Day 74 - Perth-Andover, NB to Hawkshaw, NB

July 26 (Sunday)

Start Time: 6:30 am

Stop Time: 3:00 pm

KM Travelled: 123.3 km

Elevation: +777/ - 798 m

Special Stuff: Covered bridges, McCain foods, Planning for the wrap-up

I woke up this morning exhausted. I had the hardest time falling asleep last night. The little nap after my ride yesterday along with the time change, and the people having a campfire right behind our trailer resulted in me getting only 5 hours of poor quality sleep.

I always have the option to pull the 'Skip A Day' card, but I will only cross Canada if I'm actually biking, so I keep going. Not every day is going to be easy and fun. To be honest, up to now, I've been really fortunate with the great sleep I've been getting.

I drag my tired butt around, get myself packed and out the door. I leave a half hour later than I'd like, but at least I made it out!

My route today gives me a pleasant surprise - I get my first encounter with a covered bridge! I have seen photos of these bridges from other bikers out on the east coast, and now I get to experience one in person! Here is the Old Florenceville Bridge. So exciting!

I've noticed many references to McCain food products in this area. A quick internet search shows that it was founded right here in the Florenceville-Bristol area of New Brunswick. How interesting - I have eaten McCain food products my whole life.

An hour later, I come across another covered bridge in Hartland - this one boasts that it is the longest covered bridge in the world. I didn't ride through it - as it did not look like there was enough room for a bike and a car. It also looked kindof creepy to ride through on a bike.

My Ride with GPS app suggests that I use the trails. I look at the road I'm on and see a hill up ahead, and my app shows that the elevation along the trail is flat all the way to the next town. I decide to take the trail. (Can you hear the doom music in the background?) At first the trail is nice, but gradually I realize that I've traded a ride up a small hill for dirt, puddles, mud, and rocks. I must be the first rider of the day because I'm covered in spider webs. Progress is super slow. I welcome four quads to pass by me - so they can take over the spider web trail breaking duty. On the upside, I got a great view of the river, but honestly, I don't think the trade off was worth it. After 5 km of slogging it, I spot a rough trail through a gravel pit - and I push my bike up through it to connect with the road above. Good grief, when will I learn - the "bike trails" are not good for long haul bikers!

Today is another hot day. I am thankful for the wind that cools me down.

For a second day in a row, I accidently get off course up a steep 2 km hill (a 4 km error). This second mistake makes me re-assess my strategy for hills. Normally I take a quick peak on my map before tackling hills...but I think with the heat and my fatigue, I must not be reading the map correctly. Going forward, before tackling big hills that require significant effort, I will now stop my bike and confirm that the hill is indeed on my travel route. (This will be hard to do, because my mentality at the bottom of the hill is to "just get it over with".) None-the-less, I'm still really proud of my accomplishment! I'm amazed at how I can dig deep for power even when I'm so hot and tired.

The end of my ride today takes me through a de-commissioned road. It is all grown over. It feels like no one uses this trail, and I'm surprised when a motorbike comes towards me and we navigate space to pass by each another. I cross over a bike/ pedestrian bridge - that my risk assessment determines I could easily fall through many sections of this bridge - but it is not too far to fall - I could swim to shore - and my bike would likely float with the panniers.

I meet up with Brian at the Hawkshaw campground. I'm completely spent! This has been an exhausting day (I think it comes second place to my most exhausting day on the Sturgeon Falls - Mattawa stretch). I do not dare have a nap. To keep myself awake, I need to move my body. I do some laundry and ask Brian to set up the external hose water outlet on the trailer so I can wash my bike (to try to get rid of the pedal squeak). We've not used the external water outlet yet, and Brain is thrilled to try out a new trailer feature.

Brian and I discuss how we will navigate the wrap-up of the bike ride in Newfoundland. I pick a firm date to cross over on the ferry from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Argentia, Newfoundland - and book my ticket. There is no room for vehicles, so Brian is considering parking the truck and trailer and flying over from Halifax. This may work well as the truck needs to be serviced (hopefully we can get an appointment). The wheels are in full motion now to complete the ride at Cape Spear.

Finishing the ride at Cape Spear may be the end of a journey, but it is not the end of biking for me this summer/ fall. I need to maintain my fitness level because I've signed up for the Vancouver -> Whistler Grand Fondo on September 12th. I did this intentionally as I know how easy it is to finish a big fitness challenge and then just drop everything. The Grand Fondo will require that I keep up my fitness level. I've got a great baseline that I just need to maintain as we drive back to B.C. at the end of August/ beginning of September.