August 9, 2010
Field in North Hatley to Granby: From the modest to the sublime...
Arose early with the cows at 6, packed up the tent and on our way by 6:30. Wonderfully efficient but no coffee or breakfast. We're counting on a Depanneur (corner shop) or cafe in St. Catherine de Hatley, 8 km away on route 108. Robert (the bee man) and local cyclists had warned against hwy. 108 and route verte in this area - so we tried in vain to find Chemin de North Hatley as recommended. Surprisingly nobody in North Hatley would help us.
Hint - look for Hovey Rd which becomes Chemin de North Hatley!
After many steep hills and glorious downhills we arrived in St. Catherine de Hatley, a picturesque village with great views.
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Auberge St. Catherine de Hatley was just opening for their Sunday brunch. The staff came out and encouraged us to come in even though we were not in our Sunday best and we're glad we did.
The Auberge Is perched atop a hill with a spectacular view for miles. The food was sensational with many Quebec cheeses finished off with fresh fruit and a chocolate fountain - all for $9. We marvelled at the contrasts of travel: camping wild followed by fine dining surrounded by locals out for a special meal.
Refreshed by an impromptu "bath" in their bathroom sink we departed the Inn ready to tackle more hills.
Sped down an incredible hill at 75 km/hr and climbed many more steep hills before reaching Magog 7 km later. In retrospect, the views and scenery were worth the work. We're grateful we chose not to follow Route Verte for this section as we heard that it is also hilly, unpaved and 35 km further.
We arrived in Magog, a busy vibrant town.
Once again curiosity about our bike created an opportunity for conversation with strangers. Linda and Andre from nearby Farnham, came up to us and asked about our bike which led to a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Quebec. They gave us good advice about our route for the day and we admired Andre's t-shirt showing the logo for their son's punk band "The Nailheads".
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After Magog we decided (with Linda and Andre's advice) not to ride Route Verte west. It sounded too frustrating and isolated from villages. We chose hwy 108 which had a good shoulder for cycling and some rolling hills and passed through many communities- Eastman, Stukely-Sud, Stefford and Waterloo where we rejoined Route Verte.
In the Eastern Townships towns have English names due to their United Empire Loyalist roots.
We had a really good time exploring these villages and antique shops
- but as we approached Granby the skies opened and we cycled through torrential rain, lost for an hour searching for accommodation. We took a room at a run-down over priced motel (Motel Granby), paid $10 extra for a jacuzzi to help our aching joints, cooked tuna and pasta in our room and watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding on the only English channel on our TV. Our room was draped with our wet things, laundry and wet panniers. All things considered, a good day.
Today's ride: 85 km (53 miles)
Total: 1,006 km (625 miles)
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