Progress: January - April, 2002

Rented a small storage space to make more room in the studio. Bought several topography maps of Quebec, a road atlas, compass and GPS. I spread out all the maps and pored over them, locating my waypoints using the coordinates from the online database. Also programmed all of the waypoints into the GPS to prepare for the bike trips.

Mapped out a trajectory of the placenames and developed a timeline based on my time availability and the distance to each waypoint by bike. It was clear that I would have to adopt a phased approach. Many waypoints were out of my reach.

I also decided to take an orientation course through La Cordée. A funny aside: I did well for the theoretical part of the course, but when it came time to do the practical part, I actually got lost. We were all supposed to meet at the Morgan Arboretum, a 245 hectare forested reserve, situated on the McGill University Macdonald Campus in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. Since I knew the way via the cycling trail, I decided to head out early in search of the arboretum.

I got to Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue just fine. I had assumed that I would be able to find signs to the arboretum and did little preparation before leaving. My mistake was forgetting that most signs are geared for drivers, not cyclists. The GPS was not helpful and I did not have my road atlas with me. I got detoured at the highway and shied away from the overpasses and heavy traffic in search of a calmer route. Needless to say, I did not find the arboretum in time for the course. I eventually cycled back to Montreal feeling very sheepish. I did learn my lesson though. Always prepare for a trip no matter how simple it may seem.