Category: Trip Reporting

Quick note from an internet cafe.

We left Bolton and spent a day and a half touring old Quebec city before heading east on the “highway of the whales” Route 138 East. We took the fjord route around Saguenay River and came back to 138 to come into Baie-Comeau.

The terrain is stunning and the roads are fun. Canadian roads go straight up and straight down the mountain with lots of temperature fluctuations. Only one day of riding in the rain so far. All I’ll say about riding through a down pour is that my riding suit is nice and clean now 🙂

This afternoon we’re heading north to see Manic 5 and returning to Baie-Comeau to visit Jean-Francois’s uncle before continuing east on 138 until the pavement ends.

Internet and cell service is hard to come by so pictures and more detail will be posted when I can.

Saturday 7/18/2009

Days on the road: 20
Day mileage: 199
JF total mileage: 4702
Gale total mileage: 3010
States/Provinces: Quebec

Rain started during the night and continued in the morning. Saguenay Park had a view point about a 2 km walk from the campsite. We both got soaked walking to the view point, packed the motorcycles and ate breakfast in the rain, and left for Tadoussac in the pouring rain. Slow going because of the down pour and I was having trouble seeing so we stopped for a late lunch in Les Escoumins and decided to call it a day. Stayed in an auberge in the next town.

Friday 7/17/2009

Days on the road: 19
Day mileage: 256
JF total mileage: 4503
Gale total mileage: 2811
States/Provinces: Quebec

We left Quebec City on the Route of the Whales, route 138, with spectacular views of the St. Lawrence and hillside farming communities. We picked up route 170 and 172 to follow the Fjord Route around Saguenay Fjord to camp in Saguenay Parc near St. Margarite. This is the only fjord in North America.

July 18 – The came in earnest that night and was raining in the morning but we hiked out to the Beluga whale interpretive center at Baie Sainte-Marguerite and got soaking wet all the way down to the skin. We ate breakfast in the rain and packed the motorcycles in the rain.

When we pulled out of the park for Tadoussac it was pouring. We stayed in rain and I was having problems with my visor fogging at slower speeds so I wasn’t enjoying the ride and I wasn’t seeing anything. We stopped for a late lunch in Les Escoumins at 4:00 and descided to call it a day since it wasn’t supposed to be raining the next day. We found an auberge in the next town.

July 19 – The next day was sunny and beautiful so we stopped at quite a few view points some down dirt and gravel roads (obelisk). We arrived in Baie Comeau around 6:00 PM.

Pictures of the ride to Baie Comeau can be seen at:
http://motorcycle-journeys.com/past/canada_2009/photos/quebec/to_baie_comeau/index.html

Wednesday – Thursday 7/15/2009 to 7/16/2009

Quebec City

Days on the road: 17
Day mileage: 170
JF total mileage: 4247
Gale total mileage: 2555
States/Provinces: Quebec

We didn’t leave Bolton until 3 in the afternoon, arrived at Jean-Francois’s cousin’s home (Louis) for a steak dinner and then off to see Moulin a Images a show displayed on huge grain silos on the St. Lawrence depicting the history of Quebec. The show was stunning. We did not have cameras, but you can check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/etolane/2656192442/ to get an idea of what it was like. We checked out the music festival on the walk home.

The next day we walked old Quebec, went to the music festival in the evening, and saw the Cirque du Soleil show that night.

The next day we walked into downtown Quebec City again. The apartment buildings are old, and reminded me of Paris. The city is a mix of old and new that gives way to the historic part along the St. Lawrence split between a lower section and the upper ramparts. We walked all over the city, visited their summer music festival in the early evening, and went to the free Cirque du Soleil performance in a park that night. Quebec City is stunning, has amazing history, and I will definitely go back.  It was an incredible day and a half.

Pictures of Quebec City can be seen at:
http://motorcycle-journeys.com/past/canada_2009/photos/quebec/quebec_city/index.html

Jean-Francois took me into Montreal to see the city. We crossed the Saint Lawrence on Jacque Cartier Bridge, visited the Montreal Olympic area, the old part of Montreal, ate tapas at a restaurant called Confusion, and then went to the Montreal Jazz Festival.

All the pictures were taken while moving on the motorcycle, so they aren’t the best quality (but you get the idea).

For the record — traffic was very heavy, streets were very steep, the cobblestone was very rough, and I was very glad I wasn’t driving…

To see pictures of Montreal go to:
http://motorcycle-journeys.com/past/canada_2009/photos/quebec/montreal/index.html