Day 68, Friday, August 1, Nicolet, 71 km

After a relaxing 6:30 breakfast at the hotel we left Sorel either by #132 or by the bike path which paralleled the highway for the first 10 km. The bike path was well-marked, wide, flat and smooth and passed through woods and farm lands. However, it ended abruptly in a gazebo and we had to backtrack a few metres to the nearest exit to the highway.

We wanted to have a shorter day today, partly to take time to view the anticipated pretty villages more closely, and partly because the next nearest campsite would have meant a very long day of cycling. However, the few villages today weren't as unique as yesterday's and the houses were mundane for the most part.

I went into Yamaska to view the church with the two spires that I had seen from across the river yesterday. Others spent time in Pierreville where there were some older, more decorated homes to see. The Baie-du-Febvre area had a bird sanctuary where blackbirds were infesting a nearby cornfield. Coming into Nicolet, a rather large town with many government buildings, I saw the only sign I've seen in Quebec so far that had English! It was for a Munitions Test Center of Department of National Defense.

We crossed several rivers today which flow into the St. Lawrence and the bridges and their approaches were a pleasant break from the flatness of the area.

The weather has brightened up and I think we won't be having another storm tonight!
submitted by Yvonne