Wednesday 19-08-07
NB Gravel Ride Part TWO, Aug 6 and 7th. DAY TWO
Tag Archives: Backroad
NB Gravel Ride, July 22 to 25th. DAY THREE
The whole trip
WEDNESDAY 19-07-24
A ride to maine and new hampshire June 5th to 10th, 2019 – Day five & six
Sunday June 9, 2019
Monday June 10, 2019
A ride to maine and new hampshire June 5th to 10th, 2019 day two
Thursday June 6, 2019
Day two route, 169 KM
It rained through the night but I slept well. In the morning it was still alternating from rain to showers and back and as I was in no hurry I made coffee and thought about where to go today.
I decided to walk a ways into Searsport to see if I could find something for breakfast but didn’t really get far. Searsport seems to be one of those Maine towns that are mostly a collection of houses and random businesses strung along the road without a discernible town centre. There are many more options in nearby Belfast Bay, but that would have been quite a walk. I passed a nearby Irving that I thought would do in a pinch but although it was fully lit up and powered, the pumps were all closed and the buildings were empty. Weird to see the big and well-lit road sign showing all grades of gas at $0.00 and the pump handles all covered. So I walked back to my room, ate a power bar and looked at some route options.
By 10:00 or so I was ready to leave. The weather had settled down and the rain seemed to be finished leaving only occasional showers to deal with. Temps were cool so all my zippers were closed but it was not unpleasant riding.
A few KM down the road I stopped at Belfast Bay and rode through the little town. Stopping at a waterfront park I shot a few photos.
After this I stopped at a Hannaford’s for some groceries. I wanted to try out cooking at my campsite and not relying on freeze dried “Hiker Delight” type meals as I have in the past. I got some dry pasta, tomato sauce and some Italian sausages for supper and bought some sliced turkey breast and 6″ tortillas for a lunch on the road.
I soon carried on along route 1 along the coast and by noon the weather was dry and warming up. It was a really nice day for riding with generally clear skies and some clouds.
Around noon I stopped at a roadside rest stop at Sherman Lake and ate lunch at the nice, covered picnic tables there.
When I pulled into the park there were about a dozen various EMT type vehicles there all sitting with full lights flashing. There were multiple State Troopers, the Sherriff, a firetruck, a couple of ambulances, a SAR vehicle etc. The operators were all just kind of standing around in the parking lot and it was weird idling through between them all. Nobody seemed in a hurry and the one thing missing appeared to be a patient or other emergency.
They were there quite a while and eventually a school bus pulled in and offloaded a dozen or so cheerleaders. The cheerleaders got in several of the vehicles and everybody then hauled a$$ out of the parking lot with lights and sirens. There must be an emergency parade somewhere, I guess. Bizarre.
I hadn’t gone to the bother of ordering cigars in advance as usual and instead had decided to live off the land cigar-wise. I’d picked up some Swisher Sweets Perfectos at a gas station and got 5 for the price I usually pay for 1. They weren’t bad.
I haven’t got reservations anywhere and now it’s after lunch so I started thinking about finding a campground. I had no wifi here but most of my campground apps work offline, just without maps. (I later figured out a way around that).
ioverlander.com was showing a promising State Park campground not too far away and not too far off route one so I decided to head for there.
On my way got back to the bike in the parking lot there was a guy kind of hanging around his nearby car. When I started packing my stuff up he came over and as happens so often, started asking questions about the bike. It turned out he is a long-time BMW rider and has two at the moment – an R1200RT and a R90S. We stood there talking for quite a while about BMWs, other bikes and bike trips. He’s had the R90S for a long time and had lots of stories about mods and restorative work he’s done to it. His wife returned from wherever she’d been part way through the stories and was just sitting in the car like this happens frequently, and it likely does – he was very chatty. Eventually everybody reached a point where it was time to move along and with a wave he drove off.
I have set up a “scenic routes” option on my GPS that will find a route avoiding all highways, toll roads etc. and I used it a lot on this trip. I set the GPS to “meander” mode and off I went soon turning inland and away from Route One.
It was a really nice ride and eventually I arrived at Bradbury Mountain State Park. When I decided to head for here I couldn’t see where it was on the map – my GPS had routed me through a series of country roads and I had not been on route one since lunch time. So I was surprised to find out my campsite was only 7 miles from Freeport, ME. I was even more surprised to find it only about 25% occupied as Freeport is a shopping mecca and usually very crowded and busy.
This turned out to be a new addition to my “favourite places to camp” list and I ended up staying here two nights. It was primative (though my site happened to have running, potable water) and relatively quiet. Most of the noise came from a bit of traffic on the road out in front of the campground. It didn’t bother me but next time I’d likely choose a spot deeper in the campground and further from the road.
Some of the walk-in sites are very secluded:
Although it was early in the day I decided to stop here and set up. On so many past trips I’d be out droning along on the interstate and swearing at the traffic for hours yet but this felt right for this trip. I enjoyed relaxing around the campsite and talking with the park staff.
I cooked my supper and it all worked out fine, it was nice to be able to put together something for myself that doesn’t cost 12 bucks, doesn’t contain so much salt and isn’t 600 calories. The needs of a backpacking hiker and a guy just sitting on a bike all day are pretty different, convenience seems to be the main point of convergence but now I have lots of time that doesn’t matter as much.
Eventually an R1200RT rider from Petrolia, ON stopped by to say hello and chat. He was on a tour with his truck and trailer rig as his wife won’t ride. His brothers all ride too and we shared some stories. He was kind of focused on the bugs (there were a few but not that many) and talked about how hard it had rained the night before. He complained a lot about the weather, citing the cold and wet not-spring as the reason he wasn’t riding his bike much. He was getting pretty doom-n-gloomy on the topic of climate change – when I finally found out he was a raised on a farm and it all made a lot more sense. He likely grew up with everyone around him cussing on the the weather no matter what kind of weather it was. But yeah, climate change is real and it’s going to be wetter in the East.
Later another rider with a K1600 came by to chat, he is new to BMW coming from the Harley world and so far he is very happy. He “has no idea what most of the buttons do” but knows how to work the GPS and is a seasoned long-haul rider. He’s from Quincy, MA (just outside Boston) and when the bike was five days old rode it to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. He said it was a cold ride at the beginning of March but he loved the ride. He’s was on his way to Laconia, NH the next morning to join in the for Bike week festivities. It was dark when he came in and unfortunately I was still dark when he rolled out in the morning – I regret not having a chance to add him to my Riders I Meet photo gallery.
I don’t often have a campfire, but felt like one this night. The wood was damp but I got a little fire going and managed to keep it burning through the evening.
Day two had been a complete success and I was thoroughly enjoying the trip.
An albert county ride 05-30
The weather was looking good for the afternoon, cloudy and a high of 20 with no rain in the forecast. Given how this year has gone I was keen to ride but skeptical this forecast would be any more accurate than all those disappointments that have come before today.
I headed out to the Adventure Lair and got there about 11:30. I suited up, made a quick stop for gas and was on my way.
134 km today.
I didn’t have a destination in mind but I wanted to at least get a photograph or two while I was out. Eventually I found myself in Albert County and exploring around the wind farm a bit.
I took a ride over New Ireland Road to the Kent Road junction. Sad to see a lot of development in the area with huge swaths of clear-cut and gigantic utility poles going in. Turns out there’s a new wind farm project going in around there so there’s trucks and heavy equipment all over the place. Too bad, that used to be a place you could quickly go to from the city and feel like you were really out in the boonies. Progress – Ugh!
A little way along NI Rd I came across this spot that seems to have been used for a boondock camping spot. I stopped for a stretch and to take some pics. Waypointing it for future reference.
It’s a nice little spot, if a little close to the road. It has water, a nice firepit and is reasonably flat. Somebody even took the trouble to erect a latrine in the woods nearby – I didn’t explore too closely but there appeared to be a wooden frame to hold the toilet seat and a blue tarp overhead. They hadn’t dug a pit, though and while there was a tipped-over bucket nearby the pile of evidence of the latrine’s use was simply standing there under the seat. Who does that?
Used the stack&blend method to smooth out the water for a faux long-exposure effect on both the following shots. Enhancement done with Luminar Flex, I really like that software BTW.
It’s bittersweet as I will only have the F800 for another month or so. I’ve decided it I can’t afford to keep it in my newly reorganized retirement plan so it has to go back to BMW – likely sometime late June or July. Rides like this are perfect for this bike and remind me how much I like it and will miss it.
I took Kent Road toward home and it wasn’t as much fun as it should have been. That road has always been one of my favourite rides but with the new development it’s getting upgraded again. There was an A-hole in a dump truck I had to get around and a dozer making a real mess I had to contend with. Also a huge pile of gravel in the road that I could just get around on one side.
Once in the wind farm it was more big trucks and they weren’t giving any f_cks at all about anybody else. One blocked me from passing me forcing me to ride in his dusty wake, another pulled out right in front of me. These guys are so used to there not being anybody else around they aren’t even looking. Pretty dangerous and I guess I’ll likely have to avoid the area this summer – shame.
It never did get to 20, in fact 15 was as high as I experienced and I did encounter a shower or two. Luckily I’d been skeptical from the start and had on full WP gear and a warm vest under my jacket. Heated grips on the whole ride.
Riding the back country in northern NB and Gaspe, QC – Part II, Day one
Prologue:
For years I’ve been exploring the huge network of gravel roads throughout New Brunswick. Many of those are in the Northern parts of the province and are often quite remote. I’ve also heard great things about terrific gravel roads in the interior of the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec and wanted to ride them.
Using my own research and other routes provided by friends I put together a multi-day ride that would cover some familiar territory as well as lots of places I’ve never been. Due to time constraints, weather and other commitments I had to do the trip in three stages, with a total of 10 days of riding in June and August, 2018.
Over the three trips, with some backtracking to and from my home base, I covered a total of 4,131 km of NB and QC with an estimated 30% or better of it on gravel. Here’s what the whole thing looks like:
If you’d like to view high-res versions of the photos in this post, use this link to head on over to the associated Smugmug gallery (all images copyright Doug Smalley):
https://dougsmalleyphotography.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2018/Aug-4-to-6-NB-and-QC-Gravel-Ride
Aug 04, 2018 Day one
For this leg of the journey I planned to retrace my June, 2018 route north but to push on further to Moose Valley, then take gravel back country trails to Amqui, QC. From Amqui I had more gravel routes for the interior of the Gaspe Peninsula, the Chic Choc Mountains and I planned to visit the Parc Nationale de Gaspesie. I had a week to spend on this, and the weather forecast for the Gaspe region was largely positive for the week ahead with only occasional light showers or rain on a couple of days. Morning rain was forecast for my first day but that was due to end in the early afternoon. Though I considered delaying one day and leaving Sunday to avoid rain on the first day it didn’t sound all that bad and I decided to push on through the weather.
The rain started at Rogersville, about an hour into the trip. It was coming down pretty hard so I decided to just stay on the pavement through Miramichi and over to the Little Southwest Road. By the time I turned onto the gravel at McGraw Brook the rain was intermittent. It would rain hard for a few km then stop for several km more – I’d say for the next 100km or so it only rained 25% of the time.
I’d left fairly late and had planned only to go as far as Serpentine Lake and camp there. As I was getting close it started raining again and it was really coming down. So much for the forecast of light rain in the morning and dry after noon! I didn’t want to take the same ATV trail I’d taken last time and I didn’t like the idea of a lengthy detour around the aforementioned closed bridges at tail end of this route so I decided to stay on Little South West Road and see just how bad the bridges were. Historically there was also a persistent family of beavers set up near the bridges and most times there was a big beaver headpond across this trail. Alyre had told me he’d destroyed the dam and the beavers & their pond were gone but I didn’t know for sure. Here are some pics of this beaver pond in past years:
As the trail narrowed the rain was bucketing down all around me. I didn’t like to get my camera out in this kind of weather but the scene really deserved a picture.
Regardless of what the forecast had been, this didn’t look like something that was going to clear off any time soon. It’s now about 5:30 and I’m getting pretty sick of rain. I’m really hoping I can get past those three bad bridges, if not I’ll need to backtrack about 20km then take a 40 or 50km detour.
I got to the first bridge and it looked pretty sketchy.
I tried it on foot and it felt pretty good. I decided to go for it but really slowly and to use what was left of the right-hand side of the deck. It was tough getting the bike up onto the bridge and I had to be really careful not to put my foot through the spaces between the ties but I gradually made it across.
One sketchy bridge behind me and two more to go. The beaver pond was, in fact, gone and the second bridge was not as bad as the first.
The third bridge had a different sort of problem and it was easy to see why it had been closed. The deck was in pretty good shape but something under the bridge had broken or settled leaving the bridge deck tilted at a steep angle to the side. The right side was about 2 feet lower than the left and in all this rain it was pretty intimidating. In my experience there aren’t many things more slippery than a wooden bridge deck in the rain. I had to be really careful not to spin the rear tire or I’d likely end up sliding off the bridge to the right. I crawled along the extreme left side to give me whatever margin I could and made it safely across. I was feeling equal parts relieved, soaked and frazzled but it should be pretty good riding from here.
Serpentine Lodge was just another few km ahead now and it was likely I could get a dry bed there, but I decided to check out the lakeside wild-camping spot first. When I got there nobody else was around and the rain had let up a bit so I decided to camp.
I’d brought my hammock as well as tent on this trip and in the shelter of the thick trees was able to get it set up. I rigged a second tarp overhead in the trees and was able to get out of the rain and even hang my gear up, though, the humidity was so high even out of the rain nothing was going to dry. Around 8:00 the rain stopped and the clouds began to break up. There was even a bit of a sunset as I set my chair up beside the lake. The day had been stressful at times, miserable at others but overall I was very happy to be where I was. I enjoyed a cigar and the millionaire’s view I had paid nothing for, it was so peaceful I sat there for over an hour as the dark settled around me and I listened to all that silence.
Eventually I got sleepy so I crawled into the hammock and had a pretty good night’s sleep.
If you’d like to view high-res versions of the photos in this post, use this link to head on over to the associated Smugmug gallery (all images copyright Doug Smalley):
https://dougsmalleyphotography.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2018/Aug-4-to-6-NB-and-QC-Gravel-Ride
Riding the back country in northern NB and Gaspe, QC – Part I, Day three
Prologue:
For years I’ve been exploring the huge network of gravel roads throughout New Brunswick. Many of those are in the Northern parts of the province and are often quite remote. I’ve also heard great things about terrific gravel roads in the interior of the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec and wanted to ride them.
Using my own research and other routes provided by friends I put together a multi-day ride that would cover some familiar territory as well as lots of places I’ve never been. Due to time constraints, weather and other commitments I had to do the trip in three stages, with a total of 10 days of riding in June and August, 2018.
Over the three trips, with some backtracking to and from my home base, I covered a total of 4,131 km of NB and QC with an estimated 30% or better of it on gravel. Here’s what the whole thing looks like:
If you’d like to view high-res versions of the photos in this post, use this link to head on over to the associated Smugmug gallery (all images copyright Doug Smalley):
June 18, 2018 – Day three
Today’s route:
I woke up fairly early and immediately knew I had a little problem – it was still raining, and harder than it had been the night before. It’s the part of moto camping that I least like – packing up the camp in a pouring rain. My MSR Hubba Hubba tent has never leaked, though, so all the gear I’d brought inside with me was dry. I waited a little while to see if it would let up but after 30 minutes it had not. I was headed home today and didn’t really have a huge ride ahead of me, I knew the worst part would be managing breakfast, breaking camp and packing up in a chilly, drenching rain. Sometimes when faced with a problem I procrastinate – I give myself lots of time to come up with solutions. Other times I just dive right in and this was one of those times.
I had brought my lightweight rain suit inside with me the night before so I had that on from the start. I choked down a cold energy bar for breakfast but camp coffee is something I really enjoy so I decided it was worth the effort. It was a miserable job but I got all packed, loaded and into my riding gear as quickly as I could. By 8:17 I was ready to leave. I was dry inside my gear, but everything I touched was wet and cold – I already kind of felt wet, it was still raining and I hadn’t even left yet.
I’d decided on a slightly different route home and would not have a chance to fuel or buy anything until I got to Sunny Corner 175km away. I had plenty of fuel so I wasn’t worried about that. It was a long, wet 175km.
I saw some moose along the way and eventually came to an abandoned campground I knew about. I was ready for a break so went in to explore. There were actually several vehicles and tents set by the lake up in there but the place looked very forlorn.
By the time I got to Sunny Corner it was 1:15 and the rain had mostly stopped. I had lunch at the Subway there then hit the road for the 142km drive home, of which there are no pictures.
If you’d like to view high-res versions of the photos in this post, use this link to head on over to the associated Smugmug gallery (all images copyright Doug Smalley):
Riding the back country in northern NB and Gaspe, QC – Part I, Day two
Prologue:
For years I’ve been exploring the huge network of gravel roads throughout New Brunswick. Many of those are in the Northern parts of the province and are often quite remote. I’ve also heard great things about terrific gravel roads in the interior of the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec and wanted to ride them.
Using my own research and other routes provided by friends I put together a multi-day ride that would cover some familiar territory as well as lots of places I’ve never been. Due to time constraints, weather and other commitments I had to do the trip in three stages, with a total of 10 days of riding in June and August, 2018.
Over the three trips, with some backtracking to and from my home base, I covered a total of 4,131 km of NB and QC with an estimated 30% or better of it on gravel. Here’s what the whole thing looks like:
If you’d like to view high-res versions of the photos in this post, use this link to head on over to the associated Smugmug gallery (all images copyright Doug Smalley):
June 17, 2018 – Day two
Today’s route:
The morning of Day two came early and the weather looked great. Before I left home they day before the forecast had been for occaisional light showers in the Gaspe over the next two days and heavier rain moving in late on the third day. I’d planned to be out of the the region and well on my way home ahead of the heavy weather.
I decided to do some exploring to the northwest of my base camp at Mount Carleton and got underway fairly early. I started off by riding 44 km to the town of St. Quentin for fuel and supplies along the way. St. Quentin is a pretty small place but they have the basics and lots of civic spirit:
There’s a Western-themed summer festival that some of the residents seem to get very excited about:
St. Quentin also has Canadian Iconography on display:
My first stop was at Tim Horton’s for a snack and some wi-fi.
This is how you look if you go to Tim’s by yourself and don’t use the wifi.
After getting caught up on email and posting a picture of my exploits to Instagram I headed out. I hit the Irving station to fill up the bike s and bought some bottled water. (the campground insists you boil their water before you drink it and really, who has time for that?) My next stop was the town of Kedgewick about 14km to the north.
Where I went to the grocery/liquor store and bought something for a roadside lunch later on.
I continued on to Kedgewick River and the start of the gravel. They have a very nice sports lodge and campground (all trailers from the look of it) there. I’ve stayed at the lodge and can enthusiastically vouch for the accommodations and dining on offer.
Salmon fishing is huge in this region and there are lots of guide boats and others tied up along the shore.
From here I set out on the Fraser Company road, another road that’s really only there to facilitate the massive lumber operations here. This one is 80km of gravel and very well maintained. As long as there’s not a ton of truck traffic these roads are a blast to ride – I only saw a couple of trucks and a car the whole way. I stayed on the through route but there were dozens of side roads I’d like to come back and explore sometime. It was a great ride.
The weather had become heavy overcast and I was getting the odd shower along they way. Nothing that would even wet the road, though, just enough moisture to improve the already good traction.
I tried to roll up on these guys slowly, grabbing some photos as I went. In the end I didn’t get very close before they took off into the woods to the right.
By the time I got to the end of the gravel I’d gotten pretty far west. I was basically at the TCH at Edmundston and it was getting a bit late. I decided to take the highway south for a ways and then cut east to Plaster Rock where I bought gas again. There were some nice views along the way.
I rode back to Mount Carleton on rte. 385 through the hamlet of Riley Brook. It was a very scenic ride but as it was getting into the evening I had to be very careful of deer on the road – these woods are full of them.
I got back to camp just as it was turning full dark and hadn’t seen any game along the way, which was either good that there was none or bad that there was and I hadn’t see them. I got dinner going and just as I was finishing the meal it began to rain. I put on a lightweight Gore Tex jacket and pants and relaxed until about 9:00 when a combination of the increasing steady rain, the mosquitoes and fatigue steered me into my tent. I listened to music for a while then fell asleep to the sound of rain pattering on the tent. I didn’t hear another sound until morning.
If you’d like to view high-res versions of the photos in this post, use this link to head on over to the associated Smugmug gallery
(all images copyright Doug Smalley) :
Riding the back country in northern NB and Gaspe, QC – Part I, Day one
Prologue:
For years I’ve been exploring the huge network of gravel roads throughout New Brunswick. Many of those are in the Northern parts of the province and are often quite remote. I’ve also heard great things about terrific gravel roads in the interior of the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec and wanted to ride them.
Using my own research and other routes provided by friends I put together a multi-day ride that would cover some familiar territory as well as lots of places I’ve never been. Due to time constraints, weather and other commitments I had to do the trip in three stages, with a total of 10 days of riding in June and August, 2018.
Over the three trips, with some backtracking to and from my home base, I covered a total of 4,131 km of NB and QC with an estimated 30% or better of it on gravel. Here’s what the whole thing looks like:
If you’d like to view high-res versions of the photos in this post, use this link to head on over to the associated Smugmug gallery (all images copyright Doug Smalley):
Day one, June 16, 2018
Today’s route:
I packed up the bike and got away from the house about 10:30 – a bit later than planned but that’s how it worked out. I took rte.126 toward Rogersville, exploring a little and enjoying the sights along the way. Mostly I was enjoying the vibe of riding in good weather and being on a bike trip.
It’s about 80km to Rogersville and I get there just before noon. Before I head into the back country I filled up with gas and got a snack at Tim Horton’s.
At Rogersville I left rte.126 and took Pleasant Ridge Road toward Blackville. The route follows a series of paved and gravel roads with some scenic spots.
At Blackville I stopped to explore a side trail I’d never been on before – got a nice view of the Southwest Miramichi river.
It was a secluded little spot and the view was nice and but there was something pretty big and very dead somewhere nearby in the woods that was stinking the place up. Without much hesitation I was back on the road.
Eventually you come to the Little Southwest Road and I stayed on this for the next 75km – all gravel.
I saw a few moose on this trip, these two were the first.
I was headed for Serpentine Lodge, a favourite fuel and food stop in this largely unpopulated part of the province. When I last talked to the Lodge owner he’d told me the Little Southwest Rd. was closed near his end due to problems with the bridge(s). There are three bridges near the end of the road that had been falling apart for years. Unmaintained by anybody they had gradually fallen into an unsafe condition and been closed. This meant I’d have to re-route around them by taking a lengthy detour, but then I came to this sign.
My bike is pretty big and heavy, and I have a full load with camping gear, food, water and food to last me 4 days in the back country, so I don’t usually take ATV trails. I’ve never been on this trail before and I don’t even know if it goes all the way through but it offered a significant savings in time and distance getting to my destination. It didn’t look bad, at least the beginning of it so I figured I’d give it a try and turn back if it got too bad.
It started off OK but steadily deteriorated. Eventually I took a sharp turn and dropped down a series of rocky shelves and the trail ahead was really rough. I wasn’t certain I’d be able to navigate back up the shelves and the sharp turn at the top but that didn’t even matter. The trail had suddenly become so tight there was no way to turn around…. so I pressed on. The next few km were very rough going down, down and down some more. I was pretty concerned and hopeful the trail went through because I had real doubts I could climb back out if it didn’t.
I made it through the track without too much drama. There was one spot where I went over a sharp ledge with some big exposed rocks where the bike took a hit but it wasn’t too hard. Thanks to Black Dog Cycle Works for building this most excellent bash plate – it wasn’t cheap but it did it’s job very well.
The trail eventually came out at Serpentine Lake, making me very happy. From the lake to the Lodge was an easy ride. I was ready for a break and I love this lake so I stayed a while. I’ve camped here before but had no plans to do so this night.
There were some fishermen camped in the woods and they appeared to be just sitting around so I went over to say hello.
I had a great chat with these guys, they’d come in a couple of days before and had prepared to stay up to a week fishing, drinking beer and relaxing. The man in the foreground was much older and had been very sick recently. He told me about coming to this lake as a boy and had been coming back regularly over the years. He got quite emotional when he admitted that since he had a series of major health concerns at the moment and that he had been in the ICU only a week before, this might be his last trip to Serpentine Lake. He was clearly soaking it all in.
There are a few places that are special in some way to me and that I visit for nostalgic or sentimental reasons. Some are local and some are physically very far away. Some I travel to every year while visits to others may be only once in a few years. Invariably when I leave any of these places I wonder to myself when or even if I’ll ever be back. I could really relate to what the old-timer was talking about
After a bit of visiting I headed up the lake road and over to Serpentine Lodge. (this next shot of the lodge is for reference and from a different trip)
It’s great having a place like this to come to. It’s the only gas, food and lodging for many kilometres in any direction and is well placed for trips like this. Any time I’m in the area I make a point of stopping for a drink, fuel and usually a meal – doing what I can to help keep the place in business.
I had a little visit with the owner of the place: Alyre Marquis who almost always has time to chat. He was interested in my route plans and envious of my ability to travel. Alyre seemed to be feeling really tied-down to the Lodge – it’s pretty much a one man operation and I’m sure he spends many hours completely on his own. To me it seems ideal, but the remoteness of the place and needing to be there all the time would eventually wear on anybody. Alyre told me he gets a few ADV-type riders through each season and really appreciates it when people stop by.
I fuelled up here and continued on.
Along the way I saw another moose and a bear too. Unfortunately the bear was not as willing as the moose to pose for my camera so I have no bear photo.
A fairly short ride later I got to my campsite in Mount Carleton Provincial Park where I planned to spend two nights. It’s kind of funny to camp here in the park and pay a fee. New Brunswick has about 6 million hectares of forest, most of which can be camped on without anybody caring. I’m fully self-contained so could camp almost anywhere in the region I could find a flat spot for the tent and I do that quite a bit – some times, though, it’s nice to have at least some facilities and if nobody uses the park, maintaining it could get hard to justify.
I got set up and had dinner – followed by some work looking at routes for the next day.
After dinner I did a bit of exploring around this beautiful, peaceful Provincial Park.
Then went back to the campsite for some reading, bourbon and a cigar to celebrate a great day on the bike.
Mount Carleton is a dark sky location and when the night sky is clear it’s an excellent place to view and/or photograph the milky way. According to astronomy.com, a third of people can’t even see it any more due to light pollution. It’s an awesome sight and I wanted to try to get a photo of it. So long after everyone was in bed asleep, the moon had set and any effects of the Bourbon had worn off, I rode a dozen or so KM out to Bathurst Lake and set up to try my hand. I’m not totally satisfied with the results, in the total darkness I missed the focus by a bit so the stars are not as sharp as they should be but here it is anyway.
That finished off Day One of this trip so I crawled into the tent and slept well all night.
If you’d like to view high-res versions of the photos in this post, use this link to head on over to the associated Smugmug gallery (all images copyright Doug Smalley):
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