Day 45 - Shawville QC to Ottawa ON - 87.5 kms
Progress to Ottawa ON - 4,659.5 kms (75%!)
There are two separate versions of our "campout" experience last night. Ken's night could only be described as "Sleepless in Shawville". There is a electronic bell that tolls on the hour in the town, and Ken is pretty sure he heard most of them through the night! He is also able to report that the robins start chirping around 4:30 A.M. The lack of any kind of padding between him and the grass, the fact that our tent fly was like sleeping in a garbage bag, and the incessant whining of mosquitoes all contributed to a very uncomfortable night. Cam's campout experience, on the other hand, would best be described as "Field of Dreams" - but only after 1:30AM when he retrieved a pair of earplugs from his bag to silence the non-stop mosquitoes. As he only had one pair, he also retrieved some Kleenex for Ken's ears, however, this solution was not nearly as effective...!
With an estimated 2 hours of sleep, Ken was out of "bed" and dressed at 7:30AM, which allowed him to observe some early bird campers backing their fifth wheel trailer into the spot about 8 feet from the still sleeping Cam! At 8:30AM, Cam awoke, refreshed, ready to take on the day and wondering where the trailer next to him had come from! He couldn't believe that he didn't hear a thing when they backed in (thank-you earplugs), and that he had gotten 7 hours of sleep in those conditions! He did, however, feel badly for Ken when he heard his story...
With an estimated 2 hours of sleep, Ken was out of "bed" and dressed at 7:30AM, which allowed him to observe some early bird campers backing their fifth wheel trailer into the spot about 8 feet from the still sleeping Cam! At 8:30AM, Cam awoke, refreshed, ready to take on the day and wondering where the trailer next to him had come from! He couldn't believe that he didn't hear a thing when they backed in (thank-you earplugs), and that he had gotten 7 hours of sleep in those conditions! He did, however, feel badly for Ken when he heard his story...
 Cam in field of dreamsland... |  ...even after the neighbors move in! |
The plaque behind us says "Friends Gather Here"! After we had packed up, we headed back into Shawville to Hursty's Bar and Grill for a tasty breakfast. (If you've been paying attention, you might recall we had eaten there last night for supper). Joanne and her sister Julie provided us (and all the regulars) with excellent, friendly service. After they heard the particulars of our adventure from last night, and the details of our ride, they went one step further and waived the cost of our breakfast! Thanks for getting our day off to a great start, and we hereby name Hursty's as the recommended breakfast restaurant of Cam & Ken's Cross Canada Adventure!
Cam rides "La Rue Verte" From Shawville we were able to access the amazing "La Rue Verte" (The Green Road) bike path system that runs throughout Quebec. This particular section was a former railroad line that had been re-purposed for cycling in summer and snowmobiling in the winter. Although it was lush with foliage and greenery for most of the way, the hard packed gravel required more effort to ride on. It was a pleasant change from narrow shoulders though! We understand that much of the Rue Verte system is paved and will be excellent for journeying through Quebec!
Quebec farmland along La Route Verte
Ken shares our card with Chris, Kirsten & Ed Once we got out of bed, the story for today was the heat, along with the humidity. By the time that we had mounted our bikes at Hursty's, Cam's arms were already glistening with humidity. By mid-afternoon, the temperature had reached 33 degrees, and combined with the brutal humidity, it was very difficult riding. Consequently, we made a number of rest stops today in small towns to cool down with drinks and ice cream. At a small store in the town of Quoyon, we met Chris, Kirsten and Ed en route from Minneapolis to Boston where Chris and Ed will start new jobs this fall at a school there. What an awesome way to move! We wish them luck in their journey!
 Ice cream break! |  A shady rest break with Paul! |  We ran into Chris & Alex along the Ottawa River! |
The segment of La Rue Verte ended after about 40 kms and had brought us back to Highway 148. While the shoulders were awesome for awhile, they eventually disappeared. Fortunately, traffic wasn't that bad. Along this stretch we had to climb a number of rolling hills which was demanding in the heat. One of the hills set a record for this trip as it had a grade of 9.5% (according to Ken's Garmin device)!
As we were approaching Gatineau, parched from hill climbing, the traffic began to increase and we were looking to get back to La Rue Verte which started up again along the Ottawa River. At this point, Cam heard a man on the North side of the road yell something like "veux de l'eau?". Cam replied "English?" as he couldn't hear that well - and the man asked if he wanted water. Before we knew it, we were sitting under a shady tree in front of Paul's house enjoying some cold water out of the sun! Paul is a fireman, and also an avid cyclist who has let many passing cyclists camp out in his yard. He gave us directions to La Rue Verte that saved us a bunch of time as our original plan would have taken us on an inefficient route. Thanks for your great timing and hospitality Paul!
As we were approaching Gatineau, parched from hill climbing, the traffic began to increase and we were looking to get back to La Rue Verte which started up again along the Ottawa River. At this point, Cam heard a man on the North side of the road yell something like "veux de l'eau?". Cam replied "English?" as he couldn't hear that well - and the man asked if he wanted water. Before we knew it, we were sitting under a shady tree in front of Paul's house enjoying some cold water out of the sun! Paul is a fireman, and also an avid cyclist who has let many passing cyclists camp out in his yard. He gave us directions to La Rue Verte that saved us a bunch of time as our original plan would have taken us on an inefficient route. Thanks for your great timing and hospitality Paul!
Ken enjoys the waters of the mighty Ottawa Following Paul's instructions, we found La Rue Verte and were making good time towards Ottawa, through Gatineau. As we came around a corner, we spotted a large park, and even better, a beach along the Ottawa River. We quickly agreed that a plunge and a Frisbee were in order and headed towards the beach. To our surprise, sitting at a picnic table having cooked some pasta for lunch were our UK friends - Alex and Chris! We caught up on the details of our prior night's sleep (or lack of sleep) and today's ride - both agreeing that the heat was brutal. After a dip in the very shallow, and not too cool, water, we threw the Frisbee with our Limey friends for awhile before getting back on the bikes and heading towards Ottawa. Our pathways are now heading different directions, so we don't expect to run into Alex and Chris again - good luck on your travels guys!
Parliament Hill! For another 15 kms or so, La Rue Verte is a beautiful isolated, tree-lined, paved pathway along the river - although you'd never know you were in a city. It was a great way to get into Ottawa without having to deal with traffic and we were thankful again to have left the TransCanada yesterday. Once we had moved from this section onto more typical urban pathways, we turned a corner and there across the river was the House of Parliament! We enjoyed the majestic view from the North side of the river for a few minutes before making our way by the Museum of Civilization in Hull and across the river to Ottawa. As we rode, Ken commented that "riding from Vancouver to Ottawa sounds like a long trip!". Cam agreed!
Ride Details:
- Distance: 87.5 kms
- Riding time: 4 hours, 18 minutes
- Average speed: 20.1 kms/hour
- Wind: Variable, light
- Temperature: 33 degrees Celcius, High humidity, brutal!
- Cumulative: 4,659.5 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Rest Day - and see the sites of Ottawa!
For more ride details, see Strava and for more ride photos from today, see our Photo Gallery.
- Distance: 87.5 kms
- Riding time: 4 hours, 18 minutes
- Average speed: 20.1 kms/hour
- Wind: Variable, light
- Temperature: 33 degrees Celcius, High humidity, brutal!
- Cumulative: 4,659.5 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Rest Day - and see the sites of Ottawa!
For more ride details, see Strava and for more ride photos from today, see our Photo Gallery.