On The Road Again...

Lots to write- let's get going!

The Train

May 29-Wednesday

I took the train to Dorval QC to meet up with the boys and continue the trip. The day before I rode 80km at home in Waterloo, so the knee was a bit sore- but I had a good feeling it was ready to go.

The train was pretty boring- I reached Dorval (just outside of Montreal) at about 4:30pm. From there, I got my boxed up bike and put it together in record time (much much quicker than our first bike assembly in Halifax, NS). From there, I went on a ride of my own, biking along the st.lawrence for the afternoon as I waited for the guys to get to our home for the next two night- Brad's Aunt Lynn's place.

After getting a call from Brad, I headed to his aunts place and I was greeted with burgers, a beer, and hugs from all the boys. It was great to be back. That night we ate as much as we could (it was really hard to keep up with the guys), chilled out in Aunt Lynn's basement and played some wicked super nintendo.

MTL

May 30-Wednesday

We slept in the next morning- at a nice breakfast, and we hung out with Brad's cousin Britt all afternoon- she was really cool and a great host. We went for some MTL smoked meat at Smoke Meat Pete's (and smelled like it after, too), and took a nice drive down Lakeshore Road. That area of the island is so nice- it would be a great place to live one day.

After that- we had one of our MTL highlights- dinner with gaggy and grandad- Brad's grandparents. They were two amazing characters with great hearts and a knack for humour that many don't have. It was great to see Brad's family.

After dinner- we headed to one of our favourite Montreal Bars- Fou Founes Electrique. After the bouncer made fun of us for wearing flip flops (we don't have enough room in our bags for real shoes), we headed in and watched a free concert featuring one of Montreal's finest- the Saint Catherines. It was a great concert- the perfect way to spend a night out in Montreal.

After drinking a great amount of water when we got home, I fell asleep.

My first biking day since the injury

May 31-Thursday

The next morning we woke up around 9:30, ate an AMAZING breakfast of bacon and pancakes prepared by Aunt Lynn, we showered, packed up, and waisted a few minutes doing nothing before we took off.

We left the house at about noon to start our ride to Alfred Ontario- about 120km. And boy did we fly that day- average speed was over 25km/h. My knee held up really well- at one point I was leading the group for a half hour at over 30km/h and it didn't hurt at all. I think that's when I knew it would be good for a while.

We made amazing time getting into Alfred on account of our speedy-ness and set up camp in the side yard of a nice couple. After eating a ton of chili and bread, and treating ourselves to a donut and a game of frisbee- we jumped in our tents for the night. Brad and I played poker and listened to music...I'm out $6.50. haha.

Ottawa Day!

June 01-Friday

The next morning we woke up early, around 8:00- ate our regular breakfast of bread, peanut butter and bananas and took off for Ottawa. The ride was 80km and we covered it well, arriving in Ottawa just after noon. About 3/4 of the way through, Brad took a spill along the way, got a little 'road rash' on his hip and arm. But that just makes him look more hardcore. He's hopped right back on his bike, and we continued on.

My knee felt great yesterday- like really, really good. Which makes me really happy.

When we got into Ottawa, we parted ways- Brad and I headed to our friends Becca and Nat's place. When we arrived, the girls treated us so well, with cold beers ready (seems to be a growing trend). They made us lunch, dinner, and made us very happy. Me and Brad love our Nat and Becca.

We also saw the article written about us in Metro - check it out here!

http://www.metronews.ca/uploadedFiles/PDFs/20070601_ottawa.pdf (it's on page 3).

At night- we had our fundraiser pub at the Great Canadian Cabin in the Market. I had worked out a deal with France, the bar's manager, allowing us to get the $3 cover from anyone who handed in a little Speak with Spokes ticket.

The night was an absolute blast. So many of our friends came to support CANFAR, and to see us during our Ottawa stop. That was probably one of my favourite nights out in my entire University tenure.

At the beginning of the night Brad and I were greated by France and one of my friends Nat Carrier. Nat bought us a drink, and introduced us to the people at her table- including a few people from A Channel... we may have some more Ottawa press coming our way soon!

And the night just got better and better as time went on. This trip has made me realize how giving people really are- and last night was no exception. People saught us out to make donations all night- it was incredible.

But it wasn't only that- seeing everyone again was so great. Everyone had great stories and accomplishments to talk about- I had some great conversations. Thanks to everyone who came out, we really appreciated it. And to top it all off, we raised $400 for CANFAR last night- incredible stuff.

Today we will be getting our bikes tuned up, and heading to one of our favourite Ottawa places- Chateau Laff for Lucky Ron at 4pm. Should be a great day.

We will be in Ottawa till Monday, and I think we will love every minute.