Day 44 - Deep River ON to Shawville QC - 121.7 kms
Day 44 - Progress to Shawville QC - 4,572.0 kms
New levels of adventure! We write this entry of our blog from the campground in Shawville QC - with mosquitos swarming the laptop screen, but not our heads thanks to mesh insect headnets and gobs of bug spray. No, we don't carry a tent, nor sleeping bags or sleeping pads. But we do carry extra clothes and a large tent fly that will serve as our bed and blanket this evening, stretched out across a flat patch of grass. We called this Cam and Ken's Cross-Country Adventure - and tonight the adventure is heating up for us!
How, you might ask, did we get ourselves into this predicament? Was it poor planning? Bad execution? Or just plain bad luck? Well, we should go back to the beginning to help explain, and you can decide....
How, you might ask, did we get ourselves into this predicament? Was it poor planning? Bad execution? Or just plain bad luck? Well, we should go back to the beginning to help explain, and you can decide....
Our day started of great! As we were walking our bikes down the hallway to descend the stairs from our second floor room (the only room left), a couple was coming out of their room and told us that they like to watch other people exercise. We laughed and then they asked what's up -- so we told them about our trip. They were heading back home to Kelowna and before we knew it, Fred March had pressed $20 into our palms for El Jordan! It's amazing the generosity that you run into! Thank you Fred!
We had made the decision to head into Quebec for the ride to Ottawa as we had been warned that the highway got more dangerous on the Ontario side as it approached Ottawa. We had also heard that the police actively removed cyclists from the highway and read about one such incident. Our plan was to take the TransCanada about 70 kms, and then head North across the Ottawa River into Quebec at Portage du Fort and to spend the night at Shawville QC. Our research showed at least one motel. There were some warning signs that should have set off some red flags - such as one on-line reviewer who had shown up and no one answered the door at the Auberge du Ville Shawville. We checked online and we were able to make a reservation, so we thought it would be okay...
We had made the decision to head into Quebec for the ride to Ottawa as we had been warned that the highway got more dangerous on the Ontario side as it approached Ottawa. We had also heard that the police actively removed cyclists from the highway and read about one such incident. Our plan was to take the TransCanada about 70 kms, and then head North across the Ottawa River into Quebec at Portage du Fort and to spend the night at Shawville QC. Our research showed at least one motel. There were some warning signs that should have set off some red flags - such as one on-line reviewer who had shown up and no one answered the door at the Auberge du Ville Shawville. We checked online and we were able to make a reservation, so we thought it would be okay...
Nadine said "Hope you're hungry fellas...." We made quick time to Pembroke, a city just Southeast of Pettiwawa - the location of a large Canadian Forces Base - and we grabbed lunch at an Irvings Truck Stop. Our waitress, Nadine, gave us excellent service, but has only been on the job for one week, so she wasn't able to warn us that one serving of the Hungry Man's Poutine Platter would easily feed a family of 6, so we ordered one each and felt badly leaving the plates looking largely untouched! It was an excellent lunch, but not one we suggest for cycling on a very hot, humid day. We were dragged down by the weighty poutine through the rest of the afternoon...
Beachburg Road - off the TransCanada...finally! With all of the warnings about the TransCanada/Highway 17 we decided during lunch to take an alternate route to Quebec suggested by Apple Maps that ran parallel to the main highway. We were a little worried that it might be a lot more hilly than the #17 as it was secondary highways, but it turned out to be a much more intimate road through houses and many farms. You see very little life on the TransCanada in this part of the country due to the forests. It was very unique and beautiful country - and was pretty flat. We are very glad to have left this part of the TransCanada behind.
The afternoon was hot, above 31 degrees C, and the humidity was again very high. Today, the wind was behind us but not very strong, so there was no cooling breeze which made the ride feel much hotter than yesterday. We passed a Mennonite farm with a cute little "Country Garden Shop" set up along the road selling vegetables, pies, tarts, and other things on the honour system. Cam bought some radishes to snack on, but the real bonus was a hose that they used to mist the vegetables. Cam and Ken took turns cooling themselves down. It was perfect timing being mid-afternoon.
Alex and Chris from the UK We continued on, and before long were at the junction of County Road 653, the highway that would take us into Quebec. While once again cooling down with cold drinks (and a Freezie for Cam), we ran into Alex and Chris from the UK. They met at the University of Toronto a few years ago and are doing a ride from Toronto to Quebec City (where Alex now lives) that will last about a month. They were good blokes and we shared some stories and were on our way. As fate would have it, we met up with them again at a restaurant in Shawville, and they are comfortably set up in a tent in the same campground as we will be sleeping under the stars in! We are guessing we will probably cross paths on the road tomorrow as we are heading the same way!
Ken blogs with protective headwear! This brings us to Shawville Quebec. This is Ken's first visit to Quebec, and we were very disappointed that Shawville turns out to be be an Anglophone town, so Ken didn't have to struggle with his French! We learned this in the Tiger Giant (aka Geant Tigre) where they advised us that our motel was back down the highway we had just arrived on. We should have turned left, not right...
We backtracked and came to the Auberge de Ville Shawville (aka The Shawville Village Inn) which looked surprisingly dark inside, although there were many signs of life such as watered flowers, a mown lawn, and others. We had called a couple of hours earlier and left a message but hadn't received a callback. After waiting awhile, we headed into town hoping that someone there might help us get a room, or we could find a B&B. An internet search showed no motels withing 50kms - unless we backtracked 15 kms, which wasn't going to happen. To make a long story short, no one could help us in town, and the motel never called back. However, we ran into Alex and Chris during dinner at Hursty's Bar & Grill in town, and they told us about the free campground. Canadian Tire was closed, so we couldn't find anywhere to buy some basic supplies, so we are going with layers of clothing and the tent fly. It isn't supposed to get that cold tonight (we expect about 10 degrees), so we are hoping to sleep okay with our meager setup! At least we have electricity to recharge our equipment and reasonably clean washrooms. It should be an adventure! Good night!
Ride Details:
- Distance: 121.7 kms
- Riding time: 5 hours, 40 minutes
- Average speed: 21.7 kms/hour
- Wind: West (light)
- Temperature: 31 degrees C, and humid
- Cumulative: 4,572.0 kms
For more ride details, see Strava. We will post more pictures tomorrow from Ottawa as we are using Cam's iPad and downloading time is very slow from the back country of Quebec...
Tomorrow's Destination: Ottawa, ON - 94 kms.
We backtracked and came to the Auberge de Ville Shawville (aka The Shawville Village Inn) which looked surprisingly dark inside, although there were many signs of life such as watered flowers, a mown lawn, and others. We had called a couple of hours earlier and left a message but hadn't received a callback. After waiting awhile, we headed into town hoping that someone there might help us get a room, or we could find a B&B. An internet search showed no motels withing 50kms - unless we backtracked 15 kms, which wasn't going to happen. To make a long story short, no one could help us in town, and the motel never called back. However, we ran into Alex and Chris during dinner at Hursty's Bar & Grill in town, and they told us about the free campground. Canadian Tire was closed, so we couldn't find anywhere to buy some basic supplies, so we are going with layers of clothing and the tent fly. It isn't supposed to get that cold tonight (we expect about 10 degrees), so we are hoping to sleep okay with our meager setup! At least we have electricity to recharge our equipment and reasonably clean washrooms. It should be an adventure! Good night!
Ride Details:
- Distance: 121.7 kms
- Riding time: 5 hours, 40 minutes
- Average speed: 21.7 kms/hour
- Wind: West (light)
- Temperature: 31 degrees C, and humid
- Cumulative: 4,572.0 kms
For more ride details, see Strava. We will post more pictures tomorrow from Ottawa as we are using Cam's iPad and downloading time is very slow from the back country of Quebec...
Tomorrow's Destination: Ottawa, ON - 94 kms.