I went to Granby on the weekend. Took the Green Route through Longueuil, Brossard, Chambly and Farnham. The trails were so well organized, it was a dream. I can’t believe the ‘country’, the eastern townships are so close. When you leave the city and look back, you see this blue, smoggy blanket of haze, like a bubble-city.
Chambly (where they make the famous Blanche de Chambly beer), is a pretty little town by the water. A good stop-over for cyclists. Half the trails to Chambly are paved. Going to Farnham they are inter-mixed: you follow the river and it is a pleasant trail with many stop-overs with water, picnic tables and bathroom facilities. Farnham to Granby is almost a straight country road going through an innumerable series of fields. I found this one longer with few cyclists.
Counting the few loops I took when I got slightly lost, it was a 100 km ride, not counting the ride to Longueuil in the morning. I took the navette across and highly recommend it. It is $8.00 return and it is a really nice view of the harbour.
I stayed in Granby at a cheap B&B for the night. I was wasted. Not so much from the distance but from the blazing heat. Ate in town and was in bed by 10:00 PM. Gourmet breakfast in the morning. Left early and found Lapalme Stream/Ruisseau Lapalme by 10:00 AM. A little anti-climactic. A small creek in a field. Still I got a good glimpse of the amazing trail system there — l’Estriade. I will have to go back. There is a 58 km loop that goes around the lake. There’s another one that goes to Waterloo. I think these two are fully paved.
I did not want to take the same way back so I decided to take the Route des Champs. I looked for it for about an hour. The beginning of it has not been completed, so it is basically a cruddy trail. I accosted the first people I saw in cycling gear and asked for help. A man named Jacques very generously rode with me to find it. There is a big cycling club in Granby but I am talking hard-core. People who do 200 km a day. No thank-you. My back side was sore already.
This trail is pretty unremarkable, but goes straight to Chambly. Much faster than the one from the day before. I would go on for miles before seeing anybody.
I slept in the park by the fort at Chambly before setting out again. The heat was so intense, I would apply sunscreen and lip balm every hour. I ‘got lost’ again on the way out losing a lot of time andbecoming very frustrated. It was too hot to think. I could not find the trail I took into the city. I ended up leaving by the highway and finally looping back to the trail later.
Later on, another woman kindly showed me a better way to cycle through Longueuil and I got a good glimpse of some nice communities there. Pretty houses and lots of parks and trails. The trail led me right to the marina.
So I think that is the way to go. Instead of trying to do everything in one day, I will half my commutes and stay at a hostel or B&B. Would like to get a pup tent and go out camping sometimes too. It feels good: four waypoints done… twenty something to go?
I am taking a break from my bike this week. There is a smog warning – a high humidity warning. Thirty-four degrees today. If I have trouble breathing just walking to the metro, can you imagine biking up hills in this heat?
Plus I am still sore. I cycled like a maniac: a woman on a mission. I would have been a pain to cycle with. I hardly took any breaks. I drank probably ten Gatorades. It was too hot to eat, but I would force myself. I found that as long as I kept moving, there was a slight wind. It was worse when I stopped.
Day 1 - August 10, 2005
| Time |
Location |
Trip Odometer |
Moving Time |
Stopped |
Max Speed |
Moving Average |
8:30
Arrive:
9:10
Boat departure:
9:35
|
Longueuil Marina
N 45°30'409"
W 73°32'850" |
GPS predicted 65 km from Montreal to Granby as the crow flies. |
|
|
|
|
Depart:
9:55
Stop:
12:30
Depart: 1:45 Arrive: 6:30 |
Chambly
N 45°26'882"
W 73°17'252" |
101 km |
6:31 |
1:23 |
32.8k/h |
15.5/h |
Day 2 - August 11, 2005
| Time |
Location |
Trip Odometer |
Moving Time |
Stopped |
Max Speed |
Moving Average |
| 8:30 Stop 9:30 |
LA-6
N 45°27'48"
W 72°43'14"
|
|
|
|
|
15.5/h |
Depart:
10:00
Stop:
2:00
Depart: 2:30 |
Chambly
Was lost until 4:20 |
42.4 km
Stopped: |
2:31 |
18 min |
|
|
Arrive:
7:00 |
Longueuil Marina |
|
|
|
|
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