Day 62 Lancaster, Ontario to Châteauguay, Quebec 94 km.

I was pretty tired this morning and felt like I was dragging myself through the day. That ride yesterday wore me out.
Today had a refreshing start. County Road 2, which runs parallel to Hwy 401, was quiet, flat and had a complimentary tailwind. Nice!
But on entering Quebec the riding conditions got better. Road 2 changes to Hwy 338 in Quebec, also known as La Route Verte.
The designated bike path runs at times on the left hand side of the road, which took getting used to, through forests, past parks and residential areas. Pretty amazing.
I'm now on Hwy 132, which is a busy road but the shoulder is pretty good riding. 132 is the highway I'll be riding all the way up the South side of the St. Lawrence River. I did get glimpses of it today.
"Parlez-vous en anglais?" is the first thing I say when looking for help or buying groceries. So far everyone does speak English but they begin speaking in French. I brought along with me a Lonely Planet French language guide book as back up.
That's it for today. Time for bed.
Je suis fatigué.

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Day 61 Ottawa to Lancaster 182 km.

That was a long day. Almost 12 hours in the saddle.
I should have got a motel in Alexandria but it seemed like I was getting into a habit and Lancaster wasn't that far away. Or I thought it wasn't.
When I see the sun starting to set I start to worry. On arriving in Lancaster I asked some locals about campgrounds. They said that there was one "just down the road". Just down the road seemed forever to get to and when I got here it was then past 7. I hurriedly got the tent set up, called home and showered. It was dark by then so I cooked dinner by flashlight and ate in the tent. I'll try not to do that again.
The ride through and out of Ottawa was excellent. I rode the pathways for about 40 km., along the Ottawa River, below Parliment Hill, and past the Prime Minister's house.
I met Ian today. He was my guide to the city. Ian had been following me for a bit and thought that I was carrying more stuff than the regular commuter. We struck up a conversation while riding side by side and chatted the time away until Ian had to turn off the path to go to work at Design 1st, a product development company. Thanks Ian for your directions and conversation. It's people like you who have made this trip memorable.
One tricky part of riding on the pathway is that I had to cross the locks at the Rideau Canal. I didn't know that at first and went the wrong way. I did a lot of map consulting, after Ian left, but I did manage to get turned in the right direction and ask for directions. The second to last lock is the widest one and can be crossed with a loaded touring bike.
After getting far away from Ottawa I got on to the country roads and the riding was great. Although late into the day.
Here I am catching up on this blog the next morning. It's going to be a late start but I am heading into Quebec.

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