Total cycled on this trip : 2,732 kms

In the next few weeks, I'll create a new section for this trip and include a few pictures (I hope this gets done before I get the urge to leave again...!)

Julien

10/08/2005

You really realize you're entering Quebec when you look at driving habits... In NB drivers were so courteous it was funny... In Quebec, the drivers own the road and if you're on it without a large vehicle it's at your own risk... At one point on the Matapedia Valley road (132 West, a two lane road) a car swung off into the other lane to pass a long line of vehicles... We were cycling on that lane and saw the car coming towards us... We thought for sure he'd re-enter his lane, but he just kept speeding forward and we had to get off the road... Too bad I didn't have a brick with me at the time....

Nevertheless, we crossed the Matapedia Valley without too much loss of hair... and it was pretty and warmer than the Atlantic coast... On the St. Lawrence coast, I wanted to see the Metis Gardens (and feast at their restaurant), but that was a disappointment... It appears that due the lack of rain there were very few flowers and the restaurant (?la carte) was closed (unless for a reservation of 15 or more people)... Then I wanted to camp at the BIC Park and spend a day in their trails and found that they were booked out... It's a beautiful park and is always full during the high season....

Yesterday was a real chore cycling agains headwinds gusting at 50 kms/h at times, so today we're taking a day rest at Rivi?e du Loup...

04/08/2005

Well... last night we stayed in a campground at Pointe-Verte.... It started raining when we arrived so the owner let us set our tent up in a huge white tent he keeps for shows and gatherings... Pretty neat... After cleaning up and dinner we went for a walk on the beach before turning in and we were treated to a superb double rainbow (two whole arcs from sea to shore opposite a magnificent sunset)... What more could one ask for as a conclusion to a New Brunswick tour.... ?

Tomorrow, back in the Province of Quebec !

03/08/2005

Not much time for this update, the Bathurst Public library's giving us only 15 minutes on the internet... The Acadian route is very interesting... We've tasted Poutine Rap?, Poutine Trou?, Fricot de Poulet et de Boeuf, Lobster Pat? Galette de Morue, Gu?ille de Homard, in fact, lobster prepared all kinds of way.... no wonder we haven't cycled too many kms...

On the more intellectual side, we visited the Acadian Village... A reproduction of the life of Acadians through the ages... Definitely not a tourist trap and we could've spent more than a day there... It's a must... and the entry fee of $14.5 is well worth it...

We even cavorted in a very crowded carnival... La Ru? vers l'Or 2005 at Tracadie... Bad country music, lot's of scrappy stuff at dozens of street booths... Bad junk food... and loads of Acadians in the streets.....

Brigitte had her second flat of the trip (I didn't get one yet)... and she even lost her shirt (and pants) even though she wasn't betting on anything at the time... she doesn't want me to talk about it....

The weather's still fine though getting fresher and more windy the more north we're going.... A bit of rain, but we can't complain... It's still nice to be on the bike...

27/07/2005

What can I say, the weather is still warm, the road is very hilly and more often than not, the wind is in our faces... Fredericton was nice... The Bay of Fundy Park also (though lots of black flies and mosquitoes)... The Hopewell Rocks are a TT in my opinion (tourist trap) and today we're spending the day in Moncton which has a very cute downtown core.... Life could be worse !

20/07/2005

I thought that heading East I'd have the wind at my back... Well, I've found out that le lower St. Lawrence is often cooled by a North-Eastern wind... and quite strong at that... So at St. Alexander (a little west of Rivi?e-du-loup) we headed inland to get away from the headwind and cycle towards New Brunswick... You can't win all the way tough and the headwind was replaced by hills and heat... But who's compaining...

We crossed over from the St. Lawrence valley to New Brunswick following the "Petit T?is" cycle path... Very nice, quiet, away from traffic through forests and along lakes and rivers... The downside of this path is that it is gravel all the way... At St. Jacques in New Brunswick we switched to road 144 which we followed until Grand Falls and then took route 105 (a beautiful, paved, low traffic road with superb scenery) and switched to 102 20 kms west of Fredericton.

New Brunswick is fine to cycle and motorists are very courteous... As an example, if a pedestrian puts a foot on the road, traffic stops until the pedestrian has crossed or taken his foot off the road... This is incredible for a Quebecer...

Presently there's a heat wave going through and it's really hot to cycle... so I'm taking a day off...

Here's the tally so far :

06/07/2005

Well, I'm on the road again... After my Mexican misadventure prompting a quick return home, 10 months of admin work, 7 months of renovation work, I put my stuff together on Titus and left yesterday heading east for a tour of the maritimes provinces while the weather's nice... I'm cycling with a friend, Brigitte... so this is a first and we'll see how it goes... up to now it's nice, I ain't complaining. It certainly is different from riding solo...

So far, the riding was nice. We're following the "Chemin du Roy" (basically 138 East, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence river). Yesterday the weather was cool and grey with a good backwind and we managed 100 kms easy to Ste. Genevi?e de Berthier. Didn't rain all day but I got soaked coming back from the grocery store in the evening. Brigitte got her first flat tire and I ended up fixing it. Today was sunny but with a strong headwind all day... A lot of work, but enjoyable all the same...

Here's the tally so far :

I'll keep updating this page and archiving previous notes in PAST ACCOUNTS since I didn't have the time to prepare anything else before leaving.

Ta, ta... for now,

28/11/2003

Well, I'm back home...I made a quick exit out of Mexico after being pushed off the road, beaten with a machete and robbed at gunpoint near Cardenas in Tobasco (read all about it here). After this event, I wasn't in the right frame of mind to continue on my trek across the Americas... There are a lot of safer places to cycle that I haven't been to yet without exposing myself further in Latin and South America... So after a rest from my recent emotions, who knows...

Check back later as I'll be adding pictures for the US and Mexico portions of my trip in the next few weeks and see where I'm off to next...

13/11/2003

I guess I spoke too quickly last time I updated the site (see past accounts) as the next morning I woke up with the 'runs'... I decided to cycle anyway but was so weak that it took most of the day (including a couple of unplanned stops in the shrubs on the side of the road) to get to Poza Rica, only 58 kms away... I´m still here, at Poza Rica and feeling better. I took the time to visit the ruins at Tajin (by bus), do a laundry, and generally recuperate. If everything's fine, I'll continue my way south in the morning...

Until later,

10/11/2003

I've been cycling for a week now in Mexico and I soon forgot any aprehension I might have had before crossing the border... The Mexican people are all nice, friendly and helpful. Didn't get the "tourista" yet, so I'm probably acclimatized by this time... And the large distances between towns and villages, as depicted on my map, is nothing to worry about as little "puebloes", or small collection of houses, are all over the place and you can buy cold drinks and a bit of food there.

Accommodations and food are cheap in Mexico, about half if not less than the United States, so that's a welcome relief...

However, Mexico is poor, housing is the pits, you gotta be careful with the food and water, and everything is dirty...

Nevertheless, I am enjoying it so far....

03/11/2003

I finally managed to cross the United States from north to south... I've cycled 4,564 kms since September 12th from Montreal, Canada (4,446 kms of which were in the US) and am now taking a day's rest in Brownsville, Texas before entering Mexico at Matamoros on the northeast coast tomorrow. You can view my itinerary so far here and read my USA travelogue here.

25/10/2003

Cycling from Port Arthur, Texas, to Winnie this morning, I suffered intermitent drizzle and as I was nearing Winnie, the cloud cover got fuller and darker... By the time I got to Winnie, I could see the glow of thunderstorms ahead... So I decided to call it a day (rather a half day) and stick to Winnie....

Winnie appears to be a nice little town and it has a public library with internet, so I'll spend a bit of time updating the webpage while I sit out the coming storm...

Until later,

17/10/2003

Atlanta has come and gone, with a few days of rest spent with very good friends... A very welcome break...

I'm now in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, a pretty little artsy village on the Gulf Coast. It's warm and sunny... I'm taking a break at the public library (free internet) before continuing on to Biloxi and then New Orleans. There's practically no wind, the road is level, what more can I say... it's beautiful cycling...

Until later,

06/10/2003

Hey !... I made it through the Blue Ridge Parkway ! Took me 12 days, 469 miles (about 750 kms), up to an elevation of 6,053 feet (about 2,000 meters) but over 48,000 feet of uphill climbing to get there (about 16,000 meters, that's about twice the height of Mt Everest at 8,850 meters...). I had surprisingly good weather, clear and sunny except for one night of rain (which I spent in a motel in Roanoke), but oh ! so cold ! The temperature dropped one night to 27 deg. F. (that's about -5 deg.C.). It's mighty cold when you get up in the morning... Especially if you've been roughing it without a hot shower in the morning or evening...

I'll be out of the mountains in a couple of days and entering Atlanta... I'll update the travelogue at that time.

23/09/2003

Cycled in 3 States yesterday (Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia)... all in 65 kms... Amazing eh ?... I'm now in Front Royal, Virginia, and I intended to cycle through the Skyline Drive, which would have taken me to the Blue Ridge Parkway... Well, the Skyline route is closed from the aftermath of hurricane Isabel due to fallen trees and power lines... Too bad ! I'll follow route 340 South and hopefully hook up to the Blue Ridge Parkway tomorrow...

20/09/2003

Well, I'm now in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, taking a mid-afternoon break at the public library... So I took the time to update the webpages... check them out here (for Canada and for the USA).

It felt good cycling today after the day off I took yesterday because of fears of the weather in the aftermath of hurricane Isabel... In the end, it was all hype, at least for the area where I was at...

Well, I'm off for a couple more hours of cycling before calling it a day...

12/09/2003

Hello to all,

I'm leaving this morning for the "Terra del Fuego" (who knows if I'll reach it... but I'll certainly try...). I'm starting up the St. Lawrence river to Cornwall and then heading south to catch the "Blue Ridge Parkway" until Atlanta... After that. we'll see...

Until later....

28/08/2003

Titus and I are getting restless again... After the last x-rays of my hip, I got the blessing of my doctor regarding my leaving on an extended bike tour... Need to tie up a few loose ends and by early September, I intend on leaving Montreal, Canada, with Titus, cycling south (so I'll be skipping a winter) with the goal of reaching the Terra del Fuego while hitting every country in Central America (except for the Caribeans) and South America.

You can view my route (very roughly sketched) and follow my progress here. I'll be updating the site whenever I get the opportunity to hit the internet throughout my trip... Though you'll have to wait until my return for photographs of this latest trip to be digitized and posted. The travelogue and pictures from my first trip (Europe 2001) will remain here for the time being.

Feedback is always appreciated..., and feel free to join me wherever I might be...!

11/03/2003

I've been having a lot of time on my hands (if not on my feet, since I've broken a hip in a cycling late last year) and it gave me a chance to finish this site with a complete travelogue and photographs from the whole trip.

I've also made the site more efficient, faster loading, with a better menu to navigate the site. I hope you enjoy your visit.

Julien

10/09/2001

Don't they say, "all roads lead to Rome"...?

Well, it took me 12,195 kms of cycling an often (!) circuitous route to get there... and though Rome is a big, wall-enclosed, dirty and hectic city... and has provided me the unwanted opportunity to become a victim of pick-pockets (lost some C$150 to their slight of hand)... Rome is still grand, full of history and a wonder to visit....

A non-cycling friend has come to meet me in Rome and so, for the next little while, I will give the bike (and my legs...) a rest...

Ta, ta for now

04/09/2001

I cycled a couple of days in really pouring rain... but it did some good since the weather cooled a bit, from the past heatwave, and it's more pleasant cycling when you're not sweating buckets...

Today I passed Pisa, and had a look at the "Leaning Tower"... quite a sight... it's really amazing that it hasn't crumbled given the angle that it's leaning at.... People built for the long run in the past... I think that very few modern structures would last as long.... Makes you think, eh !...

29/08/2001

Well, here it is, I managed to cross the Alps on the bicycle... and it felt easier than I had anticipated...

It meant two full days of cycling upwards... first to a height of about 700 meters followed by a steep drop of some 16 % grade and then a second rise to 1,374 meters. After that, it was 2 and 1/2 days of cycling mostly downhill.... All in a heatwave of over 30 degrees C.

Having cycled the Pyrenees in both Spain and France, the Rifs and Middle Atlas in Morocco, the mountains of Norway and now the Alps, I don't think there are many places I can't cycle if style doesn't count (as I will push my bike up grades above 20%)... just give me a reasonably good surface to cycle on...

16/08/2001

Well, I crossed the 10,000 kms mark a couple of days ago just outside of Ettelbruck in Luxembourg.... after countless fun experiences, two colds, a scraped knee (from a fall in a tunnel in Norway), bad sunburns to my nose and arms in Spain, diarrhoea in Morocco, one night spent in a garbage shed, I felt a certain sense of accomplishment....

I don't know if I'll end up circling the globe or not, but it certainly is a pleasant change to my previous life....

ta, ta for now....

12/08/2001

I'm in Belgium now.... and the Belgians are fine people... not at all as goofy as the French might want you to believe... they all speak a kind of Dutch, and in the north they speak English as a second language but in the south they speak French.... and it isn't a problem... they may be wiser than other folks we know....

In addition, they make great pastries and superb chocolates (yesterday I pigged out on a huge variety of truffles... it made me feel great !).

I like it here !

12/07/2001

I thought I'd make it to Sweden yesterday... but it was slow going for the first half of the day cycling in pouring rain... so I was pooped by dinner-time and decided to spend the night in Sarpsborg, 20 kms from the Swedish border....

Well I'll be in Sweden this afternoon... and happy to be out of Norway... the scenery's beautiful in Norway but the people aren't so friendly and everything is so expensive... not that I can't afford it, but it's getting on my nerves... they even charge you for a glass of tap water... and apparently, Norway has surpassed Canada as top place to live in... I can't see it... I just think they're caught in an inflation spiral that will soon catch up with them... Everything with labour inputs is expensive and taxes are high, housing is almost out of reach of young couples... so it can't last... But they have all the social nets, the air is pure, population density is low and the country is beautiful... so there is an enjoyable side to Norway...

Hope you're all doing well and having fun...

Ta, ta for now

21/06/2001

Well, after beautiful Northern Ireland, I entered Scotland... and it's just as beautiful... and the people just as friendly as the Irish. But haven't had a sunny day yet in Scotland, and have put my rain gear to good use... Lots of hills, valleys, glens, fjords and islands... and the only way to effectively get from one place to the other near the coast is to take ferries....

So, after 3 days in Scotland I'm finally (...I intended to cross over from Northern Ireland at Bellycastle to Campbeltown... but the ferry wasn't running this year so I had to cross over from Larne, which took me further south than I intended...) on the edge of the Great Glen which is the series of 4 lochs which include the Loch Ness and completely splits Scotland from west to east.

Over the next few days, I will cycle the length of the 4 lochs and certainly hope to catch a glimpse of the Nessie.... I'll let you know...

16/06/2001

After a gruelling 20 kms climb to a mountain pass against a strong head wind and through a cold drizzle and a further 50 odd kms, I arrived Londonderry in Northern Ireland... Looks OK and I decided to spend the night here and possibly a day's rest.

Took a room, walked the town a bit and found a neat little restaurant where I had Derry Stew and a Guinness...

Later that evening, as I was sitting and writing in my journal... I heard a very loud "BANG !" with a bright flash... Well I thought to myself... there's a going off... But as I walked to the window, I saw a bunch of kids running off in the street and another loud bang... they were exploding large firecrackers in the street... We can wonder at what they'll be playing with when they grow up....

Talking with locals, it appears that the only remaining in Northern Ireland is between gangs that have little better to do... shame isn't it ?

07/06/2001

Well what can I say... Wales is just beautiful....

27/05/2001

Coming out of Eastern Spain, I spent a couple of days in Perpignan, France, then cycled to Narbonne... the cycling was against gusts of wind that would periodically push me off the road... so when I got to Narbonne (which took me almost 6 hours to do 60 kms...), added to a feeling of homesickness, I was ready to pack it in and went to the train station to enquire about trains leaving for Paris...

Well there was a train later that evening, that would get to Paris in the morning... but it couldn't accommodate bicycles... However after talking with the ticket clerk, I decided to wait around and have a talk with the conductor, and I managed to convince him to take my bike... He used to cycle himself when he was younger, so he was sympathetic... So I got on the train with the resolve to get to Paris, reschedule my flight back to Montreal and head for home....

Well, after a few hours of sleep on the train, I arrived in Paris to a beautiful sunny day... Cycled a bit in the city and took a break in front of the Notre-Dame cathedral on the St. Louis Island... I slowly got tempted to continue on... I had never seen the North of France; England, with Ireland and Scotland, were within reach; and the terrain would be relatively level from here on with cooler weather to cycle in... I could circle the British Isles and then go off to Norway, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and then come back to Paris... or cycle to Austria then Italy, Greece, etc... (by the fall these would be cooler...). So off I went, heading northwest towards Dieppe and maybe a couple more thousand kilometres...

11/05/2001

Well, I'm out of Morocco and happy on a Mediterranean beach at Mojacar in Spain.... and taking a day off, so here's a few more words for the page and the latest update... Hope you're all having fun whatever you're doing... Cheers !

03/05/2001

Here's a neat one... today as I was cycling in the hills to Souk-el-Arba, I passed a bunch of school s waiting for their bus.... at the sight of me, all of them (nearly 3 dozens) started laughing, clapping their hands and looking at my legs... I was wearing shorts.... I guess people in Morocco don't show their legs.... and come to think of it, I didn't see many wearing shorts... not even kids...

A bit later... 3 young women who had finished working their field and were walking on the road back home.... passed me as I was taking a break on the side of the road... After laughing at my legs as well, one of them looked at my sandals (strapped to a front saddlebag) and asked if I would trade for her plastic galoshes.... I tried to politely decline... After a bit more bartering on her part... she lost patience and asked if I had nothing to give.... I asked if they wanted chocolate... that sure lit up a smile on their faces, so I took out a large bar, opened it and held it to them... the first took a small piece, then the second took almost half the bar... when the third asked about her piece, I told the second to give some to the third... that made them all laugh again.... They only spoke Arabic, which I don't speak at all... so this was all done through signs and pointing fingers and the such...

So far the scenery's beautiful, the hustlers can be kept at bay, the people are friendly, the food and tea is great, I've had to use a squatter's toilet and am using my roll of toilet paper as they don't give any, and have to pay extra for hot water and am amazed that I haven't had the tourista yet....... knock on wood !

30/04/2001

Today, I spent most of the day walking the Medina of Tetouan alone... and found it a lot less daunting than I expected... The maze even kind of cleared up as you got used to it and I could find my way in and out though not necessarily in a direct fashion. And properly defined, the Medina is a collection of Souqs... a Souq being an area taken over mostly by a major trade... There are woodworking souqs, tannery souqs, jewellery souqs, fruits and vegetable souqs, etc...

They're a pleasure for the senses... colours, smells, tastes (as vendors aren't shy about letting you taste their wares) and I ended up sampling a variety of stuff which kind of replaced lunch.

Moroccans (once you've sent away the hustlers with a few repeated "imshie"s) are a delightful people... even warmer than the Portuguese... Most of them speak French and I ended up conversing at length about Canada and Morocco, amongst other things, with a number of different vendors in the Medina, with children running, playing and giggling around...

The hustlers are really the ones harming tourism in Morocco... scaring and pestering tourists into hiring their services when in fact their really not needed. If you get lost in the Medina, vendors will help you find your way... and you won't get jumped on or mugged if you take out your camera... and the vendors won't take advantage of you aside from expecting a good barter... But I still wouldn’t go after dark...

29/04/2001

This morning, I took the ferry from Algeciras to Ceuta and cycled the 45 kms to Tetouan... Fought off a horde of hustlers and took a cheap pension (Dirham 47 per night with hot shower or about C$7) for two nights as I'll need the extra day to get used to Morocco. It is quite a different place though most people speak French... So far on the road I've encountered mules and carts, camels, sleeping vagrants along with bicycles, mopeds, cars, trucks and buses.... Amazingly though the roads are in good condition, unlike what I expected...

After changing, I went out to seek the tourist office to get a map of the city... The tourist office was closed but a soldier standing outside asked me what I wanted, and offered to help if I would walk his beat with him... Well we didn't find a map, apparently there might not exist one... And after spending the afternoon with him and his partner (police and military are always paired for a given territory) I can understand... The Medina (or marketplace, similar to Souqs, but much less orderly...) is an incredible maze of narrow streets and tunnels, some literally going through houses with lots of curves and ends... I certainly couldn't picture a map of this area.... The pair (Mohamed and Mustafa) were joking about whether I could find my way out or not and advised me that I should never be caught there after dark.... and believe me I wouldn't want to try !!! Anyways, they were an enjoyable pair, and watching them work their beat was interesting.

Oh yeah... and I got suckered into buying a djelaba... a kind of tunic that people wear here... I didn't really want to buy anything (since I don't need the extra weight on Titus) but this guy from an artisans' co-operative spent so much time showing and explaining me their work while sipping tea, that I felt bad about not buying anything... A real sucker, eh! But it was good negotiating practice, he started at Dr350, I at 100 and we settled at Dr190. The pair told me it was a good price but what do I know.... At least it was fun.

I have to say that I was a bit frightened by the prospect of entering Morocco... but after my first day, I'm optimistic, though I'll have to thicken my skin in a manner of speaking or I'll end up with carrying a lot more weight than I would want to.

Hope you enjoyed reading this.

14/04/2001

Well, I'm now in Porto and I've done my second thousand clicks... at 2,043 kms... Portugal's a bitch to cycle... the roads are bad with bumps, and big holes... and they like tiles a lot which is fine on the walls, but on the roads (as in cobblestone roads) it makes cycling very difficult... Also, I'm finding big cities very unnerving... so I'll stay in Porto for a day (Easter Sunday) and then on to smaller pueblos... The weather's holding fine and I find myself restless if I don't cycle in a day... exercise can be addictive...

Anyways, as an interesting tid-bit, so far, I have crossed another lone guy cycling the other way (he was real tanned), a couple of Germans who tooted their bicycle horn at me (the other way again...) and (this one beats all...) a guy on a wheelchair going the other way... I meet people going the other way since if they're going my way they're probably in front or in back of me... It would be nice meeting people going the same way.... Today I crossed a military convoy (what they were doing, or where they were going, I have no idea) and most soldiers saluted me as I was passing... Neat, huh !

Today, I had my best day of cycling yet.... 113 kms... and I stopped at Tui, just across the river from Portugal... I'll cross tomorrow... Titus has little aches... (I lost a bearing cap on one of my pedals, and a cap at the end of the handlebars, holding the handlebar tape...) and there's no bike shop here... Titus will have to bear with it....

04/04/2001

I only did 30 clicks today because it was pouring rain and I omitted to wear my overbooties. So when my feet kept sloshing inside my shoes with every pedal stroke, I decided to call it a day and dry my shoes.... Also, I arrived in Ribadesella facing a manifestation blocking the bridge I wanted to take.... it seems that the authorities here want to close the school since there aren't enough students to make it economical.... so that helped me also in my decisions as I was standing in the rain and couldn't cross the bridge..... I'm not lazy and slouching !!!

Ta, ta for now....

28/03/2001

I'm now in Spain (Bilbao). I entered Spain and spent a day's rest in Zarautz to get accustomed to the Spanish schedules and language (bought myself a dictionary as I saw that I didn't remember enough....). Everything here closes around noon and doesn't open till 4 in the afternoon, and then restaurants don't open till 8:30 in the evening for dinner.... so it means that you go to bed late and can't get up in the morning. But since the time was adjusted a few days back, it's dark late in the morning but then daylight lasts till about 8 in the evening. So I'll start cycling later in the morning but will go on till later in the day...

Anyways, I think I'll stick around here (Bilbao) for a couple of days as the number of Museums is incredible... there’s even a branch (?) of the Guggenheim here (and I might get a glimpse of "merde d'artiste" again as Mike will remember from New York...), there's also a "Plaza de Torreos" and I'm eager to catch a corrida...

Anyways, tallyho ! for now and feel free to join me any time....

26/03/2001

If I count all the mileage (cycling around towns included) I've done 930 km so far... and on the edge of Spain....so I'll take a couple of days off....

I'm now in Spain (Zarautz), and I passed the 1000 km mark this AM... and what a day... northern Spain is all mountains and I even had to push my bike up the steepest hills... I guess it'll quickly get me into shape... also my knees stopped hurting as I believe they're getting used to the constant strain....

You may want to check the following two web sites... I picked them up in a Youth Hostel :

http://www.tandameriques.com

about a couple cycling the Americas on a tandem bicycle, and

http://www.fuaj.org/coureur-du-monde

about a guy running from Alaska to the bottom of South America...

I don't feel alone on my adventure......

tourelou