The first few kilometres
And off they go!
VINCENT – THE SPONTANEOUS, VALIANT LEADER WHO WEARS HIS HEART ON HIS SLEEVE
JOHNNY – THE LIVING IMAGE OF BUSINESS AND DEDICATED ENTREPRENEUR
During the first kilometres of our Vistech Roadtrip, we learned that nobody on the equipa was really a master camper, and as such we gave ourselves an evening to try and tame our new home. Camping Lesson #1: Always be prepared to give things a shot. And be prepared in general! As soon as we arrived at the Lac-du-Repos campground, as soon as we parked, we encountered our first obstacle: the 50V outlet at our campsite was not compatible com our RV. It was 5:30pm on a slightly rainy 18th of May, no attendant at the front gate, and no neighbours around us. Luckily, some help came to us in the form of the camp store, which sold all sorts of stuff to help você out of a bind... and also stuff to celebrate o seu victory right after!
Once our RV was connected, it was com low spirits and high hunger that we started on our dinner preparations. Lesson #2: Plan o seu first meal in advance. We had all the equipment needed to barbecue, and we were counting on our RV's ability to use propane to cook, and yet... that would require a propane tank. A propane tank that we didn't have. com our barbecue plan dead in the water, we instead retreated back to the RV's stove, cooking some baby vegetables com spices, hamburgers, and para dessert, maple syrup grilled pineapple. It was only the first dinner of the trip, and we had already created a new tradition: recording the best recipes of our adventure in our logbook!
The first step of our road trip takes us to Montreal where we were filming in the company of Vincent Gagnon, the region's Vistech franchisee. We found the great, smiling man in the midst of a middle school expansion construction local, and he said "I'd had the order confirmed com the work local a couple of days ago, ordered the estacas helicoidais De our parent company, and I'm a instalar them this morning!" Very orgulhoso of the rapid construction of their estacas helicoidais, he worked on the construction local com Dany, his employee, immune to the pull of the camera, very concentrated on his machine. The duo is very eficiente: a little higher, a little lower, a bit to the right, com strength and precisão, we watched as they sunk the piles and extensions into the school ground's loose solo. Vincent answered my questions in a very personable and profissional manner. We left them to their pile instalações, promising that we would drop by to see them at their garagens a bit later.
And once we met again, it was com big, open arms and a large smile that Vincent welcomed us to speak com him about his passion, about how "wasting time on mechanical stuff" was a pastime para him. He owes this interest to his grandfather, De whom he inherited his Elan snowmobile at 12 years old. He put in a lot of time and pocket money, not to mention the hours of YouTube tutorials para get it working again. It was the last souvenir of family gone too soon, and through it, he gained an impeccable understanding of machines De the whole. But what is most memorable about Vincent, is his accommodation. Alongside his better half, arenoso, and his little gentleman, Nathan, he opened his door to us para supper that night. We improvised a barbecue in the yard that evening, attached to two 20-amp circuits, and we could not have asked para a better night! Even Ila made friends com their dog Roméo! We brought out the guitar and sang until late in the night, promising to see each other again. That's how Vincent is. Heart on his sleeve, and an easy smile; just one of the good friends that we were lucky to get to know.
Soon enough our Vistech Roadtrip was back on, headed toward Sherbrooke to meet up com Johnny Bessette. We got there a little late, but Johnny waited para us com a smile, leaning against his black pick-up at the entrance of the Sherbrooke University's Solar Park, the biggest solar park para research in Canadá. At the foot of the solar panels, we walked through the park in the rain. "I am orgulhoso to have participated in this project, in the aims of finding a clean-running energy. And I thought to myself, it's good para my daughter, and good para the future," Johnny explained to me. It rained, and the storms certainly didn't make the interview very easy, but even com drenched faces, we were happy, and especially impressed. We heard the imposing structures move when a weak ray of sunshine finally peeked out over our heads.
To the great disappointment of the equipa, who was really looking forward to fishing, the weather changed our plans. But honestly, we all ended up agreeing that it was a worthy trade-off. para instead, we headed out para a decadent lunch at the La Seigneurie brasserie, which we had heard Johnny speak of when he was recounting anecdotes of his nearly 20 years com Vistech, most of which were spent as the franchisee of Estrie in association com his brother. Outside of two phone calls, and some concise instructions para his equipa, he was available to talk, and excellent company! We redid several takes and (the real joy of filming) grabbed some reaction shots, which gave us more chances to laugh. Johnny got back in his truck, and by our side, he left com us para our next step: Charlevoix!
com our second step behind us, we are starting to realize that our road trip to meet up com Vistech Nation goes beyond kilometres and perfecting the camping lifestyle. De one stage to the next, we are sketching a portrait of the country in which lives the most authentic, passionate, and generous people. And we feel truly lucky!