“For the majority of civilized humanity, walking is on its last legs” Scientific American – 1869

Unfortunately the automobile has taken over from the benefits of cycling. This is why we see so much obesity. People do not walk they hop into their car, even to go 100 metres to the local supermarket or corner store.

The 1^st September the weather cooled dramatically. On with the jeans and wearing a hoodie to keep warm and that is in the apartment! I am not turning on the heating yet!

School is back in and Ralf is driving the Special Needs children to school. He drives a minibus and is still working in the shop between his morning and afternoon routes. All the buses have route numbers and Ralf’s is 007. He went into work the first day and said to the receptionist, who according to Ralf looked very similar to the original Miss Moneypenny, “007 reporting for duty Miss Moneypenny”. The rest of the office roared with laughter.

I decided to take a weeks vacation starting on Monday September 11, 2017. My idea was to ride every day and then spend time organizing the spare room and the walk-in closet.

Monday September 11, I had a lovely ride out to Shanty Bay and back (40 kms). The weather was a little chilly to start off (10 degrees) but the sun warmed up and I was quite warm by the time I got home.

The rest of the week I organized the spare room and the walk-in closet and came to the conclusion, we still have too much stuff and we would be much better of if we had a garage for the bikes. I am sure if we didn’t have four bikes in the spare room, I would be much more settled. I did buy a new desk – it keeps all the mess hidden.

At the end of my weeks vacation we headed to Orillia for a show and an evening away. Orillia is only 50 kms away, but we had decided that it would be nice to cycle in a different area and I had enough points for a free nights stay in a hotel.

Months ago I had booked tickets to see Louis Black and Kathleen Madigan (comedians) at Casino Rama.

The original plan was for us to drive to Orillia on Friday morning with our bikes and go for a short ride around Orillia, then check into the hotel and go for a meal and the show. On Saturday we would go for a longer ride and then head home after visiting Mariposa Market for cake.

Ralf had to work on Friday. I decided I would cycle to Orillia and check into the hotel, and Ralf would join me later.

Friday was a gorgeous day for weather. I did all the boring stuff, shopping etc before leaving at 1:00 p.m. for Orillia. It is a 50 k ride, so I figured it would take me about 2.5 hours.

I have done many local rides on my own, but this ride seemed a little different for me. When we ride to Orillia I have always ridden with Ralf. At first it felt strange for him not to be with me, but then I quite enjoyed the ride. Often when you are cycling you are in your own thoughts. I began to think that if something were to happen to Ralf would I still cycle on my own – would I be like my hero Anne Mustoe and head of to parts of the world and tour on my own? As I have got older I consider the things I did as a younger person – travelling through Israel on my own and Island hopping through the Greek Islands. Would I still do those things now with my bike as my transportation?

I think I would. I might be a little nervous camping on my own for the first few times, or maybe I would spend more times in hostels and hotels I am not sure. I definitely would still travel by bike.

With all these thoughts going through my head, it only took me 2 hours and 10 minutes to get to the hotel. A lovely ride with a great tail wind.

Ralf arrived at about 6:00 and we headed straight out for dinner. We had the best fish and chips that we have had for a long time. We headed to the casino but neither of us see the point in “donating” money to a slot machine so we had a wander around and then headed into the entertainment centre.

The show was excellent Louis Black was very funny with his comments on the Trump administration and Kate Madrigan talked about coming from a Catholic Irish drunk family, we were laughing so hard, especially when she related being in Tennessee on Sunday. She was in a supermarket and wanted to buy two bottles of red wine. She was told that Tennessee was a Christian State and did not sell wine on Sundays. However, you can buy beer. She explained to the cashier that Jesus was a wine guy not a beer guy because he turned water into wine, not beer.

Saturday morning we had a great breakfast at the hotel and headed out on our ride. We cycled through downtown Orillia on the paved path and out towards Coldwater before having to use the packed gravel path to find our route towards Washago and Lock 42 on the Trent Severn Waterway. Apparently you can camp at the lock stations for $4.90 per person and $3.00 for shower – $16.00 for a campsite in Canada amazing.

The ride was through rolling hills and farmland. Most of the farmland is cash crops – soy beans which just looks like dead stuff! Not the lovely waves of wheat and barley I love to see.

On our way out to the lock we had passed a field where they were flying model aircraft. On our way back we decided to stop and watch the planes. We chatted to a few of the guys who were obviously enthralled by their hobby. It was really interesting to see what they could do with these model planes.

We had been having a lovely ride and a lot of the time we were able to cycle side by side and chat as we enjoyed the day.

Then it happened, two bloody farm dogs barking up a storm, I glanced over and they were heading down the property towards us. My normal response is flight, I become Mark Cavendish and cycle as fast as I can. Not this time, I decided to take other cyclists advice and get of my bike, putting my bike between me and the dogs. It didn’t work, I attempted to get of my bike but wasn’t quick enough to unclip and I hit the road. Ralf encouraged me to get off the road and I stood there saying some very bad words to the two dogs, who stayed on the property barking. I have no idea why I didn’t clip out quick enough or what possessed me to attempt to get of the bike. I ended up bloodied and bruised.

We carried on cycling back to Orillia and even though I was “injured” it was still a nice ride.

Orillia has a lovely waterfront and the City has maintained a lot of parkland with access for the public.  Gordon Lightfoot, the singer was born in Orillia and one of the trails is named after him.

When we got back to the hotel parking lot, Ralf got out the First-Aid Kit and cleaned up my wounds. When I showered and cleaned off the rest of the grit, it really made my eyes water!

We headed home at 4:30, after stopping at Mariposa Market for something to eat and pick-up some dessert, cherry cheesecake tarts and home-made fudge for Ralf.

The last two weeks in September we finally got our summer weather. Really hot days 30+ degrees and warm humid nights. Back to work where the greenhouse was hotter than it has been all summer.

“Life is like riding a bicycle, in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving” Albert Einstein

 Unfortunately for me, I haven\’t followed Albert Einstein\’s advice.  I do not feel that my summer is very balanced. Not enough long rides for my liking.

What a miserable summer we are having, the weather goes from hot and humid to cool and wet overnight. Migraines are driving me crazy the ups and downs with the barometric pressure has been awful this summer. The first week in August bought us thunder storms and tornado warnings. Fortunately, the tornados did not materialize in Barrie, although two were reported to have touched down in Cottage Country north of Barrie.

The first week-end in August is a civic holiday and Kempenfest. Kempenfest is a large arts and crafts festival held along the waterfront in Barrie. Unfortunately, for the vendors it was a wet and cool weekend for them. We headed down on Sunday for a couple of hours. This year the event was much smaller than usual due to the waterfront reconstruction. Major works have been undertaken throughout the summer. I think it is going to be well worth the inconvenience once it is completed. They are creating a new cycle path which hopefully will avoid the conflict between cyclists and pedestrians along the waterfront.

I wanted a dedicated cycle lane on the road, but that didn’t get approved. The City Engineer stated that there wasn’t enough room but the wider cycle path along the waterfront will be better. He didn’t understand that not all cyclists want to go slowly along the waterfront, some cyclists are commuter cyclists and want to go faster than 20 kph. I hope the separation works.

 I am still trying to redesign the spare room. I will hopefully get it done before we need to set up the bikes for our winter training.

Tuesday August 7, my longest ride since South Korea 63.5 kms – Midhurst – Shanty Bay Loop. What a poor record again for this “summer season”. – no excuses other than the weather. Today’s ride was lovely – good temperature, windy of course and rather hilly (404 m elevation gain), but a nice ride.

Next Monday I hope we can get up and away earlier, put the bike on the car and head up to North Simcoe for a ride.

We didn’t get up to North Simcoe for a ride, Ralf is now working Monday to Friday. Ralf had been into work taking the buses out for drives to get used to a vehicle that doesn’t bend – like the tractor trailers. Of course, Ralf had been doing the pre-and post-trip reports. Being Ralf and very particular he found problems on every bus and wrote it up on the reports, whether it was a slight crack in the rear light to a rear view mirror that doesn’t stay in position.

On Friday August 11, 2017 the Company called Ralf and offered him a job to work in the “service” department before school starts. He will be checking the buses for problems and reporting them to the maintenance department so that all the buses will be in perfect order for the new school year. That will teach him to be so precise, now he has to work sooner than he thought he would.

Sunday August 13, 2017 another longer ride today (65.64 kms). The weather was warm but not too hot. We cycled out to Base Borden and had a lovely ride down memory lane. A lot has changed on the Base since we lived there. A lot of new buildings as it is one of the largest military training bases in Canada and they really needed to update the old buildings. I should bring my little camera with me so that I can take photos of our local routes.

Monday August 14, 2017 – Thirty-two years of married life – where has the time gone. There are many times when I glance at Ralf and I get an overwhelming feeling of love for him. He is so loving and caring, last week when it was raining he came to the greenhouse so that I didn’t have to cycle home in the rain. I woke up this morning after he had left for work and discovered a lovely card and Ferror Roches chocolates on the dining room table, at lunchtime he came home with a dozen red roses. Thirty-two years of a loving husband, how lucky am I? We went out for dinner to Taras restaurant, a really good Indian restaurant in Barrie.

Sunday August 20, 2017 another lovely ride today (72.47 kms). I really wanted to ride one of my favorite rides to Orillia and the Mariposa Market for lunch. However, the round trip from home is 95kms and I really do not want to have to cycle up the hill after 90 kms on the bike. I suggested we put the bikes on the car and start from Shanty Bay. A great decision, I really enjoyed the ride. We saw a lot of other cyclists out today enjoying the good weather. Ridge Road is a lovely route for cyclists, most of the car drivers give you plenty of room. There is also a rail trail that parallels the road, which allows for people with families to get out together on a safe route.

Partial Eclipse of the Sun – In Barrie we were able to witness a partial eclipse. I was watching the T.V. when they reported that if you looked at the shadows through the leaves of a tree you may be able to see the curves of the eclipse. I took a photo which shows the eclipse – so cool.

“A man on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourists can in a hundred miles.” ~ Edward Abbey

Canada is celebrating 150 years since confederation this year. There were lots of celebrations throughout the country on July 1^st, 2017. The City of Barrie put on an excellent fireworks display to celebrate and Ralf got some great shots, with his new lens.

I was working until 5:00 p.m. on Canada Day and surprisingly we were very busy in the greenhouse. After work Ralf, and I headed down town to have dinner and watch the fireworks. All of the pubs and restaurants were really busy. We headed a little outside of the downtown core and had a nice meal in the Bull and Barrel Pub. We headed back to the downtown which was cordoned of for pedestrians. It was really busy, even though the weather was a little chilly. I am glad that we both wore windbreakers. We found a spot on the lakeshore and erected our little Helinox chairs and made ourselves comfortable. I wish we had bought a blanket as the wind was cool coming off the lake.

The fireworks started more or less on-time at 10:00 and were very good.

On July 2, 2017 we hosted our first cyclist, cycling across the country. Brecht was from Brugges, Belgium and has cycled from his home in Belgium through Turkey to Iran and then onto India, the Pamir Highway (in October). He was in South-East Asia in March and April, then flew to Canada before heading home from Newfoundland in August. He was a really nice guy. We always enjoy talking to cyclists who have toured in different places. Although, I still do not fancy going to India or cycling the Pamir Highway.

I think he had to sleep diagonally across the sofa bed, he was very tall – well over 6 feet.

Although we did not get out as often as we would like in June, on our road bikes, my new hours in July helped me get the spare room organized and motivated to get out on the bikes more often.

The end of the first week of July and I was able to ride every day to work, the weather changed for the better. Although once again Ontario’s weather swings from cool to hot overnight. Temperature highs of 27 degrees with the humidity making it feel like 35 degrees. I sort of cheated on my rides home. Instead of cycling up the steep (8% grade) at the end of my work day, I headed up the longer but less steep climb of Highway 27. Highway 27 has a wide shoulder although the traffic is busier and faster. I had to cycle an extra 2 kms home but not such a steep climb.

Once again the weather changes and we have had a wet week. This is a miserable summer.

Ralf has created a ‘neighbourhood ride” it is 25 kms and does not take us down any hill. We cycle around the subdivisions in the neighbourhood. I am amazed that he could find the route for a second time, when we cycled the route together. It was a fun ride, checking out houses in the neighbourhood.

Ralf is able to go for a ride most days, and has found a few different routes for us to ride. On Monday July 10, 2017 I asked for a flat ride, I am not sure Ralf knows what flat is any more. We had an elevation gain of 308 metres that is over 1,000 feet of climbing! over 50 kms. Nice route, but definitely not flat.

Eventually Ralf gets bored of staying at home. Sadly for me, because I love coming home from work and having dinner on the table within minutes of arriving home. Of course I knew it would happen, however, I didn’t think he would make a career choice. OMG my hubby is going to be a school bus driver! He started his training on July 21 and took his provisional test on Thursday July 27. Of course he passed, he has a few more hours in the bus to get his permanent license but will start driving the poor unprepared children on September 5, 2017. I was wondering whether I should put an advertisement in the paper warning the little darlings that my ex-military, German husband will be driving their school route!!

I am reading another Anne Mustoe book. Anne Mustoe inspired me to plan and ride around the world. This book is called Amber, Furs and Cockleshells. It is based on three different routes she took. However, she sums up why I want to cycle on long distance tours:

“Cyclists know better. They know that it is the people along the way who make the ride; and they know that there is not transport so useful as the modest classless bicycle for making the introduction”.

June, 2017

June has arrived cool and damp, more rain and cool morning temperatures of 10 degrees. I am riding to work as often as possible. I am getting some really good shifts at the moment 9-5, 8-4 and only one late night and one day on the week-end.

Although I am enjoying the work, and the hours, I am missing touring and riding every day. Finishing our last trip on the high of South Korea and the warm weather we left may have something to do with it. I met with my old employers Bob and Joan Lehman and Bob said “You always know when it was a good country to visit as you start planning to revisit that country again”. Both Ralf and I were already doing that during our last few days in Seoul and Incheon.

Finally in the second week of June the summer temperatures have arrived – with a vengeance highs of 30 degrees with a “real feel” of 35. From one extreme to another. Although the weather has improved, we have only been able to get out a couple of times for longer rides. Of course, on my day off the weather is wet and miserable. Although I did manage to ride to work at least three times per week. There are other cyclists, cycling to work this year. I put in a request for a cycle rack, and the management bought us one. You don’t get unless you ask. However, I needed to have the end spot for my bike because of the racks. Ralf created a label for me – Reserved for Mrs. SweetCheeks! Kevin the store manager commented on the fact that I have reserved parking, but he doesn’t. I suggested he cycle to work and I would let him have reserved parking as well.

I am amazed at how short the season is at the greenhouse. The end of June and the annuals have come to an end and I am back working in the perennial section. There are some nice new people working at the greenhouse this year – specifically Liberty, a lovely person who has recently moved to Ontario from Saskatchewan.

We missed GOBA this year. I really missed meeting up with Beverly and Dick, they are two lovely people that have a great sense of humor and are all around good people. We missed GOBA because Ralf had to send off for a new passport. I didn’t want to book GOBA until we had his passport in hand. Knowing the luck he has been having with travelling and his passport, I didn’t want to have to leave him at home while I cycled on GOBA. Wouldn’t you know it we received the passport the last day of registration for GOBA. Never mind maybe we will cycle GOBA 2019. Next summer we will be off to Europe.

We have been trying to organize our spare room to accommodate four bikes, two desks and a bed! I think I have the plan and will implement it over the next couple of months. First things first, is to clear the shelving unit of “stuff”, photos, slides, binders and books. I will post before and after photos.

The end of June is cool and wet. I really hope the weather improves in July.

On a funny note on Wednesday (June 28, 2017) Ralf met me from work and we cycled to the Air Show that was being held downtown Barrie (over the Bay). This was part of the celebrations for Canada’s 150^th anniversary.

I had packed our new chairs, which are very light and Ralf had his camera with the new zoom lens. Here are a few reasons why to have a good camera with you on a Grand Adventure. Some of the photos are mine taken with my phone and the rest are from Ralf taken with his new lens.

and now for Ralf\’s

It got a little chilly by 8:30 as we were cycling home.  However, being able to cycle past all the traffic was very nice.  We will be going downtown again on July 1st for the Canada Day fireworks.  I don\’t think I will take my phone !

May, 2017

We arrived home on April 26, 2017 and my daffodils were in bloom in the garden. They bloomed throughout the month of May and were a very cheery sight on the cold, wet, miserable days that we endured for the first two weeks of the month of May.

It seemed to rain every day for the first two weeks and the weather was cold, wet and dreary. Both Ralf and I were wondering why we had left South Korea and the good weather, the friendly people and the excellent bicycle paths.

Of course, it was my return to work at the greenhouse that bought us back. I started back on the first of May and took the car. Ralf worked on the photos of the trip: clearing the bad ones, filing and backing-up onto the computer.

It is very nice coming home from work and have dinner ready and waiting for me.

All the bicycles went in for their spring/post trip service and are ready for the next adventure and the summer riding season. Although, at one point in the beginning of the month, I thought the weather would not warm up and I would have to set the bike up on the trainer again.

Eventually (May 10, 2017) the weather warmed up and MrsSweetCheeks was taking me to work. I had forgotten how steep the hill was on my return – 8% grade for one kilometre. Down into the lowest gears to slowly cycle up the hill, huffing and puffing like an old steam engine. I blamed it on the fact that I had a hard day at work and was already tired from being on my feet all day. By the end of the month I was scooting up the hill in the mid-range, albeit with a tail-wind helping me up the hill. I had also forgotten how windy it was in this neighbourhood!

The second week-end in May we enjoyed shopping at our local and one of our favorite outdoor stores (Sojourn). In May they usually host all the tent manufacturers who have their tents set up in the parking lot and on the surrounding land to showcase their tents. This year it was so wet, they didn’t have suppliers on hand. However they did have an end of season sale and a “No-tax” week-end. This meant that we “saved” 13% on everything we bought. As we have almost decided to go back to Europe for the Grand Adventure Part Three, we wanted the comfort of having chairs. Most of the camp sites in Europe do not provide picnic tables and we found ourselves cooking and eating on the spare ground-sheet, which wasn’t very comfortable. We convinced ourselves to buy two Helinox chairs for the next trip in Europe. They are very light and compact, I think we will be sitting outside of our tent watching the night skies more often than we did on our last European adventure.

Ralf needed new sandals and I spotted a merino wool skirt. I really enjoyed wearing my little black skirt on this trip, after getting out of cycling shorts it was nice to wear a skirt. The skirts are a must for our next trip. We topped off our purchases with some new underwear for Ralf. Now he no longer has to wear them front to back and then inside out and front to back (4 days wear)!! only joking. (I just understand the problem? Ralf )

The weather finally improved and I cycled to work almost every day, except the noon until 8:00 shift, I knew I would be too tired after a long day to cycle home and up that hill!

Spring cleaning – why is it so difficult to get rid of cycle jerseys? Most of my jerseys I bought on the various trips we did – Bon Ton Roulette, Haliburton, GOBA, Pennsylvania. I really should get rid of some of them, but the memories they invoke I find it so hard to trash them. I have had to throw out the two jerseys we wore on this last trip – the red dust from Vietnam and Cambodia became ingrained into the shirt. Maybe I should keep one of them to remind me of the trip – no they have to go.

Spring Gardening – we tidied the garden and bought some nice planters for the tiny patio area. The perennials I planted last year are finally showing and we are looking forward to hosting traveling cyclists and sitting out on our little patio with a glass of wine or a beer sharing stories. We have already had one request from a couple from Montreal. Unfortunately, she was having problems with her knees and had to return to Montreal before getting to Barrie.

Ralf has been so focused on getting the photo’s organized he forgot to go for a ride. He finally went out and in typical Ralf style his first ride was 72 kms. No cycling for a month and then he goes out and does 72 kms ! He was hurting a little coming up the hill home. He said he had originally planned a 40 km ride, but spotted another cyclist on a Trek 520 and started chatting to him – 50 kms later the other cyclist was almost home and Ralf had to cycle another 10 kms!

I have requested every Tuesday off at work and I am also getting one additional day off each week-end either a Saturday or Sunday. The last week-end in May I had Sunday off and although we had a late start we went for a nice ride. Just a quick and short 30 kms Shanty Bay route. It had been a nice steady ride, enjoying being out on the very fast and light Green Mean Machine. What a difference from the sturdy Mrs SweetCheeks, the Green Mean Machine wants to go fast.

As we were heading back into Barrie a young woman on a nice Trek passed us with a customary “On Your left”. I thought that’s a nice Trek she is riding – then it hit me and the Green Mean Machine why the heck were we letting her pass us. The legs kicked in and I caught up with her, at first I was just going to sit on her wheel, but she slowed down. Bugger that, I passed her “On Your Left” then I realised what a stupid thing I had done, I had passed a young thing just before the short and steep climb, that I historically struggled to get over at 15 kph. I hate that little climb. Well, I had to prove myself. Ralf passed both of us and I laughed as I took it up another cog and pushed myself up the little hill. I guess the winter cycling had kept me in shape, as we left the poor lass in our dust. She didn’t even catch up with us on the downhill!!

Today is Ralf’s birthday and I treated him to a new lense for his camera. He often talks about getting extra lenses, but never gets around to it. He was so surprised and very pleased with the 50-200 zoom lense. He will need to buy the macro lense for himself to complete the set.

As soon as we got home Ralf sent away for a new passport. He received his new passport yesterday May 29, 2017. We can travel again:) and no \”Guess what Jacky\” my passport…… for the next ten years.

It was nice to have a home to come back to after this last trip. However, it is always hard to settle down and not ride every day. I miss being on the road. I think our next trip is going to be Europe, whether that is later on this year or spring next year we don’t know yet or maybe another one year trip !!! Stay tuned.