2013 The Eastside Story Day 27: From St. Andre to Rain

The day got off to a beautiful start. With comfortable temperatures and sunny skies Bobskoot and I left St. Andre continuing west on 132 toward Quebec City. I had to stop to see if the Indian Maiden was still in St-Jean. She was. You might recognize her from Memories of 2010, she's a bit more faded than she used to be, her bouquet almost hides her from view, but she still holds her head in the same haughty pose.

It didn't take long to reach the old city of Quebec (even with a few mis-turns). It's a challenging city to navigate by motorcycle because many of the streets do not allow motorcycles. It was a busy tourist day and parking was at a premium and cost $7 per hour.

When in Quebec ... eat Poutine of course. Bobskoot had never tasted cheese curd let alone Poutine (or fruit smoothies or beaver tails) but that gap in his education has now been filled (with all three.)

The sky began to change and the decision was made to press on to Montreal to meet (and stay with) Scoot Commute and his gracious wife Susan rather than camp in the rain again. We almost made it. My son Justin asked me today if I'd seen any sun yet? I told him two days ... I have to revise that to a day and a half. The rain started just before Trois Rivieres and lasted an hour or so. Then just when I thought I'd been freeway dried it started to rain again. Oh well, I'm dry tonight ... and I'll be home tomorrow (rain or shine!)

2013 The Eastside Story Day 26: NB River Valley Scenic Drive

Route 130, New Brunswick's River Valley Scenic Drive turned out to be a wonderful ride with gentle curves following the St John river from Woodstock to Grand Falls. It passed through Hartland, home of the world's longest covered bridge and Florenceville-Bristol, self proclaimed home of the best French fries in the world, unfortunately they weren't serving 'chips' for breakfast.

The scenic drive ended at Grand Falls NB south east of Edmunston but the perfect weather continued for the rest of the day.

You can cross the gorge by bridge (definitely my choice) or you can cross by zip line. First zipper crossing - "ya - hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

 Double zipper crossing ...

After the Falls the route lead to highway 2W then turned to 185N.  This section of highway is undergoing massive reconstruction, the magnitude of which was mind blowing.  I'm sure there are small countries that could be entirely rebuilt with less work. All of this, of course, once again played with Garmin Dan's electronic head! (Dan just doesn't seem to be able to cope with change.)

Tonight's stop is in St. Andre, Quebec. Dropping down into the river valley, from highway 185 to route 132, I was once again awe struck by the sight of the magnificent St.Lawrence estuary; across the river's mouth the mountains meet the water and I know I'm close to home. Route 132 is one of my favorite highways to ride as it follows the meanderings of a mighty river through towns brimming with character and history.

P.S.  Gaining an hour left a little time to explore and I made a new friend on my hike along the river ...

And the sun set (midst millions of blood sucking mosquitoes) over the St. Lawrence at St. Andre.