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Category: quebec bike tour (Page 2 of 3)

Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 4

~The daily account of a 6 day Bike Tour from Burlington, Vermont to Quebec City, Canada~

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu to Sorel-Tracy – 61 miles

Today, we leave Auberge Harris and Madame Boutin  behind. Madame came out to see us off and to give us a map of cycling in the area, and a map case which attaches to the handlebar of the bike. A nice souvenir and very thoughtful of her.  She is an icon in bicycling advocacy here, I wish we had someone like her in my area.

Madame Boutin, Auberge Harris

Getting out of town was easier than getting in yesterday. The traffic was light and the temperatures cool. I should mention that we rode in and out on marked bike paths which are part of the street – i.e., a complete street. Complete Streets is a program in the U.S. aimed at getting our roads to work for everyone – young and old, cyclists, pedestrians, the disabled and drivers. What I realized as we rode from town to town this week, is that Quebec is one big example of the complete street philosophy.

This is about the time I started noticing for sale signs on homes and thinking as we rode by cute and quaint house after house, I could live here. Turns out Mark was doing the same thing.

Still going for that LA look with the socks. (Sojourn photo)

We made our way along the bike path that follows the Chambly Canal just as we did yesterday afternoon.  It was even more picturesque today since the sun wasn’t beating down and the wind wasn’t blowing.

The bike path also takes you past several locks on the way to Fort Chambly.

Lock along Chambly Canal (Google Earth-wimzip)

We arrived at Fort Chambly at 31 miles.  It had been an easy ride thus far – we even had a nice tailwind.  Much deserved after yesterday!  We parked our bikes and took a quick look inside the Fort.  Fort Chambly was built in 1711 to serve as protection against British invasion.

Fort Chambly (HistoricLakes.org)

We posed for a group picture (taken multiple times – with every one’s cameras) and individual/couple pictures.  What a photogenic group!

Still smiling and having fun!
Joshua & Mark – our fearless leaders!
Richelieu River at Fort Chambly

We refilled our water bottles, stocked up on goodies, then headed to a local bike shop for socks for me.  I still had the sunburn/rach despite all the sunscreen I was using. I picked up a pair of socks and more sunscreen and we were off.  The bike shop didn’t sell sunscreen but the guy that worked there gave me lots of sample sized tubes – what a nice guy – cool bikes too.  I love bike shops – my favorite kind of shopping.  No time for that now, there were miles to cover.

P1000382
We may look lost, but we’re not. Really.

Our ride took us along the river and through small villages and towns, it was a pretty ride.  We stopped for a Sojourn picnic lunch at Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu.

I was slowly learning not to eat so much at lunch because it made the afternoon ride too hard.  Overall the days got easier the more we rode.  Strangely, I felt better after day 4 for instance, then I did after days 1 and 2.  I could tell from the information from the Garmin Edge that I wasn’t working too hard – at least cardiovascular wise – my legs and butt had a different opinion.

Today was another day of riding through quaint towns and beautiful scenery – bucolic you might say.  Although we didn’t stop often to take pictures, I couldn’t pass this one by.

The Chateau Saint Antoine
Susan & Bruce
Lisa & Jerry

Just before we got into Sorel, we stopped for ice cream.  Nothing like ice cream to cool you off.

It was wonderful riding from town to town in Quebec. The majority of time we were on good roads, often on marked paths, but whether we were on a path or on the road the drivers accommodated us. No horns, no yelling, only waves.  Even in the larger towns or cities like Sorel it didn’t feel dangerous to ride. It was busy and there was a lot of traffic, but drivers accommodated cyclists. There are lots of reasons it would be nice to live in Canada, the ease and civility toward cyclists is just another.

For the day, I rode 61 miles, avg. speed of 15.1  Another fun day on the bike!

Read on:  Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 5


Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 3

~The daily account of a 6 day Bike Tour from Burlington, Vermont to Quebec City, Canada – 2010~
Loop Ride from Saint- Jean – sur – Richelieu – 58 miles

Today, we had the extra bonus of not having to pack up all of our stuff – we were staying at the Auberge Harris for two nights.  A big deal, let me tell you.
On typical days, we had to have our luggage down and meet for breakfast at 8am.  We would meet for our morning pre-ride briefing – describing where the most bucolic parts of the ride would be that day – about 8:45am.  We would get on the road, generally around 9:15am.  There was a lot to do to get a group of our size and our stuff, plus our bikes and needs for the ride (energy drinks, bars, and god knows what else) together each day.  The phrase herding cats comes to mind.  Kudos to Joshua and Mark for making everything but the pedaling – painless.

Back to the ride.  Today was a loop ride, we left the Auberge and returned to the Auberge 58 miles/6 hours later.

Madame Boutin, Auberge Harris
The morning ride was very pleasant as most of it was off road on cinder bike path; once we were out of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.  The temperatures were mild and a good part of the bike path, Le Monterigiade, was shaded.  It reminded me, in parts, of the Katy Trail.
From Google Earth (Michel Rochette)
Le Monterigiade bike path.
We rode easily along the path which passed through lots of farmland – i.e., more cornfields.  We did enjoy the shade and the quiet of the trail.

Every day the van, driven by whichever of the guys not on the bike with us, would stop so we could refuel.  It was always nice to see the van waiting.

Time to refuel.
A highlight of the day was lunch – actually a highlight nearly every day was lunch.  Lunch was “on our own” today which meant Mark and Joshua didn’t have to prepare it and we would just eat where ever we chose.  They had recommended a small cafe in St. Cesaire where we stopped for lunch.We rode into St. Cesaire looking for a small cafe called, “P Munier & Fille” – a bakery that served sandwiches and espresso.  Several of us stopped on the main street to figure out where the bakery was.  Much discussion and looking around ensued – still not seeing it – several minutes later someone recognized that lo and behold we were standing maybe 100 feet from it!  It was so funny!  We have come to refer to those types of moments as a “bike coma”.
Notice the name prominently displayed.
A seriously hungry group. 

This was a very small place and we completely overwhelmed them.  Except for Mark (Montreal Mark) and Joshua our French was pretty limited, as was the proprietor’s English, so it took awhile to order and get our food. It was worth the wait – not your run-of-the-mill ham sandwich – it was delicious!  

Planning the next attack of the sandwich
A happy and satisfied crew. (Sojourn photo)

It was another hot day and part of the crew decided to skip the Michel Jodoin Cidrerie, but about half the group rode on. The miles just before the Cidrerie were hilly – my Garmin Edge said we climbed 1,019 feet Day 3 – most of that was in the miles to and from the Cidrerie.  The wind was also picking up, unfortunately for us it was a headwind. The miles of apple orchards were beautiful. With scenery like this the miles actually just kind of melt away. 

Apple Orchard of Michel Jodoin

Once we got to the Cidrerie Michel Jodoin, we parked our bikes and walked inside to the coldest air I had felt in forever.  I was happy – restrooms with running water and air conditioning – what more could you ask for.  Maybe a little cold cider?

Betty and the bikes.

We toured the area where the apple ciders and spirits are made then lined up for the tasting.  Let’s face it, that’s why we were there.

Michel Jodoin Winery
The apples they use to make some of their products were beautiful.  I can’t recall the name of them, but they were even red on the inside.
Apple from MJ Orchard

The sparkling rose’ cider was excellent, my favorite that we tried. The Michel Jodoin story is impressive and if interested, you can read about it on their website Cidrerie Michel Jodoin.

We left the cool and dark of Michel Jodoin’s and walked out into a bright, hot oven. A wise few of the group took the van back to the Auberge Harris, the rest of us headed back on our bikes. Betty was not happy.

The hills we climbed to get to the Cidrerie we had to climb again.  Hot, windy and hilly – three words cyclists hate to hear – much less do. The hilly section ended quickly but the heat and wind continued. We rode through flat farmland with nothing to block the wind.  Did I mention that the roads were terrible.

There were lots of turns, we were either going into the wind or with a crosswind.  Never a tailwind I swear. If there had been a tailwind we would have flown – but it was not to be.

Mark and I ended up by ourselves and even though we had filled our bottles up at the Cidrerie, we were quickly emptying them. We rode slowly and on the rare occasion we saw shade we would stop for a few minutes. It was brutal.

Miles later, looking up the road we saw what appeared to be a mirage – the Sojourn van.  Lucky for us it was no mirage, it was Joshua and he had ICE COLD WATER.  He had dropped the group off at the Auberge and then came back to make sure we were okay and refill our bottles with ICE COLD WATER. What a guy!

He sympathetically cursed the headwinds with us, asked us if we wanted a lift then went off to find the others.

Refueled we were ready to take the heat and wind back on.  The views started to improve as we rode through the Chambly Basin and then along the Chambly Canal.

I was too tired and too focused on getting to the Auberge as quickly as I could (imagining the taste of that ice cold beer) to stop and take any pictures as we rode along the canal.  It was beautiful!  The canal, beautiful homes and magnificently paved (and wide) bike path was like something out of a cyclist’s dream. It was simply gorgeous.

We rode alongside the Chambly Canal for around 10 miles then caught the bike path in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu for a few miles and back to the Auberge.

As we were getting off the bikes (Betty was dusty and tired) we caught a glimpse of the group that had either ridden back directly from lunch or taken the van back from the Cidrerie, at the pool looking cool and refreshed.  We cursed them under our breath and went inside in search of Madame Boutin and her cold beer!

For the day, I rode 58 miles, avg. speed 12.3.

Read On:  Sojourners by Bike – Day 4 


Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 2

Champlain Islands to Saint Jean-sur-Richelieu – 52 miles

A great breakfast to start the day, a few adjustments to Betty (I always name my bikes – and she was definitely a Betty) and we were set to go. Feeling better today and looking forward to a good day of riding – a beautiful morning in North Hero.
First, a quick meeting about the route and a few words of wisdom from Mark and Joshua. – then mount up and we were off. (My photos from today disappeared, more tomorrow and the rest of the ride)
Today was especially exciting because we crossed the border into Quebec, Canada!
It was as a quiet a border crossing, no one there, but our group. The border guard asked Mark and I how long we would be in Canada, when we replied 2 weeks, he looked at the small trunk on the bike and asked, “and that’s all you’re bringing for your visit?”  We managed not to laugh since border guards aren’t allowed to have a sense of humor, and pointed to leader Mark and the Sojourn trailer – he looked us over and let us in.
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Once we crossed the border it immediately felt different being in Canada. The area was still rural and agricultural – boatloads of cornfields. Beautiful, quiet and serene, perfect for cycling.

Google Earth photo
Google Earth photo
We stopped for lunch at Fort Lennox – another great meal by Sojourn – my complements to Mark and Joshua. One thing is for sure, you do not go hungry on bike tours.

No info on Fort Lennox because we didn’t stay for the tour, opting to ride on to try and beat the heat of the late afternoon. A good decision because it ended up a very hot day.
Google Earth photo

We rode 52 miles today, the final 33 or so after lunch were tough because of the heat and headwind. I’m not sure what the temperature actually was, but the sun felt very hot. It must have been, because I ended up with a heat rash/sun/wind burn on my legs – despite using gobs of sunscreen.

We stayed at the cyclist friendly Auberge Harris where we were showed where to store our bikes. We went inside to check in and were greeted by Quebec’s grand dame of cycling, Madame Boutin. She was just as Joshua and Mark described her – full of energy and excitement about biking, and making sure we had everything we needed. She was lovely and most gracious.  Auberge Harris is a haven for bike riders, everything seems geared toward cyclists – I assure you, none of us are used to that!
Madame Boutin quickly became my best friend when she offered an complementary ice cold beer. Delirious from the beer and the heat, we wandered around the Auberge and enjoyed looking at all the art (especially the Toutain pieces) that she had throughout the hotel.
from Toutain art website
Dinner at Le Bleumarin overlooking the Richelieu River.  Good times!
For the day, I rode 52 miles, average speed of 14.1.


Sojourners by Bike ~ Intro

~Traveling by Bike from Burlington, Vermont to Quebec City, CA~

Late last year, the Hubs and I started talking/looking into a bike vacation. We had planned a bike tour to the Cape Ann area in Massachusetts, but Mark’s appendix decided it had to come out a couple of weeks before we were to leave, so that was a no-go.
 
We really wanted a bike tour that offered daily rides on average of about 50 miles and we wanted a trip that was in a beautiful part of the country with good roads (light traffic) – didn’t seem like too much to ask – Ha.  
 
We found two tours that appealed to us. The first was a tour on the Katy Trail in Missouri that would allow us to ride across the state, on trail – no traffic other than bikes – but with someone to transport our “stuff” daily, plus take care of lodging, etc.  We decided to do that tour in May, before school was out and temps got too hot. The Katy Trail trip was everything and more we had hoped for.  For more information about it, read my Katy Trail trip report.
 
The other tour that caught our eye was a bike tour starting in Burlington, VT and ending in Quebec City, Canada. There were mileage options on most days, but if the maximum miles offered were ridden it would be about a 350 mile trip.
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The description described it as mostly flat on lightly traveled roads.  Beautiful scenery, good roads, small groups and a part of the U.S. and Canada neither of us had ever been – sounded perfect. The trip was filling up so we had to make a quick decision – we did, we booked it in January, anticipating/hoping that all would be well for a bike tour in late August/early September. Mark’s appendix was already out so no worries!
Vermont – Quebec City Bike Tour:
We flew into Manchester, NH which was as close to Vermont as we could get on Southwest (free tickets). 

We arrived in Burlington the same day, and time it seemed, as hoards of freshman college kids. Bad timing. Once we made it to our B & B, One of a Kind B & B ,we decided we would walk to dinner, no more traffic jams for us thank you.  Plus, I seemed to be coming down with the same thing Mark had just recovered from – sore throat, headache, upset stomach… so I wanted to rest and continue to chugalug Airbornne.

Burlington is beautiful, it reminded me of Austin (must be the college kids), only it was prettier, greener, hillier and had the humongous Lake Champlain. I’d love to go back during the summer, before freshman orientation.

We decided not to let the beautiful view we had go to waste, so we had dinner in the garden at the B & B and watched the sun go down.

We woke up early Sunday morning and I felt worse.  Today was a ride day so I hoped to shake whatever I was coming down with. More Airbornne, plus a perfect breakfast by Maggie, and we were off to meet our fellow sojourners.

More bike tour success with our Vermont to Quebec City bike tour. Different than the Katy Trail trip, but like it in that the Quebec tour exceeded any and all hopes/expectations we allowed ourselves to have. Read on…
 

Sojourners by Bike – Day One 


Sojourners by Bike ~ Au Revoir

Burlington, VT – Quebec City, CA
 
345 miles/6 Days

We celebrated our last night together at a restaurant in Old Quebec, Pain Béni, where we had an excellent dinner and a lot of laughs reminiscing about our great week.  Unfortunately, I have no pictures other than the one Margie took of us – even though I brought my camera. 
Too busy talking.
Looking like a couple of goofy kids.

Then yesterday morning we said au revoir to our bike tour buddies, we were sad to see them go. 

Sojourners aka Studs

 
Mark & Joshua, our fearless leaders
 

We biked, ate, slept, packed – and repeated – for six days – Sunday, August 29, 2010 – Friday, September 3, 2010.

Six glorious days of riding – 345 miles – ending with an epic ride into Quebec City of 85 miles (6.5 hours on the bike) fighting head and cross winds, walking up the final (10% +) two *hills* we (4 of us, plus our leader) rode in along the bike path to our hotel. 

It should be duly noted, that Jeff was the only one of the four to ride up all the hills – a tip of the helmet to Jeff. 

Team Blue
 

With no prior plan to, Mark and I rode every single mile of the bike tour.  Just ask my butt, she’ll tell you.

On Saturday – we (all 16 of our bike tour, plus our 2 leaders) took a *hilly* walking tour around Quebec City – just to make sure we weren’t starting to feel too good on our first day off the bike.

To say our Vermont to Quebec City bike tour was phenomenal is an understatement.  The scenery was beyond belief,  – our fellow tour riders and leaders became fast friends – and the riding was a blast. 

Pictures and report to follow, but for now we start part deux of our vacation in Quebec- jusqu’à la prochaine fois!


 

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