Lac Louisa (near Brownsburg Quebec)

This last weekend I managed two great rides both different from the usual.  The next post will describe Champlain's Folly which took place on Sunday.

On Saturday I was invited to a cottage up at Lac Louisa which is about 150km north east of Ottawa.  I wanted to stay along the Ottawa River as much as possible so after riding to Rockland I hoped on Old Highway 17.  This is an excellent road for riding-low traffic and not dead straight.  I never really felt like I was climbing but when I crossed the South Nation River in Plantangent I had a short climb and from the top there was a wonderful vista toward the Ottawa River with a great, gradual descent.  The name of this road is not on Google Maps but it is smooth, low traffic and ironically has paved shoulders.  I traveled this road until Treadwell and then just stayed on the road by the river until Hawkesbury.  I suspect that those going to Montebello on Sunday took this road too.  It is absolutely fantastic to ride on.

After crossing into QC from Hawkesbury I went onto some of the dirt/gravel roads to make my way north and slightly east.  These roads ranged from just the usual hard pack dirt that was easy to ride on to others with narly gravel sections.  I had felt great but the heat, and climbing on dirt quickly started to wear me out.  My last bit of gravel was to be Montee Jackson but there was a "do not enter" sign and I didn't want to take a chance of riding it only to find out that I had to turn around and come back because of bridge being out or something.  This meant I was now a little lost so I headed east along Carriere and fortunately it took me to Brownsburg.  From here I started climbing again along 327 until the road to Lac Louisa.  The roads were fantastic- narrow with some shade, not much traffic and enough twists and turns to make it interesting.  I felt that the climbing was gradual but there were two sections with 11% and 18% posted but these sections were not very long.  I did come across a few other cyclists who looked like I felt - hot and tired.

This route was like three separate rides.  Open and easy along the river, shorter sections of gravel/dirt and finally some decent climbing on great country roads.  I highly recommend all of these roads.