Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen ...: Day 77 - Miramichi to Shediac NB - And Then We Pedalled...... Cross Canada 2015

August 18, 2015

Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen ...: Day 77 - Miramichi to Shediac NB

..... Bike a century in the mid day sun.

Noel Coward apparently penned his classic lines in 1931 while on a trip from Hanoi to Saigon. It would certainly provide the inspiration for it. So would today in New Brunswick.

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Smokin hot again today with the Garmin reading in the very high 30's all day. Great ride with Mark, who we haven't seen since BC and Alberta,and we turned it into a century ride with an excursion out to the beaches at Kouchibouguac National Park.

We started the day by meeting up at Timmies and then set off down highway 8 for the first 60 km. We were setting a pretty good pace, and going through fluids at a torrid rate. Since we missed the turnoff for highway 117 that would have taken us through most of Kouchibouguac park, we decided to do a 30 km out and back trip to the dunes and beaches at Kelly's point. It was a beautiful ride on a hard pack trail though forests and along inlets where we saw fishing boats unloading their catches and ending up at a great beach. We were tempted to call it a day and stay here but we had friends to see in Shediac.

After a stroll along the hot sand beach and a wade in the cool Atlantic waters we were back on the bikes and heading down the much quieter and much prettier hwy 134 coastal route. Turned out to be a really good, but really long ride. A milkshake reload in Bouctouche gave us the energy to get to Shediac, or in our case, just outside.

We are staying with an old Arvida friend of Kirsten's, just outside of Shediac, Duncan and his wife Sharon and their kids Chantelle, Margo and Stewart. Thanks for the great night. Well fed and watered, we kept them up late telling lies and other stories!

We will be going into Shediac first thing tomorrow. The Lobster is waiting! Turns out Sharon is working on an art installation at the Lobster Company that we'll check out tomorrow.

Should be in PEI tomorrow, we'll see if we make it to Charlottetown . It would be another long day in hot weather. Fifty fifty at best that we make it there in a single shot.

Song of the day:

With a Little Help From My Friends .... The Joe Cocker version ....

While not on the original live Mad Dogs and Englishmen album, this classic cover was on the 2005 reissue. It's also fitting that we had the help of a three person draft today with our friend Mark (and he did most of the work). That got our century done!

Classic live footage from Woodstock!

No Historic monument of the day, too busy pedalling, pouring fluids into us and wiping sweat off of us! All for now.

One pic that best summarizes the day.

Mark and Kirsten cooling their feet at Kouchibouguac

Back on the National Park Chairs! This time both of us! Thanks for the pic Mark

On the way to the beach. Very nice to have some shade to ride in!

More views along the trail to the beach. The dock across the water had fishing boats unloading thier catch into waiting reefer trucks

Beautiful calm waters. There was a pretty strong west wind but this bay was quite sheltered

Very cool sand bars with waves approaching from opposite directions. The sand was smokin hot and the water nice and cool. The combination was very soothing and rejuvenating

The bay at Bouctouche ..... Had a great milkshake there that powered our last 30 km to Shediac

Thanks Sharon and Duncan for a great night in Shediac

Today's ride: 165 km (102 miles)
Total: 7,233 km (4,492 miles)

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