Borealphoto - Articles, texts & blog

Plaisance park - bike and photos

2009-07-13T13:12:00.003-04:00

A few photographs from a short trip to Plaisance national park of Quebec:

Plaisance park

The park is a small band of marshes and grasslands with some trees thrown in, sandwiched between highway 148 and the Ottawa river, located ~150km west of Montreal.

Here's the official website: Plaisance park - SEPAQ

You can cycle from Montreal or Ottawa/Gatineau on highway 148. It's busy at times but there's a good shoulder. From Montreal, ride on the quiet highway 344 up to Grenville.

There are two campgrounds in Carillon, a town roughly midway between Montreal and the park. The Carillon municipal campground costs 16$ and the Brownsburg-Chatham municipal campground a little further west is 26$.

More music

2009-05-14T10:45:00.004-04:00

Finally out is our little 6-piece CD. You can hear all of them here.

Loud music

2008-12-14T21:37:00.008-05:00

Things I do when I'm not biking or photographing (I'm the gum chewing bear on bass):

Atlantic Canada - Ze bicycle (Surly LHT)

2008-10-24T01:02:00.003-04:00

I'd been looking for a steel touring frame with 26" wheels for a while. They were few and even when the surly frames came out, the cost of building it would be almost the same as a complete Bruce Gordon Rock & Road or some other custom bike. Then came the Surly Long Haul Trucker complete. All I had to do is convince myself that the "color isn't so bad in real". Yeah right, it's still ugly but at that price, the LHT is one of the best bang for the buck so buying an expensive bike and staying home looking at the expensive paint job was no longer an excuse.

I made a few changes from the stock LHT. The saddle was replaced by a Brooks B17 and the handlebar by a Nitto Noodle. Narrow bars were a problem with my other bike so I went with 46cm. The wide bars also give more control on soft terrain and the Nitton Noodles are flat behind the brake hood, which I find more comfortable. Finally, I added Paul Thumbies, which transform the bar-end shifters into thumb shifters. There are a few reasons for these. Even though I love drop bars in fast descents and against strong wind, I rarely ride in the drops. The Thumbies-mounted shifters are better protected from knocks and last, the cable routing doesn't get in the way of the front rack shelf as it does with barcons. The disadvantage would be trouble with bar-bag quick-release system. I'm now using a bag on the shelf so this isn't a concern.

Other additions or changes were a Topeak Modula XL bottle cage for 1.5L bottles, SKS P50 fenders and Schwalbe Marathon XR tire in 2.0" size. I prefer heavier and trouble free tires and I went a little overboard with size. I bought them for the Anticosti island but I ended doing very little riding there. I plan on riding even more on dirt roads in the future so all is not lost.

Atlantic Canada - Gulf of St-Lawrence

2008-09-25T08:51:00.004-04:00

The photographs from my latest bicycle tour are online! As usual, you can naviguate with the arrows keys on your keyboard. For the largest image display available, press F11 and click on the image on the right.

Atlantic Canada - Gulf of St-Lawrence

A few sample images...

Route Verte pictures

2008-06-16T09:44:00.005-04:00

Some new photographs from the Route Verte:

Route Verte #4 and #1

Couscous: made for cyclotourists

2008-05-05T17:12:00.002-04:00

Couscous is a close relative to pasta and perfect for bike touring, hiking or canoe-camping. Some advantages over pasta or rice are...

Fast and easy: add an equal part of boiling water, cover, let it sit for 5 minutes and voilà!
Packs smaller than many types of pasta
No draining so no risk of spilling and no water is lost.
Blends perfectly with other foods
Absorbs liquids

Add a bit olive oil, diced veggies (or fruits for breakfast) and a bit of seasonning for a complete meal. It fits with nearly anything. My favorite is with shrimps.

Photo gear on a bike

2008-04-27T16:43:00.010-04:00

I have difficulties parting with my big SLR camera and multiple lenses on bike trips. So, far, I've carried it in a handlebar bag (Arkel small bag) and put extra lenses and accessories in the panniers. Not very practical. there are larger handlebar bag but they're too flimsy or heavy and expensive. Off the bike, they aren't the most comfortable either, especially on hiking trails. That meant I carried a small backpack for hikes. I figured why use a handlebar bag and carry a backpack when I can just use the backpack as bar bag? Well, I just did and it works great so far.

All you need is a front rack with a platform. Here's a Surly Nice Rack. It's nice indeed, and massive. Those who like big racks will love it.

A photo bag or backpack with small clip straps, depending on your bag. I use a Lowepro Orion Trekker. It has both photo and non-photo compartment. Pretty handy. No rain cover though.

There's clip so the bag can be closed with the zipper. I use it to secure the bag to the rack:

The waist strap is clipped between the top and down tubes. MAKE SURE THE EXTRA STRAP LENGTH IS TUCKED AWAY AND OUT OF THE WHEEL!!!

The shoulder straps are looped trought the bag's top handle so they stay out of the wheel and form a nice loop for one more attachment point:

I might add some extra padding under the bag, either inside the bag or over the rack, because I don't like the photo gear banging on the rack with each bump.

Voilà!

New site

2008-03-23T00:38:00.002-04:00

The new borealphoto has arrived! Short of a few tweaks, the "new site" is now online. What's new exactly? Here's a quick rundown:

Site is hosted at Smugmug, an extremely powerful photo hosting website.
Visitors can buy prints and downloads. Prints are made from the full-size jpegs uploaded.
Keyboard navigation. In any gallery, use the arrow keys to navigate from photo to photo. This is something I've wanted since I've had a website.
The "lightbox". In any gallery, click on the large photo on the right to trigger the lightbox. You can navigate using arrow keys.
Stretchy. The number of thumbnails and size of images are displayed accrding to your browser's window size. For the largest size available, reduce the number of toolbars and press F11. Use the lightbox as well!
Maps. I just looooove playing with maps so past and future bike trips will be mapped with routes, infos and photos. A map with the location of some non-biking photos was added as well. More will come.

Among the adjustments that still need to be done is the "recent photos" page. The last upload shows up last so until I find a fix, you'll have to click on the ">>" the get to the last page and see the latest photo upload.

Getting away with bad light

2007-08-25T00:14:00.004-04:00

The usual composition advice under flat light is to crop out the sky, get close and photograph the details. Nothing wrong with that and that's what I did here:

Unfortunately, when documenting a bicycle trip, it forces you to skip part of the story. The Ste-Anne basilica is an immense church and I wanted to show that. Photographing it from the front meant including a large part of the featureless sky. So instead of shooting the front and trash the picture later, I found some trees to shoot from underneath:

Those trees solved a few problems: the spire on the right is partly cropped out and there are converging lines. The trees distract the viewer from those problems. The trees also add a graphic element filling up the empty sky. I did the same thing in the following photograph, although the problem was that I only had a very wide angle. It's not great photography but it's usable.

One night stand on the St-Maurice river

2007-08-14T12:18:00.006-04:00

Here's a short description of an overnight trip I did last week on highway 155 between Grand-Mère and La Tuque in the Mauricie region. The road follows the St-Maurice river closely. It's the only road to La Tuque so traffic is high. Fortunately, there are paved shoulders for the whole distance, save for 2.3km section going southbound. There are three short 10% grades and a handful of other slopes worth changing chainring but most of it is rather flat or a faux-plat. Distance is roughly 100km one way.

There are several places to wild camp on beaches or the forest. Services are found the few villages:
- Grande-Piles: Most services
- St-Roch-de-Mekinac: Lodging, camping, restaurant and groceries
- Rivière Matawin: Lodging, restaurant and a convenience store.
- Rivière-aux-Rats: Convenience store with a small restaurant inside
- Carignan: Most services spread out on the road (not sure about camping though)
- La Tuque: All services. There is a cheap motel at the southern end of town with a restaurant and convenience store close by. ATMs are only in the town center. Two campgrounds are found on the northen end of town. A huge an expensive one and a smaller and cheaper a little further up the road.

You can park in the rest area just north of Grandes-Piles (not sure how safe it is, at least my car was still there after one night) and for those on a bigger tour, cyclists can cross the St-Maurice on a shuttle between Grandes-Piles and St-Jean-des-Piles and continue on towards La Mauricie park.

Speaking of La Mauricie park, here's a shot of Wapizagonke lake I wanted to make for years but never was lucky with the weather. The park is xecellent for cycling, even better for those who can go off road a little and camp in one of the backcountry campsites. It's much cheaper and a lot nicer than the usual campgrounds filled with RV.

Film is dead

2007-07-25T23:25:00.000-04:00

For me anyway. Here's the very last photograph I shot on film. I think I'm gonna cry...

And a few more from that roll. The owl was shot last winter. I even had a deer that was photographed last fall! But I don't like it so you won't see it.

No more film and Nikon 70-300 VR

2007-07-15T23:23:00.001-04:00

Hey,

I shot my last film last week in Jacques-Cartier park near Quebec City. I was hoping to see some moose but no luck. I did see a few grouses with chicks. I'm still waiting for the film to be developped. I think the best shots will be some canoeist riding down some rapids.

I've been wanting to lighten my equipment for some time and finally deceided to seel most of my stuff to make it managable for cycling trips. Everything is sold already except for a couple of Lowepro bags and a 300/2.8 manual. I got a 70-300 because I still want to photograph the odd critter. Nice lens. I wish I had gotten it a week earlier for this mouse that was moving its youngs across the driveway at work. Focusing manually wasn't easy. It's rare to see a mouse in the open, nevermind with a young! The adult would lead them until the edge of the drivewa7y and then take them on its mouth across the pavement.

Some other shots made with the 70-300 VR:

I'm not into airplanes but I work at the airport so there you go. I have a handful more here. I'm more interested in the ditch where the flowers came from. Kildeer nest every year around our the office building. This one was shot with the 300/2.8 ais on a Nikon D70:

Ottawa, Gatineau park and a broken car

2007-05-16T11:09:00.000-04:00

Two years ago, I rode from Montreal to Ottawa and back. I had a great time in Gatineau park and Ottawa and wanted to spend more time there instead of "in-between" so I put the bike in the car trunk and left. The weather was beautiful and I had a big grin on my face. I also brought the heavy photo gear, hoping to photograph some wildlife in Plaisance and Gatineau park.

I only made it to Plaisance... and I was lucky to be back!

I'll spare you the bad part. The only good part was this photograph I made just before the car refused to start for the second time:
Now, about the MTL - Ottawa ride. With some riding around Gatineau park, it anounted to 500km of easy cycling. It makes an excellent good 5-6 day trip.

The Quebec route is on highway 344 and 148. The 344 is quiet and has a shoulder except between St-André and Grenville. The 148 has moderate trafic but a decent shoulder. There are many campgrounds. At least one in Oka park, just outside Montreal, in Carillon on highway 344, another on the shore of Rouge river on highway 148 and in Plaisance park. Plaisance has a few bike trails and walking path. If you're into birds, I suggest getting up early in Plaisance to explore some of the paths. Oh, if you're staying in any Sepaq campground, don't forget quarters for the showers. That's the greedy Sepaq for you.

The Ontario side takes a bunch of small, usually quiet roads, which can be a bit confusing at times. Brian Hedney has it in detail here, or if you're coming from Montreal, you can check Michel Gagnon's site. It's mainly farmland and there aren't many campgrounds. There's on a bit off the main road east of Lefaivre. It's more like a small community with people spending their summer in trailers that have grown roots. The staff is extremely friendly. I arrived there after dark and they were very helpful. 12$ in 2005. It also has a restaurant. I saw another campground in Orignal, and one can stay in Voyageur park as well.

Whatever route you take, make sure you take a full day to ride in Gatineau park and Ottawa's extensive bike path network. Gatineau park is hilly but the road are simply fabulous. There are so many cyclists the drivers are very courteous. If I could choose where I live based on the quality of cycling, I'd choose Ottawa-Gatineau. The only problem with Gatineau park are the campgrounds, located on the northen end of the park. One has to ride a good distance and out of the park just to get there. I didn't know that and ended up stealth camping in the southern part of the park. Two deers woke me up in the morning.

Why a photo works

2007-02-13T01:54:00.000-05:00

Below a simple photograph. Not a great piece of art by any means but it has quite a few things going for it, many "rules" as people call them. Nobody likes rules and claims to break them, which is rarely true because breaking one rule usually implies following another. The rules aren't rules anyway. They are guidelines based on thousands of years of experience of imagery. Instead of trying to break rules for the sake of it, I try to includes as many as I can in a single shot. More importantly, I just have fun arranging different elements in relation to each other. In a landscape photograph, this is entirely done by the point of view (perspective) and cropping. Ansel Adams said "a good photograph is knowing where to stand".

The most obvious rule is the rule of third, ie. separating the frame in thirds, horizontally and vertically, and placing important elements on those imaginary lines, or wjere those lines cross each other. In the photograph below, the foreground occupies the lower third, the middle ground is in the middle and the hills and clouds are placed on the upper third line. Vertically, the cyclist is on the right third.

The second rule, which is usually more of a guideline but essential here, is inserting a human in the landscape. It gives a "wish I was there" feeling. The third rule is putting space in front of that rider. It adds dynamism. The viewer can see where the ride is going.

There's more! Many little things that aren't so obvious can add to a photograph.

- The rule book says "thy shall not make triangles in the corners". Triangles in the corners... corner the eye. I left just a bit of space between the yellow line and the bottom left so the eye can follow the line back to the cyclist instead of getting stuck in the triangle made by the yellow line.
- The symmetry of the fence posts.
- Even more fun is the symmetry of the mountains where they meet each sides of the frame. I actually had a "hehe" moment cropping that.
- The patch of clouds on the top right breaks the monotony.
- As the eye goes from foreground to background, those same clouds bring the eye closer and above the viewer's head, including him/her in the picture. (not sure I can explain that one well)
- Colors are few: black and white (neutral) green and blue for nature and a bright yellow for two human elements.
- The diagonal of the road, which also contrasts with the straight horizon.
- And what you can't see: the power line above the frame. It's impostant to scam the edges for unwanted distractions.

This shot was made with a Nikon D70 on a tripod. These "action" shots are completely staged. I use a mark on the road (crack, rock), set the camera timer to 10 or 20 seconds, press the shutter and using the clock on the bike computer, do my best to be at the mark at the right time. It's a lot easier with a digital camera becasue youcan check if you hit or missed. The D70 also has a handy remote control but it isn't always practical due to the angle and range the remore can work.

Photo tip - Safety in the wilderness

2007-02-07T23:54:00.000-05:00

Always go out in the wilderness with a partner, preferably one you can outrun when confronted with a wild animal. If your partner is faster than you, use your tripod baseball-style to knock him out. A tripod head with quick release allows you to remove your expensive equipment before transforming your partner into a decoy.

Me bike

2006-11-29T15:49:00.000-05:00

In the bored-at-work series, I thought I'd present you my bike. It doesn't have a name and I don't intend give it one, although I do call it my Two-Wheeled Winnebago. Surly copied my idea by naming their Long Haul Trucker that isn't a truck.

It's Peugeot Alpin Pro. Not a "real" Peugeot though. It was made in Canada by Procycle, who I believe is the largest manufacturer in Canada. They also make Mikado and Miele, as well as some other brands, none of them being very high-end. A bike shop owner called Procycle bikes "component racks", which means they're only good to attach component on. I never went back to that shop. So, apart from being bored, why am I writing this, and why do I like this cheap bike? Precisely because it was cheap, it looks good and it gets the job done. I like it even more when I see the current touring bikes offering.

I bought my Winnebago in may 1998. It was the only "road bike" in a sea of mountain bikes. I didn't know much about bikes then. I could only recognize tourers by the third bottle cage mount, mid-fork braze-ons and the general robust look, which could've been explained by the thicker tubes needed for aluminium bikes.

Anyway, I looked at it: Silver grey, the same color I painted an old ten-speed I built out of three bikes. Did the heel-on-pedal-with-leg-extended to check the fit: It did fit. I looked at the price tag: 700$ reduced from 1100$. That's canadian dollars at a time it was worth less than Monopoly money. The salesman said the bike had been sitting in the shop for two years, hence the rebate. I was hooked. I also bought a rear rack, toe-clips, water cages and bottles, and a handlebar bag.

Oh boy was I happy! The ride was so smooth and silent. Everybody asked about the bar-end shifters (people still ask), and I told them they were the latest thing. They were not. I just didn't know about STI. Now I know that barcons are relatively common on touring bikes because they are simple like downtube shifters without having to take the hands off the bar. That was one thing that made me appreciate it more.

Another is the touring geometry. Except for the chain stays, I haven't measured anything on my bike. I did try a few others and I could feel my Peugeot was made for touring while many others are The chainstays make a lot of the touring geometry and my bike's are 44-45cm, depending on how I measure them. Lots of new tourers have shorter stays, which means risk of heel strike against the panniers, a load that's further back instead of on top of the wheel, and a generally lest stable bike.

Yet another thing is the 40 spoke rear wheel. It was bombproof, well, until I damaged the rim. I had a trip coming and I couldn't find a 36 spoke wheel with a 7s hub, never mind a 40 spoke wheel. I don't quite remember why I couldn't just buy a 40h rim and have it laced with the original hub. Did I mention the hub is XT? On that crappy bike? Anyway, I needed a wheel FAST and settled on 32 spokes. I broke a spoke at the end of the first 30km ride, almost in front of the shop. They just ordered another wheel. The shop screwed up a bit in this wheel saga. Now I know them a little more and insist a bit more about what I want and don't want. They also cleared some bad apples. Anyway, the 32 spoke wheel gave me a lot trouble. Broke many spokes. Now I got a Sun CR18 36h on a 9 speed hub with a spacer. Those 9s hubs have so much dish it's scary. The wheel worked well except the spokes loosened so much, the rim was rubbing on the brake pads. I was on tour with a heavy load. I managed to straighten it but it turns a bit oval. Next time I'll find a 40h rim and use my orginal hub.

Perhaps the best "surprise" about my bike is the gearing. I say surprise because I was ignorant back then. My Peugeot came with "mountain bike" gearing. That's 22-32-42 crankset with 11-28 cassette. I actually asked a shop to put larger chainrings. He talked me out of it and I'm glad. That was before I went to Charlevoix and Gaspésie. Funny coz more recently, I've had bike shops saying MTB gearing is too low. Many current touring bikes have a "road triple" with 30-42-52 chainrings. It's way too high for riding any decent hills with a fully loaded bike, day after day.

What's original:
- Frame (6061-t6 aluminium)
- Handlebars (too narrow but bearable)
- STX-RC front and rear derailers
- Front wheel (Sun Rim CR16 36h with Parallax hub)
- Brake levers (Shimano RSX)
- Bar-ends shifters (DuraAce)
- Seatpost

What was replaced/added
- Fork (changed after crash)
- Crankset (normal wear, once changed big ring, then whole crankset + bottom bracket)
- Cassette (normal wear, current is SRAM 12-32)
- Cables, brake pads chain and tires (currently SRAM chain, Koolstop pads and Schwalbe Marathon XR tires)
- Tubus Logo rear rack + B&M Toplight 4D
- Old Man Mountain AC Lowride front rack
- Fenders (Zefal + Gilles Berthoud mudflap on front)
- Saddle (abnormal ass wear, original too narrow, second too squishy, current: Brooks B17)
- Mountain Myrricle mirror (broke one due to bad mounting)
- Topeak Road Morph pump (mounted on some other mini-pump mount)
- SPD pedals (Shimano M545)
- Headset (current: Shimano 105)

Charlevoix by bike

2006-11-19T03:42:00.002-05:00

The following is a slightly edited response to a question I got in a private message at Bike Forums. It describes a few route options through the Charlevoix region. I have photos from a trip in 2005 posted here and here.

- Road 360 from Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré to St-Tite-des-Caps. Rolling hills, short and steep. I took another route because I already had done this one, but this is the best IMPO (in many people's opinion). You can take highway 138 which is a long uphill with the high-speed traffic. Good route for coming back though. Very fast downhills. There's a third option, involving a bunch of smaller roads and highway 138. I took that third option because I'm a masochist.

- Highway 138 from St-Tite-des-Caps to Baie-St-Paul is the only option. It goes up, then is somewhat flat, up at over 700m of altitude, down, up again and down to sea level. Lots of wild camping opportunities between the two villages. Baie-St-Paul has a well-known hostel with a green roof way up some crazy hill. Never been there myself. There's also a big, but nice campsite further down the 138. Unless you're about to bonk or want to be in Baie-St-Paul in the morning, I'd suggest pushing towards île-aux-Coudres.

- Highway 362 eastbound from Baie-St-Paul. Scenic route. Very hilly, could have more shoulders. About 10km east of Baie-St-Paul, it's the village named "Misère" (Misery). It's just a few houses. There's a small road leading to the free ferry to île-aux-Coudres. A very twisty 2km at 20% with a stop at the bottom. I'd probably walk it. Camping Sylvie on the island is nice and cheap. After climbing the hill out of the marina, it's on the right on the main road. You'll come across a grocery store. Riding around the island is a real charm. Good place for a rest day.

- After the island, you have to climb that wall you can see from the boat (you'll understand). It's not bad... only 10 and 18%. The climb leads into the village of Les Éboulements.

- La Malbaie is where you have to decide wether to keep on going along the coast (and Tadoussac) or go inland. The coast is hilly (surprise!) with a good shoulder all the way to Tadoussac. High trafic too. My 2005 route went inland since the coast becomes "more of the same" after a while and you're not even close to the coast between St-Siméon and Tadoussac.

For the inland route:

- Follow the bike path in La Malbaie, you'll come across a shopping center with Canadian Tire and all, until you rejoin highway 138 and a bridge across Malbaie river. Cross that bridge and take a left. You'll be following the river on the quiet road. A popular campsite is in the area (camping Fraser). Cross the river again on a street I forget the name and get on the 138 west. Climb that big ass hill, then the other one and follow the directions for St-Aimé-des-Lacs and parc des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-rivière-Malbaie (Hautes-Gorges for friends). The park is a dead end but well-worth it. The village is the last resupply point. There is a convenience store in the park but choice is very limited and it's expensive. I believe there's a restaurant at the dam. (see sepaq.com). Good place for a rest day. L'Acropole des Draveurs is a classic trail there. Very steep. Anecdote: It was so windy when I got there, rain (and sleet) was coming from undeneath!

- Going out of the park, take rang St-Thomas, unpaved for about 2.5km. If it's raining and muddy, you can continue on the main road and take chemin du Lac Nairme, which is all paved. As long as you go towards Notre-Dame-des-Monts.

- From Notre-Dame, the route takes a few short roads to Rang St-Jean-Baptiste, which takes you to St-Urbain-de-Charlevoix. This whole stretch is one my favorite in all Québec so far. Very hilly (of course), very quiet. A place few tourists get to see.

- Once you reach highway 381 In St-Urbain, there's a grocery store on your left (Axep), last resupply point for those wanting to ride highway 381 towards the Saguenay region.

- Highway 381 is very wild, no services except for Grands-Jardins park. There's a campsite at the park's entrance. Have the right amount for the little enveloppe unless you want to climb the 19% to the booth at the Lac-des-Cygnes trailhead. That trail is great if you're looking for a day off the bike. I wouldn't walk it with SPD shoes though. Another idea is to climb the hill, hike the trail and bike a little more before camp. Don't forget quarters for the showers as well.

Mont Tremblant

2006-10-13T18:38:00.001-04:00

So I shortened my bike trip to have more time in Mont Tremblant park, the largest park in Québec.

I went home to get the big lens and tripod, hoping to capture some moose on film. No luck. On the other hand, I found plenty of deer hanging out along the road. Usually a female and her fawn, and one buck just as I was leaving the park for good.

I wasn't lucky with the colors either. The leaves in La Mauricie park had a yellowish green color but in Tremblant, they were gone with the wind!

The best moment happenned at night. Campsites are scattered along Monroe lake and I was camping at the "cyclo-camping", the second last site on the east side of the lake. The last site is a group campsite and was empty. Most sites were empty anyway. The cyclo-camping is only accessible by foot or bike (d'uh) so I'd eat at "La Bacagnole" picnic area, where I had a table next to the car.

I was sitting in the car relaxing with the windows open when I heard some faint howling near the northen end of the lake. I quickly packed my stuff and drove towards the howls. No luck. I tried howling myself. Nothing. I went to my tent and jumped in my sleeping bag. A few hours later, a loud howl woke me up. The wolf was so close I could hear the grain of his voice. I waited a few minutes and got up to try to see it. The rest of the pack was howling a little further so I jumped in the car and drove slowly. No luck again. I heard howling several times during the time. Once I was waken up by another howl... a loon. I also heard some large mammal near my tent. A dear or a wolf, I thought. I heard the last howl around 6am so I got up and tried to find them again. I howled but never was answered. About 500 meters from my campsite, I came across a bear. What a busy night!

The morning air was cold. Perfect for photography. Since I was up early, I climbed up to the "La Roche" viewpoint on Monroe lake.

Fall color tour

2006-10-08T17:42:00.005-04:00

Just came back from my "Fall Color Tour", which turned a bit into a "Failed Color Tour". Not because of some tour-stopping experience, but because I didn't take the planned route, then I cut the tour short after 9 days (17 planned) and last, the colors were not that colorful.

Large photos are posted here. And here's the story...

I leave Quebec City on the first day of autumn, riding against the crisp air on the "Les Cheminots" bike path. A roadie comments how it will be nice when we turn around. Yeah right, with the amount of luggage I got, I'm not on a day ride. I ain't turning around so I better make peace with the wind.

A controller is patiently waiting at the pavement's end. 5$ for the day or 10$ for the season to ride on the Jacques-Cartier/Portneuf rail-trail, which continues for another 65km through the laurentian woods northwest of Quebec City. The path is superb, well-packed and easy to ride. Sometimes the trees form a tunnel.

I didn't sleep much last night (working night shift) and get tired before the trail's end at Rivière-à-Pierre. I haven't met anyone for miles so I camp on a sandy patch close to the path. A couple passes as I was cooking supper. They wave, I wave back.

The night was chilly. The tent and bike panniers are covered with frost and ice formed in my water bottles. I take my stuff out for drying while I slowly make breakfast. Oatmeal, dry fruits and hot chocolate. I better get used to it.

So I pack and leave and no more than 200 meters later around the first bend, a rest stop with tables under an open shelter, outhouse and a better view on a lake nearby. These kind of situations happen all the time when biking. I'd stop and take the heavy artillery to make a photograph, pack it back, ride out just to find a better spot moments later...

A few kilometers later I come across a campground. A few more and I arrive in Rivière-à-Pierre. I stop at a restaurant for coffee and take some cash and end up having a real breakfast. I'll be in the bush for a few days, why not a little luxury?

So I leave for the Portneuf wildlife reserve. I stop to register in town. It's hunting season in the WILDLIFE RESERVE (why that name?) so I wanna make sure I can go through without getting shot. The woman at the desk thinks I'm weird, doesn't know about the road out of the reserve I want to take and worries about me. No problem I say, I got an orange vest. Can I go or not? Yes, she says, no fee for me.

The road up the reserve is nice. Gotta be careful about the trucks. They don't see many bike up here. They just passed the grader so the road is soft. Going downhill is a tad scary. I'm affraid to lose control of the front wheel.

The scenery is great, the leaves are turning yellow. I pass several creeks, a river, and more creeks. Finally I get to the point where the road separates the reserve and the ZEC Tawachiche. ZEC stands "Zone d'Exploitation Controlée" (controlled exploitation zone). It basically feels like a wildlife reserve with little government intrusion.

I come across a quad trail going into the ZEC. Can't be my exit road out the reserve so I continue. I climb up, and ride down, almost lose control, then arrive at a lake. Hmmm, that lake is beyond my exit road so that quad trail must have been it! Oops! I turn around and climb up again. While checking for one of the numerous new noise my bike makes, someone stops to checkon me and confirms the quad trail is my exit road.

The quad trail is bone-shaking. I don't care much about my bones as I do about my bike. Poor bike. A few kilomters later I get to the ZEC main road. I stop a quad driver and ask about the roads in the area. He says I can't take my planned route because a bridge is missing. The river is 25 feet wide and two feet deep with a good current. The idea of crossing 25 feet of cold water 2-3 times to bring my stuff across doesn't thrill me. Beside, the quad guy said the trail is 3 times worse than what I've just been through. I think I'll take the main route leading to the pavement.

It's getting late so find myself a nice camping spot on lake Hackett. Later while in bed, the owners of a trailer parked across the bridge arrive. They start calling for moose. The next morning a loon wakes me up. I get up and moments later the couple realize there's a tent where they thought they heard a moose. LoL

While they check for tracks, I pack and go. The road is nice and well packed. A bit sandy in some curves and rocky on some hills but no big deal. After many flatish section, a fairly steep downhill reveals a wonderful scenery. The road after that is superb. It follows creeks and lakes, all with a slight downhill.

Close to the ZEC entrance, the road gets wide, flat, sandy, too soft and boring. By now it's raining steadily. I finally get to the pavement and OMG it's a whole lot faster! In the town of Hervé-Junction, I check my options and decide to make it to La Mauricie park. Between Hervé-Junction and Grand-Mère, the road is quite straight and boring. at least there's a good shoulder. Between St-Thècle and St-Tite, I follow a bike route with a bit nicer but those bike routes get on my nerve. They only put a little bike icon with arrows without saying where it's going.

In Grand-Mère I cross the wide St-Maurice river and head north to St-Jean-des-Piles, last village before the park. It's funny how fast one's state of mind can change. It's been raining all day. One minute, on a busy road, I'm ready to quit and the next,on a quiet road, I just want to keep riding in that weather for days. In St-Jean I have a few regrets when looking at highway 155 across the St-Maurice. The highway hangs between the river and cliffs. Gotta ride there next year. I also learn there's a ferry for peds and cyclist, so I wouldn't have had to ride down to Grand-Mère. Too late anyway, time for groceries and the park.

At the park gate, a young man and two girls welcome me. I asked about camping along some bike trail and he says those sites aren't accessible by bike, only by canoe. I asked about the forecast and a girl says it'll be rain for 14 days. Ouch!

It's saturday and the Rivière-à-la-Pêche campground is almost full, full of RVs. I didn't see a single tent. A group has taken a few sites close to mine. They are loud but I can't blame them for having fun. At some point though, some loud techno music begin. I turn red with anger instantly. What kind of idiots go to a national park to listen to loud music? I try to forget about it but can't. I hear two of them talking near the toilet building so I walk over and ask politetly to turn the music down or I'll do it myself using a baseball bat.

I wake up the next morning to the sound of rain. After some time under the tent, I decide I won't stay there all day so I head out for some hiking. A few steps and it starts pouring down. Hmm, I guess I'll turn around. I wait a little and decide to bike since my clothes are already wet so it can't get any worse. Just as I'm preparing, the rain stops and blue skies appear. Great!

I head for trail #3, where I wanted to ride and camp. The trail is fantasmagoric. The trail is fairly easy. I follows creeks, lakes, even better than the ZEC. I come across the campsites I wanted to camp at. The young man at the gate was wrong! There are also refuges for skiers. It's paradise. After trail #3, I take #7 and #9 along lac Edouard. A bit less exiting but still great. It begins raining aagain but I don't care. I fanally make it to the main road, which is paved. From there, it's almost downhill all the way back to the campground. It's not too late so I pass the campground and ride to the welcome center which is still open. I take two more nights at the campground at the other end of the park and ask about the rustic site. The woman at the desk confirms the young man was ill-informed. Damn.

It's sunday evening and the campground is now nearly empty. I make supper in the communal shelter and leave some clothes to dry. The night is clear and take a few star photos.

The next morning, I pack up and ride the wonderful park route. Not much to say except it's a must for cyclists.

After many hills, I make it to Mistagance campground. I'm alone in my loop so I check out the other site and find some firewood left by other camper. I bring it to my site and will have a nice fire tomorrow. The next day is all hiking. I walk many short trails around Shewenegan picnic. Try to compose with gray skies. At least it isn't raining. In late afternoon, the sun peaks through and blue skies follow.

The colors have been patchy. It's mostly yellowish green with wery little red. I feel a bit limited by my bike and would like to have more freedom of movement for better photography. The forecasts aren't promising so I begin thinking about cutting the trip short and do the rest by car and heavy photo equipment to capture some wildlife.

The next is the best weather wise. Outisde the park is Route Verte #4 (green way). This bike path is not the typical rail-trail. It's very windy, with a handful 12% hills,something you rarely see on bike trails. It's also deep in the forest. One of the nicest bike trail I've come across.

I head south and finally decide to cut the trip short. I ride to Trois-Rivières to visit my sister and will ride to Quebec city tomorrow. Tomorrow's forecast calls for rain late in the day and since it always comes from the west, I should be able to ride in good weather all day. Wind will come from the south so I'll have it almost at my back. It'll be a good opportunity to ride from Trois-Rivières to Quebec under good conditions. Last year I rode this stretch under the rain and facing strong winds. Possibly the worst conditions I've had. It was sloooooow. The only reason I kept going was to keep warm and didn't want to take a day off early in the trip.

So I rode along the St-Lawrence. It was fast and easy. 135km for the day... I had done less than 400km in the previous 8 days! I made it back to my parent's house, which I started from. They weren't there and it was still early so I took a shower and drove back to Montreal to drop off the film. Yes, I still use film.

Schwalbe Marathon XR

2006-09-18T00:10:00.001-04:00

I forgot to mention the Marathon XR tires in the previous post. I bought them for my upcoming trip with a fourth or third on gravel roads. Nice tire. Very comfortable ride but more sticky on pavement than my usual Specialized Nimbus. On my commute ride, the side threads feel funny when cornering.

Montreal > Quebec in a single day is a roadie's challenge. In my quest to break slownesness records, I'll be riding from Quebec City to Montreal in 17 days. From september 21st to october 7th, I'll join the two cities via the Laurentian hills. I call it the "Fall Color Tour". Three more nights at work and I'm off! Woohoo!

Saguenay by bike, Big Agnes and Nalgene

2006-09-12T19:40:00.002-04:00

I did a 5 day trip in the Saguenay region of Quebec last week. The route takes two highways, one of each side of the Saguenay river. Unfortunately, the roads are rarely close to the river itself. Quite understandable since the Saguenay is a huge river with high cliffs one either sides, forming a fjord. There are whales in it, at least at the mouth where it meets with the even bigger St-Lawrence river.

Photos are posted here: Saguenay tour photos

The route is nice. Some locals want to make an official bike route that would gather to hills enthusiasts. I wish them luck. Most of the route doesn't have shoulders but the traffic is light. Shoulders are well placed though. Most serious climbs have them, as do the inside of curves, as well as some long stretches on the north side.

There are several roads leading to small communities on the Saguenay shore. Every one of these villages is a spectacular site. On the south shore, a road lead to the Saguenay park. There's hiking to do, as well as kayaking.

Haven't bike much this year. I broke the 1000km mark during the trip. Very little considering the 7000km I did last year. I'm in bad shape and it showed on the hills. I carried hiking shoes and a daypack, hoping to do some hiking in the Saguenay. For a while in the first two days, I thought I wouldn't make it to the park in time and I'd have to stick to the road. Well, I made it so I didn't carry that stuff for nothing. The park is great. I will to od the long trail someday.

I tried a couple new things on my trip. First, a Big Agnes Air-Core insulated matress. It's 2½ inch thick, yet it packs smaller and weighs the same (a little less?) than the smallest Therm-a-Rest. It feels a bit like a pool matress when it's not fully inflated. It's not self-infating but it only takes a minute or two to inflate. I'm never going back to a Therm-a-Rest!

The other product is a Nalgene OTG bottle. I tried it after a recommendation made by a bikeforums.net member. No need to add much as the description on the Nalgene site is quite accurate. One thing I liked is its ability to withstand high temperature, meaning you can pour boiling water in it and it won't melt. I wish they made a tall 1-liter and a small 500ml with a tight small handle that would fit under the downtube. (most bottles rub on the fender). The handle would turn it into a cup.

Bicycle touring in Québec

2005-10-10T15:57:00.004-04:00

Bicycle touring in Quebec has seen an upraise in recent years. Part of this new enthusiasm was the transformation of old railroad lines into bicycle paths (rail-trails) and "La Route Verte" (The Green Route), a connection of roads with shoulders, bicycle paths and low-traffic roads crossing the province from west to east and south to north. The project is supposed to be finished in 2006, although some routes are questionable.

Maps and guides

Regional maps
Quebec is a large province so a provincial map doesn't cut it. Regional maps are found in most dépanneurs (convenience stores). Three brands are sold: Rand McNally, Carthotèque Geo and Mapart. The latter is the most common and, in my opinion, the best. Mapart also has a "vacation" series but these aren't sold everywhere.

Regional tourist guides
Each region has its own. It comes in a small booklet format and is filled with information on places, events and activities. It also has an extensive list of accommodations with prices and services offered. A small map is included. It's only useful for distances. The guides are available in all tourist information booth and some tourist attractions, hotels, etc. You can also order the guide from the Quebec tourism bureau. They will most likely send a bunch of other brochures but the guide is the only one really useful on the road.

Bike trail maps/guides
These are maps covering a single or a network of bike trails. They contain good info regarding the services offered on and close to the trail. They are very "bike-centered" and some info is not available on any other guides or maps. A street map is still handy.

Vélo-Québec guides
One would think the biggest cycling association should provide the best information but no, their guides are next to useless. They have all of the fault of the three tools mentioned above and none of the advantages. The guides are heavy, with small pages. The orientation always changes (north moves from map to map) but the worst are the maps: they consist of a few lines showing a particular bike route. The problem is the other streets are either missing or without names and they don't show links between different bike routes. Stay away.

When to go

May is the first month that can be qualified as warm. It can still be quite cold though, especially on rainy days. Indoor accommodation might be cheaper and campgrounds might not yet be opened. It's black flies season and these things can drive anyone crazy. June is the first real summer month. Most tourist spots are open but the season really kicks off around June 24th, Quebec's national day. A week later on July 1st is Canada day so many people join the two holidays and make it a week's vacation. Parks can be filled with locals, some coming in groups to party.

July is the warmest month, also the driest. Rain usually comes in short but moderate to heavy precipitation (thunderstorms). The last two weeks of July are known as "construction holidays". Unless you have reservations, it's best to avoid that period. The first half of August is also quite busy. It quiets down considerably around mid-august, when you should be able to find accommodations without reservations. It's still very warm and biting insects are mostly gone. Late august is perfect for those who want a summer trip without the big crowds.

September is a favorite among outdoor enthusiasts. Day temperature is either warm or slightly cool, with cool or cold nights. After the labor day weekend, many attractions have reduced hours during the week. In late september and early-october, you might find ice in your water bottles in the morning. Most places close down after the thanksgiving weekend, which is the second monday of october in Canada.

Route suggestions

Gaspésie (~650km short loop, ~1000-1200km complete tour)
A classic among bicycle tourists, the Gaspé peninsula has a lot to offer. Quite hilly, especially on the northeastern part where it's a constant roller-coaster. A few flat sections and never boring. Lots of places to visit, lots of services for tourists. The short loop cuts across the Cascapedia river valley on highway 299 while the complete Gaspésie tour closes the loop through the Matapédia valley on highway 132.

Ottawa > Montreal > Quebec City (~500km one-way)
Excellent ride for beginners and those who want to put on distance in a short time. Take highway 148 from Gatineau to Montreal and highway 138 for the rest. The route is part of the Route Verte (Green Way). Very flat with a few bumps near Quebec City. Unless you're very unlucky, you should have the wind at your back. Services are found in the many villages on the road.

Le P'tit train du Nord (200km one-way) (website)
Very popular rail-trail running from St-Jérôme to Mont-Laurier, through the Laurentians hills north of Montreal. It's also possible to start in Montreal. The northern half is paved and the southern is well-packed crushed stone. Many ride southbound, or "downhill", although there are no difficult climbs. It's an old railroad after all. Lots of services on the trail. There are also shuttle services that bring you and your gear at the northern departure point. Those with time should enjoy riding the trail twice, south to north and back again. Very nice trail.

Véloroute des Bleuets (256km loop) (website
Another very popular bike route, although this one uses quiet roads and paved shoulders on highway 169 at times. It is quite flat and it can be windy. The "blueberry bike route" is a big part of Lac St-Jean life in the summer and is very well serviced with lots of places to visit and activities to do. A must.

Véloroute du Fjord (~330km)
Not an official bike route, at least not yet. The route takes highway 172 and 170 on either side of the Saguenay river between the St-Lawrence river and Chicoutimi (now Ville de Saguenay) and the loop is closed on highway 138 between St-Siméon and Tadoussac. Very hilly, few paved shoulders and long distances between services. Not for beginners. Allow more time to ride into villages along the Saguenay river.