On a mixed bag of activities

After my last post, Mummy did a google map search about getting to and from the South shore by bike. She found the odd result that depending on the direction you entered, i.e. from the Island to the South Shore or the opposite, Google maps put you on very different routes.

She sent me these screen shots to prove it.

In the last month, I have been using Victor von Fleddermoose considerably more than Justin as most of my biking as been for exercise rather than for transportation. I have discovered a new route in the area, viz along the aqueduct. It is less well used than either the Lachine Canal or along Lakeshore Boulevard.

I saw another snow goose near the Saint-Lawrence. This one seemed have a damaged wing.

Last weekend, I was biking over to my friend James' for a chat at more than 2m away. As I was crossing Décarie Boulevard, I passed a family of cyclists. A boy of about twelve or so commented quite loudly, "Un maillot jaune nous dépasse!", or "A yellow jersey is passing us!"  This referred to my bright jacket and to the "maillot jaune" of the Tour de France.

This long weekend has been for all intents and purposes, the first weekend of spring, with sunny skies and warm weather. I have been out for exercise rides on all three days. As the Lachine Canal route is now quite busy, yesterday, I opted to head to Île-Notre-Dame in hopes of using the Circuit Gille-Villeneuve.

 

As I was crossing the Charlevoix Bridge, I was behind another cyclist who had a surfboard attached to the side of his bike. (It may surprise some of my readers, but there are a fair number of people who surf in the rapids of the St-Lawrence.)

I saw the M/T Sarah Desgagnés backing into a berth with the assistance of tug. Alas, Île-Notre-Dame is currently closed to the public.

Coming back, I stopped to photograph a pair of floating cranes, viz the Hercules owned by the Saint-Lawrence Seaway authority and the Grasse River which is owned by the Americans.

The wind was out of the North East today, so I rode nominally East along Notre-Dame for about 20 kms before turning to go home with the wind at my back.

I got to see another member of the Desgagnés fleet, M/T Gaïa Desgagnés.

Coming up to a stoplight, my mobile rang. I fished it out of my fanny pack. It was my Father who first asked me where I was. I looked up at the street sign, to see I was at Notre-Dame and de Lormier, which amused him somewhat by the literalness of my comment. After pleasantries, he told me that his sister Caroline had died this morning of a suspected heart attack. I believe she was 81 and not in the best of health. Sad news.