Only 5 Days til Halifax!!!

Wow...this trip has flown by...

I last wrote when I was in Quebec City. Leaving there, I wasn't entirely sure where I was headed simply because I had no commitment to be anywhere that evening. Throughout the day I was able to bike right along the St. Lawrence which was beautiful! I also discovered that there was a 2000 person, one week bike tour happening in that area, so there many other bikers around; Some spoke English, some spoke French. I recall that day having great weather, and I ended up in Riviere Ouelle in a campground that was right on the river- again, absolutely gorgeous! That evening there was karaoke as entertainment at the campground, although the majority of it was done by children singing what seemed to be well-known French songs. haha, I was entertained:)

I headed out the next morning, again not exactly sure on where I was going. Unfortunately, I was also starting to feel a bit of a sorethroat. By noon, I had made it to Riviere-du-Loup which was fairly straightforward. The trick about Quebec is that cyclists aren't allowed on the main highways, so finding your way on the side roads and La Route Verte (the cycle routes) can sometimes be a little tricky. That afternoon I found my way in the right direction but it was a lot of jumping around from one road to another to trails etc. At the end of the day I found a small town called St.Honoure. They didn't have a camp ground, but I found a little field with trees to pitch my tent in.

By the following morning my sore throat had turned into more of a cold including a stuffy nose :(, but I packed up and carried on my way, just taking it easy. It was a beautiful, sunny day. To my surprise I actually made it over the New Brunswick border that day (which was also my last time zone change) and into a neat little town of Edmunston. It was here where I found an amazing provincial campground, which had an area specifically for cycle tourists. They had a great park and pool, were close to town and it was only $10 a night! As I was not feeling well I figured this was the perfect place for a rest day, and rest I did. I slept in, and spent the day relaxing in the sun:)

The morning I left Edmunston I wasn't feeling 100%, but I was feeling much better. From there I headed to Grand Falls. The terrain was getting much more hilly again, but I still had beautiful, sunny warm weather and I was in no rush as the distance wasn't too far. Grand Falls certainly holds true to its name. As I rode into downtown, I looked over the bridge and there were spectacular waterfalls which flowed down into the river in a large cannon. My campground wasn't far from the river, and there was a lovely trailed that followed the river upstream towards the falls with several lookout points. (I wish I could post my pictures of that day).

The next day was again sunny and warm, and I was headed to Woodstock. The day was going along well, nothing to eventful, I had just finished eating lunch on the side of the highway, and was off on my way again. Then to my complete surprise my highschool French teacher pulls over to the side of the road!! It was the most bizarre moment! We chatted for a bit, she was going to visit some friends in Muncton. It was great to see her, the surprise certainly made my day :) and it turns out she's set me up with a B&B in Muncton (thank you very much Mme!). That evening, arriving in Woodstock. It was a pretty little town. I spent some time sitting by the river in the sunshine. The campground was right on the river as well, although I was the only tent. All other "campers" were in massive RV's, I stood out a little.

From Woodstock, I made my way to Fredericton. I was still making my way through some big hills, but again it was a beautiful day :) When I arrived in the city, I had a place to stay and was navigating my way there, but then bumped into Dave again! He had arrived the day before from a different route, and was relaxing by the river downtown. We chatted for a while, caught up on each others stories of the past week or so, then I took off as it looked like a storm was coming. I got to my new temporary home just in time!

So that was yesterday. Today I spent the day sleeping in, then I headed downtown. I met up with my cousin, Coralynn and her friend Sam who have been working in St. John for the summer. We went out for lunch the spent the afternoon visiting and relaxing. I am now back at "home." I'll be heading out again tomorrow with only 5 days of riding left, its really hard to believe that its gone so fast!

A lot of people along the way have asked me questions like "what's been the hardest part?" or "Wow, you biked through the Rockies/Northern Ontario! Was that tough?" I always have a difficult time answering these questions because I've realized that I don't and can't think of any part as "hard." The question of how hard anything is, is actually irrelevant. The questions that's important is, "Can I do that?" As long as the answer to that question is Yes, then there's no problem; you just go do it. It doesn't matter how you do it, or if someone else does it "better" than you. You still succeeded. Sometimes, you're not really sure what the answer is, but that doesn't mean "I can't," it means "let's find out."

I'm pretty sure they next time you'll hear from me will be in Halifax! I'm arriving there on the 13th. So if you know anyone who knows anyone who would like to come out and see me finish I'll be biking down to the harbour. I'm not exactly sure what time, but give me an email and I'll let you know on the day of, where abouts I am :)