(Or, The Bike Ride that Almost Wasn't)
Diana Bitritto 

My husband and I just returned from a cruise to Canada aboard the Carnival Victory.  I signed up for the Covered Bridges Bike Tour leaving from Saint John, New Brunswick.  

he morning of the tour, I took my time because the bus was supposed to depart at 9:30 am.  Or so I thought.  Anthony was looking at the ticket and said, "Hey, it says here the tour leaves at 8:30."  

It was 8:25.  

Throwing on my clothes, grabbing my IDs, money, and other necessities, I tore through that ship hell-bent on making that tour, nearly knocking over other passengers and committing an unpardonable sin:  skipping breakfast.  
The bus just about to leave when I climbed on board.  The weather was warm and sunny, dispelling the myth that in Canada you have to wear thermal underwear in August.
 
Our bus guide was Paul, a genial man dressed in 18th-century garb with a cell phone securely clipped to the waistband of his breeches.   As Joe, our driver, piloted the bus past Saint John's Victorian houses and shaded parks, Paul gave us a brief history lesson on New Brunswick, from the Micmac and Maliseet Indians and the Vikings through the French and the British.  After the Revolution, many Loyalists sought refuge in the province, having lost their property to the newly formed US government.
 
We continued along Highway 1, spotting osprey nests perched precariously on power line support structures, a glimpse of a moose in the woods, and the rolling green patchwork hills and dairy farms of Kings County.  40 minutes later we arrived in Sussex, a small farm town whose bucolic serenity provided an incongruous setting for a Mickey D's and a KFC.  "The States' ambassadors to Canada," Paul said.
 
Joe let us off by the Broadway Café, a delightful pub listed in "Where to Eat in Canada."  Our ride guides, Jesse and Michelle from Eastwind Cycle, outfitted us with helmets.   A fleet of Trek hybrids awaited us in the parking lot behind the restaurant.
 
Jesse and Michelle led us through the quiet neighborhoods of Sussex, with streets with names like Queen Street and Albert Street, with Paul and Joe bringing up the rear in the bus. A little kid watching us admonished, "Hey, you're supposed to ride on the sidewalk."  We continued along peaceful country roads rolling past  farms, stopping uphill from our first covered bridge, the Tranton over Smith Creek.   Then we each tore down the hill through the bridge, its wooden surface rumbling under our wheels, emerging to slog up Granny Gear Hill #1.
 
After a half hour of pedaling through the scenic farmlands of Kings County, we arrived at our second covered bridge, the Salmon River bridge, which was closed to motor vehicle traffic.  Jesse and Michelle broke out a cooler from the bus, and we enjoyed bananas, granola bars and other snacks to provide us with the energy we needed to plow up Granny Gear Hill #2.  We continued pedaling along Rte. 114 to the final covered bridge, the Kennebecasis #9 Plumweseep.  We paused briefly at each bridge to drink water, relax, and take photos.  From there, it was up and down Granny Gear Hill #3.
 
We regrouped at a hockey rink for the last leg of our tour:  one of the prettiest bike paths I've ever ridden on.  This gravel trail meandered along the river for 3 miles over wooden bridges through woodlands, meadows, and parks, with only one road crossing.   After leaving the bike path, a few minutes of pedaling through the streets of Sussex brought us back to the Broadway Café, where we enjoyed sandwiches with names like Muller Madness, Catch 22, and Yellow Bird.  The blueberry beer was too intriguing to pass up.

Finally, we returned to Saint John, where Joe let us off at King's Square and the Loyalist Burying Ground for shopping and sightseeing before returning to the ship.
 
Eastwind Cycle provides guided bike tours through Atlantic Canada and Mexico.  They can be reached at 77 Broad St., Sussex, NB, Canada E4E 2J7, 902-471-4424.  Their e-mail is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and their URL is www.eastwindcycle.com.
 
And if you ever find yourself in Sussex, New Brunswick, be sure to stop in to the Broadway Café for a Muller Madness sandwich and a pint of blueberry beer.