Greg & Camille Go Bike

Camille

It was a long night driving up to Canada yesterday. Greg was very sweet to take most of the driving responsibility while I slept soundly in the car. We had visited with my relatives in NJ the day before and left there in the late afternoon. 9 hours later, we found ourselves in Gatineau, the Quebecoise sister city to Ontario's Ottawa just across the river.

We only had a week off, so it wouldn't be quite enough time for us to complete a round-trip tour on bike (~600 miles), but we were happy enough to settle for one-way biking. The pedaling would start in Quebec City and end in Ottawa.

We woke up still unsure about how to get to Quebec. Touring has changed the planner in me for sure. That morning, our phones and fingers were busy with research. Sadly since COVID, the train had stopped allowing bikes on a crucial connector, so that was out. We looked into the possibility of the bus but couldn't find anything conclusive about bringing bikes. Ultimately (and a little guiltily), we decided on picking up a rental car from the Ottawa airport.

We tucked away Greg's car in a garage nearby and were off to Quebec! The 4-hour drive gave way to beautiful mountain scenery and lots of farms. (Lots of farms.) After dropping the car at the Quebec airport, we biked 15 miles to old city along neighborhood bike paths and dedicated trails. It was getting dark as we approached our destination, but the stop at Pharmaprix for our floss and our favourite fruit bars was worth it.

A winding trail through the park and a very steep cobblestone-covered hill led us to the bustling night life of Old Town. We checked into an auberge and wandered around. Most visitors seemed to be American tourists enjoying one of the many restaurants dotting the historic streets. We saw parliament, statues, and a few surprising monuments for people that seem to have nothing to do with Québec (Ghandi was one of them).