Day 99: Plessisville, QC to Richmond, QC

August 4, 2017

We left our motel REALLY early this morning. It was 7:15 when we started rolling. It was the threat of afternoon thunderstorms that got us moving so early. Of course, we arrived at our destination about 1:30 and as of 7:30, it hasn't rained yet. We could easily have left at our usual 9:30 or 10:00 and made it here just fine. It is dark and thundering now, so the storm really is coming. Kerry thinks I fret too much about the weather, but forecasts for potentially severe storms worry me. I'd rather not take the chance of getting caught outside without shelter.

Now, on to our day - we stopped for breakfast at Tim Horton's once again. They are ubiquitous in Canada, and even though the service is relatively slow, we just keep going there. Tim's baked goods will never replace McDonald's biscuits, though. And, the McDonald's restaurants here don't even have biscuits. How wrong is that?

The ride went well. We did have a persistent headwind which increased as the morning wore on. This area is all farms, the same as yesterday. It is quiet and pretty.

Our next stop after breakfast was in the small community of Warwick. At the IGA, we talked with another couple who were on road bikes. Between their small amount of English and my small amount of French we had a pretty good time. It was the most French I've tried to speak in one conversation.

We did go through one larger town, Victoriaville, which had the usual sprawl of stores and restaurants along the road. We were glad to get through it.

We had decided to take the trail for a few miles near the end of the ride in order to go around a big climb instead of over it. The trail surface was good and we didn't have any problems, but it felt so good to get back on pavement after 7 miles.

We stopped in the town of Richmond to get our Diet Coke before riding to the campground where we're staying in the lodge.

The bridge surface was metal grating, so Kerry walked the bike across

Unfortunately, we didn't have a "no climb" option to get here. Just over the bridge, there is almost a mile climb up a steep hill. It was hard work, but we didn't have to use our "four on the floor" lowest gear. The room is small and very basic, but there is a large common room where we are now and a café in the building where we had a very good dinner.

The common area dining room where we're spending the evening. Our room is OK, but very small. This is much more comfortable for computer time.

He's keeping watch over the common rooms. Our room is just inside the open balcony door in the upper left

The weather forecast for tomorrow is not at all bicycle friendly. There is a 90-100% chance of thunderstorms from 9AM until 6PM, so we decided to stay here another night. The owners have been very accommodating. They even volunteered to get us another 2L bottle of Diet Coke when they're in town tomorrow. Even if it weren't raining, I wouldn't climb that mountain again.

Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 4,045 miles (6,510 km)

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