Reminiscing of the Road: Biking New Brunswick
A new bicycle - we all know the feeling. You get it home, and the only thing that you want to do is get out there and ride (invariably it’s raining, though)! Such was the case for me when I picked up my touring bicycle. I’d saved and saved for it - and in the end, I ended up buying one off a fellow travelling cyclist who had just crossed the country on her bike. They ended up selling it for a tenth of the price that I had been expecting to pay.
I received the new bike in late August. And immediately began to plan a trip. Nothing too long, just a short one-day, out-and-back jaunt on the new steed. It took me a while to get accustomed to the new bike - I’d grown up on mountain bikes and so the new touring bike was lighter and faster than anything I’d ever ridden before. I had been using it to commute back and forth between work and home, to the Post Office, just about everywhere!
Eventually, the weather was right for me to take it out on my maiden voyage. The destination was the coast, and the Cap Lumiere, before taking the meandering coastal roads to the town of Bouctouche, before heading home to Richibucto. For this short adventure, I had packed two rear panniers full of clothes, cooking accessories (including one all-too-large stove) and food, though not enough food as I was later to discover.
The day started bright (and early), I was up (nearly) with the sun, excited and itching to get out on the road. It looked to be a glorious autumn day, a little fresh, but I’d soon forget about the temperatures. I left home and began to ride with a wide, beaming smile. I was doing it. I was bike touring! Something that I’d dreamed of for the last year was finally happening.
Those first few minutes, I was in a bit of a daze. So much so, that I went down the wrong road (which I later discovered wasn’t the wrong road at all), and had to turn back after a couple of kilometres. After feeling much like an idiot, and taking a gulp of cold water, I pedalled off again. The bike felt good, I felt great - it was going to be a good day!
After taking the correct turn, the road became far less hospitable. It went from smooth pave, to bumpy, cracked concrete - with potholes to boot! Dodging those was to prove challenging.
After an hour and a half of pedalling through a typical New Brunswick small town - a church, a grocery store, an Irving gas station, and cute little houses with front and back gardens, Acadian flags waving in the wind, as Acadian Day had recently come and gone, I reached my first destination of the day - the Cap Lumiere (or Cape of Light). After much kerfuffle trying to decide whether to go right or left, I of course went the wrong way and had to turn back.
Eventually, I found a place to sit down and finish the water in my bottles (I didn’t bring enough, or drank too much, as was now becoming apparent). I needed water to cook noodles in. And so I approached a couple walking on the beach, and anxiously asked if they knew of anywhere that I could refill my bottles. Graciously, they let me fill them up at their camper just up the road. Getting back to the beach, I dug out my cooking pot and single packet of noodles and began to cook. This was the first time I’d really done any camp-cooking, so I was trying to figure everything out at the same time, including the butane stove.
Eventually, I got the water up to boil and put the noodles in and cooked them. They had never tasted so good! I finished my lunch fairly quickly, and just sat there on the beach, admiring the view… It was a truly beautiful day. If I could swim, I’d probably have gone for a swim! Unfortunately, with no guarantee that I’d not drown, and a need to get back on the road, I passed on the swimming.
(Photo courtesy of Kenny Louie via Flickr)
I was on the coastal Highway 505, which would take me past a Fisheries, and along the coast, looping up to Saint-Anne. I was once again on the road, being passed by cars, a few of which tooted their horns - maybe (hopefully) in encouragement! Then, as I was feeling a little lost, I stopped to ask a family who was having a yard sale for directions. It turned out I was headed the right way after all. I did this a lot throughout the day - doubt myself or the bike, for whatever reason. Every bump in the road, I thought was a puncture, every road I didn’t recognise, I thought I’d gotten lost…I’m not sure whether it was just nerves, or the fact that I was new to all this.
After rolling through Saint-Anne, I was left with a choice - take the highway and expedite my ride to Bouctouche, or take the scenic route and come out at the far-end out of town. Of course, one took the scenic route! Which turned out to be a great deal hillier than I was expecting! Compromises! After slogging it up those hills, I arrived in front of the Bouctouche Town Hall - I’d made it!
And I was out of food, and I’d brought no extra money. Remember that lesson that I said I had learned? This was it. After a brief respite on the Bouctouche boardwalk, I drank the last of my water before refilling, and then hitting the road again, headed home along the highway. I wasn’t taking the scenic route this time.
Jack Hawkins is a freelance travel writer and touring cyclist. He writes articles for various publications, including his blog. When he's not writing up a story, he's usually on his bike. He can be found on Facebook and Twitter.
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