Go Big or Go Home Tour - Day 12 - On the Road AGAIN!

So Sundays always seem to be a good day to get out of big cities and today was no different.  After a relaxing day yesterday, we were up and getting ready to hit the road at 10 a.m. with an escort to get us out of the city.  It has been an amazing week here and we really enjoyed seeing all our friends and spending some time doing things we haven’t done in a while or for the first time.

I have been monitoring the smoke air quality, especially through Northern Ontario and it appears that we may have picked the right time to make our way through.  As long as the weather and fires cooperate we should be good.  

Today we rode as far as Tobermory which is at the very top of the Bruce Peninsula.  Tomorrow we are taking the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry to Manitoulin Island.  I am really looking forward to travelling across Lake Huron and the island as I hear it is really beautiful!

It was a great ride today even with the little bit of traffic on the 427 to the 401 to the 410….I mean every busy road begins with a 4….hard not to feel like a bunch of golfers are driving things at you but in this case it is cars and trucks!  Once we hit the 10, we gassed up, said good bye to Alf once again and set out.  A stop at Kettle Restaurant at lunch was a great reprise from the heat and humidity and the salads we had were really good!  

Our thoughts today have been about our good friend Terry.  Jeremie, his Son-In-Law, was finishing the last day of a 4 day bike ride in NB in support of Cancer research and everywhere we looked we saw Terry’s name.  He is not far from our thoughts when doing these trips.

We had a chat with the girls tonight and they told us they are also dealing with smoke impacted air quality.  Environment Canada had them at a 5 today.  Sault Ste Marie, which is our final stop tomorrow night, had an air quality index of 10+ due to the smoke today.  They were forecasted to have an index of 7….rain we had today should ease that and the forecast for tomorrow is looking like a 4 with a 3 forecasted for Tuesday.  We have been in touch with another friend who is leaving Winnipeg tomorrow and who we plan to meet up with part way through the “woods”.  

So much to still look forward to…although 12 days on the road, it seems like we are just getting started…..again!

Go Big or Go Home Tour - Day 7-11 - Enjoying off time

Tuesday to Saturday were downtime, relax time and get to see all our special peeps time.

Tuesday and Wednesday we really just relaxed, reorganized some things and took advantage of some time with our friends that we were staying with.  This may or may not have included wine.

Thursday, we headed in by subway to have lunch with all of the special people I have had the privilege of working with for the last 20+ years.  I was surprised and honoured by how many people came to the office  and enjoyed every hug and every conversation.  Would love to have had more time and I am really want to make an effort to get up here more often…when we left the office we headed by subway to downtown to meet up with Jeremy and his parents.  We had a nice chat, a little drink and then headed back to our home base on the subway again…it is sometimes hard enough to walk around the city so taking the bikes wasn’t really an option.

Friday, was laundry day and getting everything ready to pack since we would be spending the next day in Niagara-On-The-Lake.  Larry had never been there and I was excited to finally get him there.  We left in the morning, stopped at a few wineries along the way and headed to the Main St for lunch.  It turned out to be a beautiful day and we even got a side trip to the Falls…a drive by actually (the crowds were unreal).

Tonight we spent the rest of the time, packing all our stuff and getting ready to head out.  Tomorrow morning we head for Tobermory where we will stay the night and catch the ferry to Manatoulin Island on Monday…but that is for another blog….

Cheers until then!

Go Big or Go Home Tour - Day 6 - The Big Smoke

We had a great nights sleep which was good….we had 4-5 hours of riding today if we were going to make it to the Big Smoke, which is what we were going to attempt to do.

After a nice breakfast, we packed and loaded the bikes ready to hit the Big 401 again.  This time we put together our route, right down to getting to our stop for the night.

After spending almost a couple of hours on the 401, we moved off the speedway to Route 62 at Belleville heading for the TCH 7.  At the intersection of 62/7 we stopped for lunch and a bum break.

As we hit the TCH 7, Larry and I both noted we would be hitting some milestones….his came first, just as we started up the 7…..139,000 kms on his bike.  Mine came a little later when I hit the 100,000 km mark…there was much celebration!  We are marking these milestones on a big trip we have been planning for a very long time.   Let’s just say we like to travel by bike on our vacations…now that we are both retired, we can really rack up the mileage.

TCH 7 to 115 and 115 to 407….the rest of the ride was pretty good for highway riding….as we got closer to the Big Smoke, the traffic also got thicker.  Fortunately we have travelled together a lot, we have a great communication system and we are not nervous riders.  When in high traffic situations, it is good to be vigilant and this can be pretty exhausting by the end of the ride, especially in unfamiliar territory.  We did hit some stop and go traffic but we were not long before we found our way to our stop for the night.  We are here for the next couple of nights.  Looking forward to seeing all my work peeps on Thursday and there is a good chance there might also be an anniversary celebration with a wine tour…..my favourite way to celebrate.

Teddy still loves that he is riding without having to be undercover.  We are happy to have a few dry days, although the bikes….they are in need of a really deep clean…that may come tomorrow.

Go Big or Go Home Tour - Day 5 - Happy Fathers Day!

Firstly, to all the special Dads I know…..Happy Fathers Day and thank you for being the special people that you are.

We decided we would make haste and head out of Quebec today rather than Monday, given the Grand Prix in Montreal and avoid the Monday morning work traffic.  Today was uneventful and not really any photos.  We took all the side roads out of Chambly with the intention of staying on Highway 2 which runs parallel to the 401.  The ride through communities getting to the Quebec/Ontario border was much longer than we anticipated but a nice ride none the less.  One special encounter near the Quebec Hydro Dam was the seagull farm….since we didn’t stop to take pictures, I have decided to provide you with a written “visual” description that may also rely on the imagination…not just to picture it but….well you will understand in a minute.

We rode by the dam which was huge and the water churning was really something to see…as we come around the corner, there was the dam on the left, chainlink fence on the right and beyond that a field which appeared to be growing seagulls….I mean, there had to be thousands of those suckers, on the fence, on the rocks and so help me so many of them in the field it looked like they were planted there.  The urge to stop and take a photo was quickly abandoned due to the aroma of the seagull community….let me just say there was no burning trash, but one would wish there was.

We continued up through highway 2 which wasn’t as “scenic” as we hoped and 10 km/hr slower than the 401….since it didn’t appear to be really busy, we gave it a go.  We ran pretty smoothly through there but for a 100 km/hr speed limit with serious fines for exceeding, we were the slowest traffic at 120 km/hr…lots of DD (designated decoys).

We decided to put down stakes in Brockville, given we were both tired and it was coming on stupid o’clock…that time when we know to get off the road due to fatigue and attention span.  With Mexi’s only 300m away, we decided a short walk, a quick supper and an early night would suite our fancy just fine….so that’s what we did!

Tomorrow we continue our route West….haven’t decided if 401 or alternate route is the way but I expect how much rest we get tonight will be the determining factor.

Night Dad!

Go Big or Go Home Tour - Day 4 - Locked Up

Don’t worry MaryAnn, WE didn’t get locked up!

We had a wonderful afternoon exploring Chambly with Gilles and Nicole.  We grabbed a quick bite and a walk through the area on our way to see the canal locks.  As we arrived there was actually a boat going through from the top into the basin below.  Was really cool to see how the water emptied from one lock into the next to fill up enough to open the large wooden doors and allow the boat to power through to the next lock.  Considering that these were built hundreds of years ago, it is pretty amazing manual technology.  In the video I hope you can see just how fast the water goes down in the locks….this boat had to navigate about 5 locks I think to get down to the lake….pretty amazing!  And you can travel a long distance between lakes by using the canal systems.

We also drove along the oldest part of the community with huge stone mansions, some of these houses dating back to the 1800’s.  These are close to the Forte Chambly which still stands as well.

Guylaine joined us for supper at Gilles and Nicole’s and we enjoyed an amazing evening of laughter and stories (I was instructing them on what to believe or not believe when Larry was story telling).  The meal and wine were second only to the company.  Unfortunately I forgot to get a photo of all of us but managed to remember to get one this morning before we parted company with Gilles and Nicole.

Thank you all so much for hosting us and for all of your amazing company on our first stop!….on to the next!

Go Big or Go Home Tour - Day 3 - Short Ride, Long Day

Not all ride days are the same or can be measured equally.  With the first two days of riding we completed over 400 kms each day, the 3rd day was only 261….Weather and directional challenges can make a 261 km ride seem like a much longer day that the 400+ day.

We started out a bit late partly waiting for one of those “breaks” in the rain.  Day 3 with rain gear!  Although we had similar type of conditions for the morning we had a few more stops than usual to ensure we were on the right track and as we got closer we wanted to have a more detailed route to Gilles and Nicole’s house.

We followed the 139 South for the first part of the morning, looking for the 104 that would take us to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu which was our final destination.  We enjoyed riding through all small, beautiful communities and we are still surprised by how many large and seemingly successful farms they have here in this part of Quebec.  There are a lot of large farms!  

As we approached what we knew was going to be a change of routes (104) we hit some construction….and that is where we got to see more of Quebec than we had originally planned!  We always say we are never lost, just finding new roads to explore.  We knew that at the end of Route 104 we had to turn left and at that point we would be in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and ready to begin our more “detailed” route….when we reached the sign 104 FIN, it didn’t seem like we were in the right place….I mean it was a lovely little town with decorated mannequins everywhere….but nothing beyond that we were at the end of 104 seemed familiar with what we were looking for.  Low and behold we had been travelling East and not West, so around we go, through the streets full of mannequins, headed West….we can now say with full confidence we have travelled Quebec route 104 from end to end.

As we finally arrived in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu we were surprised by a few things….how many 3 and 4 way stops, but also how the community seems very active and young…there are a lot of walking/running trails along the canal, coffee shops, artisan galleries and people.  It seemed like a very busy, active, summer community.  Indeed, as Gilles explained to us, where he lives used to be a campground.  It all seemed very New England summer home type of area and apparently that is what it once was.  It reminded us of the Hero Islands which, coincidentally, are located just south of here across the border in Vermont.  We have driven through there a couple of times on other trips.

Now that we had successfully navigated the right end of the 104, we easily found our way to our final destination.  The rain, which was forecasted, held off, however the humidity which took it’s place as we navigated the stop and go of stop signs and people, was almost suffocating even in our breathable rain gear.  We were happy to finally land, and strip off all of the layers, take a shower and feel human again.  While Nicole had to be out of town for the night, she made sure we had a lovely dinner (lasagna and Caesar Salad - one of my favs) and we caught up with Gilles on his recent travels and some of his trips that are planned…I am not sure but I think I heard he and Larry making plans for another….

We are here for a couple of nights and then continuing our journey across the way.  The folks back home have moved in…..and I got a pic of one smiling puppy, who apparently was confused as to why we were not there to greet her!  Didn’t take her long though to settle in just like she was staying with us!

Go Big or Go Home Tour - Day 2 - Ground Hog Day

Ground Hog day is described as “a situation in which a series of unwelcome or tedious events appear to be recurring in exactly the same way”…..

Today was full of Ground Hog Day moments..

Weather - same as the day before.  On/off showers, one 2 minute downpour, sun….the only difference was a bit of fog we encountered as we left the highway in Quebec.

Reminders - As we ride, we will often ask each other to “remind” us of something we need to do when we stop ie change the time on the clocks, adjust mirrors or adjust suspension for all of the extra weight….2 seconds after we left a stop, I would look at the time (didn’t change it), and then realize we didn’t adjust mirrors or suspension either…….4 times we stopped before one of us finally remembered (I won’t say who finally remembered but it wasn’t Larry)

Scenery - as we rode the back country it reminded us of our rides through Vermont.  Amazing farms and forests, the roads were amazing as well.  So happy we took the biway and not the highway.

One non-Ground Hog moment was remembering how great it is to travel together on our bikes and how much we enjoy all that it entails….even the rain is part of this wonderful experience.

Enough about slack memory and repetitive weather….

We left Edmundston with our bikes better balanced, crossing into Quebec around 10:30 AT (9:30 ET).  We continued along the highway for a bit enjoying the beautiful valleys and water views.  We swung off the highway to follow Route 132 along the beautiful St. Lawrence.  Although it was a bit windy along the water, it was also breathtakingly beautiful.  Roads winding around farms on one side and the St. Lawrence on the other.

We moved through Levis which was quite busy and happy to finally get to the interchange that would take us to the 116 which brought us to Victoriaville for the evening. 

We had a stop at a cafe in Kamouraska called Chez Casgrain and shared a small lunch of couscous and asparagus focaccia and coffee……for supper we ate in the Restaurant Laurier in the hotel….fabulous meal and great selection of wine.

All in all a great day.  Tomorrow we are staying with my “work” husband Gilles and his lovely partner Nicole for the weekend.  Looking forward to the weekend, although every day is like a weekend now.

I would definitely recommend exploring Quebec by getting off the highway…so many villages along the way, so much art and little cafes…the food is amazing and the people are gracious.  This is our first time in this part of Quebec but we have explored many other areas and enjoyed them equally… 

Some photos from today including the rather attractive rainwear over top our riding gear…Cheers.