What with Covid-19 and other issues, I had been wondering if this summer's vacation my be a staycation. Mummy has proposed a trip with Désirée and Dominique from Trois-Rivières to Québec City including bike-based exploring of Quebec City as an intro to bike touring with my brother Philip acting as the sag wagon. The idea is that I would join them in Trois-Rivières having biked there from Montreal.
There is however a problem with this plan: how do I get back to Montreal? The intercity buses aren't running and there is currently no baggage service on Via Rail between Quebec City and Montreal. Obviously, I could bike back to Montreal using a different route but that doesn't overly appeal to me as it means more city biking.
Another possibility that has my interest would be continue on from Quebec City to Jonquière in the Saguenay and catch Via train number 602 back to Montreal as it does have a baggage car. This does have the advantage of increasing the number of Via routes I have experienced as well as the possibility of whales heightened by my recent sighting of Montreal's late, lamented humpback. On the flip side, it will mean a lot of eff-ing steep hills.
Hills??? Daniel, you're a young'un. Just do it.
ReplyDeleteDaniel, your APs biked from Montmorency Falls to La Malbaie a few years ago. Falls to Beaupré was gorgeous, quiet road, pretty villages. Beaupré to Baie St Paul had many hills, busy highway and construction. The construction was actually a plus in bits, as the right lane was closed to cars, but made a great bike lane! And I never had to get off and push. Baie St Paul to La Malbaie was much nicer, some back roads, some unpaved, still steep hills (I did push a few), but no traffic most of the way. If we did it, you can!
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