Biker Bonanza

With a few delays due to road reconstruction, we make a bittersweet departure from Ottawa. It is always hard to say good bye to family but the challenges and excitement of Quebec await us! We have gathered lots of information on “la belle Province” as we are basically unilingual and always feel somewhat at a disadvantage in Quebec, where the first and sometimes only language is French.
Quebec Tourism has divided the area we are riding today into four regions: Outaouais, Laurentides, Lanaudiere, and Mauricie. As these titles are meaningless to us, our route is Highway 148, 158, and 138. We begin on the north side of the Ottawa River, riding through Gatineau, the gateway to Gatineau Park, a beautiful year-round recreational environment, that we visited years ago in autumn and will never forget. The park is crossed by a 34km-long road dotted with panoramic lookout points and we are sorry we are not riding it today.
Once we’re clear of the city, we roll through the mainly agricultural land that borders the wide Ottawa River. It is Monday so lines of bright washing wave us along. There are many small ferries crossing the river to Ontario destinations on the south shore. Further down the Ottawa River, the wetland Parc National de Plaisance, welcomes thousands of Canada geese who stop over on their spring and fall migratory routes. At Montebello there is a national historic site at Manoir Papineau, that we skip as we’ve finally got back into sync with the bike after a week of not riding and we don’t want to interrupt it.
Just east of Calumet, because we wish to skirt Montreal , we veer away from the Ottawa River and head toward Lachute where generous downtown parking contributes to a lively lunch crowd, including us! We have visited Montreal twice: the first time we drove our car and experienced frustration, the second time we took the VIA rail train and experienced a good time but nothing so outstanding that we feel compelled to revisit on this trip. The traffic thickens, busy roads criss-cross our path, and building construction intensifies as we approach Mirabel, and we are amazed that this airport, so far from Montreal, generates such activity.
We have good intentions to stop at the national historic site in Saint Lin-Laurentides that commemorates Sir Wilfrid-Laurier, however, we only see it from our seat as it’s on a wicked corner and we’re wedged between two semi-trailers on a very busy narrow street that doubles as the highway through this small town. Today’s route is very interesting as it passes through many small towns where the many houses perched on the side of the highway provide a charming view of small-town Quebec but it’s also a very busy route with many fluctuations in speed limit and many bumps!
Just east of Berthierville we turn onto Highway 138 and catch our first dramatic views of the storied St. Lawrence River at Lac Saint-Pierre, a World Biosphere Reserve. This area is a large flood plain, a resting spot for migrating water fowl, and the largest archipelago (some 100 islands) in the St. Lawrence. Highway 138 is, for the most part, also the King's Road (Chemin du Roy), the oldest roadway in Canada. Built in 1737, the King’s Road linked New France's three largest cities: Montréal, Trois-Rivières and Québec City. It follows the St. Lawrence and provides us with a delightful ride to Trois-Rivières.
We are staying at the Delta Hotel because it is right in the downtown core, which adjoins the harbour front park and the historic district. The hotel is a bit lack-lustre for the price, poorly signed, and charges extra for parking and the internet connection, which really bugs Barry! Old Trois-Rivières, founded in 1634 where three forks of the Saint-Maurice Rivers flow into the St. Lawrence river, is a city with much Old World charm. The terrace overlooking the St. Lawrence at Parc Portuaire is particularly nice and we enjoy a walking tour past many buildings classified as historic monuments, such as the Old Prison, today a museum. Another important site, the Forges du Saint-Maurice National , preserves the remains of Canada’s first ironworks, but is not within walking distance.
Trois-Rivières has a very vibrant downtown with rows of busy patio restaurants, trendy shops, and many nightclubs. We have seen lots of motorcycles in Quebec, many with couples riding pillion like us, and observe that Trois-Rivières is a popular destination for bikers. The downtown core has great bike parking (paid) at the heart of all the best sights and restaurants. We are very glad we gathered much information and walking tour maps in English before we came, as every interpretive and informative sign, plaque, and inscription is in French only!