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!