Part One-Camping Au Bonnet Rouge to Aube Aventure

Aug 9th, 2019/Camping Au Bonnet Rouge to Park of the Pointe

Day's total/KM 97/elevation gain 238 meters
Total to date/KM 6141.9/Total elevation gain 32633 meters

 Today marks my third month of touring!
  A much cooler ride today with highs of around 22 Celsius it's nice to see a shift to cooler temperatures. The winds were Southwest often giving us a nice little push. We followed Hwy 132 for 15 or so kilometers then I spotted the La Route Verte 1. Taro tends to play past the cycling paths, typically they do take longer and often are more hilly but the rewards are well worth the effort. The path was hard packed gravel and brought us alongside the Saint Lawrence. Tall wind swept grasses bordered the trail, meadows of wild flowers and purple fire-weed. The views of the Saint Lawrence were spectacular as well the farmlands and small towns. There were a few decent little climbs today but for the most part it was mainly flat, we made good time. Despite having agreed to take it easy we both seem to fall into a quicker pace than usual. It was a tiring but memorable days ride. We pitched, setup and showered, then were both chased back to our tents, it rained thru dinner. I cooked and ate in the tent. It eventually let up and we were able to share our last beer together at days end. Taro was off to PEI via the 185 and I was continuing on to ride around the Caspe'.

Aug 10th, 2019/Park of the Pointe to Camping Municipal de Saint Fabien

Day's total/KM 78/elevation gain 338 meters
Total to date/KM 6348.9/Total elevation gain 32971 meters

 I said my goodbyes to Taro, I'll miss riding with him, we had many memorable times together. Hwy 132 was quiet, I saw signage for the Le Route Verte, I wanted to make good time so I continued along the 132. Hwy 20 eventually terminates, it moves a lot of traffic, much of it finds Hwy 132 and it quickly becomes busy. I spotted the La Route Verte, it dropped down into the valley. I thought like yesterday it would follow the shoreline, it didn’t. Once down and committed I was quickly routed back up. It took me up a series of hills, I had to push up and a lot of peddling in the granny gear. I made my way back onto the 132 having lost considerable time. I took the La Route Verte one more time, it was a short, flat bit that didn't route me too far from the main highway. I opted for a slightly shorter day today, the sun returned and I wanted to dry everything out. I grabbed groceries not far from the campground, checked in and set up. The pitch was on wooden platforms, perfect for drying all my gear away from the dirt. I hand washed some cloths, showered then ate dinner. The rain was back at around 6:30 and came down pretty good.

Aug 11th, 2019/Camping Municipal de Saint Fabien to Camping Parc Sirois Whale

Day's total/KM 128/elevation gain 595 meters
Total to date/KM 6476.9/Total elevation gain 33435 meters

 I set the alarm for 6 AM, I awoke to the sound of rain. I decided to go back to sleep, at 7:15 I looked out to an overcast sky and still drizzling. I wanted to put on some kilometers today and the forecast was calling for clearing around noon. I made coffee, cooked some oatmeal then set about packing up. I was on the road by 9 AM. I hoped on the La Route Verte at times but covered most of the section on Hwy 132. Ramouski was much bigger than I thought, there was a nice well paved dedicated bike route that fronted the town following the shoreline of the Saint Lawrence. I spotted a Subway once I'd cleared the busier parts, grabbed a sub for the road. The sun finally did come out around noon but there was a noticeable change in temperature, it was a lot cooler. A Westerly was blowing off the Saint Lawrence, one of the best tail winds I’ve had. Groceries were about 4k past the campground, the return trip was nasty, I was now straight into the winds. I pitched on grass well in back for a little privacy. Cooked in the tent, it was too windy outside.

Aug 12th, 2019/Camping Parc Sirois Whale to Camping du Rivage

Day's total/KM 91.8/elevation gain 798 meters
Total to date/KM 6556.7/Total elevation gain 34233 meters

 It rained thru the night off and on but I woke to a dry tent, it’s always nice to pack up when things are dry. The skies were overcast, when I hit the road the skies were clearing and it was shaping up to be a nice day. I passed on making breakfast, so the first stop was Tim Horton's. Then I spotted a larger grocery store, pulled in and picked up a few things for tonight’s dinner. A few ups for today, nothing drastic. I stayed for the most part on the 132 and jumped on La Route Verte a few times, there weren’t a lot of options today. The winds were at my back pushing me along making for good time. I stopped for lunch which took much longer than expected, slow service. I rode out past the campground without checking in to grab some beer. It was starting to get a little late, on return the campground was full. I was forced to backtrack another few kilometers West. A couple of gals that were also turned away beat me and were given ocean front camping, they had a car. It worked out well, I pitched across the road, a little more private and had access to the beach.

Aug 13th, 2019/Rest Day/Camping du Rivage

I walked the beach in the morning, afternoon and evening. You could walk in either direction, sandy for the most part and real windy. My bike was doing a lot of ghost shifting the other day and I could at times feel something resonating thru the crank, a rough spot in the drive train. The symptoms I felt were the beginnings, the end result was of a broken chain. Just as I came back from shopping, on the grass in front of my campsite it broke, a bit of luck there. The next dilemma was the nearest bike shop in Ramouski was 25 plus kilometers away. I gave them a call, in turn he gave me the number to this fellow that maintains a fleet of rental bikes near where I was. I gave him a call, he had a chain, showed up at the campground jut minutes after I hung-up. I was just a little dumb struck on how all that unfolded. I was again ready to ride tomorrow morning.