Contributor: Luc Dupont
I was looking for a place to spend my summer vacation and get away for a week. Newfoundland tempted me, but its elevation and sometimes isolated roads convinced me that cycling alone there wouldn’t be wise. I settled on the Tour du Lac St-Jean, where Vélo-Québec was planning a guided cycling trip. The elevation was low, and the planned distance was about 75 kilometers per day, which suited me perfectly. So, I signed up for the trip. The meeting point was in Alma on Sunday, August 4th at 5 PM. I don’t have a car, so to get there with my bike, I could either take the Via Rail train from Montreal to Jonquière or the bus from Montreal with a connection in Quebec City. Having taken this train fifteen years ago, I knew that it always reached its destination, though the arrival time was unpredictable.
While examining the train route, I saw that Lac Bouchette was one of its stops, where the Ermitage St-Antoine de Padoue is located, just 3 kilometers away. The Ermitage was also 75 kilometers south of Alma, which I could feasibly reach by bike in one day. Looking for a place to attend Sunday mass and having heard that the Ermitage was an interesting pilgrimage site with a comfortable hotel and a well-rated restaurant, I decided to stop there before joining the group in Alma.
I boarded the Via Rail train on Friday afternoon, August 2nd, at Montreal’s Central Station. The scheduled arrival time at Lac Bouchette was midnight, but true to its reputation, the train arrived at 4:15 AM! Fortunately, the dawn light helped me orient myself, and I immediately knew which direction to head in to reach the Ermitage by bike. A night guard was waiting for me at the gate and led me to the hotel, where I managed to get a few hours of sleep. In the late afternoon, a forming storm forced me to leave the beautiful nearby municipal beach I had wanted to explore. I returned to the restaurant for dinner and saw a lady around my age sitting alone. I asked if I could join her, and she agreed. Her name was Mitsi. After the evening mass, she kindly gave me a tour of the Ermitage. During mass, I even had a lovely excuse to hold her hand during the recitation of the “Our Father.” It was a heartwarming encounter that brightened my stay.
My departure was scheduled for the next day after breakfast. I had checked Google Maps for the route from Lac Bouchette to Alma, and to avoid highways as much as possible, the route through Lac Maggie seemed ideal. Although my bike was a touring model, it had performed well on gravel roads before, so I was confident everything would go smoothly on this 75-kilometer route via Saint-André du Lac St-Jean. Mitsi came to see me off and even found me some duct tape I needed. “Do you have spare inner tubes in case of a flat tire?” she asked. I assured her I did, but perhaps it was a premonition of her feminine intuition!
After riding about fifteen kilometers and passing Lac Maggie and a few cottages, I arrived at a junction of three roads. Google Maps indicated I should continue on the Lac Maggie road. Barely a kilometer further, however, the app changed its mind, suggesting I take the road leading north instead. I returned to the junction to head north, only to discover it was no longer a gravel road but an ATV trail, complete with large scattered stones and slippery sand that bogged down my rear wheel, forcing me to stop. That’s when I discovered I had a flat tire.
I unscrewed my rear wheel and removed it from the derailleur to change the inner tube. But two more surprises awaited me: the rod for the wheel hub no longer fit, and I had no cell phone signal. Unable to ride my bike and uncertain about the forest path, I decided to retrace my steps. Fortunately, I was able to place my bike frame on the rear wheel. Although I couldn’t secure the frame properly, I walked along until I regained cell phone service after one or two kilometers. A couple passed by on their ATV and greeted me, but I didn’t ask for help just yet. It was noon by the time I called a taxi from Alma, but it would take 1 hour and 15 minutes for them to arrive.
At around 2:15 PM, with no taxi in sight and my cell phone signal lost again, the couple on the ATV passed by. This time, I stuck out my thumb. The driver stopped, and after I explained my situation, he kindly offered to help. He dropped off his lady friend and returned with his ATV and a trailer. I loaded my bike and climbed in. At his place, he also tried to fit the rod into the hub, but with no luck. He called another taxi driver he knew, as mine hadn’t taken me seriously. My good Samaritan, Jean, was a retired electromechanic from the Hershey chocolate factory in St-Hyacinthe. He had settled at Lac St-Jean after retirement and was always ready to lend a hand to his former employer when needed. Over a good coffee, we chatted while waiting for the taxi, which eventually arrived.
The taxi took me and my bike to Alma, where I joined my group just in time for the 5 PM briefing on Sunday, August 4th. I had my rear wheel hub repaired the next morning, as sand from the forest path had compacted inside. I caught up with my group by the end of the day and enjoyed a fantastic cycling trip around Lac St-Jean for the rest of the week.
Back in Montreal, I saw Mitsi again, and I was able to thank Jean properly by sending a card to his approximate address, which he received. He contacted me, and I asked him to send me a photo of himself and his ATV to share our story with the readers of Warmshowers.org. I also wrote to Google Maps to inform them of the mistaken route.
This experience taught me the value of consulting recent paper maps and using multiple route planning tools when traveling in areas with poor cell coverage. Renting a satellite phone might also be a good idea for solo travelers like myself.
Above all, this experience reaffirmed my belief that good Samaritans are everywhere, not just in hermitages or churches but on the side of the road, ready to help a neighbor in need. And while only time will tell if St. Anthony of Padua will grant my wish to find a soulmate, one thing is certain: thanks to Jean Champoux, I found my way and avoided a night in the forest. I even learned that both the ATV trail and the Lac Maggie road were dead ends. I rejoined my group in time to enjoy a wonderful vacation, but most importantly, I rediscovered the compassion and selflessness of strangers like Jean Champoux, which make life’s journeys all the more beautiful and comforting.
Thank you, Jean!
Signed,
Luc Dupont,
a Warmshowers fan!