Just rolling along

We were back to real riding today, 46 miles from Gaspe to Perce.  It felt good to go a distance,especially the stretches where the hills were rolling gently.  The steep stretch today was just about 4 miles, followed by a mile of screaming descent.  I'm doing much better on braking, as my max speed was only 33 mph.

Starting out on a fine trail.

We have come around the Bay of Gaspe and are now looking over at Land's End, where we hiked last Friday.

An artist's private sculpture garden along the road.

First time we've seen a grade this high.

About to roll into town.

An excellent raspberry treat after the ride.  We're here two more days, and the pastry shop is right down the street!

Perce Rock at sunset.

Two museums

Nancy Wright, who plans our trips, always does a great job, but this year she has been exceptional in laying out routes that give us the opportunity and time to take advantage of sights along the way.  On Sunday, we only rode 16 miles from Cap d'Ous to Gaspe.  We set out about 9 a.m. and arrived at our destination about 4 p.m.  And we missed one of the stops along the way.  I'm trying to figure out how five of us failed to see a World War II bunker.

We did manage to find the Mic Mac Interpretive Site, where we spent a couple of hours learning about this First Nations tribe, as Native Americans define themselves in Canada, and how they lived in the 17th century.  It was one of the best of such places I've ever seen.  From there we went on the Museum of the Gaspesie to get the white man's point of view.  That museum had a great exhibit on the development of tourism in the region.  I grew up with stories of the dirt roads my mother drove on here in the 1930's, so it was great fun to see old movies of travel in that era.  We also read part of a biker's journal from 1945, full of comments about mud and haversacks, a far cry from our trip.

"By the shining big sea water..."

This wigwam would have been a summer home for 10-12 people.

Our guide explaining a bear trap.

Georgia O'Keeffe on sky and water in the Gaspesie.

A contemporary take on the water and cliffs of the Gaspesie.

Forillon National Park

Our ride for Friday, July 28, was laid out as 16 miles from L'Anse de Griffon to Cape des Os. Figuring that we had plenty of time to play, we ended up with 30 miles on our bikes, at least 5 miles of hiking, and late to supper.  Our first stop was Cap des Rosiers, at the tallest lighthouse in Canada.  It is the tallest because a lighthouse was needed on a very low, albeit rocky, point of land.  From there we entered the National Park, and seeing signs for a walk to a waterfall, made another pleasant detour.  We continued in the park, and instead of turning right to our hostel, went left to go further into the park.  We rode our bikes as far as we could on paved road, then stopped and hiked out to the point known as Land's End.  Most of the group were not quite this ambitious and got to the hostel in plenty of time to prepare dinner for us.  There was even a beer waiting for me.

Saturday was a day off the bikes.  Most of the group went out on a morning whale watch.  Fortunately, it was a lovely day to be on the water and fun to see from water places we had reached by land the previous day, as we didn't have much luck spotting whales.  We saw from a distance the blows from great blue whales and caught a glimpse of one diving, but that was about it.  It did give me pause to think that there were likely three or four 100 foot long creatures swimming in the general vicinity of our boat.

We stayed the two nights in a former school that had been converted into a tourist hostel.  This place was a far cry from the hostels of my student days.  I had a room to myself, although the bathroom was across the hall.  We used a very well equipped kitchen to prepare our meals and had comfortable dining and relaxation areas at our disposal.  As we are a congenial group, it is nice to have great common space.  

First lighthouse of the day.

We climbed up to the light.

Waterfall worth the walk.

Along the hike to Land's End.

Second lighthouse of the day.  This one is short because it is perched on a high cliff.

Where are the whales?

Another view of the Gaspe lighthouse at Land's End.

    

More climbing

July 27 was our toughest riding so far, 48 miles from Grand Vallee to L'Anse de Griffon, with over 4000 feet of climbing.  My maximum speed registered 43 mph on a downhill, so I hope my odometer was wrong.  I've been practicing getting into a better position for braking on steep down hills, but looks like I should have been using it more.  

I wish we had signs like this at home.

Almost all the way up a long climb.

Reward time.  I started eating without remembering to take a picture.

More roadside art.

Views from the motel at L'Anse de Griffon.

Into the cliffs

On July 26, we rode 36 miles from Mont St. Pierre to Grand Vallee.  The first 26 miles were the easy riding, hugging the coast, that has spoiled us so far on this trip.  The final ten miles were quite another story.  Instead of riding around the base of the cliffs, we went over or through them, with some very steep hills.  I've always contended that it is mind over matter when going up hills, but on these hills,  matter won, as I hopped off my bike and walked occasionally, at about the same speed I had been riding.

We are still on the coast, feeling invincible.

Today's lighthouse looks a little tired.

After the hills!

Nice view from our motel.

Flying high

A few technical difficulties with phone and WiFi have kept me from posting, but I will try to catch up as I can.  We are in such a beautiful part of the world, and the weather gods continue to shine on us. I keep thinking that a combination of Big Sur and the Maine coast begins to describe this area, but it has its own special charm. 

July 25 was another easy day of riding, 33 miles from Ste. Anne des Monts to Mont St. Pierre, which is a major hang gliding center in this region.  We took a bus up a steep dirt road to the take-off spot, both to enjoy the view and to watch people run off the edge of the cliff.

Lighthouse at La Martre, high on a cliff.

Take off!

Soft landing, I hope.

Great view from the launch site. 

Driftwood, tall ships, blue skies

Yesterday we had to pedal a bit more on a 62 mile ride from Matane to Ste. Anne des Monts, as the favorable winds weren't quite enough to blow us up a few bigger hills.  Good training for what is to come.  Today we are enjoying a rest day, exploring the small town, doing laundry, and watching tall ships sailing down the river to the ocean.  We just saw three under sail, too far out for photos, but great to view with binoculars.

Driftwood sculpture, offering a variety of subject matter, is a popular local art form.

We needed the hills to earn our crepes and bowls of cafe au lait.

Susan nearing the top of a good climb.

Sunset view outside our auberge.

We asked this couple for a suggestion of a place to eat, and they drove us to their favorite delicatessen.

Here's a few of the smoked fish offerings.  I am now an aficionado of cold smoked salmon.

And another mammoth church, this time a back view.

I met this fellow at the local aquarium.

Perfect biking day-- for riding northeast

Clear blue sky, temperature in the 60's, a 20 mile tailwind, and great sights along the way.  We rode 37 miles from Sainte Flavie to Matane, barely pedaling, and I think my average speed is a new record high.

We stopped at an auberge/ art exhibit and then at Les Jardins de Métis early in the day when the winds were calmer, then blew up the coast for what may be my best ever biking day.

Strange creatures from the sea.

These photos are all from exhibits at the International garden festival at Metis,

Sorry about the underlining, but my iPad seems to be determined to give me no other option.

The view from the cafe where I ate lunch.

Lucky birds.

Fish restaurant/store where we ate dinner.  I'm loving all the great seafood.