Day 13: Argentia to St John’s

Distance: 132.4km

Total distance: 1363.8km

Average speed: 22.8km/h

Weather: cloudy 

I have been dreaming of this day for 8 years and today we made it! 

After finally boarding the Marine Atlantic ferry last night (which was delayed for almost 2 hours), we scoped out the ship and looked for places to sleep since we didn’t book a cabin. In the end we camped out in the children’s play area and contrary to what we thought would happen nobody kicked us out and we had one of the best night’s sleep being rocked by the rough-ish seas. 

The ferry was like a mini cruise ship, complete with bars, lounges, a buffet restaurant (which we indulged in for dinner), and even a movie theatre. It was very stormy when we finally sailed out of North Sydney and we celebrated with some drinks to say goodbye to Nova Scotia and the mainland of Canada. 

We arrived in Newfoundland in the fog, in true Newfoundland style. People warned us about the wind but we got lucky and it was generally blowing in the direction we wanted to go today. As we rolled off the ship, it really dawned on me how far we’d come.

The first 40km or so of today’s ride on route 100 was incredible, filled with seaside views and just the right size of hills and one of the best roads I’d ridden on for the whole trip. That flow feeling where your pedal strokes and fluid you are one with the bike is priceless. Eventually we had to go on the Trans Canada highway, which definitely wasn’t the worse part of the Trans Canada I’d biked (the prize goes to Manitoba for that one). 

After getting lost multiple times in Conception Bay area, we finally arrived at our last Warmshower’s hosts Neil and Hailey’s cute house at the edge of St John’s downtown area around 8pm, to a lovely dinner of Newfoundland freshly caught cod. We had so many cycling stories to share because Neil himself had biked across Canada as well. 

Combining with the previous trip, the grand distance I biked I across the country was: 5962km

Total days biking: 54 (42 + 12)

Average per day for Tour de Poutine 2.0: 124km (113.6km if counting the first very short day in Quebec City)

As was the first time, it’s going to be weird to stop biking everyday from tomorrow onwards, but we are going to spend some time exploring St John’s and do some hiking and swimming in these next 2 days before flying home. 

Just like the first trip, I was met with such warm hospitality from all the people I encountered on this trip. The Maritimes is a magical place and it’s a bit of a shame I had to go such lightening speed due to the time constraint, but I will definitely return for a more thorough future visit. Thank you so much especially to the man who tied my bike rack with zap straps on the ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia; it’s made through hundreds of kilometres after and is somehow still intact. 

Day 12: Whycocomagh to North Sydney

Distance: 93.8km

Total distance: 1231.5km

Average speed: 21.7km/h

Weather: very rainy and blustery!

It seemed many times the odds were against us but somehow we followed my very aggressive cycling schedule and made it to North Sydney, in time for our ferry to Newfoundland!!!

Today was another big challenge, hopefully the last! We knew there was rain coming but didn’t fully expect it to be the kind that stays the entire day (aka the Vancouver kind). We had to be at the ferry terminal by 3:30pm at the latest and even though it will be our shortest riding day yet, to give us as much time as possible, we set an alarm to wake up at 5:30am. It was raining moderately as we left Whycocomagh Provincial Park (where we camped last night)  and then only got heavier. 35km or so later in Baddeck, we stopped for a coffee break completely drenched and seriously contemplated hitchhiking the rest of the way. Eventually we got back on the bike, pedalling towards Kelly’s Mountain as fast as possible to warm up. 

The terrain was beautiful even with the rain, we had glimpses of many bays and the Cabot Trail area across. The weather didn’t get much better but we got more and more excited as kilometre markers for the Newfoundland ferry became lower and lower. 

Now for a restful 16.5h ferry before the home stretch!

Day 11: Stellarton to Whycocomagh

Distance: 161.6km

Total distance: 1137.6km

Average Speed: 22.5km

Weather: sunny 

Late yesterday, we found the best park in Stellarton and ended up “camping” there for the night, celebrating with radlers and cheesecake! There was even bathrooms with running water that were open all night!

Today was another big day! We pushed hard and stayed pretty much exclusively on the Trans Canada, stopping only 3 times just outside Antigonish, in Port Hastings and our stop for the night in Whycocomagh (a native community in the middle of Cape Breton). The highway on the main side of Nova Scotia wasn’t the best for riding especially since there was a lot of construction (if we had more time we would have definitely taken a different route!), so crossing the Canso Causeway onto Cape Breton was a great relief. Cape Breton was much quieter and more scenic, and I will certainly have to come back to explore the Cabot Trail!

Day 10: Bonshaw to Stellarton

Distance: 105.7km

Total distance: 979km

Average speed: 20.7km/h

Weather: sunny

What a day!

We left Toni and Marion’s house relatively early this morning bound for Wood Islands. And we learned quickly that PEI is hilly, not by B.C. standards but hillier than most of the terrain that we’ve biked on so far!

In Charlottetown, we stopped for a proper breakfast at Leohard’s, supposedly the best place for breakfast in PEI (there was quite a line as we left so I would believe it!), before continuing on the Trans Canada highway. 

A few kilometres down route 23 when we eventually turned off the highway, I noticed that a metal piece on my bike rack broke off so the rack was no longer held in place! We realized that we were likely not going to make the 1:30pm ferry, but Leanne took most of my stuff and I somehow made it the last 10km or so to the Wood Islands ferry terminal with a broken bike rack! The next ferry was 3:15pm, which gave us time to have the best lobster poutine ever from a shack at the terminal!

On the Northumberland ferry to Caribou, Nova Scotia, we tried to hitchhike, but instead we found a very nice man with an RV who managed to tie my rack with 3 zap straps! Somehow the rack is holding in place and we biked 35km or so from Caribou to here in Stellarton!

I’m not sure what’s going to happen tomorrow but we are going to try to bike as far as possible towards North Sydney!

Day 9: Moncton to Bonshaw

Distance: 124.3km

Total distance: 873.3km

Average speed: 21.7km/h

Weather: sunny with clouds, a small storm on PEI which we mostly dodged 

After yesterday’s crazy ride and going to bed past midnight, we still woke up at 8am and got going by 10am. The downtown of Moncton had what looked like many heritage buildings and the road out was lovely and gentle (as was most of today). 25km or so later, we stopped at Shediac, home of the world’s largest lobster, where we finally got our first glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean! I even got an overpriced lobster roll for the full experience. 

Our final riding day New Brunswick was in my opinion the most beautiful, as we followed part of the Acadian Coast and passed idyllic, picture-perfect seaside villages with colourful houses. I got excited as the view of the Confederation Bridge came closer and closer! You aren’t allowed to bike over the bridge so we had to stop at an exit just off the Trans Canada highway to wait for a shuttle to take us over to PEI, which was actually super nice. It felt weird to sit in a vehicle after so many days just sitting on a bike!
On PEI, we were dropped off at a village square in Borden-Carleton where we decided to share a tiny glass of beer at a brewery to celebrate our many miles! Not sure if the beer was to blame or the lack of a proper lunch today but we definitely struggled on the last 30km or so to our Warmshowers hosts’ home in Bonshaw haha! 
Toni and Marion were lovely and had dinner all ready for us even when we rolled in almost an hour later than what I originally anticipated, knowing well that we would be very energy deficit. The rest of the evening went by quickly as we explored and learned about their amazing house and cabin and cool “military shower” that was all self-built!

Day 8: Fredericton to Moncton

Distance: 182.6km

Total distance: 749km

Average speed: 22.9km/h

Weather: Rainy turned to cloudy and partly sunny 

My watch says we rode 182km but I would say we did closer to 190km because I accidentally stopped it for a few kilometres. Needless to say, a big day! 

After leaving Tom’s house at 7:45ish, we went to Radical Edge bike shop in town to get Leanne’s bike assembled and checked properly. In the meantime, I also checked out the Fredericton Boyce Farmer’s Market and got some goodies that fueled us throughout the day! By the time we left Fredericton, it was almost 11am, super late for a big riding day but we weren’t too worried. 

At the suggestion of the bike mechanic, we took the 105 and stayed on the north side of the St Johns River. The rain stayed with us for first 60km or so but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the downpour on my way to Rivere du Loup. Leanne got a flat 5km enroute to Jemseg but we managed to fix it on the road!

At Jemseg, we stopped at a gas station/road side restaurant for a hearty breakfast (even though it was past lunch time) before continuing on. We got back on the 105 before joining with the 102 for the biggest and most remote riding section of the day! The weather cleared up and we got beautiful glimpses of the Grand Lake! Somehow we only had to ride about 5km of the Trans Canada Highway today and the rest were all on quiet rural roads.

After many many kilometres of nothing but trees and lots of breaks, we finally made it to Salisbury, the village on the outskirts of Moncton! We stopped by the grocery store and ended up cooking dinner on a bench right outside, in true bike touring style! At the same time we also booked a place to stay in Moncton for the night, which turned out to be super fancy self-catering unit in a beautiful house! The last 23km was done mostly after sunset, which was a first for me in bike touring!

Day 7: Rest Day in Fredericton

What an unusual Canada Day filled with very little activity! Leanne arrived around 10am as per scheduled but unfortunately her bike didn’t arrive on the same flight from Montreal. Our plans to check out the Canada Day festivities in town were scrapped and instead we spent the day chilling around Tom’s property eating lots of food and having conversations about all sorts of topics while waiting for her bike to show up. It was a real test of patience and letting go of situations that we can’t control and frankly we weren’t very good at it. Finally the delivery came 12 hours at 10pm! We started putting her bike together right away and can’t wait to finally get out on the road tomorrow!

Day 6: Woodstock to Fredericton

Distance: 114.9km

Total distance: 566.4km

Average speed: 21.6km/h

Weather: cloudy with sunny breaks

I have made it from one capital city to another!

This morning, I woke up at the super late hour of 8am, likely because I decided to join the kids at the outdoor movie event next door in the park last night. 

After parting ways with the other cycle tourist Gero, I stayed on this side of the river on what used to be he old Trans Canada Highway and ended up doing almost 60km without stopping! It was almost perfect conditions for cycling, the temperature was just right and the wind was blowing the right direction again. This section of New Brunswick is fairly remote, houses were sparse and it was mainly just me with the trees and river.

I stopped at Kings Landing, an open air museum/historical village set in the 1800s in a place called Prince William, and had one of the best muffins, before continuing on. 

In Fredericton, I stopped at Savage Cycles, apparently the oldest bike shop in Canada, and finally fixed my fenders (which had been held by duct tape for hundreds of kilometres), got a new pair of bike shoes (because one of my shoes were completely falling apart, also held by duct tape), and a new water bottle (because I somehow lost one along the way today).  Afterwards, I headed towards my host Tom’s home in Maryville. Tom had the most beautiful property by the river and I couldn’t be luckier to call this home for the next two days.

Day 5: Grand Falls to Woodstock

Distance: 120km

Total distance: 451.5km

Average speed: 19.6km/h

Weather: Sunny

In the morning, I parted ways with Julie and Gaston (the cycle tourists from Montreal) as they headed north and me south on the 105. Right away I felt the headwind which was the opposite of the day before but became the theme of today. The terrain was mildly undulating, a bit hillier than days prior, and I felt like I was in a children’s drawing of green hills and a windy blue river.

Turns out that Grand Falls was the last French speaking town in New Brunswick, which was honestly nice because I could finally have deeper conversations with people again! I have always been told about the great hospitality of the people in the Maritimes and time and time again today it proved to be true. In the 5-10min that I stopped on the side of the road to adjust my fenders, 3 different cars stopped to ask if I was okay. 

Today I was basically powered by dairy products and very little else. In Perth-Andover, I got a Swiss cheese which I carried for about 40km before consuming it all. And then in Florence-Bristol, I finally caved in after not drinking any coffee for the past 4 days and had a coffee milkshake from a road side stand. 

Rural New Brunswick was a lot of ornate houses, huge acerages, churches and cemeteries. In Hartland, there was the longest coveted bridge of the world.

M

It got hot again in the afternoon (but luckily not as hot as the first day in Quebec) and I had to dig deeper to ride the last 40km. 

At Connell Park Campground in Woodstock, I met another bike tourist who had actually left from Vancouver and was going towards Halifax. The campground host had set up a giant canopy tent and was kind enough to let us hunker down there for the night. 

Day 4: Temiscouata Sur Le Lac to Grand Falls

Distance: 122.7km

Total distance: 331.5km

Average speed: 22.2km/h

Weather: Sunny with some clouds

I made it to New Brunswick, which means I’m officially in the Maritime provinces, the whole point of this trip! To be fair, this part of New Brunswick seems just like Quebec and everyone speaks French still so it isn’t that different yet.

The perks of camping in a bivy sac: being woken up by the most glorious sunrise over the lake. Going out of Temiscouata Sur Le Lac, I stayed along the side roads by the lake and the view was like a dream at times. 

It was rolling terrain filled with lots of green hills until Degelis where I took a short break. The before I knew it, I had passed the border of Quebec and New Brunswick. The sign was on the main highway so I didn’t even realize I had crossed until my phone changed times.

Unlike the first trip, I feel like my appetite actually decreased since starting cycling 4 days ago. In Edmundston I had to force myself to eat a small potato salad for lunch. People always talk about the grandeur of bike touring but few mention about the mind games that goes on behind the scenes. Despite it being perfect weather for cycling today, I spent a great part of the afternoon playing mind games with myself to try to cover the distance because my body for some reason didn’t have the energy.

I hugged the St John River closely and eventually rolled into the town of Grand Falls, where I stopped to admire the waterfalls that the town is named after, before heading to my host Isabelle’s home. Isabelle wasn’t actually home but there were two other bike tourists cycling from Halifax to Montreal staying there as well. We traded stories of cycling before tucking in for the night.

Day 3: La Pocatiere to Temiscouata Sur le Lac

Distance: 130.8km

Total distance: 280.8km

Average speed: 20.3km/h

Weather: A mixed bag

It didn’t take long for the rain to find me even on the East Coast, at least it was a lot cooler today! After sleeping for what felt like 10 hours, I left La Pocatiere, returning onto the 132 and continued following the St Laurence. Houses were far more stretched out along this route and it felt like the prairies being surrounded by fields upon fields, except there were “mountains”!

In the cute and colourful town of Kamouraska, I managed to wait out a brief period of heavy rain underneath a gazebo by a church, but my streak of luck didn’t last long. The skies really opened up for the next 20-30km and I ended up pedaling through small rivers for most of the way to Rivere du Loup, the visibility was so poor I couldn’t even see the St Laurence most of the time. I found another covered picnic shelter in a park by the Rivere du Loup visitor centre for lunch and finally this time the rain seemed to end for good!

In the afternoon, I turned inland and said goodbye to La Route Verte 1 and the St Laurence for the last time. La Route Verte 8 which connected Rivere Du Loup to the New Brunswick border would have been perfect except that it was mostly unpaved, so I wasn’t too sure of the route to take for this stretch. I tried to stay on side roads as much as possible but that wasn’t possible for one section so I still ended up on the A85/185 highway for 20km or so which was slightly dicey especially since there was construction everywhere. Near the exit of Saint Louis du Ha! Ha! (what a name for a town!), a highway patrol van stopped me to say that I wasn’t allowed to bike on the highway (good thing I had already biked most of it haha) and sent me out to the exit. 

I cruised down to the beautiful town of Temiscouata Sur Le Lac, aptly named for being situated at the edge of Lake Temiscouata National Park, and stumbled upon Cantine Chez Raymonde. It wouldn’t be Tour de Poutine without a meal of (Gauvalde) poutine!

Post-poutine coma, I found a home for the night at a sweet campground filled with mostly extravagant RVs by the lake called Temilac. 

Day 2: Quebec City to La Pocatiere

Distance: 135.5km

Total distance: 150km

Average speed: 21.5km/h

Weather: Sunny

I think today marks the first time I have biked over 100km in a day since the 2014 bike trip, glad to know I’ve still got it in me!

I left Maud & Gail’s house just after 8:30am in the morning and headed towards the terminal for the ferry to Levis. Of course I get lost enroute, but end up going through the streets of Vieux Quebec, which is always nice and brings back many memories.

I watched Chateau Frontenac get smaller and smaller as I said goodbye to Quebec City and crossed over to the southern side of the St Laurence River, a landmark that I shall follow for these two days. There were many other cyclists both on the ferry and on the roads in Levis, and I joined them on a beautiful bike path for about 5km on the other side. 

Eventually I found my way onto Route 132 and pedaled into rural Quebec. It never felt super remote though; the towns blended into each other such that there was always a house or farm on the side of the road. And I saw cyclists in both directions the whole day! For my first century ride in a long time the terrain was very forgiving, it was essentially flat with some very gentle rolling hills. However, I was definitely not acclimized to the heat. 

I had lunch in a park in the bigger city of Montmagny with many other picnickers, and from then onwards the temperature got hotter and hotter into the low 30s. I filled up my water bottles with ice and took lots of breaks, stopping at the Maritime Museum in L’Islet and many churches  (mostly because they were cool inside 😅). The St Laurence widened more and more and looked like the ocean!

Around 6pm I arrived at my host Philippe’s home in La Pocatiere, a small town of around 4000 people. Getting to dip in their backyard pool was the perfect way to cap off a long day in the saddle!

Day 1: Quebec City Deja Vu

Distance: 14.5km

Speed: 16.5km/h

Weather: Sunny

In true Sherry fashion, the adventure starts before the real adventure even begins. When all of the below happens on the same day, it makes you wonder if biking to Quebec City again would have been the easier way.

1) 15min before I was suppose to board my first flight to Montreal, an announcement comes on that our flight is overbooked and asks for volunteers to give up their seats. I have only ever heard of this so it’s the first time it’s happening to me in real life. I have a minor panic that I’m going to get bumped off because I’m travelling alone, but luckily eventually I get on the plane.

2) Upon arrival in Montreal, our entire flight gets locked out of the Montreal Airport for 20min because there was no airport agent to clear us (again another first!) There were so many other passengers with proximate connecting flights that I’m pretty there was going to be riot if we had to wait one more minute. 

3) When I finally get inside YUL, I run like a madwoman to my gate because there was only 2min left before my boarding time, only to find out that my connecting flight was delayed by 3 hours because there was a shortage of pilots??!! 

4) A 3 hour airport nap later (which was actually much needed; red eye flights are only good in theory and never good in reality, despite that I always book them in my quest to save time anyways) and after finally flying the last 45min to Quebec City, I end up taking a public bus with my bike because no taxi or Uber wanted to take my bike box. I look on Google Maps for the closest bike shop and the bus got me within 550m of it. As I get off to walk the last stretch, an old man who thought I was crazy for trying to lug my bike box offers me a 2min ride in his truck.

5) I get to the Primeau Velo and all seems to be well with reassembling my bike. The guys there even let me use their bike stand and tools! Until we realize the elastics that hold my fenders to the fork weren’t there for some reason. They were such a small thing but so critical. I take up way too much of the bike shop guys’ time but after 1.5 hours they finally found some time elastics in the back and I’m at last on my way.
Here’s the only picture I took of the whole day, stumbling accidentally onto the Laval University campus was a full circle moment right there.


Unfortunately because of all of the above, I wasn’t able to join my Warmshowers hosts Maud & Gail & their son to visit an art exhibit in Vieux Quebec in the early afternoon. The rest of the evening was a lot more smooth sailing. Maud & Gail have bike toured with their kids across Europe and the USA and it was super inspirational to hear their stories!

In other news, the French I learned 8 years ago is definitely buried very deep. But maybe it will resurface in these next few days. 

Day 0: Tour de Poutine 2.0

Through repeated life experiences, I have come up with the theory that awesome things usually happen on sunny days.  

On this first day of 2022 that finally feels like proper summer in Vancouver, I am at the airport waiting to board a plane (my first time flying since the pandemic), waiting to finish biking across Canada, waiting to finally realize a dream that has been 8 years in the making since the first time around. 

I would say that my theory held true today 😊