Santa for Palliative Care

September 10—Day 8

Distance:                                 46.16 kms

Total to date:                         393.26 kms

Average per ride:                   49.16 kms

Destination Equivalent:         Sandhurst Shores; near the western end of Amherst Island, approaching Kingston

Route Map:                           

Weather:                                Brisk WSW winds again; beautiful 20 degrees; clear blue sky

Observations:

For some reason, the distance today, for the same route as last Saturday, is a little longer. Maybe I was just more wobbly today!

With Kathy’s knee problem, we had to bow out of today’s Matrimonial Golf tournament at the NOTL Golf Club. But I saw everyone on the course as I passed by today. Each grouping was four couples playing a single ball each. It looked a little chaotic in the tee boxes—like a Manet painting of a garden party. Everyone was smiling.

Longer day tomorrow. Perhaps I’ll catch a lift to Port Colborne and ride back along the parkway. A good long ride and it’s gently down hill all the way.

For more information on NOTLCPCS find: www.notlpc.com.

On the Healing Cycle: www.healingcycle.ca

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

Thanks for caring.

Santa for Palliative Care

September 8—Day 7

Distance:                                 62.41 kms

Total to date:                         347.1 kms

Average per day:                    49.57 kms

Destination Equivalent:         Wellington, Ontario; Prince Edward County

Route Maps (same day):       

Weather:                                Brisk WSW wind. (I’d like to stop saying brisk!) Clear shies until last half kilometre. Angry skies ahead.

Observations:

Stupid me. I stopped for a rest at Henry of Pelham Winery. And proceeded to push the stop tracking button. Ugh. That’s why there are two maps!

After a do-nothing day yesterday, I felt quite good today. Longest day yet. And, for the distance, the fastest time.

I thought a lot about how I want the next few weeks to go. I think I will generally try to ride six days on and one day off. Except tomorrow, I really want to play golf with the Thursday crew. So npt back until Friday.

Kathy and I cancelled our trip out west, planned for three weeks in October. Really disappointing. We’d love to see Geoffrey and Lynda. But the Covid-scape has sapped our confidence. I guess I could just ride more kilometres!

For more information on NOTLCPCS find: www.notlpc.com.

On the Healing Cycle: www.healingcycle.ca

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

Thanks for caring.

Santa for Palliative Care

September 5 & 6—Days Five and Six

Distance on the 5^th:                40.83 kms

Distance on the 6^th:                47.80 kms

Total to date:                         284.69 kms

Average per day:                    56.94 kms

Destination Equivalent:         Grafton, Ontario (near St. Anne’s Spa! Could really use it.)

Route Maps:                           

Weather:                                Wonderful days. Too much wind, but what can you do.

Day Five—A very lacklustre day. Wasn’t even sure if I would ride. But when I actually got out there, I felt pretty good. This has now become my minimum day.

Day Six—I had a new peloton! Stephen and our two granddaughters, Claire and Evelyn, joined me from their home in Niagara Falls for a few kilometres. I rode from home, up that damn escarpment hill (very slowly). We all rode the Haulage Trail and I came home along Progressive—with a wicked cross/head wind. It’s always better to ride with others, even for part of the day. So please connect if you would like a little ride with Santa.

I’ll take tomorrow off—six days in a row is enough. I wish I were really at Ste. Anne’s—a massage would be wonderful. And I have to take a picture early tomorrow at Crossroads School of all the students, ready for their new year. It’s for The Lake Report.

Please spread the word about the ride and the blog. If nothing else its great to get people talking about Palliative Care.

For more information on NOTLCPCS find: www.notlpc.com.

On the Healing Cycle: www.healingcycle.ca

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

Thanks for caring.

Santa for Palliative Care

September 4—DAY Four

Distance Today:                      45.05kms

Total to date:                          196.06kms

Destination Equivalent:          Lakefront Park West, Oshawa

Route Map:                            

Weather:                                 Wonderful day. Sunny and only a hint of a south wind. Perfect.

Observations:

A soon as I asked for company yesterday, I got a call from Patrick and Danielle Bourk (Patrick is Larry and Joan’s son) asking if they could come along. It’s apparent that Patrick is an avid rider. When I was puffing, he was just coasting along. Danielle has just started riding seriously and pushed us along nicely when she was in the lead.

They ride mostly around Toronto and points north, so they appreciated the flat, scenic terrain around our neck of the woods. Danielle is a professional sommelier and teacher, so we talked wine and local wineries for a lot of the outing.

We stopped for iced coffee at will near the end of the ride. Nice change. Good conversation.

I messed up my tracking app again today, adding an extra 20 minutes or so to the time, but the distance is correct. Still keeping above the average I need to make it to Quebec City by the end of the month.

For more information on NOTLCPCS find: www.notlpc.com.

On the Healing Cycle: www.healingcycle.ca

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

Thanks for caring.

Santa for Palliative Care

September 3—DAY Three

Distance today:                      45.24kms

Total to date:                          151.01kms

Destination Equivalent:          Bluffers Park, Scarborough Bluffs, East Toronto

Route Map:                            

Weather:                                 Cool clear–beautiful day; brisk North wind

Observations:

Really an uneventful ride. I was pleased, particularly after how crummy I felt yesterday. It helped that I remembered the granola bars. And didn’t lose my way!

From here on, I’ll be following the North shore of Lake Ontario, virtually hugging the shoreline toward Prince Edward County

It’s great to be slightly ahead of the average I need to get to Quebec City by the end of the month. But I’ve done this before and I know that buffer can disappear in no time—broken bike, bad weather, recovery days.

If anyone wants to join all or part of a ride with me, just call 905-468-2536 a couple of days ahead. We can work something out. I’d love the company.

For more information on NOTLCPCS find: www.notlpc.com.

On the Healing Cycle: www.healingcycle.ca

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

Thanks for caring.

Santa for Palliative Care

September 2—DAY TWO

Distance Today:                      61.37kms

Total to date:                          105.77kms

Destination Equivalent:          Near Port Credit, Ontario

Weather:                                 Cool and sunny, brisk wind from the NNW at 39kms/hr

Route Map:                            

Observations:

I bit off more than I could chew today. I wanted to get to Grimsby along the lake route. Fell quite a bit short. Forgot my granola bars. Really stupid for a four-hour ride with no breakfast! But I perked up at the thought of a Tim Horton bagel, only to realize I forget my mask, too…

Oh well, good learning experiences all around.

Interesting observation: there are a lot more blue election signs out there than there are red. Could happen for a bunch of reasons, but still, it may be an omen.

After receiving my first blog yesterday, sister Terry sent along a list of corrections and good ideas. Isn’t that just like a big sister?

I always seem to forget the full name of our local palliative care service. It is, in fact, Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Palliative Care Service (NOTLCPCS). Quite a mouthful—I always forget “community”.

It is a really wonderful organization helping provide end-of-life care to both patients and their families. To find out more, find: www.notlpc.com. Well worth the wander.

Also, the fundraising effort we are all a part of is mounted by The Healing Cycle Foundation (www.healingcycle.ca). The Foundation is a virtual, volunteer-based non-profit organization dedicated to supporting hospice palliative care units across Ontario.

Always the marketer, Terry also wants me to make a pitch for my Santa visits. (After all, that’s really where Santa for Palliative Care persona comes from. Each December, I don a more recognizable red suit for virtual and live visits to families and businesses around town. The visits raise additional funds for all the great things the organization does. Find: www.vimeo.com/488140798 for look at how much fun it is.

So, tomorrow, I’m going to lick my wounds and just try for 40kms or so. It is supposed to be another nice day, with brisk winds out of the north again. I’ll probably just ride south on Concession 1, returning, after a bit of a wander, along Progressive (Concession 2). Maybe see you along the way.

Thanks for caring.

Santa for Palliative Care