Ok….this is going to be long…and fun so grab a cup of coffee or tea if it’s morning, beer or wine if it’s evening, hot chocolate and maybe some popcorn!!!! Find a comfy chair and start reading!!! 😀😀😀
So yesterday when I got to the hostel, I wanted to bring my bike inside, which meant 10 narrow steep stairs….ok I can do this. In walked a young couple…he told me to wait and that he would carry it up! Well isn’t that nice 😀. So kind of him. Then he asked what time I was going to leave today so that he could set his alarm and help me! Super kind. I told him I didn’t know what time I would be leaving….and not to worry, I was quiet this morning loading up my bag…ensuring my tent and poles are going to work and I managed to get it down the stairs without marking up the walls, or injuring myself! Yeah 😀
I found a breakfast place a few km away and headed there….had a yummy breakfast of bacon and eggs with a strawberry crepe….very yummy. As I sat there I was contemplating what to do today. I really should move on…but then I have all this extra time….but I can’t get the hostel for another night, but really I really want to see St Valérien, and I’m already here…. I should just go! So I made an out and return route in my GPS, and off I went.
Before breakfast it was cool and blustery….but after breakfast it was warm, sunny and still windy, but felt more like a day to be out cycling. Great! I don’t have too far to go…but silly me, I didn’t look at the upcoming hills nor the total elevation gain. Thankfully I was on quiet country roads….paved, but not much traffic. My GPS alerted me to the first hill, 36 m gain over 800 m. And that the next hill was in 3.5 km. Ok, I can do this. Well the second hill was 4 km long and 162m gain….well this is serious business. I stopped to take off my sweater and leggings….of course the leggings are the innermost layer, so I needed to find a private spot 😳. I had a few sips of water, and away I went. It actually wasn’t too bad, and at the top there were rolling hills for the next 5 km.
Not long after I got to the town and took a photo of the sign. First stop, the church. This is where I had done my first communion as a child. The outside of the church is exactly like in the photo I have, except the doors were likely wooden back then. I stood there and looked for a few minutes, then a man walked out and as he was walking back in, engaged me in conversation. What was I doing etc. When I told him about my first communion he invited me in. He said they were doing some cooking. Well there were 6 people inside, they had made jam with local berries, and they were splitting up the jars for everyone to take home. They had also made caramelized onions and blanched garlic greens.
I chatted with them for a bit, telling them I had cycled from Vancouver island. They had lots of questions, and one lady was looking at my legs…. I said don’t look too closely…. I broke my razor on the second week and haven’t bothered to replace it 😂😂😂.
The inside of the church is empty….the pews have been removed, and there were stacks of chairs and tables against one of the walls. Looks like it gets used for community events. There’s a library upstairs, and the daycare used to be here too until they got their own building. Nice to see that it’s still being used.
After saying good bye, I headed out to the cemetery to find my grandparent’s tombstone. It took me a while…but eventually I found it. Later on my aunt says she comes and visits once a year, and she talks to them….but they never respond! 😂😂
As I was cycling to the restaurant for lunch, I took a photo of the street sign Beaupré. Then off for lunch, I walked in and ordered a poutine as everyone said how good it was here. I ordered a small, then headed off to the terrace to find a cool place outside. I met two cyclists there….not bike packers, just regular cyclists. We had a conversation…and then they asked where I was going next.,,so out came the story of the Gaspé and the hills. I was told that they aren’t too bad. Ghislain told me that he had ridden it, and the hills are only in one area, and that there are only 6 bad hills, all in the same area but that the scenery is worth it. He was so enthusiastic about this area, that I’ve decided to go back to plan A, and cycle the Gaspésie!!!
Then he asked if I was going to les îles de la madeleine….well I hadn’t thought about this at all, but I just might. The ferry lasts 5 hours, and departs from the town of Souris on PEI. This sounds like the perfect way to use up a few extra days!!!! So new plan for the end of the trip! Something new and exciting. Apparently it’s beautiful there, and I can cycle the island….so I have about 10 days to research and decide.
They headed off and wished me luck on eating my small poutine!!!! The container was overflowing…and could have fed a family of 4!!! The curds were perfectly squeaky, gravy was thick and yummy. I could only eat about 1/3….and that was really forcing myself to eat.
I had called my aunt, and she’s expecting me…so off I went….back down the big hill into town. I got a bit lost so called for directions….well, I wasn’t lost at all….i had to go into town, cross the river and head back up the other side. When I asked if it was hilly, she said…well yes, there’s one hill, then at the top turn right and that’s flat, then another small hill at the end.
So I crossed the river, and headed on a path….and who do I see, but Ghislain and Benoit, the guys from the restaurant!!! Fun. I showed them where I was going,and they said wow….i replayed with - it’s just a few km….and then they laughed. I had no idea until I started up the hills….its one huge hill….almost 200m up!!! Ughhhh!
Well I made it up, and went to visit my aunt and uncle that I haven’t seen in almost 30 years….but she looks just the same ❤️❤️❤️. We had a great visit, then it was down the hill to the campground. I stopped at a food truck type building for a bit of dinner. There I met Nancy from Matane - where I’m going tomorrow who gave me her phone number in case I need anything tomorrow. Another very kind person! It took a while to get to the campground on trails which were fantastic. When I was checking in, the young lady behind the counter was curious about my trip….cane out to check my bike. She is so kind.
So I’m here in the campground….in my new tent which is big and bulky and heavy….but I’ll get used to it I’m sure. I may try to split it up so that I don’t have quite as much weight on the front forks….but that’s a tomorrow project.
Thanks everyone who checked on me today. Everything is going super!
1 comment:
What a fabulous day! I wondered what you were doing when I saw you going ‘backward’ on the gps but it all makes sense now 🤣 Love that you went down memory lane to the church, and saw family . And hooray to being flexible and changing plans for even more exciting ones!
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