Kouchibouguac National Park

We drove from Linkletter PP in PEI, along as much of the remaining North Cape Route that we could, until road construction encouraged us to detour inland. 

A mild tailwind wind, nudged us back over the Confederation Bridge. 

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Along the Way to There ...

... I was able to continue my search for the ' World's Best Seafood Chowder '. This latest, tasty offering was from the Bayou Pub and Eatery in Shediac.

Homer

The sign reads 'Halibut Fishing Capital of the World'.

We spent four nights in the area. We had a mechanical issue with the Ford checked-out to our satisfaction, cycled along the Homer Spit and wandered around the harbour and marine graveyard there. The whole Kenai Peninsula is nick-named Alaska's Playground. If you're a 'Fisher of Any Stripe' you won't be disappointed in this region ... ' It Caters to You '. 
 

To ... Riding Mountain National Park

And ... a FIVE night stay
On previous drives along the Trans-Canada Highway, we've had a schedule to meet and always just passed through Manitoba as we headed west. This time, we have the opportunity and the interest, to investigate a part of this province we haven't seen before. 

Along the way ...
We passed several fields with small huts like these and couldn’t quite figure out what they were used for, but finally a Google search and a Wikipedia source revealed the following ...

Here and there across the Canadian countryside you’ll see shelters or huts (sometimes bright blue) placed in patterns in pastures. Their openings all face the same direction and their presence has a rather otherworldy feeling about it. Question: What are these things?

Answer: They are plastic shelters for alfalfa leaf-cutter bees, a native North American bee that has been domesticated. The blue dome is used in western Canada, and variations in other parts of the continent. The shelters, usually found in alfalfa pastures, are needed for their warming ability and as a place for the bees to build their nests out of alfalfa leaves. One shelter for every 4 to 5 acres contains about a dozen nests. 

GEAR REVIEW: Montague Crosstown Folding Bikes

We've ridden more than 700 kilometres on these new bikes, so now is likely an appropriate time to do a realistic review.

But, before I do that ... let me Review My Riding Performance on this bike, by recounting yesterdays' real-life experience. 

Cycling In The Naples Area and Beyond

We stayed here for more than a month, and we rode most days, for groceries or other shopping. Additionally, we used the bikes for some sight-seeing trips and several training rides in excess of 20 kms.

Naples, Florida is a busy city and vehicle traffic flows along very quickly. It's also a city that provides numerous opportunities for cycling in wide bike lanes and on several bike paths. Unfortunately, the municipality has not compiled a definitive Bike Route Map and made it available to the cycling community.

A Crash

We took advantage of the cool weather and got away early on the bikes. We rode most of the day and did not return until about 2:30. Most of the day was spent in the JN Ding Darling Reserve along Wildlife Drive ... lots of waterfowl photos. 

This scene repeats itself many times along the length of the Wildlife Drive.

Belts & Suspenders and A Bike Friendly Island

Where We Are NOW ... Periwinkle Campground, Sanibel Island, FL

NAPLES

We made a one night stop in Naples to do a scheduled oil change service at Tamiami Ford. We were told the garage could handle a vehicle 12’ high ... we are 11’ 6” (or, so I thought) including a 4” safety margin ... Surprise, SURPrise, SURPRISE!!! I pulled through the approach bay slowly and it was marked 12’ clearance. BAMB! ... I nailed the bow of one of the kayaks. I stopped soon enough that no damage was done to the boats, other than a minor scratch on the nose of mine. I backed out. We were subsequently told that they could ‘now’ NOT handle us for an oil change ... so, we drove next door to the ‘Qwik Lube’.

Starz Azzurro Resort, Cabarete, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

We Enjoyed the People the Most

Wikipedia: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

LOGISTICS

Accommodation: Starz Azzurro Resort, Cabarete, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Currency: The official currency is the Dominican Republic peso. A small commission may be charged for exchanging CDN $. US dollars are accepted in some businesses.

The Dominican people are wonderful. They are sincerely friendly, happy and pleasant, but very poor. The only Caribbean country poorer is Haita. Our visit was focussed primarily around the resort and adjacent town area. We travelled the highway from Puerto Plata but never visited the city. The only part of the countryside we visited was during the bike tour. Subsistence farming is common and the people live at a very low standard. They do what they can to make any money at all and that includes trying to sell just about anything, however we didn't witness any begging. The tourist industry has caused much of the economic growth and a move to the coastal areas. Families have relocated from the farming and mountainous regions to find higher paying jobs.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 2004 Photography

Crusty ...

Outlast Adventure Race

Dann's First (and only) Adventure Race

Team: Chris Kurlicki, Bruce Schom, Me
Oldest Competitor This Race: Me @ 50
Support Crew: Helen, Mae, Earl
Disciplines: 5 km orienteering, treking, running, 16 km mountain biking, 10 km paddling
Total Distance : 31 kms
Time: 5h 35m
Result: 6th place out of 23 teams, 4th in 3-man category
Photography: Scanned analog

We just wanted to complete this race, so we were pleased to place as well as we did.