Old Quebec. pretty neat. It is exactly as you would expect it to be...quaint, friendly, tons and tons of cool little shops and cafes and restaurants and bars. we purposely went later in the afternoon so that we could spend some time there in the evening after we ate. Jude thought is was very romantic! We killed an unplanned extra hour getting there...didn't get off where we should have, and thought if we rode the bus long enough we could just hit the spot again on the buses return route....holy crap those buses go a long way...we finally gave up, got of that bus and caught another going the right way. good way to see the far reaches of the city for low cost I guess.

We agreed that this was one of the most 'restful' rest days we have had to date.

The pedal from the city to our next campground (river ouelle) was full of great bike trails, quaint quiet highways, great little french cafes and bakeries (home made lemonade with strawberries at one stop , fresh multi-grain bread with butter and a raspberry puree at another) Jude - "total awesomeness". The section of the St Lawrence where the fresh water changes to salt water was during this day. We decided we are coming back for sure for a bike holiday here. our campground was at the center of the eel fishing industry. Most of it goes to Europe...I was hoping for a restaurant that served it so that I could sample. Super was a winner with Asian noodles with MEAT (chicken) and enough for seconds and even thirds!

Next day we finally had a true head wind on our way to Trois Pistoles ...woke up to 10 degrees, and only warmed up to 13 with a 30 km wind, what happened? previous day was high 20s. Also high humidity which made if feel cold, and for a good part of the day we were pedaling through cloud. Anyway, made for a very arduous day. Still, some great scenery and towns, and some great stops. One such stop was a great little bakery (see picture) in Kamouraska, home to a Novel by Anne He'bert and a film by Claude Jutra. Lunch stop of wine, bread, local cheese, fresh tomato, hummus and sprouts behind the CO-OP in Trois Pistoles. Found a place against a stone wall in the sun and out of the wind. Still everyone was very glad to see camp. Judy was adorned with loaves of fresh bread at camp, she was not sure why she got the special treatment, she said "but hey, I like it!"

Next day again haunted by the black fog and a relentless head wind. Another stop at a sweet little bakery / craft shop in a town called Bic. Routes as of late have been taking us off the highway and through 'cute' little districts and towns. We climbed the spine of the Gaspe' Peninsula, wicked hills toward the end, but the trip has made us fairly strong so no problems. Camp was by a beautiful little lake, canoes, loons, and even a water slide (kelly took some turns). Full moon this night...we took turns holding it. Another 'meat' meal...the complaining must be working.

Next day - Seemed like there was frost on the ground. (closer inspection revealed that it was fine spider webs on the blades of grass that had collected dew and give the appearance of frost...but it seemed cold enough that we would not have been surprised if it was. A hilly 20 kms to start the day.

Kelly - I had a wicked crash into the back of judy through one of the towns. Was trying to read the cue sheet on the fly and when judy slowed down for a Macdonalds coffee stop, my front wheel ran into her rear wheel and I took a tumble into a curb and on to some grass. Very painful but could have been much worse, and lucky I didn't take her down with me, and that my bike was OK. We had a nice breakfast stop in the village of Causapscal, Saw some great scenery and an old covered bridge. Lots of special canoes...large wood ribbed wishbone style but designed to hold prop higher than the bottom of the boat so they can run shallow water. Noticing a lot of leaves are changing color. We also this after noon entered New Brunswick, province number 7! At camp more meat for supper yay!!!

Aug 25th today a mustang car pulled in front of us and waved us over after we climbed a very steep hill in Dalhousie. Turns out it was a couple that had done the tour du canada 2009. Great people and its neet to feel like we belong to an extra special group, sort of an elite club of extra ordinary people living a dream. This day was filled with great costal views. Judy was homesick a little today, misses the kids, her pooches, and of course "hell cat". She says she really missed the way she eats, her clean house, clean bedding, and walking around in her panties in the morning enjoying a quiet cup of great coffee (I miss her walking around in her panties too...). Short day (100 kms) and we ended up camped by the gulf of St. Lawrence, pretty relaxing day. Glimpses of orange / red and yellow dusting the Appalachians. A gentle reminder that our amazing journey will soon be coming to an end.

Lobster! Our turn to cook and we got to serve Lobster! And they even let us substitute thai noodles for the rice. Mark gave a lesson on how to eat the things...oops I have been wasting a lot of the best parts on Lobsters past...The day was light rain off and on, but a short pedal with no wind. Did a pace line with Bob for the last 40 kms so got to camp early. There was one high steep bridge over Miramichi river to pedal over...riders with fear of heights were warned.