Day 65 - Terrebonne, QC to Trois Rivière, QC

July 17 (Friday)

Start Time: 6:00 am

Stop Time: 4:00 pm

KM Travelled: 130 km

Elevation: +522/ - 521 m

Special Stuff: Trois Rivières

I start today’s ride by going the wrong direction. Thankfully I stop shortly after I set out and I course correct quickly. Unfortunately 'course correction' is the theme of the day. My Ride with GPS route has me going all over the place - very inefficient travel. I start to doubt my competency with reading maps.

My route takes me through and beside cute little back country towns. I know a town is coming up when I see the shiny tin covered church steeple. There is a lot Christian symbolism around - things like statues and crosses. Many streets and locations are named after saints.

I'm absolutely in love with country rides. I wish I could visit some of the farms and learn more about local farming and country living. Today I see hundreds of acres of potatoes, squash, grapes, and orchards. It looks like some fields of grass and wheat are starting to be harvested. I am no farmer, but it seems that some fields may even be getting readied for a second harvest in the fall. The fourth image below is a field of squash - pretty cool. The fifth (maybe some kind of a bean, but I'm not sure) and last image is a mystery to me.

In Quebec, many people along my ride are expanding their homes or building new ones. There is a lot of construction. I notice the interesting metal used on church steeples is also used on older homes and some newer homes too. It is like the metal is pieced together onto the roof - often in special designs. Some of the older roofs using this metal are quite rusted. Looking at the different metal roofs is interesting when I'm riding along. I've seen so many different kinds of designs and colours - I've even seen one that looks like it might be made of copper (if that is even possible).

I came across one old, well cared for graveyard today in a small community that struck me as very interesting. I realized looking into it, it could easily be a family history book. Families with deep roots in the community can go through the graveyard and learn their family story. What a great way to remember those who came before them!

At some point today, I come across what looks to be an old farm equipment graveyard! The trees are growing in and around the equipment that sits on acres and acres of land. I would never have ventured to wonder where these old dinosaurs end up...and yet, now I know.

As I start to get closer to Trois Rivières a bike rider pulls up beside me on the left hand side - giving me a bit of a scare. He apologizes and stays beside me to have a conversation for several kilometers (not the safest thing to do...but alas, he knows these roads). He’s training for an Iron Man in Ottawa in two weeks (which means he's on his taper (easier workout) weeks - he says that is why he can ride along beside me (the slow poke). He let’s me know that starting today at noon, all construction workers in Quebec legally must go on holidays. This means that it is very likely that construction workers and their families will be out on the road vacationing. This is information I put into my data bank as he bids me farewell and leaves me in the dust.

My main long-release carb for today's ride is a BBQ chicken quesadilla (conveniently cut up into bite-sized triangles). It has turned out to be a great alternative to bread and buns. I'm going to try and switch over to something more like this when I have the materials to make it.

My meandering around the countryside has worn me down a bit today. The temperature is great, but my constant fear of ending up kilometers off course has me stopping often to check if I'm still on the right route. I stop at a store in a little town called St. Barthélemy for a snack. I can't believe how busy this store is. After kilometers of riding and hardly seeing a soul, this place is just hopping! There are many other bikers around - it must be a destination spot for biking.

As I near Trois Rivières, I find myself a little mixed up. The hotel I was thinking to stay at is not where I had expected it would be. I have a few short conversations with strangers - each who shares a bit more information. One tells me about Highway 138 , "The King's Road" - he says I will likely take this to get to Quebec City. Another says I still have a ways to get into Trois Rivières - I realize I should just stick with the map I've made on my Ride with GPS app.

As I approach downtown Trois Rivières, I get what all the fuss is about with this town! It is awesome - and definitely like going back in time. Apparently it is the second oldest French speaking city in North America - established in 1634. I would love to come back to explore it some more.

Getting a hotel room after a long ride is exhausting. I go to one hotel, and this time 'the person behind the wall' says I'm "outta luck" (I wonder what they talk about behind that wall). I ask for a recommendation to other hotels close by. I call one and am lucky, they have a room for me. I decide to walk my bike the one kilometer to the hotel. On my walk, a middle-aged man, who only speaks French, communicates to me how he loves biking and I can tell he's very happy to see me with my bike fully loaded. Even in my fatigued state I'm so happy he shared this with me, it is great to see him beaming with joy.

After a quick shower, I'm off to get some dinner and to stock up and get ready for tomorrow's ride. I secure a Subway sandwich (the only easily accessible option) and have fun speaking broken French with the sandwich ladies who laugh while speaking their broken English.

I make a stop in a little artsy store on the way back to my hotel and I score a new "wallet" (a small cloth bag that zips) and some beaded earrings with orange in them (like my bike).

What a great stop in Trois Rivières. I will be back again one day.