Le plus beau souvenir de ce periple?

Pour Sonia,
"-Es-tu Sonia Lafreniere?"
Chaque fois que tu me poserais la question que je pourrais te donner une nouvelle reponse.
Je n'ai jamais pense revenir a Waterloo plus tot.  Au contraire, si le cegep n'etait pas commence nous serions encore sur nos becanes.  Dans la pluie.  Chris pedale pour aller au Cegep. 
Bref,
Un de mes plus beaux souvenirs est, la riviere Ste-Marguerite.  Nous avons pedale durant des jours dans sa vallee.  La beaute, la tranquilite, l'eau en mouvement, la sable, la nature...  les maringouins!

Blog ou journal

Je viens de perdre au moins 15 minutes a vouloir vous envoye une photo de Mimi et moi a Levis.  J'aurais intitule le "post"  Mimi a Levis.
Maintenant, j'en suis sur le point de vouloir bouder l'idee. -" Dl'a merde le blog; anyway, y'a pas un esti de chat qui repond ... . sauf Sonia et ma mere.."
Puis, de retourner a mon journal..  Qui ne creer aucune attente envers autrui.
Mardi en pluie.
Musique Maestro!
"sans rancunes ;)"

Les couts

L'equipement.  A ne pas negliger.
Chris avait planifie 50$/jour.  Ce qui est une moyenne entre les couts de camping et de nourriture.  Je crois que la balance a la fin du voyage est a peu pres celle-la.
Ajoutons les grosses depenses comme;:
*110$ Zoo de St-Felicien
*~200$ Train (individu + equipement)
* Traversier Levis/Riviere-du-Loup/Pointe taillon
*Amuseurs publique de Quebec
*pneu
*cellulaire

Les enfants

Je demande: "Les enfants, avez-vous aime votre experience en velo?"
Charlotte repond oui et Leo:"Vraiment,vraiment, vraiment beaucoup."
(J'ai la tapette en bois derriere le dos)
Les hauts et les bas de la vie et de la route...  Les hauts etant assez ennivrants pour nous faire  passer au-travers les bas. 
L'equilibre.  S'ecouter.  Se parler.  S'aimer...
Les enfants constamment avec leurs parents, 24/24 pendant 5 semaines. Une tente originalement pour trois. 
Malgre une certaine routine de planifier, organiser, cuisiner, monter et demonter la tente, pedaler...  nous avions liberte de destination; curiosite du prochain tournant; necessite de bouger...
Au camping, le parc devenait l'endroit prefere de Leo et Charlotte.  Ils rencontraient les autres enfants.  Nous etions rarement pres d'eux; mais avions evidemment les yeux sur eux.  (Pour eviter d'inquieter leur grand-mere).
Les "tresors" que Leo ramassait sur le bord des chemins devenaient leurs jeux dans l'eau et le sable.
Les enfants s'echangeaient la place sur le velo ou dans le chariot.  C'est souvent eux qui decidaient leur position; a moins que la securite etait en jeu.  Genre: Leo obligatoirement sur la girafe etant donne le manque d'accotement de la grande route a partager avec les moteurs.
La premiere chose qu'ils demandent en ouvrant les yeux est de la nourriture. 
Ce sont de petits oisillons.
PiiiiT pit pit pit pit!!!

Route

Alors nous sommes partis de Waterloo.  Notre premiere et deuxieme  nuit furent au parc d'Orford.  La troisieme a St-Denis de Brompton.  Ensuite nous avons enfile la piste cyclable de la vallee a partir de Richmond jusqu'a Levis.  Pause.  St-Roch-des-Aulnaies.  Kamouraska.  St-Simeon.  Tadoussac.  riviere Ste-Marguerite.  Ste-Rose du Nord.  Jonquiere.  St-Gedeon.  Alma.  Pointe Taillon 2 fois.  Dolbeau. Albanel.  St-Felicien.  Pointe bleue/Masheuiatsh.  Chambord.  Train(Chambord-Riviere-a-Pierre).  Piste cyclabe 2 nuits.  Levis.  Camion avec mon frere Patrick jusqu'a St-Bonaventure et finalement Waterloo.

"Parker" mon velo

Ca vous enerve le manque d'accent?
Apres 5 semaines sur la route, j'avais encore de la difficulte a stationner mon velo.; quand il etait attache a celui des enfants, evidemment!
Le reculer, pas facile; surtout si je devais tourner.
Il fallait trouver de l'ombre; c'etait presque necessaire!
Un mur, une cloture, un soutient heureusement long, ou une place pour coincer au moins ma roue d'en avant...
Ma bequille etant presqu'inutile.
L'enfant qui ne veut pas debarquer de la becane.
La chaleur.
Il a fait tellement chaud!!!

Temps

Allo, Hello, Hola!
Chers amis, friends, amigos y amigas,
Me revoila.  Desolee de n'avoir rien ecris durant le voyage.  Comme Chris a mentionne, le manque de temps...  et j'ajoute le manque d'inspiration.  Trop fatiguee.  Pas d'electricite.
Maintenant de retour a Waterloo, j'espere ecrire mon recit de ce voyage familial de 1100km en velo sur l'ordinateur.  J'ai deja perdu un texte.  Ce matin j'ai mal fait, j'ai tout perdu.  Je recommence.  J'abandonne les couleurs pour "matcher" l'ecriture de Chris.  C'est trop complique ;)
Alors, vous avez des questions?
Qu'est ce que vous voulez savoir?
Julie

The mall

Refills

In need of some stove fuel and an extra inner tube, we decided to check out the local mall in Roberval, the third largest city on Lac St-Jean. The only city on the situated on the shore of the lake. The city also plays host to the Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean, a 32km/20 swim across the lake. We found what we needed and the kids found a whole lot more.

Faces of joy. Try hard to find Leo!

Leo and Charlotte discovered the .25 cents machines during this trip. 

Making friends is easy!

Stops like these are pretty crazy. Leo and Charlotte are happy to be with each other again and love to goof off. They run all over the place, laughing themselves into fits. I totally understand their reason to want to run and play after having been on a bicycle or in a trailer for hours, and at times it's not at all relaxing for their parents, especially in a mall.

Crossing the river

Bicycle Parking

We’ve been on the road now for about two weeks and the biggest problem we have yet to overcome is parking our bikes. They’re heavy and long. I’m pulling a trailer and Julie becomes a tandem when she’s attached to Leo. My bike is easier to park because the trailer will swivel to about ninety degrees. Julie on the other hand doesn’t have that flexibility. The tow bar is kept from moving laterally by the bungee chords she has on the back of her bike that strap down her gear. We each have kickstands but with all the weight. They’re not reliable. There’s also the risk of our bikes falling because Leo or Charlotte bump into them or jump in and out of the Chariot. We like flat walls to lean our bikes on. Julie needs to gently guide her bike against the wall due to restricted turning radius.

At the beginning of the trip, I would find a good spot to place my bike, park it, and then wait for Julie to do the same. Of course we tell the kids to get out of the Chariot or off the bike, which is sometimes met with some resistance. Now, I wait until Julie parks her bike then I find a spot for mine, or just lean it up against hers. But, every now and then, her bike just doesn’t want to cooperate and starts sliding down whatever she leans it up against. Then she throws her legs out wide, bracing herself to catch the bike. Overall, I think we have managed quite well. There’s still room for improvement.

Re-routing the route

We have decided not to forgo the planned route through the ‘parc’ 175 for obvious reasons: traffic, lack of shade, fenced in sections, etc. We will now follow “la fleuve” until we get to Riviere du Loup, then take the ferry to St. Simeon (where we are now). From here we will travel up to Tadoussac and then along the Saguenay river to Alma and Lac St. Jean. We’re about two hundred km from the lake.

Lack of time to write

I originally thought I would have more time to sit down and write, but that hasn’t been the case. We’re usually in the tent with the lamps out by 9:30, exhausted. I have been taking notes and will try to get something out before winter!! Or I just post to the blog without too much effort in editing. We’ll see. What do you think?

Facebook Page

If you didn't know, we're also on Facebook. Just click the link to read shorter updates. Photos too.

Plessissville, Quebec

Day 6

Spent the last two nights at picnic tables on the bike path. We have had an enormous tailwind and the path has been flat. This morning we were given permission to use the internet at a public library while it's closed. What a treat. Good thing we were persistent. We sent Leo several times to the door and then someone opened it and let us in. Charlotte and Leo are reading books which is a well deserved break for them.

We've been doing roughly 30 -60 km/day (23/40/miles/day) It has been fine with us so far. We're adjusting to life on the bikes. Our bodies are in a state of shock. I'm just getting over the initial butt pain and can settle in for longer amounts of time before I have to get up.

It has been very hot. Sun block and water are our usual doses of comfort when we stop to take a break. Seems like we break once an hour, more if there are hills.

Leo and Charlotte are adapting real well. They switch between pedaling and sitting in the Chariot. At times, Leo prefers to stay in the Chariot while Charlotte cries to stay on the bike. She's big enough to sit on the bike.

We'll get more info up when we get to Quebec City.

Thanks for reading.

La veille du depart

Il est minuit chers amis,

Mon velo est dans la cuisine tout charge...  J'ai un tri a faire dans la nourriture... 

-"Are you gonna leave all that weight on your bike?" me demande Chris ;)

Non.  Biensur que non.  

Encore une selection...

L'organisation.

Je me dis une chose a la fois.  

Respire.

Ok.

Tot leve demain je ferai un cafe et j'eliminerai les denres.

8:00 am premier coup de pedale?

Bonne nuit...

Bons reves.

Julie

Preparation

Ici Julie.

Aujourd'hui lundi.  C'est en buvant un vin d'orge que je prepare mes paniers.  Chris fait la meme chose et les enfants dorment.  Je me joins a ce blog que l'homme a commence depuis il y a plusieurs jours.
Bonjour!
Je serai l'ecriture francaise dans cet echange internet.  (Vais-je mettre des accents?  Il faudrait...)
Tellement de choses a apprendre, a perfectionner, a vivre...
Je me lance dans cette aventure de la vie avec mon mari Chris, un passionne de velo.  Nous partons demain avec notre fils Leo (6 ans) et notre fille Charlotte ( 4 ans) pour 5 semaines.  Nous enfourcherons nos becanes (sauf Charlotte) et esperons faire environ 50 km par jour ce qui totalisera a peut pres 1400km.
C'est ca l'idee!
Je retourne a mes paniers...
Enchante!

A night in Parc Yamaska: A practice run (PART 2)

SLEEPING ARRANGEMENT

Nemo Losi 3 person tent
Believe it or not, we were able to comfortably sleep four people in a three person tent. Instead of placing our four bedrolls parallel to the length of the tent (which wouldn't have worked), we set them up perpendicularly to it. What this did was cover the entire floor with our bedrolls, except for the space below Charlotte's bedroll. She had a three quarter length pad. In this space we kept our handlebar bags which carried our most valuable items. This was one of my concerns, regarding equipment, and whether I had made the right decision by going with a tent of this size. In fact, when I set it up in the living room, last Christmas, and again in late spring (the latter being outside), I had placed the bedrolls parallel to the tent walls and placed Charlotte's pad by our feet. It wasn't until the tent was set up at the campsite, and while Julie was setting up the sleeping positions that I realized that the positioning could be placed differently. What a relief! Kudos to Julie who didn't even think twice about setting up the bedrolls this way, in fact, she didn't know I was concerned about it.

EQUIPMENT OVERVIEW

GSI Outdoors French Press

Another one of our newly purchased items that proved its worth. In my opinion a must have item if you like to have fresh coffee while camping. It’s lightweight, BPA free, and easy to clean. Julie and I love coffee and on previous trips we were never able to make two cups at the same time. All that has changed now.

A HELPING HAND

Water

Leo and Charlotte were the first ones out of the tent this morning. When I crawled out of the tent, I saw Leo and Charlotte sitting quietly on the picnic table. I’m not sure what was going on in their minds, though I knew what I had to do; coffee!

Leo was excited to fill up the water bottle (probably should have filled up the pot instead, hmmmm) and jumped at the chance to ‘lend a hand’.

Breakfast was fast and easy: oatmeal. Since we forgot to bring bowls, we all ate out of the pot. Who can complain when you only have one pot to clean? In the future, this task will assuredly be one that no one will want to do.

As we packed up, and put our gear back in our bags, Charlotte got an early start. She collected a bunch of sticks, that would eventually find their way rubbing up against my rear tire and the occasional spoke, and sat down in the Chariot.

TAKING BREAKS

Sports and massage, Chez Les Ouellet

We backtracked to the park’s welcome center where we stopped to fill up our water and use the bathroom before heading out onto our first and last stretch of paved road. Yesterday, it made me laugh to hear Leo, at age six, talk about longing to bike on roads that were smooth and flat. “Get ready son!” I told him in my best Foghorn Leghorn impersonation.

Along for the ride was Leo’s soccer ball, a size (two) for those of you who know the difference between professional (5) and others. The Jabulani came out whenever we stopped to apply sunscreen, consult nature, or snack. On this particular occasion we were taking shots at Julie, our willing and devoted goalie. On the bright side, she received a massage from our masseuse 'in training'.

About 15 km from home we stopped at Leo’s school mate’s house which butts up to the bicycle trail (route verte). We didn’t stay long, just enough time to eat an ice pop, check out their remodeling project, and let Leo and Charlotte run around. One would think a six year old who had just pedaled 10 km would be tired; no way. For the next twenty minutes we played soccer. And we had to win by two!

STARING OFF INTO THE FUTURE

The last 15 km home

From the time we left the campsite until we reached Chez Alexandre, Leo had been attached to Julie's bike, then detached, attached again, and now he wanted to be detached again. The process of attaching and detaching the bike isn’t a tedious one, although under certain circumstances, such as, being eaten by bugs, in a downpour, alongside a busy highway, etc. it isn't too appealing either. But for now, initiated by Leo, it was perfect. A stretch of paved road, uphill all the way to Waterloo lay ahead. Leo took off with moxie. He spent most of the time ahead of us, turning around from time to time. With each recognition that we were gaining on him, he would get out of his seat and peddle faster. Charlotte fell asleep in the late spring sun soaked afternoon.

REFLECTIONS

Team effort

We knew that this was a practice run for the month long summer trip and so, we weren't expecting an all out "what can I do next to help the team' approach from our kids. And let's not forget, they're six and four. What we did notice though, was an willingness to participate. A curiosity towards new tasks: setting up and taking down the tent, getting water, finding a good spot to put the tent, etc. In time, these tasks will become routine, and we'll approach them one day at a time.

Rhythm

Leo, either rode in front of us or in between. I never rode ahead, being too heavy and all. We're definitely in the 10km/hr (6mph) range which is fine for us. We'll see how this develops over time. Leo and I were the only ones with a bell and we played 'call and response' type games while pedaling. In the next week or so, we'll add a bell for Julie and Charlotte.

TOTAL DISTANCE

                         

Leo:  40 km

Julie/Chris:  60 km

A night in Parc Yamaska: A practice run (PART 1)

I spent the day Friday digging through Rubbermaid storage bins trying to locate our cycling and camping gear. I also assembled and installed my Surley front rack which required a trip to the hardware store. The eyelets in my front fork were rusted and stripped, giving me headaches each time I tried to tighten.

 

I wasn’t alone. Leo was with me and was quick to help out, well… more so in telling me which panniers we should buy next for his bike.

I then attached the Trailgator to Julie's seatpost. It's basically a long steel tube that connects the two bikes. When Leo's bike is attached he's able to either sit on the bike, sit in the Chariot, or walk (hills!).

I then installed the cyclometers, had another beer and then went to bed. There was still a ton of stuff to do and I wasn't too stressed about it. The trip to the park is about twenty km and we weren't planning on leaving before noon, the next day, anyway. Julie was bartending and I didn't expect her home before three.

DAY 1

Late Saturday morning, we finally got around to separating our gear. Julie took the food and kitchen gear, towels, her bedroll, and the tent. I took all our clothes, bedrolls and sleeping bags for Leo, Charlotte and I, the tent poles, and some food. There was still plenty of room to put more stuff.

After lunch, we finally got on the road. We started out with Leo attached to Julie's bike and with me pulling Charlotte (Julie's bike isn't equipped to pull the Chariot). Once we got to the bike path (La Route Verte) we detached Leo from the Trailgator, took the token 'Departure Picture' and began cycling towards Warden. 

Less than five km out of town we faced our first challenge. I joked with Julie, before setting off, about bringing my Brazilian made machete for protection. It would have been perfect here. 

For the next several km, Leo and I rode side by side. We often compared our speeds, shouting out the numbers from the odometer, "13.1, 14.3, 19.4" Then Leo would sprint out ahead, on his 20" wheels, letting me know just how fast he was going. By using the cyclometer, we were able to ask Leo about his speed, in particularly slow cases, and ask him to speed up. Having a number that he could see worked very well. He biked the first 10km to the park entrance, and subsequently to the first down hill. Here he got off his bike and walked down. He's still getting used to the hand brakes which are a bit long for his hands. By adjusting his hand position, he is able to brake with confidence, though the first hill challenged his confidence. The bike trail announced the slope percentage with a pictogram, so Leo was aware that a hill was coming. 

Julie rode just behind Leo until we arrived at the reservoir. Each time we approached a hill, I could see Julie ride up to Leo and coach him up the hill. Watching him get out of the saddle, climbing the packed gravel slope, made me wonder if someday I will be able to keep up. He ripped through this hilly section. By the third hill, he learned to get to the right side of the trail, to avoid a head on collision with other weekend cyclists. 

Approaching the end of day one, we stopped for one last break. I decided to leave Julie and the kids by the water while I paid for our campsite situated on the other side the reservoir, accessible only by bike, canoe or on foot. As I dropped Charlotte off, giving her some cheese and apples, I accidentally ran over her. She scraped up her knee and her glasses flew off her head. At least she has matching knees now. Last week, she fell pretty badly in the Adirondaks, scraping up one of her knees.

 

It was getting late and we had a few more 8% slopes to go up and down, so we hooked Leo up to Julie once again and biked to the campsite.

With two hours of sunlight before dark, we decided to put up the tent and get the fire ready. The park provided firewood in a steel polished bin, which would also serve as a locker for our stuff; protection from critters. Julie got the fire going and Leo and Charlotte sort of helped me with the tent. They pulled the poles out of the bag and straightened them out. Once the tent was set up, the kids jumped in and started to run around, throwing themselves into the walls and hitting each other with the bedrolls. Of course we got involved and eventually resolved to kicking one of them out. Parenting 101: Set up the tent in the backyard first and spend the night in it. More about this issue to come.

Before we left Waterloo, I marinated some chicken and wrapped it in some aluminum foil. I also wrapped up some potatoes and asparagus to be thrown on the grill. Before we went down to the water, we threw the potatoes on the grill. A quick walk through the woods brought us to the water's edge. Here's what we did:

 

Back at the camp, we put on the chicken and turned the potatoes. We also realized that we forgot to bring bowls to eat in, so we just out of the foil.

Here's a two minute video of our weekend.

 

...to be continued.

km/miles for the day:
TOTALS:

DAY 2

The Lac Saint-Jean Bike Trip

Covering roughly 870 miles (1400 km), Chris, Julie, Léo, and Charlotte will pedal to Lac Saint-Jean from Waterloo, Quebec passing through Sherbrooke, Quebec City, and return via the Saguenay River to the south shore of the Saint-Lawrence river, back to Quebec City, Drummondville, Julie's parents and eventually Waterloo. We have planned five weeks for the trip which will be our first of this kind. Our estimated departure date is for July 11, 2011.

Tent goes up

Today Charlotte and I put up the Lac Saint Jean trip tent. It took less than ten minutes. This will be our first family trip where we will use only one tent. In past car and bike trips we used two tents.