Biking Along St. John River--Beautiful

New Brunswick

June 27

St. John was a larger city than Digby. As soon as I found a
store, I sat down on the curb and started eating my peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches. By the time I had finished, a group of kids had
crowded round me and started asking questions. On this trip I
have been getting along really well with kids--or maybe I'm just
noticing it more.

I spent the night at a little picnic-park area twenty miles west of
St. John. When I arrived, eight of the ten picnic tables were being
used, even in this weather—surprising. When it started to rain, I went
over and started talking with the people picnicking under the only
roof in the park. We ended up building a fire. They left after sharing
a couple of beers with me. Under that roof, I stayed dry, but didn't
sleep well. The traffic kept me awake—cars and trucks coming and going
all night long; don't ask me why. At one point, a busload of
cub-scouts pulled in. It was the longest bathroom break ever.

At least in the northeast the Trans Canada was a good highway to
bike. I even had to hitch hike on it. I broke a spoke, the same spoke
that broke back when I was biking with Richard. I had to hitch to a
gas station in order to put things right again.

Back on the highway, I spent a marvelous two hours biking along the
river. New Brunswick was very scenic, especially along the
highway that followed the river. I appreciated the sunshine even more
than the scenery. When I passed a huge log pile, I decided to stop and
enjoy the day. I camped behind the logs, where I had a good view the
huge lake (reservoir). That evening, over the water, there was a
gorgeous sunset. Earlier in the day, I had found a pay shower, so that
night the sun set not only on appreciative eyes, but also on a clean
body. It was great!

Things are looking good. I feel good. Good-bye Mr. Sun!

June 28

My calculations told me that if I limited myself to $3. a day, and
biked at least 60 miles per day, I would arrive back in Houghton Lake
22 days from now. I usually biked more than 60 miles a day, but that
was a good distance to target since I also needed some layover time. I
wanted to do my "easy time" in Michigan, though. I planned to bicycle
along the shore of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan before heading for
home. I figured I still had around 1316 miles to go, and I knew from
past experience that anything could happen. But, at least with these
calculations, I also knew that my goal was doable.