Stranger in a Strange Land

Sept 26 2007

It has been a very strange day.

I want to start with a rebuttal that I had been working on. It was all about the rude french man you hear so much about. In the two weeks I was in Quebec I hadn't met him. Everyone I had met had been thoughtful, helpful and genuine. From the woman who brought me coffee that rainy morning, to the gentleman who drove me town when I had a flat tire.


My rebuttal was all about the rude Frenchman you hear so much about and how I travelled high and low through Quebec and never met him well I've deleted that post.


I left Saybec early and was trying to get to New Brunswick. I was travelling through Amqui when I broke a rear spoke. My first thought was great I'm in a town so I can get it fixed. The wheel immediately had a huge wobble in the tire so I got off the bike. A middle aged woman was walking down the street toward me so I said, "Excusa moi sil vous plait." That was as far as I got she threw me the dirtiest look and crossed the street so she didn't have to be near me. OK then. So I carried on down the street and found some work men up on a scaffolding. They were helpful. It turns out I was only two stores away from the shop but here is the kicker. It was in the back of the building and completely unmarked. So the front of the building looked like just a sport clothing store. So with my limited french and their non-existent English I just knew a right at the lights and two houses. So I was actually standing in the parking lot of this building looking around kind of baffled when a guy in a pickup truck showed up. He spoke the most English of anyone in the town that I would meet.
He began apologizing for his countryman saying I had been mislead and he is so embarrassed and if I just get in the pickup with him he will drive me because the bike shop is "way far away." The alarm bells in my head immediately went into four alarm blaze mode something about this guy wasn't ringing true. They say language is 20 % verbal and the rest is body language and I truly believe that. The more I insisted I could walk the harder he tried to get me in his vehicle. He finally gave up and left.
After getting two more sets of good directions that I misinterpreted and several blocks of going back and forth I was getting very frustrated with myself, my language skills and my situation. Finally one older guy took pity on me and walked me to the back of the store and into the repair shop. At this point all that I could think about was where the hell creepy guy with the pickup had planned on taking me.
The older gentleman began talking to the man in the shop. He showed him the spoke and I don't know what was said but like I said language is more body language than words and it was clear the owner had no intention of helping me. The old man looked embarrassed I thanked him very much in my poor french and he left. The owner and I then did a series of pantomimes back and forth. He was insistent that I could ride the 100 km to Cambellton and I was insistent that I couldn't. I He kept saying no mechanic. So I asked if I could use his shop as it was pouring rain outside. I received a very firm no. I was outside his shop in the pouring rain with limited tools trying to replace the spoke. I carry three extras. I took the wheel down as much as I could and tried threading it through but it came out a mangled mess. So back into the repair shop I went. I was going to buy every tool I had to to get this thing fixed. He didn't have the tools to sell me but I guess I out stubborned him because it turns there was a mechanic on duty...him. It turns out he spoke a surprising amount of very good English. So me being me I'm making small talk while he's working when he turns to me and said very curtly "I don't speak English." So I shut-up but in my head I thinking not that you can't it's that you don't. He was still repairing the spoke when another gentleman brought his bike into be serviced. No problem just leave it over there. I'm still smiling but inside I was just seething.
So bike finally repaired, two hours later, I was on my way. I had small water bottle in the back pocket of my shirt. It was about two-thirds empty so it was quite light. It was still raining as I rode by a group of men doing construction on a house just at the edge of town. I was bumping along when one of the guys kind of yelled and kind of waved I smiled, waved and carried on. It turns out the small water bottle had fallen out of the back of my shirt and they were trying to tell me about it. One of the guys got down off the roof, got in his car and flagged me down to tell I had lost my water bottle. What a great gesture. Unfortunately he was speaking really fast so I couldn't understand him so I said to him in french that I didn't understand could he please speak slowly. He became very agitated and began to actually speak faster. I put it down to his frustration with the language. He became more and more agitated and then drove away. I shrugged it off. I was still puzzling my way through his original sentence when I reached for my water bottle and clued in to what he had been saying. After dealing with creeping guy and then the arrogance of the bike shop owner I was profoundly grateful for this gesture. I saw this guy put his brakes and turn back around towards me. He drove up beside me. I had my thank-you organized in my head when he started talking again. It turns out he wasn't frustrated with the language, he was disgusted with the fact that I was English. Using a few hand gestures and a couple words of English it seems that I wasn't too beneath him to be well...beneath him. Then when he was done the rest of the crew could have a go at me. I was so shocked that such a thoughtful gesture could turn to one of sexual violence because of the language I spoke it took me a minute to respond. Using a few hand gestures of my own and a few of the words of English I knew he knew I let him know what I thought of his proposal. He just sat there laughing. Funniest thing on earth. That is as close to bear spraying anyone that I have come. But I thought if the police were as bigoted and backward as some the men I had met in town I would be a great-gramma before I was released for harming one of their golden boys. It was the first time on the entire trip that I felt truly and utterly alone. I honestly felt like I had been 'Twilight Zoned' into the Middle East. I never actually felt like he was going to act on his threat. It was done to demoralize and well done I was completely demoralized.
He drove away, still laughing, and I just wanted to go home. I stood there all weepy and then I got pissed right off no way were a bunch of jerks going to make me give up on my dream. That said I rode like hell and just about cried when I got into New Brunswick.

The saddest thing about this is I met so many great and thoughtful people in Qubec and this is the incident that most people (myself included) will remember.

2nd Class Citizen

One of the best things about traveling through Quebec is the cows are used to cyclist. You can tell by their panicked body language. They paid more attention to me when I stopped to take the picture.

Another thing is the Quebec drivers have been fantastic. If I get hit by a car here it will be because I'm so busy gawking around at the old houses that I'm wobbling around like a sailor on his third day of shore leave.
The strangest thing is it cost the same to camp here as it does to stay in some of the Auberges. I spent the night of the 24th at a provincial campground. It was almost $35.00 plus tax. Plus I had to pay for my showers. I was the only person in a tent I was also the only person using the showers and public toilet so as a result I was situated 10 min walking distance away from it. This was the closest camping spot to it. If you picture a dart board with the washrooms being the bull's eye. The 25 point section was where the full hook-ups and 40 amp service was. The next closest section out to the triple mark was full hook-up and the 30 amp service, from the double-in mark was water service. Then to get where the no service sites are lob a shot that sticks half way down the wall to the floor and that's where I was camped. The closest light to me was a five minute walk away. It would have cost me $10 more to be closer. If I hadn't needed a shower so bad I just would have carried on and stealth camped.
So I get my camp set up and walk back to the washrooms for a well earned shower. The washroom was set up in the typical L shaped configuration with the door and very small window at one end and the showers at the very far end. Like I said I am the only person using the showers everyone else is in huge motorhomes and 5th wheels. So I get in the shower cubicle putter around getting everything in order towel, shampoo, clothes, quarters etc. I strip off and throw the first quarter in and wait for the water to heat up. It takes the second quarter until I can get in the water I just get lathered up and the lights go out.
Now two thoughts go through my mind one whoo hoo the power has gone out and I'm going to have the longest 25 cent shower ever and two some physco was up to no good. So I'm trying to wash up and its darker than the inside of cow. So instead of the great long shower I had envisioned I end up hurrying through my shower in case it was a power outage and the hot water turned cold. So I dry off in the pitch black, dress half damp in the pitch black, gather everything up and feel my way down the hallway to the other end of the L where the sinks are and bink the lights come back on. They are motion sensor activated. There are times when I say some very un-lady-like things.
So the night of the 25th I spent at in a Auberge in Saybec very pretty little town, with very friendly town folk. Same price my own room, a TV, free bath, and they let me do a load of laundry.

Riches to Ditches

Sept 24 2007
Today 140.4 total 6765.0

In Quebec City I felt great. Make-up, skirts, a bra that enhanced my boobs instead of stuffing them into my arm pits. Sigh. Well so much for feeling like a princess. Pooff. Gone. Last night I slept in a drainage ditch. Now really it sounds much worse than it was.

It was low so it was out of the wind. Mostly. It was comfortable. Except for the rock in my back.

It is amazing the difference a day can make. I've remarked on this before. One night a soft bed, the next hard ground; down comforter- down sleeping bag; five fluffy pillows-pillows???; silky sexy lingerie-wool long undies and socks, meow; night companion my favorite person to cuddle with-a skunk wandering by my tent. Who's having fun now baby.

On the Road Again

Last view of the city.

Sept 23 2007

Today 137.4 Total 6625.6

Well I'm back on the road again. I ended up with a much later start than I planned on. Phil had to catch his plane early so I had planned on catching the seven-thirty ferry across the river to Levis. When I got down to the front lobby no one was around and then when the front desk clerk did show up he didn't have a key the room where Phebea was locked up. He finally ended up taking the door off its hinges to get her out. So I missed the seven-thirty ferry by minutes and had to wait an hour for the eight thirty. Nothing was open yet so I had to wait until I got to Levis to eat breakfast. The meal was good but the service was slow so by the time I was done it was 11:00 and I had only done 15 km. Not off to a roaring start. What was roaring though was the tailwind. So even with the late start and my lack luster enthusiasm I still had a halfway decent day.

I ran into half of a group of ten cyclists from Salmon Arm. They had started in Quebec City had toured their way up the north side of the St Laurence and were on their way back on the south side. It sounded like a fun trip.

I made it to the town I was hoping to stay in just after sunset unfortunately it happened to be the only town I had been to all day that wasn't stuffed full of B&B and campsites. The next closest town was ten km. By this time it was so dark I couldn't see the cracks in the road so I found a half way suitable site, pitched the hammock and gave up.

Quebec City

First there a ton of photos but I just couldn't narrow it down.

Phil and I had a great time touring around the city. We did all the traditional things. Touring museums, eating fine food, a little lamour. I definitely enjoyed our visit.

Day one Phil was pretty tired after flying all night so we kept it low key. Wandering around enjoying the sites without actually getting too in depth.

We stopped for a coffee and this was looking up one of the streets

Enjoying the architecture.

We had dinner here one night it was my favorite meal but it was "A little too froo, froo." for Phil. it was kind of funny Phil says three words in french and they start talking away in french to him. He stopped them and said, "Anglais." "But sir you speak with no accent, tres bien." This happened more than once. With me they just reply immediately in English. Ouch.
night lights

This fountain was actually just installed. it looked like it had been here forever. A local business man found it at flea market in France picked it up for a song and then paid several million dollars to have it shipped and installed in front of the Parliament buildings. It is his gift to the city for the four hundredth anniversary next year.

The next day we took a guided tour our guides name was Jacques. he was great very informative without sugar coating, or getting into fables.

The night life was pretty low key but Phil and I found a little hole in the wall that we quite enjoyed.

It was literally a hole in the wall. The roof was only about 7 ft tall. You can see behind the the bar sign the bed rock. They had a guy playing guitar doing a-sing-along it was a lot of fun.

It was lit up with candles. My sister used to work at a bar and she used to tell us about ugly lights. Where last call comes and you throw the lights on and you see how ugly everyone actually is. Here they slowly began blowing all the candles out. Phil thinks the French have it right.Looking down the barrel of a cannon at the Citadal.

Street preformers during dinner one night. Dinner and a show.

And the favorite thing I saw in Quebec.

Alone in Montreal

I got up bright and early and was back at the hostel reserving my spot for the night. This gave me plenty of time to tour around. I'll let the picture speak for themselves. I had a great time. It was a rest day so I only did about eighty km on my bike. I'm kidding but Montreal is a great town to see by bike. User friendly and relatively flat unless you go up to Mount Royal which I did.

The cobblestones look great but they can just about shake a kidney loose when you're riding on them.

At one of the churches

Downtown

Copernicus at the Observatory.
After buzzing around downtown I rode though McGill and then up to Mount Royal.

Who's having a good time?



OK the traditional pose at Mount Royal.
On my way down I took a different route and found a whole herd of people dressed up in medieval costumes having war games, tight rope walking, and a whole group of drummers. Very much a festival atmosphere with people smoking grass, swilling beer and wench groping.

Look Daniel does have a brother in spirit if not in blood.
Apparently they do this every Sunday.

I did not know what to do for dinner so I asked at the hostel. They suggested that I take the metro and go to the Latin Quarter. Lots of great restaurants. Well I took a wrong turn and ended up at a little dive with great food, huge portions while watching people coming in out of the exotique cinèma, across the street with privè cabine, ouvert 24, 7 jour, all in big neon letters.

Getting to Quebec City

Sept 17 2007
Today 151.0 total 6361.2
Up early and out the door in an attempt to beat the rush hour traffic. As considerate as Quebec drivers are to cyclist its still Monday morning rush hour. I made great time to Trois Rivieres so I was able to up date my blog some more. I am getting spoiled by the hostels here. The hostel in Montreal was $27 this one was $20, That is cheaper than camping and both in beautiful historic buildings. Trois Riviers was a pretty little town and worth a longer visit.
Sept 18 2007
Today 127 km Total 6488.2
I am very proud of myself. Today I ordered a whole meal in french. One thing I have been working my entire journey across our great country is trying to learn a bit of passable french. I am not so good. I purchased a program that is audio only and have been practicing to flowers and trees and to Phebea. I've been practicing these great conversations in my head. The problem with that is it is kind of like playing chess with yourself. No surprises. So in the real world when some throws a new word at me I'm stumped. But I'm trying. So like I said I ordered a whole meal in French. I was at McDonald's. My turn came up with authority I said to the lady "Numero uno avec cafe black." With every word I spoke her polite smile increased until it was earsplitting. See I really meant to say Nombre Un, avec cafe noir s'l vous plait. But after saying the first two words in Spanish I panicked forgo the word for with stumbled with it and then my mouth got away from my brain. I think she appreciated the attempt and I got my meal.

An average ride today with the exception of this monster.

My first 15%er
How does a cyclist look after climbing a 15%er without stopping, fully loaded with saddle bags.
Like this.


I am in another beautiful hostel in the old part of Quebec only a few blocks away from the hotel I am sharing with Phil. I see him tomorrow. YEAH!!!!!!

The Roller Coaster Continues

Sept 15 2007

Today 130 Total 6210.2

Emotions today in order, grateful, bemused, choked, frustrated, thankful, amused, angry, pissed, happy, drained, awestruck, confused, appreciative, overwhelmed, content.

Are you ready for the long drawn out details? It was suppose to be a short riding day. A quick 60 km jont into Montreal get half a day of sight seeing in and then off to La Prairrie tomorrow. I was up early it was another one of those blustery half rainy days so I was making my breakfast hiding under my tarp.

The lady who was staying in the RV beside saw what I was doing and brought me over a coffee. Grateful.

So from there I was riding along when suddenly bump, bump, bump I realized I had this monster in my tire. Bemused.

When I went to replace the tube with the two tubes I had, the valve stems were too big for the valve stem hole. Choked.

Then the tube I had was unrepairable due to the nail almost sawing it in half on the backside where the nail point had hit with every revolution of the tire. Frustrated.

So I was standing on the side of the road to figure out what I was going to do (and trying not to swear) when a gentleman walked by with his dog. He asked what was wrong I told him and he went and got his car and then drove me to the nearest bike shop. It didn't open until ten so he took me for coffee and waited with me. His name was Bernard. My hero of the day. Thankful.

When the bike shop finally opened it turned out they didn't have the right sized tube but tried to make one work for me until I could get to Laval and get a properly sized one. The town where the bike shop was twenty km in the wrong direction so I had to make up the time. Fate being what it is it started to pour. Even with the saddle bag blocking most of the muck by the time I got to a restaurant for lunch I was a muddy disaster. Oh well. Amused.

After my lunch I went to jump on my bike and you guessed it another flat. Angry.

I changed the tube. When the bike shop had replace the tube they hadn't booted the tire so where the nail hole was it had let something sharp in and it had punctured the tube. I replaced the tube sending kind thoughts to the bike shop. Because it was my day the new tube wouldn't hold air so I would bike for a few blocks and then I would have to pull over and re-pump up. Pissed.

Luckily I only had to do this for a few km before I found a bike shop. Finally a shop that had a decent tire selection so replaced both tires with decent ones, replaced the tubes bought a proper sized spare and was on my way in a relatively short amount of time. Happy.

Now I had been given a cycle trail map for getting through Laval to Montreal unfortunately the scale was terrible it was ambiguous. It had me literally biking in circles. Bike five blocks north, two east, then five block south. You get the idea. What should have taken two hours took five and that was after an already emotional day. Drained.

I finally made it into Montreal threw away the cycle map jumped on a street and just followed into old Montreal. When I got there I was totally overwhelmed. It was amazing I have never travelled to anywhere remotely historic before. The old buildings, the cobblestones, the churches, the whole atmosphere. Awestruck.

Now being the world traveller I am (not) I read the map and saw Auberge and thought Auberge de juennese. Apparently too entirely different things. I wander into this very high class hotel, I was mud spattered, I probably smelled and I was exhausted. I kind of figured I was in the wrong place when the security guard tried to hustle me out the door. Confused.

Fortunately the desk clerk was very nice when my mistake became apparent. It would have been easy for him to hustle me out the door instead he took the time to help me out, was extremely polite, then printed out a map of where the hostel was. Appreciative.

It was dark by the time I got to the hostel and being a Saturday night with a concert in town a few blocks away they didn't have any beds left. Overwhelmed.

Again out came the map and with some friendly directions I ended up at this gem of a place.

Sunrise the next morning. Got to love the view.

It only cost ten dollars more to have the bathroom in your room so I jump on it.

Worth every penny.

I had a hot shower and then crawled into bed. Content.

Ottawa

Sept 13 2007
Today 88.1 Total 5976.2
I didn't plan it. It just kind of happened. I was riding along and suddenly I realized that Ottawa was just across the bridge. So I thought what the hell and turned south. I was cruising along the Ottawa River Recreational Trail.

Stone statues in the Ottawa River.

Before I knew it I was in front of the Parliament Buildings, then museums, and statues, and the Rideau Canal but it was when I was at the Cenotaph that I welled up and got lumpy and misty.

I am so glad I went. It was definitely the 25¢ tour but it sure made me want to come back for more.

A parade.

On the front of the Parliment Building.

A statue of Queen Victoria comemerating her choosing Ottawa as the capital of Canada

Now I'm back in Quebec I sure have enjoyed slowing down and being a tourist. On my tour. What a novel idea.

Bonjour du Quebec

Sept 12 2007
today 121.8 Total 5888.1
Well I'm finally out of the energizer province. I'm in Quebec! It was beautiful day the sun was on my face and the wind was at my back.

The wind at my back.

They had these signs all along the path.

I'm very excited I spent the first eighty km on an old rail bed that they had converted into a bicycle path.

It was beautiful, quiet and mine all mine bwaaa, ha, ha,ha. I saw one other cyclist the entire trip.

First signs of colour.

I had a great day but couldn't find a campsite near the end of the day. I stopped in one little town which had a run down seedy feel to it. Complete with two rummies trying to convince me that camping in the town park was perfectly acceptable. All that I could think about was what time they were planning to stop by for cocktails. No thank-you. So I rode as far as I could and then just stealth camped.

A River Runs Through It

Sept 11 2007
Today 80.4 Total 5766.3
Last night took the cake for bad nights. When I set up my hammock the trees I used were farther apart then I usually use. So there was a lot of rope showing from under the tarp. Also the snake skins that are used for storing the hammock I had stretched out along the ropes. This usually keeps the ropes from getting wet from the rain. It poured all night no big deal right? The rain was pouring down the trunks of the trees when it hit the ropes it poured down the ropes and with the snake skins working like big funnels poured into the hammock. Being a gravity slut once the water was in the hammock it looked the lowest point to get out which happen to be right under my butt. At first I was happily oblivious to the science fair occurring around me. My first inkling that some thing was wrong was when I woke up because my feet were cold. With my new sleeping bag and my wool socks my feet don't get cold. So I reached down thinking the zipper of my sleeping bag had come open at the bottom. That's when I realized how wet it was in the hammock. I immediately got up and tried to fix everything but it was no use everything was so saturated that even though I slowed the rate of the flow it was still wicking in. As I carefully crawled back into my sleeping bag I was actually quite impressed with how well it had repelled the water. For as wet as the hammock was my sleeping bag was only slightly damp and only at the feet. Now I have that chair kit on my 3/4 length thermarest. I never take the stays out so with the extra weather proofing the chair has on the bottom side, and the stay working like little pontoons I was actually dry as long as I stayed on my little life raft. Unfortunately this required me being in the fetal position for several hours. The adult human body is not designed to be in the fetal position for long stretches of time which my right calf was kind enough to remind me of when it broke into a violent charlie horse that no amount of toe wiggling or ankle turning would get rid of. So I sat up quickly tried to get out of the hammock before I got wet. Now normally I bring my crocks into the hammocks with me but after the middle of the night jaunt they were pretty muddy so I left them out. Remember we talked about gravity feed? Well I guess my crocs were at the bottom of my little fountain. I had one foot fully in its shoe and other on the way before the sensation crept into my brain. I had some very un-lady-like things to say as I hobbled, hunched over, under my tarp, trying to work off my leg cramp. Six-thirty in the morning, wet feet, wet hammock,wet tarp, wet sleeping gear, wet bike and wet disposition. I thought I might as well pack up and go.
I made it as far as Pembroke it had been raining off and on all day but nothing like the torrential downpour of the night before. When I got to the campsite I paid then asked about the showers. The young fellow at the desk said I had to pick a site and get set up before he could give me a key. It was at this point that it just started pouring again. So I asked if I could have a key and get set up later. That was not an option. So it was raining buckets and I'm trying to get my tarp set up. By the time I was done it looked like I had a shower already. I shloshed my way back to the entrance way and very tersely said 19. I then took my key and huffed and muttered my way to the ladies shower room. It was huge so I brought Phebea in and proceeded to try to dry out my life. I had stuff hanging from ever surface imaginable. The rain didn't let up for two hours so I sat in the ladies room waiting it out. I was actually contemplating spending the night in there if I had to. When it finally quit raining I took the hammock outside hoping to get it dried out before bedtime.

Trying to get my hammock dried out.

After the storm

The minute I emerged the young guy came out of his booth and came over to talk to me. He asked if everything was all right. So I told him about my night and how I was just trying to get everything dried out. Now the laundry had been locked up Jay (the young guy) not only unlocked it for me he unlocked the driers so I could dry everything out without having to pay for it. I could have kissed him. (Relax he was way too young for my cougar instincts to kick in.) So I got my life dried out and had a great sleep.
If anyone has friends or family in Quebec or the Maritimes tell them to batten down the hatches. The giggle queen's coming and it ain't going to be pretty.