The New Brunswick landscape. Clear, cloudless, blue skies. A sense of stillness and peace. Warm sun. Birds everywhere, making their trills, warbles, and calls. Insects buzzing in small swarms. A butterfly flutters by. Hawks circle high above. Green meadows stretch out, dotted with pink crabapple trees and purple lilacs. A river of still water glistens—blue and almost mirror-like. The eastern sky lightens at 5:00 AM, while the western sky still glows at 10:00 PM. I hear the so

A New Brunswick country road Growing up, I never admitted to my friends, especially my older brother, that one of my favorite songs was "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver. For whatever reason, that song connects me to home and the pristine country roads of Marin County, California where I grew up. Whenever I heard it as a boy and young man, it triggered memories of riding my bike through Marin in the spring, with green hills and wildflowers accenting the landscape.

Spruce and Tamarack fores Wild Strawberry The forests of western New Brunswick offer an abundance of plant life, of which all is coming into full leaf right now. It is amazing how quickly the warm sunshine of yesterday and today is transforming the countryside. Nature is throwing off it's drab winter coat and spring forth with the bright greens of young leaves. True to the emblem that signifies Canada, the maple leaves are bursting forth and unfolding in their yellow-green

A bluebird day for skiers follows a big winter that dumps fresh snow. Suddenly, overnight, the sky clears, and in the morning, the blue sky and sunshine emerge, creating the best skiing conditions one can imagine. It’s on these special days that skiers wait patiently for during the ski season. A bluebird day. Today was the bikers' version of a bluebird day. After nearly ten days of gray clouds, rain, and strong headwinds, the bluebird gods opened their wings, giving us the pe

The weather has changed. The sun rose today around 4:30 AM in Dégelis, Quebec, under a cloudless sky. By the time we were up and ready to go, the sun had warmed the world with its golden light, promising a gorgeous day of riding. With not many choices for breakfast, we explored the Canadian staple: Tim Hortons. It wasn't our first choice, but it gave us the energy to start our ride—and what a ride it was! We continued down the superb rail-to-trail bike route we were on yester

Madawaska, in the Lakota language, translates to “the world is good” or “the world is beautiful.” It reflects a positive outlook on life and is a First Nations word commonly used in Quebec and New Brunswick. It also encapsulates our bike touring experience. A cold start to the rail to trail bike route out of Riviere du Loup Today, we left Rivière du Loup after waiting out a storm that lasted two complete days. We were happy to get back on our bikes, although the weather was o

St. Louis du Ha! Ha! sign Ok... when you pass through a town named St. Louis du Ha! Ha!, you know there’s a joke in there somewhere. The name actually refers to a term in French, where "ha ha" signifies a sudden bend or obstacle in a river, such as a drop-off or cliff. Not that I find anything particularly funny about that image! However, it turned out that the name Ha! Ha! was an ironic yet apt reference to our ride today. We began this morning under a heavy blanket of dark

Sometimes choosing not to ride a such a good thing. Like today - it is raining, windy and cold. In fact, with the wind chill factor, it feels like it is 31 degrees (F) today! Instead, we are nestled up in a hotel, sipping hot coffee and pouring over our maps and weather reports. A much needed planning day! We are sitting along the grey and white-capped St. Lawrence River at the last point we will journey along. It is about here, at Riviere-du-Loup, that the fresh water f

On the road Today’s ride took us to the extremes of the emotional spectrum. We began with the expected, yet manageable, headwinds along beautiful farmland and country roads. We meandered along exquisite backroads with hardly any traffic and then reached the shoreline of the St. Lawrence, where the road was dotted with quaint colonial-style homes. We had the road to ourselves, and despite the wind, it was a blissful start to what we knew would be a challenging 50-mile ride to

The pace of a bike is truly an amazing thing.  The distance from Quebec City to Riviere-du-Loup, where we are staying tonight, is a mere three hour road trip by car (two hours by freeway).  Yet, it has taken us three DAYS by bicycle…three tough days, as we battled the head winds and wound from town to town. We feel we really got to experience this little corner of Quebec!  The winds picking up The morning dawned with the promise of some sun.  We, in fact, enjoyed some sun and

The ride down the St. Lawrence today (strangely, I keep feeling as if we are riding upriver toward the mouth of the river where it meets the Atlantic Ocean) continued in windy, cold, and overcast weather. Despite the conditions, the ride felt great. It was the perfect distance for a high headwind ride of only 38 miles. In the town of St. Jean-Port Joli We had a delayed start because my rear tire, which I’ve been using since we began the Patagonia ride, hasn’t been holding air

To be Quebecois, to live in Quebec, takes grit. Grit to handle the weather - the cold, the wind, the long winters, the rain. The faces of the people we meet and pass all show the evidence of weathering this land. And yet, they more than just weather it. They have done so well! They keep fit by walking, biking and cross-country skiing in the winter. They garden...constantly! Everyone makes sure their yards are leaf-free, nicely mown, and planted with trees and perennial

We spent four nights in Quebec City, two more days than planned due to the weather high, blistering cold winds and continual rain. It sounds like Portland in the winter, and that’s exactly what it felt like. It certainly wasn’t riding weather, so if you need to hunker down due to weather, you can’t beat the charming, over three hundred-year- Old Town Quebec City old Quebec City. Joyful is the word that best describes this quaint city that sits on the shore of the St. Lawrence

Waiting for the Ferry to take us across the St. Lawrence from Quebec City We have said farewell to Quebec City.  While we were there, it may have been rainy and cold, but the city itself is truly a fantastic place to visit.  Fascinating from a historical aspect, fun from a uniquely Quebecois ( Quebecian) cultural aspect, engaging from an architectural aspect, and the restaurants and bars are endless and scrumptious! We thoroughly enjoyed our time there, despite the weather! 

After a warm, summer-like evening in Portneuf, where we devoured a large pepperoni and green pepper pizza at a beautiful riverside pizzeria, we continued our journey north to the end of the King’s Road in Quebec City. The weather pattern shifted from an awesome southwesterly tailwind to a fierce direct northeast headwind, which at times gusted to 30 mph—NOT FUN! Portneuf pizzeria by the river We needed every bit of that pizza to complete the ride, but we made it and were rewa

Mural on the side of a church. Our final ride into Quebec City for this first part of our tour was beautiful. The flat, winter-bitten agricultural lands softly changed to a lush green hillier landscape filled with fields of new growth. Trees were more numerous and evergreens began to make an appearance. So did the wind. Overnight the winds switched from the southwest to a strong eastern front blowing full on into our faces as we biked. By the time we made our way into Qu

We continued our ride today on the King’s Road, covering nearly fifty miles to reach the small town of Portneuf, Quebec. The ride took us along the St. Lawrence shoreline and through beautiful countryside dotted with quaint little French colonial towns. The bike route is one of the best we have ever ridden, with wide shoulders for riders and respectful drivers who ensure you have plenty of room. Car traffic has been minimal since the summer season has not yet begun here. We a

Along the St. Lawrence looking South We are cycling along the St. Lawrence River on the Chemin du Roy (King's Road) in a region shaped first by the great ice sheets of the Pleistocene Era, then further sculpted by the river that carved through ancient exposed stone as the ice retreated, providing an outlet for the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. To the north are endless miles of forests growing on some of the oldest rock formations on the planet, known as the Canadian Shie

The St. Lawrence River is massive! We started today’s ride with a ferry crossing from the southern to the northern side of the river.  I don’t recall ever seeing a river so wide. The river runs from the Great Lake and empties into the Atlantic Ocean.  It’s no wonder why it’s considered one of North America’s pivtol trade routes and a key part of the history of Canada and the United States. Once we crossed the river, we headed north and rode about 50 miles to Trois Riviera. Th