Thursday, August 25, 2005
Day 59 – Distance: 121.6 km
Trois Rivieres to Quebec City, QC
Not a cloud in the sky; got the sun in my eye…that’s the kind of day we woke up to. The whippoorwill didn’t keep us awake at all last night; Jean and I both had a great night’s sleep. We got underway shortly after 8:00, and I got on my bike, back in Trois Rivieres, by 8:50 a.m. We soon arrived at the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-du-Cap, which evidently is a pilgrimage for Catholics from around the world. We took a walk around the church, which was open, and felt the peace envelop us. Jean spent some more time walking around the grounds and gardens, which featured sculptures of the Stations of the Cross and a rosary bridge, while I started off again. I again totally fell in love with biking in Quebec; the bicycle lanes are incredible, and the villages and farms totally capture the joie de vivre that the French are renowned for. Jean found a charming picnic spot near Deschambeau, overlooking the St. Lawrence just as a freighter was passing, and where we were visited by a black cat (I fed it, so I don’t think there will be any bad vibes from it). In the afternoon I started encountering some hills, including several in a side trip through Donnacona (I won’t do that next time I come through). Jean and I met again in time for an ice cream cone (definitely cream, not milk), then we proceeded through Cap Rouge on our way to the bridges to the south side of the river. I must let you know there is an incredibly steep, long hill coming out of Cap Rouge; we had stopped at an information place (which wasn’t open) just before it, and I thought I might have a heart attack before it was over. I did have one foot uncleated, which made me feel better, in case I felt I had to walk up the rest of the way. However, I used my mom’s favourite expression when faced with a daunting job (roughly translated, it’s “no inanimate objects will be boss”), and I made it to the top. It took quite a while for the heart rate to settle down, though!
Jean stopped just before the Pont de Quebec and the Pont Pierre la Porte, and we decided I should pop the bike on the back of the van, since neither of us knew if I was allowed to bike on the bridge (we found out it’s ok on the Pont de Quebec), and we figured we might as well get lost together, if that was going to happen, on the way to the KOA campsite where we had arranged to meet Cam. We finally found our way there (yes, we did miss the turns a couple of times – I wasn’t very helpful, since I was too busy recognizing the campsite where I ended my first biking adventure in 2001, with Murray Cleland). Cam hasn’t arrived quite yet, so I’m taking advantage of the time to catch up my blog. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to see a bit of Quebec tonight, or if he’s too tired, we’ll wait until tomorrow. In any event, I’m REALLY looking forward to my first rest day in 8 days.
Addendum: Cam arrived around 7:00 p.m. and proceeded to set up his “pop up” camper. It takes a bit of time to do, but is really great when it’s set up. My side is double-bed width, complete with overhead light for night reading (I’m usually asleep before 10:00, so that’s not a huge issue, but still nice). We then headed for a restaurant just down the road, which Jean and I had noticed on coming in. It turned out to be really great, in a Caribbean atmosphere. We ate in a plastic-sided tent, with a propane heater keeping us warm (evenings are cool now), and lots of plants and fountains around. Evidently they do lots of weddings and big gatherings; their specialty is pig roasts!
Trois Rivieres to Quebec City, QC
Not a cloud in the sky; got the sun in my eye…that’s the kind of day we woke up to. The whippoorwill didn’t keep us awake at all last night; Jean and I both had a great night’s sleep. We got underway shortly after 8:00, and I got on my bike, back in Trois Rivieres, by 8:50 a.m. We soon arrived at the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-du-Cap, which evidently is a pilgrimage for Catholics from around the world. We took a walk around the church, which was open, and felt the peace envelop us. Jean spent some more time walking around the grounds and gardens, which featured sculptures of the Stations of the Cross and a rosary bridge, while I started off again. I again totally fell in love with biking in Quebec; the bicycle lanes are incredible, and the villages and farms totally capture the joie de vivre that the French are renowned for. Jean found a charming picnic spot near Deschambeau, overlooking the St. Lawrence just as a freighter was passing, and where we were visited by a black cat (I fed it, so I don’t think there will be any bad vibes from it). In the afternoon I started encountering some hills, including several in a side trip through Donnacona (I won’t do that next time I come through). Jean and I met again in time for an ice cream cone (definitely cream, not milk), then we proceeded through Cap Rouge on our way to the bridges to the south side of the river. I must let you know there is an incredibly steep, long hill coming out of Cap Rouge; we had stopped at an information place (which wasn’t open) just before it, and I thought I might have a heart attack before it was over. I did have one foot uncleated, which made me feel better, in case I felt I had to walk up the rest of the way. However, I used my mom’s favourite expression when faced with a daunting job (roughly translated, it’s “no inanimate objects will be boss”), and I made it to the top. It took quite a while for the heart rate to settle down, though!
Jean stopped just before the Pont de Quebec and the Pont Pierre la Porte, and we decided I should pop the bike on the back of the van, since neither of us knew if I was allowed to bike on the bridge (we found out it’s ok on the Pont de Quebec), and we figured we might as well get lost together, if that was going to happen, on the way to the KOA campsite where we had arranged to meet Cam. We finally found our way there (yes, we did miss the turns a couple of times – I wasn’t very helpful, since I was too busy recognizing the campsite where I ended my first biking adventure in 2001, with Murray Cleland). Cam hasn’t arrived quite yet, so I’m taking advantage of the time to catch up my blog. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to see a bit of Quebec tonight, or if he’s too tired, we’ll wait until tomorrow. In any event, I’m REALLY looking forward to my first rest day in 8 days.
Addendum: Cam arrived around 7:00 p.m. and proceeded to set up his “pop up” camper. It takes a bit of time to do, but is really great when it’s set up. My side is double-bed width, complete with overhead light for night reading (I’m usually asleep before 10:00, so that’s not a huge issue, but still nice). We then headed for a restaurant just down the road, which Jean and I had noticed on coming in. It turned out to be really great, in a Caribbean atmosphere. We ate in a plastic-sided tent, with a propane heater keeping us warm (evenings are cool now), and lots of plants and fountains around. Evidently they do lots of weddings and big gatherings; their specialty is pig roasts!
posted by BikingBabe at 2:15 PM
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