Possible '09 Quebec Trip

[Blues]

I've been hanging around the house for the last week trying to recovery from a bout of vertigo and reading some of the recent trip reports about adventure rides in Quebec and Labrador so this got me going doing some planning for a trip I may do next summer. As there looks like there may be some interest here in general I throw it out as kinda of a work in progress and hope that others may add to it and the whole thing will take shape as a possible group trip over time.

In a nut shell I'm thinking about an 7-8 day ride from Burlington, VT, mostly dirt but nothing too extreme ( hopefully no railroad tracks, LOL ), any where from 150 to 250  miles per day. Possibly set-up a base camp in the Charlevoix region and do some day trips from there. I did some of this last summer and it was awesome, need to take a closer look. The main interest is to get away, experience some different things, and have fun. Move along at a good pace but smell the roses too. So...

Day 1, Burlington, VT  to Lac Lac-Megantic; mostly dirt roads across the North East Kingdom of Vermont and into Quebec. Very scenic this stretch, a little mud and stuff but real ridable with 50-50 tires.

Day 2, rendez-vous with some of the local riders and ride up the Chaudiere river valley, through Quebec City, and up to Des Haute Gorges-de-la-riviere Malbaie. 50-50 dirt/street, take the ferry from Levis to Quebec City ( very dramatic, well worth the 6 bucks ). Des Haute Gorges has the highest cliffs in the North East, upwards of 3500 feet, and some dramtic scenary. I road past here last summer and it is quite different from any thing I've seen before.

I was thinking of doing a base camp here for a few days as there is allot to see and do in the area.

Local riding:

While riding up the access road to the park I did see allot of small side roads that disappeared into the dense woods. They looked more like tunnels than roads. If I read the signs correctly you have to register with the rangers before going in there and from looking at detailed maps I can see why. I'm not sure if motorcycle are permitted on these roads nor what's in there, large critters and bugs for sure. For once in my life I did the prudent thing and stayed out. It's really remote.

Saguenay Fjord:

I always thought fjords were in Norway but it turns out that this is the second largest fjord in the world, maybe 1-3 miles across with rock walls dropping 1000 feet down to the water. It's a real jaw dropper when you see it. Lots to see and do here. Kayak trips, hikes, etc. Apparently the only place in the world where Blue whales come in near the shore. I didn't see any of these but did see well over 50 whales in two hours on a Zodiac, very worth while, not a cheesy tourist thing at all.

Other:

Baie St Paul. Very cool, artsy village, apparently Circ de Soliel originated here. Great food!
L'ilse-aux-Coudres. Small island off the coast, interesting dirt road to explore when the tide is out.
Tadoussac. Oldest continuous European settlement in North America. Great whale watching, lots of history, and a cool ferry ride. May do a loop from des Haute Gorges to Tadoussac and then take back roads up the east side of the Saguenay. Appears to be very remote over there. It looks like CurveMadd 3 was over that way on his trip. A long day for sure.
Chicoutimi. Ok, I need to see for myself if the stories I hear from my Montreal buddies are true.

Return trip.

Take the St Simeon-Riviere-du-loop ferry to the south shore, head inland and do back roads along the Maine-Quebec border to Lac Megantic, probably a long day. Then Lac Megantic back to Burlington, again dirt roads/back road.

My schedule is somewhat fluid other than a couple of specific dates. I have room for 2 or 3 riders at my places if that helps some make the trip and we can park an extra truck or trailer as well. All in all I'm thinking roughly 1500 miles from here depending. Lots of individual type of stuff to do in the area too. For rides in the remote areas I'd recommend at least 3 riders, 2 GPS units, excellent navigational skills and cool heads.

If you're interesting in all of it or part of it let me know.

[olebiker]

We might be in for all or part. I do want to do the Gaspe next summer. Part will depend on what the wife decides to ride. She is good to a dirt or gravel rd. more than that and she needs another bike.

[Red Devil]

OK


I'm in depending on the dates...


AS a suggestion, have you thought of going to Parent? (N47 55.180 W74 37.427)

This place is truly a paradise for dual-purpose bikes. There is an ''off-road'' culture here. Tons and tons of fire roads, scenery and varied technical difficulties.

Heck there is even an old landing strip in the middle of nowhere from one of the closed down cold-war NORAD bases (Casey). Nice place to drag with fellow KLR'ers. It could apparently land a 747...

Here's a video of it, of course it's in french. In this one I we were filming my Buddy blazing by on his GS and wanting a full effect, I put the camera on the ground. Unfortunately he came a little closer to try to impress us and accidentally ran over it...Cost me a couple of bucks but nonetheless we had a good laugh though...
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/y_Sx1R6JVHQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/y_Sx1R6JVHQ</a>

Here's a video of another crew that went last year, just to give you a better taste...

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/cxMzGgKciQs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/cxMzGgKciQs</a>

RedDevil

[curvemadd3]

We might be in for all or part. I do want to do the Gaspe next summer. Part will depend on what the wife decides to ride. She is good to a dirt or gravel rd. more than that and she needs another bike.

What does she rides??

[curvemadd3]

I could be in depending dates,I do have space also to park trucks and trailers.The fjord should be seen both sides and for the whales you should go see them from shoreside near Grandes-Bergeronnes which is 20-25 km from the Tadoussac ferry.Little entrance fees and whales 75' to 100' just ahead of you(almost guaranteed!!).We can probably fix something with local riders who knows their piece of land,so you can ride the type of ride you want.I'll stay tuned.
Eric

[olebiker]

We might be in for all or part. I do want to do the Gaspe next summer. Part will depend on what the wife decides to ride. She is good to a dirt or gravel rd. more than that and she needs another bike.

What does she rides??

1000 virago. Looking for a low seat dual sport.

[curvemadd3]

We might be in for all or part. I do want to do the Gaspe next summer. Part will depend on what the wife decides to ride. She is good to a dirt or gravel rd. more than that and she needs another bike.

What does she rides??

1000 virago. Looking for a low seat dual sport.

Anything can be done with patience!!!It doesn't have to be hardcore all the way,but it is an option.(Refering to video,it is not probably everybody's taste but it can be done)

[Blues]

I watched some of the Parent, QC video, interesting for sure, a long ways out but interesting. I was hoping around the Haute Gorges area to make a base camp and do some similar riding without the luggage ( I need all the help I can get ). Curvemadd if you guys have a club member up that way that could guide us around for a day or two that would be great. Nothing like local knowledge. I'd also like to spend a day or two exploring the Saguenay Fjord, maybe by kayak, from what I saw last summer it is just stunning.

Olebiker, the dirt roads from here to Quebec City are easier than the Parent video, most of it easily doable on a road bike but a dual sport would be allot more enjoyable. It would all depend on how we route it. Mostly it's hard pack dirt but if it rains allot like last summer it can get greasy. Also, if they top dress the roads it can be tricky on a big bike. Have you looked at an BMW F 650 w/ the 19 inch front wheel, those are pretty low and with the fuel tank under the seat have a real low cog.

I didn't have any dates in mind yet- probably firm that up mid- winter. I always do the Jazz fest which is the first week of July and I also play in the Toe Blake/Montreal Alzhimer Golf outing which is the last week of August, other than that I'm wide open.

[curvemadd3]

My annual summervacation are habitually on the second,third and fouth of July,and the weather is pretty good up here so it would be a pleasure to jump in the action.I'll put something on our site to fix a ride during your trip so you can all enjoy Qc.Whenever you settle for a precise moment,just let me know,i'll fix something and be there myself.
Eric

[olebiker]

I watched some of the Parent, QC video, interesting for sure, a long ways out but interesting. I was hoping around the Haute Gorges area to make a base camp and do some similar riding without the luggage ( I need all the help I can get ). Curvemadd if you guys have a club member up that way that could guide us around for a day or two that would be great. Nothing like local knowledge. I'd also like to spend a day or two exploring the Saguenay Fjord, maybe by kayak, from what I saw last summer it is just stunning.

Olebiker, the dirt roads from here to Quebec City are easier than the Parent video, most of it easily doable on a road bike but a dual sport would be allot more enjoyable. It would all depend on how we route it. Mostly it's hard pack dirt but if it rains allot like last summer it can get greasy. Also, if they top dress the roads it can be tricky on a big bike. Have you looked at an BMW F 650 w/ the 19 inch front wheel, those are pretty low and with the fuel tank under the seat have a real low cog.

I didn't have any dates in mind yet- probably firm that up mid- winter. I always do the Jazz fest which is the first week of July and I also play in the Toe Blake/Montreal Alzhimer Golf outing which is the last week of August, other than that I'm wide open.

I am originally from the Sherbrooke area so I have ridden many of the back roads in the townships. Kathi (mother goose) rides those roads well. I would also consider a ride alone up into the more northern parts to get some riding like I watched in that second video. Obviously they don't fit a road bike.