We didn't get to see any seals today but we did get an immersion into Maritime weather. Overnight the rain continued to pour but it subsided long enough for us to pack the tent without adding to the already water-logged fabric. For breakfast, the campground manager let us eat in the onsite gym, featuring two pieces of equipment in a 12x12 room with a cement floor. We tucked next to an exercise bike and another relic device from the 1970s to pull out our breakfast fare. Today's breakfast was supplemented with some delicious donations of fresh fruit, bread, cheese, and drinks from Tanishka, whom we met in the laundry room last night. She is working for a company that runs supported bicycle and adventure tours so she has a keen knowledge of how to make hungry cyclists happy (Thanks Tanishka!).
We were also lucky enough to have clear-ish skies when we were forced to ride through 8km of muddy construction on the way out of Riviere du Loup. The road was actually closed for said construction, so it was our own fault for assuming that 'local traffic only' would mean the route was okay for bikes. None of the workers tried to stop us but for about a kilometre there was a 10-foot deep trench instead of a road so we had had to trudge over the lawns of the poor individuals whose homes face that section of highway 132. If there are any cyclists on the road behind us we would suggest finding an alternate route out of town.
Our reprieve from the rain seemed to last just long enough to lull us into a false sense of comfortable riding. By lunch the downpour was torrential and it remained steady all day. Our campsite again has a gazebo, which we were grateful to have for cooking. Finally, the rain seems to be on pause for the moment so we're hoping we can downgrade the tent water level from soaked to damp.
The scenery today was breathtaking with rugged coastal views cutting into farmland. Unfortunately, on days like this we miss out on photo ops for fear of allowing water into the panniers and electronics. Alex's strategy to adapt to these conditions has given start to a photo series from underneath gas station awnings, quite beholding!
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