This was a no-drama day — part of the beauty of cycling on Quebec’s Route Verte and its network of well-signed long-distance trails.
The most difficult thing we had to contend with were periods of light rain.
Within minutes of leaving our Warmshowers host in Plessisville, we were back on Route Verte 1 and the old Grand Trunk Railroad.
Like a good railroad line, it felt straight straight straight. And through Tingwick, it used the Bois-Francs path with a halte (pronounced ahlt), or rest area, every few kilometers. Often they included restrooms, not just picnic tables and maybe a shelter.
Look at these creative reuses of old Singer sewing machines and other household items at an exhibit housed at a halte in Warwick. The Martians landed in my town; did they make it to Quebec too?
But the rest areas almost disappeared for the final 10 miles or so, when the trail changed name. The elevation gains — and there were some, as wide-open fields of corn gave way to a backdrop of hills — were gradual, like a train demands.
The trail surface was mostly finely crushed stone, with asphalt in a few areas. Nothing that the 28mm tires on my road bike couldn’t handle.
The trail ended in the town of Richmond. We crossed the river into Melbourne, then climbed a bit to reach a campsite in Melbourne — with, of all things, a small hotel for those of us who don’t camp. Logistics for our group don’t get much easier than this!
All told, a 49-mile day.
That classic Quebec dish of poutine — fries doused with gravy and squeaky cheese curds, maybe gussied up with meat — may have originated in Warwick. We were told it’s really good at Fromagerie Victoria, with outposts in Plessisville, Victoriaville and Warwick, among other towns. Can someone tell me if we messed up by not seeking it out? Though there is only so much poutine you can eat. Most of us had already hit our limit by then.
The weather was overcast so we didn’t detour a few miles to a tip we were given: the Parc Marie-Victorin botanical garden in Kingsey Falls.
The campground has its own snack bar, with poutine (of course) and even pizza. We opted for dinner at the restaurant tied to a golf course just outside he campground. Lovely views, except it started raining again.
Next: day 8.
More photos from the day:
Exploring by bicycle 
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