The Great Canadian Tour 2025 - Elbows Up Edition - Day 6 and Day 7

Today was a really hard day of riding…probably one of the toughest.

Once out of Lorette we headed on Route 40 towards Trois Rivière turning on to Route 138, then Route 640……all of it was highway, with multiple lanes.  We kept telling ourselves that once we hit Route 15 it would be a lot better, no highway….because it only had 2 numbers……Route 15 was even more challenging than all the other highways put together….4 lanes of swapping cars, transports, you name it…we moved to the outside lane so that we only had to worry about what was coming at us from one side…bumper to bumper traffic (and we don’t have bumpers…).  All the chaos and traffic didn’t seem to bother the two wild turkeys munching on grass on the median though…..I hope they are careful crossing the road for whatever reason.

The up side was that we would be Nepean, just outside of Ottawa for two nights, giving us a much needed down day…no riding required.  Friends from Toronto are coming to join us on the second night so we have that to look forward to.

Larry and I used the down day to get my bike looked after and to get me a new helmet.  We accomplished all of this before major rain moved in and before our friends arrived.

The night was apparently filled with crashing thunder and sky lighting illumination…none of which I saw as I slept as sound as a mouse.  We had a lovely supper at Moxie’s, got to spend some time with our very special friends.  All of the highway riding, somehow was worth it.

The Great Canadian Tour 2025 - Elbows Up Edition - Day 5

This morning we parted ways with my brothers group.  They were headed to Lac St. Jean for the night before arriving outside of Quebec City for their ECIC gathering (Indian Motorcycle Rally).  We were travelling in much the same direction as far as Saguenay however we had an additional 2 hours of riding to get to Lorette just outside of Quebec City.  They were leaving at 10 a.m., we left around 8 a.m….we both arrived at our destinations at the same time that day.

 Our route took us along the St. Lawrence River which was a pleasant enough ride and one we had done before.  We turned on to Route 172 which took us through the beautiful mountains and along the Saguenay River.  The roads were twisty and smooth, the sky was clear and blue for most of the ride.

Once we reached Saguenay, we took route 175 South through Jacque Cartier National Park.  Some of this was highway, yet even the highway was picturesque and smooth riding.

It was a long day of riding and we had to make a few stops prior to getting to our destination in Lorette, just outside of Quebec City.  It has already proven to be a long week and it wasn’t quite done yet.

A quick stop at a lovely countryside store was our last rest stop before we took a tour through Stoneham and Tewksbury, which oddly enough was supposed to be where we were stopping for the night.  We had received a call from one of the hotel operators that a huge storm in the area had taken out all the power and phone lines so we would need to find other accommodations, which is how we ended up in Lorette for the night.  The roads through Stoneham and Tewksbury are known motorcycle riding routes and we found out why……if it wasn’t for all the light and power boys fixing the lines, we would have has us some really good fun!

Great Canadian Tour 2025 - Elbows Up Edition - Day 4

 

Early morning breakfast and kickstands up at 7 a.m. to catch the ferry.  A relaxing and smooth sail across the St. Lawrence that took us about 2.5 hours.  We arrived in Godbout and headed over to Baie Comeau to drop off extra bags.

The group was heading to Manic 5, otherwise known as the Daniel Johnson Dam which is part of Quebec Hydro system.  It is also one of the largest arch and buttress dams.

Today’s weather was much different than the previous days, reaching temperatures of 30+ degrees.  In addition to this it is St. John Baptiste Day in Quebec which means a holiday.  The gas station that is half way out has closed with the next available gas at 215 km from the start.  Some opted to be happy with the first half of the ride while others rode the whole way out and back.  General consensus is that it was a great ride.

The hotel we are staying at is quite lovely.  Sitting on the banks of the St. Lawrence with a beautiful view of the ferry crossing, this hotel is located out of the way of the downtown area or the business district, in a small well treed neighbourhood.  It is beautiful and quiet and reminiscent of days gone by…….

Tomorrow we head out and will be leaving the group.  They will be heading to Lac St. Jean, while we will be heading closer to Quebec City to be our jumping off point to Ottawa for a couple of days.  There we will meet up with friends from Toronto who are coming up to see us.

Great Canadian Tour 2025 - Elbows Up Edition - Day 3

Day 3 took us from Perce Rock to Matane, PQ.  

We left later than the rest of the crew as we had some things to take care of before leaving.  Once on the road, we decided that we would take the overland route through Gaspe, a route we hadn’t taken before.  

While the overland route is away from the waters surrounding the Gaspe, it offered some surprisingly great roads running to 2000 ft above sea level…quite an elevation for this area of the country with a paved road.

This run took over an hour with a stop in Murdockville.  Apparently this area was once a thriving copper mining town, which shut down when the cost of copper fell.  As many know, copper is now a lot more expensive and the mine is being prepared to re-open after engineers determined that there is still a considerable amount of copper to mine.  It was closed in 1999 and expected to reopen fully operational agin in 2030.  They also have a ski hill and a large wind turbine farm on the higher peaks.

At the end of route 198, we arrived at the sea wall along the west side of the Gaspe.  Here we travelled along the sea wall with short diversions into some of the smaller towns and down along the sea wall again.  Lots of construction, which slowed us down long enough to take a picture of one of the waterfalls on the rock face. 

We arrived around 6 p.m., supper in the Resto Bar and packed it in for an early morning call to catch the ferry to Godbout.  

The Great Canadian Tour 2025 - Elbows Up Edition - Day 2

Apologies for late posts however reception has been spotty!

Day 2 was a “Day” in the books however it was not the best of he “Days”.  The morning started out nicely.  We left the hotel and started along a scenic route as we were meeting up with one other couple in Bathurst. 

We made a stop at Pokeshaw for a little break.  The view, a solid rock formation covered in gulls and other sea birds.  It was a quiet spot and a perfect place to take a break and take in the view.

We headed out for our next stop in Bathurst for breakfast and to meet up with our friends.

After a great brunch, we headed out for Campbellton and crossed the bridge into Quebec, heading for Perce Rock in the Gaspe Penninsula.  The destination was exciting, the weather not so much….6 hours of riding in the rain. By the time we all arrived, even those with the most “waterproof” gear were wet too…but maybe not a wet as others.  Hot showers, change of clothes, a few “beverages” at the local Irish pub and the evening ended as the day started….fabulously!

Perce Rock viewed from our room when we arrived.

Perce Rock an hour later as the fog rolled in…again.

The Great Canadian Tour 2025 - Elbows Up Edition - Day 1

Well today started out slightly later than we anticipated but we sure made up some time.

We got everything loaded, the weather much calmer than the winds from yesterday.  Sunshine, blue skies and boundless enthusiasm to get this show on the road.  We were on the road by 10 am, more or less.

 A quick stop at Mom and Dad’s to drop off the jars of homemade strawberry and strawberry-rhubarb jam for the folks and my brother, as well as a bouquet of my beautiful peonies for my Mom.  She loves getting them every year and always remind her of the peony bush her Mom had in the yard.  How wonderful is it that a flower and scents can invoke wonderful memories of past days as well as enjoying the present moment separately.  Peonies do that for my Mom and for me as well.  I will always remember her delight at receiving these every year.

We left the folks and headed north, stopping at Chez Raymonde for lunch.  The wind was starting to pick up as we headed to the coast and it wasn’t long before we were bobbing and weaving a bit as we hit some open landscape and manoeuvred the quick hard gusts of wind.  We made one stop at the Shippegan sign with a bunch of boats lined up behind it, just so that we could share a joke my brother got us with on our trip with him last year.  “Jerry….you know why they call this place Shippegan?”  He was uncertain and apprehensive about answering…..I just pointed to all the ships lined up and said “there’s a ship, a ship again, a ship again, a ship again…..” and then we headed off to one of our favorite rides and destinations….Miscou Island Lighthouse.  It is beautiful and in an isolated area.  The waves were crashing along the beach but the sky remained blue and sunny.

We left and headed to Caraquet, our final destination for the evening.  The Inn we are staying at is right on the water…lots of white caps but the wind feels much better with our feet planted on terra ferma than it did on the double rubber!

Tomorrow’s forecast is rain and more of the winds.  It will be a ride however Pearce Rock is always a place to look forward to…..

2023 - The Year in Review

Had a few comments from some of my friends and family wondering about where my final trip post was.  In truth, while we arrived back in NB the next day however arriving home didn’t happen until over a week later.  We had friends staying in our home while we were away, as their home was being renovated.  So when we arrived back in NB we stayed with Larry’s sister for a few days until we were able to get back into ours.  This also included a night or two at Ted’s as well. So we were finally “home” by Oct 20 and not much has changed for these wanderers.

Since then we have visited the cottage for a birthday celebration, the camp and graveyard for Remembrance Day, Mom and Dad’s a few times, Fredericton to see Bob, Toronto for Trans Siberian Orchestra…..and when you add in the holidays there hasn’t been much down time.

As I reflect on this past year, on this last day of the year, it has been what I would call a significant year.  Retirement followed by 4 days on the south shore enjoying the ocean, preparations for our bike trip, which was really a trip of a lifetime and the year continuing as I noted above.  We have done a lot, seen a lot, experienced amazing things and if I would like to take anything into 2024, is the desire to continue to do a lot, see a lot and experience more amazing things.

Happy New Year my friends.  May you continue to dream, plan and realize those dreams in the same way we had the privilege of doing in 2023.