Trans Outaouais

On a Quebec Summer day, one could ride from one little town to the next to the on the sustenance Poutine trucks. After crossing the Ottawa river by Ferry to Quyon, I stopped at one truck for some fries. I can't bring myself to eat Poutine from a truck. Its not real gravy, and the idea of gravy on fries is gross anyway. And its a Hot Summer, and hot gross gravy on hot fries... I don't get it, but it was 90+ degrees with humidity and folks were lining up for it. I ended up throwing my fries out, downing my coke, and pedalling on.

Just play this while you read.

Quyon was rocking. The Country Jam Fest was going on. I wanted to stop, but its always rush rush rush with me...

Quyon's claim to fame is that Elvis once played there, which leads me to ask how to say 'you ain't nothin' but a hound dog' in French. Google translate gives 'vous n'est pas rien, mais un chien de chasse'. Not bad. Which reminds me that I was tempted to get une chien chaud avec mon frites. But again, it was too hot and truck food is sketchy.

Further up from Quyon the dirt roads start, then on to Lac des Loups.

I stopped into Wakefield for a sandwich, then home to Ottawa. The total was 98 miles, 10 of them washboarded gravel, one ferry ride, and two flat tires (not on gravel), and two lunch stops, all in 7 and a half hours. My legs feel good today, way better than when I did this ride last year. I'll try to get much shorter ride in Sunday when it cools down.

Trans Outaouais

On a Quebec Summer day, one could ride from one little town to the next to the on the sustenance Poutine trucks. After crossing the Ottawa river by Ferry to Quyon, I stopped at one truck for some fries. I can't bring myself to eat Poutine from a truck. Its not real gravy, and the idea of gravy on fries is gross anyway. And its a Hot Summer, and hot gross gravy on hot fries... I don't get it, but it was 90+ degrees with humidity and folks were lining up for it. I ended up throwing my fries out, downing my coke, and pedalling on.

Just play this while you read.

Quyon was rocking. The Country Jam Fest was going on. I wanted to stop, but its always rush rush rush with me...

Quyon's claim to fame is that Elvis once played there, which leads me to ask how to say 'you ain't nothin' but a hound dog' in French. Google translate gives 'vous n'est pas rien, mais un chien de chasse'. Not bad. Which reminds me that I was tempted to get une chien chaud avec mon frites. But again, it was too hot and truck food is sketchy.

Further up from Quyon the dirt roads start, then on to Lac des Loups.

I stopped into Wakefield for a sandwich, then home to Ottawa. The total was 98 miles, 10 of them washboarded gravel, one ferry ride, and two flat tires (not on gravel), and two lunch stops, all in 7 and a half hours. My legs feel good today, way better than when I did this ride last year. I'll try to get much shorter ride in Sunday when it cools down.

Flood Rides

After 1.5 weeks of shorter duration intensity rides, I went back to long turtle rides this last week. Great Glen is a week away. My legs have not been feeling tip top. I think there is a sickness going around. But I've been suffering through with a 4.5 hour ride last Saturday, tandem and work rides in the week, and a 3.5 hour fire tower ride yesterday to try out the new cog. If there are no flat long flat sections on the race course, I think I might go for a 20 tooth (did you pick one up for me, Justin?), but it probably won't mater for the race, but would be nice for the next adventure after that: a truncated two-day version of my Trans Utah...



Its been fugging raining here. Ark building sounds like a good career option now. Apparently its the wettest, coldest July in 70 years in Ottawa. Everywhere you go you find impromptu lakes and rivers, and lots of mud. Even in July, the rides can be cold here. Good thing you can eat your lunch in the unused winter ski huts along the trail in the Gatineaus. The forcast looks iffy for this week in North Conway, according to North Conway Weather .com, your site for Mt. Washington meteorology and Mariah Carey pics (seriously!).

This Saturday I'm planning the biggest ride yet. I do my 9-hour Gatineau Loop, but I stick in a side trip on trails out of the park to Wakefield then back in. This should put me into the 11-12 hour range, which is basically the duration of Great glen, although a few of those hours are mellow flat dirt roads as pave...