GarysBlog

Saturday, January 14, 2012

draft updates

...... Surgery updates ......

what is Prostatectomy ?

Apr 21 13: ........ Procedure scheduled for: Wed Apr 24 13 12:00 noon

Apr 22 13: ........ A day of complete fasting (... not used to that), enema

(Back)

Test Draft xx, 20xx

took the 7:57AM GO train to Union, then subway
2 hours of prep, scheduled for 12 noon, should last 2 1/2 hours
regained groggy conseienousness at 3pm

Monday, December 05, 2011

Central America Jan 14-28 2012

my 25 best photos(Picasa)

Cycled Granada Nicaragua to Panama with Exodus, 14 days begining Jan 14 2012. Exodus website for more details(click). Its a fairly long distance so there's a fair bit of vanning, van portions are shown in black.

Google lattitude, if you're into that kind of thing, a gps function, seems to be tracking me (my Gio, an adroid), ... not sure that's a good thing, ... kind of creepy.

Preliminary rating after 73 cycle trips:

An "8" (Corsica was 9.5, Sicily 6.5). A lot has to do with expectations, Best thing: Bocas del Toro, Worst thing: Costa Rica generally was mildly disappointing, nothing bad I suppose, but I somehow expected more. Strange: Found out the Brits pay 1,500 sterling, Cdns pay $2900 CAD, .... something fishy there, at a FEX of say 1.57.

beside Panama Canal

click photo to enlarge

Fri Jan 27 2012

Panama City, (after 2 weeks in the "backwoods") is a typical 1million + NorthAmerican city, skyscrapers and congestion etc ... so different than the rest of trip.

We visited the Miraflores locks and had a 8 mile ride. We started from our hotel by van, close to the Pacific end of the Panama Canal. Saw the process of raising and lowering the traffic, then biked through Soberana National Park which spans nearly the entire width of the country along the East side of the Canal. We headed back to our hotel in the afternoon with time to relax, then a few of us went into the old town by taxi to Casco Viajes (old square) I with Sharon Bill, .... then our last meal in a modern restaurant, Las Papas, situated in the vibrant Calle Uruguay district...... then home, 28th, through Miami, arrival 11:59 PM... all went as planned, scant snow on arrival.

Thurs Jan 26 2012

Today is our last distance ride, and it was great, perhaps a "top ten" in my experience (nothing dramatic, rolling, but overall very nice,... I felt strong, not the slightest concern of heart flutter), only about 50 km. We started just out of Santiago, and finishing with a 2-3 hr van ride into Panama city....brochures say the most impressive of all Central American capitals, ... and it is! The intended hotel was older and rather nice and after partially settling in (I had a shower) hotel ended up not having enough rooms (3 short) we all!! left for an alternate, a rather deluxe US-styled suite complex, ... grand (probably expensive, very US styled). Because the Allgood Inn didn't want to loose future Exodus business, and after we'd made our menu choices, Allgood revealed they would pay for dinner, except desserts...pretty decent... I'd already chosen the most expensive thing ... honest. After 15 days in 3rd world places, Panama City is strikingly urban, traffic jams etc... is that a good thing?

Wed Jan 25 2t012

Today started with a bang!, ... and it's only 8:15 AM... Debbie, surgeon, got fish/bone stuck in esophagus and is flying home from Bocas /Panama to Toronto, ... she's wary about local hospitals. At arrival of island pier, found out there's a local strike on the mainland (blocking roads, some ecological protest) so we're waiting on Bocas island (pleasant hotel), ...sort of stuck in paradise... till the van gets to the mainland pier (a nothing-to-do place). Rob, our guide, said it took three days once, slept in the van..... so, could be interesting.... our return flight is Sat 28th at 4:05 PM....mmm?. 11PM update: Debbie got a 8:55 PM flight out of Miami to YYZ, the roadblock cleared about 3 hours later, and we ended-up vanning a bit extra, descended a 12 mile descent (rather steep at top) and another 15 miles, fairly flat. arrived at Hacienda in Santiago, Mexican themed, but we were about 2+ hours late(due to strike).

Tues Jan 24 2012

Today was a free day .... on the beautiful Bocas del Toro Islands /Panama, which is kind of like Key West, and overall I like, rather "hippy-ish" and many backpackers. Our bikes stayed on the mainland. 12 of our 17, incl me, took a 9:30 to 4:30 boat tour, watching dolphins (very limited), snorkeling, lunch on pier, then 2 hours on a private "Red Frog" beach. The beach was a"10" but the other stuff was pretty ordinary. 1 or 2 of our group were in a pickle with the rip tide, ... but it all ended "OK". Dinner at the Lemon Grass had very bad service, >1hour waiting. The trip is going by in a flash.

Jan 23 2012

as shown in Google Latitude (tracking me)

Up for 7:00AM breakfast, 8:00 departure on bikes, 33 miles before lunch, ... crossed into Panama fairly painlessly. Pulse about 140 bpm when working hard, so ease off at 145, but recovers nicely, 67 at the moment. Crossed 30 min in a speed boat, to Bocas Del Toros, kind of Hemmingway-esque/Florida Keys type place, ....very nice, use USD, now back on Eastern time. Yesterday I was the first one in ... usually worry about being last, with a group that 10, maybe 20 years younger than me...one Chinese storekeeper asked me how old I was, ...mmmm? ...what did she mean by that remark?

Sun Jan 22 2012
Great day, ... a bit too much vanning...we headed east into the rolling terrain of the San Carlos plains, riding though rich agricultural zones, sugar cane and pineapple plantations and rural villages....the heat became more noticeable. I tried but didn't see toucans as we make water crossings. We transferred to Siquirres for lunch (approx. 2 hours). We continue by bus onto Limon (1 hour) where we started a beautiful 20-mile cycle ride along the Caribbean coast road. Our destination was Cahuita, a typical Caribbean town, complete with a lively reggae music culture and spicy cuisine.Total cycling distance today is 27 miles along paved roads, or 47 miles if we are able to ride along the coast

Sat Jan 21 2012

Yipee: ...2 nights in the same hotel in La Fortuna, so took laundry in. Today's ride followed a circular route through the region surrounding La Fortuna which takes in a great variety of terrain and ecosystems. Starting with a fast descent to the town of El Tanque, we pass through agricultural land devoted to bananas and sugar cane. I overheated and got on the bus for the last 12 miles through rugged hilly zone leading back towards rain forest near the small town of La Tigre. Toucans are especially common here, but I didn't see any. At 5:30 we visit the Eco-Termales hot springs to soothe any aching muscles.

Total cycling distance today was 30 miles ... but bloody hot, especially in the hills.

Fri Jan 20 2012

After breakfast we set off on our bikes towards La Fortuna. 38!!! miles before lunch,... lots of rolling hills, a couple I walked.... They say this is one of our most spectacular cycling stages, starting in lush agricultural land which gradually gives way to thick rain forest as we approach the dam which forms Lake Arenal. We were supposed to see monkeys, toucans and the amazingly colourful neon-blue Morpho butterflies as we cycle... all I really saw was some raccoon-like animal, 20 or more came right up to us. We spend the night (2 nights) in a hotel in the centre of La Fortuna which has observation decks for night time volcano watching (when the mountain is at its most impressive), as well as pools and pretty gardens.) At a mundane level ... took 12 stinky items to the laundry.

Thurs Jan 19 2012

This morning we had 2 hour float down the

Tenorio River, a haven for birds and wildlife....took lots of pics We cycled back to Canas for lunch and hour walk through a wild animal refuge, then drove to the hilly

region surrounding Lake Arenal for the afternoon biking stage. This is quite a challenging section and although the distance was quite short there are several climbs and it can also be rather windy. The rewards were the spectacular views of the lake and the surrounding hills.

Total cycling distance today is 24 miles.

Wed Jan 18 2012

After an early breakfast we rode from San Juan del Sur to the LaVirgen junction with the Pan Am Highway. We climbed over the ridge which separates the Pacific coast from Lake Nicaragua in the relative coolness of the early morning. A gentle descent took us to the highway at La Virgen and from here we are transferred by bus to the border with Costa Rica. After clearing immigration .... the blockbuster news was that it took 7 hours to clear ...7!!! hours, .... our guide Rob was very apologetic, but was not his fault..... Rob handled it the best he could. Some suspect it's Oretega trying to irritate the US, ... but whatever, it's very inefficient, and I doubt serves any body's interests.. In the end, Rob put us on a commercial bus, ..leaving our driver to look after the import export of our 20 bikes (the problem, I guess).Total cycling today was 12 not the planned 36 miles, one climb especially towards the top of the ridge from San Juan del Sur. The road was fully paved. Dinner was great... tenderloin, seems like beef country ... a surprise to me.

Tues Jan 17 2012

Today we departed the hotel around 10am, ... gave us some free time beforehand and I fiddled with wifi. We cycled to Moyogalpa still on the island, lunch then back on ferry to the mainland. Then cycled 25miles along La Chocolata Road, hard-packed dirt road to San Juan del Sur, a Pacific beach town.

San Juan.... mmmm... maybe lobster for dinner(it was good 5 little langoustes).. This is a popular beach for Nicaraguan families on holiday, ...people, though poor, seem pretty happy usually smiling and the kids horsing around, ..... fairly often you see people using horses as a means of transport.

Total cycling distance today was 30 miles, along mostly level roads with some mild climbs. The road is 90% well-groomed dirt and 10% paved.

Mon Jan 16 2012

After breakfast and a 30 minute drive we cycled ... kind of overcast, ...through the rolling countryside which surrounds the famous 'Pueblos Blancos' (White Towns).... the birthplace of Nicaraguan culture, as well as of General Sandino, the hero of the modern revolution....I really don't know diddly squat about Nicaragua.

From San Jorge it was 1:15 hour ferry boat trip to Ometepe Island (in a big!!! lake, half the size of Lake Erie I'd guess) - the views of its twin volcanoes (Concepcion and Maderas) were spectacular.

Cycled 8 miles to the hotel, .... spending the night close to

the wildlife-filled Charco Verde Lagoon....a kind of primitive place, but had wifi. This was the first day of riding, but really just 25 miles. The roads are all paved except for the final half mile to Charco Verde. Posted 5 more pics to Picasa.

Sun Jan 15 2012

link(click) to/my Picasa web album (16 pics)
I'm kind of rusty at sharing photos, .... they are not that great, ... but I'm trying to get them to show on my blog? ...how's it working?, ... I'll try to get a better class of pics.

Interesting detail, today(Jan 15):
While waiting in a market (for others to buy trinkets) I was approached by two university students, as to why Nicaragua has an impression of being dangerous. I answered honestly, and admitted that my impressions were more based more on news reports from Mexico, and transfer (my idea transfer) to Nicaragua, ... whereas in fact things seem fine and our guide (after 18 trips) agrees.

Sat Jan 14 2012
A rest day, walked around town ... waiting for Brit group to arrive, 32C, sunny. We (with Bill and Sharon) came a day early because of possible weather flight complications out of |Toronto. Met the guide, Rob, originally from Rochester, NY, now Costa Rica, and two assistants who don't speak English, ... a chance to practice my Spanish

Fri Jan 13 2012
Arrived pretty much on time, 2:30pm with no fuss no muss through YYZ using the express kiosk(multiple boarding passes) ... very efficient, arrived in Miami on schedule even though the de-icing at Pearson seemed to take 30+ min. Met 4 more Canadians on the plane from Miami, another two from Red Deer at the hotel, so the Brit contingent will not be that big, since the overall max is 17. Since the 4 we met on the flight had a pre-arranged transfer to Granada, an hours drive, we piled-in with them and split the cost. Hotel is basic by our standards, but fine. In a way disappointed there are so many Canadians, 6 so far, since its an opportunity to meet Brits/whatever.

Granada is old colonial town, lots of Gringos, and most Nicaraguans cant afford (earn $2/day) to live here.

Weather is 32C, maybe even warmer, .... and skies mainly sunny but are a bit threatening (could rain).

...............

.....click for day by day agenda

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Corsica, Sicily Sept Oct 2011

Operator websites:... Corsica $2,250/14d, Sicily $3,250/14d (better hotels)

Corsica, ... can a 68 year old be narcissistic?... I guess

... not really a smile, ... more a grimace

Oct 15 Sat, major news: Oct 8 views: ~40/d during trip

there was a rain deluge early morning in Catania, so hour late leaving, and missed Milan-Paris connection, Alitalia arranged AF to Montreal, then an AC connection, so arrived home a few hours late, 83E charge for bike in Catania (75CAD on Sept 15)
3 good things in Sicily:......food was cheaper, Fabio turned out to be pretty good, last 3 cycling days were much better, eg Oct 11
3 bad things: .....cycled through more industrial areas than expected, surprised at general amount of garbage/litter, maps should be colour photocopies of already route-marked maps example(link) ... note: the black hand-drawn arrows before photocopying, and the handy dandy 'map-my-ride' profile (bottom left). The current booklet is labour intensive, and probably not appreciated.
Comparing the trips, Corsica "9+" (same as in VQ 2006), Sicily "6.5" (Chris' impropriety aside). Fabio managed well on his own, one tidbit: he said he was very embarrassed to admit that there were "absolutely no tools" on the trip.
thought for future: since Fabio was pretty good, and looking for business, we could get him to quote on a future trip. He's got lots of experience in mediterranean area, ..... fabio_croce@hotmail.com, +39 348 7400 943

Oct 14 Friday,

transfers by ferry and bus to Catania went smoothly, most of us had early dinner in Duomo square

Oct 13 Thursday,

8 of us took the hydrofoil ferry over to Volcano island, climbed to the crater rim, ... a good option for the last activity day. Tomorrow, Friday, we travel by 6:30AM ferry back to Sicily(2 hours), and then bus(2 hours) to Catania, and time to pack our bikes for our early Saturday AM flights back to Canada, ... there's some anxiety about Air Canada strike, but I'm on AF. Overall, the spirit/attitude seems to have improved in the last couple days.

Oct 12 Wednesday,

A 2 hour ferry ride at 9:00 AM over to Aolian islands (Lipari), carrying our bike and luggage onto/off-of the ferry to a rather new 4star hotel. Then with about 5-6 others did the 25 km circuit around the island, ... parts of which had 12-14 degree assents, ~30C in full sun, ... went shirtless, felt good.Towards the end there were some fabulous views of nearby volcanoes, and Etna in the distance.

Oct 11 Tuesday

BEST DAY: An absolutely beautiful 90km ride Taomina to Milazzo Rte#185 over the NE range, max altitude 1125m, starting and ending at sea level. Altgough Sunday was horrid weather, today was 20C+ and sunny, ... perfect for cycling. Stopped in Novarra (cheese-rolling town) for spaggetti bolognaise, ... good. This was the first day that matched (possibly even surpassed) those in Corsica. Ironic: the day I was dreading, ... turned out the best. Tomorrow onto the Aolian islands for 2 nights.
at a personal level: I feel fine (strong in fact), pulse normal, no hint of heart "flutter" when I climbed 1125m

Oct 10 Monday,

A rest day in Giardini Nexos, sunny cool windy ... so Tom and I took the intercity train along the coast to Messina, about a 45 min trip, 12E return, ... there, took a 45 min historical tourist train/cart city tour (... saw churches etc), checked inside the Duomo (impressive), then literally "walked-out" of a cafe after ordering food - since no! service for 20 min, instead had some pricey sandwiches in boutique type place... took the train back, ... overall not really great, but something to do. Messina seemed heavily congested with a lot! of cars, often triple parked. A major 'Carribean Navigator' cruise ship had disgorged many hundreds of cattle/passengers, ... so tourists everywhere.

Oct 9 Sunday,

A 52 Km ride to Giardini Nexos, climbing up the flank of Etna, cloudy and eventually rainy and bloody cold, ... Etna has snow. Who would have thought one would be "cold and wet" in Sicily, ...well, we were ... to the point I was shaking uncontrollably, we found a patisserie at about 20 km from hotel and sought refuge (out of the rain, wind). I was soooo glad to arrive and have a hot shower, ... the saving grace is the possibility the weather will hopefully change dramatically from one day to the next.
Worth a mention: passed through Zafferana that had a large street market, with almost a festival (parade/band), ... got a stong feeling of being in Italy. Fabio seems to be managing well on his own, without Chris, ... he has a lot of experience.

Oct 8 Sat,

After a 90km day to SG. LaPunta, Chris Winter, the leader and chief guide, announced that he was going home, with 7 days to go, left in a taxi at 6:06PM to the Catania airport. When asked why, he said his stiff neck was part of it, but mainly because "I'm homesick as hell", I miss my daughter, my mother has breast cancer, and we're ordering windows for the new house well, ... that's what he said ...mmm, provoked lots of further discussion and speculation.
It surprised us all (I think), and Chris added that he felt the local guide would "shine". ... probably true. He said he agonized over the decision, and apologized. In my humble opinion, I really doubt Chris actually "likes" the day-to-day rigamarole of guiding of a trip, ... even under perfect conditions ... maybe he's more attuned to the "design" aspect of organizing a trip. I think he did the design(routing etc) pretty much from scratch (as opposed to echoing Backroads), and put a lot of effort in the wordng of the route, ... but on the next day, Fabio changed!! the route completely.
At 7:00 am the day started rainy and blustery, but got much better quickly, sunny and maybe 22C in the sun. Found a good place for lunch pasta dish plus 1.5L water for 3.5E, ... perfect for cyclng. The final 20Km of today's route were tricky, and we made a couple 5km errors. Martha Bohm has a good nose for directions.

Oct 7 Friday,

A rest day in Caltageroni, most of us vanned 30Km to see a restoration of private, Roman villa of ~200AD, 10% finished. Bought fresh shop-made sandwiches and ate them in town square . Kind of cool, maybe 17C, when not in direct sun. Scenery on the way to villa was the best so far... at times reminded me of Tuscany. Then replaced my rear brake pads, soooo! easy to do, all of about 10minutes, whereas I was prepared for it to be an hour or more, .... Im sure they will need some further adjustment tomorrow ... turned out fine, very!! minor adjustment needed.. Dinner with Tom, Sharon, Bill. Weather has turned rather blustery, 17C at 9PM, rain forcasted in the morning.

Oct 6 Thurs,

A 90 km ride from Modica to Caltageroni, sunny day. At breakfast, Chris said his neck was so painful, that he was thinking of going home, ...mmm, provoked lots of chatter and speculation. As we started, Rory had a defective chain and when he asked Fabio if he had a pair of pliers, Fabio said "we have no tools at all", ... that actually shocked me. Later in the day Rory bought a new chain, he learned to regret since it was more a cassette problem. The cycling day was really varied, about 1200m of climbing, none of which was too steep (many switchbacks), lots of segments with big (18 wheeler) truck traffic (...I'm surprised), and sections with lots of litter. Dinner, included, was at a place that was a last minute substitute, that served a very good seafood dish as a first course. Sat opposite Chris at dinner, traded stories about Romania, and he seemed less troubled by his neck, might be enjoying himself more. BTW ... pulse at the end of the cycling day: about 80, ... seems reasonable. Anxious to see how the Ontario election turns out, whe we wake up Oct 7... I voted early,... for McGuinty .

Oct 5 Wednesday

Rest day near Modica, 27C and sunny (at the start), ... adjusted my problematic brakes (at one point in the rain I was dragging my sandal in a attempt to stop), ....then 9 of us took van to town saw the churches etc, and had lunch in centre of town, .. a town that was rebuilt (new by local standards) after the 1639 earthquake and wins awards for city design. A bit of rain too.

Oct 4 Tues,

me, Oct 4 in swanky hotel in rural sicily, near Modica

Cycled about 70 km to a rural hotel close to Modica where we stay for 2 nights, ... its a pretty swanky place, out in the middle of nowhere. Today we got caught in a half hour deluge, ... got soaking wet, and road the rest of the day in wet cycle shorts, ... makes for a sore, chaffed butt ... maybe Aquaphor(a healing ointment) will help. Yesterday's repair shop effort seems to work "OK", as the gears seem to slide pretty easily. The scenery in Sicily is not nearly as good as the spectacular coastline of Corsica, but the food in Sicily is much more reasonably priced, ... had a small calzone and generous gelato for 2.50E, and dinner for 11E, whereas it would be double that in Corsica. Interesting: Fabio says Sicilians with common company salary (about 1800-2000E/mo) pay about 2/3s in taxes, vs about 1/3rd in Canada, ... Fabio has spent years in Canada (as a guide in Algonquin etc), and has a high respect for the "efficient" tax spending in Canada, despite what we might think. In Italy the result of high taxes is a big underground economy, that impoverishes the government.

Oct 3 Mon,

First cycling day in Sicily,... 90 km to Syracusia, led out of Catania in a group ride by Chris/Fabio fo the first 5-10km, then at th 34 km mark I jammed my chain badly, couldnt fix, ... so phoned the van and they picked me up and I went to bike shop at destination (first shop couldn't fix it) and I found another one on my own (...with difficulty). Bill Petrusiak had derailleur and chain problems, and Sharon cycled to Syracuse on her own. Chris seemed a little frazzled by the day's events (more cycling problems than you'd expect). Had a bet (a coffee) with Fabio (the: Sicilian guide) about Italy having occupied the Antalya region of Turkey in the 1920s, I'm sure I'm right, but maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. Good pizza dinner with Rory June |Tom Don Kathy, Doug.

Oct 2 Sunday,

Official trip begins today,... met all except Bohms and Judy at breakfast, all (including bikes) seem to have arrived without incident. Will transfer to the main hotel, assemble bikes, then walking city tour at 3:00pm. 14 participants (3 couples, 8 singles) + Chris and Sicilian guide (who Chris has never met, who presumably will give "colour" commentary). Chris has been here several days and says the road routing is rather complex.

Oct 1 Saturday

Arrived in Sicily on time at 3:05. All of us were charged 55 Euros for a second bag, ... seemed fair enough. Overall the transfer went smoothly, ... Catania seems more city-like, than a small town. |Chris met us at the airpport and unfortunately got a ticket for overtime parking. Cycling starts on Monday. On first arrival in Catania, it seemed dingy and worn-out, but later in the evening it changed to being impressive, the weddings we passed by, the lighting on the baroque buildings, the crowds etc, ... and the dinner was better priced (half of Corsica) served by a burly mafia-type cook/waiter, who was so abrupt and idiosyncratic as to have us in stitches.

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Overall Corsica, 3 impressions:

3 good things: sunny weather, happyhour "idea" (me, no alcohol), Ana's breakfast supplements, (... but overall Corsica is fabulous)
3 dubious things: overall high prices (say ~50%higher), occasional "snippy" service, cant really think of third negative, ... really not much to complain about.

Sept 30 Friday

Bused back to Bastia, 8:00 to 11:15... met a few of 2nd group, boxed bike, ... ready for Sicily flights Oct 1.

Sept 29 Thursday

A rest day in PortoVecchio, ... may go to beach for an hour or two. Every day seems sunny and 27C, and you get so you take it for granted. Tomorrow we bus to Bastia at 8:30. Feel fine.

Sept 28 Wednesday

A fairly short ride 45km to Porto Vecchio, ... our last stop before Bastia (where we fly out Oct 1, to Sicily). Had excellent lasagne for lunch, then walked to the port.

Sept 27 Tuesday

A free day in Bonifacio, sunny, forecasted 28C, so bought lunch and litre of juice at Casino, and took a 20E 4 hr boat ride (+8others) to neighboring small island, ... back at 4:30pm... just one more riding day, + one optional day, then bus to Bastia on Friday for early flight to Sicily.

Sept 26 Monday

A beautiful ride to Bonifacio, 65Km with a 350 m climb to Sartene, the most Corsican of Corsica’s towns, then lunch at 45Km point, ... where the others said "the best omelettes in their lives", which I conveyed to the cook, ... her face beamed. A threesome passed us; one with Cdn flag, and a Quebecois said the flag carrier was a French impostor.

Sept 25 Sunday

A 75 km ride Portofino, a stiff 13-17 degree grade at one point, had to walk ... I can walk as fast as I can ride. Kind of a dull day but at least better than baking sun (...or so I rationalize). A group included dinner by the sea, beef bourguignon, and chocolate pie.

Sept 24 Saturday

a day off in Ajaccio, strolled around town, less warm say 25C, some cloud,... met up with others, visited the usual sites (Napolean's birthplace, etc) had coffee, bought couple typique "provence" table cloths, had haircut 17.5E, .. pretty relaxed easy pace, only 3 more place-to-place cycle days, then the 3 section flight to Sicily, ... kind of worried about the bike transfer, if there's something to worry about, I'll worry (...silly me!). At 6:00PM, Dave the driver/photographer, plans a slide show, maybe of Sicily (a favourite of his).

Sept 23 Friday

Porto to Ajaciio, 80 Km, was a particularly nice ride (... aren't they all?) with a fairly stiff climb 500m out of Porto, then a fair bit of route near sea-level, then another final climb of 400m+, sunny and quite hot 27C. Had had excellent pizza lunch in Sagone, on the beach, with the usual group,... the waitress/owner was charming and we talked a bit about the "separatist" Corsicans who speak Corse ... closer to italian, and spray-paint out the French on the road signs ... a variation on Quebec, but equally stupid. Felt rested/fine all day even though a bit of a cold (really more just a bad sounding! cough), and a pulse of thirty (if you can believe it) in the early morning when perfectly idle, or 140+ if climbing. I'm not 100% sure my heart monitor is reading correctly at 30 bpm, ... scary, but I feel fine, ... at other times it seems consistent or right. Dinner's "plat du jour" was particularly good, at the "rubbertree" restaurant (also ate there in 2006), ..offered us a "digestif" on-the-house.

Sept 22 Thursday

Today was a rest day in Porto (in 2006 went scuba diving, disappointing) so out to the boulangerie to buy lunch for a boat trip 10:30-3:30PM (biggish at 122 passengers) to Scandal Nature Reserve, and in the afternoon to the “calanques”, pretty much like the trip out of Cassis, near Marseille, all of which was very nice, but makes me realize that it’s the cycling that is the “glue” that really holds the trip together, because doing these touristy things (like the boat trip), would be alright for a day or two, but that’s about it.

BTW: As I sat after breakfast, I see my heart monitor reads 35 bpm for several minutes (…seems scarily low but maybe it shows it can!! rest (and I feel fine), … because I know it will soar to a 140+ if I walk up two flights of stairs.

Sept 21 Wednesday

Today’s 82 Km to Porto, was superb, …I heard many comments along the lines “it just doesn’t come much better”, … truly spectacular riding along the coast, grades not much more than 6 degrees, climb of a few cols, the max being 408m. Riding with Kevin and Geraldine (Deanne still has sore wrist). Stopped near Galleria, roughly midpoint and had lasagne for lunch … was excellent, the only thing on the menu…. better to have one good thing, than pages and pages of offerings that aren’t very good.

Sept 20 Tuesday

It’s a two nighter in Calvi, so I took it as a 100% rest day, as did many others, since yesterday (Monday) was so strenuous. Today: beautiful sunny 27C, posted my offline journal to my blog, then had a picnic lunch (from patisserie) with Bill and Shirley by the pool, and then took pathway down to sea (huge boulders), where I sunbathed like a lizard on a rock for 2 hours. Then to SuperU, to buy some ham slices to supplement the meagre typical French breakfast tomorrow. Also bought earplugs to dampen roommate’s snoring/etc sounds. Tonight was a group dinner (at my request to Ana) which I think everybody liked, 15E +5E for .5L of house wine…. excellent soup, fish/pasta, dessert.

Sept 19 Monday

80 Km to Calvi. Overnight it was really windy … you could hear it howling really loudly, … like you were on Baffin Island. At breakfast we met a few another group of 8 cyclists from Quebec, group “Equilibre”. Feeling a bit queasy, and the blustery weather I asked about going in the truck, but ended up cycling, and glad I did. I cycled with Kevin, Deanne, and Geraldine pretty much all day, stopped at a nice country restaurant for the “plat due jour”, sauté de veau, 12E. The wind was gale force strong, and at the top of the first hill when there was some rain, we had to seek refuge behind a stone building, but the wind dries you out pretty quickly. Almost at the end of the day, weather much better, 5Km from destination, Deane skidded in a round about, tumbled into the curb, did a face plant, hurt her wrist and worried about her teeth. Dinner with Lindsay (originally from Zimbabwe, and surprisingly sympathetic views on Mugabe), Kathy Tom and Ana.. had wild boar, … not that good. Feel dead tired after so much climbing, after a strenuous day, ..... legs feel like wet noodles.

Sept 18 Sunday

Today was our first full cycling day, 87Km, around Cap Corsica, to St Florent, everybody agreed it was spectacular scenery, with the weather surprisingly dull. Lots of rumblings about coming rain. Unfortunately I woke up about an hour later than planned and pretty much everybody had left, … but in many ways I don’t mind cycling alone and was I in the last group in. There was a group dinner in the same hotel we stayed in 2006, modest but good. This is the first day I started to take my flutter medication; … pulse seems normal, 50 bpm on rising, but 140 on climbing (to be expected), and 80 or so after 5-10 rest. So pretty normal ... 73 bpm as I write this blog. I always worry about my bike as I reassemble the various parts, … but it seems OK.

Sept 17 addendum

After the group reception, lots of humorous reference about them being there because I recommended it. Then 6 of us (DaveH, Brian, Doug, Rory, Paul

Munson,) walked to town for dinner, … pricey at 35E plus drinks. Earlier in the day bought at Casino a European adapter (forgot mine at home, silly me) and fresh lithium batteries for my heart monitor, also have a supply of those at home (silly me).

Sept 17

It's amazing, with 20 cyclists there were 20 different stories of trials and tribulations of flight, Rory's flight had to put down in St John's due to sick woman, ... took five hours, missed connections. I think mine was pretty straight forward, I got paged in Paris CDG, 10 times because my bike case lost its official luggage tag and I had to go out on tarmac and personally identify it, in case it was a planted bomb (I guess), I didn't hear the pages, because I could only find a seat 3 gates away. Travelling with a bike really increases anxiety-tiredness the anxiety level, and often think is this (travel) really worth it?

Sept 16

arrived in Bastia on time, after transfers through Paris and Marseille, ... pretty much everything as planned, 30C and sunny. Learned: 1)printing boarding pass at home (most dont), put me in an express line, 2) I should have prepaid for 2nd piece of luggage, bike, on line,.... would have saved 45 min queuing at cashier, 75 CAD
as of 9pm have met about 12 of the group, Rory's AC flight had to put-down in St Johns due to ill passenger

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Velo Quebec Grand Tour 2011 Aug 6-12 2011 Impressions:

Impressions:

$850/ 7days.... overall rating, 7.5 maybe an “8”, even though we had 2 days of rain

Good thing: as usual VQ is extremely well organized for 2000 participants, website

Good thing: over 100km/day for 7 days... seemed to go by in a flash

Good thing: meals were excellent, varied, almost on the “haute cuisine” side

Good thing: routes (Prince Edward County and 1000 Island Parkway) were beautiful

Good thing: met 7 people Id met before

Good thing: staying with the Fitzgeralds in Brockville the night before start … nice

Bad thing: rained 2 days, clearly not fun when camping, ... but makes you appreciate one’s rather “cushy” life otherwise

Bad thing: route on Rideau lakes area (Day1 Day 2) was pretty routine (=boring)

Bad thing: a couple shower facilities were were really sub par (1 hr waits)

Strange: they weighed each bag, to meet 20Kg limit, excess back to vehicle

Strange: the caterers came from far: Belleville's from Ottawa, Kingston's from Sherbrooke

Strange: participants equipment (esp bikes and clothing) seemed rather high-end almost across the board
Will consider going again next year

Monday, July 25, 2011

2012 reno

My Renovation "Scrapbook" (sort of)

A collection of my kitchen Renovation ideas, progress etc

A scrapbook of my little 4-part project … shareable if appropriate, accessible remotely, kind of organizing my thoughts, all to do with the renovation started in August 2011 executed in Q1/2012.
4 Parts:

1. Kitchen: remove cabinets, new porcelain floor through bathroom, Ikea cabinets, and new stainless appliances including gas range

2 2 Bathroom floor tiling, new vanity .... polished porcelain,

3 Sand stain finish upstairs oak floors, to roughly match ground floor,

4. "Skim-coat" finish LR, DR. kind of a refresh plastering of ceiling

…. my initial sketch ( Ikea software) :