July 31, 2017
Day 95: Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, QC to Quebec City, QC
We had a long ride today into a strong headwind all the way. But we talked to other cyclists, ate hot dogs and ice cream and got to ride a ferry, so we still managed to have fun.
Kerry has worn out two pairs of gloves already on this trip. He found a bike shop on today's route and we stopped in. It was a nice shop and they had the Louis Garneau gloves he likes for a really good price. I thought about getting a pair also, but I don't need them now and it's just more to carry. Shopping is a temptation to be avoided on bike tours!
We were glad to have many places to take breaks today. Riding into the wind is very tiring. We went through one larger town, Montmagny, which had a McDonald's. We haven't seen too many of them lately, so it was a welcome stop. We met a couple there from Montreal who are on a short bike tour. They were headed to the town where we spent last night and loving their tailwind. They expected to pay for it tomorrow when they have to turn around and head back east.
One of the stops I was looking forward to was a cheese shop that sold QueBon ice cream. One of our friends, Curt, had been telling us this was the best ice cream ever and that we had to have it in Quebec. The shop was at the top of a long, steep hill and I was really ready for my reward. When we got there, there were a number of other cyclists, so, of course, we had to chat with them. When we finally went inside and got to the counter to order, I found out that they HAD NO CHOCOLATE. I love chocolate ice cream, but I have no use for vanilla or fruit flavors, which was all they had. I'm not kidding when I say that I wanted to cry. We rode on, and this being the land of dairy bars, soon came to another village with an ice cream place. Their chocolate soft serve was wonderful and we had fun talking to some people who winter in Pinellas County.
When we reached the town of Levis, we got off the road and onto a paved, two way bike trail with a separate pedestrian lane. We stopped one last time for a hot dog and fries at a little outdoor stand (chocolate ice cream doesn't count as lunch) and then rode to the ferry to Quebec City. We got directions to the bicycle lane and zipped right up, bought our tickets and boarded the ferry. It was very efficient. The ride over is only a few minutes long. The ferry was carrying more bikes than cars. Leaving the ferry, we had bikes lanes all the way to our hotel. There are many, many cyclists here. Someone told us that Quebec has more bicycles than cars. I don't know if that's true, but it seems to be the case here in the Old Quebec City area.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
We've checked into our lovely old hotel in beautiful Quebec City. We're looking forward to exploring the city tomorrow.
Today's ride: 59 miles (95 km)
Total: 3,935 miles (6,333 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |