Bike School

Apparently Sadie amuses herself online while I am at work. How do I know? 2 days ago she phoned to let me know that she had found a course that she wanted to sign up for:  Bike Repair 201: Shifting, Gearing, Chains & Derailleurs - held at Bikeworks South in Edmonton.

"Oooookay... why?", I asked her.

Sadie informed me that she had gone for the past 23 years not understanding the workings of her own gears, shifters, chain, AND derailleurs and that she felt it was high time she learned.

"Great!", I said and signed us up. Fortunately there was a special 2 for 1 special - the human is $20, the bike is free.

Arriving at Bikeworks South (my second visit here), we were greeted by Keith - our instructor - and 5 other students. If you ever want to take a bike repair course, these are the ones to take. They are affordable, in depth, and the instructor is fantastic.

Sadie quickly hopped onto a bike stand while the humans made introductions.

This was a 3 hour course complete with front & rear derailleur history & functional repair information. Keith (alter ego: Bicycle Repair Man) of Raving Bike Fiend is insanely knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful (except when he is busy breaking your bike!).

After the history lesson on derailleurs was done, we moved on to "How to Tune Your Derailleurs" with a splash of "Cable House Replacement" thrown in when it was determined that the derailleur cable, on the mountain bike we were learning on, was worn and preventing proper shifting.

 

Next up: Bicycle Repair Man breaks our bikes! I think that is known as "repairs in reverse"  The point being to take a functioning derailleur and cause it not to function properly so that it could be fixed - how fun! Keith went from bike to bike, loosening cables, adjusting derailleurs, etc so that we could tune our own bikes. Sadie giggled as her rear derailleur wire was disconnected (it tickled) but sat fairly still as I attempted to reconnect it, adjust the tension, and get her gears changing smoothly. I got a bit perplexed when I had Sadie all back together again but her gears weren't changing smoothly. I'd click the gear shifts while turning the pedals but nothing was happening. Sadie sat on the bike rack, humming to herself, fully aware that I had forgotten to let out the tension before re-connecting the wire. A quick reminder from BRM and I was on my way to disconnecting, letting out the tension, reconnecting, and re-turning Sadie's rear derailleur. Perfect, she was switching gears like a dream. Now on to the front. 

Sadie's front derailleur tends to ride a bit high above the gears, allowing for her chain to hop off to the outside of the gears - a trick she performed beautifully on the last 5 km of The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer last summer. I was not amused. Now, the trick with the front derailleur is to get it lined up parallel with the gears and adjust it so that at each shift, the chain barely kisses the derailleur. Sadie's chain was snuggled up close to the front derailleur and dancing on it as I pedaled. No wonder she makes such a racket! A few turns of the screws and her derailleur was neatly in place, no dancing allowed. Once everything was in place and Sadie was shifting cleanly, I can honestly say I felt quite proud. It isn't nearly as hard as I had imagined, tuning up your own bike! Now if I can find a decent bike stand for my garage...

See the rest of the class pictures here.

Sadie is a 4x4

I rushed home from work this evening to mow the lawn and get in a ride with Sadie. Imagine my dismay when the sky opened up and poured down rain when I had only completed one half of the front lawn! I put away the mower and briefly considered riding in the pouring rain but visions of chaffing danced in my head.

Heading inside, I was met at the door by Sadie, insisting that she is a would love to ride in the rain. I reminded her that when it rains, the roads are slick and the trails become mud. Sadie insisted that she is a 4x4 and can handle it. "Uh huh", I said and offered a compromise - if it stops raining, we'll go for a ride. Sadie took a turn around the living room, her spokey dokes clanging while I headed off to finish the dishes.

An hour later, the rain had stopped and I geared up as Sadie zoomed about the house in anticipation of our ride.We headed for the trails that run through the neighborhoods between King & Calahoo as I knew that sticking to the paved paths over the shale trails would be difficult for Sadie. With a downpour like we had just received, who knew what condition the packed dirt would be in. Sadie zipped along, humming to be out riding in the cool, damp evening while I began to wonder if I was dressed warmly enough and as it started to sprinkle again, should I have worn my rain jacket.

Eager to explore some new terrain, I took a turn into the neighborhood close by The Secret Park. I'd never ridden here but the streets were wide and empty of traffic, just begging to be traveled. After 3km of new roads, I suggested to Sadie that we head to Jubilee park and get the hill out of the way early. She agreed and 3km later, we were rolling through the park and into the Greenbury neighborhood. Still under construction, the freshly paved roads are perfect for riding. And then it happened...

With a squeal of delight, Sadie rolled off of the sidewalk on a tight turn and into a muddy patch. "I'm a 4x4!", she shouted, making it one wheel revolution before sinking her front tire 3 inches deep in the sticky mud. I dismounted and hauled her out, her front tire & brakes now slathered in mud. The below doesn't do it justice as it was taken after returning home but you get the idea.

I groaned and shook my head. "Sadie, what on earth were you thinking?". She giggled, happily throwing gobs of mud from her tires and puddle jumping. "I'm washable", she laughed and off we went again, mud flying and Sadie rolling through every puddle she could find.

20 km later, we ended up at the front door - a shower for both Sadie and myself in order.

La Tour - A Success!

La Tour De Spruce took place on Sunday, May 25th in Spruce Grove, Alberta and was a HUGE success simply because a fabulous time was had by all!

But where did it all begin? Wanting to bring more attention to my participation in The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, I started the "I'll Do (Almost) Anything for a Donation" campaign and La Tour was born on social media - Twitter & Facebook & Meetup - and out of a challenge between 2 cities - Spruce Grove & Stony Plain. You can read the first part of that story here.When I posted the story to Twitter, Spruce Grove Mayor Stu Houston was not to be outdone by Stony Plain's Mayor William Choy. He responded with this:  

Stuart Houston May 5

@nh_kayak_girl Tammy Like to challenge you Special guide tour - Spruce Groves Heritage trail system with The Mayor will donate to your ride.

"Well!", I thought, "You're on!"  It took about a week to pin down a date and time but by May 10th, we had sorted it out. May 25th, Noon - 2pm - a guided bike tour of the trails of Spruce Grove, friends welcome. Here is where the Social Media came in. I Tweet, I Facebook, I Meetup, I Linkin, I Google+ and I decided to use all of the tools at my disposal in an attempt to make this the biggest event that I could, in 2 weeks time. There was a Facebook Event , Several Meetup Group Events like

Hike n Bike Edmonton, Tweets too numerous to count, Blog Posts, invites out to local bike clubs (Devon Cruisers), shops (Shift Happens & Mud Sweat & Gears), & groups (Edmonton Bicycle Commuters), and word of mouth (no link for that, eh?).  And the results?

~25 riders from Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Devon, & Edmonton! Here is our story:

It was a dark and stormy morning, the clouds threatening rain as I drove to park The Dingo at the Tri-Leisure Center. There was little wind but the sky couldn't make up its mind on whether to rain or not. (Note: I may have taken a bit of dramatic license with the stormy part, it was mostly just overcast and spitting down a very tiny bit of rain occasionally.)

I unpacked my bike, geared up, and rode over to the meeting point for La Tour De Spruce - the south end of Superstore's parking lot in Spruce Grove. As I had been unable to sleep, sit still, or contain myself, I arrived just before 11:30am. Imagine my surprise when I found this waiting in the parking lot! Shift Happens & The Devon Cruisers where already here! They had tweeted their intent on coming but I had no idea how many they were bringing. What a fantastic surprise!

As I wandered here and there, taking pictures and shaking hands, more riders began to appear. We had riders coming in from Edmonton, including Amir who RODE HIS BIKE from Edmonton to Spruce Grove, riders from Stony Plain, including Lynn who rode The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer last year, riders from Spruce Grove, Devon, & even as far as Sherwood Park! The Mayor - Stu Houston - arrive & we had introductions (Are you REALLY the Mayor?! - one cyclist exclaimed, obviously unaware of just how much our Mayor loves his city and how he'll do nearly anything to show it off to the world - as well he should!). After a quick overview of why we were all coming together and riding, a group photo was had & we were off!

With planned stops every 4 km, we started the trail as we had mapped it - heading east on McLeod and north into the woods behind Canadian tire. We set a leisurely pace, allowing for conversation and enjoyment of our surroundings. We had mountain bikers, road bikers, race bikers, cruisers, and casual riders in our group. We even had 3 young folks (not that we aren't all young but these 3 ladies are under 18). Within the first 2 km, we had our first flat tire of the day. Out came the pump but it was determined to be a leak at the stem. And so we lost a rider with a promise to meet up with us again at 2pm.

The shale trails were in peak packed condition for all types of bikes and the weather was beautiful. Overcast with a touch of sun peeping out now and again. There were flowers along the marshy areas of the trail and the trees were in full bud. We soon arrived at the trails that lead behind Central Park and the back side of the Agrena where The Spruce Grove Life & Leisure Expo was in full swing. Doubling back the way we had come, through the forest but taking the paved trails this time, we headed for the bike tunnel & the "broken trail" with the new wooden bridge. This section of trail is under construction but will soon be complete and leads to a sidewalk into the Jesperdale neighborhood.

Taking to the streets, we headed for the Calahoo Road Roundabout (traffic circle) and into the Longview neighborhood. One of the amazing things about the Spruce Grove Heritage Trail System is that it winds through the woods, along main roads, and through residential neighborhoods and parks.  You can always get there from here, as the saying should go in this case. We next rode through Fairway Park, across Grove Drive - continuing straight on the trail through a tiny green park and took a right toward "The Secret Park". If you want to know where this beautiful hidden gem is, email me.

We left The Secret Park and headed east along the trail, crossing Century Road to the Greystone neighborhood and turned left to Grove Drive, took a right on Grove and followed the trail into Jubilee Park where the Mayor had a cooler of Gatorade waiting for us (stashed safely in his truck)! A break here was much appreciated by all as we were to experience the only real hill climb of the ride when we left Jubilee Park and headed west, back up Grove Drive.

We experienced one more small bike issue on the way up the hill - a mountain bike that decided to stick its gears and refused to do anything but be walked. Silly bike, does it not know how much fun a hill is to ride? :)  Crisis averted when the gears began to cooperate again and we rode west towards the Jennifer Heil and our final destination - The Tri-Leisure center for a prize draw, a slow-mo bike race in the parking lot (Pepper won!), and popsicles.

Our route this day took us 23.26 which is about the length of each "leg" between pit-stops during The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. The whole ride is 220 km and pits are every 20 - 30km. Every one of our La Tour De Spruce riders should be very proud of themselves for their completion of this journey!

If you would like to ride La Tour De Spruce route, you can follow the map below or email me  & I would be happy to take you on a tour of the amazing resource available in Spruce Grove - the Spruce Grove Heritage Trail. We can duplicate La Tour De Spruce or I can create a more or less challenging ride for you.

Special thanks out to:

Mayor Stu Houston - Twitter & Facebook  - for leading La Tour De Spruce & for procuring 2 all-inclusive passes for West Edmonton Mall for the prize draw!

Mud Sweat & Gears - Twitter & Facebook - for donating a Bronze Bike Tune up & a Water Bottle for the prize draw!

Devon Cruisers Club - Facebook - for bringing out your beautiful bikes (Bamboo & Nora!) & the amazing folks who ride them (Mark, Kelly, Jocelyn, Holly, Jeff (and I am a bad bad person for not remembering everyones' names)! I'll see you on Wednesday night at 7pm for the next Themed Cruise!

Shift Happens Bike Repair (and now selling bikes!) - Facebook - for coming out to ride (Judy & Pepper) and for transporting the Devon Cruisers' bikes! Can't wait to see your shop when I come out to Bike Town!

NOW! Radio Trucksicle - Twitter - for supplying post-ride popsicles with @Sassy_Cassey  & @NOWCourtneyPop!

Hike n Bike Edmonton - Meetup - for providing Colleen, Evi, Keith, & Amir!

The Boxing Club - Website - for sending Bobbi, John, & Taylor to ride with us! 

Please remember to donate to The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer as I'll be riding 10x the length of La Tour De Spruce in August and need all the help I can get!

Picture album here: NOTE: Some photos were taken by Devon Cruiser Club members, I've tried to mark them and welcome an email with names so I can give proper credit.

La Morning of La Tour

5:37 am - Wide awake and not sure why. Oh wait, today is La Tour De Spruce!!! ARGH! Must have some more sleep - willed myself back to sleep. The plan was to sleep in until 7. I say was because...

6:13 am - Wide awake and there is no way in heck I am getting back to sleep. La Tour De Spruce is today!!!!!!!!!!!!! What to do? What to do? It's far too early to mow the lawn - neighbours might lynch me before I can get it done. And then where would I be? I think I'll check Facebook & Twitter and see what is going on in the world this morning (or evening as the case may be in Australia).

6:50 am - And I'm up. Hmmmm, still too early to mow the lawn. Time for some social media posts. After all... La Tour De Spruce is TODAY!!!! Must let Tweeps, Followers, & ( what do you call us on LinkedIn?) Linkees know that the ride is on!!! Zip, Tweet, Zap, Zoom! It is done.

7:30 am - in need of moral support (or at least too darn wound up to contain myself and must talk to someone) I call my Couzster (cousin who I love like a sister) in Alabama. La Tour De Spruce is today, I sing. She is so excited for me too! :D We chat a bit about how the ride came to be; social media, a rivalry between city & town, a desire to do something more & meet new people. Blah blah blah I can't give you all of our secret girl musings, your head might implode! :D 

8:05 am - The potatoes, carrots, & eggs are boiling for a BBQ that I've been invited to this evening. Still way too early for lawn mowing. I've only seen 1 neighbour and no cars on my street. I think the unwritten rule says 9am might be ok. Time to pack the bag. Water and nutrients into the Camelbak - pop that into the fridge. Sort out my "business" cards for La Tour De Spruce (which is today) and pack the draw slips for the prize give away. 

8:20 am - Pack the prizes; 2 framed prints, a bronze bike tune up from Mud Sweat & Gears, a bike water bottle, a bike bell, 3 pants leg straps in fabulous colours, and a couple of odds and ends for the kids (I hope there are kids today!!!). 

8:45 am - Must remember to eat before La Tour De Spruce (that is happening today) - Chocolate Cherry Pineapple Banana Spinach Yogurt Smoothie should do the trick!!!! 

9:00 am - Sitting on the front porch drinking said smoothie and blogging for your amusement (and so I don't lose my mind while waiting for it to be time for La Tour De Spruce). 

SEE YOU AT                        LA TOUR DE SPRUCE!!!!!!!!!!

La Tour Prep

With La Tour De Spruce only a day away, I figured I would nail down the "stop & regroup" points of the ride. I'd done a bit of drawing on the paper map, comparing it with the ride from Wednesday night, and came up with a stop every 4 - 5 km. Looked good on paper so I hopped on the bike this morning to map it out with the Map My Ride app but not before gearing Sadie out with a borrowed GoPro to compliment her existing Nike cell pocket. Such a leap forward in technology!And when I say "Hopped on the bike" I mean, threw it in the back of the Dingo and drove over to the start to hop on.

I arrived at the Superstore parking lot in Spruce Grove to find barely a soul stirring at 9am. This bodes well for Sunday as I've since driven through the lot in the afternoon and the top (south) end is still fairly empty. Plenty of room for cyclists tomorrow! Starting my app, off I went. I found the trails, that we had ridden Wednesday, fairly easily so anyone who is worried about getting lost, just stick with me or Mayor Stu. We both know where the heck we are going.

Although there was a race or fun run going on this morning, I saw few runners and, for the most part, had the trails to myself. The first spot that I planned for a stop was 4km in. Not a bad distance and plenty of room for bikes to congregate. Off to the next planned stop - not bad, falls in somewhere around the 8 km mark. Hmmmm, and makes sense to stop here as there is a bit of a "hidden" path to find. That will work! Off again towards the next stop. This one is dear to Mayor Stu's heart. We'll call it the secret park and I think you are all going to love it too. I never even knew it was there. This stop takes place at the 12 km mark. Heading east towards the next stop, I made it to Jubilee Park and something didn't feel right. Hopping off the bike, I heard it - PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Yup, a flat.

 

My rear tire was leaking loudly and was flat, flat, and flat. The thoughts running through my head went something like: "Huh! Now how on earth did that happen? What am I going to do? DRAT! My Dingo is all the way back across town at Superstore (my house is MUCH closer to Jubilee than Superstore is). MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! WHAT am I going to do?  ERRRRR, I guess I can try to change it. I do have a spare tube & levers and I did get a lesson from United Cycle last year when they hosted the Enbridge Rider to Conquer Cancer riders for bike night. Can I do that? Well, why not? Okay, I'm going to change my tire!"

And so I plunked down on the grass and started to disassemble Sadie's rear axel and remove the wheel. 

I have to say, I am quite pleased with myself. I remembered everything that nice young bike mechanic showed us and even checked for the source of the flat by running my fingers around the inside of the tire - all the time holding my breath that I wasn't going to impale my finger on something stuck in the tire. I didn't! :) It was a bit more of a project than I had counted on when the pump kept taking off the nib on the end of the tube spout and I kept having to blow up the tire again. Fortunately, in the end, I got enough air in to finish the ride and head back to Superstore to retrieve my Dingo and make a pit stop at Mud Sweat & Gears for a review of my work. THANK YOU GUYS!!!

I tracked the ride at just over 20 km (maybe 21) and now that the flat is out of the way, tomorrow should be a fantastic day! Don't forget to fill out your draw slip before we head out of the parking lot. I've got some great prizes for after the ride. :)

Sunday May 25th

Superstore Parking lot - Spruce Grove

110 Jennifer Heil Way

11:45 am meet time - 12:00 pm start time

Ride: La Tour De Spruce

20-25 km at an easy pace - suitable for kids

POPSICLES!! 

We will be met by the NOW! Radio Trucksicle after the ride for free popsicles

Pre-La Tour De Spruce Ride

I met with Spruce Grove Mayor, Stu Houston for a trail mapping ride of the route for Sunday's ride. This would be my first meeting with the Mayor as we'd managed all of the planning on Twitter & Facebook so far. Social media at its best! Stu recommended meeting at Second Cup in Spruce Grove which is right in front of the parking lot where we are meeting on Sunday to start La Tour De Spruce.

I arrived promptly at 3:55 pm, ready to go but Stu had a surprise in mind. He suggested we step inside Second Cup to check out the route he had mapped out and to sample a London Fog. I've never had one but let me tell you that I will be having more! What is a London Fog, you ask? Well, it looks like the below and as far as I can tell it is an Earl Gray tea (Hello Captain Picard!) with plenty of steamed milk and a bit of sweetness - aka: heaven!

We got out the map and had a look. The Mayor had done his homework! The route he had selected traverses many of the areas where I have ridden but there was quite a bit that I had not seen before. Most of my rides are random, go where the Megrims take me. I've never actually looked closely at a Spruce Grove Trail Map. I cannot believe the many trails that I have missed! Here is what we discussed riding tonight & for La Tour De Spruce:

In agreement that this looked like a fantastic route to scope out, the Mayor & I grabbed our bikes and set off!

We rode out of the Superstore parking lot and onto McLeod Ave (that bottom left section of the map above. We headed right on McLeod for a short distance and then took a left into the forest. This area I was familiar with until we reached the 1km mark and veered off to the right along the "shale" trails. These beautiful orange/red trails are a wonderful color contrast to the green grass that grows along the trail and are hard packed enough for a street bike. They offer a wonderful nature ride through the forest.

And that is all the teaser that you get before Sunday's ride! I'll leave it at: It was a fantastic ride that will be tweaked just a bit from the above/below maps - an easy 20-25 km over 2 hours with a visit by the NOW! Radio Trucksicle for Popsicles at the end! If you want info on attending: click here.

Sunday May 25th

Superstore Parking lot - Spruce Grove

110 Jennifer Heil Way

11:45 am meet time - 12:00 pm start time

Ride: La Tour De Spruce

20-25 km at an easy pace - suitable for kids

POPSICLES!! 

We will be met by the NOW! Radio Trucksicle after the ride for free popsicles

Snark Gulls

Back in the days that I worked in grocery stores, we had a name for high-level managers who would make the rounds of the stores in their regions - Sea Gulls. They tended to swoop in, point out everything that was wrong (S#!* on you), and fly away.

Today, it would appear, the Sea Gull has been replaced with the Snark Gull and they are EVERYWHERE!

Maybe it started with "Said no one ever". Remember that? It was a huge phase for a while. Though not used as frequently now, it is still in use to convey a snarky attitude towards an activity, object, group of people, etc.  So what is a Snark Gull, you ask? They fly in on social media sites, snark on something, and fly away. People go about their day doing what they do best - posting (usually mundane) posts. Poor unsuspecting users. And then SNARK!

Let's take the folks who use apps like Nike Running, Map My Ride, & Strava. Perhaps it is because these apps haven't been around as long as the likes of instagram or perhaps it is because these apps depict the user as an active person, or perhaps it is just because, but post an update from one of these apps and SNARK! here comes a Snark Gull to let you know know that they don't care how far you have run, biked, hiked, walked, whatever (and typically adding that no one else does either), and then they are gone. No response to comments, DM's, @'s, or the like. They came, they snarked, they left.

Now why does no one snark on instagram, I wonder? Is it because instagram posts pictures and pictures are the very fabric of social media (along with status updates)? Isn't an app post a status update?

Personally I think it is part of a bigger problem - the "look at me, I'm hip, I'm cool, I'm snarky, I'm a mean person" syndrome. The race to get to the top of the snark pile. The "look good by putting others down" mentality that we labor under. Isn't it time we stopped snarking and started treating our fellow human beings the way that we want to be treated? As with every phase, snarking will be gone sooner or later. Let's hope sooner. My response to the snark: Map My Yardwork - and like it!

(Insert SNARK! below - in the comments section).

La Tour De Spruce

What: A 2 hour guided bike tour through pristine forests, spacious parks, & trails - intermingled with Modern Urban Development in the City of Spruce Grove - lead by Spruce Grove's Mayor Stuart Houston.

Date: Sunday May 25th

Time: Meet at 11:45am - Ride until 2:00pm

Where: Meet at the South end of Superstore Parking Lot - Spruce Grove.
             End at the South end of Tri-Leisure Center Parking Lot - Spruce Grove

What to bring: Yourself, your bike, your family & friends (please remember to bring your safety gear/helmet)

Why:  1. Biking is fun!
           2. Learn about the amazing Spruce Grove Trail System - you really MUST see it!
           3. Support a local Spruce Grovian in her Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer.
           4. Everybody loves popsicles!

Fun extra: We will be met by the NOW! Radio Trucksicle at the end of the ride for popsicles! 

Mothers' Day Ride - Take 2!

It all began on Twitter. Quite a bit seems to be beginning on Twitter these days. Perhaps it is the new Facebook? Anywho...

I managed to follow several new cycling related people and groups on Twitter, including Deb who organizes the Critical Lass - Cyclofemme rides in Edmonton, Alberta. Seeing an older tweet about the ride, I sent of a query about upcoming rides and was happily, a ride was coming up! This is that ride...
 
We met  at 3pm at The Garneau Lamppost. Keeping in mind that I know very little about Edmonton, The Garneau Lamppost sounded very exotic. I had to use my map program to figure out where the intersection was and still didn't recognize it. If you know Edmonton at all, it's on the corner of 109th St. & 88th Ave - still Greek to me! However, if someone had said, "at the end of the high-level bridge on the corner where Red Bike is", I would have known EXACTLY where that is and I'm proud to say, I can even get there without a GPS! :) And now back to the ride...

It was still a beautiful day, the temps hovering above 55 F (15 C ish) and barely a cloud in the sky. There were 9 of us, counting Robert who is 4 and had the best seat of the ride.

The route was discussed and it was decided we would ride west on 88th ave, out to Saskatchewan Drive to Groat Road to 76th Ave where we would stop in at Gracious Goods Cafe on the corner of 115th st. before heading on to Bikeworks South's new shop over on 102nd street & then back to start. Not knowing the area, I was game for following wherever we might end up as long as we got back to start!

We headed out with Karen leading the way as it helps to maintain a minimum speed with her Madsen bike & trailer to prevent her tipping over and spilling her wonderful cargo, Robert. :D

I'll admit to being a bit nervous about riding in Edmonton. I've never ridden in a big city (with nearly 1 Millon people, Edmonton is HUGE to me), my only though being, I hope I don't get run over! Rest assured (spoiler alert) I did not get run over at any point during the ride. Lucky for you as my getting run over would most likely be very detrimental to future blog posts. I'm just saying.

Riding around the outside of the University of Alberta, you are at the top edge of the "cliff" overlooking the North Saskatchewan River. It is a beautiful view down into the river valley and across the river. There are actually walking/hiking trails in this area too that I would recommend checking out.

I would also recommend that you drive south on Saskatchewan Dr. and check out the many big and interesting houses on your left - That is if you can drive south, if not, drive north and the houses will be on your right. Funny how that works, isn't it?

It was a leisurely half hour (or so) ride around to Gracious Goods and I enjoyed chatting with Hannah and Selene along the way. Once we arrived, Shamin was kind enough to lock my bike up with hers while we were inside the cafe. Note to self: Buy a bike lock if you are going to visit the big city and ride your bike about, stopping in cute little cafes and the like. Otherwise, your bike may be stolen. Ah, duly noted, thank you self!

The food (I had a yogurt parfait - everybody loves parfait) & drink at Gracious Goods Cafe was enjoyed by all (the atmosphere is relaxed and inviting and I'll need to visit again soon) and a half hour or so later, we headed on our way, continuing down 76th Ave to Gateway Blvd north, down 1 block or 2 of Whyte Ave, and onto 102 St. Tucked away on the back corner of 102 st & 80th ave is Bikeworks South!

Think bicycle factory a la Willy Wonka's factory. Bright colors, racks of vintage bikes, for sale or rent, in a rainbow of colors, and parts galore, lining the walls.

Bikeworks is operated by Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society and is where you can not only purchase a vintage beauty, they will also teach you how to repair and maintain said treasure (newer bikes available as well)!! The shop is not quite open yet but the super friendly staff (I believe they are all volunteers) welcomed us in to tell us a bit about Bikeworks and their offerings. Needless to say, the photographer in me was giddy about the wall of parts and will probably head back there just to take some more photos. Here is a favorite from the day.  ------>


Our visit over, we soon parted ways. Hanna having left us before we arrived at Bikeworks, Selene, Adele, & I didn't catch her name (eek!) staying on at Bikeworks for a bit, Karen, Robert, Shamin, and I headed around the block to 101 street, across 82nd Ave (Whyte ave - an ave well worth checking out when you have time), west on 83rd Ave, then 84th Ave until we zipped up 110th street to drop me at 87th Ave, where I was parked.

We said our goodbyes and each headed our own way, promising to do this again soon. Looking forward to the next sunny Sunday ride around Edmonton & thank you for getting me safely back to start. ;)

Mothers' Day Ride

Sunday, May 11th, 2014 - Mothers' Day Ride (well, I am a mother afterall!).

I had set the alarm for 5:00am with the intention of hitting the road by 6 but 5am is awful early when it arrives! I managed to slide out from under the covers by 5:30 and make it out the door around 6:50am. My goal was to ride at least 40km (so far my longest training ride this year) and be done by 9 as I had a 10am meeting planned. That would give me just over 2 hours riding and if I could keep a pace of 20km an hour, I would be good. I bundled up against the 34 degree F weather (1 C) and was off. Gear included bike shorts under long pants, long-sleeve dry top under short sleeve dry top with Bike Sleeves (I LOVE THEM!), all under fleece top, and gloves.

The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky. Nor were there any people in site! One of the interesting things about Spruce Grove is that early morning rides (on weekends) are like riding through an abandoned town. Everyone seems to sleep in. Not a bad thing, I love having the trails & roads to myself. I promptly headed through the forest and towards MFT (see if you can find it on the map above), opting to ride by MFT and explore one of the newest developments on the west end of the trail system. As I rode, I began formulating my ride plan. I tend to decide where to ride as I ride, heading wherever the Megrims take me.

After riding the new development I headed further west, into the area of the Tri-Leisure Center and then north west towards the Catholic High School. I tend to ride around in neighborhoods, finding my way from neighborhood to neighborhood when the Heritage Trail links them up or riding back out to Grove Drive to move on to the next neighborhood. Once I reached the high school, I decided I'd make my way to Jubilee park, on the far end of Grove Drive, and see if the mud was dried up and cleaned off of the roads in the Greenbury development. I enjoy riding the new developments as the roads are typically new and smooth and there is very little traffic on weekends. This is a photo of my bike's tire 2 weeks ago after riding through Greenbury:

No repeat this weekend, the roads were clean and dry! It was starting to warm up so I ditched the gloves, bike sleeves, and fleece as I enjoyed the sun on my face. A quick stop for a picture of the beautiful spring sky and I was on my way west again towards the Greystone Neighborhood. I've only ridden this area once before so it was "ride and see where you end up" for the next half hour or so.

As I was keeping a good pace between 19.5 - 20 km per hour, I decided I would push for 50 km - a 2.5 hour ride. I had not yet hit MFT or 50 km yet so back to the woods I went! Only 2 other people on the section of MFT though I did see 2 young rabbits and several red squirrels.

I'd brought along my Camelbak with some protein in it and although I'd had a tasty smoothie before heading out, I was feeling the tiredness in my legs from pushing for a longer ride. But I stuck with it and completed the 50 km. You can see the loop that connects start to finish in the map. That is where I was riding around waiting for the Map My Ride app to announce 50 km. :D The end of any goal ride is usually loops around my neighborhood until the selected kilometerage is reached.

Time to pack up and head out to visit a friend and then later into Edmonton for a ladies only bike ride in the city. Stay tuned for another story because yes, I am just crazy enough to take the bike out for a second ride in one day. :D

Spruce Grove Cycling Event

Join me on Sunday, May 25th, 2014 from Noon - 2:00pm for a bike tour of the Spruce Grove Heritage Trails led by Mayor Stuart Houston.

Start at the parking lot of Second Cup, Superstore, etc in Spruce Grove - be there at 11:45am. 

It all started on Twitter  - you can follow the conversation here.

Join the event via Facebook here.

Dust off your bike and come out on Sunday, May 25th from Noon to 2:00 for a bike tour of the Spruce Grove Heritage Trail in support of Tammie MacDearmid Garcia's Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer fundraiser!

Tour will be lead by Mayor Stuart Houston who has promised a donation towards the ride and Frozen Yogurt after the ride. Who doesn't love frozen yogurt! :)

Info on the Enbridge Ride & Fund Raiser can be found here.

Bring your bike, yourself, and your friends & let's make this a fantastic day on the trails!

Ride & Update

The ride: Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer

Distance: 220 km over 2 days

Location: Calgary, AB to Okotoks, AB and back again! 

The Goal: $25,000

Raised to date: $1,210

Days left for fundrasing: 93

KM's ridden outside to date:  105 (65.1 miles)

Why I rode last year: Why I Ride Blog Post

Why I ride this year: 

I ride for those who have been touched by cancer. 

For those who survived, for those who did not, for those who are still fighting, 

and for those who love them. 

I ride for me as well. 

I ride to be a part of something bigger than myself. 

I ride to make a difference.

And so, with a beautiful sky overhead, I set out for a ride last evening. As Sadie (my bike) has been in the shop for her annual tune up, I was fortunate to have the use of a friend's bike. Having ridden no other bike for the past year or 5, I was excited to try out a different bike. I'd had Sadie's tires replaced with street slicks last summer and this bike had knobby tires. Would it feel different to ride? I'd also been using clip in pedals for some time now and these were clip less. Would I notice a difference? Was there really a truth to the superiority of clip-ins? Let's find out! I added air to the tires, threw on my sneakers (runners), and headed out.

I'll fondly refer to the borrowed bike as "the Beast". I hopped on and off we went. The first thing I noticed was the seat adjustment quick release lever was sticking out at just the perfect location to whack me in the leg on every revolution. Easy enough to fix: hop off, adjust the seat, adjust the tightness, crank that quick release in tight and off we go again! I often find myself adjusting Sadie's seat during rides so no big deal. Now on to gear shifts...  The Beast has handlebar gear shifts that twist forward and back. Sadie has gear shifts that consist of 2 switches on each handlebar, one for up and one for down. A quick press of the switch and her gears change. I've never used a twist shift and wondered if there was some trick to it, other than simply twisting forward or back. I felt like I was throttling a motorcycle (couldn't resist throwing in a couple of VROOOM VROOOOM's while shifting). I'm still not sure I had it right and every "click" of the shifter had me wondering if I was breaking something. More practice needed!

Hmmmm, where to ride? Not knowing the bike well, I chose to stick around the neighborhood. I started slow, out to the trail and up Century, heading towards Ghiry's favorite wiggly trail. Somethign wasn't right. The bike felt like it was riding over a series of ruts (speed bumps!), bump, bump, bump. Hmmmm, odd, maybe the sidewalk is much rougher than I thought and the knobby tires brings it out. I decided to forgo the sidewalk for the back ally roads for a flatter ride. Bump, bump, bump, it continued. Now I'm off and checking out the bike. Are the wheels tight? Is the brake catching on one of the tires? What on earth? I found that both the front and back tires on The Beast are "flat", not in pressure but in shape. Oddest thing I've ever seen. They are on the rim, they are inflated, and they are flat! I decided to cut short the ride and headed home after only 4km and a bruised bum. Okay, I might be exaggerating the bruised bum. :D

As soon as I walked in the door, Ghiry was waiting to tell me that a walk is better than a ride any day - mainly because he can go too - and that we should go. I neglected to start the tracking app for him but we did a 1.5 hour loop along the Spruce Grove trails that wind through the forest and down to Grove Drive. An hour and a half well spent and one tuckered pup later, we were home for the evening.

NOTE: Sadie is now back and ready to ride. Stay tuned and in the meantime, donate to keep me on track with my fundraising efforts!

A Tale of 2 Cities

This tale begins on Twitter. Didn't know that Twitter could tell a tale, did you? :)

It started here - keep in mind that I am a brat and I just can't help myself when a challenge seems imminent. 

William Choy is Mayor of Stony Plain. His tweet on April 21st made note of the trail system in Stony and the fact that (his opinion) it is #alwaysbetterinstony. WELL! Being a Spruce Grovian myself, I could not let that pass. :D I quickly responded that the Spruce Grove Heritage trail wasn't half bad and that perhaps a side by side comparison was in order. @wchoy74 responded that he was happy that Spruce Grove was so nice but that it is #alwaysbetterinstony. Hmmmmm, out came my thinking cap and I offered a challenge - Donate to my ride and I would come over to Stony, ride the trails, and write it up (Fits in with "I'll do (almost) Anything for a Donation").

Would you believe it? William Choy did donate to my fundraiser! And true to my word I rode the trails of Stony Plain and here is my tale:

Tuesday, April 29th, 5pm. I'm not familiar with the trail system in Stony Plain and so I've asked a friend to point me in the right direction. His recommendation is that I enter the St. Andrews Neighborhood and access the trail system there, across from the baseball diamonds. I knew the general area and after some conferring whilst standing outside the office building, I felt confident that I could find the start that I was looking for. Bike loaded, gear on (always wear a helmet, kids!), and water bottle filled, I headed South/West into Stony. Locating the trail head, I was pleased that it was situated directly next to a park, complete with small dirt parking area. Bonus! In Spruce I ride out of my front door and so have no need for parking so it was a pleasant surprise to find it so readily available in Stony and right were I needed it. I unloaded the bike and hit the trail (see below)

And so it begins...

While I live in Spruce, I work in Stony but have had little opportunity to explore the town. Today was my chance. I headed South on the trail, noticing straight off how very friendly everyone was. The trails were busy on this beautiful day and everyone, young and older than young, had a pleasant smile and "hello" for me as I zipped by. :D I was enjoying this already!

Things I noticed along the way;

1. The trials run along a water way and while it may be only a "ditch" for spring run off, I do love the sound of running water. There were also several interesting bridges crossing this water at intervals and painted in various colors. Very picturesque.

2. The trail crossed a few too many roadways for my liking. That being said, I was riding "blind" without knowing where the trail may lead and in all fairness, not really sure where I was going. I'll be heading back to Stony for future rides & will be armed with a map of the trials.

3. I got lost - or rather, I lost the trial. I was riding to see where I could go but when I got to the school (St. John Paul) at the south end of town, I simply lost the trial. It was gone, vanished in a parking lot. I rode around a bit to the west, thought I picked up the trail again, and then found myself coming around to the Multicultural Center. At least I knew were I was at that point and headed back the way I had come, all the way back to start - or nearly so.

4. My tires are not made for off roading. While zipping along a narrow offshoot of the trail, close to the golf course, I slipped off the track and scared the bazeebees out of myself. No fault of Stony Plain, just an early spring ride and my own inexperience with road slicks on slippery leaves. :) Onward!

5. Once I did locate the trail south of Stony (South/East of the aforementioned school), the ride was B-E-A-U-tiful! I stuck to the green lined track so as not to get lost but later realized I didn't have anything to worry about - the track that wasn't green lined just dipped in and out of neighborhoods. The ride through the wood was wonderful. My favorite type of ride, away from traffic (cars) and through nature. Popping out onto 628 I road past the prettiest part of my ride (I have a thing for trees, stone walls, etc):

Conclusion: I enjoyed my ride and will be back to Stony Plain to ride again as I don't believe that I have seen it all and am not yet armed to make a fair comparison of the 2 trail systems. Lucky you, there will be future reports!

Stay tuned and in the meantime, enjoy the map of my ride - 23 km! The loop to the left of 779 is where I was while I was lost. ;)

Happy 70th Birthday, Nonna!

Dear Nonna (Mom, Begonia, Diane, Ma, Mother, Mummy),

You we're born 70 years ago today - May 4th, 1944. I always thought that it was neat that you were born on the 4th in 44. Of course, I didn't meet you until I was born in 1970 but since then you have shown and taught me many things. I'll ask you to forgive me if I meander from here to there as 44 years can contain a lot, though not quite as much as 70! When I look back over the years that I've known you, here is what I see:

You were responsible for my love of bunnies. No, don't try to deny it, you gave me a bunny when I was a wee girl and it stuck. I am hopelessly incurable when it comes to bunnies. I must grin and squeal with joy and, if at all possible, pet the silly little creature! See? Here is the proof of your deed:

My first bunny!

You've always been an adventurer! I recall stories from my childhood of your traveling to California after college. Although the trip didn't go exactly as planned, you had the courage to set off from Massachusetts and go to California. California!!!!! Way over THERE on the map. Even where you went to college was an adventure in my young mind. You went to Ohio and to a 10 year old, Ohio is a remote and exotic location. No wonder I got the wandering travel bug! And where have your travels taken you? MA, ME, VT, NY, NJ, RI, CT, MD, AR, FL, SC, LA, KY, OH, CA, CO, VI, DC, HI, US Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Ontario, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and so many more places to go still! Italy in 2015? Let's go!!! Oh, did I mention that I'm an adventurer too? Maybe the fact that I packed up my bags (house) and moved to Alberta, Canada gave that away. But I would never have done it without your encouragement and belief in me.

Nonna in Ireland!

Oh, and who do you suppose instilled in me a love of gardening? Yeah, that would be you. From the tomatoes that I wasn't allowed to "touch" in Colorado, to the many acres in Maine, to the small patches in Concord and wherever you lived, to the Delphinium of Insanity in your flower bed, there was always something growing. Veggies, flowers, fruits... How did this manifest itself in my life? Right, can't help myself, must plant plants and nurture them, making sure they are happy, get them to pose for photos, and marvel in their beauty... On a daily basis! I'm an addict, thanks to you!

The garden in Colorado - don't touch the tomatoes!!!

Let's talk about community spirit, giving back, and caring for others. I'm beginning to think that you wrote the book and in a word that book is "Quilts". There are quilts for sick folks, quilts for babies, quilts for fundraisers, Quilts of Valor, and quilts for family. Your quilts give comfort, they bring a smile (or 10), they provide warmth in more ways than one! And that is only getting started! There have been trips to Zimbabwe, Connecticut, & Louisiana for Habitat for Humanity - every time I think of another thing you have done, I have to go back to the top and update the places your adventures have taken you! And you took me along as well - we built houses in CT, we sewed quilts for fundraisers, we volunteered at fairs and functions, we sold tickets for raffles, We even volunteered at Servv (A Greater Gift) in MD on a soccer trip! We gave our time and energies and we gave back. In return we got. We got warm fuzzies and a sense of pride, a feeling of accomplishment. Thank you for those lessons in giving. 

Habitat for Humanity - rebuilding houses after Katrina.

You dug into the past. You are fascinated with history - whether family history (genealogy) or physical history (archaeology), you love it! Digging in Durham:

Oyster River, NH Dig

Visiting history in Boston - The Freedom Trail:

Freedom Trail - Boston, MA

Floating history - USCG Barque Eagle: 

USCG Barque Eagle - 3 masted coast guard ship

And it wasn't limited to visiting history, though we have visited a fair few sites, it includes reading, researching, digging (literally as well), and reporting. Surely my love of history and writing comes from you. Your reports on the First Parish Church & early Dover, NH are fun & informative. Your joy at digging up a treasure (even if it is simply an ancient nail) is infectious.

Let's visit family now. You come from a large family (here is a small sample):

And that is only the brothers and sisters (in-laws too) and maybe a nephew or 2!

But it isn't the size that counts - it's the memories made - Thanksgivings with cousins, aunts, & uncles, Christmas with grand parents when we were young and then the traveling family Christmas tradition when we were older (my house, Grandma, Cindy's house, Kerry's house & home again), vacations on the lake, family reunions at Gayle B's, football on The Green, camping with cousins (yes, you Gayle), 4th of July in NY, & family beach days, hiking trips, camping trips, soccer trips, a "girls' vacation to FL", and so much more. You can't choose the family that you are born to but you can learn from them, love them as they are, and enjoy the strengths that they each offer. And it has been a joy to watch you with your grandchildren.

They've grown over the years, haven't they?




You've always smiled and in smiling shown me how to deal with adversity. Not that I have always followed your example, children can be that way, but you have never had the "easy street" and yet as I look back over the past 44 years, you have always smiled. You've shown me that there is joy in the little things (plants anyone?) and I've grown to appreciate a phone call, a beautiful sky, a small thoughtfulness, and every tiny blessing in my life. 

You are silly! You are 70 years old and SILLY beyond belief! But I wouldn't change it for a second. I would never dream of telling you to act your age because you already do. My sense of humor comes from you. Guessing what cats are saying, giggling over a game of "Guess the Word" during dinner (the word was "Hickey"), laughing at the silly little things that happen every day. Thank you for making me laugh when I look back on my life.

I could go on and on, there are so many things that make up you & they are all wonderful. But instead I'll leave you with an album of moments, a giant HUG, and an I LOVE YOU! <3

Happy 70th Birthday, Mom. :D