Day 99: Miramichi, NB -> Shediac, NB

Date: Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Start: Miramichi, NB (Warm Showers host)
End: Shediac, NB (Parlee Beach Provincial Park campground)
Distance: 131km

We woke up at our usual time at our host's place.  We packed up and our host - James - came out with breakfast for us!  We enjoyed coffee, orange juice, eggs, ham, home fries, and toast.  We all sat together and enjoyed breakfast while we shared stories!

At some point it was time to say goodbye.  James does an instagram post about all the people he hosts on Warm Showers and we did a few videos and pictures with him so we he could add us to his collection of people that he's hosted.  We grabbed a picture with him and thanked him for his generosity and hosting us.  He's off for a tour in Europe soon and we wished him well on his trip and rolled out of the driveway, the beneficiaries of another benevolent host!

We rode out of town and continued on the highway again.  Wide shoulders and fast speeds.  Once again, the wind was with us the entire way and we made incredible time!  The tradeoff again was traffic and a lack of coastline and pretty little towns.  But after about 40km the old highway split off again and we were back on the road less traveled.  We also came back to the coast as we passed Kouchibouguac National Park (no idea how to say it!).

After about 10km we reached the town of Saint-Louis de Kent.  As we crested a hill into town we were greeted by one of the largest flags I have ever seen.  It flew from a massive flag pole whose size reinforced just how much strength was needed to hold this massive flag in place as it flapped in the wind.  It turns out that Saint-Louis de Kent is the home of the Acadian Flag, and to celebrate it they fly this beautiful standard over the town.

We went to a local grocery store and grabbed some assorted food for lunch.  I found a new brand of mackerel and bought it up to test!  We sat in a park near the base of the flag and enjoyed our lunch as we watched the flag put on a show in the winds that had help carry us to this place.  The mackerel wasn't my favourite, but the mustard flavour was a pleasant change of pace!  Skipper got a new Canadian experience with a taste of All Dressed Chips (or as he mistakenly refereed to them once: "fully dressed").

After we ate we snapped a few pictures.

We rode out of town with the goal of Shediac!  The road was more incredible coastline and houses reminding us of just how proud the Acadians are of their history, culture, and identity.

The next town was Richibucto.  We rode through and kept going along the water.  Eventually the sky in front of us clouded up and looked pretty ominous.  As we reached the town of Bouctouche, Skipper checked the weather radar and saw the storm was passing South of the town and we would ride straight into it if we continued.  We decided to stop at the visitor centre in town and wait 30 or so minutes for the storm to pass South of us.  The staff at the visitor centre were welcoming and wonderful.  They let us connect to the wifi and talked to us about our trip.  Eventually the storm passed, we thanked them, and continued down the road.

Sure enough, the road out of Bouctouche was SOAKED.  A serious amount of water had fallen and we'd missed all of it!  Instead the skies were clear and sunny.

Another two hours and we reached the outskirts of Shediac.  Again, the clouds were threatening rain.  When on the edge of town we pulled up to a grocery store and I checked directions.  We weren't far from our destination (a provincial park) and decided to get supper while we waited for the storm to pass over.  Someone saw us looking at our phones and offered up some suggestions.  They said the sushi in town was abundant and at a good price, we took the suggestion and headed to the sushi shop.

Upon entering town there was one stop we had to make.  The entire area is known for its lobster fishing, and Shediac is home to a statue of a lobster.  Famously, it's the largest lobster statue in the world.  Not since Wawa, Ontario had I seen a "largest  in the world" statue.  I had to stop to take a picture as this is one of those facts I'd known my entire life and was finally here to see it!

We rode into town and found the little sushi shop.  The decorations were wild, and the music made it sound like we were trapped in some kind of weird Japanese fairy tale.  But the sushi was great!  We enjoyed soup, sushi, and edamame.

After it was done we jumped back on our bikes, navigated the massive amounts of traffic in town, and rode out to Parlee Beach Provincial Park.  We registered, found our site, showered, and setup our tents.  It was sunset.  Parlee is known for having an incredible beach, so I rode out to see the sunset and the beach.  It did not disappoint.

When I was done enjoying another incredible evening, I rode back to the campsite and tucked in for the night.  The forecast was calling for temperatures of about 7C overnight, and I welcomed the opportunity to finally curl up in my sleeping bag.  Sure enough, it was a cold night and plenty enjoyable with a nice warm blanket!

It was another wonderful day.  Skipper and I enjoyed a lot of beautiful sights, coastline, and easy riding with great tailwinds.  130km is still a long day, but it was a treat compared to the 170 we'd done the day before.  We were also now within striking distance of PEI which we would reach the next day.  We were excited for another province!  And I felt sorry that we were leaving New Brunswick so soon.  I haven't had a province been over this quickly for some time.  But I have great memories of New Brunswick so far and am still very happy with the decision to explore the Eastern coast of the province!