Jacob Friend
There’s no better start to a Canadian break day than a solid 9 hour snooze. Brian and I slept in our tents overnight and got plenty of REM sleep evidenced by the drool on our pillows. Usher and Michael enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in beds in the backyard cabin, where they were sheltered from nature (except the spider eggs next to Usher’s bed that hatched over night). Today’s first agenda item was watching the 2nd stage of the Tour de France over a delicious morning coffee and breakfast. If these cyclists can get superstar status for biking ~5 hours a day for a 21 day tour, then I argue the 4 of us cyclists should be nominated to the cycling hall of fame for our ~7 hour days on a 70 day tour.
In the afternoon we took a quick bike ride to Port Colborne to grab a bite to eat and admire the Welland Canal locks. We enjoyed a terrific meal at The Lock Wood Fired Pizza with an excellent view of the canal. While eating, our interest was piqued when we saw some locals jumping from a ledge into the canal from a distance. We knew we had to check it out. Upon arrival, we were greeted by 3 middle school boys who told us it was safe to jump into the canal from the 10 foot wall. This was clearly their special weekend hangout spot where they could fish, swim, and make poor, but memorable, decisions. We knew we were lucky to have discovered this local gem and took full advantage of it by jumping into the canal, enjoying the bright sun and clear water. It seems like every time we find a cool place to jump into the water, we also try out new tricks to do. Today Brian practiced an aerial flip (i.e. a flip with 180-degree turn), Usher tried to do a death dive (i.e. a belly-flop-last-second-fake-out), and I tried to do a dive (i.e. a regular dive). We all failed to accomplish our new tricks, but Brian got pretty close to the aerial. He could get there with a little more practice. Eventually our afternoon swim evolved into a climbing competition between Usher, Brian, and Michael to see who could scale the canal wall. I took pictures as they worked their way up the wall, quite impressed by their feats of strength and focus. I can tell they all miss the climbing wall a lot on this trip.
Lunch by the Welland Canal
Jumping, swimming, and climbing with some Welland locals in the canal
Our wonderful Ontario break day concluded with our typical chores and a lovely family dinner with Dawn and Roger. I loved listening to Dawn recount stories of all the cool bike trips and races she’s done. Hearing Dawn and other friends we’ve made on this trip talk about their bike adventures makes me really excited to continue biking after this trip, hopefully as a life-long hobby. I was particularly intrigued by Dawn’s European bike trips where her days revolved around touring quaint countrysides via bicycle with her friends. Maybe Bike Loud could make an appearance in a new continent in the future…
Roger had his fair share of adventures to share as well, one of which really stuck out to me. During his college days he was pursuing an engineering degree that he wasn’t enjoying. To give himself time to reflect on his trajectory, he thought it would be a good idea to buy a car with his best friend and just start driving. From his college in Thunder Bay, Canada, he drove all the way to the west coast. If they ran out of money, they would find work and save up to continue their adventure. Eventually they made it to California where they drove the entire length of Highway 1 and then headed east. When their car finally gave out, they had been on the road for 6 months and had made it to Oklahoma. It sounded like this was a pivotal moment in Roger’s life. He had time to think, free from most distractions, about the man he wanted to become. This experience feels similar to our bike ride. It also reminds me of a valuable lesson my dad taught me through a Benjamin Button quote:
“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
During this ride I’ve seen things that startled me—a $1,000 huckleberry pie, a leaping bison, and Wall Drug. I have felt things I’ve never felt before—the fear of descending my first pass, the uncontrollable laughter of eating 2,000+ calories of Mexican food then immediately climbing a 7% grade, and the special bond of spending eight weeks with three best friends. And of course, I’ve met so many people with many different perspectives—from Scott, the compassionate owner of the Dayville Mercantile in Oregon, to Steele, a bright kid in South Dakota who decided to join us for a lunch.
It will be a while before I can fully comprehend how special this trip is to me. However, I’m beyond grateful for all of the amazing experiences we’ve had thus far. After the trip, I’m sure I’ll reminisce on these days a lot. If tonight’s conversation has reminded me of anything, I hope I remember that it’s never too late to start all over again.