Shigawake to Percé, QC
Traditional territory of the Wabanaki Confederacy
95 km
Sun and cloud and coastline wind, 17 ºC
Asad was up with our farmer host, George, in order to help bottlefeed an orphan calf, say good morning to the barn cats, and grind some fresh coffee beans. The sun rose, as it always does, and by mid-morning we were on the road.
Funniest story of the day was the railway bridge in Saint-Thérèse-de-Gaspé. I thought it was a good place for a photo and Asad switched lenses while I hiked out to the bridge. When he was ready, I walked the bike to the bridge and stood, anxiously checking the railway in both directions to watch for any signs of an oncoming train.
Asad strolled from one place to the next, crouching in a bush, coming up closer, capturing a few angles. Gosh, I thought to myself, Asad really is taking his time.
I mentioned later how watching for the train was a bit stressful and he responded with a huge grin. “It’s not an active railway,” he said in French. “There are no trains.”
I laughed. “Man, I was looking one way, then the other, then back and forth.”
“I thought you were just being a good model,” he said, then reflected for a moment. “Gosh, you must have thought I was going very slow.”
So they’re objectively good photos. Subjectively, they’re hilarious.
You’re probably getting tired of hearing about ‘perfect’ days but I feel like that’s worth mentioning because it didn’t feel perfect at the time. There was a lot of headwind gusts, a lot of hills and broken pavement. I missed connecting with a long-ago mentor from the Gaspé area.
And yet I had a beautifully cooked omelette for breakfast, ended up having a conversation with an artisan in a building that was part of a living history of the Front de libération du Québec, I listened to a young hitch hiker play the harmonica and I had a great piece of pizza to top it all off.
Also found this paper mâché sculpture on the coast near the end of the day. Had a lot of fun imagining who had put all the work into making such a thing. And finally, last time I was in Percé I ate at a restaurant called ‘Jonathan’s,’ but I didn’t see it this time. C’est dommage.