Happy Canada Day!



July 1, 2012
It has been almost a week since I finally set out on my bike. Biking has been exciting, tiring, humbling, and a little discouraging at times. The first couple of days were really rainy and pretty chilly. I knew it would be cooler up near the Gaspe peninsula but I was surprised at how cold the temperatures get, especially in the rain. So far my muscles feel really good and prepared but I have been having some pain in my left knee. I ended up spending a couple days in a hostel for fear of injuring myself right at the start of my trip. I decided to continue on and be sensitive to how my body is feeling. My knee is still sore but has not gotten any worse over the last couple days so I'm going to keep riding. Quebec is a beautiful place. Even though I've been biking in the rain, I have enjoyed the scenery and the people here. It is different to be in a French speaking place. I would have benefited from learning a bit more French before coming here :).

I've seen a lot of whales along the coast including belugas, finwhales, and some dolphin-looking things. My favorite so far has been the big birds that all dive into the water at the same time to catch fish. I've seen birds do this before but not on such a large scale. It's like hundreds of stars falling out of the sky all at once. I can only imagine how amazing it must look in the water! Whales are cool but I was much more entertained by the birds.

Today I arrived in Campbellton and watched fireworks in honor of Canada Day. The lights are cool but I really enjoyed the thundering booms that echoed across the water. There has been thunder the last few days. I've heard thunder a couple times in Anchorage, but nothing this loud. It is a very powerful thing to be in the presence of a thunderstorm on a bicycle. God must love making thunder...I know I would :)

On my rides I have been listening to The Hobbit on tape. I've read the book before but it is fun to listen to it. The narrator does a great job with the voices of the dwarves. I can relate to the character of Bilbo Baggins as he is also setting out on a great adventure and journey. Plus, listening to the audiobook helps drown out the noise of passing cars which can become irritating rather quickly. When I'm biking in Anchorage and people honk it's usually because they are upset or they wave at me with their finger. Here however, I probably get 8-10 people a day who wave to be friendly. I probably look like I need the encouragement with my loaded bike. Whatever the reason it is a good boost. I've even had some honk "tunes" like the "secret door knock". You know the one?

Well I'm heading to bed now. Hopefully I will be on Prince Edward Island in 3 or 4 days. Probably 4 :)

                                 Setting records at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit in Montreal ;)
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe_XLLNaVRU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
                                                     Video of me at the same track.

                                         Nice dinner watching the whales in Mer et Monde

                                         Day 1: a nice cool morning to head out on the road.

Heading east up the coast from Matane.

 

                                                   Waiting for the rain to let up a little.

                                         

                                     Really pretty lighting as I near some rain clouds... again

                    Who can tell me what this sign means? I figured it out but it took me a few minutes :)

                  

 I stopped here to get water but the tap water was not potable. A sweet lady bought me 3 bottled waters for my trip :)

The bridge from Quebec to New Brunswick. One province down, 2more to go before I get back to the states.

   

                                                                       Montreal

                                                                      Bixi Bikes

                                                       Finally got my bike from FedEx

                                                      Too bad it came without wheels :)

Tough Mudder

Okay, so the Tough Mudder was a little over a week ago on June 10th, but I now have some pictures to post thanks to our wonderful Tough Spectators!

Just to recap, the Tough Mudder was a 12 mile course in Avon, Colorado with 23 military style obstacles. My two friends Michael and Paul from Alaska and I went down to Colorado for the weekend. Of all the obstacles that included climbing over big walls, crawling through tunnels in water and mud, being electricuted in 3 different obstacles, and a few others, I found the ice water to be the worst. There was one obstacle with an ice bath and each competitor had to be fully submerged to swim underneath a little wooden bridge. The water was very shocking, but it was the numbness I felt afterwards that was so frustrating. My hands and feet stayed numb for some time and my core temperature felt pretty low. A couple obstacles later, there was a monkey bar/ring obstacle and my hands were still too cold to hold on. And if you can`t hold on... you get to swim in cold water again. Overall the event was super fun and unlike anything I`ve done before. Michael and I were pretty evenly paced so we ran the race together. It was a beautiful day running the slopes of the Beaver Creek ski resort. Michael`s family was there to cheer us on as well. Having some friends at the obstacles cheering for you is really encouraging and a great addition to an already fun race.

I read in the paper that there were around 13,000 racers over the two-day event. People do mass starts every 20 minutes with about 600 people. We started in the first wave of the day so it was nice and cool outside, plus we did not experience the bottleneck effect at the obstacles that I had been previously warned about. The race is very team oriented and there are no official race times kept or recorded. It idea is for people to challenge themselves and have fun. If at any time you do not feel like doing an obstacle, you are allowed to simply walk around. With that said, I timed Michael and I at 2 hours 48 minutes and although I did not feel like being shocked with 10,000 volts three different times throughout the race, we completed all the obstacles. It was very satisfying to complete this race and I think I would do it again.

Me, Paul, and Michael at the start of our first Tough Mudder with some 600 people at 8am Sunday.

Obstacle: Everest. Waiting to help Michael up. He didn`t need any help at all!

Post-race pullup competition with Nick

Michael and I at the finish of our first Tough Mudder. We were happy to recieve our orange headbands!

Obstacle: Berlin Walls. These walls were a bit daunting at first, but we made it up and over without much difficulty

Michael joining our post-race pullup competition

Pizza dinner at the Blue Moose in Vail with our wonderful spectators/friends/family Mike D, Nick, and Anne

Colorado Adventures

Avon, Colorado is a beautiful place! I spent last weekend there with my two Alaska friends Paul and Michael. We had a fun time together hiking around the area and completing the Tough Mudder race Sunday morning. Michaels parents from Alaska and his brother from Durango came to cheer us on as we tackled the obstacles over the 12 mile course. Running the race around 10,000 feet was a little difficult but we all did great and had a ton of fun doing it. It is quite the event with some 12,000 competitors.

Michael headed down to Durango with his family to get ready for his brothers wedding and Paul flew back home Tuesday. I'm in Denver now until Saturday when I fly to Montreal. I'm staying with my cousins and it has been really nice so far. Wednesday, my cousin Jay and I climbed our first 14er (mountain over 14,000 feet)! We actually made it up 2. Torreys and Greys peak. Both mountains are right around 14,200 feet. We had a great time and beautiful weather. This was my first experience that high up and I felt pretty good. We were both a little winded towards the top but we made good time.

View of Torreys (Right) and Greys (Left)

Justice Ride tshirt made by my friend Matt and a view from Torrey's ridge

On our way to Greys peak, looking back to where we came from (Torreys)

View of the valley from the saddle between Greys and Torreys

Jay and I at the top of Torreys Peak. Our first 14er!



Top of Greys

                                                                      Gear Pile
                                             

                                                        Brendan wants to come with me.

                                                         Packing my bike in the box.

                                                       Pre-race hike in Avon, Colorado.

View of Beaver Creek Resort in Avon, CO

Flight 1 of 3 Finished!

June 8
I made it to Denver, CO this morning! Getting all my gear packed into my panniers (bike bags) was a bit of a challenge. I feel like I have a lot of gear when in reality it's quite minimal. Considering I have my tent, sleeping bag, rain gear, bike clothes, spare bike parts, tools, camp stove, toiletries, First Aid, and a few other odds and ends all packed into 4 panniers and weighing just over 40 lbs, I think I'm doing ok.

Figuring out how to get my bike to Montreal last minute turned out to be a little more than complicated. Thanks to a full-on team effort by my mom and sister Amy, we got it packed in a child's bed box and FedExed it just a couple of hours before my flight. My bike should arrive in Montreal shortly after I do. Hopefully in one piece.

Before packing my bike up I took it on its maiden voyage fully loaded down. It was a short ride to the University from my house to say bye to some friends and co-workers. It was a smooth ride with no major issues. It's a bit different to pedal a 90+ lbs bike and gear compared to my 23 lbs road bike that I usually ride.

I'm waiting in the Denver airport now for a couple friends from Alaska to arrive. On Sunday, the 3 of us are going to do a Tough Mudder obstacle course race. After that I will visit some cousins in the area and fly to Montreal on the 16th. The Tough Mudder is a 10-11 mile race course with 25 military style obstacles. There is a website with more information if you're interested. Looks like fun. I will update everyone after my race.

Even though I haven't started biking yet, there has been no shortage of adventures. I want to thank all my friends and family who have encouraged and supported me so far.