On Sunday I arrived in Trois-Rivieres, so called because three substantial rivers flow through it. One of the bridges, instead of being paved, had criss-crossed metal as its base. Made it a bit dicey to traverse by bike because my front wheel kept wanting to follow the grooves, while cars passed fairly close to me.

The Airbnb I stayed at was much plainer than the one with a pool in Portneuf. It did, however, have two cute guinea pigs. And a cool walled-in courtyard backyard, complete with big comfy outdoor couches under a pergola, which came in handy when the rain started rushing down about 30 minutes after I arrived

I stayed out there for several hours, using my laptop. I was joined eventually by a young woman who was visiting from Paris. She’s an English teacher there, and is visiting her sisters in Quebec. We chatted about how Quebec culture and language differed from that in France. It was nice because she wanted a chance to practice her English, and she encouraged me to use my French. Then we politely corrected each other when needed.

Monday I made my way to Berthierville, a 73km bike ride westward, though I took a cab for the first 23km. My Covild is more or less cleared up. But for some reason I’m now waking up around 6:00 to 6:30 a.m., unable to fall back asleep. It’s leaving me kind of bushed during the day and I don’t want to push things too much.

Anyway at lunch – another casse-croute, roadside diner – there was a cyclist munching fresh berries, dressed like a Tour De France racer. I said hi and it turns out he spoke English and is from Edmonton. He was probably mid-50’s and had started his voyage in Kelowna, B.C.! Made my own little jaunt seem insignificant by comparison. He offered me some berries, I proferred the macaroni I’d bought. We chatted away at lunch.

Before parting he said how glad he was he’d had a huge tailwind propelling him along the entirety of Quebec. That day alone he was on pace to do 120km! I winced. We were going in opposite directions, so his strong tailwind was my face-battering, bike-slowing headwind. It’s been a problem since I began following the St. Lawrence River west from Riviere-Du-Loup. Some days, even if it’s sunny and the roads are fairly flat, I’m lucky to average 15km/hr. Plus I have to work to pedal. Good for my thigh muscles and building endurance. Bad for getting anywhere quickly.