New Brunswick — OWN THE UNKNOWN

I have to admit I had no idea what to expect from New Brunswick as we entered the province on rail trail. A lot things surprised me from just how forested the province is to the continuing French influence seen throughout the province.

Our first full day riding in New Brunswick we were making our way down the highway when all of the sudden out of nowhere I was stung on the back of my ear by a wasp. Said wasp then proceeded to get itself stuck between my helmet, strap and ear. In a full on panic I was trying to dislodge it while riding as I could feel and hear it angrily buzzing around. Since I couldn't free it I had to slam on my brakes and rip my helmet off while Ty was riding behind me wondering why I was acting so crazy. I spent the rest of the day with a swollen ear.

As we continued on the smell of French Fries wafted across the highway as we passed by the McCain French Fry factory. We cycled through thick forests, along gorgeous rivers and through small towns. We were excited to find some more rail trails to ride. Even though they were a bit rough it was worth the extra effort for the incredible views.

We eventually arrived in the town of Hartland, home to the World's Longest Covered Bridge, just in time to celebrate New Brunswick Day.

The weather was hot and humid as we continued making our way towards Fredericton. One sweltering morning as we were riding along a quiet road a car heading in the opposite direction stopped and the man inside started chatting to us. He told us that he owned the house just up the road and that even though he would be gone for a few hours we were more than welcome to use his pool and that his house was unlocked if we needed anything from inside. The generosity of complete strangers is one of the greatest rewards of travelling by bicycle. We cycled up his driveway and were greeted by a massive estate. We went for a glorious swim before putting back on our sweaty clothes and continuing the ride.

One of the most refreshing swims I have ever had

Further down the road we had an exciting stop at the world's largest axe.

We made it to Fredericton where we gladly took a day off and spoiled ourselves with a hotel room where we could blast the air conditioning. Fredericton was a nice city and we enjoyed just walking around for the day.

After departing Fredericton we began making our way towards Moncton and back to the ocean. At a roadside lunch stop we had the good fortune of getting to see the first car to ever cross the Confederation Bridge parked in the parking lot. Not only was the car adorned with decals stating this fact, but the driver also had a matching t-shirt made up.

Awesome lunch stop and the first car to ever cross the confederation bridge

The more time we spent in New Brunswick the more I was impressed by how rugged and remote the province felt. We passed up and down forested hills and along endless waterways.

In Moncton we had one of our more interesting stays through AirBnB staying with an artist in an old creaky house. We stored our bicycles in a room that had a post-it note on the door stating that it was the "Spaceship Room".

Mural painted by the artist we stayed with

From Moncton we decided to take a day trip to see the Hopewell rocks. It felt so free riding without any of our bags for the day. It was a nerve wracking ride on the very narrow highway that was full of tourist cars and campers. The amount of people that overtook us on blind crests in the oncoming lane was astonishing and in one instance Ty had to wave a guy back over into our lane just before he would have hit a car coming in the other direction. The rocks were quite amazing despite the hefty price to get into the park and the slightly terrifying ride to get there.

Onwards from Moncton we continued to the ocean and got to visit the giant lobster in Shediac. Our last couple of days in New Brunswick were spent cycling along the ocean until we reached the Confederation Bridge and the end to our travels in New Brunswick.

Ty's tan lines are getting quite impressive

One of my favourite things about our time in New Brunswick was that everyone knew everyone else in each small town we passed through. I loved waiting outside of grocery stores, while Ty picked up supplies, watching everyone standing around the parking lot chatting for an extra 10 minutes. We also loved hearing conversations in Acadian French which is quite distinct from Quebecois French. It was also fun listening to people switch back and forth between English and French depending on who they were talking to.

Approaching the Confederation Bridge, sadly no chance of cycling across it

It was sad to be leaving such an interesting province, but across the 13km long bridge our next province awaited.