It took a long time to get to sleep last night. Not sure why as today had little in the way of concerns. I tossed and turned for what seemed like hours. When I did get to sleep, my dreams were what I think of as librarian stress dreams which seemed to run one into another in and out of waking moments.
Anyway, as the ferry approached, I saw a cetacean make a brief appearance nearby. My first impression was that it was a minke whale. I kept that bit of water under observation for several minutes, and saw the same fin break the surface. However, I wasn’t sure just how far away it was.
The ferry seemed shabby compared with BC Ferries, though that might be related to the various woes and mismanagement of Quebec’s ferry company whose name eludes me. Pedestrians and cyclists boarded first. As I made my way into the cabin following the signs to purchase tickets, I noticed a half dozen small children in similar striped shirts sipping at juice boxes while being talked to by a woman in a pirate outfit. I asked the ticket seller what that was about. It seems they were from a daycare in Rivière-du-Loup and this was an excursion. While exploring the ferry (La Trans-Saint-Laurent), I noticed a panel in the children’s area with the whales of the Saint-Lawrence on it. As it was free of children at that moment, I inspected it with a view to working out what type of cetacean I had seen. If I read it right, it could have been a minke or a harbour porpoise. Both are fairly common in the area.
Arriving in Rivière-du-Loup, I noticed some people getting off a boat with assorted bags. Their bags did not suggest whale-watching so I looked again. Then I hit me, the boat had “Lièvre” written on it. Our ferry’s course had a dog leg to avoid l’Île aux Lièvres. It was a ferry for the locals. Next to it was a larger boat marked “Renard”, which I found amusing!
After lunch, I left Rivière-du-Loup on the Petit Témis bike path. The older biking gents in Chicoutimi had said it was the first rail-trail in Quebec. I don’t see any reason to doubt them. I do see reason to doubt whoever is in charge of it. There a number signs saying “Fermé pour l’hiver”. These, I ignored as did a number of other cyclists, mostly middle-aged locals out for exercise. While today was a bit chilly, it is still summer! Fall only starts next week! What happened to the shoulder season? For that matter, one option for this trip I had looked into was taking boat in the Saquenay Fjord which goes from A to B carrying passengers and their bikes, should they have any. However, it stopped operating just after Labour Day!
Well into the Petit Témis, I came up behind a red fox trotting along the path. I should have stoped to dig out the camera, but instead I rolled along. It heard me, looked back, then dashed off the path on a side path. I thought it a very handsome looking fox.
A little further, the way was blocked by a construction orange sign saying “voie barré”. I maneuvered Leonardo around the sign as there was no suggestion as to the appropriate detour. For several kilometres, it seemed to me that the sign was nonsense. Then, I came across a large construction site. It was in the process of converting the highway I had been paralleling into a superhighway. The site was empty of activity, presumably because it was Friday afternoon. There was no obvious bike exit visible so I slunk over to the highway, until the next intersection which Google was giving me good odds would get me to the Petit Témis. It did, but it was very annoying.
About a half hour later, I came across a cyclist going the other way. He was clearly a cycle-tourer of the camping variety. I waved him down to warn him of the construction zone. We chatted for a bit. He was from Quebec City and had been touring Maine and the Maritimes and was on his way home. He had taken Highway 17 in New Brunswick between Campbellton and Edmundston. He described it as hilly and full of trucks. I remember weighing that route when I was planning the first trip in this blog and finding it wanting. He also grumbled about headwind he had been having the last two days, the same one that I had been enjoying (at least most of the time). I was a little bit embarrassed to reveal that I had only started in Jonquière, but he was cool about that. Everyone has to start somewhere. Like me, he viewed the train as a great way to travel with a bike. He had met a woman who had biked from Vancouver. She was heading to Halifax from where she would take the train back. Hmm…she might have problem between Montreal and Toronto as there isn’t any baggage service at the moment.
Now that I think of it, since crossing the Saint-Lawrence, people (even non-cyclists) aren’t surprised that my destination is Halifax. One reason for that might well be that this neck of the woods gets a number of through cyclists. Certainly, the motel clerk tonight wasn’t thrown by my presence. Mind you, his motel advertises on Le Petit-Témis, not only for cyclists but also for snowmobiles and ATVs. Six of the latter in the parking lot tonight.
I had some difficulty finding supper tonight. My first choice was booked solid. My second choice was full but I was able to get a reservation for a seat at the bar for a half hour later. As it was a short distance from my motel, I went back and dropped of my biking gear and then got the key to lock Leonardo in a garage for the night.
When I went back to the Pub du Lac, I was seated at the bar beside a couple from Lake Placid. They had some experience as long distance cyclists. (He had crossed the U.S.) They had seen me come in the first time with what seemed a hungry look to their eyes!
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