Our first cloudy day in ages dawned, but at least it wasn’t raining. The cool day was in some ways a bit of a relief from the constant heat, although the headwinds weren’t quite so welcome. We started what was probably the hilliest day of our tour yet.

It started out flat from Woodstock but quickly went uphill, then downhill, then up again, then down again…. our thighs were quite sore after just a couple hours of this! The bonus was seeing three deer cross the deserted road in front of us and great views of the river below.

Coming to the end of the 165 from Woodstock, we had to go on to the Trans Canada highway, but luck was on our side. Instead of tangoing with trucks and cars zipping past, we were able to nip on to a new highway they’re building but which is not quite open yet. Perfect for us though and we had four lanes all to ourselves, much to the surprise of the few construction workers on the road!

After a few kilometers of that, we crossed back over the river to Nackawic, a small town which thinks it’s big. “Shopping mall” the sign at the entrance to the town boasted. “Picnic Area”. “Two banks”. “World’s biggest axe”. How could we ignore this bustling metropolis??! In we went to the little town, which is really barely bigger than a village, and had lunch by what was indeed the world’s biggest axe. Carrying on after lunch, any hopes that the hills might be over were quickly dispelled. Instead, they became more frequent and steeper than before. We were stopping every few minutes to rest, our task made all the harder because the sun came out and it was once again a good 25 degrees.

Still, we keep reminding ourselves that even when the going is a bit tough, we could be sitting at our desks and there is no doubt that being outside, taking on a challenge you really relish beats the office every time!

Great Bear campground showed itself just in time. This time of year we were the only people there and so we got river views all to ourselves as we settled down for more of our books and supper.