Day 95: Rivière-Ouelle, QC -> Trois-Pistoles, QC

Date: Friday, August 18, 2023
Start: Rivière-Ouelle, QC (Camping Rivière-Ouelle)
End: Trois-Pistoles, QC (Motel Rivière Trois-Pistoles)
Distance: 105km

Despite the short drizzle we'd received overnight, everything was surprisingly dry when we woke.  I made some oatmeal and left it to cool while I packed, tore down, and then went and sat by the water to eat breakfast.  We enjoyed the cloudy view of the expansive river and the mountains in the distance while watching shore birds dart around.

Just before 9am we packed the bikes up and - at the same time as our French neighbours - left the campground.  I stopped to snap one or two more pictures along the water as we departed.

We had to bike about 4km back into town and then out again on highway 132.  While leaving we passed the brewery that made the beer I'd had the night before.  It's also a small hotel and looks like a pleasant spot!  I made a mental note to try to come back to this place.

The goal for the day was Trois-Pistoles, a town along the St. Lawrence that was about a 100km ride away.  This isn't a great distance, but we'd booked a motel for the night because a massive blob of a storm (we've been staring at weather radar a lot watching it) was inbound and threatening to rain on us for the next few days.  We thought we might be able to get close to Trois-Pistoles and sleep in a motel while the worst of the storm waged.

Leaving Rivière-Ouelle we continued to parallel the water.  The winds kept shifting for tailwind to headwind and we were faster or slower depending on which one it was.  But the views were incredible.  The land along the river is quite flat, and as a hangover from the seigneurial system used by the French when they colonized this place, the farmland is in long thing strips that go all the way down to the river.  This made for unobstructed views for much of the ride, even when we were further from the water and passing farmland.

And the open farmland to our right was quite the sight as well.  Huge fields of golden wheat blowing in the wind with barns and silos in the distance.

At some point we rounded a corner and could see islands in the distance in the St. Lawrence River and it was another breathtaking view.  The pictures here won't do it justice, but I tried to get a shot of it as we rode.

We rode through the town of Kamouraska and with it some very typical sights from this area.

We continued on and were passed by Jeremie, our friend we'd made the day before.  Still more sights of the river and the farmland surrounding us occupied our attention as we pushed on.

After about 60km we reached Rivière-du-Loup and stopped at a grocery store to grab some lunch before going to eat in a nearby park looking out at the town on a nearby hill.

It is here that we would turn to head to New Brunswick if we were taking the shortest route, but we weren't doing that.  We're taking a somewhat more scenic route that stays with the coast line as much as possible in both Quebec and New Brunswick.  Still, I looked at the Route Verte sign pointing to Edmunston, New Brunswick and thought about how close it is now.

After lunch we were expecting rain in about an hour or two, and checked the forecast to see it had been pushed back to 4pm.  This would mean we could likely get to our motel before it started!  So we pushed on and were treated to many of the same views we'd been enjoying all day.

I didn't take many pictures in this section, we were pushing to get to the motel.  I had my earbuds in and at some point started hearing a hissing sound that corresponded to the turns of my tire.  I hoped it was only something stuck on the tire and not in the tire....if only hope alone was enough.  I felt the tire getting soft and eventually it went flat.  Flat number 4 had found me...

The culprit was a large staple of some kind.  I don't know what it's used for, but I wish it hadn't been on the road!  No worries though, with Skipper's help I was able to get the tire off and the tube replaced in about 15 minutes.  The most difficult part was pumping the tire back up with the little hand pumps we have.  Upper body workout is not something I get a lot of on this trip!

It was now 3:50pm and we were expecting the rain.  We took off again with 15km to go.  We could feel the occasional drop and pushed.  The tide was out and the shore was exposed.  Skipper pointed out the plethora of birds that flew along the water.  Harriers, bald eagles, and herons were everywhere.  We reached the motel shortly after 4pm and were welcomed by the owners who registered us and showed us to our room.  After 105km we had made it safe and sound and dry!

We showered and went to a nearby seafood store that sold chowder and sandwiches.

We went back to the room to eat them and I had a nap after eating mine!  We watched the news and listened to the grim news coming from Kelowna and Yellowknife.  I had biked through Kelowna on this trip and my Warm Showers hosts there are located near the fire.  I sent them a text to let them know I was thinking of them.  I hope they're alright.

The rain didn't start until about 7pm.  But when it came it was constant and heavy.  I then set to work on a blog post and that took until almost 11pm at which point I tucked in for the night.

It wasn't a long day in terms of distance, but it had felt that way with the wind.  The St. Lawrence River continues to delight and the surrounding lands are also incredible.  Passing every small town with a massive church reminded me of the small towns with grain elevators in Saskatchewan.  Same same, but different.  Tomorrow we will finish the St. Lawrence coast and turn inland and I'm sorry to see it go.  But until then, we'll continue to enjoy!