Day 58: Rimouski to Saint-Ulric

Yesterday, my breakfast consisted of a bagel, a bowl of cereal, and half of a grapefruit. I also tried Lapsang Souchong tea, which I had never heard of. It’s a black tea that has a smoky smell and a distinct taste.

Pat wanted to have her and Hilderic’s photo taken at one of the sculptures at Beauséjour Park that’s not far from the house. They rode on a tandem bicycle and I followed them to the park.

After the photoshoot Hilderic came back the house and switched to an ebike so he can ride with me for several miles on the bike path to see me out of town.

That morning, the heavy fog blocked the view of the St. Lawrence River, but I saw some herons and seagulls chilling on the shore.

After about 7 miles of riding, we arrived at the Onondaga submarine. Hilderic and I had one last selfie before we parted farther up the road.

I had a great time with Pat and Hilderic chatting about nerdy stuff. It’s rare to come across people like them. I feel every person I meet I will learn something about them and about myself. Pat advised me to think about returning to IT once my trip is over. I’ll keep an open mind.

The dense fog did not let up and got worse. I put on my rear bike light so the cars coming from behind can see me better. I also biked on the far right side of the shoulder so that I’m not so close to the road, but I was riding on gravel on some sections. Good thing that my 38mm tires were able to handle it.

I passed by Sainte-Luce, where there was a promenade that had a lot of interesting wooden sculptures. I took a brief rest there and talked to two young women after I saw their touring bikes. Unfortunately, they were going the opposite way.

Pat recommended me to take the free guided tour of the Maurice Lamontagne Institute. It’s a place where people do research about the St. Lawrence River and the marine life there. When I arrived I just missed the 12 PM tour, so I signed up for the 1 PM tour.

I chatted with Nicolas the receptionist and Vincent, a tour guide. They were impressed by my world bicycle tour, or my attempt of it.

Since the cafeteria was closed, I ate a candy bar, an energy bar, and some trail mix to curb my hunger.

I had a private guided tour with my guide Mary Ann since I was the only English speaking tourist. It was her first time giving a tour in English and she did a great job.

The tour was an hour long. There was also a fire drill at the beginning of my tour so it ended up being 1:15 hours. The fire drill came with the tour for free. LOL!

Mary Ann told me about how researchers used different technologies to track whales and they got better at counting them over the years. She also pointed out a time-lapse map that showed the St. Lawrence River’s temperature had increased by 4 degrees Celcius since 2008. The researchers are still examining the impact of global warming on marine life.

Then Mary Ann took me to some rooms where experiments were conducted and a hanger where they stored two boats.

I was glad that I took the guided tour at Maurice Lamontagne Institute, but it was around 2:30 PM and I had only ridden about half the distance to Saint-Ulric, so I kept going.

At Métis-sur-Mer, I saw the Café sur Mer. I decided to get a late lunch there before arriving at Saint-Ulric. I had a smoked salmon bagel and it was really good.

Around 5:15 PM, I arrived at my Warmshowers host’s house, having ridden 51.1 miles from Rimouski. Sebastien was sitting on the front porch with his dog when I pulled up.

After settling in, I chatted with Sebastien over dinner. Sebastien had done many bike tours around the world. He also likes mountain biking. Sebastien used to work in urban design but became a carpenter twenty years ago. He renovated the house that he’s living in all by himself, including electrical and plumbing! I’m always impressed by people who build their own houses.

I had a huge dinner, including three corns, fish cakes, green salad, and potato salad. Afterward, I cleaned the dishes and took a shower.

Sebastien had to go to work at 5:30 AM so he went to bed early. I went to sleep soon after.

This morning, I woke up at 7 since I don’t have to leave the house until 11 AM. I’m only riding about 10 miles to Matane, giving myself an easy riding day. I wanted to have somewhat of a rest day since I haven’t taken a break since leaving Quebec City. Also today is July 1, Canada Day. Many businesses are closed.

Pat and Hilderic posing with a sculpture in Beauséjour Park.

Birds chilling in the morning.

The Onondaga submarine

Selfie of me and Hilderic

Lighthouse near the submarine

Heavy fog in the morning

Every small town has a beautiful church. Sainte-Luce is no exception.

The wooden sculptures on the promenade at Sainte-Luce

Still more fog

Centre d'Art Marcel Gagnon, a gallery and hotel

Entrance to the Maurice Lamontagne Institute

Some of the displays at the institute

Time-lapse of warming of the St. Lawrence River

Model of an Intelligent Buoy

One of the boats in the hanger

Another rest stop for me

Smoked salmon bagel at Café sur Mer

No more mountains in the distance since St. Lawrence River is now wider.

A small waterfall

Saint-Ulric Church

Never have I seen so many spiders. I think they just hatched.

My Warmshowers host, Sebastien