Can you believe it??? - FIFTY days on the road as of today!!
Monique can believe it, she's getting a bit homesick- I can't believe it, I looked at the weather in Calgary as well as Kelowna and I'm more than happy to be right here. Right here is Quebec City and it's a beautiful late summer, warm but not too warm, sunny day. Could not ask for a better day. Morning run along the waterfront coming out of Trois-Rivieres and then a meandering course along the smaller roads which hugged the St Lawrence River system. For the most, part we followed Le Chemin du Roy or the Route Verte, the Green Route which is essentially a cycling route and is sometimes a bike path and other times a small road shared by cars and bikes. This cycling path is well established and numbered (out of Montreal we were on #1 and lately have been following #5, important only to note that there are several and while the roads themselves are not always the best (an understatement), the clear importance placed on having specific designated routes for cycling is fantastic. There were no big trucks, no issues whatsoever with cars (if they don't like sharing with all the bikes they just use the major highways) and there were a lot of cyclists out using these roads!
The homesteads were almost all very well kept, many with an abundance of floral arrangements. The stone work on many of the homes was quite impressive as was some of the fancy lattice work and just the attention to detail to make so many stretches of road so interesting to travel past.
Of course, there was an old Catholic Church (and nearby cemetary) in virtually every small town we passed, a slowly fading symbol of the strong French Catholic influence. There were many small marinas and a variety of sailboats, yachts and motor boats.
We passed a particularly vivid stand of sunflowers just off the road and as Monique eased along the side of the road a bunch were trapped in front of the topper of the RV - a SAD no more classic, all the colours matched perfectly!
Ah La Belle Province - really was a great pleasure to run and cycle today and just enjoy the day. The pace was steady but leasurely, we stopped when we wanted and took a lot of pictures. It was an idyllic Sunday.
Tour Day Sponsor - Canada Diagnostic Centres, thanks again for your generous support of the tour
Random quotes of the day
No man (person) who is occupied in doing a very difficult thing, and doing it very well, ever loses his self-respect
George Bernard Shaw
Modern man is just ancient man with way better electronics
Unknown
Experience is not what happens to a person. It is what a person does with what happens to them.
Aldous Huxley
Even in a time of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people
Garrison Keilor
On day #50 we thought it only proper to tell you
50 GREAT THINGS WE'VE EXPERIENCED in CANADA over the past 50 DAYS
(in no particular order)
50. Poutine (Monique's)
49. Maple Syrup (mine!)
48. Potholes, ruts, detours, construction (because it makes you appreciate #47 which might otherwise go unnoticed)
47. Newly paved highway - ah...........
46. Rumble strips at 60 km on a bike
45. 10 degree grade of highway (up - groan, but for every up there must be...)
44. 10 degree grade of highway (down - ooh la la)
43. "Borrowed" apples off the tree
42. Campsite showers that are clean, with hot water that you don't have to put quarters in to start
41. Walmart parking lots (lots of lots) - get an RV and you'll appreciate this one
40. Provincial Parks in every province
39. National Parks almost in every province
38. Wine at the grocery store (Monique's)
37. Small town newspaper reporters
36. BBQ'ed apple pie
35. prairies (the sky, the winds, the fields et al)
34. Mile 0 in Victoria (and soon Cape Spear Nfld)
33. the Rocky Mountains
32. the North Shore of Lake Superior
31. the Kicking Horse Canyon bridge
30. a moose (but only one so far)
29. a torrential downpour in Brandon MB
28. many, many spectacular sunsets
27. Vibrant, artsy, proud towns and their people
26. The brave fight of dying towns
25. Homemade date squares in Grindrod BC
24. Special time with old friends
23. Our nation's capital
22. The cry of a loon, the soaring of an eagle, the majestic great blue heron
21. Lakes of every size, name and description
20. Pizza at Mama Alfa's in Thunder Bay second only to the homemade Pizzas at the Atwell's (Cowichan Lake BC)
19. Daisies on the side of the TransCanada highway throughout Saskatchewan
18. The generosity of people who didn't know us
17. Cyclists of all ages, shapes and sizes
16. Daily fresh vegetables and fresh fruit
15. Doug and Denise and Fort Street Cycle in Victoria, BC
14. 24/7 Jack-of-all-trade mechanics in small towns
13. The Terry Fox Monument and more importantly his life and legacy
12. Only 2 bike tire flats in over 5,000 kms
11. Glen and Jeanette Richardson from Calgary
10. The support of every person who stepped up to the plate and into the RV for a day or more
9. COSMIC cookies and everyone who baked them
8. The generosity of everyone who has supported this tour financially and in spirit
7. The support of all the friends around us who contributed in an abundance of exceedingly helpful and creative ways
6. The support of both our families
5. The MIAW national campaign 2010 (only partially experienced to date and great already)
5. The strength and resilience of so many suffering from debilitating mental illness
4. Stunning sunrises, especially on morning runs
3. Being homesick for "home" (Monique) - means we have a home that we love
2. How great it is to be married to Monique (Ted) and to have 2 great adult children (both of us)
1. How proud we are to be Canadian
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