Oh my GAWD!! Its here!! The day we've been waiting for, lo, these many months has finally MADE it!! Very exciting day today, if I may be allowed some understatement. Hee! I got up early after a late night of sitting around the campsite, scarfing down Christian's boxed champagne and gabbing in general. Then we all went over and watched the bonfire and listened to some very funny, very moving and very poignant tales of why people came on this ride. I'm so glad I came on this, and I'm so proud to be here amongst this amazing bunch of maniacs. So I went to bed, after redirecting Aidan by the arm to his own tent three times (that wine must have had some kick!) "AIDAN! This is YOUR tent. THAT is mine! Don't confuse them again, or I won't be responsible for the gossip tomorrow morning!" He didn't get it wrong again. Damn.
Where was I?
Oh yes, I got up early, packed up everything, couldn't really eat, although I tried, teased James mercilessly about his fear of spiders after swiping them off his tent for him (he kept whacking at it with a pole, which can't have been very good for the tent) and then we had a big sendoff in the field next to the campground, and felt very odd realizing that this is the last time we'll be like this, stretching, waking up, and that I probably won't see many of them like this again...
I started out on the road with Gilbert again, and it was a fairly even ride. At this point, the idea of doing 100 kms doesn't even phase me, whereas a month ago, I was having panic attacks. Funny. The ride was flat, with no hills, which was a blessing. A few more people had flats (Aidan had THREE that morning!) and my neck and shoulders were really hurting, so I really had to stretch them out. We crossed into Quebec not long after we started, and were given Quebec flags which I stuck onto my bag, and red ribbons, which I looped onto the back of my helmet, and had my picture taken outside of the Quebec border sign, and so did everybody else, as a kind of symbolic memento of how far we'd come. As soon as we were into Quebec, it felt so familiar to me, even the air is different, so much more relaxed than Ontario. I had a huge wave of nostalgia, and was almost teary-eyed (except that I was smiling so much) when we went by one house and three little boys in their pyjama bottoms were standing at the edge of their driveway, jumping up and down excitedly, yelling "Salut! Salut!" The youngest couldn't have been more than four or five. They were the first people who greeted us in Quebec.
We had our breaks and lunch in short order and then we all met up, just outside of Dorval, and then biked into Montreal proper just before five. The sun was out by then thank heavens, and the ride into the city via the canals and water was quite lovely. We drove into old Montreal, and there were streets cleared for us, and people on the sidelines cheering. I turned the corner, and I heard, "Trevor!" yelled out from behind me, and I looked up and around and there was Victor, leaning over a half-wall, camera in hand, grinning like mad. It was so lovely to see him, I could have cried. Then we got off our bikes, which were kept in a kind of fenced in holding area, and all of us were led into Place Viger (I think its called) where there was a whole sea of people yelling and cheering. We all stood lined up to the right of a waterfall, facing a stage, and people were yelling and cheering. I couldn' stop grinning. Some people were crying, it was so emotional. I just was so excited and psyched by the sheer emotional energy. It was a good thing it was out of doors, I think if it had been inside, it would have been too much. Speeches were made, the mayor of Montreal welcomed us in, along with Bill Graham, and I spied Stephanie standing with Victor across the way, both wreathed in smiles. We got welcomed in, and then we went off to see friends, and I immediately got a beer because I was among other things, parched, and I got big hugs from Stephanie and Victor and we made plans for that night. Then I headed back with the lads (James, Luis, Bruce et al) to our lodgings at U of QM which were just up the street, and I got cleaned up and collapsed in short order. Then Victor, Stephanie and Bruce and I all went to the Sky Bar for the welcoming party, which was great fun. Then we met up with James, Luis and Jamie and Bill and went wandering up and down St.Catherine street, ( in and out of various bars) which was just wild. Got back at an ungodly hour, stumbled into my room and collapsed. But the last thing I remember, as I closed my eyes, was thinking, "My God. I made it. I'm in Montreal!!" Then sleep.
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