Some Final Thoughts

The Gaspe Peninsula is one of the most spectacular regions that we have ever travelled to. It was made even more special because we 'slowly' experienced it from our bicycles. We would like to share some of our impressions of the area.

First and foremost the people of the Gaspe live modestly. There are very few 'in your face' houses. It is certainly partly to do with the struggles of their economy. From what we understand this region's economy has always been this way. We were treated really well in all of our interactions and rarely was our lack of French an issue. As many of them told us, "we like to practice our English, we do not get that many opportunities". No one held it against us that we spoke only English.

A major part of the Gaspe's economy is still based upon Forestry. We saw many active sawmills with the largest one we have ever seen at Causapscal. They must be practicing sustainable logging. We also saw numerous portable sawmills in operation. It is obvious that there is a market for 'rough sawn' lumber. And of course there is the firewood business. Most people appear to use firewood as their prime source to heat their houses as evidenced by all the people we saw 'putting up their wood' for the Winter.

Agriculture is part of their economy as well. Some was 'subsistent' at best as they farmed the hills while other areas had quite good looking Dairy Operations with their multiple silos.

Fishing does not appear to be as major a part of the small coastal villages as it probably once was. However, some still exists. We were treated to the most amazing fish dinners.

Unlike Southern Ontario, the Gaspe Region still has small one or two bay garages (Mechaniques) in all of their small towns. Roadside Cantines (hamburg and soft ice cream shops) are plentiful in every little community. It appears that the Quebec Provincial Government has not 'regulated' the small butcher shops out of business as has happened in Ontario. Small General Stores (Marches and Epiceries) are still in operation all selling beer and wine at any time of the day...great for tour cyclists of course!

Last but not least, the region depends to a large extent upon tourism. Most small towns have 'Ma and Pa' motels, B&B's (Gite's) and small campgrounds. This makes it a great destination for tour cyclists.

One sign of the struggles of the economy of the region we suspect is the amount of 'for sale' (a vendre) and 'land for sale' (terrain a vendre) signs that we saw. Very few people deal with Real Estate Agents and are trying to sell privately. Again a sign of the times?

I have always found it difficult to shut down the blog at the end of our adventures. But here goes. We travelled 896 kilometers over 14 days of riding for a 64 kilometer average per day. Again our bikes stood up to the test, even the tires that remain unchanged from our West Coast ride. The ride can only be classified as 'spectacular'. However, for anyone considering this ride we have only one suggestion...train, train, train...it was a challenging adventure!

We again would like to thank all of our family and friends who allowed us to take on this adventure. Without your help and support we would not be able to do what we do. I would also be remiss if I did not thank those of you who followed my 'scribblings' on a day to day basis. It is always fun to share our adventures!

"LIfe Is A Beautiful Ride"

We Have Arrived Home Safely

Our Journey home saw us continue our 'slow travel' as we re-traced our route from our 2010 Adventure. We were able to take advantage of an extra couple of days and travelled along the south shore of the St. Lawrence, crossing at Levis/Quebec City on the commuter ferry. We then travelled the north shore down to Montreal where we gave the city a wide birth to the north until we rejoined the Ottawa River. We again took the small ferry at Cumberland (A whopping 10 bucks) back into Ontario where we jumped on an expressway to get us out to the Renfrew area. From there we were able to again trace our Cross Canada Adventure home. We were able to re-visit a motel in Beaumont/Levis and then enjoyed a 'fairy tale' stay at the Chateau Montebello. We will not talk about the cost! We were treated to one the only sunsets of our adventure while celebrating on our verandah last evening.

Loaded and Ready to Head For Home

Le Chateau Montabello...Our Fairytale Accommodation

Sunset From Our Verandah

Wednesday, September 20,2017: The Perfect Ride!

It rained again overnight and a heavy cloud cover greeted us as we hit the road by 7:50. As predicted the clouds moved out and the temperature began to rise.

There are not enough superlatives to describe today's ride, but I will give it a try. I will start by saying that we are doubtful that we have ever had a more perfect ride. To begin, the ride was mostly down hill following the Matapedia River. We were able to listen to the flow of the water or as Sue describes it as "the burbling sound of water flowing over rocks". We stopped at 2 different covered bridges and even rode our bikes through one of them and back across just because we could! The road conditions, for the most part, were good and we were aided by a strong tail wind all day. The sun shone, the temperatures rose to 24 degrees, and we were able to ride in short sleeves for the first time on the entire adventure. The Matapedia Valley showed us her 'blazing' Fall colours, the best colours of the ride. Fantastic!

'A Do Over...With a Different Result! Seven years ago when we rode through this valley I described the route as extremely hilly and a tough ride. It is pretty obvious that as John Montgomery, Olympic Gold Medalist, has been quoted as saying: "It is 90% mental and the rest is in your head." It is hard to believe I missed this beautiful ride last time.

Our ride has come to an end. The final day of each of our adventures always comes with mixed emotions. We are happy that we have been able to successfully complete our journey but at the same time we are sad that it is over.

We have returned to the Resto Motel Le Riverain where we started our ride. Thanks to Madame Collette for keeping our truck safe for the 2 weeks.

Daily Distance = 70.12 glorious kms. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 5 minutes. Average Speed = 17.34 km. Maximum Speed = 46.24 km. Wildlife Sightings = Cedar Waxwings, Blue Jay, Downey Woodpecker, Red Squirrel, Mergansers, Cormorants.

We are presently on Part 3 of this adventure. A wrap up of the ride will be posted shortly. Stay Tuned!

Colourful Matapedia Valley

Eat Your Heart Out Meaford!

Riding the Covered Bridge

Railway and the road follow the River

The Rock, The Road, and The River

We Made It!

It was a spectacular ride today. The bikes are resting in the back of the truck. Today's blog posting to come tomorrow. Final thoughts to come later. Amazing Adventure.

Life is a Beautiful Ride!

A Do Over...With the Same Result!

After a 'full' inclusive breakfast we hit the road at 7:35. Immediately the climb began. 6.5 km later we had made our way up and through the town of Mont Joli climbing all the way. It had not changed one bit since we had biked through here on our cross Canada ride in 2010. It was a shock to our system back then after riding on basically flat roads all the way from the Montreal area. It was hard then and even harder today! I'm sure it had nothing to do with our legs (and everything else) being 7 years older and our conditioning on this trip no match for back then.

Everything we gained in elevation in the first 6.5 km we promptly lost on the next 6.5 km. I can hear it now...he is complaining about a downhill...that is because we knew this was to repeat over and over again for the first 50 km. It is not that I do not like down hills but they inevitably lead to another climb. At the 50 km mark the road flattened somewhat but the wind shifted and we 'slogged' into it for the rest of the day. It has knocked the tar out of us just like this area did in 2010.

It was not all negative today. It was amazing how different the area looked than it had 2 weeks ago as we drove through here. The Fall colours were out in all their glory as we climbed and descended. According to the forecast it was to be a wet affair. Again they were mistaken. The temperatures rose as the sun made it's appearance. It was fun to re-live some of the highlights of our previous ride through here with our nephew Eric. In particular we came upon the Canteen in the middle of nowhere that Eric treated us (yes he actually paid!) to lunch.

We are staying in Amqui at the Selectotel Motel. We are 'Dog Tired'!

Daily Distance = 72.19 km. Time on the Bikes = 5 hours 3 minutes. Average Speed = 14.28 km. Maximum Speed = 46.93 km. Wildlife Sightings = Canada Geese, Snow Geese (beautiful), dead moose on a trailer probably suffering from bullet wounds.

P.S. I have learned in previous biking adventures never to look to far ahead...but I am going to predict that our ride will finish tomorrow one way or the other...back at the Resto Motel Le Riverain in Mann Settlement...hope this does not come back to bite me in my 'sore butt'.

View From Our Motel This Morning

Farming the Appalachians

Farming the Appalachians

Farming the Appalachians

It has been years since we have seen Snow Geese

Eric's Hamburg joint in the hills...Fried onions anyone?

Fall Colours

Fleuve Saint-Laurent

We hit the road this morning by 7:55 with an overcast sky, a temperature of 7 degrees, and a forecast for the possibility of rain. We lucked out in the rain department but the temperature never got out of the single digits the entire day. We also benefited from a reasonable strong tail wind that pushed us along on the flattest riding day of our entire adventure. I guess today was the reward for our persistence on the difficult days.

Today's ride also took us through the only productive agricultural land we have seen on this trip. Previously, the agriculture appeared to be subsistent at best. Today was different. We rode by dairy farm after dairy farm with their multiple silos towering over their barns. None appeared to be really large but they were all good looking operations. It was almost enjoyable to smell the special 'aroma' wafting out of the liquid manure pits as we have been smelling nothing but salt air, combined with gas and diesel fumes.

Yesterday while riding in the rain, we had several cars honk their horns and give us the 'thumbs up' signal, truly friendly gestures. Today not so much. The horn honking was due to the fact that some cars in a construction zone in Matane thought that we were holding them up. I suppose we were but we really had nowhere to go unless we had had the ability to levitate our bikes. It reminds me of a quote I once read from Rudy Niebur who is famous in the tour cycling world (so I am told). It goes something like this: "Cyclist's Prayer: God give me grace to accept with serenity the motorist that cuts me off, the courage to cycle alongside him, and the wisdom to refrain from attacking him." Today, according to Sue, I was not real good at following this philosophy. She would be right!

We are staying at the Mon Joli Motel in Ste-Flavie. Our camping is finished as all the campgrounds in this area closed on the weekend. We are overlooking the river. Today was our last ride on the river. Tomorrow we will sadly say goodbye to the Flueve Saint-Laurent as we head south up and over the Appalachians once again.

Daily Distance = 81.33km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 42 minutes. Average Speed = 17.31 km. (It is amazing what a flat ride and a tail wind can do!). Maximum Speed = 40.40 km. Wildlife Sightings = Seal, Black Backed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Ring Billed Gulls, Great Blue Herons, Black Ducks, Black Guillemots, Juncos, Flicker.

Straw Bales

Wind Turbines close to houses...Maybe the Quebec Government is no smarter than ours!

Admiring the Gulls along the Fleuve Saint-Laurent

Fleuve Saint-Laurent

Putting Up The Wood

Saint Flavie is full of artists...cement shepard, his dog, and his flock on the lawn of Mon Joli Motel

A Wet and Chilling Affair

Yesterday we found ourselves wondering around Sainte-Anne des-Monts looking for water for our ride today. Our motel had water that they advised us not to drink. While on our search we found the Microbrasserie Le Malbord. We thoroughly enjoyed their 'tasting flight' while munching on some really good pub food.

We made a good decision to stay in a motel last night as it began to rain shortly after dark. So when we left this morning at 6:50 we were 'decked out' in all of our raingear and ready for a long hard day in the saddle. The climbing turned out to be a lot less difficult than we expected...maybe we are finally getting our biking legs! But the weather was a different story. It hovered between 7 and 9 degrees for the whole ride...and did I mention the rain? At times we were getting drenched from overhead as well as sprayed by passing cars. We also had to ride on 'washboard' gravel for 2 km through a construction area. Not fun. However we made it.

On the positive side we did have a tail wind (a nor'easter) to help us with our climbing. We saw our first whales of our trip. We also saw our first seals since we started biking. And finally, we found a 'gem' of a place to stay tonight in Sainte-Felicite. So I guess not everything was negative today.

We are staying at the Auberge de Jeunesse du Manoir des Sapins. It is a hostel. We have never stayed in a hostel before. We have our own room but have full use of the entire place. It can house 40 people in the summer. Prior to being a hostel it was a bar. The dance floor is still visible with the hanging crystal ball. This has the 1970's written all over it!

Daily Distance = 69.98 km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 43 minutes. Average Speed = 14.48 km. Maximum Speed = 50.18 km. Wildlife sightings = Black Backed Gulls, Black Guillemots, Cedar Waxwings, Great Blue Herons, 2 Whales, Seals.

P.S. Not too many pictures today due to the 'really nice' weather!

Sunrise from our Motel

Putting Up The Wood

Last evening to be able to stay warmer we were able to use the 'family room' at the campground. It consisted of a kitchen, a mini museum, about 6 sets of tables and chairs, 2 couches and a television. We sat and read all by ourselves. What an amazing facility.

We had to take down a wet tent this morning as it had rained off and on during the night. We were able to use a covered picnic table to eat our breakfast and pack up our gear as it continued to rain. We put on our 'shower caps' and departed at 7:35 in a steady rainfall. It was a wet affair as we continued along the seawall highway. To make matters more uncomfortable it was a 'balmy' 9 degrees. Add a strong crosswind and to say the least it was not overly pleasant.

After a couple of hours the rainfall came to an end but we were still riding in cool windy conditions. The positive was, however, that we got to ride for 41 kilometers on the perfectly flat seawall. Along the way we saw numerous small waterfalls that we stopped to photograph and admire. We saw numerous ships plying their trade out in the St. Lawrence and again got up close to the seabirds...and no they still were not responding to my conversations...maybe I should have tried French...no that would never work either with my limited French skills!

The latter part of the ride saw us playing in the hills again. We were able to ride all but one...heck it is always nice to exercise some different muscles.

As we have slowly made our way around the Gaspe we have observed an awful lot of people 'putting up their wood' for the Winter. Some people are still cutting, others are splitting and piling and an awful lot are moving it. We have saw pickup trucks, cars pulling small trailers and quads pulling small trailers all transporting firewood. It appears that most people in these small communities still heat their houses with wood. I guess it makes sense. The area still has a substantial coverage of trees. Heck, I doubt anything else can grow! I am starting to wonder if these people know something that I do not. Early Winter? I hope not but it has me thinking that my 'putting up the wood' will have to begin as soon as we get home.

We are staying in Sainte-Anne-des Monts at the Motel Beaurivage. It is another nice motel facing where the Ste-Anne River flows into the St. Lawrence. We chose another motel as the weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow is less than great. We also know that tomorrow could be the most climbing of any day so far. We are always faster at exiting a motel than a campground.

Daily Distance = 65.51 km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 41 minutes. Average Speed = 13.98 km. Maximum Speed = 47.69 km. Wildlife Sightings = Merganser (female therefore could not tell if Red Breasted or Common), Black Backed Gulls, Black Guillemots, Merlin, Ring Billed Gulls, Herring Gulls.

P.S. "Whether the weather be fine, whether the weather be not, whether the weather be cold, whether the weather be hot, we'll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not."

Sunrise from our Campsite

Riding the St. Lawrence Seawall

Roadside Waterfall

Embracing Slow Travel

We were up and at it early this morning and on the road by 7:10. After the first 0.5 km we went for our first of numerous 'walks' of the day. By the 3 km mark we were averaging a 'blistering' 5 km per hour. This was only the beginning. For the next 27 km we climbed and descended, we climbed and descended. And did I mention that it was only 5 degrees as we started out and it had only made it to 11 degrees by the time we stopped for lunch!

At the 30 km mark things changed. We were out of the hills and riding along a man made seawall. The road was flat, flat, flat and one can only imagine how bad the terrain must have been above us in the hills that they would have went to the expense of building the road out in the water. Of course this comes with a 'but', a large 'but'! Our nemesis, the wind, made an ugly appearance chilling us to the bone and keeping our speed at a maximum of 13 km per hour on a totally 'flat' road. Brutal!!!!

We did ,however, enjoy some of today's ride. Well maybe 'enjoy' is a little bit strong. Up in the hills we saw some of the Appalachian fall colours once again. We had the unique experience of riding along the edge of the water enjoying the seabird life up close. We were able to chat with them as we rode slowly along. Funny, they did not seem to be responding to us. We were pleasantly surprised that we actually arrived at our campground by 1:30 as we were prepared to probably not arrive until 4:30 or 5:00.

We are camping at Parc et Mer Mont Louis located in the small town of Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis. It is probably one of the cleanest and best kept parks we have ever stayed in. The washrooms are spotless!

Daily Distance = 51.80 km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 38 minutes. Average Speed = 11.17 km. (down, down, down!). Maximum Speed = 62.92 km. Wildlife Sightings = Groundhog, Moose (Kevin only as Sue was not flying down the hill quite as fast!), Ring-Billed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Black Backed Gulls, Black Guillemots, Spotted Sandpipers.

Sunrise from our Room...Again!

Fall Colours

Where did the Road go? Yes we walked up this one.

Sea Wall Highway

Route Verte - You Missed Out!

We were on the road by 8:40 this morning, quite a bit later than our other departures on this adventure. It was partly planned and partly not. Our ride today was to be shorter and to be used as a partial day off so we could get ourselves rested for a couple of potential difficult riding days to come. Also as we were checking out of our motel I got into a conversation with the owner. Imagine that...me getting involved in a lengthy conversation!

It was a fun day today. We spent a lot of time enjoying the scenery and stopping to 'smell the roses'. Again we were challenged by many hills. In fact the whole ride consisted of a series of ups ad downs as we climbed up out of the small communities into the hills and then dropped back down into the next community. Some hills we again tested our walking abilities. If there was a downside to today's ride it was the wind. Again we pounded into headwind that was in the 25 - 35 km range. Good thing it was a short day.

Route Verte! It is hard to believe I have not mentioned this cycling route before now. We have been following a Quebec Government sponsored cycling route for most of our trip so far. We have a set of their maps and there has been some signage but not a lot. So, all the way around the Gaspe we have been following Route Verte 1. The section of coast that we have cycled the last couple of days is not sanctioned by Route Verte. We suspect that it is due to the limited shoulders on the roads, the curves and the tremendous climbs. The funny part is that we saw more tour cyclists out in the area not recognized as a cycling route than the rest of our trip put together. In total, we saw 6 touring cyclists. Only one was going our direction. Francois was a microbiologist from Quebec City who had done some of his post doctoral studies at the University of Western Ontario shortly after we attended. Route Verte, you are missing out on a cycling experience through this area!

We are staying in the lap of luxury at the Hotel Motel Grand Vallee des Monts. It was recommended by Glen and Cathy. They were stranded here for 2 nights due to 'fowl' weather. We were upgraded to their 'suite' because they made a mistake and originally rented us a room that was already booked. This room is huge with a square footage probably equal to about 1/2 of our house.

Daily Distance = 28.71 km. Time on the Bikes = 2 hours 33 minutes. Average Speed = 11.23 km (the slide continues!). Maximum Speed = 46.42 km. Wildlife Sightings = Marsh Hawk, Golden Eagle, Black Backed Gulls, Black Guillemots, Cedar Waxwings

Sunrise From Our Room

At least they are smart enough to put these high in the hills...I wonder if they make any more economic sense than ours do!

Fishing Community

The Direction of the Wind...Not in our favour

Bedroom Number One

View from our Balcony

Blasting Down The Hills After Walking Up Them

We were on the road by 7:55. Our legs began to burn as we climbed a 9% grade away from the campground. Climbing is never a good way to start a day and this hill went on for 1.5 km. That should have told us what was to come.

The Appalachians showed us many things today. We experienced the beginning of the trees turning colour. Gaspe is considered one of the top 10 destinations in the world to see Fall colours. The maple trees are turning red, the birch are turning yellow and the poplars are a yellowish green. Throw in the softwoods with their ever present green and we could see why this is a destination drive in the Fall. The Appalachians also showed us some amazing vistas of the St Lawrence/Atlantic Ocean today. We also came upon some 'pristine' lakes high up in the hills and at times wondered if we were back in Northern Ontario. And last but not least, the Appalachians showed us her hills today. What we had been experiencing for the past few days paled in comparison to today's ride. Up and down we went, walking several hills of 10, 11 and 12%. But boy were those down hills a 'blast'!

Our riding distance today was short partly due to accommodation but more to do with the conditions. It really was a grueling day. We knew that this area would be difficult and it delivered in spades. We are tired and are staying in another 'Ma and Pa' Motel called the Motel du Cap Saint-Yvon located (surprisingly) in Saint-Yvon. The owner appears like she would do anything for us.

Daily Distance = 45.85km. Time on the Bikes = 3 hours 58 minutes. Average Speed = 11.54 km. (Anyone see a trend here?) Maximum Speed = 67.75 km. (I know, I know...going this fast on a loaded bike might not be the smartest but what a high!) Wildlife Sightings = Chipmunk, Black Backed Gulls, Gannets.

Sunrise from campsite

Saw lots of these signs both ways

Heading up into the hills again!

Fall Colours

I Never Thought That I Would Want A Mountain Bike!

We were up and at it before 5:30 am. And yes even Sue was a awake...at least as awake as she ever is first thing in the morning. So we hit the road at 7:35 to a perfectly blue sky and not very much wind. It was, however, a little chilly. It was only 7 degrees when we set out expecting a difficult day. We rode the 10 km into Gaspe (the town) making a couple of pit stops to re-stock our groceries and cooking fuel supply.

Gaspe appears to be large centre. It has a port where luxury cruise ships dock. (one was docked as we rode by) It also has a large airport where Air Canada flies out of.

Departing Gaspe was the first test of our legs as we climbed up towards Forillon National Park. There was way too much traffic on this stretch of Highway 132 and the shoulder could only be described as dismal for much of the riding. At times we were forced to simply take the lane.

Just before entering the park today we could see across the inlet and realized that we had just ridden our bikes 35 km and could see where we had been last night only about a kilometer across the water. Now that is progress! To add insult to injury, the Park Visitor Centre was closed for the season. I can hear it now. What would be so difficult, just follow 132 like you have the whole trip. We were actually trying to find a poorly marked (on maps) route across the centre of the park to cut off 27 kilometers of miserable climbing that is not recommended to ride for safety reasons. The route turned out to be an old gravel road that took us up through a valley high in the mountains. It popped us out on the North Shore of the Peninsula. However, and this is a big however, the gravel was of a 'pit run' consistency that was not fun to navigate. We just kept hoping that we would not hit something and take out a wheel or break something else on the bikes as our gear and us shook. I never thought that I would ever say "I wish I had a Mountain Bike". The old road followed a valley up through the mountains that in the 1850's was actually settled and farmed. By the 1870's 37 families were scratching out a living here. Of course today nothing remains except some old apple trees and the interpretive boards.

We are camping tonight in Camping Griffon. It is another small, well kept campground located just outside of the town of L'Anse-au-Griffon. Our site sits high on a bluff overlooking the St. Lawrence/Atlantic Ocean.

It really is a beautiful way to finish what was actually another amazing day on the bikes.

Daily Distance = 49.49 km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 5 minutes. Average Speed = 12.08 km. Maximum Speed = 50.80 km. Wildlife Sightings = Chickadees, Cedar Waxwings, Black Backed Gulls, Chipmunk, Hairy Woodpecker.

View across to Gaspe from Forillon Visitor Centre

Multipurpose path that we rode through Forillon Park

The Valley that they farmed in the 1800's

View from our campsite

Waterfalls beside our campsite

Burning Off The Belly Fat!

We were a little bit sad this morning as we packed up our gear to leave the Riotel Perce. It was a really nice place to spend 2 nights so much so that we had our dinner in our room last night enjoying our amazing view of Perce Rock.

We were on the road by 7:05. No that is not a misprint. We planned an early departure as we knew that today would be a tough day. We were correct. After riding 2 kilometers through town we went for our first walk of the trip. We pushed our bikes up the 17% grade for about a kilometer. It was so steep that even pushing our bikes was a tough task. Throw in a 25 kilometer head wind and we struggled to say the least. This climb was far from over, however. The road dropped into a tight switchback and then continued for the next 10 to 12 kilometers with us climbing and descending climbing and descending. And did I mention the wind! It continued to pound us. It made descending a lot less fun than normal. We would pick up speed and then get slammed with a cross gust and have to hang for dear life. I normally enjoy descending but not so much today. Then again, it does beat the heck out of climbing! Any flat riding was spent mostly into a headwind making for a tough day in the saddle. I am sure that this was a good day 'to burn off the belly fat'.

As we rode along today we realized just how depressed the economy of the area must be. An awful lot of places were for sale and many more had simply been abandoned. Businesses were boarded up. It appears that the economy is based on nothing but tourism and we all know how 'fickle' that can be.

We are set up in Camping Gaspe which is located about 4 kilometers before Haldimand. It is another example of someone trying to make a living off of about 60 campsites. It is actually a nice little place and kept up really well. Most importantly it is really clean. We are in a wooded area (sort of) looking out onto a tidal flat. We have camped in far worse places.

Daily Distance = 66.95 km. Time on the Bikes = 5 hours 4 minutes. Average Speed = 13.19 km. Maximum Speed = 53.34 km. Wildlife Sightings = Ground Hog, Great Blue Herons, Black Guillemots, Juncos, Black Backed Gulls, Gannets.

Switchbacks above Perce...We had just rode this part!

Abandoned House

We came up through these hills above Perce

View from our campsite

A Relaxing Day In Perce

Most people would sleep in on their day off, especially those who are touring. However, most cycle tourists do not have the sunrise over Perce Rock to enjoy early in the morning. So at 5:10 I was up with my coffee in hand enjoying the sunrise from our patio. It was simply put, amazing!

After washing out some of our riding gear and enjoying some more coffee, we were off to explore Perce. We were surprised to learn that this community had a 1960's hippie movement where young people came from all over Quebec to escape Quebec society. Four of these people would become famous or I probably should say became infamous. Paul and Jaques Rose, Francis Simard and Jaques Lanclot spent a year living in Perce in 1969 and were the major players in the 1970 FLQ Crisis. We also hiked up to a rock outcropping that overlooks Perce for a different view of the famous rock. It also helped us stretch out our legs.

We are a little nervous, or more accurately, 'damn well scared', thinking about tomorrow's ride. We have only been in the warm up stage of our adventure. We walked to the base of the hill out of town to have a look. We had heard it was a 17% grade and that just might be conservative in our estimation. Oh well, I guess we will see how good our walking and pushing skills are!

PS Today is the 7th anniversary of our arrival in St John's at the completion of our Cross Canada Ride.

5:10 am Sunrise

5:12 am Sunrise

Perce Rock From Above

Town of Perce

The View of the Climbing Facing us Tomorrow Morning