Day 99 New Mills, NB

August 1, 2019

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Today we rode from Bathurst to New Mills along the Chaleur Bay coast. We went through a beachfront community just outside Bathurst that had homes which reminded us of beachfront homes on the west coast of Florida. We even saw a house on stilts!

There are a lot of RV parks and a lot of RV's on the road. We haven't had any pass too close, but we really watch out for them.

Unlike any RV parks in Florida, this one was decorated with a moose.

The first town we stopped in was Petit Rocher. There were more beautiful views. That's the Gaspe peninsula visible on the far horizon.

This pretty sailboat was anchored in the harbor.

Northwest of Petit Rocher, things become more rural again and we passed more farms. I've posted a ton of pictures like this, but something about the image of farmhouses or fields of crops stretching down to the sea is so lovely and peaceful to me.

Wide shoulders and low traffic volume make for good places to stop and chat with other cyclists. We've been surprised at how few touring cyclists we've seen on this trip. However, we did meet some today - this is Ally, Chantelle and Leslie. They're traveling from Montreal to Halifax.

This freighter is the first commercial traffic we've seen in Chaleur Bay.

Shortly after spotting the freighter, we came to this lead smelter near the town of Belledune. There was a small group of striking workers outside. We stopped for a brief talk (and mainly for Kerry to ask to use their Portalet). They were very nice guys. We hope their strike can be settled soon so they can return to work.

We took a break at a convenience store several miles down the road. While we were there, we met this family vacationing at their family cottage nearby. They're now on the fourth generation of family enjoying the place.

Kelsey, Dad (Steve) and Matthew. They were mature and well-spoken kids. We had fun talking with them.

Around 4 PM, we arrived at our bay view lodge. It is older and quite rustic, but very comfortable (except for the no WIFI in the rooms we discovered later). The view from our porch was gorgeous.

Not much could have made this better, but Steve did. A fellow cyclist, traveling with his son and wife, he came over and offered us couple of cold beers. Thanks, Steve! (Citrus Hills friends - who does he look like?)

We had dinner at the lodge - no seafood for a change. This, we learned, was founded as a German community and the menu at this inn reflects that. We enjoyed pork chops with red cabbage and brats with sauerkraut. It was really good. No room TV and no Internet tonight - we'll just go to sleep to the sound of the waves lapping outside our room.

Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 3,742 miles (6,022 km)

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Keith A. SpanglerOk we'll do. I'm heading to MA for a five-day ride then over to see Jason and Kait in CT. I'll try to keep following! Hugs!
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5 years ago

Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Keith A. SpanglerSay "Hey" to Jason & Kait for us. We really enjoyed our breakfast with them. Y'all need to come to FL so we can take a short trip together - we can even provide a tandem for Jason & Kait :-)

Have fun in MA,
Kerry
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5 years ago