The Walking Dead

Heading into this adventure there were various goals I had set. Some major goals. Some minor goals. I always considered Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec to be minor goals. Maybe it’s because I’d been to each of them before so they didn’t seem that out of reach. Clearly the biggest goal of all is St. John’s, but I always considered Tadoussac to be a major goal as well. Perhaps because prior to planning this trip I’d never heard of it and, well … it’s pretty far away from where I was starting.

After yesterday’s battle with the hills, I suspected I would have my work cut out for me again today. With today’s target being Tadoussac it was somewhat of a big day. I was 33km behind schedule because of yesterday’s short day but that still left what I felt was a very manageable 72km to Tadoussac.

Highway 138 to Tadoussac

Unlike yesterday, I was actually able to get into a rhythm on the bike before the hills started and I actually felt very good as the day started. The hills were again big but seemingly more manageable than yesterday (although, maybe that was just in my head). Either way, I was an hour into my ride and hadn’t had to walk yet. For those who haven’t seen The Walking Dead – well, side note, it’s really good. (yeah, I know. That’s an odd segue). Anyway, for those familiar with the show you’re also familiar with the term “walkers” which is used to describe the zombies. Well, after yesterday I’ve taken to calling those really big hills “walkers” – if for no other reason than it amuses me, and when you’re pedalling up huge hills and running out of songs to sing you tend to take whatever amusement you can get. So anyway, much like The Walking Dead I was constantly looking out for said monsters – knowing there could be one around every corner. There were a few close calls early on but with the help of a steady pace and a well used granny-gear I managed to make it through the day “walker-free”. Truth be told, I was somewhat annoyed with myself for the amount of walking I did yesterday so I really wanted to have a good day today. I did.

For those concerned about my food consumption, I think today was also my best day in that regard. I stopped at the restaurant at the campsite at 7:30 for an omelette jambon (that’s ham for us English folk) and shortly thereafter I was ready to go. But before I did, I also stopped in at a Subway for another 12 “pouces” sub for later in the day.

By 8:20 I was on my way to Tadoussac (via Saint Siméon). Shortly before 10:00 (and slightly after completing a big climb) I decided I would eat half of the sub – despite being about 10km from Saint Siméon. The descent front that point was good and I was in Saint Siméon by 10:30. I have to say, it was a very picturesque town. So much so that I just hung out there for a bit to take in the view. Just to be clear, there’s really not much there other than a ferry terminal.

Welcome to Saint Siméon.

Despite not wanting to, I decided I would eat again but since it was only 10:40 I thought it was a bit early for poutine. So I waited until 11:00. Damn you poutine and your artery clogging greatness!! I had a very leisurely lunch and decided I wouldn’t hit the road again until noon. I mean, why wouldn’t I wait until the hottest part of the day before getting back on the road – and the biggest hill of the day (obviously I didn’t know that at the time).

Oh, side note (again). About 20km into the ride I came to a crossroads. Google wanted to send me off the main highway again, away from the coast. I, of course, wanted to stick with the coast. I stood at that intersection for several minutes debating between Google’s way and, well … the highway. With yesterday’s commitment to the coast route still firmly on my mind I thought, “What does Google know that I don’t?” Well, we’ll never know because I decided to stick with the coastal highway. I don’t plan on going back to explore that other road so I’ll likely never know what it was like but I have to say the highway route was pretty uneventful (one BIG hill, lots of nice scenery).

From Saint Siméon, Tadoussac is only 39km away, so I figured I could be reach my goal by 4:00 at the latest – even with big hills. And there were a couple of those. But once again I managed to avoid walking. One more moral victory!

It suddenly just got 8 degrees colder.

The craziest (for lack of a better word) part of the ride came about 7km away from the ferry to Tadoussac. I was coming down a pretty big hill at a pretty good speed with a beautiful view of the St. Lawrence in front of me. As the road turned to follow the river the temperature suddenly dropped about 8 degrees. It was so bizarre. It was like going through a door into an air conditioned room – and as you may know, I’m not so big on the air conditioning. Despite the cold, I had to stop to admire the view. At the risk of repeating myself, Quebec is rather picturesque. Clearly, I’m a slow learner in that regard.

There was a Parcs Canada lookout centre about 2km from the ferry terminal so I stopped and ate the other half of my sub. So, for those keeping track that’s 4 meals and it was barely 2:00!

Quebec: Still scenic
(I think that should be their slogan)

The rest of the ride – including the ferry across to Tadoussac – went by without incident. I won’t mention the 1km hill from the ferry to the campsite because, well … big hills have become the norm. On yet another side note, my arrival in Tadoussac also put me over 1,300km on the trip so far.

It would seem I’ve entered bear country.

And for my final food update of the day, I went over to the restaurant next to the campsite for dinner and ordered a pizza and a beer. I intended to order a 13” pizza but with all the confusion with the language I ended up with a 9”. After inhaling that I ordered some poutine for dessert. Yes, that’s right. I’m up to two a day now. My poor arteries.

I’m now a bit undecided as to what I’ll be doing tomorrow. Storm clouds are moving in as I type this so hanging out in Tadoussac may be pointless. Based on the forecast I could have some wet cycling days ahead. The whale watching may have to wait a few days.

Tadoussac

Today’s Totals:
Distance Travelled: 77.42 km
Time on bike (actually moving): 4:24:39
Maximum speed: 60.84 km/h
Average speed: 17.54 km/h

Oh, and from the “Too Much Information” file, I’m finally doing some laundry tonight because, well … I stink. I think I need to come up with a Stink-Meter similar to that of a DEFCON warning system. Clearly I’m approaching a level 5. I had to buy some detergent from the office – time to find out if Tide is a good as it claims. Personally, I think it’s met its match. Stay tuned.

By the way, someone else was doing laundry earlier – the whole building literally shakes during the spin cycle.