Riviere-du-loup - Edmundston 123km
I had a bit of sleep-in in the morning, enjoying the comfy hostel bed. My roomie Julia from Germany and I went downstairs to enjoy the breakfast included in our stay! Somehow free breakfast just always tastes better! I packed up and said bye to the new friends I had made the night before. Back on the road I turned south, away from the river and towards New Brunswick! The road was pretty decent for the first while although the cross wind was really strong, definitely a 2 hands on kind of day! Luckily the wind died down but that was when I hit all of the construction, and the stinky farms :( The road was bad so I had to go quite slowly and it was very bumpy and to make matters worse it smelled like poo. I kept on going for ever it felt like since I didn't want to stop for lunch until the smell went away. I have this thing about eating when it smells, ever since someone told me everything you smell your actually eating tiny particles of. In this case it would have been manure, no thanks! Finally things got better smell wise and road wise and I found a rest stop for lunch. Not to long after it started to rain but luckily just a light drizzle nothing to worry about. I hit the New Brunswick border at about quarter past 4 and promptly lost an hour due to the time change. I spent some time in the info centre looking up campgrounds and checking my email. By the time I was out again in was just before 6 and pouring! I started looking for the closest campground but when I reached the exit it had a big closed sign over it, darn! I continued on and the rain abated and I even briefly saw a rainbow! I stopped in Edmunston for some groceries and then continued south of town where I knew there was another campground. Luckily this one was open and even had a elevated pumphouse under which I was able to pitch my tent to stay out of the worst of the rain. I ate my dinner of granola and yogurt in bed before rolling over to go to sleep.
Edmunston - Grand Falls 65km???
So as you probably have gathered from the question marks after my distance yet another cyclometer has bitten the dust. I give up, that's the last one! Partially because I hate replacing them but mostly because there isn't another MEC until Halifax!
I slept in this morning and when I woke up the sun was streaming through my tent! Yay! I didn't manage to get out of the campground until after 11 which didn't really matter since I knew the day would be short.
Pushed along by a tailwind I was covering ground at a great speed! I was listening to my Spanish podcasts and practicing my pronunciation as I pedaled. Luckily there weren't too many people on the streets to hear me butchering the Spanish, repeating over and over "Esta es mi hermana, se llama Raquelle" That kept me occupied right up until I reached the campground, or until I saw the sign actually. It turns out that the address had been a little wrong and the campground wasn't on the highway but on a side road which ran parallel. I hopped off of my bike and decided to pull/drag it across the ditch, over the hill and across the next ditch instead of going back to a crossroad. It wasn't too difficult and I'm sure I probably saved at least 2 minutes! I've set up camp and have come back into town to use the Internet and try and find somewhere for dinner! Tomorrow I am heading for Woodstock!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Days 61-64 Au bord de la Ste. Lawrence
Montreal -> Trois Rivieres 150km
I left Montreal guided by Giselle, she took me to the bike path so I wouldn`t get lost like the day before. Back on La Route Verte I headed out of the city. The path was wonderful nothing reminscent of the stressful day before! The only unfortunate part of the path is that because it stays off of the main road I was zigzagging all around which added time and km to the day. Once I was out of Montreal`s industrial area the scenerey was gorgeous, I followed alo
ng the St. Lawrence and then headed inland through the Mauricie region. It was slow going since I was battling a slight headwind and I didn`t arrive in Trois-Rivieres until the sun was setting. I decided that 150km definitley deserves a poutine so I had one. I ordered the small and when it arrived it looked large enough to feed four! I will never understand how the quebecqois can polish one of those off. The guys beside me were ploughing their way through larges. I took my leftovers to go and even though cold poutine isn`t very tasty I ate it for two more meals to avoid being wasteful! After dinner I rode the last few km to Caro and Matt`s place, the couchsurfers with whom I was spending the night. We had lots of fun playing an english trivia game which resulted in lots of laughing and misunderstanding because of the language barrier!
Trois-Rivieres -> Quebec 160km
My longest day ever! It was the equivalent of a century ride (100 miles) and I think once was enough, I will stick to shorter days or less weight from here on out! Luckily I had a tailwind so although the distance was farther I actually made better time than the day before. I rode alongside the river again following La Route Verte. The weather was perfect and there was hardly any traffic. I passed some familiar sights from the last time I had been in Trois-Rivieres as I pedaled out of town. One thing I have noticed since being in Quebec is the huge number of casse-croutes, otherwise know as fast-food. The big difference between Quebec and rest of Canada though is that everywhere else you see the giant arches or some other chain but here they are individually owned and family operated. I`m sure they probably do a mean poutine but being all poutined out I stopped for an icecream instead. I rode into Quebec about 5:30pm that afternoon in search of a hostel in the old part of the city. I missed my turn off and ended up in who knows where but being lost ended up being a blessing in disguise because as I was plugging away at my GPS I received a phone call bearing news of accommodation for the night! A friend of a friend had offered to put me up! Even better she lived straight back from the way I had come so instead of figuring out new directions all I had to do was turn around! Josée and her family were great and I was instantly jealous of her bilingual children who switched between languages without even realizing it!
Quebec -> Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies 132km
I started the day off with a wrong turn which caused me to unneccarily go up the steepest hill I had seen all week! maybe next time I will check the map a little more carefully! I got back on track and headed f
or the bridge to cross over to the south side of the St. Lawrence. I had a great view of vieux Quebec and château Frontenac as I rode along the busy bike path. Eventually I left the chaos of the city behind me. I rode through many picturesque villages, many of which were hundreds of years old! The rest stops along the road were spaced perfectly, need water? a lunch spot? a bathroom? Pop! They would appear just as I needed them! It was great! For anyone deciding on their next Canadian vacation destination I would highly reccommend this area! I stayed with a family that I contacted through the website warmshowers.org (a website linking up touring cyclists) they were great, 2 new kittens had recently become a part of the family and were adorable! The kids didn`t speak english so it was a good opportunity to practice my french!
Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies -> Rivière-du-loup 82km
The wind was so strong this morning I barely had to pedal, if I had a sail I would have been here by noon! Either way it was a fun and easy ride! I got rained on a little but had dried off before stopping for lunch so it wasn`t a big deal. I would officially say I have reached the se
a today, I can smell the salt on the air! Although I think it is still officially considered the St. Lawrence the water is salty and there are huge tides. Eel fishing is a big thing here and I have been told I should try the smoked eel it`s supposed to be delicious, I think I may just take their word on it! I was in Rivière-du-loup before 2pm today, a change from the past few days that`s for sure! I am staying at a very nice hostel which seems to be quite empty and have just found the library which is where I am now! Tomorrow I was going to have a rest day but I think I may just carry on instead. Heading for New Brunswick!
I left Montreal guided by Giselle, she took me to the bike path so I wouldn`t get lost like the day before. Back on La Route Verte I headed out of the city. The path was wonderful nothing reminscent of the stressful day before! The only unfortunate part of the path is that because it stays off of the main road I was zigzagging all around which added time and km to the day. Once I was out of Montreal`s industrial area the scenerey was gorgeous, I followed alo
ng the St. Lawrence and then headed inland through the Mauricie region. It was slow going since I was battling a slight headwind and I didn`t arrive in Trois-Rivieres until the sun was setting. I decided that 150km definitley deserves a poutine so I had one. I ordered the small and when it arrived it looked large enough to feed four! I will never understand how the quebecqois can polish one of those off. The guys beside me were ploughing their way through larges. I took my leftovers to go and even though cold poutine isn`t very tasty I ate it for two more meals to avoid being wasteful! After dinner I rode the last few km to Caro and Matt`s place, the couchsurfers with whom I was spending the night. We had lots of fun playing an english trivia game which resulted in lots of laughing and misunderstanding because of the language barrier!Trois-Rivieres -> Quebec 160km
My longest day ever! It was the equivalent of a century ride (100 miles) and I think once was enough, I will stick to shorter days or less weight from here on out! Luckily I had a tailwind so although the distance was farther I actually made better time than the day before. I rode alongside the river again following La Route Verte. The weather was perfect and there was hardly any traffic. I passed some familiar sights from the last time I had been in Trois-Rivieres as I pedaled out of town. One thing I have noticed since being in Quebec is the huge number of casse-croutes, otherwise know as fast-food. The big difference between Quebec and rest of Canada though is that everywhere else you see the giant arches or some other chain but here they are individually owned and family operated. I`m sure they probably do a mean poutine but being all poutined out I stopped for an icecream instead. I rode into Quebec about 5:30pm that afternoon in search of a hostel in the old part of the city. I missed my turn off and ended up in who knows where but being lost ended up being a blessing in disguise because as I was plugging away at my GPS I received a phone call bearing news of accommodation for the night! A friend of a friend had offered to put me up! Even better she lived straight back from the way I had come so instead of figuring out new directions all I had to do was turn around! Josée and her family were great and I was instantly jealous of her bilingual children who switched between languages without even realizing it!
Quebec -> Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies 132km
I started the day off with a wrong turn which caused me to unneccarily go up the steepest hill I had seen all week! maybe next time I will check the map a little more carefully! I got back on track and headed f
or the bridge to cross over to the south side of the St. Lawrence. I had a great view of vieux Quebec and château Frontenac as I rode along the busy bike path. Eventually I left the chaos of the city behind me. I rode through many picturesque villages, many of which were hundreds of years old! The rest stops along the road were spaced perfectly, need water? a lunch spot? a bathroom? Pop! They would appear just as I needed them! It was great! For anyone deciding on their next Canadian vacation destination I would highly reccommend this area! I stayed with a family that I contacted through the website warmshowers.org (a website linking up touring cyclists) they were great, 2 new kittens had recently become a part of the family and were adorable! The kids didn`t speak english so it was a good opportunity to practice my french!Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies -> Rivière-du-loup 82km
The wind was so strong this morning I barely had to pedal, if I had a sail I would have been here by noon! Either way it was a fun and easy ride! I got rained on a little but had dried off before stopping for lunch so it wasn`t a big deal. I would officially say I have reached the se
a today, I can smell the salt on the air! Although I think it is still officially considered the St. Lawrence the water is salty and there are huge tides. Eel fishing is a big thing here and I have been told I should try the smoked eel it`s supposed to be delicious, I think I may just take their word on it! I was in Rivière-du-loup before 2pm today, a change from the past few days that`s for sure! I am staying at a very nice hostel which seems to be quite empty and have just found the library which is where I am now! Tomorrow I was going to have a rest day but I think I may just carry on instead. Heading for New Brunswick!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Days 59&60 Bienvenue au Quebec
Ottawa - L'Original 100km
My first day striking out on my own! Leaving Ottwas was nice, the roads all had bike paths and were not too busy. I stayed off of the main highway for the majority of the day an
d had really good riding conditions. With a bit of a tail wind I made great time getting into town and found the campground with no problem. In town while I was grocery shopping I met numerous friendly locals all interested in my ride and supportive of the cause! I had to use my french for the first time at the campground even though I was still in Ontario the caretaker spoke no English. I pitched my tent and had my cold dinner, (no stove now that Malkolm isn't with me) done just in time to watch the sunset over the river. Bedtime is coming earlier and earlier these days as the sun sets earlier. That night I think I was tucked into my sleeping bag by 8:30 luckily I had a book from my care package from Nao and Liis to keep me company!
L'Original - Montreal 110km
I woke up with the intentions of getting an early start that morning but when I h
eard the pitter patter of rain drops on my tent all good intentions flew out the window as I buried myself deeper into my sleeping bag in hopes of waiting out the rain. Luckily it stopped quite shortly after and I was able to get almost ready to go before it started again. I waited out the drizzle under the overhang of the bathrooms while reading the local paper and as soon as the rain ceased I pulled down my tent quickly and got packed up and on the road. That was it for the rain that day and soon after the sun was shining. I crosses the river into Quebec and immediatley found La Route Verte, the fabulous bike route all through Quebec. I managed to follow the path as is travelled along side the river for most of the day. As I neared Montreal traffic got heavier and heavier, unfortunately I was arriving in Friday rush hour. I 
decided to stop at MEC to return yet another cyclometer and that was my one big mistake. Traffic was crazy, my phone was dead and I was lost after that. I rode till I found a pay phone and called my host, M
ichel, and got directions. I was told that I was pretty much as far away from where I wanted to be as possible :( Good directions, a close-call with a school bus and an hour later I had made it to Michel's but unfortunately he had already left for work, his girlfriend Giselle was there to show me around and she was a most gracious hostess! Big thanks to both of them for their hospitality! I slept very well that night and the alarm sounded as usual too early the next morning.
My first day striking out on my own! Leaving Ottwas was nice, the roads all had bike paths and were not too busy. I stayed off of the main highway for the majority of the day an
d had really good riding conditions. With a bit of a tail wind I made great time getting into town and found the campground with no problem. In town while I was grocery shopping I met numerous friendly locals all interested in my ride and supportive of the cause! I had to use my french for the first time at the campground even though I was still in Ontario the caretaker spoke no English. I pitched my tent and had my cold dinner, (no stove now that Malkolm isn't with me) done just in time to watch the sunset over the river. Bedtime is coming earlier and earlier these days as the sun sets earlier. That night I think I was tucked into my sleeping bag by 8:30 luckily I had a book from my care package from Nao and Liis to keep me company!L'Original - Montreal 110km
I woke up with the intentions of getting an early start that morning but when I h
eard the pitter patter of rain drops on my tent all good intentions flew out the window as I buried myself deeper into my sleeping bag in hopes of waiting out the rain. Luckily it stopped quite shortly after and I was able to get almost ready to go before it started again. I waited out the drizzle under the overhang of the bathrooms while reading the local paper and as soon as the rain ceased I pulled down my tent quickly and got packed up and on the road. That was it for the rain that day and soon after the sun was shining. I crosses the river into Quebec and immediatley found La Route Verte, the fabulous bike route all through Quebec. I managed to follow the path as is travelled along side the river for most of the day. As I neared Montreal traffic got heavier and heavier, unfortunately I was arriving in Friday rush hour. I 
decided to stop at MEC to return yet another cyclometer and that was my one big mistake. Traffic was crazy, my phone was dead and I was lost after that. I rode till I found a pay phone and called my host, M
ichel, and got directions. I was told that I was pretty much as far away from where I wanted to be as possible :( Good directions, a close-call with a school bus and an hour later I had made it to Michel's but unfortunately he had already left for work, his girlfriend Giselle was there to show me around and she was a most gracious hostess! Big thanks to both of them for their hospitality! I slept very well that night and the alarm sounded as usual too early the next morning.
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