Our first bicycle tour in Quebec

This is our firs bicycle tour in Quebec province! We present here photo reportage, more details you can read in the article “Bike tour with kids“.
Our plan included:
1. Montréal-Ouest -> Dorion train station (by local train)
2. Dorion -> Montreal West KOA campground by bicycles along “Soulanges Canal ” ^[1].
And back same way.
Well, lets start….

We are on Montreal train station. The Vaudreuil-Hudson train is coming and we have to upload our bicycles and other things in it.

We are on the way inside the local Montreal train. For us official term “racks for bicycles” was some kind of mysterious… But you can see it now – it just a place for bicycle! 😉

And this is Alice’s bicycle on the other side of the car. Note, in left upper corner of the photo there is small picture – an instruction how to fix bike on the “rack”.
Time for relax before main cycle travel. We’re going to Dorion train station.
The train is “semi-empty” and my kids jump from one place to another.
Beautiful landscapes of Quebec you can see from the train’s window.

Our bicycle tour in Quebec starts here

We have arrived on Dorion train station.
After some time we arrived at Pointe Des-Cascades.

Here starts Soulanges Canal (Le canal de soulanges). Water in the canal is very clear even we can see bottom.

On the way we were surprised place like anchors’ museum. We decided to stop here and see everything.

Can you move it?
Hmm… we are not surprised by this “usual” anchor.
These strange anchors (they were found in 1988) used with beacons.
And this is beacon with light (weight is 2275 kg).
In the picture below a screw propeller and remains of a steamship. It was found in 1984 in Saint-Louis lake near Melocheville (Quebec, Canada).
You can study anchor parts with help of this table. Who knows may be you don know it.
An very old anchor.
Every object must be explored by kids! 🙂
Alex on an anchor.

Lets continue our cycling trip

After Pointe Des-Cascades our path goes on Veloroute 5 along Le canal de soulanges. Thanks to such excellent bike paths bicycle tour in Quebec just enjoying!
In one place there was construction area (a high way?) and special detour for bicyclist was built.
It seems this bog from a fairy tale.
Princess frog – Can you find it?
Old hydroelectric power station. Thank to this power station the channel could work at night.

And now we are in the Montreal West KOA campground

Before dark, we should have time to prepare out tent for sleeping and prepare something for eat.
Alice prepares our tent for sleeping
Alex is cooking our dinner.
Campfire was one of our important inclusion in “our trip’s program”
It is occasionally nice night shot. But we decided to left it here because a something positive in this shot.
Morning. Alex cooks breakfast.
Alice tries to feed the animals, but they don’t show any reaction because they are full-fed. They were fed about half an hour ago by personal of the ground camp.
The goat looks at Alice with satisfied eyes
Sedentary lifestyle + high caloric diet could change not only humans… Ducks are in form but I can’t say this about rabbit
Before start to ride we need get an energy.
The way home

We would not believe that it is bicycle tour in Quebec if someone showed this picture! It is looks like clear Kuban region in Russia…
Yesterday we hadn’t time to explore the old gates of the Le canal de soulanges
It is silence here today but long time ago here went ships.
Old gates on Le canal de soulanges
It is not hot at the morning so it is good time for bike tour.
We returned to the Dorion train station
We are loading bicycles. The local train is comfortable and officially bicycles are welcomed (at least on an advertisement). But frankly speaking, the transport of bicycles on the Montreal local train is very uncomfortable.
We need a rest after loading our bicycles to the train it was really hard work.
You can see other type of a car. There is place for bicycles only on one side. It is impossible to find out it from outside. We had 3 bicycles but only 2 are allowed at the place in same time transferring bicycles between cars are not allowed.
And now we’ve arrived to Montreal. Photograph: Alice