June25, should I get a paddle?

June 25

This weekend was very exciting for me, I went away for a family wedding, and when I returned I checked my email and discovered that I received a donation from someone I have never met.  My hair dresser and friend had sent out an email to a few people praising my effort, and this inspired the donation.  The donor knows of the hardships of MS due to friends with the disease, and follows a hard journey of his own with another nervous disorder.  It did me good to read the donors message about knowing what this takes to do for someone with MS.  I was also surprised with the great support of my sisters posting my blog link to their face page.   Cycling to me is the easy part, fundraising and blogging is the hard part.   Thanks for the support!

When I was cycling last week, the thought of " should I get a paddle?" crossed my mind.  The rain keeps coming and with the spring runoff from the mountains it is making for some serious problems along the river systems. Above is a picture of the Bow River along the trails that I cycle.   This says it all,  I'm dealing with some serious rain.

We went to Turner Valley to cycle with the good intention of getting a good day of cycling in, we cycled to Black Diamond, which kind of concerned me as it was all down hill and I kept thinking oh sh*t I have to cycle back up this.  We cycled back and I had to slap myself on the back,as it was way easier than I thought and never even had to get it to my low gear, it was a steady up hill climb for about 6kms.   I than said lets do it again,and we did.
We wanted to go further and see if we could do some highway but  high winds changed our minds.  We did go for a drive in the back roads to K country and saw a black bear so it wasn't a total wasted day.  Did get 15 kms in, but was hoping for over 50 , but was glad we were close to the car when the wind hit.

At the beginning of the week, I dashed out for a quick ride between showers and thought I was quite smart as I cycled with no rain, and the sun sneaking out once in awhile to warm me up... I think I was probably even smiling on my good fortune.  Oh how nature can bite us back, I got as far west as I could go enjoying myself when the skies opened up and I was caught in a downpour.  I'm sure when I was cycling home soaked and shivering that the skies were smiling or chuckling at me.  I give up they win.

Thursday June 21st was an awesome day, I had the best energy I've had in over 10 years,  I did 40 kms along the trails, and could of gone further had I not run out of drinking water.  I can't remember my last normal day, and it was appreciated.  I hit the 600 mark behind my brother Bruce and family's first house in Cochrane,  I didn't plan it, it just happened, I won't forget where I was for that one!  I was also called " a biker" from a little girl.  She was learning to ride her bike, and when I passed her the second time I told her she was doing awesome, and she quickly said to her mom, that biker thinks I'm good.   Does that officially make me a biker chick?


The river won again today as it flooded out the path system, but I didn't get rained on but all I can say is the red shale is liking pedaling through mud!


My plan when I started this journey was to cycle at different locations on the weekend so here's hoping the weather will change and that can happen, so those following this can see some different scenery.  (Especially me!)

I am officially at the 629 kilometers, and my goal of reaching the half way point by my birthday should be attainable.  The weather forecast this morning was 10 days of sun after tomorrow, but tonight it's only 4.
I'm hoping it starts to clear, it makes my cycling more difficult, which I can joke about,but it's taking it's toll on people's homes and a life was lost in B.C.  So please sun shine for all us.!  I'm a prairie girl and need the sun.


In my dream world I'm cycling in beautiful Saskatchewan where the roads are straight and the hills are few.  I enjoyed going through Saskatoon, where Wes and I began our married life.  Of course all of my friends  and family were there to clap and cheer me on when  I arrived. I can still taste the skinny vanilla extra hot latte from Starbucks.  So much appreciated.     I'm heading out of town, and am near the Green Brier golf turnoff... used to golf there weekly with a friend when I lived here, maybe I  should get my first round of golf in this year hmmmmmmm.. sounds good...missing my golf.




Here's hoping the sun is shining in your neck of the woods.

Theresa...

Third of the Way!

June 15

What a great day to update my blog... It's my mom's birthday, and a very awesome friend of mine (life would not be the same without her) became a grandmother for the first time.   Life is good.  Happy Birthday Mom, and welcome to the world Chloe!

I hit the 500 kilometer mark on Tuesday!   It was a happy day, I've been dodging the rain and getting concerned with getting the miles in due to the weather and how busy we are on the weekends this June.

Normally I try to cycle in the morning as my energy is high and plan the week around the cycling, but the last couple of weeks it is when the rain has stopped.  The forecast for the next couple of weeks is the same.  The rain has caused flooding on my path system!  The nerve of it... I've been forced to cycle around deep crevasses and through puddles on the path.

  Cycling on wet gravel is not easy but I keep telling myself it must burn more calories!     About half of the trails in Cochrane are red shale and the rest are pavement. . I've enjoyed cycling and feeling the power of the Bow River, but  it was a jaw dropper for me on Monday when I went out as I didn't expect the river flowing over the paths.  Tuesday, thinking I had planned my cycle route well , I was forced to turn back and redo the steep hill and add about 10 kms to my route, this after I had pushed myself thinking I just had the cool down of my ride left.  The power of nature is incredible.

Wes says a real biker will cycle through anything, so here's me proving I'm a real biker.. cycling through the Bow River crossing the path :-)

In my dream world, I enjoyed Kindersley the goose attraction was awesome and it reminded me of goose hunting with my parents and my brother Jim.   It was my first and last time hunting, as I had to run out in the field and retrieve a wounded goose. The goose became my friend as I walked back to the car when I returned my mom told me I had to ring his neck.    I just couldn't ring it's neck he was so darn cute and honked at me,  but I did take him out of his misery with a found shovel. .....Dad was so proud of me  oh what I won't do to be a daddy's girl!


  I'm 5 kilometers away from Rosetown, they are proud to call themselves the heart of the wheat belt.  I will think of Uncle Blake and Aunt Marge as I pass through they were very special and we used to visit them in Rosetown.   I will also cycle around the Catholic church as my hubby did the structural drafting on this structure.   




Peace to all... have a great day.
Theresa

how to support the journey

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You can click on the above link to donate on line, or

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Or as I said before you can sponsor me emotionally, spiritually and with latte's...... all is appreciated.

cycling with the bears! June 3/2012

Well, made it back from Winnipeg tired and exhausted from planting, but felt great about how the folk's place looked,and enjoyed the visit.  Wanted to get a ride in before taking the bike in for repairs so went for a ride Sunday and made it to 300 kms on the old bridge by our place. Wes was along so he took a picture..
  Brought the bike in for much needed repairs and when I got it back, they put the wrong gear on the back; found out it was wrong when I was climbing a hill and had no low gear....  Makes flat pavement easier but hills are LOADS harder..., anyways will go in again this week when the right gear comes in and get it replaced.
Now we all know how lean those bike racers are, if only the part came with a guarantee that it would make me a lean mean biking chick.

Now on to the bear story,  we headed to Banff on Friday  for a relaxing day of cycling and enjoying the mountains.  We started out at Cascade ponds and cycled into Banff and than headed to Vermilion Lake drive, we stopped at Fenland trail  for a bathroom break, and when I came out I noticed some large animal droppings, mentioned it to Wes who made no comment...  off we went to explore Vermilion Lake drive.  We  passed a cyclist near the beginning and enjoyed the views, it was a cool, cloudy and windy day so no great pictures of Mount Rundel.  When we stopped for a break at the end before turning back, the cyclist we passed caught up to us and asked "did you see the bears?"   Which we both quickly answered no.  He was a biologist from Banff and told us about the two grizzly sows with their cubs in the area.   One had two cubs and the other three.  The sow with 3 cubs had been caught and collared so they could monitor where she was but the other one wasn't.  He told us he had seen them the day before and told us where they had been spotted all week, and that they just opened Fenland trail that day as the bears had been eating in the area.  I know knew what the large black animal droppings were!  There was lots of dumps on the road we cycled as well!

I asked if there was a different way to go and he said we could cycle a few hundred yards  and hit the highway, but I was very proud of myself as I decided to go back the same way I was nervous but not frightened enough to bail to the highway.

On the way back as I was riding in the middle of the road, looking both ways and feeling a pit in my stomach as I dodged the large droppings on the road, I looked in my rear mirror and there is my husband way behind me tootling around looking for the grizzlies!   When he caught up to me I said I'm nervous  lets go faster, he than tells me that they are living near a  town so they won't be dangerous... as he figures they would be more used to seeing humans.... I didn't buy it! (He was just hoping to see them and get a picture)  Just after we got through cycling through Banff  and heading back to Cascade ponds, I got a flat tire, all I can say is if that had happened a few miles back there would of been more than bear droppings on the road!
I was planning on cycling from Cascade ponds to Canmore, but we decided to head home as we figured something was wrong with my tire, not just the tube as I had a flat just before I went to Winnipeg..

I am looking forward to going back a few times this summer, especially when the bears move to higher ground.

When we got home and bought a tire, I changed the tube and tire myself, and here's hoping I don't have to use that new knowledge anytime soon or least not when I'm alone cycling.

I did a long  ride the next day (Saturday) it was a great day for cycling. The weather was perfect, cloudy and threatening to rain which kept most people home so you could get your speed up, and I love it when I feel like I'm alone on the trails, it can be quite calming and a great time to be just with yourself.   I did 34 kms, and then came home and crashed.   I cycled 100 kms from Thursday to Sunday. The MS clinic told me that doing this would bring up all my symptoms to the surface but shouldn't do any damage, on Saturday I was cycling with two numb hands and a numb left foot, and Sunday when I was determined to hit the 400 kms. mark was the hardest 20 kms I have ever done, no energy and fatigued,  but I knew that rain was in the forecast for this week so I could take a couple days off and relax and be lazy.  I cycle so much better in the morning why do I leave it for mid afternoon, when I'm tired?

In my dream world I am in Saskatchewan in the lovely town of Flaxcombe and even on a bicycle if you blink twice you would miss it!   Kindersley here I come! There is a lovely quilt shop there and 
 plus I get to see the  large goose roadside attraction.   I do have a gory story about Kindersley but it will have to wait for the next posting....


Enjoy your day and thanks for all the support.

Theresa