Monday, June 13, 2005
Monday, June 13, 2005
We got up at 6:00 a.m. with high hopes of having our van organized, clothes packed, etc. and of being at Mom and Dad’s by 1:00 for lunch. Needless to say, we were dreaming in technicolour. It’s very frustrating trying to get around with one foot in a cast, and each time I tried to concentrate on one area of packing, I would get sidetracked by all the other things that needed to get done. Jim Mintz dropped by for a few minutes to offer help, and he and Albert loaded the van. My hopes of having all the clothes, tents, cooking supplies, food, biking gear, tools, sleeping bags and other paraphernalia under the bed were sadly dashed; we look like a moving van rather than a camping van. Oh well, maybe we can reorganize later, or send some things back with Albert when he flies home on July 2nd. Without going into any more details, suffice it to say that we were on the road by 4:00 p.m., after a brief last visit to the family “farm” for a few nostalgic tears, as my family home of 50 years will have been sold by the time I return.
Once we were actually driving, however, my spirits lifted, and the first leg of our adventure began. The first thing we did, after buying a Tim Hortons, of course, was to start a list of the things we had forgotten in our haste. So far, there has been nothing serious, but the list is certainly growing.
My interest in the route started growing immensely once we reached Espanola, as this is where I will actually be biking to, before turning down to Manitoulin Island. The shoulders on Hwy 17 are not wide, but there appears to be about a foot allowance. Traffic was light; I can only hope I will be as lucky in August.
We camped in our van at a lovely site at Pinecrest Tent & Trailer Park, and managed to sleep relatively well, in spite of it being very hot to start. The mosquito netting velcroed to the front windows worked extremely well, and after killing the little beasts that got in before we got set up, we had no further problems with them.
We got up at 6:00 a.m. with high hopes of having our van organized, clothes packed, etc. and of being at Mom and Dad’s by 1:00 for lunch. Needless to say, we were dreaming in technicolour. It’s very frustrating trying to get around with one foot in a cast, and each time I tried to concentrate on one area of packing, I would get sidetracked by all the other things that needed to get done. Jim Mintz dropped by for a few minutes to offer help, and he and Albert loaded the van. My hopes of having all the clothes, tents, cooking supplies, food, biking gear, tools, sleeping bags and other paraphernalia under the bed were sadly dashed; we look like a moving van rather than a camping van. Oh well, maybe we can reorganize later, or send some things back with Albert when he flies home on July 2nd. Without going into any more details, suffice it to say that we were on the road by 4:00 p.m., after a brief last visit to the family “farm” for a few nostalgic tears, as my family home of 50 years will have been sold by the time I return.
Once we were actually driving, however, my spirits lifted, and the first leg of our adventure began. The first thing we did, after buying a Tim Hortons, of course, was to start a list of the things we had forgotten in our haste. So far, there has been nothing serious, but the list is certainly growing.
My interest in the route started growing immensely once we reached Espanola, as this is where I will actually be biking to, before turning down to Manitoulin Island. The shoulders on Hwy 17 are not wide, but there appears to be about a foot allowance. Traffic was light; I can only hope I will be as lucky in August.
We camped in our van at a lovely site at Pinecrest Tent & Trailer Park, and managed to sleep relatively well, in spite of it being very hot to start. The mosquito netting velcroed to the front windows worked extremely well, and after killing the little beasts that got in before we got set up, we had no further problems with them.
posted by BikingBabe at 8:25 AM
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