Day 1

Montreal to Venise-en-Quebec (52 miles)

CycleCanada put us up Sunday night at Le Dauphin, a very nice, quiet, modern boutique hotel near the gate to Montreal’s Chinatown. After a complimentary self-serve breakfast buffet on Monday morning, we wheeled our bikes through the lobby to mount up on the sidewalk, took a left down the block, and immediately ran into a construction detour at the first intersection. Luckily at least two of our group of twelve were natives who were able to guide us to the Pont Jacques Cartier, and get us on the road out of the city. There was construction on the bridge, too, and we annoyed a few Monday-morning bike commuters by stopping to enjoy the views.

somewhere near Chambly

The weather was sunny, hot and humid but it became more comfortable as we rode farther out of the city, heading south after the town of Chambly, along the pretty canal paths on Ile-Ste.-Therese. After about thirty miles we crossed the canal at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, where we milled around a bit trying to decide where to stop for lunch. We chose the place where the host came outside to guide us to their bike-rack, and offered to provide chains and locks for security.

After lunch we rode twenty-five or so miles through farm country, to l’Auberge du Lac Champlain, a resort on the northern end of Lake Champlain, with a view across the lake to Vermont. We shared comfortable cabins with tiny bathrooms and kitchens we didn’t use.

Just about the time we’d all gotten cleaned up and came out to look for dinner, the sky clouded over and it began to sprinkle a little. It turned out the only place open on Mondays was a big, homey restaurant and bar on the edge of the lake, with a large terrasse on the water-side. We pushed a few tables together under some huge sun umbrellas and had a long dinner outside. We watched the storm roll in across the lake, and sat outdoors in the rain, sheltered by the big umbrellas, talking for hours until it began to get too chilly and dark.