HALIFAX!!!!

OK. I know I should have sent this last night because you are all siting on the edge of your seats wondering if I made it. Yes I did. Halifax!! Crazy!! My 205k ride on Friday set up my 185k ride on Saturday right to the front doors of MEC Halifax. Took my bike in for some special care and attention which will hopefully be completed on Sunday. As for me I'm getting special treatment at my sisters. 

The ride Saturday was uneventful except for:
1 - Nova Scotia is one hilly province. What I thought would be an easy coastal route turned out to be a pretty difficult ride. Every time you went down it was just so they could make you go up again. I learned to hate seeing the signs telling you a passing lane was coming which meant another steep hill. Actually called some of the signs some very bad things. Actually the first time I have shouted at anything all trip.
2 - Nova Scotia isn't terribly bike friendly along the south shore. My speed route was great until they decided to cut a rumble strip into the shoulder pushing me onto the road. And the explore route basically had no shoulder at all. Explore roads turned out to be the best choice of two bad alternatives.
3 - some Tim Hortons in Nova Scotia have scent free tables. And if you read all the way through my last post you'll know where I wasn't allowed to sit and why.

4 - Halifax is a very welcoming community. Really I didn't expect it, but to have 100,000 people out to welcome me all dressed up in multi-coloured rainbow outfits was incredible. But, really, I could have done without the parade. As could have Dirk, my sister's husband who came into Halifax to get me. 

So now my bike is getting fixed up. And my sister will try to fix me up. Not that I need anything. The body has held up really well....surprisingly well.  But my sister thought I looked a little thin so we pulled out  the scales. Starting weight was 173 which was actually down from about 185 before I got scared how slow I was going to run my mile race at the first of June.  Weight on my sister's scale....158. Don't really know what to say about that. I feel good. Everything is working right. I just did back to back rides of  205k and 185k. On the other hand my sister did know what to say....'there's Coke in the fridge' and 'eat your salad ' and 'for dessert there is carrot cake, butter tarts and ice cream'.  Forget the 173....she intends to get me back to 185!!! Pretty awesome sister wouldn't you say!!

But back to the weight loss. You know how much people pay for a weight loss program that gets results like that? I'm going to start a new business. My first weight loss bike tour will be in the spring of 2018. And because not everyone is as serious about weight loss as me, or as crazy as me, I'll start with an explore tour of someplace like Manitoulin or Cape Breton ..... could be fun!!!  I'll plan out the route....well maybe I'll get a wee bit of help doing that based on my planning abilities demonstrated so far this trip, and provide the peanut butter. I'll let you know when reservations open up. Or like some of the other activities I set up, I'll let you know when I'm going and you just show up and join in. 

The next couple of days will be very relaxing. I'll get cleaned up, I'll get my gear cleaned up and dried out. I'll reorganize and restock my food. I'll visit with my sister and a whole bunch of her family. And I'll eat!!!

After a couple of fattening up days I'll be off again.  No idea how just yet. I'm a little scared of the New Hampshire and Vermont hills but have a feeling there are going to be serious hills no matter where I end up. The Nova Scotia south shore taught me that today. The Canada route is very long...but it's Canada. There are some other US routes. And there's the train.


Sent from my iPad

Sent from my iPad