Day 02 - L'Orignal (ON) to Laval (QC)

95.2 km - Total so far 198.20 

RWGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/14760467

Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/g11802456713

After a blissful night and a full breakfast we said good bye to Marcel, Sylvette, André and William and hit the road under a slight drizzle. Joining us for the ride today was our nemesis, the headwind. Not as bothersome as yesterday, but it certainly made it`s presence felt. By 9:00 am, we would be continuing our ride into Québec.

Bike path near Carillon, deep in the middle of mosquito country.

We stopped for lunch in St Andrews East and confirmed that Highway 344 was open. As we pedaled Highway 344, we saw how close the water was to the road. We assumed that cycling the bike path in the Oka/Pointe Calumet might be a problem and decided to go with the Plan B route. Past Saint-Placide on Hwy 344, we headed North and up Rang Saint-Étienne. This would take us to Saint-Eustache via the `Highlands`.

The church of Saint-Benoit and not a sand bag or pile of wet drywall to be seen.

Given that today is `La Journée Nationale des Patriotes` we decided to make a stop at l`Église de Saint-Eustache, site of a battle. The Battle of Saint-Eustache, fought on December 14, 1837, was a decisive battle in the Lower Canada Rebellion in which British forces defeated the principal remaining Patriotes camp at Saint-Eustache. Seventy Patriotes died and twelve of which are buried next to the church. 

Saint-Eustache Church with Daniel in yellow

Cannon ball damage upper left or door

I had not been to Saint-Eustache in years and I was amazed to see how much effort has been invested in bringing the past to life. Just to give you an idea of what is available have a look at the pictures below with links to the websites. The websites are in french only but that should not stop you from stopping in Saint-Eustache and spending the day. We plan on going back in the VW bus and the bikes on the rack.

The Patriotes Mural

Moulin Légaré, circa 1762

Weather forecast for tomorrow is sunny, 12 degrees and wait for it: winds from the West 19 km/h with gust to 30 km/h. Reacting with unmitigated excitement.

My mother, Thérèse Gamache, helped us edit and publish the blog. 


59.15 miles - Total so far 123.16 miles

Day 01 - Ottawa to L'Orignal

103.0 km - Total so far 103.0 km - https://ridewithgps.com/trips/14763197

This link will show you the route and terrain: https://www.relive.cc/view/g11782245006

We are finally on the road. We had an early start and made it to Parliament Hill by 8 am to get the required start picture. We were surprised to see how many people were lined up across the street (Wellington Street) to get their free passes to visit Parliament.

The bicycles fully loaded and ready to hit the road

Eastward to "The Rock" official picture

We were a bit concerned about starting our trip in the rain but it held off until we were safe, secure and fully settled for the night in L'Orignal. Environment Canada might have been off on their rain forecast but they were spot on with the winds. We felt the 20 kp/h wind in our hair and face for the entire 103 kilometres. At times, we were overjoyed when the wind gusted to 40+ kp/h. Oh, we are so looking forward to those days when the wind will be to our back. 

Gotta stay sharp when on the road

Hélène rethinking this bicycling to Newfoundland deal

Tonight we are roughing it in L'Orignal at Marcel and Sylvette's (Hélène's brother and sister-in-law) home. To our surprise, the visit turned into a family event and many of Hélène's family including Simon and Réjeanne (Hélène's parents) were there. Let's hope we can resist the urge to have an early night as we usually do on bike trips.

We have just a few pictures and none include the Ottawa River as most people in the area have seen it over and over again in the news due to the floods on both sides (Québec and Ontario).

Speaking of floods, we have had to amend our intended route for tomorrow. Parts of the Quebec Route Verte (bike path) is still under water. More mileage might be required to get to Laval. A complete update tomorrow.

All in all we are ecstatic to finally be on the road!

Hélène working on the blog under challenging conditions.

64.00 miles - Total so far 64.00 miles