Hartland to Fredericton

August 8

Yesterday's route took our riders through to Hartland and then we backtracked in the RV to Florenceville where we stayed the night. So this morning we drove back to Hartland to start our day's ride to Fredericton. I thought yesterday's weather was perfect, today was even more perfect. I guess the rainbow last night was a good omen.

We sent our riders, Mel, Lindsay and Pat, off down the road and then Shawn and I headed back up the road for coffee. We looked over the route and figured our riders were in for some hills early but things would likely level out as they travelled through the broad Saint John River valley. We were right about that, it was sure hilly.

The good news was that the highway was hardly that. Not much of a highway I mean, it was very country, very quiet traffic-wise, a little uneven in surface and very hilly. Oh yeah, and there were dogs. . . big ones. When you're on a bike, dogs running at you are a little worrisome. Three big, loud, aggressive and territorial dogs spread themselves out on the road ahead of the riders. The riders stopped. It was an impasse. There was snarling and gnashing of teeth, the dogs weren't too friendly either. Just then a pickup truck stopped beside us, the driver rolled down the window and said " Don't worry, they're friendly." Yeah, they sure looked friendly. He drove ahead, turned into the driveway and they followed him, yapping and barking. As he got out of his truck the dogs fell all over themselves to get near him. A lucky one even got a belly rub when he rolled over. I know all this because I observed it from the safety of the RV, the riders never saw this heartwarming sight - they had already booked it down the highway to safety.

The only good news about hills is that there is usually a down hill, and down hills afford lots of opportunity for chatting. Sometimes I could hear Mel and Pat coming before I could see them, oh, except for the uphills. Did I mention it was hilly? There was this one hill, Keswick Ridge, it was really, really steep and just when the riders had rounded a curve and thought they were at the top, well, they weren't.
All three riders deserved the great dinner out and a day off tomorrow.

Did I mention New Brunswick is a potato province? The lobby of our hotel featured a large banner welcoming the Potato Growers Association of America - Advancing Potatoes through Science, and a nice table display.

Grand Falls to Florenceville

August 7

It rained overnight but the morning fog over the campground burned off quickly and the day actually turned out to be one of the nicest so far this summer. Not much to choose from, though. We met Shawn & Pat in the parking lot of their hotel. They liked the hills of Ottawa so much that they drove down last night to join us for a couple of days of riding into Fredericton.
The route from Grand Falls was exactly what we expected - pretty hilly to start, pretty hilly in the middle, then ended with small rollers and some nice flat sections along the St. John River. The riders were having so much fun on the hills that they decided to go an extre 20K to Hartland, home of world's longest covered bridge. We followed Hwy 105 up and down and around turns, across bridges, got chased by dogs, to McCainville, oops, I mean Florenceville. And I thought they only grew potatoes in PEI. Whoa, was I wrong. This is potato country - fields are full of them, every restaurant meal comes with them, they even make jewellery like potatoes.
The day ended with a spectacular rainbow as the showers had settled in for the evening. They say that a red sun at night is a sailor's delight. I wonder what a rainbow will bring?

Edmuston to Grand Falls

August 6

The time change threw us off today, or last night or whenever it was. When did we cross the time zone anyway? I just couldn't keep it straight - was it really an hour earlier or maybe it's later? So how come I'm hungry? This shouldn't be that difficult but for some reason it was. I got up early but realized it was extra early. Not fair.
Good thing it was only a relatively short ride today from Edmunston to Grand Falls. And after a new PB yesterday Lindsay went a solid 35 today. What a trooper. It was nice to be off the Trans Canada and on to a much quieter road. It was a pretty flat route following the Grand River for a while.We ended up in Grand Falls and they are, the falls I mean, they're grand. Spectacular even. Despite rather negative forcasts the weather has been not bad at all. In fact nice during the days and rain in the evning and overnight. Can't complain about that. Got the BBQ done just in time.

Riviere du Loup to Edmunston, N.B.

August 5

Yesterday was a rest day for us and ... it didn't rain. In fact it was a beautiful day. We did some chores in town and then pretty much hung out at the campground. Mel and Lindsay did some sightseeeing on their bikes - rode out to the point and wandered through a nice cottage community. In the evening we treated ourselves to ice cream at a neat little place next to the camp ground, on a hill overlooking the city.

No more quiet back country roads. Today as we left the St Lawrence valley, from Riviere du Loup through to Edmunston, New Brunswick, it was the Trans Canada Highway. Tomorrow we can look forward to a less busy route but today was four lanes, heavy traffic and fast, with lots of construction. Oh yeah, and hills too, big ones. Despite all this, Lindsay managed another PB - 65 kms. I think the new tires helped a bit.

At the end of the day we spent some time floating on the current of the small but fast Madawaska River.

Quebec to Montmagny, then Riviere du Loup

August 2 and 3

Ahhhhh. Peace and quiet. . . but don't get me wrong. Since leaving Toronto a few weeks ago,we have been fortunate to have had riders with us every day - 35 in all. It's been fun and energizing, even chaotic at times. Mel and Lindsay and I have enjoyed and appreciated the company on the road with so much support and encouragement from the other riders. We are on our own now for a few days and it is quiet and actually seems a bit lonely. This little break affords us an opportunity to reflect on The Ride so far. It has been successful in ways we never imagined. Over the past 74 days on the road we have seen acts of goodness from people that leave us in awe - riders, organizers, supporters and even complete strangers.
We are realizing our goal of building awareness about mental health issues everyday. People are reading the blog, visiting the website, stopping us on the road and in parking lots. The media continues to support the Ride and it's not unusual for people to comment about seeing us on the news or hearing us on the radio or reading something in the newspaper. Our fundraising goal is being realized as well, as donations from sponsors and individuals continue to grow.

The countryside in Quebec along the mighty St. Lawrence is special and one that we have never appreciated driving along Highway 40 at 100 K/Hr. Much different at bike speed. The towns and villages, farms and homes, fields and gardens are beautiful. The south shore is surprisingly flat - prairie flat - and fertile. But unlike the prairies, the wind here has been at our back. With the strong tailwind, Mel was able to ride just under 130 kms from Montmagny to Riviere du Loup in under 4 1/2 hours.

We have had a casualty. Mel's favourite yellow water bottle popped off his bike at a speed bump in a campground and was run over. Whoever left a water bottle in the RV last week - thanks. It's Mel's new water bottle now.

We're looking forward to our route through the Maritimes.

Trois Rivieres to Quebec

Aug 1

Today our stalwart guides through Quebec; Robert,Simon,Luc,and Samuel,plus Martine,Andre,and Eric were joined by 8 additional riders for day. The riders who have accompanied us throughout Quebec are enthusiastic and experienced and have supported The Ride in large numbers. The routes that Robert has suggested have been scenic and quiet and in many places there has been a dedicated bike lane. Are you listening Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan?

This morning in Trois Rivieres, Nicole arranged a police escort out of the city for the large group of riders and the RV. I only felt uncomfortable for about 30 seconds running all those red lights on purpose.

The day was hot and sunny (is summer finally here?)and our destination for the day was St. Augustin Desmaures, just outside Quebec City. Good thing we had cases of Gatorade on hand. The route took us along the shore of the St Lawrence River providing beautiful vistas with every turn in the road. We got a sense of the history of the area as we passed through many small towns and villages. The riders easily managed a series of ever larger hills marking the final portion of the 100 km plus route near Donnacona. Today Lindsay had a personal best and despite the heat she logged 63km.on her mountain bike.

The highlight of the day was a surprise stop at Simon's family's farm near Neuville. The riders gathered in the shade for a treat of the freshest strawberry shortcake made by Simon's mother. How's that for extreme sport nutrition? Beats protein bars and whey powder all to heck. I was also able to pick up some farm fresh veggies for our dinner later. While we were there another motorist stopped to make a donation in memory of his daughter. It was very moving.

We rode into the parking lot in Ste Augustin to find an enthusiastic crowd of family members and volunteers, a fundraising BBQ and raffle.