Leg 9 - Kanata, ON to Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, Tuesday August 14th to Monday, August 20th ....

Leg 9 Total: 810.3 km
Grand Total to date: 5787.3 km
 

Leg 9 - Kanata to Riviere-du-Loup

Monday, August 20th (Happy Birthday Makayla!)

Distance and Time: 103 km at 4:45
Route: Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies to Rievere-du-Loup via bike path, a few side streets and hwy 132

It was an even better day today for getting a good distance in, but that idea went to hell in a hand-basket for me (wait, did I just spout one of my Mom's offbeat sayings... surfacing through years of memory? I'll have to ask my sisters about this one). I spent a while this morning on the internet updating the blog for yesterday, starting Leg 10 of the journey. It all went normally but the new leg kept posting below Leg 9 and I killed some good cycling time trying to figure it out to no avail. Sam has since fixed it with her magic touch but I don't know exactly what she did.

I finally got on the road with my road bike around noon. Within a few km I was on a long stretch of gravel path (La Rote des Deux Pays) which was on the map and fully anticipated. I figured it would be similar to the trans-Canada trail near Ottawa, fairly hard packed and suitable for the narrow tires. This was not the case, however, and I was inching along at a nervous 12 km/hr while all the touring bikes were passing me. Within a couple of km I was wondering why I hadn't just hopped on the touring bike. Wayne called from 32km ahead to say he was getting on his bike to cycle back, and I voiced my concern (and frustration). He graciously drove back, the good soul that he is, and delivered the touring bike to me. It was definitely the right decision and rescued the day for me. So although I only had 11km in by 1:30, it was still a dream day of scenery, sunshine, and a very strong tailwind. I am SO glad I brought the touring bike. It was comfy and solid on the gravel, the gears shifted like slicing through butter and I practically sailed up some steep hills along the way. Needless to say, I used it for the rest of the day.

I've wanted to cycle this stretch of gravel pathway for many years since it parallels the four lane hwy 20 for the entire 15km and every time I have driven to or from the east coast I've drooled while eyeing the cyclists along it, green with envy. The St. Lawrence stretched out on my left and it was difficult to keep my eyes on the path.

Scenery along La Route des Deux Pays

When the path ended, the Route Verte continued on hwy 132, passing through the villages of Saint-Denis, Saint-Andre and Notre-Dame-du-Portage. The scenery was awesome, some of it near Kamouraska rivaling the views along the shores of Superior.

I had a staring match with this rangy fox and he won!

My handsome buddy with a beautiful back-drop

The village of Saint-Denis was dominated by its church for sure

Statue and inscription placed amongst the crops

 

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this rather striking horse

We cycled about 10km south of Riviere-du-Loup along a back road to join the hwy to NB just after the four-lanes of the 85 narrow to two and become the 185 (with paved shoulders!). The helpful woman at the info centre in R-du-L recommended the hwy rather than the gravel Route Verte because of loose gravel due to the dry conditions and she assured me the shoulders were paved the entire route and construction wouldn't affect me too much. I'm hopeful she is right but in the event she's not, I can always join the Route Verte pathway at several intersections or close-by-points along the way.

We are cold camping again tonight at an Irving truck stop, one RV amongst numerous tractor trailers. If they give us a hard time I'll mention all the business the CG has sent the Irving way with the building of the MSPV's (that one is for you, Joe).

Sunday, August 19^th

Distance and Time: 109.7 at 4:37

Route: Levis to St.-Roch-des-Aulnaies via Montmagny on bike path and hwy 132

I am wearing my elbow brace again these days, just in case.  Funny thing this intuition; a couple of hours before my fall I was wondering if I had packed it and thinking perhaps I should wear it.  It's was a gem of a day today with sunshine, temps in the low twenties, a good tail wind and gorgeous scenery - the kind of day one could cycle a record distance.  It's wasn't in the cards for me though, due to some stiffness from the fall yesterday and being generally out of steam from a poor nights sleep.  The river has widened and the north shore mountains are so picturesque.

views of the north shore

I came across this interesting cross and inscription at L'Islet and am waiting to hear back from my historian brother on its significance.
 

The inscription mentions to 'Le Premiere Retraite de Paroissiale - August 1842'

I experienced rural Quebec lifted from the tourist brochures today - with roadside stalls of produce, flowers and one devoted to garlic; antiques (including a live auction), and garage sales.  The corn fields looked healthy and lush compared to the Ottawa Valley. 

Interesting arrangement of corn stalks and another crop

There was lots of cycle traffic today but I didn’t see the big groups I noticed yesterday.  The roads were busy with traffic too, including many good-looking camper vans and not many big motorhomes as on the larger highways.  At the end of the day I cycled through what I would term Artisan Alley in and around Saint-Jean-Port-Joli.  It was pretty cool with many boutiques featuring carvings (wood and stone), a shop of miniature ships (lots of large handcrafted sailing vessels), a motor museum, and many galleries.  The huge churches that dominated these villages don’t seem to be so prominent anymore.

It’s obvious there is an impending election in the province with the number of campaign signs and radio coverage.  I wanted to see the leaders debate tonight but we couldn’t get an English station (which was not such a bad thing) then lost TV reception all together. Oh well, we are staying at a huge but tidy and quiet campground tonight.  The outdoor pool was so refreshing….still nothing like a swim at the end of a long sweaty cycle….and we have electricity and internet (a ten minute walk away near the front office….).  I must take back my comment from yesterday on the camping facilities in the province.

We will make a final decision tomorrow to turn southeast at Rivière-du-Loup towards NB and the TCH instead of heading up past Rimouski and then southeast to the NB border at Matapedia. I definitely want to cycle on the TCH in NB because of my recollection, Wayne’s more accurate recollection and Adrienne’s recent confirmation that the shoulders are fully paved the entire route.  From what I hear the remaining roads in NB are not in super shape.  The only uncertainty is whether to follow hwy 185 in Quebec to the border or the gravel path in the Route Verte book.  At least I have options with my touring bike handy!

Saturday, August 18th

Distance and Time: 107.3km at 4:31
Route: Batiscan to Levi (across the river from Quebec City) via hwy 138 and bike paths.

Good things about today:
Weather - mix of sun and cloud and temp in the low twenties
Awesome scenery and bike paths along the water in Quebec City
Paved shoulders on hwy 138
Lots of other cyclists out
Wayne lost his odometer but found it with some backtracking and an eagle eye
We met up with Adrienne and Matt in Levi for a few hours. They're on vacation traveling from Sydney back to Ottawa
Back into some hills
Good signage once in Quebec City and easy access from bike path to ferry

Not so good things about today:
Wayne lost his mirror
I fell on my elbow again - boy did that hurt (I cried a lot) but it is OK now
I walked up two hills although I really should have tried cycling, but think I was paranoid of not being able to un-clip from the fall
Overnighting in a Walmart parking lot
Still no internet
Camping facilities suck compared to other provinces

Scenes from today:

Bike path heading downtown into Quebec

Scenery along the way

View of CG base from the ferry

Adrienne and Matt

Friday, August 17th

Distance and Time: 135.3km at 6:09
Route: Berthierville to Batiscan via Route Verte (hwy 138, back roads and streets and lots of wrong turns and extra km)

Tonight we had a toast (with a nice bottle of organic Malbec - Cabernet) to leaving this day behind us. Some days are best not re-lived and this was one of them. The first 40km to Yamachiche (strange name - doesn't sound French or First Nations) ended up being 65 for me. I guess I didn't see a turn and ended up going NW instead of East. It was cloudy so I couldn't use the sun for reference and my little compass was buried somewhere in my fanny pack (although it would have been wise to dig it out). The poor fellow who I asked for assistance told me I was at least 10km the wrong way! By the time I turned around and followed another sign which took me down a road which ended abruptly with only a dirt road leading into farmland, I could laugh along with two ladies my age who I asked for help. They were coming out of the only house around in sight and I got up my nerve to converse in French. At first I was close to tears but they understood me and helped set me on the right track. They also probably had a good belly laugh afterward. Anyway, I finally met Wayne after explaining the situation (thank goodness for cell phones). He had gone quite far and was wondering why he hadn't seen me. By that time I had cycled enough bad back roads for the rest of the trip, and was ready to chuck the Route Verte book and stay on the secondary hwy. Unfortunately there were a few more missing signs and inconsistencies later in the day. All good things come to an end, as the saying goes, and my praise of the Route Verte infrastructure and signage fits the saying. There is a silver lining in almost anything though, and today's came in a house I saw while way off my route.

I love these sloped roof Quebec houses

I've always loved these little sloped-roof houses which seem to be only in Quebec. This one was particularly pretty and had a large deck and hot-tub out back. If I had something like this looking out on a body of water I would be one happy camper!

OK, back to the first leg of the route. As Wayne and I were cycling to Yamachiche, he had a rather nasty spill on some railroad tracks. It had been spitting rain most of the morning and they were slick. He turned to talk to me and his wheels didn't approach the tracks as perpendicular as they should have. His head bounced on the pavement and his helmet cracked. He has experienced a dull headahce since and neck stiffness. So I'm watching for concussion and suspect whiplash for sure.

We enjoyed a lunch break in a church parking lot and then headed separately down the road to Pointe-du-Lac. It was a nice cycle for me along 138 beside the river watching this fabulous sail-surfer.

I think I need to zoom and crop for you to see the sail surfer!

I expected to see Wayne on his bike but met up with him and the RV at a picnic area. He was not in a good frame of mind and it had nothing to do with his fall. He had back up the RV close to a tree and when he pulled ahead to get straightened up the tree branch got caught in the bumper and damaged the fender and rear signal light.

Our second leg of the day was spent trying to navigate through Trois Riviere with the Route Verte detoured because of construction. Again we ended up way off track but were lucky to be near a bike shop to ask for directions and get a new helmet. It cost Wayne a pretty penny but the old one was toast. Besides, he had been looking at helmets at home anyway and thankfully he didn't get around to buying one.

So Wayne accompanied me all the way over the bridge at Trois Riviere then turned around for the long haul back to the RV. I'm thankful he was with me since even with two sets of eyes we couldn't quite follow the route. What looked like a clear sign and route continuing after the bridge boosted my confidence enough to continue on my own. The sign led me into a parking lot with no clear indication afterward so I got hopelessly turned around again. This time, however, the sun was out and I knew I was heading in the wrong direction. I somehow managed to get back on track after about half an hour of wandering and the remainder of the ride was the finest kind along the river with a tail wind and marvelous views.

Still cycling at sunset

 We are cold camping again tonight at the info centre in Batiscan. It is a picturesque village right on the water and our spot provides a peaceful, gentle end to a rather trying day. The dinette window looks upriver at the shipping traffic and blinking beacons and buoys, the berth windows face the shore and down river, and the big dipper is in full view out the front of the cab! The water's edge is mere feet away and I'll be lulled to sleep by the sound of waves lapping the shore and ship engines rumbling in the distance. Hopefully the locals coming down to fish or use the boat ramp won't be too early!

Batiscan location the next morning

P.S.  A special thanks to Samantha who has been updating my blog and posting pictures since we left.

Thursday, August 16th

Distance and Time: 109.8km at 5:12
Route: Lachine to Bouthierville, Quebec via the Lachine Canal bike path, Route Verte through Montreal (paths and streets and bridges) to Repentigny then on Route Verte 5 through paths and back streets, south on hwy 343 and east on hwy 138

Getting through Montreal was time consuming and a bit of a pain because of bike and pedestrian traffic, lots of twists and turns and stop signs and such. But at the end of the day, the signage and road markings still impress me and it's wonderful to see so many people out on their bikes - I just wish they would pay better attention. I cycled through everything from tourists in Old Montreal, industrial docks and fuel tanks, low income neighbourhoods, regular suburbia and affluent waterfront homes. The bike path network is extensive, very similar to Ottawa's but on a larger scale. It was nice to go through the city but give me quiet country roads or even the TCH with paved shoulders any day.

Montreal skyline from the bike path

Can you see the bicycle icon in the stoplight?

Look at the size of that roller coaster on Ile Ste Helene

Late in the afternoon I came across Frank and Steve from North Carolina. They drove up to Drummondville and are on a five day loop through Montreal and along the north shore, crossing again at Sorel. Their recumbent bikes were really well equipped and loaded and I was tempted to ask if I could take one for a test drive. These guys were going in my direction but had cycled north instead of south on 343 in Repentigny and gotten turned around heading back - quite an easy mistake to make I soon saw when we got them on the right track and I noticed there was no sign to head south. At the same time we were discussing the route, another cyclist stopped by to confirm our direction and he cycled with the guys for a bit too. Then Wayne showed up and in the ensuing conversation I forgot to get the young fellow's name. He had a new Trek touring bike (drool) and was cycling from Oakville to the east coast. I thought it was kind of cool meeting three other Anglophones on long distance trips in the space of a few minutes when I hadn't really met or chatted with anyone else all day (except for the guy who pointed out my location on the map to me when I was quite lost down by the docks).

Wayne and I met up with Frank and Steve again at a Tim Hortons in Saint Sulpice. We exchanged contact info and we now have an invitation to cycle down near Frank's place on the Outer Banks near Wilmington, NC :). Although it's hard to believe, he told us he is 70! Sure hope I'm in that kind of shape and as active when I get there.

Steve, Frank and the fellow from Oakville

As I cycled the last 30km in the early evening I realized I was overtaking a ship headed down the St. Lawrence Seaway. Wow, who would have thought about doing that on a cycle. I was going about 26km/hr which translates roughly to 13 knots (I'm sure my nautical buddies will correct me if I'm wrong) so figure he (or she) was going about 6-8 knots. I must ask Adrienne what the speed limit is on the Seaway.

 
We are "cold camping" again tonight at the visitor's info centre in Berthierville. It's pretty and peaceful, tucked back from the road in an old church on lush grounds.

Quaint info centre in Berthierville

Hooray to Quebec for being the only province so far to allow this. All the others have posted signs prohibiting overnight parking and many have barricades. So far we have arrived after they've closed so we haven't actually asked.

Wayne down for the count

Wednesday, August 15th

Date and Time: 110.8km at 4:58
Route: Grenville to Montreal (Lachine) via the Route Verte (hwy 344 and bike paths) to Oka, the ferry across the Ottawa River and then Chemin de L'Anse, rue Charles to join another segment of the Route Verte on hwy 20, back streets and bike paths to Ile Perrot, Pointe Claire, Laval, and Lachine along the south shore of the island of Montreal.

I continue to be impressed with the Route Verte cycling infrastructure in this part of the province

Yes, impressed, but with the exception of the map book showing paved roads in red and unpaved in dark pink. Guess who didn't look at the map closely enough and ended up hitting a nasty stretch of wet loose gravel? I called Wayne who had already traversed the bridge to the Ontario side to make his way down to my destination at the ferry on the other side of Oka. He came back to meet me, we consulted the map and re-directed my route along hwy 344 which had a paved shoulder and was very scenic along the river. After the ferry crossing we stayed together winging it down to the 20 on a busy road and then interpreting the map through Ile Perrot and onto the Island of Montreal. From there I was on my own while he went back for the RV and made his way to our rendezvous spot at the info centre at the Lachine Canal historic site park. My cycle along the water with stately homes and yatch clubs was quite nice whereas Wayne's trip in the RV on major hwys was a bit of a pain.

Surprisingly enough we did rendezvous at the same spot and did a quick turn-around to get to "Pasta Andrea" (albeit a bit late) for a lovely dinner with my brother and his wife. Thanks you guys for dinner and for coming out to meet us. It was great to get caught up with your news although it feels like we did most of the talking (I even went on about the prairie cows I enjoyed so much).

We are staying parked at the info centre tonight since it's right on the bike path, closed at 5:00 and there are no signs prohibiting overnight parking. We'll see what the night brings!


Tuesday, August 14th

Distance and Time: 134.1km at 5:32
Route: Kanata (home) to Grenville, Quebec (across the Ottawa River from Hawkesbury, ON) via the Ottawa River bike path and the Route Verte cycle route in Quebec (bike paths and hwy 148)

I made a last minute decision this morning to take my touring bike as well as the road bike. It is probably superfluous as we have already come 5000km with only a couple of instances in Manitoba where I really could have used it, but we have the room and it gives me an extra sense of confidence in case of gravel stretches or a bike break-down.

Yesterday flew by in a flurry of activity packing and getting ready to go. I left home at 9:45 this morning and Wayne pulled out a few minutes later. He took the main hwy and bridge over to Quebec to park at Masson-Angers. I cycled towards downtown on the bike path and it was rather pleasant with little traffic on a cloudy weekday morning. Mike (Manore) joined me on the Ottawa side of the Champlain Bridge and we cycled along the Quebec shore of the Ottawa River and onto the Route Verte until we met Wayne at the very edge of Gatineau on hwy 148. Mike and I were both pleasantly surprised with the clear signage of the Route Verte as it meandered along bike paths, side streets and the 148 (with paved shoulders - hooray!).

View of the Parliament Buildings and Chateau Laurier from the Quebec side

Mike joined me from the ON side of the Champlain Bridge to the eastern edge of Gatineau where we met Wayne

Wayne and I had lunch in the RV at Masson-Angers and as I poured over the maps I noticed there were a couple of short sections of unpaved paths on the route. I decided to switch to the touring bike (probably simply because I could), but I really didn't need it as the paved shoulder continued where the path veered off for a while. So after 40km on the heavier and clunkier bike I was happy to get back on the other and make up some speed. You are right, Mike (Glew). I wouldn't have wanted to lug the touring bike up those hills in Northern Ontario!

It feels good to be back on the road, with a full larder and stocked pantry. I've added figs and dates rolled in almonds to my daytime diet, thanks to Lynn's advice gleaned from her cycling magazines. They are easy to carry on the bike, scarf down quickly and I was getting pretty tired of power bars anyway. We also have brought some garlic-chocolate fudge (I went to the Carp Garlic Festival on the weekend) and it is awesome stuff.

We are stopped for the night in a campground just west of Grenville (across the river from Hawkesbury). It poured just as I was about to head for a swim, so a beer filled the bill as a refresher and I had a late night swim after supper. It was so dark by the time I went for the swim, and I saw what looked like bats swooping around my head. Can't quite figure out why the Ottawa River is so cold after all the hot summer weather. It feels just as chilly as Lake Superior!