Day 4 Monday July 14

Well 2 days in Quebec was great. It was like being in Europe without the flight. Back to business.
Before leaving Ralf pumped air into his tires. First tire pumped - pin gone . Ralf thought it was dislodged in the pump. I used my tweezers and paperclip to pry pin loose from pump. Unsuccessful removing pin. Meanwhile Ralf changed tube. Turns out  the stem on tube had broken off when putting air in tire. It was a malfunctioning tube. Thankfully I didn't remove pin in pump as it belonged to pump. Once new tube in Ralf pumped tire up as hard as a ... rock. Apparently valve dislodged when Ralf removed pump, unbeknownst to him.
Ralf off and running .... cycling ...
Reviewing trip tic before leaving. Great, Trip Tic only to Quebec . Organizing tools in support  vehicle- tweezers (check), paperclip ( check),stainless steel cooler with lots of water and no ice (check), toolbox (check), duct tape (check). Haven't had to use the duct tape yet but if I didn't have it Murphy's law would have kicked in.
22 degrees; cloudy; wind on Ralf's back.
 Meeting Ralf in Montmagny for lunch.
Wearing Nike headband under helmet. It was full of sweat when he wrung it out. Water poured out ... yuk ... and now I'm going to have lunch.
Goal for today - reach St. Alexandre by nite fall.
12:45- I'm due for a nap. This 'support vehicle' is harder than it looks. Better find a McD's or Timmy's as I need a caffeine hit.
Meeting Ralf in Rivière du Loupe, travelling on 132 est. Detour ... Distracted by phone call from Rosalyn Gluck, missed detour hwy. got so lost ...  driving on gravel, windy roads; bobcat bolted across road  ( s*#!) ... windows securely closed. PC from Ralf ... "where are you?" Answer #¥*!
Went back to original  detour and found signs- back on track; met up with Ralf . Planned to meet at junction 132 est and 283 sud. in 2 hours (2100 hrs)
Met up with Ralf . Asked about his navigating thro detour. He plowed thro and ignored workers instruction to turn back. Ralf ended up going thro peoples backyards with his bike (1/4 mile of detour); crashing some peoples pool parties by waving to people.
Total k for today was 170k
Staying in Rivière du Loupe  Universal Hotel . Our choices were: retirement home which we checked out-.thought it was a Bed and Breakfast; a rubby dub bar/ hotel that appealed to Ralf and the Universal Hotel which is very nice hotel- welcomes cyclists.
Tomorrow Ralf taking an old railway track to New Brunswick. I will travel on hwy.
So far terrain has been flat; temperatures cool and wind is at his back . But Ralf feels God has a questionable sense of humour and things could change. We have to thank Marg Kitely for her prayers for great weather.
Well time to turn in but tune in tomorrow for more of Ralf's Ride.
NN ;)

Always carry duct tape

Day 3 ... Friday July 11th

Going to make this short. Drove from Malton to Quebec in 9/10 hours. In case you're wondering, I had no flats .
Ralf made it to Delta Hotel in downtown Quebec by 6:30. He said the cycling was tough- many times big transport trucks brushed by him. Cycling paths were very narrow.
Navigating thro downtown Quebec was stressful. Made Toronto on a long weekend, Friday at 5:00 , look like a sleepy rural town. Sounded like a truck driver. Good thing windows were closed!Can't believe I'm doing this again! My GPS, nicknamed Emily, has a hard time pronouncing English street names... imagine me trying to figure out her French!
Billy Joel is one of the many artists performing in Quebec City this weekend.
Ralf limping; my (r) foot cramped from placed on pedal for most of the day- not a pretty picture.
Had a great dinner; shared a bottle of wine.
Ralf sleeping as soon as his head hit pillow; I will follow as soon as I publish this.
Good night. xx

washing out Ralf's biking sweat band and clothes...

Day 2 ... Thursday July 10

5:40 start
Montreal very difficult.  Trip tic had him on hwy. 132 which turns into 400 series !!!!  Ended up on major expressway - SCARY and for Ralf to say that it must have been terrifying.  Able to get off with all major ( and minor) body parts intact.  Picked his way through Montreal .  Had first flat since Michigan 3 years ago.  Had a déjà vu experience - tire changed quickly and back in the saddle. Cycled on bike trail along the St. Lawrence River.  Had lunch in quaint restaurant ... Stayed awake.
Humped it through Sorel Quebec. First time back since a baby ... very few memories ( actually none came to mind) ... Sorel is an industrial town, not pretty, much like Hamilton. Able to get back tire properly inflated there.  Small hand pump he travels with unable to reach correct pressure.  Store owner very hospitable - a cyclist himself- very interested in hearing about purpose of  cycle.
Target to get to Nicolet.  Checked in to Hotel Montfort Nicolet.  A converted monastery - Ralf should sleep very well (lol). Had gourmet dinner.  Appetizer- goat cheese on crostini with maple syrup pecans drizzled over it;  main course scallops, from frozen not fresh.  Looking forward to fresh scallops in Kennebunkport.  Beer to start, white wine (Spanish Sauvignon Blanc) with main course.
Again, really beat, so bid adieu.  Looking forward to my arrival in Quebec tomorrow night.
I will be his support vehicle to P.E.I. starting Monday. Playing tourist in Quebec for 2 days ;)
Best to get some shut eye as long drive to Quebec tomorrow after camp commitment.  At least Ralf has had 3 days to reach Quebec!  Have put a stainless steel cooler in Escape; duct tape - should of packed this on Ralf's last trek but this time I have it.

Day 1 ... Wednesday July 9

Up at the break of dawn to start Ralf's Ride! He stopped in Brockville for breakfast at 7:50am- truckers breakfast. Cool wind at his back is giving him a great start! His first two hours were good- no flat tires! Goal: to pump really hard and get near Montreal today (120-140 miles). He stopped for lunch at Schnitzel's Restaurant in Cornwall to watch Argentina beat Netherlands. Ralf's won the office pool for choosing the final two teams to play in the final game- he's very happy! After lunch he dozed off in his chair with his sunglasses on. The waiter thought he was dead and notified the manager. Haha I thought he only did this Sunday mornings at church. He rode along the south shore of the St. Lawrence river and enjoyed the flat path. Wind at his back all day. He finally arrived at the Lac St. Louis motel at 8:30pm about 25 km southwest of Montreal. Total distance today: 205 km!! Exhausted. He likened it to a 10 hour spinning class... really whooped. Long day.

On the eve of Day 1 ... Tuesday July 8, 2014

We'll it seems like it was yesterday that I was blogging "Keeping an Eye on Ralf" and now 3 years later it's "Ralf's Ride".  To quote  Roberto Kerr "don't do it Ralfie, don't do it."  But he's doing it and I will blog Ralf's Ride (while keeping an eye on Ralf).
Ralf attempted to leave for Gananoque 3 times. Megan and Andrew were driving Ralf to Gananoque but someone kept forgetting their kingston house keys. After the goodbyes they returned 30 min later to get keys; second time, they returned sooner as person noticed they didn't have keys in their possession. The keys were sitting on table by front door :(   The 3rd time was successful; arrived in Gananoque around 10 pm.
Sleep tight Ralf and don't let the bed bugs bite!!!

Testing pre ralf's ride

Megan is giving me a quick lesson on how to blog with my iPad before I blog Ralf. A root canal would be easier!!!