Saturday, September 9, 2017 - "Wind is Just a Hill in Gaseous Form"

This morning while having coffee and making our breakfast it started to sprinkle rain. After a mad scramble to take down the 'reasonably dry' tent and pack up the rest of our gear we were on the road by 8:05. A decision had to be made. Follow Google maps route along the abandoned rail line and across a long rail bridge or ride 3 kilometers back to the highway and up and around to Chandler. The rail bridge is really not a trail and we decided that the prudent thing would be to go back to the highway. This decision meant that it was 12 kilometers to Chandler verses a couple by the rail line. It also meant that we ran into unexpected construction. For 2 kilometers we were forced to ride a 'tightrope' along the curb area dodging storm drain holes while being crowded by the Saturday morning traffic.

Today the sun shone. For the first time the clouds moved out and the sky was blue as we followed the shoreline for our entire ride. It provided us with great views of the coastline and the Ocean. We passed through Grand Riviere, Saint Therese de Gaspe and Cap d'Espoir. These are all crab fishing communities with their harbours and processing plants. While stopped admiring a beautiful old church in Grand Riviere a car stopped and out jumped a man and a woman. The old man was the mayor and he handed us the town pins and went on to tell us the history of their church (it was built to be a cathedral but the Bishop changed his mind and gave that status to the church in the town of Gaspe instead). So Grand Riviere has an 800 seat building that is larger than they need and we suspect extremely difficult to maintain. The lady translated for us as the mayor spoke only French and as most people will know our French skills are pretty limited. It is more than 40 years since either of us took any French and we all know how poor high school French was anyway.

"Wind is just a hill in gaseous form". While the scenery was great and the ride distance was short today, we were hammered by a cross/headwind. It made us work hard for every pedal stroke. Throw in some hill climbing and today could best be described as a 'draining' day on the bikes.

We are staying at the Riotel Perce for 2 nights. A friend of ours recommended it. Our balcony directly faces the famous Perce Rock. It is amazing! Thanks Andy.

Daily Distance = 56.10 (it seemed a lot further). Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 12 minutes. Average Speed = A wind assisted 13.35 km!!! Maximum Speed = 41.23 km. Wildlife Sightings = Black Backed Gulls, Great Blue Herons, Cedar Waxwings, White Winged Scoters, Gannets.

Campsite on the Ocean

Sunrise Over The Ocean

Innovative Picnic Area

Crab Fishing Community of Ste.Therese de Gaspe

Our First View of Perce Rock

View From Our Room

Friday September 8, 2017 - The Tale of Two Rides

We were on the road by 7:25. Our departure was actually delayed as we had to wait to be able to get our bikes out of the basement of our hotel. We were eager to ride after our unscheduled day off.

The first 42 km flew by. The road was reasonably flat and we were aided by the 'dream' wind. Our average speed was at 20 km per hour, not our usual pace. The next 25 km was a different ride. The climbing had begun. Sue got to the top of one climb and said that she had been riding at a 'blistering wind aided' 5.6 km. To be honest, I am not sure that I can even keep a bike upright riding that slowly! The last part of the day saw us taking our time, stopping frequently at bird viewing areas and just enjoying the scenery.

We are camping at Camp du Bourg de Pabos just short of Chandler. We have a site on the ocean all by ourselves actually located outside of the actual campground.

Now for the other part of 'The Tale of Two Rides'. Friends of ours from Owen Sound left the same day we did to travel around the Gaspe. They are also on a bike...but it is a 3 wheeled Can Am Spyder. Obviously they are smarter than us. They have an engine between their legs. We hoped to be able to meet up with them somewhere as they are travelling clockwise to our counter clockwise. After having a day off in Quebec City with starter problems and a weather day on the north shore yesterday just like us, our paths crossed today. They texted and said that they were in Chandler and asked where we were. We were setting up our tent without our blackberry on and darn near did not get back to them in time. But as luck would have it, we connected and they arrived at our campground for a short visit. It was great to see Glen and Cathy so far from home in a region referred to in tourist information as 'Lands End'! Have a great rest of your ride guys.

Daily Distance = 80.53 km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 29 minutes. Average Speed = 17.90 km. Maximum Speed = 63.56 km. Wildlife Sightings = Osprey, Gannets (by the dozens), Piping Plovers, Great Blue Heron, Cedar Waxwings, Common Eiders, Black Ducks.

Lunch Spots are Not Always Comfortable

We thought that we were in Northern Ontario

View From our Campsite

Keeping Things Fluid!

The best laid plans are meant to be altered. When we got up this morning we realized that the weather forecast for today of up to 60mm of rain and high winds (out of the east no less) looked like it had been accurate. We took a quick walk at 6:15 in the direction of our ride and made the decision to take the day off. I know, I can hear it now, 2 days of riding and they took a day off...What can I say, we are becoming 'wimps' as we get older.

Other than our reputation being in tatters the real issue for us was our planned stay in Perce for 2 nights. The plan was to ride for 4 days and then take a day off before the real climbing was to begin. The Riotel Bonaventure, where we are presently staying, 'went to bat for us' with their head office and arranged for our booking at the Riotel Perce to be delayed by a day at no extra charges despite what the policies of my booking had clearly stated. So now we have to get ourselves to Perce in 2 days no matter what.

There could be worse places to have a day off than Bonaventure. In fact we have had some of those in our other adventures. We wandered through the quaint old business district that had lots of old colourful wooden buildings many dating from the early 1900's and had lunch in a small restaurant where Sue got adventurous and had a lobster salad. FYI, Sue is not big on seafood! We then wondered along a bike path to the waterfront/harbour to a small lighthouse and along a boardwalk out into the Bay.

What about the rain? Well we would have been 'wet puppies' if we had ventured out but to be honest since noon the rain has held off but the wind would have been a killer. Tomorrow's forecast is for improvement in both moisture and wind direction. We sure hope so.

Wildlife Sightings = Osprey, Piping Plovers, Cormorants, Spotted Sandpiper, Small Turns of Unknown Species (at least by us!).

'Painted Lady' of Bonaventure

Old Building typical of Bonaventure Business District

Bonaventure Church; One of the only stone buildings we have seen

Fisherman statue beside the lighthouse

Detour!

Shortly after posting yesterday's blog, the skies opened up and the rain came down. We were able to cook our dinner in the dry picnic shelter and spend some time talking to some Quad/Side by Side riders who arrived just before dark absolutely covered in mud. They told us about a 2 kilometer descent that they had made in the mud and trees that they thought was a lot less crazy than what we were doing. I am not so sure.

It rained all night so this morning we were forced to transport our gear to the picnic shelter to have our breakfast and load the bikes. Of course the tent was packed soaked. Just what I wanted, 10 more pounds to carry!

We hit the paved bike path leading away from the campground by 8:00. It had stopped raining and for a good portion of the day we rode rain free...but, but, but...it was foggy! It was not dangerous thick for riding but enough to make us use our flashing lights. The real problem was that we know that we missed an awful lot of beautiful views of the bay as we climbed up and down and around.

Detour!!! That is a sign that no cyclist likes to see and this was a beauty. Back in the Spring there was a 'high water event' that moved an abutment on a major bridge in the New Richmond area. The new route took us 12 kilometers along a narrow and not so flat road. We had to play with the 'big boys' and some of them were not all that interested in sharing.

We are inside tonight staying at the Riotel Bonaventure. It is a nice old hotel situated right on the water. Our room has a view to kill for.(too bad we have to use our imagination to see the water just outside our door!) It is a bit short of intended destination due to a series of circumstances. First, the detour added 12 kilometers and some severe climbing. That combination kicked the s*#t out of us. Second, our luck ran out. The last 15 kilometers of our ride was in a fairly heavy rainfall. As a result we opted for indoor accommodation to try to get ourselves and our gear dried out.

PS. The forecast for the next 2 days looks dismal. Oh well, it is what it is!

Daily Distance = 71.81 km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours, 38 minutes. Average Speed = 15.47 km. Maximum Speed = 50.39 km. Wildlife Sightings = Bald Eagle, Great Blue Heron, Black Backed Gulls, Kingfisher, Yellow Rumped Warbler.

Erosion Problems; soon to take out rail line and highway

View from Hotel Balcony, a whole lot hazy!

Life is a Beautiful Ride!

We were surprised this morning as it was light well before 6:00 am. When the alarm went off I thought Sue had screwed up setting it but I was wrong. Yes I can even admit such a thing...I must be finally maturing in my old age.

We left the comfort of our motel room and hit the highway by 7:35. Our raingear was at the ready as the sky and the forecast were less than great looking. However, despite the dire predictions and the dark skies we never rode in any rain today. Bonus!

The ride was quite a pleasant one. The shoulders were 4 to 5 feet wide for the most part and certainly kept us away from the logging trucks and the gravel trucks that passed us all day. The shoulders were broken up at times but we were usually able to dodge the worst parts as we followed the Restigouche and Saumon Rivers to Chaleur Bay. The rest of the day was spent admiring the pinks and the mauve colours of the bay and the sky as the sun tried really hard to make an appearance but to no avail. Of course there were those things called hills that tested our conditioning.

We are camping in Carleton Sur Mur in the Camping de Carleton. The campground is located on a narrow spit of land that goes 3 km out into the Bay. We have a protected site with views of the water from the front and back sides of our tent.

Life really is a beautiful ride!

Daily Distance = 85.43 km. Time on the Bikes = 5 hours 12 minutes. Average Speed = 16.41 km. Maximum Speed = 42.50 km. Wildlife Sightings = Red Tailed Hawk, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Friendly (annoying) Campground Ravens, Black Backed Gulls.

Loaded to Go

Chaleur Bay

Carleton Sur Mur from the Campground

Now For The Rest of the Story

We went for a drive today (planned day off) scouting out the route of tomorrow's opening day ride and the planned accommodation. We then decided it might be a good idea to get the bikes ready for the adventure. We even did a 'shakedown' ride. I am not sure that it should be called that as we only rode 6 km. The day before our West Coast departure we did 65. I guess that is what 3 years will do. By the way, where are you Nanc?

Now for the rest of the story! When we arrived at our accommodation, the Resto Motel Le Riverain in Mann Settlement (8 km before Matapedia), my heart skipped a beat. The Place looked just awful from the outside. Sue looked at me and said "What the heck did you book us into? Did you find another 'cash' deal?" Our experiences with cash transactions in the past had been less than pleasant. I sputtered, "But the reviews were good" while swearing under my breath at booking sites and their reviews. Sue just glared at me. As it has turned out, the place is amazing. The attached restaurant has fabulous food, it is busy, and the rooms upstairs are recently renovated, they are large, and there is even a sitting area with leather furniture and a dining table larger than ours at home. As a bonus we will be able to leave our truck here for the next 2 weeks while we make our way slowly around the Gaspe.

FYI, it rained today. The 'Rainmakers' have arrived! The adventure begins tomorrow for real.

Our First Impression

Our Second Impression

Much Better Inside

One of 12 Covered Bridges We Hope To See

The Rainmakers Return!

Yesterday was an uneventful drive from Owen Sound to Cornwall. We camped out at the Century Motel, a typical 'Ma and Pa' operation on the commercial strip of the city near the US border.

We were on the road by 7:50. And trust me there was not 2 moons in the sky. If there were we certainly would not have saw them. It was rather wet. In fact, it was downright ugly outside the truck as we motored around Montreal and part way to Levis/Quebec City. The temperature varied from 11 degrees to a high of 23 depending on our proximatey to the St. Lawrence River.

It was fun today to re-visit some of the area that we rode through 7 years ago. We again visited the beautiful water front of Rimouski, saw the Onondaga (submarine that we toured before), saw seals sleeping on the rocks at St. Flavie and were dumbfounded at our poor memories of the climbs over the Appalachians. It scared the '$%*&' out of us and that will probably be the flat part of our adventure.

Look out Gaspe, the 'Rainmakers' are here!!!