"On the road"

by Tom Euclide, guest blog writer
Julia Euclide, copy editor



Ever since Julia and I started sharing our plans to ride from Ohio to Newfoundland, friends have asked about the anticipated trail or road conditions. Well, now that we are over 2000 miles into the ride, we can report the trail conditions have been....varied!

Within the first week of our journey, we traveled on two lane roads, bike trails (the Greenway Trail) and a five-lane highway.  The busiest and most stessful were the roads leading into Buffalo, New York as the traffic was heavy and the headwinds were fierce.

Riding along Route 5 into the Buffalo southern suburbs

When the weather is good, we have felt safe riding along the roads as they often have wide, well maintained shoulders.

Canada roadways typically have a berm wide enough for a truck to pull to the side - or as I suspect, to store the snow pushed to the sides in the winter.

Much of our riding in Canada to date has been on the Route Verte or Trans Canada trail system.  Route Verte (Route Verte Link) is a sign posted route and is Quebec's portion of the Great Trail.  (Great Trail)  The route is comprised of designated bike trails which have a variety of surfaces and both paved and unpaved roadways.  It is well marked but the pathway it follows can be rough.  In Montreal,  the Route Verte is a smooth paved bicycle trail often safely separated from the roadway.  In rural areas and in parks the trail surface can be dirt or gravel.  Some parts are very steep and would be great fun on a mountain bike with suspension - but not for loaded touring bikes.  For most of the Gaspe Peninsula, Route Verte is highway 132, a two lane highway with a wide paved berm.  This roadway is essentially the only way around the peninsula - no matter your mode of travel.

Route Verte along the Saint Lawrence was often separated from traffic, especially in towns and cities.

Overall, our route has been beautiful, traveling through small towns, up and down rolling hills and mountains and along the blue waters of the great lakes, Saint Lawrence and now the ocean.  Along the way, we have encountered some interesting, and sometimes frightening, signs and events.  Below is a photo log of some of these more interesting signs and events.

Checking out the wood turtles as they lay their eggs in the trail

Plenty of these signs - 3 moose observed on the road so far

Avalanches (snow).  This sign was along the coast as we approached Forillion.

your standard falling rock  - a frequently seen sign

What!!!! Waves and cars veering toward us?!

great.  not again.

This was the steepest posted grade we have encountered,  but we believe we had steeper, unsigned segments.

Based on the signage and the stories, winter must be hard on the Acadian Peninsula of New Brunswick

To get to Land's End in Forillion park we had to ride along a  gravel road and then a narrow trail.  Along the trail there was a sign reading:  "Bears use this trail."

Turbine wing passing with full police escort.  This one happened to be passing while we were also negotiating construction workers and asphalt trucks.

Loaded and empty logging trucks were a frequent sight.  Wood products are a big part of the rural Quebec economy.

The ubiquitous logging truck (and Julia)

We are now moving into New Brunswick and have already witnessed a change in roadway conditions as the roadways became narrower and our paved berms are disappearing.  Time will tell how our route evolves as we travel through the Maritime Provinces.