most generous people here
Well, the past week has been cold, wet, and yesterday it even snowed.
New Brunswick has been an incredible experience. We met the kindest, most generous people here. We were practically fending off invitations to sleep inside their homes.
We rode into a small town called Perth Andover, which is right on the Saint John River. The sun was warm, leaves autumny, and everyone was happy. We met a man, Raymond, who offered us his home for the night. He told us where he lived and we cycled there.
Along the way, we met an elderly woman, who knew everyone in town and told us where to go. She smiled and waved us off. Thirty seconds later, two young girls waved and excitedly yelled hello! Another 100 meters and a man drove by slowly, yelled, «Good luck! And enjoy the hill!» And waved. At this point we couldn help but laugh as we pedaled up the hill. Probably the most picturesque, almost cheesy (but not, because it was so wonderful) welcome one could ever receive.
We stopped in a small town called Woodstock, which isn Woodstock, but it was pretty awesome otherwise.
Again, it was raining and again, we were wet and cold. We scouted out a nice undercover area of pavement at a farmers market. It was a swell spot, sheltered from wind and any stray rain drops, away from the curious public, and close to where we wanted to go the next morning. We went to a coffee shop nearby and warmed up our cold bodies, while live music played for us. The owner was amazing and offered to let us sleep upstairs in the office. Meanwhile, a woman sitting beside us told us we could sleep at her jordan 11 bred house and could have a much needed shower.
Ha! Good ol New Brunswickians. We ended up sleeping at the coffee shop. She also fed us soup and wraps and dessert, as she would have had to throw it out that evening. Pretty much amazing.
At some point Jordon managed to grab onto a tractor and he was towed for 3 or 4 km. He been wanting to do it for weeks now. Haaa, it was pretty funny. The farmer didn even notice!
We continued on to Fredericton but only made it about 50 km. It began to rain and then pour. The tailwind turned into a headwind and we were getting destroyed. It was the coldest I ever been in my life. My mittons were drenched but I kept them on to protect my hands from the wind. My feet were heavy and bred 11s for sale my toes felt frost bitten. I was almost delirious from the repetitiveness of rain, dodging rocks, and transports passing.
We stopped in a small town called Nackawic, about 70 km from Fredericton and went into the only warm place in town; a dingy little sports bar. But it was warm and we were cold. And wet. Immediately, the locals started chatting to us. Then they bought us shots, to warm us up. We were offered a home immediately and they kept feeding us alcohol and food. Our tolerance for alcohol has really dropped, due to us rarely drinking it, and we become absolute sissies, lightweights, about the whole deal. Two beers and I see you later. Anyways, the night was good, the company was nice, and we slept fantastically.
Our stay in Fredericton was short but it seemed to be a very nice place. The next town was Sussex. We slept behind the train station/information center and, it being Friday night, were surrounded by people passing through until very late. Two of these passersby gave us a bottle of wine, and they came back to chit chat with us after. It was a late night and soon after we fell asleep the rain began. This is where Jordon woke up in a puddle. Apparently the rain didn stop and a lot of it converged exactly where Jordon was sleeping. He was drenched and cold and annoyed. It rained and rained and rained. it stopped and we hopped on our bikes, impatient to be moving again, and rode out.
We continued to ride along the Saint John River up until the Bay of Fundy, which was gorgeous, and then we followed the hilly, grass strewn, sandy coastline. We saw the ocean for the first time in 85 days as we rolled into the small fishing village of Alma. Just over 6,000 km, 60 days of riding, and almost three months of homelessness. The trip was essentially complete; coast to coast.
It was an odd feeling, seeing the ocean I mean, and the experience may have been lost upon us or perhaps it was underwhelming. It was nearing dark, raining, foggy, but eerily beautiful. We were exhausted, damp, and hungry. I could smell that bitter salty smell and I remembered it clearly, like walking into your childhood home after months of not being there, and remembering the unique scents that occupy it. It had been the longest time I been away from the ocean and it was a quiet, almost awkward reunion. We didn loiter and tried to find a restaurant with immediacy.
Anyways, we celebrated and asked the waitress what the cheapest way to get full was, which ended up being fish and chips and a hamburger split between Jordon and I. Mhmm. With no idea where to sleep, our clothes and shoes soaked, and rain still falling, we were offered an empty house for the evening. Thank goodness. The temperatures now linger around 3 to +7, without wind chill factored in. Yikes.
We had a few days of bred 11s sun after Alma, actually maybe one. The threat of rain has always stayed close. It sucks when you see the rain coming too. Motivating to move faster but really inevitable that it will catch up. It always catches up.
We crossed into Nova Scotia and stopped in a small town called Amherst. We tried to find a church or shelter that would be offering a Thanksgiving meal and a warm bed, but no luck. Defeated, we found a park downtown and set up our mats under a gazebo. Shortly after a police officer came by and told us it was going to be mighty cold that night ( 4). He left, then came back and offered us the warmth of a police station for the night, as he didn want us to freeze to death. Sweet. We accepted and went across the street to the station. Shortly after we set up, he came back and gave us black forest cake! We did get a Thanksgiving! Haha! It was amazing. No turkey, stuffing, or family, but amazing nonetheless.
So, Surprise! We arrived in Halifax last night! We were not greeted by fireworks or throngs of proud and appreciative fans. It was quiet. The clouds were moving quickly and hinted at only a mild ability to rain. Thirty kilometres before we arrived in Halifax we were greeted by snow flurries and really strong head winds, Canada last ditch attempt to thwart the trip completion, no doubt. But, the snow stopped and we rolled into downtown and to the library to try and find a warm place to sleep. Which we didn at least at the library.
We rode aimlessly through the streets, looking for anywhere to throw a tent. We ran into three cyclists who looked like bred 11s 2012 students and they said we could camp on their lawn! Salvation! We went to their place, which was crazy, and set up our tents. There were about seven or eight people that lived there, I think, one of which was a professor at Dalhousie University.
Everyone who lived there attended Dalhousie and were all med students. A house of doctors, basically. An older, Victorian style house, four storeys, and new faces showing up all the time that we were there. They told us it was too cold to sleep outside and we crashed on the floor in the living room. Mhmm.
So, here we are. Just under 6,500 km, from one ocean to another. Complete. It feels, well, the same. Like we are to jump on a bike tomorrow. The feat itself hasn been realized really, yet. It seems like we started last week. It certainly doesn feel like we ridden as far as we have. We did not celebrate, really either. We were busy trying to find a place to sleep. But we are done.
Tomorrow the four of us; Griet, Pete, Jordon, and I, are to meet at a pub downtown. We are glad to be done, but I am a little saddened. Perhaps already feeling nostalgia for the experiences and memories that we obtained along the way. It was probably the most free I ever been. Our only constraint was money and winter. Pretty minor constraints, if you think about it. Now we are to get jobs and pay rent and begin to save up for something. Schooling, a new camera lens, winter clothes, and maybe another trip. Who knows?
Thanks for reading and keeping up with the whole shebang. It was really fun. There were some struggles, especially the last few weeks (brrr), but totally worth it. As for us, we are spending a few days in Halifax playing tourists and then beginning the long hitchhike back to Montreal shortly after.
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