Good morning to bonne nuit!Billings MT to Montreal….

Posted bycinnicrewPosted inUncategorized

Oops! Forgot to switch my footwear from flip flops to my bike shoes and left my bike shoes at home when I left the house for the airport😱. Realized my error at the TSA line! Fortunately my nephew Dante saved me and grabbed my shoes and delivered them to me at the airport! About a 20 min wait is all. Luckily from home to the airport in Billings is a quick trip. Small towns😊

Proof the bikes made it on the plane
Awkward but it works. Wheeling around Montréal airport to the hotel shuttle at midnight. Good time to arrive… no people, super quick customs, it all fits on the shuttle to the hotel. A good start to the trip.

Chose a hotel close to the airport for late night arrival. Wanted 24 hour shuttle and 24 hour front desk. I called them ahead to ask if the shuttle vans were big enough for 2 large bike boxes. Quick and easy. 2 nights at this hotel to get our bicycles unboxed and rideable.

Hotel hang… Bicycle reassembly and last necessities

We are NOT the only bikes at this hotel. Turns out that this Sunday is a the Mont Tremblanc Ironman. There are several athletes here with their specialty bike boxes. (We don’t look anything like that category). I suspect we will see them for the next several days in the villages as we are riding on the old railroad trail through Mont Tremblanc.

The downside might be figuring out how to ride out of here… busy airport traffic in this area.

Fenders… yes! Expecting rain, starting tomorrow, 90% chance.
A few more hours to reassemble both bikes at the hotel entrance. All ready to go for tomorrow… Day 1 on the bike😊

Just a few more details for the day. We need to purchase a gas canister for our jet boil and hopefully pepper spray for dog deterrent.

The trials and tribulations of getting across this big city when you do not have a car. Checked Uber to the recreation outfitting store (MEC) from our hotel..$32!! Ouch! Checked the bus schedule (3.25)… city bus here we come! Quick 10 min walk to catch the bus at the airport at 4:30pm. Remember how I said how quiet and easy the airport was at 11pm? Exact opposite… jam packed, teeming with people, cars, buses, shuttles!! We found the correct bus but you have to pay with cash or stand in a hilariously long line to get a ticket. Quick stop at the airport convenience store for the exact cash. Turns out it’s not exactly cash you need … but coin! Nice bus driver, he motioned us to just move on back to a seat… free ride. Long bus drive through the city to the MEC store. Mission accomplished… a few canisters of gas, a restaurant for dinner and a much less expensive Uber ride back to the hotel. Logistics, logistics. Oh… and it’s all in French😊

I can’t even imagine wheeling my monster bicycle box and luggage cart through a crowd like this😱. So glad we arrived late, late evening
Purchase a cookie to get “exact coin” for the bus
City bus… rush hour

Going to the MEC store. Looks like the Canadian equivalent of REI, a big camp store. It’s about 8 miles from the hotel. This store has the necessary fuel for our Jet Boil camp stove.

I wonder if REI owns this store too? Very, very similar Canadian chain. MEC stands for Mountain Equipment Company.
Success!
Quebec is a huge province. We will be starting our ride just a bit north of Montreal, then mostly south of the St Lawrence River.

Tomorrow we start Day 1. Through the city of Montreal to St Jerome. We are ready🙌

3 thoughts on “Good morning to bonne nuit!Billings MT to Montreal….”

  1. Can’t believe you forgot to wear your bike shoes. I guess if Dante had not been available for the switch the MEC would have been where you would have had to purchase new ones. Also how fortunate that the hotel had that bench just outside for Jim to be able to set up the bike while seated. Looking at weather up there I think your rain gear will be used this week. I wish you a great start to your trip.

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