The incomprehensible world of Québec

I really enjoyed getting to know my relatives in and around Ottawa. But after a few days I was beginning to get itchy feet, Bella had been too long sitting in the garage...it was time to move on.

Waving goodbye for my new found cousins, I pedalled through the rush hour traffic on the outskirts of Ottawa, heading east to the Quebec border. There was more beautiful riverside cycling, and a huge tailwind made for swift progress.

I crossed the bridge at Hawkesbury and finally, after nearly a full month of cycling in Ontario, I made my entrance into Québec.

Nearly got blown off the bridge taking this photo, an insanely windy day!

It was almost like being back in Europe! With that one bridge crossing, everything about my surroundings instantly felt different, almost disconnected from the rest of Canada. All signposts are now written in French, not bilingually, which has been great for brushing up on my languages. But there are also now some great bicycle routes through the province, which I've been looking forward to taking advantage of.

Now, in general, I consider myself to have a fair grasp of French - I may not understand everything, but I can get the gist of a conversation and get my own point across when I need to. I also lived in France for four months awhile ago, and thought I would pick it up again fairly easy. I even spent a bit of time chatting away to myself in French on my bike, recalling bits and pieces I thought would be useful...

But wow, everyone was right when they said Quebec French is a whole different language! I was expecting the  colloquial language to be different. I hear people speaking and all can think is 'Okay, it definitely sounds like French, so why the hell can't I understand any of it?!?' It's rather like each sentence is all one long word - I wonder if this is what it feels like to someone who can speak English as a second language but then tries chatting to a Scouser or a Glaswegian??

I took a couple of days to make it Montreal from Ottawa, camping at an organic farm en route. The following day's ride into the city was delightful, sauntering through farmland with fields dotted with wildflowers and plenty of other cyclists out on the road too - it was St. Jean-Baptiste day, a big Provincial holiday for Quebec, so everyone was out making the most of the beautiful weather. I made it to my couchsurfing stay by lunchtime and settled in for mini-break number two!

Camping at the organic farm

En route to Montreal

Destination reached! 

Pier-Vincent (Matt had put me in touch with way back in Fort Frances) and his flatmate Alex, have been hosting me for five days now, while I experience this fantastic city. I've been staying near 'Little Italy', and have had the time to sightsee, meet some of P-V's and Alex's friends, and catch the beginning of the Montreal Jazz Festival.

At the Old Port

BBQ and twister in a local park - hilarious! 

When I first planned this trip, along with the Icefields Parkway, the jazz festival was something I was incredibly keen to experience. Having worked in a great festival venue back in Edinburgh for two summer seasons, I've really missed the atmosphere that comes with being surrounded by musicians and fantastic live music (although I definitely don't miss the exhaustion that comes with working 8-530 into the morning!).

Nowhere near as good as the original - I miss you Jazz Bar

So I've had the chance to head down to the Place des Arts and spend a couple of days listening to plenty of free live music, and simply wander and feel the energy that comes from such a culturally vibrant city. It's been incredible!

Montreal Dixie

West Trainz - they gigged on a small 'train' that moved around the festival area, the crowd growing with every tune

Side of a trumpet/trombone player - he kept leaping off the train into the crowd

Eli Bennett 

Michael Kaeshammer playing two sets of keya at once

Awesome horn section for Michael Kaeshammer's set

And with that, my break from cycling has come to an end. I've really enjoyed it, but it's now time to get packed up and back on the road. I think it's safe to say that I will be returning to Montreal though, I have absolutely loved this city!

Everyone in Montreal has told me that the Quebec accent gets harder and harder to understand the further north and east...should make for an interesting few days ahead! A bientot!

The untitled blogpost so as not to ruin the cliffhanger

The astute amongst you will have realised two things: firstly, that I left you on a pretty obvious cliffhanger last time. And secondly my photos have changed a little in quality - sadly my camera has decided to have a major breakdown, and I have had to revert to using my tablet and a disposable as my main means of visually recording this trip. And so the number of photos may be a little more limited from now on but I am trying my best to keep snapping!

So, back to the thrilling moment where I left you hanging...does my bike get fixed? Do I make it out of the Sault (as the town is so called by locals) and onwards with my journey??

Well hurray and praise be, because those wonderful bike mechanics did indeed fix my bike, using my spare hanger in the process - huge thank you to my brother for having the foresight to pack me off with one of these, as I would have had to wait for them to order one in for me otherwise...cheers Josh, you wiggy legend!

Bella all fixed up and ready to roll

So I had a spare day on my hands to wander through downtown, eat a lot of food and drink copious amounts of tea, of course!

A fellow tourer showed up to camp at the bike shop later that day, and we ended up heading out to the pub with the bike mechanics and a some of their mountain biking crew. A brilliant night including my first taste of a bison burger - yum! - and plenty of beer was consumed...needless to say I was not feeling tip top the next morning!

But what do you do when you're feeling hungover?? I know what I do at least... You hop on a bike and sweat it out dammit!... years of working in pubs and bars has conditioned me well to deal with these trying situations!!

Outisde of Thessalon

Stocking up on baked goods!

Have I taken a wrong turn?! Sorry Ontario, but this just isn't as good as the original!

Fuelled with plenty of stodgy carbs I pushed on and covered good ground, making it to Sudbury in two days. I ended up having a brilliant couchsurfing stay with Jen, a teacher turned musician with a wonderful zest for life. We went out to see the album launches of three fantastic local bands, a great night of live music and dancing the night away!

I headed off late the next morning and pedalled through drizzle which progressed quickly to full on torrential rain, the heavy spray coming off cars doing a stellar job at maintaining my drowned rat look.

Soggy cycling!

After having cycled a very decent leg in three days, I had decided that I would take it easy the next day and simply see where I ended up. My body very much too this on board, and after a mere 25 miles, it decided enough was enough. It was very much one of those days where my body was just not interested in cycling and was rejecting the exercise I was subjecting it to.

So I listened and heeded, taking the next available turn off the highway for a campground, sped down a steep dirt track to the edge of a lake and fell asleep as soon as my tent was pitched.

Joined for snooze time by a wee turtle

Later on I was heading up to the little shop onsight to buy some food, and I ended up chatting to three girls (a Candian, a Belgian and a Dutch girl - almost sounds like the start of a joke...anyway!) about anything and everything. The two Europeans were over for exchanges, but all were full of optimism about future travels and life. It was truly glorious to meet them, and to have my growing love of travelling and the open road so re-inspired by such a chance meeting.

With Suze, Kimmy and Florine 

Whether powered by this boosted optimism or the invigorating tailwind (most likely a combination of the two) I made excellent ground the next day, revelling in the apparent ease of every incline and speeding along long straights. I put myself within touching distance of my next rest station, and decided to push it and cover the ground the following day.

A giant wooden dude at Mattawa

Some guy had told me that after Mattawa it would be pretty much flat...this was me looking back at the climb I did just after leaving Mattawa...

And despite the change in wind direction (I knew it would be too good to be true to expect two consecutive tailwind days!!) I made the miles on some stunning riverside roads, with the water separating Ontario and Québec. I span through some beautiful farming country that could have almost been like cycling back at home.

Taking a tea break and enjoying Arnprior

I past a country pub with five miles to go, and after pulling in to fill up my water bottles, I decided it was a perfect moment to enjoy a cheeky cider: the sun was shining and I had covered what was soon to be 215 miles in two days, so I think a celebratory drink was definitely in order.

Crossing the Rideau river at Burritt's Rapids

Ah the sweet taste of a successful couple of days

So it's fair to say that the last couple of weeks have been pretty eventful! I am now staying with some relatives just outside of Ottawa, enjoying the longest break off the bike since I set off, this break being the beginning of a couple of chunks of 'holiday time', for my legs.

I've been sightseeing, stretching and heading out for an occasional jog, as well as stuffing my face with plenty of starchy carbs and ice cream (I only tend to realise how much food I'm eating when I'm off the bike and staying with people for longer periods of time!) and lots of tea to help with these scribbles.

At a Canadian tea party! Some good brews and scones were had!

TUNNOCKS!!! Just yes, on sooo many levels!

Rest day post-run breakfast

The eternal flame in Ottawa 

The 'Women are Persons' monument 

The Locks at Parliament Hill

Parliament building

Enjoying a half n half 'beaver tail' with Lisa - I freaked out to begin with thinking they would be genuine beaver  tails, but they are actually yummy sweet flat breads with various toppings...oh yea!

So I am still pinching myself when I think that I've made it to the capital, and that the east coast is starting to pop up on my radar! I'm also realising that I'm over halfway through my time on the road now, and I'm loving how comfortable this transient state of existence has become.

I'm looking forward to heading across the provincial border and seeing what Québec has in store for me. And so onwards! Or should I say allons-y?!

All aboard the tourer's express!

I left Thunder Bay with a pack full of food, and a topped up tea supply from my wonderful Persian family. The sun was shining and I felt full of optimism.

The highway followed the the northern edge of Lake Superior, the trees fringing the lake breaking every so often affording me a view of the clear blue Lake Superior and the Sleeping Giant provincial park across the bay.

It was great to be back on the road again, enjoying the warming sun and the cool breeze in equal measures. I made it to Nipigon, at the most northern tip of Lake Superior by the end of the day and enjoyed some company and beers with a wonderful couple who were on their way back to Edmonton from a camp they visit in the province.

As the for the next morning, not so peachy - I left in a cloud of rain and fog, and was soaked through within minutes. It was meant to be a day of stunning cycling, hilly with gorgeous views of the lake, but sadly I only knew it was there because of my map, visibility was pitiful!

The fog lifted for acouple of minutes to get these pics

Grumpy face for being completely soaked through!

I called it a day in Schreiber, having decided that I would rather keep my health and warm up than push on for the sake of gaining a few extra miles.

The weather had got its act together by the morning. I was making decent progress when I saw a dark something moving slowly up a steep incline ahead of me. After a while I ascertained that it was another tourer - AT LAST!!!!!

The black speck in the distance...aka fellow tourer to chase!!!

I gained on them and eventually pulled up beside him - Randi was cycling from Vancouver to his home just East of Sault Saint Marie. He was great to chat to, and we ended up sharing a camping spot in Marathon for the night.

Beautiful camping spot in Marathon by Lake Penn

Randi heading off in search of breakfast

And no sooner had I met Randi, I started seeing tourers everywhere! And whether it was a simple wave and acknowledgement when passing each other on the highway, or stopping and chatting for awhile, it has been great to finally meet some people who have a similar mindset to myself. It's also great to not be told that I'm crazy for once, which is a very common response from people who stop and chat to me outside a café.

I met Eric and Bernadette, an Aussie couple who are doing the same ride as myself from Wawa, where we both happened to be starting out on the same ride that day, cycling through Lake Superior provincial park and hoping to hit Sault Saint Marie the day after. We planned on meeting up at some point further up the road and set off into the mist, separating fairly early on.

I pedalled through the dreich weather, singing to myself to keep entertained, passing vultures lurking in the trees and pushing through the freezing fog.

Just keep on grinning! 

I paused for lunch in the Agawa Rock car park (there are some ancient pictograms drawn by the Ojibwe people here). Typically I had managed to pick the one lunch stop (and bathroom break) that was the furthest one from the highway as possible, a healthy 2km whoosh downhill to the shoreline.

I headed off after chatting briefly to a couple, the only other people who had come this far off the highway on such a grim day.

However after about 50 metres into the slow climb back up the hill, my chain jammed and I fell off. Initially I thought it was a usual 'chain falling off' type of problem, but a glance towards my bike told a very different story.

Hmmmm even I'm pretty sure that's not meant to like that!

My rear derailleur was jammed between some spokes in my rear wheel, and my chain snapped! The rear wheel was completely stuck, and I immediately knew that this was a problem that I didn't know how to fix, and didn't want to attempt fixing for fear of breaking anything else.

So, to say the least, I was in a pretty major pickle. I had taken my panniers off the bike, and was beginning to contemplate pushing her up the hill when the same couple were driving up the road towards me.

I flagged them down and explained my predicament. And they were wonderfully headed in the same direction as me. They instantly offered me a lift to Sault Saint Marie, but the question was how on earth was I going to fit in their car.

Mary and David had recently sold their house and the majority of their belongings in Minnesota to simply roam the world with their dog Bradley. Consequently, they had a fully loaded car.

Me and Bradley 

Somehow, I'm still not entirely sure how, we squeezed me and my luggage inside, tied my bike onto the roof rack with bungee cords, my bike lock and some string, and were merrily on our way to the Sault!

Bella and me getting a ride

I consider it fairly lucky that I had researched a bike shop in town the day before, and could direct my new friends there fairly easily. They dropped me off and wished me luck in my travels, which I returned with grateful thanks for all their help.

On asking the mechanic's opinion, there was a fair amount of head shaking and exclamations that it would be a big job (I had guessed this) but they would see what they could do the next day.

And throughout all this, potentially trip-changing drama, I am pleased to report that I didn't once have a mini-breakdown, curl-up-in-a-ball-rocking-back-and-forth panic, which could quite easily have been the case.

No I simply toddled off to the mini campground at the back of the shop - Velorution is registered on Warmshowers as a host, which is where I'd heard of them - and waited for what tomorrow would bring...