Day 71: Daily Photo

Day 71: Cap Sante to Quebec City (53.20)

Well, after a week of cycling through unbearably hot weather, today we were hit with all of the water we could handle. In the grand tradition of 'easy days' being transformed by the weather, we awoke to a thunderstorm and powerful winds. By the time we finished breakfast (indoors) and hit the road, the lightening had stopped but the rain was reaming down. We sloshed along slowly, relieved at least that the temperature was finally below 30 degrees.

After lunch, crouched under a bargain store awning while occupying their display chairs, the rain lessened and we sped the rest of the way into Quebec City. We're staying at an Inn about 5km west of the old downtown and find it nice to get to know other neighborhoods beyond the major sites.

We've already had a good walk in search for food, which successfully culminated in an Indian feast and panniers full of treats to bring back to the room. Alex has never been to Quebec so tomorrow we will visit the historic centre and other regions. It's been a while since we've had a totally free rest day so we're looking forward to meandering our way through the city.

Day 70: Daily Photo

Day 70: Louiseville to Cap-Sante (112.84 km)

Since reaching the St Lawrence we've been seeing large ocean going
freighters like the one above with some frequency. It's encouraging
to think that at some point recently they were all in salt water.
It's starting to make reaching the Atlantic a much more tangible
concept.

Today was very similar to our last few days in Quebec: Beautiful
roads and towns, but intense heat that makes them difficult to enjoy.
Vanessa and I have really been struggling in the extreme humidity of
the last few weeks. It can turn what should be an easy and highly
enjoyable ride into a real challenge.

We've both been taking extra care to drink as much as possible and
snack throughout the day to keep our energy high and make sure our
muscles don't seize from dehydration; this is made significantly more
difficult by the tendency of our water to become hot and much less
refreshing after mere moments on the bike.

Tomorrow we have a bit of a treat. Vanessa and I will roll into
Quebec City for a rest day. Vanessa has been teasing me on this trip
for my obsession with historical sites and has said that Quebec City
will give me my "history fix" for the next while. Tomorrow's a
shorter ride so hopefully we'll get into town early and treat
ourselves to dinner on the town, probably something other than
spaghetti!

Day 69: Daily Photo

Day 69: Montreal to Louiseville, QC (108km)

We were slow to leave Montreal this morning, partially because it's hard to get out of a cozy room but also because we hit every stoplight on our way out along Sherbrooke. Of course, we still found time to have a diner breakfast, er actually, I should probably say breakfasts since our tendency is to eat one round and immediately order another. In any case, it was 11am by the time we got moving in stop and go fashion.

Once we got beyond the traffic lights highway 138 was a dream to ride. The pavement was smooth and we had the rare privilege (for us) of flat terrain without a headwind. Our glycogen stores must have been recharged after our rest day because we flew through the afternoon, averaging about 5-8 kph faster than usual. Not that the surroundings were worth missing. We rode parallel to the St. Lawrence for the majority of the day and were completely charmed by the towns and people of Quebec. Our faster pace meant we could spend more time chatting and longing to live in the beautiful and friendly communities we met along the way.

Day 68: Daily Photo