Day 67, Thursday, July 31, Sorel, 117 km.

At breakfast this morning we discussed the huge thunder and lightning storm which occurred during the night, sounding very close to the campsite. It lasted two hours and one strike was so close that it apparently stripped a tree just 20 feet from Jim and Ute's tent....we did not notice it but Brenda did as she was leaving because the other campers were looking at the damage. Good thing we didn't know until later! I also heard a plane coming in very low to Mirabel Airport. A very unsettling night!

We headed out on #158 (which changed to #339 later) through Ste-Sophie which looked like horse country. Along the way a large dog dashed across the road to accost us; Dave 3 swore at it in French to no avail. We passed several fromageries and dropped in at one to purchase several cheeses and sausage. This area has large, prosperous-looking dairy farms, soyabean fields and corn fields, and quite flat terrain. The road sometimes had a bikelane but with little traffic safety wasn't an issue.

We saw several villages, in particular, St. Roch de l'Achigan, which had very interesting homes and shops. The houses in the countryside had large, well-manicured lawns and lots of flowers and/or ornaments in the gardens. The homes are highly decorated and each is unique. There were many Mansard and Normandie roofs, even on the new homes. In the villages the homes and shops tended to be brightly painted with wrap-around porches and elaborate balconies. We all wished we had more time to explore this beautiful area.

Finally, at St. Sulpice we turned onto #138, heading north, and had our first view of the mighty St. Lawrence River. Unfortunately it had a haze covering it so was rather gray but nonetheless, it was exciting to see. After a quick lunch by the river we continued on. There were acreages extending to the river with mansions far back from the road and older large homes closer to the road. There were several antique stores but surprisingly, only one bed and breakfast.

Finally we arrived at the ferry to Sorel. While we were waiting Brenda phoned to say that the campsite where we were to stay was having a thunder and lightning storm and that our sites were flooded! She suggested that we look for accommodation in Sorel instead of heading 30 km to the north. With help from tourist information we all ended up in a nice hotel..Auberge de la Rive.....where we were happy to wait out the storm.
submitted by Yvonne