Road trip to St. Jean

 

Day 1:  Trip schedule was thrown off initially by a need to visit a store in Barrie.  En route, I was forced on the gravel shoulder of the highway by a flashing police car.  My gosh, what a relief that he wasn’t after me for a traffic infraction.  I had forced the GPS to take me the slow way to Barrie, and almost as if in retribution, we ended up stopped on airport road with a tractor trailer on its side.  That resulted in a detour but I finally reached Barrie.  From there headed north and then south around Lake Simcoe.  I was beginning to think I would never turn east.  That’s .when I plugged in Renfrew which is where I finally had Lupper.  The trip to Renfrew was busy but by staying ahead of the trailing cars, I felt I could conquer the many swooping hills no turns.  It was a great ride.  Renfrew was all under construction and Hwy 417 was no picnic.  Hunt Club road was stop and go from light to light.  So the tail end of the trip wasn’t nearly so much fun.

Luce is the B&B owner and the pool felt wonderful.  She was handy to point out possible routes for the next day.

Day 2:  had a phenomenal breakfast served by Luce.  After I readied myself and the bike for a long trip, Luce B&bthen offered to take my photograph as I left.  As I pAssed into Quebec at Hawkesbury, I couldn’t help but notice the SAQ was the first building you spot on the Quebec side.  I had obviously done a good job of programming the GPS because it took highways 145, 158 just as I had planned.  Passing through Lachute, the one city that impressed me was Joliette.  It was new, clean, with freshly paved roads.  When I reached Saint Raymond,

St Raymond
St Raymond

that’s when I had difficulty.  The GPS didn’t seem to take me to the right location, and later when I found the B&B, I couldn’t find the restaurant that Guillaume had recommended.  Then, when I ordered food on the terrace of the restaurant, I was constantly fighting dozens of house flies.  Not the kind of night-to-remember that I was planning.

 

Day 3:  From St Raymond to Chicoutimi could be a reasonably quick trip, but not if you insist on going by way of Tadoussac.  That’s what caused a problem.  The GPS kept sending me to Saguenay first before Tadoussac.  A conversation with my friend, Janick and Eric finally resolved the puzzle – there is a ferry across the Saguenay river to reach Tadoussac.  I had restricted the GPS from taking a ferry.   My friends also recommended that I look for whales but both towns at the mouth of Saguenay were deluged with tourists.  i noticed something surprising – there was a breeze heading north and I realized the winds had been calm for 2 1/2 days of riding.  The huge hills were a thrill to ride and they went on with no stops.  I checked in Hotel de Fjord and then got an invitation for a great bbq.  Not a bad day despite no whales.image