Montreal to Trois-Rivieres
150 km
Sunny, muggy, (26 degrees, 32 with humidex)
Negligeable winds
And I have never felt
Quite this close to hell
All this rock and roll baby
Only time will tell
But we're young now, having fun now
On the town now, get around now
It's fine for now
But someday we'll settle down
But not now baby
Smoke baby, smoke baby
More alcohol baby
Cocaine in Montreal
And back out on the road baby
Who gave you time to cry?
Who gave you time to find yourself?
I slept very well, and felt quite rested in the morning, even though I didn't get a full eight hours. As you guys know, I need all the beauty sleep I can get. But, I got up at a reasonable hour (9:30 or so), and had breakfast at the hostel.
Hey, apparently, the MTL hostel is ranked 3rd in the world. I believe it – showers in every room, and they probably do a hell of a job with the social/entertainment stuff.
When I was loading up the gear on the bike, I notice this guy lugging his bags outside. He was another cyclist. He had tons of stuff, I was quite surprised (see pictures in Picasa). Thurston, from Switzerland, already rode a bunch of countries in Europe, before starting in St. John's on his way to Vancouver. Neat guy. I also met Shawn, from California, who came to Montreal to visit and ride a bit. He's new with touring, and was just testing a few things. He rode to Quebec City (with a pack sack and some panniers), took the train back, and will probably do a few more jaunts in the area.
Before heading out of town, I did more sight-seeing by bike. Montreal is quite nice, I could probably survive here.
The ride today was quite nice. Very flat though. The slight cross-wind breeze was nice, as it came from the Fleuve (what's the English word for it?) and would bring some cool air. Unfortunately, the road deviated from the shorelines for probably a third of the ride. But, super nice scenery while I was riding it. It'll be what I'll be seeing (from either my left, or my right) for the next 8 days or so. The route will lead me to the Atlantic Ocean, until I go through the mainland again and yo-yo back to it.
I am now at the campground just on the Eastern edge of Trois-Rivieres (there is not actually 3 rivers here, but two – the name comes from the original belief that there was 3 rivers – they were just fooled). I was hoping to get in for free, but there was still someone at the gate when I got here. I tried to kill lots of time downtown (food shopping, tourist information centre) to increase my chances of sneaking in. Nope, no luck. Plus, the guy that was there is the same dopy guy who was here last year. He is definitely a few fries short of a happy meal.
Supper was by the Fleuve. There was a patio on the beach, where I just took a table and brought it to the edge to prepare and eat my meal. On the menu: Capicolo ham, with garden vegetable havarti cheese, on whole wheat bread, with some honey mustard. Four of those sandwiches, with some chocolate milk, was plenty for supper.
I then proceeded to go for a dip in the cold waters. I went to my waist, but couldn't dip my trunk in it. I'm a chicken with cold water. Shower was next, followed by charging the mp3 while writing this entry. Next step – the campsite (right in the middle of tons of ferns), where there was lots of mosquitoes, to set up the tent and relax a bit before crashing for the evening.
Voila, short entry. I'll try to keep them short. I have a feeling that Quebec City itself will be a bit longer entry, but the days preceding it will be very short.
Bonne nuit (bonne journee). Tere paevast, paikesepaiste.
p2
Introduction
Allo, hello, tere,
Some old lines/puns: Pierre qui roule, rock and roll, the rolling stone (gathers no dust).
Who: Pierre, Ottawa (ON)
What: Cross Canada travel.
When: After a few days rest in Tofino, British Columbia at the beginning of May, 2008, hit the road around the 4th. The 1st time-based goal is to arrive in Ottawa in mid June, race in a 24-hour mountain bike competition, and head back on the road a few days later. Finish the trip in St. John's, Newfoundland, at the end of July, 2008, before returning home to Ottawa to start being an adult again.
Where: Canada, West to East, via Toronto, Ontario. Detours: Val Gagné and Manitoulin Island (ON), Gaspé region (QC), and Cape Breton (NS).
Why: Visit this beautiful (and fairly big) nation of ours. See family and friends. Taste the cuisine of different parts of the country and enjoy the various beers and wine along the way. Experience anything the villages and cities along the way have to showcase. Lose 50 pounds and be buff.
How: By bicycle (her nickname: Dzie, pronounced D-Zie).
Extras: According to mapquest, a drive from tip to tip (via Toronto) would be 7710 km (85 hours of driving, 2 ferries). A flight would only be 5400 km (9 hours flight time, with switching planes 2 times).
* I do occasionally feel I am following the footsteps of a few great ones (whom I've also had the honour of riding with), who have done this trip in the past - Al, and especially Tanya. I do hope that I can bring in some new pics, new stories, and not rehash stuff that those amazing folks have done before me.
** I imagine I'll be a bit lonely at times throughout the trip, where I highly request and encourage comments from you guys. It'll be my way of having some conversations with you. I'll try to update the blog every few days.
Disclaimer: Most of you guys know me. In my posts, there will probably be a mixture of bizarre stories, silly jokes (like the weight-losing bit a few instances before), some references to music lyrics and movie lines. I will do my best to entertain, but sometimes, I might miss the mark on being funny or entertaining (hopefully not though).
Posting messages: Readers with a gmail/blogger account - you know what to do. Readers who do not: post a comment as anonymous (but put your name at the bottom of the comment please). The occasional personal messages can be sent to pierre.l.perron@gmail.com
Ciao,
p2
Some old lines/puns: Pierre qui roule, rock and roll, the rolling stone (gathers no dust).
Who: Pierre, Ottawa (ON)
What: Cross Canada travel.
When: After a few days rest in Tofino, British Columbia at the beginning of May, 2008, hit the road around the 4th. The 1st time-based goal is to arrive in Ottawa in mid June, race in a 24-hour mountain bike competition, and head back on the road a few days later. Finish the trip in St. John's, Newfoundland, at the end of July, 2008, before returning home to Ottawa to start being an adult again.
Where: Canada, West to East, via Toronto, Ontario. Detours: Val Gagné and Manitoulin Island (ON), Gaspé region (QC), and Cape Breton (NS).
Why: Visit this beautiful (and fairly big) nation of ours. See family and friends. Taste the cuisine of different parts of the country and enjoy the various beers and wine along the way. Experience anything the villages and cities along the way have to showcase. Lose 50 pounds and be buff.
How: By bicycle (her nickname: Dzie, pronounced D-Zie).
Extras: According to mapquest, a drive from tip to tip (via Toronto) would be 7710 km (85 hours of driving, 2 ferries). A flight would only be 5400 km (9 hours flight time, with switching planes 2 times).
* I do occasionally feel I am following the footsteps of a few great ones (whom I've also had the honour of riding with), who have done this trip in the past - Al, and especially Tanya. I do hope that I can bring in some new pics, new stories, and not rehash stuff that those amazing folks have done before me.
** I imagine I'll be a bit lonely at times throughout the trip, where I highly request and encourage comments from you guys. It'll be my way of having some conversations with you. I'll try to update the blog every few days.
Disclaimer: Most of you guys know me. In my posts, there will probably be a mixture of bizarre stories, silly jokes (like the weight-losing bit a few instances before), some references to music lyrics and movie lines. I will do my best to entertain, but sometimes, I might miss the mark on being funny or entertaining (hopefully not though).
Posting messages: Readers with a gmail/blogger account - you know what to do. Readers who do not: post a comment as anonymous (but put your name at the bottom of the comment please). The occasional personal messages can be sent to pierre.l.perron@gmail.com
Ciao,
p2
Friday, June 27, 2008
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2 comments:
hey P2,
pour la Gaspésie, passe-tu par rimouski, matane, ste-Anne des Monts... et ensuite vers gaspé et percé?
avant Rimouski, il y a le Bic et St-Fabien qui sont charmants. Si tu peux camper au Bic, c'est un très beau camping. Matane, c'est joli, il y a beaucoup d'artisants.
MJ
p.s. as-tu encore mon lock de bicycle et si oui, ou c qui serait?
j'viens de lire ton post de Medicine Hat avec Pascale Picard.
Long post, mais intense. Loved it.
MJ
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