First Two Days: Charlotte to Sept-Iles

Day 1

It’s about 9:00 PM on Sunday night (Day 1). I just came back from an OK dinner in charming Baie-St-Paul, about 65 miles east of Quebec City. The day began at about 5;45 AM and I was on the road at 6;20, having packed and done final check of the bike Saturday afternoon. The weather was cool but pleasant with some high broken clouds – the weather report said a chance of showers. I figured they would be late day-evening showers and t-showers so I hoped to miss them. Ron and Reg Boucher planned to Ride with me to Orleans, stopping for breakfast along the way. It turns out Reg couldn’t make it so Ron and I left at about 7;00 AM. The ride started with a quick blast up I-189/I-89 to pick up Route 15, a pleasant 2 laner with mostly sweeping turns as it heads northeast from Essex Junction. We stopped for a nice breakfast in Johnson, then headed up Route 100, with a few more twisties and bumpier than 15. Then a 5 mile hitch on VT 58, a surprisingly nice stretch so far into the boonies. We gassed up in Orleans, then went our separate ways, Ron on a swing up by Lake Willoughby, another of Vermont spectacularly beautiful spots, and me up I-91 to the Canadian border.

The border crossing was uneventful but a few miles into Canada it started raining, and continued raining, with periods of heavy rain, for about the next three hours.

[Note: I fell asleep, now it is Monday night and I am in Sept Iles , about 350 miles from Baie-St-Paul. I will try to catch up]

I had the good sense to pull into a rest area as soon as I felt a drop and put on my rain gear, in this case a set of old foul weather gear in red, but not Ducati Red. It wasn’t bad riding in the rain and I think the fact that I was on a lightly traveled interstate highway contributed to my sense of comfort in the rain. The only problem the rain contributed to was my missing the exit for the Sherbrooke bypass. Thus, I came to ride right thru suburban strip and downtown Sherbrooke. On top of that I wasted time taking another wrong turn. When I finally got clear of Sherbrooke I was ready for a break, and found some edible (and hot) chicken soup at a little roadside dive. I was on Route 112, a fairly direct route from Sherbrooke towards Quebec City. I didn’t see much because it was raining but Thetford Mines did make an impression. I guess they have one of the world’s largest open pit (coal?) mines there. I was cruising along in heavy rain, when all of a sudden I caught a glimpse of these massive looming vegetation-less hills (mountains?) which rose up for several miles on either side of the road. Residue from the mining operations I guess. I’ve seen evidence of mining before (Scranton area) southern Vermont slate, etc, but this tops them all in terms of scale. Later, the rain lets up and the sun begins to poke thru – must be a big shot of Canadian air because it’s much cooler and very windy. I leave Rte 112 and pick up I-73 towards Quebec City. It’s a limited access highway but only two lanes at this point. Soon it is four lanes, then six as it makes a bee line for The Saint Lawrence and Quebec City and another “riding first” for me – riding through an urban area on expressways. I must admit that when planning this trip I tried to avoid Quebec City for this reason. I have rarely ridden on interstates let alone in urban traffic. Well, at least this would be Sunday afternoon.

There is a nice suspension bridge carrying I-73 over the Saint Lawrence and there was pretty heavy fast moving traffic. For some reason, at this point in the ride, I felt very comfortable in this new situation and managed to get myself on Route 138 east of Quebec without any problems. I regret not driving through downtown Quebec or stopping in the old city, but that will have to wait for another trip. The road east of Quebec runs right along the river and is pretty commercial for the first twenty miles or so, til you get past St Anne. Then it gives way to beautiful countryside with the mighty St Lawrence always in the picture or nearby. Right away one is confronted by the Canadian Shield – A massive granite formation (all of northern Quebec and Ontario) which for hundreds of miles runs all the way to the St Lawrence. In the Charlevoix region, it is less obtrusive, with the dramatic headlands broken frequently by rolling hills and fertile valleys, and all sorts of cute colorful farmhouses, little villages with their churches, and weekend homes many which emulate the old farmhouses. Baie-St-Paul is a larger village of this type, looking a bit like a European farming center that has morphed into a tourist town. Last night I stayed at a beautiful B&B just outside town. The proprietors spoke no English but with my slight memory of school French we got by. They even let me put the bike in their garage ($75 CDN with a great breakfast).

Day 2

East of Baie-St-Paul Route 138 heads inland for a stretch, so when I left this morning, I took Route 362, which follows the St Lawrence shore for about 30 miles before rejoining Rte 138 at La Malbaie. It’s a wonderful romp up and over some beautiful hills. After La Malbaie. Things get progressively wilder and once you cross the Saguenay River at Tadoussac, it begins to resemble the frontier. It is not an exaggeration, for most of the route out to Sept Iles, to say that most of the evidence of civilization consists of little villages strung out along the road, and power lines from the big hydro plants. To the north of the highway, the wilderness, meaning huge granite hills and outcroppings and pine forests, comes right to peoples’ back yards. The highway goes up down and around this granite, past many crystal clear little lakes and ponds, and over countless rivers and streams cut in the stone. The mouths of these rivers have no sandy deltas. They are rushing streams until they touch the estuary. You see many spectacular vistas – to the south, numerous scenic coves, headlands and river mouths, frequent views across the broad St Lawrence to the south shore and its mountains. The granite is interspersed with stretches of sandy expanse, in some places reminding me of a moonscape with scrub pines – leftovers from the glaciers, I guess. After Baie Comeau, the road becomes pretty straight through endless stands of evergreen trees, not exciting riding, but the journey takes on a “because it’s there” feeling at this point. I kept thinking of Long Way Round.

The net effect is to think how insignificant is the impact of man on such a vast wilderness. This was my recurring thought, despite the huge power lines, hydro dams and an occasional pulp mill or aluminum smelter. In a way, not unlike I imagine parts of Alaska – but only a few hundred miles from the northeastern US.

Other stuff: The bike is GREAT! Although short stretches of the road have been recently improved, much of the ride today was on 60s era vintage pavement, with 10-12 foot wide lanes, NO hard shoulder, just this sandy gravel mix which, based on the deep rut marks, had the consistency of beach sand. Thus, for long stretches there is simply no margin for error. These sections also provide an endless stream of cracks, bumps, old frost heaves etc. There are plenty of interesting curves and up/down portions. Oh, and the traffic, particularly the 18 wheelers usually loaded with logs, giant pipe, or heavy construction equipment, drives between 70-85 – all the time. On one tighter than expected sweeper, I was somewhat disconcerted to watch a fully loaded automobile carrier barreling towards me with some of its wheels almost off the road. Hmmm? Anyway, the Multistrada handled these roads in excellent fashion providing a fairly comfortable and very secure feeling ride. And this is with about 80 lbs of extra bags and gear.

Eric at BCM – GREAT JOB tuning the suspension!

I’m getting sleepy so that’s all. Tonight I am in a fleabag motel in Sept Iles ($75 CDN with internet access and surprisingly, a good Italian restaurant). Tomorrow, a 240 mile ride to Natashquan and, literally, the end of the road.