Chapter 26: Trespassing!

Day 18: Tuesday, July 11, 2017
22 easy miles; Sherbrooke to North Hatley

With a dock stretching out into the water, a water slide, and Adirondack chairs scattered around on the sandy beach, I was impressed with what I thought was the North Hatley town beach on Lake Massawippi. It was quiet; when we arrived the only people were a young mother and her two sons were playing in the water.

Rob and I went for a swim and then settled into the Adirondack chairs. 

"This is nice," I said as I closed my eyes. With all the rain of this trip we were giving ourselves a chance to savor a swim and relax in the sun.

"Good idea," Rob replied. He wasn’t just talking about the swim, although that’s how it began.

We’d arrived in North Hatley around three o'clock, after a couple hours of easy riding from Sherbrooke, on the bike path of packed dirt, mostly along a river. With the town situated as it was right on a lake, we asked at the visitor center about a place to swim and, yes, there was a public beach. If we wanted to get to a campground for the night we would only have enough time to jump in the water and jump out and get back on our bikes. But I really wanted to savor the treat. And looking around the town with its gazebo and gardens on the lake, a restaurant with outdoor seating on the river, and an inn called Auberge La Chocolatiere, how could we not stay the night right here?

Auberge La Chocolatiere

What I love about bicycle touring without plans set in stone is the flexibility it affords, to take hold of any grand opportunity that jumps in front of us along the way. And I am incredibly lucky that 35 years ago I found a lifetime bicycling partner who shares my enthusiasm for grabbing onto those opportunities. Especially when those opportunities include dinner and a B&B.

We checked into the Auberge La Chocolatiere and walked down the street to the public beach. But we never got there. We had a good laugh when we left the beach we had lingered at for over an hour and saw the signs indicating it was a private club. We hadn’t noticed them when we’d arrived because we’d walked in from a side yard. And no one had accosted us. It just goes to show you what you can get away with if you act like know what you are doing, even if you don't.

After dinner we took a walk so I could document our earlier transgression. This is how we "sneaked" into the private club. Looks pretty easy, doesn't it?

It would be hard to miss this sign if we'd entered like normal people do. Happily for us, we didn't.

And we were even happier when we walked further down the road and found the real public beach. We had ventured out for our swim without even thinking of bringing any money, so had we made it this far we would have had to walk all the way back to the inn and might not have gotten back in time before the beach closed for the day. Luck was on our side this time.

We topped off our swim with a leisurely dinner at the Pilsen Pub, sharing two appetizers and an entree.

And of course we enjoyed a glass of beer.

One of the appetizers we shared was poutine made with sweet potato fries, red wine sauce, foie gras, and Hatley cheese. It was very delicious but after researching what foie gras is on the internet, I can never order anything with it ever again.

You can see why this town gets rave reviews. It doesn't include that handsome guy in the foreground, though. 

Sprinkled throughout the inn were reminders of how wonderful chocolate is, as if you need any.

Then there was breakfast, included in the price of the room. Other more normal breakfast selections were on the menu, but how could I not order a chocolate crepe with fresh strawberries when staying at a place called Auberge La Chocolatiere? I should add that the lobby had a display case filled with artfully made chocolates. Our budget was happy knowing they wouldn't last long without melting on our bikes.

We only felt a little guilty treating ourselves so handsomely after such a short, easy day of riding.

This is the sign we followed whenever we wanted to stay on the Route Verte.

Chapter 25: Searching Out Big Art

Day 18: Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Searching for Sherbrooke's Murals

We found a few murals while walking around the downtown area on Monday night, but we found moson Tuesday morning. Many depicted the town's history, some were just great works of art. I didn't take pictures of all of them but you can click here for a download of the brochure. They are all quite amazing. What follows is a small sample.

Sherbrooke 2002 Bicentennial Mural
From the published brochure:

It was on the 200th anniversary of the founding of the city of Sherbrooke that the first trompe-l’oeil mural was inaugurated. This scene looks as if time stood still on the sunny afternoon of June 2, 1902. Some 23 characters are realistically represented.

This one is titled Heart, Culture, and Education. And, yes, those are cars parked there. Below is a closeup.

The Traveler's Lodge

#SHERBYLOVE MURAL

This picture and the one below are closeups from
Progress in the East.

Nope! This one isn't a mural, but the park along the river right in downtown Sherbrooke where we ate lunch. Everyone was outside enjoying the beautiful weather and finely decorated park with its flowers and sculptures.

The Good Years

From the published brochure:

This mural is a homage to the Southwest Sherbrooke neighbourhood known as “Le Petit-Canada,” once inhabited by French Canadian labourers. Representing the daily occurances of September 27, 1957, this neighborhood was linked to the textile, mechanical engineering and metallurgy industry. It was mostly composed of large families during the post-war baby boom years.

Destinies and Origins
From the published brochure:

This huge trompe-l’oeil depicts the historical origins of the neighbourhood. It’s only a few steps from there that the first land clearings occurred in Sherbrooke, then referred to as Ascot Township. This mural, with its forced vanishing point, seems to pivot the wall back to the lands and forests of 1792, then to progressively return to today’s urban surroundings.

Chapter 24: Rain Showers by Day; Warm Showers at Night

Days 15 - 18

Saturday, July 8, 2017 - Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Eventually the rain on Saturday morning stopped and we had a day of mostly flat riding along a nicely packed unpaved bike path that only occasionally threw mud on us. We rode next to a railroad line through farmland and herds of cows, past fields of corn. The colors changed their hue as the clouds grew dark and then light again.

We really did ride through herds of cows. We pondered what to do about these cows blocking our path. But cows aren't worrisome like moose; they didn't charge us, just got out of the way as soon as we got closer.

After about 40 miles we lingered in Granby, sitting in a park enjoying ice cream cones, when the rain came again. We had to run back to our bikes to get them covered and then ran through the rain again in search of a coffee shop for shelter from the storm. 

By now we had come to expect the unexpected arrival of rain. It was like another cyclist riding the same route. We never knew when it would show up, only that it would. Often it would join us first thing in the morning for an hour or so then leave us to the whims of a sky filled with dark storm clouds or puffy bright white clouds or nothing but blue sky before returning to help us finish our day's ride. It rarely drowned out our fun but we never minded when it took a day or two off.

The problem with rain isn't when you're riding though; it's when you stop. Setting up camp in the rain is no fun. Neither is cooking dinner or cooking breakfast or packing up a wet tent and all our gear, trying to keep everything dry under a dripping sky.

In Quebec it rained three of the four nights after we left Montreal and we couldn't have been any drier than we were, staying with Warm Showers hosts.

The Warm Showers concept is terrific. Bicycle tourists offer to host other bicycle tourists. The problem is that bicycle tourists would rather be on their own bicycle tours, not home hosting. Fortunately for us we found Walt was doing all his riding close to home.

Hi,

Sorry for the delayed response.

I am doing day rides and will be away from home often.

Email me if you can't find another host.

Ride safely,

Walt

After trying a few other people I emailed Walt and said we'd had no luck and he responded:

Hi Connie,

You are welcome to stay in our small Aliner camper (bring your own bedding/sleeping bag).

 

A Warm Showers host will set up a profile and let you know what they can provide. Sleeping accommodations can be anything from a private room and bath to space in their yard for you to pitch a tent.  Or, in this case, a camper. We had a very comfortable night's sleep.

Walt is a tall and lanky older man, retired, who among other things had worked as a ski instructor. Because of a back injury he rides a recumbent bike with an assist motor. He builds his own bicycles and has an assortment for different purposes, going shopping or keeping out of the wind.

We brought our own dinner,  deli sandwiches and a salad, and ate while sitting in Walt's spacious yard adjacent to a golf course as he told us about his cycling adventures in Europe with his son. On Sunday morning, while we ate the hot cereal Walt had prepared, he said he would like to join us for our day’s ride and show us around. We spent several hours riding the paved and dirt roads of the tourist area that Walt calls home.

After Rob told Walt about his lung disease, Walt made it his mission to convince Rob to get an electric motor for his bicycle, an assist on the hills. At one point on our ride, he demonstrated how his worked, shooting past us on a long hill, laughing while he waited at the top.

Walt struck me with his positive attitude. While we were eating breakfast he talked about how his back is injured to the point where he is just about always in some pain. But, he said, he has nothing to complain about. When we were on our ride and stopped on a bridge over a highway, Walt said, “Don’t you feel sorry for those poor people sitting in their cars while we’re out here on our bikes?”

We parted ways in Waterloo where Rob and I stopped for a couple hours in a pocket-sized park tucked behind the town's visitors center overlooking a small body of water. I took out our little folding chair and got comfortable in it. Rob declined my offer to take turns. It was a treat to just relax on a grass lawn, read, and nap. We had lunch and for dessert my favorite, M&Ms warmed by the sun, the chocolate melted inside. I savored the smoked duck we had picked up on our morning ride at the Brome Lake Ducks outlet Walt had taken us to. I love duck. And the smoked duck was incredible. It was delicious on crackers, with or without cheese. I ate the entire package while Rob wasn't paying attention.

With only 38 miles of riding and a lazy afternoon behind us, not to mention a day without rain, it hardly seemed as though we had earned the pampering we received from our next Warm Showers hosts. Marie-Christine and Stephane live in an old farmhouse with their teenage son Etienne. They made us feel like we were doing them a favor by letting them host us. The three of them welcomed us at the door with a hearty, “You’re our first Warm Showers guests!” They all have many years and many miles of bicycling stories behind them. Most recently Marie-Christine and Etienne have gone on long rides together as Stephane hasn’t been able to take the time off from work. During their last trip in Europe they stayed with many Warm Showers hosts and have been eager to repay the hospitality. We were happy to be the recipients of their generosity.

We quickly stowed our bikes in their garage; all three of them helped us bring our gear inside and without wasting any time Stephane offered us a beer. And we just as quickly accepted. Did we want to do laundry? Yes, we did! Marie-Christine showed us our room upstairs. After showers we sat in their kitchen where they had put out a plate of raw veggies and other snacks. We munched and talked while Marie-Christine cooked dinner. They shared stories of their months-long trips through Europe and Asia. Then we enjoyed a dinner of pasta and seafood, salad and wine, sitting outside on their deck overlooking the forested hills of Quebec’s Eastern Townships. As often was the case, the talk wound its way to Trump and how could he have ever become president of the United States and why we didn't have a national health care system. We tried not to spend too much time on these subjects as it was wonderful to just get a break from all the bad news, even if only for a week.

Of course we woke up to rain the next morning. After all, we'd had a full day without it on Sunday, why shouldn't it rain again? I had to take this picture to share with you the lovely setting where we ate dinner the night before. I hadn't thought about getting out my camera when it would have made sense to record all of us sitting down and enjoying ourselves because I was too busy having a grand time myself.

After breakfast Marie-Christine sent us on our way with fresh-baked muffins. We followed her advice and avoided the bicycle route for the first part of the day and had 20 miles of fast, beautiful riding with the rain and dark clouds coming along for the ride. 

Just about the time the rain got serious we came to a bagel shop and pulled in. We ordered tea and bagels freshly made on the premises and found a table by the window where we could watch the rain pour down. After lingering for a bit over our tea we ventured out in the rain again, as it began letting up.

Then, as we approached Magog the rain stopped and the sky cleared which allowed us to fully appreciate these beautifully landscaped parks (above and below) along the bike path on our way into town.

Magog sits along the northern tip of Lac Memphremagog (can you pronounce it?). We arrived at a waterfront park just in time for lunch. After drying off a bench we dined on peanut butter sandwiches, green pepper, avocado, and Marie-Christine's homemade muffins. As the sun made its appearance we turned our faces skyward to catch its warmth before breaking out the sunblock.

From Magog we continued on the bike path which took us to Sherbrooke and our fourth Quebecois Warm Showers hosts, recommended by Chrissie and Erik, the German couple we had met at Gaby's place Saturday night. 

Guylaine was still at work when we arrived but Frank let us in and showed us where we could sleep, pulling the futon off the living room couch onto the floor of a spare room filled with musical instruments. We figured we'd walk downtown to get some dinner, but that plan was waylaid when Frank invited us to join him and Guylaine; he'd cooked up a vegetable pie and some veggie hot dogs. Of course we shared bicycling stories because that's what bicycle tourists always do when they first meet. Rob and I were especially interested to hear about Frank and Guylaine's trip around the Gaspee Peninsula since that was our original plan, put on hold for now. As we talked and drank white wine it started to rain, a thunderstorm that we all hoped wouldn't last long. It didn't.

We thought we'd walk downtown after dinner and search out some of the murals that are scattered in and around Sherbrooke. Guylaine said that she had a friend who was a model for one of the historical scenes. She and Frank offered to give us a ride since they were driving in for a concert anyway. 

We slept until 7 the next morning and lingered over the breakfast Frank had left for us, homemade bread and smoothies. Frank had trained as a chef but the lifestyle didn't appeal to him so now he worked as a mail carrier. We appreciated him sharing his cooking with us; it was a pleasant change from our usual oatmeal.

Frank

We didn't head out until almost 10 o'clock. We stopped at a visitor center to get a map of all the murals, which stretched over a route of about four miles, perfect for seeing by bike. The rest of the morning was well spent admiring these outdoor works of art, which I will put in the next post.

We had lunch in a downtown park, stopped for groceries, then struck out for North Hatley, a highly rated picturesque small town where we planned a brief stop before heading to a campground for the night. But, once again, with very little need for discussion, we changed our plans midstream. We wouldn't camp again until we got back to Vermont.

Saturday, July 8
50 miles to Bromont

Sunday, July 9

38 miles to Warden

I don't know the exact route that we took to Waterloo as we were going wherever Walt took us. We were on quite a few dirt roads. They weren't in bad shape but what I discovered was that going downhill on dirt or gravel wasn't nearly as much fun as it is on paved roads. Because of the roughness I was uncomfortable going fast so spent a lot of time riding my brakes and my hands got very sore. Afterwards I said to Walt, "It's a good thing you didn't tell us how much time we'd be spending on dirt roads."

He replied, "I did tell you. I said it wouldn't be any worse than what you'd been riding on the bike path."

He got me on that one because of course he was right on both counts. He had told us and the roads were, overall, in decent shape. All I could think of to say was, "Oh...yeah. You did."

Monday, July 10
47 miles to Sherbrooke

One huge benefit of staying with cyclists was the advice they gave us on which routes to take. Since our goal wasn't so much to get from one place to another but to explore the region, we were happy to go with any recommendations for best riding and prettiest places. We were very happy with Marie-Christine's suggestion that we skip the bike route and stay on Rte. 112 into Magog.

Chapter 23: Gaby's Story

The Quest of Parent

We met Gaby when he hosted us through the warmshowers.org website. He was looking forward to his own cycling adventure riding the mostly unpaved forestry roads north of Montreal. This is his story, which he graciously wrote in English. (French is the traditional language of Quebec.)

About 15 years ago, I went fishing with my father in a very isolated region of the province of Quebec which is called "La Haute-Mauricie." We went fishing nearby a small village named Parent. In this land of boreal forest and multiple lakes and rivers, in order to find the undiscovered perfect fishing spots, we followed old trails previously used by the forestry industry. In the comfort of an old pickup truck, I was always hit by the same idea, the same call of the challenge: Why not ride these trails on a bicycle?

Time has passed and as it has for a lot of us, our priorities have changed and my father and I have stopped going fishing. But the bicycling dream was still living in the bottom of myself. 

I don't have a pretty long history of bike touring or even of road cycling. I did mountain bike when I was at University and I stopped it when I began to work. Three years ago, by a huge series of changes in my life, I bought an old touring bicycle (a Trek 520) and tried my first trip in Gaspesie, one of the most beautiful areas of Quebec [the Gaspee Peninsula]. As a lot of riders, I fell in love with this way of traveling. Once my first trip was done on paved road, my dream to ride on the forestry roads was awakened and I decided to prepare the project of riding a loop of 900 km.

The original planning was to make this trip in the summer 2016 with a partner, but it dramatically failed. Even all our motivations, our good intentions, even if my partner was a nice guy (and still is) the fit between us wasn’t right for this specific project. Also, we did not have the right bikes to ride on these gravel roads.

Next winter, I realized it was “my project” and it would have been difficult to find the right partner because my motivations to do it were deeply related to my own memories, my own story. So, I decided to try it again and this time it would be alone. As I had to upgrade my bike, I bought and rebuilt an old 90’s Giant mountain bike.

I tried the same test that I did with my partner the year before, which was to cycle until the first campground and get back to the car the next day. It was terrible! It was raining, windy, a lot of pick-up trucks going fishing and even though I had upgraded my bike, my average speed was about 10 km/h. Even if I was able to reach the campground, during this test, I decided to completely quit the project. It was much too difficult and painful.

But touring cyclists are not quitters. Even all difficulties met on this gravel road, even all the facts proving the hardship related to this trip, the dream was still burning in myself. As I am a cartesian and rational person, I hardly understood how to reconcile this desire with all the fears I had.

I realized this test allowed me to understand what I needed to adapt to increase my chance of success of this trip: to reduce my luggage weight and to better physically train myself. I had three weeks to do it and I made it. Even if I knew I was doing the right thing to improve the preparation of my trip, it rationally didn’t make sense to my engineer’s head.

To give you a perspective on where Gaby cycled, you can see Montreal in the lower right corner.

The day of my departure was a beautiful day; the weather was perfect. I was in top shape, motivated courageous, and focussed. My preparation was good because for everyone I met on my way, they did not understand why I was there with my bike (which was totally normal) and it did not impact me; I stayed focussed on my objective. I was the “crazy guy on a bike” in the middle of nowhere.

I have finally succeeded in reconciling my desire to do this adventure with my fears. No sophisticated mathematical equation was required, no theorem of the rocket science was required as well. In fact, it was pretty simple: I only had to accept. To accept the discomfort, to accept the pain, to accept the struggle and to accept the fear. I only had to be willing to feel these emotions, to face the issues, to be challenged and to leave a part of the control of this adventure to the Universe (or to the life, or to the God...). From this moment, instead of feeling a fight and a conflict within myself, I felt an unwavering confidence in my skills and in the trip itself.

All the trip was great, I rode 837 km in all and 482 of them were ridden on the forestry gravel roads. I met interesting people; I slept in a lumberjack camp, on an Indian camp and I defeated my fears, I have challenged and pushed myself further and finally I lived a dream. We all know the success of a trip is not about the destination, but the journey. For this specific adventure, it was about the preparation and specifically, my preparation.

Best regards

For more details of this adventure, please search for “Gaby en Abitibi” on Facebook.