It’s a new year

Happy New Year everyone and to the new followers to “Bikes and Baggs – Discovering Canada by bicycle”, welcome. This blog allows you to follow me as I fulfill a lifelong dream… to discover Canada by bicycle. It has been some time since my last blog as a lot has been going on. I normally post a blog once, sometimes twice, a month. When I start my journey, I will be blogging more frequently.

As mentioned, lots has been going on. In November I fulfilled a dream 32 years in the making, retirement. The months leading up to retirement were hectic so my training, and as a result, my blog posts, were put on hold. Life after retirement has been even more hectic beginning with the birth of my first grandson Asher in November, Christmas and sadly, the passing of our 14 year old dog Fred in January. Fred was the best dog, a true companion whom we miss deeply.

Fred

Please indulge me for a few minutes while I talk about Fred; it’s good therapy for me. I picked Fred up from the Ottawa Humane Society when he was 10 months old, he was just shy of 14 and a half years old when he passed away, so we were best of friends for a good long time. I saw his picture on the Humane Society’s website and I just knew it was meant to be, with his head cocked to one side, and his name…there was just something about his name.

Fred came into my life before Sue did, in fact he was 2 or 3 when he met Sue and her kids, and he instantly fell in love with all of them. Often when I came into town to see Sue I would bring Fred with me. When it was time to go home and Fred saw me putting on my things to go, he would make a bee line for Tess’ room, Sue’s daughter, for protection. Sometimes he would put up a real fuss and I would have to pick him up and carry him to the Jeep.

Fred loved to chase squirrels, rabbits and birds; although his passion for chasing birds dwindled when he tried to catch a Canada goose in a farmer’s field. He ran for what seemed like forever in that field to get close to the goose and then he discovered those things can fly.

Fred was well loved in the neighbourhood, except for the lady who kept putting cards in our mailbox for us to put him on his leash, which we did, but he did not like that. I’m sure he is looking down at his buddies Rufus, Oakley, Luna, Jenny, Lucky and Murphy and wishing he was playing with them. But he has his old buddy Barley and his late girlfriend Murphy to play with now.

Fred loved his walks, especially in the winter. He didn’t care much for the rain. He swam but it would take him a while to go into the water. Fred really enjoyed camping but tolerated the canoe, which Paul found out the hard way while watching Fred one day. Paul knew we took Fred in the canoe so he thought he would take him for a paddle. Things did not go so well and Fred ended up in the water.

I hope we gave Fred a good life, I think we did. Fred’s veterinarian was Dr. Cochrane in Russell, and one time when were out for Fred’s shots and examination Dr. Cochrane’s wife said to me that she could tell by the way Fred was looking at me that we had a very special relationship. Another time my neighbour across the street, Mr. Belle, came over to me while I was building a ramp for Fred. Fred’s joints were getting bad and I was thinking we might have to pull him up the stairs in a wagon. After I explained to Mr. Belle what I was doing he said “if people treated other people half as well as you treat Fred, we would be in a better world”.

Thanks for the many years of friendship Fred, we miss you.

What’s next?

So it’s a new year and we have a short period of time before the beginning of my journey. Training (mental and physical) is well underway, although I haven’t been on the bike trainer in a couple of days while my bike is at Bushtukah getting a major tuneup. The details of the route and timelines are being worked out as well as the budget (all in an Excel spreadsheet). There’s a chance I will be pushing my start date to June rather than May, depending on how my training goes. Since campgrounds for the most part are not open until the first couple of weeks in May, I won’t start my overnight practice runs until then.

One thing is for sure, my plan is to start at the Terry Fox Monument at Mile 0 of the Trans-Canada Highway in Victoria BC, and to finish at the Terry Fox Monument at Mile 0 of the Trans-Canada Highway in St. John’s Newfoundland.

“I just wish people would realize that anything’s possible if you try; dreams are made if people try.” Terry Fox

Safe ride

Bill