Nikki and Wayne fed us delicious Vegan meals and snacks, with the fresh ingredients from their impressive garden. We felt at home amongst their pets - (two birds, a cat and a dog)! We even got to try out their Tandem! | We started out in the rain. We didn't know what to expect of one another's speed, strength or cycling ability ~ (besides that Car and I made it across Canada and Charles rides 60km every morning with an average of 30km/hour) ....! It turned out that we were perfect riding partners. Charles is an amazing cyclist - so strong and could lead against the wind all day. He pushed us to our limits as he increased our average riding speed on the uphills - he glided effortlessly dispite the length or steepness of the hill! Without our gear, Carlin was super fast and his strength was incredible. He wouldn't miss a beat, always seemed to pull out a burst of energy when needed and would get us into a great pace by starting in the lead with a quick 28-30 km/hour. .... I just held in there! We rode straight for 77km the first morning, averaging 28.9 km/hour. Charles and Martha had a golf tournament, so Carlin and I carried on to Amherst where we had another warm shower. We were so used to following Charles and not having to think about where we were going, that we rode another 30km before we realized that we had gone in the completely wrong direction! Well... everything happens for a reason. Our 150km day may have turned into a 190km day, but it gave us an opportunity to have some great conversations and reminded us how lucky we are to have one another. It rained all day, but you can't get any more wet once your soaked, and it was warm so we didn't mind the rain! Muffy & Zane surprised us in Shediac and we stood in the rain and caught up as much as possible within our hour or so visit. We realized how much we miss them - (and our other friends and family too)! Despite the detour, we still made it to our warm shower location by 4pm and had a warm welcome, a warm shower, a warm meal and a warm conversation with Nikki and Wayne! |