August 5, 2024. Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec to Cornwall, Ontario.

    Last night was atypical as we locked our bikes to some chairs just outside our motel door, as they were under an overhang and the motel was hidden behind the owner’s house out in the country. Also the room was quite small and it was much easier not to bring them inside. Typically we bring them into the room overnight (and sometimes they end up being drying racks for washed clothes!)

   We followed the south channel of the Ottawa River back to the St. Lawrence, and there followed a path along another canal all the way to where the St. Lawrence widened out and was called Lake St. Francis. About halfway along the canal, we suddenly realized that an expressway was going under us and so we were on an aqueduct. When we were driving out to Maine, we had taken this expressway, Autoroute 30, when we looped around Montreal.

            Expressway going under the aqueduct

    When we weren’t on an off-road dedicated bike path we were usually on a somewhat busy road but with reasonable shoulders. We had some rain today, so often needed to wear our raincoats.

   Our best interaction today was when we looped to the right to follow a path that went under a bridge and along a small river we had just crossed on the road. Under the bridge was a young guy with an electric bike keeping himself and the bike dry until the rain eased. He lived locally and gave us some directions and we appreciated his helpfulness.

   Today we left Quebec and the Routes Vertes (Green Routes) and crossed into Ontario, so we're making progress on our trip. Now we are following the Waterfront Trail.