We had quite the storm last night. Fortunately I was so tired that I slept right through it. I got up and left right after sunrise, ignoring all the amenities that the campground offered.
It didn't take long to reach the endless suburbs of Montreal. Last time I did this ride we took the ferry at Oka and headed for a friend's at Verdun. This time I'm opting to spend more time in Quebec City, so I did my best to skirt the big city, going through Laval and Terrebonne instead. Still it was a slow and convoluted ride, even with the help of la Route Verte. I was happy when I finally reached Repentigny where I'd get to ride freely again.
Between Montreal and Quebec City you can follow the old Chemin du Roy, which takes you through many old towns full of tin-roofed houses and churches. The roads in between are spectacular. Very quiet, with big skies and fields interspersed with forests and rivers. The high humidity added amazing clouds to the horizon today.
I'd set the goal of Trois-Rivieres for tonight, but realized that I'd have to ride right until sunset to make it. It's been too many days of that lately, and I found myself avoiding interesting stops and meanders along the route just so I could make it to my destination sooner. I gave myself permission to stop earlier and booked a motel for Louiseville. As soon as I did that I was able to relax and enjoy the riding more, and started seeking out those detours again. As the saying goes, "all work and no play makes Homer something something."
I got to the motel around six, bought a salad, chips, and beer from the grocery store down the street, called my kids, fixed my bike, and went to bed early. That was a much better plan than riding until I collapsed.
Today's distance: 152 km
Cumulative distance: 5984 km
