Montreal-Quebec-Nova Scotia Day 7. Berthierville to Saint-Guillaume (80 km)

There I was, squeezing myself between the highway traffic and the grass, when I realized that riding this way was no fun. That was all that a little devil whispering in my ear needed to do his work, and without knowing how I found myself crossing the river and headed south for Route Vert 1, 100 km away. I once again went through the Iles de Berthier, took a ferry across the last channel of the river, and started a long, long way across beautiful agricultural land.

I was quite satisfied with my decision, but I had not planned for this departure from the route, and I had no maps whatsoever of the area I was crossing. All I knew is that eventually I wanted to join the Route Vert 1 in Victoriaville, but I figured that I could ask my way there. Unfortunately this is sparsely populated country, so it was not easy to find someone to ask, so I ended getting lost and making 30 km more than strictly necessary.

Finally I got to the small town of Saint-Guillaume, a quaint ag community in the middle of nowhere. I stopped in the little park in front of the church, and a friendly native asked me where I was coming from and where I was headed to. He shook his head when I told him I was going to Victoriaville, and he told me I had another 50 or 60 km to go. A little discouraged I asked if there was a camping place nearby, and he told me that the nearest was in Drumondville, 30 km away. Seeing my face of disappointment he told me I could pass the night at the municipal hostel, and could enjoy the best meal ever at Café Favori.

So I went a couple of blocks, stopped at a grand old mansion with the sign Auberge in the front, and arranged to spend the night there. The auberge also functions as the local bar, and is only open from 3 pm to midnight. I was to have the run of the hostel itself, and was asked to close the door behind me after I left, and that the lady that does the cleaning would show up sometime during the day. Cool!

Dinner at Café Favori was great. The menu of the day included soup, a main course of quiche, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes, and a big peace of cake with dates as dessert. Not much to do here, so I will go to bed early, and will try to get an early start to reach Victoriaville in time for lunch.