July 11, 2014
Not every stop is the same. Certain points become important guiding posts for orienting what is finished or yet to come. Just as Sudbury marked the point at which the end of northern Ontario became real, Quebec City marks the start of the final leg in this journey. I feel myself finishing now, not just a fantasy or a simple fact but it’s becoming a reality in my mind. I will need to temper my growing anticipation of completion or I’ll be too preoccupied to fully experience the wonders of the Maritimes still ahead of me. Today for instance I had planned to loop around the Ile d’Orleans in the middle of the St Lawrence and end the day where I started but I needed to move along. Most French Canadians trace their ancestry through that island and it’s suppose to be a step back into 19th century francophone society but I couldn’t do it.
The other reason I felt compelled to make some progress on the journey is that today is the first day of cycling after a few rest days. I’ve discovered that the day after a rest is particularly hard to cycle. I’m in an impossible space between not wanting to be on the road and not wanting to remain where I was. I would like the trip to be over but couldn’t imagine bailing on the trip. I feel all cubed inside a sphere, nothing fits and resting places offer little comfort. Since Mike drove home today, it promised to be a particularly discombobulated, lonesome sort of day.
Thankfully I was delightfully distracted by running into two cyclists I’ve encountered three or four times across this country. While waiting for the ferry, I noticed a few other loaded bicycles pull up, lo and behold it’s these guys again. How easily I am distracted. Ile d’Orleans will have to wait for another day.
Road Report: 104km
Crossing the river by ferry, there’s a lovely trail out of Levis. I traveling along the 132 after that; like most of Quebec it has awesomely paved shoulders but we’re certainly getting into some hilly country. It’s not too much but enough to remind you that you’re on a bike and not in fact flying.