Home again.

I left Guelph at about 5:30 Wednesday Morning and got home about 10:30 this Morning. (Friday October 7, 2016. The trip was very exhausting but rewarding. More details later.

Leaving Guelph on October 5, 2016

I am planning to leave Guelph early Wednesday  morning to begin my trip back to London. If anyone would like to cheer me on, here is the route I will be taking for the first leg. I hope to make it to Stratford by nightfall.

Bicycle 77.2 km, 4 h 15 min
63 Arkell Road, Guelph, ON to Stratford, ON
1.SW Arkell Rd to Gordon St          230 m
2. Right on Gordon St.              2.5 km                                2.7
3. Left on Stone Rd W            2.6 km    or Edinburgh to Kortright becomes Downey to Niska    5.3
4. Left onto Woodland Glen Dr.        270 m                    '"            5.6
5. Turn Right (Path from Woodland Glen Park)     59 m                "
6. Path turns left            550 m                    "            6.2
7. Turn left onto Ptarmigan Dr.        120 m                    "            6.3
8. Right onto Niska Rd            1.3 km                                7.6
9. Right onto 5 Township Rd / Whitelaw Rd.    750 m                            8.3
10. Left onto County Rd 124        4.7 km                                13    64.8
 11. Right onto Kossuth Rd Regional 31    7.6 km                                20.6    57.3
12. Straight through roundabout for Fairway Rd N Regional 53     1.7 km                    22.3
13 Strait tthroug 'roundabout stay on Fairway     2.3 km                            24.6
14. Right onto Dom Cardillo Trail        2.3 km                                26.9    50.9
15. Slight right to stay on trail        400 m                                27.3
16. Left onto Ottawa St. N / Regional 4     1.9 km                                29.2
17. Right onto King St. E        200 m                                31.1    46.7
18. Left onto Borden Ave. S        400 m                                31.5
19. Right onto Iron Horse Trans Canada Trail    650 m                            32.1
20. Left onto Stirling Ave S        28 m
21. Turn right onto Courtland Ave E/Waterloo Regional Rd 53    36m
22. Turn left onto Iron Horse Trans Canada Trail    650 m                            32.8
23. Turn left to stay on Iron Horse Trans Canada Trail    650 m                        33.5    44.3
24. Turn left to stay on Iron Horse Trans Canada Trail     1.8 km                        35.3    42.5
25. Turn left onto Glasgow St        2.4 km                                37.7    40.1
26. Turn right onto Fischer-Hallman Rd/Waterloo Regional Rd 58    280 m                    38    39.8
27. Turn left onto University Ave W/Waterloo Regional Rd 57    1.5 km                    39.5
28. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Ira Needles Blvd/Waterloo Regional Rd 70    1.4 km        40.9    36.9
29. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Erb St W/Regional Rd 9 / Continue to follow Regional Rd 9    14.6 km 55.5
30. Turn left onto Wilmot Easthope Rd (signs for Wilmot Easthope Road/Regional Road 9/Erb's Road)    300 m
31. Turn right onto 41 Line            1.4 km                            57.2    20.6
32. Turn left onto 102 Rd/Road 102        1.0 km
33. Turn right onto 40 Line            15.4 km                            73.6    4.2
34. Turn left onto Perth County Rd 119        2.4 km                            76    1.8
35. Continue onto Mornington St            1.8 km                            77.8
36. Slight left onto Waterloo St N           
37. Right on Brunswick
Stratford, ON

There may be some slight variations as I veer off to find food, etc. I also spent much time at Victoria Park in Kitchener as a teenager (1969 - 1970) so I may take a side trip to see the park again. I did most of my growing up in Kitchener and it would be good if I stumbled across some old acquaintances. I am also looking forward to meeting friends in Stratford.

Breakdowns during my recent trip

There was one anoying breakdown during my recent trip. This was very minor and not worth digging down to my tools to fix, but repeating failures made it annoying. It was my suspenders. As I was bicycling down the highway, periodically a suspender strap would fly loose. A pair of plyers could fix that, but why stop and dig out my tool box for such a minor thing.

When I got to Listowel I noticed one of my trailer tires was worn right out and thought I better get it replaced before it blew out. I bought a new tire at CT and went to a spot on the bike trail to do the repair. All done, I packed my tools away and repacked the trailer. Then my suspender strap flew off and I remembered I should have fixed it while my tools were out. I decided to go back to Walmart to look around and I looked for a loose pair of pliers that I could borrow to fix my suspender. An employee asked what I was looking for and I told him. All pliers where in sealed packages, so I admitted what I wanted to do explaining my pliers were packed away at the bottom of my tailer. He picked up a pair of needle nose vise grips that worked for my purpose.

Half way between Drayton and Alma is the place where I had to fix a bearing on a previous trip. I was now going the opposite way, but as I got closer to Alma I began to hear noises that sounded like a bearing begining to go. When I installed the tire I had spun the wheel to be sure everything was turning freely. It was the inside bearing on the opposite wheel that I had replaced a couple of months earlier. Perhaps it was the outside bearing on the same wheel, but no, the sound seemed to be coming from the wheel with the brand new tire. The noises came more often and eventually it was steady. As I got on the trail to Fergus at Elora, I noticed a wobble that indicated the bearing was completely gone. Luckily it had not seized up as the last one did. This was going to cause a delay, but since I was still rolling I reasoned that I could make it to my sisters house OK. (My sister, Evelyn, owns Jester's Fun and Games. Stop in to see her if you visit Fergus. They are the number one stop for Fergus on Trip Advisor.)

Next morning with the help of Tim, my brother-in-law, I got the bearing replaced and was on my way by 10:30 am. I made good time getting to Guelph, was shopping early afternoon and got to my sister, Mary's house, by mid afternoon.

arrived in Guelph today

After biking more than 217 km over the last few days I have arrived in Guelph were I will be spending a couple of weeks helping my 90 year old dad fix bicycles.

I left London last Thursday and got to Stratford about midnight. After attending a meeting on Friday night I was held up by rain on Saturday. I left about 7 am Sunday and got to Listowel mid afternoon. Replaced a tire on my trailer and scouted for a place to camp. I got downtown Listowel early Monday morning and waited for 9 am when the Listowel Banner office would open so I could thank Dan McNee for the fantastic story he had published in me August. Leaving Listowel about 9:30 am I arrived in Fergus about 8 pm. A bearing went out on the trailer and I installed a new one Tuesday morning with the help of my brother in law, Tim.  Leaving Fergus about 10 am I arrived at Arkel Rd in Guelph about 3:30 pm. The 217 km from google maps does not include the extra running around I did within the towns I visited.

I met many nice people during this trip which is proving to be a trip of self discovery. One gentleman who I met on a bike trail said he was following me on the internet. Three students in Guelph helped me up the steep hill on Gordon street near the University.

I am planning a future book about the Betterment of the world. Every time someone does a pure and kindly deed, they make the world a little better. Those who have treated me so kindly have for sure made the world a better place for me.

rain delay

i went to a reflection gathering in Stratford on friday night. Rain delay today. I will be leaving Stratford tommorrow morning and heading to Listowel. 

leaving London today

I'm Heading out today and expect to be in Stratford by tonight. Stratford newspaper printed a very good story about my last trip there. http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/2016/08/16/london-author-markets-his-first-book-with-tours-on-a-bicycle-with-trailer

I am also planning on visiting Listowel, Fergus and Guelph on this trip. I will spend a couple of weeks in Guelph to help out my dad who is 90 years old and fixes bicycles. I also enjoy spending time with my mom who is 87.
 

Heading Home

Heading Home

Yesterday, when I left the Library, I determined I would head home. As I unlocked my bike, a gentleman, who had been sitting on a nearby bench, approached and asked about my book. When I explained it to him, he asked if he could see a copy. He asked the price and I told him, regular price is $25 but I am selling my current stock off at $20.00. He paid me $25.00 for a copy and asked me to autograph it for him. Perhaps he was the reason the wind blew me back to Stratford when I tried to leave.

The first part of my journey was rough. The rain had stopped and the sun was warming the air. The wind was not as bad as it had been, but strong gusts would almost stop me.

Once out of the city the wind had picked up but it was coming at me at almost a 90 degree angle. It would whip around a bit and it sometimes pushed me and at other times stopped me. I determined I would turn south on 119 towards Uniondale so I could take advantage of the wind, but it was a struggle to get there and the wind was starting to die down as I approached the intersection. However, the rest of the trip was comparatively easy and I made it home shortly after 11pm. I showered, shaved and had a very good sleep in my own bed.

I would love to head out again. All I need is an excuse and a destination. Feel free to invite me to visit your home, speak to your group, or volunteer for your cause. If you can provide a night’s accommodation and a meal, that would be great. Check back with this blog to see where I will go to next.