An Explosion of Green

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-greens which will turn to brilliant reds when summer ends. My personal favorite, the Eastern Larch (a.k.a. the Tamarack), is sending forth it's bright green new needles in their little clumps all aver their branches. The Tamarack is one of those unusual needle leaf trees which are actually deciduous. They turn bright yellow in the fall, then darken to a brown and cascade to the ground during the winter months. Choke cherries, Eastern white pine, Balsam Fir, white spruce, and birch are also found aplenty among the wooded landscape. The ground is covered in large ferns with their fiddleheads uncurling, wild strawberries, and the ubiquitous dandelion.

We could go to Maine...

We followed the Saint John river south from Grand Falls where we stayed last night, just a short distance from the Maine border, through bucolic undulating hill county. Farmers were busy tilling their fields and getting their crops in. You get the sense that the growing season is short here and farmers were working hard to get seeds into the ground. We have learned that potato farming is big business in this area, in fact, the Potato World museum is next door to where we are staying tonight in the French Fry capital of the world: Florenceville-Bristol.

Potato World museum

Where we are now

We had the most perfect riding day of the trip so far today: warm sunshine, tailwind, gorgeous roads with little traffic, and fantastic views of the countryside and river. Our 50 miles seemed to pass by quickly. We are noticing, however, that the insect population is exploding with the sun and warmer temperatures. They are swarming and bothersome when we stop and take a break. I have also had numerous run-ins face-first with bugs while on the bike. I wonder if my face will look like a windshield after a long drive soon?!