The weather gods smile on us

I just noticed that this page failed to publish two days ago, so I am trying again.

How are we so fortunate?  We left our lovely inn at Roberval yesterday morning in brilliant sunshine, albeit with predictions of showers, and rode 56 miles around the lake to Dolbeau-Mistassin.  The predicted showers didn't arrive until late at night, and this morning we arose very early, expecting rain but greeted with another beautiful day.  Today's ride, a bit long at 85 miles, also took us to some of the loveliest scenery we have encountered.  Our route went through a national park on Lac de St. Jean which is accessible only on foot or bicycle.  Bicycle is recommended this time of year, as it allows you to stay ahead of the mosquitoes. 

     Our route around the the lake is the Blueberry Loop.  It is a little early for blueberries, so for us it the Greenberry Loop.

     This lovely rapids was right behind our motel last night. 

    We decorated the other side of the building with drying laundry.

When in Rome...   I tried poutine, Classic French-Canadian junk food--French fries, gravy, and cheese curds.  As I feared, I loved it.  Of course, most anything tastes good after a long ride. 

   On the trail through the woods. 

    Going over the bike causeway into the park.

Into the North Woods

Yes, we have been in the North Woods all along, but yesterday and today on the north shore of the Saguenay River, which is much less settled, we really felt we were in the northern wilderness.  Yesterday we had a ride of about 36 miles, not too exciting until we made our final turn.  Our last seven kilometers, which felt like seven miles, were down a hilly dirt road which had very recently been regraveled.  I had walk much of the way, as the skinny tires on my bike are not made for such treatment.  The trip was worth it, as we were rewarded with an afternoon and evening of incredible views of sky and water at the Cap de L'Este.

Today was the best biking day so far.  Not too many hills, a tailwind, pine trees, rocky cliffs, and sparkling water were with us for most of a 57 mile tide to Tadoussac.  We have a day off tomorrow to enjoy this beautiful village where the Saguenay flows into the St. Lawrence.

  

    Heading up the gravel road

    Returning to the main road this morning, crammed into Ken's truck

     One of many beautiful views that made the trek in worthwhile.

    I guess I never get tired of trees, water, and bikes.

     The cliffs are wonderful, too.

    The harbor at Tadoussac

    And of course, why we bike!

Two long rides

Last night I was too tired to compose a posting.  While some of this is undoubtedly due to a 54 mile ride to Chicoutimi with a few very serious hills on the way, I did have enough energy to take a 3 mile walk after dinner to find an ice cream cone.  There appears to be a serious shortage of ice cream shops up in this part of Quebec.  When we were in L'Anse St. Jean for two days, I thought that maybe I should consider opening a stand there, as only ice cream you could buy was pints in the supermarket.  Today I decided that a chain of shops might be in order.  We biked 76 miles and did not see a single ice cream shop!

In spite of this serious oversight, I have not been starving.  All of the pastry that has crossed my path has been excellent.  After fresh raspberry pie last night and homemade blueberry pie tonight, I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings.  Vegetarians should stop reading here.  Main courses have featured a lot of game.  I had a delicious venison steak with blueberry sauce the other night but did not try the wapiti (elk) sausage.  Tonight, at a delightful bed and breakfast, our hostess prepared a tourtière, a kind of meat pie which tonight included rabbit.  It reminded me a bit of Cornish pasties one can occasionally find in mining communities in Wisconsin.  

On Sunday, it took us about 50 minutes to ride 5 miles, up a seemingly unending series of very steep hills.  The pay- off came when I coasted almost 2 1/2 miles down without pedaling at all.  Today's 72 mile ride to Roberval was beautiful, frequently in sight of rivers or lakes.  However, the trails tended to be slow, we did get lost, in the process meeting some very nice people who helped us get unlost, and we had a headwind for about the last 15 miles.  We were on the road almost 9 1/2 hours, which is an unusually long day for us.  Fortunately, the place where we are staying, right on Lac St. Jean, is wonderful, and I quickly felt much restored.  I think I am back in bike trip gear now.

  

  

    

    

A day on the water

It's been nice to have two nights in the same location. Of course it doesn't hurt that the views are wonderful, the food is great, and the inn is delightful.  The inn has porches running along two sides of the house, an indoor staircase and many outdoor stairs, and all the rooms have both an interior and exterior door.  I can't imagine a better place for a wild game of hide and seek.
The days slow down when you travel at bike speed and slower.  I had a wonderful walk in the woods this morning, enjoying it all except the mosquitoes.  Can you spot the green heron on a log in the water?

We spent the afternoon in kayaks exploring a small bit of the fjord we are on.  The views from the kayak are only in my mind, as I didn't risk taking my phone on the water.  While the cliffs here are not as dramatic as those in Norway, due to slower moving glaciers that rounded things off more, we were impressed to learn that the water is up to 300 meters deep!  The fjord is more than 30 miles long, so we will get other views of it as we continue our ride.

   

 

 

     

               

A change of scenery

We headed northwest today, going up the Saguenay River, and suddenly everything is different. We traded tailwinds and gently rolling hills for real north woods, along with some good climbs.  I think the steepest grade was 12 percent, which may be a new record for me, and the longest climb was about 2 1/4 miles.  Only 45 miles today, but we appreciated them all.  We knew we were being spoiled on the first few days!

Our destination today was the lovely little town of L'Anse St. Jean.  We have a rest day tomorrow to explore what are known as the fjords of the river.  The scenery is not as dramatic as the Norwegian fjords, but are definitely worth an explore.
I thought of ee cummings descriptions of blue true dreams of sky today.
We are staying at a lovely auberge, which has many staircases and balconies.  It would be great for hide and seek.  It also has an excellent restaurant, so all in all, a fine place for a two night visit.

   

   

Foxes, farms, and fine scenery

We had a short ride today, with our friendly tailwind taking us 29 miles down the St. Lawrence to Rivière du Loup, where we took a ferry across the river to Saint Simeon.   This gave us plenty of time to stop at a Tim Horton's, Canada's version of Dunkin' Donuts.  While the doughnut didn't compare in quality to some of fine pastry I have been sampling, it is considerably better than its US equivalent.
Along the way, we saw this little fox, looking scared in a parking lot.  We are following Route Verte 1, which has great road signs which give us the freedom to ignore our cue sheets.
After our 1 1/4 hour ferry ride, we climbed a steep to hill to a motel with tiny rooms and great views.

      This kittle fellow was hanging around the parking area of a campground, clearly not fazed by visitors.  

   

Blowin' in the Wind

We blew up the eastern shore of the St. Lawrence today, 60 miles from Montmagny to Kamouraska, with a tailwind of about 30 mph.  Great as it made today's ride, we know we have to ride the other direction next week.  We can only hope the wind will have blown itself out.

I have to correct yesterday's posting, as I said we are riding up river.  Since we are heading for the mouth of the St. Lawrence at the moment, we are going down river.  Tomorrow when we cross the St. Lawrence and head northwest, we will be going up the Saguenay River, heading toward its source.  

In addition to wonderful scenery, with lots of yellow fields that may or may not be flax, we came upon lots of fun and funny roadside art as we rolled along today.  Maybe the long winters inspire such creativity.  Our day ended on a fine note as well, with a modern dance concert at the waterfront.  The setting was magnificent, as the sun sank into a cloud bank across the water and seagulls soared overhead while the dancers imitated birds.