So, the day I left Ottawa, my friend Nicole`s mom, Sue rode with me. We were headed for Hawkesbury, and her husband Ivan was meeting us there. The first two hours of the ride really weren`t the greatest...it was pouring rain and the road was pretty rough- no shoulder, and lots of cracks and potholes. I don`t think Sue liked that part very much, but the rest of the day was better:) The rain stopped and the road improved. The days tend to go a bit quicker when I have some good company, and that day went even quicker because I had left all my gear in Ivan`s vehicle (thanks for the awesome day guys!). That evening I was staying with some friends of Ivan and Sue near Hawkesbury (who were, like everyone else on the trip, very welcoming). Everyone had dinner together, then Sue and Ivan headed back to Ottawa.
The next morning I set out on my own for the first time in quite a while. This was my last day in Ontario (wow, that was a big province) and I was headed for Montreal! It was a bit of a confusing day because in Quebec cyclists cannot ride on the main highways so there was a lot of navigating and stopping to read the map. As I got closer I was able to take the bike path that followed the St. Lawrence. With about 4 maps, and stopping to ask directions several times, I eventually got to where I was staying- with a friend from Armstrong and Nicole was meeting me there as well. That evening was pretty laid back, we walked around the city, and had some famous Montreal bagels (although really they weren`t any different than anywhere else haha). The next day we walked through some other parts, visited the market, and the Museum of Fine Arts. We also cooked up a storm that night of a delicious Mexican feast. The following day we walked up Mount Royal for a view of the city, then spent a fair bit of time attempting to find poutine with miso gravy. We didn`t have any luck, but we found a poutine restaurant that had several kinds, so I had one just with ketchup type sauce.
I was supposed to be headed out the next day for Trois Rivieres. I was up and on my way, but about 1.5 hours into my ride I got another broken spoke! I couldn`t believe it! luckily I was still on the outskirts of the city and the closest bike shop was only about an hour walk. Unfortunately with that one hour, plus the time to fix my bike I knew that I would not have had time to make it Trois Rivieres, so I turned around and went back to Montreal. It was a gorgeous day so I took my time getting back. I toured through Old Montreal and visited the Old Port, so it wasn`t really a wasted day.
The next day, attempt number two was a success. I rode 150km from Montreal to Trois Rivieres. It was really humid, in fact it was so humid that it was like I was riding through a cloud. At one point I couldn`t see the river beside the road, but I made it. I met up with a friend from Capilano College. She was doing a french program at the university there for the summer and I was able to stay in res with her for the night. I was able to understand a fair bit of the french that the students there were speaking as long as they had the same accent as me, but as soon as a native speaker spoke I was completely lost.
From Trois Rivieres, the next day I was aiming for Quebec City! The ride this day wasn`t quite as long. It`s interesting how every little town here in Quebec has an old looking church right in the middle. It kind of helps me out, because I can see the tops of them from a few kilometers away and thats how I know there`s a town coming:) It was a really hot day, and fortunately I didn`t have to navigate my way through Quebec city. I`m staying with a young couple, Nicolas and Nadia. Nicholas was an exchange student of my auntie and uncle a few years ago. Anyways, he came with his truck and picked me up just outside of the city- this was very much appreciated; that was yesterday. Nicholas and Nadia are on summer vacation this week, so today we went to visit Old Quebec city. It felt very much luck Europe with narrow, cobble stone streets, all brick buildings and old castles. We also went on a tour of the parliament buildings. Now we`re back home and relaxing:)
Tomorrow morning I`ll be peddling toward Riviere-du-Loup. I can`t believe that I only have 2 weeks left of biking. The trip has gone unbelievably fast!
An interesting aspect of the trip is the reactions that I receive from people along the way, especially compared the reactions that other cyclists (mostly being male) also receive. I`ve asked many of them "what do people say to you when you tell them that you`re biking across Canada?" They usually get something like, "Wow, thats really impressive! Have you run into any bears?"
On the other hand, the reactions I usually get (as a female) go something like, "Wow, alone? Is someone following you? Aren`t you scared? What if something happens??"
In many ways, this really frustrates me, but I know that people aren`t reacting like this on purpose, or in a conscious kind of way, so it would be unfair (and unproductive) of me to get angry or impatient with them. I would simply like to point out, now that I am nearly done the trip, that there is no need for the differentiation. I think that by now, there are people in many parts of Canada reading this blog, and each of you know that where you personally live is a pretty safe, and comfortable area of the world. So if you all know that, doesn`t that mean that basically all of Canada is just as safe and comfortable as your own home? I think it is really just a fear of the unknown that people are speaking about when they ask me these questions. With that in mind, if we followed this fear and lived within only what we knew we would never learn or discover anything- life would be really boring. Much of Canada was fairly unknown to me before I left, but by seeing it I have learned that the stereotype is quite true- Canadians tend to be very polite and kind people.
By the way, my camera broke a few days ago. I have bought some disposable cameras but I won`t be able to post any more until I have developed them.
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