Le Chemin du Roy
(http://www.lecheminduroy....) Highway 138, from through Quebec City to Montreal, follows the route of the first road in Québec, for nearly 250km along the north bank of the St. Lawrence River. Cars welcome, but it's an approved bicycle route along almost its entire length, and can be ridden in a day if you are strong. The road is marked with a special sign, a white crown on a blue background. The You may want to backtrack a bit to Beauport, east of Quebec City. The Avenue Royal takes you past some beautiful old houses. After a few days in Quebec City, go through the villages of Cap-Rouge, St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, and Neuville. Consider an excursion about 10 Km north on Hwy 365 to Pont-Rouge and its Site Déry. Back on the Chemin du Roy, pass through Donnacona, Cap-Santé, and Portneuf. Stop in Deschambault and try the pastries at Café Chez Zéphirin. As you continue westward, you may be able to cut over to a road closer to the St. Laurence which has picturesque houses. Continue through Grondines, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, and Batiscan. There are churches along the way which you can stop to visit. Next is the Mauricie region. Following the town of Champlain, you come to old Trois-Rivières. In addition to its Old Prison, now a museum, Trois-Rivières is the "Capital of Poetry". Visit the Morgane Café, the home-town coffee house, with poetry written on the walls. Just west, at Pointe-du-Lac, there is a pretty view point overlooking Lac St. Pierre. Leaving there, you enter the Lanaudière region, and more countryside. Head through Yamachiche, Saint-Léon-le-Grand, Louiseville, Sainte-Ursule, Maskinongé, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Cuthbert, Berthierville, Lanoraie, Lavaltrie, Saint-Sulpice. Consider a northward excursion to L'Assomption. As you approach Montreal, you pass through Repentigny, which is not much of a tourist destination but is the fastest growing suburb in the province. Cross a small bridge onto the Isle of Montreal, and Highway 138 enters Montreal and becomes rue Sherbrook.
