Mont-Tremblant to Saint-Faustin

July 26, 2010

We settled in to the youth hostel. The manager found a secure place for our bike. The hostel was very well equipped with a large kitchen, lounge area , tv room and bar . We made our pasta dinner in the kitchen . After dinner we played pool in the lounge area. Unfortunately our room was right above the front door of the hostel. At 3:00am we were awoken by some very drunk guys who were returning from a night of clubbing in Mont Tremblant. The next day however, things improved when we met Emiliano. He works at the hostel and was eager to help us with our travel plans and questions about the area. Emilano is from Argentina. During the winter he works as a snowboard instructor and during the summer works at the hostel and is a mountain bike guide. Emilano's presence at the hostel was a highlight for us.

Barry cooking our pasta at the hostel kitchen

Mary Ellen waiting patiently for her dinner at the hostel

Here I am retightening rack bolts. Unfortunately I over-torqued the bolt on the handlebar clamp and stripped the threads.

Emilliano is from Argentina and has been working at the hostel.

Heading out in the morning from the hostel but first we need to make a stop at a bike shop.

I over torqued one of the bolts on the clamp on our handlebars. Emiliano recommended a bike shop to go to. Benoit and Sean at Cybercycle in Mont Tremblant were able to tap out new threads for the clamp.

Benoit and Sean at Cypercycle did an amazing job of fixing our bike after I over torqued the handlebar clamp.

Because of our bike problems we got a very late start to our ride. We only rode for 32 km. It was a hot and very humid ride. We decided to stay at Saint-Faustin at a campground. The campground was off of Route Verte trail. It was at the top of five very steep hills. Fortunately, Camping Domaine Desjardins is a delight. They offer cycling sites that are very private and well equipped - highly recommended.

As British Columbians we are appreciating the uniqueness of Quebec culture. We enjoyed watching campers play petanque in the evening - this is a game that is unfamiliar to us, yet similar to bocce. The campground is run by the Desjardin family (for generations) and is one of the better campgrounds we have stayed in (here in Quebec). We stayed 2 nights and enjoyed exploring the area.

A tip if you stay here: the access is much easier from the station (village) at km. 69 on the trail. It is an easy 2.5 km ride to the campground.

A house across from the hostel in Mont-Tremblant

We had a beautiful ride along a beautiful river

Today's ride: 32 km (20 miles)
Total: 234 km (145 miles)

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