Saturday Sept 15 - test ride

Tim Goodall has arrived in Pointe Claire and assembled his bike.  We did a test ride today to check out the bikes and the riders.  A small 50km ride around the west end of Montreal island went well and no major problems arose.  We are set for the start tomorrow.  The plan is to ride from Pointe Claire to Key West in 32 days.  We do about 100km per day and will take a rest day in Washington  and Hilton Head.  Our host in Hilton Head is Don Palmer.  We all 3 worked in Germany and played squash together in the 1970's.  After we reach Key West we will fly back to Montreal from Miami.

2011-09-11 Sunday Bike adventure

We (Caroline, Barb, Tim and I )decided to rent bikes to ride along the Avon –Kennet canal which runs alongside the Avon River. We took a taxi to a little village outside of Bath to rent our bikes. The cab driver stopped en route to show us his favourite view of the valley, which was very beautiful.    

After having our bikes fitted for us, we set off in sunshine. The canal was full of canal houseboats, which are long and very narrow in order to fit through the locks and the canal bridges, which cross the Avon in places. We found it really interesting that the canal was built on high ground above the river and that along the bike path you could look at the canal on one side or the river down a long slope on the other side. We biked to the town of Bradford-on-Avon, a town which had caught our eye from the train as we passed. We even biked a few kms further as we were enjoying the ride so much. We returned to Bradford for lunch and browsed through the town, which was another pretty spot.

Canal Boat

On the way back, I had the unfortunate luck to tumble sideways off my bike as I was coming to a stop. I did a fairly soft landing but somehow managed to cut my leg either on the pedal or the fender. It was a long and deep cut which landed me by ambulance in Bath hospital needing 28 stitches to close it up. As a result, I am now on crutches until next Wednesday when I have my stitches removed. We had to cancel our trip to Germany unfortunately.

Charlotte, a friend of Caroline’s, has lent Tim a bike so that he is happily riding each day. I stayed put with a good book for the first 4 days but am now venturing out for short trips.

2011-09-10 Saturday: Trip to Bath

Roman Bath

Pulteney Bridge

Bath Abbey

Clapham Junction Rail station is the busiest in Britain – it seems every train going South from London stops here.  So 5 minutes from the door we were at the station and on the 9:30AM train to Bath.  Bath was a Roman Spa around 4AD and parts of it still remain today.  We toured the archaeological dig and ended up in the original spa area.  The tour was very well done with great audio-visual support.   Walking around Bath was a revelation.  The architecture is Georgian and whole city blocks have been done in the same style.  The Avon River runs through Bath and the bridge over the river is lined with shops on both sides. The city has many green spaces all with lovely gardens.

2011-09-09 Friday travel to London.

York Minster

The Shambles

We woke up to pouring rain but by the time we headed to the train it had stopped.  We decided to stop over at York since it had received rave reviews in the guide book.  We got off the train and walked into town.  Within 200meters we had passed through the city gates and the Minster (Cathedral) was in sight.  The history of the Minster goes back to 900 AD, but when you see the window that has been there since 1150 you realize how old it is.  There is more stained glass then I have ever seen before.  The size and height of the Minster impressed me. I walked around looking up.  Barb and I walked up the 280 steps to the top of the tower.  We only had to pay £4.50.  The narrow steps went up in 2 sections.  My legs were a bit rubbery when I got to the top.  The view was worth it. After the Cathedral we wandered the streets of York.  There is a large area of pedestrian traffic only. The lane called The Shambles was very appealing with old half timbered houses over-hanging the narrow street.  

 

2011-09-08 Thursday: Edinburgh

< span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">We started the day by climbing the Scott monument in the middle of Edinburgh.  We needed to by fresh since we climbed over 200 steps to go up.  The steps are so narrow in places you cannot pass people going down – so someone has to back up.  At times I had trouble making it through the narrow tunnels and my backpack was rubbing against the roof.  We went up in three sections so we could stop for a breath and sightseeing every 65 steps.  The views were magnificent due to excellent visibility.  We have been blessed with good weather in Scotland – any rain has been followed by sunshine within the hour.   After the Monument we split up - Tim to visit churches and the girls to shop.  We met for lunch in the Princes Street gardens and ate in the warm sunshine.  The girls then did a marathon walk to Holyrood Castle and the Scottish Museum before our next reunion.  Holyrood was very interesting but the Gardens and ruined Abbey behind Holyrood were impressive.    We reunited in the halfway house pub  and after dinner we walked the university district, which showed us another side of the interesting architecture in this city. 
We all agree that Edinburgh is a dramatically beautiful city.

2011-09-07 Wednesday: Stirling

We started our day at a very tiny breakfast place owned by a delightful grey haired lady in tartan skirt and long white apron. Her room is long and narrow and filled with tea cosies, Scottish mugs, pictures, copper etchings etc. The food is good and she is interesting company.

We set off around 11 by train for the town of Stirling to visit Stirling Castle. The castle is spectacularly located on top of a crag with a view in all directions for miles. The castle was interesting to visit - as we were walking the walls, we could picture ourselves as guards keeping watch for, or archers firing on, approaching armies. But it was the beautiful views from the castle that we were most enthused about. Tim was fascinated with the ceilings with painted heads

2011-09-06 Tuesday: North Berwick

Joan and I went out for our morning walk at 7am, while Tim enjoyed taking pictures from Colton Hill where we walked last night. When we had our first coffee of the day, we found out we were on the most expensive street in Edinburgh – even though it looked quite ordinary compared to the surrounding neighbourhood.

Later, we all took a train out to North Berwick (pronounced ‘Berrick’, as we have learned to drop the ‘w’) and walked for three hours – a short walk for us now - on a beach along the ‘Firth of Forth’, through a glen and also through the very picturesque town.

Joan and I have had many laughs ‘helping’ Tim remain ‘consistent’ at two beers per day, usually in two different pubs. It’s medicinal of course!

2011-09-05 Monday: Edinburgh

Today we had a train trip to Edinburgh so we started early. This is the first time we have faced commuter traffic in London. We squeezed into the train with our luggage and pretended we were sardines. The trip to Victoria Station was quick, but getting to the underground was hectic. Thousands of passengers squeeze through 10 gates to get into the underground. When the tube came we couldn’t get on the first one, we were too far from the door. We got on the second train but we had no seats and at every stop we juggled suitcases and backpacks to let fellow commuters off and on. We made it to King’s Cross Station safe and sound.

The six-hour train ride was picturesque throughout particularly when we went by the coast in the north. We walked around Edinburgh in the afternoon since the sun was out. The Architecture in Edinburgh is impressive: the Royal Mile and Princes Street especially.

2011-09-04 Sunday:

Just like the Tour-de-France everyone needs a rest day. Today was a quiet day around the apartment and we did our laundry and shopping. In the evening we went to the pub for a drink. After that the girls power walked home while I did some more night photography.

2011-09-03 Saturday

The girls wanted to shop and I wanted to see the Victoria and Albert museum so off we went our separate ways. The museum is impressive for it's theme presentations. I was surprised to see so many young children running about - until I went into the courtyard for lunch. After visiting the museum I went off to take pictures of the Battersea Power Station. The Battersea Power station was commissioned in 1929 and decommissioned in the 70’s. It is so big and ugly it’s a landmark.

After supper I decided to try London at night photography.

2011-09-03 Friday Great Tew

We decided to go to a quiet country hamlet to see another side of British life. I found a write up about Great Tew ( pop. 250 ) which said the village had many lovely thatched cottages. We phoned the one and only eating establishment (The 16th century Falkland Arms) to find out the nearest train station. The pub owner said to go to Charlbury and take a taxi to Tew. This almost worked perfectly except that Charlbury is also small. It took us almost an hour to get a taxi. However, the driver was great, took us on a little side trip to Little Tew and arranged for a taxi to pick us up after we had spent a few hours in Great Tew.
Great Tew was indeed very, very picturesque and we enjoyed our visit.

On the way back, we stopped at Oxford for a few hours. We were absolutely amazed by the old but incredibly beautiful university buildings in the city centre. Everywhere you looked, there was beauty.
Today was another fantastic day which we finished off at the local pub, The Falcon, which has become Tim’s favourite!

2009-09-01 Thursday: Kew Gardens

We took the train to the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens and spent the whole day there. We all considered it our best day so far.

2009-08-31 Wednesday: London

We saw more top ten sights of London today. We went to St Paul’s Cathedral first. Somehow we ended up taking a tour with Christopher Wren himself (he built St. Paul’s after the great fire of London). We thoroughly enjoyed his presentation and after 2 hours we wanted more, but we had a date at Buckingham palace so off we went. The queen had invited us for a palace tour and we went through her state-rooms and enjoyed her garden. We were quite busy so we didn’t stay for supper.

2009-08-30 Tuesday: London

We did London today. We toured Westminster Abbey in the morning. We had packed a lunch which we ate in St. James Park. In the afternoon we visited the National Gallery and then went shopping on Regent Street. I got tired first and needed a beer to revive me, and then the girls hit the wall. We made it to Oxford Street and then took the bus home. The London transit system is good – we can go from anywhere to anywhere and it doesn’t cost much with an Oyster Card.

2008-08-29 Monday: England Clapham Junction

The plane took-off on time and we landed early because of tail winds from Hurricane Irene. By noon we were in Caroline’s flat. We didn’t want to sleep so we did a tour of Clapham Junction. We spent a lot of time looking for a bicycle rental place that doesn’t seem to exist, visited 2 pubs, and did a tour of Battersea Park. The beer in the Falcon was the best.

First Day - Hurricane Irene

Our daughter Caroline is in working in London until July 2012. We had planned on visiting her in May along with Joan’s sister Barb. Unfortunately the trip was cancelled due to medical problems. Since May, Joan has had a throat operation and I had a hip replacement. Now that we’re healthy we rebooked the trip for September. We leave Aug 28th and return September 25. We will spend a week in London and then 4 days in Edinburgh. We return to London for a few days. Barb will fly home on Sept 13 and we fly to Germany for a week. We will stay with friends in Kronberg and Wulfrath before returning to London.

2008-08-28 Sunday: Tonight we fly to London to begin our trip to Europe. We are watching the weather forecast as Hurricane Irene is scheduled to hit Montreal at the same time our flight is due to take off. So far it is windy, but not raining in Montreal.
Barb drove into Montreal last night and is looking forward to an early morning walk in a different place every morning. Tim is looking forward to biking in the London traffic.

Sept 21st to 23rd Drive from Livingston to Montreal

The car was fixed and we were on our way by 11am. We kept an eye on the temperature gauge as we drove through Montana, North Dakota (Tuesday night in Bismarck), Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan (Wednesday night in Marquette), Sault Ste Marie, Ontario and arrived home at midnight Thursday. So, that’s it, 2653km and 21596m of hill climbing in fantastic countryside. Thank you all for following us and we hope you enjoyed the ride. We will produce a book of the blog and use more of the pictures we have and all being well you should get a chance to see it some time in the next few months. Until the next tour………. TG & TB

Sept 20th: Mammoth Hot Springs to Livingston 96km 251m

Gardiner, Montana

Today is our last day.  With just a coffee and a granola bar for breakfast we were on the road by 7:15.  We exited Yellowstone Park after 5 km and passed through Gardiner, a real western looking town.  Our route followed the Yellowstone River to Livingston, so it was downhill all the way.  With the wind at our backs we flew down the highway at an average speed of 30kph.  It was 55km before we stopped for breakfast.  After breakfast we continued non-stop to Livingston and back to our car.   We arrived in Livingston shortly after noon.

We disassembled the bikes, packed them into the car and headed back to Montreal.  Within 15 miles we had a broken-down car and we flagged down some locals.  The local tow truck recommended Larry’s Foreign Car Service and there we went.  Larry looked at our car and diagnosed a seized alternator.  The parts had to be shipped overnight, so his wife Cornice arranged a ride to a hotel and we over-nighted in Livingston.  

Delivery to Larry's Foreign Auto Service

Sept. 19th: Canyon Village to Mammoth Hot springs 59km 499m

Norris Geyser  Basin

Tim G’s shoulder injury seems to have recovered after last night’s cure. On our last day in the park we rode to Mammoth Hot Springs via Norris. We stopped to look at the Norris Geyser Basin, but it paled in comparison to the Old Faithful area. When we resumed the journey we were heading north beside the Gardiner River, with a tailwind. It was the gentlest 30km we rode all week. Unfortunately we were going so fast we broke the speed limit and when we stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs we received a lecture from a ranger about obeying the traffic rules. We agreed to comply.

Steam Vent - Norris Geyser Basin

Mammoth Hot Springs Upper Basin

Mammoth Hot Springs -Upper Basin

 

Sept. 18th: Grant Village to Canyon Village 79km 730m

Natural Bridge

The price for everything in Yellowstone park has been high so we were pleased to find an all you can eat buffet breakfast to start the day.  It had all our favourite breakfast items and included a bottomless cup of coffee.  We hit the road rather late. 

Our first stop was a natural stone bridge followed by the mud volcano area.  The mud volcano area was impressive, but the pictures of mud looked just like mud.  When we arrived near Canyon we rode to the viewing points along the south and north rims of the canyon.  The Yellowstone river flows through a canyon of high rock walls.  The colouration in the rock was a surprise – bright yellows and reds.   It was an impressive sight.

Yellowstone Canyon

    

When we planned the trip I had read that cycling in the park was difficult.  This has proved true.  The traffic is heavy, the roads are poor quality and the shoulders are narrow.  I have ridden off the road twice so far due to narrow shoulders, but until today we have had no serious mishaps.  Our luck ended today.  As we were crossing a bridge we were overtaken by a camper van.  I was startled by the blast of air as the van just missed me.  TimG was 10 meters ahead of me and the van hit him in the shoulder.  TimG was lucky to maintain his balance and neither of us fell.  The driver pulled over about 200 meters up the road and was checking his mirror (which was broken) when we arrived.  He said he wasn’t used to such a big vehicle, pointed out the mirrors were really wide, and blamed us for being on the road.  I took his picture, with the van’s licence number, and we carried on.   We waved down the first ranger we saw and he wrote up a report.  Then we had lunch.  TimG is suffering from a bruised shoulder, so as a preventive measure I made sure he drank lots of alcohol to deaden the pain and improve the blood flow to the injured shoulder.