July 31 - From Montreal to Berthierville

The weather report last night was rain this morning but the sun was shining. We started the day with a delicious breakfast at an outdoor cafe. I usually order oatmeal most mornings but never has the presentation of a bowl of oatmeal been so elegant. Leaving Montreal was easy as we followed the route verte 5 signs.

After lunch the clouds moved in and by the time we had traveled only a few miles, we had to seek shelter. The closest shelter was a bakery and we stayed there for over an hour until the thunder and lightning stopped. After staring at the cookies and pies for a long time, we purchased a raspberry pie and I figured out how to carry it in the rain in my pack. We dressed ourselves in rain pants, rain jackets and warmer clothing for the heavy rain, wind and cooler temperature before leaving.

When we arrived at our hotel, we were drenched. Later we found out that if we had waited two hours like the other group, we would not have had to ride in the rain.  Our reward, however, was the raspberry pie that we did not share with the group!

July 30 - End of the day in Montreal

Leaving the restful atmosphere of the Botanical Gardens was difficult, but our spirits were lifted as we walked toward the metro and saw this incredible play structure for kids from ages 1-99.

July 30 - Day off in Montreal

Margaret wanted us to find Fairmount Bagels. The original store was opened in 1919 by Isadore Shlafman. All the bagels are hand-rolled and baked in a wood fire oven. There is no photo of the bagels because we gobbled them up before I remembered to take the picture. As an alternative, you can see the colorful benches where we ate our breakfast.

Even though this is a day off the bike, we decided to cycle to Habitat 67 and to the Geodome.
I had been in Montreal for Expo 67 and had seen this innovative housing development at that time.
Since we were still on our bikes, we cycled to Cafe Biciletta at the Maison du Bicycles.
In 1967 this organization created the route verde system of bike routes throughout Canada.

July 27 - Exploring the City of Montreal

By early afternoon we were settled in our hotel, ready to explore the city and walk to Old Town. On the way I could not help but notice heavy duty locks on the bicycles on the streets and started to search for this folding metal, thief proof lock made in Germany.

Everywhere I turned I saw something unique. How about this1890 dress made out of paper? Can you believe I even found a stained glass store?

I tried to count the number of ethnic restaurants we passed but lost track of the count because there were so many. We finally decided to eat at a Tibetan restaurant. I had the best meal of the trip - a vegetarian sweet and sour soup.

July 29 - On the way to Montreal

Entering a major city is usually more complicated than cycling through small towns. We followed the bike route most of the way until crossing over the river into Montreal. The path to the first bridge was our first climb of the day. Our descent was scary, cycling down the steep circular structure.

As we approached the second bridge on Port Jacques-Cartier leading into the city, I was reminded of the first time I crossed the George Washington bridge into New York City.  I'm not sure which bridge is longer but the Montreal bridge is about three miles long.

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July 29 - Auberge Harris in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

After riding in the storms yesterday, we arrived at Auberge Harris. Our bikes were placed in the specially built bike corral, hoses and rags were available to wash the grit and dirt off our bikes, and the staff washed our wet clothes. This hotel certainly caters to cyclist!

The 80 year old owner, Mrs. Bouton, is a patron of the arts and believes in supporting local artists as her philanthropic duty. Art is everywhere. This Tour de France painting by Andrea Coppens is my favorite. I also know that Martin would love this abstract cellist sculpture.

The sun is shining and we start our journey to Montreal on the bike oath along the canal.

July 28 - Rainstorms on the way to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

Our plans for the day changed this morning when Ken and Nancy informed us about the severe thunderstorms between 11 and 1. Since the first 20 miles of the ride was on dirt paths and no possible shelters, they decided to transport bikes and cyclists to the town of Waterloo to start the ride. The plan would be to ride as far as possible before the storm hit, find shelter and wait out the storm, or call to be transported in the van to our hotel.

Our group with Bill Fortune, John G, Margaret and myself finally started riding in Waterloo and cycled to Granby. On the way we stopped to photograph one of many statues on the bike path even though the rain was intensifying. John G showed Bill the train track switch lever system. The path was asphalt up until now but on the way to Farham, the path became crushed limestone. This surface is difficult to navigate with no rain and with major puddles and an uneven surface, I was working very hard to force my bike through the limestone and not fall over.

Our group decided to stop in Farham just to get out of the rain and eat lunch. After an hour, we got up enough courage to go out in the rain and pedal the last 15 miles. When we reached Auberge Harris, all were relieved that we had safely completed our day and proceeded to clean up and dry out!