Day 58- Mulligan

I once again enjoyed the comforts of sleeping in a comfortable bed, and once I had eaten and showered the bike shop called to say my bike was ready for pick up. Mom and I headed back into Fredericton to pick my bike up, and returned to Woodstock to begin where I left off. My repairs came to 126$, and my shiney new crankshaft was in good working order, though the gear distribution is now different due to differently sized gear discs.

When we arrived back at the site where I had broken down, I retrived my bike from the trunk and began reassembling it roadside, just as a group of bike tourists approached. They were members of a charity called 'Bike for Bricks', and were raising money for unspecified housing initiatives. It started pouring again, so they decided it was a good time for a snack break, but I was ready to go, so we said our goodbyes.

I absolutely flew without the weight of my gear. I barrelled up and down hills with ease, racing down the highway at speeds unheard of on this trip for me. I felt unstoppable and I was in an extremely good mood. In less then four hours I covered the 100 KM to Fredericton over endless rolling forested hills. I made my way downtown Fredericton down familiar streets, and took the pretty trail system to UNB, before taking the backroad home.

It was a very fast and enjoyable day, topped off with a nice steak dinner.

Day 57- Drive it Until the Wheels Fall Off

I slept in a little bit today and had a nice hearty breakfast with the Ketchs before venturing back out into the rain. Today promised to be a much shorter and more enjoyable ride, with the promise of seeing friends and family in Fredericton and Haneytown; not to mention being home at long last.

I braced myself and once more set off into the rain, backtracking down some sideroads back to the highway. I had barely made it 5 KM down the highway when I felt this strange sliding sensation in my foot, as if it was sliding off the pedal it was clipped into. When I looked down I was shocked to see my entire crankshaft had slid apart from the bike, and was still attached to my shoe. The cap that held the crankshaft on had been loosening itself since Northern Ontario, and recently I had began to feel grinding going on, so I knew trouble was coming, but I had hoped to make it to the next MEC. Apparently not. I couldnt fix it roadside, so Ricky and Adam came and got me and brought me to a local mechanic. He knew right away it needed to be replaced, but didnt have the parts I needed, so I had no choice but to ask mom to drive to Woodstock to get me. We took the bike to Savages in Fredericton, and sadly I needed to replace both sides of the crankshaft system for over 100$.

I left my bike in the shop for the night, and we headed home, stopping off to visit Alyssa at her work before she left for NS after work. I was quite happy to be home, though this isnt how I wanted it to happen. I was quite frustrated to have broken down so close to home, but I have been very fortunate to have had no major mechanical problems up until now.

Once home, we had a nice lasanga supper, with the whole family in one place for once. Afterwards, dad, Matthew, and I headed off to watch 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'.

Day 56- Waterworld

There was a rather boistrous thunderstorm last night, and when I initially woke up at 5 PM neither it nor the heavy rain had subsided, so I went back to bed for a few hours. When I got up the second time it was still raining, but it was time to suck it up and hit the road.

It ended up raining the ENTIRE day, varying from a light rain to a terrential downpour, but never relenting. The winds favoured me for most of the morning, but I was soaked all the way through, and so was my gear, so I was having a pretty rough day. It honestly rained more during today's ride than the rest of this trip's biking time combined. It should be said that today was the closest Ive come to swimming in months. Despite the strong winds and continual downpour, I was in surprisingly good spirits as I cruised along steadily, up and down the large series of hills to Woodstock. After a while I became desensitized to the rain and wind howling at me, so it didnt bother me as I plowed along through the torrent; people looking at me like I was crazy. Rarely have I felt as hardcore as I did braving this weather for 170 KM. The last 50 KM were the hardest, as the winds changed and opposed me and the rain reached a fevered pitch. It felt like I was biking in a hurricane as I nearly blew off the road.

It was an exhaustive and waterlogged day, but I steadily plodded along, and hours later I finally reached the Ketch's house in Woodstock. The Ketchs are good friends of our family, and we first met when we lived in Meaford before eventually ending up in New Brunswick near by each other. I was good friends with their son, Adam, who is my age, but I hadnt seen any of them in a while, so I was quite happy to be there.

My parents were anxious to see me, and I was staying with family friends, so mom, dad, and Matthew came up to visit me and take my gear home, so I will have a light day tomorrow. They even met me on the highway and took the gear for the last 5 KM.

I was pretty shakey when I arrived at the house, so I was happy to relax and talk to my parents and the Ketch's. It was a nice evening after a tough day.

Tomorrow I will finally reach my parents house in Haneytown after nearly two months on the road. I plan to stop into Fredericton for a while to visit friends before heading on my way home.

Day 53- Keep Your Hands on the Plow

Today was absolute madness. Im not even sure if it really happened, or if it was just a fever dream brought on by sun exposure.

It started off innocently enough, biking along in the morning air against an unfortunate headwind. I knew I had a really long 180 KM day ahead of me if I wanted to make it to Levis so that I could ferry across to Old Quebec City, which I longed to revisit, so I was concerned by how much the wind was slowing me down. I continued trduging along. I had now begun to run parallel to the St. Lawrence, and the scenery was quite beautiful, so I was happy enough despite the wind. A quick lunch at a look off point, and I was into the afternoon half.

It was getting hot out again, and I was rapidly wearing out, so I was unsure if I would make it to Levis. And then it happened. I hit a mandatory detour that took me WAY off the direct track. I became more and more angry as more and more distance was added onto my already long day as I was forced to tangent way out into the countryside. By the time I was back on the highway, at least 20 KM had been added, and I was furious and exhausted. I still had over 70 KM left to go, and I was feelingg mentally and physically defeated. The only thing that kept me going was stubborn determination to keep true to my goal. This final leg blurred into a delerium of exhaustion and negative emotion.

I did however discover the magic properties of oranges. At one point I stopped, shakey and weak, and wolfed down two oranges with quivering hands, and very rapidly the shaking stopped and I felt a lot better. I was very impressed by the noticable effect.

I somehow dragged myself into the beautiful city of Levis, and followed the picturesque trail system along the water to the old downtown; Quebec city visable on the opposite shore. I remembered much of this area from another of dad's races years ago, and I had loved this area then as I do now. Once downtown, I struggled to find a place to stay. I laboured up and down the giant winding hills of the scenic downtown, hopping from motel to B&B to hostel, but to no avail; no one was home. It was late, I was past my limit, and my phone which was my guide was nearly dead, so I was becoming desperate. Finally, I headed off further into the newer section of town, and found a chain hotel to stay at, where I paid a king's ransom for the night. It was cool and comfortable, and I was almost about to blackout. Not long later I was fast asleep.

Today was well over 200 KM, and very frustrating to boot; not a fun day.

Day 55- Welcome to the Maritimes

Last night I fell asleep to the sound of waves lapping against the shore; this morning I woke up to the soft patter of rain on my tent. I was up and at it quite early because I wanted to be gone early just in case anyone took issue with my choice of camping locale, so 6 AM found me already trekking down the highway.

It was a cold and rainy morning, the fog hovering over the water and riverside cottages, making me feel as if I was on the coast of Nova Scotia, not the shores of the St. Lawrence. I faced a direct headwind harder than any Id faced since the prairies as I made my way north to Riviere de Loup, the cold raining soaking me as it blew in my face. It was a slow, grudging 40 KM, but I dutifully trudged along, making it to my first rest stop at a Timmy's in Riviere de Loup just past 8:30.

From Riviere de Loup, it was time to head east and south into New Brunswick. The winds were marginally more managable now, but it was still raining. This section was extremely hilly, and I painfully dragged myself up each rise, exhausted from the manic pace I had set for myself since leaving MP's house in Valleyfield. The riverside cottages and farms slowly gave way into dense boreal forest, sprawling across the hills and river vallies. Eventually the rain stopped too.

The KMs absolutely crawled by all day as I wearily inched closer and closer to finally arriving home to the Maritimes. I finally reached the New Brunswick boarder at about 5 PM Atlantic time, and I couldnt be happier. Not only am I glad to be nearly home, but having reached the Maritimes is another proud moment; I have come so far now, and I am entering the final legs of my journey.

Though I had begun to feel lighter and more energetic, I still stopped in a campground just outside Edmundston for the night. Tomorrow I will ride all the way to Woodstock, and then the following day into Fredericton and home!

No pictures today because my phones battery was critically low all day since I camped on the beach last night.

Day 54- Feel Good Inc.

I slept in until about 8, relishing the comfortable bed and the other convenences of an indoor room as I got ready for the day. I headed back down to the harbour to catch a ferry across to Old Quebec City. This is the reason I pushed so hard yesterday. I had a nice conversation with a french cyclist as we enjoyed the scenic ride across the river; the iconic Chateau Frontinac looming above.

Wr parted ways once we arrived, and I made my way to the much anticipated splendor of Old Quebec. The narrow cobble streets weaved every which way, their old stone buildings lined along the edges, looking as if they were ripped right out of Europe and deposited here. I walked up and down these streets in the Sunday morning quiet, taking in the many art galleries, restaurants, and gift shops that make up the businesses here. Next was the epic climb up to the Chateau Frontinac, pushing my two tonne bike up a grade that would make mountain goats uneasy. My calves were on fire. The Chateau was as impressive as I remembered it, and the views over the city and river from its vantage point spectacular. More time spent exploring the shops of the upper section, and it was time to take the ferry back to Levis to begin biking. Just as I was arriving back at the ferry along the trail, I came across an ambulance parked on the path. They had a cyclist strapped to a spine board with a neck collar on. Once I circled around the ambulance, I found his bike on the opposite side, cleaved clean in two at the handle bars. I know most racing bikes are made of ultralight materials, but that still must have been one crazy crash to do that.

I finally started biking around 11 AM, and I left town on the same scenic trail I entered on. It was packed with cyclists and pedestrians, out enjoying the great weekend weather. After a while, it ended back onto the highway 132, and I once again followed it Northward along the shores of the St. Lawrence.

The number of bikes and motorbikes on the road outnumbered the cars, and with good reason. It was a beautiful day and the scenery as I drove along the upper rim of the river valley was spectacular; it was made to be enjoyed. I passed by countless yardsales, artisians selling sculptures and paintings, ice cream parlours, chip wagons, and even a roadside open fireplace where I bought some delicious homemade bread. Everywhere I went there were happy people enjoying the summer weekend with smiles of their faces. People I passed on the highway waved and smiled brightly. Life was good and I felt great; this trip was made for days like this.

I merrily cruised along all afternoon and evening, rocking out to my Ipod and singing along to songs that any soul unfortunate enough to be in earshot of my voice could not hear. I had started late, so I kept right on biking into the sunset, still happy to be biking. By nine I was pretty tired though, and it was almost dark, but there were no campgrounds for many KM. I ventured just off the highway, and found a perfect spot right on the beach. I set up and cooked a well deserved supper as I watched the last remaining rays of light fade over the water. Easily one of the best days of the trip.

It is amazing how yesterday's low turned into today's high. This trip has been quite the rollercoaster of emotion. From elation to misery, determination to dismay, zen to fury; Ive experienced it all from day to day and moment to moment. Ive been feeling things far outside the norms of everyday life, and it is as much a pivotal part of this trip as anything; it is all a part of the grand experience.

Day 52- Wacky Quebec Highway Misadventures

I had a wonderful sleep last night, relishing the AC and the comfortable bed. When I awoke at 5 AM to get ready for the day, I found that as predicted, the humidity had finally subsided to humane levels. I had a nice breakfast before saying goodbye to MP's mom who had also gotten up early, and headed out. MP and I had arranged to meet at a restaurant about 25 KM from her house for a second breakfast once she was off work, so I made my way through Valleyfield and out the bottem end of the island over more bridges. It was pleasantly cooler than the last few mornings, and I made way across town effortlessly, arriving at 'Teracce du Lac' at the EXACT same moment as MP. I definitely planned it that way. We enjoyed a nice diner style breakfast before it was time to say my farewells and be on my way. A big Merci to the Chasse family for their kindess. I could really get used to having second breakfast; just call me Perrigan Took.

After some deliberation last night, I decided to stay on the south side of the St. Lawrence River, bypassing a difficult ride through Montreal traffic, but possibly missing out on Quebec City if I dont ferry across for the evening once I reach Levis. I was looking for the fastest route to NB, so in my haste I forgot to avoid the major highways as I plotted a route straight to Drummondville for the day. Not long after parting with MP, I found myself on one such major highway, but thought nothing of it because Ive been on many major highways before, including a few weeks spent on the Trans Canada. After about 30 minutes I noticed one of those construction pickup trucks with the big flashing arrow on the back driving down the shoulder behind me. I thought he was just tending to the construction signs in the area, so I kept going. But he kept following me. After a while of him following me, I nervously stopped to check my GPS for my exit, hoping he would pass. He then pulled over in front of me, gesturing. Then all of a sudden a police car pulled over behind me. I once again became pretty nervous; confident that I was in some sort of trouble. The officer talked to the service worker first, but soon came to see me. I embarassed myself right off the bat by not realizing at first that he was speaking heavily accented english, not french anymore. He informed me that it is illegal to bike on the highway anywhere in North America, and seemed annoyed when I tried to justify with the fact that I took the Trans Canada for a large part of my trip with no problems. Turns out he was a cyclist too, and had done a 10 month tour of North America when he was my age. After the initial lecture, he actually chatted a little bit about cycling, and helped me figure out what roads I could take. He had the service worker drive me to the closest secondary road, and even let me off without ticketing me; quite possibly because he was familiar with my predicament from his own experiences. He was rather nice overall, just terse about me being on the highway.

Taking secondary routes required me to replan my route to Levis, following the banks of the St. Lawrence River rather than heading directly there. This adds about 50 KM, but the new route has already proved to be much prettier and quieter than the highway could ever hope to be. First, I skirted the outer limits of Montreal, following smaller tributary rivers northward towards the St. Lawrence River through pretty little towns. Many sections of the road were canopied by trees, as I passed by cottages and small docks littered along the shore of the river. It was a very peaceful area. These riverside areas alternated with open farm areas, where no shade was to be found for long stretches; I always anticipated my return to the riverside. I passed through many scenic towns; merely collections of houses and a few businesses beneath the lovely tree cover of countless huge maple trees. These towns also had many riverside park areas, one of which I sojurned in while I ate lunch.

The morning had been cool and overcast, but after lunch the cloud cover vanished, and it became quite hot once more; though not dangerously humid like before. As I continued to bike, I began to labour under the heat, and the next few hours became an exhausting endeavor as I became more and more dazed by the sun. By 3 PM, I had decided I had enough, and begun looking for a campground. They are very sparse in this area though, and it was many more KM until my phone found one, 6 KM off the highway. Around 5 PM, I finally rolled into camp, shakey and exhausted.

This camp is in a well shaded area, just away from another scenic river. This one actually kinda reminds me of sections of the Saint John river back home. The camp is actually pretty crowded and lively; this is definitely the busiest camp Ive been to yet.

I travelled around 190- 200 KM today all said and done, and tomorrow promises to be another very long day if I want to make it to Levis.