People in Moncton talk about the river as if it had moods, and they are right. The Petitcodiac slides past the downtown as a wide channel of brown mud at low tide, then rises in a wave when the Fundy tide pushes in, a tidal bore that travels upstream every day. For a while the river was dammed by a causeway, which strangled the flow, and gates were later opened to let the water through again, so the bore is back and the fish are following. It is one of the more hopeful environmental stories in the Maritimes.
Moncton is a railway city that grew into the commercial hub of the region. The Intercolonial Railway built its shops here in the nineteenth century, and the city became a crossroads of roads and tracks between Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. It is also the centre of Acadian culture in New Brunswick, and French is heard everywhere, especially in Dieppe next door and at the Université de Moncton. On the edge of town, Magnetic Hill is a famous oddity where cars seem to roll uphill when left in neutral, a trick of the horizon that has been drawing visitors for decades.
The Fundy Coastal Drive leads out of the city southwest toward Hopewell Rocks, where giant sea-stacks stand in the mud at low tide and become tiny islands at high tide, and then on to Fundy National Park and Saint John. The riding there is the best of the region, with rolling forested hills, tight curves near the coast and ocean views opening between the spruce. Between Moncton and the coast the ground is flatter and the traffic heavier, so the ride starts to sing about half an hour out. Fog is common on the shore, so allow time.
Moncton is a proper city, with more than a hundred thousand people in the urban area, so fuel, repairs, food and hotels are plentiful. The Acadian food is worth trying, especially rappie pie or a good poutine râpée if you are curious. Make this your logistics base, fill up before going into the quieter coast, and aim to be on the road early to catch the morning light on the water.