Grand-Barachois to Cadman Corner   |   Campsite: 46.18017° N, 64.02238° W

Writing this at the end of the day in the tent that has been set up in the backyard of Loella’s Country Market directly on the coast, I’d say that today was a very mixed bag. I was out walking by 6:00, but an hour into the walk I come to a bridge that was closed for repairs that neither Google Maps nor Apple Maps indicated as being under construction. A kilometre-long detour is required, bringing me southward to link onto the very noisy, busy, and fast Highway 15. Somewhere along this section of highway I lose a trek pole tip cover and have to use one of the two replacements I bought in Moncton. I walk the highway for close to 45 minutes, transferring onto a gravel service road that brings me back to the coast again. Stopping at a gas station for beverages, I speak to a woman working at the register about where and how to access the shuttle service that transports passengers over the bridge into the province of Prince Edward Island. The bridge was not designed with pedestrian or cyclist access, and they are therefore not allowed to walk or cycle across. She assured me that the shuttle waiting area was close to where the bridge connects with the New Brunswick shoreline and that it is easy to locate. Later on into the day as I was taking a photograph, a man crossing the road from his home to pick up his mail walked toward me to begin a conversation in French. We talked about the area and I asked about a flag or graphic that I had been seeing. It was composed of three vertical strips in blue, white, and red, with a yellow star in the upper left corner in the blue stripe. This was the flag of Acadia, (Acadie in French), he says. I say that I did not see it much throughout the province of Québec. “It is there in some regions. The Acadian culture was present in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, but also in Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Mississippi.” I understand much of what he is saying, but I am sure that I miss most of the context. “Well, good day and a good walk,” he says with a smile and we each go our ways. The day then fluctuates between drizzle and rain well into the evening so that the rain jacket is accessed a few times. Walking Highway 950 and 955, over the course of the day, wears me down. It has been a tough day walking. I think I am ready to leave New Brunswick. The roadways are not very safe, nor do they offer any form of rest areas for anyone traveling them. I was again forced to cook lunch right next to the shoulder of the road as I had delayed my lunch by hours searching for a comfortable place to make a meal but finding none. Regardless of the size of the road, everyone in this province tends to drive dangerously faster than the posted speed limit. And so by 4:00, I was feeling a sense of relief in the knowledge that tomorrow morning I will be in Prince Edward Island! Upon arriving at a place called Cadman Corner I stop at Loella’s Country Market for beverages and a few snacks. A conversation begins, and I talk about the walk so far. I ask if anyone knows of a public place where I might put my tent for the night. A man says “Yes. You can tent out back behind the market if you would like.” His name was Stan, and he owned the property on which the market was built, as well as a number of the surrounding buildings. He also took care of the properties, including the immaculate cutting of grass. He shows me to a spot behind the market which was protected by a small fence where I could camp, as the waist-high structure would limit the amount of wind that would blow upon the tent. We talked about the Confederation Bridge as I would be crossing it tomorrow, and he tells me that he was a member of the construction team that built the structure. He shows me photos of him walking halfway across the bridge as one of the first people to set foot on the finished bridge before it was opened to the public on May 31, 1997. He was an interesting man with many skills—most of them self-taught—and an interesting career. By 5:00 I am inside the tent and out of the rain. Today I walked 48.93 km. A long day, but good as it sets me up well for tomorrow with the Confederation Bridge only 16 km away. I will be trying to make it to the small town of Victoria tomorrow, which should put Charlottetown in range for the following day. I journal the day out, read for an hour, then let the sound of the rain on the tent relax me into sleep.

Today’s distance walked: 48.93 km    |    Total distance walked: 1,948.32 km