A. T. Lane, Birdie Munger, Louis Rubenstein, Laura Snowball and G. T. Bishop met the morning of October 5th at the perrenial Ma Bicyclette cafe on the Lachine Canal for a nice coffee (and scone-thanks, Birdie) and fond memories of the Hydrogen Train fixture before setting off to the Old Port to catch the Pointe-aux-Trembles Navark ferry to...Pointe-aux-Trembles.
The weather was cool but the river was calm and it was a very pleasant steam downriver watching the shore and various vessels pass down the ferry's side. G. T. explained to Laura that the small vessel beside the cruise ship was a fuelling tanker providing bunkers (fuel for ships) as Montreal did not have a fuel dock in the port for said purpose.
The members arrived at their water-borne destination and picked up their bicycles from the stern of the ferry though not fast enough for the some-what grumpy captain. Finally on shore, the members headed east for the bridge to Repentigny, stopping at the park on the east point of Montreal island where some treeology was being conducted.
Prior to going on to the bridge, A. T. pointed out the kilometer zero mark on Sherbrooke where, someday, the much dreamed about Sherbrooke REV will begin.
The road surface on the bridge is typical Montreal standard awful but the views of the river and marsh area are lovely and quite full of waterfowl to appreciate.
Picking up the TransTerrebonne bike path, the members past some lovely traditional Quebecois homes on their way into Vieux Terrebonne.
Eschewing the traditional smoked meat spot for lunch, a quaint cafe was spotted with a secluded terrace and tasty soup and sandwiches. Louis was enjoying the sun and a rapt audience.
Eventually, the members had to remount as their final destination was the Rosemere EXO station and one of the very infrequent trains. Unfortunately, the orange cone virus has spread beyond the island of Montreal and the members were blocked from following the bike path across the barrage and left to find their own way around.
In the end, a short ride along the main road brought the members back to the TransTerrebonne and they continued westward.
On the way to the forested section of the path, the members passed an extravagant Halloween installation that must surely be vying for first place in the Terrebonne Terror Trophy. Tim Burton would be proud!
A short, steep climb brought the members into the woods only to come up against another construction blockage on the path.
Trying not to think about how many trees were cut down to make way for asphalt and concrete, the members trudged their way along the temporary path and finally got back onto the main trail.
Coming out of the woods and into the suburbs of Bois-des-Filion, the members were stopped once again attempting to follow the path that dips under the bridge going into Laval. After a brief sortie by A. T. looking for a way around, the members went up to the main road and continued on towards Rosemere.
The timing of the arrival allowed for the requisite ordeal of purchasing a ticket from the EXO machine and a brief stop for refreshments at the excellent, though slow, Cafe de la Gare.
All that was left was the return journey by train to complete the multi-modal, multi-detour fixture. The members were pleased with the ride and with the stops and Laura Snowball especially pleased to get off the train before a ticket inspector could check to see if she had a valid ticket!
Finally, the members said their adieus and returned to the general population who are unaware of the presence of an adventurous MBC member within their midst.
Total distance for the day, including detours, 51K
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