For those that are keeping count, today I completed my third fully
loaded century, 103 miles. The mild tailwinds helped, but I think
the incentive of making it to Montréal was the prime motivating
factor.

I left Morrisburg early, and before 8:00 I found myself on this
dedicated bike path in Crystal Beach Park. The asphalt was smooth so
my bike was running very quiet. I looked up and running about thirty
feet beside me was a family of white tailed deer. I would have
stopped to take a picture, but I was afraid that any change in noise
or movement would scare them off. Eventually, they passed me,
crossed the road, and disappeared into the woods.

The ride from Morrisburg to the border was still basically along the
Waterfront Trail. It passed along some old canals and through some
riverside parks near Cornwall, and for the most part stayed close to
the water.

Once I crossed into Québec, I switched to La Route verte.
Québec has over 2,000 miles of bike routing crisscrossing the most
beautiful regions of the province. It is a combination of dedicated
bike paths, and separated bike lanes that are well signed. When you
cross a road, there are even signs that direct you and tell you how
far the nearby restaurants and services are.

At one point I was pedaling on a 21 kilometres paved path along the
old Soulange Canal. There were picnic benches every 500 meters and
very few of them were empty. The great weather also added to the
participation.

Crossing onto Ile de Montréal (Island of Montreal) was a bit a
tricky, but both bridges had bike lanes. From there I had to ride
on quiet residential streets of the outlying suburbs, because the
route headed downtown to Old Montréal and I was headed to the west
end suburb I used to live in.

I am actually staying at the home of friends looking out of a window
at my old house. I had dinner with my parents at my sister's
house last night, and for the next few days I get to rest and catch
up on office work.

Why? Because the rest of my group of merry travelers made it to
Watertown, New York, and will need at least two day to arrive. I
thought that would mean several days off the bike, but I know I will
be tempted to take a short spin around my old neighbourhood.

I pedalled 3,299 miles to get here. I know. I should have gone
around the block a few times to make it an even 3,300 miles.