Gaspe to Chandler
A great shortcut
D escent to Roche Perce
The big rockChandler August 3
Today 110 km, Total 898
Ryan left at 3:30 am to catch the bus for Moncton. He slipped away into the night. We will miss his wit and enthusiasm and we look forward to seeing him in a couple of weeks in Sydney. Have a great trip, Ryan.
Pete and I were up bright and early to set out for Rocher Perce. From Gaspe, we picked up the Route Vert trail again, starting with a nice dedicated bike trail. After following the trail markers for about 10km, we suddenly realized that the road had turned into a sandy track. While we were discussing what had happened, a local rider came up behind us and told us that all we needed to do was drag our bikes up onto the adjacent railway embankment and push them across a girder bridge for a few hundred metres to cut off 10 km of trail. Shouldn’t need to worry about a train coming along, there won’t be one for four days. A worthwhile shortcut, but a bit of a workout as we more or less carried Pete’s trailer – the little wheel kept dropping into the gaps between the ties.
Back on the main road, we checked the map and saw that there was a choice of two routes to Roche Perce. The inland route is part of the Route Vert system, promising to be less hilly, and the coastal road (Hwy 132) which was marked with some steep climbs. We decided to take the inland route to save our legs, and headed off. Now Pete on a bad day is quickly out of sight when I’m on a good day, and unfortunately I was following along with the map. When I reached the RV turnoff, Pete was nowhere around; I knew that if he had recognized the turn he would have waited for me, so he must have taken the rugged coastal route. Nothing to do put press on. Up to this point, the road had been gently rolling with a nice tailwind, and I had been enjoying the idyllic coastal scenery, with many little sandy bays and seaside cottages. We could see The famous Roche Perce landmark across the bay.
Soon after passing the easier rout turnoff, the road started to rise over the limestone ridge that forms the Roche Perce headland, and we were into a series of significant ascents. Not in the same class as the monsters on the St Lawrence coastline, but still pretty imposing when you round a corner and see the road snaking uphill ahead. I’ managed to avoid the chain-dropping problems I experienced the last few days, learning to shift when spinning at a lower speed than my road speed to make sure that there is no tension on the chain when shifting down to granny-gear. Shifting early also ensures that I tackle the climb with even effort all the way up, which works way better than peddling like a crazy thing for the lower section followed by a struggle to keep going at the end.
Topping out the last climbing section, I was rewarded by a spectacular view of the village of Roche Perce with its famous arched sea-stack, with Bonaventure Island in he background. This is truly an Iconic Canadian Vista.
As I pulled into town, Pete was sitting on a bench waiting for me. We passed all the touristy restaurants, and had a great gourmet lunch as usual in the parking lot of the local co-op grocery store. Afterwards, I backtracked a little and spent a dollar to be allowed to stand in a field that has a good view of the arch, then we hit the road to our planned destination of Chandler about 50km away.
Over the last week, we have enjoyed the assistance of a constant westerly wind, but now that we have rounded the point of the peninsula it has become a pesky headwind, cutting my speed in places to less than 20 km/hr on the flat. Later in the afternoon, the wind died down a little, but it was still a longer day than anticipated. Later on; we could see a landmass to the south which is the Northeast part of New Brunswick, so the Quebec leg of our trip is almost done.
We found a campground at a pleasant golf resort in Pabos, just outside of Chandler. A group came into the next site, travelling with a van and two motorcycles. The were very friendly and interested in our trip and wanted to check out our bikes and other equipment. All members of one family, but hailing from across the country, BC, Ontario and New Brunswick. After a few beers, we all decided to go for dinner, and they surprised us by picking up the tab.
Then back to the camp for a continued vist, blogging, and so to bed…
Today 110 km, Total 898
Ryan left at 3:30 am to catch the bus for Moncton. He slipped away into the night. We will miss his wit and enthusiasm and we look forward to seeing him in a couple of weeks in Sydney. Have a great trip, Ryan.
Pete and I were up bright and early to set out for Rocher Perce. From Gaspe, we picked up the Route Vert trail again, starting with a nice dedicated bike trail. After following the trail markers for about 10km, we suddenly realized that the road had turned into a sandy track. While we were discussing what had happened, a local rider came up behind us and told us that all we needed to do was drag our bikes up onto the adjacent railway embankment and push them across a girder bridge for a few hundred metres to cut off 10 km of trail. Shouldn’t need to worry about a train coming along, there won’t be one for four days. A worthwhile shortcut, but a bit of a workout as we more or less carried Pete’s trailer – the little wheel kept dropping into the gaps between the ties.
Back on the main road, we checked the map and saw that there was a choice of two routes to Roche Perce. The inland route is part of the Route Vert system, promising to be less hilly, and the coastal road (Hwy 132) which was marked with some steep climbs. We decided to take the inland route to save our legs, and headed off. Now Pete on a bad day is quickly out of sight when I’m on a good day, and unfortunately I was following along with the map. When I reached the RV turnoff, Pete was nowhere around; I knew that if he had recognized the turn he would have waited for me, so he must have taken the rugged coastal route. Nothing to do put press on. Up to this point, the road had been gently rolling with a nice tailwind, and I had been enjoying the idyllic coastal scenery, with many little sandy bays and seaside cottages. We could see The famous Roche Perce landmark across the bay.
Soon after passing the easier rout turnoff, the road started to rise over the limestone ridge that forms the Roche Perce headland, and we were into a series of significant ascents. Not in the same class as the monsters on the St Lawrence coastline, but still pretty imposing when you round a corner and see the road snaking uphill ahead. I’ managed to avoid the chain-dropping problems I experienced the last few days, learning to shift when spinning at a lower speed than my road speed to make sure that there is no tension on the chain when shifting down to granny-gear. Shifting early also ensures that I tackle the climb with even effort all the way up, which works way better than peddling like a crazy thing for the lower section followed by a struggle to keep going at the end.
Topping out the last climbing section, I was rewarded by a spectacular view of the village of Roche Perce with its famous arched sea-stack, with Bonaventure Island in he background. This is truly an Iconic Canadian Vista.
As I pulled into town, Pete was sitting on a bench waiting for me. We passed all the touristy restaurants, and had a great gourmet lunch as usual in the parking lot of the local co-op grocery store. Afterwards, I backtracked a little and spent a dollar to be allowed to stand in a field that has a good view of the arch, then we hit the road to our planned destination of Chandler about 50km away.
Over the last week, we have enjoyed the assistance of a constant westerly wind, but now that we have rounded the point of the peninsula it has become a pesky headwind, cutting my speed in places to less than 20 km/hr on the flat. Later in the afternoon, the wind died down a little, but it was still a longer day than anticipated. Later on; we could see a landmass to the south which is the Northeast part of New Brunswick, so the Quebec leg of our trip is almost done.
We found a campground at a pleasant golf resort in Pabos, just outside of Chandler. A group came into the next site, travelling with a van and two motorcycles. The were very friendly and interested in our trip and wanted to check out our bikes and other equipment. All members of one family, but hailing from across the country, BC, Ontario and New Brunswick. After a few beers, we all decided to go for dinner, and they surprised us by picking up the tab.
Then back to the camp for a continued vist, blogging, and so to bed…
Sounds great Dad! My friend Cory and I are enjoying your adventures! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteBarney: A great story. I'm with you in spirit. I didn't do Gaspe and if you find the hills a challenge, I'm glad I'm not with you in person.
ReplyDeleteThere is a great hostel at Point a la Garde, called Auberge du Chateau Bahia. Breakfast is included and dinner is available, which is good as it is 10km from any services. 418-788-2048 or aubchaba@globetrotter.net. This is probably too late to help.
I've been on the bike but my longest ride has been 25km. Sailing season starts on Friday so I likely won't ride much until October.
Bon chance.
Gordon Bryce
Hey Barney. Something Pete wrote, Saturday's been rattling along in my head betweenwhiles: "We’re in our own little world, getting up each morning, packing gear, riding and riding and riding, and then finding a place to sleep and eat, and then doing it all over again. It’s like a gypsy’s life. All you know is you’re more than likely to do a ride the next day and it’s a ride you’ve never done before. It’s excitement, anticipation, caution, revelations, wonderment and adventure." Seems somehow like a good philosophy for life, "All you know is ...". For some reason beyond explanation, Life seems pretty good here too just now, at home and at Paces. Just get up each day and go and all you know is that there's more than likely a next day and its new and full of possibilities. Guess it's the Weetabix.
ReplyDelete