Breathing Space

The Day Begins...
Still luxuriating in the swanky Super 8 motel. Up early and had breakfast in the lobby. Make your own waffles, a new concept in cuisine with an automatic batter dipenser and a high tech waffle iron that beeps angrily when you make a wrong move, which I did. Then a couple of hours of anxious pacing, wondering if my luggage had been shipped off to foreign parts. And suddenly, there it was, 100%.
I called Valerie from the lobby, and while we were talking, the doors opened, and in walked Ryan. The three Musketeers ar reunited. Ryan had taken an unscheduled rest day in Montreal, enjoying the sights and the ambience, and this morning he had hitch-hiked to QC, Bike, Bob-trailer and all. It was great to see him again, and he is already well rested and feeling good.
We have decided to have at least one more rest day in QC; the guys have really been pushing hard and need some time to recover, and we are expectin the weather to improve on Monday. I'm looking foward to a day exploring in Old Quebec, and I too will benefit from a rest day after the turmoil of last week - even though I have yet to turn a wheel.
This morning I unpacked my bike and re-assembled it. No missing parts, and after a bit of head scratching about the exact purpose of a few nuts and bolts, it's as good as new.. Rode a couple of miles to a local bike store with Pete, who needed some spare spokes, and its good for the trip.
We will be starting off on Monday, heading east along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. The first few days will be through relatively flat farm country which will give me a chance to get my legs back. After that we will circle the Gaspe peninsula, which promises to be more of a challenge. Then down through New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and finally across Newfoundland. We expect to cover around 3,000 kilometres.
Tonight, Pete and I went to the Chinese buffet next to the hotel, where he gave me a virtuoso demonstartion of his refuelling techniques. Even the waitress was impressed as she cleqared away plate after plate. Actually, I put in a pretty good performance, but I admit to being outclassed in that department. I'm assured that I will become more competitive in the weeks to come.
Now we are all back in the room watching the Ventoux stage of the Tour de France, and trying to undersatnd the French commentary. I have been trying to use the parleevoo since I arrived, with limited success, but the more times I trry, the further I get before my target takes over in English.
Pete is changing a broken spoke. Evidently the Bob trailers put a lot of strain on the back wheel, the guys have been twanging spokes like guitar strings all across the country.
Well, dear diary, I seem to have written a lot for a down-day. Good night, Barney