In which the rain and wind on our first ride are interesting!
We all assembled in front of the Westin at 8:45 a.m. and were greeted by the tour operators, Pedal to Sea Adventures. They very efficiently loaded up the luggage, whisked away the bike boxes (courtesy of the parents of the bike mechanic!) then added our three assembled bikes to the back of a very long trailer. Custom made, very sleek carrier but glad I’m not driving the vehicle, it’s going to be tricky to backup… another sunny day in Halifax but we’re told we’re heading to rain.
The bike trailer at a later stop
Audrey, our co-leader, models the bike trailer with its custom cabinetry.
Off we set for a four hour drive to PEI – took us a little longer with bathroom break in the middle and a huge queue at the Irving gas station (us geriatrics will never pass a bathroom when it’s on offer, even if only one person needed to stop!). The potato fields started in the lowlands of New Brunswick and they were impressive, miles upon miles of flowering plants. They seem to be about two weeks behind us in terms of plant development. Confederation Bridge was impressive – it’s free to go over to PEI, and $50 to leave either by the bridge, or the ferry at the top of the island which is how we’ll get back. Lots of traffic heading back out of PEI, folk there for the weekend returning to work.
The red earth of PEI is really evident in the foregound of Confederation Bridge – this is looking back towards the mainland.
After a lunchstop where we all foraged for food in different places, and some of us picnicked with what we’d brought, we headed out in light rain to the other side of Summerside. Potato fields reigned supreme, as did beautifully cut lawns even around the most humble of abodes. The rain got more and more enthusiastic until it was a downpour just about the time we arrived. Checkin complete, we dumped our things in our rooms and changed into cycle clothes. Those with rental bikes were then adding pedals and accoutrements, saddles etc while Jill, Henry and I were able to cycle away, still in the rain.
Not visible in this picture is the waterfall coming off the roof from the rain…
There was a little tailwind when we started, and after about 1/2 hour the rain stopped and we were able to put away our raincoats – it was very warm despite the rain and heavy clouds. While we were given randonneur type plastic pouches with written instructions for the route, we found they didn’t tally with the GPS map I’d downloaded so eventually gave up on them. My pouch was pretty annoying where it had been fastened, constantly flipping down in the wind and covering the Karoo so it got folded up and put away first opportunity.
Pretty countryside! Some roads were quite busy and others not bad but we all remarked at dinner how consistently rude black pickup trucks were passing us… Most drivers, though, were courteous and you could see some even trying to avoid hitting the puddles so they didn’t splash us!
It’s trying to clear…
The sun came out and it got warm for a few minutes, and although the clouds became increasingly ominous towards the end we outpaced the rain.
potato fields and fissured roads
Jill is enjoying her brand new bike, picked up and packed the week before they left. Incidentally, none of the rental bikes have fenders…
By this time we were heading back on our loop and battling some fairly hefty headwinds, with gusts that blew my light bike sideways (fortunately towards the shoulder, not the centre of the road). It was pretty hard work, esp. going up the undulations!
beehives!
We were back home in the nick of time as the heavens opened again and those behind us arrived bedraggled. An easy ride today, only 30 ish km to work out kinks in the bikes, and relatively uneventful with one flat about a mile from home. It’s interesting in such an experienced group of cyclists how many admitted at dinner they couldn’t change a flat.
Missing my Japanese onsen at the finish, I went in search of the hot tub and pool, and had the former to myself. Lovely!
The nightly laundry complete, we had a group dinner, food okay but not great, and retired to pack for the next day. The forecast is for more rain, but likely a tailwind for at least part of the 80 km.
Highlights: red earth and potato fields!