12% grade. That's the answer to the question: How steep is the hill before Molly will walk her bike? I figured it out very quickly today. We knew that crossing the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Forillon National Park would mean long steep hills. We stopped at the bottom for a fortifying snack before beginning our ascent. The pause was more to gather our wits than it was about needing sustenance. I gritted my way though the first big hill, surmounting it only by standing and pedaling. And breathing hard. After only a brief downhill we were soon ascending again. The road rose, increased in pitch and turned into an even steeper grade. That's the one that did me in. I set my sights on a reasonable goal up the hill, reached it and then allowed myself to succumb to gravity. Rich long ago determined that walking requires far less energy, and sticks to that philosophy. I still prefer to try and conquer each hill under pedal power, but I do have limits. I found them today. But only on one hill!

Molly walks her first hill

Rich pauses at the top of the hill

That passage through the hills also divided our day in two. We started off under calm and sunny skies as we skirted Gaspé Bay. The quiet protected waters provided pastoral views reflected in the bay. It was easy cycling which we savored, knowing what was yet to come.

Scenic view across Gaspé Bay

Morning sun and clouds make an interesting view

Upon reaching the other side of the peninsula, we were greeted by the Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse. Loving lighthouses as much as I do fishing harbors, I was thrilled by the sight. It happens to be the highest lighthouse in Canada. For us it also marked the entrance to the St. Lawrence Seaway. For two Duluthians, that has particular significance, as we live on the extreme opposite end of the seaway. One could sail from that lighthouse all the way through the Great Lakes to our home town!

Cap-des-Rosier lighthouse

The St. Lawrence Seaway also changed our day dramatically. Suddenly open to the large body of water we were slammed by the wind racing down the seaway. It brought a bitter chill off the water, and combined with the clouds that materialized, it quickly became the coldest day of cycling that we've had yet. The coastline also delivered its own set of steep repeating hills. We hadn't expected to encounter them quite so soon, and combined with the headwind we got quite a workout. It was an easy decision not to camp for the evening. We both heaved a sigh of relief when we checked into a motel, with red wind blown faces and chilled fingers and toes. Was it really just this morning we cycled on the flats in the warm sunshine?

Looking ahead, the forecast is for continued headwinds. We already know that BIG hills lay ahead. And I know I'm going to have to walk again. But I'm not going to apologize for it. That's life.

Progress to date: 33 days, 1466 miles

A year ago I'd never even heard of Gaspé. That all changed when Rich came up with the outrageous idea of the Grand Gaspé Cycling Tour. And today, 1466 miles later we're in Gaspé! Throughout all of our planning and certainly as we cycled through the miles, Gaspé has felt like the pinnacle of our trip. Even though we are still only 2/3 of the way done, we can't help but feel like we've made it. Just getting to Gaspé is an accomplishment in itself.

There's really little of value I can add. For now it's enough just to be here. I'll let the pictures show the lead up to Gaspé and our arrival.

Early morning fog just burning off, with the headlands of Percé in the background

Rich by the Coin-du-Banc salt marshes

I'm always happy when we find a good coffee shop!

Coastal view

Cliffs getting higher - as are the cycling hills!

Indian Head Rock

We arrive in Gaspé!

Time to celebrate!

Percé presented us with a dilemma. It is the eastern-most point of Gaspésie situated in a valley between two high ridges, reached by steep and winding roads. I'd read about the spectacular beauty of the area and had my heart set on seeing it. Rich took stock in the advice of another long distance cyclist who sang the praises of the flatter road that bypassed it all. Fortunately, our Warm Showers host enabled us to do both!

But let me back up. For days the weather reports have been predicting rain. So far, it hadn't materialized except at night. Yesterday the threat seemed more ominous as we started out under dark clouds, so we pressed on leaving Port-Daniel early in the morning hoping to beat the raindrops. But we also encountered the beginning of the steep hills in Gaspésie, as well as a stiff headwind coming right off the water. So we had our work cut out for us. Miraculously, the skies cleared once again and we felt comfortable backing off our pace. I thought it even made the wind more tolerable (“ocean breezes” I called them), but Rich begged to differ on that point.

The payoff for the hill work was the increasingly dramatic coastline. The cliffs began to have the same reddish color we'd seen on PEI. And the views were captivating. Beaches still alternated with cliffs along the shore, and the wind whipped the water into reasonable sized waves that pounded the sand. It may not have been a calm warm day, but it had its own appeal.

Coastal View

View of Grande-Rivière

Our host home for the night was in Cap-d'Espoir, just south of Percé. We were surprised to see the return of rural farmland on the landscape, and delighted to find the home inland on a mile of undeveloped land. We were warmly greeted by Nathalie, who also delivered the latest weather report: 90% chance of rain overnight and throughout the next day, accumulating up to 2″ of rain. Would we like to stay a second night? They were the sweetest words we ever heard!

With certain impending rain, she offered to take us into Percé to see the sights. We didn't hesitate for a moment, knowing it might be our only chance. Nathalie was poised to be an excellent tour guide, as she works in the tourism industry, and she enthusiastically showed us the best sights. The Rocher-Percé dominates the seacoast right from the town – I had not expected it to be so close and I imposing! Even in the dreary weather we could appreciate its massive size and unique structure. We walked up the steep hills near the Rocher where there are attracitve red and white buildings belonging to the university and Haritage Canada. Walking the beach and out on the wharf in the brisk air was envigorating and a nice change from cycling.

Our first view of Rocher-Percé

Rich and the Rocher-Percé

Close-up of Rocher--Percé

Shoreline opposite the Rocher

We could see Bonaventure island opposite the town, with its historic buildings. The opposite side of the island is home to over 200,000 northern gannets (cool looking white birds), but it was not the type of day for a boat ride to see them.

Although the drive into town involved some impressive hills, when Nathalie pointed out the continuation of that road going north we began to get the idea. At 13% grade for almost 2 kilometers, it would most certainly be a cycling challenge! But that was only the tip of the iceberg. She then drove us along that stretch, and it is a sight that will forever be etched in my mind! Over the summit, the road twisted and turned with sheer cliff walls on one side and plummeting straight down into the water on the other. Add to that more steep grades, alternating up and down, and I knew I would feel sheer terror trying to navigate it on my bike. I didn't know whether to be relieved that I would be spared the challenge or disappointed not to see those gorgeous views at close range.

There's no doubt that we will be taking the bypass road tomorrow when we forge on. But thanks to Nathalie, we were still able to take in the beauty of Percé. She was right about the rain. It finally caught up with us. And we've spent a relaxing day staying dry with her warm hospitality. She's been a wealth of information and fascinating conversation, and like us appreciates lingering over a bottle of wine in the evenings. Yes, there are many jewels in Percé.

Thank you Nathalie for a great stay!

In many ways we are an unlikely pair. Rich at 6'2″ towers over my 5'1″ frame, and even his bike dwarfs mine. But we have no problem cycling together, trading the lead depending in the conditions and stopping as necessary to accommodate each others' needs.

When it comes to weather, our differences truly surface. While Rich can't tolerate the heat, my capacity for handling the cold is severely limited. Now that the days are shortening, and the weather is cooling off, we look all the more incongruous traveling together. Take yesterday, for example. Clouds obscured the sun for much of the day, preventing its warming rays from raising the temperature our of the 50s. We faced a stiff headwind with a distinct chill off the Gulf of St. Lawrence. My early morning extra layers of warmth never came off. And Rich? He thought it was still mid-summer! We were both comfortable.

Each night we plan the next day's ride in detail. More accurately, Rich plans it out with Google Maps conveniently downloaded to his tablet. That gets transcribed to turn by turn riding directions which he places in his front pack for easy reference. That becomes his bible for the day. Me, I refold my map. The first thing I do upon entering a new province is visit the tourist info center and get a new paper map. I'm a very visual person, and love that tactical reference point in my front pack. It's my reference point for the day, following our progress town by town. We each cling to our own method. But we always make it to the same destination at the end of the day.

Photography is a common interest of ours. We even have nearly identical cameras. But subject matters tend to vary. Rich constantly keeps a lookout for birds, craving an opportunity to either capture a new species or catch an interesting shot of a favorite fowl. Wildflowers are another passion of his. I think he documented every single flower on the Confederation Trail on PEI. For my part, I can't resist harbors. I traipse down to every wharf, pause at each inlet and look for interesting angles on the docked boats. Fishing boats have become a particular favorite of mine. It's rather nice to have two perspectives on the sights we pass.

Two people. One trip. We will probably each tell the stories differently when we get back. But that's the spice of life. It's worked for 1,400 miles so far. I expect it will last for another 800 miles.

Progress to date: 30 days, 1,368 miles

When we stopped at the Information Booth upon entering Quebec, the woman added us to list of visitors and asked how long we'd be there. We looked at each other and shrugged. She seemed a bit mystified, but even after she told us the mileage around the Gaspé Peninsula we still didn't know how long it would take us. We finally told her two weeks and let it go at that. We're far enough into this trip now that days are blurring together and time seems unimportant. It's a great feeling!

We also leaned a new term: Gaspésie. It refers to the whole Gaspé Peninsula. I rather like the snappy shorthand for where we are.

Like most of the other areas we've cycled through, we are following the coastal road. Many times in the past it seemed a stretch to show the road alongside the water, when there were few views along the way. And in Maine, the coastline was so ragged that we rarely got all the way out to the ocean's edge. But here in Gaspésie we have truly been right near the water for two days straight. We've gotten an eyeful of Chaleur Bay with its capes and inlets, and now it is widening out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

To the other side, the land rises into steep, forested hills. Their constant presence is a reminder of the hilly interior of the peninsula. It is a beautiful backdrop to the water scenes and the coastal towns. Along the bay there is a buffer of flat land between the water and the hills. We've been enjoying that mild terrain and the carefree cycling it has afforded us. Blessed with clear sunny days, it has made for extremely pleasant travel.

We had the good fortune to stay in a Warm Showers host home right on Chaleur Bay. Rising early, we caught a nice sunrise over the bay right from their yard. We were pleased to get in a few hours of cycling before the ever-present winds started up. Not only was it smooth riding, but the reflections in the calm waters were a rare treat.

Not all of our favorite sights involve natural beauty. Sometimes a little humor and creative spirit goes a long way to entertain a couple of weary cyclists. Such was the case in New Carlisle. There we found a vast collection of uniquely painted fire hydrants to tickle our fancy. They even had one of our dear dog, Spot! Our progress through town was severely hindered by the need for frequent photo stops, but neither of us minded.

Having reached the end of the bay, it would appear that we have also run out of mild terrain. We have had a few stretches of rolling hills to get us warmed up. And today we finished up with one serious climb. From the looks of the incline leading out of town in the morning, we are heading straight into the hills. Gaspésie is about to show us her true colors. The honeymoon is over. I sure hope we're ready.

Progress to date: 27 days, 1,196 miles

Throughout this trip, when we tell people we're going to cycle the Gaspé Peninsula, they first exclaim how beautiful it is. Then they go on about the hills and wind. We nod politely and say “yeah, we know.” But do we?

We are finally within striking distance. The day before yesterday, we could see the peninsula across Chaleur Bay. It was our first glimpse. “See those high ridges over there?” Rich says. It was enough to send us scurrying to pull up topographical maps of the area, scouring them for the imposition of height on roadway. The first part looks all right, actually. There appears to be enough flatter land between the hills and the coast for a road to squeak through. That's our road. Out toward the end, near the town of Gaspé we know there are cliffs and hills will be unavoidable. The question is only how soon we will encounter them.

I have another niggling concern in the back of my mind. Cold. Already the mornings are chillier and the wind crisper. We've been extremely fortunate with the weather so far. In fact Rich would say it's been too hot. But with September nearly upon us, and traveling in a northerly direction, I can see only one outcome. Brrrr! Once again, we have yet to learn how much cooler it will get, and I can only hope the small arsenal of cold weather clothing scrunched into my panniers will be sufficient.

More than one person has told us we're going the “wrong direction.” With the prevailing winds out of the west, we'll be facing smack into them all the way down the St. Lawrence Seaway. Well, wouldn't we get them one way or another heading out to the end at Gaspé and back? That's my reasoning. I'll cling to that to get me through.

The timing of our travels is such that it has us heading around the Gaspé Peninsula in Septermber. Apparently it shuts down in October, and many places begin to close in September. For a sparsely populated area where lodging and restaurants may be spread far apart already, that could be a challenge. That's why we're carrying camping equipment. Perhaps we'd better replenish our supply of bagels and peanutbutter.

Despite all that, I'm not just looking ahead but looking forward to Gaspé. It's the namesake of our Grand Gaspé Tour, and to me it has always felt like the pinnacle of our adventure. It's what makes this an audacious trip. Getting there and seeing the scenery will be all the sweeter for all the effort involved in the process.

Tomorrow afternoon we will leave New Brunswick and enter the province of Quebec. And head out the Gaspé Peninsula. No more looking ahead. We'll be living it.