Today we depart from the St. Lawrence river and head south towards New Brunswick. We will have two days of cycling along The Parc lineaire interprovincial Petit Temis. It is a 134 km cycling and hiking trail that connects Riviere du Loup, Quebec with Edmundston, New Brunswick. It follows an abandoned railway line, so a maximum 4% grade. We have been told that it offers stunning scenery along the Madawaska River and Lake Temiscouata. We were also told that the best scenery happens along the second half of the trail from Cabano to Edmunston. Our desination today is Cabano so we will need to wait for one more day for the scenery.
It takes us awhile to get from the campground to the start of the trail, which adds an extra hour to our ride. The hills through Riviere du Loup were significant enough that I need to dismount and walk not once but twice. Not sure exactly where the trail started we stopped at the local Police department and they were happy to give us directions. This was a good call as the turn we needed to make was right at the police station and after a few more turns we found the entrance to the route.
The Petit Temis is the first interprovincial trail in Canada. It is dotted with several rest areas (one every 2 km on average) and is entirely reserved for cyclists and pedestrians. We have been warned that there is work being done on the trail and we will need to leave the trail for an approximate 4 km section. Starting June 20th they have a shuttle that will transport cyclists around the construction but for now you need someone to transport you. Fortunately, for us we have Deb. The trail is hard packed cinder and has been stone dusted. We notice that the majority of the direction we are headed is slightly up and even thought the grade can’t be more than 4% when it goes on for miles it is draining. We are both happy when we reach the closure and cycle off the trail to find Deb waiting along the road. David comments on how he is amazed that every time we need, Deb is waiting for us in the exact right spot.
Later in the day David checks the elevation of the trail. The grid shows that we were on a gradual upward path for almost the entire way. We had gained several hundred feet over the course of the ride. Deb on the other hand reported that there were several significant climbs along highway 85 equalling over 1,800 feet of elevation gain and a total elevation loss of 1,973 feet. Pavement might be nice to cycle on than gravel but I’ll take the gravel any day over elevation.
The Rotary Ride for Kids 
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