Day 5 begins in the company of a half-dozen bikers all camped in the town square in Hooverville style. I'm the first to break camp and make my way to the road. About an hour later, Gordon catches up to me and, being the slowest bike on the Trans-Canada highway, I waved him through. He says he prefers company and although ahead of me, he is matching my speed.
We stop for lunch at the only restaurant between our White River starting point and the destination of Marathon. The restaurant is only a few months old and, based on the number of failed businesses along the route, I question the probability of success but hope for the best. Nice people trying hard to make a go of it.
Over lunch, we share some of our personal history and discuss world politics. Gordon is a Canaduan originally from Vancouver. He moved to Europe 25 years ago and ended up as a banker in Edinburgh. Now married to a Scot with two kids in college, he became a British subject by way of his heritage. He also abandoned the ball and chain of banking explaining that every day on the office was excruciatingly painful. He is now happily self-employed in historic building restoration, working with Scottish authorities to preserve original architecture.
Gordon worries that our countries relationship is being irreparably damaged by the orange one in the Whitehouse. A serious discussion ensues about how we arrived at this lowly point. I try my best to assure him that an alliance spanning two world wars and countless other stressors will survive. On that we finally agree.
A relatively flat ride and a tailwind bring us into Marathon early in the afternoon. Rumor has it that bikers camp free on the lakeshore at Pebble Beach. We ride down there but there are no facilities. Two days without a shower is my limit so we move on to Penn Lake campground where showers are hot and fellow campers are an interesting lot. In all a 70 mile day made tolerable by wind and road conditions.
Next door is a Brazilian couple in an ancient Fiat van that broke down four days ago. I tell Antonio that Fiat stands for "Fix It Again Tony" and it gets a laugh in return even cutting through the English-Portugese translation. This couple is on an amazing journey. Starting in Brazil (of course) they took a ferry around Central America which they will transverse on the way back. Driving through Mexico, they entered the U.S. in Arizona and made their way up the west coast through Canada into Alaska, driving to the northern most point. It seemed pointless to ask if they saw Sarah Pailin or Russia. They are working their way across Canada to Montreal where a right turn takes them to NY and Miami. From there it is up to Detroit, Chicago and a trip west on Route 66 to see the western U.S. The final leg takes them the full length of the Americas to the southernmost point in Chile before returning to Brazil. My head is spinning.
5 days on the road and not a single American.
We stop for lunch at the only restaurant between our White River starting point and the destination of Marathon. The restaurant is only a few months old and, based on the number of failed businesses along the route, I question the probability of success but hope for the best. Nice people trying hard to make a go of it.
Over lunch, we share some of our personal history and discuss world politics. Gordon is a Canaduan originally from Vancouver. He moved to Europe 25 years ago and ended up as a banker in Edinburgh. Now married to a Scot with two kids in college, he became a British subject by way of his heritage. He also abandoned the ball and chain of banking explaining that every day on the office was excruciatingly painful. He is now happily self-employed in historic building restoration, working with Scottish authorities to preserve original architecture.
Gordon worries that our countries relationship is being irreparably damaged by the orange one in the Whitehouse. A serious discussion ensues about how we arrived at this lowly point. I try my best to assure him that an alliance spanning two world wars and countless other stressors will survive. On that we finally agree.
A relatively flat ride and a tailwind bring us into Marathon early in the afternoon. Rumor has it that bikers camp free on the lakeshore at Pebble Beach. We ride down there but there are no facilities. Two days without a shower is my limit so we move on to Penn Lake campground where showers are hot and fellow campers are an interesting lot. In all a 70 mile day made tolerable by wind and road conditions.
Next door is a Brazilian couple in an ancient Fiat van that broke down four days ago. I tell Antonio that Fiat stands for "Fix It Again Tony" and it gets a laugh in return even cutting through the English-Portugese translation. This couple is on an amazing journey. Starting in Brazil (of course) they took a ferry around Central America which they will transverse on the way back. Driving through Mexico, they entered the U.S. in Arizona and made their way up the west coast through Canada into Alaska, driving to the northern most point. It seemed pointless to ask if they saw Sarah Pailin or Russia. They are working their way across Canada to Montreal where a right turn takes them to NY and Miami. From there it is up to Detroit, Chicago and a trip west on Route 66 to see the western U.S. The final leg takes them the full length of the Americas to the southernmost point in Chile before returning to Brazil. My head is spinning.
5 days on the road and not a single American.
Glad you are finally encountering some interesting characters after your days of solitude in the wilderness!
ReplyDeleteJim! So glad you are meeting interesting / nice people! I love reading your stories. They remind me of my, minuscule by comparison, ride/camp trips which were amazing! Cycle on! XO
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are settling into the ride nicely and learning riders “secret info” from the people you meet . Such interesting stories of fellow travelers.
ReplyDeleteI see a book in your future!
ReplyDelete