Day 92: Victoriaville, QC -> Quebec City, QC

Date: Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Start: Victoriaville, QC (Camping Plage des Sables)
End: Quebec City, QC (Auberges Internationales Hostel)
Distance: 106km

We woke and took our time packing.  We couldn't check into our hostel in Quebec City till 5pm and only had ~100km to get there.  We took our time packing, drying our gear from the dew, and setting off.  We chatted with the family that had arrived the night before with the kids, they were all curious about our trip!

We got started around 9am and only had to go about 7km.  We'd done our research and found a little breakfast cafe in Princeville as well as a bakery.  We started into Princeville.

We had western omelettes at the cafe and then went to the bakery for pastries.  It was all starting out so well!

We got back on the "road" at about 11am.  Except we weren't on the road!  La Route Verte in this area makes a straight shot towards Quebec City and the pathway was in good shape.  The elevation was also very flat, shockingly flat.  It meant that riding on the gravel pathway was easy.  It put us on an old rail bed and through the countryside again.  No cars whizzing by, just chirping birds and sunny skies!

We rode at a more comfortable pace through the countryside.  We spent a lot of time talking as we could ride side by side.  It's clearly getting into late summer.  The fruit on the trees is ripe and dropping.  We passed many apple trees and you could smell the apples on the ground with their sweet scent.  We also passed a lot of bushes with red berries that contrasted against the lush green around them.  It was all so wonderful.

We rode through Princeville, Plessisville, and towards Lyster, Quebec.  Just before Lyster we stopped at one of the regular rest stops and admired the Becancour River.  There we sat chatting and enjoying the quiet as we listened to the water flow by.

Onward we rode.  We stopped at one point as a large bird had darted across the path in front of us.  It was a Broadwing Hawk and we stayed a while and watched it as it craned its head around hunting for something on the ground.

After about 50km into the day the pathway became paved and our pace quickened.  The closer we came to Quebec City, the heavier the bike traffic became.  There were a LOT of people biking back and forth and it was great to see these trails getting so much use.  We passed through Dosquet, Quebec and past more farmland.  The farms in Quebec remain smaller family owned operations, mainly dairy farms.  It's very common to see the family name on the silos at each farm.  It's a far cry from the giant farms of Western Canada that I would spend so long biking past.

In Saint-Agapit we stopped for something to drink at a gas station.  I opted for Gatorade and chocolate milk.  Maybe not the best mix, but it was almost 500 calories!  We topped it off with a few of my mother's energy bars and then stopped at another rest area on the trail.  This section of the trail from Sherbrooke to Quebec City has been regularly outfitted with "rest stops."  At the very least they are one or two picnic tables and a garbage.  At best they have bathrooms, water fountains, and bike fix stations.  That would be enough to impress me, but in addition to this they also have signs that tell you how far the next three rest stops are and what is available there.  It made planning so much easier!

The stop in Lyster is a former train station with a park next to it.  We made a pit stop and then continued on towards Quebec City.

Upon entering the suburbs of Quebec City I saw my first Irving gas station.  Why is this notable?  Because in the Atlantic provinces the Irving name is everywhere and this felt like the first signs that I was about to get to the East Coast!

On our way into Quebec City the pathway passed close to a large waterfall called Chaudiere Falls and stopped to take a look.

From here we continued toward the south shore of the St. Lawrence where we would find the bridge to take us across to the north shore and Quebec City proper.

The two bridges came into view.  The Pierre Laporte Bridge and the Pont du Quebec.  Both historic for different reasons, bikes get to pass over the Pont due Quebec.  It's a very old bridge, but an absolute beauty.  We crossed the river.

From here we stayed on La Route Verte into the city but I realized it was taking us to the old city along the river.  This would have meant a steep climb at the end to climb up to the rest of the town, and we would miss some great sights.  So we turned off La Route Verte and onto some streets to take us into the city.  Sure enough, we eventually reached The Plains Of Abraham and stopped for some pictures.

After this we continued biking towards Old Quebec and stopped at the National Assembly (what Quebec calls their provincial legislature) for some more pictures.

We crossed the gates for the old walls of the city and into Old Quebec where our hostel was not far away.  We reached it at about 5:30pm.

We checked in, showered, changed, and immediately set off to explore.  Our hostel is in Old Quebec so everything worth seeing is close by!  We went to a nearby place to eat and I tucked into poutine #3 since entering Quebec (gotta get that number up!) and we enjoyed dinner.  We then walked to the Chateau Frontenac and explored the area overlooking the river.  Because we're such special guests, a fireworks show was taking place later in the evening and live music was playing down by the river.  I brought us down and into the lower part of Old Quebec down on the river.  We explored the narrow cobblestone streets, and at times you could be forgiven if you thought you were somewhere in Europe.

As the sun set the buildings lit up and became more and more dramatic and beautiful.  We watched children play in fountains and enjoy the cool evening.  The city was so full of life.

We went back to the hostel and Skipper grabbed a guitar and played for a while.

At just before 10pm we walked back to the Chateau Frontenac and watched the fireworks.

After the fireworks we walked up to the National Assembly to see it at night.  It didn't disappoint..

After this we returned to the hostel and settled in for bed.  It had been a big day and we'd made it to one of the great cities of Canada and felt like we went back in time.  I've done a poor job of describing Old Quebec...but I've also written 5 blog posts today and am blogged out.  I hope the pictures do it justice and encourage you to visit sometime!