Day #339 You're Sick?

I've listed the dangers of cycling alone across Canada on earlier blogs: cougars, bears, rattlesnakes, fear of heights such as trestles and suspention bridges, but there are many others like an approaching forest or grass fire, falling, mechanical break-down in the middle of no-where, lightning, and sickness.
Only the sickness one, I guess, might give enough warning so that one could stay home that day. It would have to be pretty bad for a cyclist to decide to stay home, though, when she/he is on a cross-country road trip.
As far as sickness goes, my daughter put an earlier comment on the blog saying "I also heard that a glass of warm/hot water and 3-4 drops of tobasco sauce (or other hot sauce) gargled can be good for a cold. If it is hot enough to make you sweat, it can sweat some of the sickness out..."
I've already tried the tablespoonful of vinegar with water gargle remedy that Jo-Anne Murphy told me about, but my present cough is persistent, though not bad enough to be debilitating except at work where I have to answer phones all evening. Either of these remedies are helpful. So is an aspirin as it slows the need to cough.
Keep well, and keep active. May spring be knocking at your door.
Karen

Day #340 Waiting

for spring thaw.
It's starting.
Minus -1 today.
Anticipation is food for the soul.
Karen

Day #341 Specs

What it seems like - specs in the rain -
but, no, this is a shot taken from my car driving up a rock cut one night in the rain. The camera was left on the B (open) setting for 1/2 minute on the dashboard.

Remember that old song - one line ends with
'I do not have my specs with me.'
Well, I wear specs, and it is often a problem while cycling.

If it's too bumpy, it's a real drag until my brain adjusts to my glasses also bumping up and down - like an out-of-focus camera - and I feel dizzy for the first few hours. It particularly bad at the beginning of each cycling year.
And if it's raining (since I don't have windshield wipers),
this, too, is a real drag. Visibility is truly limited then.
I was thinking about this today; thinking how can I work around it - the rain especially.
Sure, I'll ask at the bike shops when they re-open this year.
However, I was wondering if a long-peaked visor would work when it's raining hard. Perhaps I could find an old editor's visor.
Baseball caps have a peak but I find that they blow off all the time when cycling. Since I have the balaclava I told you about earlier, though, maybe a visor under the balaclava would work. Of course, if it's also very hot outside, wearing a fleece balaclava may be unbearably hot.
Perhaps I will find an alternative. Hope so. Any suggestions?
May the wind, and rain, always be at our backs.
Especially while cycling.
Karen.

Day #342 Rain, Rain, Go Away

Black River (Cheese),
near Milford, ON
I am doing this blog after #341 as I just held the date.
Had to get over to Belleville Mall to see the photos of
the PhotoNat Camera Club before they were taken down.
Day #341 comments on visors for rain.
I know my helmet has a visor but it is quite short.
I will also look into an extension that fixes to helmets.
Bike shops must have something like that, I should think.
I know for a camera there are extensions so why not for a bicycle helmet.
Rain can be the most uncomfortable element to cycle, or walk, or jog, in.
Or to do most kinds of sports in.
Kind of fun for swimming in, though, if it's also warm enough, and no threat of an electrical storm.
May all your activities be fun.
Karen

Day #343 Destiny

No kickstand? No problem in PEI where there are many gates, and picnic tables and shelters at least every 2 km. to stand your bike(s) beside.
When I cycled PEI's Confederation Trail, my old Raleigh had no kickstand and I had to lay it down on the ground to take pictures and pick it up again to go on.
As I've said before, I exhausted myself that first day stopping too often to photograph, and, of course, picking up and putting down the bicycle with all its heavy gear bungied to the back rack.
Life is a drawing without an eraser so next time I will definitely have a kickstand. Can't re:do past rides, but can plan for better rides next time.
The old 2nd-hand bike I'm now using has one, and, as I remember last year's rides, I realize that the kickstand did, indeed, make the stopping and starting on rides much easier.
Warning: the more you plan, the harder destiny will pitch that curve ball or kick you in the butt.
Plan lightly and go lightly. But go! It makes life worth it.
Karen

Day #344 Detours & Dangers

The following is an exerpt
from Tim and Nick's diaries
re: cycling the Trans Canada Trail.
Isn't it wonderful that we were actually doing our trail venture the same year, 2003. I was cycling during the 1st 2 weeks of Sept.
Maybe they even passed me on the trail...
Nick n Tim: "first Tressel - the Kinsol Tressel. (Vancouver Island) These large wooden structures are incredible. This one was huge, and unfortunately not in use. So we had to detour down the valley and up into a logging area to get through the valley. We did get a little lost, and had the bear incident mentioned in our last update, but aside from that was fun - and proved you can mountain bike with 15kg of load on the bike (later disproved unfortunately). We met the railway again and put in some more k's, scared to death only once by a huge black dog that jumped out onto the trail from nowhere - impersonating a bear. That night we camped wild - near a beautiful river and amongst some dense forest. Very nice after a 90km day"
They travel at least twice as fast as do I when cycling. I haven't encountered any bears yet, but several times last year did encounter bear tracks where they had either scratched for grubs in the soft gravel of Prince Edward County's Millenium Trail just west of Wellington, ON, and also down Pt. Petre way.
Bears are supposed to be non existent in The County, but not so. Many have been sighted over the years, only periodically, and thought to go back north after a walk-about.
A man from Vancouver told me bears will generally run from humans. I hope he is right. He said my biggest worry will be humanoid, not animal. True! In PEI, there is an tree that has a memorial on it for a young woman who lost her life to a man who had previously been in an ON prison.
It's very rare not to return from a cycling trip, so don't worry.
I will pay my respects to this young woman with the photo of her memorial on the Confederation Trail.
Kindest regards.
Karen

Day #345 In the Pink/Cabin Fever

Wild Rose, Alberta's flower.
These bushes grow along most Canadian trails.
This photo is by photographer, Lucas Velthuis.
Cabin Fever is a form of depression. Winter, whether long or short, can bring it on for many people, including me.
Today, while baby-sitting my almost 3 yr. old grandson, I was weighted down by the heavy feeling that is depression.
As the day progressed, I remembered hearing that physical activity combats depression so I put 2 chairs on either side of me, and did knee-bends. I needed the chairs because the heaviness I mentioned made me feel too exhausted to even start exercises. However, the knowledge I had that this was merely psychological was enough to force me to smarten up and get active. So I used the chairs to get started, and in no time the depression lifted.
No matter how one feels each morning during a long bicycle trip, as soon as you get on your bike again, you can quickly peddle the blues away.
Peddle until you're in the pink again.
Karen

Day #346 Tunnels

In BC, there will be many tunnels to go through. Some may be on highways, and others will be ones that were engineered for trains that ran on tracks that no longer exist.
The first that I know of are the Othello Tunnels near Hope.
Others are in the southern Okanagan Valley area.
Tunnels are fine with me, and maybe I can get some cool shots there.
Where there's tunnels, there's light. And hope.
Hopefully, your tunnels and trails are all happy ones.
Karen

Day #347 Dirt Road Blues

Trails & Red Dirt Roads
singing Bob Dylan's
Dirt Road Blues.
The beautiful red dirt roads of PEI are far and few between now.
This one is near the east end of the trail.
The 2 or 3 red dirt roads still left unpaved should be designated heritage sites, doncha think?! Look how lovely this one is!
The stream and the caboose are near Richmond, PEI, 2003 - west of Summerside.
I've been considering not cycling in areas where I have to be on a highway, especially going up or down the Coquihalla Highway, BC, where cycling is very dangerous. Instead, I may pack my bike onto the van and drive those areas.
My main interest is in doing trails, dirt roads, and even secondary roads which may be paved. But not highways. My objective is not to do 9,990 km. but to ride where the Trans Canada Trail is a trail, from coast to coast. And photographing it as I go.
In PEI, I had to force myself not to stop so often to take pictures. There is so much beauty there on the trail that at first I was stopping several times a kilometer to photgraph, and exhausting myself with all the starting and stopping, not to mention using up all the time allotted for the trip and using up all the memory on the memory card.
The camera club I belong to, PhotoNat of Belleville, ON, is nature photography only, and that is my main interest although I also love to photograph sheds, barns, and cabooses, too.
In fact, anyone reading this who will be in the Belleville area this weekend may see our annual display of photos at the Quinte Mall.
Thank you, Ken Trenholm, for your comment on Day #350, and your support. I'd be very happy to write up articles for your Atlantic Pedaler. I'll add your link to the blog. It's a great site.
http://www.atlanticpedaler.com/index.php?ption=com_content&task=view&id=146&Itemid=69
Thank you, everyone else, for your comments and support, as well. Happy Trailing.
Karen

Day #348 The Spirit That Takes You

Evening on the Trail near Miscouche, PEI, 2003, and the ever valiant Tomato Worm, a lovely caterpillar, with a determined spirit to get there.
The PEI pics are all small; I guess because they were originally put on disc and saved that way. Not good quality when expanded, it seems.
I have just finished re-reading all my entries, and came across this comment on the very 1st entry from an interested reader who wondered if I had named my bicycle - that is, the 13 yr. old Raleigh that I did the PEI trip with (later stolen). She would have called it Soloman. Here is what she wrote:
Your bike, does it have a name?
Is it an it, a she, or a he?
Soloman... no, solowoman. That is what I would name my bike. Well, no, Soloman, because my bike is a he.
"He" who has taken me on trips and through places that cannot be travelled by car.
Though the roads may be the same, the breeze is better.
In a car, you stop for other people, deer, and large animals.
On a bike, it is the butterfly, or the caterpillar it once was, that makes you swerve a little before smiling slightly, comfortably.
Solo - a word to describe the way I feel on the bike, no matter if it's through the woods or down a 60km county road.
And through Nature - never alone. It's the one time you are alone, but not feeling it.
Good luck on your trip and not just across Canada, but even the 10km trip down the trails through McCaulley Mtn., or the Millenium Trail, or the day-trips across Gilead, Miller, Welbanks, Victoria... so many, and none are the highway.
Good luck on them all - though luck plays a small part in getting where you want to be, it's spirit that takes you along the way.
Mary Esta Marcille

Yes, that's me, solo-woman.
Happy Cycling Trails, everyone.
Karen

Day #349 Take It Off

Hard to believe that I'm now into the 340's.
349 more days until I'm 65 yrs. old.
I'm taking today off, until it's time for work at 5:30, and doing nothing except leasurely activities like reading. I'm also going to finish reading Tim and Nick's website, mentioned on day #350.
In fact, Tom E. Toad is doing the same thing, although we aren't reading the same book. I've finished all of Dan Browns's wonderfully exciting novels.
Hope you're relaxing and enjoying the day, as well.
Karen

Day #350 Other Cyclists on the TCT

http://www.planetranger.com/transcanada/

This is the only picture I've taken so far actually on the TCT,
except for PEI, of course.
This is just west of Tweed, ON.
Tim and Nick would have passed right by here, too.
If you're interested in viewing the 2003 journals of Tim and Nick who travelled from Victoria to St. John's on the Trans Canada Trail, 9,900+ kms., this is a very interesting web site. Can be accessed through TransCanadaTrail website.
At the time of their adventure, there was still a lot more work to be done on the trail and many miles unfinished and exceptionally rough.
There are still perhaps 4000 miles yet to be completed but, hopefully for me, much of that will be on the northern route.
They strongly suggest getting trail maps and guides from Canadian Geographic as the ones from the TCT group are not as detailed.
They tented. I may have a camper again by then.
Hopefully, I will find people who will move my camper forward for me daily, or folks who will drive me back to my camper at night.
My brother, Ron, has offered to stay with me throughout Alberta to drive that part; my daughter, Mary Esta, with parts of Ontario; also a friend, Des, has agreed to do some of Ontario; another daughter, Josie, with parts of N.S.; and a lady customer from Newfoundland said that many people there will help out just from the kindness that is ever present in the east coaster, and particularly the Newfoundlander, heart.
Happy Trails to You, and goodnight.
Karen

Day #351 Trestles Suspend, too

Kinsol Trestle
Yesterday's and today's topics are linked, but not with a website. This photo is not one of mine but pulled from a site about the Kinsol Trestle on Vancouver Island. I'm sorry for the distortion - it had to be 'shrunk' disportionately.
Trestles and suspension bridges broach the same challenges for someone like me with a fear of heights.
However, trestles do not have the guidewires to hold onto along the sides. The sides of a trestle, like that of a cliff, afford no protection.
I will not be able to crawl along dragging my bike, either, as it would likely slip over the edge.
I am going to have to walk my bike across, or detour.
Some of the trestles have not been finished yet so there is an interim route already in place, as they call it in those places (particularly Vanc. Island)...a detour using roads or highways and often paved, but which can add many miles to the trip.
The Canadian Corps of Engineers with the Armed Forces had promised a few years ago to work on three of the bridges. Since then, gigantic fires in BC took out 2 or 3 more.
I believe there are still 4-5000 miles of the TCTrail yet to be finished although many of those miles/kms. may be on the northern route which I have to put off for another year.
For me, the trip is not the start and the finish but the wonderful experiences in-between so I don't really care when I start nor when I finally finish.
If I have to do it over an extended length of time, I will, and be very happy for each day's journey.
Happy Trails to You All.
Karen

Day #352 Suspended

Haslam Creek Suspension Bridge to Darryl's Way
just south of the Nanaimo River on Vanc. Is.
(1st photo on blog not taken by me - off TCTrail BC internet site)

A consideration for cycling in B.C., particularly
Vancouver Island's trail(s), will be the suspension bridges.
I have a great fear of heights: flying, elevators, tall buildings, rooftops, ladders, and bridges.
It's not a rational fear so it will be very difficult to talk myself into actually getting across. By getting, meaning I will likely have to walk.
Even though I find heights fascinating, I freeze.
I start to walk across a bridge and freeze.
Try to go up a ladder, and freeze.
Now, this suspension bridge doesn't look too bad.
I did manage to get across a couple this size twice before, once in Capilano and once in northern Ontario (actually twice each because I had to go back the same way) so I think I can overcome this fear, and get across successfully.

If not, I hope they take a photo, and not a video, of me and my bike being air lifted off the middle of the bridge by the mountain rescue team, kicking and screaming. Crying, too, probably. I promise to laugh the following year when I finally have the courage to retell the story.

The following is a good link to the Vanc. Island part of the TCTrail
with wonderful photos, too.
http://www.explorevancouverisland.com/200km_Trans_Canada_Trail_Vancouver_Island_Section.htm.
Karen

Day #353 Happy Valentine's Day

Glenora Ferry in winter.


Picton, PE County ON
Ferry Me Away to Warmer Climes, please.



One more day of the deep cold, and then it moderates.
Schools closed today, buses cancelled.
Nothing left to do but eat my chocolates from
Wayne Carruthers, the chocolatier, in Bloomfield,
and read more about the TCTrail on the internet.
Keep warm, folks.
Karen

Day #354 Never Say Die

Outlet River, Sandbanks, ON Feb/97
This fellow is going fishing in spite of the ice,
the snow, the cold, the wind.
I doubt there is much in the river outlet except perch, if that.
As we all know, pan-fried perch in butter and seasoning with lemon is well worth someone going out for - as long as it isn't me, of course.
I'll cook; you find the food.
Minus -18 today with weather warnings of heavy snowfall in southern Ontario.
Extra heaters in the house.
Take heart, there's a warming tend heading this way
and due May 21st.
Karen

Day #355 10 days of Countdown So Far

Feb/99
This time of year
Vanc. Island, B.C.
Not like here with its ice and snow.

So far, so good.
Last night I started at the back of the book 'Trans Canada Trail The 18,000 Kilometre Dream', to lay out the map from Victoria to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, the first 200 or so kilometres of the TCTrail.
In the cities, such as Victoria, one has to know what streets to navigate.
Not much to go on in the book, so I googled Trans Canada Trail, Vancouver Island, and received lots of information, with a lot of links to sites I didn't have time to read yet.
It did have an indepth map from Victoria to Nanaimo. I'v been to many of those places so it will be great having the familiarity.
They also mentioned what parks are worth visiting.
This picture was taken at Bowen Park right in the city of Nanaimo.
Many trees on the coast are totally covered with this moss and seem to experience no ill effects.
The river beside this tree is a rocky, raging, icy one that is absolutely fascinating to watch, and wonder if one would survive a fall into. Not likely! I've spent many hours sitting beside that river.
Hard to believe that it has been 10 days already of the countdown.
I wonder if I can be ready. Time passes so swiftly, but swift I personally am not.
Karen

Day #356 On Being Sick While Cycling

Picton's Millenium Trail between Picton & Bloomfield.
On 2nd Thought, if this is what I have to look forward to...
Tim and Nick say there is 100 km. like this on the last 100 km. to St. John's, Nfld., but I am hoping that it has been upgraded since their trip. Unfortunately, Prince Edward County's hasn't been.
Today I have a cough, a cold, a sore throat, and a pain.
A real pain in the butt, with this bitterly cold winter weather and gray skies.
I can dress warmly, but being sickish is something one just has to wait out.
My friend, Jo-Anne, suggested that for the tickle throat and coughing, I mix one spoonful of (cider) vinegar with an inch or two of hot water and gargle it for a bit, then swallow. The vinegar is supposed to be anti-bacterial. I did, I gagged, and I stopped coughing for a few hours.
My friend, Lucas, said in Holland they did that with lemon and sugar. Sugar coats & soothes, so I ate some Dutch candies, too, earlier.
Now I'm coughing again.
I hope when I get on the trail, I don't become obsessed.
Why? Should I get sick, I must give myself permission to take the day off and lie in the sun. Sunshine is also a curative. Too cold to lie in the sun, though.
However, on a day like today, I wonder what in the world I am doing this for?
Well, I love to travel. Hope I still do when the trip is over.
Have a good one, and keep healthy.
Karen

Day #357 South? Where's That?

Wellington Harbour is just fine for them during the winters.

These swans are regular stay-overs in West Lake in front of the Wellington liquor store.
A channel there opens right onto Lake Ontario, yet small sand dunes along the sides of the channel protect this area somewhat from the fierce winds.
This spot is also the last area to freeze on West Lake, so you can view and photograph many different fowl such as Mallards, Buffleheads, Canadian Geese and even Snow Geese during the coldest months. A few years ago, sitings of these birds was very rare. Now the flocks are growing in size yearly.
You can see why I say it takes me so long to cycle. I have to stop and start continually to photograph many things before I die.

Hunters - put down your guns, go grab your camera,
and come shooting in our village.
Karen

Day #358 Leggings

Farm in Winter,
Schoharie Road and County Rd #2, Prince Edward County.

Doesn't look like good cycling weather yet, does it.
I have found a pair of seamless leggings for sale in the Sears Spring and Summer catalogue that I am going to try ... (item #193 051 024 if you also want a pair - $19.99 - phone 1 800 267 3277) I am not trying to do a Sears ad here, but they might be worth a try, whether you are man or a woman - soloman or solowoman.
It's sunny today so I will try being sunny, too, though I have to go to work early, and winter depresses me.
The blogging certainly helps keep the blues at bay, I must say, as it puts me in other times and other places.
Karen

Day #359 Nicki, the Cougar

She Doesn't Look Dangerous, Does She, and She's Related.
Look Again - Cat's Claw.

Picture of Nicki to be attached at a later date.
Not long ago, there was an article in the Picton paper about Paul Malagerio and his cat, Nicki. Nicki is a domesticated cougar who is 6 months old and declawed.
Paul has worked in various zoos, and has worked in Zimbabwe, too. Big cats are his passion. He takes Nicki with him in his truck, and they are often invited to schools to do a presentation.
I wrote to Paul to ask for cougar information, and he called me today with these bits of info' and advice.
Cougars, mountain lions, panthers - they are all the same animal but with colour and skin thickness variations according to their environment or location.
Cougars have a 90% successful kill factor. Most animals have between 10% to 20%.
Cougars see humans as another predator, particularly because we walk upright, so they are taught as cubs to avoid us. However, a cyclist's predictament is that since we are sitting smoothly on a bike, we look more like a racing gazelle or an escaping animal.
When a cougar attacks, it gets you silently from behind by the back of the neck, and you are usually paralyzed within seconds
so bear-spray may not be much help. I plan to carry it on my waist belt, or in the water-bottle carrier on the bike.
Cougars are especially attracted by bright colours and movement, so, as you can see, a cyclist is too much temptation. Still, we rarely hear of cougars killing people. The closest I've heard this year was the person chased by one in Banff, and the cyclist in the hills behind San Francisco. Both escaped, as did the older couple last month on the west coast, U.S.A.
Still, it's like the fickle finger of fate - we don't want it to be us.
I was told that we'll find them in the prairies, and in B.C. and Alberta. It's my belief that they were exterminated in N.B. and Quebec, and, of course, PEI doesn't seem to have anything for a cyclist to worry about other than what seafood platter to order. However, they may have been re-introduced in some areas so it looks like cougars will be an on-going worry.
More cougars are killed by people than the other way round, however. People buy them as pets, (easy to buy - zoos etc. - $500-$1000), declaw them, and release them when they become trouble.
Ministeries of the Environment move a bunch into your area and release them. The cats aren't equipped to survive these kinds of changes and often perish.
Farmers and hunters kill them.
Growing human populations are removing the ability of most big animals to live in our areas these days, anyway. If fact, most of life is being mowed away or destroyed in one way or another.
Cougars are easily confused or distracted. Things Paul suggested that I could use would be tassles on the handle bars, a flag, or perhaps some clicking thing on the spokes.
My favourite solution was told to me by a gentleman from Vancouver me last month.
'Take a dog', he said. 'Dogs will usually keep wild animals at bay'.
This is something else I have long contemplated, taking a dog, but have made no decision yet. Need more info' about breeds that could possibly do it.
Anyway, may all your cougar experiences be friendly ones.
Karen

Day #360 Gloves and Woodpiles

What's the connection?
One of the big concerns of cycling across Canada is the discrepancies one will have to endure due to weather variations. Yesterday, I touched on ideas for keeping the head warm in unexpected wet and cold weather.
Today, I want to talk about protecting the hands while cycling.
I've long used a pair of cycling gloves, and they do, indeed, keep ones hands from becoming raw and sore on long-distance rides. However, your fingers stick out, and areas of the gloves have open vents.
So, how to keep your hands warm and dry in sleety weather?
You see the woodpile by this cabin in a woods in Prince Edward County.
Well, when I was in the cottage business, most units had a fireplace, and quite often I would volunteer to stack the wood against the buildings.
This is what I used so that I could work comfortably all day, keeping warm, dry.
Under a pair of woolen mitts or a pair of old work gloves, I wore a pair of latex gloves (usually worn while washing dishes). I could work all day in the cold that way, although, by the end of the day, the latex gloves usually had holes in them.
I suggest throwing a pair of latex gloves, and perhaps a pair of leather or fleece gloves or mitts with a good grip into the knapsack, as well. Use the heavier latex gloves, (Playtex?), not the thin medical ones, as the heavier ones last much longer.
So, our knapsack (backpack) is starting to fill up. And we still have plenty of time to prepare before the warm weather gets here.
Only minus -5 today.
Take care, Karen

Day #361 Why get a Balaclava?

West
of
Stewart,
Confederation Trail, Hillsborough watershed area. PEI

Still minus -14 today, but hopeful blue skies. They say it's going to warm up at least by June 21st.
At a local sports store last week I bought a fleece balaclavas on sale.
Reason? Even though most of the cycling adventure will be during warm weather, I may occasionally be engulfed by hail or sleet or very cold winds and rain. This should be exceptional protection for those times. The 'hat' is so light-weight (very - will take up little or no room in the backpack) and warm. My rain jacket's hood over the balaclava will keep me dry and dry.
At Stewart, PEI, (2003) I parked my Vanagon beside a wonderful tea-room, and headed west on the trail. I stopped to take this picture, meeting a large group of women cyclists who also stopped and then went on ahead. In PEI, bike rental shops will take people out on group rides. This was one of those groups. They're driven out in vans, and picked up at designated spot later in the day.
Ten km. down the trail, it started to pour. I parked my bike, and under cover of the woods, untied my backpack, got out and put on my rain jacket.
NOTE: If it looks gray, keep rain gear at top of pack.
My cycling pants were not water-proof, nor my socks and sandals, nor my cycling gloves. I headed back to my Van immediately, but I was extremely cold when I got back having ridden almost an hour in a cold rain. I might add that it's not easy getting wet stretch pants off, while shaking like a leaf in a storm, in a camper van.
I headed down the road afterward, in the Van, to Montague where I went into the newspaper office, and gave them a write-up of the ride I was doing for Sandie Gallant. Her dad, Joe, had been a local boy from Souris, and had also died of cancer in the 1970's. They used an old picture I had with me of the two of them together at the Summerside air base back in the 1950's. Joe was in uniform. Sandie was about 14 years old then.
Afterwards, I had a wonderful seafood dinner on a hill overlooking a valley. Serendipity!
I'm having salmon for supper tonight, but it won't be the same. Of course!
Enjoy the day.
Karen

Day #362 Sssssssss cycling.

Hog-nosed Snake, Belleville to Bancroft Trail 2006

The true benefits of cycling off-road and on trails is the chance to spot, watch, or even photograph all the critters of the woods and fields that share the trail with you.
This picture is of a hog-nosed snake, a very gentle snake as far as humans go.
Possibly the mice and grasshoppers think differently.
While cycling, I've seen coyotes, foxes, rabbits, mice, frogs, toads, snakes, birds of every kind, orange-bummed bumble bees, and many beautiful and very photographic insects.
I've seen wonderful landscape scenes. Seen sunsets of such beauty that you linger with tears in your eyes, and forget time.
You may like to take a pair of light-weight binoculars with you and make them readily accessible.
Be careful! You wouldn't want to take a spill on a pair of binocs but you want to be able to grab them quickly.
Cycling is Serendipity itself, experiencing the unexpected.
Last year, in Ont., I was fortunate to see and photograph this hog-nosed snake. It just looked like a twisted branch from a fruit tree lying on the trail. When I stopped, it played dead. However, if a person were to reach out and to turn it over on its back, it will immediately flip right back over onto its belly, and then play dead again. I loved that naive and vulnerable critter, and was proud to get its picture.
I'm hoping that the B.C. bears will just hide - and the cougars, and the rattlesnakes. As a rule, wolves never attack people so I'm not worried there. Actually, I got rather close to a coyote once, and got a very good picture.
I would so love to take a dog with me, but then I'd definitely miss all these kinds of shots. I haven't ruled that option out yet, though.
In PEI, at least every 2 km., one or more Golden-Winged Flickers would fly up from the gravel of the trail, and even occasionally a Great Blue Heron that had been hiding in a pond beside the trail. I saw hundreds of both types of birds. They are everwhere on the Island. The flickers, a type of woodpecker, are incredibly beautiful with their deep dark gold colour underneath their wings and their brown and black mottled back.
Lots of insects on trails, (that's why so many PEI flickers) and you'll even see sandy little red hills (bumps) where the ants have mounded up the earth in many areas.
There were caterpillars of every colour and type crossing the trail that fall and tempting fate. I took a picture of a lovely tomato worm, really a caterpillar, fat and bright, bright green. When you're trying to do a close-up of a caterpillar, you'd be surprised at how 'fast' they actually do move.
It's hard too get down so low at my age, lying on the gravel and dirt. Albeit red dirt. I should have made my own t-shirt with 'PEI Photographer' written across the red stains.
Well, you will get dirty while cycling but it's good dirt.
So, get down and dirty. Go have a great cycling experience of your own, and I hope I meet you on the trail - when it warms up.
It's still -14 degrees today.
KIS

Day #363 Lake Ontario Ice Caves

Point Petre Ice 'Cave, PEC, ON

It's not storming, as it was yesterday, but the wind-chill is to be minus 29. It reminded me of this picture, which looks like it might be -29 out there.

A few photographers have actually gone through while attempting to snap photos of these formations on the shores of the Great Lakes. The waves cause the ice underneath to wear away several metres back from the edges, creating caves. As you walk out onto the ice, you may find yourself walking on a thin part of the ice and suddenly down you go, through a hole to the lake below, which may be several feet or metres down, and even if you have someone with you, it's not likely you'll be rescued before it's too late.

Sometimes, holes are created naturally, and as the waves slam in under the ice formations, the icy water sprays up through these holes. This is what really draws photographers and the curious. Remember the curious cat! Keep safe.

No cycling today. Just cabin fever.
Keep warm. Karen

Day #364 Purpose: Because It's There?

Cattail Fluff on the Snow

PURPOSE: Why Cycle The Trans Canada Trail? Why Blog it?
Well, for fun, of course.
And to share my countdown with others until the day when I leave,
as well as some of the days on the Trail, if possible.
For the love of country and seeing all of it, or what one would see from a trail that is 18,000 km. in all, including a northern route which I'll put off for awhile.
What an accomplishment the building of this Trail is - by thousands of volunteers. It's AMAZING!!!
For the meeting of old friends and new.
For the excitement and the experiences.
To photograph nature at its very best.
To FEEL and experience nature at its very best.
Why NOT do it? It's there for us, for free, this miracle of a trail.

In the fall of 2002, I began using the company gym to walk the treadmill and to pedal on an exercycle. It became such a pleasure that I hated to stop to go to work. Often I found myself getting upstairs just in time, but without time for a shower so having to sit at my desk damp and sticky for awhile.
The more I walked the treadmill, the more I pictured myself walking on nature trails - while staring straight ahead a blank wall. There was always music playing in the gym so I could add interest by exercising in time to the ever-changing beat but it was pretty boring.
Gradually, I came to see myself walking the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) but soon realized that this is unrealistic because of the dangers; and the fact that I walk so slowly. Always have.
In the fall of 2003, I was invited to a function in PEI, and decided to book an extra week off work so that I could cycle the Confederation Trail while I was there.
When I learned that a favourite school friend, Sandie Gallant-Sexton, had died of breast cancer just two years previously, I decided to do the ride for The Cancer Society in her honour, and earned them almost $2000. Thanks so much to all of you donors.
In PEI, I earned my 'Tip to Tip Certificate', Sept. 12/03, at the western end of the trip. I had to ride back to my van at the end of each day, so I actually did the trail twice. One certificate is enough, though.

Now I want to try the TCT in my 65th year, after I retire in February/08.
I plan to go from west to east as, hopefully, there will be no snow on Vancouver Island in April when I start out from Victoria; not to mention that in going west to east, most winds will be at my back.
However, I'd rather start at Calgary in the spring, go to Newfoundland, and then come back in fall and go from Calgary to Victoria, thus missing the hungry bears just out of hibernation (if I were to go through the mountains in early spring). That's not been decided in my mind yet. The gathering of more info' will determine my decision on this issue.
This to-be cycling trip of the Trans Canada Trail west to east by a 65 yr. old senior female is what this blog is all about. That, the preparation required for such a trip, and the giving of down-to-earth tips on cycling, expecially as an older person, and cycling as inexpensively and easily as possible.
Also, to give you tips on everything that I learn, and have learned cycling, and other ideas that may help you avoid pitfalls of your own, for cycling or any other activity, if possible.
This blog will have many personal anecdotes, as well, and photos from my archives.
I do hope that the reading of this blog will come to be very enjoyable, even for those of you who may never go outdoors.
On February 2/07, I started a countdown to my first day of retirement. Every day from now on will be numbered. It will drive my lead, Diane, crazy. Feb. 2/07, the first day of the countdown and my Bday, was day #365.
I will mention other links that I come across re: cycling or items of related interest.
This is a copy of my first addition, Saturday, Jan. 13/07, which was on a former blog site.
Kindest regards, everyone. Enjoy, and thanks for looking in.
Karen Smith

Toads

Our Dear Friend, the Toad:
FAVOURITE ENTRES:
Flies, dragonflies and butterflies; grubs and worms and caterpillars; spiders; beatles, ants and most insects. The toad catches food with the sticky end of its tongue.
A toad's eyes help it to swallow food. The eyes are pulled down through the roof of the mouth to squash the insect before swallowing it. The toad looks like it is blinking or going to sleep.
PET TOADS:
Remember! Toads would rather live outdoors. However, as pets, your toad will also eat fruits and vegetables. As babies, especially boiled lettuce, although they are very vulnerable so an older toad has a better chance at survival.
You can catch grasshoppers in warm weather, or buy crickets at most pet stores.
You can dig up worms, and even keep a worm box in a cool place by throwing in table scraps daily. Then, of course, you have more pets.
Be sure to keep a little dish of water in your terrarium, and some sticks and leaves, and some sand for the toad to burrow in during day-light hours. Toads do not like bright sunshine. An upsidedown dish or margarine container with an opening for it to crawl easily into makes a good toad-home.
If you want to have a toad-friendly backyard - after all, toads eat a lot of insects (so don't use pesticides if you want to encourage them) - here is a wonderful and inexpensive addition. Dig a hole about 3' x 3' x 3' in a corner of your yard, and fill it with sand. You can use a cheap coarse sand. It will give toads an easy-to-dig-into refuge during the day, and a place to hibernate in winter. Plant flowers, perennials, or shrubs around the edges for shade.
The Ear Spot - the TYMPANUM. In the male toad or frog, the ear spot is bigger than its eye. In the female, the eye and the ear spot are about the same size.
The PAROTOID GLAND - a toad has a sac on its neck behind the eye and the ear called a parotoid gland. This gland contains a poison that either tastes very bad so that an animal or bird trying to eat it will spit it out, or will get very sick afterward and not eat another toad, or will get a sore throat right away, or it may even die, especially if it is a small predator.
Toads take short little hops, whereas frogs can leap fairly far, many times their own length.
WARTS on Toads: Toads have warts; they don't give them. People get warts from viruses, not from handling toads. The 'warts' that toads have are not really warts but are just normal thick places on their skin. If you do handle toads, frogs or other amphibians, remember to wash your hands first as substances from your hands, like sunscreen, can damage their delicate, sensitive skin.
Skin: Toads have thick bumpy skin while frogs have smooth skin.
The skin of a frog must be kept moist at all times because they also take in oxygen through it. They mustn't get very far away from water. If the skin of a frog dries out, the pores close up, and it can die because it breathes through its skin as well as its lungs.
The thicker skin of the toad helps them hold water in, and they don't breathe through their skin so they can survive in habitats further away from water and often travel quite far from sources of water, though they do require water for breeding.
EGG to TADPOLE to ADULT: Toads and frogs lay eggs in ponds. A toad's eggs are often laid in strings, and these strings of eggs are stuck to water plants such as cattails. The eggs will hatch into tiny black tadpoles which eat plants in the water, and grow bigger into a toad or frog. Legs start to grow on their body, and their tail gets smaller until finally it disappears altogether.
Toads and frogs call for mates in the spring and you can hear the different songs of each type of this delicate critter if you go out into the marsh in the spring, esp. evening.
Sparkles: A toad's eyes look like jewels. You can see this by going to a pond or wetland on a spring-warm night and quietly shining a flashlight across the water. You will see the reflection of their eyes as hundreds of sparkles across the pond.
Ramps for Toads: In Shaldon, Devon County, England, ramps were built to protect the toads, crossing by the hundreds to their regular mating pond, from being squashed by vehicles. The common toad is one of England's largest amphibians, and they value it.
AMPHIBIANS: Amphibians were the very first creatures to have a voice. Amphibian means that they have a 'double life'. An amphibian is a cold-blooded creature such as a toad, frog or salamander that hatches from an egg and becomes a larva or tadpole first, while still in the water. As a larva/tadpole, it has gills so that it can breathe in the water. Later, it changes from a tadpole into a toad or frog that now will have lungs and will breathe air.

Help frogs and toads by being a part of the Frog Watch every spring.
Get your kids, parents, friends, and grand-parents involved, too.
http://eqb-dqe.cciw.ca/emanops/frogwatch/ontario/intro.html Frogwatch Ontario
or
http://www.im.nbs.gov/amphibs.html North American Monitoring Program

Books for Children:
Tom E. Toad by Karen I. Smith fieldofcedars@hotmail.com
for exerpts view at www.smmirror.ca/tometoad.html
Loads of Toads Activity Book by Karen I. Smith with every activity having a related teaching
basis about toads, and nature in general. email me at fieldofcedars@hotmail.com
The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain
Old Mr. Toad by Thornton W. Burgess
Grandfather

Day #365 Groundhog Day: Feb. 02/07

Prairie Dogs -
not taken by me.
This is the first day of my countdown to my first old-age pension cheque, and it's Groundhog Day.
Not much is said any more about Groundhog Day. In fact, not many of the dear little critters are even seen during the warmer months in this area.
When I first came to Prince Edward County, ON (Picton) in 1975, I would see them along the highway all the time just sitting there watching the traffic or running from it. Now they seem to be extinct. In the last 10 years, I have seen only two.
Anyone wanting to teach their children about them, though, can read a wonderful old book by Thornton W. Burgess called 'The Adventure's of Johnny Woodchuck'. They are the same animal, I'm sure.
The purpose of this blog is to count down the days until I retire.
When I retire, if I am still in good health, I will drive out west and start a bicycling trip east across the Trans Canada Trail to Newfoundland. Hopefully, I can do it in one year.
If possible, I will also blog the trip at the same time, and photograph Canada as I see it.
I hope to fill the blog with tips on cycling, and interesting links I find on the net.
I hope to show others, esp. seniors, the ease and wonders of cycling, and doing it inexpensively.
There will be many valuable tips re: cycling, and other items of interest, mostly related.
Today, we are moving our former site to this new one.
Happy Groundhog Day, folks.
Karen