"Fixing Foxy"
Today had a rough start - I woke up feeling woozy, but felt better after eating breakfast (I actually don't think the approx 6,000 calories I consumed yesterday were enough - unreal!). Dad and I went down to check out the falls again and to walk around and enjoy the park a bit - beautiful. I left ahead of Dad around 9:00 to ride to the cyclepath (bike store) in Thunder Bay. It was a beautiful morning for a ride, and I stopped to take some pictures en route. At the bike shop, Foxy had quite the make-over. ("Foxy" is my bike, aptly named by my older sister Amanda, because: 1. foxes are fast, 2. "foxy" is sexy, and my bike is pretty good lookin', and 3. Terry Fox ran across Canada - Amanda is the queen of naming things!). Anyway, almost $400 later, I walked out with new pedals, a new tire, new derailleur components, straightened handlebars, and with the rack removed! It is Fabulous to have functional pedals again and to not have to worry about that back tire! We stopped at the Terry Fox memorial and lookout just outside of Thunder Bay - so inspirational...wow. Dad rode with me for about 15 km after that, and it sure is nice to have company on the road. Got chatting with some guys riding motorcycles from Quebec to Vancouver (super friendly) and Dad surprised me with a Big Mac meal (third time having McDonalds on this trip, and a nice change from the usual lunch of bagel with pb). We arrived at our campsite (Stillwater Valley) at around 6:30, and chatted with another touring cyclist camping here (she retired last year and is fulfilling a life-long dream). It's so neat to talk to people who are doing similar trips and to hear their stories. After showering, we hopped in the car to head back to Thunder Bay for dinner. My Dad went to this restaurant called "The Prospector" last summer when he was driving through and has been talking about it ever since, so he really wanted for us to be able to go there. The drive was nice, and we saw a bear cub by the side of the highway! The Prospector definitely lived up to its reputation (prime rib never tasted so good, and they sent us home with a bag of 18 homemade buns on the house!). The casino is just down the street, so we went in to check it out (I got ID'd.. but Dad was good). It was raining by this point, and we drove back to our campsite around 11. There's a creek running right behind our tents and it's very picturesque and a nice sound change from train tracks. Just taking advantage of the internet at this campground, and then bed!
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C2C XIII Dedication
ReplyDeleteBy coopbro 2 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
Today we got off the highway at Falcon Lake at the Ontario border for a quick bite at the local grocery store. As we prepared to hit the road again we found the highway closed There had been a big head on that must have occurred on a stretch of the highway that we were on 10 minutes earlier. Safety and risk really came to mind today
I worry all the time about safety. You are never completley safe. Just being out on the Trans Canada is not safe Everthimg is a calculated risk , the degree of which , is very variable from one person to the next. On the road we try to be safe in different ways. Ear plugs go in one ear only and out completely When the shoulder narrows ( or disappears completely in Manitoba) when entering towns or busy areas. Listening to CBC on the far side of a wide shoulder on a pancake flat part of Manitoba can be mind saving We have rear flashers on all the time. I stay 40 feet behind Sara on narrow shoulders (the theory being: let them hit me first). Others we have met wear big safety vests, some with support personnel The bottom line is that you do what you feel confident with. There will always be risk but sometimes it is calculated The world is a big dirty dangerous place at times. Sometimes you take some risk and you are rewarded So far, we have been rewarded with magnificent vistas and encounters with fascinating people. By staying on the highway during the storm, we avoided being logjammed in Alberta with washed out roads We have seen people pursuing the sea to sea quest in many varied ways. Some on bikes, some on foot, some skateboarding, others driving All taking on some risk. As we saw today driving can have it’s risks We hope the car accident victims are OK
So go and do something outside your comfort zone Risk and reward. Do your best to be safe