We had an easy but long ride today, nearly 55 miles and all uphill! But an easy uphill. We were mostly on a rail trail after all, and that will limit the grade. Still, even though we started early, we took our time. It took nearly 38 miles to clear Montréal and its exurbs, and that put us in Saint-Jérôme, which is its own little busy center of the universe. But after that, it was relatively rural and much quieter.
We rose early, before 7:00, and were at breakfast by 8:30 with all our gear and ready to roll. The place we were staying was a two-floor walkup with narrow stairs and heavy doors at every landing. That was tough enough getting in since we each arrived individually. But with the three of us leaving at once, life was much simpler. Of course, Lee was not headed in the same direction as Jerry and I. He needed to get back to work, so was headed for St Albans, reversing the course I rode Sunday and Monday to Montréal, except he would do it in one day! Probably with a headwind. Sounds nasty to me! Jerry and I would continue as was always planned.
Breakfast was at Chez Cora, a chain breakfast restaurant but a good one. So good that this was our third breakfast there. That wrapped up at around 9:30, and it was time to bid adieu to Lee. He was actually staying one more day but had to change accommodations before heading off to the amusement parks! So after a parting picture, we split, with Jerry and I headed north and out of town.
And while Montréal is a busy metropolis, it was easy to navigate out of town. The reason? They really do have good bike infrastructure that is well integrated and works. We were pretty much in protected bike lanes the whole way, either separated by a curb or by parked cars. Or we were diverted through a city park or alleyway, all well connected with continuity of travel and bike signals. It worked well. Along the way, we met a cyclist named Dennis, who is an environmental engineer and was involved in the cleanup after the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster. Small world! So we had more to talk about than just bicycle infrastructure, which we had lots of questions about!
We saw hordes of cyclists going every which way as we left town.
From the river's edge, we crossed from Île de Montréal to Île Jésus and Laval. We crossed on an old railroad bridge that had been appended with a pedestrian/bike facility, which shows (again) that it can be done despite regular opposition from every railroad in the U.S.
Crossing the Rivière des Prairies on a commuter rail bridge.
After that crossing, we were pretty much on a dedicated bike trail, and on some maps, the start of the P’tit Train du Nord Rail Trail. Others show it starting in Saint-Jérôme. Regardless, it followed the rail line pretty closely until we had to divert to cross over to the mainland and the Basses-Laurentides. But after navigating through mostly residential streets, again, all with bicycle infrastructure, we returned to the rail corridor and followed it all the way to Saint-Jérôme. The rail line, as it turned out, is a commuter line that probably runs on the same alignment as the old P’tit Train du Nord. It was a beautiful, if not very linear, ride!
The next several miles followed the commuter rail across Île Jésus and through Laval.
As we moved further north on the trail, the crossing of busy roads and arterials became more common. The fix? "On Demand" green crossing signals with no wait but for the time it takes for the traffic light to turn yellow.
An interesting sign that we saw a lot of but I continue to be somewhat perplexed by. I think it says this is ONLY a bike lane between April 15 and November 14, presumably to allow the municipality to store snow there when clearing roads.
The trail diverted from the commuter rail line for a bit to pass through residential neighborhoods and heavily wooded sections, this one on an elevated boardwalk. The cyclist you see is a local out exploring the trails. He admitted to not really knowing where he was.
One interesting feature of the trail is the expectation that pedestrians walk facing oncoming cyclists, a "rule" that is more or less practiced all the way to Mont-Laurier, the trail terminus, 240 km away.
But Saint-Jérôme can and should claim to be the start of the rail trail, especially given the setting they've created for your start. It's a beautiful public space with a grand arch to pass under as you start your journey. From here, we had about 17 miles to go.
The end of the line for the commuter rail in Saint-Jérôme.
And from here, the trail gets more interesting as you enter a rural environment and leave the "burbs" behind. The trail is now cinders and more "curvy" as it follows the rail alignment up into the mountains. The scenery is stunning. And the trail is popular! There is little or no solitude, at least not today, a Thursday!
There are very few crossings of the river, so you are limited to what you can find in between. This one is located about six miles south of Sainte-Adèle.
So the last 17 miles clipped away, with the last five miles getting a little steeper than the first 50 as we were starting to climb into the mountains (such as they are). We arrived at our B&B around 4:30 and settled in immediately so we could enjoy the wraparound porch. Then dinner and bed. I haven't biked 55 miles with a loaded touring bike since my Gulf Coast Tour. I was tired!
We finally arrived at our B&B for the night, Au Clos Rolland, Couette & Café.
