kmev Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Thought I would post a ride I just completed to a region that does not get a lot of publicity - the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Gaspe Peninsula. This region does not have an over abundance of super twisty roads, but if you like maritime culture and wish to see whales without a boat, this is the place to do it. I would place it on par to a Lake Superior Circle Tour, but a lot longer and saltier. I rode from Madison, Wisconsin, so the first few days were just getting there. I had purchased the FJ-09 just a few weeks prior to replace my previous long-hauler, a BMW K75S, so this was a shakedown cruise to get familiar with the new bike. I had ridden the west half of the Trans Canada Highway the summer prior, and the eastern half was very similar - everyone knows what passing lanes are and are very polite about using them, allowing a motorcycle to make great time. Ontario has plenty of scenery, curves, and great road conditions. I worked late the night before departure, so I got a late start and the first day was minimal mileage. Montreal traffic sucked - it was just like Chicago, but in French. Oh yeah, there was a tunnel under the St. Lawrence Seaway, so I guess it was more like Norfolk traffic. In the rest of Canada all signs are both in English and French. In Quebec they are much more pretentious, so road signs are in French only. I was glad I had my Garmin Zumo for navigation and speed limits (which were surprisingly accurate). I camped during most of the trip. This is in Quebec City, which has a pretty cool castle-like government building that you can see from most places in the city. This was the most expensive campsite at $45 US at a KOA campground. I was solo, so I spent more time riding than sightseeing. This city would be a great place to spend some time, from what I saw. The KOA campground was in the middle of Quebec City, and as soon as I hit the road the following morning I was sitting in stop and go traffic for about and hour. As soon as I got out of the city it started raining, and it rained for the rest of the day. My Aerostich Roadcrafter is admirable for a few hours in the rain, but everything has it's breaking point and the Aerostich is no different. The dot in the middle of the weather radar is me, and this system followed me up the coast all day long. I stopped in Rimouski to see the Empress of Ireland museum (while dripping wet), and then continued on until I had had enough of the cold, fog, and rain and I got a motel room for the night to dry my gear out. The weather cleared the following morning and the ride was overcast, but pleasant. Air temps stayed around 50 to 58 degrees the entire time, so my heated electric jacket and grips were in constant use. The ride along the coast was nice - curvy with lots of scenery. This is the first road I've ever been on that had signs for "falling rock", "avalanche", and my favorite: "waves may wash you into the sea" along the same stretch of road. I took a tour of the tallest lighthouse in Canada, which had great views from the top. In the Farallons National Park I walked along a trail to the lighthouse on the point. I had no idea that I would find the northern terminus of the Appalachian trail - in Quebec! Walking along this trail I saw Minke and Humpback whales surfacing along the shoreline, as well as gray seals frolicking in the surf. I also had to step around a lot of moose and bear dung on the trail. On into Perce, where the famous Perce Rock is unmistakable. I found a campsite right on the ocean, and as I was setting up camp I heard a whale spout, looked offshore, and saw whales feeding along a tide rip that was 200 yards from my tent. I had a great dinner that night, and the next morning hit the road on the way back. I crossed the St. Lawrence via ferry and rode the north shore back west, stopping at the Saguenay Fjord to hike and look for Beluga whales, which I did not see. The ride down the north shore was nice, with a lot of tourist towns along the way. My Rever app combined two days worth of rides into one, which shows nicely just how long the St. Lawrence Seaway really is. I spent the night in Kingston, Ontario, having just missed some friends by a day. The next day I rode the rest of the way home in one long haul. It had been a few years since I was in Toronto, and the traffic there has gotten extremely worse than what I remember - I lost two hours sitting in stop and go traffic through what has become an immensely sprawled city. Overall impressions of the FJ09: while not as smooth as the BMW K75S, it performs far better, gets better fuel mileage and range, and is a much funner bike to ride than the K75S. I just need to find a seat that is more accommodating to the mileages I like to ride. I was concerned about traveling in Quebec and not speaking a lick of French, but almost everyone I met had at at least a working knowledge of English. For the few that did not, Google Translate got me what I needed. Overall, I rode 3,556 miles over 6 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member rustyshackles Posted June 24, 2018 Premium Member Share Posted June 24, 2018 Great stuff thanks for sharing!! IBA Member #59800 3 Nations Brewing Mug Club #100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsmith Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Great ride and write-up - I enjoyed it! Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmev Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 Thanks for sharing.... sounds like a great trip. Riding east into and past Quebec (I am just to the left of Toronto) is on my list. Drove there several times, but never travelled by motorcycle.When I got off the ferry in Godbout on the north shore I contemplated riding east to the end of the road near Labrador, but decided to leave that for another trip. I think it would be a great ride, based on what I saw west of Godbout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member racreative Posted June 27, 2018 Premium Member Share Posted June 27, 2018 Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlambke19 Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Any reason why I can't see your photos? I am logged in and on both my laptop or iPad the images don't show up. The only ones that do are the Rever app screen caps. Ar they posted anywhere else? I've also ridden out to Gaspe (many years ago on a VFR) and loved every minute of it! Cheers, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 I can’t see the images either. Red 2015 Tracer, UK spec (well, it was until I started messing with it...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmev Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 I'm not sure why the images are not showing - I can see them. Both the screen captures and photos were uploaded to this site as images, so it's not a third-party hosting problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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