Provinces
High: The philosophical and financial commitment of the province of Quebec to develop an extensive, inter-connected network of safe bike trails throughout the province. The Route Verte (Green Route) is impressive; the use of it by Quebecois who we saw in large numbers doing day trips and multi-day touring along the St Lawrence routes was astounding. We could learn a lot from them. Interestingly, we found Quebec drivers to be very respectful,careful, and accepting of our presence on the roads. It may be that many of those drivers are now cyclists, but the overall pattern is based on provincial leadership and policy-making that promotes the presence of large number of cyclists and their safety.
High: Most of the western provinces have good, safe roads for cycling. Alberta is best.
Low: Ontario has some good roads, some good bike paths (in Ottawa) and also the poorest and most dangerous roads for cyclists. They also have the most dangerous drivers – we had more close calls there with huge mirrors, near misses, close quarters, and crumbling roads and shoulders / curbs that suddenly forced us into gravel or traffic on a loaded bike, than anywhere else. It was a relief to cross into Quebec and the safety of their province-wide Route Verte corridors.
Ultimately every province should consider a law that forces drivers to pass a least half a lane width from pedestrians and cyclists; perhaps this could include a dotted line along the midpoint of the driving lane and a requirement to pass outside of it. Otherwise cyclists will continue to be at risk as more of us are forced to use roads if we want to commute or do bike trips. Our numbers are obviously growing …
Our team
High: No collaborative endeavor of this magnitude is simple, but Tug and I are very similar in our approach to things – we are task-oriented and in our case I think this tended to make our partnership work; it helped that we talked our way through most aspects of the evolving plan on a daily basis. That we could work together over 55 days – in spite of dire predictions from our families and close friends - is in the words of my wife “quite an accomplishment for 2 old guys set in their ways”. Not sure about the ‘old’ part, but certainly I have a sense of satisfaction about a job well done! And, for those who are wondering, yes we are still talking and still good friends!
Food
Highs: Treats! We could do three meals and snacks twice a day and not worry about fat gain! And chocolate milk and date squares (or butter tarts) were a regular snack. Life doesn’t get any better! However I still lost 15 lbs overall. (I think Tug lost 20 lbs.) There is a rough guideline that the average Canadian gains about 1.5 lbs of fat per year and loses about 1 lb of lean mass (muscle and bone) at the same time. This is part of a normal aging effect but is also linked to lack of muscular exercise and too much fat intake. My weight has been around 172 lbs for years and I have noticed a slow accumulation of fat and loss of muscles mass over time. I guess this trip showed me just how much extra fat I had accumulated and now that I can see my ribs and muscles again, it shows how much atrophy has occurred. Scary! On the other hand I have never felt better and my aerobic fitness improvement has been surprising. I feel well physically and am pleased with the outcomes overall. But, I cannot help wondering how I will cut back on date squares and chocolate milk.
Lows: Boredom with diet on the road. Some things were essential to fuel our efforts but became very unappealing after days on end: French toast, pancakes, French fries, hamburgers, limited choices, etc. Also, I found that I was force-feeding myself to the point of being overly full and still it was not enough.
High: Real fresh fruit and home cooked food.
Accommodation
Highs: Showers and drying out!
What would I do differently?
More days off: It should be no surprise that we tended to synergize each other’s tendency to “perform” and travel quickly, but in retrospect I would visit longer with my family (especially) and people who invited us to stay. I've learned that while I tend to enjoy being alone with my thoughts and also wanted to get on with the trip, I encountered lots of people with whom I would liked to have spent more time. I would also take more time in some very special places that “called” to me; along Lake Superior, and in Quebec along the St. Lawrence.
The 5-stage model for developing this final blog has 2 other parts: Stage 4 – the Reactions to Finishing (feelings when we finished and in the days immediately after we finished), and Stage 5, The Memories Stage
Stage 4 - Immediate Reactions to Finishing
I have already commented a bit about the final day, so will add only a few comments about the last few days as I returned to life off the bike. I cannot say that I have experienced any real elation. It is more a quiet sense of relief and satisfaction that we got back safely and that it is done. There is a real sense of comfort and warmth at homecoming. Many people have stopped me to comment and offer congratulations, and it is so nice to be in Wolfville once again and with my family. Not surprisingly, it has been a time for even more intense reflection.
There is also a lingering sense of disorientation, unease and surrealism. I don’t know if I can explain that.
And I am pondering, but committed to translating and incorporating my ideas on the road into actions now that I am home and in the early stages of retirement.
Stage 5 Memories stage:
Highs: Treats! We could do three meals and snacks twice a day and not worry about fat gain! And chocolate milk and date squares (or butter tarts) were a regular snack. Life doesn’t get any better! However I still lost 15 lbs overall. (I think Tug lost 20 lbs.) There is a rough guideline that the average Canadian gains about 1.5 lbs of fat per year and loses about 1 lb of lean mass (muscle and bone) at the same time. This is part of a normal aging effect but is also linked to lack of muscular exercise and too much fat intake. My weight has been around 172 lbs for years and I have noticed a slow accumulation of fat and loss of muscles mass over time. I guess this trip showed me just how much extra fat I had accumulated and now that I can see my ribs and muscles again, it shows how much atrophy has occurred. Scary! On the other hand I have never felt better and my aerobic fitness improvement has been surprising. I feel well physically and am pleased with the outcomes overall. But, I cannot help wondering how I will cut back on date squares and chocolate milk.
Lows: Boredom with diet on the road. Some things were essential to fuel our efforts but became very unappealing after days on end: French toast, pancakes, French fries, hamburgers, limited choices, etc. Also, I found that I was force-feeding myself to the point of being overly full and still it was not enough.
High: Real fresh fruit and home cooked food.
Accommodation
Highs: Showers and drying out!
What would I do differently?
More days off: It should be no surprise that we tended to synergize each other’s tendency to “perform” and travel quickly, but in retrospect I would visit longer with my family (especially) and people who invited us to stay. I've learned that while I tend to enjoy being alone with my thoughts and also wanted to get on with the trip, I encountered lots of people with whom I would liked to have spent more time. I would also take more time in some very special places that “called” to me; along Lake Superior, and in Quebec along the St. Lawrence.
The 5-stage model for developing this final blog has 2 other parts: Stage 4 – the Reactions to Finishing (feelings when we finished and in the days immediately after we finished), and Stage 5, The Memories Stage
Stage 4 - Immediate Reactions to Finishing
I have already commented a bit about the final day, so will add only a few comments about the last few days as I returned to life off the bike. I cannot say that I have experienced any real elation. It is more a quiet sense of relief and satisfaction that we got back safely and that it is done. There is a real sense of comfort and warmth at homecoming. Many people have stopped me to comment and offer congratulations, and it is so nice to be in Wolfville once again and with my family. Not surprisingly, it has been a time for even more intense reflection.
There is also a lingering sense of disorientation, unease and surrealism. I don’t know if I can explain that.
And I am pondering, but committed to translating and incorporating my ideas on the road into actions now that I am home and in the early stages of retirement.
Stage 5 Memories stage:
This final sifting of my thoughts will evolve with time as I continue to reflect and sort through what happened during those 55 days. Some thoughts will emerge as more important - mostly the happy ones I think, and some will fade…
This completes my personal blogs; I hope you enjoyed reading them. I know that I enjoyed writing them since it prompted me to go back into my diary and recall some special memories. For those of you who needed to know what it is like to do this kind of trek, I hope you have your answers and I hope that anyone comtemplating such an adventure has learned what they wanted to know.
This completes my personal blogs; I hope you enjoyed reading them. I know that I enjoyed writing them since it prompted me to go back into my diary and recall some special memories. For those of you who needed to know what it is like to do this kind of trek, I hope you have your answers and I hope that anyone comtemplating such an adventure has learned what they wanted to know.
Gary
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