The countryside is very pretty, the drivers are courteous (Canadians are very polite, eh?), the terrain is mostly flat, and the last few days the winds out of the south have been ferocious.  Roger has even made the winds part of his route selecting tactics so that we don’t end up battling a headwind “home” for the finish of our ride as we did a few days ago.  Now we know what it’s like to live in Florida.

Ride number four features a charming stretch of five miles along the Arcadia and Richelieu rivers.

We are treated to farmland on one side, and views of the the water, and people out on their boats as well as the Mount Saint Hilarre off in the distance.

We rest stop in Saint Basile and make a left turn off the water.

At first we are concerned that our route is blocked, but some local cyclists tell us that the bike path is complete, and we are able to enjoy a road completely free of cars for several miles on our loop.

We are riding along at a good clip until we head south, and back towards our starting point.  We are buffeted by strong headwinds for the rest of the ride and are so relieved when we finish the exhausting 34-mile ride.

We recover with an uber ride to Old Montreal for beer and BBQ!

A new windy day dawns and Roger has prepared a route that should (at least) give us the reward of a tailwind home…isn’t that what everyone wants? I am happy to report that he is successful, and we enjoy a wind aided last 10 miles of a 41-mile ride which sees our average speed go from 14.8 to 16 after the turn to the north.

As the winds die down, we recharge our batteries and walk the mile to China Town for dinner.

There are crowds of people everywhere.  Downtown Montreal is a happening place on Saturday night.

For our final ride of the trip, we exit the Isle of Montreal once again and head back to the Arcadia and Richelieu rivers and do a modified version of a ride from earlier in the week.

Our almost-daily commute over the St. Lawrence River.

We spend more time along the river, and get a much better view of the mountain.

The clouds are spectacular today.  Actually I’ve been amazed at the beauty of the cloud formations all week.  I don’t know if it’s because it’s so flat and we can see so far with nothing obstructing our view, but here are some excellent examples for you.

Coming up next time, my wrap up of the Montreal experience.

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