Out of the hills and animals during the night

23th August: Middle of nowhere, between Plaster Rock & Renous to Rogersville

Odometer: 121 km, Start: 8.00am, Finish: 4.30pm, Avg: 19.8 km/h,
Weather: Overcast, brighter later, Temp: 14-22°C
Road Conditions: #108, no shoulder, average road surface, extremely light traffic. #118 (from Renous), no shoulder, light traffic. #126 (to Rogersville), gravel shoulder, light traffic but fast with heavy-haulers. Services: Renous (70km). Ascent: 500m/900m.

My isolated camp spot wasn’t as lonely as I thought it was going to be. There were several large animals wandering around in the woods during the night! I think they were moose or large deer as when I went out (a bit scared) to investigate, I could hear munching and crunching. I don’t think they were bears (New Brunswick does have black bears), but it was still a little too much “adventure” when camping alone in a great big forest…

I was a bit tired when I reached Renous after my “adventure”

It was rainy and windy during the night as well, so after a fretful and interrupted sleep, I broke camp quite early and hit the road. Despite making a good dent yesterday, I still had 70km to go to Renous and sanctuary. It was a slow process, despite the general tilt downwards of the road as I came out of the hills. I had little energy, even after eating most of my rations. I was cheered slightly by the number of honks and waves from the few car drivers. I don’t think many cyclists come this way…

Finally I reached the oasis, namely the gas station on the edge of Renous, the one indicated on the sign from yesterday’s post. I sat down with my food feeling pretty tired. I could have happily slept on that bench for a while, but I became a popular attraction with lots of people gathering around and talking to me about my trip. (It was strange to have the attention again. In Quebec, nobody bothered me at all. They all seemed much more reserved). After the break, lengthened considerably by my temporary celebrity status, I carried on hoping to reach Rogersville.

Gas station oasis at Renous

I did get to my destination, but it was a grind. Never mind, I recover quite quickly. Actually, I’ve got another highlight to look forward tomorrow as I reach the east coast of Canada and the Atlantic! Technically, the water is the Northumberland Strait, but it leads to the Atlantic Ocean and that’s good enough for me.

River at Renous