Rain & hail, lost in Quebec city

After a relaxing breaky with Theresa we hit the road, the skies looking bleak & cloudy, rain imminent.

Pat brought a spare rear tire that either of us can use if needed. Unfortunately, it hampers his ability to get into his rear storage compartment. With no tire, the tent can be packed closer to his waterproof sack on the passenger part of his seat. Means keeping wet gear more accessible & at the ready.

He tried few times to get us connected via headset communication while driving, without success. Will keep working on that!!

The original plan was to stop and camp at Portneuf, about an hour east of Quebec city on Hwy 40. As we drove today, we could see the dark clouds building around us. The heavens opened around 3:30 pm & it was a deluge, combined with hail. We pulled over under an overpass to avoid the worst. 

We continued & the rain continued in intensity on & off. At Trois-Rivieres, we noticed the wind shift. It was now rush hour, Hwy 40 becomes 4 lanes & construction zones pepper the route with decreased lanes & zig zag passages. I was tired, wet & a tad nervous going through!

Thought we would find a motel heading into Quebec city, but no good. The traffic slowed down to a crawl at times, especially around choked exits. With no headsets, we relied on whoever was in the lead to decide. Pat was unable to get a visual from the map on his tank bag. 

At this point we should have exited (somehow, somewhere) & put in a destination the east side of Quebec city & avoid going all the way into town.

We end up at the old Quebec city, by the St Lawrence, near the Chateau Frontenac. Beautiful area, been a number of years since I was last here, thronging with tourists, buses, traffic & yes, construction!

Finally we pull off, Pat set up the GPS & we were on our way again. The rain had thankfully stopped. We decided the first motel we see off the highway west of Quebec city would be it for tonight. 

Our Frog Togs just not cutting it, both of us had wet sections in our jackets underneath & where it pooled in our lap/crotch area, any clothing not tucked into rain pants were wet.

Never mind, besides feeling exhausted & tired, we were glad to be safe & a little ahead of schedule!

Sorry, no pics today, too much driving!

We are preparing ourselves for the next few days of rain & cooler temps.

Total mileage 520 km