I found Phil through Warmshowers and although he was working until midnight he insisted I pitch my tent in his backyard in Rimouski. When I arrived at his place his roommate Rafael said I was welcome to sleep outside or in the spare room so I spent the night inside. In the morning Phil graciously got up for breakfast and I could have chatted with him all day!! He is recently back from his first cycle tour around Quebec and the Maritimes and it was great to compare our experiences on the road.
Phil, fellow cyclist and Warmshowers host.
As it was a Sunday the pathways beside the water around Rimouski were busy with runners and bikers. It smells and feels like being beside the sea at this stage and the tide was quite far out. There were also endless flocks of geese that Phil explained rest on the tidal flats during their migration. The first 30km I hugged the shoreline on La Route Verte stopping briefly at Sainte-Luce to check out the church set on a point jutting into the river. There was a sign saying it was open so I went inside, it was quite beautiful. When I got back outside my bike was struggling to stay upright with the gusts of wind.
Church at Sainte-Luce.
Inside church at Sainte-Luce.
At Sainte-Flavie I was going to be heading inland and over to New Brunswick but I took some time to sit on a pier, have something to eat and soak up the scenery. It was sunny and blustery and there were a couple of kite surfers having a lot of fun!! I was sad to be leaving the St Lawrence, I would love to have continued on around the Gaspe peninsula but I will have to save that for another time.
Kite surfers at Sainte-Flavie.
Sainte-Flavie.
The 132 climbed inland through Mont-Joli and Sainte-Angele-de-Merici. Without the sea breeze it was a hot day and I was sweating as I cycled slowly up the hills. I could feel the strain in my Achilles which had been doing so well on the flatter terrain. There were lots of people out in their convertibles no doubt enjoying the amazing weather but as the afternoon progressed the cloud was building. I rode beside Lac Matapedia for the last stretch into Amqui which was a cute little town with a couple of wooden bridges.
Cemetery, Lac Matapedia.
Lac Matapedia.
Covered bridge (built 1931).
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