Category Archives: Things

Getting doored on a fully loaded touring bike is not fun

Sept. 16th. Day 47

I don’t even want to do this right now but I’m keeping in the habit because I might be glad I did one day.

Canada and it’s “no fault” law is bullshit. It’s legal to open a car door in a cyclist path. Not drivers fault, not mine. And certainly not something Canada wants to deal with so be on your merry way you cyclist with a broken bike.

The only plus is that I’m not hurt bad. But if I were that’s when Canada would maybe do something. Cop said I could go to the hospital and not be charged for service.
Well shit! I guess I should have let the semi run me over too!
Forget it, it’s a different country.
But I did almost get killed by an 18 wheeler. Had he been less aware of the road ahead of him or even just been a tad further up the road at the time the kid in the Monster energy drink hoodie doored me, then I would be dead. My bike and I landed straight in the center of the driving lane.
I could have died without a doubt.
But as it happened I have a wasted front rim. Blew tire at the side wall (junk now), tube, bent the shit out of my brass bell, ripped the outside and broke the inner frame of my right front pannier (it still holds the rack and things won’t fall out but the zipper is thrashed, holding it closed with safety pins) also my jar of jelly busted in the street but that I just think is kind of funny because I was only wanting it to be gone anyway.
Damage to me? Cut hole in palm even more from last nights spill, a hipper, and scraped knee.
I jumped quick when I heard those 18 wheels hit the brakes right behind me. Trucks look big already. Try looking at one up from the ground and just a few feet away. Later the stress caught up to me and I felt sick in the stomach. Good thing I was away and in the clear before that happened.
Anyway. Cop was near useless but took my ID and said he’d meet me at the bike shop. I carried my tacoed wheel bike about half a km to a bike shop. I had passed by it just before. Had the thought “don’t need anything from there” guess I do. I knew already they would not have a 48 Velocity Dyad. (turns out he never even heard of Velocity, sad) I did the pol0 trick of hitting the worst part against the ground, right in front of the shop, and made it a lot less U shaped. Now a thin 8 shape. I’m called to come inside. Kimy, a very nice guy, did his best to true my wheel. But in the end I had to remover my brake pads to get the wheel to spin w/o rubbing.
The cop came back and gave me my ID and said he talked the kid into giving me $40 Canadian. A least it was something. Not enough. But not nothing.
I left the shop, Kimy was not going to charge me. As I packed up he came out to give me a couple of the power snacks they sell and wished me luck.

Later, after a ditch visit, I was just walking because I was forced off the 132 (no bikes/ped). Walked thru a park along the bike path and met Claude and France. An older couple who wanted to chat, how nice. Yes I’ll chill for a bit and talk with you nice people. They had done a tour in 97′ of Newfoundland. I showed them my trip on the map. We spoke for about 15 min. I felt more relaxed after. On the bike again riding a bike trail. Totally cool with it today.
Found an IGA in a town I don’t know the name of. I sat outside for 30 min eating all my cheese and crackers before I went in to buy dinner. I sat right next to the front door. My bike was nearly blocking the door and I was just on the other side of a trash can. Sitting on a bench. Not one person said a word. I go in. I buy food. I sit back down.
I had a spot scouted, was just waiting on dark to go set up.
Eat more. Write in notebook as I play the iPod (charging the whole time, outlet was reason I was so close to door). In my notebook I was just finished writing about how I could sit at any random grocery in US and not 20 min could go by w/o someone chatting. But in Canada hours could go by in silence.
And then a lady stands in front of me and quickly offers a yard to camp. Her name was Louise and her husband I met soon was Yues. She was admittingly drunk but I was not yet committed or really even worried. In my mind I was just going to see. They lived two blocks away.
Turns out it was all good. The three of us talked for a few hours before my bed time. Ate food, drank coffee, I even took a shower (first since hotel day in Percé).
Tent in the grass right outside back porch, bike indoors safe and a promise of breakfast.
Just not being alone, and having company of people excited about my trip and happy to talk made my day much better.

I can’t really go faster that 18 or 20km/h on this wheel the way it is. Bad hop in it and no front brakes.

Saturday in Montreal. And again on Sunday to play pol0(I hope to god they show up) and Sunday evening I roll south. With any luck at all by Monday after noon I’ll be back in America. Not sure that anything will be any better(?) but it’ll be in the direction of home and friends.

20110916-051906.jpg

No title

Sept. 10th Day41
Today was a better day.
Three days ago was big hills
Two days ago was big hills and strong headwinds
Yesterday was flats but even stronger headwinds

Today I even had a tailwind for about and hour and was doing 30+ for most of it.
The day started cloudy and I even plastic bagged a few things before departing in case of rain.
That towns flag was pretty cool too but it was wrapped up on the flag pole too much for a good photo.
In the next town I stopped for water and coffee. Had a little chat with the store keeper. He reminded me of an actor who’s name I don’t know.
Noon was real before I even thought about it. Seemed like I was stopping a lot and not getting as far as I thought for the amount of time since I started. But still stopped and bought a little lunch at Walmart. $1.90 on a 500 of yogurt. And a free charge and some wifi while I was there. In that time the sun broke out.
My only real goal for day was to get off the map. My Gaspésie map. The last town on that map was Sainte-Flavie and I put it 30km behind me.
From Grosses-Noches to Rimouski.
Somewhere along the way between towns I met a man hiking the same path I’m taking but the reverse direction. Of course he was walking on the side of the road I was riding so I stopped and we chatted. He said he was leading a group, but they were all ahead of him, and he’s done it a number of years.
We talked about seeing animals and diet and my bike. We took photos of each other and had one of those conversations where right when you think is over and say bye then one more thing is said and the conversations starts again. Anyway, he started in Quebec and told me a little about it. Soon.

In Rimouski I just looked at the surprisingly unique lighthouse and a slow ride into town. A stop at IGA for foods and a scouting along the 132.
I found this one place I thought would maybe be good. Something new.
In the pit of a truck bay outside a loading dock.
There was a box store, closed like not in bidness and for sale signs on the place. A single bay and right across the street from the water. I looked in it, deep enough nobody would see me unless they were standing were I was looking into the ramp/pit. A little rocky but I could kick rocks aside and room enough to set up my tent. So a look around the other side of the building and it’ll be good.
Around the corner, next to the dumpsters, I find the most disheveled homeless man ive ever seen rocking back and forth, nasty dirty looking.
I’m cool with the homeless. But this man gave me the feeling it would be wise to look elsewhere. I would have liked to get a photo but I thought best not to bother.
On the other side of town I found a spot in the grass behind some trees in a basic park like place. A couple history info boards and a covered picnic table. Made dinner there and set up the tent after.
Fed and in bed by 8:30p.
Not a very exciting day but at least the wind chilled out and no bugs as I made my meal at sunset.

20110922-28040018

Quiet day

Sept. 4th. Day 35
I woke up early to see some of the sun rise. The colors are best before the sun is up. I didn’t take a photo just laid there and watched for a bit.
I woke up once the sun was just high enough to shine into my eyes.
Filled up some water and made my way, 20km, to New Richmond. Getting close i had a lady driving slow beside me as im pedaling up a hill and ask where there is a gas station. My response was “I don’t know, I’ve never been any further than right here”. She said I think I’m going to turn around. That was the last I saw her.
Just as I was at the junction to get to town another biker stopped and told me to go another way because of construction on the road. That helped. Stayed on the 132 to the next intersection.
In New Richmond I stopped at a cafe for coffee and a muffin. Had a refill from a very cute girl, wrote in my notebook and then left before I lost too much of the day.
Breakfast at IGA. Basically donuts and OJ. And Greek yogurt, it’s my new thing. I get the 500 but they cost too much to do daily. Here it was a dollar off.
On the road I stopped in one of the 10-15(?) towns doing the Gaspe photo expo. Outdoor photos. Not sure of the theme but found out it’s the first year and it goes all along the Gaspesie.
More riding with the water to my right for 90% of the day. One town was not much but every single fire hydrant had a cartoon figure painted onto it. Bert, tigger, bam bam.
Stopped at a yard sale. For no good reason. The family tried to give me 7″ Quebec plate/art thing. I couldn’t.
Found a working Blackberry Curve on the road side. Kept it.
Hit Chandler town limit right as a quick (10min) rain shower opened up. Took cover under a tree. I’d seen dark clouds behind me since the afternoon. But I had a headwind all day. Not sure how that works that it caught up to me. I think the rain clouds just grew above me.
Hoped it would stop because this is my camp town.
A bit before dark i found the Chandler photo thing and more art a little ways away of workers faces, very large photo paste ups, on the side of silo style big ass tanks. All right by the water.
Lots of good views today but very overcast. Not much light the whole afternoon. Few photos.

Camping in the weeds. Not even 50 feet from the roadway of 132. Other than the side hop to New Richmond I’ve been on 132 all day (139km).
I’m easy to be seen if someone were to look and I might have set up further back but there is a old rusty sign post in the middle of this weedy, grassy, nook of a piece of land (behind/beside) a “C” market.
I’d rather have something to lean my heavy bike against when unpacking it to go into the tent. And double because it’s the same think again in the morning. Could be a wall, could be a tree, tonight I have the luck of an old post being in the weeds with me.

I think my interactions with others are becoming less often and more brief. In part because of less people and because I know very little French.

20110904-2157

Another over the water sunrise I hope

September 3rd. Day 34
This morning I woke up early. I saw the little bit of sun there was with all the clouds. Not really sun but a strip of orange glow. Thought about getting packed early and banging out a long distance day. But the rain started. I stayed in the tent and slept more.
A few hours later I woke up to a bit of mud around me but the rain stopped.
Coffee, muffin and a toilet at the gas station then walked back over to pack it up.
Rode around one corner right next to where I slept and saw the Van Horne Bridge. A cool one. I like riding over cool bridges.
I went to the Soybes and even parked my bike next to an outlet. Charged the iPod while I shopped.
Saw the lady from the gas station last night shopping too. We chatted. She was nice. I think inside the store would have been awkward but had I bumped into her outside I would have asked for a photo.
McD for wifi. Not very long.
More photos of the bridge. Then a ride over.
In Quebec I stopped in the ? for a map. They had decent Gaspe maps. And then I rode the 132 East. I did take a side road from Escuminac to Nouvelle. Not much to talk about today but it is very pretty like they say. It’s different already on this side of the bay. There was a time today that I just started laughing. Maybe because this place looks like nothing else and I’m not even to the good part yet.
I rode to a town named Maria. It was on the east side of Baie de Cascapédia and the next town is another 20km and on the west side of the bay. So I stopped early and looked around town. Today I’ve seen three outdoor photo exhibits all by the same project but different photographers. I think it may be in towns all along the Gaspe.
Spotted a church facing the water. It’s Saturday night, not the best night to camp at a church but with any luck I’ll see a sunrise and there will be no rain. And I’ll ve gone before the church goers arrive.

First day to not wear Outlier three way shorts. Looked at the butt and my Brooks brass rivets are doing a bit of wear on them. Wore the Climbers today because it was cool. Also the cap under helmet and wore tank, black T, and hoodie till about 4pm when the sun showed up. Then just pants and T for the rest the day.

Need to trim some fat. Maps I don’t need, a couple items of clothing not getting used (bibs, 2nd jersey) exposed film, and some other doo-dads not cutting it or extras brought on accident. I have 5 lens cloths. Dumb. 1 w eye glasses, 1 w sun g’s, one in camera bag, one in ziplock with camera doo-dads and a “spare” in the handlebar bag.
Not all that much really, but it can be about space as much as weight. I need space for food. The weight I can carry but there is only so much I can strap to the outside and expect it not to fall off.

About four hours after buying bread I busted it out to make PB&J. I was happy to see the little closure clip was baby blue. A new color for my collection. Only the 4th or 5th since I started. So far every one has been a different color. I’d like to find one in black.

And today I hit a record speed of 72.9 km/hr (highest for this trip I believe).
Oh, did the math and it’s only 45mph. Pretty weak.

9:45pm lights out

20110903-1905

Items that get noticed

Items that get noticed

In no order
-fenders, for the shiny hammered look
-Brooks saddle, for it’s springs or just being classic looking
-Arkel bar bag, for having a map holder/window
-frame, always just asking what it is
-bell, usually by the young or the old
-Catlike helmet, lots of holes
-PB in third bottle cage, “he’s even got the peanutbutter!”
-“Boda-Boda!” sticker, asking what it is
-organization in general, probably from neat freaks, ha
-coffee mug, for it’s biner
-broken screen on this iPod.

And the things I wish were noticed more.
-NYC flag. Its right on the front of my bike and almost no one has said a word about it.
-old Dura-ace brake levers. So baller but not one admirer except me.
-48 spoked wheels. I’m trying to start a fully loaded touring trend here and nobody sees this or cares.
-front rack. Totally custom & handmade.
-tent. it fits two