Leg 6 - The Maritimes
Day 54 - Riviere-du-Loup QC to Edmundston NB - 135.0 kms
Day 54 - Progress to Edmundston NB - 5,484.0 kms
Our last view of the St. Lawrence Neither of us are "morning people", but for some reason, this morning it was even harder than usual to drag ourselves out of bed. We then entered the time/space continuum, where from the time the alarm goes off until we have finished breakfast (at the restaurant right next door) and are getting on our bikes, three hours somehow goes by!
We had the option of riding on a bike path today but decided against it because:
a) we didn't know what type of surface we would be riding on,
2) it was approximately 15 kms longer than the 120 km highway route, and
III) we were losing an hour today due to the final time change in New Brunswick.
We had the option of riding on a bike path today but decided against it because:
a) we didn't know what type of surface we would be riding on,
2) it was approximately 15 kms longer than the 120 km highway route, and
III) we were losing an hour today due to the final time change in New Brunswick.
 Hello Trans Canada Highway... So we found ourselves back on the shoulder of our old friend the TransCanada highway. It was a bit of a shock to the system to have semi-trailers roaring past us again! Trucks were banned from the highways that we have ridden since Montreal unless they were local. It was also strange (in a bad way) to be climbing substantial hills again as we head inland from the St. Lawrence River. The hills are long/steep enough inclines to warrant a passing lane. After about 4 days of relatively level countryside following along the St. Lawrence, our research indicates there will be more hills in our future. |  ...and hills! |
Hills aside, today was another beautiful day for riding!
 The Ha' Ha' sign | After about 55 kms we began to look for lunch opportunities, and were intrigued when we saw signs for a town called Saint-Louis du Ha' Ha' (I am not making this up!) We found a quaint little diner called Cantine Choupi, hoping to find out more about the town's name. |  Our waitress Audrey |
Although the food was delicious and the service superb, the staff couldn't shed any light on the origins of the town's unusual name. (Cam's subsequent research indicated several possible explanations, but general confusion on the actual source. Officially, the explanation is that it is derived from the name of a nearby lake "Lake Temiscouata", with the "Ha Ha" coming from "...couata"... Cam liked the other explanations which were much more interesting!)
The afternoon featured several stretches of construction involving twinning the TransCanada highway. This made for less than ideal riding conditions. At one point we saw a section of completed highway that was not open to traffic yet, however the pavement ended shortly after we began riding on it, so it was back to sharing the highway with vehicles.
The afternoon featured several stretches of construction involving twinning the TransCanada highway. This made for less than ideal riding conditions. At one point we saw a section of completed highway that was not open to traffic yet, however the pavement ended shortly after we began riding on it, so it was back to sharing the highway with vehicles.
Our "short-lived" private highway
Today, we entered into our 11th Province/State! Late in the afternoon we were excited to cross the border into New Brunswick, and into Leg 6 of our adventure - "The Maritimes". In spite of our excitement, we have fond memories of our time in Quebec and will both miss it. The fact that the province is so different from Alberta has made it a most excellent part of our adventure.
Cam's in-laws hail from New Brunswick and so he called his mother-in-law Sharon as he crossed the border to share his first visit in the province with her. Unfortunately, we won't be going close to St. John, where they were from.
Cam's in-laws hail from New Brunswick and so he called his mother-in-law Sharon as he crossed the border to share his first visit in the province with her. Unfortunately, we won't be going close to St. John, where they were from.
The latest we've been on the highways - after 9PM... The combination of a late start, numerous hills and a time change meant we didn't arrive in the Edmundston area until about 7:30PM. The town seems to stretch forever along the highway. For the first time on the trip, we elected to stop for supper before checking into a motel and cleaning up. We made a great choice for our meal - Pizza Delight features delicious roasted chicken with a salad/fruit bar and also a bread bar! You could grill your choice of bread and then choose from several awesome butter spreads. The price was also right as our dinner cost us less than breakfast this morning!
We used the time in the restaurant to choose a hotel for the night as we didn't expect it would be a problem to arrive here on a Thursday night and find a room. We underestimated the demand for hotel rooms in this town, however, and found the rates to be quite expensive. We chose the Days Inn, which required us to ride another 8 kms (and several hills) - which is still considered to be in Edmundston! It was after 9:00PM when we were doing this ride, and so we had to use our flashing taillights to ensure that we could be well seen. This is by far the latest that we have been on the highways on our trip so far, and we hope it is the last. It was 9:30PM by the time we got to the hotel.
One advantage to the change in our dinner/motel procedure is we can avoid digging out street clothes after showering, and just put on our "night wear". Perhaps this will significantly speed up our morning routine....!
We used the time in the restaurant to choose a hotel for the night as we didn't expect it would be a problem to arrive here on a Thursday night and find a room. We underestimated the demand for hotel rooms in this town, however, and found the rates to be quite expensive. We chose the Days Inn, which required us to ride another 8 kms (and several hills) - which is still considered to be in Edmundston! It was after 9:00PM when we were doing this ride, and so we had to use our flashing taillights to ensure that we could be well seen. This is by far the latest that we have been on the highways on our trip so far, and we hope it is the last. It was 9:30PM by the time we got to the hotel.
One advantage to the change in our dinner/motel procedure is we can avoid digging out street clothes after showering, and just put on our "night wear". Perhaps this will significantly speed up our morning routine....!
A late arrival and a cross-country trip to get to the hotel!
Ride Details:
- Distance: 135.0 kms
- Riding time: 6 hours, 30 minutes
- Average speed: 20.8 kms
- Wind: Northwest (light)
- Temperature: 24 degrees Celcius
- Cumulative: 5,484.0 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Perth-Andover, New Brunswick - 90.0 kms
For more ride details, see Strava and for more pictures from today's ride, see our Photo Gallery!