Tuesday August 14th
You know I thought I had managed to get up early today but when I came inside the house everyone was already up, damn Atlantic time! Don made some bacon and eggs plus I had a bagel with bacon as well so I was pretty fueled up when it was time to go. I can’t thank Dan and his family enough for the proper send off and for really my introduction to the Maritimes! These little stop overs are really what is keeping me going right now and of course they build great memories of travelling Canada!
The visibility was about a kilometer today but not too misty so I was relatively dry. It is too bad though as nothing is too photogenic and there is really nothing to describe because it is relatively flat too. I was really going through the motions and riding a bit aimlessly until I saw a bike shop where I pumped up the tires, ah better now! The thing that really stood out in this area is how much the notion of Acadia is present. Telephone poles have the red, white and blue of the French flag and most homes have the flag as well. There were also various little banners and markers in the small little towns I rode through as well. What I didn’t know at the time is that tomorrow is Acadia day.
The road was very good today and traffic for the most part was pretty quiet. The sun came out about mid day and eventually I started hitting hills sort of like the ones in Ontario. I was riding in the wind but I really didn’t notice too much as I was wrapped in various day dreams. After about 120 kilometers my energy seemed to disappear and I was riding just to ride as close to PEI as possible. I had decided that I will visit Moncton later and will possibly fly back from there.
I don’t know if it was the heat, distance or motivation but I totally bonked by the time I got the Kouchibouguac park. Hindsight tells me I should not have ridden the 12 kilometers into the park and just ride up to the Rv park with the restaurant 4 kilometers up the road but hindsight being what it was I rode into the park. I was hobbling my way in looking for motivation but found none and was starting to lose focus and wandering a bit into the road. This wasn’t a concern for traffic as there was none but I needed sugar badly.
I came to the turn off for the canteen/cafe and kept going but then stopped and came to my senses. It was only a kilometer to the campground but I was near collapse and food took priority. I turned around and rode to the canteen. I first ordered a sub sandwich, chocolate bar and chocolate milk. The young kid behind the counter didn’t really get my desperation until he witnessed me teething at the wrapper just to get to the chocolate. The milk was gone before the sub was delivered and I then proceeded to down the sub in about 60 seconds. He was getting the picture, I ordered a banana and two chicken pot pies which I took a little longer. Hindsight was in my favour because the canteen closed shortly after so if I had set up camp first I would have been starving and would have had to ride out to get food.
I cleaned up after that and was starting to recover some energy so I went for a walk to the river. It was dark so I only hung out for a while before heading back. Laying in bed something nagged at me. I was so tired but a little angel had told me to watch for meteor showers yesterday and tonight. Specifically the Persieds: they are typically fast and bright meteors. They radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus the Hero. You don’t need to know Perseus to watch the shower because the meteors appear in all parts of the sky. The Perseids are considered by many people to be the year’s best shower, and often peak at 50 or more meteors per hour in a dark sky.
I didn’t see them but had a fairly good look at the nights sky and forgot just how beautiful it can be. I was laying on my back in a remote little theatre area in the park which had no lighting. I think I will do a little more star gazing in the future and I think I have the perfect companion to do so. I was close to falling asleep so I went to bed but for some reason had a restless sleep. Probably muscle repairs kept me up!