Day 78: Campbellton to Beresford (98 km)

I am a lot of things: bicyclist, picture framer, outdoor enthusiast.
One thing I am not is a fire builder. How forest fires start is
beyond me. The fire shown above took a good hour and the pity of a
neighbor with dry kindling to get started.

Today was a pleasant surprise. We were expecting a long slog over
steep hills and after a last minute route change, we ended up riding
an eight foot paved curb through gentle, although long, climbs and
descents. Vanessa retracts everything she posted about highway 11.
Today's stretch was a dream.

We experienced one exception to our bicycling bliss. Vanessa cut a
hole in her tire big enough to be a mouth. This was a bit alarming as
we were on a sparsely populated section of highway with no bike shop
in range. Fortunately, earlier in the trip, I helped another
bicyclist problem solve his way through a similar gash. In that case
a piece of our map binder topped off with some duck-tape on the inside
of the tire acted as a suitable, temporary barrier between the tire
and the road. With a similar fix, sixty kilometers later, Vanessa's
tire is still going strong.

Tomorrow we have a short ride into Bathurst, New Brunswick for a rest
day followed by a visit to a rehab centre the following morning. This
is our first official stop in this province and we're looking forward
to meeting the staff and participants in Bathurst.

For the moment however, Vanessa and I are going to enjoy some fire
roasted veggie dogs and toasted bananas with a dollop of
chocolate-hazelnut sauce. We may not be master fire builders, but we
know how to make thew best of them once they get going.