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.