Day 47 Wolfville to Hammonds Plains - the end

"This land is your land, this land is my land, from Bonavista to Vancouver Island. From the Arctic Circle to the Great Lakes waters, this land was made for you and me. As we were peddling that ribbon of highway" (Woodie Guthrie/the Travelers)

Today is bitter - sweet because it's the end of a fabulous trip with Gramie and because we won't be limited by what we can carry in our panniers. We got going at a leisurely pace and were peddling some time after 9 am. Our breakfast was cleaning up the leftovers from last night, which was quite filling. We left Wolfville on #1, which merged into #101. We stayed on the latter until the last exit before Lucasville Road. This gave us a nice easy entry into Lucasville Rd. We were at Alexandra's Pizza by 3:15 pm. I had a hamburger and fries and Gramie had a really good Greek salad. We talked with the owner, Lila, and she was very nice. When she heard that we were meet four grandchildren she produced four packs of candy. When she heard that it was my birthday she brought us a plate of veggies and fruit. Then she brought us cheesecake with a candle. Remarkable. 
We were met by Blair and Krista and their four kids at Voyager Way and we all biked to their home. They had a welcome banner and bubbly waiting for us. Life doesn't get any better than this.  
We saw lots of beautiful scenery and met so many nice people. It makes me realize how fortunate I am to be a Canadian and have my family and friends. The biking t-shirts are courtesy of Linda and Jerry during our previous bike ride through Winnipeg. 
Our distance today was 84 km. I developed some tan lines.

We have peddled over 5500 km averaging 121 km/day, and ranging from 62 to 212 km/day. This depended on the weather especially the wind. My numbers may be a little short because I had problems with my initial  bicycle computer and had to replace it. But just like age, it's only a number. 

Day 46 Annapolis Royal to Wolfville

"She grows on you slowly the first time you meet
There's just so much beauty the heart can believe
And you want to stay longer and she's ever so pleased
You're one of the many who don't want to leave
So walk through her green fields, Go down to the sea"(Rita McNeill)

Today started out much less stressful than yesterday. We had a nice breakfast with two couples from Quebec. They were very interested in our bicycle trip and one of the men had his picture taken with us. They were planning to go to Cape Breton and play golf at Inverness, which is reputed to be in the top 10 in Canada. 
We rode on Hy 1 up the Annapolis Valley and were struck by Rita McNeill's words about walking in the green fields and down to the sea. Today's lunch break was in Kingston. 
Tonight we are staying at the Micro Boutique Hotel, which doesn't have any personnel on site. We were sent entry codes for the doors and wifi. Our unit is great with a bedroom separate from the living/kitchen room. It is supplied with enough facilities that I plan to make meals rather than eat at a restaurant. Our unit measures about 4 by 10 metres plus a balcony. From it we could see the ocean. 
After spending over a month peddling across 8 provinces, I am even more grateful for being Canadian. I am grateful that my grandparents decided, circa 1895, to immigrate to this country. We have seen so much to appreciate and we have met so many nice people. 
Our distance today was about 108 km. By adjusting our distances for the last three days, we can make the finale special - riding the last bit with family. 

Day 45 St-John to Annapolis Royal

"She's called Nova Scotia and so makes you feel. You've discovered a treasure no other has seen." (Rita McNeill)

We woke up early to have a bite to eat at the Econolodge and then get to the ferry terminal the mandatory 1-hour before the 8 am sailing time. Everything was going according to schedule as the breakfast room guy started things a bit before the scheduled 6:30 opening. We were moving well on the road to the ferry when I got flat rear tire. So Gramie went on buy tickets and get in line. Meanwhile I started to change the tire and tube. Everything went wrong and I couldn't install a proper tire on the wheel. When I looked at the time it was clear that I wouldn't make ferry if I walked the bike. So out of desperation I decided to ride on a flat tire. What a miracle. It worked. I rode the 4 km to the ferry going at speeds up to 15 kph. When I got there Gramie cheered and not long thereafter we boarded the ferry. Gramie had met a nice lady,  Barbara, who helped us immensely. She told us where we could find the Canadian Tire store and offered to drive us there in her SUV that was parked at the Digby terminal. We eventually accepted her generosity by having her drive me and my dysfunctional bike to Digby. Gramie followed on her bike. I purchased a new tire and tube then installed them in the Canadian Tire parking lot. Happily the wheel was okay and we carried on to Annapolis Royal.
We got into a B&B then went for dinner. Mine was okay but on the small side. Gramie's was really small. So I asked if they could bring her a few potatoes, which they did.
Our distance for today was 64 km not including the ferry portion.
Ice cream question for grandchildren. We were on a ship today. Name the famous body of water that we crossed and name the engineer who supervised the construction of the largest electric turbines that have been installed in this water.

Day 44 Nackawic to St - John

"Where the long river flows, it flows by my window" (Gordon Lightfoot)

Our hosts at the Big Axe Brewery B&B made us a very nice breakfast at 7am. As we were eating it in the sun room, I could see the St-John River just out the window and thought of Gordon Lightfoot's song Long River. We have been following this river from the height of land between Riviere du Loup and Edmundston all the way to St-John. We rode on the Trans-Canada Highway past Fredericton and then turned south on Rte 7. There were lots of hills and a headwind after we turned south. If you think that I only listen to Gordon Lightfoot, you would be mistaken. It's just that he has written so many songs about Canada and the way that I see this beautiful country. 
Our distance today was about 162 km. We started just after 8 this morni and rode until after 6 pm with time out for a nice turkey dinner at the Blue Canoe near Fredericton. So we were getting tired by the time we arrived in St-John.  Mitch, if your Dad is reading this to you, ask him to explain what happened to the Boston Bruins in game 7.😈😅😀😢 

Day 43 Grand Falls to Nackawic

"There's Moncton, Chatham, St John, Campbell....Fredericton ... I've been everywhere " (Stompin Tom Connors)

The Rodeway Inn provided us with a nice hot breakfast to fuel us for the day; I had scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, beans, orange juice, coffee, bagel, waffles, yogurt and seconds. 
We went directly to the Trans-Canada Highway and peddled up hills then coasted down the far side; this was repeated throughout the day. We stopped in Woodstock to buy a new spare tire at Canadian Tire then went to McDonald's to plan the rest of the day over ice cream. Gramie felt strong and suggested that we go to the next logical place, so we carried on to Nackawic. There is only a single B & B so we called to reserve a room. There was no restaurant close to the B&B so we asked them to prepare a meal;  it looked so nice, I insert a picture herein. The other picture shows the nice wide paved shoulder that we have ridden on since entering NB. While the paved shoulder is great for riding, we have seen quite a bit of debris most drink containers and things that have come from vehicle. We joke about the bungy cords. Among the pieces tires, I have noticed embedded wires that probably represents the steel belts. They are exactly the size of the wires that caused two of my flat tires. 
Our distance for the day was about 160 km.

Day 42 Cabano to Grand Falls

"There is a time in this fair land when some railways do not run, when the wild majestic mountains stand alone against the sun. Long after the white man and long after the wheel, when the green dark forest is so silent and unreal " (With apologies to Gordon Lightfoot) This seemed appropriate while bicycling on an abandoned rail bed where there isn't vehicle noise and I could hear the birds.

It must have rained hard overnight but by the time we had breakfast and started bicycling it had eased to a very light rain. As the day evolved it spent more time with rain. As a result we were taking off and putting on clothes all day. The first 42 km were the end of the Quebec section of the rail trail. They have made many improvements since we rode it in 2009. The path per se has been improved and they are doing more. They have also put in rest stops every few km- some have sheltered picnic tables and flush toilets while others have simpler facilities. They have done a lot to encourage people to get out and be active. We saw several people scooting along on bicycles and then realized that they had electrically assisted bikes. But at least the were moving their legs. Once we entered NB we took to the freeway and our pace picked up. The shoulder was wide and smooth.
I had my third flat tire about a five-minute ride from the Rodeway Inn where we are staying tonight.
Distance today 120 km of which 42 km were rail trail. 
We want to finish our ride with Blair, Krista and the kids so we have changed our end point to Halifax. Although we didn't start out with the idea that family would be a focus of the trip, it has turned out that way. We visited with my brother and his family, my cousin Peg, Nicole & Curt & our Winnipeg grandchildren. We will finish our ride with Blair, Krista and our Halifax grandchildren. Christine and Auntie Eiko are following us via this blog.  Life is good. 

Day 41 Saint Simeon to Cabano

"Up the St Lawrence all the way to Gaspe, swinging our hammers and drawing our pay" (Gordon Lightfoot)

This was an atypical day because we couldn't get up and get going; we had to wait until the ferry took us to Riviere du Loup. And there were things to do as a result of yesterday's bus ride. In order to put our bikes on the bus we had to put them in boxes. This involved a partial dismantling of the bike. So I had to re-install the pedals and adjust the handlebars to suit us again.
We boarded the ferry and sailed at 9:30. Very soon thereafter Gramie got hungry so we had our second set of ham and eggs for the day. The second was much better than the first.
The highlight of the crossing was seeing beluga whales in the river.
After arriving in Riviere du Loup we shopped for chain oil and electrolyte powder. Then we turned our bikes toward New Brunswick. As we left town the wind was blowing hard in our faces so we decided to take the rail trail instead of the road. That was a good decision because the ride was very pleasant. Little wind amongst the trees and no car noise. They have really improved the bike path by working on the surfaces and building facilities at various stages along the way.  We had to go to Cabano because the only other option had closed. We booked into the Econolodge. Just before you reach Cabano, you pass a town called St - Louis de Ha Ha. The first part of the name is self explanatory as most places in Quebec are St-Something. The rest of the name came from the local natives because the wind made a sound resembling laughter. 
Distance today excluding the ferry ride was 84 km.

Day 40 Quebec City to St Simeon

"I carried you down to the St. Lawrence River
The banks running dirty"
(David Usher, Moist) He attended Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, and I think his father taught at Queen’s. 
After a continental breakfast at the Econolodge near the airport we set out to make our way through the city and out the east side. This city has an amazing network of paths and lanes for bicycles. We traveled for many km on dedicated bike paths. For a long way east of the city  we peddled on the flat with a tailwind. Then we ran into the hills that Quebec cyclists avoid. Since Hy 138 is not part of the Trans-Canada system, there isn't the same standard limiting the max grades. We encountered some 12% ones that were also long, and walked up too many. By the time we got to Baie St Paul we were ready for a change. We pulled up to a deppaneur for a break when bus pulled in to drop and pickup passengers. Spontaneously Gramie asked the driver if they could take us to St Simeon and he said "sure there is a bus at 7 pm". So we ended up near the ferry terminal and plan to be in Riviere du Loup tomorrow on the 9:30 ferry. Our motel, Belvedere, gives us million dollar views of the St Lawrence. Distance today including walking was 110 km. 

Day 39 Berthierville to Quebec City

"Nous vivons ensemble, Nous nous connaissons maintenent." (Gordon Lightfoot) This is a tribute to all the Fracophones whose language I murder on a regular basis. Another part of a song that came to mind today was "Moody river your muddy water took my baby's life." (Pat Boone) because I saw a sail boat that had escaped from its mooring and was being bashed on rocks. 

It seems that we did the right thing by staying in a hotel with a few extras. This allowed us to eat a leisurely breakfast while we waited for the rain to stop. Fortunately the bulk of the rain came down overnight, which interfered with us the least. Last night's rain added on to the previous wet weather resulted in many water logged fields. The water on the land in this area is impressive and must be depressing to the farmers. We rode through an area in which the land was soaked and the road still had a bunch of corn stalks lining the shoulder where they had washed up when the floods occurred. 
We weren't sure how far we would be able to ride today but as the day evolved we found that we could get to Quebec City. As soon as we made that decision I booked a room at the Econolodge by the airport. It's a good thing that we booked ahead because this hotel is full tonight. Once we were in Quebec, we rode for about a day and half on 148 then rode a half day on 158 after which we switched to 138. We'll stay on 138 to Saint Simeon where we catch the ferry to Riviere du Loup. While I had a general idea of the location of the hotels in Quebec City, I was pleasantly surprised to find that our hotel is right on 138. Furthermore the traffic on our arrival was light making it easier and safer to access the hotel. The restaurant closest to the hotel was a buffet so we made good use of the unlimited access to food tonight. With the daily bike ride I am eating a lot and am still loosing weight.
Distance today was 184 km made possible by tailwind, overcast skies and comfortable bicycling temperatures. 

Day 38 Montebello to Berthierville

"And watch the field behind the plow turn to straight dark rows. Put another season's hope into the ground" (Stan Rogers) Although he wrote this song for western farmers, the thoughts apply to farmers right across this country. 

We had a snack in our room at the Bel Eau motel and then headed east on Rte 148 toward La Chute. We stopped in LaChute for a breakfast of two eggs, a good thick slice of ham, hash browns, some fruit,  two thick slices of toast and coffee for the princely sum of  $6.50. Breakfast has been a bargain meal for many days but this took the prize.

The weather was the warmest that we have experienced getting up to about 28C with some humidity. Even though we tried to drink more often, I still managed to get dehydrated. Tomorrow looks to be quite different. They predicted rain overnight and into the morning so it seemed that we might have to start later tomorrow. So when we arrived in Joliette with sun and a bit of a tailwind, we decided to try for Berthierville which would give us about 168 km on the day. Our distance estimate today is a little shaky because Gramie had trouble with her bicycle computer and I didn't have one until we bought a new one in St - Jerome. This time I got one with a wire and only one battery. I've run through two sensor batteries since we left the Fraser Valley.  Just to be safe, I installed and tested it right in the store. It seems to be setup for my bike tire size. It is the same brand as Gramie's, Cateye, with a nice large display. As Berthierville isn't endowed with an abundance of accommodation, we booked the only one that came up in the Booking.com web page. So we are spending the night in the Days Inn; this will provide us with a nice room to dawdle in if it is raining in the morning. Breakfast is included. 

Day 37 Shawville to Montebello

"Frere Jacques, Frere Jacques, dormez vous, dormez vous" My first French song from elementary school. This was probably from Rhone School, a classic one-room rural school in BC before the roads were improved and extensive bussing started. In most years we had about 8 students in 5 different grades for one teacher. 

We left Shawville early after having a snack in the room as the weather forecast was for a hot sticky day. The road and traffic into Hull were good so we made good time getting to the beginning of the bicycle paths. After a few km we came to a fork in the path and were trying to figure out where to go when a nice couple stopped to help us. The husband explained the bike paths to us then gave us his copy of the free trail map. We were near the CIBC and McDonald's so we picked up some cash then went for breakfast. During breakfast we pored over the map and picked a route. As we made our way through the city on bicycling paths, we had to work our way around a bicycle race and flood - induced detour. Eventually we made our way back to Rte 148 as it exited Gatineau. From there the bicycling was pretty strong forward along 148 eastbound.

As we were leaving the city we got a picture of the National Capital region from a different vantage point - north side of the Ottawa River and a bit down stream. The water was still quite high and evidence of flooding was everywhere - the bike paths sowed signs of having mud scraped off them and there was silt on low-lying lawns. 

Eventually we settled on Montebello as a destination for the day. That was a good day of biking with making it through the city and going 153 km. About 10 km from Montebello we stopped at a side road for a water break when a local man stopped to talk with us. He invited us to his horse facility just a short distance off 148. Henri Hebert had built a track for harness racing and was hosting about 20 horses. He told us about building the facilities and also being mayor for many years. I wished that my French was better so that I could have had a good conversation with Henri. In Montebello we got a nice room in the Bel Eau motel and had a nice dinner at the Montebello Bistro close by.

Day 36 Deep River to Shawville

"J'entre dans la sale de classe (Provence de Quebec)" (O'Brien and LaFrance)  This is not in a song but it is the first sentence in the introductory French text book that we used in BC when I was in grade 9.  My teacher was Mr Hr who spoke English with a Ukrainian accent and this probably applied to French as well. So when a francophone doesn't understand me, I can attribute it to Mr Hr.

We had a really nice pea meal bacon and egg breakfast at our Bear Den accommodation and then headed out in great weather on good roads. We enjoyed the ride a lot up to the turnoff for Kingston. After that the road deteriorated and the traffic got heavy. The paved shoulder got down to about 40 cm in width and the rumble strip took most of that. We had decided to exit Hy 17 at county road 652 and cross the Ottawa River into Quebec. That was over 2100 km spent on Hy 17. We were more than happy to get off Hy 17. We planned to take Rte 303 up to Rte 148 and stay in Shawville. Unfortunately 303 was closed for construction and we were detoured on 301 and Rte 148.  This extended our day by about 20 km giving us a distance of some 136 km today. I can only go from the maps be caused my bike computer quit again. It's the second battery for the sensing unit so I will complain to the supplier when I get home. I'll have to get a different odometer tomorrow in Hull/Gatineau. 

Day 35 North Bay to Deep River

"When the deep dark forest was to silent to be real" (Gordon Lightfoot)

This morning we got prepared to leave and went for a continental breakfast at 7 am. It wasn't as sustaining as many others but it was sufficient to get us on the road. We rode out on Lakeshore Drive and then took Hy 11 south access Hy 94 north. Unfortunately there was no road access from 11 to 94, and the ROMP told us that we weren't supposed to be on 11. So to get off 11 and onto 94 we took our bikes and panniers through the shrubs and up an embankment to the overpass. That's why one of today's pictures feature the underside of an overpass. The other picture shows Hy 17 through the dark green forest at one of the few times when it was silent. I.e. too silent to be real. In reality what we experience is a lot of tire noise.

When we bicycled east from No Bay in 2011 this section of road was among the worst. This time it was beautiful and among the best. Our distance covered today was about 170 km arriving in Deep River around 6 pm. We had a very satisfying full breakfast in Mattawa.  While we were in the restaurant a fellow came to tell us that he had seen us before when we were going through Thunder Bay. Interestingly he will be doing the annual Rideau Lakes ride in which they go from Ottawa to Kingston, stay at Queens and return to Ottawa. Their table saw us again east of Mattawa and gave many toots on their car horns. 

Day 34 Sudbury to North Bay

 

"And we think no more of Inco on a Sudbury Saturday night." (Stompin' Tom Connors)

If you look at today's pictures you will see a couple of in things. First it's not raining, second there are smoke stacks and third there is a good bike lane. Today was much warmer than it has been and the clouds are gone. There were some hills early and later while the middle of the run was flat. In fact there was a 13 km stretch east Sturgeon Falls that was straight and almost flat.

On entering North Bay we stopped at a big mall to buy a new battery for the cell phone. Surprisingly Best Buy and a cell phone store did not carry them. I got it at kiosk. Fortunately the clerk installed and checked it because the first one didn't work.

I had forgotten how big Lake Nipissing is and we saw high its water is as well. In fact all the streams and lakes are high.

Day 33 Blind River to Sudbury

"Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings in her ice-water mansions " (GordonLightfoot)

Today was a day on which we had to make decisions as we progressed. The last easy place to stay was McKerrow after about 100 km and the next place was Sudbury at about 160 km. Although neither of us would say it, we both hoped to get to Sudbury. We left early in dry cool weather and spent the day in and out of light rain; we kept removing and adding rain jackets. At about 10 am we stopped for breakfast and after noon we stopped at a St Timothy's at the Espanola exit where we decided to go for Sudbury. I booked a room at the Canada's Best Value Inn. We got in between 5 and 6 pm. We came in on a minor street after finding Hy 17 to be rough and seeing a sign that said no biking. The fellow who checked us in was great. He had a sense of humour and did anything to help us. When we asked for a pack of decaf coffee, he made us a pot of decaf. He also helped us get a load of laundry washed-out and dried. It was only  $3.75 for a load. We are clean again. 

Today we saw the last of the Great Lakes when we left Lake Huron. We also saw dedicated bike lanes after Spanish. They are part of the Waterfront Trail and the Trans-Canada Trail.  Distance today was 163 km. After about the first 20 km, I thought only 145 to go; we'll make it - no problem.   Our legs must be in condition now. Perhaps it will be different when we encounter higher temperatures, like tomorrow. 

Day 32 Thessalon to Blind River

"Lord I'm one, lord I'm two, lord I'm three, lord I'm four, lord I'm five hundred miles from my home" ( Bobby Bare?) It's almost just 800 km or 500 miles to Kingston from here.

Looking ahead at the weather forecast we saw that rain was predicted for today.  Accordingly we got up early and had a mouthful of food before leaving the motel at about 6 am. Our goal was Iron Bridge to have our breakfast at the Village Diner after riding for an hour. When we arrived at the diner, we were greeted by a "closed" sign. We went on to Blind River in cold rain and were really pleased with brunch at the 17 Restaurant. Gramie had the standard breakfast and I ordered the Hungry Man; for us they are the most important thing of the day so their pictures get to be shown in today's entry. After that we went to the supermarket and bought some snack food. It was still raining and cold when we finished shopping, so we decided to get a room by the river running through town. Our distance today was just 56 km, which is less than we had hoped for but okay considering the rain and sub 10C temperatures. We will use the remainder of the day to rest and warm up. 

Day 31 Batchawana Bay to Thessalon

"she was just  (highway) 17 you know what I mean" (John Lennon and Paul McCartney)

Our ride started out well as the roads were okay and sun was shining. Then I made a mistake by following the suggestion of Google maps to take a shortcut that bypassed the Sault. We ended up looking down a dirt path through the woods and had to backtrack and then take the normal busy way around the town. It cost us one to hours or so it seemed. To Gramie's credit she didn't yell at me. Eventually we made to Hy 17B and really moved with the wind; after rejoining Hy 17, we continued to make good time. We stopped at Thessalon for the night. Distance covered today was 155 km. 

The pictures are from in front of our motels this morning and this evening as well as a plaque marking the midpoint of the Trans-Canada Highway. It's a long way from the longitudinal centre just east of Winnipeg. We met two cyclists going in our direction but they will head south across Manatoulin Island before heading east toward Ottawa. 

Day 30 Wawa to Batchawana Bay

"Black fly, little black fly, always a black fly everywhere you go, I'll die with the black fly picking my bones in North Ontario IO, in North Ontario" (Wade Hemsworth)

We fooled the little black flies today because we didn't see any. Perhaps it was the cold weather that made them inactive. The temperature was 4C when we started and got up to perhaps 10C right at the end of the day in the sun. But we did get lots of bright sun today. All of our friends and family must have prayed hard because we had a tailwind today. It was a good day to have a push from behind because the ride had hills and it's 152 km between accommodations with food. In order to get an early start we had to eat in our room because the restaurant didn't open until 7:30. So our breakfast this morning was a Hungry Man TV dinner each. They filled the voids. 

With the tailwind we made decent time getting to Batchawana Bay before 5 pm. The truck traffic was lighter because it was Sunday and the road was generally very good. We saw five people on bikes going the other way. 

We had lots of great scenery especially along the shore of Lake Superior. We also two moose. I saw the first one across a lake wading in shallow water. By the time I stopped and got my camera ready it had walked into the trees. For we had seen that cow moose often travel in pairs, a cow and her yearling offspring. So I watched for a couple of seconds and caught the second moose with my camera. 

We stayed at the Voyageur motel and had a nice meal there. I did a traveler's laundry by showering with my clothes on.