Bathurst in the Rain

Bathurst

RAIN, RAIN, RAIN!  After 33 days of travel and only half a day of rain god decided it was time. Luckily it was a traveling day anyway so didn't miss out on anything.  The highway from Perce to Carleton is like driving down a 200 km long village street.  It felt weird having speed limits of 90 (which no one was going with the rain). We stopped in Carleton long enough for me to buy a rain/fall jacket made by a Quebec company. The lady said to think of it as a souvenir.  From Carleton on the road curved inland enough for the fishing villages to disappear and the trees to be in full colour. It helped make the drive easier. 

We had a late lunch of seafood chowder at a tiny, famous, off the beaten path, restaurant. I didn’t know they made each order from scratch and nearly had a fit when I realized how long it would take, but it was worth the wait.  By the time we were finished it was after 4.  The rain slowed Strider down, or at least his driver and Hope found a great B&B in Bathurst.  It is very modern with every detail well thought out.  My room has floor to ceiling windows opening onto a patio and 9 pillows on the bed.  I am amazed at how reasonable accommodations and dinners are especially in the Gaspe and NB.  We stayed in, ate leftovers, and visited with the owner.  Turns out there are weather warnings all across New Brunswick but it all has turned out well and the weather will be better in the morning.

Our lovely host Dene was a self taught artist who took the painting below, a symbol of a strong and united Canada, across the country at the time of the Quebec crisis and had premiers write letters of support to endorse it. There was a lot of symbolism in it as well as the one he did for the year 2000.