Baleines!!

First off, I guess I should say that I clearly underestimated the expected WiFi availability in this area. I may not have cell service most of the time but WiFi has been readily available (within reason anyway).

A nice spot for a leisurely morning walk.

My morning started very leisurely. I knew today was scheduled to be yet another short day so I went for a walk down to the shore and out onto the (deceptively slippery) rocks. Rivière-au-Tonnerre is a small town – and particularly quiet early in the morning. With only one close call on the (deceptively slippery) rocks, I headed back to pack up my gear. Did mention the rocks were deceptively slippery? Just to be clear, I didn’t wipe out but I did my best “slipping on ice” routine before I was able to gain control of my actions again. I’m sure it wasn’t pretty but I stayed upright!

Note to self: Green = Deceptively Slippery

Back at my tent, I was going through my things and I noticed the “Issue of the Day” (okay that’s not really a thing, but for now it is). The issue: my phone charger was not where it should be. I didn’t panic – I mean, it’s just a phone charger. I checked the only other places it could be and it wasn’t hard to conclude that the charger was gone.

Proof undeniable. Sigh.

Now, I’ve mainly been using my phone (with WiFi) to route my trip each day instead of using actual maps so not having a phone isn’t exactly a big letdown for me. In a way, I prefer it that way. However, the map feature was pretty handy – despite the occasional disagreement I have with Google’s suggestions. The last place I used the charger was at the hostel so I could only assume that’s where it was. Then I remembered the photo I took of the room. A close inspection showed the charger still plugged into the wall. I don’t know if that made me happy or sad. At least I knew where it was.

With the phone’s battery down to about 8% I sent a “wishful thinking” email to the hostel inquiring as to whether anyone staying there might happen to be heading east as well. I’ve yet to hear back but I can likely assume the answer. It was time to accept the fact that my phone would soon become more dead weight to carry with me to St. John’s. And so I did.

Today’s Route:
Not as bad as it looks.

The ride from Rivière-au-Tonnerre was not what I was expecting. I had checked the elevation of the route before leaving and it looked like there were going to be a few sizeable hills. Well, this would be a good lesson in scale. Sure the hills looked big on Google, but the scale of the map was such that it was really deceiving – in my favour.

Poutine moyenne, s’il vous plait.

I cruised along comfortably. I stopped regularly for water and food. This was shaping up to be an unexpectedly easy day. As noon approached, a conveniently placed Casse-Croûte revealed itself – actually, it was a “Cantine du Centre”. Either way, it meant one thing. Poutine! Glorious poutine. How did I never eat this before??

Before I knew it I was back on my way and remarkably only 10km from Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan (no, I don’t know what a “Mingan” is). This was definitely going to be an easy day.

As I pulled into town there was a convenience store where I stopped for what has become the traditional “I’ve reached my destination” popsicle. Chocolate, of course. As I was leaving I ran into another cyclo-tourist (Marc) who was doing a similar trek as me except his was from east to west. We chatted for quite awhile – he was able to offer a few tips on what to expect once I get to Newfoundland. He also made going to St. Anthony sound like a good idea – even though it’s definitely out of the way. I’ll worry about that another day.

After about 30 minutes we parted company and he resumed his trek to the west. He was heading to Rivière-au-Tonnerre so I was able to direct him to the camping area I used last night. My campground for tonight was much closer – only about 1km to go.

I settled into a sheltered site in the woods – there’s a chance of some strong winds tonight so I thought I’d go with some added protection amongst the trees. The best part of the day was still to come.

With my campsite overlooking the water I wandered over to take in the view. As you know, I’ve been riding along the “Route des Baleines” for, well … a lot of kilometres and still not a baleine to be seen. Not one. Well, that’s no longer the case. Whales have finally been spotted. Eight of them. Or maybe the same one eight times. Either way, the “Route des Baleines” finally lived up to its name today. And it was very cool. Also saw a few phoques too (ie. seals). As for photographic evidence, well … that still remains outstanding.

More gourmet dining.

I wrapped up the day with some more home cooking on my Trangia stove. I was getting a little tired of pasta so I opted to try out the rice that I don’t even remember buying. I have to say, it was a resounding success. Although, I don’t know how I feel about the fact that I think my home cooking with one pot over a methyl hydrate flame is better than my home cooking when I actually had a home.

Side note, while I waiting for my gourmet dinner to cook I noticed a flock of birds gather over the water directly across from my site. It was interesting – there must of been hundreds of them. Suddenly, they start dive-bombing into the water. It was an amazing display – probably less so for the fish at which I can only assume they were diving.

Obvious Caption of the Day:
A lot of birds.

Oh, getting back to the “Issue of the Day” (still not a thing) … as I was pondering an infinite number of things on today’s short ride, one particular item came to mind. Maybe my charger for my camera would work for my phone. Well, once I got settled into my campsite I put that theory to the test and it turns out it does. It does so a LOT more slowly than the actual charger but at least it’s better than nothing. More importantly, while I was watching my phone charge (an ever exciting endeavour), I met Cathy who coincidentally enough knows the owner of the hostel in Sept-Îles. We chatted for a bit about cyclo-touring and such things – something she doesn’t do as much of since becoming a mom. Anyway, I was invited to stop over to their site to visit later in the evening.

(We now transition to later in the evening …)

It’s now MUCH later in the evening and I just had a great night with Eric, Edmonde (I think I spelled that wrong even though it was explained to me … it’s easier just to call him “Sir”), Cathy, Isabelle, Caroline and one other whose name escapes me at the moment (sorry, I hope I got the rest of the names right – and the spelling close). There was gin and tonic, chocolate cake, crème brûlée, and entertaining conversation – plus a boat burning. I won’t go into the details of that last one but suffice it to say building a boat in 4 hours with a $200 budget is no easy task. The night came to an end when another breath of cold air moved in and we could take no more. But all in all it was a great night – thanks to all for including me.

This is where I would usually put “Today’s Totals” but I had more issues with my bike computer today. I know I put in about 58km on the day, but the times and averages are lost forever. However, the most significant statistic of the day is that I crossed the 2,000km threshold. Only 1,300km to go (that’s probably a conservative estimate).