The weather was mostly cloudy today. I took Sussex drive out of Ottawa passing the PM's house, and then Adrienne's Place (Clarkson). On to Rockcliffe Parkway I went, following the Ottawa River Eastward. I made a brief stop at Rockcliffe Park. I continued out of town through Gloucester and Orleans eventually ending up on Highway 17. Traveling along the south side of the Ottawa River I eventually reached Hawkesbury (80 kilometers out of town). Here, I crossed to the North Side of the river into the Province of Quebec. Finally a new Province! The scenery did not change too much, flat farmland with the occasional stand of deciduous trees. The only things that have changed are the signage (all in French), and the increase in frequency of beautiful stone and brick houses.

Towards the end of the day, I had pain in my right calf, up in behind my knee. The pain was pretty sharp so I popped a couple of Ibuprofen that seemed to help as the pain subsided within an hour.

It's funny regardless of how far I ride in a day the last 20-30 kilometers are always tough. It is such a psychological game! It is amazing how good the mind and body can be at trying to convince you to stop riding.

Since we are on the topic of mind over body and physical ailments, I might as well summarize what ails me! Hands: one of the more worrisome conditions, for the past few weeks every day within an hour of the ride they begin to feel numb and tingly especially in the palms. I often wake in the night with my hands clenched feeling numb and achy. I notice that my hands feel weaker, a reduced grip strength. Neck: there is a little muscle that runs down the back of my neck and inserts somewhere along my spine near the inside of my scapula. This muscle gets very tight and sore during riding. When I get off of my bike the pain usually goes away pretty quickly. Gluteal Region: Yes, my butt gets really sore. Feet: After about 100 kilometers of riding my feet tend to get sore. The pain is partly due to the fact that my shoes are a bit too tight for me.

Food and Water: I have not kept close track of my consumption, but I drink anywhere between 4-8 bottles of water during a day. (Tall bike bottles ~700ml?). This is dependent on weather, distance and the terrain. Some days I will ride for hours without food, I think that the exercise suppresses the appetite. Most of my best days riding can be attributed to greater calorie intake though. I find it is best to ignore my body's lack of excitement for food and eat! I might add that I have not lost much weight (maybe 10lbs.).

Once I reached St Jerome I sat at the tourist info center awaiting Carmen and Emma, they will be joining me for another week! Tonight we will drive back to Ottawa, where I will test out the Jacuzzi tub. We will assemble back in St. Jerome in the morning.

I will remember Quebec for its beautiful stone houses, traditional churches, and quiet country roads. I am traveling on Hwy 158. Highlights included brief stops in Joliette, Bertierville, and Yamachiche. I've chosen 158 over #40 (which is more direct and faster) and what a treat it has been. I would have seen none of these beautiful towns if I had been on highway 40!

Despite a slow average speed due to strong headwinds I have had a wonderful day. I continued along Hwy #158 leading onto #138. Cycling today really did feel like cycle touring! It was a little cold in the morning, which must be expected for October. In the afternoon it warmed up as a few big puffy white clouds rolled along overhead. Near Quebec I left Hwy 138 when I found signs for a bike path/route leading into the city. I would recommend these Highways for summer bike touring. There are numerous places to stop for food and lodging, the scenery is great, the roads in decent repair, and there aren't even many hills!

I met up with Carmen and Emma a number of times today (for snacks etc). At the end of the day we met at the IGA in Levis just Southeast side of Quebec City. We ended up driving back into town to meet up with Lucie and Guy who live in Cap Rouge (on the east side of town). We spent the night here, in a house overlooking the St Lawrence!

In the evening Lucie and Guy took us into town and showed us Laval University, Chateau Frontenac, old Quebec. We had a nice tour of the town especially considering how late we'd arrived!

Guy and Lucie had us for a nice breakfast before we drove to Levis to get started again. Instead of taking the bridge to the south side of the river we took a ferry from downtown. In Levis I started out on a bike path for the 1st 10 kilometers.

Clouds and views from the south shores of the St. Lawrence remind me of home somehow. I am traveling on Hwy132 today, another off-the main Hwy route! I stopped at a maritime museum for a look around this afternoon, some neat boats. We found a great restaurant that happened to be having a buffet tonight (I got my money's worth).