I wake up. Slowly. It’s Saturday and I had fun Friday evening. I drowsily open the curtains. That’s when I smile. A perfect day. The sky’s a blue so lush and crisp it would make a painter cry. Narry a cloud in sight. The leaves have changed. Bright red. The contrast between the red and the blue only serves to make them more beautiful.
And to the scenery, add the day’s plans : eat a hearty breakfast, loaf around and then hike up Mount Owl’s Head. Ooooh yeah, these are the days you savour like a fresh apple.
A whole bunch of bacon, eggs, fruit, yoghourt, toast and home fries later, we're stuffed. Now's not the time to go for a hike. A little digestion is imperative.
Once that's done we head on out. Owl’s Head awaits us. I rub my hands in anticipation of a good hike: blood flowing, lungs pushing, heart racing, sweat flowing.
In Gaspésie it’s an obligation to eat seafood, provided that you like that sort of thing. Who doesn’t like to tuck into a nice big, freshly caught lobster? We do, and certainly took maximum advantage of our situation. We tried, with our feet in water much too cold, to coax one into the cooler, but it was in vain…. After only a few seconds, we decided, due to our numb, swollen-red feet, to go to the nearby fish store and pick a monster out for ourselves. The choice wasn’t difficult as there were only lobsters in the tank. We’ve tried to cook them in all sorts of ways and our favourite is on the grill. This worked out well as we had brought one along with us!
Perusing the information superhighway, I came across this video by Scott Stoll. I figure we can always use some inspiration to go out there and rock the world, in a good way. It also reminded me of the many places on my to-do list, not to mention this little story: a few years ago, while still living at my parents, the doorbell rang. I went and answered and some dude asked for my parents. I went to get my mom. It turns out the guy had been our neighbour when I was too young too remember. He was cycling across the world and thought he'd drop by. He'd started in Amsterdam, went East through Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia. Took the plane to San Francisco and was now in Montreal, woo!
Warning: the focus of this article was nearly taken hostage, prior even to its own creation, by the sheer rudeness and paranoia of America (more specifically their border guards); however, my train of thought will remain unwavering: that’s right this is another article about cycling.What could be better than a cycling trip?A cycling road trip is the only correct answer, my friend.
So off we go to Burke, Vermont in the world’s sexiest traveling vessel, the Chevrolet Venture.Two guys, a dog, and a painting brought back from Vietnam.The aforementioned border guards apparently found my person suspicious and felt compelled to search our car.An empty ski box was violated, dog food was discarded like bio-waste and stern scowls were thrown around like Michael Jackson references a few weeks ago.It was like being in Super Troopers but without the hilarious laughter and mustaches. Read more about Mark Altitude's adventures in Burke, Vermont
Remember that part in Forrest Gump when he just starts running and doesn’t stop? I sort of did that the other day. After a delicious meal at my parents’ place, I left on my bike with the intention of going home, a paltry 9km away. Along the way, I realized I had an urge to go further. And with apologies to Oscar Wilde, I can resist everything except an urge to go further. And further I went.
