Day 11: Cap Pele to Berry Mills

88 km (55 miles) – Total so far: 1,046 km (650 miles)

Escape from the inner tent surrounded by 1,000 + mosquitos required all my ingenuity but I think I got away with just few bites.

The previous evening had started in Fred’s seafood restaurant, but briefly. Every seafood was fried in batter and in these cycling days I struggle with much fatty food. Adjournment to Tim Horton’s which is a big chain in Canada but has wifi and the chilli and Tuscan chicken were fine and cheap. Camp was on the cyclists and jiggers footpath about a kilometre out of town.

After breakfast at Horton’s and watching an hour of the Ashes I was no the road at 9:45 am and in Shediac an hour later. These beach places really do not appeal to me. They are packed, and people in the campsites in their smart RV’s are practically on top if each other, see the photo below.

From their an hour into Moncton on the quieter route 134 just north of the freeway. Moncton is the geographical centre of the Maritime provinces and has a population of 140,000. Similar to Truro it has a mass of American style malls and fast food joints as you enter town, but downtown is quite pleasant. This was a hot day, late twenties and the hottest consistent day so far. A morning of many hills, albeit gentle, and into the breeze, again just gentle.

After a drink break I headed into the hills at the back of town heading for Salisbury and Fredericton. I found a decent family run motel and the owner asked if I wanted something cheap. He is in the middle of renovating, and also many family run places will it charge tax if paid in cash. $50 is much mo appealing than $80. The only downside was that the shops were back down the 3 km hill. However with the bike lighter the hills seemed like valleys (reference Red Queen, Alice through the Looking Glass).

Distance 88 kilometres Max Speed 55.7 km / hr Ride Time 4 hrs 55 mins Moving Average 17.9 km / hr Departed 9:45 am, Arrived 4:45 pm