Why not throw in a bit of Crumb because it is going to be a bit of a crummy day with rain forecast throughout and the route involving one long ride along the shoulder of Route 11, which is the only way to get from Tracadie-Sheila to Miramichi.
But it doesn't start out bad; I chat with three Coast Guard guys who are at the hotel breakfast room who are from Alberton, PEI; but are working C&P with their 49 foot boat out of Neguac.
Leaving the hotel, it is cloudy but dry and I ride out of town and turn onto the ramp for the 11.
I get a good hour in before the rain drops start falling so I get my jacket and shower cap on and keep pedaling.
At Tabusintac, there is a bit of a rest area by the water so I stop for a minute to get out of the rain. It is apparently known for its Piping Plovers.
http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/new-brunswick/stories/the_people_and_plovers_of_tabusintac.html
I get one of my two pictures for the day but it is not of a plover, piping or otherwise.
Back to the road and the rain. At Neguac, I see a sign for a historic site and decide to stop, again to get out of the rain. It is just a small wooden house with a bit of a display about Otho Robichaud, one of the first Acadian settlers to the area and a bit of a tourist info booth manned by two young girls who seem quite non-plussed to have someone actually come in especially a dripping spandex-clad cyclist.
I ask them a couple of questions, which they have no answers for so to make them feel better, I ask how far it is to Miramichi and one of them happily opens her computer to check Google Maps to find out. Best part of the place is the washroom, immaculate and all wood paneling.
No surprise, the rain hasn't stopped as I head out of Neguac. It doesn't let up and I am pretty well soaked down to my toes so I keep an eye out for someplace, any place to take shelter for a few minutes.
Nothing. Nada. I go through a number of small communities but it is just homes. And for some reason there are no distance markers along the road so I only have a vague idea how much farther I have to go because I've packed my phone away to protect it from the rain.
Finally, another historic site looms on the side of the road (they need more history in this area!) with a couple of covered picnic tables. An oasis of dryness! Time for a picnic lunch and a chance to wring some water out of my socks.
No surprise again, it's still raining but I soldier on and it isn't too far before I spy the Centennial bridge that crosses the Miramichi river. I sagely get up on the narrow sidewalk and gingerly pedal over the bridge and to my destination on the other side.
This hotel has a pool and a hot tub so, after I dry off, I jump in and get wet again while my things try to dry out in the room.
No comments:
Post a Comment