Almost nothing has gone as planned and I wouldn’t change a single thing
On July 28th on my first full day in Alberta I was able to celebrate 200 days on the road. This does not include some downtime in PEI over Christmas and my down time in Kingston, ON over Covid-19.
Frodo – “You’re late.”
Gandalf – “A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early; he arrives precisely when he means to.” – Lord Of The Rings – The Fellowship Of The Ring
I wish I could say that “I arrive precisely when I mean to.” But what I can say is that “I have arrived precisely when I was meant to.”
Reflecting back over these last 200 days (and Vancouver practically in sight) I am simply at a loss of words at how amazing and perfectly timed this ride has gone. And pretty much nothing has gone as planned or in the very least I could never have planned for such amazing experiences and meeting all the people that I have. I simply could not have planned for what has actually unfolded.
Most cyclist on bike tour across Canada can usually claim that they had an amazing and great bike tour across Canada. I feel like I can almost claim to have had “THE” best bike tour across Canada.
Some general facts and statements based on the last 200 days.
- I had an exceptionally mild winter
- During the winter I was hosted by 32 different homes. 42 different homes in the 200 days. That is huge
- The number of timely connections, hosts and interactions are actually uncountable
- I had 3 extended bike repair and tune up wait times. Every time I had a roof over my head.
- I had a roof over my head during Covid-19. Arriving in Kingston ON on the eve of everything escalating out of control as it relates to Covid-19
- Other then a few tourist sights being closed due to Covid-19. Covid-19 did not really affect my ride or my life in a negative way at all. Just minor challenges
- This summer has been exceptional weather. I think I was only rained on 5 times since getting back on the road in May
- I pedalled 9,300 km’s during that time
- 4,415 photos posted to Flickr. That is a lot of things I have seen!
- No health issues or injuries
During my personal reflections I can honestly say that I would not change anything about the last 200 days. Much of my route was pretty straight forward but at the time as much as my route was straight forward, I equally adjusted my route and every time that worked out perfectly and was very pleased with my decisions and outcomes.
Some notable route adjustments was adding a whole lot of extra kilometers to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Taking Hwy 11 and 71 west of Thunder Bay, ON instead of Hwy 17 and taking Hwy 32 west of Swift Current SK towards Great Sand Hills. I suppose the only adjustment that I will wonder about is bypassing the Greater Toronto Area when I left Kingston and I headed north to North Bay. As much as I will wonder; given the challenges and issues the GTA was facing right after travel restrictions were lifting due to Covid-19 I am aware that was also the right decision. I just wish it wasn’t so. But in the end Covid-19 was out of my hands. And taking the route that I did was awesome.
[On a side note I can also claim the same statement that I would not change a single thing for the 160 days that it took for me to purchase my bike, gear and get my website up and running leading to my bike ride start date.]
So there you have it, 200 days and “I would not change a single thing.” (And I am not quite finished crossing Canada.) That is a pretty amazing statement. I truly do believe that I am having the best cross Canada bike tours that was ever pedalled.
