Our travels today have us stopping at the République Provincial Park, New Brunswick. Now I know we have mentioned this park before but this little gem is the perfect stop. It is the half way point between Ottawa and Nova Scotia and this is a drive we have done many times and will be doing a lot more until our house is done. The park is nestled on the Madawaska River, and offers access to some beautiful views of the river. It is also next door to the New Brunswick Botanical gardens and a train museum, if that is the sort of thing you like to do.
This time however we actually took the time to venture out on the bike path the “Trans Canada Trail” – “The Great Trail”.
It is where we all have a connection to the Trail – It connects places and it connects people. In 1992 two visionaries, Bill Pratt and Pierre Camu, were inspired to create a multi-use recreational trail that would be a thread to connect Canadians from coast to coast. By 2017 they created the world’s longest network of multi-use trails. Both Steve and I donated to this cause many years ago, but I honestly think this is the first year that we have taken advantage of this trail. We picked up the trail-head just outside of the campground and headed west towards Quebec. This part of the trail has some views of the Madawaska River, weaves through some forested areas, and some residential areas too. At one point it actually goes under the Trans Canada Highway. The border crossing between Quebec and New Brunswick is very well marked with signs that welcome you to their provinces. Depending on which direction you are heading you will be welcomed into the province with a huge sign.
“You are now entering Quebec/New Brunswick the people of Quebec / New Brunswick welcome you and invite you to enjoy the natural beauty and blessings of this part of the Trans Canada Trail. It is a lasting living legacy to our love of nature our land and our people”
My only wonder now is if all the provinces have the same sign, guess that gives us a reason to explore some more bike paths. Due to time constraints on this visit we only did 31 Kms. But I assure you that the next time we are here we are heading further into Quebec.