Pictures: Some of the riders from the Ride to Cure Cancer; a shot of the street performance in Montreal; the statue of Christ outside the church in Three Rivers (with the Notre Dame East Street sign in the foreground).

July 9, 2010 Days Inn, Bertheirsville 47/337km 6:30pm

As I pulled into Bertheirsville, I got caught in thunder and lightening storm. It absolutely POURED for about an hour. I was stuck under an awning of an abandoned store. That was okay until the wind picked up. And of course, there was the lightening. Not pretty. By the time I got settled into my room here (thank goodness), it had pretty much petered out. But I was pretty wet and desperately needed a HOT shower. Fortunately, I got one in the hotel room. Hung all the stuff up to dry. We’ll see.

July 10, 2010 D’Artagnen’s Pub, Three Rivers 43/380 5:00 pm

I didn’t get to write much yesterday at the Day’s Inn. I did get a chance to update the blog this morning before I left, however. Most of my time was spent resting, trying to get warm and trying to dry my stuff out to wear today.

I ate across the Boulevard at Mike’s. I had Minestrone soup (see earlier comment) and the Chicken Parmesan with linguine. Both were really excellent. I picked up three bottles of water on the way back to the room. There, I watched the CFL game between the Toronto Argonauts and the Winnipeg Bombers. A wonderfully entertaining game. I was hoping to catch some of the Red Sox – Blue Jays game, but it was not on any of the channels I got on the TV. Oh, well.

Apparently, overnight, the rain cleared out. This morning was pretty dry and warm, but not as warm as it had been over the past week. I saw very few cyclists over the route today, so I’m thinking that the Ride to Cure Cancer route was different than the one that I was on. The destination was the same, though. I was told at the first hotel that there were probably no rooms in the whole city. The man at the Reception Desk at the 2^nd hotel (Delta) apparently took pity on me and offered me a small suite with a bed from the pull-out couch for $120 for the night. SOLD!!! It was either that or get back on the bike and backtrack about 8 or 9km to the last hotel/motel I saw on the way into the city, or head easterly and try to find the next hotel/motel on Route 138. I took the room. It might have been the last available room in the entire city. (yay)

For whatever reason, I thought that all of the riders in the Ride to Cure Cancer were all staying in tents in the big field that was featured on the website. Apparently not. It seems that most of them prefer the comfort of hotels to the camaraderie of “Tent City.” Whoodathunk??

As I sit here typing this, it appears that this small city is PACKED!!! In addition to all of the bicyclists, it seems that there is a bit of a “motorhead” exhibition down near the river (I believe that would be the St. Lawrence River).

I had toyed with the idea of taking a bus (from the station right behind the hotel) from here to Quebec City in order to stay a bit closer to schedule. However, I realized that a) riding there will be more beneficial in preparing for the Pan-Mass Challenge and b) I would feel much better about myself if I can ride into the city. I won’t be able to stay as long, but it’s the right thing to do.

While I was putting all of my wet clothes from today (and a couple from yesterda ) out on the balcony (on the 12^th floor, yuck), I got to watch the end of a Magnum P.I. episode. Good stuff. I then took a VERY hot shower and just relaxed for a little while. Since then, I’ve been out-and-about in the town. It’s a nice place.

Oh, ya. I’m thinking the guy at the bike shop in Montreal might have set my computer for MILES instead of KILOMETERS. The reason I think this is because, according to the computer, I’ve pedaled about 88km since Montreal, but Three Rivers is generally acknowledged as the halfway point between Montreal and Quebec City. However, most people (and maps, etc.) agree that the total distance between Montreal and Quebec City is 250 or so kilometers. So, if you divide 250 in half, you get about 125 kilometers. If you multiply 88 by 1.6 (the miles to kilometers formula), you get 140km, a bit closer to what should be the halfway point. I’m not sure. I’ll have to check it out later. Also, it seems that I’m going pretty fast, but the speedometer only registers 15 – 17 of whatever (mph or kph). I’ll try to get it straightened out in Quebec City.

Watched the Uruguay – Germany 3^rd place game from the World Cup this afternoon. It was a wonderfully entertaining game. Germany won 3-2. On the last free kick of the game, Diego Forlan for Uruguay hit the cross bar. Then the game was over. What a heartbreaker. The final game is tomorrow at about 12:30. I need to be wherever I’m going to spend the night by then. I really want to see the game. It should be quite something, considering neither of the teams has won a World Cup before. That means I’ll probably have to get on the road much earlier than I usually have. Maybe about 7:30 (after breakfast, which comes with the room).

When I get back to the room, I’ll do a little bit of surfing to see if I can make a reservation in an appropriate place between here and Quebec City. The bicycle riders from here will be going all the way to Quebec City tomorrow. It’s probably a good thing that I won’t be trying to go all the way there with them. It might turn into another accommodation nightmare. Maybe not.

July 11, 2010 Hotel Le Portneuvois, Portneuf 48/428 4:00pm

Well, today I went 48 something…not sure if it was miles or kilometers. I rode most of the day with riders doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer. They were heading all the way to Quebec City. Tough day for that. Although the day started foggy and grey, it soon became quite sunny and hot. At the beginning of the route today, there were a number of convenience shops along the way. After a while, they disappeared almost completely. More’s the pity.

It’s a bit unusual. One of the people who rode yesterday from Montreal to Three Rivers said they went 143 kilometers yesterday. I’m even more convinced that there’s something wrong with my computer because it shows a total of 135 as the distance travelled since Montreal. Not even as much as Three Rivers. Very unusual. I’ll try to see about it in Quebec City.

I’ve sent a reservation request to the Auberge (Hostel) St. Louis which is pretty centrally located in the old section of Quebec City. I hope to hear back from them before the end of tonight.

I managed to arrive at the hotel here in Portneuf about 5 minutes before the kickoff for the World Cup final. Outstanding timing. Although, as I write this, I think I could have been a bit late because the game is in extra time. It hasn’t been a particularly exciting game, but the excitement is building in terms of who might get the goal that wins the whole thing.

It’ll be a little lonely tomorrow, riding all the way by myself. It has been, for the most part, a beautiful ride, along the side of the St. Lawrence River.