Friday 31 July 2020

On a short, slow day

After three vaguely long days and the fact there wasn’t an obvious alternative, I opted to bike with the rest of the group. I wish I had been more involved with the planning as I was concerned about Désirée who seemed both tired and a bit bored. This trip features a fair number of quaint villages and historic churches, but I don’t think is what you are really interested in when you are 12. Furthermore, there hadn’t been enough stops (as in any) for ice cream the day before. I had gone through several tourism pamphlets where I had found a salmon migration observatory which I believed would interest her. Regrettably, I only discovered it was closed after going down a long hill.

It was a short slow day. Humid and warm, but not hot. Climbing up out of Cap Santé, there was a sign forbidding “soufflage” or blowing. I took a photo and mock umbrage at the municipality for such a silly sign. What do did they expect cyclists to do going up the hill, hold their breath?! ;-)

In fact the sign was aimed at snow clearance vehicle drivers warning them not to blow snow off the road and onto the roofs of the houses below. I am still entitled to take mock umbrage.

Unless I am very much mistaken, tonight’s B and B was built in the days of Nouvelle-France. Unfortunately, this means beams at treacherous heights.

We are getting uncomfortably close to Quebec City. We have already passed one municipality which was definitely a suburb and several that likely are. The types of shops aren’t quite the rural ones desired by some in the party and the only ice cream place I saw today was at the wrong time for Désirée.

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