I got back yesterday from an epic bike trip, Ride for Africycle 7.0. We biked down to Prince Edward county over the long weekend. We were raising money for Africycle which sends bikes to Malawi, Africa. If you still want to sponsor me go
here. The first day was 138.9 km, the second day was 50 km and the third day was 92 km. I didn't think I could take on a physical challenge of this magnitude but I did it anyways. I still don't know how I did it, I guess I just did it. It took a lot of perseverance and determination.
The first day we biked from Peterborough to Norman Hardie's vineyard in Prince Edward County. It was a hard and very long day. But it was worth it. The vineyard was gorgeous. They made a big meal for us of potato pasta called gnocchi. They made it by hand and everyone was getting involved. The meal was heavenly after such a long bike ride. They had a lovely patio overlooking rolling hills and a lovely sunset. It was by far my favorite night of the trip. Norman Hardie is from South Africa so I told him of my travels there. He told us lots of interesting things about his vineyard and his travels.
The next day we toured around Prince Edward county. In the morning we went to the Bloomfield Bicycle company. I got a sticker for my bike which says "TV sucks, ride your bike." Then we went to a vineyard called La Grange, it was beautiful. We had lunch there and that is when I crashed. I got super tired and out of it. I decided to break for the rest of the day and go with support vehicle to the camp site. It was a good decision because the rest of the trip that day was against a strong head wind. I am glad I rested because I was ready to go for the next day.
We camped at Presquile that night on Lake Ontario. It was lots of fun. I sat by the lake and watched the sun go down. My nephew William was with us on the trip and we went for a walk. I made up a song for us. "William and Auntie going for a walk. William likes his rocks and Auntie likes to talk. Rocks, rocks, rocks, talk, talk, talk. William and Auntie going for a walk." It was fun to have him along.
The next morning we made our way back to Peterborough. The morning was through Northumberland county and lots of big hills. I made it up all of them but had to take a break half way up some of them. We stopped in Warkworth for coffee and butter tarts at a place called Jeanine's back talk cafe. One thing about the trip I really enjoyed was the camaraderie. I biked with my brother, and two other guys named Kris and Steve. Andrea my sister-in-law rode the second day with us. It was just fun to ride with these guys. They were super patient with me and didn't complain one bit that I was slower than them.
The afternoon of the third day we took the new rail trail from Hastings to Peterborough. It was a gravel trail so that was a bit tough but it shaved off lots of kilometers and hills. It was flat which was great. At one point we found two Muskoka chairs along the path and I took a much needed break. The funny thing about the trail was that it ended just before we got to Peterborough, we figured that they ran out of funding.
When we arrived back at my brother's house we were greeted by my sister in law Jenn and the twin girls as well as Andrea, William and Brianna. It was great to finish, a great sense of accomplishment. I learned something on this trip about myself. I can accomplish hard things as long as I take breaks and pace myself. I think it is a good lesson to learn.
I forgot my camera but I will get pictures from the other team members. I will post them on here when I get them. Thanks for all of you who sponsored me!
