We made it to Canada! I replaced most of my missing clothing and gear on Saturday, and we left Portland, ME around 9 am yesterday.
We had a 6.5 hour ride in front of us. We “secured” our bikes on a rack loaned to us. We said goodbye to my AirBnB hosts, and off we went!
The drive was scenic and fairly uneventful. We had to keep adjusting the bikes because connectors on the rack slowly fell apart. By the end we had the bikes fully secured. We’re lucky mine didn’t pop off the back…
Along the way we stopped for a look at Mount Kalahdin. Gorgeous, but also intimidating considering we might be riding up something similar soon on bicycles!
Not too long up the road and we crossed into Canada. Border control was friendly and easy. Just a few questions about where we were from, what we were doing, and if we’d been to Canada before. The guy chuckled when I responded, “Once, I went to Niagra Falls when I was 8.”
Soon enough he handed back our passports and we were on our way.
There were immediate differences. Signs had both English and French. Some signs have no words at all, and are left open to interpretation. Like the one with a teensy car and giant moose that warns “Attention”!
I got to use my French right away when we stopped at a rest stop: “Est-qu’il y a les toilets?” I was understood and pointed in the right direction.
We kept on driving and finally rolled up to our WarmShowers host at 6:30 p.m. After getting our bikes and gear taken care of we were treated to a dinner of sausages and slaw. We learned our hosts did a bike tour along the Pacific coast in 2012. They’ve since had two sons and have begun getting them ready for when they might do another as a family.
We have a lovely view of Sugarloaf Mountain from our hosts’ front window. Another reminder of what we may have in store.
The weather is cool for this first week. Last night there was a frost warning. Now, at 10:30, it is 55F and not looking to get much warmer.
We’ve got a short ride today, only 15 miles. We’re taking time to work out our physical kinks, make sure the bikes are good to go, and generally start off on the right foot (wheel?).
After so many months of planning, today is the day!! 550+ miles, here we come!