Biking the Blueberry
Already famous for its annual crossing, Lac Saint-jean has just acquired another feature that will help it become a favourite vacation spot among outdoor-sports enthusiasts: A bicycle path now encircles the well-known lake. Named La Véloroute des bleuets - or Blueberry Trail - it runs for 256 kilometres and will be inaugurated in June, but of course we fearless reporters were able to get a taste of it before its official opening date.
Once upon a time, on a beautiful sunny afternoon, as they say in the best of fairy tales, we climbed on our trusty bicycles and went on our way. We left from Parc de la Pointe-Taillon, North-East of Lac Saint-Jean. The park is a peninsula with sandy beaches that spread toward the lake. "It's your first time in the region?" asks our guide Sylvain Tremblay. It is indeed our first time in blueberry heaven. Suddenly, we see a sly smile spread across Sylvain's face, as if to say that he was going to give us a day we weren't going to forget.
Our first few kilometres around Pointe-Taillon turned out to be more difficult than expected. We come across a Montreal couple who, as pioneers of this new trail, accept to grant us an interview. However, doing an interview while on two wheels demands a level of co-ordination that we simply don't have. Cameraman Daniel Desrosiers runs ahead of us to film a few frames while Yanick Rose has squeezed into a child's wagon and Sylvain Tremblay pulls him. Every few hundred feet, another collision is avoided. After one hour of bumpy interviewing, we turn back and continue filming elsewhere. Sylvain knows the most spectacular spots in the region and seems to be determined to show them all to us before the day ends.
The bike path was constructed on lands turned over to the country by VIA, so we follow the train tracks until we reach Alma. There, we meet with France Tremblay, who is co-ordinator for the Blueberry Trail's opening ceremonies. Despite having worked on the project for several months now, France hasn't found the time to try it out. She joins us and is constantly surprised by the quality of the course.
After stopping at the Auberge des Îles in Saint-Gédéon, we get to Métabetchouan, one of the most beautiful stops on the path. The sea and mountains meet here to create a perfectly delightful scenery, as they also say in fairy tales. The day is drawing to an end and the sun dances on the waters of Lac Saint-Jean. The water seems even bluer and contrasts sharply with the green field where we left our bicycles. We stay here a long time, mesmerized by the sight.
That evening, we stop at the ghost town of Val-Jalbert to rest our aching muscles. In the middle of town, new houses have been built on old foundations, which allows the public to spend the night among the town's ghosts. We look forward to a great night. An unusual ambience floats around the place, the night is pitch black and for tonight, we are the town's only inhabitants. Nonetheless, we can hear some strange noises coming from the outside. Could our disbelief in Val-Jalbert's ghosts aroused a few spirits out of their restless sleep?
Daniel, Yanick, and photographer François Bergeron have already gone to bed. I'm all alone in the living room. After a few minutes, I finally decide to go upstairs to lie down. The floor boards creak with my every move. None the braver, I leave a light on in my bedroom, just in case, and finally fall asleep. I am awakened in the middle of the night by a loud noise. I open my eyes but can't see a thing because the light is off. "Enough," I tell myself, "you're not going to start believing in ghosts now!" Just to be safe, I decide to spend the night on the downstairs couch, with my trusty blanket. The following morning, the other team members seem to find my nocturnal adventures quite funny, but I can tell that they're all a little frightened.
We leave our bikes behind to visit the village. Other than tourists like we are, all others are dressed in period costume and appear in character. There's the mayor, the baker, the postmaster and others. The mayor invites me to join the players and lends me a period dress and a superb red bicycle. I am a hit on the Blueberry Trail as I ride past Val-Jalbert village. We've only explored half of this wonderful path, but already we have to leave to discover other parts of the Lac Saint-Jean region.
