Day Fifty Five - Rest Day Quebec City

Today being a rest day I slept in until 7. I was expecting my roommate Ken to wake me up earlier as he is a early riser normally. Breakfast is in the cafeteria one building away. Ken and I walked over together and were the first of the group to eat. The food was a real disappointment and most feel that a meal off the truck would have been better. 

Others filtered in shortly after I finished my rubber omelette. We were discussing what we were doing for the day. Matt and Kerry decided to join me for the hop on hop off bus tour of Quebec City. Other had errands to do and some where visiting friends for the day. I had never been to the city before. 

We boarded a city bus for the chateau Frontenac. The bus tour starts there. The city buses do not come into the old city so we got off and walked at the closest bus stop. 

Quebec City is the only fortified in North America. We passed a beautiful fountain on the way to the entrance to the old city.   As we approached the walls I was amazed at the size and that an entire city was inside the walls. The walls of the city are 2.7 km in length. 

We boarded the bus but couldn't get a seat on top.  We got off and on a couple of times and managed the last time to get a spot on top. The old city is very beautiful and worth a trip anytime of year if you haven't seen it. 

We left the bus tour to meet Duncan at a bike shop and after we had lunch. Duncan had a rabbit sandwich and we had more conventional sandwiches. We got back on the tour which happened to be the last bus of the day so we couldn't get off anymore. 

When we got back to the chateau we watch some street performers juggle. While watching we got rained on even though there were no clouds in the sky. On our way to the city bus stop to go back to the campus we saw a large rainbow. 

We got back and shared our stories of our day off with the other riders. 

Bon Homme and me in Quebec City

Kerry and Matt with a giant pigeon in Quebec City

Old Quebec city, only fortified city in North America.  Amazing!!

Day Fifty Four - Quebec City

My group cooked breakfast so I couldn't leave as soon as I wanted this morning. We did however have the truck packed and ready to go by 8. Viki and Matt joined Sam and I and we headed up the steep hill out of camp. 

As we were in a pace line of four our pace averaged 30 plus kms for the first 50 kms or so. We stopped at the Notre Dam church. We took time to go inside to see the stain glass. 

Our next stop was for water at shell station at 45 km. surprisingly the station had a cafe and there were fresh baked goods that they had cooked earlier in the morning. We took some time to eat and cool at the back of the store which has tables and chairs.  

The next stop felt very over due at 90 km. We were all really hit and most were running out of water. I also got to witness another first for Matt. It was his first banana split. When we went in the store felt really cold but it was really only 23 degrees. 

We made pretty good time the rest of the 143 kms. As we got closer to the city we had to climb a couple of short but steep roads.  We got to the University of Laval and registered and into our rooms before 4:30. I hadn't really eaten enough during the day and decided to skip the pizza and get some real food on campus. 

Overall it was a hot and muggy day with very little elevation gain. 

Beautiful Notre Dame du Cap in Trois Riviers

Cycling up a short steep hill out of the campsite

Crossing Riviere Batiscan north of Champlain QC

Day Fifty Three - Trois-Rivieres

Yesterday when we got to the campground we had a suprise very steep hill up to the campsite which was unexpected and not appreciated by all. It was nice this morning to go down jet though. I really like the downhills but some people on the tour say that you earn going downhill by peddling up hill. 

Before I left this morning I booked my ticket home and was happy to see that the price was $70 cheaper than if I booked it 6 months ago when I first started looking for the ticket. I will get the 5 am flight and end up in Victoria by 12:30. 

Along some of the route today we followed Richelieu River. It passed by a number of small communities including Saint-Marc-sue-Richelieu and Saint-Antoine-sue-Richelieu. There were many very nice houses lining the shore. In every little town there are always large churches that seem a little out of place because they are very over the top ornate and beautiful. 

At Sorel the Richelieu River empties into the St Lawerence. Sam and I managed to board the ferry across the St Lawerence River 5 minutes before it departed. Other riders also managed to board before it left. 

The cue sheet routed us off the main highway and along a more rural route where the road was fairly rough. That caused us to reduce our speed and as a result made us even more hot. The temperature for today was 31 but with the humidity it peaked to 40. 

We made a stop at a grocery store in St. Berthelemy to grab a cool drink and eat lunch under the shade of some large trees. We made plans to return to the main road after lunch as sightseeing at this temperature is a little crazy and we just wanted to get the kms in. 

Once back on the highway the tailwind allowed us to average 35 kmph. About 10 kmph from camp Sam and I switched bikes to see how each other's handled. It was a good experience and although the 520 is a good bike I prefers my Domane. 

A good day. 

On the ferry from Sorel QC to Saint Ignace De Loyola

Many old stone houses lined the route

Quebec has no shortage of impressive Catholic churches

Day Fifty Two - St Mathieu de Beloeil

Today is the day that I've heard about since orientation. Bud said that it would be difficult to navigate Montreal and it was. Sam and I only got off track a couple of times. At the end of the day I was more fatigued from navigating than from cycling.

We left the campground before anyone at 7:30. I had read the forecast the night before and knew that the temperature would peak to 3 and it was going to be a humid day. The temperature felt like 36 with the humidity. 

The route this morning took us along the shores of Riviere des Outaouais, the river that we crossed twice yesterday. There was quite a few old houses built of stone and mortar. In the water we spotted a white crane which we were not able to determine the exact name of. 

We crossed a lot of bridges today. The first was to cross over to the Ile Parrot. It is a small island which must be a suburb of Montreal. The second was to cross on to the Ile de Montreal. The off ramp for bicycles on that bridge was a five story spiral ramp. 

Much of the route in Montreal was along the picturesque path along the river. It was beautiful but most of the road was pretty rough for being in a city. In my experience during this trip, the roads inside a city/town are normally better than outside. Not in Quebec I'm finding. 

We stopped at the Marche Atwater public market and I bough some heirloom cherry tomatoes and some patty pan squash. I was suprised that the lady that I was trying to purchase the tomatoes from could not speak English and Sam needed to translate which basket of tomatoes I wanted to purchase. 

Soon after that we were in the downtown  section of Montreal. We rode our bikes through Place Jacques Cartier which is a pedestrian mall type area that has restaurants and artists kiosks. 

We crossed out of Montreal on a huge bridge called Pont Jacques Cartier. The views from the apex of the bridge are very good of the city and the river. After the bridge we mostly followed a bike trail out into the country. 

About 10 km from camp we held up in a Tim Hortons to escape the heat and the humidity. They have free WIFI and my phone needed to be charged. I had also needed to write my blog for yesterday and today. It is really hard for me to remember what we did yesterday. I am getting old I guess. My legs work good still though. 

Pedestrian / bike off ramp on Pont Galipeault outside of Montreal, QC

Bicycle path through Montreal, QC

Atwater Market in Montreal QC

Cross Pont Jacques Cartier in Montreal, QC

Day Fifty One - Hudson

This morning I woke up early to gather my stuff together before heading over to the cafeteria at 6:30 for breakfast. I knocked on two doors adjacent to my room to see if anyone was up yet. Ken joined me for the walk over for breakfast. After breakfast we headed to the truck to loaded our bags and pumped up our tires. 

On the way out of town we passed many of the landmarks that we saw the day before on our bus tour. It wasn't too long until we were in a rural area with very nice roads and a beautiful treed landscape to look at. 

I was happy to see the most cyclists on the road since we started. We were stopped by a cyclist that was passing the opposite direction because he saw one of our Tour Du Canada jerseys. He asked a bunch of questions as he was considering doing the trip. He wished us well and continued towards Ottawa. 

Until I read the cue sheet as I was riding I didn't realize that we were taking a ferry today. Turns out we took two. Our first ferry was in Cumberland that took us into our sixth province, Quebec. As I arrived at the ferry terminal I just missed the ferry as John and Sam were just a little bit behind. Lucky for us there was another ferry docking 30 seconds after the other departed. The ferry took less than five minutes to make the crossing on the Riviere des Outaouais. 

The riding was pretty flat and we really had no major hills all day. The elevation gain at the end of the day was less than 400 metres over the 162 kms. 

John let me know that he wanted to take a picture of the Chateau Montebello. So when we got to the gates of the Chatueau Sam and I waited. While waiting the "fast four" arrived and when John arrived we all went in together. The Chateau is a resort hotel and is made in the style of a log cabin. John was saying it is the worlds largest log cabin. Inside is very nice and there is a large fireplace that is 3 or stories tall 

In the Village of Montebello most if the group ate lunch. I had Croque-Madame which is a croissant with salmon, red onion, spinach, and goat cheese.  It was my first time eating it and as I was eating in Quebec I thought I eat something French. 

During the ride past the Carillon Dam we were really starting to notice how hot and humid it was. We missed the Carillon ferry that the "fast four" had taken despite us really pushing the pace over the previous 20 kms. We had time to sit int he shade and have a cold drink. 

We cut out a couple of kms not going into Hudson. It is a fairly small city and I had enough cycling for the day. We had to ride up the steepest hill of the day just before the campground. Dinner was perogies and a chocolate cake to celebrate our crossing of another province. 

Rock wall near Brownsburg-Chatham QC

Lunch in Montebello, QC at Aux Douceurs Du Passant

Fireplace at Fairmont Chateau Montebello

We missed the Welcome to Quebec sign.  Ferry from Cumberland ON to Masson-Angers QC

Day Fifty - Rest Day Ottawa

The morning started early as I went to bed too early and ended up with enough sleep at 5 am. So much for sleeping in. After finishing the movie on Netflix that I started watching the night before I headed over to the cafeteria. No shock that I was the first there.

In the caf you had to show your pass card to the guard and leave your bags at the door. I guess they don't want people to steal the food. The normal breakfast stuff was there and kind of on the cold side. Good enough though. Some people enjoyed eating Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms. Two cereals that are not carried on the truck. 

Before breakfast I had put my clothes in the washer and by the time Arlen showed up I was able to leave and put them in the drier and come back. Next chance to do laundry will be in Quebec City.  When everyone else showed up some of us decided to go to the bike shop just after breaky. 

At the bike shop I was able to get my bike in for a tune up. They had one spot left for today. Some riders needed their chains and cassettes changed and others had their chain measured for wear. 

After the bike shop we headed downtown to get the hop on and hop off bus tour of the city. On the tour we stopped at the Mill Street Brewery for a hour and the War Museum for two. Matt really found it interesting and he was not aware that Canadians had participated in so many wars. 

When we left the museum we boarded the bus and John and his wife happened to be on it also. We rode the bus and passed Canadian Museum of History, Rideau Hall - Governor General Residence, Prime Minister's Residence and a bunch of other key places in Ottawa. Byward Market was a stop on the tour. I can remember being there in the past but not when or with who. 

Once the tour was over we retrieved our bikes from the bike shop and got something to eat. Not a very restful rest day but a busy and educational one. Overall a lovely day in our nations capital. 

Arlen enjoying another ice cream on the rest day.

Street art in alley adjacent to Bank St in Ottawa, ON

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica in Ottawa, ON

Teresa and John riding the tour bus in Ottawa, ON

Day Forty Nine - Ottawa

The crickets were so loud while I was trying to sleep last night that the noise cancelling headphones barely cut out the noise. Despite the noise I slept pretty solid as there was hardly any highway noise and no train whistle blowing either.

Sam and I left with others after the truck was packed. It was a bit of an odd day because quite a few people left late on a day that we would ride 100 miles plus. We rode along the 1000 islands parkway for the first 40 km or so. The houses and cabins that line that road have a very nice view. Some islands only have one house that fills the whole island. 

The first stop of the day was in Merrikville. My legs felt pretty good and we averaged 27 kmph over the three hours. The group had lunch at a cafe. We  Bill Hamilton who is 91 years old who bikes 20 km each day to the coffee shop.  Arlen and Viki got a picture with him. Amazing. 

We stopped a couple more times for a quick drink. The terrain most mostly flat with some small rolling hills. Quite a bit of the road was adjacent to the Rideau Canal. We were suprised to read that we had to get off our bikes and maneuver through the fence that surrounds the airport. The road away from the airport and to Carelton University is dangerously busy. The shoulder is wide but is poor condition. We had to cross many busy on ramps and off ramps. 

Once at the University I was suprised at how nice it was. We checked in and found that our rooms had been recently renovated. The only catch was that we weren't warned in the morning that the truck would remain loaded at the uni. People had to climb over bags and the stove to get access to their personal items they needed during the day off. 

The century ride felt a little longer than I expected and after a pizza dinner served in the common area I went to sleep at 8. 

St Lawrence river just past Ivy Lea, ON

Cyclist, 91 year old Bill Hamilton. Amazing!

Matty have a problem getting over the fence at the Ottawa airport.