Safely in Ottawa

We've arrived safely in Ottawa after an extended trip home using every sort of transport other than airplane - that is reserved for this evening.

We did a whirlwind tour of my father's home town just yesterday to visit relatives. Packing up the bikes and gear this morning after it is all sanitized by Lana.

I've had no time to put together a final, detailed account of our last few days but I do have a final set of photos to share for those of you who won't have the pleasure of viewing all 1362 photos I took on the road. Slide night invitations are in the mail. ;)

http://picasaweb.google.com/macintyres/TheHomeStretch

I'm also hoping to post our exact route based on the tracking data I collected on our gps. That's not half as much fun as photos and will just have to wait.

Greg

Just Part of the Adventure

This blog comes to you live from the shoulder of highway 132 just moments away from the West side of Perce. Just now the sun is rising over Bonaventure island - the nature preserve we toured yesterday. From the shoulder of the road the sight is quite vivid. I say this because I've just started the 9 km hike back to our campsite from the bus depot where I dropped off our bikes.

This story begins some time in July when a flash flood pushed a house into a bridge knocking it out off commission. We knew the train was out of order but knew that VIA would have something worked out for us. Where this story takes a sudden turn is that VIA had a solution for it's passengers but not one for its cargo. The bus company VIA hired refuses to ship bikes! To make what is a long and frustrating story short we had to find a way to get our bikes home without VIA's assistance. For people who don't have, "it all adds to the adventure" as a motto, the work involved might cause an anurism (sp?).

It was during our ferry ride and hike across the island that all of Lana's hard work paid off. After many calls, conversations and pleading we had a "solution". What we wanted to avoid was having the girls ride in the middle of the night to arrive at a local gas station by 3am to give us time to dismantle and pack up all the bikes. We also wanted to avoid a 10 hour stop in Matapedia, the ghoast town where we discovered blackflies.

The solution began upon our return from a day of exploring. Somehow (picture coming soon) I managed to stack all the bikes and Levi's trailer to my own cargo trailer. Lashed down with everything I had available I added flashers and a slow-moving-vehicle sign from one of the girls bikes and was ready to go. After a nice five minute meal I headed off to the bus station - a tiny gas bar 9km west of our campsite.

The ride went well although it was easily my most hair raising ride of the trip with many stops in the dark to adjust places that began rubbing on the trailer tires.

The ride was slow but not as slow as the service from the two teenage gas station attendants who seemed to get a kick out of my limited abilities with their language. What they did manage to convey over the course of my two hour visit was that there would be nobody at the "bus station" in the mornng to put our bikes on the bus. This is one of those "lost in translation" moments you here about where there is no one to blame. This new tidbit sent me reeling and trying to problem solve two hours after bed time. The hotel across the street was full so I couldn't stay and the local cab company works 8am to 11pm so they were of no use to me.
I ended up packing every bike but my own and removing what I could from my bike to speed me up in the morning when I returned. Yes, return. I arrived back at the campsite at around midnght only moderately frazzled by the notion that I could have been mowed down by one of the hundreds of souped-up honda civics that race aimlessly around these parts.

Lana woke me at 4 am to set me on my way. The twilight moments at that time were even nicer than the sunrise in my opinion. The ride was smooth with a little more light than the night before and I had the last bike to the curb with a good three minutes to spare before the bus arrived.

So I am now probably two or three km into the walk back to Camping Cote SurPrise where the gang is nestled high on a cliff overlooking the touristic side of Perce. My crocs are not serving me very well as hiking boots but I've never been more impressed with a Blackberry - could get used to this walking and typing thing.

We are headed home this evening after a day of shopping and hopefully many lattes in the harbour.
Greg

The Girls on Bikes

Starting this journey I knew the girls had personalities as unique as their eye and hair colour. I didn't know that riding style was also a genetic trait handed down from the parents.

The girls ride as differently as their parents. Colby, like her Mother prefers to grind a single low gear all day long wether going up or down hill. She rolls along and resists my suggesstion to spin a little more so that her legs will last a little longer.

Quinn on the other hand is the opposite - she picks a high gear and spins like mad. I would even get a little concerned when we were screaming down hills and she was bobbing frantically in her seat as she raced to keep pace. Like har father she loves going up hills fast and her ability to spin has made her a phenomenal climber. Two cross Canada bike tourists we met watched Quinn climb an exceedingly steep hill in amazement, saying it was one of the steepest hills they'd encountered since Vancouver. At the late stages of the trip even her Dad couldn't keep up.

Then there is Colby. I'm not too sure where she picked up her daredevil gene - maybe uncle Scott. She heads down the hills faster than I'd like and likes to run over, under and sometimes through whatever is in front of her. She doesn't hear me when I tell her that a puddle could be hiding glass or the mother of all pot-holes, that branches hanging in her path should be avoided not embraced as a bike limbo challenge. Colby will be the perfect roadie as she never rode less than 1 foot behind the lead rider - she knows the value of drafting.

Just last night at our celebratory meal here in Perce, Lana let the girls know that with all they've learned on the trip, they had become better, more versatile riders than she. A pretty nice compliment from someone who has ridden as far and long as she has.

Greg

Riding Along the Ocean

This entry is coming to you from the tiny seaside village of St. Godefroi. I'm sitting up against a large piece of driftwood, next to a tiny fire, started from last night's embers. To my left is a low, red cliff spotted with gull nests and to my right a long beach bordered by a small commercial fishing marina. Ahead of me is all ocean with what might be the smallest sliver of New Brunswick far off to the South-West. St. Godefroi looks pretty good from where I'm sitting.

With only a couple of days riding ahead of us we have certainly got a few stories to tell - too many for my thumbs to manage on a Blackberry keyboard.

To begin, we had a big decicion to make last Thursday while we were still on the South Shore. We were contacted by VIA Rail telling us that our return trip to Ottawa had to be altered since they had a major bridge washout in Gaspesie. We looked at our days left and our new Gaspesie return point destination and reconfigured the itinerary. We planned a stop at La Pocatiere, a larger city with a train station. The plan was to collect schedule information so that we could coordinate our ride to land at a city in time to catch a train to the south side of the peninsula. Instead, we camped out at a local school playground for six hours and hopped the relatively convenient midnight train to Matepedia. Getting the bikes all boxed up in time for the train's arrival is a story by itself.
The very next morning at 5 am we'd arrived and had our bike gang ready to roll in short order. We left Matapedia with sandwiches from the conductor and the world's greatest train engine tour, graciously offered by the resident heavy duty mechanic.

We immediately noticed a real change in landscape, scenery, and critters. The gently rolling, pastoral farmlands were now densly forested hills. The frequent villages were now fewer and less tourist oriented, and then there's the black flies. Lana and the kids were mauled by these persistent critters on our first break. Instead of the itchy welts left by mosquitoes they leave a burning and itchy hole that sticks around for days. They'd be more bearable if they didn't love nooks and crannies. They go straight for ears, eyes and noses. Most bites are right along the hairline which has left Levi looking like he has Chicken Pox. The good news is that they've become fewer as we head further east.

Our first campsite at Escuminac, called Pirates Cove was small and rustic but had a great view of the ocean and neighbouring New Brunswick. As always the people left the greatest impression on us. We left late the next day with cheers from the resident campers who now knew our story. The campsite owner Joanne had provided us with garden vegetables for our supper and warm eggs, hand picked by the kids, for breakfast. Anse aux Pirates was a real highlight for all of us.

We left a rustic site behind and found what must be one of Quebec's most modern campsites by day's end. This was not before we made a number of interesting stops along the way.

It didn't sound interesting at the time but we were encouraged to visit the local Sauvannerie (sp?) or soap factory. Unlike other soaps, this soap was made using goat milk. The little cottage industry was quite impressive and the product first class. Levi enjoyed feeding the goats for the hour it took the girls to buy a few bars!

Next came a stop at a new fossil museum. Unfortunateluy this turned into a quick lunch stop as we were worried about our time. The funny thing about this stop was the fact that we became the center of attention for a group of people on a tour bus. They took pictures of us and we took pictures of them taking pictures of us. We have drawn a lot of attention on this trip. At our very first Tim Horton's stop just yesterday Lana looked up as we departed and the front window had filled with onlookers as we made ready to leave.

Most memorable was our run in with the steepest and most frequent hills we'd encountered to date. The steepest of which clocked in at a 12 percent grade. Our guide gives us warnings for anything over a grade of 5 percent but being that we have started taking short cuts many of these hills were a "pleasant surprise". The girls are excellent up and down the hills, rarely needing to stop and clocking speeds of 55km/hr on the steepest downhills. If not for the most amazing tailwind of the trip we would have been a sorry lot by day's end. Quinn did suffer and was towed for a few km at the end, my theory is that her spirits were dashed when Colby beat her up a hill for the very first time. Thankfully we had the fastest last 16 km ever on the hills down to sea-level with the mammoth wind still at our backs.

Carelton was a nice place with the nicest campsite. After visiting the Metro for grub we made our way to the campsite located on its own narrow peninsula that runs parralel to the town's mainstreet.
(Bleep: I was rudely interrupted by my family waking up and have had to contine this entry from a place called Pabos Mills, 47 km up the road)
Although an extremely windy location, we got a site sheltered by a tall hedge within earshot of the coolest playground complete with zip lines. I was happy to see a two terminal internet station where I could properly udate the blog.

I was up early the next day to sort through our 1000 photos and to make a backup. Colby was also up early as she had offered to make us Monte- Christo sandwiches for breakfast. Combined with grapefruit and local blueberries made for our best breakfast on the trip.

We have been really enjoying the last third of the trip. We have gotten into a decent groove and all the. Little aches and pains from this sort of travel have mostly vanished. The girls are saying how fast the time has gone and that they understand what a special accomplishment they've made.

Just yesterday we clocked 1000 km , our target distance. A kind lady told the girls that she was impressed by her husbands bicycle journey around the penninsula, "until she saw this." Her husband was standing next to her smiling his agreement. At our celebratory pizza party another woman was flabergasted as she sat with her 11 year old daughter and peppered us with questions. Yet another lady at a blueberry stand took notes and photos that she could use to convince her kids to do a similar trip.

Levi has also come a long way and we've convinced ourselves that this has been an excellent training ground for kindergarden. Sitting quietly in one spot, doing numbers and letters with a dry erase book; colouring and drawing are all kindergarden essentials. More than anything he's a more patient fellow - which was something we were working on before the trip.

We land in Perce today which will be the end of our eastward journey. The locals have all suggested that this is the most scenic spot and that the hills leading into the city of Gaspe are even difficult for cars. We wanted to give the kids a full day at our destination to sightsee and relax while we box all the gear up for a 5am departure on Saturday.

More Photos to Share

I`ve just posted another album to share.
http://picasaweb.google.com/macintyres/QuebecAndBeyond

Enjoy.

A day in the life.

So the adventure continues. We are in the last week and the girls are already feeling like the time has flown by. They are in truly great form, as is Levi. The few aches, pains and unpleasantries that we experienced early in the trip have dissappeared and we have settled into a routine - not the routine I had expected, but a routine none the less.

The typical day has me up between 5 and 6 am. I will either journal or wander the area depending on the temperature. Cold weather means I`m walking, warm weather gets me seated at the picnic table catching up with my writing. Either way my priority is to start the coffee pot. The handy, dandy stove we bought for the trip is so loud that I usually find a vacant campsite to setup in so that I`m not bothering the kids or other neighboring campers. The coffee is always better with cream but that has turned out to be a rare occassion with no way to keep it cool.

Lana wakes up next and shares a cup of coffee before we begin in earnest. We have found that "quiet time" doesn`t really exist on a trip like this. However, the time on the bike is pretty relaxing and can be considered meditative and relaxing in a way. The caveat here is that it has to be an open road with a broad shoulder and/or a bike path. City streets and sections of highway with a poor shoulder are in no way relaxing.

Next is breakfast and a combination of packing and playing. Where I had anticipated an early start to the day with a push to get in a bunch of early riding with an early arrival at any given destination, we`ve fallen into a routine much the opposite. The packing is so involved and time consuming that this is the perfect time for the kids to hang-out and explore while we deal with all the stuff. What quickly becomes a maelstrom of gear from the preceding evening`s setup has to be sorted, stashed and compressed into lots of nooks and crannies. Breakfast often ìsn`t ready until nearly 10am. We make it a priority to eat a great breakfast. Today for example Colby will be preparing Monte Cristo sandwiches; which she learned to make in her cooking class. With eggs and two types of meat this is the perfect breakfast for bike touring. I`ll likely spread mine with peanut butter and/or maple butter just for the added touring benefits :)

After breakfast playtime continues. If the campsite has a pool the kids will find it. Many of the sites we`ve found have excellent playgrounds that keep the kids busy. Levi says, "Bonjour" to pretty much anyone he meets now and can make friends with the help of his sisters` translation skills. The challenge here has been the Quebecois accent. The girls are used to hearing an anglo french, where the inntonation and coloquialisms here are a challenge. The current campsite we are at has the most amazing playground with long ziplines. Levi came home with a bleeding nose last night after being "zipped" off his feet by his big sister.

Depending on the play and packing mix we are on the road anywhere from 10am to 3pm. Yes this seems crazy but it`s just what works. We`ve had comments that people are surprised at how relaxed we are, that other people who tour tend to be much more militant. I started out trying to alter out schedule to a more conventional cycle touring timeline - but simply had to resign myself to this "family model".

When the waterbottles are refreshed and each pannier sealed we hit the road. If we are in the city trying to navigate I will lead the pack. On the open road Lana will lead and I`ll hang back slightly off the rear. We will put in 10km before our first break and lunch at 20 or 25km depending on what we have available for rest stops. There have been so few hot days that we have become quite happy with the cloud cover and rain to keep us cool. On the hot days I will douse the girls with water as we ride to keep them cool and content.

Lunch rarely happens before 3 o`clock. With lots of fresh vegetable stands and a more tourist oriented area, we have become more choosie about what we eat. We will often use this stop to inquire about a local campsite. The established guides have so few campites listed that fall directly on our route that we have become used to asking as we go.

Depending on the proximity of the next campsite our day can end anywhere from 5 to 8pm. The girls are often giddy upon our arrival. Not so much out of exhaustion as it is relief that we`ve found a cool place to stay. If we are in a populated area we`ll try to make a grocery stop before or after we setup camp. Lana will start diner and I`ll take care of the tent before it gets too dark. It has often been the case that Quinn is half asleep waiting for her meal. There has yet to be an evening where we are struggling to get the kids to sleep!

That`s it - we are in bed at the same time as the kids and have slept really well every night where there haven`t been Racoons trying to get into our food - but that`s another story.

Greg

Quebec and the South Shore

It's been a while since my last entry as five kids, lots of catching up with family and plenty of eating and drinking kept me from Lana's Blackberry. This will be lengthy!

With their arrival at our campsite it was only a few minutes before we had coined the phrase, "it adds to the adventure." While my sister had packed the tent, she left her poles safely at home in the basement. It was quickly decided that two families (nine in total) could fit into our tent. With the two men in the, not so mosquito proof, vestbule and the little ones and ladies snuggled inside. Worked well, although by morning the inside of the vestibule was littered with mosquitoes too full of blood to fly.

It was with great relish that I handed over the Long Haul Trucker (my bike) to my brother-in-law Teddy while I rode his ultalight triathlon rig. He's always up for a challenge and I'm always eagre to challenge him. Teddy took to touring rather nicely and we even started discussing ideas for a future trip. It wasn't until we hit the first doozy of a hill (likely the steepest we'll see on this trip) that his enthusiasm took a slight dip. His legs had taken a beating but it only showed on our fourth day together when he and I rode unladen bikes to Quebec city with the rest of the gang driving. Teddy was hanging back and enjoying the view, which if you knew him, isn't his usual priority.

Teddy's priority however is sustinance in the two major categories: meat and an accompanying beverage. Teddy arrived with every sort of rub, sauce and condiment you could imagine. The girls had a different fruity drink concocted for each meal and the guys drank, not so mild bourbons and ice cold beer insulated from the "heat" by their own little neoprene Eagles jerseys. This man can tailgate.
We became practiced at quickly serving the kids and shuttling them off to "Disney" after which we hunkered down to quietly enjoy our meal together. My biggest challenge was staying awake to chat after a full day of riding with a full stomach and bourbon in my bloodstream. There were a number of instances that I worried about falling asleep and rolling into the fire.

While Teddy and Laura were sampling the wonders of bike touring Lana drove the kids around - or maybe the kids drove Lana - not sure. Lana used the time that we rode to get laundry done, to give the kids some playtime, meet us for lunch, buy groceries and to scout campsites for day's end. As much as Teddy liked touring he wasn't too keen on not knowing our exact destination from day to day. The only answer we had was that, "it adds to the adventure."

We spent our last day together wandering through the narrow cobblestone streets of the ever popular Vieux Quebec (Old Quebec). We had a horse tour of the lower section and visited the market and the site for the 400th anniversary celebration. We ended our tour dinning at the Creperie right next to the iconic Chateaux Frontenac. The evening was capped with a bottle of "iced apple cider" by the fire.

The morning of our parting ways had us cycle to old quebec once again, this time so that we could take the ferry across the St. Lawerence to Levis on the "South Shore". We did have time for lunch in old Quebec where we had a nice conversation with a local couple after the gentleman had spilled his beer on Colby from their seat above us. In what I see as characteristically "french canadian" style he went on and on in mixed french and english about what a marvellous thing we were doing. It has happened a lot on this trip but this was an exceptional case as we thought the conversation had ended numerous times but he kept coming back in disbelief. I'm sure the girls get a lot out of these exchanges.

The South Shore is turning out to be what I had pictured in my mind's eye. Crazy beautiful vistas refreshed over every rise, inspiring columns of clouds like I've never seen and the quaintest homes and villages that ooze with history. Just yesterday we spent lunch at a historic, out of the way moulin (mill) where we had the freshest, tastiest home cooked meal. The mill was a working museum that had a perfect view of the seaway below.

Today we are hoping for the same tailwind we had yesterday and more of the same remarkable scenery and encounters.

Greg