Friday I had to change my plans about visiting Marc Norton at his new east Montreal office but I have been promised a photo of the staff and office. was fun as Frank Buell and Luc (software consultants in Montreal...Frank doesn't support the Toronto Maple Leafs! Criminal!) met me for a Montreal specialty. Smoked meat sandwich. NOT to be confused with pastrami on rye. Frank has been riding for one year and his choice of bike was enough to generate jealousy in me. His red and black and silver BMW GS 1200 with all the kit is superb. I kept wondering whether I should have done this trip on such a bike, especially when I contemplated the rockies still ahead of me. But my R1 is eating this journey like a fox in a disabled chicken's hut so I'll save the BMW thing for a big two-up trip. I do fancy trying that new BMW 800 parallel twin GS. Hello? Any BMW dealers reading this?
So here I am eating until I burst on the BIGGEST meat sandwich in history (how they got 8 cows between 2 slices of rye bread is beyond me) and then the waitress offers cheescake. Frank said yes. That slice was the size of a hotel. I tasted a small forkfull. Glorious. I mean... as in REALLY good! The bad news was that the rain started. I now had to pull the rain jacket on and head out. It was blustery (the worst type of wind on a bike) and as I crossed a huge body of water (the St. Laurence river) the wind literally picked me and my gear and the R1 up and deposited me 4 feet across that lane next to a truck. Ever eat your own heart and swallow it with some Rennies? I BATTLED that wind. The worst bit was the sudden drop and I'm scooting left into the next lane. Straighten up and back it comes and I'm scooting right into the grill of a Peterbilt. At least I'll clean off the chrome easily...
Once on land it all settled down, the sun popped out occasionally and the flatlands of south-western Quebec numbed my mind with nothingness. A 60mph speed limit is bad but when the sole income for the whole Province is accidental speeders that set their hair on fire out of boredom and step on the gas and be damned... let's just say it takes Yoga style breathing to control your temper. A speed limit of 160mph would be safe on these bowling lane straight roads...
Shane Romaine's perfect directions got me through Ottawa's 3pm rush hour (they all work for the Canadian government from 11am until 2:30pm in this logging town - revenge from Queen Victoria for separating from the mother country I heard) and into his peaceful neighbourhood for a weekend of relaxation and catch-up. Shane is an Accpac consultant (Ascend Business Solutions) here in Ottawa and when we first met in Hawaii at the Sage President's Circle event we just hit it off. Then Shane and Paula his lovely blond wife of Finnish origin came to Phoenix to help DesignR1 install Accpac. I saw Shane at Insights and decided to detour to Ottawa to visit. Now Shane not only has a BMW Rockster and will ride with me on Sunday to my first home town of Brockville, but he plays guitar very well. So harmonica in one hand, beer in the other and singing with Shane I finally quit at 2am. Saturday was all about updating and shopping for RainX, and a camera bag to velcro to my petrol tank to make for quicker photo shoots. Visor up, shutter down, job done, ride on. Gotta love it! I also managed to chat with my sisters and mother who were all having a splendid time at my sister Laura's house in Wimbledon, London, England. It made me a tad homesick but I'll survive...Sunday...Brockville here we come.
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