The morning I left Levis was yet another scorcher and I had 560 km to go before my next stop. I opted to stick to the Trans Canada towards Rivere du Loup. Traffic was light-ish once I got about a half hour out of Levis. There was a bunch of constructoin in the Rivere area and the detour prevented me from finding gas. I was getting pretty nervous as I watched Jules’ fuel level rapidly decline. These knobby tires are not only wickedly loud on the highway, but they also do nothing for fuel efficiency!

Thankfully an exit sign advertising fuel appeared when the detour rejoined the highway. I’d planned to stay a while to have a bite and a rest, but what an absolute gong show at this gas station! It seems the detour convinced everyone and their dog to fuel up at the same place. Circling back to the parking lot after I gassed up was out of the question with eleventy two campers, motor homes, and equipment-laden trucks, so I booked it down the road. Not finding a suitable stopping spot, I decided to just hit the gas station again. When I got back, it was relatively quiet so I wheeled in to the parking lot.

Thinking I was just going to have a ten minute stop for snacks was naive! No sooner had I opened my trunch case than the place was once again a zoo. I swear every traveller on the Trans Canada that day converged on this fuel stop! I waited 30 minutes just watching people come and go. It was a clunky waltz of people parking cock-eyed, backing into paths of others, and basicly utter chaos. I wasn’t the only one waiting it out either. I chatted with a couple from Ontario who had no hope of backing up their car to leave.

With all the entrances blocked by truck and trailer combos, there was no point jockeying for position now. When the next lull came about and the Ontario couple out of my path, I jumped back on my bike and hit the highway. I was surprised my Type-A self had been content to wait so long! When I neared Edmunston, New Brunswick, I hauled off for a real meal. This too was a long stop, but I still had a boring ride ahead before getting to Fredericton. A good meal would do me well.

I quite enjoyed the rest of my ride, but was happy to arrive with enough sunshine to sit outside my room and lay my gear in the sun. Much of my gear, including my “rain gloves” (yeah, so not rain proof) were still wet from my ride to Terrebonne. Supper was pretty lame; frozen dinners from the front desk. At least I was able to park right in front of my room’s patio doors and do some laundry too. I put on my little humidifier in hopes of knocking out my sore throat before heading to PEI.