It was the worst of days; it was the best of days

Thinking that he didn't have that long a ride, Bryan enjoyed sleeping in until 7:30 and a leisurely big breakfast. It was pouring rain anyways but he is used to that. Once he got underway, the NE wind picked up and it rained hard enough to create whitecaps in the puddles of the bike path. It tunneled off the lake shore, giving him no breaks at all. Five other bikers he had met quit around noon. They had had enough but Bryan had a date in Quebec City so he pushed on.

Another biker who had started from Montreal a day earlier joined him but soon felt the pain of the journey and suggested a pit stop at 2:00. There were no gas stations or restaurants so they made do with a hot dog at a convenience store. Highway 138 certainly isn't a tourist route but there isn't much traffic either and no semis. There is still a great shoulder 4-6 feet wide. The whole route from Trois-Rivieres to Quebec City is like one long community dotted with farmland. Bryan hasn't encountered any construction since Hull either until a little bit just outside QC.

At 2:00, I called him from the Montreal airport while I waited for the last leg of my flight. That gave him some added incentive to keep going even though the wind had increased. He has never had a favourable wind that strong! He still had 63 km to go at that point.

I arrived at the airport, picked up the rental SUV (a Kiah Rondo) and headed out to try to find Bryan along the road. I found him just 16 km out of the city. I don't know if he was happier to see me or to get rid of the paniers at that point.
He had to adjust his balance after 4 weeks of that extra weight but followed me back to a hotel. A bath, clean clothes and a big Chinese buffet followed with a nap made him a new man.

I can report truthfully that he has a biker short tan line like no one else, has no extra flab to lose and is feeling in the best shape of his life. He still looks forward to the rest of the journey, even more now that we can share it.

Of note:
- the deep fried frogs legs on the buffet reminded him to tell me about all the frogs and large turtles he has seen on the roads around here
-fruit punch power gel is actually really good tasting
-people really don't know distances to places not far from their own towns
-121km today
-total: 5185 km!

I will be including some pictures from here on!