Blog

Well its been a few days since I've blogged.  I've had limited access to internet and have also been busy with my children so that's been great.  After a great night in Blind River I was on the road again and had been debating trying another 200 km day which would bring me right to South Baymouth and the ferry to Tobermory.  This would put me only one ride away from my kids who were camping with my parents.  After a quick 90+ km to Espanola I decided to continue on.  The end result was 209 km and we made the 5:50 pm ferry.  We found a campground in Tobermory and I was super excited about the ride the next day.  I felt like a kid on Christmas eve.  Its had been 46 days since I left home and had seen my family so the ride to Port Elgin was going to be fun and hopefully fast.  We woke up to sunshine and a great day to ride.  The ride was a gradual uphill most of the way but it seemed like it was still pretty fast.  Svend was also able to get some biking in on the ride to the ferry and into Port Elgin.  On the way to Port Elgin we made a quick stop in Wiarton to see Gary Dillon, a friend of my family and grocery store owner who has helped us out by donating 250.00 in grocery gift cards.  Thanks Gary for the help, it makes a huge difference.  After chatting with Gary for a bit we were back on the road and about 40 km out from Port Elgin.  I arrived in Port Elgin just as Charlotte was waking up from a nap.  I think she was confused to see me and just kept staring at me and smiling, it was pretty cute.  Jonathan was surprised and was pretty excited.  It was a great way to end the ride for the day.  I had a great day with the kids and my parents.  Sarah came up Friday night and it was nice to be together as a family for the first time in more than a few weeks.  The big event in Port Elgin was scheduled for Saturday night and it was a lot of fun.  My Aunts, Boni, Kim and Carol (and I'm sure more people I have missed) have spent months planning and preparing for the event in Port Elgin.  They have secured donated prizes, sold candy, chocolate, and arranged for entertainment for the night.  As a side note thanks to my childhood neighbours Ken and Barb Fedy for thinking of selling the candy.  The night was great and I had a lot of fun.  I have to admit I was unsure what to think when aunt Boni told me there would be an Elvis impersonator but I trusted her judgement and Elvis sure did seem to impress the crowd.  And I'm pretty sure my cousin Brock who also played music at the event is pretty happy that he can now claim he has opened up for Elvis.  Thanks to Brock and Steve for also entertaining us with their musical talents.  I was thrilled to hear that the event raised over 1800.00 and the bank that my aunt Boni works for has agreed to match any money she raised at the event putting the total raised in Port Elgin at approximately 3600.00.  That puts the grand total over 30,000.00.  It was a great couple of days in Port Elgin, a place I spent a lot of summers as a kid.  It was nice to be in some familiar surroundings.  I was also able to meet a family from Owen Sound who have a little guy with PKU, it was great talking to them about their experiences.  And I met Sue who has an adult daughter with PKU who is now a dietician in Toronto.  It was interesting to hear her experience and how much things seem to have changed since her daughter was born.  Thanks to my aunts for all your hard work and commitment to this cause, its extremely appreciated.  

The day after the Port Elgin event I rode to Listowel a ride that was just over 100 km.  It was a hot humid day but still a nice ride into town.  I stayed with Sarah's cousin Hope and her husband Brent.  Hope was also the person who helped us find our great hosts from Brandon MB.  Sarah and the kids were able to join us for a great pulled pork dinner and Hope and Brent's.  Thanks to them for having us, again it was a huge help.  While in Listowel it was also nice to visit with Sarah's uncle Paul and aunt Pat. Today we woke up to fog but that did not stick around long.  Today's ride was a short ride into Kitchener, and more importantly, home.  It was fun to ride an exact route that I had been on a few months ago when training for this ride.  It was a familiar route that seemed way easier this time.  The total distance was only about 67 km and I arrived home to 2 smiling children.  It will be great to be here for a few extra days since we have modified the route slightly.  I'm really looking forward to the event in Cambridge tomorrow night.  It will be great to see lots of family and friends.  Sarah, her sister Liz and the kids will also be following me this next week and a half as I make my way throughout eastern Ontario to Ottawa so I'm looking forward to that.  Speaking of Ottawa if you are in that area and would like to attend an event there click the link https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?llr=7wfkgteab&oeidk=a07e9ftt1k3e116d9a8 to register.  There will also be events in Peterborough and Kingston.   Check the route page for details.