Like many grand ideas, the impetus for travel to Quebec started at a weekly happy hour and conversation about the 2019 World Cup Mountain Bike Championships. The 2019 World Cup would take place at Monte-Sainte-Anne Resort located just outside Quebec City. After a few more happy hours, a plan for the World Cup solidified. That plan grew to include additional travel and visitors.

Hautes-Gorges-De-La-Riviere-Malbaie and Grands – Jardins National Parks:

On the way from Labrador to Quebec City, my son (Ryan) and I stopped at both National Parks while looking for a campground. As we were unsure of our timing for exiting Labrador, we did not have reservations at either park. We hoped to camp at Hautes-Gorges given the high ratings.

My take on Hautes-Gorges is that it compares to Zion National Park in the U.S. The park is relatively small and everyone wants to go there. As such, when I asked at the visitor center if any campsites were available, the Ranger gave me that “are you crazy” glance and then said “all booked up”. They recommended checking out Grands-Jardin, which is fairly close to Hautes-Gorges.

We did find a campsite at Grands-Jardin. Both parks are beautiful and I really wish we had more time to check them out. However, we needed to move on to Quebec City as my son wanted to visit there before flying out.

Quebec City:

Before and after the World Cup Championships, I spent time touring Quebec City. This is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. A permanent trading post was established in 1608 and the city grew from there. A military installation (La Citadelle) sets atop Cap Diamant and protected the city and provided control of the river through the 19th century. The city is rich in history and art. I highly recommend spending some time exploring this city. It is best discovered by walking. You will be glad you did.

I parked / camped at the Old Port Marina. The Marina has a large parking lot and you can pay to park / camp for multiple nights. It provides for a dry camp (no electric, no water, and no restrooms). The upside is easy access to the Marina for larger camper vehicles and the proximity to the city. A person can walk to all the sites from the Marina. The Gare-du Palais (train and bus station) is located close to the Marina and has very clean facilities and also provides first / morning coffee stop.

View from the camp / parking site, which I referred to as camping at the Yacht Club:

My son and two friends (Steve and Annie) joined me in Quebec city at different times and we had a great time. Some pics:

Mont-Sainte-Anne – 2019 World Cup Mountain Bike Championships:

The MTB World Cup rotates to a different venue each year. Most of the venues are located in Europe but periodically they take place in North America. The resort at Mont-Sainte-Anne is one of those places. Mont-Sainte-Anne is a year-round outdoor playground offering skiing, paragliding, mountain biking, golfing, hiking, etc.

My friend Steve and I spent a week at the resort with a goal of fully immersing ourselves into the World Cup scene. We totally succeeded!

Upon arriving, we were advised by a local to park on a road the sits between the golf course and resort condos. Once parked, we did not move the van for the whole week. Any runs for supplies (mainly beer and ice) were done done via bicycle and backpack to a gas station / store a couple of miles outside the resort.

The first part of the week was set up for the racers to check out the courses (cross country and down hill) and taking practice runs. During this time, we also checked out locations to position ourselves during the actual races.

The week’s schedule:

Our routine was up for coffee, over to the courses (watch training / actual races), check out the tent village (vendors, team tents, a restaurant / bar, etc.), take bike rides on trails that surround the resort, and then back to the van later in the day.

Each night, Steve and I would set up a table and lawn chairs on the lawn (associated with the condos) across the street from the van and have dinner / snacks / refreshments. As such, we would sometimes briefly interact with the racers who stayed in the condos. Steve tracks the mountain bike race scene year around and knows the names / faces / background of the top riders. As a top rider went by, he would provide an update. Pretty cool, like having my own race analyst.

Some pics of Cross Country course / races:

Pics of Downhill Races: The downhill races start at the top of the resort with the goal of using the brakes as little as possible. Mighty risky business!

Miscellaneous pictures:

A couple stories:

I would start my day with coffee in tent city. The coffee shop was run by a lady who spoke very little English and I do not speak French. On the second morning, I used sign language to ask if she had made the podium. She said no and then I showed her this picture.

The next morning when I went for coffee, she pointed to a photograph above her:

Then she reached down and handed me a signed copy of the photo.

Great people, So much fun!!!!!

A second story is related to the mountain bike I had on the rack located on the back of the van. The bike is a 2005 Gary Fisher Sugar. Not a bad bike for its time. However, between 2005 and 2019, the technology for mountain bikes improved exponentially.

One evening while relaxing in the van, the number 1 men’s rider was on the phone outside the van (Swiss team stayed in condos near the van). When he finished his call, he noticed my bike and checked it out. He then called out to a team mate (number 3 rider). He came over and they were both checking out the bike. It was like they were at a bike museum or possibly one of there grandfathers had one.

Ile d’ Orleans:

After leaving Mont-Sainte-Anne’s, Steve flew back home and my friend Annie joined me. We spent a few days in Quebec city and then a full day on Ile d’ Orleans. If you are in the area and have the time, a visit to the island is well worth it. The 18 mile long island is situated just outside Quebec City and accessible by bridge. The island is known for its historical buildings and rich fertile soil, producing an abundance of local food (outstanding fruit).

Some pics:

La Mauricie National Park:

The next stop for Annie and I was La Mauricie National Park. The park sits between Quebec City and Montreal. The park offers a little of everything: camping, cycling (road and trail), swimming, canoeing, and hiking. With over 150 lakes of various size, water activities dominate.

Some pics:

Montreal:

Let me say that I did not have time to give Montreal justice. Annie and I spent one night in town, seeing as much as we could. She flew out the next day and my friend Gordy flew in. Gordy and I spent one night downtown before leaving the next day.

Annie and I toured the old town area. Rain moved in and we then had dinner and took shelter in a pub. The pub had a live band, pool tables, and a friendly / lively crowd. The pub closed around 3:30 a.m. and the crowd moved to the street. We continued conversations until 5 a.m. and then Ubered back to our accommodations near the airport. Annie was a little tired when dropped off at the airport terminal a 8:00 a.m.

I was a little tired myself by the time Gordy arrived. We drove to the Casino de Montreal and parked / camped. We checked out the Casino for awhile and then grabbed a cab to downtown Montreal. We walked the streets and then the rain moved in again. We found a brewery and had dinner and beers. Then a cab back to the Casino for a few more drinks and then to the camper. While downtown, we did make it inside the Basilique Notre-Dame. Pretty cool. The next morning, we headed for Algonquin Provincial Park.

Some pics:

On to Ontario!