The Philadelphia Experiment

The updates were supposed to be more frequent this week; however, with my bike north of the border and me south of the border there have been significantly fewer adventures to report. That’s not to say that my time in Philadelphia hasn’t been great because it has. It always is. Then again, I’ve also spent a lot of time editing videos this week – the timing of this detour worked out pretty well from that perspective.

The surprise party for my friend Gage – and the reason I’m in Philadelphia – went extremely well. Lots of people. Lots of food. Lots drinks. Lots of fun. And, of course, one big surprise. To say that the “surprise” element of the party was a success would be a gross understatement.

To say that I’ve been staying in a busy household this week would also be a gross understatement. Although, not entirely uncommon when I stay with Gage and Jack (and their kids … and their dog … and their other guests). Never a dull moment in Philly.

Other than hanging out with my friends, one of the other unexpected highlights has been the discovery of the newest edition of NERF weaponry that exists today. These are not the NERF toys with which I grew up. No, these are very much different. As such, I’ve found myself in the middle of more than a few NERF assaults. Sometimes as a participant. Sometimes as collateral damage. Either way, highly entertaining.

The only downside to being in Philadelphia has been the lack of cycling I’ve been doing. Again, hard to cycle when your bike is 3,500 km away. That said, I definitely miss my bike. The lack of cycling was resolved briefly yesterday though. Yes, my bike was still in Calgary but I was able to borrow a bike a go for a bit of a ride. And it was SO nice to be pedalling again. It was a simple (and flat) ride along the Schuylkill River and it was beautiful. I ended up following the trail out to Norristown which meant by the time I returned home (ie. Gage’s place) I had cycled for about 3.5 hours and had about 55 km (with a few photo stops along the way). It was great being back on a bike and despite not wanting to leave Philadelphia (as always) I’m very much looking forward to resuming my ride into the Rockies. If all goes well, I hope that will happen on Sunday.