Saturday February 28, 2015

A great start to our day, we were going to head out at 9:00 am but got chatting to Debbie and Sidney and didn’t leave until 10:30 am. We could have stayed all morning chatting to them, but we had to get moving. Debbie was working from 2:00 to 10:00 yesterday so we didn’t get a chance to chat to her last night. They are a really nice couple and have a great sense of humour. Debbie and Sidney are not cyclists and yet they still welcome strangers into their home. They give generously of their time and we really enjoyed staying with them. We hope they come up to Canada and visit us.

We talked about Obama Care, which of course we thought is a great idea. But it isn’t necessarily a good thing for everyone. Debbie had Health Insurance and a full-time job, she told us that because her health insurance didn’t reach the minimum that Obama care requires it is no longer accepted by some Doctors or hospitals. Employers have to pay for Obama care if their employees work more than 38 hours. Debbie’s hours were cut from 38 to 28 so that the employer does not have to pay for Obama care insurance.  Their local hospital no longer accepts their health insurance, they have to drive to Beaumont for medical care (82.2 kms).

Now for the ride, NO DOGS! Actually only one that was loose and barked at us, but didn’t chase. I think we scared him, because he had his back to us and we came by him quietly.

We had a big wide shoulder to ride on, the cars and trucks gave us lots of room and some even tooted and waved at us. The route was along Highway 96 and then onto a country road, I was concerned about the dogs, but all of them were tied up or behind fences. The weather was overcast and a little cool, but I was wearing my shorts and leggings.

We arrived at a very colourful motel called the Relax Inn, the first room we moved into didn’t have hot water in the shower. The manager moved us into a bigger room and we had hot water, he gave us the room for the same price as the smaller room – good customer service.

I checked my email and got an email from Chris, who I used to work with – his comment was Hang In There, remember I work alone, so keep slugging at least for my benefit. Thanks for the encouragement Chris, I will keep slugging on.