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Canada: Quebec, Gaspé Peninsula
Gorgeous Gaspé
Setting out from Lake George, New York, we arrive a few hours later at the US/Canadian border in North Troy, Vermont. A Canadian officer checks our passports and waves us on with a cheerful "Bon voyage!" Christa and I are on our way to Montmagny, Québec, to begin a tour around the Gaspé Peninsula.
My Triumph Tiger hums sonorously along the shoreline of the Saint Lawrence's stream. Christa hangs back comfortably, shaking her head to and fro in the Electra Glide's cozy seat. A little jealous (my bike isn't providing a radio or CD soundtrack), I warble my own standards and I'm glad no one else can hear me.
The Saint Lawrence River moves slowly, but we don't. Our distant destination is Point-a-la-Croix, 329 miles east of Montmagny. So, we leave the shoreline of the mighty river on a ruler-straight route running south. Now and then the sun blinks through the clouds in the green valleys and soon the road starts winding nicely around Lac Pohenegamook, along the Maine border. A sharp left turn shocks me and all at once I've got all I handle trying not to drop the bike. Frazzled but unscathed, we clatter over the bumpy surface of Highway 232, which bears all the signs of harsh winter damage. The road looks like it's been strafed – the "potholes" are craters. Our ride improves near Cabano, the largest town in the Lac Temiscouata region, where we pull over for gas and some café au lait. Dark clouds are building and bearing down on us from the west....
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