To mark 5 years since V’s death, we rode our bikes from Jul 20th – 29th, 2023. The 20th was the day of her accident and the 29th was the day of her death, so it felt like the perfect way to remember her, explore new places and enjoy a summer vacation.

We had loose plans to go to Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine (aka the Magdalen Islands) via Prince Edward Island (PEI). We were both nursing injuries so we took it one day at a time. We ended up covering 440 km in the 10 days on both roads and trails. We biked in 3 provinces, stayed in 7 different places, ate 10+ ice creams, had countless mosquito bites and made many memories.

The Route

During our trip, we provided daily updates on twitter (@beactivelikeV), but if you are interested in more of the details, please check out the following pages:

• Eastern PEI: To and from Souris
• Îles-de-la-Madeleine
• Cobequid Trail

The Gear

Ten days was our longest bike camping trip. But other than food, what you bring for one night and nine nights is pretty much the same. Adrien had two large saddle bags and a dry bag strapped to his rack. Justine had four small bags — two in the front and two in the back.

The most underrated items we brought:

• Tarp — one of the last items we threw in turned out to be one of our favourites. We set up a cover when we could, but when there were no trees we covered the picnic table and our gear with it. Very useful in keeping things as dry as possible.
• Rope — used for setting up the tarp and as clotheslines.
• Duct tape — also a last minute addition, but proved key to fixing a hole in a saddle bag.
• Extra bungee cords — used to strap extra stuff to our rack and to fix a broken saddle bag.

What we brought and didn’t use often:

• Hammock — We only used it once on this trip. We really just didn’t have much time and the tree options were limited.
• Crib board — A luxury item, but lightweight. We probbaly played three games in 10 days — most days we were too tired in the evenings and went to bed as soon as we finished eating.
• Sweaters and puffy coats — it was just too hot.
• First aid kit — but no way we are ever leaving this at home.

What we wished we brought:

• Electrolyte tablets — Justine is not used to dealing with the heat and sweating so much. By day 3, we realized that Justine needed Powerade to function. Having tablets would have been much more convenient!
• Laundry pods — we lucked out that the campgrounds sold soap, but next time we will try to remember to throw a few pods in case that isn’t always an option. That also ensures our clothes won’t end up so scented!

The “New” Logistics

The length of this trip added a few new-to-us logistics for us because we normally do short weekend trips.

Food

Our strategy was to pack some dry food (oats, pasta, rice, couscous, quinoa) to get us through the first few days. We then stopped at a grocery store EVERY day to grab the fruit and vegetables that we needed for dinner and breakfast. We also always grabbed a bag of chips for apéro. Thankfully grocery stores were usually pretty close to our campgrounds, but sometimes we had to get a little creative with whatever we could find. Also, a friendly reminder to always make sure you have a little extra room in your saddle bag for groceries.

Planning

We took this trip one day at a time, which often meant spending an hour or so each day planning for the next day. This added a bit of stress each evening but allowed us to stay flexible and adapt to our bodies and the weather!

Laundry

We each only brought two outfits, so that meant doing laundry every few days. Most of the campgrounds we stayed in had coin laundry machines. Thankfully they also sold soap because we didn’t bring any with us. We ended up doing three loads in our ten day trip.

The Mosquitoes

We camp often and are used to bugs, but the mosquitoes on this trip were relentless. Evenings were the worst and we started going to bed before sunset just to try to avoid being eaten alive.

The Help

We couldn’t have done this trip without the help of some key people.

Doug

Doug, Justine’s dad and V’s husband, drove us and our bikes from our home in Halifax to the Caribou ferry terminal and back. We looked into the train and the bus but there is just no good option for public transit with bikes — it is frustrating. Doug also provided us with two nights accommodation and meals in Truro. And most importantly, Doug joined us for the final ride on the Cobequid Trail. It was great to have him join us and share stories about V!

Steve

Steve Maly, the owner of Three Mile Outfitters and The 5K Cafe, reached out to us after seeing our Instagram post looking for a front rack and saddle bags. He ended up lending us his own front panniers — literally taking them off his own bike. He also coordinated with Long Alley Bikes for the donation of a front rack.

Long Alley Bikes

Long Alley Bikes heard about our trip and literally gifted us a front rack. It didn’t fit Justine’s bike, but it was perfect for Adrien. They also managed to find a used low-rider front rack for Justine.

Night of Adventure

In May, we had applied for a grant from Night of Adventure to help fund our trip. We ended up withdrawing our application because of a change in plans, but the founder Dave Greene was instrumental in connecting us with Steve and Long Alley Bikes. He also promoted our trip to an amazing adventure community.

Gary

We met Gary at an Alliance Française bike ride in Halifax. He is a retired tour guide and gave us great tips on where to stay and what to visit on Prince Edward Island. By chance, we met him again on Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine as he was touring the islands as well.

The Cost

The entire trip cost us about $1400. We are pretty frugal by nature, but definitely indulged in a few treats. The costs were as follows:

• $415 for accommodation: 7 nights at campgrounds, 1 night in a cabin, 1 night at the Inn of Doug (free)
• $395 for ferries: $44 for the PEI ferry and $351 for the Magdalen Islands ferry
• $300 for groceries
• $295 for restaurants, cafes and bars
• $50 for incidentals (laundry, extra bike tubes, hydrocortisone cream for the bug bites)
• $45 for ice cream

The Before and After

We came back more tanned, more tired, and hairier than when we left. But we also felt stronger and refreshed!

The Toast

V loved to celebrate victories big and small with a shot of fireball. To V, we miss you a lot.