Another century ride day, 131 kms.

This morning's weather didn't look too promising but Peter was off today from work and he agreed to come along to do a big ride today. We went to Port Burwell which is 65 kms. one way. Had a great ride, no rain, couldy but a nice temperature. We averaged 25 kms. an hour on the way there. This is a great training ride because there are some steep hills to get those legs strengthened!! We enjoyed lunch on the beach. On the way back the winds were from the North/west, mainly from the North and this proved to be a tough ride. Good thing we brought our rain jackets because after about 10 or 15 kms. into our ride back home it started to rain and this went on for about 20 kms. The North winds were brutal. I accomplished another very steep hill; the granny gear sure comes in handy for those type of hills. It's near a place called Eden. Well I sure wasn't thinking of the garden of eden while going up this challenging hill but I made it and that always feels good. It is a very pretty area though. There were two pretty tough hills on the way back. My legs were pretty sore after about 90 kms. mainly because we were constantly pushing against the wind, but we made it, very exhausted and tired. It sure does feel good when you drag your body into the shower and that water hits those achey joints. We still managed to average 20.8 kms. per hour overall which we thought was pretty good considering the hills and wind factor. We also became grandparents once again last week. Our daughter Char and Ken had a beautiful baby girl, Caitlin Charlotte, a sister for her two brothers. That makes grandchild no. 12!! We are truly blessed as parents and grandparents in so many ways. I spent some time helping them out but did manage to get one cycling time in plus going to the YMCA one evening. I hope to do some shorter rides this week. My goal before I join the tour is to have 7,000 kms. on my bike. It looks like that will be no problem since I still have enough time before heading off to Denver. I constantly think about those who started in Seattle this morning. We're praying for you all, for safety and strength and endurance. Looking forward to the blogs and pictures!!

Two century rides

My husband Peter and I spent a week at our cottage in Eastern Ontario. The first week we were there I had planned on riding once a day but ended up with a bad head cold and the weather was not the best either. We did manage to get out for two long distance rides in a row though. I am grateful to Peter that he is willing to cycle with me since I don't care to do long distances on my own, especially in remote areas. I love cycling in this part of the province! The roads are familiar to us since we grew up in this area and the traffic is minimal compared to where we live. We did 104 kms. one day and cycled in a pretty town in a valley called Westport. It is a tourist area and is built on a lake which is part of the Rideau water system. It was definitely hot but as all you cyclists know the heat doesn't hit you until you stop. It is at the end of the day when you realize how much the heat does tire you out quicker. The next day we cycled 112 kms. to another neat little town of Merrickville which is not too far from Ottawa. The 2005 sea to sea tour cycled through this area also. Once again a hot sticky day but no rain. We were back for only about 1 hour when the rain started. Later we heard there were storm warnings out for that day. We did see some dark storm clouds as we were cycling and the wind seemed to come from all directions making the trip back much more difficult but we made it!! Amazing how the body rejuvenates itself again the next day. God is truly amazing in how he has created the body. The trip is getting closer and I think my greatest fears tend to be about the severe weather conditions across North America lately. I read the story on the web about the man cycling across the U.S. who has only one arm and no legs!! What an amazing story. This has encouraged me to trust in God's providence and take one day at a time. In the meantime I will keep training, training, training!! God be with all those who are starting the sea to sea trip on June 28th.

A spur of the moment kind of a day!

I had no intentions of cycling today since I have a pretty busy day. Since I am not an early morning riser I usually don't go out cycling till later in the day. This morning at 7:15 a.m. another cyclist who happened to be cycling almost by our place thought he'd check to see if I'd like to join him for part of his trip to Hamilton. I was still in bed and my husband hadn't left for work yet...I know I should be up when my husband gets up but I'm not one of those wonderful wives. Peter called me to ask if I wanted to go biking so I said, "sure". Well I thoroughly enjoyed the 61 km. ride to Woodstock and back and Ralph had some company on his journey to Hamilton for a while. I got home around 11:30 so still lots of time to get the things done for the day. Maybe I'll become a morning person after the sea to sea trip. Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks??

We were blessed with another grandson this past Wed. A beautiful perfectly healthy baby boy, Ryan, Timothy. The miracle of birth continues to amaze me when I see how God has formed this tiny little baby. What a privilege to be grandparents!!