This is Eco1...
I knew I'd arrived at tonight's camp when I saw big beach and a bunch of kite boarders on Lac Saint-Pierre. It was nice to just park the EcoRocket and kick back to watch the locals do their thing. About eight were out with a solid offshore breeze. So tonight it's back to the beach, baby!
Quebec has cast her spell on me and I know I'm slowing down. It's quite nice along the river shoreline and tidy little houses.
Stopped at a rest area this morning to hang dry some socks which were still wet. They really start to stink, kids, if you leave your clothes wet too long. Anyway, at the rest stop I popped a photo of what looked to me like a coal-fired power generation facility across the River at St-Joseph-de-Sorel. I think it was the coal freighters at dock and the furnace conveyor belts that gave me the hint. Can anybody confirm this for me?
Had Beatles songs in my head today - mostly 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' and 'I am the Walrus' for some reason. Figure it's better than the Kinks' 'Lola' (why do they play that one at weddings soo much?).
Met this funny, helpful old guy at a truck stop near Berthierville. He looked like Igor from The House of Frankenstein. That or some shirtless, bald, bad guy enforcer from old school wrestling - but without the mask.
We started talking about the velo - he builds smash-up-derby, drag trucks and stock cars, and owns a race track nearby. He looked super tough, but was a really nice guy who struggled to speak English for my sake. When he was young, he would ride from Montreal to Halifax and back for the parties. He told me that I could camp hassle-free in small villages along the river wherever they tie up the boats. That's good info for sure.
Then we ended it by comparing scars. That's the sorta thing guys like me and buddy do whenever the old war stories are dusted off. He had metal pins in both legs, one arm, and two in his back (with 36 screws holding his back and neck together). Not only did he used to jump cars(?), but also drove a transport truck off a cliff. He showed me where the stick-shift disemboweled him like a samurai sword. You win, buddy.
Tomorrow, I hope to cross the bridge at Trois-Rivieres and continue on the south shore on hwy 132.
Hope all is well.
This is Eco1...Out.
-- Major Dude
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network
2 comments:
Congrats on your latest checkpoint, Major Dude. The great stories and memorable characters continue to entertain! Enjoy the beach. Best of luck tomorrow....
Thanks, Skipper.
The characters just seem to happen.
Then there's the 'crazies' I can't seem to avoid except to keep cycling. You can always tell by the eyes. I don't think about or write about them because I don't want to scare the kids with horror tales. I sleep with a cheese grater beside me just in case, though. That and a dirty toilet bowl brush - that should stop 'em.
-- Major Dude
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