Route Barrée
After the rest of the group headed back to Burlington, we headed inland. What started out as a planned 70 mile ride turned first longer and then shorter as our ability to navigate the Quebec City bike routes was tested. Just when we fell into the knack of navigation, we were then challenged with the scourge of all northern cities, summer road construction.
First, we got lost getting out of town when a nice old man decided to "help" us. By following his instructions we missed the direct route, but instead took us on a meandering ride through the Quebec suburbs before we landed on the bike trail. It turned out to be an interesting tour of the suburbs and significantly hillier than if we'd just travelled down the bike trail.
After finally getting on route, we then fell into a never-ending series of "Route Barrée". Since it was the weekend, the road construction was halted and the road passable, albiet usually missing pavement. Once again, dirt and gravel would become the theme of the day. After traversing two large sections, we encountered a third of unknown length. It was uphill and one-way, controlled by a traffic light. We would have to make it through the construction in one light or pull off onto a non-existant shoulder until the light switched back. So, letting the cars go by, we took off chasing their dust trail (cough, cough). The road was rough and we were keeping speed with the cars. Hmmmm, maybe this wouldn't turn into a disaster...and then the surface switched from rough dirt to 2 inches of loose dirt. Crud. Over the course of the trip, Edwina was doing good on packed dirt, limestone and even cinder, but this was just too much. With no end of construction in site, we turned around and headed for Plan B.
Our GPS's said there was a shorter, alternate route around the lake. OK, we saw some other bikes head in that direction. Lesson #42...never believe the GPS. The road it clearly said existed wasn't there and a 50 year old tree said it hadn't been there for many years. Interestingly, checking Google maps when we got home shows a different road we might have taken, but satellite shows it also doesn't exist. Lesson #42b...never believe Google, either.
Succumbing to the sun and heat, we decided to stop and backtrack our route back to the city. We'd probably get close to 50 miles with a direct route and there were plenty of opportunities to get lost yet. But, never to worry about the heat....rain was just around the corner, but this time it was a welcoming cool.
Dinner was at Portofino...another restaurant claiming to be the best Italian restaurant in Quebec City. It was also very good, but a completely different dining experience from Il Matto 71.