((Taken on May:2001 Ride to Ste. Anne & Ile Perrot))
Roger Kenner
Montreal, Qc,
Canada 2003
Foreword
It was to be the first long bike ride of the 2001 Season. I set out on the Sunday of the Victoria Day weekend to ride to Ste. Anne de Bellevue. Once there, and feeling full of energy, I decided to make the tour of Ile Perrot., which is something I had never done by bicycle. Along the way, I finally solved the riddle of the northern half of the island. (See The original 2001 text description of this ride)
09:15 I leave the house. It's a sunny day. with not a cloud in the sky. I'm wearing jeans over my cycling shorts, and sporting a sweater and a windbreaker. I start out by riding down Monkland towards Sherbrooke & Elmhurst & the railroad tracks. I decide to drop by Tannissa's, to see if she is in, but she is not. I have her birthday card, so I leave it in the window. On a hunch, I drop over to the bakery, where she works. She is not there either. I end up buying a couple of whole wheat rolls for my ride.
09:30 I leave the area of TJ's residence.
| The New Lachine Canal Locks at Lachine |
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09:45
I reach the canal at VSP. The tracks that used to be there are gone, and there is the sign of new landscaping.
As I ride along the canal, I find the last building behind which the trail used to go had now been torn down. This was just past CP Rockfield Railroad Bridge.
I found also that the new locks had been landscaped.
I head west across Lachine.
| The 'Bateau-Bus' coming into Lachine Harbour |
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10:10 I make the Dorval line
10:30 I make the Pointe Claire line. I feel like I am really travelling easily. There seems to be no wind. I was to find out later that it felt this way because the wind was behind me. By this time I had taken off windbreaker and sweater as it was growing quite warm.
09:45
I make the Beaconsfield line. In Beasonsfield I would take a 20 minute stop. I stop at St. James park, by the water along the first part of Lakeshore drive. I have a pear and I take off my jeans and put on sun block. Leaving there, I make a brief comfort stop at Mcdonalds on St. Charles Road.
There is construction along Beaconsfield Boulevard. The street is closed, but I ride along the newly completed sidewalk.
11:20 I make the Baie d'Urfé line.
11:35 I make the Ste. Anne line.
| Ste. Anne Rapids- under the railroad bridges at Ste. Anne de Bellevue |
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11:35 I make the Ste. Anne line.
11:40 I take in the Ste. Anne waterfront, walking along boardwalk and over to the park. I walk up to the end of the north pier, to look out on the Lake of Two Mountains. I sit under the trestle by rapids and have an apple and a bun while listening to the Trains pass overhead.
I leave at 12:15, deciding to go to Ile Perrot. At first I was just going to go back to Windmill Point. But then, considering I would have to ride both there and back, I decided I might as well make the tour of the whole island.
After a false start, I find the entrance to the bike path over the bridge, at the parking lot underneath the bridge, by the locks.
| Boat Harbour at Ste. Anne Locks Looking towards Ile-aux-tourts Bridge & Lake of Two Mountains | The Pier at the Boat Harbour |
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| Boats in the Ste. Anne Locks | |
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| From the Bridge | From Alongide the Locks |
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| VIA Rail train | |
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| Approaching Ste. Anne's Trestle | Crossing the Bridge |
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| The Park underneath the bridges |
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12:35
I make Ile Perrot. This is after a 2nd false start. Trying to find my way across the northern half of the island, I take a road which turns out to go to Ile Claude and is a dead end. I have to double back.
The way I finally find is via Blvd Perrot North. It crosses the tracks just past the bridge and goes through empty, marshy woods for a mile or more, before reaching Terrace Vaudreuil, where it becomes 1re Boulevard and sprouts houses immediately.
[To get Back: At the Canadian Tire, take the underpass and cross the tracks into Terrace Vaudreuil. Descend to 1re Boulevard and turn right. Follow this along until it comes back across the tracks.]
12:55 I reach the Dorion Bridge.
| The Bridge to Dorion from Terrace Vaudrueil | Looking North from Ile Perrot Towards Veaudreuil |
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13:05 I am at the Canadian Tire in Pincourt. I call Sheryl from there. Then I go inside and buy myself a new helmet, some bike gloves, and a gel seat cover.
13:05-13:40 I am at Canadian Tire,
13:40 I set out along the shoreline behind Canadian Tire, following a quiet, two-laned road which parallels water and is open to the water side.
14:35 I reach the town of Notre Dame de I'Ile Perrot, leaving Pincourt. I am at 202e avenue. There are farms to the landward and water to the river side. Eventually I reach bottom of island and turn east. A strong headwind begins whistling in my ears. There is an escarpment to climb. Imake a brief stop at the Quinn Farm, but see nothing interesting. I stop at the town centre a look out over the water towards the Beauharnois dam.>
| Looking SE onto Lake St. Louis - Towards Point | Looking SW onto Lake St. Louis Towards Pte. des Cascades |
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| Pte. des Cascades enlargement |
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| Looking South from Church - Towards Beauharnois Dam | |
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| Ile Perrot Church from Opposite Shore (Beauharnois) | |
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| Ile Perrot Church from Opposite Shore (Beauharnois) |
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| Beauharnois Dam enlargement |
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14:40 I am now cutting back north. I reach the cut-off for Windmill Point (Point de moulin) at Boulevard Don Quichottte. I Follow this east, past the golf course and the new housing developments, to Windmill Point.
15:00 I dismount, as per regulations, leaving the bike with great trepidation. I hike to the point and spend a few minutes looking around the lake.
15:20 I leave Windmill Point.
| Windmill Point from Opposite Shore (Beauharnois) | |
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| Looking East from Windmill Point towards Montreal Across Lake St. Louis |
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| Montreal enlargement |
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15:55 I leave the town of Notre-Dame-de-l-Ile Perrot and enter town of Ile Perrot, around 40e avenue.
| Along the Eastern shoreline of Ile Perrot |
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60:00 I make Ste. Anne de Bellevue again. I stop to have an iced cream cone and sit by the waterfront and watch the boats.
16:30 I Leave Ste. Anne de Bellevue.
16:40 I reach Baie d'Urfé, as the strong headwind continues.
16:50 I reach the Beaconsfield line.
17:15 I reach the Pte Claire line.
17:35 I reach the Dorval Line.
17:55 I reach the Lachine Line. I take a 5 minute break in the park by the water and have my final apple.
18:20 I reach the Lasalle line.
18:25 I reach the bridge over the canal at Ville St. Pierre.
18:35 I reach the NDG line,
18:45 I am home.