Moncton (NB) to Charlottetown (PEI)
176 km, nice sunny day
Winds favourable in NB, and all over the place in PEI
As I was enjoying my Darkhorse Ale at the Gahan House Brewering company, I was just letting things sink in. This still isn't real. I am currently sitting on a grey leather couch, in a garage converted into a lounge, walls painted red, pool table in front of me, Beatles pictures on the wall along various paintings and mirrors, beside an old-style metal fridge, while listening to Dazed and Confused (Led Zeppelin, The Song Remains The Same, 1976) on the record player. This isn't real. There is a few things missing – one of them is another beer. I could steal someone's beer in the fridge, but I can't get myself to do that.
Today. Nice day to ride all around. I left Moncton and joined Marcel, from Ottawa but vacationing in Dieppe, and he escorted me to the PEI bridge. It was great to ride with him, he knows how ti ride (smooth rider, good etiquette, good pace). He does have more than one speed (his usual fast), he was able to ride constantly slow with me today. On top of being my guide to this part of the country, he was also my photographer.
Near lunchtime, he introduced me to deep-fried clams. Not too bad. Greasy too. We stopped in at his girlfriend's parent's cottage to eat the greasy meal, where they also fed me lobster tail. Nice folks, typical NB hospitality. Must be the Frenchies around here.
The bridge – massive. I didn't read the fact sheet on it yet, but I did see a documentary on it in the past. Beautiful. You can see it from pretty far too. No biking allowed, but there was a free shuttle taking us across (pay when you come back, or pay the ferry on the other side of the Island).
The Island – nothing spectacular to take pictures. Just kidding. Flat it isn't. I was hoping not to wake up my granny for today, but I had no choice at times. I decided to venture a bit and stay off (as much as possible) the Trans-Canada. I admit that I didn't make the best decision (but no way of knowing otherwise) with one of the roads I took. Things were rolling nicely, until I saw an uphill (following a long downhill) of red sand. Thinking it might be a short discontinuation of the road, I kept going. Eight km later or so, with some tricky sections, and lots of horse tracks, I got out. Interesting. I guess I was off-road riding today.
Charlottetown. Nice city. I got the scoop on what to visit from the folks at the Information centre, then went directly to the hostel for a shower so I can start my touristy thing before it gets dark. Lovely hostel. That garage lounge thing impressed me from the start. A word came into my head that I associate Charlottetown with: vintage. Historical would be the second word, as it's pretty rich in things that shaped Canada.
The city is fairly small, with the downtown core quite doable in a few hours. Few nice Victorian homes too. There's a Jazz festival happening at the moment; I was able to sample a bit of the great music.
After my touristy jaunt, I headed for the micro-brewery, the Gahan House. Nice beers. The one that impressed me the most was the Darkhorse; a dark ale with a hint of chocolate. The meal: bacon-wrapped scallops as an appertiser, followed by the recommeneded Gahan burger (typical bacon cheese burger, nothing special). But, all was tasty. Desert was a deep dish warm pecan pie with vanilla ice cream.
I spent some time figuring options for possible destination points, and also had a long look at Cape Breton and what kind of days I could be looking at.
But, I must say that there's four highlights of the day: riding with Marcel, PEI itself, the beer at the micro-brewery, and sitting here with Zeppelin playing in the background.
So, I will now retire for the night, and hope to have a nice lovely sleep. I believe I can have an easy day tomorrow, with an average day the day after where I will have a rest day in Halifax. Tomorrow, I am done with the 8th province.
Marcel stated today that he enjoys the blog, as it's not just about biking, but “half of it is about beer and food”. I hope I get to entertain a few of you lovely folks.
Love you guys, and see you soon.
Pierre
Introduction
Allo, hello, tere,
Some old lines/puns: Pierre qui roule, rock and roll, the rolling stone (gathers no dust).
Who: Pierre, Ottawa (ON)
What: Cross Canada travel.
When: After a few days rest in Tofino, British Columbia at the beginning of May, 2008, hit the road around the 4th. The 1st time-based goal is to arrive in Ottawa in mid June, race in a 24-hour mountain bike competition, and head back on the road a few days later. Finish the trip in St. John's, Newfoundland, at the end of July, 2008, before returning home to Ottawa to start being an adult again.
Where: Canada, West to East, via Toronto, Ontario. Detours: Val Gagné and Manitoulin Island (ON), Gaspé region (QC), and Cape Breton (NS).
Why: Visit this beautiful (and fairly big) nation of ours. See family and friends. Taste the cuisine of different parts of the country and enjoy the various beers and wine along the way. Experience anything the villages and cities along the way have to showcase. Lose 50 pounds and be buff.
How: By bicycle (her nickname: Dzie, pronounced D-Zie).
Extras: According to mapquest, a drive from tip to tip (via Toronto) would be 7710 km (85 hours of driving, 2 ferries). A flight would only be 5400 km (9 hours flight time, with switching planes 2 times).
* I do occasionally feel I am following the footsteps of a few great ones (whom I've also had the honour of riding with), who have done this trip in the past - Al, and especially Tanya. I do hope that I can bring in some new pics, new stories, and not rehash stuff that those amazing folks have done before me.
** I imagine I'll be a bit lonely at times throughout the trip, where I highly request and encourage comments from you guys. It'll be my way of having some conversations with you. I'll try to update the blog every few days.
Disclaimer: Most of you guys know me. In my posts, there will probably be a mixture of bizarre stories, silly jokes (like the weight-losing bit a few instances before), some references to music lyrics and movie lines. I will do my best to entertain, but sometimes, I might miss the mark on being funny or entertaining (hopefully not though).
Posting messages: Readers with a gmail/blogger account - you know what to do. Readers who do not: post a comment as anonymous (but put your name at the bottom of the comment please). The occasional personal messages can be sent to pierre.l.perron@gmail.com
Ciao,
p2
Some old lines/puns: Pierre qui roule, rock and roll, the rolling stone (gathers no dust).
Who: Pierre, Ottawa (ON)
What: Cross Canada travel.
When: After a few days rest in Tofino, British Columbia at the beginning of May, 2008, hit the road around the 4th. The 1st time-based goal is to arrive in Ottawa in mid June, race in a 24-hour mountain bike competition, and head back on the road a few days later. Finish the trip in St. John's, Newfoundland, at the end of July, 2008, before returning home to Ottawa to start being an adult again.
Where: Canada, West to East, via Toronto, Ontario. Detours: Val Gagné and Manitoulin Island (ON), Gaspé region (QC), and Cape Breton (NS).
Why: Visit this beautiful (and fairly big) nation of ours. See family and friends. Taste the cuisine of different parts of the country and enjoy the various beers and wine along the way. Experience anything the villages and cities along the way have to showcase. Lose 50 pounds and be buff.
How: By bicycle (her nickname: Dzie, pronounced D-Zie).
Extras: According to mapquest, a drive from tip to tip (via Toronto) would be 7710 km (85 hours of driving, 2 ferries). A flight would only be 5400 km (9 hours flight time, with switching planes 2 times).
* I do occasionally feel I am following the footsteps of a few great ones (whom I've also had the honour of riding with), who have done this trip in the past - Al, and especially Tanya. I do hope that I can bring in some new pics, new stories, and not rehash stuff that those amazing folks have done before me.
** I imagine I'll be a bit lonely at times throughout the trip, where I highly request and encourage comments from you guys. It'll be my way of having some conversations with you. I'll try to update the blog every few days.
Disclaimer: Most of you guys know me. In my posts, there will probably be a mixture of bizarre stories, silly jokes (like the weight-losing bit a few instances before), some references to music lyrics and movie lines. I will do my best to entertain, but sometimes, I might miss the mark on being funny or entertaining (hopefully not though).
Posting messages: Readers with a gmail/blogger account - you know what to do. Readers who do not: post a comment as anonymous (but put your name at the bottom of the comment please). The occasional personal messages can be sent to pierre.l.perron@gmail.com
Ciao,
p2
Saturday, July 12, 2008
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4 comments:
Pierre,
This is Roland the other crazy cross-country biker. Holy God, Man, you are making crazy good time. On a good day, I'm struggling to clock in 130km and you're closing in on 200km every day. Good for you!!!
Good to hear you saw Moncton (my home town). Not much to look at, but it's a great place to live.
Anyways, best of luck with your travels and let's hook up in September in Ottawa and compare war stories.
Roland
Salut Pierre, c'est Alexandre. Wow, c'est juste tellement de bières que tu bois ces temps-ci. En moyenne, tu dois bien avoir une bière par jour?
Ici c'est bien tranquille, j'ai été jouer au mini-putt avec Gabrielle :P
Tu vas voir, à la fin de ton voyage, tu vas avoir un gros rush de souvenirs, tu vas vraiment te rendre compte de tout ce que tu as fait. Beaucoup plus que la plupart d'entre nous.
Chill out,
Alex
I'm happy to hear you made it to PEI! I love that island a lot! Wish I could stop on our way to CB but we are always rushed to get to our destination. ;o)
P2-2 celebrated her 3rd b-day yesterday (12th). She continues to be the sweetest thing!!! She loves coming to see the pictures that you take. Especially when you are in them. ;o)
I'll be in touch with my parents to let them know that you may be there this week. They will be happy to 'host' you for a night or two I'm sure.
Got a little surprise for ya'!
I'll give you two hints;
1. I got it from Roger
2. The date is June 21st
Answer (might need to copy/paste the address);
http://www.ottawamba.org/Mario2/101544.jpg
Cheers,
MT
P.S. Fun Kingston 8h Race August 16th
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