Ladies always welcome, with a smile

Quebec has some spectacular roads for riding,. Especially in the fall when the weather is on the cool side and the leaves are

changing colors. The roads are lined with a sea of colors that gives the impression that your surroundings are on fire. As we twist in

and out of snaking roads some covered in a tunnel of colors the feeling of being free and alive reaches its peak.

Gloves and thick clothing are order of the day. We straddle our bikes clutching the engine in an almost erotic clasp to absorb the

heat of the engine to give us our warmth. The knuckles are frozen the nose is cold and running as the cold breeze lashes at our

face, but no one dares to stop this is the time of glory the time we have waited all year.

As we ride all side by side in a bandit like position looking at your partner and feeling the rumble of his bike you look over to see

your partner give you the siesta sign. We smile nod and flash the thumbs up.

As the road wind up and around the mountain we see ahead our decline to our watering hole. In the distance we can see the whole valley and we feel as if we are at

the top of the world.

Finally we arrive. Cold and hungry after riding all morning we sit and greet the host a great guy who runs this pit stop with his

wife. He is an extremely wealthy man and yet he keeps this place open just to serve the thousands of bikers that stop by. The

appreciation for this, keeps this place the most protected place in the region. Anyone not acting civilized in this stop will face the

wrath of the bikers. A small out of the way stop with no more that 4 tables and the whole no larger that my garage. But clean cozy

and full of hospitality, andf the food is all home made and out of this world. If we leisurely walk to the rear of this refuge we can

see the city of Montreal almost 100 miles way. For those of you who come across the Covey Hill US Border, from Plattsburg, it

must be your first stop before entering Quebec. The place is called La promenade Bistro. Just say you are a friend of Max the

white haired Italian biker and you will get a great smile of welcome.

Small areas like this one are common in Quebec and the further North you travel the further apart you will find them, and the

greater the feeling of the great outdoors engulfs you. This one however is the closet to home and one of my favourites

The Legend of the Bell

Have you noticed that small bell on some people’s bikes and wondered why it was there? It’s more than just a decoration, it has a specific function.

As we all know life has many mysteries that have no apparent solutions. One of these is Evil Road Sprits. They are the gremlins that live on your bike. They LOVE to

ride. They’re also responsible for most of your bike’s problems. Sometimes your turn signals refuse to work, or the battery goes dead, the clutch needs adjustment, or

any of several hundred other things go wrong. These problems are caused by Evil Road Spirits.

Road Spirits can’t live in the presence of a bell. They get trapped in the hollow of the bell. Among other things, their hearing is super sensitive. The constant ringing of the

bell and the confined space drives them insane. They lose their grip and eventually fall to the roadway. (Have you ever wondered how potholes are formed?) The bell has

served its purpose.

If you have picked up a bell of your own, the magic will work. But if your bell is given to you, the power of it is doubled and you know that somewhere you have a special

friend helping to look after you.

So, if you have a friend that doesn’t have a bell, why not be the person to give them one? The bell along with a good preventative maintenance program will eliminate evil

road spirits