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Showing content with the highest reputation on 11/01/2025 in all areas

  1. Well got side tracked. Will try to finish this up. It had rained the night before and was a steady drizzle at 38F as I pulled pulled out onto rt 132. Almost immediately i saw the construction sign and stop sign. Not sure how to describe it, but I was at the crest of a blind hill, no tarmac just gravel and could not see more than maybe 100-150 ft before, well nothing. Found out later this hill is a 17% grade, yikes. One of the workers walked up towards me. Monsiuer, Attention, Frais! then kicked into the gravel to show it was indeed fresh, unpacked gravel, then waved me on. It was steep enough I used a bit of throttle to start out, then just kinda coasted and just used my clutch to slow when needed. It was just about a kilometer like this and I was painfully slow. The car behind me was far enough behind to clearly show its not "if" this guy dumps it, but "when". As I came up to the end of the gravel, all I saw was mud, about 1" on the road. Of course rain, fresh gravel, 17% grade will do that. No gas, bumped onto the tarmac and was fine for a second or 2, then the rear started to come around to the right, so a little gas, and kinda got straight for a second or two, then repeat until clear. To be perfectly honest, I am that guy who on a nice sunny day, in a perfectly level and maintained parking lot has dumped his bike. I really have no idea how I did not that morning. A whole 2 kms after turning onto 132, I wanted a break.🙂 No where to pull off so keep going. Ran into more constructionup near the town of Gaspe and stopped to chat briefly with a Mountie. Who confirmed, yes there is more on 132. So looking g at my map, I decided to cut the corner of the peninsula and take 198, a long lonely road I was last on maybe 20 years ago. Things hadn't changed much as I saw the signs, no services next 85 km, in fact there is only one town, Murdochville before you reach 132 again. About 50 kms in I still the only person on the road when I saw the construction sign. There was a car in front of me, he had been there a while. I was obvious the were improving the sightlines on the road by cutting back abot 50 ft either side. This involve cutting about half a billion trees it seems. Eventually just shy of 50 minutes later we were on our way, behind an escort vehicle, it took a while. I stopped for gas at Cap-Chat. The road between the junction of 132/198 and there is beautiful. My hands were so numb by then, I stepped in side this 2 pump station to warm them up and dry my hands so I could put a different pair of gloves on. I came out to see a school bus oariently parked behind my bike waiting to get to the sole diesel pump. I made a quick apology the thr driver and headed off. There was more rain, construction, cold, a bit of highway, occasional nice views, then I finally made it to my destination, Riviere du Loup, which my schoolboy French says is Wolf River. My motel was old school one story, but I could not find where to check in, in the dark. The was a St.Hubert restaurant directly attached to it so I parked outside and walked in to enquire. The restaurant was paced at a bit after 7:00, they were a sit down with a bar and was about to go ask a hostess where to check in when I looked straight in front of me, the register to my right said take out orders, to the left said motel reception. Well thar was a first. Finally in front of my room, I put the kickstand down over 10 hours after leaving Perce, and the door next to mine opened. He was Tom, an older guy from Nova Scotia, started asking questions and telling me about his Harley and FJR. He eventually noticed my CAF look and said, you must be ready for a hot shower. He was right. After getting cleaned up and warm I walked across the road to a Normandin restaurant. I ordered a bowl of soup, Burger and a beer as big as my head. Finished with the food and nursing my beer, I reach fir my phone. It wasn't there. I tried to remember when I would have lost it till it dawned on me, it was still in my tank bag in a plastic bag where I put it this am. It was one of those days. The old saying is, "pics or it didn't happen" Guess i have to say this time, "It happened, therefore no pics" 😁
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