taking the first day of an introductory sailing course. The winds were very strong which meant that the boys sailed very fast and Krista's group didn't get beyond land-based training. The rest of us went to the Shubenicadie River where we tried to catch striped bass.  This gave Susie an opportunity to see how it is done. Unfortunately the fish didn't cooperate and we didn't see anyone land a bass. Nevertheless we saw that lots of bait was eaten off the hooks by something. Eventually that something became hooked and was brought in;  it was an eel. It was interesting to see the critter that had been cleaning the hooks.
Dinner was a great feast of barbecued ribs, chicken, salad and quinoa salad finished off with freshly baked apple pie and ice cream. A perfect ending to a really nice family visit.

Bike Gaspe Day 25

Hammonds Plains rest day. 2 of 2671 km. Our treat this morning was to have breakfast cooked for us for the second day by a grandson. Yesterday it was Finn who made eggs for our break and this morning it was Sullivan who made a very large omelet for all of us; I was the sous chef aka bull cook. After supper we did the traditional hike up Blue Mountain,  which is very small but it is the highest point in the area.  Sullivan, Reilly and Mattie set a new record for going up and down the trail- somewhere in the order of 20 minutes.

Bike Gaspe Day 24

Hammonds Plains rest day. 2 of 2669 km. There is a tradition when we visit our Hammonds Plains branch plant. At 6 am the grandchildren roar into the grandparents bedroom to make sure that we are alive. This is our 3 or 4  grandchild alarm clock. After they have a sweet treat, they climb over or onto us. I got a picture of Reilly,  Mattie and Sullivan with Gramie this morning.
After riding to school with the three youngest kids this morning, Blair and I went to the Shubenicadie River to check out the striped bass. The setup for catching these fish is different from any kind of fishing that I have ever done. We parked on the river bank very close to the high tide line. The rigging is 3 large hooks attached just above a 5 ounce sinker. These are baited with fish segments  (or squid) then the baited rigging is cast well out into the river and allowed to settle on the bottom. The rod is stuck into a holder, which is anchored in the dirt. Then you watch the rod tip to see if any fish are biting and shaking the rod. If you are lucky,  the rod bends and you have a fish on a hook.  Blair caught 2 that were about 18 inches long; too bad they have to be 27 inches to keep. In any case, I found it interesting to see how striped bass fishing is done and to see their environment. For starters, the silt load in this river makes the Red River look thin. You can see evidence of fish right in front of you as the surface of the river had ripple patterns in circles or vees as the fish came near the top. Unfortunately we couldn't see the fish at all because the visibility through the water was only about a mm. I didn't even see the bald eagle dive for a meal.

After supper we watched all 4 kids doing Tae Kwon Do. It was interesting to see how they have progressed with practice. 

Bike Gaspe Day 23

Hammonds Plains rest day. 50 of 2667 km. We got to enjoy a bike ride to 3 of the kids school this morning and to meet them there again in the afternoon. In be we biked to Mountain Equipment Coop in downtown Halifax. Susie had bought her new bike there last August and we were bringing it in for its free tuneup. It had more distance on it than most bikes its age; they had to replace the chain.

Bike Gaspe Day 22

Lake Charlotte to Hammonds Plains. 80 of 2617 km. Today we made it to Blair and Krista's where we will spend a few days visiting, enjoying the family and resting our bodies. When we walked to the restaurant for breakfast this morning,  it wasn't really raining but there were droplets in the air. Afterwards when we started to ride, it had started to rain. It rained intermittently all day long,  some times it rained hard, some times it rained lightly and sometimes it even stopped. We started out on Hy 7, then switched to Hy 107, which became 7 again as we entered Dartmouth. Hy 7 was the safest in that it had at least a small paved shoulder throughout its length and its hills weren't as steep albeit they were longer. Through Dartmouth  the road got quite busy; between the traffic and the rain the ride was difficult. Eventually we stopped at a Tim Hortons to warm up and dry out a bit over a bowl of hot chili. The hot food did the trick because Susie fell asleep after eating. We arrived in Hammonds Plains about 14h30, which gave us lots of time before attending Mattie's highland dance recital. We won't be doing much bicycling for the next few days.

Bike Gaspe Day 21

New Glasgow to Lake Charlotte.  146 of 2537km. From the Travelodge motel we looped back to access the NS-374, whi we followed to its southern
end at NS-7 near Sheet Harbour. The road was actually pretty good for bicycles. There were a few potholes but nothing that we couldn't dodge on our bikes. After about 10 km, the only traffic was trucks with pulp logs and after 40 km we lost those too. While we had to climb over the middle of Nova Scotia,  the vertical wasn't a problem. The major obstacle was the wind, which came from the SW at 25 kph steady with gusts. At Sheet Harbour we talked to some people and decided to go Lake Charlotte a perfect 37 km away.  Somehow reality grew it to 56 km. In any case our dinner was fish and chips at Ralphs Diner on the way to Webbers Motel. As the wind was from the SW it was still a good headwind after we turned west bound.

Bike Gaspe Day 20

Charlottetown to New Glasgow. 83 of 2391 km. Today was a day of decisions. Do we try to make the 9h30 ferry from PEI to Pi or be sensible and take the 11h15 ferry. So we got up at 5h30 and got going. Do we take the Trans-Canada Hy, which is probably smoother and less hilly, or do we take the locals' short cut, which is shorter but probably rougher and hilly. We took the latter and about half way to the ferry we resigned ourselves to not making the early ferry because of the strong headwind. Then about 10 km from the ferry the wind eased a bit and the hills became more reasonable. Susie put her heart into it and we were at the toll booth by 9h25. Basically we pulled in, paid and walked on. We then relaxed over a good breakfast of bacon/sausage and eggs and had to decide which route to take into Halifax. With the help of various people we have decided to take the coastal alternative along the eastern shore. Since there are no places to stay between New Glasgow and Sheet Harbour, we are in New Glasgow for tonight and we cannot go further today . As luck would have it there was a Chinese - Thai restaurant near the Travelodge with a nice buffet dinner. After this many days of extensive energy output, we are consuming a lot of food. So the buffet was very convenient. After 4 plates of entrées and 2 of dessert, my hollow leg was filled. Susie also acquitted herself quite well- pretty good for two 70+.

Bike Gaspe Day 19

Charlottetown rest day. 69 of 2308 km. Today we were tourists as the first activity was to ride out to Brackley Beach National Park. It was beautiful in spite of the weather being dreary and wet. You have to be impressed with the red of the sand and sandstone. The dunes were big but apparently there are some that are twice as tall further east. On the way back in we St at at Andy and Maureen Tasker's house for a quick visit.
After getting back to the hotel, I changed the tube in my front tire because of a slow leak. There was a small hole that could have been made by a pin or equivalent. This was the fourth tire that needed attention. We cleaned up and rest before going to see Million Dollar Quartet; what a show!!!!! Best entertainment in a long time.

Bike Gaspe Day 18

Confederation bridge to Charlottetown. 54 of 2239 km. After checking on line, it seemed that a good place for breakfast would be Anna's country kitchen about 45 minutes toward Charlottetown. We walked into a cafe that was plain and not inviting but it had locals. The menu was just hand written on a white board with only a few prices. We ordered the standard breakfast and were pleasantly surprised to receive plates with generous servings of tasty food.   We also got to talk to the locals. I noticed that they had rhubarb pudding and asked what it was. Our waitress said that they had one piece left from  yesterday and did I want to try it. She brought it with a dollop of ice cream; it was delicious so I got the recipe from Anna.
After arriving at our hotel, we wondered if we had made a mistake in booking it be it seemed to be just a large old house and there was no one present to register us. After a phone call and some waiting,  we were in a very nice room getting cleaned up to meet with Andy Tasker, a former student.
Andy gave us a wonderful tour of UPEI that culminated in his laboratories. He is doing very well and has a number of trainees and international collaborators. It was really gratifying to see.

Bike Gaspe Day 17

Kouchibouguac to Confederation Bridge PEI. 148 of 2185 km. We arose early and left the motel at the park entrance to ride to the closest Tim Hortons; it was 20 minutes away by Hy 11. While we were enjoying breakfast, we started talking with one of the locals who told us that the store had only been open for 5 months. Without it, we would have had to eat our standby rations or keep going to the next town. He showed us pictures of a smashed car that had killed a moose last night. There used to be a lot of wildlife in the area. In addition to the moose, we saw 11 porcupines, 2 hawks, 1 racoon -all dead- and 1 scruff but alive coyote today. We arrived at the bridge by 3 pm but by the time we got the shuttle across it was a bit late to ride the last 50 km into Charlottetown. We are in Borden - Carlton for the night. On the shuttle bus we met 2 other cyclists- a woman from Quebec City and a man from the Moncton area. Compared with us they were loaded down be caused they were camping.

Bike Gaspe Day 16

Tracadie to Kouchibouguac. 128 of 2037 km. The Auberge Centre-Ville was convenient for us because it had a front room with some kitchen facilities and 2 small bedrooms. We took one and the bikes took the other. With the facilities, we were able to buy supper in the deli section of Super Store and have lots of excellent Greek salad.
The ride into Miramichi was pleasant with just a bit of a headwind. We encountered several road repair projects but they delayed us only a bit. After Miramichi we had a change of direction and benefited from the tailwind for 3 hours. Then the wind changed direction and was into our faces for the last hour. The locals were very good to us cyclists.  Various people waved and tooted their horns. When we stopped for a break a woman came back in her car to see if we were having bike problems. The Acadiens are very nice and helpful people. They are also very proud of their roots as evidenced by the number of Acadien flags.

Bike Gaspe Day 15

Petit-Rocher to Tracadie. 127 of 1909 km. Since we have been doing lots of pedaling, we need energy and thus calories to keep us going. So the first task after getting packed and on our bikes was to find breakfast. About 10 out we found a very appropriate restaurant. We both had their big breakfast combo- 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 slices of bacon,  ham, beans, home fries, pancake, toast and coffee. It really held for the day with just a snack around 1 pm. At breakfast we take with a couple of ladies who mentioned the Acadien village about 50 km further. We stopped there in the late afternoon and had a great time talking to the people who were stationed in each of the buildings. They were just as interested in our bike ride as we were in the Acadiens. We had a tail wind all day and were able to get to Tracadie where we booked in for the night.

Bike Gaspe Day 14

Mari to Petit-Rocher, NB. 158 of 1782 km. There was no place to eat near the motel so we rode for about half an hour, stopped at a restaurant where we got a nice breakfast. Then we rode toward Campbellton NB blest by the sun and held back by the headwind. It was quite flat so it was mainly the wind that slowed us. Just before we left Hy 132 we were stop by another cyclist going the other  way. He and a friend are riding from Nfld to BC via Inuvik and documenting their view of Canada at 150. They plan to publish a video and also a book. Of all things he has lived in Kingston and plans to return there. After lunch and picking up a NB map we started riding eastward with the wind at our backs. That got us close to Bathurst even though we lost an hour crossing into NB. Thus we are in Petit-Rocher tonight.

Bike Gaspe Day 13

Chandler to Maria.148 of 1624 km. We had a nice breakfast and talk with our hostess at the Petite Auberge. While we were eating, the rain started. This was a surprise because the forecast was for sun, heat and wind. While the rain made us wet and cold, it didn't impede our cycling as the forecast 20 to 40 kph winds were absent. After an hour or so, the rain let up and riding became pleasant. By late afternoon we were in New Richmond and decided to go on to Maria. We were surprised by a detour that added to 11 km to the day's ride. Unfortunately we encountered the forecast  strong winds and a couple of hills on the detour. We arrived at the motel after 7 pm. Tomorrow our target is New Brunswick.

Bike Gaspe Day 12

Gaspe to Chandler. 112 of 1476 km. The Adams Motel gave us a nice breakfast to start the day, bacon,  eggs,  potatoes,  toast and coffee. The ride started on a paved dedicated bicycle path through the woods and parallel to the train tracks, which meant flat and protected from the wind. Eventually this ran out and became a sandy road with no direction markings although it presented us with the railway bridge to cross the mouth of the bay. So we hauled our bikes up and crossed the river and bay via the train bridge, which clearly looked abandoned. Subsequently we ended up back on the road for the rest of the day. The terrain was quite hilly to Percé after which it became much more moderate; we saw a hill warning sign saying 17% in the hilly section. On arriving in Chandler, we booked into a b&b; it is really nice and we may have the best room as it has a walkin closet and an attached sitting room with a view.

Bike Gaspe Day 12

Gaspe to Chandler. 112 of 1476 km. The Adams Motel gave us a nice breakfast to start the day, bacon,  eggs,  potatoes,  toast and coffee. The ride started on a paved dedicated bicycle path through the woods and parallel to the train tracks, which meant flat and protected from the wind. Eventually this ran out and became a sandy road with no direction markings although it presented us with the railway bridge to cross the mouth of the bay. So we hauled our bikes up and crossed the river and bay via the train bridge, which clearly looked abandoned. Subsequently we ended up back on the road for the rest of the day. The terrain was quite hilly to Percé after which it became much more moderate; we saw a hill warning sign saying 17% in the hilly section. On arriving in Chandler, we booked into a b&b; it is really nice and we may have the best room as it has a walkin closet and an attached sitting room with a view.

Bike Gaspe Day 11

Grande Vallee to Gaspe 111 of 1364 km. Today was our most challenging day physically because we were a bit tired from yesterday and we encountered lots of hills today. It seemed like we were slogging our way uphill most of the day, and I guess we were; we would spend 10 minutes going up for every one that we went down. Even the "shortcut " through Forillon Park was a challenge. The dedicated bike path was mostly covered with loose gravel, which made both up and down a challenge. The villages along the coast were really in as they all seemed to have a church and tourist facilities, except for restaurants. We ate lunch from a grocery after not finding a restaurant in many kilometers. Gaspe per se seemed to be the start of regular Canadian facilities in the sense of outlets from the major chains such as Tim Hortons.

Bike Gaspe Day 10

Cap Chat to Grande Vallee. 126 of 1253 km. This morning we rode in really good conditions; the temperature was good,  the wind was from the rear and the terrain was nice and flat along the river. We stopped in Mont St Pierre for lunch and continued on along the shore with mountains on our right. It was absolutely gorgeous. At about 105 km they hit us- the hills. We slogged our way up one and coasted down the other side hitting a new speed record of 63 kph. Then we hit another hill that went on and on only to be followed by more uphill road. One of the best pitches couldn't be used to our advantage because the first curve said to slow down to 35 kph, then the road got rough with more slow signs. Susie got to test her disc brakes.  We arrived in Grande Vallee ready for showers and food.

Bike Gaspe Day 9

Rimouski to Cap Chat. 168 of 1137 km. Today there was no breakfast at the motel and nothing open until Mont Joli so we had brunch at the Normandin restaurant there. Then we enjoyed the tail wind for the rest of the day. It was about 12 kph almost all day. At Matane we stopped at the Canadian Tire store to buy a spare tire to keep with us. As we were there in good time we continued on to Les Mechins as that was a spot that we picked as the furthest destination for the day. Over an ice cream cone we decided to go on to Cap Chat after booking a room there at the Pirate. The ride today was great as the scenery was great and the cycling conditions ideal. If it hadn't been so much fun, we would have stopped earlier. Part of the fun was coasting down a hill after climbing up over a headland. This afternoon we had one with a wide smooth shoulder to ourselves that allowed us to really let go. During the run, I peeked at the speedometer and saw 58+ kph; after the run, the bike computer read my maximum speed being 60.5 kph, which was probably the best ever. 

Bike Gaspe Day 8

Riviere du Loup to Rimouski. 118 969 km. Today we got off to a great start. Firstly we had a nice substantial breakfast courtesy of the Comfort Inn. Then we set out on our bikes in sunny weather with a modest headwind; it was nothing like the previous day. Between 20 and 25 km out, Susie noticed a bump with every rotation of the front tire. She showed me the bump on the tire and the damaged tread. So we reduced the tire pressure and rode on to a rest area where we could change the tire and dispose of the damaged one. It was a good decision to carry a spare tire yesterday. That made it 3 tires that had to be replaced on this trip.
Later we detoured into Bic National Park. It was the kind of thing that we came to see- great views. It's got the river in front and a small steep mountain at the back. We entered via a rough paved road and exited via a nice smooth bike path through the woods. We didn't book accommodations on line today and just called a motel after stopping in Rimouski. We lucked out as it's clean,  reasonably priced and our back door opens onto a deck overlooking the St Lawrence. What a view.

Bike Gaspe Day 7

La Pocatiere to Riviere du Loup.  72 of 851 km. We started with a nice large breakfast at Mikes. This really held us for most of the day with a small top up later. Then it was off to Canadian Tire where I was able to buy a tire for my bike and also a spare to carry with us. I changed the tire in the Canadian Tire parking lot making sure to recover my  $20 bill that had served as a tire reinforcement. We crossed the autoroute and headed NE on the rail trail. That's when we encountered the headwind that would dictate our day. It was blowing very hard,  perhaps 30 kph with additional gusts. We were often limited to just 8 kph on level terrain. That made us decide that Riviere du Loup would be a reasonable destination for the day. So I looked on Hotwire and ended up with a nice room at the Comfort Inn;  it has a hot breakfast included so we should have a good good start tomorrow.
The vegetation along the way has been really lush and healthy looking. The dandelions were the largest and healthiest that I have seen.

Bike Gaspe Day 6

Levi to  La Pocatiere. 121 km of 779 km.
Much to my surprise, we woke up to sunshine and nice biking temperatures; granted the wind was from the north east at about 15 to 20 kph which added to the energy required. Our motel was on Hy 132 and we will follow it all the way into New Brunswick.  Last time when we biked through this area, my bike needed a new cassette near L'Islet. The people at Tibo bike shop were so nice that we planned to bring them some business this time. When I looked at my rear tire in Levis it had some small cracks in the rubber so I thought that I could have it replaced at Tibo. Wouldn't you know it; it was Sunday and they were closed. So we continued on toward La Pocatiere. About 9 km out my rear tire blew so I changed the inner tube using a plastic bill as a patch for the tire. With 50 psi and a prayer we made it to a motel for the night. There is a bike shop listed on the Internet so I hope it's open when indicated tomorrow morning. There is also a Canadian Tire store so I should be able to do something. Adjoining the hotel was  a Mikes restaurant, which we tried and found to be quite good so we'll return for breakfast. This is useful information because this is part of a chain in Quebec. 

Bike Gaspe Day 5

Danville to Levis. 142km. 658 km from Kingston.  Since the restaurant near the motel has closed, we ate a breakfast snack from our reserves and started out toward Victoriaville. By the time we made it to Victoriaville,  it was drizzling - what else. That made it easy to decide to have brunch and stay dry and warm.  Susie tried their breakfast entrée of bacon and cheese on egg whites. It's not a winner. In contrast my foot long roast beef sub was good and also substantial. Just before we left, I made adjustments to the front derailleur so that it would shift into high reliably. Today we switched back and forth between the rail trail and Hy 116 as they ran parallel most of the way. We had rain a few more times although it wasn't really hard. From Victoriaville almost all the way into Levis it was straight and quite flat. The rest stops along this part of the rail trail are frequent and really well done. They appear to be adopted by various groups that groom the grounds and installed  various sculptures.  Our route took us right past a Costco store so we stopped there for carrying food and decided to eat in the cafeteria. We booked a motel room from Costco and then ate leisurely because all our necessities were in place. It was nice eating before going to the motel because we didn't have to go out again.

Bike Gaspe Day 4

Walking in Portugal and Spain certainly got our legs in shape even for bicycling. So they haven't given us a lot of trouble.  But walking did not prepare our bottoms for sitting on bicycle seats for hours at a time. To help Susie, we exchanged bike seats and spent quite a bit of time adjusting the seat height, fore and aft position,  and tilt. To explain,  my bike seat is bench style so the pressure points are quite different.  We ran into some detours on the rail trail due to culvert replacement. From Grandby to Waterloo we rode on a perfect rail trail; it was paved a very smooth. Along the way we encountered a man whose wheel chair  batteries had died. So we got the gears disengaged,  loaded him in it and pushed him a few hundred metres to his home. Just before noon we decided to get something warm to eat in Waterloo. As we entered town it started to rain so we stopped at the nearest rest which happens to sell a lot of poutine; so we had poutine and Montreal smoked meat. Lots of calories. Our food break was extended by the and the other customers who wanted to talk. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed their interest in our bike trip.  The afternoon was less eventful and we made better progress through Richmond and finally to Danville where we booked into the St Regis motel.

Bike Gaspe Day 3

Valleyfield to Farnam- 130 km. We packed up, and dropped in at the  Subway store downtown for breakfast. After that we got off Grand Isle and started the real Quebec bicycling - on dedicated bike paths. The first section was along the  Beauharnois Canal- perfect bicycling.  After that we would ride a bit then stop to check the maps as moving from one section of bike path to the next proved a bit challenging.  The weather conditions were similar to yesterday's with lots of westerly wind. It wasn't as helpful as yesterday because we had change directions so often; occasionally we even rode into a headwind.  Eventually we rolled into St Jean Sur Richelieu and stopped to buy new biking gloves for Susie. This bike shop was right on the Trans-Canada trail so we just continued along it to Farnam. About 15 km from Farnam, the fun began.  Susie's rear tire blew so I changed inner tubes and we saw that the tire appeared to hold albeit with a small bulge where the weakness was. After putting 70 psi into it Susie rode carefully along the hard gravel piste hoping that it would hold for the 12 km into Farnam. About 3 km out the replacement tube gave out so we walked to the motel. It is Le Pigeonner, which is where we stayed 8 years ago; that makes 2 out of 3 same motels.  Fortunately there is a bike shop in Farnam and the website said that it was open until 21h00. So we had showers then walked to the bike shop with the rear wheel in hand. The guy at the shop was great. He disappeared into the back room for what seemed to be a long time. I was concerned that he might come back apologizing that they didn't have the right size- WRONG he came back with a selection of 5 different types. I selected a slick with Kevlar which is supposed to be puncture resistant. For the princely sum of  $5 they installed it sent away two happy customers.

Bike Gaspe

Brockville to Valleyfield. After a decent breakfast at the Super 8, we started pedaling east on Hy 2. It was perfect for cycling- warm but not hot, no rain and a tail wind. We were in Cornwall just after noon so we decided to try for Valleyfield. We arrived at about 4 pm. To ensure that we had a place to rest our 6èßheads, I booked a room from just over an hour away. Our distance covered today was just under 170 km. This was primarily dictated by the availability of motels.  Tomorrow we should be able to do a little less distance.

Bike Gaspe

We started our bike trip by leaving the house at about 8h30 and made our way via the walk ways to the Y, Princess, Queen and the causeway. We decided to stop in Gananoque for coffee at St Timothy ' s which was quite fortunate because the spitting rain turned into real rain. While we were enjoying coffee,  we talked with Terry and Matt who couldn't do their work in Gananoque because of the rain. Eventually we stayed long enough to have lunch after which the rain let up. Biking along the parkway was great because the bike path is away from the cars and is smooth. About a half hour from Gananoque the sun came out and we took off our wind breakers. About 30 km from Brockville, I started to get slow and pedaling got harder. I thought that perhaps my body wasn't ready for this bike trip. About 5 km later the explanation became obvious; I had a flat rear tire. After installing a new inner tube, riding returned to normal and we rode into Brockville and checked into the Super 8 motel. I had booked it last night to make sure that we weren't tempted to overdo it the first day.

Portugal & Canada Day 38

Porto to Kingston. Our flight was at 13h05 so we spent a bit of time re-visiting Porto city center. Mainly it was to see the Market again. At 10h00 we left our hotel and went to the Metro. The ticket machine wasn't working so by the time we found another one and figured out how to buy tickets , a half hour went by. Then we waited quite a while for the train. Nevertheless the everything worked out well and we got to the airport for the princely sum of  €2.5. Canada could use a lesson therein. At the airport we bought Megabus tickets online  for the ride home .
The flight was on time and we had ample time to catch the bus at Pearson. It was fortunate that we had our tickets because the bus was full. Four others going to Kingston had to wait for next bus two hours later. Susie insisted on walking home although Hans was all set to pick us up. So we made it safe and sound. I lost 10 lbs this time; I haven't been this small (148 lbs ) since I was 15.

Portugal Day 37

Just to make sure that our legs don't forget,  we took a walking tour of Porto. We walked through the town and made our way to the waterfront via the cathedral. Then we walked along the Douro River and Atlantic beaches to Matosinhos.  The beaches were alive with people involved in all sorts of activities including surfing and board paddling. On the way back to the hotel we stopped to buy a souvenir for myself. Then it was back to the hotel for tea, beer and nibblies.  And of course showers because it was well into the 20s today. After going out to get a few groceries,  we managed to chalk up over 26 km today. Tomorrow we fly home. 

Spain and Portugal Day 36

Today we made our way to the bus station at 9h00 only to be told that the 10h00 bus was full and we could take the 12h00 bus. So we walked back to the hotel and asked them keep our backpacks while we went to the cathedral area for more shopping. At noon we were on the bus to Porto and by 14h30 local time we were walking to our hotel. Since I didn't have internet access because we were in Portugal,  we just went to the hotel/guest house and fortunately our host was available.  The room is perfect except for the lack of an en suite bathroom. It is very modern,  clean and has great views. We walked downtown and completed our souvenir shopping. The guest house had a full kitchen, dining area and living room. So we went to Pingo Doce and bought a chicken and other things. This was a very good meal and it has given me some strength. After supper we sat on our balcony enjoying the views.

Spain Day 35

We DID NOT have to pack up this morning. That was so nice. The day was spent getting our Compostela certificates and buying a few souvenirs. I left my walking stick at Compostela office with a bunch of others. It had served me well all the way from Oviedo. Unfortunately I ate or did something else to upset the GI tract. That cost me a lot of sleep.

Spain Day 35

Boimorto to Santiago 42+ km. Our plan for today was to walk around 28 km and stop around Pedrouzo or somewhere near there. That would leave about 20 km for the last day. This changed soon after we left Boimorto because there was an option to stay on the old route or take the alternative route.  According to the guidebook the alternative was a bit shorter and joined the Camino Frances around Rua. So we took the alternative only to find that it did not join the Camino Frances until much later almost at Lavacola. This meant no place to eat for a long time. Since the route was so different, we decided to walk all the way to our hotel in Santiago de Compostela. We sent them a message and changed our booking to 2 days. The new plan called for us to walk further and longer but we can stay in one place for two nights. It's really nice knowing that we don't have to pack up tomorrow morning. All we will do is visit the Compostela office,  buy a few souvenirs, eat and rest.  The weather conditions today really helped us walk this distance. We started in single digit temperatures and were never too warm all day.

Spain Day 34

Miraz to Boimil 36 km+. After having our laundry dry quickly yesterday afternoon, I anticipated warm and dry weather  today.  But after seeing the wet roofs this morning a reevaluation was in order.  We left the albergue with our pack covers on and our umbrellas up as it was sprinkling rain. In fact it sprinkled then quit throughput the day. When we stopped to eat around noon,  we looked over the route and considered walking further. The waitress and another man then told us that we would have to go on to Boimil to find a hotel; this was 11 km further than our original plan. When we arrived in Boimil, we learned that the hotel was closed. Tonight we are in an albergue, which happens to be new and very nice. When we asked about dinner he suggested a cafe-bar about half a km. It was great with the green salad being the best that we have ever had in Spain. In centre were two rounds of hot cheese. Our entrées were presented professionally; my fish was stacked on potatoes under a pile red and green vegetables. When we couldn't understand our choices of dessert our host brought out one with chocolate cake topped with a scoop of orange sherbet with 4 pieces of fruit in the corners. As we left the restaurant we got them to come outside for pictures.
The walk today was through a variety of terrain, which took us up to 700 m. This was above the elevation at which eucalyptus can grow. They can grow at a fantastic rate;we saw growth rings up to 1 inch. I assume that this reflects a long growing season and lots of rain.

Spain Day 33

Vilalba to Miraz 33 km. Today we left our hotel around 7:30 am and walked through typical Galecian countryside for the morning. As usual it was beautiful but not photogenic in that any pictures would look like yesterday's. The farms here are small with only a few cattle or sheep in small pastures. We have seen a number of horses that come to the fence when they see us; I like to pick a handful of grass to feed them.  There were a number of other peregrinos but it was not crowded. We saw only a few peregrinos on the Camino; most often we saw them at refreshment stops.  Interestingly we are known as the Canadian couple because of the flag on my backpack. I'm really happy that I brought the flag because it has been a great icebreaker. When we arrived in Miraz, we went directly to the Albergue O Abrigo and got the only double room in the establishment. It is new and beautiful with granite stairs and everything shiny and clean. We plan to have the peregrino menu tonight.
We have only three more days and then we will be in Santiago de Compostela again. The time seems to be flying by. If we arrive in Santiago de Compostela on Friday, we will travel to Porto on Saturday,  spend Sunday there and fly home on Monday the 22nd.

Spain Day 32

Abadin to Vilalba. Today is a rest day in that we can only walk 20 km and have to stop or go on to 40 km. As a result we ate breakfast late and  didn't hustle for any reason today. The walk was mostly through farmland on dirt paths with just a bit of rolling up and down. As this is Galecia, it is green and lush just like the attached picture shows. Not long after we started walking,  a peregrina noticed my Canadian flag and told me that she was from Montreal. She walked with us for a while until her pulled hamstring forced her to stop at the next bar. We walked until brunch time when we got two large cheese and ham bocadillos. Susie could eat only half of hers. We walked into Vilalba and got a hotel room by 2 pm. As our diets have not been balanced,  we decided to select our food at a supermercado for supper and got salads, meat and bread. We have been short on vegetables. 

Spain Day 31

Villamartin Grande to Abadin. The weather conditions today were perfect for walking, 20C some wind and no rain. We had a Spanish breakfast provided by our pensione and walked easily to Lourenza where we stopped at a bank machine and picked up some Euros. By the time we got to Mondoneda the bars were just starting to open around 11:30 am.  We needed some food with staying power and so we tried a couple of bars that  couldn't make food because the cook was not available and the bread had not been delivered. Finally we found a restaurant and had a large brunch of eggs,  pork cutlet, Russian salad and chips. We needed the calories for the afternoon because we walked about 36 km after missing a turn. The morning's walk through the woodsand farmland was so nice being surrounded by the Galician greenery. Most of the afternoon was spent on roads albeit quiet ones. Tonight we are in a pensione along with other peregrinos from Madrid and the Netherlands. Tomorrow will be a short day of 20 km simply because we don't want to walk 40 km at once.

Spain Day 30

Tapia to Villamartin Grande. When we were leaving our hotel, our host insisted that I have a cup of coffee and he gave us detailed information on the Camino to Ribadeo. Of the various options that he provided we ended up following the Camino signs all the way into Figueras where the variant and the official Camino rejoin. The guidebook had said that the way was poorly marked but we found that it is now well marked. The walk along the coast was everything that we had hoped for with lots of great views. Moreover the total distance was about a km shorter than we anticipated. Asturias is joined to Galecia at Ribadeo by km-long bridge. Today the wind blew from the south so fiercely that we walked like a couple of drunken sailors, probably gusts up to 80 kph. After Ribadeo we had a nice walk into the hills. With all the rain, Galicia is so lush and people have planted so many flowers. By 3 pm we arrived at our destination of Villamartin Grande and arrange to stay at the B&B.  It's really nice with a large bedroom, common bathroom, parlour and kitchen for  €30. We went to the cafe for supper at 7 pm. For the next 3 hours, it rained quite hard. We felt sorry for the 3 peregrinos who still had 2 km to walk to the albergue.

Spain Day 29

Villapedre to Tapia de Casariego.  While the room last night was phenomenal, their breakfast was too late for us so we ate at the cafe, which was open at 6. We started with rain covers on our backpacks and umbrellas in hand because it looked like rain. It didn't disappoint as it spitted for much of the morning. We got to  La Caridad after 11 went to a couple of bars for food.  Unfortunately they were not ready to serve so we went to the grocery store and picked up an empenada and some pastries, which we ate on some public benches. We had views of the Atlantic Ocean but they weren't as good as earlier. In the afternoon we took the alternative route to the beaches shortly after Porcia. That's why we are in Tapia rather than Tol. After getting our hotel we walked down to the beach and put our feet in the Atlantic Ocean. The beaches here are very nice but not warm enough for swimming yet.

Spain Day 28

Cadavedo to Villapedre. After yesterday's great hiking, we couldn't expect such views today. Actually today was very nice, just not like yesterday. We walked through woods most of the day and had lots of good ocean views. The best views were right in Luarca where the city lies by a natural harbour and river valley. The weather forecast for today called for some thunderstorms but luckily they bypassed us. We left our hotel late this morning because breakfast wasn't until 8:30; it was served in a beautiful setting. Nevertheless we still arrived at our destination before 4 pm and got a great room at a great peregrino price of  €30.

Spain Day 26

Aviles to El Pito. Today was another great day of walking with temperatures reaching about 18C and the sky overcast with sunny breaks. The walk was mostly on paths through the woods with a bit walking on backroads and only a few minutes beside busy roads.  Yesterday on the link from The Primitivo to the Del Norte we didn't see any other peregrinos but today was a more normal Camino day. We saw a number from Germany and met a retired couple from Montreal. We stopped at 28 km because of the distances between towns even though it was only 2  pm. We are staying in a hotel that provides dinner and breakfast so we don't have to run around looking for food tonight

Spain Day 27

El Pito to Cadavedo. We started the day well with a better than anticipated breakfast at Casa Vitorio in El Pito. Particularly nice were the freshly squeezed orange juice with refill and the cake. Then we had a nice walk to the valley with Concha de Artado beach, where I got to take more pictures than I took the previous day. For starters the valley was spanned by a 15-pier highway bridge with a curve. Then we visited the beach where Susie spent some time collecting rocks. After 3 hours we had bocadillos in Loco de Luinea after which we had to choose between the high route and highway route. We chose the high route and were rewarded with fabulous views of the ocean from the ridge. As a result of the route we arrived back at road level about 2 km beyond Cadavedo and had angle back to find a hotel. Although we had to hike up some 1500 ft, this was our most enjoyable day of walking on this trip.

Spain Day 25

Today the weather was perfect for walking. It was sunny and reached a high of about 19C and the wind was moderate.  The walk out of Oviedo was straight forward and we were out of the city in no time.  We were up high enough to get a nice overview of the city and see both the old cathedral and the new convention centre. The last half of the walk was not as good because it was all next to roads. The only bad part of the day was supper at Pizzeria La Competencia. I got a pathetically small bowl of spaghetti with a bit of cod and shrimp for  €9.50. In retrospect, I should have sent it back and left. I blew off a bit of steam by writing them up on Trip Advisor.

Spain Day 24

Last night we stayed in Santiago de Compostela at a nice little hotel near the bus station. We asked where to go for a supermercado and restaurant and were told just go to the shopping center nearby. We did and found the largest grocery store come other stores that we have ever seen. It was easily triple the size of our Costco store. We boarded a bus to Oviedo at 9 am and arrived at 2:15 pm. After dropping our packs at our 4 star hotel, we walked 2 blocks to the cathedral with the intention of buying our credentiales for this Camino. Unfortunately it was closed so we walked to the tourist information office nearby to ask where we could buy them. It turned out that they had them and provided them free. All that is left to do is take a few pictures, check out the route,  eat and sleep. When we sat down in a restaurant, we were right next to a local couple in the restaurant business. The man was really helpful as he explained the entire menu to us including a description of the dishes that were typical of Asturias. As a result we sampled two interesting dishes.

Spain Day 23

When we started off this morning, we thought that we might stop and stay a few km out of Santiago de Compostela so that we could make the 9 am bus to Oviedo the next morning. As it turned out,  the walking conditions were ideal so we changed our target to the bus station at 4 pm. We were close arriving at about 4:15 after some 38 km. The next bus would have reached Oviedo at 15 minutes after midnight so we stayed in Santiago de Compostela. Today the Camino was mostly through woods on sand and gravel paths. They have done a good job on the paths as there was no mud in spite of ample rainfall the past 2 days. In Padrón we visited the church that is built over the mooring post that St James used and got picture of the famous mooring post.

Spain Day 22

We anticipated today with some trepidation because two websites predicted a lot of rain. We saw predictions of up to 50 mm of rain. The thunderstorms overnight confirmed that we were in for a very wet day. By daybreak the forecast was for showers so we were hopeful that there would be less rain. Our hopes came through as the day was a mixture of everything including a bit of sunshine. About 12:30 it started to rain quite hard but we lucked out by finding an unoccupied shelter in a vending machine area with tables and chairs. That became our lunch spot. After that we walked to Caldas de Reis where the rain stopped completely so we walked on to Carracedo where we checked into a nice hostal,  Parrilada Antonio. The walking today was excellent as we spent a lot of time on sandy paths in quiet little valleys. There was only one section of about half a km where we were on the shoulder of a busy road

Spain Day 21

Today was predicted to be hot at 27C and it was in the afternoon. Tomorrow is predicted to rain a lot, up to 50 mm; we are hoping that the forecast is wrong. With this in mind, we planned to go asfar as is reasonable today. One place that is a bit on the short side was Arcade at around 24 km. Today's walk was nice with a good amount on paths through the woods. We arrived in Arcade about 12:30 so we pushed on to Pontevedra, which is a sign town about 36 km from Porriño where we stayed last night. Much of the walk today was through eucalyptus groves and small villages with tons of flowers. There were also some beautiful centuries old bridges. We got to see how they build stone walls these days; they use a Cat to lift rocks and power drills to cut them to size. As we were entering Pontevedra around 3:45 pm we booked a room in a 3 star hotel on line. By the time we arrived at the hotel, we were ready for showers.  The next item on our agenda was supper; we cannot eat like last because a heavy Russian salad followed by half of a chicken with roasted vegetables and fries was too much. We just got back from supper where I tried to get salmon, which came as pork loin. Nevertheless it was good and this time they left the wine bottle at the table. 

Portugal - Spain Day 20

Today was another wonderful day of walking the Camino. It was clear jacket weather for the first half hour and then warmer the rest of the way. Although we passed through two large towns, the walking wasn't onerous at all. In fact one of the nicest parts of the day was at the old fort in Valenca that overlooks the river dividing Portugal and Spain. Once we were in Spain, we had to pickup a SIM card for the Spanish system. We ended the day in Porriño after walking on shady woodland paths for the afternoon.

Portugal Day 19

This was perhaps the best day of walking yet. When we arrived in Ponte de Lima, we were told that breakfast would be served at 8:30 am , which was much too late for us. Then they said that we could have a modest breakfast much earlier if we wished. We accepted that and were pleasantly surprised by the food they put out for us and all the other peregrinos. We walked to the Camino and into town where we took pictures and got euros. Then we spent the rest of the morning walking over a hill, 470 metres, to Rubiaes. Even though Susie was tired due to lack of sleep, she was given a caffeine beverage by mistake, we decided to carry on. When we arrived at our potential hotel, some 11 km further, no host was available.  So carried on another km to a place that wasn't even in the guidebook and checked into a great double room for an excellent price.
Today's walk was great because it was mostly through the woods and it took us high enough to have some excellent views. There were many peregrinos on the Camino until noon; many probably stopped at Rubiaes because it was the end of the stage in the guidebook. Tonight we plan to have a pilgrim meal at the restaurant