T’Railway | Wandering by Bicycle

Good By USA, Hello Canada

Posted on July 4, 2013July 18, 2013 by Wandering by Bicycle

After a great ride on Sunday, I decided to spend an extra day at my parents house, so I didn’t leave for Montreal until Tuesday morning. Not a problem, it’s only 85 miles from there to Montreal where I catch the train to Nova Scotia. The ride north was perfect, not to hot and a light tail wind. I followed dirt roads and low traffic paved roads, through the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, to New York where I crossed into Quebec. Unlike entering the States, all I had to do was show my drivers license and tell them where I’m going and how long I intend to stay. No passport needed, no bags searched and no feeling like a criminal.

After crossing the border I followed the Route Verte, Quebec’s amazing collection of low traffic roads and cycling paths, north through small towns and farmland. Route Verte 2 took me to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu where I then joined Route Verte 1, which took me to Montreal.

I’ve traveled this route a few times before, but I am still amazed at the effort the province of Quebec puts into there cycling infrastructure.

My traveling style is definitely low cost, so the one thing I never do is pay to camp. Fortunately, I have found most Canadian’s attitude towards stealth camping to be supportive and I always “leave no trace”, so no harm is done and I’ve never been hassled.

Lots of things prohibited, but camping isn’t one of them

Many sections of the Route Verte allow camping, or at least don’t prohibit it, so with a little work, some great free campsites can be found. I spent my first night in Quebec camped about 30km from Montreal in a patch of woods along the Chambly Canal.

No fires allowed, but nothing mentioned about camping

My plan was to get to Montreal early, check my bike and bags at the VIA Rail station, and enjoy some unencumbered time in the city. The closer you get to the city the more cycle paths there are, so it can get a bit confusing at times, but most people are more than willing to tell you the way they think you should go.

Yes, this was built just for bicycles and yes, it’s a whole lot of fun spiraling down

Bicycle travel is a huge part of the Quebec culture and many Québécois regularly commute to work by bicycle.

No, this is not a college campus, it’s one of the many bicycle parking areas around the Canadian Public Broadcasting building

I stopped for some lunch in Old Quebec, a beautiful part of the city that still retains much of it’s old time feel.

I was also told by someone I met that the Jazz Festival was currently going on, but before I went to enjoy the music, I went to the train station to check my bike and bags. The process couldn’t have been easier. It cost around an additional $30 to bring my bike and gear on the train, but no boxing or disassembly was required.

After checking in my bike and gear it was off to enjoy the music.

6:00pm came to soon and it was time to board the train. Next stop, after a 20 hour train ride, Truro, Nova Scotia.

And I’m Off, Spending July Touring in Newfoundland

Posted on July 1, 2013July 1, 2013 by Wandering by Bicycle

Vacation time is finally here! Yesterday I left Ripton, Vermont for Newfoundland via a few days of cycling, a 20 hour train ride, more days of cycling, and a ferry crossing to the island. I was originally going to use my bikepacking setup and ride my Salsa Fargo, but in the end I decided on my tried and true Surly Long Haul Trucker.

Jeff decided to see me off with a morning ride over Natural Turnpike for a second breakfast at Bristol Bakery. The weather was hot and humid, but the sun was shining and there was a light south wind pushing me north. I always seem to have an interesting wildlife encounter on the first day of a bike tour and this day was no different. I was enjoying the flat peddling on a nice country road when I heard a crashing in the brush to my left. Looking over I saw a large black bear about 10 feet away, who seemed as startled by me as I was of him. He ran about 20 feet, stopped, then stood up on his hind legs for a sniff of air. Needless to say, while this was definitely a Kodak moment, personal safety won out. While I did slow down to admire this beautiful animal, the weight of my bike and the food in my panniers made stopping seem like a bad idea.

The rest of the day, while enjoyable, was rather uneventful. I stopped in Burlington to deliver a set of tires I had to my friend Dan and to see the progress on the house he and his wife Jen just bought. After that, I continued north on familiar roads to my parents house where I spent my last night in a bed for quite a while. The train from Montreal to Truro Nova Scotia leaves Wednesday evening, so I will spend the next two days casually riding north.

Where to next?

Posted on June 14, 2013June 18, 2013 by Wandering by Bicycle

Bikepacking in Newfoundland for most of July on the T’Railway, an 883km Provincial Park linking linking urban, rural and wilderness areas across the island. The plan is to get a ride to the Canadian border (thanks Dad), ride to Montreal, take the overnight train to Truro Nova Scotia, ride to the ferry dock in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, then….. I’m not sure yet. Either take the shorter ferry to Port aux Basques, in southwestern Newfoundland or the longer ferry to Argentia in the southeast. Of course Gros Morne National Park can’t be missed and I plan on hitting the Cape Breton Highlands on my way back through Nova Scotia. Stay tuned.