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672km St. Bruno to Rimouski

Our circuit around the world ends in St. Bruno but the next morning, after Michael has gone to work, we carry on as if nothing has changed at all.

We eat our breakfast of cereal and fruit, lug our bags downstairs and load them on the bikes like we’ve done a thousand times before. I take a moment to examine the fraying bag that sits across my back two panniers, the one that has held our sleeping mats for months now. I wonder how it’s ever held out this long. This one bag, more than anything else we’re carrying, really looks like it’s gone around the world. Maybe it will stay intact just a little longer.

My thoughts are broken by Andrew handing me some sunscreen. We make the last checks of our bikes and gear, drop in a few cubes of ice from Michael’s freezer into our water bottles, give each other a kiss and head out under a surprisingly intense September sun.

Our loop is already completed but we’re continuing to cycle because, just like a runaway truck going down a steep hill, a strong sense of momentum pushes us onwards. We have been continually moving forward for 3 years now and it’s so incredibly hard to even contemplate putting on the brakes. More than anything we need time: time to digest all those special places and kilometres riding in our wake and time to consider what will come next. (more…)

A slightly longer day for us, but not too hard a one as we were on the Rail Trail all day, which means no traffic and a very gently graded slope. After the first 20km, a lot of today’s ride was downhill so we made quite good time! This part of the trail is fantastic, most of it on hard packed ground so no loose gravel to contend with and as it’s autumn we also get to see the fall colours. Lots of beaver dams too and a few herons, dozens of chipmunks, but nothing in the way of big wildlife. Our bikes are likely too noisy to allow us to sneak up on a moose. Got through the afternoon thanks to a bakery, where we picked up a massive molasses cookie (a “galette” in French) and an apple turnover, as well as a baguette for supper. It’s amazing the food you get through when you’re cycling. Spent the night at a campground right on the trail in Notre Dame Du Lac and also next to Lake Temiscouata, so we enjoyed watching the ducks as we ate supper and the sun went down.