Well, after a nice long bike trip, I guess Myeloma Canada thought it would be a good idea for me to get some running in to keep my training regime diverse. I teamed up with Lisa Ray who was recently diagnosed with myeloma at the young age of 37 and we set our marks on the Toronto 5k Your Way run for the Princess Margaret Hospital.
On October 18th, Lisa, myself and a handful of other supporters from Myeloma Canada will be taking to Queens Park to participate in a 5k run to help support the tremendous research at Princess Margaret Hospital. If you'd like to learn more about the run and Team Myeloma Canada, feel free to see our page below:
http://pmhf3.akaraisin.com/t/myelomacanada.aspx
Now all I have to do is find a good swim meet and I'll be a fund raising triathlete.
Cross Training
Aftermath: Reflections
Finally, I am starting to feel settled. It's been well over a week since I arrived in Toronto yet not even a day since I've finished unpacking, setting up my apartment, and generally, settling in to a new city I'm trying to call home. I'm still definitely in a transitional period, but things are calming down.
Nearly immediately upon my arrival, I locked my bike up in secure storage that my building provides and haven't looked at it since. I've had some friends ask if I wanted to go for a bike ride and likely gave them a look that should have made their heads explode. I've walked over an hour across the city to get somewhere instead of hopping on my bike for 10 minutes. Generally, I still have no desire to get back on that infernal/wonderful machine.
That said, this Wednesday, I will be cycling out to Oakville from Toronto (around 40km) with the Canadian GM of Celgene. Celgene has made a generous donation to the pedal and is coordinating the ride from Toronto to Oakville and a small ceremony/presentation at their offices in Oakville. In short... ready or not, we're back on the road soon!!
While we won't have final numbers until some time in October, I can let you know that fund raising has exceeded my expectations. With a huge push in donations upon my finish (were you guys waiting to give me a reward at the end?) and a couple of large contributions from companies and individuals, we are officially over the $35,000 goal and now knocking on the door of $50,000.
I can't even describe how grateful I am to everyone who helped me reach this mark and how much it means to the myeloma community. Considering that my initial plan was to ride from Calgary to Toronto to raise $3500, you can imagine how blown away I am to know that this ride really did make a difference. This unquestionably makes the fact that I still can't sit straight worth while.
I bicker and moan a lot, but I do miss the ol' girl. I'm curious to see what riding her for 40km without an extra 20-30kg of weight on my back tires will be like. Loaded or unloaded, it'll be good to get back on a more efficient mode of transportation. This whole walking business, while novel, is really becoming a slow, awkward means of travel.
Running however, I realized is not a better idea. I went out for a run on Thursday and learned the importance of cross training. I don't know entirely what muscles are used for cycling vs running, however I can tell you that they are not exactly the same. In fact, based on my experience, they appeared to be opposing each other. Thus, after building up massive muscles from cycling a "flight worthy distance", I felt like I was dragging a boulder behind me with each step forward. I only ran for about 7km, but was more exhausted than even my longest days on the bike and have legs that feel like stones still 2 days later.
Oh, and the beard is officially gone. It was a badge of honour which I wore with pride at the end of the cycle. However, after nearly a week in the hot city, it began to itch and I started to notice the wide birth people gave me while walking around the city. I'm now just another Joe, walking down the streets of a city of endless possibility.
Aftermath: Thanks
I had a video conference last night with the Myeloma Canada conference in Calgary. We set up a link to have me speak to the reception held last night. While I didn't really get a chance to speak to individuals, it was nice to know that so many amazing people who I had the chance to work with on this journey were together in one room, trying to make a difference for myeloma.
It was then that I realized that one of the updates which I needed to post was a thank you to all of the people whom I was lucky enough to have help me with this campaign. When I started planning this journey, I was ready to operate under my usual mode of doing everything myself, however it very quickly became clear that there was far too much for one person to handle, especially while on a bike.
Everyone at Myeloma Canada was instrumental in helping me organize this ride, plan local events, contact media, and make introductions to myeloma patients across the country. While only in existence since 2004, this organization has come a long way and I believe is instrumental in providing education, support, and aid with research to the Canadian myeloma community. While granted I did this ride to support them, I also could not have done the ride without their support.
A warm meal, soft bed, and hot shower may seem like fairly basic amenities, but when you're on the road for 6 weeks, they become one of the most glorious luxuries of your desire. The hospitality on the road was enough to recharge my batteries until my next stop and remind me the real reason behind what I was doing: the people. Nathan, Michelle and the boys in Swifty put me up and introduced me to Benton in Moose Jaw. Towlers in Virden felt like I was already home. Jake & Jess in Winnipeg drove with me in and out of the city and took some gorgeous photos along the road. In Kenora, I got to go out boating with Ron & Claire Noseworthy. Dryden introduced me to Nordlunds, some amazing cooking and the knowledge that I love wild rice, if it's cooked properly. The next day in Ignace, I had an incredible conversation with Don McIntosh about engineering, business and life in general. When I arrived in Thunder Bay, Mark and Ena Conliffe welcomed me into their home and helped me prepare for my difficult journey around Superior. When I finished one of the hardest weeks of my life, Jill Lang Ward and her husband Ted were waiting for me in Sault Ste. Marie with everything except a red carpet to welcome me to town, and an amazing party with cake, and live music! Even though I didn't stay with her, I still need to give a huge thanks to Carol Westberg in Calgary for coordinating the start of the ride with me. She also helped put me in touch with Jungle Jim Hunter, who I have been speaking to weekly on his radio show, and has been a great inspiration. Mona Dartige in Regina brought together a wonderful group in Regina to join me for lunch and an always appreciated chance to talk. Thank you to everyone for your kindness; you helped keep my body and mind going.
Some companies played a big part in this cause as well. Celgene and Ortho Biotech both pleged generous donations to the ride, but more importantly, have developed drugs which help fight back at myeloma. Cyan, my employers in the UK were kind enough to contribute, even after I had to make the difficult decision to leave my job and return to Canada to be closer to family. Rocky Mountain cycles provided me with a great bike at cost which, while I may have cursed at times, was obviously essential to the trip!! My good friend Shaun helped me pick out all my gear at Campers Village in Calgary and thank God we went for the warmer sleeping bag. Anthony at Primal Screen in Calgary made up my shirts for free and has been encouraging me with updates the whole way along the ride.
Unquestionably, my biggest thanks has to go to family. My sisters were a huge help with media releases, places to stay and support when I was having a bad day. My brother in law Scott whupped his friends at a golf tournament and was kind enough to donate the winnings to my ride. My other brother in law Morgan organized an escort for 4 days out of Calgary to keep me company at the start of my ride. Be sure to pass my thanks along to the other fine officers who were with me along the way: I wish I had you guys through the insanity of Ontario!! My cousins, aunt & uncle coordinated a great get together in my hometown and helped to raise over $6000 in a town of only over 1000 people (and thanks to Kirkup Agencies for collecting local donations).
My parents worried about me the whole ride. My mother actually called me one night since I was slow in updating my website and she feared the worst. She has always encouraged my adventurous side and while concerned for my safety, was ecstatic that I was continuing to lead a life of ridiculous ideas and endless adventure. My father has been my inspiration for nearly everything that i've done with my life, and this ride was obviously no different. As I said to the confernce last night, if someone ever asked me to do something like this again, I'd laugh in their face and walk away. If however it could help my dad even a bit, I would bike to the moon. Thanks mom and dad for making me, me. I may be a little bias, but I think you did alright.
To the person I ineviably forgot, I also have to thank you profusely for whatever it was that I also forgot that you did. I swear that this is not an indicator of how I valued your contribution, but more a sign that I probably took in too much sun, have gone a little mad in the bush and am slowly losing my already fragile mind. If I didn't forget anyone, neglect that last statement, especially the part about losing my mind.
Lastly, to all of my friends, old and new, thank you for your support. Whether it was a donation to the fundraiser, a little note to get me through the day, or a promise of a cold beer and a warm meal at the end of all this, every little bit kept me going.
Aftermath: Stats
I swear I'm not dead... in fact contrary to what many of you may believe, I'm not even really relaxing. I've spent the past 3 days trying to re-integrate myself into society and set up my new life in Toronto, which is much harder than I thought it would be.
Even though I lived in Montreal for 8 years, the day I arrived here, I actually found the city to be too much stimulus. After a month and a half out in the woods, with nothing to focus on but left, right, left, there's a bear, right, left... I found that my mind was simply not ready for so much going on. Still, I'm slowly adapting again, and shedding off my animalistic instincts to get back to urban living.
I've got a series of 'wrap-up' posts that I'm hoping to get through over the next week or two. My initial intention was to start doing them immediately after the ride, however life has been so busy since arrival that I haven't had the chance. I actually started waking up at 6am again just so that I could get things done. However, considering that I wasn't even supposed to be arriving until today (Friday) I'm really not behind at all; in fact I'm still ahead.
Today, I thought it could be fun to share some of the statistics and break down some of the numbers for you on this trip. These were things which stuck out in my mind and interesting little points that I thought needed to be aired:
-Days on the road: 30
-Total Distance Covered: 3646.42km
-Total Time Cycling: 162 hours, 8 minutes
-Daily Average: 121.54km
-Longest Day: 210.27km (Moose Jaw -> Grenfell)
-Shortest Day: 64.17km (Virden -> Souris)
-Total Average Speed: 22.81km/h
-Best Daily Average: 29.54km/h (coming into Winnipeg)
-Worst Daily Average: 16.56km/h (headwinds & hills near Marathon)
-Trip Max Speed: 69.05km/h (Airport Rd, just north of Toronto)
-Rainy Days: 5
-Rained Out: 1
-Tailwind Days: 5
-Calm Wind Days: 6
-Headwind Days: 19 (now do you understand what all the complaining was about?)
-Coldest Temperature: 3 C (night near Marathon)
-Hottest Temperature: 35 C (day out of Calgary)
-Chain Repairs: 0
-Wheel Replacements: 1 (rear)
-Spoke Replacements: 7
-Flat Tires: 9
-Nights in a house: 11 (thanks again everyone!!)
-Nights in a hotel: 1
-Nights in a campground: 2
-Nights in the bush: 16
-Bear Sightings: 2
-Bear Attacks: 0
-Hawk Attacks: 1
-Touring Cyclist Sightings: 11
-Times forced to hit the gravel: 4 (1 near Wawa, 1 near Prawda, 2 on Bruce Peninsula)
-Longest stretch of days without showering: 5
-Song most often screamed aloud: Hey Jude: The Beatles
-Layers of sunburn: 4
-Last time since I shaved: August 19
-Songs written on trip: 5
-Amazing people met: countless
I've still got endless stories to tell and so much information to update you on, but only so much time to devote to this campaign now that I'm back to city living. Keep watching the website for the odd periodic wrap-up on the trip and on how the fund raising is going!
Lastly, a big hello to everyone who was able to make it out to Calgary today for the annual Myeloma Canada conference!! I wish I could have joined you, but I'm too exhausted to justify traveling again. At minimum, I'll "see" you tonight at the dinner!
www.prairiepedal.com
Day 30: Fin.
Ring the alarum bell, murder and treason!!!
No, no, wait... wrong story. Anyhoo, guess where I am??
Throughout my life, I've almost become used to having people tell me to slow down and do things at a better pace so that I get it right. I guess my biggest issue has always been, why can't I do things as fast as I want and still get them right? This entire trip spanned 3646km and while I look back on this adventure with fond memories, I woke up the morning after the ferry and said to myself, I'm ready to get home.
"...330km away in Tobermory, but I told him that if the roads were good, and I got a bit of a tailwind, I might try to do it in 2 days. It was windy. The roads mostly had no shoulder and sometimes had what I refer to as "the chiropractor". And to top it all off, it was the end of a long weekend."
For those of you who know me, and those who have gotten to know me over this trip... give your head a shake. The above was an obvious ploy to draw you in and mislead you to think that life was downtrodden awfulness.
Don't get me wrong, it was one of the worst mornings I'd experienced. The roads were that bad, the wind was horrid and the traffic was awful. However, none of this stopped me from pushing through the pain and fighting my way towards Toronto. I put in 180km, and made it that much closer to home.
My morning was horrid, however before I get to today, let me talk about yesterday. Things were still horrible through Owen Sound. Around 10km past Meaford, a car pulled over and asked me, "why aren't you on the Georgian trail?".
My obvious answer was, "the what trail?". I spent the next few minutes learning about the area and the fact that not 100m south of the highway, there existed a packed limestone trail perfect for cycling which had evaded me thus far.
This trail ended up being the high point of my entire trip, and quite possibly the only thing which got me through the long day. It was isolated, it was close to nature, and it was peaceful. It was everything about cycling that I love, and a reminder of why I was willing to do this ride in the first place. This simple 34km path was enough to make me ignore the dark sides of my trip and even consider doing it ever again.
I reached Collingwood and set my tent up near an abandoned factory. It felt like the start of a bad horror film, but I made it through my last night in the bush and prepared myself for my last day on the road.
I was prepared to go through Barrie, however when I talked to a local in Collingwood, he suggested that going through Barrie could mean certain doom by traffic. He recommended another route which would have decent shoulders, and little traffic. I was immediately in love with this route due to my obsession with numerology and the fact that I would be traveling on highway 42 (the meaning of life).
Highway 42 was everything I had hoped it would be, HOWEVER once I hit Dufferin county, and the highway changed to the 18, the meaning of life turned into an awful, awful joke, with me as the punch line. The hills were enough to rival lake Superior. If you don't believe me, look at the stats to see that I hit my new top speed today. Traveling at nearly 70km/h is all well and good until you realize that you have to climb up the hill that you just rocketed down.
A lot of people ask me what it feels like to be on a fully loaded bike at 69km/h. That's a dead lie, no one's ever asked me that, however I will say this regardless; traveling at that speed, one feels as though if you wink one eye without blinking both, you will offset your balance enough to quickly become a grease stain on the pavement.
After the hills, life became even worse, since I began to pull into the city around 3pm. I thought my timing was perfect to avoid 5pm rush hour, however as my roomates informed me, "rush hour" in Toronto lasts from about 3pm-8pm. I weaved my way in and out of traffic and must have been quite a sight to see with my huge panniers sticking off the back and my slightly crazed temperment from being in the bush for so long.
And then, as though it wasn't real, I was home. Through the traffic, the hills, the lakes, the heat, the wind and the pain, I emerged anew. I'd tell you how I feel right now, but I can't quite make sense of it all. For the time being, I've really just been trying to get myself used to having people around and add to the monumental list of things I have to do now that I'm re-integrating myself into society.
In the coming days, I hope to update the site with all sorts of fun statistics, interesting stories, and new updates on the campaign, so keep your eyes peeled.
If you have enjoyed reading about my adventure and still hope to give to Myeloma Canada, please help me aid the over 6000 Canadians living with this horrid disease and click on the link in the top right corner. If you've already helped me out on my way and contributed, thank you so much for your support.
I have a lot more to say, but for now... I just need to remind myself how to live again.
Day 29: Beaten, bloody, burnt & bruised
I called my roomate Iain last night to let him know I was getting close and to see how he was holding fort in toronto. I was around 330km away in Tobermory, but I told him that if the roads were good, and I got a bit of a tailwind, I might try to do it in 2 days.
I've obviously not been paying very close attention on this trip.
As though the moment those words were uttered from my mouth, the damage was done and no amount of touching wood, taking it back or begging for mercy was going to change anything.
It was windy. The roads mostly had no shoulder and sometimes had what I refer to as "the chiropractor". And to top it all off, it was the end of a long weekend.
Cyclists, if I can give you one piece of advice, it is to NEVER travel on the roads leading back to a city after a long weekend. While I'd lost the semis of the trans-Canada, they were replaced by a continuous line of impatient drivers, begrudgingly hauling their lives back to responsibility. I was run off the road twice; once by an RV who wasn't quite aware how long he was when pulling back in front of me, and once by an oncoming car who figured I didn't count as approaching traffic when overtaking the car in front of him.
Good times. Good times.
The one cool thing I can say about today is that I somehow beat my old speed record coming down a hill into Wiarton. My bike has now traveled over 64km/h while fully loaded. I'll leave it to you to guess where I'm hiding tonight. Think of it like a giant game of where's Waldo. Feel free to comment your entry below and the winner will get a big, sweaty, 5 day unshowered hug... assuming I can muster the strength.
My knees are starting to grind when they move. The pins in my ankle creak with each big push and I've started to feel a nice soreness in a bad place. The right shoulder which was giving me problems long ago can no longer be stretched without sharp, shooting pain. I can never sit quite right, regardless of what I'm sitting on and I don't think I've had a 'proper' bowel movement in weeks. I have 3 or 4 layers of sunburns, and I look like a superhero without his mask because of my glasses tan. When I lean in close on the road, I can feel my thigh muscles gurgle... I don't really know what that means.
Mentally, I likely make my body look pristine. I miss my friends. I miss my family. I miss people. I freak the hell out of restaurant employees by trying to have in depth conversations with them and likely being a bit too eager to talk. I scream at the wind sometimes, louder than I've ever yelled in my life. I laugh uncontrolably when I finish climbing a hill, only to see an even larger one on the horizon. I stopped saying my mantras, and now sometimes I just make ogre-like noises when I'm having a tough go.
I'm done, but I'm not quite done.
Day 28: I'M ON A BOAT!!
Well I should like to think todays title is pretty self-explanatory, and you can likely also guess how far I made it today.
A hefty headwind blew up from lake Huron today. The roads looked as though Manitoulin island had recently experienced some seismic activity. The hills were even back in moderate force. However none of this mattered for a few reasons. First, it was a gorgeous, sunny day yet again. Second, I got to ride a boat for the first time in likely years. And lastly, I'm now so close to Toronto that I can smell it (on that note, is the garbage collection strike over yet?).
Operation kill the kilometers continued today. I likely would have tried to go further but by the time the ferry let off at Tobermory, it was almost dark and I struggled to find a "campsite". However, I'm now settled in with the bugs, slugs and bear cubs where I belong. I can't tell if I'm going to miss living out in the woods in this state of peaceful wilderness.
No, wait... check that. I won't miss this at all. I'm cold, wet, my back aches and I think I'd consider having one of my kidneys harvested to get a bed.
Ok, maybe I'll miss the slugs a little. ;-)
Day 27: Listen to my own words
Something hit me last night, and it wasn't a truck. When I go on vacation, the first few days are always difficult since I'm still stuck in my obsessive, tunnel-vision-focus work mode. It isn't until I have a couple days off that I remember how to relax and start enjoying myself.
Now granted, this isn't really a vacation (read: one of the most difficult things I've ever done) but it is still an adventure and I feel as though I've allowed the same plague to infect this trip, but on a much larger level. Through this entire journey, I had been so focused on my schedule, or my biking statistics, or every little press release, or making sure that everything was supposed to be perfect, that I neglected to let myself relax and enjoy the trip much. Yes, this may be in part why the campaign has gone so well (nearly $30,000 raised!! We're almost there!) but I want to make sure I'm doing things my way too.
I'll get there when I get there
if I even get there at all
I think I wrote these words somewhere back in Saskatchewan, but I don't think I've been living by them. I rushed through the cold and rain to make sure I was in the Soo when I said I would. I pushed myself through the prairies and barely noticed the few fields beside me. Even just two days ago, I nearly had a hissy fit when I had to re-plan my route and miss out on Subury.
But no more. From here on, the only place I need to be is finished and the best time to do that is when I finish. That said, my current situation is likely a bit counter intuitive. My body feels great, but my mind is exhausted, lonely, and wants to be with friends. As such, my days are getting longer and my distances more aggressive. The 10th is well in hand as a finish date and the 9th is starting to look more and more appetizing. If it's all got to be done anyway, I'd rather make hay while the sun is shining.
So, I'm a bit past Espanola today. It was another sunny day, with a small, unfortunate headwind, but that didn't stop me from marching over 130kms. Only an hour ago, I bid adieu to the trans-Canada for good. I'm now on the #6 to Manitoulin island and will later be on smaller roads in southern Ontario. It was a good road for over 3200km, but like all things good and bad, it must come to an end. I can't say I'll miss all the heavy transport traffic, or the horrible road conditions, but we'll see what the road ahead holds.
I'll likely be catching the ferry tomorrow and from there... only time will tell.
Day 26: Hellllooooooooo LEGS!!
Today was as close to perfect as I think things are going to get. It was sunny, clear skied, relatively flat and most importantly, the winds were as calm as Hindu cows. Of course a tailwind would have been nice, but after last week, I'll take whatever I can get.
I started the day by enjoying a nice breakfast with Jill, Ted and their cousin Jamie. We probably stayed up partying a bit too late last night and I didn't get on the road until close to 11, but some things are just worth it. I'd rather have a good time now and sleep when I'm dead. Thank you again Jill and Ted for all of your hard work and for being so hospitable. I did more and met more people in a day in the Soo than the entire week around Superior and most definitely will have some great memories to take with me.
Once I finally got going on the road I again noticed something different. With smaller hills, no winds and rested legs, I was really booking it. I covered 120km today at around 25km/h without even feeling it and am suddenly very excited to blow through the rest of this ride. I kept looking down at my legs, expecting them to eventually hit the wall as they had so many days before around northern ON, but they simply pushed on, and smirked at me as though to say we're baaaacck.
All things considered, it was an enjoyable but uneventful day. The shoulders are still horrible and there are still a ton of trucks, but that should all change once I turn onto Manitoulin in the next couple days.
As a parting shot, I think I found my favorite road sign of the entire trip. I wish I could say this was a unique anomoly, but these things were everywhere. I was pissed off because I didn't see a single carriage; all I stumbled across was a pile of horse crap.
Rest Day: Sault Ste. Marie
If I thought yesterday was amazing, I had no idea what was in store for me. Jill & Ted had put a ton of work into the day and we had an absolutely amazing time today.
C) All of the above
View Larger Map
Day 25: A Hero's Welcome
I often wonder if the left hand watches the right and makes plans accordingly. After spending one of the most arduous weeks of my life traveling around the Superior, today felt almost as though it was decided that I had suffered enough, and the time for my enjoyment was upon us.
Now don't go thinking for a second the wind was pointed in the right direction or anything... let's not go crazy. I still had a slight cross/head wind, but by this time, it felt like nothing more than a gentle tickle across my crazy bushman's beard. Everything else however, was sure to click into place.
I bid adieu to my good friends from the south after an amazing evening and got on the road in good time. Sure, the situation really wasn't that different from previous days, but at this point, it was information which drove me forward: I was almost in Sault Ste. Marie.
The day pushed along with more gorgeous views of lake Superior, fantastic voyageur breakfasts, hills that I may have nightmares about tonight, and a slowly declining odometer towards civilzation, and a day off.
What I didn't anticipate was upon my arrival in SSM, little ol' me would get one of the warmest welcomes of my entire trip. Jill Lang Ward, her husband Ted, and a group of friends had come out in full force, with police escort and Prairie Pedal flags hanging from their car windows to usher me into their fine city. After the last week I'd had, it was almost enough to bring me to tears.
We eventually made our way back to Jill & Ted's home where they INSISTED that I do as little as possible. They prepared a meal fit for a king and we spent the evening eating, drinking, and learning more and more about each other. Jill underwent a stem cell transplant over a year and a half ago which took very well and has been in remission ever since. She's technically retired, but as is the case with so many of the energetic people I'm meeting on this trip, has a life which one could hardly call relaxed.
The icing on tonight's cake (well, blueberries and ice cream) was when, after catching up on the prior website posts and before doing this one, I went for a quick dip in the hot tub. Yes, as though a crack of sunlight was broken through the dark clouds, my definition of perfection was redefined. Take a body that's been beaten, battered and bruised around one of the the largest lakes in the world, introduce it to warm, jet-filled waters and what do you get?
Mushy, lazy, euphoric bliss... aaaannnnd, bed.
Day 24: Turn the right corner
(expanded upon from barely decipherable notebook scribbles)
To make things even better, 3 motorcyclists from the US were there to greet me. Mike, Paul and Cody had been riding around the Superior and were fantastic to hang around for the night. We talked Canadian-US politics, muscle power vs motor power, and even the finer points of relieving one's self outdoors. Being on motorbikes, the guys had the luxury of carrying a lot more gear than I did, so we managed to start a fire and had a proper cook up with chicken, corn, soup and grilled apples.
Before the ride, I was really looking forward to lake Superior because it would afford me the opportunity to, at a moment's notice, hop off my bike and go for a swim. Sadly, with the weather as cold and wet as it had been, I'd yet to have a day to enjoy the lake. Fortunately, on one of my last days on the lake, the sun was shining, the water looked inviting, and I had 3 other people as crazy as I was. We jumped in the lake for a quick dip and then spent the evening shivvering and drying off by the fire.
I fell asleep to the sound of a babbling creek and soft waves lapping on the shore of lake Superior. This was the trip I had been waiting for. This was the adventure I wanted every single night.
Day 23: Baby Problems
(expanded upon from barely decipherable notebook scribbles)
When I last left you, I was bathing in a euphoric figurative and literal tub of hot water, pizza and beer. The next morning, while relaxed, was unfortunately a harsh snap back to reality.
The wind was blowing in my face again. At this point, I almost began to feel as though I wasn't welcome around Lake Superior. It was as though the lake had simply decided that I did not belong and that it was going to do everything in it's power to try to turn me the other way. Little did this lake know of the strength of a Saunderson's stubborness.
I realize as I write this that you're likely quite sick of hearing me mither and moan about the wind. I assure you, however sick you are about hearing it, I am FAR more sick to be still complaining about it. I realized today that since leaving Winnipeg, I have had 1 day of tail winds.
Otherwise, the day was quite pleasant, if a bit cool. I decided to ride with my shirt off for a bit, but put sunscreen on my shoulders, which have been known to burn in the past. I apparently bought very good sunscreen because my lower back is painful to the touch and yet my shoulders are still white as a ghost. It's actually quite a hilarious thing to look at; you can see the exact lines where my hands reached around my back to apply sunscreen.
The evening was an interesting one. To date, I have only seen 1 bear (roadkill near Dryden) however I have now heard a couple. As I began to drift off in my tent, I heard the most frightening noise I could possibly experience. It was not the expected growl or groan of a full grown bear, but little hoots and hollers of wee little babies.
Anything but babies.
Yes, what little I knew about bears shot to mind and I recalled the most important fact: never mess with a mother bear when the kids are near. I stuck my head out my tent and saw some russling in the bushes around 100m away. I sat in fear as the cubs slinked further and further away, and fortunately was never given my introduction to mom.
I still slept on pins and needles, alert and ready for action. Sadly, I even got rid of my leatherman, so the only weapons I had to defend myself were a can of bugspray and the scissors from a first aid kit. The bear may have killed me, but boy would his eyes sting.
