July 21 78 km (48 mi) Ride to Goderich (Ontario, Canada) Beach

It is always nice to break out of the healthy, but sometimes somewhat reduncy of my High Intensity Every Other Day 30 Minute Ride.

That's what I did yesterday.

On Friday evening I got my bike ready: tire pressure up, chain cleaned and lubed. I also gathered up and packed my supplies: 9 bottles of Powerade (Knew I wouldn't need that many. I will drink at least one bottle per hour to keep hydrated; but wanted the extra bottles for extra weight for training/conditioning purposes); loaded my assortment of "on sale" power bars (Planning to eat one per hour to keep carb fuel available).

I woke up around 6:30 am. But wasn't in a rush to head out the door. The trip I had planned would take about 6 hours. My destination was St. Christopher's Beach on the shores of Lake Huron in the town of Goderich, Ontario, Canada. I would be meeting my adult kids and their spouses and my grandkids there for a late afternoon swim and visit and picnic supper. That would all start about 3 pm. So I really didn't have to leave my house until around 9 am.

I enjoyed a huge bowl of oatmeal (1.5 cups of dry oatmeal) with an apple and banana diced and cooked in it. Flavored up with Vanilla soy milk, brown sugar, and butter, this makes for a high fuel meal that will get me off to a good start energy-wise. (As soon as I woke up I started drinking water. By the time I was ready to ride I had drank two liters of water. This pre-ride hydration is a key to staying healthy on a day when the temp is expected to top 80 F (27 C). I also enjoyed two cups of tea with the oatmeal.)

After getting into my Super Hero Spandex Bike Suit, and strapping on my bike shoes, and smearing on the sunscreen (UV is very high today), and strapping on my heart rate monitor, and affixing my tinted goggles (to reduce glare and to keep my eyes from drying out, and bugs out of them), and wiring myself to my music on my iPhone, and putting on the very important helmet, I am ready to roll.

I get my backpack (which carries my bike lock, sunscreen, swimsuit, towel, long sleeve shirt, etc.) in position, as I pedal out of the driveway at 8 am, the air actually feels cool. But this coolness disappears quickly in the morning sun.

By 3 pm, I will have travelled 78.1 km (48.4 mi) at an average speed of 15.5 kph (9.6 mph). I was in no hurry today. Took lots of short breaks and lots of pictures. I was pedaling for 5 hours of the almost 7 hours from start to finish.

The pictures below tell the story of the ride. Enjoy.

Surprise, surprise. When I am about an hour from my beach destination, I am met by two of some of my most favorite persons in the whole world. The young man next to me in this picture is my son, Bryan. He is kind of new to this activity of long distance road biking. But he is training diligently. He will actually be riding the bike I am sitting on this September as he will be riding with Brother Mark and I from Prescott, Arizona to the Colorado River, following a long section of famous Route 66 across Arizona.

Surprise Again! This other young man is my son, James. He is no stranger to the world of long distance road biking. He has completed several epic rides. He is one of the most healthy people I know. Working at a gym (Spin Class Leader) and running make him quite fit. He actually left his home in London, Ontario about the same time I did on this day. He traveled 114 km (70.6 mi) in less time than I covered my 78 km (48 mi). He traveled at about 26 kph (16 mph); about twice as fast as I. And he didn't even look tired. O, to be young again. James will be riding Route 66 with us in September as well. He will probably be riding circles around us. Kind of neat: Two generations of brothers doing the Route 66 trip together.

We're very near the beach now. This is the wide and rather dry Maitland River. On the left you see the grain elevators. Great Lake Freighters carry this commodity  to far away places. At the river's month you see the surface operation for the large salt mine that extends several km beneath the bottom of Lake Huron.

A brief view of my dark side

I was born a West Coaster (in California a long long time ago) and will always  be a West Coaster -- no matter where I live.

My Mechanical Horse patiently awaiting some action.

On this trip today I ride through many small towns. I enjoy admiring the beautiful old homes. The grass is normally a vibrant green. But we are in a drought condition. Nothing grows much except the weeds. This home is in the town of Lucknow; about half way to my destination.

Opposite view of the previous photo of the Maitland River. This is the upstream view..

This photo demonstrates that I am still getting used to my iPhone. I rode by this Amish farmer harvesting bringing in the crops just like his forefathers did over a hundred years ago.

A great delight of my day was actually locating this trail. (I missed it on my previous ride to Goderich last May.) This is the Goderich to Auburn Rail Trail. It provides me wonderful shade and auto-free pedaling for the last hour of my ride. Near this spot a train depot serviced passengers and freight in this region for almost 90 years. At its peak, the railway station here saw 20 trains per day. Passenger service was discontinued in the early 1960's. Freight traffic ceased in the late 1980's. The station was demolished and rails removed in the early 1990's. The rail path became this multi-use nature trail. This was by far the most enjoyable part of my journey.

This was once a railway bridge; at one time the longest such bridge in Canada. The previous pictures of the River were taken from this bridge. This bridge provides a crossing for bikers and hikers across the Maitland River.

Welcome to St. Christopher's Beach, Goderich. (And thank you to my son-in-law, Steve, a real photographer, for this picture.) This is where my ride ended and I enjoyed a great evening with my family. (My bike rode home on my new bike rack on the back of my wife's car. Fortunately, she allowed me to ride in the front passenger seat.)

July 19 Early Morning CPR Conditioning Ride

For some irrational reason I woke up at 5:45 am. Having learned that laying around in bed after I wake up just gives me a headache, I decided to greet the morning with a short ride.

Nothing fancy. Was on the road just a few minutes before 6 am. Did thirty minutes, 12.5 km (7.7 mi), 24.9 kph (15.4 mph), with a healthy, perky heart rate between 130-145 bpm.

I so enjoy seeing the sunrise. One of my daily goals is to pause and enjoy the sunrise and sunset of each day. (This practice started when I was driving long haul tractor-trailers. I would begin most of my days waking up at sunset. Then driving all night. And seeing that sunrise 12 hours later was a happy conclusion to my work "day/night.")

July 18 "CPR" Conditioning Ride

A tight schedule this morning only gave me a short window of opportunity for a quick "intensive" ride: 30 minutes, 12 km (7.4 mi), average speed 23.9 kph (14.8 mph), heart rates steady between 120-145 bpm.

The wind has made a complete 180 deg turn over night. I enjoyed a cool summer arctic breeze, giving us a brief reprieve from yesterday's gift of very warm air from the USA Midwest.

The picture below of large Alligator (as truckers call them) on my road and so far north perhaps gives evidence to an increase in global warming :-)

July 17 Summer Morning Ride

The road was calling me this morning as I experienced a rare morning "off" during the week. (I should stay and deal with details on my desk at my home office; but I don't want to. Those details will always be seeking to hijack my life. But nice, even if they be warm, morning ride opportunities are a limited resource.)

I have about an hour to ride. So, I load up my bike to "trip weight" and slide into my spandex super suit and hit the road. (I forget to put on my trip weight backpack. But I don't realize this until I am about a kilometer down the road, and I ain't going back for it.)

It is warm this morning. With the humidex it is 35 C (95 F). Another good morning for warm weather conditioning.

A hefty 26 kph (16 mph) wind from the south (Thank you Pennsylvania and Ohio for sharing your warmth with Ontario today) prevails. So I select a route that will take me 30 minutes east of my home, at which point I will turn around and head west back home. The theory being I will only have to deal with a crosswind, not a headwind.

As I pedal down the road, the crosswind shakes me a bit, but doesn't topple me (like the winds we experienced last April between Yuma, Arizona and Ocotillo, California which actually blew me off the road a few times).

The horseflies and Red Winged Blackbirds do their territorial obsessiveness. I would have never thought a Fly would be territorial. But they are. No joking. They (It) appears every ride at the same spot. The Black Birds do the same. They drive bomb at my head, but have not (yet) made contact with my helmet. It is entertaining to watch their shadow attack my shadow on the road as I ride. Ok. So I am easily amused.

When I get to my 30 minute turn around point, the wind shifts just enough to create a semi-headwind. But that actually feels kind of cool; a form of evaporation cooling. Sweating has to be good for something.

Arriving home I have pedaled 15.8 km (9.8 mi) in 53 minutes at an average speed of 17.9 kph (11 mph).

I'd better take my shower now and get to work.

These black strips are cracks in the pavement which has been filled with thick tar to retard road deterioration. It is so hot these last few days that I have to be careful as to how I interact with these tar strips. They are very soft and I can feel my tires sink into the grooves.

July 15 Sunday Afternoon Ride

Spent the morning hanging out with my wife and kids. Even squeezed in a viewing of the funny and meaningful movie, "Despicable Me."After lunch I attended to about 3 hours of "get ready for the coming week" type of paperwork.

So by 3:30 pm I am ready to stretch my legs and spin my feet.

This will be another great day for "hot weather conditioning." It is, with the humidex, 34 C (93 F). Not my favorite temp. But if I am going to cruise Route 66 across Arizona in September, I'd better get used to a little bit of warmth. (Our daily temps on that ride will be reaching to 38 C (100 F.)

So I slap on the sunscreen, load up my bike to "travel weight" (i.e., bike rack bag and backpack loaded to weight of what I will be carrying in September for four days).

I aim for a one hour ride. Attempt to keep my speed in the 18-20 kph (11-12.5 mph) "cruising range."

I am successful. The hot, humid ride lasts for one hour and 12 minutes. My average speed is 19.4 kph (12 mph). I eat one no-name brand power bar (Probably the Sport's world equivilent to watered down gasoline) and drink two liters of water. That's about twice the fluids I drink in a "regular" biking hour. But I decided to err on the safe side instead of risking dehydration. I was sweating big time. I also hydrated significantly by drinking about a liter of water a half hour before my ride.

If the weather permits, I'll try to squeeze in an early morning ride tomorrow before heading to the office.

I've crossed (by road :-) this usually nicely flowing stream many times before. But here in Ontario, as in much of the North American "mid West" (Ontario is geographically the northern part of the Ohio Valley), we are experiencing a Stage 2 Drought. Water is desperately needed. The streams have stopped flowing and weeds and grasses are sucking up the remaining water. We have "chances" of rain or thunderstorms weekly. But nothing is falling from the sky in any helpful significant quantities.

July 14 Saturday Morning Long Ride

With our "Route 66 Arizona Ride" about 9 weeks away, I realized I needed to start some "longer run" training. This urgency is even a little more important because I will be handing over my bike to my son, Bryan, in mid-August so he can get "adjusted" to it. He will be riding my "Ontario Bike" and I will mount my "Arizona Bike," when we arrive there, which is patiently hanging from the ceiling in my brother's Prescott, AZ garage.This means I need to get the bulk of my training done in the next 5 or 6 weeks.

So I get up and have my breakfast of oatmeal and tea before dressing in my Spiffy Spandex Super Hero Suit for the ride.

In addition to the routine tasks of checking tire pressure and lubing my chain, today I will load my bike with a similar weight as to what I will be pedaling in AZ. This means my bike bag on the rack over my rear wheel will be loaded with four bottles containing four liters of fluids. I will not be drinking these fluids. They are ballast creating the approximate weight I will be carrying on our four day ride from Ash Fork, AZ to the Topac, AZ (located on the shores of the Colorado River, the natural boundary between Arizona and California). I will also be wearing my backpack today. It will contain three liters of fluid and my bike chain. This will be the approximate weight of what I will carry on my back while pedaling Route 66.

This weight simulation exercise was a lesson hard learned from our previous ride across the Sonora Desert. In my training throughout the winter months for that trip, I didn't think to wear a backpack. So at the end of our first day of travel last March from Tubac, AZ to North Tucson, AZ, my upper shoulder muscles and neck muscles were a sore mess. So I am avoiding that this time. I will be wearing my backpack every day from this point on to get those muscles up to strength.

With lots of sport drink bottles, a half dozen power bars, and two apples, I roll out of my driveway. My plan is to do a big loop that will take me inland northeast about 14 km (8.5 mi), then directly west toward Lake Huron, the south along the shore road of the Lake, then 12 km (7.5 mi) east and inland back to my home. I anticipate this trip taking me about 3 hours.

Temperature must be respected and taken seriously today. As I leave my home around 9 am, it is about 21 C (70 F). But the humidex temperature is 28 C (83 F). And within the hour the temperature, with the humidity factored in, will be 34 C (93 F). But this is good. I need to experience these temperatures because in Arizona, in September, our daily temperatures will be close to 38 C (100 F).

My complete ride takes 3 hours and 12 minutes. My actual "seat time" is 2 hours and 55 minutes. I travel 50 km (31 mi) at an average of 17 kph (10.5 mph). I drink two liters of Sport Drink, eat 2 apples and one power bar. (This is a little on the low side for this distance and these temperatures. When arriving home I eat a good lunch of Chicken Ceasar Salad and a huge bowl of watermelon.)

The pictures below tell something of the story of my ride.

Several of these pictures reflect the "Wind Turbine Corridor" I ride through today. About 14 km of my ride was through a less densely populated area of the township in which I live. Because there are fewer homes, the Wind Turbine concentration can be greater. There are so many turbines along this road, they can be heard and felt. The ground actually vibrates and pulsates to the rotation of the turbine in the top of the tower. This picture shows the massive bolts that anchor the tower into it's large cement base.

This is my road towards and my view of Lake Huron from about 6 km inland.

Photos cannot capture the largeness of these Turbines. I believe they are about 61 meters (200 feet) in height.

A harvest of Giant Shredded Wheat Rolls ready for export to the breakfast tables of America :-)

Picture of Someone staring at the camera with Turbine towering above him. The small looking box attached to the spinning blades contains the electromagnetic generator. I have a friend who services and repairs these electromagnetic turbines. I says he can stand up in the turbine housing -- the small "box" you see at the top.

You are viewing one of the world's largest nuclear power plants, located about 7 hours drive north of Detroit, Michigan. I believe they have 6 active reactors with plans to put two more on line.

July 11 Evening Ride (To the Lake and Back)

Another beautiful evening and short simple ride. Thirty minutes and 10 km (6 mi) down the road to the shores of Lake Huron and then turn around and go 10 km (6 mi) up the same road thirty 45 minutes (I'm a little slower uphill) back to my home.

At one point I thought I saw a turtle crossing the road up ahead of me. An opportunity for a rescue I think. But no.

The "turtle" turns out to be an "Alligator;" at least that's what truckers call these. (See photo below.) But you need to cut truck drivers a little slack in this matter. After driving 16 hours and downing a half a dozen Red Bulls, a person's cognitive functions are sometimes slightly compromised.

July 10 Summer Evening Ride

Evening rides here in Ontario are too good to miss. The sun doesn't sit until after 9 pm.

Did a 20 km (12.4 mi) ride around two big "country blocks."

Cruised along pretty good, averaging 25 kph (15.5 mph). I guess I was feeling spunky tonight. I don't usually sustain such speeds. I'm more of a plodder, than a cruiser.

The ride lasted 48 minutes. No stops.

I've started carrying extra weight (extra water bottles) on my bike so as to up the training benefit with a view to getting in shape for our Arizona Route 66 Ride in September.

The picture is a rare glimpse of my Dark Side :-)

July 8 Ride - Home, Pinkerton, Cargill loop

After oatmeal and morning tea with Deb, I started pedaling about 10 km (6 mi) southeast towards the nearby Ghost Town/Village of Glammis. People live in Glammis; you won't see tumble weeds blowing across deserted streets past empty buildings. But lacking a Post Office, or store (of any kind), the village is officially a ghost town. It is now a quiet, albeit small, bedroom community with some simple and some beautiful homes.

Heading out about 10 km (6 mi) east through very small and gently rolling hills bordered by 100 year old Maple Forests (The original forests of these parts of Ontario were mostly cut down 150-200 years ago so as to provide the wood that built the British Navy), I come to yet another almost ghost town/village of Pinkerton. The single road that dips into the small valley and snakes through this village typifies so many settlements established in the 1880's. You can see the old mill, long time out of service, and simply constructed dam along the village river that originally defined the reason for the village's creation.

A couple more kms down the road I make my hourly "check in by text" (requested by Deb "So I'll know where to look for your body"). I also enjoy a chocolate & peanut butter power bar. Yum.

Back on my bike and about 10 minutes pedaling I come to the village of Cargill. Small place, but not a ghost town. These folks have a few local businesses: a Post Office, gas station, and General (Convenience) Store.

In fact, on this Sunday morning, the village is almost busy with people.

On one end of the village folks are at a weekend long music event, "Pickin' by the Pond."

At the other end of the village there are an impressive number of cars in a large grass parking lot from which people are walking into the Catholic Church.

This is where, at about my 25 km (15.5mi) point, I begin the return side of my loop home. I am about an hour and ten minutes into my journey, and feeling pretty good. So I pick up my pace a bit just to challenge myself a little and make it more interesting

In about 15 minutes I am back on the same road on which I came, just heading the opposite direction. I have a slight tail wind that helps.

Two hours and thirty minutes after I left home, I return with 50 km (31 mi) behind me. Two hours and twenty of of that time was on the bike seat. I have averaged 21.3 kph (13.2 mph) -- which is pretty good for me.

July 5 Sunset Ride

After a rough, but good day at the counseling office, I got home and realized I needed some outdoor-quiet-de-stress time.

So around 8:15 pm when the rest of my family is winding down and getting ready for bed, I mounted my bike for a sunset ride. (At this time if year the sun sets about 9:15 pm, but twilight, without vampires, provides another good half hour of navigation quality light.)

Interestingly, as I got on my bike my heart rate was already doing 90 bpm. But this was a very slow, easy ride. I took the same 12 km (7.5 mi) ride I usually take in the morning and complete in 30 minutes. But tonight I did the distance in 57 minutes.

I listened to the birds sing their evening songs. I felt the evening begin to rapidly cool. (It was 31 deg C an hour before my ride.) I kept my month closed as soon as the sun set because the air filled with little black bugs that looked like miniature flying ants, but weren't, I think.

A good therapeutic ride for the counselor at the end of his day.

July 4th Ride

In a rare development, I do not have to head to my office today until 11:30 am. This means I have time for more than a 30 minute ride today. I wake up at 5 am anticipating this.

But what I saw out the window was significant. While the sunset was coming up bright red in the east, there was a thick darkness to the west over Lake Huron. It looked like severe weather. My weather app confirmed this. 40% chance of Thunderstorms this morning. But this sure looked like more than 40% chance.

The air was thick. The weather app indicated at 95% humidity and a temperature of 77 deg F (high 20's C). I'm sure the humidex reading would place the temp in the plus 80's F. The humidity was so high, you could actually see a mist in the air.

But not wanting to get wet, I decided to cook my oatmeal and enjoy my morning tea and just wait and see what the weather would do.

My patience paid off. The dark cloud over the Lake dissipated as the sun rose. But so did the heat and humidity. But I told myself, "If you are going to ride across Arizona in September with temps approaching 100 deg F, you'd better get use to riding around in these temps."

So I loaded up 3 bottles of Powerade and one bottle of water. Lathered on the sunscreen and checked my tire pressure.

At 6:50 am I was pedaling out the lane-way and down the road, for about one minute. That's when I realized my old, crippled, and mostly deaf dog, named Bear, was trying to follow me. Twelve years ago, Bear and I used to jog together. We both loved it. But Bear's jogging or sidewalking while I cycle days, are over. Unfortunately, she doesn't know or believe that. I had thought I had slipped away unnoticed today. Obviously not.

So I turn around and Bear gladly follows me home (She gladly follows me anywhere). Once I got her back home, I parked her on the porch, asking her to stay put. She probably wouldn't have. But by this time Debbie is up and volunteers to sit on the porch with Bear until I am out of sight. Once I am out of sight, Bear usually falls asleep and forgets I even exist.

So now I am on the road, again, and heading down the 10 kms towards the Lake, on a Mission. I want to get on that walking/bike path I found on the shore the other day and see how far south it extends.

I find the path about 30 minutes later. I follow it only to find out that it is very short and doesn't really afford me a practical alternative to enjoy an "on the waterfront" ride.

But I still have lots of time. So I head south for about 20 minutes and pick up a road that heads inland. I am making a large loop through the countryside that will end back at my home.

The temperature and humidity are almost oppressive. I'm not complaining. I like the heat, sort of. I just think about how cold I was in January. But I make a conscious decision not to push it very hard. Thus I will end my trip with an average speed of 16.9 kph (10.4 mph).

I take a picture of a school house converted to a cottage. (See posting with the pictures for today).

About an hour and fifteen minutes into the ride, I approach a site where a large white "husky type" dog lives. He surprised and pursued me here several weeks ago. Today he pursues me, but doesn't surprise me. I have my can of spray deodorant, my make-do substitution for the real "Dog Repellant" Spray I used in Arizona last March. (It is illegal to import or buy dog repellant in Canada. So deodorant will have to do. I haven't actually had to use in on a dog. But I sure feel better just holding it in my hand. I probably need some therapy regarding this.)

I see the dog, who is very old, but determined, jump up and head out for me as I pass his home. My reflex reaction is to push on the pedals. I don't know how fast I went, but my heart rate went from 106 to 146 bpm in less than 5 seconds. I consider this my cardio workout for the day.

I believe this dog belongs to the Pastor of the church next to the house from which it launches itself at me. If that is true, I would think the dog would be a good Christian dog and not try to scare the hell out of innocent cyclists. But then again, maybe that's what a good fundamentalist Christian dog would do :-)

I pedal home without further incident. I've spent 2 hours and 30 minutes out and about. I've spent 2 hours and 23 minutes in my bike seat. I've pedaled 37.2 km (23 miles).

It is about 9 am in the morning and I am ready for a long, cool shower.

July 4th Ride Photos

Gazing west across Lake Huron. Somewhere way out there is Northern Michigan.

This charming cottage was originally a one room school built in 1879. About 50 students in Grades 1 through 8 would have attended. There are many many of these schools all over rural Ontario. Many were in use into the late 1960's. I actually know a few people may age who attended such a school. But in the late 60's they started busing the kids into the "town schools." At that time many of these schools went up for sale and were bought at an extremely low price. Many of them have renovated into these beautiful cottages or homes.

Day 3 (Part 1) of the Big de Anza Bike Ride In Which Brothers Mark and Kent Learn How to Defend Themselves Against A Slightly Wild Pack of Dogs

[Note to Reader: This is a never before published account of the first half of our third day on the road from Coolidge to Gila Bend, Arizona.]

Monday, March 26, 2012
5:30 am.
Coolidge AZ

Got up well rested at five thirty so as to ice my knees before our official rise and shine at six thirty. So that's what I am doing right now.

I believe I have a swollen tendon or tendons on the backside of my left knee. Probably the result of overuse.(Duh. Do ya think?) I had a very similar condition with my Achilles heel about a year ago. It responded well to a few icings one night and was good to go next morning. I'm hoping for the same today.

I am also getting a slight pain in the front of my right knee. Icing that as well. Interesting that my knees did
not give me this kind of trouble when training for this ride. It seems like distances over 60 to 70 km invite these pains.

Yesterday afternoon just a few kilometeres from here Mark wondered if my elastic knee braces that I wore on both knees might be part of the problem. I have been wearing these for over a year when biking.I took them both off yesterday and started pedaling. Pain in both knees immediately decreased, almost disappeared. Perhaps I needed them at one time when my knees were weak, but not now.

6:10 am

One more icing of the knee then it is get dressed and checkout of the illustrious Moonlight Motel and head to Sonic Burger for breakfast. We have 126 km (78 miles) of pedaling before reaching our destination of Gila Bend this afternoon.

A nice feature of today is that we are far from the interstate highway and on less traveled secondary roads.

7:30 am

On the road heading northwest out of Coolidge AZ. Lots of morning traffic to share the two lane road with. The morning car commuters obviously assume Mark and I have excellent medical and life insurance. They don't surrender much road to us.

8:30 am

We survived the morning rush hour around Coolidge and are now pedaling across the desert.

We are entering into Scanton, a town on Gila River Indian Reservation. Lots of curious, theoretically domesticated dogs with yet indiscernible attitudes and intentions are taking interest in us; meaning, they decide to step off of the properties where they belong to check us out.

Apparently we are interesting enough to warrant closer investigation (much like a hungry person checking out a menu). Within the next 10 minutes, three groups consisting of about a half a dozen dogs each, give chase.

The first chase begins.

Mark is in the lead, about 50 yards ahead of me. They see him first and immediately give him chase. Mark can, if properly motivated, ride fast. He is motivated at this moment. He rides fast. So fast that the dogs give up the chase and stand in the middle of the street and watch him disappear down the road.

This is all good for Mark. But it creates a very challenging situation for me. The dogs have focused all their attention on Mark. They don't even know I exist. But they are about to meet me because I am approaching them rapidly from their rear and will soon be barreling into the middle of their pack.

So now I find myself driving into a cluster of territorially sensitive canines who are already offended by Mark's successful escape and still drooling with resentment over the tasty loss of a chunk of his meaty butt.

I would normally be terrified in such a scenario, but not today. Why? Because Marks sister-in-law Barb has equipped us with a spray can of "Dog Shield" dog deterrent. (Faithful Readers of my previous biking escapades know the terror that dogs generate in my cycling life.)

One thing is certain; I am about to plunge myself into a pack of Native American Dogs who have many reasons to balance out the scales of pain and injustice with a North American White Man.

One thing is uncertain; does this anti-doggie repellant actually work? I've never yet "pulled my gun in the line of duty," so to speak.

Well, before I can say,"Purina Dog Chow gives you bad breath," my mechanical horse, Desert Rose, and I penetrate the cluster of now surprised Canines. They stand amazed that I have inserted myself so forcefully into their culture. But with the speed of a 8 year old boy with ADHD in math class, they shift their attention to me. I actually hear them sing a chorus of a modified version of the Kentucky Fried Chicken jingle that references an Arizona Desert Crispy Fried Cyclist with tasty sunscreen sauce on his side.

In perhaps one of my greatest acts of faith ever, while not breaking pedal stride, I smoothly draw my weapon, release the safety (No joke. It has a safety switch.), press the spray applicator, and with a graceful circular motion release a gentle mist of almost invisible cloud into the narrow air space between myself and my almost certain to be at any moment attackers.

The effect is stunning. Faster then a teenager asked to clean his room, they all instantly retreat about 20 feet from me.

But with great power comes great responsibility, so says Peter Parker's Grandfather.

But I say, with great power comes great opportunity to pay back the Legions of Dogs that have haunted my cycling life for the past two years.

So with my best Clint Eastwood squint, I raise my spray bottle of Doggie Nightmare, and point it directly at the Leader of the Pack. And I say to him, "Well, Punk, I know what you're thinking. Did he shoot 5 shots, or 6? What was it? Do ya feel lucky today, Punk? Do ya?"

But I made my point and had no big ego requiring me to hang around and accept my well deserved Academy Award for Best Performance of An Amateur Impersonating A Real Professional Actor.

I bolt away leaving the dogs smelling something that will make them reflect on this day and this experience for a long time.

We repeat this Bro Mark as bait and I follow up the crowd he creates scenario. We obviously live to tell the story. 

Speaking of experiences, it is not even noon yet, and Bro Mark and I are about to experience a mishap that will change our entire day and create our second (only by a few kilometers) longest day of the whole trip.

More on the second half of this very long day in Part 2 of Day 3, coming soon to this blog. 

Epilogue: I have nominated Barb as the Patron Saint of Cyclists with Dog Phobias. The road to canonization is a challenging one. But I do believe she has a shot at it. (The biggest challenge between her and sainthood is that I don't think she is Catholic.)

Remembering Day Two of the Big Ride Along the De Anza Trail

Most of Day 2 Finds Us Riding On A Service Road.  The Interstate Highway 10 on our left. Trains and train tracks on our right.

I slept hard Saturday night. Unfortunately, I went to bed with a headache and awoke with a headache. Probably a heat related condition.

We got up and walked about five minutes to the nearby Denny's Restaurant. We each ate a good sized American Breakfast. One of the nice perks about this type of intensive bike touring is that you can pretty much eat anything you want and not gain any weight! Between water loss and caloric burn, you actually get a little skinny. 

The day was overcast. A very unusual condition here in Arizona. But it was still warm. Temps in the 80's F (high 20's C).

Much of our day we travel along side US Interstate Highway 10, a four to six lane superhighway. We are mostly on a two lane service road that parallels the Interstate. Sections of it are rather bumpy. But not a terrible surface on which to travel. About 4 freight trains past by on the rails on the other side of our service road.

We enjoy a high carb lunch of burgers and fries and large cold drinks at Dairy Queen. By lunch time my headache has dissipated and I'm feeling much better.

Unique Decor at Dairy Queen Restaurant & Tourist Trap

The last hour or so of our day we leave the Interstate Highway and travel a smaller state highway through some highly irrigated farm land. I'm not sure what the small plant I see for as far as I can see might be. But I am amazed at how water transforms this desert into a garden.

My right knee is giving me problems near the end of our 90 km (56.5 mile) day. This knee issue will bug me daily. It will see lots of ice every evening.

Six hours and 45 minutes from the time we left north Tucson we arrive at our humble motel.

Our Economical and Clean Motel

Amazingly enough, we still have a little bit of energy left. We actually walk, which actually feels really good after sitting in a bike seat for almost five hours, to an amazing historical location, the Casa Grande Ruins.

These ruins are of the same mystery and caliber as those of Stonehenge. They are thousands of years old. No one knows hardly anything about who built the main structure and the surrounding village.

I think it fascinating that Captain De Anza stood at this same place over 200 years ago and was asking himself the same questions I am asking myself. One difference: He didn't have to pay to see the Ruins :-)

No one knows exactly what purpose the very astronomically and technically designed building served. I'd encourage you to Google it.

The building has many rooms. (The steel roof was built in the 1930's to protect the mud-like material of the Ruins from deteriorating.) Portals are located with engineered precision to catch the sunlight and track and record the solar calendar. Some think the Ruins were a place with great importance to the political, economic, and spiritual understands of the people it served. Interestingly, no one knows exactly who these people were, or what happened to them. A common theme regarding the ancient peoples who called this desert their home.

After our delightful sunset tour of the Ruins, we crossed the road to another American Institution of of the Southwest -- the Sonic Drive In Restaurant. But for us it was a walk in. Our server wore roller skates.  I love the way we eat and the food we eat on these trips!

On our way back to the motel we purchased PowerAde and Gator Aid for tomorrow.

Back at the motel, I iced my knees and slept soundly.

Remember Day One of Our Big De Anza Ride

Artist Rendering of Captain De Anza and His Expedition Departing From Tubac in 1775

[Special Note to Readers: This blog is a bit retrospective. In late March and early April, Brother Mark and I traveled about 600 km from Tubac, Arizona (just south of Tucson and just north of the Mexican border) Ocotillo, California. We posted much of this ride on our Facebook page, "Shelley Brothers Cycling Adventures." But I didn't get around, until now, to presenting a more comprehensive blogging of the trip. So here is Day One of the big ride.]

Day 1 March 24, 2012, Saturday, Tubac Presideo, Arizona.

6:20 am
Woke up feeling very well rested. Alarm set for 7:30, but I am first awake and up.
Mark prepared nice route chats/maps for each day and I have been reviewing them.

7 am
Made myself cup of free trade tea with cane sugar and coffee mate. I feel well rested and am excited about trip.

Very glad we took the time to pack last night. Our plan is to eat at local deli for breakfast. Need to buy energy drinks at first resupply station (convenience store). We have 103.5 km ahead of us today.

We have a special historical stop at Mission San Xavier, about half way to our destination of the day, the Red Roof Inn, North Tucson.

7:10 am
Mark starting to awaken. Better drink my tea.

7:22 am
Mark up and showering. I am getting on my biker super hero costume (Spandex). The games are about to begin. "May the odds be ever in our favor. "

8:30 am
Breakfast at Tubac deli of egg and cheese bagel, huge cinnamon bun , Dr Pepper.

9:50 am

Myself and Brother Mark about ready to ride

Observation Tower with Hi Tech Equipment operated by California Border Patrol

Officially hit trail out of Tubac. Perfect temp in low 70's F (20's C) with a slight tail wind, and slight downhill grade.

Traveling on Service Road paralleling Interstate Highway 19.

As Service Road ends we travel on wide shoulder on the Interstate itself.

When I heard we were going to be using these interstate shoulders periodically throughout our trip, I was a bit apprehensive.

They quickly, however, became a favorite riding surface. They are wide, smooth, and generally clear of debris.

(Often the Service Roads are very rough and bumpy to the point of being very hard on the bum and back and almost unnavigable. )

And even though cars and trucks are flying by us just 8 ft (2.5 meters) away, it is not a real problem.

10:50 am
We arrive in Green Valley, AZ.

(Someone was using a lot of imagination and wishful thinking when they named this place! It isn't very green and not much of a valley. )

We stop at McDonalds for shakes and cheeseburger snack. We're loving' it.

11:10 am

Mark by official sign indicating we are on De Anza's Trail

As we leave McD's, Mark says we now get to pay for our hour of gentle downhill. Have covered about 20 km this morning.

Our route now takes us away from the Interstate 19 and towards Mission San Xavier. Lots of uphill. As in a couple of hours. And lots of desert vegetation.

This part of the desert has significantly larger plants and bushes then what we will see as we head further north and west.

Much of the landscape we will cover in the days ahead appears barren. But not here. Many beautiful and alien like bushes and almost tree like plants grow here.

Along the two lane road we are steadily climbing are frequent signs warning that it is against the law to abandon your unwanted dog or cat here. Must be a significant problem to receive such attention.

As we approach the Mission we are rewarded with a long and wonderful downhill, no pedaling stretch of road that lasts for about 15 minutes. A wonderful rest for my legs and chance to cool off a bit.

The temp is now in the high 80's F (20's C).

1:30 pm

Mission San Xavier

 Arrived at mission San Xavier. Stopped for pictures. When de Anza arrived here in 1775, this would be his last contact with New Spain until he reached Mission San Gabriel (Los Angeles).

We ponder taking a tour of the Mission. But not for long. We are hot and tired and still a long way from our motel.

3:20 pm

Really Looks Like I Need A Cool Swim!

My bike feels strange. I look down. Flat tire.

Unfortunately Mark is somewhere ahead of me and out of sight. He has the tire repair kit on his bike.
His phone is turned off too. I just start walking believing he will eventually miss me.

This walking would not be a big deal. My bum is actually grateful. Except it is 45 deg C (90ish F) and I am getting way too hot.

(It is actually a little cooler riding at these temps. The self propulsion creates a cooling wind effect.)

4:10 pm

I've been walking for almost an hour.

Mark back tracks and finds me and we do a quick and easy tube replacement.

4:40 pm

We arrive at the Red Roof Inn, North Tucson, Arizona.

Mark checks us in.

We load our bikes in the elevator and head to our room.

5:00 pm
A highlight of our day. We dive into the motel pool and cool off.

Unfortunately I have a significant headache. Probably a combination of too much heat and lack of sleep related to my air travel and jet lag.

6:00 pm
An all American dining experience at Denny's Resturant.

8 pm
Resting. Icing knees. Connecting with home and the world through the magic of the Internet.

10 pm
Lights out. Restless sleep. Head hurts.

Canada Day Ride July 1, 2012

Up at 5:15 am just before the sun breaks the horizon.

Quick breakfast of oatmeal and tea. Being as quiet as I can so as not to disturb my daughter who is sleeping on the living room couch because her attic bedroom was too hot last night.

Pedaled down our lane way at 6:15.

My plan is to do a big 3 hour loop which will take me southwest to the waterfront town Kincardine, then north along the Lake Huron shoreline to the waterfront cottage community/village of Inverhuron, then east and inland past the town of Tiverton, back to my home in the countryside.

The morning was surprisingly cool, especially considering the hot day we had yesterday.

But the coolness quickly vanished within the hour. Our typically hot and humid July weather claimed the day. But at no time on this ride was the heat oppressive.

Just as I was leaving Kincardine, I came upon a small turtle bravely attempting to cross the road.

I stopped my bike in the middle of the road and waved my arms stopping traffic in both directions.

Some motorists applauded me made strange gestures with their fingers. But the turtle crossed safely.

I'm glad I'm pretty much past those years of one's life where you actually care what other people think of you :-)

A few Kms down the road, along the shore line, I noticed a pathway leading down to a little park by the rocky beach. I thought it looked like a good photo opt. So I followed.

It was a good photo opt. But it was also a moment of discovery.

I found a simple, well maintained, hard packed trail stretching out in both directions further than I could see, following the shoreline as far as I could see.

Though I have biked this area many times over the past two years, I had no idea such a trail existed.

So I followed the trail north, the direction of my travel. It reconnected with my paved shore road in about 15 minutes. I will return here soon and take the trail as far south as I can.

Three hours and 23 minutes, and 48 km (29.7 mi) later I returned home. I averaged 16 kph (9.9 mph).

My heart rate only exceeded 100 bpm once. That was while going up the final 10 km incline away from the lake to my home. This was a fun ride. Not a cardio workout!

Thanks for sharing the adventure with me today.

And Happy Birthday Canada!

(17 years ago today I became a Canadian. I am so grateful to call this land my home.)