Dom's rambling update
Hey so it's me again. I don't really know what to say that hasn't been said by the others in a million different ways but here goes...
The cycling has been both easier and harder then I expected. Easier in that I am confident that we can finish the distances each day, and harder in that when the wind decides to blow in your face for 3 hours there's really nothing you can do but swear. Overall though I find that its not my legs that get tired by the end of each day but my neck and my butt. the neck usually recovers enough for the next day, but the butt is a different matter altogether. Gradually near the end of our shift of cycling you dread getting on the saddle for how it makes the butt feel. Anyway...
Everyone has really pulled it together in the past week. Things are running more smoothly then I would have thought after the first week. Kristen has done a great job rallying the troops and making things work. She's like an entire crew of stagehands, while we three cyclists are out pedaling away, she is making sure everthing works behind the scenes, from groceries, schedules, camp setups and a million other little things that I'm sure I don't even know about. Her and Raluca do a lot of work and deserve all the praise I can muster for them.
It's been good riding these days. All through the national parks (5 days or so) it was cold, windy and rainy. A big disappointment but overall it was alright. Cycling with Mike and Vanessa is a kick. Mike and I bust out geek references all day long, while I joke with Vanessa about her endless appetite for sandwiches (Really, she eats a lot of them, like after every meal, sometimes 2-3 at a time). So yeah, the rides have been enjoyable, aside from a few minor things like GIANT HILLS (one huge one outside Cochrane, and the Rockies in general), the murderous Sun that supplied me with some quadruple degree burns on my shoulders, and jackass motorists throwing suntan lotion at us as we cycle by.
So what else is there to tell? We have a cat right now, an underweight 7-8 week old stray that we found on the 6th or 7th day of the trip. The little guy is black and i'm not quite sure what kind of luck he's bringing so far. I like the little guy but he makes my allergies go haywire and every morning I wake up with a runny nose, itchy eyes, a nagging cough, and a desire to get rid of little kitty. Well for now I'll just load up on Claratin or Reactin or something and deal with it. The cat is adorable despite being an allergic reaction inducing bag of bones.
The scenery in B.C. was wicked, Alberta too, up until we hit Calgary. Now its flat plains and no shade until Ontario! Woo! That is one of the things I am worried about as we move into the Prarie stretch. Hot sun + no shade + long distances = dead cyclists. Another worry is the mental toughness required to cycle for 7 hours in a straight line with nothing to see all around you. I think it's time to bust out the music. In any case, the next update from us all will tell you exactly whats been happening in that stretch so I'll stop speculating.
Well that's it for now, it'll be another stretch until we are able to update again, maybe a week, maybe more. So bye for now, but we'll be back.
Dominic
PS. if you are following the itenerary, we are 2 days behind due to impromptu days off in Kamloops and Calgary. Kamloops we were tired, and Calgary well... we wanted to see the stampede. the inner tourist took over. We'll make up the distance somehow.
The cycling has been both easier and harder then I expected. Easier in that I am confident that we can finish the distances each day, and harder in that when the wind decides to blow in your face for 3 hours there's really nothing you can do but swear. Overall though I find that its not my legs that get tired by the end of each day but my neck and my butt. the neck usually recovers enough for the next day, but the butt is a different matter altogether. Gradually near the end of our shift of cycling you dread getting on the saddle for how it makes the butt feel. Anyway...
Everyone has really pulled it together in the past week. Things are running more smoothly then I would have thought after the first week. Kristen has done a great job rallying the troops and making things work. She's like an entire crew of stagehands, while we three cyclists are out pedaling away, she is making sure everthing works behind the scenes, from groceries, schedules, camp setups and a million other little things that I'm sure I don't even know about. Her and Raluca do a lot of work and deserve all the praise I can muster for them.
It's been good riding these days. All through the national parks (5 days or so) it was cold, windy and rainy. A big disappointment but overall it was alright. Cycling with Mike and Vanessa is a kick. Mike and I bust out geek references all day long, while I joke with Vanessa about her endless appetite for sandwiches (Really, she eats a lot of them, like after every meal, sometimes 2-3 at a time). So yeah, the rides have been enjoyable, aside from a few minor things like GIANT HILLS (one huge one outside Cochrane, and the Rockies in general), the murderous Sun that supplied me with some quadruple degree burns on my shoulders, and jackass motorists throwing suntan lotion at us as we cycle by.
So what else is there to tell? We have a cat right now, an underweight 7-8 week old stray that we found on the 6th or 7th day of the trip. The little guy is black and i'm not quite sure what kind of luck he's bringing so far. I like the little guy but he makes my allergies go haywire and every morning I wake up with a runny nose, itchy eyes, a nagging cough, and a desire to get rid of little kitty. Well for now I'll just load up on Claratin or Reactin or something and deal with it. The cat is adorable despite being an allergic reaction inducing bag of bones.
The scenery in B.C. was wicked, Alberta too, up until we hit Calgary. Now its flat plains and no shade until Ontario! Woo! That is one of the things I am worried about as we move into the Prarie stretch. Hot sun + no shade + long distances = dead cyclists. Another worry is the mental toughness required to cycle for 7 hours in a straight line with nothing to see all around you. I think it's time to bust out the music. In any case, the next update from us all will tell you exactly whats been happening in that stretch so I'll stop speculating.
Well that's it for now, it'll be another stretch until we are able to update again, maybe a week, maybe more. So bye for now, but we'll be back.
Dominic
PS. if you are following the itenerary, we are 2 days behind due to impromptu days off in Kamloops and Calgary. Kamloops we were tired, and Calgary well... we wanted to see the stampede. the inner tourist took over. We'll make up the distance somehow.
posted by cycling4cleanair at 8:25 AM
3 Comments:
Hi Dom and companions. This is Greg Michalenko in Waterloo. I'm following your progress and presume you are wheeling through the prairies now. I'm from Saskatchewan originally - you need to find a sort of contemplative state to flip into as your pedals go round and round over all those enormous flat distances. Get to know the gophers. I sent in a donation last week.
All the best, Greg
Hi Dom and companions. This is Greg Michalenko in Waterloo. I'm following your progress and presume you are wheeling through the prairies now. I'm from Saskatchewan originally - you need to find a sort of contemplative state to flip into as your pedals go round and round over all those enormous flat distances. Get to know the gophers. I sent in a donation last week.
All the best, Greg
Go Dom!
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