Day 62: Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis to Petite-Vallée

July 04, 2025

Day 62: Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis to Petite-Vallée

The adventure of Hiatt Zhao continues…

Yesterday after writing my blog post, I came back to my tent. The little boy of the family camping next to me gave me a cookie. I went over to their camping spot to say hi.

The wife’s name is Mélanie. She’s camping with her husband, Mathieu, and her 9 years old son, Bastien. I chatted with Mélanie most of the time since she spoke more English. The family will camp at this campsite in Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis for two nights. This is part of their summer vacation in Gaspesie. Mélanie was so nice that she even gave me a muffin.

I walked back to the community building after chatting with Mélanie to check if the water from the kitchen faucet is drinkable since I will need to refill my water bottles. Just as I was about to leave, someone from a group of people who were eating at the table asked me if I wanted some gin. Surprised, I went over to check what kind of gin it was. If it’s something special I would try it even though I normally don’t drink alcohol.

This invitation became one of the best highlights of my trip. I was introduced to Josée, then her husband Carl, her mom Pauline, her sister Solange, and Solange’s husband J-F. They asked me the usual questions of where I came from, where I’m going, and how long is my world bicycle tour. In a short period of time, we started laughing and chatting, while Carl and J-F wanted me try three types of gin that they bought in Gaspesie.

The gins each had their unique flavor, according to J-F. One was made from pine, the other olives, and the last one I don’t remember. Maybe I had drank too much to not remember. LOL!

Soon, I was offered a seat at the table. Carl offered me a bunch of food that they had brought, including smoked salmon, marinated fish, pickled onions, salads, and a dish that J-F made that consisted of brie and tomatoes. I’ve never had it before and it tasted delicious on a slice of bread. I also tried an Italian chocolate vinaigrette dressing that I’ve never had.

I couldn’t believe my luck and the hospitality of complete strangers. We soon became friends and I will meet them again since they are going in the came direction as me and about the same distance per day even though they are driving their RVs.

Before we parted, J-F let me try some 100% Canadian maple syrup. That stuff tasted so good! I should get a bottle if I can find a small one to carry on my bike.

The generosity didn’t stop there. Upon hearing about the blade that penetrated the rear tire earlier that day, J-F gave me his bicycle tube that happened to fit on my wheel. He told me that I should carry at least two tubes just in case.

The night was such a pleasant surprise for me. I thought I wouldn’t be able to eat dinner, then a group of people fed me one of the most delicious meals I’ve had on the trip. It’s so serendipitous that everything happened nicely for all of us.

When I came back to my tent, I slept immediately. But during the night I heard rain and felt the wind. In the morning, I packed up my things during the drizzle.

I left the campground at 7:15 AM and headed east again on Route 132. Having been well-fed the night before, I cycled about an hour and half to a restaurant called Casse-croûte Le Secret in Madeleine-Centre. I must be the first customer of the day because the owner/chef/waiter was happy to see me.

I ordered an omelette with “everything” on it. The owner added so many things that he couldn’t flip the omelette! I also had three cups of coffee because I needed all the energy for the big hill that’s coming up.

After this rejuvenation, I kept cycling until I reached the bottom of the hill. I knew I couldn’t ride up the whole thing so I walked my bike for what seemed like an hour.

I was resting near the top when another cyclist came up behind me. He was wearing a violin on his back and he’s cycling a loop around Gaspesie. He was able to ride up the big hill that I walked up. Unbelievable! He told me his name, but I forgot since it was a name that I’ve never heard of.

I came down the hill very carefully because part of the descend was 14% grade. I had a flashback of my fall coming down the Blue Ridge Mountain in Virginia back in 2018 on my bike tour across the US. This time, I made sure to apply my brakes liberally. I was glad that I have disc brakes this time rather than caliper brakes.

After coming down the hill, I stopped at La Glacerie cantine/bar laitier in the town of Grande-Vallée to have a lobster roll. They also gave me so much fries. And I ate all of them, as a long distance cyclist should.

A man at the restaurant inquired about my bicycle and I gave him my usual story. He said there’s a music festival in Petite-Vallée, the next town over. I can’t believe my luck!

I cycled to Théâtre de la Vieille Forge and was told the 5 PM show is right next to the campsite that I was going to camp.

I arrived at Camping de la Falaise around 1:30 PM, having cycled 37.1 miles today. After setting up my tent, I took a shower.

Josée emailed me and told me that they will be at the same campground and will be going to the 5 PM show. I will meet them there as soon as I finish this blog post and charge my phone.