Can you really believe a meteorologist or not? Many say the weather report should just always say, “Some sun. Some clouds. Some rain.” And that that is sufficient. Today, the meteorologists said 10% chance of rain—and what did we get? Alternating sun and clouds in the morning continuing into the afternoon; then, after our afternoon ice cream, rain for the last…6 miles of a 60 mile day….uh…10%. Amazing. Tomorrow they claim 30%, so does that mean 15 miles will be rain?!?!?!?
After fueling up with Madame Boutin’s waffles (the absolute best waffles ever) we had an easy ride down the Richelieu River to the St Lawrence. Predominate tailwinds with only 10 feet/mile of elevation gain. Is this really exercise?
Despite fueling on those wonderful waffles, by mid-morning Dennis was feeling the need for a bakery. Two villages after his cravings started we came across an artisanal bakery. The food trend was now fully in place—a bakery in the morning and an ice cream in the afternoon.
The afternoon break was at Canal du Saint-Ours. Actually, it wasn’t an official break—more of a “at mile 44.7 you should see the big blue sign for the Canal," but since we had fallen ahead of the group, we decided to stop and take in the view.
As expected, there was a canal. But more interesting was the fish ladder. That stretch of the Richelieu River is home to one endangered and several threatened species and a 1960’s dam prevents upstream travel. The solution was in ingenious multi-species fish ladder. For two engineers the small display made for a fascinating visit.
Food: Breakfast and lunch were exceptional, dinner was...calories. “Couscous” where they ran out of veggies and tossed in a can of lima beans. There always has to be a klunker meal. Best get it out of the way.