Nights are getting colder. I wake up at 4 and make breakfast in the dark. It is still dark by 6 so I head to Tim's for wi-fi and coffee. At 7, I decide I can wait no longer so I push off into the fog and cross the world's longest wood-covered bridge. I take it slow along Hwy 130 fearful of being run down but it is quiet and no one seems to even be awake yet. Probably still drinking off the booze from the night before i guess. It gets lighter and there are beautiful leaves and lamas and goats along the roadside in the fileds. It gets lighter by the time I actually get to Woodstock and I am pleased to find it is New Brunswick's oldest city and looks the part. Sadly, I also discover that George Gee is the 1st person to be hung here as well. He is to have said to his victim, " I suppose you don't know that this is the night your going to die". Woodstock has also had a riot and navy boys take over the town. Things seem more peaceful now. Not much along the highway and the river is pretty but it gets a little slow. The highway is pristine and has a huge shoulder for me to ride on. NO complaints there. Somewhere around Kings landing my iphone becomes self aware and talks to me as I map out the route. Apple's new format has taken away the walker function that charted out the quiet routes and now everyone is just lumped in together. I think I liked the old version better. If only the iphone could peddle! I eventually make my way to Fredricton and find the capital quite pleasant. Old barracks from 1789 are evident in the city centre. It is a university centre and a government town.
I spend a little while at the library and call up my host. I am right to not assume a meal has been made. So often, people provide meals. I can hear his kids in the background and he is on his own! I find the house and find Michel and his kids, Xavier, Kai, and Anna to be very pleasant. Tracy arrives home later but by 8 I am in bed and sleeping. I help mind the 3 and 2 year old by reading them a book while Anna is being put to bed upstairs. Michel is a dedicated cyclist and has done lots of bike trips, kids included! He just adjusts expectations and attitudes. He showed me a route from Marseilles to Bordeaux that follows old canals just like in St. Jean Richieu, Quebec. You can bike for roughly 800 km without interference from cars. Sounds like a good trip. I find he is a very relaxed guy and enjoy meeting his wife Tracy the next morning. The boys are active but they are not shy at all. Xavier, the oldest at 3 is extremely judgemental! He calls me "bad guy" when I have made every effort to be nice to him and his family! :) I played them a song or two but it is kai who seems most interested in the music. Nice group of kids. Michel offers me a 2nd night and as tempted as I am to use it, I am afraid that if I stop now, I will stop for good. It is getting harder and harder to get back on the bike and I really feel the need to finish off this trip. Perhaps I really am hitting my wall. I'm sure the weather has a great deal to do with it too but I'd like to finish the trip on a positive note. I have decided that I will stop in halifax and am ok with that. It just means I need to come back and do a tour of the Maritimes in the summer! Something to look forward to.
I stop at a cafe and wait for the library to open. I have a three spice coffee which sounds promising but is a little strong for my tastes! It is a middle Eastern cafe that has a real arts feel to it. I see Arlo Gutherie is in town tonight and the famous female fiddler from around these parts is playing next week! Its been strange that for someone who likes music as much as I do, I haven't had a chance to appreciate it. Next time for sure! Next stops are Moncton, Cavendish, Charlottetown and then racing down to Halifax for a lobster dinner and to finish off the trip!
I spend a little while at the library and call up my host. I am right to not assume a meal has been made. So often, people provide meals. I can hear his kids in the background and he is on his own! I find the house and find Michel and his kids, Xavier, Kai, and Anna to be very pleasant. Tracy arrives home later but by 8 I am in bed and sleeping. I help mind the 3 and 2 year old by reading them a book while Anna is being put to bed upstairs. Michel is a dedicated cyclist and has done lots of bike trips, kids included! He just adjusts expectations and attitudes. He showed me a route from Marseilles to Bordeaux that follows old canals just like in St. Jean Richieu, Quebec. You can bike for roughly 800 km without interference from cars. Sounds like a good trip. I find he is a very relaxed guy and enjoy meeting his wife Tracy the next morning. The boys are active but they are not shy at all. Xavier, the oldest at 3 is extremely judgemental! He calls me "bad guy" when I have made every effort to be nice to him and his family! :) I played them a song or two but it is kai who seems most interested in the music. Nice group of kids. Michel offers me a 2nd night and as tempted as I am to use it, I am afraid that if I stop now, I will stop for good. It is getting harder and harder to get back on the bike and I really feel the need to finish off this trip. Perhaps I really am hitting my wall. I'm sure the weather has a great deal to do with it too but I'd like to finish the trip on a positive note. I have decided that I will stop in halifax and am ok with that. It just means I need to come back and do a tour of the Maritimes in the summer! Something to look forward to.
I stop at a cafe and wait for the library to open. I have a three spice coffee which sounds promising but is a little strong for my tastes! It is a middle Eastern cafe that has a real arts feel to it. I see Arlo Gutherie is in town tonight and the famous female fiddler from around these parts is playing next week! Its been strange that for someone who likes music as much as I do, I haven't had a chance to appreciate it. Next time for sure! Next stops are Moncton, Cavendish, Charlottetown and then racing down to Halifax for a lobster dinner and to finish off the trip!