First view
The first view I got of the backyard. Dragonflies were everywhere! Can you find the dragonfly in this scene?
On the inlet
I took this view of the cottage from one of the rocks on the calm inlet that makes for easy canoe access. If you look to the right-middle, you can see a duck crossing the yard.
First Night Dinner
The cottage had a nice kitchen that made cooking easy. The first night was chili!
Starting off on the first ride
The plan for the first ride was to take a short ride to Skiff Lake or something similar. However, for some reason I had us turn right instead of left out of the driveway...
Big Turtle
We came across this guy early on. He glared at me for awhile, and then decided to get back into the water.
Highway, New Brunswick style
It never got much more urban than this stretch. Really made for relaxing riding with lots of wildlife.
Heading North up North Lake?
Not really. I thought this was North Lake and that we were heading north. Actually this was the Thoroughfare that connects North Lake with Grand Lake
Maine border
That we weren't heading into the interior of New Brunswick became apparent when we saw the border guards....
Boundary Road
We headed up the Boundary Road looking for Route 1. At this point we decided, "What the heck? Let's just circumnavigate Grand Lake!"
On Route 1
Route 1 up here is pretty quiet. Just the occassional log truck. We don't actually get to those mountains in the distance.
House in a meadow
If you ever wanted a fixerup to tinker with, there are plenty in this area. In fact, at one point I mentioned that "House for sale" must be New Brunswick's provencial motto.
On the road to Danforth
We stopped to eat some snacks and have a drink before we tackle this next hill.
Million Dollar view
Our first glimpse of what is called the "million dollar view" near Westen, Maine
More...
This is Brackett Lake spilling into the western side of Grand Lake which we are cycling around.
Heading back to Canada
After Brookton there was a great country road that took us back up north towards Forest City
Rolling hills
We kinda thought it would get less hilly as we approached the Lake again. Didn't really prove to be the case.
The Arm
Here we are at the southernmost point of Grand Lake, the area known as The Arm. Now we just have to climb Walls Hill, and then its down to Forest City.
Heading into Forrest City
The road into Forrest City is very pretty. Natural, but also with a lot of pretty houses. Forrest City isn't really anything like a city nowadays.
Back in Canada
We are back in Canada and heading North again. The US guys at the border had a good time telling Rebecca about the mother bear and cub that had been sited in the woods ahead. They also warned us to watch out for moose.
Rural Canada
This stretch on the east side of Grand Lake was probably the most rural section of any riding we did.
Pemberton Ridge
I'll admit that I walked up this hill. I need a rest and I figured this monster hill was a good time to take a break! Yeah, yeah...Becky motored right up it...
Looking West
Here we are on the west side of Grand Lake now looking from the view we saw near Westin. (Also: can you spot the dragonfly?)
Escaping the bugs
We were waiting for them to leave, but they were clearly enjoying the breeze and the relief from the black flies.
Back to the woods
As much as she liked the breeze, she finally decided she didn't like us much and they wandered off into the trees. (Can you spot the dragonfly?)
Happy Moose
Not much later we came across this guy. He was a lot easier to watch since he clearly had no intention of coming anywhere near us. Had time to take a brief movie too.
Coming down from Green mountain
Barely even noticed the climb up Green Mountain..we were so excited about seeing our first moose!
Relaxing Dip
As in me taking a dip...not a dip relaxing. I'm not on my cellphone in this photo. Probably just picking my nose.
Planning the next ride
Rebeccca and I planning our next ride in the living room. But we both agreed we would take the next day off. We were pretty beat.
Pileated Woodpecker
We saw plenty of wildlife on our vacation, including this woodpecker that tried out some of the trees in the backyard one morning.
Geese and goslings
We took one day off to restock supplies in Woodstock and then to just putter around the cottage. Between naps, I watched the geese hanging out in the backyard.
Ride to Eel Lakes
We had recooperated enough to take a ride in the other direction. Its a gentle climb almost the whole way on 123 this direction.
Nap time
After lunch, Rebecca needed a rest. It was at this time that I also discovered that the back rack on her bike had fallen down and was dragging on her wheel this morning. No wonder she's exhausted!
Lake View
No matter how much I pleaded, Rebecca always made sure she stuck her paddle into my scenic shots
Pay no attention to the paddle
If this is blurry its because I am whacking Rebecca with my paddle while trying to take this photo. Doesn't help.
Nearing the shore
Should have figured out earlier that she just wanted to be in the photo. Maybe now I can get a decent shot.
Ride to Canterbury
With Rebecca's bike fixed up, we were ready to roll again. This time we flew right past the Eel Lakes and headed onward. This is Skiff Lake.
