Canada; Richmond, Quebec to Beresford, New Brunswick
Week 2:
My favourite part.. Going lobster fishing!
Total miles.. 880
Day 5: Richmond, QC to Rivière-du-Loup, QC
274 miles
It was an early start for some this morning, as a water pipe was leaking from upstairs. I, however, managed to sleep right through it. Breakfast at 7:30 included an interesting but surprisingly edible combination of porridge, peanut butter and bacon. Our Sunday church meeting was half English and half French, and proved to test just how rusty my French has gotten. After a delicious lunch of spaghetti and caesar salad, I headed out towards Quebec City. It was a gorgeous day to be on the road, a sentiment echoed by the sheer number of bikes on the road (I counted 227). I arrived on Ile D'Orleans shortly before 4, where I had the opportunity to pull over for a minute. Unfortunately, that led to the discovery that the front straps holding my box on had broken. I decided I had best find a hardware store before they all closed, and left the island then. Equipped with a screwdriver, a utility knife, a couple washers and some climbing webbing, I was able to replace the metal straps and secure the box once more. I also picked up some ratchet straps for good measure. Having completed the repairs, I felt a reward necessary, so I treated myself to pizza for dinner.. Although it was a disappointment of a pizza. I headed out around 6, just missing the hourly ferry, which added to my travel time to Rivière-du-Loup. I didn't arrive at the hostel until about 9:30.. Chilled to the bone and exhausted. It was far later than I had intended, and I pushed myself more than I should have.. Lesson learned, next time I will stop earlier. A hot shower was quickly followed by bed.
My favourite part.. Going lobster fishing!
Total miles.. 880
Day 5: Richmond, QC to Rivière-du-Loup, QC
274 miles
It was an early start for some this morning, as a water pipe was leaking from upstairs. I, however, managed to sleep right through it. Breakfast at 7:30 included an interesting but surprisingly edible combination of porridge, peanut butter and bacon. Our Sunday church meeting was half English and half French, and proved to test just how rusty my French has gotten. After a delicious lunch of spaghetti and caesar salad, I headed out towards Quebec City. It was a gorgeous day to be on the road, a sentiment echoed by the sheer number of bikes on the road (I counted 227). I arrived on Ile D'Orleans shortly before 4, where I had the opportunity to pull over for a minute. Unfortunately, that led to the discovery that the front straps holding my box on had broken. I decided I had best find a hardware store before they all closed, and left the island then. Equipped with a screwdriver, a utility knife, a couple washers and some climbing webbing, I was able to replace the metal straps and secure the box once more. I also picked up some ratchet straps for good measure. Having completed the repairs, I felt a reward necessary, so I treated myself to pizza for dinner.. Although it was a disappointment of a pizza. I headed out around 6, just missing the hourly ferry, which added to my travel time to Rivière-du-Loup. I didn't arrive at the hostel until about 9:30.. Chilled to the bone and exhausted. It was far later than I had intended, and I pushed myself more than I should have.. Lesson learned, next time I will stop earlier. A hot shower was quickly followed by bed.
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| Parking lot repairs, Quebec City |
Day 6: Rivière-du-Loup, QC to Percé, QC
386 miles
I woke up fairly early this morning, after a very refreshing sleep. Breakfast was included at the hostel in Rivière-du-Loup, so once I was ready for the day I had some toast and tea. I hit the road around 8:30 to take full advantage of all the sights along the way. The whole day was packed with stunning landscape, lighthouses and quaint villages. The main (and only) road followed the coastline, or close to it, for the entire drive.. What a great ride! I stopped at a cantine and had poutine for lunch, then a cafe in Gaspé for dinner. There were some cold spots along the way, and some really windy spots as well, but I thoroughly enjoyed the days ride. I stay in Percé tonight, and have the hostel to myself.. I am apparently ahead of tourist season. I had thought it might be a good spot to watch the sunrise over Percé Rock, but the sun rises at 4:15 sooo that won't be happening. A hot shower and tea to thaw myself out again, and then off to bed for the close on another incredible day.
386 miles
I woke up fairly early this morning, after a very refreshing sleep. Breakfast was included at the hostel in Rivière-du-Loup, so once I was ready for the day I had some toast and tea. I hit the road around 8:30 to take full advantage of all the sights along the way. The whole day was packed with stunning landscape, lighthouses and quaint villages. The main (and only) road followed the coastline, or close to it, for the entire drive.. What a great ride! I stopped at a cantine and had poutine for lunch, then a cafe in Gaspé for dinner. There were some cold spots along the way, and some really windy spots as well, but I thoroughly enjoyed the days ride. I stay in Percé tonight, and have the hostel to myself.. I am apparently ahead of tourist season. I had thought it might be a good spot to watch the sunrise over Percé Rock, but the sun rises at 4:15 sooo that won't be happening. A hot shower and tea to thaw myself out again, and then off to bed for the close on another incredible day.
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| Matane-sur-Mer, St Lawrence River |
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| Perce Rock |
Day 7: Percé, QC to Beresford, NB
220 miles
After a fantastic sleep, I made myself some tea and had a granola bar as I took a walk out to the edge of the point to have a closer look at Percé Rock. It's more impressive from the side where you can see the archway in the middle, but still really neat to see up close. If the tide is right, you can actually walk out to it! I left Percé around 8:30, and didn't make too many stops as I was really wanting to stay ahead of the rain. I did stop off for some soup and a tea to warm up in Chandler, and then put on my rain gear to help keep me warm.. It did the trick and made the rest of the trip much more pleasant! I left Quebec and entered New Brunswick around 3, and stopped off a little ways down the road for some pizza, as I was getting quite hungry! From there it was about an hour down to Beresford, where I'll spend a couple days with some good friends. My friend K and her husband arrived from their flight shortly after I arrived, and her brother J is also home visiting, so it'll be a really fun few days! We had a delicious salmon dinner and spent the evening getting caught up and preparing for lobster fishing! We hope to be heading out in the morning, but a storm is blowing in so that may cancel the trip.. We won't know until we get the call at 4am.
220 miles
After a fantastic sleep, I made myself some tea and had a granola bar as I took a walk out to the edge of the point to have a closer look at Percé Rock. It's more impressive from the side where you can see the archway in the middle, but still really neat to see up close. If the tide is right, you can actually walk out to it! I left Percé around 8:30, and didn't make too many stops as I was really wanting to stay ahead of the rain. I did stop off for some soup and a tea to warm up in Chandler, and then put on my rain gear to help keep me warm.. It did the trick and made the rest of the trip much more pleasant! I left Quebec and entered New Brunswick around 3, and stopped off a little ways down the road for some pizza, as I was getting quite hungry! From there it was about an hour down to Beresford, where I'll spend a couple days with some good friends. My friend K and her husband arrived from their flight shortly after I arrived, and her brother J is also home visiting, so it'll be a really fun few days! We had a delicious salmon dinner and spent the evening getting caught up and preparing for lobster fishing! We hope to be heading out in the morning, but a storm is blowing in so that may cancel the trip.. We won't know until we get the call at 4am.
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| Perce Rock |
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| Perce Rock |
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| Leaving Quebec, Entering New Brunswick |
Day 8: Beresford, NB
0 miles
We got the call that the wind was up, so there was no need to be up at 4 am.. Which means that someone (thankfully not me) enjoyed rice and a burger at 3:30am for no reason whatsoever. I slept in until about 8, and enjoyed some quiet time to get caught up on a few things before the others woke up. After we'd all had breakfast, we went for a walk along the boardwalk down to the beach. It was a bit windy, but generally a gorgeous day with a gorgeous view. We skipped rocks.. or just tossed them for those of us who are not so talented with the skipping.. mostly, and at times narrowly, avoiding getting hit on the head by them. After our beach visit we had a quick lunch before a few went off for more beach time. I had a few repairs to do on my bike to get the straps fixed properly, so I stayed behind to do that. J was kind enough to lend a helping hand which made the task much easier. After that was done and the others were back from the beach, it was a hurried pizza making affair to get dinner ready before leaving for church. It's about an hour drive down to Napan, where the informal meeting was and where a couple shared their testimonies and experiences in other countries. After meeting lots of friendly new faces we headed for home and enjoyed some more chocolate chip cookies (an ongoing trend today) before calling it a day.. A great day at that.
0 miles
We got the call that the wind was up, so there was no need to be up at 4 am.. Which means that someone (thankfully not me) enjoyed rice and a burger at 3:30am for no reason whatsoever. I slept in until about 8, and enjoyed some quiet time to get caught up on a few things before the others woke up. After we'd all had breakfast, we went for a walk along the boardwalk down to the beach. It was a bit windy, but generally a gorgeous day with a gorgeous view. We skipped rocks.. or just tossed them for those of us who are not so talented with the skipping.. mostly, and at times narrowly, avoiding getting hit on the head by them. After our beach visit we had a quick lunch before a few went off for more beach time. I had a few repairs to do on my bike to get the straps fixed properly, so I stayed behind to do that. J was kind enough to lend a helping hand which made the task much easier. After that was done and the others were back from the beach, it was a hurried pizza making affair to get dinner ready before leaving for church. It's about an hour drive down to Napan, where the informal meeting was and where a couple shared their testimonies and experiences in other countries. After meeting lots of friendly new faces we headed for home and enjoyed some more chocolate chip cookies (an ongoing trend today) before calling it a day.. A great day at that.
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| Beresford Beach |
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| Driftwood, Youghall Beach |
Day 9: Beresford, NB
0 miles
Another restful night and lazy morning today. I went into town mid morning to pick up a couple things, and spent the rest of the morning relaxing. K and her hubby had gone lobster fishing, so when they got back we all had lunch together. After lunch we decided to go to the beach in Bathurst and soak up the sun for a while. After a restful afternoon at the beach, we came home to a fresh lobster dinner. It was my first time having lobster, and I can't say that I was extremely impressed. The claws are definitely far better than the tails.. it was a messy but fun experience. After dinner we played a few games and hung out.. Another end to a great day..
0 miles
Another restful night and lazy morning today. I went into town mid morning to pick up a couple things, and spent the rest of the morning relaxing. K and her hubby had gone lobster fishing, so when they got back we all had lunch together. After lunch we decided to go to the beach in Bathurst and soak up the sun for a while. After a restful afternoon at the beach, we came home to a fresh lobster dinner. It was my first time having lobster, and I can't say that I was extremely impressed. The claws are definitely far better than the tails.. it was a messy but fun experience. After dinner we played a few games and hung out.. Another end to a great day..
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| Lobster dinner |
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| Sunset at Beresford Beach |
Day 10: Beresford, NB
0 miles
Lobster fishing is a go! We got the wake up call at 4 am and layered up to head out. J and I drove down to the wharf and left the dock with Percy and his helper Cliatus at 5am. It was a dark rainy morning (to become even rainier as we would find out) but calm, so we set out to find the 45 sets of traps.. 2 traps on each string. Percy somehow manages to remember where every trap has been left and weaves his way back and forth finding each one that has his red, black and yellow markings. When Percy pulls the boat up close to the marker, Cliatus hooks the marker and pulls the rope over the side, reeling it in until both traps are set on the side of the boat. The lobsters need to be at least 76mm in order for them to keep them, so they are measured and banded, then the traps are re-baited and set again. It was very interesting and moved quite quickly. We got a few large lobsters (claws the size of my hand) and many other lobsters, for a total catch of 227 pounds. Any flounder fish that we caught were used as bait, and the crabs and smaller lobsters we tossed back. By the time we got back to shore the rain had soaked me right through all my layers, but regardless of being quite cold it was a lot of fun and really awesome of Percy to take us out! We finished off the trip with a delicious breakfast at Percy's, then back home for a hot shower and some dry clothes. K made delicious waffles for lunch, then I quickly disappeared for a much needed nap. The afternoon passed by rather quickly, with just enough time for a walk down to the beach before dinner. We had roast chicken and veggies for dinner, and then headed back down to Napan for an evening gospel meeting. We got home around 10 and set about getting lunches made before heading off to bed..
0 miles
Lobster fishing is a go! We got the wake up call at 4 am and layered up to head out. J and I drove down to the wharf and left the dock with Percy and his helper Cliatus at 5am. It was a dark rainy morning (to become even rainier as we would find out) but calm, so we set out to find the 45 sets of traps.. 2 traps on each string. Percy somehow manages to remember where every trap has been left and weaves his way back and forth finding each one that has his red, black and yellow markings. When Percy pulls the boat up close to the marker, Cliatus hooks the marker and pulls the rope over the side, reeling it in until both traps are set on the side of the boat. The lobsters need to be at least 76mm in order for them to keep them, so they are measured and banded, then the traps are re-baited and set again. It was very interesting and moved quite quickly. We got a few large lobsters (claws the size of my hand) and many other lobsters, for a total catch of 227 pounds. Any flounder fish that we caught were used as bait, and the crabs and smaller lobsters we tossed back. By the time we got back to shore the rain had soaked me right through all my layers, but regardless of being quite cold it was a lot of fun and really awesome of Percy to take us out! We finished off the trip with a delicious breakfast at Percy's, then back home for a hot shower and some dry clothes. K made delicious waffles for lunch, then I quickly disappeared for a much needed nap. The afternoon passed by rather quickly, with just enough time for a walk down to the beach before dinner. We had roast chicken and veggies for dinner, and then headed back down to Napan for an evening gospel meeting. We got home around 10 and set about getting lunches made before heading off to bed..
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| Out lobster fishing |
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| Lobsters |
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| Banding Lobsters |
Day 11: Beresford, NB
0 miles
We got up and left the house around 8:30 this morning for an encouraging day at our church convention. Now that it's a two day convention there are no meals prepared, so we brought a packed lunch. The meetings are also closer together, so we were all done for the day at 5:30. On our way home we stopped off to visit Aunt L., then back home to homemade spaghetti for dinner.. Delicious!
J.
Design Life. Create Originality. Inspire Wonder.
0 miles
We got up and left the house around 8:30 this morning for an encouraging day at our church convention. Now that it's a two day convention there are no meals prepared, so we brought a packed lunch. The meetings are also closer together, so we were all done for the day at 5:30. On our way home we stopped off to visit Aunt L., then back home to homemade spaghetti for dinner.. Delicious!
J.
Design Life. Create Originality. Inspire Wonder.
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