Day 13

The owner of our Gîte had promised a surprise for breakfast.

 

 

 

Cathy kept pumping him for a clue but either the French translation was not working or he was steadfast in his resolve to keep it a secret.  In any event the first couple of items were delicious as expected.

 

 

 

Then came the main course with a crepe of fruit smothered in whipped cream and a surprise ‘face’ incorporated into the decoration.  This seemed even more of a surprise as the chef was the bicycle mechanic from yesterday.  A multitalented fellow for sure.

 

 

 

Our route today is billed as the first interprovincial trail in the country.  It is sponsored by Quebec and New Brunswick and connects Rivière-du-Loup to Edmunston.  If this is an example of what can happen with interprovincial cooperation then I say “Bring it on!”  We followed a rail to trail with a steady up hill grade for the first 50 km. 

 

 

 

What a beautiful part of the country.  The forest had shed many leaves but insisted on providing color and sun-lit spotlight moments for our pleasure.

 

 

 

Lovely, crystal clear streams bubbled along reminding us that we still had more uphill pedaling.

 

 

This area has numerous beautiful lakes with the occasional isolated cabin that looks very appealing for a remote experience.

 

 

We pedaled through a brackish low lying area scattered with abundant beaver dams, scrubby deciduous shrubs, birch, black spruce and tamarack.

 

 

This seemed to fit well with the information that this area harvests peat moss for distribution to the rest of the country. Areas where the forest flour was covered with soft lichen-like plants reminded us of areas in the Churchill River in northern Saskatchewan where nature begs you to set up a tent and have a sleep.

 

 

We arrived at the Auberge Chemin Faisant in Cabano and discovered a well equipped room right out of the 50's with a four poster bed and a pink tub.