Grand Départ: started out pretty; turned into a tough day along and near the St Lawrence Rivere
”Let’s go to Canada,” he said. “It’ll be flat.”
Would you believe that? He showed me a profile that looked nearly flat. He told me we would do as much climbing on the whole trip as we did in one day between Poland and Slovakia. I fell for it. …
Our ultimate starting point (for the Tour de France afficionados, let’s call it the depart réel) is Quebec City. We take the train from Montreal to Quebec City on Via Rail, Canada’s intercity passenger railway company.
We are leery of North American railways, so do a recce, firstly finding Montreal’s central railway station which is no easy task as they seem to make it as hard to find as possible. There is no grand ediface. We slip through a discreet door, go underground to find the station, then work backwards to find an entrance we can bring the bikes through.
If you’re ever looking for it, you’ll find an entrance to Montreal Central Station in Rue de la Gaucheteière, near Place Bonaventure. …
Two days in Montreal is not very long, especially when the skies are heavy and the rain is plentiful.
It’s my fault we only had two days. …
Vale Joe Cooper
Our dear friend and neighbour in Heathcote passed away early on Wednesday morning AEST (25/7/2018) at the age of around 90 years – he was never that sure of his birth date. We met Joe right after we moved in to our Heathcote house, and he became our weekend visitor, usually dropping in for a coffee and chat on Sunday mornings. He lived life on the edge, and in his later years when his body could no longer keep up with him, he lived vicariously through the exploits of others. He had a keen and inquisitive mind, a sense of wonder about the world around him, and a real soft spot of animals, especially cats. Many of our family and friends met him over the years. There’s a big hole in Kilroy Street now, and it is going to be dreadfully quiet come 10am the first Sunday we are back and he is not at the front door looking for a coffee.
Bike trails all the way to Montreal: beautiful canal paths
First day: commuting to Canada
Saint Albans, Vermont wasn’t our first choice of starting point. Given our druthers, we would already be in Montreal, but as the train gods were not on our side, we’re making the most of it. …
“You’re taking the Vermonter.”
It’s a statement, not a question. We are accessing the waiting area at Penn Station, ready for our long train trip north to Saint Albans, Vermont. It’s a ticketed area: passengers only allowed.
”Yes … how did you know that?” He hasn’t seen our ticket yet.
”Its the only train that lets you take bikes on board.”
Yeah. …
We are hitting the road again.
This time we’re switching continents, and taking the bikes to North America.
The rough outline is: …