cycling from Seattle 2017

Home. So Boxed the bike up at David and Brenda's home. Bit of effort getting the pedals off, but managed. Taxi on Tuesday morning to the airport, where I left the bike in the very reasonably priced left luggage for the day. Checked in with Icelandic air, outsize luggage right next to check in desk, so no manovering box through airport. Changed planes in Rekeyvik  Arrived and collected box in Glasgow.     Reasembeled bike outside Glasgow airport, snapped front brake cabel, human error (my fault), cycled along the flat carefully, as no front brake to Paisley train station, then on to Glasgow Queen street. Keith met me in Inverness.      Have cycled a recorded  4173 miles always a bit down as minor trips to for example grocery store in the evening are not always included. Statistics on nights stayed where and states milage will follow.

41 miles back to Mississauga Back along the waterfront trail making sure I take it all in! The twists the turns, the boardwalks over the marsh areas, and the Saturday recreational cyclists, walkers and multiple users of the winding trail. Staying at a warmshowers with Dave and Brenda, who are very kindly putting up with me for 3 nights until my plane on Tuesday. Dave repairs cycles at the weekend and in the evenings.     Sunday spent helping Brenda in the garden. Fortunatly there was a shed to clean out, much more my style than plants.Amazing how much more tiring gardening is than cycling!

No cycling So no cycling so some thoughts on Canada instead. 1. They have a Canadian coffee shop/takeaway chain called Tim Hortons. When I first went into one I thought I was going into a family style dinner. Wrong it is more like a Macdonalds. However, apparently everything about it is Canadian The egg and bacon on an English muffin plus a cup of coffee costs less than 5 Canadian dollars.       On the menu board they give the calorie count of the products. The muffin (as above) has 300 calories apparently I as an average female need 2000 calories a day!  2. The local treat here is a pecan pie. These little pastry tarts have a gooey caramel filling with pecan nuts on the top (no custard of any kind). They are very good  - not sure how many calories. But then maybe I cycle more a day than the average female! 3. I feel very much more at home here than in the USA they even have the Queens head on the bank notes. 4. In the USA senior discount...

56 miles to Toronto Cycling along the Waterfront trail which comes and goes! Reached Burlington, where I knew I could get a map of trail. Something which for some obscure and unknown reason is only available at the equivalent of 'go outdoors' on the outskirts. Not even Reuben and Heidi last nights cyclists had one or knew where to come by one. What a difference it made! could see which path I was meant to take. Plus was able to point others in the right direction!      As I got nearer to Toronto the level of traffic on the trails increases. Skateboarders, rollerskaters, mothers jogging pushing double buggy prams., racing cyclists, people just stopped on bend, traffic lights. Probably more stressful to cycle than a main road.    However this off road route takes you right into the heart of Toronto. Staying in the university halls of residence. Which opens its doors to act as a hostel in the summer. Have my own student room in a 5 person flat (flat has ki...

76 miles to Hamilton I visited Niagara falls again. The only way to see these falls, whirl pools, and cliff sides is by cycling. there is a great route. First the parkway with limited (no lorries) vehicle access, and a low speed limit, takes you alongside the Niagara river. The U.S.A. and the city of Buffalo is on the other side. Then there is a cycle /walkway which takes you across small river tributary bridges, and along ramp- ways on the river, giving views of the falls, spray, and eddies. Then you get  the falls themselves which are stunning. On the Canadian side I think the tourism has been well managed. Certainly the crowds must have come a different route from me.      After visiting again  I carried on the cycle path to come out at Lake Ontatio. Continued on the waterways trail to Hamilton. This area has a micro climate, which makes it good for  fruit and vine growing. Lots of stalls, plus larger outlets selling, peaches, apricots, plums, t...

43 miles to Niagara Falls then back to camp Continued along the cycle path to Port Erie this morning. Then I spent a long time trying to change my flight home. Was not due to leave Toronto until the end of August, have managed to get a flight on the 22nd so that is only a week. I am only a couple of days from Toronto.      So after that I cycled a bit further then checked into a campsite. Then started to cycle to the falls without all my gear. Just as I was at the site entrance who should appear but Denise and Coby. I thought they were way ahead of me. They would have been but had had to return home for a few days for family reasons. it was great to see them, and we cycled to see the falls, along with a father and daughter on a tandem. I   even managed to return Denise her book on North Korea! Will not see them again as they are going east from here.     Looked at the falls which were very impressive. Looked at the rainbow bridge, th...