We woke up in the rain. The sound of raindrops knocking on my tent is so calming that my morning rigidity went away as I lay on the ground and enjoyed the moment. Two meters away, Callum’s tent has become a puddle, and his sleeping pad is soaking wet.
During this trip, we only had five rainy days, and we peddled through all the wet weather. It can be very cold if one gets wet on the bike and faces strong wind afterward. Considering the depressing headwind I have been dealing with in New Brunswick these days, we decided not to ride in the pouring rain today.
On our trip, I got asked many times about the road conditions of each province. Here I’ll do a summary of the places we have been.
Newfoundland: We cycled through T-railway trail and Cross-Canada Highway. I don’t recommend either of them to other (road) cyclists. T-railway trail is quiet and beautiful, but it’s only good for fat tires and ATVs, or very experienced gravel/ mountain bikers. Cross-Canada Highway, busy roads, very noisy, a mix of wide and narrow shoulders, annoying rumble strips, with some terrible drivers who don’t give cyclists any space; the experience with highways is very similar in all the other provinces.
Nova Scotia: We did most of the distance on those calm country roads. It was great pleasure riding on those roads as they are very well maintained, which reminds me of the roads in Virginia. We rode a big loop along the coast in Nova Scotia, and to our surprise, it was endless steep rolling hills the whole way. But you can always peak the ocean view, making the climbs worthwhile.
PEI: Many people told me that PEI is flat. It really depends on what route you choose. We rode on the Cross-Canada Highway, pedaled through countless major climbs; we also had so much fun on the confederation trail, an awesome cycling trail across the island, over 300km flat and easy gravel roads. If I visit PEI again, I would like to ride coast to coast from west to east on this trail.
New Brunswick: On our first day in NB, we went to a bike shop for some repair and talked with the bike shop owner about the route in NB. Typical roads in NB, according to him, are roads with cracks and pitfalls. I have to say that the roads get worse as I cycled into the west. Sometimes, seeing those roads with a million patches, I stop and wonder, is this really a main road of the city? Meanwhile, it gets so hilly northwest of NB. We arrived at Grand Falls today and wanted to ride around to see the falls and this lovely small town. After 7km, we gave up. It feels like every direction there is a steep hill, and we are always at the bottom of another hill.
Wind, rain, heat, hills, and gravel, these are inevitable challenges we have to face on a long-distance cycling trip like this. One day at a time, as I ride more, I gradually have more acceptance and appreciation for these different conditions. For instance, I am learning to view strong headwind as a test of my perseverance and climbing hills as a test of my passion. Fun mental experiments, would you agree?
