Bill

I'm at a motel about 20 minutes outside of Maine.  A good spot to spend my Canadian money.

The first real problem I’ve had on the trip was when Bill told me that my bike had fallen over sometime during the night.  This was at a Bed and Breakfast in Corner Brook Newfoundland.  The center stand of the bike actually punched through the pavement and the bike fell, breaking the right hand side-mirror and doing some misalignment of the fairing.  Bill said he was real sorry to see the damage to the bike and I said, “if this is the worst thing that happens on the trip - then it’s an inconvenience but I’ll deal with it and get a new mirror when I can.”

Generally when I ride a motorcycle - I ride alone.  This is because I’m self-centered and like to do what I want to, when I want to.  I like to stop when I want without any consideration of anyone else.  I don’t mind going on rides with people, if they are short and the purpose of the ride is the camaraderie of friends.  But this ride wasn’t planned that way and so when I met Bill on the ferry and we ended up staying at the same B and B and then Bill suggested we might ride together due to the bad weather, I said yes, but had some mixed feelings.  But like everything so far on this trip, meeting Bill was another one of the high points.

Bill worked for years in the oil fields of Alberta.  Ten years ago his wife passed away of pancreatic cancer.  There is no doubt in my mind as to how much he loved her and I know that not one day goes by, that Bill doesn’t miss her.  Bill also has 4 kids that he is very proud of.  He lives in British Columbia.

My experience of riding with Bill has given me the chance to come to know him as one of the most congenial and accommodating people I’ve ever met (he would have to be to ride with me).  He is also very outgoing and I got to know more about more people because Bill was with me. No one passed by Bill without him saying hello and striking up a conversation.  We ended up getting on an earlier ferry back to Nova Scotia from Newfoundland but it was a night crossing.  We left Newfoundland at 11:00pm and drove off in Nova Scotia at around 6:00am - in the rain of course.  All the time traveling with Bill I never heard him complain (other than wanting the Netherlands to win the Worlds Cup).  We went our separate ways about an hour after getting off the boat.  A last cup of coffee at Tim Horton’s, a hand shake, and a “nice riding with you,” and I was off on my own.  Bill’s 78 years old.  He road to Alaska last year.  He road from British Columbia to Newfoundland this year.  Bill gets up every day with a smile and says, “isn’t life great.”  Bill said he doesn’t want to die, he loves life and every day is a blessing.

For me, meeting Bill was a blessing.  “Thanks Bill, for reaching out to me, and suggesting that we ride Newfoundland together.  Because of you, my Newfoundland adventure was more than what it would have been without you.  Have a long life, meet many new people, and let’s do this again some time.”

Life is pretty “neat” - rain and all.