HUGH C2C: August 6 - Day 63 - Will we survive the island?

The weather did not look promising this morning and radar online confirmed that there were storms heading our way, so it was into the gear quickly for as early a start as possible, thinking if all else failed, we would just pick up the pace and outrun the storm system. Apparently this is all due to a hurricane winding along out in the Atlantic that is affecting weather on the eastern seaboard. We just want to get to PEI today and chalk up another province.

Next stop PEI

Any activity you can imagine at this stop

Although the Trans Canada Highway was in good shape for the first couple of kilometers, it quickly deteriorated, leaving us virtually no shoulder to ride on, so we backtracked a little, took a detour through Moncton, and picked up the #15 which would take us most of the way to the Confederation Bridge. The #15 was in great shape, offered some pretty nice riding, and with only a couple of baby hills here and there, we were chewing up the km's like nobody's business. The morning two hour spin session produced 50km, even with our slow detour through town, and found us at Reg's Variety Store Ltd. in Shemogue, which also had a restaurant out back, so we decided to stop for a snack. Eating again! A quick bite and we were on the road again, and I noticed we had picked up the Acadian Coastal Route, one of the drives promoted by Tourism New Brunswick. This one follows the coast to the north and east of the province, and will be on the agenda when I return to the maritimes.......I am coming back.....it is beautiful here.

Reg's

Don't think I'll buy one for this draw

Not too far down the road we picked up the #16 which would lead us over the bridge and into PEI, but first we had to stop at the "Welcome to New Brunswick" sign as we missed it on the way in. We also stopped into the tourism info centre and picked up some more literature on the province, the driving routes, etc., so if you are planning a trip, I have the goods.

This Confederation Bridge is quite a deal, and probably changed life on the island dramatically when it was built. It took a plebiscite with just 59% of voters saying yes, before the project was approved. Now, at 12.9km (8mi) long, it is the World Longest Bridge.......although I have heard it is the longest only over ice covered water, but who knows, it is amazing. It opened in 1997, was designed to last 100 years, took four years to build, cost $1 billion, and there is no toll coming onto the island, only when you leave.

Our camp for the evening is at the Borden Carleton KOA, and we want to thank those folks for providing us a free campsite for the evening, which is something they will do if you are on a charitable ride. They asked if we could show that we were on such a ride, and we said, just wait till the car and trailer pull in and you can see for yourself. Nice spot, and within easy reach (by car) of Charlottetown, where Sid and I were scheduled to meet one of GC's buddies for a beer at his brewpub.

It turns out that Kevin is a very successful restauranteur with multiple locations on the island, and when combined with his hotels, and the brewery, he could safely be described as a mover and a shaker, along with being an absolutely great guy. We were very happy he could take some time from his busy schedule to meet with us, show us around a little, and he even called his lovely wife Kathy to come down and join us for a drink. As much as he was interested in what the hell we were doing riding across Canada, it was great to hear his story of how someone was able to build this empire in PEI. Bottom line I think is hard work, knowhow, and a passion for what you are doing. Kevin and Kathy exude all of those qualities.

Kevin and Sid

Gahan John A......yummy

We started at The Gahan House Pub and Brewery, went around the corner to Fishbones, home of the first and only rooftop lounge on the island, and finished up at Sims Corner for a beautiful steak dinner, followed by date sticky pudding. Each location was unique in design, for which Kathy gets all the credit, but all were warm friendly, and vibrant. You could set those operations down in any city in North America and they would be a success. It's nice to see all the staff in an establishment doing their job happily and with enthusiasm. That only comes down from the top. K and K couldn't join us for the meal due to an earlier scheduled conflict, but left us in the very capable hands of Monica, and she was nothing short of fantastic. Again, it's the people you meet that are making this trip memorable for me. Another one for the memory banks.

Sims Oyster menu.........really

The freshest oysters anywhere

The skies opened up during dinner and it was a total deluge, but was over before we had to head back to the car for our ride back to camp. All the way home there were flashes in the sky, and sure enough, another wave hit us and it poured all through the night. We'll see what tomorrow brings for our ride down the island to catch the ferry back to Nova Scotia. Goodnight all.

Parting shots...............