C’est fini!

September 28—Ride 20: La Ville de Québec

Distance of final ride:             37.89 kms

Total to date:                         1061.1 kms (30.1 kms beyond the goal)

Average per ride:                   53.06 kms

Average Speed:                      18.3 kms/h

Destination Equivalent:         Oops! Overshot the Chateau Frontenac a bit…

Peloton:                                  Ken Edwards—old biking buddy from Elora

Route for entire journey:

Route Map for Ride 20:              Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail return

Weather:                               

Yesterday was crystal clear and sunny, with a brisk SW wind.

Observations:

It was a perfect way to end the odyssey and arrive virtually in Quebec City.

Ken and I met at the trailhead of the Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail, along the Grand River south of Cambridge. It is a beautiful, winding, sun-dappled trail that hugs the river on its way south, all the way to Port Maitland on Lake Erie.

Ken and his wife Susan are long-standing friends from our time in Elora. It was Ken that nurtured my interest in cycling, more than 30 years ago, on the backroads and trails around Wellington County. Very pretty country.

Ken and I have one of those friendships that slips comfortably into old conversations as if we’ve never been apart. The time went quickly, chatting the whole way.

We stopped briefly at 7.79 kilometres to take a selfie. That was he moment we virtually rode under the portico of the Chateau Frontenac. Very satisfying.

When I got home to Niagara, Terry-she and Kathy (and Terry-he with the camera) welcomed me with an actual Finish Line to mark the 20 days of riding. The crowd was modest, but the bubbly was perfect!

So, it’s over. 1,061 kms. $6,325 raised for palliative care. It feels good.

REMINDER: It’s just a few short weeks until I don my other red suit, once again raising support for NOTLCPCS and the great work it does. I suspect this year, like last, will be largely by Zoom, but I’m hoping I can sneak a few live visits into December’s schedule.

If you are having an in-person or virtual gathering and there are Santa-believers, young or old, in the crowd, I would be pleased to arrange a visit. You can reach me at: santaforpalliativecare@gmail.com.

Here’s a link to a brief video to remind you how the Santa-thing works: www.vimeo.com/488140798.

Thank you for all your support. And thanks for caring.

Santa for Palliative Care

For more information on NOTL Community Palliative Care Service, find: www.notlpc.com.

On the Healing Cycle: www.healingcycle.ca

On donating: https://my.crowdchange.ca/i0kprj.