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Of course the rain stopped the day after everybody went home.

Many of the riders who rolled into Metro Moncton for last weekend's Atlanticade Motorcycle Festival had smiles on their faces, but they were also justifiably disappointed with the overcast and often rainy weather that put a damper on much of the event.

But the weather gods smiled on southeastern New Brunswick Monday and Tuesday, providing perfect conditions for a Canada Day motorcycle ride through rural New Brunswick.

People often talk about the beautiful scenery and great biking roads in Nova Scotia, overlooking the tremendous asphalt playgrounds available on the rural routes of Albert, Westmorland and Kent Counties.

On a good riding day, you can easily explore much of the three counties situated along the coasts of the Bay of Fundy and Northumberland Strait. No matter which direction you go, there are some good places to ride. Most motorcycle riders I met during the Atlanticade festival agree that rural roads are the most enjoyable.

You don't have to worry about highway traffic or be annoyed by red lights every couple of minutes. Instead, you can roll along at a good pace on relatively smooth asphalt, leaning into the corners and rolling on the throttle.

From downtown Moncton, you can ride east out past the airport on the Scoudouc Road or Shediac Road and soon be rolling past lush green fields and farms to Shediac and the ever-popular Pointe-du-Chene wharf. At the wharf, you can grab a meal or an ice cream and watch the cars, trucks, bikes and boats roll by in a constant parade of people. If you're feeling adventurous, you can even take a flying leap off the wharf into the water.

The wharf association still charges a $2 per day toll on vehicles, which is used for upkeep and maintenance. But despite the improvements, there is still nothing to pay homage to the wharf's storied past as a shipping port and stopping point for the transatlantic flying boats that made regular stops here in the late 1930s.

From there, you can head north along the Highway 134. Make sure you watch for oncoming traffic at the one-lane bridge in Shediac Bridge. This is a great place for a quick bite to eat or a walk on the sand next to the river.

You can then head north toward Bouctouche, but be careful as you cross the ancient bridge near Bouctouche, because the asphalt is completely worn away to the wooden beams. It's like driving on a hardwood floor with big cracks between the slats so you can see right through to the water below.

While drivers often complain about cracks, broken pavement, potholes and other hazards on Highway 11, the conditions along Highway 134 aren't too bad in most spots. This is rather ironic since 134 is the "old road" that was replaced by the 11.

For motorcycle riders looking for a dream cruise on a hot and sunny summer day, the answer can be found on Highway 535, a hidden gem of a road which snakes its way along the coast between Bouctouche and Cocagne. With a cool breeze blowing off the Northumberland Strait, you can see clear across the blue water to Prince Edward Island. You'll see fishing boats, sailboats, people relaxing on the beach, digging clams and playing in the water. There were even people riding horses along the golden brown sand in ankle-deep water around the Cocagne Bar on Monday.

The coastal journey continues on Highway 530, which circles Cap-de-Cocagne and Grande-Digue back to Shediac Bridge. If you get hungry along the way, or just want to stop and enjoy the air, there are lots of little take-outs where you can get a real grill-fried burger, fish and chips or fried clams.

Along the way, you can relax and let your mind wander a bit as you soak up the warmth of the sun and the smells of fresh-cut grass, smoke from wood stoves, the pungent boggy aroma of seaweed at low tide, the salt air along the coast, freshly fertilized fields and steaks cooking on a barbecue.

It's no wonder many of these homes have bright yellow "say no to uranium mining" signs in their windows. The people who live here want to protect their landscape and way of life as they plant their flower beds and set up a picnic table for an outdoor meal with the family.

If you continue east along Highway 15 toward Port Elgin or the Nova Scotia border, there are many other back roads which wind their way through Cap-Pele, Barachois, Shemogue and other rural communities. One of these hidden gems is Highway 940, which veers off the Highway 15 at Shemogue and comes out at the Tim Hortons in Sackville, right next to the Trans-Canada Highway. Along the way, you can cruise on smooth asphalt through rolling grassy farmland on gentle curves that seem made for a big bike.

This is just a small example of what we have to offer tourists who think of New Brunswick as a "drive-through" province on the way to Nova Scotia or P.E.I. It might not be big and flashy, but it's a place to get away from things and enjoy the fresh air, cool breezes and natural smells.

And if you choose to ride the rural roads of New Brunswick, please do so within the posted speed limits and with care and attention. People live here too.

n Alan Cochrane is an editor-at-large with the Times & Transcript. His column appears each Friday. He can be reached by e-mail at cochrana@timestranscript.com