Day 50 - (the high climbs, the) Grand Falls

We're in the Maritimes!

This is a big milestone for me as I'm now in the same time zone as my destination. Little hints are popping up that I'm close to home: Kent Building Centres, Irving stations, Greco pizza shops, etc. And we're now seeing both English and French on the signs.

We arrived in Edmuston, a magical land where you too can be swept off your feet by a handsome lad like this one:

Oddly, we couldn't find a Tim Horton's, but we stopped at Subway, which I prefer anyway. There was a very helpful policeman in there who gave us route advice (he's also a cyclist) and escorted us to the tourist information place for maps.

There, we discovered there was a high probability of rain tonight, so I booted it in order to get my wet clothes dried before the showers. It was fun to really give 'er for the first time in a while. I passed another group cycling from San Francisco to St. John's with Tour d'Afrique. It sounds like their tour is quite luxurious and well organized. They also do a 50 day ride through Europe that sounds awesome. Maybe I'll do that one when I retire.

Laundry update: after sitting next to the fire for a couple of hours, everything is dry!

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Day 49 - Saint Marc du Lac Long

I impressed myself this morning when I woke up at 6:30 and was ready to go at 7:45. I think I'm finally getting the hang of the morning routine, just in time for the end of the trip. People are starting to count the days now. For them, there are two weeks left to St. John's. For me, there are 9 days to Cape Breton and 11 to Halifax. For my part, I'm in no hurry for the trip to be over. I suppose my feelings are different because I'm heading into familiar territory. For the others, they are traveling farther away from home so maybe they feel more urgency to get this strange ordeal over with.

The first 48 km was along the river, through vast plains with the occasional drumlin peeking out of the landscape, with an awesome tailwind pushing us along.

Then, things got a little more epic. As we turned the corner to head east, the tailwind turned into a sidewind, the plains turned into rolling hills and the weather turned to rain. The silver lining was that, as the only one without fenders, I was allowed to stay at the back of the group to avoid spraying the others with road sludge from my tires. It's usually a little more relaxing at the back so I got to save some energy.

At around 90 km we came to a small town with a little eatery. I ordered spaghetti and a medium poutine to share with the others. Then the guy showed me the size of a medium, which was about the diameter of a pie plate but deeper, so I downgraded to petit.

The expression on Isabel's face when we were presented with the poutine was priceless. I'm not sure what word describes it best... horror comes close. Regardless, it was quite tasty and excellent cycling fuel.

For me, the drama of the day came at the campsite where I decided to do laundry even though the dryer was out of order. At that time, the sun was beating down on us and I was convinced we'd seen the last of the rain. I couldn't have been more wrong as multiple waves of torrential rains rolled over us. I managed to hang up my clothes for about half an hour between two of the waves, but it wasn't enough to get them close to dry. They're now hanging under our breakfast canopy and I'm looking forward to the commentary on my "intimates" tomorrow morning.

The silver lining in this case (there always is one, you know) was a beautiful double rainbow over the lake. Yes, a DOUBLE rainbow! Unfortunately, I was too busy saving my stuff from the downpour to get a picture. This was later on:

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Day 48 - Riviere Ouelle

Another day in Quebec, another day following the St. Lawrence north-east, but unlike the previous two riding days, this time we had a strong tailwind pushing us along. Riding at the front of the group was a breeze,exceeding 30 km/h with very little effort. With four of us taking turns, the ride went incredibly quickly. For the first time, all the riders (both groups) arrived at camp before the truck had time to check in.

Mother nature just couldn't make up her mind today. The entire ride we were in the midst of ominous looking clouds and from time to time it would sprinkle, prompting us to put on rain jackets, but it never properly rained.

When we were settled into our campsite, Chelsea put out this little jar of goodness:

Yes, peanut butter filled pretzels. We had them a few weeks ago and I couldn't believe how addictive they were. At first I was repulsed by the idea, but I tried one and just couldn't stop eating them. Isabel tells me the English term for this is "moreish".

Although the rain has mostly held off, it's getting pretty chilly in the tent. For the first time since the rockies, it might be a night for the toque.

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Quebec Rest Day

I had one mission for the day: crepes. The last time I was in Quebec city, I was about 10 years old and I think it was the first time I had crepes. The atmosphere of the old town and the deliciousness of the crepes made a lasting impression.

It was drizzling today, but Isabel and I braved the weather and bussed from our hotel across from Universite Laval to the old town.


I have to think that this place is unique in North America for its old world character. The wet streets only heightened the allure.

It's a true testament to the power of this town that I was happy to wander around on an empty stomach, rather than rush to the nearest food joint. We passed no fewer than three Subways but I stayed strong. We found a place with a line out the door and figured it was probably worth waiting for. We were right. I had ham, cheese and mushrooms in crepe numero un, fresh blueberries in crepe numero deux, with a milkshake on the side. Mission accomplished.

After that we wandered around some more and stumbled on a bike shop, which was good because I needed water bottle cage to replace the one I bought in Montreal that broke on the first day of use. Here's a super macro look at the broken part:


If I have the energy, I'll report this to the manufacturer (Tacx). Annoying, but at least I got to try out the new camera's macro mode.

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Day 47 - Quebec City

Today we emerged from soaking wet tents and headed out into a chilly, foggy morning. I spent the whole day with the A team and Isabel. I'm now calling our combined force the Gang of Four.

Our route followed the north shore of the St. Lawrence, passing through many small towns with lots of stone houses and churches. I tried to get a picture of the typical Quebecois stone house and this is the best I came up with:


This is the typical result when I try "shooting blind" while riding. Better to keep one's eyes on the road, especially while in a paceline.

Along the way I managed to order a foot long sub at Subway, so I can now rest easy knowing I will be able to keep myself fed in Quebec.

Tomorrow is a rest day in Quebec city. I'm hoping to find a good balance between rest and sight seeing.

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More on Montreal bike paths

As I mentioned yesterday, bike paths can be a mixed blessing.  This story just came out from Montreal today.  A man was killed crossing one of the intersections along the green line, exactly a day after we traversed that same spot.  I remember the signals being confusing at that particular intersection.  We had a red light for no apparent reason since the rest of the traffic was stopped.  Other cyclists were ignoring it and eventually Isabel proceeded, and I reluctantly followed her just as traffic started moving again.  It was one of three times that I felt uneasy or confused along that route.

This was reportedly the third cycling fatality on Montreal Island this year.  My feeling is that they really need to focus in those intersections.  It must be clear what cyclists are expected to do, and those expectations must be reasonable (e.g. going far out of your way to hit a button every time you cross a street is not reasonable).

Day 46 - Trois Rivieres

Getting out of Montreal was gloriously simple, following a bike path (the green line) for the first 40 k or so.

Montreal has really bought into the separated bike path idea. I have mixed feelings about bike paths because they take cyclists out of the consciousness of drivers, until the two worlds collide (sometimes literally) at intersections. In Montreal it seems to work pretty well because the paths can follow the river without crossing many streets, and we certainly saw lots of people using them.

I was proud of myself for putting two French words together today while passing someone "sur gauche". I had been nervous about Quebec but I don't feel so bad for being an ignorant anglophone this time. Maybe it's because as I get older I care less about what others think of me, or maybe it's because I'm in the company of a few others with even less French. It would be a shame to miss out on places like Montreal because of anglo-guilt as it really is a gem of a city.

For today's ride, I started with Isabel and I guess we were making good time because we passed the three musketeers and caught up with the A Team (Ilan and Owen) shortly after leaving the city. The four of us worked together against the headwind for the rest of the day, arriving in good shape after 138 km.

Here's a look at our campsite in Trois Rivieres. Best campsite showers of the trip and (so far) quiet neighbours.

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Day 45 - Montreal

The ride into Montreal was short and sweet. Our first introduction to Montreal was this fun spiral ramp into Sainte Anne.

Then we followed Lakeshore Road past ritzy houses, and that led us most of the way downtown.

Isabel and I rode together and arrived at the hotel at around 1:30. Fortunately, they were able to check us in early so we could hit the showers and explore a bit. Our rooms at Hotel Le Dauphin were pretty swanky.

Quite a step up from the campgrounds. As we walked around Old Montreal, the sun was searing. Then, a welcome cool breeze rolled in.

It was so refreshing to sit in the breeze along the waterfront, but the breeze brought dark clouds and, soon after that picture was taken heavy rain.

Isabel and I headed back to the hotel in our T-shirts and shorts, occasionally huddling in doorways with groups of other ill-prepared travelers. It was a memorable walk.

After that, I went down the street for Chinese buffet with long-time coworker David, and chewed the fat both literally and figuratively. Thank God for the buffet.

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