Day 42: Cabano, Quebec, Canada

Day 42: Cabano, Quebec, Canada

July 24, 2016

Miles: 39

Average Speed: 10.5 mph

Edmundston, NB to Cabano, QC



We are in Quebec!  We have now ridden our bikes in four different Canadian provinces and that means if someone asks us to name all the provinces we will be able to list at least four.

We arose around 7:30am and went to the complimentary breakfast offered by the Comfort Inn, but it was extremely crowded and offered little to meet Di's dietary demands, so we decided to forego it and go search for a better breakfast bistro.  Also, they had just run out of coffee, so really, what was the point in staying?

We rode our bikes a couple of blocks to the Presse Cafe.  It offered real breakfast food and good coffee, so we were happy.  We both got the vegetarian omelet and we shared a bowl of fruit.  It was a little tricky ordering because the server spoke French and a little English and Di and I collectively know about 10 words in French.  The closer to Quebec we get the more the spoken language is becoming French.

Di ready for coffee

I had a little victory last night when Di and I were at dinner.  Our waitress spoke French to us and we didn't know how to respond, except to say "Oui" and "Merci".  After we finished eating and were waiting for the bill, I used my iPhone to look up French phrases used in restaurants.  I had just read the phrase for "Bill, please" when the waitress came up to the table.  She looked at us and said something in French.  I guessed she was asking if we wanted anything else and I shook my head and said, "L'addition, s'il vous plait", which I hoped was the French equivalent of "Bill, please".  The waitress said something in French, went away and returned a moment later with our bill.  Di, who didn't know I had just read this phrase on my iPhone, was shocked that I could make myself understood, but I told her, "After all, I am one quarter French".

We rode the first ten miles of our ride on a road with no cars.  This is because our road paralleled the Trans Canada Highway and all the cars chose that road so they could drive insensibly fast.  Those who know my driving habits know that I say this as someone who thinks 50 mph is insensibly fast.

Quebec is 8km away!

A Lancaster KB882 from WWII parked by the road

The remainder of our day's riding was on the bike trail.  The surface of the trail was usually crushed stone and made for easy riding.

Passing into Quebec on the bike trail

We stopped in Degelis (DAY-gzel-ee, not Dee-GELL-is, at least that's we think.  We're not learning French by osmosis, though that would be nice) for a snack around 11:30.  We had gone 22 miles at this point and because we had left Edmundston at 10am, you might think we were moving at a good clip.  Well, not really, because we had entered a different time zone and the clocks were moved back an hour.  Its good to be back in the same time zone as everybody back home, though it would have been nice to actually have been moving that fast (15mph versus our actual of 9mph).

We noticed a lot more bicyclists around the town of Degelis and we were glad to not be a minority of two as we so often are.  Biking seems very popular here.  We learned later that Quebec has a reputation for supporting bicyclists with bike paths and bike lanes and that may explain why we saw so many people bicycling.  Vive Quebec!

Stopping for lunch in Degelis

We returned to the bike path after lunch and we really loved riding the trail.  No cars to worry about, trees shading us from the sun and spectacular views of Temiscouata Lake (Lac Temiscouata).

Sometimes the trail was cut through rock

Sometimes the trail went along the shore of Lac Temiscouata

With only seven miles to go to Cabano, we took a break at a picnic table overlooking a beach on Lac Temiscouata.  The lake looked beautiful and it was fun to watch the kids jumping off the high diving board into the water.  It made me jealous, actually.

Folks enjoying Lac Temiscouata

We talked to a number of other cyclists while we relaxed in the picnic area and it was amusing to see their reactions when, after learning we are from RI, they also learned we had ridden our bikes from RI.  There are a lot of avid bicyclists here, but not that avid.

Di talking to a fellow bicyclist

A fellow bicyclist offered to take our picture

Today was truly a great day for riding.  It was just slightly on the cool side, the sun was shining, the trail was flat and afforded easy riding, we rode only 39 miles and we gained an hour because of the time zone change.  We arrived at our hotel at 3pm feeling fresh as daisies (though probably not looking as such).

Our hotel du jour, Hotel Chateau Fraser

If you look at the picture above of the hotel, you can see our room at the bottom right.  In addition to having a small balcony, it also has a door that opens onto the front porch.  After we rested for a bit, I made us cups of coffee and challenged Di to a rematch at cribbage.  We sat on the front porch, drinking coffee and playing cribbage and I felt so content that I told Di we should live here.  Not necessarily here, but in a place where we can idly sit without guilt and drink coffee and play cribbage at the end of a beautiful summer's day.

I won the cribbage game, by the way.  Unlike some people, it is not in my nature to gloat by dancing around while shouting, "I am the winner!  I am the winner!  You are the loser!"  No, I merely dispassionately pointed out how Di could have won had she played her hand better.  I guess we each have our own way of enjoying our victories while rubbing salt in the wound. (Okay, there may have been a slight exaggeration on my part when describing Di's victory dance, but that's how it felt when I was smarting from the loss.)

We then walked around town a bit before settling on a restaurant with an outdoor patio.  We ordered chicken wings (the waitress said in French that they can be ordered for six or twelve, and I actually understood, thanks to my French classes at St. Matthew's School 45 years ago.  My numbers and days of the week have remained with me).  For the second day in a row, I was able to ask for the bill in French.  Tomorrow I will try to branch out and learn how to ask where the bathroom is.

Wings! Salmon! Beer!

We walked back to the hotel on a path that wound along Lac Temiscouata.   Dusk was falling on Cabano and it felt good to be out walking in that place at that time. 

A wonderful day coming to a close

Tomorrow we ride to Riviere du Loup, about 45 miles away.