Regarding today, I'm choosing to invoke that old rule about not having anything nice to say and ergo, keeping my trap shut about this joy of a Thursday. I did however have my good friends from Kamp Photography in the morning though, so I'll let you enjoy the pictures from before the day went to hell in some form of arm based carrying device.
Day 14: At least it's done
The Big Tune-Up
I just picked up Gladys, the bike which set sail 1000 ships, from Alter Ego Sports. They were kind enough to do a basic check up on my little mechanical baby for free and hopefully have me running smooth for the remaining 2000km. (Dear, sweet, merciful crap it sounds like a long way when you say it out loud)
I spent the day around the Peg and finally got to enjoy a nice dinner with family friends, the Betkers. I'm now waiting impatiently for Jake & Jess to return and amuse me before I pass out for the evening. I did notice rather interesting news in the weather today as a tornado warning was just issued for the Winnipeg area. I could be making incredibly good time tomorrow, I'm just not sure in what direction.
Given that I'm almost at the half way point of this journey, I thought I'd take a minute and recap (ok, the half way point is closer to the MB-ON border, but I actually have a laptop in front of me right now and would rather this than trying to type on my puny little iPhone screen). I'm nearly 3 weeks in and I feel fantastic. My body has been holding up quite well, and I've lost AT MOST 5lbs (I have been eating more than a black hole). My ankle has been giving me some trouble, however when it chooses to act up, I simply give it a time out and tell it to go sit in the corner. You just need to be stern these days otherwise who knows how these kids will grow up.
Mentally, I'm doing good, however very few people would call me normal to begin with. As I mentioned previously, I think the only reason I'm able to do this trip is because I'm already crazy. I have however noticed some slight changes in my way of life, as well as a great many bits of wisdom which I have acquired:
- My '5 second rule' has become a '5 minute rule'
- I find walking to be painfully inefficient and awkward
- One beer can now give me a slight buzz, particularly if chugged directly after dismounting
- Strangers are the best friends you have yet to meet
- I no longer think in days of the week, merely locations
- I no longer think in time of day, merely distance traveled
- I laugh uncontrollably whenever I see 'Prevent Dutch Elm Disease' signs because the first time I saw one, I read it as 'Prevent Dutch Oven Disease'
- I have developed an unfounded fear of bears, entirely due to my dreams
- I have developed a founded fear of hawks, entirely due to my reality
- I will openly talk about my bum within 5 minutes of meeting a complete stranger
- I am aware that the yellow liquid in pop bottles in the ditch is not, in fact, ginger ale
- Spontaneously breaking out into song is not only acceptable, but at times required
- I have managed to fit 9 meals into a day: breakfast, leakfast, brunch, blunch, lunch, linner dunch, dinner, and bedtime snack.
- Jacob recently discover a 10th, lunchfast, which is quickly becoming my favorite meal of the day
- Wearing bike shorts can create a phenomenon for men which I like to call 'mamel toe'
- 90% of my road diet is consumed in bar format; the remaining 10% is nuts, juices and insects
- I can setup a tent faster than most people can make a bed
- I have developed an inexplicable love and fascination for truck drivers, though I have never spoken to one for more than 30 seconds on this trip
- I talk to my bike... a lot
It's the people I've met on this trip who have been the inspiration for getting out on the road day after day. Every time I am in contact with someone on the road, it pushes me forward and reminds me why I'm doing this. Each little note, smile, wave, email, phone call and honk, uplifts me just enough to keep me going another 5km... 10km... 100km... 1000km.
When I'm alone, I've had to develop mantras and sayings which help me get through rough days. Some days when I feel like I'm as low as I can get, it only takes one little sentence to make me start laughing and completely turn my day around. Some of them don't even make sense to me, others are inside jokes that I'll never be able to explain to another living soul. There is however one which I seem to gravitate towards more often than not, which I read on a website just before leaving on this trip:
If I wanted to get there faster, I wouldn't be riding a bike.
Day 13: THATS IT!! Back to Winnipeg.
As expected, it rained a bit last night and it was 6 degrees overnight. Way to go, yesterday.
HOWEVER, with a new sunrise came a new day, and a damned good one at that. After very apprehensively slinking out of my sleeping bag (I must have looked like such a wuss), I packed up and got on the road. I was determined to make it a good day, and driven to get to Winnipeg in good time to enjoy some time with friends.
My good buddy Jacob showed up around 8 to tail me on the road. Jake is a professional photographer, but go figure, he didn't bring is camera. It was great to catch up with him, but we didn't stop for too long, since we knew the longer we spent out there, the less time we'd have to kick back and relax. That's when things started to get scary. It might have been some macho male thing, but apparently I felt the need to impress Jake. Without even really realizing it, I was keeping a good pace... ok, a very good pace.
By the time we reached Headingly, I looked down to check my average speed and almost fell off my bike (which would have been the second time today) when I saw that my average was at 30.40km/hr. I had done over 100km from MacGregor and managed to maintain a speed that got us there in just under 3 hours. There had been a slight wind, however it was a north wind, which would have simply blown across me.
Go, go, gadget legs.
Headingly was directly on the West edge of Winnipeg, however Jake quickly crushed my spirits when he told me it was still another 29.7km to his place (stupid urban sprawl). Unfortunately, we turned south to take the perimeter and the wind picked up, directly in my face. By the time we turned back east to cut into the city, it was too late. My beautiful average had been lost and I ended up at a measley 29.54km/hr average. Granted, it crushed my previous averages, most of which included a good tail wind, but I was just mad that I didn't beat 30.
Jake's wife Jess and my friends Brad and Asten (whom I grew up with) all showed up at Jake & Jess' place and we spent a good while catching up, reminiscing, and introducing ourselves to Asten's gorgeous new daughter, Camryn. It was great to see everybody and though Asten and the little one had to head home, Jake, Jess, Brad, his wife Marie and myself will be going out for a nice big meal tonight. Most people would likely feel like a bit of a 5th wheel... but I'm used to being single.
I have tomorrow off, which I couldn't really justify since I just had the weekend off in Souris. HOWEVER, while my body is all caught up, Gladys, my trusty steed needs some attention too. I dropped her off at Alter Ego Sports, who have been kind enough to offer a free tune up and basic repair on anything busted. I'll pick her up tomorrow and get ready to head off towards Ontario on Thursday.
And now... back to our regularly scheduled steak dinner.
Day 12: One for the records
I'm noticing a trend between trying to cycle away from family and getting completely owned by the world. There appears to be a strong gravitational-malevolent (more commonly known as gravilevolent) pull surrounding my bloodline. When I left Jana in Calgary, I had 2 flats in an hour and it was so hot that my eyeballs began to poach in my tears. Upon leaving Brie in Lethbridge, it poured rain for the day in 11C temperatures and I had to sleep on a concrete floor under a cookhouse to avoid hypothermia. Today, trying to leave behind my parents and extended family, I'm lucky to have made it out alive. I love you all, but I need to run away before something really bad happens!!
I'd like to congratulate today on claiming the proud title of worst road day. I realize that I still have a few weeks to go, however it's going to take a curious bear, or an angry biker gang to top this one. Today was not the coldest day, but my fingers are still thawing. It was not the worst headwind, but Hwy 250 was a sharp, N wind, welcome back to the road. It was not the most rain I'd seen, but my clothing will still be wet well into tomorrow. The roads weren't as bad as Swift Current, but I'll be sitting funny for a few days. No, today only broke the record for most bike maintenance, however was able to claim the award for it's all around game.
Today showed me that it could play an agressive offense, but still a conservative defense. Today was a smart, crafty day with a head for the game. Today was a selfless team player, but also not afraid to drive one home on it's own. It had a natural talent that just can't be taught. Today showed huge potential for the future and will go down in history as one of the greats of the game.
Unfortunately, I was the opponent.
I had my parents driving behind me today which is likely the only thing that stopped me from throwing a hissy fit on the side of the road like a 2 year old who just lost their favorite toy. My parents insisted on coming since the stretch of highway I rode today is among the most dangerous in Canada. There were no paved shoulders most of the way and I was forced to ride in the lane of our country's biggest highway. I love my little keystone, but we have no money and we need new roads.
The weather was a balmy 12 degrees with the odd break of sun, just to get your hopes up, followed by the more frequent downpour. I had the wind at my back which allowed me to still make decent time, however periodically, it would flip direction just to confuse and annoy me.
I started off the day right with breakfast and a flat tire. I was convinced my parents had done it on purpose to get me to stay longer, however my conspiracy theory broke when a couple of hours later, my patched tube popped again in a different location. My second repair job of the day turned into a third when the valve ripped off as I was pumping up the newly patched tire. Fists whiter than a Winnipeg winter, I grabbed a new tube and begrudgingly got back to work.
The slap to the face came when I stopped in Brandon to do an interview with the local TV station. After the question period, they wanted some stock footage of me riding and naturally, on the last take we had to do, I managed to find a massive mud puddle and take a swan dive off the side of my bike. I walked into Tim Hortons like a swamp monster and spent a good while, and a good deal of tissue cleaning myself.
Still, I had a big day and made it all the way to MacGregor with a smile on my face. I said good bye to mom and dad and started thinking about the road ahead. I'm sure it'll rain cats, dogs and small herds of bison on my tent tonight but all I'll do is laugh and remember a classic quote:
Even the worst day on the road is still better than the best day in the office.
Rest Days: The Farm
It was weekends like this that serve as a constant reminder as to why I'm glad I grew up in a small town. I decided to take the weekend off to enjoy with friends and family, however a lot has happened in the past couple of days, so I needed to write something out before I get back on the road tomorrow morning.
When I arrived at the farm on Thursday afternoon, my modus operandi immediately became to sit back and do as little as possible. In the same way that I only ever get sick when I stop working like a maniac and take a vacation, I didn't feel just how hard I'd been on my legs until I finally got off the bike and took a day off. Still, it was foolish for me to think that I'd come home and have a 'day off'. I had nearly half a day of emails, thank yous, and updates to do and of course mom & dad had a laundry list of little tasks which were best suited for the youngest Saunderson.
I told my mom that it could be nice to have a little meal with some family while I was home. In a moment of exhaustion on the phone one day, when asked who we should invite to dinner I panted out, "I dunno, everyone." My parents were never ones for hyperbole, and so Saturday night, we had enough family members together to constitute a reunion. This had my grandmother, father, mother and I, running around like mad on Saturday trying to prepare dinner for almost 30 people. Of course, given the forcast of rain, dad and I setup the entire shop with tables, chairs, a bar, and place settings, only for it to turn sunny 30 minutes before everyones' arrival and have us haul it all out to the back yard.
It was fantastic to see everyone, including some of my little cousins whom had about doubled in size since I last saw them (I now understand how easy it is to start feeling old).
This morning, my cousin Chris, my aunt Cheryl, and a handful of others organized a local get together to support the ride. I cycled from my farm to a nearby strawberry farm and met about 20 friends and family from the area who all biked from Hicks' farm into Victoria park in Souris. We even had police escort for the ~5km ride to the park. The highlight of the ride was seeing my little cousin, Keagan, riding his bike, still with training wheels, the whole way... and only complaining a couple times :-) 
Once we arrived at the park, there was a great turnout for a BBQ and some entertainment. I got a chance to see a throng of people from Souris, many of whom I hadn't seen since 2000, and my aunt even convinced me to get up on stage and play a couple songs.
All in all, it was a fantastic day and a great way to end my stop in Souris. Between the BBQ today, and other donations which had been collected by one of our local financial planners, Kirkup Agencies, our little community of Souris was able to raise close to $5000. I was blown away by the amazing support of this town and reminded of the strong community which I was lucky enough to grow up in.
You may have noticed on our donation website that we've broken the $10,000 mark as well! In fact, coupled with the money raised in Souris, pledges from corporate sponsors, and mail-in donations, we are now well over $20,000!!! To everyone who has been generous enough to donate, thank you so much. We still have a good way to go, so if you are still hoping to find a way to help out, please encourage friends and coworkers to check out the website, and learn more about this campaign. If you have yet to contribute and are hoping to, please use the web link in the top right hand corner or mail your donations to:
Prairie Pedal - Myeloma Canada
P.O. Box 326
Kirkland, QC H9H 0A4
One last thing I wanted to share today was regarding multiple myeloma and farming. A lot of people ask about what causes myeloma, and while little is still known as to the exact sources, studies are starting to make some links. Living on a farm his whole life, many people questioned whether some element of the lifestyle could have affected my father at all, and could be a source of danger for other farmers. My dad recently stumbled across a study done in the US which showed just that. Many pesticides have been found to increase the risk of multiple myeloma, including a Bravo 500, a fungicide he used when much younger which contains chlorothalonil: a chemical found to greatly increase chances of developing myeloma.
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=1901
http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/content/abstract/113/25/6386
You'll be hard pressed to ever have any of these companies take responsibility for their products, however this is still valuable information for many farmers who have been exposed to a plethora of chemicals throughout their lives.
On that note, I think we're relatively up to date and ready to hit the road with a vengeance. I'm glad everyone is enjoying reading about this adventure as much as I'm enjoying doing it. I might have a cellular black-out through some of northern Ontario, but otherwise, I'll try to keep things entertaining, and hope to have as many random stories come out of the woodwork.
