Epilog

I came home today after work hungry and had myself a peanut butter and jam sandwich, it brought back lots of memories !! and it also reminded me that I have to finish writhing this epilog. 

I can honestly say that I had the time of my life this summer, the ride will live on in me forever I think, it was a truly an amazing experience !!!, and perhaps writing this epilog now is premature , but it’s time to put this blog to bed and move on, so here it is.

Epilog 

And so it is over, no more hills to climb, no more bends in the road, no more setting up tents, no more decadent eating !!!, hard to believe that the summer has gone by and in that time I managed to cross the country on a bicycle. 

I perhaps set out with the notion that I was covering a distance, going from A to B, but it was much more then that I now realize, and as is often said “it’s the journey that counts not the destination”. What a journey it was, not only did I get to see this beautiful country of mine from ground level inch by inch and be truly mesmerized by it, but I was able to share this experience with an amazing group of people, they started out as total strangers but by the end they felt like family!!! 

I’m left now to ponder about this journey, left to analyze it , try and sum it up in a few words , impossible !!! , so instead here are some thoughts randomly put that try to summarize my feelings.

For me this was a journey of discovery both in a physical sense and in a spiritual sense, an odyssey of self awareness, of pushing physical limits and an appreciation of time and space in the living world. 

Living without clocks, not knowing the day of the week, not listening to radio or watching TV is a luxury very few of us have, to be able to separate yourself from the reality of the world and to be able to live in it without it touching you is a rare thing, and it is exactly what I did this summer. And by doing so I was able to relax in a way I haven't been able to do in years and I was able to focus on the now and live the moment and truly submerge myself into the trip and enjoy the world around me.  

Life is a simple thing that we make quite complicated; breath, feel the air in your lungs, feel the sun on your skin, stop and look; the pleasure of being alive is lost on most of us replaced by the hustle and bustle of staying alive, this trip gave me the opportunity to do that, to just feel alive and live an uncomplicated life for two and a half months. Life was simple and a joy to live !!!!

One has to stop and smell the flowers not just pass them by, yes they are beautiful to look at, but if you take the time to take in there fragrance then you really get a chance to appreciate there true beauty, and that is true with everything in life. Slow down, stop and see the world in front of you, don’t just look without seeing as most of us do.

I am asked what was your favorite moment, favorite place, what stood out, the answer is simple, the whole trip was it, not one part of it or another. Yes, there were many amazing places, many unforgettable moments, but they were only possible because of the whole. There wasn't a day that I felt I didn't want to ride, the road was a wondrous place, and over each hill and around each bend there was always something new to entertain the senses !!!

Another question I’m ask a lot is, did your butt hurt, and the answer is at times yes, but for the most part no.   

Did I find that piece of myself I was looking for, that part of me that’s been missing, no I didn’t, you can never go back, life is lived in a forward mode, today exist just today and is just a memory tomorrow. I think was looking for some of the passion of my youth, and maybe I was looking for a sense of purpose also, I certainly had a sense of purpose during the trip but now it’s gone. So I’ll just have to be happy with what and who I am now and keep moving forward !!!  

On a physical level I will never be this fit again and I relished the feeling and will miss it  !!, it’s going to be hard to maintain !!

What is next ? I honestly don’t know. I don’t have any real desire to hop on my road bike at the moment, so instead I’ve brushed the dust off my mountain bike and went over to the Durham Forest with my friend Bob and had a fantastic ride !!, I’ll be doing more of that this fall. 

Two weeks have gone by since St. John’s , I find I miss being out there, at the same time I’m happy to be back home. I look at the world a little differently now, I realize that I want to live life in the now and live it as well as I can, I feel mellow, relaxed but I also have a void in me, the road, my buddies they are not here anymore and I miss it and them. I’ll be dealing with all these feelings for a while I guess!!! 

To all of you that followed along thanks for the company!!!, thanks for all the comments !!! it was great to share this with you. I have started another blog, it will never be as interesting as this one, but some of you have mentioned you miss the entries so if you want to be bored by my ramblings on, you can follow me at : 


http://theworldaccordingtodavidorlifeafterth.blogspot.com/




And if you have a chance, hop on a bike, go for a ride, and if you can, and believe me anybody can, just take the time and go on an adventure !!!, you wont regret it !!!!

Day 3 post ride

September 8

Well three days have gone by, slowly getting back into the real world , it seems like a strange place, hustle and bustle etc ... , I wonder if perhaps the real world is what I have left behind ? 

On Monday I slept in a bit, great to be sleeping in a bed again !!! , then went out to breakfast with Evelyn and our friends Bob and Mary who had come out to see me arrive at the finish line , I sill cant believe they did that , it was great to have them there !!!!.  I was hopping to see some of my mates before I left but didn’t , they must have gone to Murray’s for breakfast . Got back and finished the packing, taped up the bike box and went for a short walk , I regret not having a bit more time in St Johns as it seems like a very interesting place , Newfoundland has been a bit of a blur as so much has happened in such a short time. Then it was time to get a taxi and off to the airport we went , running into Bill, Carol, Jody, Danielle, Jacques and Marie-Andree on there way home, we actually ended up traveling to Toronto with Marie-Andree and sitting beside her on the plane !! 

Smooth ride to Toronto with a quick stop in Halifax, all luggage arrived also. And once it was collected I got behind the wheel of a vehicle for the first time in two and a half month , a bit strange but I got us home , with a quick stop into see Lisa and Max.

Once home I was greeted enthusiastically by the pups , a much better reception then the last time !!! , unpacked the very smelly clothing and quickly had it in the laundry machine , going to have to air the rest of the stuff before bringing it into the house !!!!

Tuesday I found myself alone as Evelyn had to work, it ended up being a very lazy day for me , spent most of it pining for my mates , hard to spend a summer with 40 people and all of a sudden loose them all ,  I miss them already !!!. But I did get the bike out of the box and assembled it , it traveled very well and went together quickly. It was ( and is ) a great bicycle and apart from one flat tire did not give me any grief at all during the whole trip.  Monday afternoon found me at Woodbine as it was sale day for our yearlings , my first exposure to a crowed since the ride, every now and then I catch a glimpse of someone that would remind me of one of the riders , similar body type with the right colour clothing , strange !! After the sale Jurgen and Monique took us out to dinner , and we had a great time at the Keg together with Martha.

Today Evelyn was off and we spent the day together , got to see her horse Bourbon at his new farm. Went grocery shopping , another thing I had not done all summer , but I had fun with this chore ( food !!! ) And of course I cooked dinner, for two instead of 40 !!! and I must say much less stressful !!! 

Tomorrow it is back to work, time to fall back into the reality of living in the world, the biggest deference is that now I see the world with deferent eyes .

 As far as cycling goes I am hoping to go for a bike ride on Saturday, at the moment I actually have no great desire to road ride so I’m going to get the mountain bike out of the rafters patch up the rear tire that has been flat for over a year and see if that will spark my cycling interest.  

I am being told that some of you miss the blog entries just as much as I miss the adventure that cause the entries to be written, I am glad and very fortunate to have been able to share it all with you but there is not much more left except for the epilog that will come out when I figure it out . Thanks for following and thank you for all the support , I read all the comments and enjoyed getting them !!. If I think that I have something interesting to share about my life post ride then maybe I’ll start a new blog , but I don’t think it would come anywhere near being as interesting as this one was. 

Canada is a wonderful country, immense and beautiful, if you can get out there and see it , I guaranty you wont be disappointed !!!

day 72 - they wrap up for the 5th of September

I got a certificate !!!!

For the 5th of September

What a day !!!!, were do I start ??. The last 24 hours took us from near disaster to ecstatic celebration.

I have to start with last night after getting off the ferry and having dinner I told you about the howling wind , well there is a lot more to the story, I was tired so I didn't go into much detail , but as I was typing away telling you about the howling wind I didn't mention that I had to keep an arm up to keep the side of the tent from squashing the computer. After I finished typing the wind got worse, the side of the tent would fold right down squishing my legs then bounce back up, I thought at times I was going to be like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and get swept away, the whistling of the wind was eerie at times !!!. Around 11 I got up to go to the bathroom in the little camp office were I found the refugees of the storm , Janice, Beth, Simo, Bob C, Carol, Jody, Mat, Nan, Danielle, were there, most had broken tents so had to gather there belongings in the dark and move indoors and sleep on the floor, and this was a very small office !. 

Morning came finally and slowly in the strong wind we got ourselves going, some looking for belongings others packing downed tents , others like me carefully packing our tents while trying not to have them blow away. A quick cold breakfast was had and we were on the road, a scenic 177 km option was available but I don’t think anybody took it , we all just wanted to get to St Johns , the good thing was that the wind was blowing our way and the cycling was easy and fast !!! 

For the final ride Ed, Janice, Murray and I set out , we stopped at Whitbourne for breakfast at the Erving gas station that was encircled by parked bikes and enjoyed a very good breakfast !!, after that we kind of split up, Janice went ahead with the youngsters and we didn’t see her again until the assembly spot at the Tim Hortons about 10 kilometers from the end, we doodled a bit I think, we just wanted to make the last ride last longer or maybe we were just tiered I don't know . When we got to the assembly area the youngsters were getting ready to go but waited for us to have a quick coffee, a very nice gesture on there part !!! they then headed out to buy some champaign and we all met up to dip out wheels in the Atlantic, Bud and Maria Andrea caught up with us there also so lots of picture taking was done !!! 

During all this Evelyn had landed in St Johns and I was keeping her updated as to our progress as she was going to meet me at the top of Signal Hill. 

Pictures , hugs, high fives and handshakes over we headed out for the last 3 kilometers and the climb up Signal Hill, a toughie !!! steep and long , but we were pumped!!! and as you got closer to the top you could hear the shouts of encouragement , you could see the crowed at the top , and up and up we went !!!, I spotted Evelyn in the crowed !!! could see fellow riders already up there , just a marvelous feeling sweeping through me , we were by then all scattered on the hill going up, a few ahead a few behind all pushing for the top pushing for the end of a fantastic journey, and as we got up to the top a large crowed meet us, fellow riders , family and friends and even total strangers , very very emotional time , I spotted Evelyn and got a huge hug and a kiss, just awesome to have her there!!!, turned around to find my buddies and great them, hugs and tears !!! and then in the middle of it all a familiar face , Bob Scott !!! and Mary !!! were there to see me in, what a surprise !!!! I never expected it , so nice of them to come out !!!! ( thanks guys !!!!! ) and then more celebrations as more riders came to the top , hugs everywhere, tears of joy , words of praise to each other !!! , sharing your feelings of accomplishment and joy with your fellow riders , "WE DID IT !!!!!!! WE ALL DID IT !!!!!!", pictures and more pictures taken , champaign popping in the background!!!!, I seek out Ed , Janice, Murray, Bob more hugs and pictures, we shared a lot of miles together and had a great time doing it ( Thanks guys you made the journey even more special !!!!!!!! ). And then slowly we start heading down to the hotel for a beer before dinner , then up to shower as dinner was approaching . 

We all meet for our last dinner together , eat, drank , received our certificates of a trip completed , speeches, more hugs and tears, Andy doing a marvelous job at introducing us one by one , then karaoke as the after dinner entertainment !!!, and then packing . Yes many of us taking our bikes apart and boxing them as we were leaving the next morning, in hindsight I would have booked my flight a day or two later, oh well. 

And then it was over, the dinning room empty , a few good by’s said a few good by’s not said, we all went our separate ways no longer a group , now individuals heading back to the reality of life, but we shared something special for those 72 days !!!!, what a journey, I will never forget it !!!!!

Total ridden today: 148.8 - Average speed: 22.4 - Ridding time: 6.37

Total ridden during the ride: 8,340 kilometers !!!!!!!

I need to give a special thanks to some people that helped make this possible:

Monique and Jurgen for understanding and giving me the time off to be able to do this.

Kristina, Megan and Kristi for looking after the farm and the dogs while I was gone.

My good friend Bobby for pitching in at the farm.

Bob and Mary for coming out to see me arrive in St Johns.

All my family and friends for your support, it really meant a lot to have you behind me on this.

To Janice, Ed, Murray and Bob my riding buddies, I miss you guys already !! 

To Bud and Margot and all Tour du Canada for a great concept and a great ride.

And most of all my dear wife Evelyn, who encouraged me from the start to go ahead and do this . 

I have a couple more entries to make before I put this Blog to sleep , tomorrow I’ll enter todays activities and some time soon there will be an epilog, the trip has concluded in so much as the physical part goes, now the analytical part starts or better said continues, and if I can I’ll share some thought with you in the near future. 

Newfoundland 

The final group to arrive 

Dipping in the Atlantic !!!

Bob !!!!

Carrol

Ed

Murray

Myself, Murray,Bob, Janice and Ed

Matt and Erin

You never know when a moose may appear !!

Matt and Erin cutting the cake

Marc

Mark 

Stephanie 

Janice

Carrol

Nan

Murray

Taso

Ed

Danielle

Pierre-Alain

Bill

Simo

Bob

Mary Anne

The bike is back in the box

Day 72 - Finished !!! dipped my wheel in the Atlantic today !!!

September 5

I will wright up todays events once I get home tomorrow . It’s all done now ,I have ridden my bike across the country , Pacific to Atlantic !!!

Day 71 - We are in Newfoundland !!!!

( just posted yesterdays entry also , had no computer yesterday to do so ) 

September 4

Finally around 1 AM the ferry set sail , still no storm , so we moved off quickly and smoothly. We wee assigned recliner chairs in the lounge and about half the group took sleepers. I took a chair, it was a bit uncomfortable but I still managed to sleep a bit. Murray, Ed and I walked around the boat till around 2.30 before calling it a night. The night went by smoothly and the sun came out so once again I headed out to deck to watch it. It was beautiful this red ball in the sky reflecting off the ocean , some sea birs would fly by and even syluete themselves in the sun , unfortunately I was not carrying my camera and then the dolphins appeared jumping out of the water as they swam by just a beautiful inspiring sight !!!!

Half an hour later the fog set in and stayed with us till almost the end . We kept ourself busy the best we could lounging in different lounges !! chatting and walking around , eating and listing to some fine live music , eventually an hour ahead of schedule we arrived , the fog braking as we neared land so we could see Newfoundland in all her majesty .

We got off exited but sad , a quiet bunch we were as we disembarked , we put our bikes back together and headed off for the 3 kilometer ride to camp , on the way stoping at the welcome sign were we cheered up and took lot of pictures .

We set up our tents for the last time and had pizza for dinner , most including myself set up on gravel and were not able to get the pegs on far , there was a small grass area available but most of us did not move , then the wind picked up and myself and a few others did move in the nick of time as the winds got intense . I am now sitting here as my tent is being battered and the sound of the howling wind is all that can be heard . 

We didn't quite get away from the storm !!!! I am dead tiered so I’m off to bed 

Total ridden today : 3 kilometers !!!

Day 70 - Packing

  

The transfer from big to small truck

September 3 

Well it was a different day today , first we slept in , I got up around 7 I think . It is ferry catching day and there is just a little riding and a lot of waiting to be done today . 

First order was empty the laundry hampers a task that a lot of ridders did last night but I did this morning, the continents had to be separated into carry on for the ferry and a bag to go over to Newfoundland in the small truck as the big one is now no longer our truck.

That operation done it was time to slowly get ready for our 43 km ride to North Sydney for the ferry boarding at around 11.30 . We left camp around 9.30 in no hurry , right of the bat presented with another climb up Kellys Mountain ( 240 meter) this time , at least not as steep as the others, we conquered it easily !! and we also had another breathtaking descent down to the Great Bras d’Or Channel, amazing view and fun descent !!!. 

We got into North Sydney early , went to the assembly point and then proceeded to town , first for ice cream and beer as it was another scorcher of a day , then we walked around town , a Tim Hortons stop was done and we decided to check on the assembly area before heading out to dinner , we were lucky to arrive just as they started to load the bikes on the truck for the ferry crossing , only 30 bikes fit and the other 10 had to be walk ons. We got ours on the truck and then changed out of our biking cloths and headed back into town for our last dinner together as a group Ed, Janice, Murray and myself , we ended up at the Black Spoon and had one of the best dinners of the whole trip !!!.

From there it was back to the assembly area to pick up boarding passes, on arrival we found there was live music on the go and the whole park full of cars watching and as one singer finished they would honk there horns in appreciation ,apparently this is a weekly occurrence  . John and young Mark got up and played , it was a fun evening !!!

The hurricane was staying away luckily tracking on a more northerly course so it looked like it was going to miss us , all the same the ferry was scheduled to load an hour early and the prediction was that the port would be closed at 8 in the morning because of the high winds expected.

More waiting at the terminal and finally around 11.30 we boarded 

There is an excitement in the air together with apprehension as we expect to be hit buy the tropical storm before arriving in Newfoundland , but we prefer while sailing then while biking .

We are off to sea !!!!

Total ridden today: 43.4 Average speed: 18.6 - Ridding time : 2.21

luggage everywhere !!

Murray cleaning his bike 

Bill patching a tire 

This is the Causeway were we took the ferry yesterday (view from up high )

Summit !!!

Descent !!

Picture taking half way down

The bridge we are about to go over

Breakfast stop 

The loading of the bikes 

Erin and Matt securing the bikes  

My bike is now on !!

Waiting