In the Saguenay

     Quebec City has become one of my favorite places to visit. This one was measured in hours and with some reluctance I left my abode at Auberge Saint-Antoine and wound up and through the old city to reach Route 175.
     The dangerous two-lane Route 175 from Quebec City to Chicoutimi is being transformed into the divided four-lane Autoroute 73. It will be a beautiful road when completed, but now it’s just 200 kilometers of construction. I’ve noticed particular outcroppings and individual boulders that bulldozers and earthmoving equipment have carefully worked around and where streams have been channeled for form waterfalls. There’s no hiding mile after mile of high fences built to deter moose, but nothing is 100%. In the meridian between the north and south lanes stood a seemingly bewildered moose. The south lanes were still crushed stone and yellow machines worked nearby but this cow was oblivious to them. Somehow a path had been cut through the boreal forest and this prehistoric beast was stymied by the change. For me it was a warning: if there are moose about during the day, this was not a road to be traveled at night on a motorcycle.
     I easily find my biker-friendly hotel, La Saguenéenne. Regis Nadeau has been a presence at motorcycle shows in Montreal and Quebec City long before most people even thought about motorcycle tourism, but I’ve been unable to accept his invitation to stay at La Saguenéenne until now. There are more motorcycles on Quebec roads than in most regions in the states and the warm spring weather (last week it snowed) has everyone out. On a Tuesday during the day I saw more motorcycles on the road than during a nice weekend in Vermont.

     My guides for today are Nancy Donnelly of Tourisme Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and members of the Saguenay H.O.G. chapter. They know the roads and this provides me with an opportunity to drive and sightsee without having to navigate. This afternoon is just a shake down for tomorrow when members of the chapter are leading me the sights around Lac-Saint-Jean. This is the inside tour, with a couple of special requests thrown in.
     The Alma Bridge – the first aluminum bridge to be built in the world—spans the Saguenay River. In fact, this is where the river begins; I will follow it to the Saint Lawrence River not once, but twice in the next couple of days. Atlantic tides somehow intrude deep into the Quebec heartland. Here, a hundred kilometers from the St. Lawrence and hundreds more to the ocean, tide run 4 meters high and the river teems with shrimp and all that prey on them.

     We make a run to La Baie Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! is reputed to be an old French expression for a dead end and the bay was mistaken by early explorers as a continuation of the river. I think the proper pronunciation is more of in the vein of a sudden realization than that of a funny joke.
     Off we go to the locally famous cheese maker for cheddar curds. It’s worth the trip. The landscape reminds me of Vermont and the cheese is delicious.
     This is all for today. Thursday will be a full day of exploration. Right now it’s time for a cold beer and dinner with my new found friends.