Day 43 - Quebec a Baie St-Paul

Quebec a Baie St-Paul
105 km
Overcast, negligeable winds.

(photos up, click on the title of the entry)

New record – I climbed my steepest hill today (with full gear too). Twenty four percent, for 400 metres. Nice. I was going to write about it later, but I might as well do it now. It was steep. My front end, even though it has a front pannier on it, was bobbing at time from me pulling so hard. There was one kicker that almost made me stand still, but I had to just push it through. Fun, really fun. I had to slalom twice – but only because the first time I was surprised by a tiny little wheelie, and the second time due to bad road in front so I had to go around. It would have been nice to have someone there to see that. Gilles, wish you were on the ride, man.

When the alarm clock went off, I reset it for 45 minutes later. I slowly got out of bed the second time it went off. But, the day started alright. I ate at a Belgian restaurant. The breakfast consisted of a raspberry and crème anglaise crepe, with a side order of bacon and fruits. After finishing packing, I left the hotel to go to MEC and got what I needed (the tent repair kit).

Out of town wasn't a bad ride. I was expecting rain and unfavourable windy conditions the whole way, so I was ready for what Mother Nature had to throw at me. Raining it was, and the wind in my face was there. For the route, I was able to find a path that led me fairly safely to the Montmorency Falls, and to the 360 route I wanted. From there, I would see probably 10 more small falls, as that road is at the base of a big long cliff. It would be there that I would find that 24 % hill (near Ste-Anne de Beaupre). I really enjoyed that route through those small towns, plus I felt like I was sheltered from the wind. The rain settled a bit, reduced to a fine dirzzle.

In Ste-Anne de Beaupre, it was a nice little spot to have a small lunch (honey sandwiches and banana). There were many churches (3, that I could see) for that small town, and a building with the name of “Cyclorama de Jerusalem”. What does that mean?

I almost continued the 360 to/through Mont Ste-Anne, but wanted to see the sign for “7 to 10 % for the next 7 km” on the 138. I got a few pics of hill grades, but not the overall one that I was hoping for. But, I did get one that was even better. The rain stopped at that moment, but it was still fairly humid.

Right out of town, the climbing started. Nice. I was grinning lots. I really enjoy climbing. I guess I like the struggle. The hills kept on coming, one after the other. Seven percent, 8, 10. Sweet. There were little interludes in between (flat, or just a bit of a downhill), but the general tone was uphill. Near the summit, there was a bus crashed into the ditch on the other side. That was weird. They were just pulling it out with a massive tow-truck. More upward trekking, and the fog started getting thicker and thicker. You could not see beyond 75 to 100 metres (even the cars with lights on). I figured it would be a weird downhill once I reach the top.

Just a while later, I reached the top. Something like 677 metres. While checking my photos at supper, I accidentally erased the picture I wanted of the summit. Dang. It was foggy. It might have been a fine mist actually, as my skin had a small white layer of water, and the occasional drip would fall from my helmet or the mirror. That was neat, something I've never experienced before.

The top. There was around 20 k left, and the sign had something pretty nice to announce me “7-10% grade for the next 20 km”. Nice. It would be a sweet ride into town, the destination for the day. But, what was misleading was that it's not all downhill – there was a nice uphill (7-8% for a km) in there. No worries. I still did the last 20 k in just about 30 minutes. Apoptigma Berzerk was the choice music for that descent. I put on my arm warmers, zipped up my jersey, and looked for a guy on the side of the road to hand out newspapers so I can throw them in my jersey. The latter didn't happen. It was a cool ride down.

In town, I went straight to the Microbrasserie Charlevoix. Oh god, it's like an angel crying on my tongue. I am writing this while taking a break between my two deserts. I just want to stay here for a while. I do have another 5 k left before I hit the campground, but I might just look around to see if there's a spot to pitch my tent for the evening. I dont really care for a shower tonight, and I can charge up my stuff later somewhere. Truthfully, I want to save a few bucks (even though I'll probably spend a bit here at the meal). Quebec City, with the hostel, the beers, and the food, did cost me a bit. Side note – Quebec City also made a nice positive impression on me. I would like to spend more time there.

Ok. Food for tonight. I started with the beer and oninon cream au gratin with migneron cheese soup. Quite lovely. What followed was the pear and quail terrine served with carrot and ginger marmalade. I slapped that stuff on the bread they served. That marmalade was quite tasty. The main course was tough to chose from. There was a few different choices, but the lovely Jessie took one of my suggestions and said that it was one of the specialties, so I had it. It was the red deer steak served with a fruit sauce, Greek potatoes, and vegetables (entire roasted red pepper, a zuccini, and something else). Quite lovely.

For beers. Well, I started, with the sampler. It consisted of their Premium Lager, then the Premium Lager Red, followed by the Dominus Vobiscum Blanche, and concluded with the Bootlegger Brown Ale. All very different, but quite tasty. They were about 3 oz each. I still had three more to taste, but they came in 500 ml bottles. So, one at a time, I had them. It was the Vache folle to start (6% alcohol), a tasty and bitter beer (probably my preferred of the evening). The Dominus Vobiscum Triple (9%) followed. Nice, very flavourful, bold, and surprisingly not too heavy. While awaiting desert number two, I was enjoying the Dominus Vobiscum Double, a darker, yet strong (9%) beer. Now, I forgot to take a picture of the taster, so I might just order another round of that to get the picture. The things I go through for you guys.

I must say that sitting here, after desert, it is such a nice feeling. I think it gives me a time to just relax a bit, and let a few things soak in. Hell, there could be someone on my mind too. Hell, it could be the amount of beer I just consumed. Whatever it is, I'll really enjoy it for the time being. Did I ever tell you I am one lucky bumhole?

Desert. First, I had the Migneron mousse cheese cake. It was extremely light, but full of flavour. The second desert is their own warmed tarte au sucre (sugar pie) made with beer. It just arrived, so I will take a quick (well, not that quick) little break.....

Sweet, very nice. Lovely. I just got a nice tip from Jessie the waitress on where to stay for the night. I was thinking I would head out of town to the campsite, but I will settle for a spot in the back of a school, but she recommended an even nicer place. So, after I settle up, and have another tester, I will head there for the night and retire. But, I think I'll have more beer before I head out...

As for the blog entry, I will call it a night now, wish you a swell day, and will catch up in the next entry.

So long, from the wandering, lucky bastard,

p2
(sorry for the longish entry). I will really try to keem them shorter for the next few days. Nothing major is expected, expect for the most Eastern in Quebec that I'd ever go – that takes one line, and I already wrote it.

Another addition to the entry. When I finished the tester thing, so 4x 3 oz of different beers, it started raining. So, after a bathroom break, I gave it some time to cool. Just a bit later, it started to pour again, so I waited. What does a guy do when he waits? Answer – he orders another beer. So, another pint. Tonight, I consumed 1.5 litres, plus 24 oz of samplers (how much is that in mL – that's not a rhetorical question), plus another pint (20 oz). How many ml is that for tonight? Let's see if I'll have another pint to sample the milk stout, I didn't see that on the menu, so I didn't know if it existed until AFTER I ordered my last pint. Oops, should of spoken up before I ordered.

Later (again),

p2