I slept well and did not get up until close to 8am. The temperature had actually risen during the night and although it had not rained I had a very wet tent to pack up. Then it did rain, quite hard actually and it seemed to come out of nowhere, fortunately I was able to go into the farmhouse and have some breakfast. There were a few showers and this did not help my state of mind. I really did not want to spend the day riding in the rain. I could not decide whether I wanted to go into Montreal or just avoid it all together. I had found the city somewhat overwelming last weekend when I was there for the bike race and I wondered how on earth I would get around on a bike. I had tried to find a warmshowers host but as it was saturday night and last minute I had not found any takers but I knew there was a youth hostel downtown. I decided I did not need to make a decision until later in the day. It might sound silly but being in Quebec everything is a little harder, I can understand quite a bit of French but I feel bad I do not speak the language. I am looking forward to parts of the route further north in Quebec and PEI and the Maritimes but I am struggling to get excited in these more urbanised parts. I think part of the problem is I got out of the routine and I am still close enough to be able to pull the plug and get a ride back to the easy life that is staying with friends in Ottawa!! Dressing for the changing weather has also become more complicated and challenging.
La Route Verte seemed to follow road number 344 down by the river so I headed that way after much procrastination. It was a nice ride and the weather warmed up really quickly. I wish I had taken more photos as there were sections completely off the road, smooth segregated cycle specific paths, I couldn't help but smile after the Ontario roads I had suffered through. As it was a saturday there were quite a lot of people out cycling and I got a friendly wave or nod of the head from most of them. I passed through a number of small towns before stopping for lunch in Oka where I picked up some cold meat, cheese and a baguette!! I found a copy of the La Route Verte book in the visitor info but it was only for reference so I took a chance to study it, it looks like I will be able to follow it for quite some time. It may not be the most direct route but it makes navigating a little easier and feels more like an adventure. I was getting close to having to make a decision as to where I was headed for the night. I called the youth hostel in Montreal and they only had a couple of beds left, if I waited I might not get a bed there so I decided to take one and commit to getting downtown Montreal!!
As I left Oka the route verte led me through Parc National d'Oka which was beautiful with a few hills thrown in. Then it snaked through some residental areas as I got closer to the urban sprawl around Laval / Montreal. I was still able to follow the route verte for the most part and was impressed by the bike lanes. As I crossed onto the island of Laval (I am pretty sure it is an island) the route verte signs wanted to take me north but google said I could take a more southerly route that would be shorter by 10km, I took the plunge and decided to trust that google's bike directions would keep me off major roads. Amazingly I ended up on roads with bike lanes that were easy to follow for the most part. I crossed onto the island of Montreal by a footbridge at Ile Perry and found the route verte signs for downtown, google had done well and saved me some km's!! The last 10km or so were fun but a bit of a blur, there were lots of cyclists out and about and motorists seemed respectful although they do not seem to know how to use their indicators!! I enjoyed the rush of cycling in a city and the last stretch along side Boulevard de Maissoneuve Ouest was particularly cool, being right downtown on a segregated bike lane with signs saying that at junctions cyclists have priority!!
I checked in to the youth hostel for 2 nights as the forecast for tomorrow was for rain all day, lots of it and storms in the afternoon. There was a British lady from Reading (very close to Oxford) in my room so we chatted whilst I hung out my tent to dry. Oh and I guess I passed 6000km today, for the record it was day 60 of cycling. I hope I am past the hump now and will enjoy the rest of the trip to Halifax.
La Route Verte seemed to follow road number 344 down by the river so I headed that way after much procrastination. It was a nice ride and the weather warmed up really quickly. I wish I had taken more photos as there were sections completely off the road, smooth segregated cycle specific paths, I couldn't help but smile after the Ontario roads I had suffered through. As it was a saturday there were quite a lot of people out cycling and I got a friendly wave or nod of the head from most of them. I passed through a number of small towns before stopping for lunch in Oka where I picked up some cold meat, cheese and a baguette!! I found a copy of the La Route Verte book in the visitor info but it was only for reference so I took a chance to study it, it looks like I will be able to follow it for quite some time. It may not be the most direct route but it makes navigating a little easier and feels more like an adventure. I was getting close to having to make a decision as to where I was headed for the night. I called the youth hostel in Montreal and they only had a couple of beds left, if I waited I might not get a bed there so I decided to take one and commit to getting downtown Montreal!!
Cloudy skies over the Ottawa River.
Sign on the road through Parc National d'Oka.
As I left Oka the route verte led me through Parc National d'Oka which was beautiful with a few hills thrown in. Then it snaked through some residental areas as I got closer to the urban sprawl around Laval / Montreal. I was still able to follow the route verte for the most part and was impressed by the bike lanes. As I crossed onto the island of Laval (I am pretty sure it is an island) the route verte signs wanted to take me north but google said I could take a more southerly route that would be shorter by 10km, I took the plunge and decided to trust that google's bike directions would keep me off major roads. Amazingly I ended up on roads with bike lanes that were easy to follow for the most part. I crossed onto the island of Montreal by a footbridge at Ile Perry and found the route verte signs for downtown, google had done well and saved me some km's!! The last 10km or so were fun but a bit of a blur, there were lots of cyclists out and about and motorists seemed respectful although they do not seem to know how to use their indicators!! I enjoyed the rush of cycling in a city and the last stretch along side Boulevard de Maissoneuve Ouest was particularly cool, being right downtown on a segregated bike lane with signs saying that at junctions cyclists have priority!!
I checked in to the youth hostel for 2 nights as the forecast for tomorrow was for rain all day, lots of it and storms in the afternoon. There was a British lady from Reading (very close to Oxford) in my room so we chatted whilst I hung out my tent to dry. Oh and I guess I passed 6000km today, for the record it was day 60 of cycling. I hope I am past the hump now and will enjoy the rest of the trip to Halifax.
Glad to hear that you're soldiering on Lucy, you'll be glad that you did!
ReplyDeleteKeep on spinning, slow and steady and you'll be there in no time. Keep listening to the siren-call of the ocean. You can do it!
ReplyDeleteNot *THAT* hostel in Montreal? Oh the memories!!! (shudder)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of the ride, hope the weather is kind to you.