Julia on a bike

After Michelle and Rob in Winnipeg and Tim in Maryfield, Elaine and Marc are the third hosts I’ve landed to on Lyna’s recommendation. I’ve been feeling like a biker version of Tom Thumb; an oddball in a strange land, guided by the wind and little pebbles left here and there by the right people. I arrived in Airdrie at the end of the day, a city in full expansion in the face of Calgary’s housing shortage. New subdivisions are being built all over the city. It’s a stark contrast to the last few days, when I’ve mostly passed through rural communities, observing medium-sized towns and villages in turn, going from farm to farm, and without seeing an ounce of concrete. Or almost.

Green and black shirt, Levis jeans, cap and Converse sneakers for Marc; Harley Davidson jacket, jeans and black leather boots for Elaine, I can hardly believe they’re 70 and 65. But as I’ve often found, traveling on two wheels gives you a kind of eternal youth. Elaine and Marc are no exception. And they are the very embodiment of a generation in which motorcycling means new-found freedom. Freedom of body and mind.

Elaine was ten years old when she got « the bug ». On vacation at her grandmother’s in Quebec, she watched bikers go by the house every day. Decisive and passionate, she declared loud and clear, « One day, it’s going to be me ». Going where she wanted, when she wanted, exploring the surrounding area or more remote places, the idea never left her until her 20th birthday. Once she had reached the age of majority, she obtained her driving licence and bought her first motorcycle, a Kawasaki KZ650 in 1984.

Marc’s story is not so different. For him, there’s no better way to explore than on a motorcycle. Born in Saskatchewan, into a French-speaking family and with a military father, the changes of address have been numerous. But all it meant was an open door to the world. After Saskatchewan and Quebec, he spent a few years of his young adult life in Europe. He travelled both cobbled roads and country lanes, discovering France and its May 1968 demonstrations, as well as Central and Eastern Europe, at a time when Czechoslovakia still existed and crossing customs to North Africa was a mere formality.

Two motorcycle-driven paths, but two individuals who wouldn’t meet for years. A logical meeting, when you see them together. A logical meeting, when you learn that their families knew each other 13 generations ago. The Chartier family arrived on Île d’Orléans, near Quebec City, in 1666. As for the Brochu family, it was two years later that they settled on the same side of the island, just 2 kilometers away. Today, Elaine and Marc live in Calgary and are among the 500,000 francophones in Alberta, Canada’s third-largest province behind Ontario and New Brunswick (outside Quebec, of course). Both share the same passion, which has always taken them far and wide. They have traveled extensively in Canada and the United States, and are never afraid to set off on 1,000-kilometer stages. Setting off in the early hours of the morning and riding into the sunset is their way of fully enjoying and appreciating the ride. Despite the long days, we take the time to stop, take in the sights and stroll around, » says Elaine. We’re used to this rhythm, whether we’re away for a weekend or two weeks ». This rhythm is sometimes exaggerated, however, as she laughingly points out. « One day Marc did city A-city B in one go. 1800 kilometers. He slept for two days after that. My maximum was 1400 kilometers, just to validate an Iron butt challenge ». A challenge to cover 1,000 miles (approx. 1,400km) in less than 24 hours. Tempting!

Now retired, the couple are planning their next trips over several weeks, even months, with their sights set on Europe and, why not, a return to Canada’s far north, the playground of those for whom adventure has become a way of life.