Following Rivers to the Sea

Having left the shores of the Great Lakes behind us, this penultimate leg of the journey took us along a series of rivers on our way to the Atlantic. Leaving Ottawa we crossed over the Ottawa River into the province of Quebec and followed it until it became the St. Lawerence, and as the the St. Lawerence grew into a bay we turned south into New Brunswick to pick up the St. John river to take us to the sea. We looked forward to flat terrain in the river valleys and so were a little surprised when the road climbed up and down, first high above the St. Lawerence and then especially in New Brunswick, which turned out to be quite a hilly place! One particular hill, on a badly chosen shortcut off the main highway, loomed like a vertical wall in front of us and turned out to be the longest, steepest climb of the entire trip.

Crossing the Saint Lawrence at Trois Rivieres proved to be quite the adventure. We knew that bikes weren't allowed on the bridge, but after some investigation we learned that there was a shuttle service. We warned them that we had a tandem, so instead of the usual minivan they sent a huge flatbed tow truck and we crossed the river in style! We crossed the river for a second time at Quebec City, this time by ferry, taking us straight into the old town for a breakfast detour.

Quebec proved to be one of our favourite provinces of the trip, with picturesque small towns along the Saint Lawrence river, which gradually widened to an enormous estuary. Here the grain elevators that had defined a settlement in the praries were replaced by the spires of the ornate Catholic churches and as we got closer to the sea the towns developed a maritime feel. New Brunswick was our first taste of the Atlantic coast, with its rugged, rocky shoreline, but the industrial port of Saint John was quite a shock after the fields and forests we'd become accustomed to of late.

We got our fair share of both good and bad weather on this leg, first enjoying clear and bright sunny days in the rolling fields of Quebec and then enduring a few very dark and wet days through the forests of New Brunswick. As usual the wind blew fiercely practically every day and here again we got a fair mix of head and tailwinds. In this case when the sun shone the winds were at our backs, making for pleasant days indeed, but when the rain fell the wind was in our faces, making the slog slow and disheartening. In the stoker's seat, Stephanie had the luxury of keeping her head down for a lot of these last difficult days.

Given these extremes, we developed a bit of an obsession with the weather forecast, seeking it out on every available opportunity, and both rejoicing in is favourable aspects and rationalizing away its less positive predictions. Rain or shine, daytime temperatures remained very pleasant for riding but the nights started to become cold (one particular evening the tent froze even before we got in it for the night!) and a new sense of living dangerously, with the potential for the weather to turn at any time, began to develop. Signs of the end of "the season" were all around us. On this leg we stayed at two campgrounds on their last night of operation for the year and we got used to seeing the closed signs at many others. We also started to really feel the pressure of the reducing number of daylight hours, which was down to 11 by the journey's end. To cycle 100 miles, eat 3 (sometimes 4!) meals, and both set up and dismantle camp each day in this time, one needs to be efficient indeed!

Our excitement at nearing the coast increased as each river broadened and led us toward the sea. We now stand in Saint John, with only 2 days and 250km through Nova Scotia betwween us and Halifax.