The Atlantic !

Day 61ish.

So what’s been happening?

I rushed off to the bike shop in Brewer Maine to get a freewheel cassette and chain while Adi got ready for our 150km day to the coast. There were no problems there and I arrived back at the motel about 9.30am, put the chain and freewheel onto my bike and we were away by 10am. I have to say that I was concerned that some other problem would immediately appear with the bike so for the first 20km or so I took it very easy on the Mercian. We encounted a tail wind, but also according to Adi very hilly terrain in the afternoon. I didn’t notice as I was fully concentrating on cycle problems that could occur. After lunch my front gear cable parted company from the derailleur and Adi’s rear pulley wheels started clicking a bit, but neither problem delayed us.

By the end of the day though it was clear that we would not make the distance as it was very hilly and temps were up near 30C. An hour before dark Adi said that she had had enough and we freedom camped in a rest area. (The first official freedom camp of the trip.) Dinner consisted of a couple of filled rolls we had over from lunch and M& M cookies.

Ken was not working well and boiling the stream water for a coffee took seemingly forever while we were bitten alive by mozzies. Adi suggested that Ken’s jet was probably blocked, which I initially poo pooed, thinking that the problem lay elsewhere.

Later though I removed the jet and cleaned it. She was off course correct. Always check the obvious things first. Ken worked well for our breakfast coffee / tea.

Sort of. More a Tidal Estuary.

We were on our bikes reasonably early keen to finally see the coast and Atlantic. We were also keen to leave Maine USA and finally cross back into Canada and New Brunswick. Later after surrendering our US visas to, surprise surprise, a friendly US customs man, we were once again in Canada. There was still no sign of the elusive Atlantic as we headed up the coast towards St John.  Once again we couldn’t make the distance with Adi feeling suddenly ill. (My guess due to not heating the river water properly the night before.)  We shouted ourselves to a proper restaurant meal at premises in St George and finally, ON THE COAST.

The Bay of Fundy. Technically the Atlantic Coast. But Not Halifax Yet.

Five kilometres on we had the tent up in the provincial park campgrounds and I had replaced Ken’s jet with another new one from the spare primus parts I had in the tool kit. And wow what a difference! I should have put a new jet in him at the beginning of the trip! Rocket man.  Adi however wasn’t feeling as chirper as Ken, still suffering from a touch of food poisoning.

And now, the next day, I sit typing this up on the ferry crossing the Bay of Fundy from St John New Brunswick to Digby in Nova Scotia. This marks the beginning of the final day and a half of cycling to Halifax where we can look out at the Atlantic and know that the next point of land would be Ireland.

Eastwards towards Nova Scotia.

In 2007 when we cycled around Ireland we looked across the Atlantic westwards and wondered what Nova Scotia would be like. And now we are about to find out.