Street Key

BP: Bike path

QCR: Quiet country road

QRT: Quiet residential street, little traffic

QRA: Quiet residential boulevard, somewhat busy

BMB: Busy main boulevard, quite busy

BIS: Busy industrual street, busy with trucks

VBMB: Very busy main boulevard, many lanes, lots of traffic

MHWY: Busy main highway, traffic speeding by at 100km/h

A foggy morning. The fog hung overhead, looking like an overcast day. It was a tough call. Was it going to rain or not? The weather channel pronounced fog, clearing to partly cloudy, with chance of afternoon thunder showers. The sun and patches of blue would poke their nose through the grey from time to time, at other times the sky would darken and a few drops would fall. It was cool all morning. The sky did not clear until 12:30.

Montreal: Down Grand Boulevard, heading north (BMB)...

Hampstead: ... which becomes Glenmore (QRS) as it crosses Cote St. Luc Road. Right onto Haverstock (QRS: 1 block, then left on Albion (QRS: 1 block), then right on Merton (QRA), which becomes Landsdowne. Left on Dufferin(QRS), which crosses Fleet Road. Left on Ferncroft(QRS)...

Montreal: ...which becomes Plamondon (QRS). Left on Clanranald (QRS), which passes Decarie Square and comes to a stop at the railroad tracks.

[7:25-7:40: 15 minutes riding]

Blue Bonnets: Portage bike across railroad tracks (Against regulations). Continue straight (north), across Blue Bonnets parking lot to the far side, then follow the access road to the left around behind the stands. Find a a small exit to the right. (BIS).

[7:40-7:45: 5 minutes, 20 minutes riding so far]

Mount Royal: The exit becomes Devonshire. Follow Devonshire (BIS) along the factory row, to the end at the Kraft Food Plant by the Metropolitain Expressway (Hwy 40). Right where Devonshire ends is a pedestrian walkway across the railroad tracks and under the highway.

[7:45-7:50: 5 minutes, 25 minutes riding so far]

Ville St. Laurent: Follow quiet residential streets, parallelling the main boulevard, Marcel Laurin. First, turn right on Authier (QRS), then right on Scott (QRS), then left on Marlatt (QRS), then right on De l’Eglise (QRS), then left on St. Aubin. Follow St. Aubin to Cote Vertu (7:58)

Turn right on Cote Vertu (VBMB) and go one block east to Marcel Laurin. Turn left on Marcel Laurin (VBMB). [Actually, I angle to the far side of Cote Vertu and nip into the shopping centre on the northwest corner of the intersection. Then I follow the sidewalk (Against regulations) up along Marcel Laurin.

After two blocks, come to Thimens. Turn right onto Thimens (BMB) and follow it one block east to Grenet. Turn left on Grenet (BMB) and follow it to the end. It parallels Marcel Laurin, but is less busy. Grenet goes along behind some Canadair buildings and behind the new shopping centre. On the right it is residential.

[7:50-8:08 18 minutes, 38 minutes riding so far]

Montreal: Grenet crosses Henri Bourassa (8:08) and then continues, underneath the Cartierville train station and into Cartierville. Continue straight on Grenet. It crosses De Salaberry (8:12) and finally ends at Boulevard Gouin (8:15). Turn left onto Gouin (VBMB) and continue for one block. Turn right onto Lachappelle (QRS) and follow it to the end, at the bridge approach. A bike path leads on, underneath the bridge. This is the wrong way. Instead, go up onto the bridge sidewalk and ride across the bridge.

[8:08-8:15 7 minutes, 45 minutes riding so far]

Laval: Coming off the bridge over the Back River (8:20), find a bike path starting immediately at the end of the sidewalk. Make a sharp right and follow the bike path down and underneath the bridge, to come out on the other side.

The bike path leads along the river, through a park and by a school, for a short ways. It then climbs up to Levesque and turns left (west) to follow this street. The bike path becomes a painted lane on the street. Follow the bike path along Levesque as far as Promenade des iles. At this point, the path turns left goes the long way through a park. Continue on Levesque, which ends at Boulevard Samson.

Turn left onto Boulevard Samson (BMB) and follow it west for a mile or so (10-12 blocks. As you approach the bridge over Autoroute 13 (8:40), notice the bike path coming up to join Samson. It is always possible to follow the bike path all the way, for a slower but more pleasurable ride.

[8:15-8:40 25 minutes, 1 hr and 10 minutes riding so far]

Cross over Autoroute 13. Take care with the highway entrances and exits. Immediately after crossing the bridge, turn left onto Bord de l’Eau (QCR). This is the old road that goes along the shoreline. At first there are a number of new housing developments on the river side, but these give way soon to trees, wild grass, and farmer’s fields. The view of the river is magnificent. For quite a while there continues to be suburban homes along the right (landward) side of the road. The road is narrow, with little shoulder, but I ride about a yard from the edge and people just have to go around me.

There are a number of slight ups and downs along the road, requiring frequent gear changes. One sort of feels half in the country, yet half still in the city.

At one point, Boulevard Samson angles into Bord de l’Eau and comes to an end (8:55). From this point on, the road becomes more and more like a country road.

Eventually (9:05-9:10) one reaches the turn off for the Laval Islands (Ile Bigras). The road passes under the train tracks and the St. Dorothy station is on the right. One passes under the archway announcing the entrance to the community of Laval-Sur-le-Lac. Just beyond is the Laval-Ile Bizard ferry, on the left. Finally one comes to Rue Peuplier, where one turns right.

[8:40-9:10 30 minutes, 1 hr and 40 minutes riding so far]

One follows Rue Peuplier north, across the end of Laval Island. If one were to continue along Bord de l’Eau, it would eventually come around, but the way would be longer. At the western tip of Laval Island are a number of exquisite properties. Rue Peuplier follows the train line across the island, which is not very wide at that point. On the other side of the train line is the golf course. There used to be a couple of additional train stations along the line (like Laval Links), but they are gone. Rue Peuplier comes to an end at the Mille Iles River (9:15).

[9:10-9:15 5 minutes, 1 hr and 45 minutes riding so far]

Turn right and cross the railroad tracks. Almost immediately, find the entrance to the Barrage Grand Moulin (Big Windmill Dam). This dam provides a crossing over the Mille Iles River, which is only open to bicycles and pedestrians. The view is great and its worth a few minutes to stop and watch the river.

Break to watch the water, 5 minutes.

At the far side, one finds oneself at the end of 8th avenue in the town of Two Mountains (9:20). Follow 8th avenue north. After quite a number of blocks, it crosses Chemin d’Oka, the main highway (9:25). Continue north on 8th avenue. Turn left on Henry Dunant and follow it a number of blocks west, until after crossing the railroad tracks again. Turn right on 16th avenue and follow it a couple of blocks to the beginning of the Oka Bike Trail. (9:33) One sees a bike trail leading off into the woods. The sign simply says, "Oka", and an arrow points straight ahead.

[9:15-9:33 12 minutes, 1 hr and 58 minutes riding so far, 5 minutes of stops]

The bike trail (BT) is very nice, very well groomed, and comfortable. At first it leads through a wooded park. There are a couple of places where it crosses busy streets. Just outside the wooded park, one can see furious suburban development going on all around. At one point, it passes within a block of a large shopping centre.

One hardly notices passing from Two Mountains into Ste. Marthe Sur le Lac. At a certain point, however, the bike path crosses Chemin D’Oka, the main highway, again (9:45). Right at this crossing is an iced cream place which caters specifically to the bicycle crowd. After the crossing, the bike path is nearly straight as an arrow. It must have been an old railroad right of way or something. For long stretches, the bike path is on a raised embankment, fully covered with tall trees. On either side is marshland or swamp. From time to time, one passes trailer parks or housing developments. But then it is back to the straight road.

Towards the end, near Point Calumet and St. Joseph du Lac, one begins to pass several small lakes. On the left is a big waterpark. Then one passes a lake with a vast campround on the left.

Crossing the last street, the nice pavement give way to older paving, somewhat unever and with grass coming up through all the cracks. The sign welcomes cyclists to Oka Park (10:08). All houses are gone now, and one can look out across the vast meadows. The Two Mountains loom off to the right. At a certain point, the trail turns to the right and begins to climb.

This is the only major climb of the ride, and it is not too bad. One simply has to take it slow. After a bit, the bike trail meets the park road (QCR) and becomes a lane painted on the side. It is comfortably wide, however, and the road does not have much traffic.

After one rather steep section, the road levels off and one reaches the summit and the Oka Park information centre. It is a good place to stop for a rest and for a bathroom break. (Although one climbs over Two Mountains, the Oka Park road is much, much less of a climb than the main highway. I have done the main highway, and it is more like mountain touring. Still, off the main highway, one can visit the monastery, which is not accessible from the park road.)

Break at Oka Park Summit: 10:23-10:35

[9:33-10:35 30 minutes, 2 hrs and 28 minutes riding so far, 15 minutes stops so far]

Coming down from the summit, one has a few delicious minutes of downhill speed. In the hardest gear, and pedalling hard, I may have attained almost automobile speed for a short ways. Coming off the hills, one sees the bike trail leave the road and cut off on its own to the right, just before the sewage treatment plant. This is the way to Oka Beach, about 10 minutes away. It is a very nice, wooded section of bike trail. I have taken it before, but not this day. I was continuing straight ahead to the town of Oka.

Another short climb, and then down the other side and I was on the flatland again, approaching the park’s main western gate. I reached the west gate at 10:55.

One must look carefully to find it, but just as one would be following the park road back to the main highway, one notices the Oka bike path continuing (BP). It follows a quiet path throught the fields and trees, passing by the lake, and ends at the beginning of the town of Oka (11:00), dumping cyclists onto St. Sulpice Street.

This quiet street (QRS) follows the lake, with houses only on the landward side. It ends at St. Andre (QRS), where one must turn right. One block, and one turns left onto St. Jean Baptiste (QRS), following that a number of blocks, still along the river, until it ends at St. Andre (QRS) where one turns right. One block would bring one to the main highway, but the bike path resumes in the far corner of the church parking lot. The bike path brings you right out at the ferry dock and the touring information (11:10)

The ferry leaves ever 15 minutes for the other side of Lake of Two Mountains, at Hudson. I decided to take a gander around the town of Oka. I rode out on the main highway and followed it to the edge of town, where it climbs up the infamous hill towards Kanesetake. There is not much on the main road, only a couple of businesses. I returned to ferry dock.

[10:35-11:10 35 minutes, 3 hrs and 2 minutes riding so far, 15 minutes stops so far]

[11:10-11:30: twenty minutes looking around: 35 minutes stops so far]

I had never been on the Oka ferry before. Back in 1993, I went as far upriver at Carillon and took the ferry there, but I always seemed to miss this one. I was a bit surprised! Instead of a typical ferry boat, with an engine, this was simply a barge, pulled by a powerboat with a thick rope. I was amazed at the skill with which the power boat pilot manipulated the barge loaded with cars.

The ferry crossing took 20 minutes. It was very hazy and I could not see far. I looked east, towards Oka beach. I looked upriver at the wooded point of Kanesetake and beyond. I looked along the Hudson shore at the fabulous properties.

We arrived at Como Bay at 11:50. I followed "Main Street" (No Bill 101 compliance here!) to the right, westward, along the shore towards Hudson village. It was a quiet country road (QCR), with lots of ups and downs. There were infrequent views of the river, but lots of very nice houses and fantastic gardens. Just after crossing the railroad tracks, I came down into Hudson village (12:05)

I stopped for lunch at the small cafe upstairs at the L’Egg’s Clothing Store. I ate there once before in 1993 and the food was excellent. It was just as good this time, and the service and ambiance, as well. Hudson is such a nice, quaint little village. (12:05-12:45)

During lunch, the cloud cover finally broke and blue sky and sunshine shone through, though there remained lots of clouds.

It took me the same fifteen minutes to backtrack along Main Street as far as the ferry dock. (13:00)

[11:30-13:00 35 minutes, 3 hrs and 30 minutes riding so far, 1 hr & 15 minutes stops so far]

East of the ferry terminal, the quiet road continued, though the houses got fewer and fewer. Soon I crossed out of Hudson and into Vaudreuil. "Main Street" became Chemin de l’Anse (QCR). One the lake side were magnificent properties, covered with dark woodlands. Through the trees one could look out of on the lake. To the landward side were farms. I passed many places raising horses. Off in the distance, maybe a couple of miles away, one could see the flat farmland rise a hundred feet or so to the wooded escarpment that marks St. Lazare.

At a certain point, the road rounds a vast cove. All houses are gone from the lakeside at this point. On the landward side is only a single line of houses, backed by farmers fields. The view over the lake was great. Off in the distance was the beach at Oka, with the Two Mountains rising behind. The Lake was less hazy now, but there was a strong crosswind blowing towards the water. The white clouds were beginning to amass above the lake and were getting darker.

At the end of the cove, Chemin de l"Anse comes to an end at St. Charles (13:35). Abruptly, the idyllic country ride is over. St. Charles is a wide, open boulevard (BMB). At least there was a good shoulder to ride on, for there were no trees or any cover from the wind and the sun. I passed by some high rise building.

[13:00-13:25 25 minutes, 3 hrs and 55 minutes riding so far, 1 hr & 15 minutes stops so far]

I followed St. Charles out across the Hwy 40, up and over the overpass, coming down into suburban Vaudreuil. Between Vaudreuil and Dorion there was a small section of bicyle path, a specially marked lane only. In this section, the road follows along a cove. Looked back, one can see the peninsula jutting out into the lake. At the end is the Chateau Vaudreuil Hotel and the Ile aux Tourtes bridge. Beyond is the lake. On this day, the gathering of clouds was darkening over the lake, although I was still in the hot sunshine. The buildings of the town sheltered me somewhat from the strong crosswind.

At Dorion, the bike path ends again. After a few blocks, St. Charles does strange things as it passes under the railroad tracks. I followed another cyclist through the pedestrian underpass, coming out at Hwy 20 at the old Dorion water tower. (13:50)

[13:25-13:50 25 minutes, 4 hrs and 20 minutes riding so far, 1 hr & 15 minutes stops so far]

Highway 20 is, of course, a busy main highway (MHWY). Luckily, this section is open to cyclists and sports six-foot wide paved shoulders. I followed this east out of Dorion. At the first bridge, there is a special side land for cyclists, separated from the traffic by a concrete barrier (13:55).

Coming off the bridge on the Ile Perrot side, cyclists are channelled onto the access road by the shopping centre. One must follow this road around to the intersection, then turn left and go back to the highway. At the highway, one must turn right on the access ramp and ride back up. It seems like a freeway, but there is no "Bicycles Prohibited" sign. Still, it is a little troublesome, with the cars. As soon as one regains the highway, the wide shoulders are available again.

I now had a very strong tailwind and nearly flew across Ile Perrot, reaching the second bridge, the Pont Galipeau ten minutes later at 14:05. I went up on the sidewalk as I crossed the bridge, coming down into Ste. Anne de Bellevue at 14:10.

[13:50-14:10 20 minutes, 4 hrs and 40 minutes riding so far, 1 hr & 15 minutes stops so far]

Coming down off the bridge on the sidewalk, one makes a 180 degree turn as soon as one can turn down the embankment. One follows the approach road back along the bridge embankment until it ends at the main road by the waterfront. I found, in Ste. Anne, the access to the bike crossing of the bridge heading west, which had eluded me on my last visit. It is found at the parking lot under the bridge, by the locks.

Rather than head back via the Lakeshore, which I have done several times, I decided to go back via the North Shore, which I had not done for quite a number of years.

I decided not to stay and visit in Ste. Anne, as I had been there many a time before and the hour was getting late.

As I was coming down off the bridge, I noticed how big and black the clouds out over the lake had become. I hoped it would blow over, or head in a different direction.

I turned right at the bottom of the bridge approach and followed the main road under the bridges and past the locks. I turned right on Ste. Anne (QRS) and then left on Pacifica (QRS) and then right on Grier (QRS) and finally left onto the main road. As soon as one turns onto the main road (QCR), one sees the Senneville sign.

Senneville: Beautiful wooded road, with towering trees on either side. Fantastic properties along the lakeshore. Soon I passed underneath Hwy 40 again (14:20).

I was tempted to stop under the freeway bridge. The sky was really dark now. I was not sure how far I would get. As I continued, too far past the bridge to turn back, I came upon a section with very tall trees. Suddenly a fantastic gust of wind was whipping the tree tops. They bent nearly over to touch the trees on the other side. Down at my level, I hardly felt anything. I rode on quite fast, my adrenaline pumping. I was scared the wind would blow a piece off of one of those trees right over my head.

As I rode, I heard a loud crack behind me, maybe half a block’s length. I looked back to see several bright stars where a tree was leaning on the power lines. Now I was really scared. I did not stick around, but leaned into my peddles. I was afraid the tree would pull the lines down on the road where I was riding. An awful sizzling, crackling sound came to my ears. A few moments later, I saw the reflection of a brilliant flash behind me. Then there was a loud bang. I looked back to see the transformer explode is a ball of white light. Then all was dead. I felt relieved that the power was now out.

There is one sharp hill along that route and I was huffing and puffing so that I almost went over the top in my normal cruising gear. I had to stop at the top to get my breath.

The wind was less now, but it certainly was going to rain. All was very dark. I rode on, hoping to reach a more settled area before the rain started. I did not want to be in the open during a thunderstorm. The wind continued to be strong, but not like the gusts of a few moments earlier.

I looked out on the lake and saw the wave of rain approaching, cutting off everything from view behind it. I saw a few foolhardy sailboats and windsurfers scrambling for safety, but I doubted they would reach shore in time. I rode on.

It’s too bad that I had to race through this section, what would normally be the nicest part of the ride.

Suddenly the rain hit full force. I had no choice but to turn into an open driveway and take shelter under someone’s front door awning. I was dry, but alas my bike had to remain out in the rain. I waited out the storm from 14:35-14:50. The water was coming down so strong I could hardly see across the lawn. Surprisingly, there was no thunder or lightening. I imagine the storm cell was just forming.

At 14:50, the rain ended abruptly and the sun came out almost instantly. The storm became an innocent white cloud, looming off to the right. Where there had been a strong wind all day, suddenly it was very still.

I rode on through the only remaining farmland on the island, reaching the Pierrefonds line at 14:55.

[14:10-14:55 30 minutes, 5hrs and 10 minutes riding so far, 1 hr & 30 minutes stops so far]

Pierrefonds: Boulevard Gouin is a quiet country road along that section (QCR). The farmland atmosphere continues as far as St. Charles Boulevard. I passed Anse a l’Orme. I got my last view of the lake before the road turned due east across Cap St. Jacques (15.05). Then the road ran right along the Back River, with great views of the undevelopped side of Ile Bizard. I came to St. Charles road at 15:20.

At 15:25 I passed the Ile Bizard Bridge. By now the quiet road was beginning to become a narrow, congested road. There were no more fields or farmhouses, just suburbs and riverfront properties. I declined to go inland to Beaconsfield Boulevard, where they have a bikepath which is just some lines on the pavement of a wide boulevard, with no trees. I preferred Boulevard Gouin, with occasional glimpses of the water.

Along this section, I passed through the small hamlet of Ste. Genevieve. I was not even conscious of it until I came to the church, and then to another Pierrefonds city limits sign.

I reached the end of St. John’s Road at 15:30. At 15:45 I passed Sources Road. Here Beaconsfield Boulevard joins Boulevard Gouin, which turns into a wide, city boulevard (BMB).

I passed the Roxboro train station at 15:50 and A Ma Baie at 15:55. I re-entered Pierrefonds for the third time, having passed through the town of Roxboro. The commuter train line was now parallel to the road, on the right. I saw several of the sleek, new electric trains.

I crossed under Highway 13 at 16:05. At that point, I re-entered Montreal and Boulevard Gouin returned to its normal, original country road size

Montreal: But not to its country road traffic level. Now, as I rode along the broken pavement, I had to share the tiny road with all the cars and busses. I tried several sidestreets, attempting to find a bikepath that would cut across the tracks and head south. Alas, I might as well have just stayed on Gouin.

I reached Laurentian Boulevard in Cartierville at 16:20, closing the circle I had made that morning.

[14:55-16:20 85 minutes, 6 hrs and 35 minutes riding so far, 1 hr & 30 minutes stops so far]

I turned right onto Laurentian Boulevard (VBMB) and rode through Cartierville. At 16:25 I was passing under the railway bridge and crossing Henri Bourassa.

Ville St. Laurent: Laurentian became Marcel Laurin (VBMB). Along by Canadair they were working on the road, narrowing all the traffic to two lanes and then only one. I rode on the sidewalk.

At 16:35 I crossed Thimens and, two blocks later, Cote Vertu. I turned right on Cote Vertu (VBMB) for one block, and then left on St. Aubin. The first couple of blocks of St. Aubin (QRS) are one way, to discourage motorists. I went up the street anyway (Against Regulations), so as not to get lost. I followed my route of the morning back to and under the Metropolitain (16:45)

Mount Royal: I rode back along Devonshire (BIS). Just before Blue Bonnes, I turned left to head out to Decarie and the Orange Julep. I got there at 16:55 and stayed until 17:10.

Montreal: I rode along Decarie only as far as Blue Bonnets. I went into the parking lot and turned left along the road to come to the train tracks. I portaged my bike over the tracks (Against Regulations). and came out by Decarie Square.

I followed my normal route home from there, reaching home at 17:35.

[16:20 17:35 60 minutes, 7 hrs and 35 minutes riding so far, 1 hr & 45 minutes stops]