UPdate

Fundraising Update: 

Goal: $25,000 - I decided to create a much larger challenge for myself. Help me to reach it?
Donated to date: $935.00

Days remaining: 102
Donations needed per day to reach the goal: $236

A couple of stories:

40 km

I'll do (almost) anything for donations
 
Last Year's Ride

Hello Stranger!

Well hello there and welcome to my fantastic adventure! You don't know me (yet) but I have a story to tell so settle in and read on.

 Once upon a time, back in 1968, a man & a woman got together.. Uh, not THAT story, THIS story!

I've always been a cyclist. I'm happiest when the wind is blowing in my face, the bugs are lodging in my teeth (grinning while you ride is a great way to get extra protein in the form of little flying creatures), and the world is whizzing by at 12 miles per hour (20 kph) - faster if it's a terrific downhill. My love for cycling started with my first bike back in 1982 - a red & grey, second hand, repainted, banana seated beauty that I received for Christmas and rode EVERYWHERE until I graduated to borrowing my mom's powder blue 3-speed complete with wire basket. From there it was a heavy gold 10-speed and then (how I wish I still had this beauty) a sleek silver ancient Motobécane.The Motobécane hung around for about 8 years before finally giving in, dropping its chain, blowing a tire, and generally falling apart on a long ride. Feeling stranded and betrayed, I opted for a shiny new bike - the Specialized Crossroads - in 1992. You might recognize it from my blog. Yes, it is still around and yes, it is the bike I rode in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer last  year (and probably will again this year unless some nice person donates a more street-wise bike - I'm only 5'3" so something small and fast would be delightful). And that brings us to...
 
My latest adventure started on March 4, 2013 when I leapt off of the cliff named "Doing something MUCH bigger than yourself"which I fondly refer to as The Ride of Insanity. Sounds much better than The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, which is what it is, of course.

I am still not really sure which megrim possessed me to sign up for a 220 km, 2-day bike ride in the hilly area west of Calgary, AB in 2013. Whichever one it was, it grabbed hold of me again this year and I am once again a registered rider.

Now at this point, you may be wondering what this has to do with you. Perhaps you thought that I was putting these wonderful stories out there simply for amusement purposes (though I'm not sure who would be the most amused by them, me or you). But alas, I have a grander scheme in mind. It is my hope that you will find it in your heart to donate to my ride. Yes, you, a total stranger whom I have never met! Why you ask? Because it is THE fashionable thing to do of course! Well, that and you are a really nice person, who feels immense satisfaction simply from knowing that you did a great deed today. See how that works? Oh, and also because I will do (almost) anything for a donation. You'll need to read the post for the full set of "rules" but basically; You make a donation and then a request, I complete the task and then document it with pictures and a blog post. Instant fame for you (or as close as you can get out of a blog)!

Are you up for the challenge? Start by donating here.

40 Already!

It was a glorious day for a ride last night! Can you find MFT on this map? I'll give you a hint: read Sunday's post. ;)

Leaving the house at 5:45, I headed out with the intention of riding 30-40 km and I knew that along with riding MFT, I'd like to ride the wiggly sidewalk that is Ghiry's favorite. The map above does not do the wiggly sidewalk justice as it is the straight looking line on the right hand side of the map. Here is a better picture of it:

After the wiggly sidewalk, I headed down McLeod, through Central Park and into the forest (Spruce Grove Heritage Trail). The Map My Ride app quickly informed me that I had reached the 5 km mark. Whoo Hoo! I was on my way! As I rode, I noticed that everyone was out walking, biking, running, roller blading, etc. I can only assume that everyone in Spruce Grove has spring fever and were curing it by taking in the beautiful weather. As the trail is designed to support all forms of activity, it was a bit tricky maneuvering the walk ways and I was glad to have my bike bell to warn people as I approached from behind.

Make a donation to The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer

Where to next? After exiting MFT onto Grove Drive, I decided to ride West to the Catholic School and then loop back down, through a few neighborhoods, and East all the way to Jubilee park. I thought of my Squishter as I watched a group of men playing Disc Golf in the park. Perhaps Wildwood Disc Golf Course should make a trip up to visit and play on the Jubilee course. All in the name of cultural exchange, of course! I decided to take pass on the housing development due to mud on the roads (road that Sunday, thank you) and head down through Spruce Ridge and across Century Road to Longview and on to Calahoo. I squiggled here and there before hitting MFT again for the last leg of my trip. Having reached 35 km, I figured I had 5 more in me and rode around randomly until I hit 40 km.

I think I'll take Tuesday off from riding to celebrate Earth Day with a photo hike at Chickakoo.

Easter Weekend Rides

Happy Easter weekend and happy spring!

After what has felt like an unending winter, spring is finally here and with it, OUTSIDE bike rides!! :D

2 Rides were completed this weekend and these are their stories:

Ride 1 - the very first, before any others, never happened before today in 2014 - outside ride!

I was ready, the snow had finally melted, the sun was shining (of course the birds were singing) and the bike was chomping at the bit to get out of the house. Not sure of the weather - the weather widget was showing a cool 38 F -  I geared up with my workout shorts, long yoga pants, hiking socks, long sleeved thumb-hole shirt, sweatshirt, winter hat & gloves. Before I set off, I shed the hat & gloves as the sun was shining and it felt warmer than the weather widget had lead me to believe.

I didn't have a route in mind, I figured I'd just ride here and there until I got tired and then go home. I hit the road (or sidewalk as the case my be) and began to head towards the Spruce Grove Heritage Trail where it runs behind Grove Drive between Century and King Streets. I quickly decided to follow the trail west and then North across Grove and into the park. A quick loop around the park and I knew I needed to head to my favorite section of trail that winds through the woods between Grove, McLeod, Jennifer Heil, and Calahoo. Now if only I could remember exactly where the entrance was!

 

 You can see it took me a bit to get there, riding first north, then west and south, and then making a mis-turn and heading east before doubling back and finding my trail! In case there is any question, it is the wiggly trail at the west end of this map from Grove Drive up to where it turns east. THAT is my favorite section of trail. :D I rode for approx 45 minutes before realizing I was going to be late to Easter dinner. So, after a short 12.15 km, I was done. The bike bug has bit and I was already planning on a ride for Easter Sunday. 

Ride 2 - the ride that follows ride 1 but immediate precedes ride 3 & happened on Easter Sunday.

 The sky was looking a bit ominous as I walked the bike out of the house. It was colder today than yesterday as well. I used this as an excuse to wear my never before worn Nike Arm Warmers. Like the leg warmers of the 80's but made out of Nike dry-top material and WAAAAAAY cooler (also black rather than funky colors & not knit). See?

With a warning from Dug to "watch out for loose gravel", I was off! I knew I'd ride my favorite stretch of trail again today but I was also planning to visit the Jubilee Park area of Spruce Grove. When I last rode it in the fall, the housing development that was under construction offered smooth riding surfaces and interesting construction in progress. I wondered how it may have changed. I headed north and then east to find out. Arriving at Jubilee Park, I turned into the housing development at the end of the road. The first thing I noticed... MUD. Construction is alive and well with large vehicles dragging mud all over the roads. Time to kick it into 4x4 and go mudding! Oh, wait, I put skinny slick tires on my bike last summer. Drat! I took it slow and easy along the roads and pathways until I was safely back in Jubilee Park. 

Next I decided to head west to the end of the road. As a side note, I have recently listened to Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane and now every time I say "the end of", I can't help but think my story so much more epic than it really is. ;)

The day was warming up and I was enjoying the sun though the wind was doing its very best to encourage me to try harder. Coming from the north west, it made heading north or west fairly difficult. Reaching "the end", I turned around and headed east on Grove again, stopping to photograph a couple of Easter colored houses (pink & purple) under construction. I suppose I'd have a better time if I stopped taking so many pictures. Reaching Jennifer Heil, I turned south along the Grove Heritage Trail, planning to ride up McLeod and then head north into the woods, picking up my favorite trail (henceforth to be known as MFT) at the top and riding south to Grove and then turning around to ride back up MFT. Pretty sneaky, eh? Getting in 2 passes on MFT! 

I found, however that the tail end of the trail was closed to traffic and so I detoured around through the neighborhoods until I reached the top (south) end of MFT. It is difficult to describe MFT. The weather today was warm but MFT is sheltered by a canopy of pines. Sunlight only filters in through small openings between branches. The air is far cooler on MFT than anywhere else I rode today. It was like riding into a walk in refrigerator, I could almost see my breath as I rode. There is still snow on the ground in several places that the sunlight hasn't reached but because much snow has melted and there was rain last night, the trail smells of fresh earth, pine and balsm, and old rotting wood. It like riding into another world. That is the best I can do, you'll have to come out and ride it yourself to truly experience it. For a small fee, I'm happy to give you a tour! :D

Alas, 1.5 hours and 25.21 km later, I was ready to call it a day and headed home. 

Now, let's not forget why I am riding: to get ready for a 220 km, 2-day bike ride in August. Won't you join me on this adventure by donating to sponsor me? 

In the USA(if you can't use the below link): Crowdrise Fundraiser

In Canada (and everywhere else): Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer

Thanks and see you on the roads!

Will (insert option) For Donations

UPDATE: July 17, 2014 - Sadie (the bike) here just to let you know that I too will do (almost) anything for a donation - Paint myself a different color, add decorations, ride in your town, ride with you, get brave and roll down a very big hill, try my hand at mountain biking, the list goes on and on! Just follow the rules below to make a donation and then email Tammie to let her know what you want me to do!
~Sadie

I'm looking for donations. You want to be amused. Let's combine the two for some epic fund raising!

Here's how it works;

1. Donate to sponsor my ride in the 2014 Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. I'd like to raise $25,000 before the ride. Every donation helps. 

2. Message me with your request - keep it clean, safe, and family friendly. Be creative, I like a challenge!  You can send requests to me by email, on Facebook, Twitter, or right here in the comments section of the blog.

3. I'll write a blog post with picture(s) of the request being completed and highlight your request & you, including links back to your blog, social media accounts, and/or website. Or if you prefer, I'll simply say nice things about you.

I get donations, you get notoriety (or at least a blog post, picture, and bragging rights to something or other)

Win-win!

Let the fun begin!!! 

Bunzilla

Fundraising update:

Goal: $10,000
Donated to date: $435.00

Days remaining: 114
Donations needed per day to reach the goal: $83.9
(of course a larger donation is always appreciated as is a smaller one - many drops of rain will fill a bucket!)

As fund raising is not going quite as quickly as I had hoped, I've enlisted the help of Bunzilla to increase sponsorship. To avoid a visit (and loss of many carrots) from said orange-eyed beast, I suggest donating today.  In the event that a donation cannot be made today, tomorrow will do just fine.

Thank you and enjoy your carrots while you still can. ;)

Fundraising Update

Goal: $10,000
Donated to date: $335.00

Days remaining: 115
Donations needed per day to reach the goal: $84

Will you be my $84 today?
($100 is a nice round number!)

I'd like to take a moment to highlight one of my first donors this year: Westpunt Riders Youth Bike Club in Curacao. That's right, Curacao! A HUGE thanks out to Westpunt Riders for their support of my ride, half a world away. :D

About Westpunt Riders:

Mission statement: To provide for the kids of Curacao to gather together and gain biking knowledge and experience.

Started in 2009, this club gives local kids exposure to the many different biking opportunities on Curaçao. From scenic rides, to technical trails, the kids gain a sense of satisfaction as they finish a ride and help maintain the trails. They participate in races, learn sportsmanship, bike safety, get good exercise and gain a sense of camaraderie with the other club members. The bike club creates structure and responsibility for the kids as they learn to work in a group setting. They are trained to wear proper riding clothes, clean and maintain their bikes and to follow safety procedures so they can get the most out of their biking experience.


Older teens help guide tours for riders. We hope to continue nurturing the community and any help is greatly appreciated.


We are looking for a location in Westpunt to build a facility for club meetings and to store the bikes and gear. For donations of land or a storage container please contact David: 

sunshineisonline@gmail.com
011-599-9-864-0005
Playa Kalki G1A Westpunt, Curaçao

Seeking Donations

Days until the ride: 116
Length of the ride: 220 km over 2 days.

Fundraising goal: $10,000
Raised to date: $215
Daily required donations to reach goal: $86

Will you donate today and help me to reach my goal? In return, I will amuse you with bike stories, dog stories, life stories, recipes for tasty foods, and general musings wherever my mind happens to wander.

http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/nhkayakgirl2014

Here is the story of last year's ride to get you started (after you donate!).  

The bike is ready, can you help me to meet my goal? 

I Love Me

This post is dedicated to my dear darling wonderful baby Squishter who reminded me how important it is to love yourself. Love yourself and treat yourself well. Love yourself and feed your body well. Love yourself and provide your mind with new learning. Love yourself and follow your dreams. Love yourself and have fantastical adventures. Love yourself.

And so, I love me.

1 Egg Omelet Ingredients:

2 - Large Mushrooms, Sliced
1/2 Cup Peppers, Sliced (I like spicy banana peppers)
1/3 Cup Onion, Sliced
1 oz Cheese, Sliced thin (I like cheddar or cheddar jack)
1 pat of butter
1 Egg, Scrambled
Salt & Pepper to taste

Melt butter in a pan, sprinkle in salt & pepper and cook the onions and peppers until soft. Add mushrooms and cook until soft. Remove from pan and set aside.

Pour scrambled egg into pan, allowing to spread across the bottom of the pan. Let cook until top of egg is nearly dry. Loosen from pan and flip in one piece like a pancake. Top with cooked onion, peppers, & mushrooms. Add cheese and fold Egg in half. Allow to cook a couple of minutes on each side, until cheese is melted.

Serve & enjoy!

Help Jes Find Her Bike

As a fellow cyclist and fan of Specialized bikes, I'm asking you to share, share, share and help Jes find her stolen bike - a small Specialized Allez.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/bik/4418540225.html

Positivity

pos·i·tiv·i·ty

[poz-i-tiv-i-tee]

noun, plural pos·i·tiv·i·ties.

 

1. the state or character of being positive.

 

2. something positive. 

 

When I look at the world around me, the news, the trends on social media, the treatment of humanity, by humanity, I am saddened by the lack of positivity in the world. Why must humans put not only each other down but themselves? Is there something inherent in being human that dictates that we must also be self loathing?

Some samples from a community forum: 

"Losing weight is hard. All the cool kids are doing it. I want to be a cool kid some day."

 

"Bad bad bad. So i was clean eating for 11 days . Good i guess. Today i was stressed over exams so i order Japanese food. Tofu terayaki don , salmon terayaki n vege gyzo ( dumpling) . I ate n now i feel really sick, literally. Arghhh hate my self."

 

"What I make mistakes for in food must be made up in exercise and I shall tomorrow morning. Self promise."

 

"Treated myself to some skittles today. I felt so guilty afterwards so I took myself on a walk/jog. I gotta keep telling myself it's ok to treat yourself every now and then."

 

"It's strange how my mom thinks I'm so pretty, when I'm such a wreck. I don't look like a monster anymore. But I look a wreck. I want to change that. I want to be a pretty woman again."

 

Why can't we look to the positive, instead of the negative, every day?  

You are strong. You are beautiful. You are human. You are wonderful. 

I love You.

 

 

Injustice

It saddens me that the world has come to this. At a time when we need strong, caring role models in the lives of our young people, a wonderful woman is being pushed away. (Read her story here) 

This strikes a chord for me as I have been on Facebook for 7 years and, in that time, have "friended" many young people (mostly my son's friends and team mates). Not for nefarious reasons but simply to share with them. I was an unofficial sports photographer for many of them, a neutral friend for a few, and was simply "there" for any who might need to reach out. It still amazes me, to this day, the number of "kids" - all grown up now - who tell me that I was important to them. All I did was be there. It is time we learned to separate the intention of the rule from the page and consider it in the real life application. If she is doing no harm, there is no cause to force her to remove herself from the social media lives of the young people who she obviously means so very much to. It is a sad time for humanity. 

And yes, they could have mad an exception to the rule. When one as exceptional as Carol comes along, exceptions should be made.