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Farewell Ontario, Hello Quebec!Aug 15, 2008
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Hi Everyone from Laval Univ. Quebec City!
Finally, I left Ontario 5 days ago after 3 weeks and 2500 Kms! Talk about a big Province! I left with mixed emotions. The cycling was so hard in the northern part of the Province I thought it would leave me with negative thoughts from Kenora to Hudson. But no! Fortunately, once south of Manitoulin Island, things changed for the better.
Since my last post, I have cycled 600 Ks for a total distance of 6083 Ks or thereabouts. Sorry to be vague but my log book is locked up in the truck while we are here at Laval but those figures are close. The journey from Ottawa to Quebec was very pleasant, despite continuing heavy rain showers and thunderstorms. I must say it was really tough leaving Ottawa, after having enjoyed the warmth and hospitality of Ian and Diane and their Great Dane, Candhu. At 150 lbs, he is a big dog! We rode from Ottawa to Hudson the first day. That was the longest day of the entire trip at 180 Kms. Rain plagued us most of the way and the campsite was a bit soggy. Still, we had a shelter which kept us dry while eating. The second day, we rode to Mount St Hilaire - straight through the centre of Old Montreal and over the Jacques Cartier Bridge! Now that was interesting! I had not been to Montreal for many years and it was fascinating to be there again on a bike! I was amazed how easy it was to get through the city on 2 wheels. I am impressed with the attitude of Quebec towards cylists. There are bike lanes and dedicated bike routes everywhere. Yes! Even more than Victoria! On our way to Montreal, we cycled along Lakeshore Blvd which had a bike lane for the entire distance. I took some pictures from the Jacques Bridge of the Expo 67 site, which Isabel and I attended in 1967- with both mothers by the way! But that is another story...! The geodesic dome and some of the rides are still in evidence. During the following 2 days, we rode to Trois Rivieres and then on to Quebec City. Both long days but enjoyable nevertheless. The terrain was flat to rolling which meant fairly easy going. Mostly through farmlands along the St Lawrence River. A couple of ferries were involved as we crossed form one side to the other. They provided a welcome break by allowing me to get off the saddle for a while.
We arrived here at Laval Univ late yesterday afternoon. The first act after getting room assignments was to set up the tent and and dry it off. We experienced our usual dinner time thunderstorm the previous evening which meant another wet tent pack up in the morning. In fact, everywhere I have stopped with friends so far, the first comment is how wet and damp everything feels. That is a constant chore for me - trying to dry things out - tent, sleeping bag, pillow, air mattress - before I climb into bed at night. I made the mistake of bringing a down sleeping bag (who knew it was going to be a wet summer!) instead of a synthetic bag so I am foreever airing the bag out. There is nothing worse than getting into a damp sleeping bag knowing that you have to warm the sleeping bag before it will return the favour and warm you! So, it is a day off in this beautiful city. Once I have finished this update, I will be off into the old city for the day and enjoy some wonderful ambience, history, coffee and croisants or cinammon buns if I can find any.
I am so pleased to report that My Bike is operating at 100% efficiency. I was quite worried for a while. But all seems OK now. It will need to be in top shape for what is to come. The previous 4 day section was quite easy but the next section is 6 days and 790 Ks before our next day off. The route follows the St Lawrence River on the south side: Quebec to River Ouelle; Trois Pistoles; (2 other section in here); St St Damase; and Saint Louis de Kent in NB. That is our next rest day. It is only a small dot on my map so I am not sure what facilities are there. We will be in tents so this is actually the last time I will be under a hard roof until St Johns!
It is fair to say that we are all looking forward to the end. However, this next section promises to be one of the most scenic and interesting of the entire trip. Once I am beyond Saint Louis, it is home territory for me.
I am afraid that this computer has no USB connection so no photos at this time. One would think that a University would have better internet services. Not to be.
So that is it for the time being. The sun is out and I am off down town.
Bye for now and I will update again from New Brunswick!
Love to all, Michael (Mick!)
