Grand Falls, NB

So I have ridden a little over 1000 km now across Quebec and into New Brunswick. Unfortunately my knee started acting up about 250 km ago. Something different then before. The pain comes and goes, and is not debilitating like the injury a couple of years back. I am taking a day off here to rest, and then am going to try to get down to Saint John, by stretching the timeframe to 4 days of 80 km per day. From there I catch a ferry to Digby, and then 3 days of 80 km per day to Halifax. At that rate I have time to take one more day of rest (likely the day I catch the ferry).

Riding through Quebec was beautiful, however the hills are incredibly steep. There is no such thing as a cut or fill through the mountains, the roads just go straight up the sides. Downhill at 16% grade is a lot of fun, but somewhat scary as you hit 80 km/h with a loaded bike. Uphill is a knee grinder, which is what did me in.

New Brunswick so far is somewhat depressing. It appears that the main highway was rebuilt some time back, so the deserted road I take (I presume the old highway) is just a wasteland of abandoned gas stations, decrepit motels, and other closed businesses. Everything is for sale... probably really cheap. Grand Falls is the first place that I have been able to speak English to people in a while, and is somewhat more alive than the rest of the province that I have seen so far. Although I took a beer in a bar that had no one in it but me, the bartender, and a bored looking cook.

Well tomorrow is onward towards Fredricton. We shall see how that goes.