On the end of phase 1

Well, here I am in Le Bic at the house of Pascale, Jean-François, Jade (aged 6 months) and Maya the Mensa mutt (Australian shepherd-Golden retriever cross).

It has be a very tough day. Rather provokingly, it had been the only day so far where it hasn't rained! However, it has alternated between quite cool and quite warm, partly in connection to my relative position to the St-Lawrence. Along the shore it, the breeze carries the chill of the water and you feel the urge to bundle up. Then the Route Verte turns inland and you have strip. Very frustrating.

In addition, as Autoroute 20 gives out just past Trois-Pistoles, the Route Verte starts taking pains to take you off the old highway 132, that it had been using, as it is now the main road. However, the roads and paths it puts you on aren't up to long distance travel. Too many unnecessarily steep hills with second rate surfaces. On a couple of them, I had to stop and push when my rear tire started spinning in the loose surface. Eventually, just before a particularly tough section, I decided to be done with the Route Verte and got on the 132. It was a breeze. There was a wide shoulder and the road was quite level for much of the way into Le Bic. Part of me is kicking myself for not doing it earlier. This is definitely a point to remember in the future. While there was a fair bit of traffic going past (much it evidently holiday traffic judging from the fact that there were many more cars loaded with recreational vehicles (bikes, ATVs and boats) heading away from Quebec City than towards it), I didn't care. I was both tired and relatively immunised to traffic from biking in Montreal.

Getting to Pascale and co. involved climbing quite a steep hill, before making a left turn onto their road. As I made my turn, a car pulled up. The driver rolled down his window and asked if I was Daniel. I said yes, I was. He was Jean-François. He told me it was just along the road and to look for a blue house with a "Fleur de Lys" flag flying outside. I had arrived.

More to come, dinner is served.