They can be stacked up on any available structure but I think it was last winter's ice that did the damage here.
Well off the shore in Lake Erie we were visited this morning by two Blue Jays.
Sunday, 28 September 2014
It's a bird's life
Working on the water affords frequent opportunity to observe our feathered friends.
They can be stacked up on any available structure but I think it was last winter's ice that did the damage here.
Well off the shore in Lake Erie we were visited this morning by two Blue Jays.
They can be stacked up on any available structure but I think it was last winter's ice that did the damage here.
Well off the shore in Lake Erie we were visited this morning by two Blue Jays.
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Bird Sanctuary
This use to be a daunting light to paint off the tip of Pelee Island but now it has gone to the birds.
Sunday, 14 September 2014
Damp day in the Ditch
Back on the ship and transiting the Welland Canal, affectionately known at 'The Ditch'.
Flat calm all the way along the 'Level' towards Lock 8 and then, as is often the case, the wind whips up out of the southwest by the time we are heading through the piers into Lake Erie.
At least the ice is a few months away yet.
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
Boulevard Groan
Between the ride down east and my spill last month near Prescott, I haven't done many of my usual Montreal rides this summer.
Finally feeling almost healed, I decided to take a ride out to the east end of the island via Boulevard Gouin on the north side of the island and then back rue Notre Dame along the south.
It is a good ride because it is mostly bike path and a healthy 65 kilometers door to door but I always forget just how fucking poor some sections of these 'paths' actually are until I am faced with them again.
I'm not sure what demented road designer's handbook this comes from that considers the above worthy of the term 'bike path'.
I wonder how many kilometers of paths would actually count in North America's cycling capital if you removed all the ones that were substandard?
Finally feeling almost healed, I decided to take a ride out to the east end of the island via Boulevard Gouin on the north side of the island and then back rue Notre Dame along the south.
It is a good ride because it is mostly bike path and a healthy 65 kilometers door to door but I always forget just how fucking poor some sections of these 'paths' actually are until I am faced with them again.
I'm not sure what demented road designer's handbook this comes from that considers the above worthy of the term 'bike path'.
I wonder how many kilometers of paths would actually count in North America's cycling capital if you removed all the ones that were substandard?
Along the lazy river
Last weekend we decided to try out a new area for a cycling weekend around Drummondville.
The entire route is just over 81 kilometers so this was initially going to be a one day ride but we decided to take it easy and split it in two to make it more of a September balade than a ride.
We drove to Pierreville along the 132 and parked at the Hotel de Ville, which is located right along the shore of the Saint-Francois river.
There is a nice little park beside the parking furnished with toilets, which makes for a good jumping off point for the ride. The morning rain that was supposed to stop at noon continued until almost 2pm so we held off our start and sheltered under the awning in front of the toilets.
We started the ride along the east side of the river following the shore road all the way to Drummondville. It was a very pleasant ride with little traffic and nice paved roads. We stopped to eat our lunch at Saint-Joachim-de-Courval where there was a nice park area with picnic tables and a view of the river. There was a toilet in the park but it was locked though the Community Centre across the street was open for a local festival event.
Passing over the 20 we picked up a bike path that took us towards the bridge leading into Drummondville. Route Verte 4 passes through Drummondville and we picked it up to take us north of the city where our Bnb was located.
In town, the Route Verte dipsy-doodles around quite a bit. In retrospect, it would have been easier to just get on the Chemin du Golf from the bridge and follow it all the way out of town since the Route Verte ends up there anyways.
After a restful evening, we headed out for our return to Pierreville along the Route Verte, which follows the west side of the Saint-Francois river. Just past the Bnb we went onto the path that goes through the woods of Saint-Marjorique-de-Grantham. It is a wide, crushed stone path and a nice, gentle ride. It eventually comes out into a gravel road that carries on along the river.
I was wondering why there was no traffic here but then we came to a barred gate that prevented vehicles from passing, which explained it.
Past the barred gate the road was paved but there was still very little traffic. A little further down the road we came across a rest stop for cyclists.
It was just a picnic table under a shady tree but there was a nice view of the river and a small stand of sunflowers.
There are endless farms along each side of the river filled with fields of corn but the odd one did have some livestock.
The route is pretty well flat or gently rolling but there was one little hill on either side of a one lane bridge.
Before long, we were crossing the bridge that joins Saint-Francois-du-Lac and Pierreville.
Note, the Route Verte website says that this is a narrow bridge but it has been upgraded last year with a nice shoulder that is good for cyclists.
Overall, this was a great little ride in a very pleasant area. I would definitely do this ride again but in a single day probably starting and ending in Drummondville with a lunch stop at Pierreville. Just be aware that these are country roads and, though there are some rest spots, there are no places to get water between Drummondville and Saint-Francois-du-Lac so carry enough to get you through two or three hours of riding between towns.
The entire route is just over 81 kilometers so this was initially going to be a one day ride but we decided to take it easy and split it in two to make it more of a September balade than a ride.
We drove to Pierreville along the 132 and parked at the Hotel de Ville, which is located right along the shore of the Saint-Francois river.
 |
| Hotel de Ville is the brown building centre right |
There is a nice little park beside the parking furnished with toilets, which makes for a good jumping off point for the ride. The morning rain that was supposed to stop at noon continued until almost 2pm so we held off our start and sheltered under the awning in front of the toilets.
We started the ride along the east side of the river following the shore road all the way to Drummondville. It was a very pleasant ride with little traffic and nice paved roads. We stopped to eat our lunch at Saint-Joachim-de-Courval where there was a nice park area with picnic tables and a view of the river. There was a toilet in the park but it was locked though the Community Centre across the street was open for a local festival event.
Passing over the 20 we picked up a bike path that took us towards the bridge leading into Drummondville. Route Verte 4 passes through Drummondville and we picked it up to take us north of the city where our Bnb was located.
In town, the Route Verte dipsy-doodles around quite a bit. In retrospect, it would have been easier to just get on the Chemin du Golf from the bridge and follow it all the way out of town since the Route Verte ends up there anyways.
After a restful evening, we headed out for our return to Pierreville along the Route Verte, which follows the west side of the Saint-Francois river. Just past the Bnb we went onto the path that goes through the woods of Saint-Marjorique-de-Grantham. It is a wide, crushed stone path and a nice, gentle ride. It eventually comes out into a gravel road that carries on along the river.
I was wondering why there was no traffic here but then we came to a barred gate that prevented vehicles from passing, which explained it.
Past the barred gate the road was paved but there was still very little traffic. A little further down the road we came across a rest stop for cyclists.
It was just a picnic table under a shady tree but there was a nice view of the river and a small stand of sunflowers.
There are endless farms along each side of the river filled with fields of corn but the odd one did have some livestock.
The route is pretty well flat or gently rolling but there was one little hill on either side of a one lane bridge.
Before long, we were crossing the bridge that joins Saint-Francois-du-Lac and Pierreville.
Note, the Route Verte website says that this is a narrow bridge but it has been upgraded last year with a nice shoulder that is good for cyclists.
Overall, this was a great little ride in a very pleasant area. I would definitely do this ride again but in a single day probably starting and ending in Drummondville with a lunch stop at Pierreville. Just be aware that these are country roads and, though there are some rest spots, there are no places to get water between Drummondville and Saint-Francois-du-Lac so carry enough to get you through two or three hours of riding between towns.
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