August 11, 2019
Day 109 Levis, QC
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We woke to rain this morning, as we expected. After breakfast at the inn, we walked across the street to a museum we had seen last night after we got in. It's the Quebec Maritime Museum. I'm sure we've been to at least a dozen maritime museums on this trip, large and small, but it is still enjoyable to look around. This one was dedicated to boating on the St. Lawrence. There was a sign forbidding flash photography, so I don't have any pictures. They had some interesting videos of people talking about their experiences on the river - good ones and tragic ones. One of the exhibits was about the ice boats which carried people, supplies and mail across during the winter. It was like traveling in a wooden boat over broken mountains of ice. They paddled, they pushed, pulled and dragged and even carried the boats to get across. It was so much fun, that there were actually ice boat races across the river!
After about 90 minutes at the museum, we had seen most of it and the rain had stopped, so we loaded up and took off.
This is what an August morning in Quebec looks like:
It was in the 50's with a strong, cold headwind. It did warm up in the afternoon, but we had a strong headwind all day long.
After today, we'll be away from the river for about ten days while we ride through the eastern townships of Quebec. Here are a few of nice views to enjoy in the meantime.
The best thing about today was the people we met. We are still seeing lots of cyclists, most local riders, but quite a number loaded for touring.
We met Scott, who is from Burlington, ON. He took the train west to Vancouver and is now getting close to the finish of his TransCanada trip in Halifax.
We met Nancy and Patrick who are on the first day of a one month round trip from Quebec City. First up the south side of the St. Lawrence, then across and down the north side back to Quebec. They have a new CoMotion Mocha with belt drive. We were jealous. We REALLY miss our belts. Kerry when he is cleaning, lubing and otherwise maintaining 20 feet of chain and I when I'm trying to get grease off myself, our clothes and everything that goes on the bike.
The most fun today was our conversation with Henri and Liliane who live in Levis. They also enjoy cycling and I think were ready to take off on our tandem! We are so glad we met them.
With our late start and the relentless headwinds, we didn't get in until 6PM this evening. I think it's our latest arrival this summer. But we're here now and ready to sleep well tonight.
Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 4,089 miles (6,581 km)
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