PACKING UP and ZIP LINING

Here are some photos of packing up my bike thursday night with Kevin, and the on friday i went ziplining to get some anxiety out, (some people thought it was so i could get an injury and not take this trip-that was not the idea!)

Check these out...My bike fits in a box!! and then i stuffed it with cycling stuff, and clothes for extra protection for the bike of course!

Here i am with Jeremy up in the trees ... ziplining and EWOK-ing through the forest what quite an afternoon, especially when a big thunderstorm came through and has us soaked to the skin.

This is a picture of my cake, that they suprised me with friday night ... thanks everyone for everything,

And below is a picture of seattle from my window in the dorm...you can see the harbour where we are going to start, tomorrow morning, and how far down we have to walk to the trucks....

good night, its right now 11 seattle and 2 ottawa...gotta get to bed!

SEATTLE, the weekend... (for real, dot dot dot)

wella wella,

the weekend started 3 am sharp on saturday morning...had to be at the airport by 4 to checkin and all that jazz. Saying good byes was an interesting ordeal, and I definitely had moments where i thought that this was going to be a crazy endeavor...

Many things have happened in the last two days, and i will try to sum them up as best as i can. So, Saturday, unfortunately the plane i hopped on at 5 something in the morning was not up to par in working conditions, actually the air (conditioning) was not working....that took them an hour to fix...then the fog was too much for us to take off, so by the time we took off, we had been sitting on the plane for nearly two hours...this plane took me to Detroit, whereupon i booted it from the one terminal to the other, upon reaching the gate for my next plane I was too late to board, slightly too late, there was no plane. AHA! I waited in detroit for 3 hours for a different flight all the while contemplating where my bike was, and whether it would make it to Seattle like i was trying to...

Arrival in Seattle (3:30 their time) was uneventful, my bags made it, and oversized luggage bike came through quite nicely...good packing is key...i stuffed all my clothes in my bike box around my bike so as to pad it a little more. I managed to get my bike together by the end of the day and ready for whatever we had to do sunday. In bed by 1am, which actually is 4 am ottawa time... WOHOO up more than 24 hours... so tired though. And the brain, the brain was starting to get slow and think erratically, hopefully we don't encounter many more days like that. (at least on the way home we enter time changes and gain back the time).

Saturday and Sunday were spent in Washington University, quite a nice campus. We have had orientation, training and bike courses.

Today at bike training, i was just standing with our group...and we heard a really loud pop and then hiss....i turn to look back from where the noise was...and what do you know...i had an instantaneous flat....so i carried my bike back to the residence we are staying at, put in a new tube and pump it up...good old 115psi, (my bike is in the 'common room' just outside of the room i was sleeping in)...so once that was fixed up, i went to my room to gather some of my gear and get ready, and i hear this loud pop and hisss... YUP another FLAT! It took some figuring out, but what had happened is the rim tape had given way to one of the spokes, and when you pump up your tire, the tire enters the hole and is soon popped by the spoke. WELL I KNEW THAT!!! actually it took some asking around, and then i had to find rim tape.... This is all occuring sunday afternoon...up to supper time, after supper time we had our first rally ... and then we had to load up the TRUCKS. I headed down (literally) to where the trucks were with a laundry basket of my gear, and my tire to fix.

Got the tire fixed (no levers for these fingers) and then helped load up the truck with everyones gear bags (filled with tents, sleeping bags, chairs and other paraphenalia).

Okay, so i can't rotate this picture, but it is of all the gear laid out in the parking lot by the trucks which were being loaded for the first time. Very interesting that canadians all have 'hockey bags' and americans have duffle bags of sorts.

Tomorrow morning we start at the BEACH, the pacific ocean, this is the furthest west i have ever been. Tire dipping is first and then we will be leaving in groups. TO SULTAN we are heading, 81km. Should be interesting. Apparently monday is supposed to be a good ride, and TUESDAY/ WEDNESDAY the killers, long long rocky inclines... WE will see what i have to say about that come wednesday...

I really am just excited to get on my bike and peddle, lets get the show on the road and start!!

is it truly happening

Reality is slowing sinking in, as well as the surrealness of it all....many are wishing me safe travels and happy pedalling, i sure hope its safe and happy!

Today I finished cleaning up my classroom and getting prepared for september, it is slightly unnerving that this will be the last day in school before i come back and start teaching again on september 2nd. Everything is ready, just waiting for the wax to dry on the floors LITERALLY...i guess i won't have my desks down out of the loft and set up...I guess sept 2nd is going to be an early morning...

This week I have already put in approximately 260 kms; monday i biked to merrickville, well just shy of it since we (marg and i) rode straight into a thunderstorm. Quite lovely having to stop multiple times along the road to hide under peoples eaves or once by this horsefarm...interestingly enough we made it to the outskirts of merrickville and decided to head back the way we came since we no longer wanted to continue going into the rain. I was game with that idea, but once we neared where we started BLUE SKY BABY all blue sky. I guess we should have headed the otherway.

Tuesday I went into ottawa to visit Coach Duane for the last time until september (then we have big plans...big plans...) anyways had a little chat with him, and of course he gave me more cycling to do...which i am almost done before i head out to seattle....

and today, i just did a little tour into kanata/bridlewood...and around the area...only 60 some k, but the wind, i tell you, the wind is something else, hopefully by the end of this summer the wind and i can be friends... or may it always be at my back...

here ends this little update...as i am about to pack up from CCA....and thusly no more internet access until tour time...

Seattle here i come......June 28, and tire dipping and first ride on monday....

wow!

I want to send out a huge THANKS to all those who supported ending the cycle of poverty, a big thanks goes to Mr. K Atkinson for building the most beautiful bike on earth ... and Duane for holding me accountable...of sorts ...because i can, no?

Okay, i gotta get out of this school, a mouse just ran by me...right into my classroom....going to setup a few traps...Cheers to who finds them with something tomorrow.

school's out for the SUMMER or rather SEa tO SeA

today, the last day of school and i am in the school library typing a little note to say the weather has been miserable....rain, rain, and WAIT more rain. oh what glorious bliss...so from biking perth to kingston and back the next day...to setting my bike back on the trainer in the living room has been funny...well for me...for i watch the rain out the windows...and think poor suckers who have to bike in that, unfortunately that will soon be me, the bridge will come and i will pass it when needed.
another year of school has been taught and i will miss my students of this year, they have been an absolute blast and blessing. now a new door is opening .... cycle the continent...still sounds daunting... VERY daunting...
well this is all the time i have for now, i believe i might have more time for myself on this tour than in normal life. we will see. haha