Day 76 - Jemseg, NB to Mapleton, NB

July 28 (Wednesday)

Start time: 6:15 am

Stop time: 2:30 pm

KM Travelled: 125.6 km

Elevation: +1,053/ 1,027 m

Special Stuff: A drink of water

Brian and I both agree, boon docking at gas stations does not allow for the most restful of sleeps - but I guess we can now add it to our 'been there done that' list.

With the construction along Highway #2, I've decided to stay along the side roads. It is a long ride, and at points, I question the wisdom of avoiding the faster, more direct route. 40 km into the ride, I take an overpass over Highway #2 and take note of the speed of the traffic, and the exposure to the sun. This confirms that I've made the right choice.

Some highlights of the ride:

• Coming down a really steep hill, I run into a big bug (or the bug hits me) with a big "thud" - I think it may have stung me because I now have a sensitive area just under my left collarbone. I'm so grateful it did not go into my mouth!

• A mama deer and her baby run across the road in front of me. The baby deer, in it's haste, wipes out on the tarmac, but recovers quickly.

• Rural New Brunswick still gets garbage pick up the old fashioned way - manually. I observed the pick up procedures carried out by a garbage man and a garbage woman.

• There must not be any bears in New Brunswick, either that or they don't like garbage because the garbage bin holders are definately not bear-proof.

• I run into the oldest graveyard yet (New Canaan) - it looks like it dates back to the late 1700's. In the 1700's and 1800's, it must have been a hard life as there are many gravestones of adults under the age of 50 years old and children (some passing within days of each other).

Today's ride has the greatest total climb and descent since that grueling day in the back in the Ontario countryside from Sturgeon Falls to Mattawa. I love how powerful my glutes, quads and hamstring have become. I also love how I've learned how maximize my muscle strength to ride hills by tilting my pelvis slightly to engage my powerhouse glutes. Whenever I feel pain or discomfort in my knees or legs, I know I'm not riding in the right position and I make the appropriate adjustments. This is all very amazing given that I had so many problems with my knees just a few short years ago. Summed up in my own words, my physio said I had 'a lazy ass'. Getting professional help (physio, personal trainer, bike fitter) has been really helpful for me to learn how my body works and how to maximize my strength. I can confidently and proudly say, I no longer have a lazy ass.

The temperature today reaches 28 degree celsius and the heat is taking it's toll on me. I made an oversight of not refreshing the water in my emergency water bottle #5 - so it has old water - which I'm concerned may have toxins that have leached from the plastic. I only want to drink that water in a critical emergency - I'm not there yet, but I'm probably pushing myself past the point where I should be getting more water. On the map, the campground is not too far away now. As I move through a residential neighbourhood, I see a lady having tea in her backyard, and I imagine she invites me into her yard to have a drink of cold water. For the first time, I truely understand how amazing it would feel like to be offered a bottle of water from a stranger - it is a deep and authentic sense of understanding. I think I have found a third metric to assess my level of exhaustion:

1. Not afraid of bears

2. Not afraid of bedbugs

3. Willing to accept beverages from strangers

When I pull into the entrance of the campground, I come past a woman that looks to be in her 30s driving her truck out the exit - she smiles at me and gives me a thumbs up. It's incredible how something so small does so much to lift my spirits.

I get to the trailer, Brian is on a call and he's very focused. There is no water in our water containers (I used it all up when we were boon docking), so I rifle through our storage bins and find a bottle of water in our back-up supplies. My hands are weak and I can't get the lid off - thankfully Brian notices my distress and with his strong hands, twists the cap off and I guzzle down a litre. (I think he likes to be around when I'm completely spent and genuinely need his help.) I make a note to switch out the water in my emergency water bottle #5 before my next ride.

Later in the day, Brian lets me know that the construction zones on Highway #2 had two way single lane traffic in some sections that would have been challenging for bikers to navigate. This is another confirmation that my longer route was the better route given the circumstances.

Tomorrow is a rest day - I feel I have truly earned it. I'm looking forward to doing more planning for the remainder of the ride. I also think my eyes need a bit of a rest, they are tired and getting puffy and irritated - this issue that has been developing over the the last few weeks (always something new).