Today's Report: 

We took a late load this morning due to the shortish day.  Rooms aren't usually ready when we get there if we show up before 2:00 anyway.  Breakfast was basically on our normal schedule which gave everyone a chance to read the local paper or just sit and relax before we started the day.  With loading scheduled at 8:00 it also gives everyone a chance to be waiting in line to load...bt that wouldn't matter what time we scheduled load...even if we did it at 3:00 in the morning there would be a few who would get in line at 2:45.  Just bicyclist's normal personality I guess.

Our route today was mostly out in the country...the kind of roads I like...no center line and smooth blacktop.  We popped out occasionally to a highway, but we were only on them long enough to get to the next easterly blacktop road.  If I didn't have my route sheet that said we were in Canada, it would be hard to tell we weren't in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, or New York.  I know this sounds like a broken record, but we passed farm after farm this morning with corn, soybeans, and wheat blanketing the horizon.  Most of the wheat has been harvested by this time and those fields were now dotted with large straw bales waiting to be taken to be used as bedding for livestock.  It brought back memories of my youth when I worked on a farm to see the combines harvesting the wheat crop and farm implements hauling hay and straw to the storage barns.  When I was a kid, we hauled the hay on small wagons or single axle trucks, but around here the use semis to haul the huge round bales of straw.  These farms are on a bigger scale than the one I worked, but the processes are the same...hard, dirty work, but very satisfying at days end.  We also came upon some crops we haven't seen before today...things like ginseng (below right), tobacco, lima beans, green beans, cabbage, and more asparagus.  The ginseng plant takes over 4 years to mature.  I like that...only have to harvest every four or five years.  Knowing about the healing properties of the ginseng plant, Jim our mechanic put a ginseng root in his pocket all day and he said he felt nothing by rap time...we'll report on his progress tomorrow.  I can attest he wasn't acting any more unusual than we're used to. 

Even with the late start, the riders were enjoying the back country riding, the cool morning temperatures, seeing beautiful landscape, and the flatish terrain.  I think they'll be ready for some hills soon, but even with that, the last two days will give them more than they've bargained for...but that's not for another few days.  For now, we'll continue to enjoy the respite from the big climbs and a welcomed day off tomorrow.

The nice day of cycling wasn't free of some excitement during the day.  We encountered a few thunderstorms around 10:00 and they popped up again and caught the final riders around 12:30 to the bitter end.  I was at the back attending to a broken spoke where Karen and Tracy were hold up in a barn awaiting for the lightning to subside.  The afternoon session seemed to set in a bit as I waited over an hour for storm after storm seemed to fire up overhead and unlike usual when storms dump and then the skies clear, these storms seemed to just keep building one after another...nothing severe, but lightning and thunder all around most of the time.  When the final group, about 12 miles out, got a little clearing, they made a dash for town.  They were doing well until they made the last turn into town where a pretty dark cloud lay just ahead...was it beyond the motel?  That question was answered about a mile from the motel...oh, that's where the cloud was... boom and whoosh...the final 3 were practicing being a duck...or was it a fish...for the last half mile or so.  Dripping, but smiling, Tracy said, "I thoroughly enjoyed that!"  Finally, all were in safely and wouldn't you know it...3 minutes after they pulled in, the skies cleared and the sun popped out.

Tonight we are staying in Brantford Ontario.  Brantford seems to be a dying town from the looks of the downtown area, but its history can be traced back for more than three centuries to the time when native tribes led by Chief Joseph Brant lived in the area.  He was better known to his people of the Six Nations as Thay-en-da-negea.  His statue, made of melted down French cannons in 1886, stands in Victoria Park in downtown Brantford.  Chief Brant led his people from their lands in the Mohawk Valley of upper NY to the Grand River basin where they crossed the river.  This spot became known as Brant's ford...and thus began the name, location, and history of Brantford, Ontario.

There are many other notable previous residents of Brantford: Alexander Graham Bell, who made the first long-distance phone call from here in 1876, Indian poet Pauline Johnson who was born and raised on the Six Nations Reserve; the faithful Indian sidekick of the Lone Ranger, Tonto, born Harold J. Smith, later changed to Jay Silverheels; hockey legend Wayne Gretzky; and comedian Phil Hartman.

I think everyone is looking forward to a day off and playing at the falls.  I know I'm ready for a little time to recharge before the final assault into Portsmouth.  It will be a busy day though as we have 7 new people to get in shape, vans to clean, and prep for the last week.  Next week will go fast...hang on and join us for our finish.  But first I guess we need to get back into the US...we may have to wander around Canada for some time if they won't let us in.  Tune in tomorrow and see if we make it back.  See you then.

Copyright © 2008 by Bamacyclist  
All rights reserved. 

Smileys provided by Smiley.com