I'd probably still be trying to find my way out of Sherbrooke! Right after I pulled out of the campground, this gentleman rolled up beside me on his e-bike. First he spoke to me in French as everyone does, but switched to English easily (not everyone does). He asked about my trip. After riding a bit, I asked if he knew where I could find an ATM. I still needed to get Canadian currency. He thought for a moment, then took me off the trail straight to a bank. He even waited while I got cash.
We said our goodbyes, and I returned to the bike path. I had written directions, but as usual, in actuality, it's not so easy. I was stopped at a bridge. My directions said, rather cryptically, "cross bridge". Well, there was another bridge I could see. Was it this one, or that one??? Up rolls Louis. I told him my conundrum. He said I wanted to cross this bridge. He came with me. We crossed the bridge, went through a parking lot, got back on a path, and came to the end of it. Here, I was clueless as to which direction to go. Fortunately, Louis wasn't. We went up a steep hill, across a road, and there was the path again.
My directions were sort of making sense (at least to Louis). We continued together along the water. Louis said, according to my directions, I should be on the other side of the river, but it didn't matter because I would end up at the same place. We reached a point where my directions were clear to me. From there, Louis headed home. I told him he was my hero for the day. I don't know how I would have figured it out--well, I probably would have turned on my Garmin, and let it figure it out.
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| My hero, Louis |
In Magog, I stopped at a Walmart and got a map of Quebec and one of Ontario. I felt immensely better having the paper maps. Getting through Magog was easy from a directional standpoint, I just followed the signs for 112. The traffic, however, was another story. Getting through the old part of town, I probably could have walked as fast as the traffic was moving!
Finally, I was out of the town and continuing on 112. There was a good shoulder, even though there were the usual hills.
I came to a beautiful lake called Lac Orford.
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| Lac Orford |
I stopped for a break at a wayside picnic area. I got back on the road, and just a mile or so down the road, I smelled this boulangerie.
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| Boulangerie |
Of course, I stopped! I had this bit of deliciousness.
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| Yum! |
Back on the road, I just pedaled, continuing on 112. At one point, I saw a sign for the Route Verte. However, I didn't know if it would take me to Granby, where I was going for the night. I decided when I got to Waterloo, even though I knew how to get to Granby, I would see what Garmin had to say. Sure enough, Garmin took me to Route Verte 1. It was awesome!!! This is a bike path extraordinaire! There are rest stops along the way, as well as information places. At one, I asked the gal in the info place if I could take a bike path all the way to Montreal. Well, it's not quite a path the whole way, but there is a bike route. I'm so excited! Now I feel much better about cycling into Montreal.
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| Route Verte 1 |
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| Rest stop |
I made it to Camping Granby. It's another huge place, even bigger than last night's place. I am on a little sliver of a site number 914! The family next to me are slightly encroaching on my site, and we have to share a picnic table. It's okay though, they seem nice enough, although they have the usual Quebec reticence. They don't talk to me unless I talk to them.
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| Me and my neighbors--so close! |
Anyway, there is wifi here, so I will hopefully get the last few days uploaded.
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