Well, That Was Easy-Ish Kitchener, ON to London, ON
For the first time in 641 days I was back on the road, riding my fully loaded bike. The plan for the day was to pedal to London (yes, Ontario). A mere 98 km ride. Well, it’s a “mere” distance when one has been on the road for a while. There may have been some uncertainty as to how “mere” today’s ride would actually be.
Ready to roll.
I was a bit surprised how quickly I settled back into the mindset of being on tour. I think it took all of three blocks before I started singing (yes, in my head) Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” – it was a version that lasted about 45 minutes. From there I segued into “Holiday Road” from the Vacation movies. Yes, these are some of the things that go through my mind while on the road. Of course, the theme from The Littlest Hobo made an appearance (or two) as well. Seriously, how could it not?
Good day for riding
Despite my best intentions, my habits re: eating and drinking were not at optimal levels today. Old habits die hard (despite 641 days off). It was about 45 km into the ride when it occurred to me that maybe I should eat something. Unfortunately, there wasn’t really a good place to stop and so I pedalled on. Yes, I know I shouldn’t have but, well … it’s me. At the 55 km mark I started to feel that I was fading a bit (duh!) but there still wasn’t an decent place to stop. This time, however, I opted to at least eat half a banana. I’m not sure if it was some sort of magical banana but the energy it provided was almost instantaneous. It was pretty remarkable! Yes, I’m aware that I shouldn’t be amazed that food provides energy. But seriously, I was significantly revitalized.
At the 60 km mark I found myself approaching the Embro Conservation Area – a small park setting with shade, grass, and picnic tables. I decided this would be as good as it gets for a lunch stop. My knack for the obvious can be very strong. So, stop I did. See, I’m learning! As I pedalled my way deeper into the site, through the tall grass, past some picnic tables, towards a small pond and some more picnic tables, it seemed clear I had made the right choice. “Seemed” being the operative word. As I leaned my bike up against one of the picnic tables I quickly saw the error of my ways. So much for my knack for the obvious. Clearly time was of the essence.
Gourmet dining
On the upside, that was by far the worst part of the day. And shortly thereafter I found a safe place for lunch. And shortly after lunch I was back on the road with only 30 km left to go. That 30 km was made even easier when I learned that there was a Wendy’s very near to my day’s destination – never underestimate the motivating influence of a Wendy’s Frosty.
As for my accommodation, my destination would have me staying with my niece, Janet. Thanks, Janet! We went out for a nice dinner and then a quick grocery stop before returning to the house to stare at our respective screens and get some work done.
Yes, it was a good day but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t tiring.
We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Today’s totals:
Distance: 98.47 km
Ride time: 4:14:01
Average speed: 23.26 km/h
Maximum speed: 46.44 km/h
It’s Been A While
According to my recently upgraded cycling spreadsheet (yes, I upgraded my cycling spreadsheet and it’s more than a little fantastic if I do say so myself – and I do!), it’s been 639 days since I’ve ridden a fully loaded bicycle. 639 days! I knew it had been a while but when I actually saw that number I was a bit taken aback. What had I been doing for the past 639 days … other than NOT riding a fully loaded bicycle? Well for starters, as has been pointed out to me on more than one occasion, I haven’t been posting many updates to my blog. (Cue the collective “sigh” from my 11 … maybe 12 … followers)
The main reason for the lack of cycling (and blog entries) was my focus shifted to the Africa documentary (aka. Lucy Has Worms) that my friend Gage and I had been working on. Yes, “had”. After three trips to Kenya and more than a few hours of editing, we’re finally finished. And, dare I say, we’re very happy with the way it turned out. Whether that turns into getting into any festivals or sales opportunities remains to be seen. But we’re hopeful.
Tent life cycle.
It didn’t take long for my wandering mind to return to a “plan” I’d first come up with a few years ago. I wouldn’t call it a “bucket list” plan because, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m not a fan of that expression and, as such, I don’t have such a list. Either way, the plan had been placed on the back burner when the Kenya documentary came along and subsequently became my priority. Now, with an opening on the front burner, the plan of years gone by was gaining momentum.
A whole lot of gear. I wonder what I should do with it.
In the span of a few short hours, I had gone from casually setting up my tent to the realization that I had pretty much convinced myself to load up my bike for what could potentially be another extended tour. Granted, not as ambitious as my 2015 tour of 13,476.57 km (yup, still loving the spreadsheet) but I can’t imagine topping that tour. I’m not as young as I used to be!
Taking The Plunge, Again
It’s a bit hard to believe that over a month has passed since my most recent arrival in BC. And, after a great three weeks of house/dog/cat sitting in Salmon Arm (where Chai, the dog, MAY have received more than a little spoiling from me – I couldn’t help it, I was almost powerless against her blue eyes) I’ve now returned to Peachland for house sit #2 of the season.
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- I’m pretty sure this is the greenest winter solstice I’ve experienced.
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- Two days after the winter solstice and things looked more seasonal.
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- I was almost powerless vs those eyes.
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- Yup, she’s cute and she knows it!
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- Relaxing a bit on Xmas Eve.
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- Relaxing a LOT on Xmas Eve.
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- Relaxing with my new friends and my traditional Xmas Eve movie.
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- Drone piloting can be a lonely affair.
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- Me and all my friends at the Polar Bear Swim.
In lieu of me setting foot (or toe, or even finger) in Okanagan Lake I once again took to the sky to capture the event. I’m happy to report that at no time did the drone come in contact with the water – retrieval would’ve been more than a little unpleasant! Fortunately, the same can’t be said for the 89 registered swimmers for this year’s event and the swim seemed to be another success … and, with an air temperature of about 2°C and water temperature of 5°C, it was practically balmy compared to last year’s -8°C conditions.
It’s Not Easy Being Green Tappen, BC
Despite the unseasonably green winter solstice, nature opted not to grant my wish for a green Xmas. Of course, a green Xmas would’ve made this video much more challenging. Either way, BC remains my favourite province. Hard to believe I only have a couple more days before I move on to house sit #2.
Is This Thing On?
Remember me? One could argue that this update is more than a little late in coming. Of course, I suspect that ONLY one would make that argument since that’s probably the number of people still checking out this site. And that one is me. Sigh. I have only myself to blame. Shame, shame, shame.
I did manage to get out for a couple of warm rides. So nice!
As for other activities, my summer once again had a noticeable dearth of cycling. Even less than last year. It wasn’t without activity though. For the third time in as many years I found myself back in Kenya – this time to finish off the shooting for the ongoing documentary project with my friend Gage in Philadelphia. It was another great trip. Kenya really is fantastic. As is Lucy, the subject of the aforementioned documentary. Although, I’ll admit it was sad to leave the beautiful hot and humid weather we were experiencing in North America to go to the more temperate climate in Kenya. First World problems, of course.
The road to Wote in Kenya is more than a little picturesque
As for the rest of the summer, well … the four weeks prior to going to Kenya and the three weeks after returning from Kenya, were spent in Philadelphia editing the documentary. That editing has continued since returning to Ontario in September (interspersed with some corporate work to pay the bills). The documentary still isn’t finished but it’s getting very close. I have to say, as projects go … this one has been an incredible experience. For a whole lot of reasons. Hopefully the documentary will garner some interest and actually get shown somewhere. Time will tell.
Jack, the dog.
And thus endeth the update. Now I have to go find some more photos to include. If you don’t see many in this update that means I was unsuccessful in that endeavour. (I say that as if anyone is still reading!)
Sigh.
Update: I found this video from one of my daily hikes in Killiney Beach back in January. I had put it on Instagram but now it’s here too. I love BC.