We had a short day today, only 36 miles, dictated by the availability of lodging. My first choice, Hotel Tremblant, six miles further down the course, was fully booked. Boohoo, as I was really looking forward to staying there. So we looked in both directions from there and settled on a condo in Mont-Tremblant. It turned out to be not a bad choice, as it had a washer-dryer unit, which we made good use of!
We rose early enough to have breakfast at the B&B and spend some time relaxing on the wrap-around porch before pushing off at 10:30. We had arranged an early check-in at 3:00 PM, so leaving any earlier would have meant downtime somewhere other than the condo, and the porch was a nice place to spend it.
It was another beautiful and coolish morning, in the low 70s, as we hit the trail, which continued upward relentlessly. But not at a bad grade and even level at times. The scenery was beautiful, particularly where we passed through the rock cut at la passe de la Montagne-du-Sauvage. But it was all beautiful, as you can see in the pictures that follow:
Rivière du Nord as seen early in the morning, only 1/2 mile into today's ride.
Right before the big cut, we met a fellow who took an intense interest in our travels but also enjoyed discussing politics. We had a great conversation, and it was interesting to get the Québécois perspective on things.
And there were areas where the river would just expand to the size of a small lake. This is Lac Raymond, which is pretty much the headwaters of Rivière du Nord.
Beautiful, at least as far as Val David, where it becomes a bit more urban with larger towns and a highway that runs parallel to the trail as far as MP 27 near a large quarry. But this is also the top of the long climb we started in the morning, and from this point to Mont-Tremblant, it was all downhill, about ten miles downhill! Now I know how everyone going in the opposite direction feels! Great, as no pedaling is required!
The other big plus is the trail surface. At MP 26, about ten miles out from Mont-Tremblant, the surface is paved, and paved well. That is a big improvement in ridability. The cinders are OK, but the further north we went, the fewer cinders we saw and the more hard-packed dirt there was, and there were some areas with too much sand, which can cause you to lose control of your bike. Supposedly, the asphalt will continue to Mont-Laurier. We will see tomorrow. Tonight, however, I am cleaning the dust off the bike!
After a longish climb up to and past a quarry, we started a long descent into Mont-Tremblant on this nicely paved trail.
