Young’s Cove Road to Moncton
It was 8 C when we woke up this morning. Under a clear blue sky, we rejoined the #2, which seemed to have been rolled out onto the landscape into the distance. Although the undulating terrain and excellent road conditions made for relatively easy riding, it is less interesting than the old highways, but quicker. The countryside is mostly mixed forest, much of it previously logged, and some farmland. The highway has extensive wildlife fences, with one-way gates for exiting moose. There was no junction or service station for about 50 km, so we made espresso beside the 4-laned highway and later, had a roadside picnic of cheese, oatcakes and fruit. A sign broadcasting Irving’s environmental contribution by planting enough trees to circle the globe each year was in contrast to the ever present Irving gas stations in the Maritimes.
We had a good meal at the Old Triangle Irish Alehouse, which included Picaroons Ale and also bread pudding with Irish Whiskey, while listening to some local musicians and singers jamming. When our taxi came to pick us up, we asked the driver if he would drive along the waterfront. He took us down to the river and suggested we walk along the boardwalk path and he would pick us up further down. The Petitcodiac River was ebbing fast in the evening light. The height of the tide was evident from the wet mud banks. There is a tidal bore which before the construction of a causeway in 1968, was one of the world’s largest. The causeway gates were opened in 2010 and the ocean silt is now being flushed away. The bore is gradually returning to its former heights. Our taxi driver continued to provide a quick tour of the city on the way back our hotel, while giving us some insight into the history of Moncton as well as the local motorcycle culture.
Floral Notes: We remarked on flowering wood anenomes in Ontario – in New Brunswick we are seeing the berries. The seasons move along.
We remain on the traditional territory of the Malécite People. You can see these lands on a map here.
