I left Neguac at about 9 AM this morning after a very good breakfast. The wind was blowing in my face, as it did most of the day. A cold wind that gave me a headache. The day was beautiful, but chilly. The high was in the mid 60s, winds were 10 to 15 mph, sometimes more and always a head/cross wind. It wasn't a lot of fun.
I followed route 11 north towards Tracadie-Sheila. It was good road till about 8 miles before Tracadie-Sheila. Then there was construction and finally there was a dirt road bed for miles. All of this with fairly heavy traffic. At least it made me forget about the wind. It also made me appreciate my Softride stem!
After Tracadie-Sheila where I stopped for a good milkshake, the road was not under construction, but it didn't have any shoulder! It was a pain, and even a bit dangerous: I got passed into by a jerk in a pickup truck. Shades of riding across Montana! It wouldn't have happened in NS! Generally drivers were courteous, so riding in moderate traffic without a shoulder was not nearly as bad as it would have been in the USA. As I rode around the peninsula, the wind became more from the north and reduced in intensity. Where I stopped at a Tim Hortons for lunch, it was blowing out of the west! Unfortunately I was now going east. I was not a happy camper. All day cold headwinds had given me a headache and I was beginning to wish I has skipped the peninsula. Fortunately two aspirin, a large cup of strong coffee, soup, and sandwich fixed that. At Tim Hortons, which is a very large chain fast food / coffee shop, the server could not speak english. That shows just how french speaking this area is! She must serve literally hundreds of people each day and they (almost) all speak french. I hear Quebec City is even more francophone.
On the advice of the Acadian bicyclist I met yesterday, I stopped at the Acadian Village and did the Wax Museum self guided tour. It cost $6 CD and was worth it. Then I rode on into reduced wind and warmer temps. I stopped in Grand Anse to photgraph the graveyard and then rode on to Bathhurst where I stopped at a Subway for supper. When I started looking for a place to stay, the first place I called was full, but offered me the option of camping on the grounds. I looked further, but was unable to find a B+B that wasn't full, so I called back.I'm actually sleeping in the screened gazebo on several inches of cushion on carpeting. It shouldn't be too bad, except the forecast low is around 45 and I can't find my balaclava! That and the early sunrise may cause me minor problems, but I'll survive. I get all the rest of the B+B advantage/disadvantages, which is why I'm late getting this report written. Nice visits with my host, a remarkable lady from Switzerland, and several of the other guest.
