Sunday, June 30, 2013
We were up at 7:00 which really pleased Molly who liked to stick to her established routine. We quickly ate breakfast, finished packing our bags and loaded them on our bikes. Bev had, unbeknown to me, gotten them our of the garage and placed them next to the basement door where we could easily load them up. Pat and Almont were up to say goodbye, wish us a safe journey and take some pictures. We left for Windsor, NS, at 8:10 AM. It was cloudy, there was a tailwind, we had smooth pavement but no shoulder. We took a few breaks on the way. Our legs and butts had gotten a bit soft over the last 3 days of rest. We stopped at a gas station in Kingston where I saw a model of a white 1957 Mercedes 190SL sports car just like the one I had bought for $700 in 1967 when I was on posting at the Canadian Embassy in Brussels. I took some photos of it and asked Darcy, the attendant, if the owner would be interested in selling it. He took my contact information and said he would ask and let me know. We stopped at a Tim's in New Minas for lunch and a pit stop. I filled my 2nd water bottle up in the washroom. Once we got to Kentville we left the Annapolis Valley and the going got tougher. We ran into several long climbs where I finally had to use my "Grannie Gears". After Wolfville the highway turned South East and we now had to cope with a strong crosswind and for the last 15 kms we had a strong head wind which really slowed us down. We stopped at a gas station just 2 kms outside of Windsor for a cold drink. We were both really parched by this time. The humidity had really gone up with the appearance of the sun. We passed a motel on the outskirts of Windsor and passed it up hoping to find something in town with more shops, etc around. We stopped in Windsor and asked a couple who were sitting down to a late lunch (3:00 PM) or an early dinner re motels, etc. We were given bad directions and ended up cycling 3 or 4 kms out of town. I finally set my GPS for the Super 8 Motel. We had to make a U-Turn and cycle back into town and a further 1.5 kms before we finally arrived at the Super 8 which was on top of a %&#@ hill. I went in and managed to get a room for $109 plus taxes down from $119. It included breakfast, swimming pool, Wi-Fi, etc. We took our bikes up to our room on the 2nd floor using the elevator one at a time. We arrived at the motel at 4:00 PM and once settled in our room enjoyed a late lunch of ham and cheese on croissant buns. Bev decided to walk down the hill to the Atlantic Superstore and get some groceries for our dinner and tomorrow's lunch. I checked out the Wi-Fi and updated my journal. I also posted a note on FB re today's ride. Bev returned with a Hungry Man Turkey dinner for me and a Swanson Ribs, mashed potatoes, corn and Brownies for dinner which she warmed up in the motel microwave.
Well it's getting late and that's enough blogging for this evening. Time to get some shuteye as we need to get up at 6:00 AM tomorrow if we want to beat the heat and make it to Brookfield, NS, tomorrow.
Super 8 Motel, Windsor, NS
Sunday, June 30, 2013
CCCT Part II - Lawrencetown, NS Rest Days
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, June 27-28-29, 2013
Day 1
We had hoped to have a lie in but Molly, the black lab, was on a different schedule and she felt we should be up at 7:30 AM. After breakfast we drove into Middleton with Pat in her 2008 Chrysler van with all the bells and whistles including a rear-view back up camera that beeps when you get to close to any obstruction. We parked in the grocery store/NSLC (Nova Scotia Liquor Control) lot and walked to the General Store. It was a combination gift shop/antique shop/shoe shop/clothing shop/souvenir shop/etc. Bev found a dress that she liked. Apparently she buys a dress in this shop every time she visits Middleton. We then did some banking. Bev at the Credit Union and I did mine at the RBC. While I had been to the "Dollar Store" there was an accident at the main intersection where a new traffic light had recently been installed. Apparently a pedestrian was hit while crossing. There were several police vehicles and an ambulance there and quite a few spectators. It was the highlight of the day for most of them. We continued doing our shopping by purchasing a 6-pack of beer at the NSLC and some groceries at the shop next door. On the way back home we stopped in at the VIC to see if they had a NS pin for me and Bev was able to get a map of NL which we will need later on when we take the ferry over.
Once back at Pat's home we checked out her garden which consisted of a few raised beds containing a variety of plants including some tomato plants one of which had been severely decimated by deer. I also checked out her very large garage - big enough to store a dozen on more sports cars. Of course they would have to be stacked to the ceiling which was quite high. My tummy started to grumble so it was time to go in for lunch. I had a chicken sandwich sandwich, a diet coke and some of Almont's home made Blueberry Grunt. Don't ask me to describe it or how it's made - you'll just have to Google it. Needless to say it was strangely delicious. I checked out airfares from St. John's, NL, to Ottawa compared to cycling to Argentia, taking the ferry across to N. Sydney and renting a U-Haul to transport all our gear home. If we post most of our gear home and just take our bikes on the plane it half the cost of taking the ferry and renting a U-Haul. I also tried to help Pat create a business card using Avery free templates but for some reason it would allow us to create one card and not 10 at a time as I had done for our cards.
Almont BBQ steaks while Pat prepared smoked spare ribs which we had with potato salad and cucumbers and tomatoes. There was a birthday cake with strawberry coulis and fresh whipped cream for dessert.
Day 2
I spent the morning after breakfast cleaning our bicycle chains, derailleurs, etc. There was a pair of coveralls in the garage which I found handy for keeping my clothes from getting messed up. They also helped to keep me warm as it was pissing down rain and quite chilly. Bev did our laundry and helped prepare lunch. I had pea soup and a chicken sandwich and a diet coke. I managed to complete another day of my blog and after lay down for a nap.
Almont and Pat returned from grocery shopping with lobster tails for dinner. But first Almont invited me over to his house, which was just two doors over, to show me his hobby which was all about building model airplanes, making medal displays of former fighter pilots, etc. In the past he has interviewed many decorated fighter pilots and military veterans. He has an extensive military library and memorabilia collection. It was all very impressive.
We had surf and turf for dinner i.e. lobster tail, steak, baked haddock, mashed potatoes, leeks, Brussels sprouts, fried mushrooms and onion for dinner. Dessert was Angel Food cake with strawberry coulis and whipped cream. Yikes!!! All the weight I've burned off since starting to cycle again from Trois Rivieres is starting to pile back on.
Pat asked me if I knew how to setup Netflix. I'm still a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to the latest TV technology. When I asked her what it was she was having a problem with she explained that she wanted to hook up her laptop with WIN8 on it to her HD Flat Screen TV. I Googled it and was able to find a video on Youtube explaining how to do it. The difficult part was figuring out where to find "Devices" in WIN8 so we could change the configuration to "dual monitors". But after an hour or so of messing around with WIN8 we finally found it and Badda-Bing-Badda-Bang we had video and sound. After showing Pat's family cruise photos from last year I was able to show my slide show presentation from my France/England 2009 cycling trip.
Day 3
I finally got up at 8:15 and let Molly out. She had been outside our bedroom door rattling her collar and dog tags since 6:30. I assumed she had to go real bad but all she did was go out on the porch and dance. I guess she wanted me to go out with her and relieve myself!!! Anyway she came back in without doing anything. Bev got up and let her out and she did her business knowing that when she came back in Bev would have some dog food waiting for her. Go figure.
After breakfast, Almont and Pat invited us to go to Wolfville to the Farmer's Market. It was a 75 km drive and it was a very overcast day so we decided to go along if not only to check out the route that we would be cycling tomorrow on her way to Windsor. Since we were on the #1 highway in the Annapolis Valley it was reasonably flat and quite straight most of the way. Once we got to the FM we walked about and checked out all the various stalls offering a variety of farm produce, baked goods, canned goods, meat products, locally produced wines, cheeses and food vendors. Bev bought some croissants for tomorrow's sandwiches and some date squares. I took some photos. We decided to go to Pete's Market for lunch as they served healthier food there. I ended up having a spinach and cheese soup and a spinach and Feta cheese Samosa. All very tasty. We then did some grocery shopping before going next door to check out a bicycle/stove shop. Bev was able to get a new tail light to replace her old one as the lens had fallen off and gotten lost somewhere on the way to St. John. I got a white "Dew" rag for myself. We also saw a really neat bright orange Sugoi jacket with removable sleeves that were held in place by magnets. Never seen anything like it in the Ottawa bike shops. Come on Ottawa - get with the times!!!
When it came time to pay I tried to negotiate a discount. I asked for a bicycle club discount but the cashier refused. I then asked for the "Seniors Cycling Across Canada Discount". It agreed to give us a 10% discount. He then told us a story about a senior cyclist who also asked for a discount. He told him that he would have to chop one of his fingers off to check and see how old he was. Sort of like how you check the rings on a tree trunk to see how old it is. The customer then held up his had with two missing fingers and said "Will this do?". The cashier was dumbfounded. The manager who had overheard everything then said "I guess he stumped you!!!". We all had a good laugh. Bev then treated us all to ice cream in a cup. They were out of cones. On the drive home, Almont began to get drowsy, so I took over and drove the remaining 50 kms home. Bev did some last minute laundry for me and I had a quick nap before we drove into Middleton for dinner at the Pasta Jax & Ribs Restaurant. Bev and I ordered Spaghetti with Italian Sausage and a garden salad. Pat and Almont ordered to daily special a Seafood Crepe which came with mussels. The manager had gone by with an order of Seafood Crepe for another table and there were no mussels on the plate so it was quite a surprise to Pat, who is not a fan of mussels, to find them on her plate. She did try 2 of them and passed the rest to me. It was a very delicious meal in spite of the unexpected mussels.
Once back home I packed my clothing for tomorrow's early morning departure. It was very hot and humid. I also once again tried to help Pat with creating a business card. In the end she found a site online that allowed her to create a business card with graphic, etc and they would print off 250 cards for $12. Of course it was a US company and by the time the taxes and shipping charges were calculated it all came to $26 I think. It was time for dessert so we all had a piece of apple pie before going off to bed at 10:30
Super 8 Motel, Windsor, NS
Day 1
We had hoped to have a lie in but Molly, the black lab, was on a different schedule and she felt we should be up at 7:30 AM. After breakfast we drove into Middleton with Pat in her 2008 Chrysler van with all the bells and whistles including a rear-view back up camera that beeps when you get to close to any obstruction. We parked in the grocery store/NSLC (Nova Scotia Liquor Control) lot and walked to the General Store. It was a combination gift shop/antique shop/shoe shop/clothing shop/souvenir shop/etc. Bev found a dress that she liked. Apparently she buys a dress in this shop every time she visits Middleton. We then did some banking. Bev at the Credit Union and I did mine at the RBC. While I had been to the "Dollar Store" there was an accident at the main intersection where a new traffic light had recently been installed. Apparently a pedestrian was hit while crossing. There were several police vehicles and an ambulance there and quite a few spectators. It was the highlight of the day for most of them. We continued doing our shopping by purchasing a 6-pack of beer at the NSLC and some groceries at the shop next door. On the way back home we stopped in at the VIC to see if they had a NS pin for me and Bev was able to get a map of NL which we will need later on when we take the ferry over.
Once back at Pat's home we checked out her garden which consisted of a few raised beds containing a variety of plants including some tomato plants one of which had been severely decimated by deer. I also checked out her very large garage - big enough to store a dozen on more sports cars. Of course they would have to be stacked to the ceiling which was quite high. My tummy started to grumble so it was time to go in for lunch. I had a chicken sandwich sandwich, a diet coke and some of Almont's home made Blueberry Grunt. Don't ask me to describe it or how it's made - you'll just have to Google it. Needless to say it was strangely delicious. I checked out airfares from St. John's, NL, to Ottawa compared to cycling to Argentia, taking the ferry across to N. Sydney and renting a U-Haul to transport all our gear home. If we post most of our gear home and just take our bikes on the plane it half the cost of taking the ferry and renting a U-Haul. I also tried to help Pat create a business card using Avery free templates but for some reason it would allow us to create one card and not 10 at a time as I had done for our cards.
Almont BBQ steaks while Pat prepared smoked spare ribs which we had with potato salad and cucumbers and tomatoes. There was a birthday cake with strawberry coulis and fresh whipped cream for dessert.
Day 2
I spent the morning after breakfast cleaning our bicycle chains, derailleurs, etc. There was a pair of coveralls in the garage which I found handy for keeping my clothes from getting messed up. They also helped to keep me warm as it was pissing down rain and quite chilly. Bev did our laundry and helped prepare lunch. I had pea soup and a chicken sandwich and a diet coke. I managed to complete another day of my blog and after lay down for a nap.
Almont and Pat returned from grocery shopping with lobster tails for dinner. But first Almont invited me over to his house, which was just two doors over, to show me his hobby which was all about building model airplanes, making medal displays of former fighter pilots, etc. In the past he has interviewed many decorated fighter pilots and military veterans. He has an extensive military library and memorabilia collection. It was all very impressive.
We had surf and turf for dinner i.e. lobster tail, steak, baked haddock, mashed potatoes, leeks, Brussels sprouts, fried mushrooms and onion for dinner. Dessert was Angel Food cake with strawberry coulis and whipped cream. Yikes!!! All the weight I've burned off since starting to cycle again from Trois Rivieres is starting to pile back on.
Pat asked me if I knew how to setup Netflix. I'm still a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to the latest TV technology. When I asked her what it was she was having a problem with she explained that she wanted to hook up her laptop with WIN8 on it to her HD Flat Screen TV. I Googled it and was able to find a video on Youtube explaining how to do it. The difficult part was figuring out where to find "Devices" in WIN8 so we could change the configuration to "dual monitors". But after an hour or so of messing around with WIN8 we finally found it and Badda-Bing-Badda-Bang we had video and sound. After showing Pat's family cruise photos from last year I was able to show my slide show presentation from my France/England 2009 cycling trip.
Day 3
I finally got up at 8:15 and let Molly out. She had been outside our bedroom door rattling her collar and dog tags since 6:30. I assumed she had to go real bad but all she did was go out on the porch and dance. I guess she wanted me to go out with her and relieve myself!!! Anyway she came back in without doing anything. Bev got up and let her out and she did her business knowing that when she came back in Bev would have some dog food waiting for her. Go figure.
After breakfast, Almont and Pat invited us to go to Wolfville to the Farmer's Market. It was a 75 km drive and it was a very overcast day so we decided to go along if not only to check out the route that we would be cycling tomorrow on her way to Windsor. Since we were on the #1 highway in the Annapolis Valley it was reasonably flat and quite straight most of the way. Once we got to the FM we walked about and checked out all the various stalls offering a variety of farm produce, baked goods, canned goods, meat products, locally produced wines, cheeses and food vendors. Bev bought some croissants for tomorrow's sandwiches and some date squares. I took some photos. We decided to go to Pete's Market for lunch as they served healthier food there. I ended up having a spinach and cheese soup and a spinach and Feta cheese Samosa. All very tasty. We then did some grocery shopping before going next door to check out a bicycle/stove shop. Bev was able to get a new tail light to replace her old one as the lens had fallen off and gotten lost somewhere on the way to St. John. I got a white "Dew" rag for myself. We also saw a really neat bright orange Sugoi jacket with removable sleeves that were held in place by magnets. Never seen anything like it in the Ottawa bike shops. Come on Ottawa - get with the times!!!
When it came time to pay I tried to negotiate a discount. I asked for a bicycle club discount but the cashier refused. I then asked for the "Seniors Cycling Across Canada Discount". It agreed to give us a 10% discount. He then told us a story about a senior cyclist who also asked for a discount. He told him that he would have to chop one of his fingers off to check and see how old he was. Sort of like how you check the rings on a tree trunk to see how old it is. The customer then held up his had with two missing fingers and said "Will this do?". The cashier was dumbfounded. The manager who had overheard everything then said "I guess he stumped you!!!". We all had a good laugh. Bev then treated us all to ice cream in a cup. They were out of cones. On the drive home, Almont began to get drowsy, so I took over and drove the remaining 50 kms home. Bev did some last minute laundry for me and I had a quick nap before we drove into Middleton for dinner at the Pasta Jax & Ribs Restaurant. Bev and I ordered Spaghetti with Italian Sausage and a garden salad. Pat and Almont ordered to daily special a Seafood Crepe which came with mussels. The manager had gone by with an order of Seafood Crepe for another table and there were no mussels on the plate so it was quite a surprise to Pat, who is not a fan of mussels, to find them on her plate. She did try 2 of them and passed the rest to me. It was a very delicious meal in spite of the unexpected mussels.
Once back home I packed my clothing for tomorrow's early morning departure. It was very hot and humid. I also once again tried to help Pat with creating a business card. In the end she found a site online that allowed her to create a business card with graphic, etc and they would print off 250 cards for $12. Of course it was a US company and by the time the taxes and shipping charges were calculated it all came to $26 I think. It was time for dessert so we all had a piece of apple pie before going off to bed at 10:30
Super 8 Motel, Windsor, NS
Friday, June 28, 2013
CCCT Part II - St. John, NB to Lawrencetown, NS
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Got up at 7:30 AM. It was raining. We had scones with peanut butter and a banana for breakfast. I left a $5 tip for Billy and note thanking him for the cold beers and suggested he try a different type of battery in the smoke detector alarms i.e. alkaline batteries seem to work best if I remember correctly. We finished packing our bags and loaded them on our bikes. By this time the rain had eased off. I programmed my GPS for the St. John - Digby Ferry Terminal and set off at 9:15 AM. We arrived at the terminal at 9:45. Rain had stopped. We paid $33 each (senior fare) and $10 each for our bikes = total $86. We had a hot chocolate while waiting to go aboard the ferry. several passengers approached us asking about our trip including a 76 year old lady from Pennsylvania travelling to NL in her camper van on her own and a gentleman from Stittsville who recognized my KNBC jersey. At 11:30 AM we went outside to wait for our turn to go aboard the ferry. It was quite windy and a bit chilly. Finally we got the go ahead and walked our bikes onto the ferry up to the very front, parked them and went up to the cafeteria for lunch. We both had crispy chicken with fries for lunch and shared a Danish pastry. We watched a movie "Saving Planet Earth" and a Bay of Fundy documentary and did some reading during the 3 hours it took to cross to Digby. We arrived at 3:00 PM, returned to our bikes and waited for 30 some cars to drive off before we were allowed to proceed with our bikes. Pat, Bev's sister, was there to meet us. We unloaded our panniers into her van and cycled to Lawrencetown stopping at a VIC for highway info. I asked for a NS pin and the person helping us gave me the pin off her lapel. I gave it to Bev as it was her birthday. We also got maps for NS and the Annapolis Valley. We stopped at a German Bakery for pastries and a cold drink. Bev paid $14.++. We had to put up with quite a strong head wind so took turns drafting for the last 30 kms. We arrived at Pat's at 8:15 PM and put our bikes and bags away, showered and sat down to a dinner of spare ribs and BBQ chicken, potato salad, salad and birthday cake with a fresh strawberry sauce and whipped cream. I chatted with Almont, Pat's partner, while Bev and Pat cleaned up and got caught up on the latest family gossip. Eveyone was quite tired to it was off to bed at 11:00 PM.
Springall Residence, Lawrencetown, NS
Got up at 7:30 AM. It was raining. We had scones with peanut butter and a banana for breakfast. I left a $5 tip for Billy and note thanking him for the cold beers and suggested he try a different type of battery in the smoke detector alarms i.e. alkaline batteries seem to work best if I remember correctly. We finished packing our bags and loaded them on our bikes. By this time the rain had eased off. I programmed my GPS for the St. John - Digby Ferry Terminal and set off at 9:15 AM. We arrived at the terminal at 9:45. Rain had stopped. We paid $33 each (senior fare) and $10 each for our bikes = total $86. We had a hot chocolate while waiting to go aboard the ferry. several passengers approached us asking about our trip including a 76 year old lady from Pennsylvania travelling to NL in her camper van on her own and a gentleman from Stittsville who recognized my KNBC jersey. At 11:30 AM we went outside to wait for our turn to go aboard the ferry. It was quite windy and a bit chilly. Finally we got the go ahead and walked our bikes onto the ferry up to the very front, parked them and went up to the cafeteria for lunch. We both had crispy chicken with fries for lunch and shared a Danish pastry. We watched a movie "Saving Planet Earth" and a Bay of Fundy documentary and did some reading during the 3 hours it took to cross to Digby. We arrived at 3:00 PM, returned to our bikes and waited for 30 some cars to drive off before we were allowed to proceed with our bikes. Pat, Bev's sister, was there to meet us. We unloaded our panniers into her van and cycled to Lawrencetown stopping at a VIC for highway info. I asked for a NS pin and the person helping us gave me the pin off her lapel. I gave it to Bev as it was her birthday. We also got maps for NS and the Annapolis Valley. We stopped at a German Bakery for pastries and a cold drink. Bev paid $14.++. We had to put up with quite a strong head wind so took turns drafting for the last 30 kms. We arrived at Pat's at 8:15 PM and put our bikes and bags away, showered and sat down to a dinner of spare ribs and BBQ chicken, potato salad, salad and birthday cake with a fresh strawberry sauce and whipped cream. I chatted with Almont, Pat's partner, while Bev and Pat cleaned up and got caught up on the latest family gossip. Eveyone was quite tired to it was off to bed at 11:00 PM.
Springall Residence, Lawrencetown, NS
Thursday, June 27, 2013
CCCT Part II - Oromocto to St. John, NB
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
We were up at 6:30 AM in view of the long ride to St. John which we had ahead of us. Also, the forecast was calling for a hot and humid day. We went down to the dinning room for breakfast. Again it was a Continental breakfast of juice, yogurt, large muffin and fruit. I took a banana and an apple to go. We had to wait awhile for a baggage cart. Once we got one we loaded our bags on it and took them down to the reception area. We loaded our bags on our bikes which Bev had gotten out of the storage room earlier. We set off for St. John at 8:00 AM. Because of the forecast of thunder storms we decided to take hwy 102 which was the longer way but with more places to seek shelter and drinks. The 7 would have been shorter but did not offer any shelter, etc. We made many, many stops because of the heat and high humidity. Several times we heard thunder booming off in the distance. We stopped twice at homes along the way to ask for cold water. At the first stop the lady had just had a new well dug and the water was still to muddy so she took us across the highway to get water. Marge, who lived across the street, was slightly deaf and well into her 80s was expecting us. She said she had passed us earlier and knew that we would be stopping in for a cold drink. I also had to stop several times because of cramps in my right leg due to the tough hills, high heat, etc. We arrived in St. John at 6:30 PM. We managed to escape the rain and thunder and lightning. I checked my GPS for nearby motels and headed for the closest one which turned out to not exist!!! We stopped at a nearby garage and were able to get direction to motels another 2 kms further down the highway. The first one turned out to be closed due to recent renovation and according to the sign in the office window was scheduled to reopen on June 25th. It was June 25th but there was no sign of anyone. There was another motel across the highway that looked like it had seen better days but by this time we were both exhausted and at $60 the price was right. We had to get Billy to sort out the smoke detector alarm which seem to have a dying battery. When checking in I had asked where we might get a cold beer. Billy said he would be glad to drive us to the nearest beer store. I said we only wanted a couple cold beers and sometime later he returned with two cold ones. Bev went across the highway to get some groceries. we ordered pizza for dinner. Billy couldn't sort out the alarm. I think he was using the wrong kind of batteries. I believe the type of smoke detector required alkaline batteries only. Anyway he put the battery in the alarm in the next door room which we shared a bathroom with. There was no one in the other room. Bev paid for the pizza which finally arrived around 8:00 PM. By this time we were ravenous and quickly devoured the entire pizza. Bev called her sister in Lawrencetown, NS, to let her know that we had arrived in St. John and would be taking the ferry over to Digby tomorrow at noon. Pat called back a short time later and agreed to meet us at the Digby ferry terminal on arrival at 3:00 PM. The plan was for her to take our panniers and that way we could cycle the 80 kms or so to Lawrencetown without the extra weight of our panniers to slow us down. There was no Wi-Fi so we watched TV and did some reading. Bev was off to sleep at 9:30 and I joined her a short time later after updating my journal.
Springall Residence, Lawrencetown, NS
We were up at 6:30 AM in view of the long ride to St. John which we had ahead of us. Also, the forecast was calling for a hot and humid day. We went down to the dinning room for breakfast. Again it was a Continental breakfast of juice, yogurt, large muffin and fruit. I took a banana and an apple to go. We had to wait awhile for a baggage cart. Once we got one we loaded our bags on it and took them down to the reception area. We loaded our bags on our bikes which Bev had gotten out of the storage room earlier. We set off for St. John at 8:00 AM. Because of the forecast of thunder storms we decided to take hwy 102 which was the longer way but with more places to seek shelter and drinks. The 7 would have been shorter but did not offer any shelter, etc. We made many, many stops because of the heat and high humidity. Several times we heard thunder booming off in the distance. We stopped twice at homes along the way to ask for cold water. At the first stop the lady had just had a new well dug and the water was still to muddy so she took us across the highway to get water. Marge, who lived across the street, was slightly deaf and well into her 80s was expecting us. She said she had passed us earlier and knew that we would be stopping in for a cold drink. I also had to stop several times because of cramps in my right leg due to the tough hills, high heat, etc. We arrived in St. John at 6:30 PM. We managed to escape the rain and thunder and lightning. I checked my GPS for nearby motels and headed for the closest one which turned out to not exist!!! We stopped at a nearby garage and were able to get direction to motels another 2 kms further down the highway. The first one turned out to be closed due to recent renovation and according to the sign in the office window was scheduled to reopen on June 25th. It was June 25th but there was no sign of anyone. There was another motel across the highway that looked like it had seen better days but by this time we were both exhausted and at $60 the price was right. We had to get Billy to sort out the smoke detector alarm which seem to have a dying battery. When checking in I had asked where we might get a cold beer. Billy said he would be glad to drive us to the nearest beer store. I said we only wanted a couple cold beers and sometime later he returned with two cold ones. Bev went across the highway to get some groceries. we ordered pizza for dinner. Billy couldn't sort out the alarm. I think he was using the wrong kind of batteries. I believe the type of smoke detector required alkaline batteries only. Anyway he put the battery in the alarm in the next door room which we shared a bathroom with. There was no one in the other room. Bev paid for the pizza which finally arrived around 8:00 PM. By this time we were ravenous and quickly devoured the entire pizza. Bev called her sister in Lawrencetown, NS, to let her know that we had arrived in St. John and would be taking the ferry over to Digby tomorrow at noon. Pat called back a short time later and agreed to meet us at the Digby ferry terminal on arrival at 3:00 PM. The plan was for her to take our panniers and that way we could cycle the 80 kms or so to Lawrencetown without the extra weight of our panniers to slow us down. There was no Wi-Fi so we watched TV and did some reading. Bev was off to sleep at 9:30 and I joined her a short time later after updating my journal.
Springall Residence, Lawrencetown, NS
CCCT Part II - Nackawic to Oromocto, NB
Monday, June 24, 2013
I had a bit of trouble getting off to sleep in spite of having taken 2 Benadryl. It was quite warm in our little tent and perhaps having had to much to eat may have a little to do with my unrest. Eventually I fell asleep and the next thing you know it was 5:30 AM. Two crows had taken a dislike to our tent and were cawing away at each other or at us. We got up at 7:00 AM and packed our things. Breakfast was a muffin and some Greek yogurt. George, the park manager, offered to get us a coffee but not being coffee drinkers as a rule we both declined. We set off for Fredericton at 8:15 AM. It was another tough day with hill after hill. The first one was 6 kms long with a slight downhill in between. We met up with the young couple, Marie and Eric, again still on their way to Fredericton. they had also got caught up in yesterday's rain and had spent the night in Nackawic. Not sure where as they didn't say. we managed to get through Fredericton without incident. By this time it was getting very hot and humid but since it was only 1:30 PM we decided to push on to OROMOCTO which would make tomorrow's ride to St. John that much shorter. We arrived in Oromocto at 3:30 PM after several more stops and went into the VIC to ask about hotels, etc. Only 2 available i.e. Days Inn which was just around the corner or a motel 4.5 kms at the other end of town. We picked the Days Inn as we were quite exhausted and Bev wanted to do a load of laundry at the local laundromat which was nearby. I stayed in the room to check out the Wi-Fi and hopefully get caught up on my blog. It turned out to be painfully slow and unreliable. In any case I had expected to pay around $130 for our room at the Days Inn but managed to get it at $103 plus taxes and it included a Continental breakfast. We loaded our bags on a baggage cart and took them up to our room on the 4th floor. We left our bikes in the alcove at the reception. We sorted our laundry and put it all in one of my large rear panniers. Bev went out to do laundry while I checked out the Wi-Fi, showered and updated my journal. Once Bev returned and had showered we went down to Relishes for dinner and a cold beer. I had a very delicious Texas burger with BBQ sauce, etc. Bev had the Simpleton turkey burger. Very interesting coleslaw and sweet potato fries. Once back in our room we packed our bags for an early morning departure, watched TV and did some reading. Wi-Fi was a total waste of time. Took a Benadryl and was off to bed at 9:30.
Springall Residence, Florenceville, NB
I had a bit of trouble getting off to sleep in spite of having taken 2 Benadryl. It was quite warm in our little tent and perhaps having had to much to eat may have a little to do with my unrest. Eventually I fell asleep and the next thing you know it was 5:30 AM. Two crows had taken a dislike to our tent and were cawing away at each other or at us. We got up at 7:00 AM and packed our things. Breakfast was a muffin and some Greek yogurt. George, the park manager, offered to get us a coffee but not being coffee drinkers as a rule we both declined. We set off for Fredericton at 8:15 AM. It was another tough day with hill after hill. The first one was 6 kms long with a slight downhill in between. We met up with the young couple, Marie and Eric, again still on their way to Fredericton. they had also got caught up in yesterday's rain and had spent the night in Nackawic. Not sure where as they didn't say. we managed to get through Fredericton without incident. By this time it was getting very hot and humid but since it was only 1:30 PM we decided to push on to OROMOCTO which would make tomorrow's ride to St. John that much shorter. We arrived in Oromocto at 3:30 PM after several more stops and went into the VIC to ask about hotels, etc. Only 2 available i.e. Days Inn which was just around the corner or a motel 4.5 kms at the other end of town. We picked the Days Inn as we were quite exhausted and Bev wanted to do a load of laundry at the local laundromat which was nearby. I stayed in the room to check out the Wi-Fi and hopefully get caught up on my blog. It turned out to be painfully slow and unreliable. In any case I had expected to pay around $130 for our room at the Days Inn but managed to get it at $103 plus taxes and it included a Continental breakfast. We loaded our bags on a baggage cart and took them up to our room on the 4th floor. We left our bikes in the alcove at the reception. We sorted our laundry and put it all in one of my large rear panniers. Bev went out to do laundry while I checked out the Wi-Fi, showered and updated my journal. Once Bev returned and had showered we went down to Relishes for dinner and a cold beer. I had a very delicious Texas burger with BBQ sauce, etc. Bev had the Simpleton turkey burger. Very interesting coleslaw and sweet potato fries. Once back in our room we packed our bags for an early morning departure, watched TV and did some reading. Wi-Fi was a total waste of time. Took a Benadryl and was off to bed at 9:30.
Springall Residence, Florenceville, NB
CCCT Part II - Florenceville-Bristol to Nackawic, NB
Sunday, June 23, 2013
First of all I must apologize for the lack of postings of late. As you will learn Wi-Fi was not always available or of very good quality.
We got up at 7:00 AM and went up to the dinning room for our "Free Continental Breakfast". There was cereal, juice, toast, fruit, etc. After breakfast we returned to our room and finished packing and loaded our bags on our bikes. We set off for NACKAWIC at 8:30 AM. We followed hwy 130 to HARTLAND. Because the bridge was under repair we had to take hwy 105 which turned out to be quite hilly and quite rough. We met a young couple who were cycling from Quebec City to St. John's, NL. They were also from Ottawa. we stopped for lunch at 12:00 noon by the hwy at a home where there was some shade. A lady came out to quieten her dog and she offered us a cold drink of water which we gladly accepted. She brought out a jug of cold water which we used to refill our water bottles. We caught up to the young couple who had made a pit stop and passed them and left them far behind. With about another 20 kms to go to NACKAWIC it started raining. We had to stop to put our rain covers on. Eventually we reached the intersection for the ??? It was raining. While we were deciding which way to go a Lady stopped and said we could use her gazebo to get out of the rain. She also told us where to find the Nackawic Motel. We stopped at a gas station for further directions and supplies for dinner, breakfast and lunch. We found the motel but it had a NO VACANCY sign at the office window. By this time we were thoroughly soaked and chilled to the bone. There was nobody around. The motel appeared to be deserted so we both went around the back and pissed on it!!! We noticed that several cars were stopping at a building a couple lots over so we decided to go over and ask for help in finding a place to stay. It turned out to be a Vietnamese Restaurant. We were told that there was a camping site across the river about 9 kms back or an RV camping site a further 1/2 km up the highway. We chose the latter. We wasted no time finding the RV park and as we were about to call the manager he appeared from across the park. He advised us to put our tent up in the "ring toss" area as it was flat and had some nice grass. The rain had stopped so fortunately we were able to set up our tent in the dry. Our location was also next to the reception area where the showers and toilets were located. It would also provide shelter in case a further storm should develop. After setting up our tent we had a snack under the shelter. We shared a "Pumpkin Chip Whoopie" pie and a bag of chips. After freshening up we cycled back to the Vietnamese Restaurant for dinner. I was feeling rather hungry so I ordered 2 spring rolls and the Cantonese Noodles. Bev ordered a combo plate which included chicken fried rice, chicken balls, fried wonton, etc. The restaurant was not licensed so we had to settle for some soft drinks. NO BEER - NO WINE!!! After Quebec it's a bit of a letdown. My dish was huge - I couldn't eat it all!!! We cycled back to camp. Tried to connect to Wi-Fi but without any luck. George, the park manager, even got out his notebook with the Network Key which was a string of 32 or more characters. The flack flies and mosquitoes were gaining on us so we decided to seek shelter in our tent and have an early night i.e. Off to bed 9:00 PM
Springall Residence, Lawrencetown, NS
First of all I must apologize for the lack of postings of late. As you will learn Wi-Fi was not always available or of very good quality.
We got up at 7:00 AM and went up to the dinning room for our "Free Continental Breakfast". There was cereal, juice, toast, fruit, etc. After breakfast we returned to our room and finished packing and loaded our bags on our bikes. We set off for NACKAWIC at 8:30 AM. We followed hwy 130 to HARTLAND. Because the bridge was under repair we had to take hwy 105 which turned out to be quite hilly and quite rough. We met a young couple who were cycling from Quebec City to St. John's, NL. They were also from Ottawa. we stopped for lunch at 12:00 noon by the hwy at a home where there was some shade. A lady came out to quieten her dog and she offered us a cold drink of water which we gladly accepted. She brought out a jug of cold water which we used to refill our water bottles. We caught up to the young couple who had made a pit stop and passed them and left them far behind. With about another 20 kms to go to NACKAWIC it started raining. We had to stop to put our rain covers on. Eventually we reached the intersection for the ??? It was raining. While we were deciding which way to go a Lady stopped and said we could use her gazebo to get out of the rain. She also told us where to find the Nackawic Motel. We stopped at a gas station for further directions and supplies for dinner, breakfast and lunch. We found the motel but it had a NO VACANCY sign at the office window. By this time we were thoroughly soaked and chilled to the bone. There was nobody around. The motel appeared to be deserted so we both went around the back and pissed on it!!! We noticed that several cars were stopping at a building a couple lots over so we decided to go over and ask for help in finding a place to stay. It turned out to be a Vietnamese Restaurant. We were told that there was a camping site across the river about 9 kms back or an RV camping site a further 1/2 km up the highway. We chose the latter. We wasted no time finding the RV park and as we were about to call the manager he appeared from across the park. He advised us to put our tent up in the "ring toss" area as it was flat and had some nice grass. The rain had stopped so fortunately we were able to set up our tent in the dry. Our location was also next to the reception area where the showers and toilets were located. It would also provide shelter in case a further storm should develop. After setting up our tent we had a snack under the shelter. We shared a "Pumpkin Chip Whoopie" pie and a bag of chips. After freshening up we cycled back to the Vietnamese Restaurant for dinner. I was feeling rather hungry so I ordered 2 spring rolls and the Cantonese Noodles. Bev ordered a combo plate which included chicken fried rice, chicken balls, fried wonton, etc. The restaurant was not licensed so we had to settle for some soft drinks. NO BEER - NO WINE!!! After Quebec it's a bit of a letdown. My dish was huge - I couldn't eat it all!!! We cycled back to camp. Tried to connect to Wi-Fi but without any luck. George, the park manager, even got out his notebook with the Network Key which was a string of 32 or more characters. The flack flies and mosquitoes were gaining on us so we decided to seek shelter in our tent and have an early night i.e. Off to bed 9:00 PM
Springall Residence, Lawrencetown, NS
Saturday, June 22, 2013
CCCT Part II - Grand Falls to Florenceville-Bristol, NB
Saturday, June 22/13
The bedside alarm clock radio went off at midnight!!! Somebody with a twisted sense of humour??? I had to get up and turn it off. Afterwards I was able to get back to sleep and slept very soundly, according to Bev, until 7:00 AM when my wrist watch alarm went off. I had taken two Benadryl the night before and they really worked or I was just so tired from not having gotten much sleep while camping the previous night.
We went over to the restaurant for breakfast. I had decaf coffee, Bev had tea. We both ordered French Toast. Very tasty. We returned to our room and finished packing before setting off for Perth-Andover at 8:45 AM. After crossing the bridge we stopped to take a few pictures of the rapids. Kinda puts Hog's Back to shame. We cycled on hwy 130 which had a nice paved shoulder with plenty of rolling hills - some 2-3 kms long. It was a cool, overcast day but we still managed to work up quite a sweat going up the hills then we would get a chill coming down at 50 kph. We stopped in Perth-Andover for a break and met a young girl from Toronto who was cycling on her own to Halifax. She didn't like the 130 so she crossed over to the 105 which she said was more scenic and more hilly. She was much younger and in much better shape than we are so we wished her a safe journey and continued on our way on the 130.
After a few more breaks to give our butts a rest we arrived in Florenceville-Bristol at 2:15 PM. There didn't seem to be much in the way of lodgings but a quick check of the GPS revealed a motel and a B&B. Bev recognized the name "McNutts" and thought it might be Eric and Marilyn's friends who first introduced them. we headed for the B&B but when we saw that it was located up a hill I called to make sure there was a room available for us. It was CLOSED and NO they were not E & M's friends. I then called the Florenceville motel which had a room for us. It was a 2 km ride with a good climb up a hill that we had just come down!!! A room with TV, mini fridge, Wi-Fi, breakfast, etc cost $97 plus taxes. It also had a pool and hot tub but we later learned it was CLOSED. Since we were quite tired and there was nothing else available we took a room. after unloading our bags Bev cycled back into town to a gas station and got some Gatorade and sannies for tomorrow's lunch and a diet coke for me. I checked out the Wi-Fi and the SAT TV. The Wi-Fi is a bit flaky so I hope I don't lose everything that I've typed up so far. Once Bev returned from shopping we showered and went up to the restaurant for dinner. We had wanted to order a pizza but when Bev made enquiries at the gas station someone said "What's the matter, don't you like the food at the motel?" We had a delicious dinner of fish 'n chips and washed it down with a cold beer. I also had ice cream with chocolate sauce but only to keep Bev company as she wanted a cup of tea. Had to step outside of the room earlier to get a Wi-Fi connection. It seems to be working OK so far. I checked our route for AM and accommodation in Nackawic about 80 kms down the road. Bev called her sister Pat in Lawrencetown, NS, and left a voice mail. Bev is now off to La La Land so I guess it's time to wrap this up for today.
Lawrenceville Motel, Lawrenceville-Bristol, NB
The bedside alarm clock radio went off at midnight!!! Somebody with a twisted sense of humour??? I had to get up and turn it off. Afterwards I was able to get back to sleep and slept very soundly, according to Bev, until 7:00 AM when my wrist watch alarm went off. I had taken two Benadryl the night before and they really worked or I was just so tired from not having gotten much sleep while camping the previous night.
We went over to the restaurant for breakfast. I had decaf coffee, Bev had tea. We both ordered French Toast. Very tasty. We returned to our room and finished packing before setting off for Perth-Andover at 8:45 AM. After crossing the bridge we stopped to take a few pictures of the rapids. Kinda puts Hog's Back to shame. We cycled on hwy 130 which had a nice paved shoulder with plenty of rolling hills - some 2-3 kms long. It was a cool, overcast day but we still managed to work up quite a sweat going up the hills then we would get a chill coming down at 50 kph. We stopped in Perth-Andover for a break and met a young girl from Toronto who was cycling on her own to Halifax. She didn't like the 130 so she crossed over to the 105 which she said was more scenic and more hilly. She was much younger and in much better shape than we are so we wished her a safe journey and continued on our way on the 130.
After a few more breaks to give our butts a rest we arrived in Florenceville-Bristol at 2:15 PM. There didn't seem to be much in the way of lodgings but a quick check of the GPS revealed a motel and a B&B. Bev recognized the name "McNutts" and thought it might be Eric and Marilyn's friends who first introduced them. we headed for the B&B but when we saw that it was located up a hill I called to make sure there was a room available for us. It was CLOSED and NO they were not E & M's friends. I then called the Florenceville motel which had a room for us. It was a 2 km ride with a good climb up a hill that we had just come down!!! A room with TV, mini fridge, Wi-Fi, breakfast, etc cost $97 plus taxes. It also had a pool and hot tub but we later learned it was CLOSED. Since we were quite tired and there was nothing else available we took a room. after unloading our bags Bev cycled back into town to a gas station and got some Gatorade and sannies for tomorrow's lunch and a diet coke for me. I checked out the Wi-Fi and the SAT TV. The Wi-Fi is a bit flaky so I hope I don't lose everything that I've typed up so far. Once Bev returned from shopping we showered and went up to the restaurant for dinner. We had wanted to order a pizza but when Bev made enquiries at the gas station someone said "What's the matter, don't you like the food at the motel?" We had a delicious dinner of fish 'n chips and washed it down with a cold beer. I also had ice cream with chocolate sauce but only to keep Bev company as she wanted a cup of tea. Had to step outside of the room earlier to get a Wi-Fi connection. It seems to be working OK so far. I checked our route for AM and accommodation in Nackawic about 80 kms down the road. Bev called her sister Pat in Lawrencetown, NS, and left a voice mail. Bev is now off to La La Land so I guess it's time to wrap this up for today.
Lawrenceville Motel, Lawrenceville-Bristol, NB
Friday, June 21, 2013
CCCT Part II - Edmundston to Grand Falls, NB
Friday, June 21/13
Had a terrible night's sleep. My left arm was quite sore in spite of having taken two Tylenol #2 prior to going to bed. I was also a bit cold in spite of a long sleeved shirt and a T-shirt. I put my yellow cycling jacket on at 1:15 AM. We got up at 7:00 and after packing our gear and tent we cycled to Tim's at the "Mall" for breakfast. I was looking forward to a some oatmeal, etc. but the toaster oven wasn't working and only cold wraps or sandwiches were available. We settled for ham and cheese with lettuce and tomato and chocolate milk and carrot muffin to take with us. We met 2 other cyclists on route to Halifax and the 2 bikers from our campsite also showed up for breakfast. They're on their way back to Riviere-du-Loup. After breakfast we cycled along hwy 144 to Grand Falls. It was a lovely day with clear blue skies, a nice paved shoulder and a slight tail wind which kept us moving along at 22-24 kph. we arrived in Grand Falls at 1:00 (2:00 local). We stopped at a gas station for a pit stop and got 2 cold drinks. The sky to the West suddenly became quite dark and we could see the rain coming towards us. We quickly got on our bikes and cycled to the Hilltop Motel/Restaurant which the gas station manager had recommended. We arrived just as the rain caught up with us. We had to quickly put our bikes under the porch that ran along the front of the motel rooms. A room for the night was $113 but I managed to talk her down to $93 plus taxes for a room with a queen size bed, TV, mini fridge, microwave, Keurig coffee machine, and free Wi-Fi. We unloaded our bikes and locked them up on the porch outside our room. We ate our lunch of PB on buns and carrot muffins before having a nice hot shower. I lay down for a nap before going for a walk to a nearby mall for some Benadryl and some groceries. We walked back to the motel, put our groceries away and went over to the restaurant for dinner. We both had a very nice meal of liver and onions with mashed potatoes, peas and corn, gravy (on the side) and coleslaw and a huge date square and ice cream for dessert. Bev wanted to go for a walk to see the falls but I wanted to go and work on the blog. We watched TOR vs BAL.
We hope to cycle as far as Hartland possibly even Woodstock tomorrow. Took a Benadryl earlier so I'm starting to fade. Goodnight all.
Hilltop Motel and Restaurant, Grand Falls, NB
CCCT Part II - Cabano, QC to Edmundston, NB
Thursday, June 20/13
Got up at 7:00. We ate breakfast in our room while watching the weather channel. Breakfast was a banana and a large carrot muffin and chocolate milk. We saw a couple more cyclists, who had also been staying at the motel, heading down the hill to the Pub du Lac for their breakfast or maybe they were going to the garage to get their bikes? We finished packing and set off for Edmundston at 8:23. This time the trail was only a few minutes away. No hills to conquer before starting off for the day. The trail was quite flat, hard packed and much easier to cycle on. we were able to cruise along at 17-18 kph. We were making excellent progress until we ran into a DETOUR at Degelis. We had to leave the trail and make our way along the main road through town for about 1 km. We met a cyclist who had just cycled the trail from Edmundston and she warned us that the trail was terrible because of "large gravel" for 6 kms. A short distance later we were able to get back on the trail. We came upon several orange mesh fences blocking the trail but we were able to either go around them or under them. The trail pretty much ran parallel to the highway but bicycles were not allowed and there wasn't any alternative except to turn around and go back home!!! We stopped just before St. Jacques at 12:00 for lunch. It was a lovely scenic spot but we quickly had to leave as the mosquitoes and black flies were all over us like flies on cow shit. The trail passing through St. Jacques was paved but there was quite a bit of heaving due to tree roots which made it pretty rough in some spots. We stopped at the NB border for a photo op with Serbio our mascot. The trail took us right into Edmundston where we stopped at an information center. We were told to go to the ? across the street as she wasn't allowed to have any maps? We were given information on how to get to a campsite on hwy 144 and a nearby mall plus maps and a NB guide. We cycled another 5 kms to the Riverside RV Park. We set up our tent and walked to the Mall. It was a very hot day so we went into the Tim's and had a strawberry Smoothie for me and a tangerine one for Bev. I managed to get "brain freeze" but have learned that if I curl my tongue up to the roof of my mouth and blow it helps to get rid of it. We did some grocery shopping at the Dollar Store - the was nothing else around. We got 2 tins of beef stew, buns, fig newtons, etc. and walked back to our campsite. We met 2 bikers arriving on their HOGs. They were camping for the night. We helped one of them get his tent fly on as he was having a difficult time of it due to the wind.l We warmed up our beef stew on our camp stove and had that for dinner with a bun and fig newtons for dessert. I helped clean up while Bev made Peanut Butter buns for tomorrow's lunch. She also did a load of laundry @ $3.50 and pad $27 for camping. I updated my journal. The campsite had free Wi-Fi but by this time I was to tired to work on my blog. Did some reading until it was to dark to see and so it was off to bed at 9:30.
Riverside RV Park, Edmundston, NB
Got up at 7:00. We ate breakfast in our room while watching the weather channel. Breakfast was a banana and a large carrot muffin and chocolate milk. We saw a couple more cyclists, who had also been staying at the motel, heading down the hill to the Pub du Lac for their breakfast or maybe they were going to the garage to get their bikes? We finished packing and set off for Edmundston at 8:23. This time the trail was only a few minutes away. No hills to conquer before starting off for the day. The trail was quite flat, hard packed and much easier to cycle on. we were able to cruise along at 17-18 kph. We were making excellent progress until we ran into a DETOUR at Degelis. We had to leave the trail and make our way along the main road through town for about 1 km. We met a cyclist who had just cycled the trail from Edmundston and she warned us that the trail was terrible because of "large gravel" for 6 kms. A short distance later we were able to get back on the trail. We came upon several orange mesh fences blocking the trail but we were able to either go around them or under them. The trail pretty much ran parallel to the highway but bicycles were not allowed and there wasn't any alternative except to turn around and go back home!!! We stopped just before St. Jacques at 12:00 for lunch. It was a lovely scenic spot but we quickly had to leave as the mosquitoes and black flies were all over us like flies on cow shit. The trail passing through St. Jacques was paved but there was quite a bit of heaving due to tree roots which made it pretty rough in some spots. We stopped at the NB border for a photo op with Serbio our mascot. The trail took us right into Edmundston where we stopped at an information center. We were told to go to the ? across the street as she wasn't allowed to have any maps? We were given information on how to get to a campsite on hwy 144 and a nearby mall plus maps and a NB guide. We cycled another 5 kms to the Riverside RV Park. We set up our tent and walked to the Mall. It was a very hot day so we went into the Tim's and had a strawberry Smoothie for me and a tangerine one for Bev. I managed to get "brain freeze" but have learned that if I curl my tongue up to the roof of my mouth and blow it helps to get rid of it. We did some grocery shopping at the Dollar Store - the was nothing else around. We got 2 tins of beef stew, buns, fig newtons, etc. and walked back to our campsite. We met 2 bikers arriving on their HOGs. They were camping for the night. We helped one of them get his tent fly on as he was having a difficult time of it due to the wind.l We warmed up our beef stew on our camp stove and had that for dinner with a bun and fig newtons for dessert. I helped clean up while Bev made Peanut Butter buns for tomorrow's lunch. She also did a load of laundry @ $3.50 and pad $27 for camping. I updated my journal. The campsite had free Wi-Fi but by this time I was to tired to work on my blog. Did some reading until it was to dark to see and so it was off to bed at 9:30.
Riverside RV Park, Edmundston, NB
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
CCCT Part II - Riviere-du-Loup to Cabano, QC
Wednesday, June 19/13.
We were up at 7:00 AM and did some packing before going to breakfast at 7:30. Everything was laid out for us in the kitchen i.e. juice, cereal, several varieties of bread for toast, waffles, peanut butter, jams, etc. Andre, who was packed and ready to go on to Rimouski, joined us for breakfast before leaving at 8:15. It was 8:30 before we were ready to leave for Cabano about 70 kms from Riviere-du-Loup in the direction of Edmunston. We decided to take the Route Verte #8 which turned out to be an all gravel trail. But first we had to climb a very long steep hill to get to it. It took a half hour to climb the hill and find the trail. We both worked up quite a sweat and had to strip off a couple layers before going on. The trail was a gradual uphill climb for the first 40 kms. We had to stop many times to give our butts a break. Unfortunately, each time we stopped the black flies would torment us and it was difficult to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and enjoy the scenery. It took us 5 hours to cycle the first 40 kms of the trail as it was mostly uphill, loose gravel and the weight of our panniers prevented us from going much more than 12 kph. We stopped at a motel about 12 kms outside of Cabano to check out how much a room would cost. It also had a restaurant that opened at 5:00 PM but nothing else for miles around. They wanted $72/night plus taxes. The manager told us we would find everything we were looking for in Cabano and that it was all downhill!!! Since she was pointing to the highway we assumed we were allowed to cycle on it so off we went. It wasn't until we reached the first of four exits for Cabano that Bev saw a sign that said bicycles were not allowed on the highway. We quickly got off at the next exit and went over to the ? to ask about accommodations. The lady told us the ? would officially open tomorrow but, nevertheless, she recommended the Motel Royal which was a further 3 kms back up the trail. Had we stayed on the trail we would have passed it on our way into town. We cycled over to the motel and I was able to negotiate from $85 to $ 75 for a nice room for the night. We locked our bikes up to the bike rack outside our room after unloading our bikes and walked down the hill to the Pub du Lac for a much deserved cold beer and some nachos. We returned to our motel to freshen up before walking into town for some groceries. We found a Depanneur that was still open and were able to get supplies for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch as there is nothing available on the trail - just a lot of rest spots with picnic tables and benches. We decided to have dinner at the Bar du Duc before returning to our motel. I had a cheese burger with fries and salad and a glass of red wine. Bev chose a 6" pizza with spaghetti. There were no leftovers. Cycling and all that fresh air sure improves ones appetite. We returned to our motel and as I walked into our room a black fly followed me in. Before I or Bev could swat it it managed to bite me on the temple next to my right eye. That makes a total of 4 bites I've gotten on this trip so far. I should be one hell of mess by the time I get to St.Johns, NL!!! The trail really knocked the stuffing out of Bev and she's already in La-La Land. Just watching the Jays vs Rockies ballgame. Won't be long before I join her.
Motel Royal, Cabano, QC
We were up at 7:00 AM and did some packing before going to breakfast at 7:30. Everything was laid out for us in the kitchen i.e. juice, cereal, several varieties of bread for toast, waffles, peanut butter, jams, etc. Andre, who was packed and ready to go on to Rimouski, joined us for breakfast before leaving at 8:15. It was 8:30 before we were ready to leave for Cabano about 70 kms from Riviere-du-Loup in the direction of Edmunston. We decided to take the Route Verte #8 which turned out to be an all gravel trail. But first we had to climb a very long steep hill to get to it. It took a half hour to climb the hill and find the trail. We both worked up quite a sweat and had to strip off a couple layers before going on. The trail was a gradual uphill climb for the first 40 kms. We had to stop many times to give our butts a break. Unfortunately, each time we stopped the black flies would torment us and it was difficult to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and enjoy the scenery. It took us 5 hours to cycle the first 40 kms of the trail as it was mostly uphill, loose gravel and the weight of our panniers prevented us from going much more than 12 kph. We stopped at a motel about 12 kms outside of Cabano to check out how much a room would cost. It also had a restaurant that opened at 5:00 PM but nothing else for miles around. They wanted $72/night plus taxes. The manager told us we would find everything we were looking for in Cabano and that it was all downhill!!! Since she was pointing to the highway we assumed we were allowed to cycle on it so off we went. It wasn't until we reached the first of four exits for Cabano that Bev saw a sign that said bicycles were not allowed on the highway. We quickly got off at the next exit and went over to the ? to ask about accommodations. The lady told us the ? would officially open tomorrow but, nevertheless, she recommended the Motel Royal which was a further 3 kms back up the trail. Had we stayed on the trail we would have passed it on our way into town. We cycled over to the motel and I was able to negotiate from $85 to $ 75 for a nice room for the night. We locked our bikes up to the bike rack outside our room after unloading our bikes and walked down the hill to the Pub du Lac for a much deserved cold beer and some nachos. We returned to our motel to freshen up before walking into town for some groceries. We found a Depanneur that was still open and were able to get supplies for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch as there is nothing available on the trail - just a lot of rest spots with picnic tables and benches. We decided to have dinner at the Bar du Duc before returning to our motel. I had a cheese burger with fries and salad and a glass of red wine. Bev chose a 6" pizza with spaghetti. There were no leftovers. Cycling and all that fresh air sure improves ones appetite. We returned to our motel and as I walked into our room a black fly followed me in. Before I or Bev could swat it it managed to bite me on the temple next to my right eye. That makes a total of 4 bites I've gotten on this trip so far. I should be one hell of mess by the time I get to St.Johns, NL!!! The trail really knocked the stuffing out of Bev and she's already in La-La Land. Just watching the Jays vs Rockies ballgame. Won't be long before I join her.
Motel Royal, Cabano, QC
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
CCCT Part II - La Pocatiere to Riviere-du-Loup, QC
Yesterday I should have included Bev's version of our crossing through the construction zone so here it is
.
We came to some construction - there was a detour except for local traffic. I thought we would take the detour. Roly said we're local. So I went with the local. OMG! Thank goodness they are on strike or the road would have been worse. I couldn't imagine it worse than it was. It had rained there earlier and it was all ruts and squishy mud. It was all we could do to keep the bike upright. My pedal hit the side of a rut and I thought I was gone but I mustered up the strength to keep going. It was that or a mud bath. There was a vehicle behind me too! When we got to a spot where we could pull over and take a breath they also stopped. They said we were really strong! We continued on through the construction. What a mess Roly's bike and gear was in. We cleaned off what we could. etc...
Tuesday, June 18/13.
We were up at 7:00 AM and walked over to Tim's for breakfast. I forgot to bring the Tim's Gift Card that Bev's friend had gotten us for our trip. Bev used her Tim's G.C. that she got for being employee of the month. We both had breakfast wraps with bacon and chocolate milk. We returned to our motel room, finished packing, loaded our bags on our bikes and set off for Rivere-du-Loup at 8:32 AM. Once again we had a nice day with a slight tail wind and a paved shoulder most of the way. some sections of the highway 132 are still "UNDEVELOPED" i.e. no paved shoulder. But fortunately there was very little traffic. We met two ladies hiking from Rimouski to .... a distance of 400 kms in 21 days. They wanted to know all about our bike trip. We also met Serge who had been touring on his bike in Gaspe. He advised us to stay at the Hostel in Riviere-du-Loup. We advised him to take the detour and to avoid the muddy construction route that we had passed through yesterday. We stopped for a snack and a butt break at 10:30 and 11:30 and arrived in Riviere-du-Loup at 12:40. We had no trouble finding the Auberge Passant Internationale and wasted no time getting settled into our private room with bathroom and shower all for $58. Later the manager reimbursed me $4.20 because he had charged me the non-International Hostel member rate. This also included breakfast and free wi-fi. We cycled back into town to the IGA and got some groceries, cycled back to the hostel and sat out on the patio to eat our late lunch.. Andre, another cyclist from Montreal, who had also met Serge, was following up on his recommendation to stay at the hostel in Riviere-du-Loup. We learned that Andre is also on his way to Newfoundland but he is taking a more circuitous route. We did some research on tomorrow's route and accommodations before going to dinner at 7:00 at which time we also chose to do a load of laundry. Dinner consisted of carrot soup, Lobster Alfredo, salad, fried sweet potatoes and apple crisp with ice cream and tea or coffee all for $11.00 and $3.50 for washing and drying our laundry. They even provided the laundry soap and the dryer sheet. I introduced Andre to my blog and he asked me to help him create his own blog. My french language skills were tested to the max. It is difficult enough to carry on a conversation in french let alone create a blog in french. Well that's enough rambling for tonight. Must get some sleep as we hope to reach Cabano or Notre-Dame-du-Lac, QC, tomorrow.
Auberge Passant Internationale de Riviere-du-Loup, QC
.
We came to some construction - there was a detour except for local traffic. I thought we would take the detour. Roly said we're local. So I went with the local. OMG! Thank goodness they are on strike or the road would have been worse. I couldn't imagine it worse than it was. It had rained there earlier and it was all ruts and squishy mud. It was all we could do to keep the bike upright. My pedal hit the side of a rut and I thought I was gone but I mustered up the strength to keep going. It was that or a mud bath. There was a vehicle behind me too! When we got to a spot where we could pull over and take a breath they also stopped. They said we were really strong! We continued on through the construction. What a mess Roly's bike and gear was in. We cleaned off what we could. etc...
Tuesday, June 18/13.
We were up at 7:00 AM and walked over to Tim's for breakfast. I forgot to bring the Tim's Gift Card that Bev's friend had gotten us for our trip. Bev used her Tim's G.C. that she got for being employee of the month. We both had breakfast wraps with bacon and chocolate milk. We returned to our motel room, finished packing, loaded our bags on our bikes and set off for Rivere-du-Loup at 8:32 AM. Once again we had a nice day with a slight tail wind and a paved shoulder most of the way. some sections of the highway 132 are still "UNDEVELOPED" i.e. no paved shoulder. But fortunately there was very little traffic. We met two ladies hiking from Rimouski to .... a distance of 400 kms in 21 days. They wanted to know all about our bike trip. We also met Serge who had been touring on his bike in Gaspe. He advised us to stay at the Hostel in Riviere-du-Loup. We advised him to take the detour and to avoid the muddy construction route that we had passed through yesterday. We stopped for a snack and a butt break at 10:30 and 11:30 and arrived in Riviere-du-Loup at 12:40. We had no trouble finding the Auberge Passant Internationale and wasted no time getting settled into our private room with bathroom and shower all for $58. Later the manager reimbursed me $4.20 because he had charged me the non-International Hostel member rate. This also included breakfast and free wi-fi. We cycled back into town to the IGA and got some groceries, cycled back to the hostel and sat out on the patio to eat our late lunch.. Andre, another cyclist from Montreal, who had also met Serge, was following up on his recommendation to stay at the hostel in Riviere-du-Loup. We learned that Andre is also on his way to Newfoundland but he is taking a more circuitous route. We did some research on tomorrow's route and accommodations before going to dinner at 7:00 at which time we also chose to do a load of laundry. Dinner consisted of carrot soup, Lobster Alfredo, salad, fried sweet potatoes and apple crisp with ice cream and tea or coffee all for $11.00 and $3.50 for washing and drying our laundry. They even provided the laundry soap and the dryer sheet. I introduced Andre to my blog and he asked me to help him create his own blog. My french language skills were tested to the max. It is difficult enough to carry on a conversation in french let alone create a blog in french. Well that's enough rambling for tonight. Must get some sleep as we hope to reach Cabano or Notre-Dame-du-Lac, QC, tomorrow.
Auberge Passant Internationale de Riviere-du-Loup, QC
Monday, June 17, 2013
CCCT Part II - Montmagny to La Pocatiere, QC
Monday, June 17/13.
That pesky fly that Bev and I were so desperately trying to swat last night buzzed me at 6:50 AM. I guess it was telling me it was time to get up and start playing again!!! Contrary to last night's forecast of nothing but rain it was a clear but overcast day. rather than stay another day/night in Monmagny we decided to make a run for it. after a quick breakfast of hot oatmeal and chocolate milk we set off at 8:30. The route was mostly flat with a nice paved shoulder and a slight tail wind. After 20 kms we made a pit stop. Bev saw a sign for a toilet at a camp site/ferry crossing. It was 10 AM and the shop was closed!!! A woman drove up and asked if we were looking for a campsite. I said no we wanted to use the facilities. Just then someone inside opened up and another emergency was averted. We cycled on to St-Jean-Port-Joli where we stopped for a snack of cheese curds and an apple. I withdrew some cash at a Banque Nationale and was charged $3 for the privilege. We arrived at the detour that Ronald had warned us about . A sign said "Local Traffic Only". I reckoned if cars could get through so could our bikes. Well we made it but my bike was totally caked in mud. Bev fared much better. I'm still not sure why? We stopped on the overpass for the 20 and scrap[ed as much mud off as possible. We continued on to La Pocatiere where we were able to hose off most of the mud on our bikes at a garage/car wash. I had to take my rear wheel off to get at the mud stuck inside my rear fender. It was now after 1:00 PM and we still hadn't had lunch. It was threatening to rain so we decided to look for accommodation. At the car wash I offered to pay for our bike washes but the manager wouldn't accept any money. I asked about motels/hotels and the weather. He showed me the local weather radar and because of the low temperature he said it was more likely to snow than rain. I didn't bother to ask about camping. We checked out a couple of motels which were $90 and $100 plus taxes. We cycled to the edge of town hoping to find something cheaper but in the end decided to return to the Motel Le Pocatois which was the more expensive one but it had facilities nearby such as food, etc. While we were standing outside in the parking lot watching a big Dodge RAM truck trying to haul a load of bricks up a steep incline the manager came out and offered us a room at $84 taxes included a savings of $20. BTW the truck only made it about half way up the hill. He had to back down the hill and try again. Slowly but gradually he managed to creep up the hill. While I unloaded our bags, etc. Bev walked over to the Ultramar across the street and got some cold beers, etc. We then sat out at a picnic table and ate our lunch. Bev discovered some dried up caked blood on her left ear. Apparently she had been bitten by a black fly while I was washing the bikes. After cleaning up I lay down for a nap and Bev went over to the Tim's for tea and read her book while I siestad. It started raining at 5:00 but not heavily. We walked over to McDs for dinner. I pigged out on a double Big Mac with fries and a diet coke while Bev had a chicken chili wrap with fries. For dessert I had a McFlurry strawberry shortcake sundae and Bev had an ice cream cone and tea. We managed to get back to our motel without getting soaked. Watched The Voice. The final contestants are all so talented. It's going to be very difficult to decide who to vote for.
Motel Le Pocatois, La Pocatiere, QC
That pesky fly that Bev and I were so desperately trying to swat last night buzzed me at 6:50 AM. I guess it was telling me it was time to get up and start playing again!!! Contrary to last night's forecast of nothing but rain it was a clear but overcast day. rather than stay another day/night in Monmagny we decided to make a run for it. after a quick breakfast of hot oatmeal and chocolate milk we set off at 8:30. The route was mostly flat with a nice paved shoulder and a slight tail wind. After 20 kms we made a pit stop. Bev saw a sign for a toilet at a camp site/ferry crossing. It was 10 AM and the shop was closed!!! A woman drove up and asked if we were looking for a campsite. I said no we wanted to use the facilities. Just then someone inside opened up and another emergency was averted. We cycled on to St-Jean-Port-Joli where we stopped for a snack of cheese curds and an apple. I withdrew some cash at a Banque Nationale and was charged $3 for the privilege. We arrived at the detour that Ronald had warned us about . A sign said "Local Traffic Only". I reckoned if cars could get through so could our bikes. Well we made it but my bike was totally caked in mud. Bev fared much better. I'm still not sure why? We stopped on the overpass for the 20 and scrap[ed as much mud off as possible. We continued on to La Pocatiere where we were able to hose off most of the mud on our bikes at a garage/car wash. I had to take my rear wheel off to get at the mud stuck inside my rear fender. It was now after 1:00 PM and we still hadn't had lunch. It was threatening to rain so we decided to look for accommodation. At the car wash I offered to pay for our bike washes but the manager wouldn't accept any money. I asked about motels/hotels and the weather. He showed me the local weather radar and because of the low temperature he said it was more likely to snow than rain. I didn't bother to ask about camping. We checked out a couple of motels which were $90 and $100 plus taxes. We cycled to the edge of town hoping to find something cheaper but in the end decided to return to the Motel Le Pocatois which was the more expensive one but it had facilities nearby such as food, etc. While we were standing outside in the parking lot watching a big Dodge RAM truck trying to haul a load of bricks up a steep incline the manager came out and offered us a room at $84 taxes included a savings of $20. BTW the truck only made it about half way up the hill. He had to back down the hill and try again. Slowly but gradually he managed to creep up the hill. While I unloaded our bags, etc. Bev walked over to the Ultramar across the street and got some cold beers, etc. We then sat out at a picnic table and ate our lunch. Bev discovered some dried up caked blood on her left ear. Apparently she had been bitten by a black fly while I was washing the bikes. After cleaning up I lay down for a nap and Bev went over to the Tim's for tea and read her book while I siestad. It started raining at 5:00 but not heavily. We walked over to McDs for dinner. I pigged out on a double Big Mac with fries and a diet coke while Bev had a chicken chili wrap with fries. For dessert I had a McFlurry strawberry shortcake sundae and Bev had an ice cream cone and tea. We managed to get back to our motel without getting soaked. Watched The Voice. The final contestants are all so talented. It's going to be very difficult to decide who to vote for.
Motel Le Pocatois, La Pocatiere, QC
Sunday, June 16, 2013
CCCT Part II - Levis to Montmagny, QC
Sunday, June 16/13. We were up at 7:00 AM after a good night's sleep. I had to wake up the manager at 7:30 in order to get her to open up the shed behind the motel so we could get our bikes out. We had to be very careful not to touch the spokes of the very important Specialized bike that was already in the shed. She made such a big deal out of it you would think it was a 10,000 dollar bike or something!!! We loaded our bags on our bikes and headed for McDs for our breakfast of oatmeal, hot chocolate and a sausage egg McMuffin for me. It was bitterly cold with an Easterly head wind. We had to stop after only 5 minutes of cycling to put warmer gear on. Once we hit the first hill which was only another 10 minutes down the road we had to strip down, well Bev removed her sweater, as she was to warm. We followed hwy 132 rather than the Route Verte 1. There was a nice paved shoulder and the traffic was very light for a Sunday morning. At about 10:00 we stopped at a roadside pastry shop and got ham and cheese sandwiches and some cheese curds for our lunch. At 11:30 we saw a glider with a picnic table in someone's side yard so we stopped and made ourselves at home so we could enjoy our sandwiches. Just as we were getting ready to leave several cars pulled into the farm yard. A gentleman came over to check us out and we had a lovely chat in French about who we were and where we were going, etc. It was spitting and threatening to start raining at any minute so by the time we arrived in Montmagny at 12:10 we decided we should find a place to hole up for the night before we got drenched. We cycled to the Information kiosk and asked for information on motels, camping and landromats. We were told the cheapest motels where back in town at the Wigwam or the City Motel just across the street. We ended up staying at the Wigwam which cost $75/night for a room with twin beds (there were no regular size bed rooms available) including breakfast and wi-fi. After unloading our bags and putting our bikes in our room we gathered all our laundry and walked over to the laundromat across the street. Once Bev got the laundry started I decided to leave her to her book and return to the motel. As I was about to cross the highway someone honked their horn at me. Since I had done nothing wrong I just ignored them and continued on to our motel room as it was raining quite steadily by now. As I was about to go in the room Ronal and Mo pulled up in their silver Matrix. What a surprise!!! They had just been further up the road to drop off Ronald's daughter at a camp and were on their way back to Levis and just happened to see me walking along the highway. It's been raining quite heavily now since 3:00 and it looks like it will rain all through the night and into tomorrow too. Dinner was next door at a Thai restaurant. It was very popular and quite crowded. The food turned out to be well worth the 1/2 hour or so we had to wait. Since the restaurant was not licensed the manager encouraged me to go across the street to the Ultramar gas station to get a couple of beers. As a matter of fact he said to bring back a six pack and whatever we couldn't finish drinking he would be glad to help us out. After dinner Bev went out in the rain to the McDs across the street for a large tea and a strawberry sundae for me. What a trooper she is. I sure hope this weather front passes through quickly so we can get back on the road and continue on towards our goal or cycling all the way to St. Johns, NL.
Goodnight all
Bev and Roly, Motel Wigwam, Montmagny, QC
Goodnight all
Bev and Roly, Motel Wigwam, Montmagny, QC
Saturday, June 15, 2013
CCCT Part II - Portneuf to Levis, QC
Saturday, June 15/13, We were up at 6:30 and after a quick breakfast of bagel, juice, tea and orange bread (a gift from La Maison du Capitaine and homemade by the manager himself) we set off for Levis at 7:52 AM. It was a lovely sunny day with fluffy white clouds in a clear blue sky and a nice tail wind to boot. We were making such good progress, except when we had to go up the damn hills, that we didn't even notice that we missed the sign for the trail that would have kept us along the St. Lawrence. I thought we had to follow the 138 all the way to the Pont du Quebec. We were almost in Vanier, a community North of Quebec City, when I realized something was not right. While at a red light I asked a couple in the car next to us if we were still on the 138 heading for the Pont du Quebec. They pulled over to the side of the road and after a lengthy explanation we realized we were way off course. In order to get to the Pont de Quebec we had to go up Avenue Saint Sacrement and believe me it was straight up. We had to get off our bikes and push them up the very steep hill for 20 minutes or so. From there we turned right on Chemin Saint Louis. Bev said we didn't even try to cycle up the hill - we just got off our bikes and walked - and OH MY GOD we're we ever out of breath and her legs were pissed at her!!! Eventually after a short stop for lunch which we had purchased earlier at a Metro store in Saint Augustine we found the cycle/pedestrian path across the Pont du Quebec. It was quite narrow and the sign said that cyclists should walk their bikes across the steel path but we cycled across like all the other cyclists. The expansion joints were quite brutal and the cross wind made it difficult to avoid running into the railings. We passed several cyclists who were coming in the opposite direction and who were kind enough to stop and move their bikes aside for us to pass with our wider, pannier laden bikes. Once across the bridge we followed the South Shore of the St. Lawrence all the way to Levis. There was a terrific bicycle/pedestrian path almost all the way except for the last 5 kms. We arrived in Levis at around 3:30 PM and stopped at a McDs for a Smoothie. Unfortunately they didn't have any so we had to settle for a Strawberry Sundae. A quick search on my GPS for accommodation showed that there was a Motel Levis about 2 kms away. I called and was told a double room with regular size bed was 59.95/night. The wind had picked up and it looked as though we were going to get a nasty thunderstorm so we quickly cycled to the motel and checked in for the night. After unloading our bags and putting our bikes away in the shed behind the motel we decided to walk to the nearest "Depanneur" to get a couple cold beers and some Gatorade. The storm had changed it's mind but it was still quite windy. Once back in our room at the motel we ordered a pizza for dinner which arrived in less than 20 minutes, Bev was still in the shower getting spruced up for dinner. Tomorrow we hope to make it to Saint-Jean-Port-Joli a distance of about 90 kms. So it off to bed and hopefully we will get a good night's rest.
Bev and Roly, Motel Levis, Levis, QC
Bev and Roly, Motel Levis, Levis, QC
Friday, June 14, 2013
CCCT Part II 2013 - Trois Rivieres to Portneuf, QC - June 14/13
Yesterday, Thursday, June 13th, after checking to make sure all the windows were closed, that the garbage was put out, etc we packed all our cycling gear on our bikes and were just about to set off for Orleans at 1:15 when the postman showed up with our new passports which we had applied for on Monday. Wow 3 days for the passport office to deliver our passports. That must be some kind of record!!!
We cycled to Hog's Back and followed the bike path along the Rideau River to Sussex Drive. Once there we followed the Ottawa River bike path to Orleans. We stopped in at the Orleans Villa, where Bev works, to say hello to the residents who were very curious about our bikes and all the gear we carried for our trip. We also stopped in to say goodbye to my grandchildren and son and daughter-in-law who live on Grenoble. Then it was off to Beaucourt Court where we spent the night with Marilyn, Eric and their son Sebastien. Marilyn had prepared a delicious spaghetti dinner and salad to go with it and after a quick shower we sat down for dinner and tucked in.
After dinner I helped Erid load our bikes in the back of his Toyota pickup truck or "Big Red" as Sebastien likes to refer to it. Eric had offered to drive us to Trois Rivieres on his way to the Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean region to visit his family and do some fishing there. While cycling to Orleans I was having a lot of trouble with my rear derailleur. As we were leaving my son's home on Grenoble I checked my rear cog and found a piece of bent wire there that I had fashioned to hold my chain in place while I removed the quick link. It had fallen off and disappeared. Unfortunately that didn't resolve my rear derailleur problem./ After unloading my panniers, etc I went for a ride around the block at Beaucourt and the shifting seemed to be somewhat better. I thought one of my panniers must have been resting on the cable and had been messing with my shifting.
We were all up bright and early Friday morning (5:45) and after some final packing set off for Trois Rivieres at 6:30 AM. But first we had to stop at Tim Horton's for coffee and breakfast. While waiting to pull in to the Timmy's car lot we saw a skunk being harrassed by a Red Winged Black Bird. The skunk would lift his tail and the bird would scoot away only to return again. We quickly got our breakfast at the drive through window and set off for the highway to Hawksbury.
Our drive to T-R went off without any incidents and we only ran into roadworks when passing by Montreal. We arrived at our destination (where we had left off last year) at 10:10 AM. Eric wasted no time unloading our gear and our bikes as he still had a long way to go before getting to his "fishing hole" in Northern Quebec.
After loading our gear on our bikes I noticed that my rear wheel was binding as we were about to set off. A quick check revealed that my rear wheel had come loose. I quickly sorted out this problem and we set off for Portneuf at 10:40. Shifting was much smoother. No more chain skipping all over the place. Must have been cycling with a loose wheel yesterday all the way from Nepean to Orleans. Yikes!!!
It was a beautiful sunny day with clear blue skies and in spite of a nasty cross head wind we arrived in Portneuf at 4:00 PM. I had made a booking at La Maison du Capitaine a B&B just off the 138 with a great view of the St. Lawrence River. After putting our bikes in the spacious garage the manager showed us our room on the 2nd floor. After a refreshing shower we went out on the terrace and had a cold beer. ($3 ea.). The manager also offered to prepare dinner for us which turned out to be spaghetti with a large meat ball, bread and butter and a small glass of red wine ($20 for two). Dessert was Queen Elizabeth cake with a Caramel sauce ($2 ea.). Breakfast is included. Hopefully there won't be anymore extras. Oh, did I forget to mention the B&B is $85/night.
Bev has already settled in for the night and I'm going to join her shortly as the head wind really beat us up today. Hopefully the wind gods will be more kind to us tomorrow as we head for Quebec City.
Roly and Bev, La Maison du Capitaine, Portneuf, QC
We cycled to Hog's Back and followed the bike path along the Rideau River to Sussex Drive. Once there we followed the Ottawa River bike path to Orleans. We stopped in at the Orleans Villa, where Bev works, to say hello to the residents who were very curious about our bikes and all the gear we carried for our trip. We also stopped in to say goodbye to my grandchildren and son and daughter-in-law who live on Grenoble. Then it was off to Beaucourt Court where we spent the night with Marilyn, Eric and their son Sebastien. Marilyn had prepared a delicious spaghetti dinner and salad to go with it and after a quick shower we sat down for dinner and tucked in.
After dinner I helped Erid load our bikes in the back of his Toyota pickup truck or "Big Red" as Sebastien likes to refer to it. Eric had offered to drive us to Trois Rivieres on his way to the Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean region to visit his family and do some fishing there. While cycling to Orleans I was having a lot of trouble with my rear derailleur. As we were leaving my son's home on Grenoble I checked my rear cog and found a piece of bent wire there that I had fashioned to hold my chain in place while I removed the quick link. It had fallen off and disappeared. Unfortunately that didn't resolve my rear derailleur problem./ After unloading my panniers, etc I went for a ride around the block at Beaucourt and the shifting seemed to be somewhat better. I thought one of my panniers must have been resting on the cable and had been messing with my shifting.
We were all up bright and early Friday morning (5:45) and after some final packing set off for Trois Rivieres at 6:30 AM. But first we had to stop at Tim Horton's for coffee and breakfast. While waiting to pull in to the Timmy's car lot we saw a skunk being harrassed by a Red Winged Black Bird. The skunk would lift his tail and the bird would scoot away only to return again. We quickly got our breakfast at the drive through window and set off for the highway to Hawksbury.
Our drive to T-R went off without any incidents and we only ran into roadworks when passing by Montreal. We arrived at our destination (where we had left off last year) at 10:10 AM. Eric wasted no time unloading our gear and our bikes as he still had a long way to go before getting to his "fishing hole" in Northern Quebec.
After loading our gear on our bikes I noticed that my rear wheel was binding as we were about to set off. A quick check revealed that my rear wheel had come loose. I quickly sorted out this problem and we set off for Portneuf at 10:40. Shifting was much smoother. No more chain skipping all over the place. Must have been cycling with a loose wheel yesterday all the way from Nepean to Orleans. Yikes!!!
It was a beautiful sunny day with clear blue skies and in spite of a nasty cross head wind we arrived in Portneuf at 4:00 PM. I had made a booking at La Maison du Capitaine a B&B just off the 138 with a great view of the St. Lawrence River. After putting our bikes in the spacious garage the manager showed us our room on the 2nd floor. After a refreshing shower we went out on the terrace and had a cold beer. ($3 ea.). The manager also offered to prepare dinner for us which turned out to be spaghetti with a large meat ball, bread and butter and a small glass of red wine ($20 for two). Dessert was Queen Elizabeth cake with a Caramel sauce ($2 ea.). Breakfast is included. Hopefully there won't be anymore extras. Oh, did I forget to mention the B&B is $85/night.
Bev has already settled in for the night and I'm going to join her shortly as the head wind really beat us up today. Hopefully the wind gods will be more kind to us tomorrow as we head for Quebec City.
Roly and Bev, La Maison du Capitaine, Portneuf, QC
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
