Day 66: St. Andre to Notre-Dame-Du-Lac (T.D.: 108.8km; S.T.: 6h23min)

A chilly morning reminded us that we were past the point of having to worry about summer heat slowing us down. We layered up and hit the road towards Riviere-du-Loup, on the 132 or, as it is alternatively known, la Route de la Montagne (the mountain road). This designation was another reminder, namely that we would be leaving the lovely flatlands of middle Quebec and entering the northern Appalachian region. Out of Riviere-du-Loup, we would climb about 500 metres, which is nothing on the Rocky Mountains, but would be the most substantial hill this side of Western Ontario for sure. 

 

        To navigate the climb, we located the Petit Temis, an “interprovincial linear park” that would take us all the way to NB. In other words: a walking trail. The trail was nice, and it was there that I invented the “PB and C” sandwich, I suppose any culinary invention of ours could bear that seal (Pat Brennan and Caroline – ha!) but in this case, those initials stood for, you guessed it, PEANUT BUTTER and CHEESE. Delicious. Just delicious. If only I’d had a fine wine to go with it. We also tried a Nutella and Cheese combo for dessert. Also delicious.

        Anyway, we ended up abandoning the gravel trail for the paved shoulder of Highway 185, despite the traffic barreling past us. The 185 was riddled with construction, and the climbs were more highly graded than the trail, but I think we made better time regardless. And, as we learned in BC, the bigger the climb, the more thrilling the descent, and there were plenty of thrilling descents on this road.

        We stopped in Notre-Dame-sur-Lac, a few kilometres passed the hilariously named St. Louis-de-Ha!-Ha! (no joke!), and after falling off my bicycle on the driveway to the campground, settled in on the banks of Lake Temiscouata and pondered what we might do for dinner. 

Amazingly, a retired professor named Dean who was the only other camper around, offered to take us out for dinner at the local restaurant. He’d been told that there would be a great seafood chowder on special tonight and was eager to have some company to share it with. We happily obliged. What a treat! Dean was a super nice fellow – an American sociologist who specialized in diasporic French cultures (from Louisiania to l’Acadie!). After an enjoyable meal and some delightful conversation, we bid each other good night and hit the hay.

Av. Spd.: 17.2km/h

Mx. Spd.: 58.9km/h

Odometer milestones hit: The 6000 km mark! Woot!

More evidence of human kindness: Yes!