Richelieu

Day 35: Saturday October 4th, 2025

Distance traveled: 181.1 km

Cumulative distance: 6315.2 km

Temperature range: 20 - 28 degrees

Maximum speed 111 kph

We awoke to a stunningly beautiful morning. Not a cloud in the sky and it was already 20 degrees by the time we were loading the bike up.

We had had some challenges with the route today. Our intention had been to visit Steeve, the fellow that had intervened when we had a flat tire as he lives in the Montreal area. Our goal had been to return his tire tools to him and present him with a little gift as a token of our appreciation. However, I made two attempts to text him and one phone call without luck. Not entirely sure I have his number correct; it is not impossible that I stop there after I drop Nan off at the airport tomorrow but I didn't feel confident going to the address he gave me not knowing whether or not he was even there. I did look his place up on Street View so tomorrow we will see. Apparently traffic will be very bad and apparently, navigating the Montreal airport is a nightmare so we will see.

Then the other thing is that we were staying south of Montreal and a direct route to Joy's house at Morin Heights would take us precisely through the middle of Montreal, albeit on the autobahn. So, notwithstanding a route mapped out to Steeve's then onto Joy's, that was abandoned in favour of a Google Maps route along the Richeleau River, a ferry ride across the St Lawrence River and through some back roads to Morin Heights. It was a lot of extra riding - about 70 km plus an hour of waiting in line for the ferry. And the 70 km of additional riding was mostly in slow-moving traffic zones thus, it was a longer day than had we just bombed through Montreal.

However, there was one upside: the ride along the Richelieu was an early bonus. It was absolutely beautiful: the picturesque homes along the shores on both sides, boats and marinas, trees changing colours, quaint little towns, the river like glass in places, it was pretty much everything you could hope to see. I'm sorry if you get tired of all the river pictures I've uploaded here but I just couldn't decide what to omit. It's the last day so I am trying to make the most of it.

That is actually a ferry, though not operational today.

I didn't realize that we were going to have a ferry crossing, though I was happy we did. I always like to see "infrastructure", so it is interesting to me to see where the ferry docks and boards but also all the ships around the harbour waiting to get loaded, so I didn't mind. However, when we got in line, it was an excericise in frustration. There were lines of cars trying to turn in from the right and the left and the line went a long way in both directions. It wasn't clear to me if it was a mad rush to make a certain, limited sailing or if it was just an obstacle in another line of traffic. It took about twenty minutes to get to the ticket booth and though the attendant didn't speak English, we managed to convey that we were due for a senior's discount. We entered the terminal and were directed to a lane. We were first in line, which meant that they had loaded almost all the vehicles on the current sailing that had been waiting. And as we rode to the front they waived one more motorcycle onto the ferry. We were only 30 seconds too late.  All in, it took about an hour to cross, of which ten minutes was actual boat time.

In line to the pay booth.

Waiting cars behind us.

Motorcycles behind us, waiting for the next sailing.

First on, last off.

 

It really was amazing to see all the bikes on the deck once we were all loaded. Everybody was in a good mood. Even some guy with very nasty, scary tatoos was talking about what a beautiful day it was to be out for a ride. A couple behind us were eyeing Andelska and the fellow recognized it as an NT and commented on it having the same engine as an Africa Twin, a popular Honda adventure-touring bike.  We had a chat about our history with it but then he and his gal were eyeing the home made license plate. I heard her say to him "there must be a story". So they got to hear it. 

After the ferry, we are riding down the riverside and we spot a covered bridge leading off the road. Ever since "The Bridges of Madison County" I've thought a journey to see covered bridges would be worthwhile. Maybe not to see all of them, but a few. This example is from 1915.

Everywhere we were riding today we continually  saw motorcycles. It made me think of my friend Stan who always wants to put a windmill on his motorcycle handlebars with "hands" on the windmill so that it would spin and constantly wave to other riders for him. I always want to "high five" other riders as we pass at 200 kph.

We hadn't eaten breakfast other than to have a hotel room coffee followed by a latte from the restaurant. We weren't really all that motivated since we had had a big dinner the night before but by about 1:30 one of us - not saying who - was getting kind of "hangry". We are on the highway so we turn off and into a little town just off the highway, not because we saw something but we were looking for a restaurant that was not part of a chain and hopefully something that might be family run. After Google Maps had led us astray with some misdirection, telling us to turn onto a street that was actually a parking lot, we did find a place like I've described but in fact, almost right on the highway, not usually where we find such places. And it was very good, if simple. We had a dejunier club, i.e. a breakfast clubhouse sandwich, and fried potatoes. Nan was so hangry hungry, she immediately said, "if it comes with fries, I'm eating them". Who was I to argue? There was never any question for me (to eat them).

The last hour was really back backroads. We were riding through, tight, twisty turns inside the trees up and down hills and through all-way stops at every place one road joined another. The Land of the Four Way Stops. And really crappy roads. 

 

I guess that's a wrap. We rode from September 9th to October 4th, 26 days of riding and the second latest in the season that Nan has been touring. Her latest ever overnight ride was October 7th when we went to Vancouver in 2022 to see The Black Keys (that same year, I camped from the motorcycle into the middle of October). This wasn't the hardest or the longest trip we've done - we didn't crash - but it was easily the second hardest. 

  

I had been worried about whether we risk not booking accomdation in advance and while there was a couple of times that we couldn't book the hotel or inn that I had targeted in advance of the trip, at no time were we ever in a position that we might have to sleep under the bike or a picnic table.  We always managed to find a suitable place, even when we had to pivot.

Bottom line, notwithstanding our challenges, I think the thing I will take away from this trip more than anything was the incredible kindness we were shown, how welcoming people all over Quebec and the Maritimes were to us, their patience when we could't speak oo much French very well. I think motorcycling opens people up to that. On a motorcyle, you are exposed to the elements and everything around you, good or bad. But that also means you are available to have a conversation about where you are riding, where you are from, what have you seen, how are you liking their country or their part of the country. There is nothing better. 

Thanks for following the blog. I hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing. And thanks for all of your support when Lady Luck slapped me up the side of the head. First world problems. 

Nan took 90% of the pictures on the blog and let's face it: the pictures are what will bring back most of the memories when we have no memory left. Which is getting closer all the time! Without her taking pictures, it wouldn't be much of a blog. 

Also, thanks to our friend Rob P. who monitored our messages from the Spot Tracker, just waiting to have to spring into action. I'm not sure he realizes what bullets he dodged as we always had cell service enough to sort out our problems 

And most importantly, thanks to the best riding companion and the best friend I have in the world.  You make it all worthwhile, Sweetie.

The woman of the hour, and more.

Nan flies home tomorrow (Sunday) as she cannot wait to see her cats. My old high school buddy Peter is flying in to take over Nan's driving duties, keeping me company on the trip home and to see some parts of Canada he might not otherwise get to witness. While this is the "official" end of the blog, I will be keeping notes not unlike what I did to start the blog: keep the Spot Tracker going, post a few pictures and tell a few lies.