Day 46 - Metis-sur-mer to Mont St-Pierre

Metis-sur-mer to Mont St-Pierre
189 km, sunny
Winds – calm (and occasionally cool)
headwind at first, then crosswind from the St. Laurence

(pics will be up very soon, with comments – right after I am done my poutine. 8:20 pm, safe and sound somewhere, and now clean + dry. New entry by midnight or the morning.)

Another day of very pleasant riding. The start of the day was on those nice shoulders of new pavement. It was nice scenery (same as yesterday) until Matane. I wanted a little snack in town, so I found a nice cantine to have a poutine. It was one of the better ones I've had in a long while. It gave me a chance to check my email and update the blog. I also got gas there (for the stove). For the first part, it took me a while to feel the rhythm. It was also oe of those days that I wanted to meet another cyclist on the road to have some company. But, the best would have been to have one of you guys here with me for the ride. But, I'll settle for sharing my story with you via this little computer thingy.

Outside of Matane, right to St.-Anne-des-Monts, the shoulders disappeared, and the roads became very rough. The scenery was hit (same as yesterday) or miss (nothing spectacular). In St-Anne-des-Monts, I had lunch (late afternoon), and met a couple from the Netherlands – Erik and Angela (hard G). They have toured many counties: Thailand, Turkey, a lot of Europe, New Zealand, all Canada. They decided to return to this area to do some more touring. I wonder why.... (being sarcastic). They informed me that the nicest part was coming up (of the day, that is). They were right.

I had around 50 k left before I got to one of the destinations I chose. The shoulders came back (sometimes they were wider than the car lanes), which made for mindless biking. I just ended staring all over the place. With slight little hills, winding roads that hugged the St. Laurence (literally – the only thing between the water and the road was a barrier and some rocky beaches), and huge cliffs (walls, to be more precise) to my right, it was magical. It is completely different scenery that I've ever encountered on a bike. Spectacular. I tried to capture stuff on film, and I even took a video or two to see if I could do it justice. My next step is to organize a bike trip with you guys here so you can experience it.

Got to Mont St-Pierre just when the sun finished setting. I did find something quite interesting in town that I'll have to check out tomorrow. Since I left a day in advance, and made up some time in the past 2 days, I am now 2 days ahead of schedule. I wanted to do that so I could somehow make the trip to PEI. I took the time to look at the map, the schedule, and some specific sites to hit so I can plan my days up ahead. I had scheduled 2 rest days coming up, but I am going to play with that a bit. We'll see.

Miscellaneous:

I forgot to write in the entry yesterday that I officially entered the Gaspe Region.

Since MTL, I've ridden “la route du roy”, then “la route du vin”, followed by “la route du fleuve”, then “la route de la baleine”, and eventually “la route de gaspe” (I cant recall exactly if I am correct on the latter, but it's close).

My left hand numbness has disappeared (around Quebec City), so back to normal. The right hand strength (pincer grasp) is up to 50 % of the left, so it is improving. Adduction of the index finger is maybe 25 % of where it should be.

Shifting gears on the bike is not an issue anymore – things feel normal. So, Dawg, I can't name the bike “shifty”. The bike's name is Lindsay. It was not my first choice, but I'll save that name for the next road bike. The other suggestions didn't cut it. No, ma, I ain't naming a bike after you – that would be too weird.

The rear wheel is holding up quite fine. It wasn't 100 % perfect (maybe 95%) when I built it, but at 4 am, it was good enough. It hasn't budged since I left Ottawa. I guess I have to trust my wheel building. The dishing is a bit off, but I'll fix that when I get to Moncton where I can have access to a trueing stand.

Getting out of Quebec City, I stopped at BK for a small meal. I didn't feel like fries, so I had onion rings instead. She asked “would you like honey with that?” I asked “For what?” She said “For the onion rings”. I agreed to try it out. Not bad. I alternated between the honey and the usual ketchup.

You know what they put on French fries in Quebec instead of ketchup?
What?
Mayonnaise.
Damn! [laughter]
I've seen them do it, man. They f*ckin' drown them in that sh*t.
(you know what movie that is from...)

p2